HD DVD is finally here, and although there are a few ergonomic bumps on this yellow brick road of HD, the emerald city of next-gen sound and vision is unequivocally glorious. Simply put, HD DVD delivers on its promise of the best picture and sound that I've yet experienced outside the movie theater.
How things have changed. Just a couple of years ago, bringing a 57-inch TV into my studio meant wrestling with a 300-pound gorilla of metal, glass, plastic, and particle board. I'm still trying to figure out how to get my 51-inch Hitachi CRT out of its room so new flooring can be installed. But when Mitsubishi delivered their new WD-57731 for review, I could almost have moved its 88 lbs. by myself had it been in a more compact package. As it was, two delivery persons hauled it into my house without breaking a sweat.
A few years back everyone was wondering if our civilization would come crashing down around our keyboards. All of our computers stored the year as a two-digit number, and 00 did not compute. Best case: Aunt Ellie wouldn't get her airline reservation in time for that visit, or better yet might end up in Sri Lanka. Worst case: an extinction level event.
Video: 3
Audio: 4
Extras: 1
If you think you hate your day job, wait until you meet Yuri Orlov. Based on actual events, Lord of War follows the illustrious career of this quietly charismatic arms dealer as he travels the world hocking his explosive wares. Take caution, however; writer/director Andrew Niccol's got a moral agenda up his celluloid sleeve, and Cage does an excellent job delivering his message. Orlov may never have pulled a trigger on his own accord, but he is nevertheless a warlord—or rather, a lord of war, as one character prefers it.
Video: 4
Audio: 4
Extras: 2
Emily Rose is dead. That is a fact. The question asked is, whose fault is it? Was it lack of medical treatment or something unexplainable, something supernatural that caused her demise? Part courtroom drama, part horror film, this movie is truly scary and delves into the question of where faith fits into a world where someone must always be held accountable. Deeply religious, the entire Rose family believes, as does Father Moore (Tom Wilkinson), that it is most definitely a demonic possession and not a mental disorder that is at the root. Moore attempts an exorcism, and Emily's subsequent death is pinned on the accused and now-jailed priest. Laura Linney as his defender Erin Bruner is a skeptic, but her involvement in this case and the events that follow show her another side.
Video: 5
Audio: 5
Extras: 4
Make no mistake—this is the exact same edition that was released over a year ago. The only difference is the addition of a third disc (despite the package's Two-Disc status) touting the virtues of the recent sequel Underworld: Evolution. As it stands, the movie is still rather weak.