Blu-ray Movie Reviews

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Enchanted—Walt Disney Pictures (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Mar 16, 2008  |  First Published: Mar 17, 2008  | 
Video: 5/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 3/5
Ever wonder what it would be like to recreate a Disney Princess animated film into live action? Now if you really thought about it you'd probably realize it would be a bit cheesy. Well that is what Enchanted is. But instead of trying to do it seriously Disney has done a pretty good job of poking fun at itself with this one. I will admit some of the ideas here work pretty well and there is no doubt that this is a Disney production. But I also thought it felt more like a Disney channel type of film rather than a feature production. The story was a bit too whimsical and even the animation seemed a bit short of Disney's signature film style. The story does have a nice heart to it, but overall I thought it was a bit much at times.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Independence Day—20th Century Fox (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Mar 16, 2008  |  First Published: Mar 17, 2008  | 
Video: 4/5
Audio: 4.5/5
Extras: 2/5
I remember when this film was originally launched on DVD. Talk about hype! Independence Day is one of the bigger Fox catalog titles and I'm sure there are a lot of people excited to see this one in HD. While it is still a solid action popcorn film, I think it has lost a bit of its lure over the years since its DVD release. I've seen this film several times now and I know it has lost a bit of luster for me. The comedy doesn't hold up well and I actually find myself surprised that I found it as entertaining as I did during its theatrical run. The action still holds up pretty well and even the special effects aren't half bad compared to today's standards. I'm glad Fox has decided to release this one early and I hope to see more great catalog releases over the next year.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Ice Age—20th Century Fox (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Mar 16, 2008  |  First Published: Mar 17, 2008  | 
Video: 3.5/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 3/5
Fox has had this one on the back burner for quite some time now. Ice Age was originally announced for release last year and was held back during the prolonged "time out" that Fox took from the format. Judging from the packaging on this one I'd say it has been waiting around patiently for a new date. This has always been a fun film and it literally saved the animation side of Fox from extinction. Fans of the film will probably be happy to hear that the third film in the franchise was just announced for next summer in 3-D.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
I Am Legend
 |  Mar 15, 2008  | 
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
I Am Legend
David Vaughn  |  Mar 15, 2008  | 

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/403legend.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>In the year 2012, virologist Robert Neville (Will Smith) is the last human survivor in New York City. An outbreak of a lethal virus in 2009 wipes out 99% of the human population, leaving most of the remaining 1% as mutants, with the exception of Neville, who is immune to the virus. Along with his loyal canine, Samantha, Neville hunts for other survivors by day, and in his spare time&mdash;which he has lots of&mdash;he works on an antidote for the virus utilizing his own blood as the source.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Rookie
David Vaughn  |  Mar 12, 2008  | 

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/403rookie.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>When high-school baseball coach Jim Morris (Dennis Quaid) was looking for a way to inspire his perennially losing team to win, he decided to issue a challenge they couldn't refuse. If they made it to the district playoffs, he would try out for a major-league baseball team. Fortunately for Morris, his team fulfilled their part of the bargain, and he went to the tryout in which his fast ball was clocked at 98 mph! It wasn't long before Jim found himself pitching for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays as a 35-year-old rookie. The best part of the story is that it actually happened in 1999.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Freedom Vol. 4—Bandai Visual (HD DVD)
Kris Deering  |  Mar 12, 2008  | 
Video: 4/5
Audio: 3.5/5
Extras: 3/5
Bandai Visual delivers the next episode in the Freedom series. For those not familiar with this series it was created as a marketing series for "Cup-O-Noodles" though it really has no tie in to the product except some of the characters eating it in the show. Each segment is thirty minutes long and each segment has been released on HD DVD individually, making this is a bit of a steep investment considering the length of each release. This fourth episode finds our main characters on Earth's soil and on the way to Florida to meet the girl in the pictures. This episode wasn't quite as engaging as the ones before it, but it's an essential part of the story. The animation was also a bit disappointing in comparison to the previous episodes with most of the longer shots not coming off quite as detailed, but this was obviously an artistic choice of the creators. I'm still looking forward to seeing where it all goes and I have word that the rest of the series will be released on HD DVD despite its recent demise.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Initial D—Tai Seng Entertainment (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Mar 12, 2008  | 
Video: 3.5/5
Audio: 3/5
Extras: 3/5
Awhile back I was caught by surprise with the last installment in the Fast and the Furious franchise, Tokyo Drift. I thought the second film was the end of the line for great entertainment but the third installment ended up being quite good. Well you can tell they borrowed a lot from this film. Initial D is a live action imagining of the Manga by the same name and brought to the big screen by the creators of the popular Infernal Affairs series. The film centers on some street racers and the ever popular "drifting" so prevalent in street racing culture today. Two racers stumble upon a local Tofu delivery guy who just happens to be the master of a local downhill track and bring him into their world. The film is a bit corny at times, mainly do to the rather crude dubbing and comic-like acting, but it was also a lot of fun and the racing sequences are very well done. Anyone looking for a racing fix should definitely give this one a look.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Death At A Funeral—MGM/Concorde (HD DVD Import)
Kris Deering  |  Mar 12, 2008  | 
Video: 4/5
Audio: 3/5
Extras: 3.5/5
This is one of those films that completely took me by surprise. I remember seeing one trailer for it in theaters and not thinking much of it but when I saw it available for import on HD DVD, I took the plunge. It had a good cast and I generally enjoy British comedies so I thought why not. Turns out this one is great. The comedy in this had my wife and me laughing nearly the entire film with some scenes bringing us to near tears. The whole film centers around a funeral and everything that can happen will. The cast is great here and every character brings something more to the already hilarious happenings. If you love a great comedy, this is not to be missed.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Rookie
 |  Mar 12, 2008  | 

When high-school baseball coach Jim Morris (Dennis Quaid) was looking for a way to inspire his perennially losing team to win, he decided to issue a challenge they couldn't refuse. If they made it to the district playoffs, he would try out for a major-league baseball team. Fortunately for Morris, his team fulfilled their part of the bargain, and he went to the tryout in which his fast ball was clocked at 98 mph! It wasn't long before Jim found himself pitching for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays as a 35-year-old rookie. The best part of the story is that it actually happened in 1999.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Ice Age
 |  Mar 10, 2008  | 

Unlikely heroes Manfred, Sid, Diego, and Scrat join together to return an infant boy to his father before the coming ice age dooms them all. These brave souls, however, are not human. Manny is a wooly mammoth, Sid is a sloth, Diego is a saber-toothed tiger, and Scrat&mdash;one of the funniest creatures ever created&mdash;is a tiny saber-toothed squirrel who just wants to protect his precious acorn.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Ice Age
David Vaughn  |  Mar 10, 2008  | 

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/403iceage.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Unlikely heroes Manfred, Sid, Diego, and Scrat join together to return an infant boy to his father before the coming ice age dooms them all. These brave souls, however, are not human. Manny is a wooly mammoth, Sid is a sloth, Diego is a saber-toothed tiger, and Scrat&mdash;one of the funniest creatures ever created&mdash;is a tiny saber-toothed squirrel who just wants to protect his precious acorn.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
i, Robot—20th Century Fox (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Mar 09, 2008  | 
Video: 5/5
Audio: 5/5
Extras: 3.5/5
Will Smith is getting the high definition treatment these next few weeks. We are seeing a couple releases from Fox and last year's blockbuster from Warner here soon. Good thing his movies are fun. i, Robot was the first big budget film for director Alex Proyas (Dark City) and an above average summer blockbuster for Smith. The creators did a bang up job with the special effects, but at times I thought they were a bit heavy handed with the environments. I'm still glad this one has finally made its way to Blu-ray as it was one of my favorite demonstration titles on the short lived D-Theater format.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Atonement—Universal (HD DVD)
Kris Deering  |  Mar 09, 2008  | 
Video: 4/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 3/5
Atonement was easily one of my favorite movies of 2007 and I was actually surprised it didn't walk away with the Best Picture statue at the Oscar's this year. While this was an extremely strong year for great films and there was some great nominees I felt this film had the strongest overall arc in terms of production, story, acting and direction. It is rare that a film just nails every aspect as well as this one does, making it a must-see in my opinion.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium—20th Century Fox (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Mar 09, 2008  | 
Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 3.5/5
Extras: 0/5
When this film was released I noticed a lot of comparisons to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I am not sure why, the films have little to do with each other. Both are VERY colorful and full of imagination, but this film deals more with finding the magic within you. Hoffman does a good job in the lead, but the film is stolen by Natalie Portman. She is reminding me more and more of Audrey Hepburn as she's gotten older and her charm and vulnerability go a long way in this one. It isn't very often that we see a solid live action family film like this.
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