Posted in: News and Opinions by Archive Authors on November 1st, 2007
According to Engadget, on Friday(one day only), Wal-mart will be offering the entry level Toshiba A2 HD DVD player for the astonishing $99.99 price point. The A2 model is a entry level machine that is only able to output a 1080i/60fps signal. The latest model the A3, will be capable of outputting a full 1080p Signal. The A3 is expected to be priced at or around 200 dollars this holiday season.
One thing to be wary of is that Wal-mart tends to cut prices drastically on products they have little intention of stocking. Meaning every store may only be getting a few of the A2's and a few dozen of the A3's.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 31st, 2007
Back around the time I was born, and Tom Cruise had an ounce of sanity, a little movie called Top Gun swept across the globe raking in over $350,000,000 worldwide, as well as sparking an interest in the US Navy and everything Tomcat, Skyhawk, and MiG related. Ever since its original release Top Gun has kept a hold on its audience, being played almost weekly, and now it makes its way into the world of high definition with its release on HD DVD.
For the few of you out there who don't know, Tom Cruise (Mission Impossible) plays Pete Mitchell better known to the rest of us as Maverick. He's young, cocky, and he pilots an F-14 Tomcat. His wingman Goose (Anthony Edwards, Zodiac) keeps him in check with a cool head, and is the more cautious of the two. After another pilot turns in his wings the two are given the opportunity to join the Top Gun fighter pilot school in which only the top 1% of fighter pilots are invited. Upon getting into the school Maverick believes himself to be the best there and borders on the line of being reckless, creating an enemy of fellow pilot Iceman (Val Kilmer, Heat). As the movie plays out Maverick falls in love, contemplates his lifestyle, looses people close to him, and faces death well trying to make it through the training. The movie pretty much wraps up in typical Hollywood style with a bow on it, but still manages to be a good watch.
Posted in: Release Announcements by Archive Authors on October 30th, 2007
FOX is on a roll today with announcements. "Death Sentence" comes out Jan. 8th...
CENTURY CITY, Calif. – The hardcore story of one man’s quest for vengeance and justice featuring thrill-a-second action and pulse-pounding stunts, Death Sentence arrives in an all-new Unrated Edition DVD January 8th from Fox Home Entertainment. Kevin Bacon (Mystic River, Hollow Man) stars as Nick Hume, an everyday family man living a stable, comfortable life - a good job, a loving wife and two teenage boys. But when a gang initiation takes the life of his eldest son in the blink of an eye, Hume’s perfect life comes to a screeching halt. What follows is a series of violent confrontations, forcing Hume to transform into someone he never thought possible. Directed by innovative filmmaker James Wan (Saw, Dead Silence) from the powerful novel by James Garfield...
Posted in: Blog Posts, Release Announcements by Archive Authors on October 30th, 2007
FOX is announcing with customary PR fanfare that Adam Goldberg comedy "2 Days in Paris" will hit the streets on Feb. 5th of the next year - just in time to cash in on Valentine sales.
Adam Goldberg delivers “an uproarious study in transatlantic culture panic” (MTV) as Jack, an anxious, hypochondriac-prone New Yorker vacationing throughout Europe with his breezy, free-spirited Parisian girlfriend, Marion (Delpy). But when they make a two-day stop in Marion’s hometown, the couple’s romantic trip takes a turn as Jack is exposed to Marion’s sexually perverse and emotionally unstable family, her coarse temperament with cab drivers and her ex-lovers…her many ex-lovers. Culture-shocked and ego-bruised, Jack finds himself hoping that their relationship can survive as their love is revealed in surprising ways.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 29th, 2007
OK, brace yourself when I tell you that Hallowed Ground was a straight to video release. I know, you're stunned, right? You can't even get up. I was as shocked as you. But I've got to hand it to the filmmakers, they've got a decent idea by putting a somewhat scary image on their cover and keeping a brother intrigued, so to speak.
Written and directed by David Benullo, he of Shadow Man fame, this film focuses on the town of Hope, where Liz (Jaimie Alexander, Kyle XY) finds herself standed. The people are nice to her, but for some reason, they just come off as being "too nice". She manages to find out the town is pretty much composed of religious fanatics, who find out that Liz is part of a prophecy as outlined by the town's preacher. The funny part is that the preacher died a century ago and was crucified and hung like a scarecrow, resulting in the semi-cool picture. So the town tries to hold her hostage while the scarecrow gets his pseudo freaky deaky on.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 29th, 2007
In my mind, Robert Wuhl has never really understood when to quit. The guy was the star of Arli$$, which was an anomaly on the HBO cable channel. Whereas all the other shows on the channel were ending too soon and were too well received, this show went on and on and on, and no one seemed to really like it. So when I saw he was doing a couple of one-off shows set at universities, I thought this was just another way to grab onto popularity.
AS it turns out, these specials, entitled Assume the Position, aren’t entirely horrible. What Wuhl manages to accomplish is to effectively discuss American history and perhaps introduce a point that history might not just be what was read and published. He discusses some things that many in the class (myself included) didn’t really know before, like the origins of the “Yankee Doodle” song and the benefit of the War of 1812. In between, he mixes in slides and animations that bring a smile, maybe even a chuckle, to these jaded lips. Don’t get me wrong though, there are times where Wuhl seems to hit a joke every so often that seems to be the perfect example of “old guy trying to connect to young audience”, and that’s why mentions of Ben Affleck and Outkast follow.
Posted in: Blog Posts, News and Opinions by Archive Authors on October 29th, 2007
Some great deals on the unholiest day of retail sales(source).
Coby DVD Player - $9.99
Curtis Home Theater System - $29.99
Philips HDMI Up Convert DVD Player - $29.99
Sony 1000 Watt 5 Disc Home Theater System - $299.99
Sony 1000-Watt 5-Disc Home Theater System - $299.99
Sony 800 Watt Home Theater System - $149.99
Sony Combination DVD VCR Player - $84.99
Sony DVD Recorder With VCR DVD - $199.99
Toshiba HD-A3 HD DVD Player - $169.99
Zenith DVD Player / VCR Combo - $39.99
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 28th, 2007
Very few of us know A Clockwork Orange as the 1962 novel by Anthony Burgess, instead we know it as the 1971 Stanley Kubrick film adaptation. Not only did Kubrick direct this cult classic, he also wrote the adapted screenplay and produced it. There’s no doubt that Kubrick put a lot into this movie, and by now we all know the results. A Clockwork Orange is a perfect example of Kubrick’s career, highly controversial. After the cult hit 2001: A Space Odyssey, it was crucial for Kubrick to keep the audience on the edge of their seats, and what better way to do that than adapt A Clockwork Orange. There are those who would call this movie trash, and of course there are those who absolutely love it, then of course there’s everyone in between. Well A Clockwork Orange isn’t new news to me, it’s release on HD DVD already looks to impress.
The film takes place in a then futuristic England (ca. 1995) and follows the life of demented youth Alex DeLarge (Malcom McDowell, I Spy) who’s passions are Beethoven, rape, and violence. He leads a gang of thugs who share the same pleasures as him, including fights with rival gangs, beating defenseless tramps, and a violent home invasion. On another occasion while Alex should be at school he instead picks up women and takes them to bed. Eventually his gang members overthrow him and leave him knocked out at the scene of a robbery, where he is found and in turn sentenced to 14 years in prison. But after 2 years he is given the chance to be let out early if he participates in a newly formed aversion therapy technique. After time he is rendered incapable of committing violence, and returns home where everything is turned upside down. His parents have essentially replaced him, his old friends beat on him, and is incapable of fighting back. The real question at hand is, was he cured, or just made into a victim? Well if you watch the film you're sure to make your own assumptions and interpretations of its ending.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 27th, 2007
The Invisible appears to have been marketed a couple of different ways when it was released in early 2007, but the most used phrase for the film appears to be “Supernatural Thriller”, which might address it to some degree if it was, you know, thrilling.
Christine Roum (Bodyguard II) co-wrote the screenplay, which David Goyer directed. Goyer has been a longtime writer, providing words to such films as Dark City, Blade and Batman Begins. And for all the good work he’s put in as a writer, you’d think he would have learned some things when it comes to directing, but ultimately, he’s just another guy who was talented in one area and needs some work in his new one.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 27th, 2007
I don't think any documentarian in history has been as famous as Ken Burns. His series on the Civil War is what first made him a household name, and his in depth looks at baseball, New York City and jazz are what has solidified his place in the American consciousness as the world's premiere documentary filmmaker. He is so well-respected, in fact, that his method of making still photographs interesting by zooming and panning is actually known as the Ken Burns Effect.
Burns' latest film endeavor focuses on World War II, which may be the most covered documentary subject in history. This topic should present his greatest challenge; a subject that has millions of experts and thousands of pre-existing documentaries, including the very well respected "The World At War", which is considered the gold standard. There are still many veterans of the war alive today, which could be both a blessing and a curse. While they can certainly help with insight into key events, they are also the first to criticize if the film does not accurately portray the battles as they transpired. It is a tall order, but if anyone could meet this challenge, Ken Burns is the one to do it.
![Top Gun [HD DVD] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/top-gun-hd-dvd-large.jpg)
![A Clockwork Orange [HD DVD] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/a-clockwork-orange-hd-dvd-large.jpg)
