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CNET picks Blu-Ray FTW

Posted in News and Opinions by Archive Authors on January 24th, 2007

This CNET article wishfully prophecies that HD-DVD will surrender mid-year. This prognosis is based on the the fact that there’s a 5:1 ratio of Blu-Ray to HD-DVD players in households – driven mainly by the PS3. Of course, the verdict is still out on whether the PS3 will ever get traction in the marketplace, so take that with a grain of salt.

Personally, I’m going to skip the next-gen physical media ratrace entirely and skip right to HD downloads via A…
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Brokeback Mountain (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 23rd, 2007

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Wow. Itï¿½s already been over a year since hearing the endless ï¿½I canï¿½t quit youï¿½ pander that many labeled Brokeback Mountain with. Sitting down to see this one for the 3rd time, I feared that the initial power the film had over me would be diminished. Such isnï¿½t the case here as Brokeback Mountain is still the same excellent film it was over a year ago.
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Scary Movie 4 (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 23rd, 2007

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Itï¿½s hard to believe, but after six years and three movies, this fourth film proves the Scary Movie franchise is still good for a cheap laugh.

For those of you that have lived under a rock and arenï¿½t familiar with the Scary Movie series, I will enlighten you. Some of the horror movies coming out these days are just begging to be parodied, and the comic brains of the Wayans brothers did so in 2000 with first instalment simply titled Scary Movie. This movie poked fun of then-recent movie…
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Oh! What a Lovely War

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 21st, 2007

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For all the talk about a film being “just as relevant now as when it was released”, Oh! What a Lovely War seems to fit that bill more than a lot of movies I’ve seen recently. From a screenplay by Len Deighton and directed by a first-time director (but longtime actor) in Richard Attenborough (Jurassic Park), the film may be a daunting endeavor for some to see, probably because it’s a film that’s two and a half hours long and contains a lot of songs.

It also contains a lot of dialogue, and both the songs and dialogue were from the period.
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Color of the Cross

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 21st, 2007

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Back in late 2006 there was a minor to-do about a film depicting the last days of Jesus, except that Jesus was played by a black man. Written and directed by Jean-Claude La Marre, Color of the Cross tries to do what it can to tell the tale of this black Jesus, or be-jeezus if you will.

The film, like others covering the last two days of his life, follows Jesus as he performs the Last Supper, gets betrayed by Judas and the other stuff. While in town, many Jews are trying to celebrate Passover without being abused or persecuted by the Romans, so they celebrate in secret.
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The Sting (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 20th, 2007

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Con movies are nothing new to Hollywood. Each has that character who thinks theyï¿½re on top of the world behind this bullet proof armor only to eventually realize that theyï¿½ve either been played or been watched the entire time. I suppose what makes con films work on the level they do is that these characters (admit it!) are all committing acts weï¿½d love to even THINK about committing. The only problem is that weï¿½re not even that badass of a person to even attempt it. Having never seen this film, I figured Iï¿½d get a fairly entertaining film with decent acting and an interesting enough plot. Boy was I mistaken about this one. Oscar awarded 1973 film The Sting has easily become my favorite con film.
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LG BD + HD-DVD Player on Sale in Feb

Posted in News and Opinions by Archive Authors on January 19th, 2007

Yes, its coming. And yes, it plays both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD discs, although apparently for the HD-DVD’s you can only watch the movie – no menu access just yet.

The Librarian – Return to King Solomon’s Mines

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 19th, 2007

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The only thing I really knew about The Librarian was that Noah Wyle, previously known for his work in ER was playing in some goofy looking film, and the making of this film was getting in the way of whatever theatrical film I was watching from August-October. Imagine my surprise when I found out that it was more than just a goofy little film, that it was the second in a presumed series, and hey, it’s not all that much about a library at all!
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Factotum

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 19th, 2007

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Back in 1979 (that’s a whole generation ago, kids!) Matt Dillon was appearing in films that would make the average reader of Tiger Beat swoon. He was in plenty of material like Little Darlings, Rumble Fish and The Outsiders that didn’t help that idea too much in the eyes of his female fans (of which there are scores). But since the early ’80s, he’s gone through a bit of a rediscovery, and in the film Factotum, based on the works of author Charles Bukowski, he may have hit his best stride to date.
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Derailed (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 19th, 2007

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Having previously only seen the theatrical trailer for Derailed, I was pleased to finally get a chance to watch it. The movie seemed to be filled with a lot of suspense, but the redundancy of this type of affair movie sort of detoured me. Ultimately, I went into this with expectations of an impressive thriller.

Charles Schine (Clive Owen) is a well-off advertising executive married to a school teacher. Together, they have a teenage daughter. Due to complications with diabetes the couple has to be co…
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Deer Hunter (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 18th, 2007

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Let me begin here by saying that Iï¿½ve never found any film based on the Vietnam War good. I assume this stems from that everything Iï¿½ve ever known or been taught about the War shows that (I apologize in advance for those who get offended) the War was not necessary (this said by my Uncle who fought in the War). Every Vietnam film Iï¿½ve tried to enjoy from Born on the Fourth of July to Platoon I just couldnï¿½t as this little reminder always poked in the back of my mind. I should honestly scratch that last sentence as Iï¿½ve found the first Vietnam film that I absolutely found excellent.
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Superman Returns (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 18th, 2007

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I’m sure we all remember when it was rumored that Brett Ratner was going to direct Superman Returns and Bryan Singer was going to direct the third X-Men film. Well we all know how that one turned out. Ratner made a decent film while Singer made a better film but not without itï¿½s own faults.Superman Returns takes place roughly five years after the events of Superman II. Superman aka Clark Kent (portrayed by Brandon Routh) has left on a journey back to his home planet of Krypton.
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Invincible (2006)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 17th, 2007

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Invincible (2006) marks the latest in a string of sports-underdog films from Disney, following such hits as 2002’s The Rookie and 2004’s Miracle. This time, we have a film inspired by the real-life Cinderella story of Philadelphia Eagles’ alumnus Vince Papale.

Papale’s story is so similar to that of fictional Philadelphia son, Rocky Balboa, that calling Invincible a remake of Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky isn’t much of a stretch. But then, the sports long-shot genre is tried and true, so as far as my enjoyment goes, I have few issues with this film’s formulaic plot.
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Def Comedy Jam Classics: Martin Lawrence

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 16th, 2007

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Def Comedy Jam Classics: Martin Lawrence contains a few hearty laughs in between heaps of “f-this, f-that, f-to the point where it is no longer a curse word and becomes simply an overused adjective” and sexually explicit material. Many of the comedians featured on this disc seem to be delivering material purely for shock value before an audience that does their best to encourage. As a result, most of the comedy lacks a genuine feel, and that includes the offerings we get from Mr. Lawrence himself. That’s n…
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The Celestine Prophecy

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 16th, 2007

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Halfway through The Celestine Prophecy, I was exasperated and ready to turn it off. If I hadn’t been watching it for this review, I would have, and would have been better for it.

When this DVD came across my plate, my interest was piqued. I’d never heard of the film, or the worldwide bestselling book it’s based on, and the cover quote said, “…a huge leap forward in spiritual adventure films.” My first thoughts were, “if it’s based on a bestseller, maybe it has a great script” and “hey, I didn’t even know there was a spiritual adventure genre”.
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Clerks II (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 16th, 2007

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10 years ago, Clerks was released, appealing to the ever-growing population of the subculture of slackers. For a generation of grunge-music-listening, going-nowhere, fast-food-working young adults, Clerks became a cult favourite. With the release of Clerks II, Iï¿½m sure the very same people are attracted to this title, whether they have grown up and want to revisit that nostalgic feeling, or are still flipping burgers and living the slacker lifestyle. Whether you live in your parentsï¿½ basement or …
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Highly Defined – The World of High Definition

Posted in Highly Defined, News and Opinions by Archive Authors on January 15th, 2007

This may take a little while.

So did we enjoy our thoughts and impressions of what CES 2007 held and brought? Well, let’s take a look at things that didn’t relate to Apple, shall we? First off, it appears the new color to speak of is purple. You’ve got word of the Warner Total Hi-Def disc, which is a dual format disc. The packaging is even a compromise too, with the HD DVD red on one side, and the Blu-ray blue on the other. It costs slightly more than a HD/SD combo, but does certainly provide for some inter…
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Who Made the Potatoe Salad?

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 15th, 2007

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Jaleel White continues to flounder about aimlessly looking for a post-Family Matters career in Who Made the Potatoe Salad?, a mindless 90-minute excursion into the offensively cliched family comedy. Looking for laughs in all the wrong places, this effort from writer-director Damon “Coke” Daniels tries to cash in on every dirty race-driven joke it can think of without once pausing for a breath of originality. White plays, of all things, a police officer, who decides the time is right to move his relati…
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Fiddler on the Roof

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 15th, 2007

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Adapted from the hit stage musical, Norman Jewison’s film version of Fiddler on the Roof has established itself as a classic over and over again since its release in 1971.

“He loves her. Love, it’s a new style… On the other hand, our old ways were once new, weren’t they?” I’ll hardly be the first to write it, but the reason Fiddler on the Roof, a story about Jewish people and their culture, is so popular, is that its themes have universal appeal. In fact, in a way it hardly matters th…
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Mummy Returns, The (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 13th, 2007

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Honestly, was anyone really surprised when Universal announced a sequel to the ultra successful (and ultra-good) film The Mummy? The easiest comparison one can make is that Universal was trying to create their Indiana Jones series ala Fox. Even though neither Mummy film will EVER approach the quality of any of the Indiana Jones films (even the weakest Temple of Doom), The Mummy films, especially The Mummy Returns, are damn fun to watch.
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Wolf Creek (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 13th, 2007

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Wolf Creek is an Australian horror film that is based on true events; with no certain event in specific it combines a few elements from some missing peopleï¿½s cases in Australia. The actions of some of the characters mirror that of famous serial killers, most notably that of Ivan Milat who most have speculated is whom the movie is based on. According to Quentin Tarantino Wolf Creek is ï¿½ï¿½One of the great horror film heavies of the last 25 yearsï¿½ so it seems to be really promising.
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Pulse (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 13th, 2007

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Pulse is a remake of the 2001 Japanese film Kairo which was based on a novel of the same name. The movie opens with Josh entering a dark university library looking for someone named Zieglar, where he is instead met by some creepy old man and an entity that sucks life out of him. At this point everything seemed to be promising, although a bit out there. We soon find out that Josh was the boyfriend of Mattie (Kristen Bell) who is now worried as to where their relationship stands because Josh isnï¿½t speaking with her anymore.
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Lucky Number Slevin (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 13th, 2007

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Written by Jason Smilovic, Lucky Number Slevin is an adaptation from the 1961 Japanesse film Yojimbo. Maybe a more referable title, 1964ï¿½s A Fistful of Dollars with Clint Eastwood which was also based on Yojimbo, or even another film starring Bruce Willis, Last Man Standing. Basically Lucky Number Slevin keeps the main plot elements, a protagonist playing off both sides of a gang rivalry, but retells the story in modern times along with a handful of notable actors. Among them…
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Up Periscope!

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 11th, 2007

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While this is not a film that has specific comedic elements, James Garner seems to be the perfect choice to play this role. Up until this point in his career, almost every role that Garner had fulfilled on the big screen had been that of a soldier. Now, halfway through his TV stint as Maverick, he returns to the silver screen to bank on his new popularity as the star of a unique war film.

When I come across movies like this one, I think of films like Behind Enemy Lines and Spy Games; ente…
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Facing the Giants

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 11th, 2007

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Certain Christian churches and organizations in North America preach something often called ï¿½the prosperity gospel.ï¿½ In a nutshell, this refers to the idea that God wants us to be rich, physically, emotionally and materially.

Itï¿½s a pretty controversial message, but also a very attractive one. After all, what could be better than marrying Christianity to the American dream?
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