Sign up for the FREE Tell Membership and receive benefits that include the digital edition of Tell Magazine sent straight to your inbox, product giveaways, coupons and much more!
Sign up for the FREE Tell Membership and receive benefits that include the digital edition of Tell Magazine sent straight to your inbox, product giveaways, coupons and much more!
Here's a look at the hottest new DVD and Blu-ray Disc releases for the week of January 12, 2010:
BLU-RAY MOVIES:
8 1/2 (Criterion)
Billy Jack (Image)
The Brothers Bloom (Summit)
The Burning Plain (Magnolia)
Cliffhanger (Sony)
Fame (2009) (Fox)
Halloween II (2009) (Sony)
The Hurt Locker (Summit)
I Can Do Bad All By Myself (Lionsgate)
In the Loop (MPI)
Last Action Hero (Sony)
Moon (Sony)
Post Grad (Fox)
Volcanoes of the Deep Sea: IMAX (Image)
DVD MOVIES:
8 1/2 (Criterion)
Big Fan (Vivendi)
Billy Jack (Image)
The Brothers Bloom (Summit)
The Burning Plain (Magnolia)
Cliffhanger (Sony)
Fame (2009) (Fox)
Halloween II (2009) (Sony)
The Hurt Locker (Summit)
I Can Do Bad All By Myself (Lionsgate)
In the Loop (MPI)
Last Action Hero (Sony)
Moon (Sony)
Post Grad (Fox)
Volcanoes of the Deep Sea: IMAX (Image)
Wrong Turn at Tahoe (Paramount)
TV-on-DISC:
10 Things I Hate About You: Vol.1 (Disney)
ER: Season 12 (Warner)
Becker: Season 3 (Paramount)
Fame: Season 2 (MGM)
Robin Hood: Season 3 (BBC/Warner)
The Simpsons: Season 20 (Fox) (BD)
Transformers: Season 2, Vol.2 (Shout! Factory)
GREG'S PICKS:
The Brothers Bloom – Directed by Rian Johnson (Brick), The Brothers Bloom was perhaps the most frustrating picture of 2009. After getting off to an absolutely brilliant start for the first hour or so, the film ultimately collapses under its own weight. If you stop watching after the first ending – or what should have been, at least – you'll have had a fine time at the movies. Watch beyond that at your own risk. As for Summit's Blu-ray offering, it's a solid affair sporting some truly stunning 1080p video. Extras focus on quality over quantity and are largely presented in HD. Definitely worth a spin.
Cliffhanger - Maybe it's my love of all things “Northern Exposure” (which starred the adorable Janine Turner) or the intense glee I feel when watching John Lithgow play a villainous S.O.B. – I don't know. All I know is that Sylvester Stallone's Cliffhanger, a.k.a “Die Hard on a Mountain” is an absolute blast. Sony brings the 90's action hit to Blu-ray with a surprisingly solid 1080p transfer and a thoroughly-involving DTS-HD soundtrack. A handful of interviews and featurettes plus BD-LIVE and Sony's MovieIQ feature combine to help make this disc another winner from Sony.
Fame - MGM's remake of the popular film and television series by the same name wasn't exactly necessary, but it's also a perfectly harmless (albeit forgettable) confection with some fresh musical numbers and a decent cast. The plot isn't really important here, as it merely serves as a way to showcase the assorted music and dance talents of its myriad young performers. And on those grounds alone, Fame is worthy of at least a rental.
The Hurt Locker – Do. Not. Miss. This. Film. Period.
In the Loop – Although sadly they are few and far between, there's nothing like a smartly-written political satire to put a smile on my face. Whereas Oliver Stone's W failed miserably, In the Loop knocks it out of the park. I could tell you what's so great about it, but I wouldn't do half as good a job as this zany, masterfully-edited theatrical trailer.
Moon - Sam Rockwell is one of the most interesting actors working in Hollywood. What's so great about him is the vast gamut of material he tackles. Watching Confessions of a Dangerous Mind or Choke, it's hard to believe that's the same goofball from Galaxy Quest. Moon is Rockwell's most serious effort to date and it's virtually a one man show, in which he plays a stir-crazy, lone astronaut manning a lunar research station. Sony has given the film a stellar technical presentation on Blu-ray and the respectable bonus offerings include multiple featurettes plus two audio commentaries.
Volcanoes of the Deep Sea – IMAX productions routinely push Blu-ray to the limit and Volcanoes of the Deep Sea is no exception. The visual oomph of the deep, underwater footage is somewhat limited by its surroundings but everything above the water line looks truly spectacular. This interesting and somewhat controversial look at life's beginnings under the sea is narrated by the great Ed Harris (The Abyss) with a fellow by the name of James Cameron serving as Executive Producer. The latter recently directed a small, art house picture called Avatar.
EVALUATION SYSTEM:
Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 1080 projector
Carada Masquerade screen system (92″)
Panasonic DMP-BD35 Blu-ray Disc player
Oppo DV-983H DVD player
Onkyo TX-SR805 A/V receiver
Noble Fidelity L-55 LCRS speakers
Datacolor SpyderTV PRO 2007 video calibration
Monster Power HTS5100 power center
BetterCables HDMI interconnects
UltraLink speaker wire
Related Posts