Kris Deering

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
One Missed Call—Warner Bros. (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Apr 22, 2008  |  0 comments
Video: 3.5/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 0/5
I don't understand why the movie studios continue to remake every single obscure Japanese horror film; even the really bad ones. Of course I didn't know this was a remake going in, but it was easy to tell as the film progressed since it seemed like it borrowed from just about every horror movie of the last few years. The story moves at a brisk pace but that is also one of its biggest downfalls. There is no story development, no character development and honestly, no point. There was never any sense of tension or horror and most of the time I was chuckling at how utterly bad the film was. I did think the cover art was cool though.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead—Image Entertainment (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Apr 22, 2008  |  0 comments
Video: 3/5
Audio: 3.5/5
Extras: 3/5
An all star cast leads this troubling thriller about a bank robbery gone terribly wrong. Two brothers with big financial problems plan a "fool proof" robbery of their parent's jewelry store. But things go terribly wrong when the younger brother brings in a third person who botches the job and leaves their Mom on her death bed. Things spiral out of control from their in this dark and morally obtuse tale of where greed and lies can take you.
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Blu-ray Player Reviews
Denon DVD-2500BTCI Blu-ray Player
Kris Deering  |  Apr 18, 2008  |  0 comments
Breaking new ground in HD.

Since the arrival of Blu-ray, I’ve been waiting for a player from Denon, whose high-end DVD players have served as references for me for years. So far, the standalone Blu-ray players I’ve used have left me wanting. Pioneer and Sony are the only manufacturers offering players with the construction quality I expect from a top-end player. But both of these manufacturers have delivered products with their own issues, including extremely slow response times and lack of support for cutting-edge Blu-ray features.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Underdog—Walt Disney Pictures (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Apr 14, 2008  |  0 comments
Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 3/5
I'd been holding off on watching this one until my daughter was visiting. She is five so I thought this would be a great one to sit down and watch with her. Unfortunately she got pretty bored with it, and so did I. The humor goes above their head most of the time, and falls pretty short of mine. The concept is cute and talking animals are always pretty funny, but the movie moves along at a slower pace than I would expect given its target audience. As far as family films go it is nice to see something with no real adult humor or innuendo, I just wish there was more to have fun with for 90 minutes.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story—Columbia Pictures (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Apr 14, 2008  |  0 comments
Video: 5/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 4/5
Parodies are always really hit or miss with me. The trailers for this one didn't do anything for me but Judd Apatow has been delivering some great comedies lately (Knocked Up and Superbad) so I was curious to give this one a spin. Unfortunately this wasn't the movie for me. I like comedies, but this one was just too silly for its own good. The longer director's cut didn't help either. Don't get me wrong, there are some incredibly funny moments in this film, but it gets bogged down by some of the over the top moments similar to Apatow's other disappointment, Talladega Nights. Fans of that film will probably find this one appealing in all areas, but I can't say I was much of a fan.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The 6th Day—Columbia Pictures (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Apr 14, 2008  |  0 comments
Video: 4/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 3/5
You would think the "govenator" had a new film coming out this summer with all the Schwarzenegger films hitting Blu-ray shelves this past month. Sony throws their bid in with The 6th Day, an action thriller that takes a rather disturbing look at a possible near future where cloning has become common practice. We've seen these before and it seems like Hollywood always tries to cash in on the latest science buzz. The script is pretty horrendous when it comes to dialogue and delivery, but the action sequences and production make up for it a bit. One of Arnold's weaker films, but still a decent popcorn piece.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Alvin and the Chipmunks—20th Century Fox (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Apr 14, 2008  |  0 comments
Video: 4/5
Audio: 4.5/5
Extras: 2/5
Can't say I had high hopes for this one going in but Alvin and the Chipmunks ended up being one of the most enjoyable family films I saw this last year. I used to watch the cartoon when I was a kid and this feature film did a good job capturing the spirit and humor of the original show. There are some great laughs here and the music is catchy enough that my daughter had to get up a boogie a bit during the movie. Sure it has a lot of comedy clichs and Hollywood formula, but it was still solid family fun.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Dogma—Columbia Pictures (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Apr 14, 2008  |  0 comments
Video: 3.5/5
Audio: 3.5/5
Extras: 3/5
Kevin Smith's religious epic caused a bit of a stir upon its first release. The comedy epic is witty and makes a nice satire out of the holy verses with a touch of Jay and Silent Bob. I'm on the fence about which Kevin Smith film is my favorite but this is definitely one of the front runners. The writing is excellent and the cast does a great job with the material. As long as you don't take it too seriously, this film is a lot of fun.
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Surround Processor Reviews
Integra DTC-9.8 A/V Processor
Kris Deering  |  Apr 07, 2008  |  0 comments
Next-generation audio/video controller.

Integra raised a lot of eyebrows when it announced the new DTC-9.8 A/V processor at CEDIA last year. Not only was this the first pre/pro on the market to offer decoding of the next-gen audio codecs from Dolby and DTS, it also boasts Silicon Optix video processing and highly sophisticated Audyssey room correction. And its $1,600 price point was almost unheard of in the separates market.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Juno—20th Century Fox (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Apr 02, 2008  |  0 comments
Video: 4/5
Audio: 3.5/5
Extras: 3.5/5
I think most people would say that Juno was the dark horse of the Oscar race this year. It was loved by critics and audiences (based on its nice haul) and was probably the most popular of the Best Picture nominees. I didn't get the chance to see it in theaters but I was excited to finally get to watch it. Honestly, it didn't meet my expectations. The film was solid, of that there is no doubt, but it left me puzzled on the Best Picture nod. For one the film as a whole isn't much different from a lot of the “indie” comedies we see all the time. The story isn't anything new, the acting is good but again nothing new, and honestly I found most of the dialogue contrived. It was almost like they were trying to be too witty most of the film, which comes off as annoying for me. I love the heart of the film, I connected a lot with the end and the idea of losing your child, but I guess I wasn't as affected by the entire picture as the Academy was.
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