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2.40:1 Widescreen (16:9)

Return to House on Haunted Hill (Unrated)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 21st, 2007

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The defendant is charged with impersonating a classic movie, Felony murder of 81 minutes of human life, grand larceny (after review of the film’s sales figures this charge has been reduced to petty larceny), and aggravated assault to my intelligence. The court will show that director Victor Garcia did willfully and with malice and forethought create a sequel to an inferior remake of a classic motion picture. The evidence will clearly show that the film lacks any tangible resemblance to the original film and therefore has fraudulently engaged in a plot to lure the original film’s fans to the video store with false promises of quality and entertainment.
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Dragon Wars — D-War

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 18th, 2007

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TV reporter Jason Behr is the reincarnation of warrior from 500 years ago, charged with protecting a woman (Amanda Brooks, also a reincarnation) whose destiny is to sacrifice herself so that a mystical giant serpent (an Imoogi) can become a dragon. Unfortunately, an evil Imoogi named Buraki wants the power for itself, and summons a giant reptilian army that lays waste to LA in the search for Brooks.
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1408 (Collector’s Edition)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 6th, 2007

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Stephen King must be solely responsible for an acre of deforestation a year in legal pads and typewriter pages alone. I have heard it said that he writes at least ten pages a day, including holidays. A quick check of IMDB shows that he is credited for writing 106 television or movie stories, at least in part, since “Carrie” in 1976. While no writer – as I well know – can hit a home run every time they put pen to paper, King’s “good to crap” ratio is far superior to that of the majority of the novelists working today.

Spider-Man 3

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

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“Spidey’s back, and better than ever.” Good thing, too, because in this third installment in the highly successful comic book-to-film franchise, Spider-Man faces off against a trio of villains: Sandman, the new Goblin and, of course, Venom. Each is a handful on his own. Together, they’re Spidey’s toughest challenge yet. But he’s up to it, so long as he can first overcome his own internal conflict.

Spider-Man 3 hits store shelves October 30, on DVD in both a single-disc widescreen edition and a two-disc special edition, and on a two-disc Blu-ray release. I got my hands on the single disc and put it through its paces. Does the bare-bones DVD hold its own? Read on to find out.

Reign Over Me

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 26th, 2007

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I have no idea what critics thought of this film. I don’t know how it did at the box office. I can’t even recall knowing anything about it, except for seeing its title on the showtimes board at the theatre. It doesn’t matter. I’m telling you now, Reign Over Me is a wonderful film.

I’m in one of those situations when I’ve discovered a really special movie, and want to recommend it to everyone I know without telling them anything about it. I’m not sure whether I can get away with that here, but I’ll try. Let’s talk about the DVD. Does it give Reign Over Me a fair shake? Read on to find out.

Lookout, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 14th, 2007

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In the advertisements we are promised a thrilling heist film. I’m happy to report that those promises were quite wrong. The heist is pretty lame and never keeps up with the many superior attempts. Honestly, we’ve had too many of these multiple twist heist films, culminating in the Ocean franchise which went two films too long. Instead, what we get here is something far better. The Lookout is a compelling character study brought off entirely by a sweet performance by the lead. Who would have believed that Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the dweeb kid from 3^rd Rock From The Sun, had pretty nice acting chops?
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Perfect Stranger

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 2nd, 2007

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As much of a Bruce Willis fan as I am, I have to admit that this movie has no initial appeal to me. Still I am a fan of thrillers and hope I can be surprised by this one as it has a good enough cast including the previously mentioned Bruce Willis, Halle Berry, and Giovanni Ribisi.

The movie opens with the death of Grace, best friend of Rowena Price (Halle Berry, X-Men).
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Kung Fu Hustle (Axe-Kickin’ Edition)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 1st, 2007

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I am a big fan of Kung Fu on film, whether it be Bruce Leeâ€™s Enter The Dragon or Jackie Chanâ€™s Drunken Master I can’t get enough. More specifically I love Asian Kung Fu cinema, the Sammo Hung’s and the Sonny Chiba’s. So I think it goes without saying that this isnâ€™t the first time Iâ€™ve seen Kung Fu Hustle, and it certainty wonâ€™t be the last.

Itâ€™s the 1930â€™s in Shanghai and various gangs compete for territory, the most powerful being the deadly Axe Gang.
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300

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on July 31st, 2007

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In the same cinematic style of Sin City another Frank Miller graphic novel has found its way to the big screen. For those of you history buffs out there, you might recognize this story as the Battle of Thermopylae. Although 300 is large in part fictitious, the core elements of the historical story remain intact, and factual. Regardless of your knowledge of history, 300 is to be enjoyed by anyone, and everyone.
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Premonotion

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on July 20th, 2007

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While expecting her husband home from a business trip, Sandra Bullock receives word that he has died. But the next morning, when she wakes up, he is still alive, and hasn’t even left yet on the trip. Next morning, he’s dead again, and it’s the day of the funeral. Understandably, our poor heroine is a might discombobluated as she deals with having become unmoored in time, struggling to save her sanity, her husband, and her marriage.
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Happy Feet (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on June 25th, 2007

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Previous to receiving this copy of Happy Feet for review, I have wanted to check it out but never got the chance; the animation appears to look spectacular and the cast of voice actors seems really impressive. The list includes one of my favorite actors Hugh Jackman, Elijah Wood, Brittany Murphy, Robin Williams, Hugo Weaving, Nicole Kidman, and more. So on paper Happy Feet sounds like a winner, how does it turn out?

Happy Feet revolves around the lives of a colony of emperor penguins on…
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Flags of Our Fathers (HD DVD)

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

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Flags of Our Fathers is based on the book of the same name by James Bradley and Ron Powers about the Battle of Iwo Jima and the famous raising the flag on Iwo Jima picture. It’s the second recently released movie about the Battle of Iwo Jima, the other being Letters from Iwo Jima.

Both films were directed by Clint Eastwood. Although both focus on the same event, they are quite different. Letters from Iwo Jima is from the Japanese perspective and Flags of Our Fathers from the Ame…
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Ghost Rider

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 19th, 2007

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Marvel Comics has certainly enjoyed a renaissance of late. There can be no question that this entire run of comic heroes on screen began with Spider-Man. Even the recent DC reimaginings might not have gotten this second chance without everyone’s favorite web slinger, or at least the gobs of money that franchise has pulled in. While none of these recent comic films have come close to the success of Spider-Man, the studios are determined to keep the trend alive and well. That translates to great news for us. The most…
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Seraphim Falls

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on June 12th, 2007

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Seraphim Falls was a sparsely released film released early in 2007, recently finding its way to DVD. In addition to being the first film where two Irish stars – Pierce Brosnan & Liam Neeson – share screen time together, it also marks the directorial debut of David Von Ancken who also happened to be a co-writer. After watching this movie I can definitely tell you that I am looking forward to any future projects of Von Ancken’s. But that’s aside from the point, how was this film?

Before watching this m…
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Ghost Rider

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 14th, 2007

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Released earlier this year to a successful box office run, Ghost Rider is yet another Marvel character making his way to the big screen. There’s something about these comic movies that have everyone all psyched these days, all of them performing admirably in the theatre and selling just as well upon DVD release. For me, there are only a couple of these Marvel films that I actually think were well done and in good contrast compared to their comic book counterparts. In fact I’m probably the only person on this c…
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Road Warrior, The (HD DVD)

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

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Synopsis

I love the brothers named Warner. If it were up to me, I would settle down and marry them, and keep my marriage to my wife. Warner does more to proactively suit the needs of the DVD fan than any other studio out there. And by putting out a version of The Road Warrior with some extras to trump the crappy barebones release, I’m putting the offer of marriage out there now for the world (and the wife) to see.

For those unfamiliar with the story, The Road Warrior was the sequel …
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Stomp the Yard

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 8th, 2007

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In the past, I have not enjoyed this types of movie. Save the Last Dance, You Got Served, Step Up and even Drumline are all comparable to Stomp the Yard. So it goes without saying that this isn’t one of my more anticipated movies of the year. But I’m throwing all pre-conceived notions out the window, and am hoping that Stomp the Yard will take a turn away from the clichéd norm.

I don’t even know how I would classify this movie – romance, drama, musical? Regardless o…
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Catch and Release

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 5th, 2007

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Catch and Release is appropriately dubbed as a chick flick. Written by Susannah Grant, who also makes her directorial debut, is responsible for the screenwriting of some rather dismal movies in the past, including Ever After, Erin Brockovich, and 28 Days. Although I hint at a dislike for romantic comedies, I’ll have you know that in the past I have enjoyed several, and am going into this completely unbiased.

The movie starts off on a sad note, Grey (Jennifer Garner) a grieving a…
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Hitcher, The (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 5th, 2007

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Grace (Sophia Bush) and Jim (Zachary Knighton) are your average college students. They love each other and with the arrival of Spring Break, they want nothing more than to spend a week down in Mexico with their friends. Leaving their campus, everything is progressing smoothly until they nearly run over a man who simply wants a ride to the nearest motel. They speed off thinking they obviously shouldn’t pick up any stranger, especially in the pouring rain. Once they arrive at the nearest gas station, they’re shocked to…
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Happy Feet

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 5th, 2007

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This winner of the Oscar for best animated feature of 2006 is one fantastic movie.

Happy Feet is the story of Mumble, a teenager who – thanks to his daddy dropping him early on in life – is mildly physically challenged. You see, Mumble can’t sing like other Americans – he can only dance. As a result, he has never fit in with his people. When he accidentally crosses the border into Mexico, his disability and greater height over the small, energetic Mexicans earn him a sort of respect. With his newfoun…
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Good Shepherd, The (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 3rd, 2007

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Edward Wilson (Matt Damon) believes in all that America stands for and will do whatever he must to protect what his country stands for. As one of the founder members of the CIA in 1939, Wilson is also one of the most trusted members of this group of secrecy. When the idea that a mole may be working within the CIA is found, Wilson is told to find out which member is the mole. The path Wilson must take to discover this mole will lead him to question not only the CIA as a group, but also his personal life.
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Beerfest (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 2nd, 2007

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Posted in Disc Reviews by Joshua Noyes

Two guys who were used to drinking beer for fun suddenly become fierce competitors in the “Beer Drinking Olympics” in Germany. Todd Wolfhouse (Erik Stolhanske) and his brother Jan (Paul Soter) are from a German-American family but have never visited the Old Country until their grandfather dies and they fly to Germany to scatter his ashes. Todd and Jan arrive during the annual Oktoberfest celebration and accidentally discover a secret competition, “Beerfest,” in which the world’s leading beer guzzlers determine who ca…
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Alexander Revisited – The Final Cut

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 27th, 2007

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The return of the historical epic hit Hollywood hard in 2005/2006. Troy, Kingdom of Heaven, King Arthur and the two Colin Farrell vehicles, The New World and Alexander, all hit theaters pretty close to each other… and all flopped. The basic complaint was the same about all these films; they were too long, the pace was too slow and they were hard to follow. As much as these huge pictures cost, the studios quickly looked to the DVD cash cow to try to recoup some of the production co…
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The Departed (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 10th, 2007

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The Departed, a basic remake of the Hong Kong film Internal Affairs, tells the story of Boston mob boss Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson) and his ruling ways of the streets. An early scene in the film shows Costello recruiting a young boy inside a convenience store (where he naturally picks up his commission promising to keep his men out of the neighborhood). The film soon flashes forward to a semi-present day where we meet a man named Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon). Turns out that this is the child Frank recruited in the previous scene.
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Running With Scissors (2006)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 29th, 2007

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Based on Augusten Burroughsï¿½ popular biographical memoir of the same name, Running With Scissors is a dark, comedic tale of surviving a bizarre and painful childhood.

The film covers Augustenï¿½s life mostly from about age 12 to 16. Part of what makes this film intriguing is that itï¿½s so outlandish that viewers can hardly anticipate events before they happen, so I will attempt to avoid spoiling it all in this review. With that in mind, hereï¿½s my very high-level plot summary: Augustenï¿½s parentsï¿½ relatio…
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