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Going in, I really had no interest in Shall We Dance? When I was told I would be reviewing this, I knew right away that I would not like the movie. So, when I sat down this evening and watched the film, I actually did give it a chance and I am glad actually I did. I came out pleasantly surprised.

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When it comes to teen high school comedies, I think I have seen them all. They all seem to have the same premise. It is usually a couple of guys who are in high school and are looking to get laid at a prom or party or wherever they can get it. Nothing has changed in the 33 years that I have been watching movies. It works, the premise still works. But not all movies can pull off the perfect teen comedy…but Superbad comes super close.

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It’s year 4 at Hogwarts, and for me this was the best Potter of the first five films. Hogwarts plays host to the prestigious Triwizard Tournament, and that means putting up students from two other wizard schools. Here we get an inkling of just how large the Potter universe truly is. Up until now our experience has only taken us through the world of Hogwarts and its peripheral environs.

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I have a cousin who is absolutely in love with the Broadway production of Rent currently playing in New York. To date she’s made the trip to New York from the Philly area no less than 3 times and will likely do so again. I attempted to channel that passion as much as I could as I sat down to watch this Blu-ray version of the production. Unfortunately, I don’t believe I was quite successful. From what I can see there is no doubt in my mind that Rent is a phenomenal experience

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I remember a few years ago when Closer was released. The cast was very promising and the movie received nothing but rave reviews. The one thing about Closer is that while it is extremely sexy and dangerous, it also can easily resemble any one of our lives. Whether you are single or in a relationship, who doesn’t feel instant attraction at times when they meet someone for the first time. The dilemma is, do you act on those feelings or ignore them? Is it worth the risk?

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Do you enjoy a little Beethoven with your ultraviolence? Stanley Kubrick’s controversial A Clockwork Orange has arrived on Blu-ray Hi-Def (as the TV adds now like to call our BD format). Often imitated, sometimes misunderstood, A Clockwork Orange is a classic no matter your opinion of the film. Personally, this isn’t my favorite Kubrick film (that would have to be 2001), but it’s essential viewing nevertheless. Whether you choose to view it on this Blu-ray might be another story….

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You’ve got to expect some pretty big things from a film that uses the massacre at Wounded Knee as a mere starting point. Add Viggo Mortensen fresh from his stint as Aragorn in Peter Jackson’s excellent Lord Of The Rings trilogy, and how can you not expect big things? And if that’s not enough, we’ll throw in some genuine Arabian sheiks and breathtaking cinematography… oh, and there’s horses.

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Since we have already reviewed The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe on DVD, some non-format specific sections of this review have been ported over to this Blu-ray review.

After the transformation of the Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings books into hugely successful films, it was only a matter of time before someone decided to tackle C.S. Lewis’s famous novels The Chronicles of Narnia.

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Let’s say we take one of the greatest (if not the greatest) female novelists of all time, and reduce her life into a romantic fluff piece aimed squarely at fans of modern chick-lit? We’d get something close to Becoming Jane. That may be a bit harsh for this light-hearted tale of a young Jane Austin. I wasn’t completely underwhelmed by the film, more like just *whelmed*.  Fortunately, this Blu-ray Disc is a nice surprise otherwise with superior video transfer and a nice audio track to boot. So, all is not lost, you husbands of women who force such films upon you.

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Pretend just for a few seconds that you are an aspiring song writer. You realize that the only way to possibly succeed in doing that would mean having to pick up and move elsewhere to do it. Mind you, you don’t have much money or a job waiting for you at this destination but you know you are good enough and will stop at nothing to get what you want. Do you forgo your dreams and wonder what could have been or do you pick up and go?

That brings us to Coyote Ugly.

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I think that by revisiting Unbreakable, and looking at it outside of M. Night Shyamalan’s other films like The Sixth Sense and Signs, there’s actually a pretty good movie going on there. I mean, a movie that grossed $95 million domestically can’t be considered a failure, right? It did, however, do amazing overall numbers, the international totals brought the film up to a near $250 million gross. However, I guess when you put them up against Signs ($227 million domestic, $408 million worldwide) and The Sixth Sense ($293 million domestic, $672 million worldwide), maybe it can be considered disappointing, but the film itself is pretty good.

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Don’t you just miss the old days of the Cold War? Let’s be honest. Since the fall of the Iron Curtain, there just haven’t been any interesting bad guys around anymore. Sure, there’s plenty of bad guys out there, more now than likely ever before. But these bad guys are just nasty and about as colorful as a 1 crayon box of crayolas. If you miss those old days, then Crimson Tide is the film for you. It’s one of those last looks back before an era disappears under the horizon never to be seen again.

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By now you must already know the formula. You’ve seen it so many times before, I’m amazed that we haven’t all gotten a little tired of it. There are comedic versions like The Bad News Bears, and there are plenty of “true to life” versions out , so there’s never going to be a scarcity of stories. Whether it’s a “home town hero makes good” or the “come from nowhere victory” that inspires the Rocky films, the story is old. In this story, so is the hero; in fact, that’s the problem.

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This could be either one of the greatest home cinema experiences of your lifetime, or you may be bored to tears. Thus is the dilemma of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Either way, go buy this Blu-ray, that way you can at least feign serious film collector.

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It’s year 3 at Hogwarts, and behind the scenes there have been some significant changes in the Harry Potter universe. Chris Columbus gave up the directing duties to Alfonso Cuaron. While Cuaron was faithful to the traditions established by Columbus, I do believe he did a rather nice job of adding his own dark touches to the Hogwarts landscape. Whether it was a new director or simply greater maturity, there is no question that Cuaron got better performances out of the three major actors.

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It’s year two at Hogwarts, and now we know who everyone is, so there isn’t going to be any time wasted setting up characters and relationships. I must say that the three actors playing Harry, Hermione, and Ron (Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint) pull off the chemistry in a pleasantly convincing manner. You believe these kids now have some history together, so we’re off to Hogwarts and a new adventure before you can blink your eye.

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Steve Carell is an odd sort. In the past he was stealing scenes in broad-based comedies with Will Ferrell and others, but currently he’s enjoying all kinds of love and attention as Michael Scott on The Office. However, his selection of movies as a star is a little bit curious. Yeah, he’s done the Apatow comedy (read: The 40 Year Old Virgin), but he also has done the occasional independent joint or two (read: Little Miss Sunshine). Dan In Real Life seems to fall into the latter category, but don’t take my word for it, watch the trailer right here:

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Wow, a film with religious themes, I sure hope I don’t get protested by some sort of league or something. But to be fair, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin, collectively known as the British Monty Python comedy troupe, and their film Life of Brian doesn’t necessarily skewer Christian beliefs or life of Christ per se, rather it looks at his life with the occasional parallel, and there is a joke or two thrown in, in typical Python form.

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WHAT TIME IS IT? Well, actually it’s about 2:30pm EST during a snowstorm where I’m sitting, but had I asked the same question to either of my kids, or likely any preteen of the female gender, I may have been answered with: SUMMERTIME! followed by the rest of the theme from High School Musical 2, which has already been so ingrained into their very being, they have no choice but to break into song on cue. Yep, that even includes my 3 year old. You might think I’m a sad excuse for a parent, but maybe I’m just looking for ANY possible alternative to grown men singing about fruit salad. So yeah, we’re cool with HSM at my house, and it’s only easier to justify on Blu-ray.

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In a rather quiet and slightly anonymous directorial debut, Ben Affleck has managed to craft a gem of a film and dispel a lot of myths and preconceived notions about him and others. I mean, cripes, this guy chased around Chris Kattan as “Mango” on an episode of Saturday Night Live several years back. Then, he met a fiery Latina whom a lot of people seem to despise because her doodoo presumably doesn’t stink. The two starred in Gigli, a film that critics loved to savage with good reason, so it’s best to not really talk about that much. Then, he decides to direct and cast his brother in his first film? The nerve of this guy!

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I’ve spent more than a few hours in the company of Ray Harryhausen over the years. I’ve handled many of the original armatures and have seen the original hand drawn storyboards and conceptual drawings he had created for most of his films. We’ve had many talks about this and all of his other films. I treasure those moments as I treasure seeing 20 Million Miles To Earth finally in hi-def.

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J.K Rowling has created a wonderful world of fanciful creatures and magical wizardry. The most amazing thing about her Harry Potter series is how popular the books have become. Kids are reading again, and in numbers not seen since the 1970’s when it was book series like The Hardy Boys and Tom Swift that captured that generation’s imagination. Those books were likely as popular with us then as Harry Potter is with the kids today. But Rowling’s achievement is a far greater one

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