Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Video: 4/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 3/5
Boasting a nice list of actors, this ensemble piece reminded me a lot of the recent character intersecting piece Crash, though it didn't deal with the same social themes. The film revolves around seven characters but I would say the chief one is Brendan Frasier's role as a collection man for a local gangster. He has a rare gift in that he can see into the future. This makes him invaluable to his employer but things change when one of his visions turns out wrong. He also comes in contact with a pop star whose future can't be seen. As the film progresses you see how several characters change the course of events and the lives of others. Ultimately I enjoyed this film quite a bit but at times the pacing was a tad slow.

Video: 4/5
Audio: 4.5/5
Extras: 5/5
"Alien Anthology" includes "Alien", "Aliens", "Alien 3" and "Alien Resurrection". "Alien": The terror begins when the crew of the spaceship Nostromo investigates a transmission from a desolate planet and makes a horrifying discovery - a life form that breeds within a human host. Now the crew must fight not only for its own survival, but for the survival of all mankind. "Aliens": In this action-packed sequel to "Alien", Sigourney Weaver returns as Ripley, the only survivor from mankind's first encounter with the monstrous "Alien". Her account of the Alien and the fate of her crew are received with skepticism - until the mysterious disappearance of colonists on LV-426 leads her to join a team of high-tech colonial marines sent in to investigate. "Aliens 3" - Lt. Ripley is the lone survivor when her crippled spaceship crash lands on Fiorina 161, a bleak wastelands inhabited by former inmates of the planet's maximum security prison. Ripley's fears that an Alien was aboard her craft are confirmed when the mutilated bodies of ex-cons begin to mount. Without weapons or modern technology of any kind, Ripley must lead the men into battle against the terrifying creature. And soon she discovers a horrifying fact about her link with the Alien, a realization that may compel Ripley to try destroying not only the horrific creature, but herself as well. "Alien Resurrection": Ellen Ripley died fighting the perfect predator. Two hundred years and eight horrific experiments later, she's back. A group of scientists has cloned her - along with the alien queen inside her - hoping to breed the ultimate weapon. But the resurrected Ripley is full of surprises for her "creators," as are the aliens. And soon, a lot more than "all hell" breaks loose! To combat the creatures, Ripley must team up with a band of smugglers, including a mechanic named Call, who holds more than a few surprises of her own.

Video: 5/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 2.5/5
As an assassin, Jack is constantly on the move and always alone. After a job in Sweden ends more harshly than expected for this American abroad, Jack retreats to the Italian countryside. He relishes being away from death for a spell as he holes up in a small medieval town. While there, Jack takes an assignment to construct a weapon for a mysterious contact, Mathilde. Savoring the peaceful quietude he finds in the mountains of Abruzzo, Jack accepts the friendship of local priest Father Benedetto and pursues a torrid liaison with a beautiful woman, Clara. Jack and Clara's time together evolves into a romance, one seemingly free of danger. But by stepping out of the shadows, Jack may be tempting fate.

Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 4.75/5
Extras: 3/5
A small-time crook takes on a bank heist when an old friend offers him an inside track to the vault. Along with his hastily assembled team of low-rung criminals Terry finds himself deep into this real-life heist and quite suddenly the target of ruthless mobsters the police government officials at the highest level and even the royal family

Movie: 4
Picture/Sound: 4/4
Extras: 3.5

Video: 4/5
Audio: 3.75/5
Extras: 3.5/5
Fraternal twins Conner and Murphey MacMannus are on a mission from God to rid Boston of crime. However, instead of signing up for the police force, these hard-drinking Irish-American brothers take the law into their own hands a la Charles Bronson in "Death Wish". Heralded as saints by the city's beleaguered residents, the brothers also attract the attention of Paul Smecker, the openly gay FBI special agent assigned to investigate the spate of killings amongst the ranks of the Russian mafia.