Blu-ray.com - Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Face/Off (Blu-ray Review)

Fri, 16 May 2008 21:51:00 -0400

Does John Woo's action classic measure up on Blu-ray?

Yes, his face...off. The eyes, nose, skin, its coming off.

The world of high technology and unbelievable medical and scientific advances meets the blood and guts action movie genre in Face/Off, easily director John Woo's (Broken Arrow) biggest Hollywood smash hit. The legendary Hong Kong director, whose greatest Asian hits include The Killer and Hard Boiled, teams up with 90s ic...

Video

Face/Off finally arrives on Blu-ray high definition, its 1080p, 2.35:1 transfer a solid one. This transfer is noticeably grain-free, raising the question as to just how much noise reduction was applied to this title. While the image is a good one overall, there are times where the transfer suffers from an odd appearance, most notably on several close-up shots of the actors. A scene where Pollux and Castor Troy (who is really Archer) are discussing the location of the bomb in ...

Audio

Undeniably the strongest aspect of this disc is the amazing lossy sound mixes it employs. Both a Dolby Digital 5.1 EX and a DTS 6.1 soundtrack are included, and for the purpose of this review I selected the DTS mix. To call this one loud is an understatement. It's deafening; the track just keeps getting louder and louder, and only minutes in I was forced to turn the volume down from reference level. Nevertheless, the track proves itself to be one of, if not the most active and dy...

Supplements

Face/Off is transplanted to Blu-ray as a solid special edition. Two commentary tracks highlight the proceedings, the first featuring director John Woo and writers Mike Werb and Michael Colleary. This track was recorded for the 10th anniversary of the film. Woo starts off the track recounting the changes the story underwent, morphing from a sci-fi project to a human drama film replete with action while the writers discuss Woo's influence on making sure the emotion of the film ...

Final Words

Face/Off offers audiences all the action they can handle, and then some. The movie works as straight action, but John Woo's effort to humanize the film didn't completely work. While I found the subject material and concept highly fascinating, it nevertheless seemed to me to simply be a means to an end, just another plot to frame around an action extravaganza. I enjoyed the movie nevertheless, Cage and Travolta are both excellent in their roles and Woo doing what he does best, creating ......

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Disturbia (Blu-ray Review)

Thu, 15 May 2008 21:42:00 -0400

A hit (and hip) Paramount title returns to store shelves.

Are you spying on the neighbors?

Disturbia is another one of those movies starring teenagers and tailor-made to suit the teenage sensibilities of 2007. It is also another one of those movies that is more a re-imagining of a classic rather than a straight remake, this time digging into the vault of Alfred Hitchcock movies, who's probably lucky he's not around to see what passes for a suspenseful movie anymore (teens, scares based on spooky, sudden noises and ...

Video

Presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio, Disturbia's 1080p high definition transfer leaves just a bit to be desired. The opening sequence of the movie, a brightly and naturally lit "great outdoors" scene is easily the best looking of the movie, offering crystal-clear and razor-sharp imagery. As soon as the setting returns to the suburbs, the image seems to become a less-than-spectacular one (but still solid nevertheless), exhibiting a bit of softness to go along...

Audio

The fact that Disturbia is on Blu-ray without a high-definition soundtrack is, well, disturbing. There is a smattering of soundtrack options available on the disc anyway, amongst them a Dolby Digital 5.1 EX and DTS-ES 6.1 offering. I chose to sample the DTS track for the purpose of this review, and for a lossy sound mix, the results weren't bad at all. When the situation calls for it, the track can be quite dynamic and powerful; the car crash scene at the beginning sounds jus...

Supplements

Nobody should be disturbed by a lack of special features on this disc. There is nothing that is a must-see (or listen), but anyone wanting to dig deeper into the world of Disturbia should be pleased. First is a feature-length commentary with D.J. Caruso and actors Shia LaBeouf and Sarah Roemer. The trio kicks back with some snacks and delivers a decent track, speaking over one another about some anecdotes and stories that don't add much insight to the feature. There is a ...

Final Words

Trying to compare Disturbia to Rear Window, as has been and will continue to be the case, is like trying to compare a performance of Chopin's "Minute Waltz," played by the composer himself, with an attempt to recreate it by a piano student of three months. You might very well be able to get out of it the same basic structure, but the flair, finesse, and flawlessness of the original just isn't there. No matter how you slice it, this film just doesnt completely cut i......

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XXX (Blu-ray Review)

Thu, 15 May 2008 21:25:00 -0400

Does Vin Diesel's action extravaganza measure up on Blu-ray?

If youre going to send someone to save the world, make sure they like it the way it is.

While Speed may have helped usher in the era of adrenaline-based, extreme-sports inspired action heroes, xXx actually makes the action hero himself an adrenaline junkie, extreme sports athlete. Action films have always been replete with ridiculously impossible and over-the-top stunts, but have you tuned int...

Video

One of the first titles released on Blu-ray, xXx's 2.40:1, 1080p high definition transfer is a mess. This is without a doubt the most disappointed I've been with a Blu-ray so far. As such an early release, no doubt part of the problem can be attributed to growing pains, but I nevertheless expected a better looking transfer than this. The opening segment of the movie just looks bad. There's really no other way of describing it. Black levels are terrible, any segment of the p...

Audio

Even though the picture quality was substandard, the PCM 5.1 uncompressed soundtrack that accompanies xXx is anything but. This loud and entertaining track is awesome, guaranteed to make you jump out of your seat on a few occasions. The uncompressed mix is decidedly superior to the Dolby Digital mixes on both the Blu-ray and the DVD, coming off as louder and much more defined. The heavy metal tune "Feuer Frei" heard at the beginning of the movie courtesy of the band Ramms...

Supplements

This Blu-ray is completely devoid of supplemental materials related to the movie itself. Only 1080p trailers for Stealth, S.W.A.T., and Into the Blue are to be found as extras on the disc. To the contrary, the DVD version of the film offers viewers "The Xander Zone," a section of the...

Final Words

There is no doubt about it: this is a silly, ridiculous action movie, and taken as completely straight and serious, it stinks. However, if you allow yourself to have a load of fun with it and accept it for the adrenaline-pumping, hard rocking good time it is, xXx proves itself to be one of the finest action movie delights since the genre's glory days in the 1980s. Unfortunately, the disc's subpar video quality and non-existent extras make the disc a letdown. The audio quality i......

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Next (Blu-ray Review)

Wed, 14 May 2008 19:08:00 -0400

Welcome back Paramount.

Heres the thing about the future: every time you look at it, it changes, because you looked at it, and that changes everything else.

Next is another in a long and proud lineage of Philip K. Dick novels/short stories turned feature-length motion pictures. Minority Report, Total Recall, and A Scanner Darkly being amongs...

Video

Next makes it long-awaited Blu-ray debut on a mostly good-looking 1080p, 2.35:1 framed high-definition experience. The movie offers viewers an AVC encode with a bit rate that generally hovers around the lower-to-mid 30s. It's not a surprise that a movie based on a short story entitled "The Golden Man" features a color palette tinted towards that shade. It's plainly obvious in the flesh tones of the characters who have a decidedly gold look to them. Even the jacket worn by ...

Audio

Next comes to you with a PCM 5.1 uncompressed track that is great, but decidedly not one step ahead of the best of the rest. My initial impression of the audio was that it sounded just a bit reserved, the surrounds not offering up much in the way of ambient noise, and when it is there it's just not quite as prominent and defined as expected. The track does liven up quite a bit, but it's still not as engaging as the highest rated tracks we've heard so far. When the action does...

Supplements

Next takes you into the future of Paramount Blu-ray discs with a few interesting supplements. You'll even see a spiffy Next icon, a la Sony and Disney titles, in lieu of the generic Blu-ray disc icon when you pop the disc into your Playstation 3. First up is Making the best Next Thing (1080p, 18:13), a standard look at the making of the movie, coming to you with interviews featuring the cast and crew intercut with scenes from the film. The interviews focus on Cr...

Final Words

Next requires viewers to turn their brain off at the door more so than any other movie I've reviewed. Thinking about it too hard will reveal the stories warts, but accepting it for a fun 90 minute ride with plenty of action should leave you with a smile on your face. Not too shabby is this disc's technical specifications. The video quality is perfectly acceptable, the movie clearly benefiting from the increased resolution of Blu-ray, the film's style transferring well to the ......

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The Beloved Duo of Butch and Sundance Finds Its Way to Blu-Ray (Blu-ray Review)

Wed, 14 May 2008 09:45:00 -0400

Not much can be done to polish up the video or audio quality, but Newman and Redford shine in this classic from 1969.

At a time when spaghetti westerns were achieving broad success, a different kind of western was produced featuring two of Hollywood's biggest stars in an attempt to capitalize on the genre's popularity. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid melds traditional wild west themes and a more fatalistic arch with winsome idealism. The result is a film both stuck in its time and transcending the '60s. But no matter how you view it, the picture and audio are beyond resuscitation. Fox's Bl...

Video

The video quality has not aged well either. It lacks good resolution and definition, which is a shame as cinematographer Conrad L. Hall received an Oscar for best cinematography. The landscapes and countryside depicted in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid are beautiful, but almost every video parameter is subpar, including detail and contrast, which appears to be artificially pumped up. As a result, depth suffers. But the problems also include instances of noise, flickering/str...

Audio

The audio is not well defined either. Like the picture, the sound is processed heavily--mostly to create the 5.1 mix from the original mono. Needless to say, 99% of the content remains in mono (center channel). The sound of voices is good. Dialog is clear and easy to follow. Explosions are even more dynamic. But the music is where it all falls apart, and since extended scenes involve music scores, this is a big problem.

Listen to the piano accompaniment in "Raindrops Keep Fallin...

Supplements

Almost all the worthwhile bonus features from the DVD release--the two featurettes and two audio commentary tracks--found their way to the BD and they appear in 1080i for a worthwhile upgrade.

All Of The Following Is True: The Making of "Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid": Clocking in at 36 minutes, the "making of" documentary was not included on the DVD version. It delivers excellent insight and analysis through interviews with Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Katherine ...

Final Words

It's rare for me to find a BD that doesn't provide immense improvement over the DVD. House of Flying Daggers is the only other example I can think of, and that was because of low- resolution noise detracting from the picture. When Fox announced Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, I had high hopes. Finely detailed 1080p images of Paul Newman and Robert Redford riding across a rugged countryside played in my mind. Unfortunately, now that the Blu-ray has been released, ......

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Happy Feet (Blu-ray Review)

Tue, 13 May 2008 22:39:00 -0400

As "Happy Feet" dances its way onto Blu-ray, will it leave you with a smile on your face?

Penguins sure do seem to be popular these days. Not only is the hockey team that bears that name cruising through the NHL playoffs (sorry Ottawa, New York, and Philadelphia), but these cute flightless birds have been the centerpiece of three hit movies over the past few years: March of the Penguins, Surf's Up, and Happy Feet, the 2006 hit...

Video

Happy Feet tap dances across your screen and into your living room in a beautiful 1080p, 2.40:1 framed visual masterpiece. The terrific animation the film boasts is reproduced brilliantly on this Blu-ray. Even though the colors we see on the screen are mostly shades of white and blue, they are so crystal-clear and sharp that we cant help but to sit in awe of how good the movie looks, even though much of the plot leaves little time to become distracted. Detail is as strong ...

Audio

Happy Feet's Dolby Digital 5.1 track is one of the best I've heard yet, this lossy mix certainly no slouch, leaving me only to wonder just how good a high definition mix could have been. Nevertheless, it'll have your feet dancing the entire time, and you are almost guaranteed to grin ear-to-ear as you ooh and ah at how much fun this track is to hear. Through the entirety of the movie, surrounds are put to exquisite use, the films music managing to find its way seamlessly to...

Supplements

An otherwise strong disc is marred by the lack of a strong supplemental package. Two additional scenes lead off the extras and prove to be the best bonus features on this disc. Mumble Meets a Blue Whale (1080p, 3:31) is an extra scene that features an additional character with the voice of the late Steve Irwin, and an introduction with director George Miller. A Happy Feet Moment (1080p, 0:31) is yet another scene, this one a stand-alone with no introduction. Moving al...

Final Words

Happy Feet is a film that should leave most filmgoers, well, happy, with at least a portion of what the movie has to offer. Political overtones aside, the film does offer some good life lessons about the importance of acceptance and character, and living the life you feel you're meant to live, utilizing your own unique talents. The movie also features first-rate animation, oftentimes leaving viewers breathless with just how good it looks. The voice acting is also impressive; ......

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Untraceable (Blu-ray Review)

Mon, 12 May 2008 23:36:00 -0400

A better-than-expected thriller is also a better-than-expected Blu-ray disc.

Any American who visits the site is an accomplice to murder.

Whenever I see that a film is rated "R" for "prolonged sequences of strong brutal violence," I figure we're in for either a trick or a treat, a film brimming with over-the-top violence in the vein of Robocop or another sophomoric attempt at grossing out a bunch of teenagers with a dime-a-dozen film like ...

Video

Untraceable is found on Blu-ray with a good-looking 2.40:1, 1080p high definition transfer. This is yet another one of those films that seems so methodical in its shot selection, color palette, and overall drab look that it's a bit harder to judge than your standard-fare, nothing fancy movie. The film's subject matter is bleak, and the look of the film exaggerates that feel quite a bit. Shades of gray dominate most frames, all other primaries faded and dulled to the extreme...

Audio

Boasting a fine soundtrack, Untraceable's Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless sound mix offers listeners a fairly engrossing, realistic listening experience, one that that provides all the basics of a great soundtrack. This one is a fun listen, but reference quality it is not, mostly because of the slightly less aggressive nature of the mix that we hope for and expect from the best action-oriented pictures. There is very good sound panning right from the opening credits, and the sound...

Supplements

Fans of Untraceable won't be left searching for extra material online as Sony has graciously included a few extras on this disc. First is a commentary track with director Greg Hoblit, producer Hawk Koch, and production designer Paul Eads. Frankly, the commentary is a bit on the boring side, spending a good deal of time on the choice of Portland as the setting as well as the city's many unique locales that made filming there a joy. We only hear minor anecdotes about the kill...

Final Words

Fans of suspense movies who don't mind just a bit of gross-out imagery and with the ability to let slip by a few laughable moments will probably enjoy Untraceable just enough to have a good time at the movies. The story and the film's visuals are each strong enough to carry the picture. This is fortunate, because although I found the movie to be a good one, I thought the performances of the leads did not quite meet the requirements of the material. Although there have been a ......

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Corpse Bride (Blu-ray Review)

Sat, 10 May 2008 23:34:00 -0400

Another odd, dark, and atmospheric Tim Burton film looks and sounds great on Blu-ray.

Land of the living?...now why go up there when people are dying to get down here?

If ever a director could be labeled "dark," it would be Tim Burton. His best movie, and arguably the finest superhero movie of all time, 1989's Batman, is the most popular example of his trademark dark style, while Sleepy Hollow and Corpse Bride are also projects representative of the director's stylistic ap...

Video

Warner Brothers brings Corpse Bride to a Blu-ray engagement with an excellent 1080p, 1.85:1 high definition image. This should come as no surprise as any kind of animation tends to look marvelous on Blu-ray, and even if this may be one of the least colorful animated movies ever, it still manages to wow the viewer. One of the best visual offerings from the studio, catalogue title or otherwise, the disc is simply marvelous, no matter how dull some of the movie may look. The d...

Audio

Corpse Bride is wed to Blu-ray with no high definition lossless sound option to be found. While unfortunate, the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is top-notch anyway, one of the finer lossy tracks I've heard. Dialogue sounded somewhat low at times, and I found myself fiddling with my remote throughout the movie, turning up the volume from my normal level during softer dialogue-heavy scenes, and turning it down again during the musical or effects-heavy portions of the s...

Supplements

Corpse Bride walks us down the isle with several good features. Inside the Two Worlds (480p, 4:03) is first, a comparative look at the stark contrast between the lands of the living and dead as depicted in the film. Danny Elfman Interprets the Two Worlds (480p, 4:56) is the next feature, the famed composer discussing how his score fits into both worlds as seen in the film. The Animators, The Breath of Life (480p, 6:38) looks at the process of bringing...

Final Words

I know that Tim Burton's Corpse Bride has a legion of fans, but the film simply never spoke to me or piqued my interest, Burton's odd depiction of light and dark and life and death never making the impact on me that he must have been aiming for. Nevertheless, the film is a visual treat in terms of the excellent stop-motion animation, the method definitely befitting the material and the effort that went into creating this film definitely worthy of praise. The Blu-ray versio......

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Million Dollar Baby (Blu-ray Review)

Sat, 10 May 2008 22:46:00 -0400

Does this Blu-ray compliment the look and sound of Clint Eastwood's award-winning film?

Anybody can lose one fight.

Have you ever heard the old axiom that says, "slow and steady wins the race?" That's exactly true and an apt way of describing actor/director Clint Eastwood's (Unforgiven) 2004 film Million Dollar Baby, a film that garnered four of the most sought-after Oscars that year, among them Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Hillary Swank, ...

Video

Million Dollar Baby's 2.35:1, 1080p high definition transfer puts up a good fight, but ultimately fails to come up on top. Reviewing these older catalogue titles can prove challenging. What may have been a solid picture a year-and-a-half ago, when there were far fewer Blu-ray discs with which to compare it, may only now be considered a mediocre one, dwarfed in stature by the likes of I Am Legend or ...

Audio

Warner Brothers brings Million Dollar Baby to Blu-ray with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack that is paltry and spiritless much of the time. Frankly, the subdued soundtrack suits the melancholy mood of the film perfectly, though I have no doubt the presentation could have been tighter and somewhat more dynamic with a lossless presentation. The film's score is a good one, playing well to the material and fitting in so well that at times we forget its even there, playing ever so so...

Supplements

For a film that garnered the awards this one did, it comes as a bit of a surprise that Warner Brothers has let Blu-ray fans down with this paltry set of extras. Round one features James Lipton Takes on Three (480p, 24:45), a candid discussion between Oscar winners Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, and Hillary Swank with James Lipton, host of the television series Inside the Actor's Studio. The questions are direct and definitely not of the variety we generally see where the...

Final Words

What Clint Eastwood has done here is nothing short of creating a film for the ages, an all-time great masterpiece that pulls no punches, a film that tries to accomplish nothing more than to tell a simple, real story, reminding us that not everything is peaches and cream, that life can take from us it what it wants, when it wants, and no matter how tough we may think we are, every second is a gift, a gift that can be pulled from under our feet at any moment, no matter who we are or what ......

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Youth Without Youth (Blu-ray Review)

Fri, 09 May 2008 21:34:00 -0400

Francis Ford Copolla's return to filmmaking is now available on Blu-ray high definition.

I am a mutant, like a character in a science fiction novel. I am a strange Superman of the future.

One of the most respected filmmakers of our time, director of such cinematic treasures as The Godfather trilogy, Apocalypse Now, and Bram Stoker's Dracula, Francis Ford Copolla makes his long-awaited return to directing in 2007's Youth Without Youth, a film sure to try the patience...

Video

The 2.35:1 framed, 1080p high definition Blu-ray version of Francis Ford Copolla's Youth Without Youth is a stunning achievement. Filmed with Sony's HDC-F950 high definition camera, the results on Blu-ray are predictably excellent, the image rarely failing to impress. There were a few instances where black levels seemed a bit to bright and gray, and softness befell the image in a few sequences, but I'm convinced that any anomalies are likely attributable to director intent rat...

Audio

Equally impressive as the video quality is the film's Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless sound mix. The first moments of the movie are a true sonic wonderment, as the soundstage becomes filled with so many sounds we can sometimes identify, sometimes not. The subwoofer reports very deep, rumbling lows as every other channel works hard to bring us a cacophony of bizarre sounds, but Ill be darned if it doesnt sound fabulous. When Dominic is struck by lightning the sound literally comes ou...

Supplements

Viewers of this Blu-ray disc wanting to go deeper into the film won't be left waiting for eternity as the disc provides several good extras, beginning with a feature-length commentary by director Francis Ford Copolla. His passion for the film, its original story, and the filmmaking process in general is evident throughout. Copolla delves into quite a bit of the meaning of the imagery and themes present through the movie and never allows a dull moment to slip into his track. This tra...

Final Words

Of course, everything Ive written about the movie itself needs to be taken with a grain of salt. If any movie is ripe for polarization amongst movie goers, it is this one, and this is one film I strongly urge you to see and decide for yourself, if it sounds at all appealing to you. I'm still not sure how I feel about the movie, now several hours after its final shot, hence my score for the film right in the middle of the scale. As for whether the movie is any good or not, its cert......

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Master and Commander Rules the Blu-Ray Seas, at Least in Sound Quality (Blu-ray Review)

Fri, 09 May 2008 13:43:00 -0400

More than the stunning visuals, solid acting and rousing story, the audio resolution of Master and Commander proves reference quality.

Since Errol Flynn graced the screen in Captain Blood, the genre of swashbuckling, seafaring films have enjoyed great notariety. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is a period piece with modern execution. From the standpoint of the story and cast, Russell Crowe as Captain Jack Aubrey is the ultimate star of Master and Commander. He conveys an authenticity and charisma that few actors currently possess, which allows him to pull off the Aubrey role so a...

Video

The picture quality of Master and Commander ranks alongside several other Fox BDs, such as The Day After Tomorrow with near-reference-quality depth, black level, contrast and detail. Because much of the film takes place in shadows and darkness, at night or in the ship's chambers, different viewers will have different impressions of the video. Those with screens allowing them to see definition in dark areas will be thrilled with the black level, while others may complain...

Audio

The audio is the real spark that ignites Master and Commander, bringing life to the action. This was apparent even in the DVD version, but the Blu-ray goes beyond the excellent sound quality of the earlier release. Now, for the first time, the Blu-ray's DTS HD MA track allows lossless access to sound designer Richard King's original mix. This is a big deal for several reasons. First, it shows off the superior dynamics of lossless audio. Second, the audio engineering of Master...

Supplements
Fox really screwed the pooch on the extras and shortchanged Blu-ray adopters shelling out big bucks for this title. The two-disc DVD version had several excellent featurettes, including Cinematic Phasmids and Sound Design, weighing in at half and hour and over a quarter hour, respectively. Why weren't they included? Other highly informative DVD supplements, such as The Hundred Days and In the Wake of O'Brien are also nowhere to be found. Instead, we get a ...

Final Words
It is worth asking if Master and Commander would have received more attention if it arrived in theaters at a different time than the much more successful Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl. Both feature "Captain Jack" characters, swashbuckling adventures on the open seas, and impressive battle scenes. But where Pirates of the Caribbean achieved blockbuster status and Johnny Depp's eccentric Jack Sparrow character became a sort of cultural icon, M......

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National Treasure (Blu-ray Review)

Thu, 08 May 2008 22:07:00 -0400
Who knew history could be so much fun (and dangerous)?

Heres to the men who did what was considered wrong in order to do what they knew was right.

Here's to one of the most unique ways of making learning fun: through an action/adventure film that manages to weave numerous people, places, and things from history into an intricate, exciting, well-paced film tapestry sure to bring out the history buff and treasure hunter in all of us. National Treasure definitely takes some liberties with history, and watching only ...

Video
National Treasure discovers Blu-ray in a fantastic 1080p, 2.35:1 image that is sure to delight fans everywhere. The image we see for every second of this movie is crystal-clear and well-defined; it retains that high-quality, beautiful theatrical look that only the finest of transfers can boast. This look is aided by a very fine layer of film grain noticeable throughout, and it only spikes a bit in scenes with a nearly solid bright background or shots that are moderately dark...

Audio
Arriving on Blu-ray with a PCM 5.1 uncompressed soundtrack, National Treasure is just as much fun to listen to as it is to watch. The track starts off with a bang, literally; a thunderstorm featured early on simply blew me away with the lifelike realism I was hearing. It featured fantastic directionality, deep, chair-rattling lows, making the entire sequence an awesome audio delight worthy of the Blu-ray label. In fact, bass throughout is amazing, definitely not limited to ...

Supplements
National Treasure can be discovered in-depth thanks to the supplements found on this disc. Signing on first is a commentary track with director John Turtletaub and actor Justin Bartha. The track is noticeably plagued by long moments of dead air, but it's a fun listen anyway. We become privy to some interesting film trivia, such as a fake mustache worn by the great Christopher Plummer or a prop that was actually invented by Benjamin Franklin. We learn about the origins of th...

Final Words
National Treasure proves itself to be a fine film filled with action, adventure, great characters, smart writing, clever integration of history into modern-day society, and a touch of historical magic that definitely has me yearning to visit some of America's real treasures, those places where history was made and where simple ideas and principles became the foundation for a nation, principles we now know and recognize through such real-life national treasures as the Declaration......

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National Treasure 2 (Blu-ray Review)

Thu, 08 May 2008 22:06:00 -0400
Is the second installment of the 'National Treasure' series worth its weight in gold?

Everything I am is because of my ancestors.

It sure is funny how one can have two completely different takes on a movie upon seeing it for a second time. I saw National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets in theaters several months ago, and the movie failed to impress me. I'm not sure what was going on that day, but I remember walking out of the theater disappointed, best remembering my severe bout of boredom. The story, action, everything failed to impress, and I viv...

Video
National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets takes us on its exciting journey in a wonderfully reproduced 1080p, 2.35:1 framed transfer that ranks among the very best I've seen yet on Blu-ray. The print itself is completely pristine with absolutely no blemishes. Excellent black levels are obvious from the get-go -- they are indeed inky and wonderfully presented, serving as a case study in how other transfers should approach this all-too-important aspect of creating a great trans...

Audio
This time presented in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless surround sound (the first National Treasure on Blu-ray contains a PCM track), National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets proves itself to be reference-quality listening material. A top-notch soundtrack will always make the viewer feel immersed in the action. Whether in a crowded Civil War-era tavern, a contemporary five-star restaurant, or at the President's birthday party (where Randy Travis has never sounded so good as he d...

Supplements
Just as jam-packed as the first National Treasure Blu-ray, National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets offers up a wealth of features sure to have you searching for hours, this time in high definition. First up is a commentary track with director John Turtletaub and actor Jon Voight. This track isn't quite as lighthearted as the track on the first film, but it's still fun, managing to mix the technical aspects of ...

Final Words
National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets and its predecessor rank as two of the better action/adventure films in recent memory. The sequel builds off the first film but tells a story all its own, the characters becoming more real and easy to cheer for as each minute of the movie passes by. As great as the actors are, as wonderful as Jon Turtletaub's direction is, and as classy and important as the locations are, the real stars of the National Treasure films are its ......

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Mrs. Doubtfire (Blu-ray Review)

Thu, 08 May 2008 20:15:00 -0400
Does the dude still look like a lady in 1080p high definition?

If there is love, dear, those are the ties that bind, and youll have a family in your heart forever.

"An unemployed actor with a reputation for being difficult disguises himself as a woman..." fits the plot description of Mrs. Doubtfire to a "T," but there is one catch: that's currently the beginning of the plot synopsis of the Sydney Pollack-directed 1982 film Tootsie on that film's IMDB page. Frankly, ...

Video
Lacking the pristine polish and exquisite look of the latest and greatest Blu-ray discs is this 2.35:1, 1080p high definition transfer of Mrs. Doubtfire from Fox. There are times (most of the time in fact) that the transfer is perfectly acceptable, certainly not good enough to knock your socks off, but good enough to watch without wondering if you're looking at a Blu-ray or a DVD. The image on the whole is moderately detailed with a solid color palette, although most of the tim...

Audio
Much like Mrs. Doubtfire's video quality, the audio is best described as adequate, certainly no great shakes in the land of engaging and exciting high definition sound mixes. That's perfectly fine, because what we do have fits the bill nicely. The highlight of the DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless sound mix is the popular songs heard throughout. Both House of Pain's Jump Around and Aerosmith's Dude Looks Like a Lady really shine on this disc, making us want to jump up and ...

Supplements
20th Century Fox dresses up Mrs. Doubtfire for Blu-ray with a fairly good array of extra materials. First up is a series of 18 deleted and extended scenes (presented in a very good-looking 480p video quality and a runtime of 32:06), as well as four alternate scenes (480p, 4:29). Production Office is next, a feature broken up into three sub-categories. First up is From Man to Mrs.: The Evolution of 'Mrs. Doubtfire' (480p, 26:37) which is itself broken ...

Final Words
Mrs. Doubtfire is one of those Chris Columbus movies that's going to be around with us for a very long time. A classic in some circles, the film is definitely an enjoyable romp for the most part, dull in a few spots, but one that never overstays its welcome and is saved by Robin Williams' performance(s). Other than the Doubtfire character, the remainder of the characters are nothing more than space-fillers, simply a means to an end, and wholly unoriginal and dull. The "Mrs. D......

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Chronicles of Narnia (Blu-ray Review)

Tue, 06 May 2008 19:17:00 -0400
Arguably the best overall Blu-ray package to date is here.

Always winter, never Christmas. Its been a long winter.

Not only is The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe a sensational movie, a truly epic-in-scope-and-scale action/fantasy/drama film depicting the simple yet timeless story of good versus evil, but it also serves as a template for how to make a fantastic movie adapted from a cherished childrens' novel. Time and again we've seen films that may recreate a book, but fail to capture i...

Video
Framed at 2.35:1 and presented in 1080p Blu-ray high definition, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe never once fails to be anything short of visually perfect. One of the most intriguing aspects of the movie, and hence the visual style, is the juxtaposition of the look of the film between good and evil and between hope and despair. Scenes representing danger and hopelessness, such as those of war-torn England or in the witch's chamber, are devoid ...

Audio
Presented in PCM 5.1 uncompresses audio, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is bar-none one of the finest sounding titles yet to arrive on Blu-ray high definition. The movie begins with a Nazi bombing run on London, and it sounds stunning, a fantastic sequence worthy of the best war movies, and from here on out, every moment of the movie, from the most raucous battle scenes to the quietest whispers of dialogue are fabulously reproduced for our liste...

Supplements
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe comes to Blu-ray just in time for the release of the next film in the series, and there might just be enough material on this two-disc set to keep fans busy from the disc's Tuesday release all the way through the sequel's Friday debut. The first disc features two commentaries, the first with director Andrew Adamson, producer Mark Johnson, and production designer Roger Ford Share (coming to us from Sydney, Austral...

Final Words
Obviously one of my favorite movies from 2005 (or any year for that matter), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the first film based on a series of books I grew up reading, wowed me in many ways. The film is brilliant in its simplicity; elaborate special effects are seamless, as is human interaction with them; the story never gets bogged down in anything extraneous or dull; the well-written adaptation is performed grandly by all the leads; the epic......

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Donner's Footage Cannot Save Superman II and Neither Can Blu-Ray (Blu-ray Review)

Tue, 06 May 2008 11:06:00 -0400
The sequel does not get off the ground, even after restoring many scenes shot by original director Richard Donner.

Superman II was one of the most highly anticipated sequels of its time, along with Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. The release of Superman: The Movie in 1978 made Christopher Reeve a household name and catapulted him to stardom. But director Richard Donner's commitment and vision to make that film true to its comic book roots contribut...

Video
The video quality is uneven because scenes come from different sources. Much of the footage looks vibrant and defined, but the test screen sequences Donner used do not clean up so nicely. Grain and noise are heavier, but the sequences are clear enough to see that Clark Kent's hair looks different. Other inconcistencies in the footage are visible. Overall, though, the picture is similar to that of Superman: The M...

Audio
The audio is more consistently impressive than the video. The Dolby Digital 5.1 track was digital processed from the original film's audio and extensively reengineered. The result is a modest 640 kbps. Dialogue, effects and music each sound vibrant and relatively detailed for DD, though not rising near the reference quality of the higher bit rate codecs; treble lacks the extension and bass lacks the full dynamic punch associated with the best BDs. But imaging is done right. The surroun...

Supplements
The introduction and audio commentary will be more than sufficient for most viewers that are not hardcore fans of Superman II, but the extra material goes far beyond these. But first thing's first. Donner and Tom Mankiewicz, who Donner brought on board to rewrite the screenplay, deliver some first rate insight with their audio commentary. Both delve into details of the plot, the shoot and other challenges faced by the project. One gets the impression that Donner is still not tot...

Final Words
Superman II, despite major box office success, was never the cohesive film that audiences applauded in Superman: The Movie. When news of Donner's experience in making both movies became common knowledge, it left a lingering question. How much better could the sequel have been if the original filmmaker had completed it? Fans wanted an answer and hoped to get it in the Donner cut. Both Donner and Wa......

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Twister (Blu-ray Review)

Mon, 05 May 2008 19:17:00 -0400
Will this Blu-ray blow you away?

Tighten your seatbelt.

Perhaps the end-all, be-all of disaster movies, 1996's Twister ushered in a new era for the genre, a film with then-unparalleled special effects and an awe-inspiring sound design (and its no coincidence the movie was nominated for two Academy Awards, one for each of those categories). Though far-removed from the height of the disaster genre (see The Towering Inferno, The Poseidon Adventure, and Airport, all out of the ...

Video
Twister forms onto Blu-ray in 1080p high definition, it's 2.40:1 framed visual appearance proving to be a letdown. Though not an unacceptable image, what we see here is nothing extraordinary, either, proving to be little better than your average 12-year-old catalogue title. There are several gripe-worthy aspects of the transfer, the first I'll mention being that there seems to be very little depth and detail to the people presented on screen; they appear mostly flat and uninsp...

Audio
The real star of the show, and the reason many fans will want to upgrade to this Blu-ray, is the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless sound mix. I'll say right up front that despite any shortcomings, this soundtrack sure is a lot of fun to listen to; it is an absolute assault on the sonic senses. Based on my previous experiences with the film, both in the theater and on DVD, my main concern when I began today's viewing on Blu-ray was that we'd simply hear an undefined glob of sound. Thankfully w...

Supplements
Twister touches down on Blu-ray with an average set of extras, beginning with a commentary track with Director Jan de Bont and Visual Effects Supervisor Stefen Fangmeier. Right from the get-go we can tell this is going to be a fairly tech-heavy track, focusing primarily on special effects. The track does open up to discuss character motivations, the performances of the actors, and so on, but we're mostly treated to a standard-fare track here that isn't a recommended listen...

Final Words
Twister leaps like a whirlwind beyond your standard popcorn entertainment, being an honest to goodness movie with a plot, good characters, and excellent production values. What could have been another generic disaster movie is instead an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride into one of nature's deadliest and most fascinating means of destruction. I have no idea how scientifically accurate the film may or may not be, but I do know that as a movie fan, they don't come much better than ......

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First Sunday (Blu-ray Review)

Sat, 03 May 2008 21:22:00 -0400
'First Sunday' isn't quite the revival of the comedy genre that it could have been.

Will a man rob God? -- Malachi 3:8

There is no denying that Ice Cube has been part of some decent-to-good projects: Boyz n the Hood, Trespass, Barbershop and Three Kings come to mind. Unfortunately, his 2008 comedy First Sunday fails to measure up to either the legacies of those films or of Cube himself. Thankfully, First Sunday is a "comedy" (it must have been so funny that I forgot to laugh) that doesn't rely on the crude to...

Video
Presented in 1080p high definition and in its original 1.85:1 high definition transfer, First Sunday is another mostly good looking Blu-ray disc from Sony that teeters on excellence. The movie is impeccably theatrical in appearance, absolutely recreating the look of a high quality cinematic presentation. Fantastic detail is evident throughout, the samllest nuaces are crystal clear, from the surface of the pavement, to the pores and facial hair on characters. Colors are wonderf...

Audio
First Sunday makes its most impressive donation to Blu-ray with a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 sound mix that steals the show. If you love Hip-Hop music, this disc is simply a must-buy. The bass-heavy beats are miraculously meticulous, the sound system working overtime, the subwoofer left sweating and gasping for air. Likewise, all of the gospel music is so real, so impactful, and so spiritually sound and immacualtely reproduced that it makes you feel like youre inside the church, the o...

Supplements
First Sunday makes its way onto Blu-ray high definition with a good deal of supplemental material sure to keep fans busy for an evening. First up is a commentary with writer/producer/director David E. Talbert. After a brief introduction, Talbert dives right into the track as he not only discusses what's happening on-screen, but why. He discusses the music heard throughout the film, from the east-coast flair of the opening title music to the music heard during the church servi...

Final Words
First Sunday left me feeling somewhat let down. I wasn't expecting the next brilliant comedy, but I did expect to laugh much more than I did, and the movie seemed more a mishmash of ideas, genres, moods, and themes, ultimately failing to really settle into any one of them so as to make a point or at least make for a coherent story. I did enjoy the performances by several of the actors, and after listening to director David Talbert's commentary, I find myself eager to see what ......

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Devil's Own (Blu-ray Review)

Thu, 01 May 2008 16:50:00 -0400
Bland movie, bland Blu-ray.

Don't look for a happy ending. It's not an American story; it's an Irish one.

What happens when you combine arguably the hottest star of the 1980s -- Harrison Ford (Blade Runner), -- with one of the biggest of the 1990s -- Brad Pitt (Ocean's Eleven)? Well, not much of anything, sadly. It's not like placing two top-tier actors...

Video
Nearly as disappointing an experience as the movie is this 2.40:1, 1080p high definition transfer of The Devil's Own. While serviceable, this image clearly lacks clarity and definition. Softness, albeit somewhat subtle in some scenes, is seemingly ever-present. The image constantly looks dark and bleak, no doubt a stylistic choice employed by the filmmakers to suit the subject material, although it doesn't help that both Ireland and New York often appear drab and overcast t...

Audio
Neither angelic nor demonic is The Devil's Own Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound mix. Overall, the sound track is sufficient, but it certainly lacks the punch and definition we've come to expect from superior mixes. Granted, The Devil's Own is more of a drama than an action film, but there are several action sequences, most of which come off as drab and uninspired from an audio perspective. Gunfire doesn't really make much of an impact. It's represented here as standard...

Supplements
I guess the producers of this disc decided their fans wouldn't want any supplements, so the decision was made to release this disc almost completely bare-bones. The Devil's Own Blu-ray contains only 1080p trailers for Damages: The Complete First Season and Rescue Me: The Complete Third Season (the same two previews that appeared on ...

Final Words
It seems like I have been reviewing quite a few movies recently that I've seen before but had forgotten about, the movie obviously not holding my interest back then, and once again failing to entertain me now. The Devil's Own is another such movie, one I saw on DVD back when it first hit that format, but hadn't watched since, remembering only Brad Pitt's questionable accent. The story here is a good one, the IRA always making for a good backdrop to a film, but this one just ca......

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Shall We Dance? (Blu-ray Review)

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:41:00 -0400
A mostly dull movie looks at the exciting world of Ballroom dancing

Dance begins with the dancer's feelings.

"Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug." Such is the life of a Blu-ray reviewer. Sometimes you get Sunshine and sometimes you get Shall We Dance?. I really have nothing against these types of movies, (see 27 Dresses and ...

Video
This 1080p high-definition Blu-ray transfer of Shall We Dance definitely shows that it has been busy dancing, because it is definitely no slouch (see the movie to understand). Presented at 1.85:1, the movie looks very good, sporting an above average, pleasing look that really shines on Blu-ray. While not the best transfer on the market by an means, Shall We Dance? ranks right up there with the "better" transfers, far surpassing many and looking at least somewhat bet...

Audio
Gliding across the soundstage between "good" and "average" is the PCM 5.1 uncompressed soundtrack found on this disc. Subdued, reserved, and adequate are the three words that immediately come to mind when trying to describe this soundtrack. Dialogue is well-placed, centered, natural and clean, and is never lost or jumbled under even the more upbeat music tracks heard at times during the movie. Some of the more vivacious sequences, such as those taking place in a bar or at Dr. Danc...

Supplements
Shall We Dance? brushes up to Blu-ray with a less-than-stellar selection of bonus materials, though they will no doubt please fans of the movie. First is a feature length commentary track with director Peter Chelsom. The English director is a bit dry and dull, though he does go into quite a bit of detail about the culture of dancing, and how it fits into this movie. He provides in-depth perspectives on the motivations of the characters, digging pretty deep for a movie that's ...

Final Words
Shall We Dance? is a film that simply failed to speak to me. I came away from the experience with little or no concern for the plot or the characters, despite enjoying the predictable ending of the film. There is nothing wrong with this movie -- it's well acted (even if by a trio of leads who don't rank as my favorites in Hollywood), well made, well scripted, and at times pleasant to sit back and look at. Obviously, as a guy who grew up playing with G.I. Joe figures, toy guns, ......

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Saawariya (Blu-ray Review)

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 22:20:00 -0400
Perhaps the finest looking Blu-ray yet deserves a spot in your collection.

Don't ever love someone so much that you begin to hate yourself someday.

While I certainly appreciate when a movie steps out on a limb and proves itself to be different and worthwhile, coming completely out of the blue and surprising me with unexpected originality and brilliance (Memento comes to mind), I still find that my tastes don't tend to stray very far from good action, science fiction, horror...

Video
Saawariya dances onto Blu-ray and boldly proclaims itself as one of the finest video presentations available on the format. Presented in 1080p high definition and framed at 2.40:1, the image is positively breathtaking; from the first frames you'll be mesmerized at the sheer brilliance of the transfer, from the wide array of colors to the natural flesh tones to the incredible black levels -- it all adds up to a transfer rivaled only by ...

Audio
Remember the scene in Back to the Future where the judge tells Marty that he and is band are "just too darn loud?" That's the only problem on this otherwise impressive Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless surround sound mix. It is so loud at reference volume that I had to turn it down quite a bit so as to safeguard my hearing. Once properly adjusted, this soundtrack simply provides over two hours of sonic wonderment. Even basic dialogue has a wonderfully natural reverberation. Bass...

Supplements
Sony has chosen to leave Saawariya singing and dancing pretty much on its own, foregoing an extensive supplemental package on this disc. Making the Music (480p, 19:58) is the first featurette. It features some behind-the-scenes looks and discussions about the music of the film, as well as its premiere. Next is Premiere Night (480p, 21:59). If you watched the last featurette, skip this one. It features plenty of recycled material (not to mention some badly re...

Final Words
Certainly unique, oftentimes mesmerizing, at times a bit dull, but always intriguing and also wonderful to look at and listen to, Saawariya is undeniably one of the most interesting titles to arrive on Blu-ray yet. This movie definitely won't be everyone's cup of tea. It wasn't necessarily mine, but I found myself entertained, for the most part, nevertheless. Filled with wonderful music, exciting visuals, and an updated telling of a classic tale with a twist ending, Saawariy......

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Relentless Enemies (Blu-ray Review)

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 01:20:00 -0400
A fascinating natural spectacle in high def-o-vision!

For several decades now, documentaries on large African fauna have been an educational staple, chiefly for the little square boxes of television sets. The BBC, PBS, the Discovery network - just a few entities among many who have tackled the subject of the continent's well-known predators. The African Lion is undoubtedly the most thoroughly filmed cat of any; their social behavior, hunting techniques, and relationship to man and beast have been exhaustively covered on camera in the last forty-o...

Video
Relentless Enemies is encoded in VC-1, averaging around 15 Mbps. Overall, the picture is quite grand, but not consistent. Probably owing to the unpredictable nature of filming wildlife documentaries - and the cameras, distances, and variant weather therein - some sequences are very sharp and film-like, with a decent amount of grain and fine detail preserved. Other parts tend to look a tad too soft, and I noticed a slight amount of posterization on the light reflections off the vast Oka...

Audio
On the audio front, the sole option offered on this Blu-ray is a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. Given the rich variety of ambient effects in this film, it's a shame to see it relegated to a lossy legacy codec. The mix itself leaves something to be desired; far too much emphasis is placed on the center channel. Irons' narration, understandably, is through the center speaker alone... but so are much of the animal vocalizations and ambient noise. The majority of the lion growls and roars, the lowing of...

Supplements
The Relentless Enemies Blu-ray release comes lightly packed, and though it's not a surprise, it's still slightly disappointing. It would have been nicely informative to have a featurette with the filmmakers - shedding some light on the two year filming process and reflecting on the subject matter they so diligently captured. One would suppose it's really the same as any wildlife filming, though; sit around for agonizing stretches of time with the cameras poised and hope something intere...

Final Words
It shouldn't be much of a surprise that the ubiquitous African Lion documentary would find its way to Blu-ray at a fairly rapid pace. What is refreshing about Relentless Enemies, however, is the film's portrait of a unique group of specimens carving out a specialized niche, and all the benefits and fallbacks it brings them. The Tsaro lionesses are quite a sight to behold, and they seem truly prehistoric - a hark back to the days of mammalian megafauna not so long ago. The narration is ......

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Swordfish (Blu-ray Review)

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 18:47:00 -0400
An all-star cast can't save this good-idea turned mediocre movie turned average Blu-ray.

Audiences love happy endings.

If you told me that I had the option of watching a generic action movie I've seen a dozen times before with one or two mystery "name" actors versus a film that I knew next-to-nothing about going in except that it starred the likes of John Travolta (Hairspray), Hugh Jackman (The Presitige), Halle Berry...

Video
Presented in 1080p high definition and framed at 2.40:1, Swordfish is certainly a nice film to look at from a visual perspective. Despite the somewhat artistic look and feel (just about every scene is bathed in unnatural light, giving off either a golden or greenish tint), the image retains a very high level of depth and detail sure to satisfy fans of the film looking for a mostly sharp and clear image, one that is definitely a boost in quality over previous home video versions ...

Audio
If any of the early Warner Brothers' titles that lacks a high-definition lossless audio option screams to have one, this is it. The sound design for the film is robust, active, and engaging, but the limits of the Dolby Digital mix become apparent in several scenes. The first thing I noted, beginning with the dialogue and then about the track as a whole, was a slightly lower volume level than I am used to. I had to crank my receiver up a notch or two to feel like I was getting the ...

Supplements
Swordfish hits Blu-ray with a very average set of supplements. Think of the most basic "special edition" you've ever seen hit home video, and Swordfish probably contains that same serving of supplements. Leading things off is a commentary track with director Dominic Sena. He's definitely chatty, and I found it rather funny that his first noticeable pause for other than a breath occurs just when Gabriel says something about "short-sighted directing." Sena is nothing ...

Final Words
Swordfish may very well appeal to a wide array of movie fans, and probably rightfully so. The film features several A-list stars, a rocking soundtrack, action, and an intriguing, if somewhat badly executed, story line. Unfortunately, the end product doesn't quite manage to come together to create a unique, fascinating action thriller, but rather a forgettable, dull, and lifeless film, one that has all the elements thrown into the grinder and whatever is churned out seems to be ......

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The Golden Compass (Blu-ray Review)

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 17:00:00 -0400
A valiant adaptation effort shines in high definition.

This cinematic adaptation of the first book in a sweeping fantasy trilogy was certainly a valiant attempt - I will give it that. Unfortunately, the film suffers too much under misdirected, big budget wizardry and good intentions. As it is, the final product runs almost like a really good trailer for a better, nonexistent film.

Northern Lights was the first fantasy venture for Oxford professor Philip Pullman, who began it upon the vague premise of writing some contemporary for...

Video
The Golden Compass comes encoded in a high bitrate VC-1 presentation, averaging around 25 to 30 Mbps. This release looks quite impressive, though it does sport some drawbacks. The film's color palette has been well-preserved; the overall tone does not have a vividly bright quality to it, nor is it drastically dull. It feels natural; a lived-in world full of burnished golds for the affluent college and icy hues in the far north.

Black levels are excellent and remain c...

Audio
The sole audio option offered for this feature is DTS-HD MA 7.1 , so if you have a Blu-ray player that cannot properly decode this audio codec, you're missing out on a stellar experience. Fortunately the firmware update for the DTS-HD decoder on the PlayStation 3 was just released, so the many out there who utilize the console as their BD player will be set. For purposes of this review, the merits of the audio mix were sampled on a 5.1 surround system.

As with the picture quality, <...

Supplements
The Golden Compass is supplied with a veritable wealth of extra features; so many, in fact, that a dedicated second disc has been included on its Blu-ray and DVD releases. Eleven documentaries, each ranging from 7 to 26 minutes in length, make up the meat of the supplements, while a respectable number of art galleries, as well as the first disc's commentaries, round out the rest. All are shot in HD and utilize DTS 5.1 or DTS 2.0 stereo sound. Almost every documentary features optional ...

Final Words
As mentioned before, The Golden Compass is a commendably valiant effort to adapt an ambitious fantasy tale into a live action film. One really can't help but wonder, however, just how much better the final product could have been, given the opportunity to change a certain amount of production elements. The scope and content of such a story would have lent itself incredibly well to hand-drawn animation, which would have been less expensive and far more imaginative.

As a Blu-ra......

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August Rush (Blu-ray Review)

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 18:28:52 -0400
An unforgettable cinematic achievement falls short of perfection on Blu-ray.

When Im alone, it builds up from inside from inside me, and I think if I could learn how to play it, they might hear me, they would know I was theirs, and find me.

August Rush borrows all that is good from several genres and creates a unique, fascinating, and touching film all its own. We've never witnessed anything quite like this, and anything that can be labeled as "refreshing" in 21st century Hollywood is a good thing. While we've seen all the elemen...

Video
Presented in 1080p high definition and framed at 2.40:1, August Rush doesn't quite live up to the expectations for the visual quality I envisioned for this film. Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of this image are the (at times) dreadful black levels. Some scenes looks so bad and phony, others average, and a few good, that I wonder if some of the worst offending shots are not intentional. The "you're a freak" scene at the beginning of the movie exhibits questionable b...

Audio
Presented in Dolby True HD 5.1 lossless surround sound, August Rush is movie material that screams for a perfect soundtrack, something that should be trend and standard setting, reference material through-and-through. What we get here is most certainly good, but like the video, left me wanting and somewhat let down by the final product. The soundtrack itself is wondrous, and what makes it work is the way music is integrated into absolutely everything. The scene where Evan f...

Supplements
Sadly, a movie ripe for a plethora of supplements disappoints in a big way. Everything from a commentary track (or two; I would have loved to hear Mark Mancina) to an isolated music score would have been worthwhile and completely appropriate, but Warner has certainly skimped here, much to the chagrin of this reviewer who is generally nonchalant when it comes to extras. The only available supplements are seven "additional scenes," presented in 480p, and they range in length from just ...

Final Words
This movie has so many positives going for it, from its uplifting message to its feel-good nature, excellent acting, mesmerizing music, and fantastic pace and direction, that its no wonder it's one of my favorite movies of 2007. While some may cringe at the sentimentality, laugh at the predictability, or refuse to accept the mystical elements of the film, those that choose to take the film at face value and see it for what it is -- a story of hope, of inspiration, or love, of reaching f......

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First Knight (Blu-ray Review)

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 21:17:00 -0400
This lackluster effort fails to bring the legend of King Arthur to life.

Times were hard. A man made his living any way he could. And Lancelot had always been good with a sword...

I have a copy of First Knight on VHS. It's buried somewhere in a box deep inside a closet I never venture into, and about all I remember of the movie is that I own it and never had any desire to watch it whenever I used to actually dig through my VHS tapes in search of something to watch. That and it stars Sean Connery (...

Video
Mostly impressive is the 1080p, 1.85:1 transfer Sony has produced for this Blu-ray edition of First Knight. The overall quality is quite good; certainly no great shakes next to the latest and greatest Blu-ray releases, this transfer nevertheless holds up very well. Detail is impressive, as is depth, the result a sometimes breathtaking, cinematic, big-feeling image that suits the subject material very well. There is quite a bit of grain to be seen throughout, and it gets downr...

Audio
Presented in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless surround, First Knight sounds good on Blu-ray, but this track ultimately finds itself a bit lacking. The first thing I noticed was that dialogue sounded a bit off, as if it increases and decreases in volume, ever so slightly, in certain scenes, noted first at the beginning of the movie as Lancelot fights for money. Jerry Goldsmith's (Hollow Man) score is both engagin...

Supplements
First Knight gallops onto Blu-ray with a fairly good array of extra materials. The primaries are two commentary tracks, the first with director Jerry Zucker and producer Hunt Lowry. Even these participants admit this could have been a better movie, and generally poke fun at it and their involvement therein. Definitely not MST3K-esque, but not a serious track either, this duo offers up interesting nuggets of background information, broken up by various moments of de...

Final Words
First Knight ranks as a very average motion picture, one that won't leave you completely angry or disappointed for having watched it, but it's a movie that is completely forgettable nevertheless, one that won't wow or leave you in awe. I envision the perfect screening of First Knight to be when you're channel surfing at 2:00 AM, lying on your couch, only half awake, and your choices are a rerun of SportsCenter, an infomercial for the latest and greatest in pots an......

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27 Dresses (Blu-ray Review)

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 23:48:00 -0400
A far better movie and Blu-ray than the previous 27 romantic comedies I've seen.

I think you love weddings so much because you'd rather focus on other people's Kodak moments than make memories of your own.

Most of these romantic comedies that I so dread reviewing actually turn out alright, and 27 Dresses is no exception. Better than "alright," this is in fact a good movie, and coming from me, someone who would pull out a copy of Commando one thousand times out of one thousa...

Video
27 Dresses and Blu-ray wed to produce a fine looking 1080p, 2.35:1 high-definition image. Another winner from Fox, this may be the best looking Romantic Comedy available on home video. For a movie that didn't "need" to look great, this one does anyway, and only some softness in a few select shots keep this one from rivaling the best of the best the format has seen so far. The level of detail seen throughout the movie is impeccable. Some shots of the city, even some taking pl...

Audio
As usual, Fox suits up 27 Dresses in a DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack, and the end result is, like the video quality, one of the best offerings, sonically, the genre has to offer. Music plays a large role in this film, and it sounds fantastic. The music heard throughout, especially during the numerous wedding ceremonies and montages, is reproduced expertly and pleasantly. The music always finds its way into the back speakers, creating an immersive and fun atmosphere. The result is ...

Supplements
Fox has provided a decent array of extras for this release, though they obviously cater more to the female Blu-ray audience, lacking many technical aspects or behind-the-scenes looks at the meatier parts of filmmaking. First up is The Wedding Party (1080p, 14:31). An average promotional piece, cast and crew talk about the plot (giving much of it away) and the characters, spliced together with many scenes straight from the movie, and really serving no purpose to anyone whose se...

Final Words
Far from the type of movie I normally enjoy, 27 Dresses makes up for its lack of action, drama, or scares with charm and wit, well-scripted characters, a predictable but interesting plot, and more than a few touching scenes throughout. Don't let the awkward cover art, subject material, or "chick flick" label scare you away from seeing this movie. I cannot promise you'll like it as much as I did, but I doubt it'll sink to the depths of your most hated list, either. This Blu-r......

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A Passage to India (Blu-ray Review)

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 21:00:00 -0400
David Lean's final masterpiece is perfectly at home on Blu-ray

When one thinks of epic filmmaking the name of Sir David Lean almost invariably comes to mind. As one of the true masters of the cinematic arts, his films of the late fifties and early sixties (The Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago) set the gold standard for mapping out massive story arcs, luscious photography of sweeping vistas and the obligatory casts of thousands. After this extremely fertile creative period for Mr. Lean, he withdrew from the film busine...

Video
A Passage to India has been given the royal treatment for this Blu-ray release. The good folks at Sony have brought the film to us featuring a high-bitrate AVC Mpeg-4 encode in the film's original aspect ratio of 1:66:1. Unlike most high definition titles, this more narrow aspect ratio will be displayed properly with small black bars on the sides of your video display. So, don't panic if you see these bars - - they're supposed to be there! It's perfectly clear from the first seconds o...

Audio
Sony has given A Passage to India the standard Blu-ray complement of audio options with both English and French Dolby TrueHD 5.1 tracks. Sony continues to maintain their support for lossless audio on every release. While it might not seem like the ideal title for the lossless treatment, A Passage to India benefits greatly from this increased audio fidelity.

First and foremost, Maurice Jarre's wonderful score has never sounded better. The front channels of the mix pl...

Supplements
As a special "Columbia Pictures Classics" release, A Passage to India features the most in-depth collection of supplements ever offered for the film.

Here's what's included:

- Commentary with Richard Goodwin

- E.M. Forster: A Profile of an Author

- An Epic Takes Shape

- An Indian Affair

- Only Connect: A Vision of India

- Casting a Classic

- David L...

Final Words
A Passage to India is a gem of a release on Blu-ray. Sony, once again, has stepped up to the plate and offered a detailed and thorough restoration of a deserving classic film. Watching a David Lean film is a veritable film history class on celluloid. He was the master of the epic and his narrative and visual style has had a profound effect on scores of filmmakers.

This Blu-ray release also scores with exceptional reference video and a stellar Dolby TrueHD soundtrack......

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The Orphanage (Blu-ray Review)

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 23:44:00 -0400
El Orfanato. Un, dos, tres, toca la pared.

This Spanish horror/ghost story/suspense film directed by first time director Juan Antonio Bayona and produced by Telecinco, Rodar y Rodar, and Warner Brothers, and having Guillermo del Toro, director of such films as Hellboy and El Laberinto del Fauno (Pan's Labyrinth) serving as executive producer and the film's presenter, is the latest offering by New Line. ...

Video
So how does this true suspenseful horror film look? Well in a few words, very good to excellent. Presented in a handsome VC-1 transfer in a 2.35 aspect ratio, where its high bit-rates (often reaching the high 30's) should not be of concern, the film looks very clean with fine grain, solid stable colors and sufficient sharpness to satisfy my constant height Scope viewing. The Orphanage played locally on a theater literally next door to me of which I know its characteristics very well, ...

Audio
Well for a creepy realistic film we need a creepy realistic soundtrack and we get it. Presented in the accustomed New Line 7.1 DTS-HD MA, for the time being I savored it in the normal 5.1 DTS core, as at the time of this writing my PS3receiving incarnation is only outputting 5.1 channels in MA, and I'll prefer to sample the full monty when it's done (paraphrasing Judge Reinhold in FT@RH, "We'll serve no MAs before their time").

Though the sound mix is made for realis...

Supplements
Compared to other New Line offerings on Blu-ray Discs we've reviewed previously, The Orphanage's supplements are less abundant. I really didn't miss the Picture in Picture feature that others discs might have included, and if that contributed to the clean high bitrate picture, I'm glad.

So what comes with the disc?

The 18 minute When Laura Grew Up: Constructing the Orphanage is the Making Of. Presented in 16:9 coded Standard Definition Mpeg-2 and DTS ste...

Final Words
Well if you want a superbly made suspense modern horror movie done in the classical vein of movies of yesterday, but with current sensibilities and execution, more of a thinker's film than a friday night crowd blood fest, a film made to appeal to an adult mindset with horrors an adult actually might appreciate (or suffer), The Orphanage is an excellent example with the only thing probably going against it is similar basic general plot on ghost story films that you might've seen recentl......

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One MIssed Call (Blu-ray Review)

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 23:14:00 -0400
"Hi, this is a good movie, I'm not available right now, so you're stuck with this one after the beep." Beep.

That's not my ringtone.

I'd really like to believe that the folks behind the making of One Missed Call had my best interests at heart from initial idea, to the pitch, to the green light, to the filming, to the editing, to the advertising, and finally to the film's glorious release to hoards of teenagers the world over (or at least my county). I for one long for a seminal movie to scare teenagers out of using their cellphones in theaters, forever. I don't kn...

Video
Presented in 1080p high definition and framed at 1.85:1, One Missed Call sports a mediocre transfer, and this video quality definitely adds no value to the experience. Even the opening title sequence looks poor, substandard even for a cheap made-for television movie, an opening title sequence put to shame by just about everything I've seen. The movie can looks good on occasion, but as the movie wears on, so does the transfer, going from "okay" to "substandard." Some medium di...

Audio
Faring somewhat better than the video quality is the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 sound mix. Some lively effects work their way into the mix, but in the end this is a typical teen horror film sound mix, one replete with plenty of the generic, pseudo-scary teen horror sounds and atmospherics that are so trite that we long to turn the system off in hopes of sparing our ears. Still, the track offers a nice array of sound movement and panning, as well as good use of direction and imaging, and the ov...

Supplements
It should come as no surprise that Warner has phoned in this Blu-ray disc and provided absolutely nothing in terms of extra content. A monumental flop with both audiences and critics, One Missed Call fails to provide even trailers for other films, though I cannot imagine even the most putrid of films wanting any kind of association with this. There is not even a main menu on this disc, for goodness sake. Nevertheless, it's a brilliant move to forego any kind of extras and I...

Final Words
One Missed Call, a film in the vein of FeardotCom, seems destined for the same fate as that movie, the butt of a few jokes and a movie that will collect dust at the bottom of the bargain bin, maybe occasionally finding its way into the bottom 100 list at IMDB. The movie had so much potential (to silence the cell phones anyway) but alas, it was just too bad to have any long-term effect. The way I see it, Blu-ray is maki......

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Water Horse (Blu-ray Review)

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 12:04:00 -0400
Wholesome family entertainment arrives in a slick Blu-ray package.

A true tale it is...

The best thing I can say about The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep is to skip right to what I normally reserve for the end of the review -- I strongly suggest purchasing the movie right away on Blu-ray. Whether you have children or not, I'm confident that the movie's magic and luster will leave even the most cynical, hard-headed, stone-hearted, tough guy feeling good by the end, having experienced one of the most magical and amazing films ...

Video
The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep surfaces in Blu-ray high definition with an excellent transfer that is only overshadowed by the incredible sound mix of the film. This 2.40:1 transfer is breathtaking, and from the opening moments of the film we are treated to some of most lush and vibrant scenery I've encountered so far on Blu-ray, the rolling green hills of Scotland (filmed in New Zealand) providing the backdrop for this incredible tale. Nearly every frame is cryst...

Audio
The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack found on this Blu-ray disc is one of the most remarkable I've heard yet. Not only is it active -- it's very active -- but remains clean and manageable, never becoming so loud and engaging as to lose definition and detail of sound. The movie begins with a pleasing and relaxing introductory music from legendary composer James Newton Howard (Batman Begins) that is reproduced with a...

Supplements
Unfortunately, Sony has not provided many extras on this disc, the most obvious absence is a commentary track. I'd have loved to hear the effects team as well as the cast discussing this film, but alas, we'll have to live with what we've got here. Six featurettes, presented in 1080i high definition, represent the brunt of the extras. The first is entitled Myths and Legends (10:25). This is the best feature on the disc, a short recounting of the, well, myths and legends con...

Final Words
The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep may very well be one of the best films you might have never heard of, definitely a film that somehow slipped under my radar until I read of the Blu-ray release. While much of the movie definitely has a clichéd feel to it, it nevertheless approaches the material in a fresh and exciting manner, creating a wondrous world, one that we don't often see in film, where the mystical fits seamlessly into reality, where the wonder of the situation is ......

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Walk Hard (Blu-ray Review)

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 17:00:00 -0400
Can a box-office failure find new life on Blu-ray?

From the minds of Hollywood comedy masterminds Judd Apatow and Jake Kasdan comes Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, another parody in a seemingly endless sea of parodies. Fortunately, Walk Hard is a much better film than most of what passes for spoof on movie screens these days. By not relying on silliness and sight gags and, instead, focusing on good performances and solid comedy, Walk Hard is fresh and full of life.

Dewey Cox (John C. Reilly) is your prototypica...

Video
Walk Hard arrives on Blu-ray sporting a very nice 1080p transfer in the movie's original aspect ratio of 2.35:1. The movie will just about instantly leap off of your screen during the opening scenes in Springberry, Alabama. It's clear that this scene has been tweaked in post production to give it a colorful and idyllic feel. Fortunately, this is entirely consistent with the film's theatrical presentation. Of course, Walk Hard was "filmed" digitally, so one would expect a pristi...

Audio
I can't imagine that there would be any controversy over the audio section of Walk Hard. Presented in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround (48kHz/24-bit), the film sounds terrific. Additionally, Sony has provided a French TrueHD track as well as Dolby Digital tracks in both Spanish and Portuguese. The TrueHD track does a fantastic job of effectively portraying the film's many live concert sequences with abundant surround usage and crystal clear vocals. In a film where the joke is often-times the...

Supplements
The folks at Sony have done an amazing job with the supplemental presentation of Walk Hard. This Blu-ray 2-disc set is completely loaded with extras. Here's what's included:

- Audio Commentary with Judd Apatow, Jake Kasdan, John C. Reilly and Lew Morton - This hilarious track is like a Cliff's Notes for all of the pop-culture references in Walk Hard. The four participants are all having a great time here and it makes for a thoroughly enjoyable track.

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Final Words
In case you haven't been able to tell so far, I'm a big fan of Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. The film works for me as a straight comedy, a deft parody of music dramatizations and as a satire on how society elevates artists. Music fans will find a lot to like here as well with the film's amazing musical numbers and it's keen pop culture sensibility.

In addition to all the great story elements of this Blu-ray release, the disc features an accurate visual representation of t......

Read full review: Blu-ray.com