Kelly's Heroes/Where Eagles Dare (Action Double Feature) [Blu-ray]

Clint Eastwood (Actor)

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This review is from: Kelly's Heroes/Where Eagles Dare (Action Double Feature) [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

I bought this Blu-ray for Where Eagles Dare, and had hopes for an improvement over the DVD version, which was already pretty good. Sadly, during the transfer the brightness was turned down so low that much of the image is now lost in the shadows. For example, many scenes are now so dark that you can't see the actor's faces. In other cases, big items (like airplanes) are lost in the darkness of the mountain backgrounds. This was not a problem on the DVD version. It's especially regrettable since in the brighter scenes, the blu-ray does offer a sharp image. I can only wonder if the person doing the transfer actually looked at the results. (Note that another reviewer feels the brighter DVD image was a problem, and the darker blu-ray is more faithful to the original version shown in theaters 42 years ago. I saw it back then, but make no claims to remember the brigtness level in the theater on that day so long ago. Maybe others have a better ability to remember such things.)

UPDATE 6/18/10: A commenter suggested I try altering my LCD video settings. These settings work well for every other disc I own, plus OTA broadcast and streaming Netflix over Roku, but what the heck, I tried it. I had to choose a setting with very, very high contrast and backlight levels, but it made a real difference. The movie looked a lot better and the

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Toy Story (Two-Disc Special Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo w/ Blu-ray Packaging) (1995)

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Tim Allen (Actor), Tom Hanks (Actor)  

This review is from: Toy Story (10th Anniversary Edition) (DVD)

Cowboy doll Woody is Andy's favorite toy, and as part of that comes the privilege of being the leader of all the other toys. His world is suddenly turned upside down when Andy gets a Buzz Lightyear action figure for his birthday. Suddenly, Woody finds himself in danger of being replaced as Andy and all the toys flock to Buzz. Worse yet, Buzz doesn't know he's a toy. He thinks he's the real Buzz Lightyear. But when the two toys get lost a couple days before Andy moves, they'll have to work together to get home. Can Woody work with Buzz when they don't have the same goal?

I can't believe it's been ten years since this movie came out. It's had an immeasurable impact on the animation field and movies in general. At the same time, its flaws are evident. The humans look as plastic as the toys, and the fur on the dog is laughable. Computers have come a long way in ten years.

Whether this movie was any good or not, it would have been an important milestone. Fortunately, it succeeds on an entertainment level as well. The story is masterfully told revealing plot points and character equally. The movie is extremely funny as well; with lots of jokes for the adults in the audience and some classic lines I quote all the time. Plus it introduces us to a Pixar staple, the climax that will not quit.

Pixar has released great DVD's from the start, and this two-disc set is no different. The movie is transferred directly from the digital files, so the picture is perfect. Sound is wonderful in two separate 5.1 surround tracks. Many of these extras are from the Ultimate Toy Box release of a few years ago, and they are well worth having. The commentary is very informative. The deleted scenes are interesting, but it's obvious why they were deleted. The new features looking back at the movie from ten years later are wonderful as well.
   
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The Back-Up Plan (2010)

 Jennifer Lopez (Actor), Eric Christian Olsen(Actor), Alan Poul (Director)

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This review is from: The Back-Up Plan (DVD)

Part of the Jennifer Lopez Comeback Machine, the new film "The Back-Up Plan", tries to be a sweet-natured old-fashioned romantic comedy. But it isn't funny enough or interesting enough to provide anything other than a way to pass some time when it eventually begins its endless rotation on Basic Cable.

Zoe (Lopez) owns a small pet boutique in Manhattan. Desperate to have a child and unwilling to wait any longer for Mr. Right, she tries artificial insemination. The day this process "takes", she meets Stan (Alex O'Loughlin, the good looking star of two television flops "Moonlight" and "Three Rivers", he's good looking, but he can't act). Stan is a merchant at the local farmer's market, peddling the cheese he grows on his farm. Seriously. Stan is attracted to Zoe and wants to get to know her. For some reason, he initially puts her off, so it takes a while, but eventually, she relents and agrees to go on a date. Just as they start to get to know each other, Zoe tells him about the pregnancy. He decides to stick with her, helping her through the process. Hilarity ensues.

Yes, I know. Doesn't sound all that hilarious does it. And that is a large part of the problem with this romantic comedy. Directed by Alan Poul (one of the Executive Producers on HBO's "Six Feet Under" and TV's "Swingtown"), the film tries desperately to make some situations funny. And the desperation shows. When this happens, and it happens too much, the film becomes a tedious exercise.

There were a lot of wrong decisions made in the making of this film. Every time you want to escape into Stan's romantic antics (the first dinner he takes Zoe to is pretty special), the filmmakers almost seem to think they need a laugh and try to make something happen. When it does, it only serves to spoil the moment and worse, it doesn't make you laugh. When Zoe thinks she might have to face life as a single mom, she attends a Single Mom's group. The main joke here seems to be that everyone attending the group seems to be a lesbian couple. The leader very carefully enunciates each of the words in the acronym a few times. This moment seems to go on forever. And Zoe seems to stick with the group to avoid offending anyone. After Stan enters the picture, she gets roped into another meeting and brings Stan along. This scene goes on FOREVER and isn't nearly as funny as everyone involved with the film seems to think it is. Outtakes from this scene play during the credits and both Lopez and O'Loughlin are captured laughing hysterically.

The filmmakers also seem to want to make Lopez into a Caucasian woman. Is there anyone on the planet who doesn't know who Jennifer Lopez is? After spending years looking at her face plastered on the cover of just about every magazine, watching her music videos, seeing her perform on television, watching her movies, I would find it hard pressed to believe anyone wouldn't recognize her on sight. So why try and hide her ethnicity? Her grandmother is played by Linda Lavin (TV's "Alice) who is about as white as bread. And the filmmakers go to great lengths to hide Lopez's back-end. She is always carrying a big canvas bag that almost always conveniently hangs across her backside. Her clothes are designed to slim her down. They are trying to hide who she is. Will this make her a more respected actress? No, doing some good work will make her a more respected actress. And this film doesn't accomplish that.

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Wall-E (Two-Disc and BD Live) [Blu-ray] (2008)

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This review is from: Wall-E (Single-Disc Edition) (DVD)

I am floored. I didn't think it was possible for Pixar to surpass Toy Story, but it has. A sophisticated treat for adults and teens, a cuddly romance for the juice-box set, this comedic science fiction thriller romance (really!) takes the company to a new, more mature level. Filled with artistry, depth, meaning and a lot of humor, WALL-E is a masterpiece. Where Cars was a kid's movie with added adult themes, this is an adult movie with added value for children.

DIALOGUE SCHMIALOGUE

Before I saw WALL-E I had read about the lack of dialogue, and how it might be a risky move for Pixar to make a film with characters that don't talk in a traditional sense. Well, trash that. The most emotionally powerful scenes in this movie are those with the LEAST dialogue. Fully developed and indeed almost human, the two main characters are Wall-E himself (the letters stand for Waste Allocation Load Lifter-Earth Class; there's also a WALL-A) and EVE (Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator), two machines in love.

After about a half hour I was wondering if Pixar could continue to pull off this less-is-more concept for the rest of the film -- then the two robots started playing Pong! Such imaginative screenplay carries the film to what should be a Best Picture nomination. Seriously.

A TOUCHING STORY

WALL-E is a lonely little robotic trash compactor who was left behind after Earth was abandoned some 700 years earlier. He has been methodically cleaning up the trash-ridden planet ever since, and harboring a tiny plant he has found among the garbage. Eve, meanwhile, lives on the immense spaceship Axiom, which is also home to the fat, blob-like remains of the human race. She is a probe robot that flies to Earth to determine if the planet is ready for habitation. WALL-E takes one look at the streamlined, angelic Eve and falls in love.


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Die Hard Collection (Die Hard/ Die Hard 2: Die Harder/ Die Hard with a Vengeance/ Live Free or Die Hard) [Blu-ray]

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This review is from: Die Hard Collection (Die Hard/ Die Hard 2: Die Harder/ Die Hard with a Vengeance/ Live Free or Die Hard) [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

When I think Blu-ray, I expect high quality video and sound, otherwise there is no point to buying a blu-ray version of an already existing dvd.
The first two movies, Die Hard 1 & 2 from the 80's, look terrible visually. FOX did a horrible job in re-mastering these for blu-ray, or they did not re-master them at all. It is possible they used the regular dvd's and just up-converted them without remastering/restoring them digitally. Sound is decent. The third film, Die Hard with a Vengeance is more recent from the 90's, but it doesn't look great. The fourth film does look good and sounds great, but it would be more convenient to just purchase the fourth film as a blu-ray version and get the first three on regular DVD if you don't own them already. You would save a lot more money and you would be getting the same thing as this box set here. FOX definitely messed up with this whole set.

The Princess and The Frog

The Princess and The Frog

Bruno Campos (Actor), Jennifer Cody (Actor), Ron Clements;John Musker (Director)

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This review is from: The Princess and the Frog (Single Disc Widescreen) (DVD)

I don't understand why people complain about the lack of good family fair and then shy away from going to see "The Princess and the Frog", the new traditionally animated film from Disney. This is a good film and the lack of business it is creating may cause Disney to rethink their current change in course.

A few years ago, John Lasseter, the force behind all of the Pixar hits, was promoted to oversee many different aspects of Disney. He did something I don't think a lot of people expected. He restarted production of traditionally animated, hand drawn feature films, a type of filmmaking all but abandoned (due to cost; computer animation is a lot cheaper) at a studio now making digital animation. He hired the team behind "The Little Mermaid" and they chose to make "The Princess and the Frog", the first Disney film featuring an African American heroine.

New Orleans, the 20s. Tiana (Anika Nani Rose, "Dreamgirls", "The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency") is a practical girl. As a child, she accompanies her mom (Oprah Winfrey) when she goes to Big Daddy's House (John Goodman) to make a dress for his daughter, Charlotte. Tiana and Charlotte are best friends and listen enraptured as Tiana's mom tells them the story of "The Frog Prince". Charlotte immediately announces she will kiss every frog and find her prince, but Tiana can't stomach the thought of kissing a frog. Tiana also shares her hard working dad's (Terrence Howard) dream of opening a restaurant. Flash forward ten years and we rejoin Tiana as she works multiple jobs trying to save enough money to open her first restaurant. She wants to keep her dad's dream alive and has found a spot she knows will be perfect, an abandoned waterfront warehouse. Prince Naveen (Bruno Campos, lots of parts on TV shows), the prince of Moldavia, arrives in town with his aide, Lawrence. Naveen wants to play jazz and has all but given up his ties to the throne of his country. A witch doctor, Dr. Facilier (Keith David) spots an opportunity. If he gets Charlotte to marry a fake Prince Naveen, he can take over Big Daddy's fortune. But first, he has to turn the prince into a frog and find a replacement to play Prince Naveen. Charlotte hears of the prince's arrival and gets her dad to throw a costume ball during Mardi Gras. Big Daddy is only too happy to oblige for two reasons; he has been chosen the King of Mardi Gras again and anything his Charlotte wants, she gets. Throw in Louis, an alligator who also wants to play jazz and Ray, a wise Cajun firefly and everything starts to get complicated.

Written and directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, the team behind "The Little Mermaid", "The Princess and the Frog" bnngs the same sort of magic and beauty back to the silver screen.

There are a lot of things to like and celebrate about "The Princess and the Frog". The animation style seems almost romantic, in a way, perhaps because it has been so long since we have seen this type of animation used to any great extent. It also allows the film to look softer, almost as though it is glowing, which helps evoke the rose colored portrait of New Orleans the film puts forth. Everything about the film helps to give a romanticized vision of the great city and it is nice to see this celebrated.

One of the best and most consistent things about Disney animation is the music. In a time when there were virtually no other musicals being created, Disney Animated features continued the legacy, allowing some of the best and brightest performers, composers and writers to work, to continue their craft. In the last few years, live action musicals have started to enjoy a small renaissance at a time when animated features began to cycle away from using music. In "Princess", each song seems to celebrate a different kind of music which is fitting and a great idea as New Orleans is also a melting pot of music. In this way, the filmmakers celebrate and pay tribute to all of the different musical influences of this city, zydeco, ragtime, jazz, Cajun and more.

The characters are all funny, memorable and interesting. A few years ago, someone in the Disney Marketing Machine came up with the idea of marketing all of the "Princesses" from the different films plastering their pictures on every conceivable piece of merchandise. Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Jasmine, Belle, Snow White and the Little Mermaid are extremely popular so putting them all together is an even bigger draw for the millions of little girls who snap up their merchandise. So, any new animated film with a Princess is going to be considered a boon to the ongoing marketing machine that is Disney. Add Tiana to the group and everything can be redesigned, remade and resold. But Tiana is also the first African-American princess providing even more attractive marketing possibilities. She is a great marketing tool. When you become a fan of Disney, you quickly realize that everything in the kingdom is about marketing: if a film is a success, the characters go on to live in television, theme park rides & attractions, video games, clothing, DVDs, costumes and so much more. When you realize this, you can quickly move on and allow the films to create memories and magic. And Tiana is a very good addition to the Disney family.

Tiana is head strong, independent, goal-oriented and very busy. From her early days, listening to her dad talk about his dreams of opening a restaurant, she quickly adopted the same dreams. Now that he has gone on, she continues to press forward, working two jobs, saving every penny for a down payment. Only when the two men who promised to sell her an abandoned warehouse for her restaurant threaten to pull out, does she become desperate and start to look for some more money. Early on, Tiana brings her mom to the space and they sing a song about what the restaurant will become. Throughout this number, there are references to the sacrifices the young woman has made and it becomes a celebration but also a poignant illustration of this character's strong will.

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 District 9 (2pc) (Ws Dub Sub Ac3 Dol) [Blu-ray] (2009)

 Sharlto Copley (Actor), David James (Actor), Neill Blomkamp (Director), Peter Robert Gerber (Director)

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 Product Description

From producer Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy) and director Neill Blomkamp comes a startlingly original science fiction thriller that "soars on the imagination of its creators" (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone). With stunning special effects and gritty realism, the film plunges us into a world where the aliens have landed... only to be exiled to a slum on the fringes of..........
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This review is from: District 9 (Two-Disc Edition) (DVD)

District 9 is something that perhaps no one saw coming, and ends up being the absolute best movie of the summer hands down. Produced by Peter Jackson and helmed by Neill Blomkamp (the director Jackson hand picked for the shelved Halo movie), District 9 depicts an alien race that came to Earth on an emergency basis a couple decades before hand, and have since become refugees in a violent slum in Johannesburg. Bureaucrat Wikus (Sharlto Copley) is charged with serving eviction notices to the alien "prawns", and through a mishap, ends up undergoing a horrifying transformation that makes him a wanted man by everyone. As he and a prawn dubbed Christopher Johnson become unlikely allies, things begin to really kick into high gear. Beginning as part mockumentary and part satire on apartheid, District 9 takes its time to become a bloody full-blown action/sci-fi opus that stays with you long after the credits are done rolling. What also helps make District 9 so good is that you truly never know what is going to happen next. The sheer unpredictability of the film helps

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Inglourious Basterds (2-Disc Special Edition) [Blu-ray] (2009)

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This review is from: Inglourious Basterds [Theatrical Release] (Theatrical Release)

One of the great pleasures of Quentin Tarantino movies is the wonderfully inventive casting that he employs. In PULP FICTION, he revived the career of John Travolta, made Samuel Jackson a star, pushed Bruce Willis into another echelon and even helped get Ving Rhames off to a good start. In JACKIE BROWN, he burnished Pam Grier & Robert Forster's careers. In KILL BILL, he reinvented Uma Thurman and reinvigorated David Carradine. Even in DEATH PROOF, he introduced the world to the amazing stuntwoman Zoe Bell and gave Kurt Russell the kind of part he's missed out on for too long.

And now, wonderfully, in INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, he's introduced the American viewer to some stellar European actors, namely Melanie Laurent and particularly Christoph Waltz, now an easy favorite for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar.

Tarantino also frequently tries the patience of his viewers with his rococo dialogue and insistence on constantly reminding us that we're watching a movie. In PULP FICTION, all his "habits" were fresh and new to most viewers (because, really, how many of us had seen RESERVOIR DOGS before we saw FICTION?), but over time, we learned that Tarantino was often just a little too pleased with his own screenwriting and often too pleased with his own directing. In a completely off-the-wall piece like the priceless KILL BILL films, everything worked to form a crazy-quilt whole. In INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, he's too clever for his own good at times.

BASTERDS tells the completely untrue story of how World War II might have ended had a group of bloodthirsty, highly trained American Jews been allowed to infiltrate Nazi occupied France with no mission other than to take Nazi scalps. Oh, and how that mission needed to collide with one fateful night when all the top leadership of Germany attended the gala opening of a new propaganda film held at a movie theatre owned by a beautiful French girl who was actually a Jew who had escaped a massacre that had taken her entire family and now she's bent on revenge at any cost. And of how her goal coincides with that of an undercover British agent who just happens to be a German film scholar and a German double agent who happens to be a movie star.

I know that sounds a little confusing. To Tarantino's credit, the plot as laid out in this 150 minute film is actually easy to follow. In fact, he's put everything into easy-to-digest chapters. It does ask us to believe that every important member of the German government & military would all assemble in a fairly public place at one time...but if you can get past that hurdle, there is much vicarious pleasure to be had in watching WWII reinvented by Tarantino.

By far, the best part of the film is Chapter 1. It features Waltz as SS officer Col. Hans Landa in what is easily the most chilling portrayal of a Nazi since Ralph Fiennes donned the uniform in SCHINDLER'S LIST. Fiennes role (and that entire brilliant movie) were for altogether different purposes. Landa comes off more like a Nazi Hannibal Lecter (without the strange dining preferences)...he's a bit of a lone wolf in his own party. He's feared by all, because he has a wonderful BS detector that helps him root out deception at every turn. In the opening scene, which plays out like a delicate one-act play, Landa comes to a humble French farmhouse and speaks with the owner. We know the owner is hiding Jews beneath his floorboard, and we're pretty sure Landa knows it too. Just how he gets that information, through one of the most tense interrogation scenes you'll ever see, is a joy to behold. You literally find yourself not breathing. I leaned forward in my seat. And yet there is never a raised voice, nor a threatening gesture. The screws are applied through intensity of manner. Waltz instantly makes his character a classic. Tarantino the writer has crafted brilliant dialogue, and Tarantino the director films it all with rare taste and simplicity, and Waltz knocks it out of the park.


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Showgirls (15th Anniversary Sinsational Edition) [Blu-ray] (1995)

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This review is from:Showgirls

Every now and then, a film is so bad, so wretched, so devoid of any socially or artistically redeeming value as to take on a life of its own, and by the very denial of value, acquire a value unto itself.

So it is with "Showgirls."

This film is, of course, well and truly ridiculed in every quarter of the world of serious art critique, and even righteously lampooned in "The Simpsons", a venue that provides a surprising amount of accurate commentary on artistic merit. And the spotlight reviews here on Amazon.com are so wonderful, I almost despaired to write anything approaching their brilliance. But I felt I had to add my mite to the general acclaim for this contrarian work of art.

The story is, as has been related so many times, of a simple girl with a shady past, Nomi, who hitchhikes to Vegas. Is there, you ask, any OTHER way to get to Vegas? No, indeed. A pretty girl with a great figure and a look of jaw-dropping stupidity (Elizabeth Berkley) should never take a bus or turn tricks to fund a budget plane ticket. Only risking her life in a random encounter with what could be (but wasn't) a homicidal pervert trolling for hitchers is the way to arrive in Vegas in the proper manner. Nomi hooks up with a soul sister sewing pal in a trailer and becomes ensnared in dancer/manipulator/girl-liker (lover) Cristal's web. (Isn't this just awful writing from me? I'm indulging in a veritable Bulwer-Lytton festival of bad prose here.)

Nomi of course, climbs out of her seedy second-rate strip club, I mean, Vegas show and gets a role in the hot new extravaganza "Goddess." My favorite part of the scene is not the crummy audition. No, it's right afterwards, when she trots on up to the Human Resources department and feigns not knowing her social security number and is even rather vague on her date of birth. Her lack of next-of-kin prompts the HR lady to ask "deceased?" and Nomi does a creditable job in looking as if she knows that "deceased" means "dead" and not the opposite of "increased" This is absolutely believable acting, assisted by some very bad lipgloss over some phenomenally collagen-enhanced lips. At this point in film, also, the already dubious dialog hits pothole after pothole. "She is all about pelvic thrust...and she didn't learn that in dance lessons" or something to that effect. I didn't hear it too well, because I was gasping for air after a huge guffaw.

The dialog continues to bump along as Nomi does the same, along with grinding out some astonishing bad dancing, consisting of a lot of jerky arm-throwing, pelvic thrusting and leg humping of shoulders, hips and any convenient pole or chair. Spoilers? None. I always forget how this film works out at the end, because I am rolling on the floor and have to shut off the DVD.

Along with "Buckaroo Banzai", this is probably one of my top picks for bad films that are so bad, they are actually enjoyable. Whether you are just being a voyeur or you appreciate camp, this is one terrific blurp of entertainment.

The Ultimate Matrix Collection [Blu-ray] (2008)

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This review is from: The Ultimate Matrix Collection [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

Been waiting for this BD version for a while. I have the HD-DVD trilogy which was awesome. Before that had the 10 disc DVD version of the Ultimate Matrix Collection which was awesome.

The Blu-ray version is the best of them (except that it doesn't come with a Neo bust like the DVD edition did).

At the time of purchase and of writing this review the product info was wrong on the Blu-ray version. It claims it is a 10 disc set, when it actually is a 6 disc set, 4 Blu-ray's and 2 DVD's. I notified Amazon.com of this, but who knows when they will get around to fixing it.

Also it was said that this is a waste of money in another review because newer DVD players upscale. However this person must have never seen an upscaled movie compared against a Blu-ray or HD-DVD version of the same. There is a BIG BIG difference, I watch a lot of movies "upscaled" but all that does is allow you to watch a DVD movie on a HD TV, it improves the quality a little but not enough to say it is as good as Blu-ray or HD-DVD.

It is worth the extra bucks to buy one of greatest movies in the last 20 years in beautiful Blu-ray.

Kick-Ass (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack + Digital Copy)

Nicolas Cage (Actor), Mark Strong (Actor), Matthew Vaughn (Director)

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This review is from: Kick-Ass (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack + Digital Copy) (Blu-ray)

What a wacky movie this is. When I first saw the previews, I thought this Kick-Ass was going to be aimed at kids and teens. Boy was I way off, because it earns it's R rating many times over. I really had no intention of seeing this film until I saw the very positive reviews flowing in from the critics. Not that I always agree with them, but in this case I would like to thank them for getting my butt down to the local theater today.

Parts of the movie reminded me of Watchmen. You have everyday people who are sick of bad things happening to good people, decide to put on costumes, have funny hero names, and then beat and cut apart the bad guys in a not so nice way. I actually thought it was rather tame in the gore department, compared to what I read about beforehand, but the violence and language is way too strong for kids.

The acting is good from everyone. I liked newcomer Aaron Johnson as Kick-Ass himself. Nicolas Cage turns in one of his better performaces in a long time, though I think he was great in an over-the-top kind of way in The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans. Christopher Mintz-Plasse is still doing his McLovin thing in every movie since Superbad, but it worked again. Mark Strong is kind of one note as the villain, like in Sherlock Holmes, but I think he's a little better in this role. The real star of the show is little 11-year-old, Chloe Moretz, as Hit-Girl. She is clearly the most memorable thing in a movie with a bunch of stuff worth remembering. As the daughter of Cage's Big Daddy hero, she spews out bad language, slices and shoots baddies by the dozens, and loves her daddy. I want one of my own.

Kick-Ass is serious in tone most of the time, but there are some killer comedy bits and lines that had the whole theater erupting with laughter. The music is well placed in key scenes and the director/writer, Matthew Vaughn, did a fine job in creating a comic book film that should please both fans and non-fans of the genre alike.

Even though it looks like Kick-Ass will come in #1 this weekend, it still feels more like a cult film to me. I can easily see this movie being talked about decades from now, much like Army of Darkness, but without the campiness factor. What a breath of fresh air in a genre that has just as many misses as it does hits.

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The Universe Seasons 1-3 [Blu-ray]

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This review is from: The Universe Seasons 1-3 [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

The Universe offers hope that the History Channel's weekly programming can reach beyond age old conflicts and historical happenings to give the cable viewing public something new. Specials on Hitler and Mussolini can have daunting titles like "The Dark Wages of War" or "The Uncertain Age of Holocaust", but do these really compare to titles like "Secrets of the Sun", "The Most Dangerous Place in the Universe", "Supernovas", "Cosmic Apocalypse" and, who can resist a title like this, "Sex in Space". David X. Cohen, producer of Futurama, once postulated that adding the word "space" to any word makes it funnier and better. The Universe benefits from and proves this theory simultaneously.

The Complete Season One

The premier season of the series stays mainly within the confines of our solar system and offers an episode on each of the planets, the sun, the moon and a few other topics. The season is at its best when it takes on a single planet and examines it from every angle and nothing else. For that matter, the episodes that handle two or more planets ("The Outer Planets") also have their moments, but when they lump in Pluto, Neptune and Uranus just to save space in the season you feel like you're getting gypped on the full treatment the planet deserves. Except for Pluto...which is apparently lucky to have been included at all, poor guy.

The Complete Season Two

Each of the 18 episodes tackles a different topic; from "Alien Planets" to the harrowing prospects of "Cosmic Apocalypse" the show's ability to hold your attention never fails. To think that the discovery of a new earth is close to a reality should intrigue even the most diehard skeptics, especially in this field which seems to generate more questions than answers. Or maybe you're more interested in the future of space travel or colonization? Black holes? Or, my personal favorite title "Biggest Things in Space"? Come on, if you aren't slightly interested in the biggest things in that final frontier then you just can't be pleased. The History Channel has a really great thing going with this series and the second season keeps the pace with a nice supply of educational installments.

The Complete Season Three

The third season reels itself back in terms of the number of episodes going from the second season's 18 to a mere 12 - so to keep up the pace of this superior series they gave us a season of great and above par episodes. "Sex in Space", it's long been considered the final frontier for anyone who ever found their way into the Mile High Club and then wanted something more. But really, who hasn't thought of it? Well, after this episode it'll be hard to stop thinking about it...don't judge. The focus of The Universe shifts to a much more theoretical bend with episodes like "Parallel Universes", "Light Speed" and "Edge of Space". The topics will fascinate you and get you thinking in a way that the past seasons didn't quite manage.

The one misstep of The Universe would seem to be some of the less than convincing "authorities" brought in on the subject. While each and every one of them may have a brilliant mind, hearing the opinion of what appears to be a college astronomy major sitting on some large rocks doesn't exactly fill the audience with confidence that every piece of information is to be taken at its word. The show has plenty of interesting things to say, but they really ought to have found slightly more credible sources (or at least had the sources they used appear professional) to put any contrarian arguments to rest. It's not a total failure on the show's part, but with so many astronomy experts out there it seems unnecessary to settle - even if they were just trying to inject a little bit of youth into the proceedings; the injection isn't necessary though. To think that an audience would take slight at a show exploring some of the deepest darkest secrets of our universe for not featuring a variety of ages amongst the experts just seems ridiculous. Just like any piece on World War II, the better is the most informed - age be damned.

On Blu-ray the 3D models achieve mixed appearances. In some instances the graphics look phenomenal and elevate the show to its proper scale. Other times, the renderings just don't quite meet the 1080p demands and a bit of pixilation becomes visible. Unlike a special effects slathered feature, this shortcoming isn't as damaging in a series of lectures on space; sure we notice, but the images are complementary to the words, not vice versa. Instead of being upset with the show for sometimes failing graphically, it's easier to marvel at the visual aids provided for such riveting material. There's an almost indiscernible boost in quality in CGI used for the 3D models but it's there and it promises good things for the series' future endeavors in explaining and exploring concepts for which we have no actual footage.

Blu-ray Bonus Features:

The first season's extra feature is an in-depth documentary about the big bang. It's a fascinating subject that warrants hours and hours of examination, but you'll have to settle for one. For season two, a singular featurette casts a spotlight on the grass root community of the astronomy field: "Backyard Astronomers". You might not be so moved as to go out and buy a telescope for your home, but the featurette is as interesting and compelling as the rest of the season and well worth your time. Season three's offerings aren't quite so feature-based but instead offers a little cache that they've affectionately titled "Universe Facts". It's exactly what it sounds like, but what's better is the photo gallery which is absolutely mindblowing.

I Am Legend (Ultimate Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray] (2007)

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In I AM LEGEND, Will Smith joins the ranks of Vincent Price (in 1964's THE LAST MAN ON EARTH) and Charlton Heston (in 1971's OMEGA MAN) as the star of an adaptation of Richard Matheson's 1954 novel of the same name. Often surprising in its focus on loneliness and loss, this thoughtful, eerie, and restrained sci-fi horror film provides a parade of startling visuals, but never allows special effects to overcome the human element. Smith, in a strong performance very different from his usual persona, is Robert Neville, the lone survivor in a New York City where streets are overgrown and deer gambol among deserted automobiles. Following an epidemic, the Earth's population has been turned into an army of nocturnal zombies. Immune to the virus, military scientist Neville searches for a cure in his Washington Square townhouse. Haunted by visions of his family leaving quarantined Manhattan two years prior, he drives through the city with his German Shepherd, Sam, by day and barricades his home from the monsters nightly. But when Anna (Alice Braga)--another immune stranger-finds him, they will have to fight the onslaught twice as hard. Akiva Goldsman and Mark Protosevich's emotionally-charged script showcases the charisma of Smith, who commands the screen alone for most of the picture (aside Abbey, a talented German Shepherd). Director Francis Lawrence (CONSTANTINE) uses music minimally, wisely allowing the eerie cityscapes to remain mostly silent. The set pieces, including an overgrown, deserted Times Square and a lion hunting a deer in the Flatrion District, are goosebump-inducing moments of stark beauty. Though some may question the rendering of the monsters in CGI instead of using actors, it does allow them to be frighteningly acrobatic. A chilling and effective adaptation of a horror classic, I AM LEGEND is also a thought-provoking piece of Hollywood filmmaking.

Editorial reviews"[Smith is] one of the very few actors who can star essentially solo in a feature-length film and keep us riveted....[His] physical transformation is awe-inspiring..."
USA Today - Claudia Puig (12/14/2007)

"[S]lick, adrenaline-fueled fun....The first third of the movie is a high-octane joy ride through post-apocalyptic Manhattan..."
Los Angeles Times - Carina Chocano (12/14/2007)

3 stars out of 4 -- "It is totally cool to see Manhattan devoid of people as Will Smith and his dog roam the ruins....Director Francis Lawrence keeps you squirming."
Rolling Stone - Peter Travers (12/27/2007)

3 stars out of 5 -- "I AM LEGEND goes a surprisingly long way to explore psychology, and Smith fearlessly dives headfirst into the mind of an individual who's had no human contact for almost 40 months."
Empire - Dan Jolin (02/01/2008)

4 stars out of 5 -- "[I]t's a lean, eerie sci-fi thriller with the kind of brains and heart not normally found in multiplex movies, and some genuinely affecting moments."
Ultimate DVD - Ultimate DVD Staff (05/01/2008)

The Sopranos: The Complete First Season [Blu-ray]

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This review is from:The Sopranos: The Complete First Season (DVD)

I'd been hearing about The Sopranos all last year but honestly, I just never have time to catch a series every week. I just don't watch TV with any regularity and I'm not crazy about missing episodes or seeing them out of order when I know there's continuity. When I saw that whole first season of The Sopranos was coming out, I figured that would be just right for me.

I wasn't disappointed. Matter of fact, I was blown away. It's a great show, at times hysterical, at times very dark. The characters are sometimes over the top but they stay close to basic story, unlike a lot of shows where, struggling to fill 60 minutes and having run out of any sensible ideas, they'll have doctors from an ER show caught in an improbable plane crash in the Andes or whatever.

The most interesting thing for me is the way they've used Tony Soprano's sessions with his therapist as a way to stitch everything together and let you get inside Tony's head. The actors playing both Tony and the therapist turn in remarkable and very believable performances.

This set is also a heck of a bargain. You get 13 episodes, four per DVD, plus some bonus materials, which is a lot of viewing time for the money.

I recommend this set as easily the best DVD purchase I made all year (this from someone who buys nearly everything that comes out.)

The Illusionist [Blu-ray] (2006)

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This review is from: The Illusionist (Widescreen Edition) (DVD)

This is an excellent gothic thriller based on the short story by Steven Millhauser, Eisenheim The Illusionist, set in late 19th century Vienna about the son of a young cabinetmaker who falls in love with a young Viennese aristocrat and is banned from seeing her as he is a basic commoner. As the legend goes about the young lad, he meets a travelling magician on the road who shows him the secrets of illusion, where he sets off to exotic lands to learn the mysteries of life. He returns to Vienna after his travels and opens a show in the great city to astonish not only Vienna's common public with his quasi supernatural illusions, but also Crown Prince Rudolf, son of Emperor Franz Josef who then reigned over the Austrian Hungarian Empire.

Originally the short story was written as a political criticism of the Monarchy, based on the scandalous incident, where the bodies of Rudolf and his mistress, Baroness Mary Vetsera were found shot in a Royal hunting lodge, apparently a murder suicide which the Royal family kept from the public for many years.

Edward Norton as Eisenheim is understated and brilliant, as the many sleight of hand tricks in the film were actually done by the gifted actor. Norton must have practiced for months to reveal such confidence and skill needed for these types of trick. However, Norton's character portrayed a perfect man of mystery, begging the question, are these mere illusions or does Eisenheim possess supernatural power, controlling matter, energy, space and time itself.

The special effects in this film are well done. My favourite illusion in the film, (and they're many) is the Excalibur Sword illusion where Eisenheim borrows Rudolf's sword, somehow magnetizes it to the stage standing straight up, asking the various aristocrats' in the audience to release it from its position. Of course none can release the sword, as they, like the Arthur legend, are not meant to be king. When Prince Rudolf attempts to pull the sword from its stationary stance, he finally does so with great effort; by causing the ruthless Prince some embarrassment, Eisenheim is now a targeted enemy of the Crown.

Paul Giamatti as the corrupt Inspector Uhl really shows what a versatile and gifted actor he really is, able to do comedy, tragedy, fantasy...a very impressive performance.

The overall look of the film had the atmosphere as if we are viewing a primary historical source, the director using 80 year old editing techniques etc., this was unusual but effective for such a mixed genre film - fantasy, thriller, supernatural thriller and fairy tale romance.

When first seeing this film I was spellbound and the ending, a perfect twist, making The Illusionist a perfect example of skilful storytelling.

This is an excellent film.

Rambo Box Set (First Blood / Rambo: First Blood Part II / Rambo III ) [Blu-ray]

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This review is from: Rambo Box Set (First Blood / Rambo: First Blood Part II / Rambo III ) [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

When I heard they were releasing these on Blu-Ray I wasn't exactly thrilled to be buying them again. I had bought First Blood on Blu-Ray when it first came out after I had rented it at a Blockbuster and was so impressed by the picture I had to buy it. I had seen First Blood in so many different versions including most of the standard DVD releases that I didn't think it possbile to look as good as it does on Blu-Ray. After that I decided I really wanted them all on High Definition but they hadn't announced plans to release the other 2 on Blu-Ray. So I bought the others on HD-DVD (french versions). Again the picture was quite a bit better than any standard DVD previously released but not quite as good as First Blood on Blu-Ray. When the trilogy was finally released on Blu-Ray I admit I was a little mad, I wished they had just released them all together in the first place and now buying the trilogy yet again on Blu-Ray would also mean I would have 2 versions of the same First Blood movie.
I found this set at Best Buy for $29.99 (someone had accidently put them in the wrong area but they honored the price). This was cheaper than buying Rambo: First Blood Part II and Rambo III individually so I bought the whole set.

I am very glad I did though, the picture on the other 2 movies are just as good as on First Blood, and better than the HD-DVD versions I had bought. The sound is also much better than any other version I had. I would strongly suggest that if you are skeptical to just buy these, there is not a better version out there and believe me I know. I watched these with my girlfriend and even she was amazed at how good they looked and she is not picky about picture quality. The movies look like they were just filmed yesterday and not back in the 80's. There is very little grain or film artifacts in these either. One review I read said he didn't realize how much sweating there was in the Rambo: First Blood Part II until he actually saw it in High Definiton and I have to agree, it is so clear everything shows up and looks amazing. If you own a Blu-Ray player and love the Rambo series you owe it to yourself to buy these.

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Gladiator (Sapphire Series) [Blu-ray] (2000)

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This review is from: Gladiator (Sapphire Series) [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

This review refers to the blu-ray picture quality only. The movie itself is an absolute classic. Unfortunately this blu-ray was a victim of considerable DNR and EE that has actually removed and distorted picture detail. Here's a good example. At the beginning of the movie where we see Maximus as a General leading a final battle, you see an amazing wide shot of flying, flaming, arrows. It should look amazing, right? Wrong. The picture was DNR'd so badly that it actually removed arrows and the ones you can see are a blurred mess! Absolutely terrible. Don't waste your money on this. Wait until they release a quality blu-ray because "this is not it!"

Daybreakers [Blu-ray] (2010)

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Daybreakers: Nothing Groundbreaking, But A Good Time

Daybreakers is a breath of fresh air in the world of vampire cinema that currently consists of the Twilight series of films. I have nothing against these films, I just prefer my vampires to be badass and blood-thirsty, while maintaining that aura of supernatural coolness à la Christopher Lee in Horror of Dracula. Daybreakers initially looked bland and forgettable to me, but to my surprise the film manages to pull off being enjoyable as well as bringing a few new ideas to the vampire genre. The film is not groundbreaking in any way, but it is a fun time and (for me) it made vampires cool again.

To start off, the casting is good. I don't personally care for Ethan Hawke, but he works here just fine delivering a satisfactory performance. The real standouts are Sam Neill as Hawke's boss and Willem Dafoe as a kick-ass vampire hunter with a taste for muscle cars, high-tech crossbows, and Elvis Presley. The supporting cast is made up of mostly unknowns and they turn in decent performances. The direction by the Speirig Brothers is above-average, but nothing spectacular. It's a relief to see a horror film that doesn't have that ridiculous shaky-cam thing going on. The action scenes are well-directed as well, with an unexpected car chase happening about halfway through. I must say that the cinematography is excellent, with lots of dark blues and grays in the vampire scenes and dry browns and yellows in the human scenes. It reminded me of the cinematography in the original Blade. Again, nothing new but it is a visually pleasing film.

The story itself is nothing amazing, but it's executed quite well. It is, however, interesting from both a horror and sci-fi standpoint, utilizing both genres for maximum effectiveness. As a horror film, it does well with a few scares and lots of blood and gore (another surprise for me, but I'll get to that in a minute). However, it really shines as a science-fiction film. The idea of a shortage of blood causing the vampires to panic is an interesting role reversal that I found quite amusing. It also has overtones of greedy multi-national corporations only in it to make a profit (gleefully reminding me of the Weyland-Yutani company from Alien & Aliens). There are some nifty new ideas that also made the film feel like a welcome addition to the sci-fi/horror genre. I really don't want to spoil them, so I'll be careful with my choice of words. The vampires have adjusted their way of living to not be hampered by that pesky sunlight. This is done both outright and subtly, the latter of which I found myself chuckling at the filmmaker's ingenuity. Other interesting ideas include the cure itself (which I initially scoffed at, but the more I thought about it I realized in the context of the story, it works) and the concept of what happens to a malnourished vampire that doesn't get regular servings of blood. Does it die? You'll get the answer in Daybreakers. There is also a nice Romero-style commentary on some current social and economic issues, that works well and doesn't get too preachy.

The special effects are well-done. The CGI is nothing special, though the vampires exploding after being staked was pretty cool. However, there are tons of live-acion gore effects that I was very happy to see considering the industry's current obsession with CGI. It was nice to see some Day of the Dead-style gore happening in the modern age; and if this comment doesn't make it clear, let me spell it out for you: this film is VERY gory. There's a lot of blood, guts and body parts flying around (one bit early on actually made me jump - something that usually never happens) so be warned. It's not Dead Alive or anything, but it is pretty heavy on the red stuff! Gorehounds (myself included) will not be disappointed.

Any complaints? Not really. I originally wanted Willem Dafoe to be more badass, spouting one-liners and such, but he didn't reach that level of true "badass-ness" like John McClane, Arnold or Woody Harrelson's character did in the recent Zombieland. In retrospect, I realized that this may have messed with the tone of the film so it was probably for the best. The film ended quite abruptly too. Is it too much to ask for a minute of wrap-up? But hey, neither of these make the film any less of a good time.

So, bottom line: I would whole-heartedly recommend this one to any sci-fi/horror fans. It's nothing you haven't seen before, but it's executed in a stylish and interesting manner so you'll definitely enjoy it.

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