Chris Chiarella

The Christopher Reeve Superman Collection—Warner Brothers
Chris Chiarella  |  Feb 05, 2007  |  Published: Jan 05, 2007
Super Hero
Christopher Reeve flies again. Perhaps never before in the history of home video has a studio crafted months of releases upon a single theme, as Warner has in 2006, “the year Superman returns.” No doubt tying into that new feature film, all manner of Super movies and TV shows have been issued on DVD, some for the first time—new seasons of Smallville, the classic Adventures of Superman, Lois & Clark, Superboy, The Animated Series, and even the cartoon adventures of the Dog of Steel, Krypto. But we can never give enough credit to Christopher Reeve and his dual role as the impossibly awkward Clark Kent and a gentlemanly savior in a red cape. Reeve’s electric screen presence was born of classical acting training, an understanding of how to fly under his own power—from his experience as a glider pilot—and a willingness to bulk up his lean frame under the tutelage of Darth Vader himself, trainer David Prowse. The later of Reeve’s four franchise films were not an ideal stage for his inspired thespian stylings, but his characterization was a high-water mark for the timeless hero, as celebrated in Warner’s new boxed set, The Christopher Reeve Superman Collection.
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Lady and the Tramp 50th Anniversary Edition—Buena Vista
Chris Chiarella  |  Feb 02, 2007  |  Published: May 02, 2006
Video: 5
Audio: 4
Extras: 3
Disney’s love letter to dogs everywhere, Lady and the Tramp remains a sweet, funny adventure. This new 50th Anniversary Edition replaces the 1999 movie-only release, extensively restored, remixed, and remastered.
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A Nightmare on Elm Street—New Line Cinema
Chris Chiarella  |  Feb 02, 2007  |  Published: Dec 02, 2006
Dream Street
Welcome to their Nightmare…again. This new and greatly improved infinifilm edition of A Nightmare on Elm Street reminds me that New Line had other blockbuster franchises before the reign of hobbits and snaggletoothed British spies. Director Wes Craven’s imaginative script struck a nerve with audiences who were growing tired of contemporary horror flicks. He introduced us to the iconic Freddy Krueger, a supernatural murderer relegated to attacking his young victims in their sleep, where no one can protect them from his knife-enhanced fingers. Elm Street also marked the big-screen debut of a baby-faced boy next door named Johnny Depp.
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Media Server Reviews
HP Pavilion Media Center TV m7580n HTPC
Chris Chiarella  |  Jan 26, 2007
Ready-made living-room multimedia.

We're down with entertainment PCs here at Home Theater. For those of you who are ready to share the joy, there are basically two ways to join the party. For the hands-on approach, we've written about specific best-of-the-best audio and video cards and other devices that you can plug into your own custom-built box. But, for some readers, personal success has brought with it the notion of luxury. Companies like HP are only too happy to remove the guesswork from the equation and pre-assemble a bundle for you, which you can purchase with one phone call or just a few clicks online. Their Pavilion Media Center TV m7580n HTPC is just such a system.

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Home Theater Systems Reviews
Sharp SD-SP10 HTIB
Chris Chiarella  |  Jan 26, 2007
Welcome to the age of Audistry.

My office—cubicle, actually—is in Manhattan, so I get it: Despite your love of movies and music, some readers either don't want or just can't deal with a full array of five loudspeakers plus a subwoofer. Rather than settle for simple stereo (and I mean no disrespect to John Atkinson and his Stereophile crew down the hall), some overachieving sub/sat systems add often proprietary processing techniques to simulate sprawling surround sound. But what if newly released signal-processing algorithms offered so much control over the listening experience that they could turn a budget home-theater-in-a-box into a sound lab of sorts, allowing you to experiment with a previously impossible milieu of realistic audio illusions?

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The S&V Interview
HT Talks To . . . Richard Donner
Chris Chiarella  |  Jan 26, 2007
One of Hollywood's most successful directors, Richard Donner is also a damned nice guy.

After years in television—The Twilight Zone, Gilligan's Island—director Richard Donner went on to launch several major film franchises, starting with The Omen in 1976. Two years later, his Superman made Hollywood history. But few knew that he'd completed much of what wound up on screen for the sequel, Superman II, even though he would be abruptly replaced by director Richard Lester. Donner has finally returned by popular demand to complete his version, Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (on DVD from Warner Brothers) and make every Superfan's dream come true.

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Portable Player Reviews
Creative ZEN V Plus & Aurvana In-Ear Earphones
Chris Chiarella  |  Jan 26, 2007
It's just so Buck Rogers. Or maybe Dick Tracy?
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Headphone Amp/DAC Reviews
5.1 Apples: Griffin FireWave External Sound Card
Chris Chiarella  |  Jan 26, 2007
Griffin Technology's multichannel gift to fruit lovers.

Hey, Mac users: Does it ever feel like your PC-loving "friends" are having all of the 5.1 fun? For you, Griffin proposes the FireWave External Sound Card ($99.99), an outboard Dolby Digital decoder and more, specifically for OS X 10.3.9 and above.

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The S&V Interview
HT Talks To . . . Dennis Muren
Chris Chiarella  |  Dec 30, 2006  |  Published: Dec 03, 2006
Special Effects Guru Dennis Muren talks to HT about computer graphics, the equinox, and owning his own tux.
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Bookshelf Speaker Reviews
Pioneer HTS-GS1 Speaker System for Xbox 360
Chris Chiarella  |  Dec 30, 2006  |  Published: Dec 03, 2006
Think of it as a cheat code to unlock your 360's hidden sonic levels.

The high-definition video capabilities of the Xbox 360, like those of the imminent Sony PlayStation 3, have put a renewed emphasis on the importance of the video display. And, indeed, consumers young and old continue to bring HDTVs into their homes in record numbers. But no one was more shocked than I was to discover that there are still some gamers out there with current- and next-generation consoles in their living rooms who aren't hooked up to discrete 5.1-channel audio systems. Rather than record a Sally Struthers–style public-service announcement to elicit help for these poor, unfortunate souls, I chose to investigate the options—and I came up with Pioneer's officially licensed Xbox 360 sound solution, the HTS-GS1.

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