To celebrate the release of WHITEOUT on DVD and Blu-ray January 19, 2010, here are a few DVD clips.
Enjoy!
Whiteout – Trailer
Whiteout – Never Under Estimate the Ice
Whiteout – Storm Attack
Archive for the ‘Blu-ray Review’ Category
Whiteout DVD Clips
Tuesday, January 19th, 2010Dexter Season Two Blu-ray Review
Tuesday, May 5th, 2009
Ah, the sophomore season, here are whereby series are defined. Here you enter a world where the players have been set in motion, rules have been established. Now you have but one choice, take it to the next level or die. Only shows that take it to the next level; that are willing to go where the viewer never thought possible, are the shows that have as good a season as their first. Suffice it to say that Season 2 of Dexter is as good as the first and maybe even a wee bit better. The multi-layered overlapping stories are still here and they keep building and building until the tension is so great the viewer is left in awe.
Back in season 1, Sergeant James Doakes (Erik King) was the only officer who found, Dexter Morgan’s (Michael C. Hall) behavior more than a little unusual. This season Doakes is all out to find out what Dexter is really up to. Doakes follows Dexter wherever he goes and because of this, Dexter is unable to satisfy his hunger to kill. Worst of all, a bunch of divers has just found Dexter’s dumping ground. The media begins to call the least serial killer the Bay Harbor Butcher(Dexter of course) and FBI Special Agent Lundy (Keith Carradine) is send in to head the investigating. Dexter is slightly intimidated because Lundy has had a pretty good track record when it comes to finding serial killers. Dexter has also to contend will Lila (Jaime Murray) a lover/stalker he can’t seem to get rid off. Things get even more exciting when Doakes finds what Dexter has been hiding in his air conditioner
The second season much like the first is made up of 12 episode each one building on the other. The challenges placed on Dexter by Doakes, Lundy and Lily far exceed any tension from season one. Here the view is left to wonder if Dexter could be incarcerated at any moment. Never did I feel that it could not happened as the writers has already broken a lot of the rules I had set in my mine for the series. This is a great feeling to have when watching a television show as you don’t exactly know where the writers will take you, but know they have the guts to do just about anything.
Again like season one Michael C. Hall as Dexter is what makes the show so good. However, Dexter has some competition from Keith Carradine’s Lundy who plays his part pitch perfect. In addition, these two are not alone as this shows has one of the best cast around.
I initially saw the second season on DVD, right after finishing the first season on Blu-ray. I was a little disappointed on how the DVDs looked after seeing the first in high-def. Luckily last week I re-watched all twelve episode on Blu-ray and I’m glad to report that they look just as good as the first if not better. The sound quality is also phenomenal. The disc also features A lame game where the goal is to identify Dexter’s tools of the trade and interviews with C.S Lee, David Zayas, Erik King, Jennifer Carpenter, Julie Benz, Keith Carradine, Lauren Velez, and Michael C. Halls and the first two episodes of The United States of Tara. I which they would have included more features on this set. It’s a shame that such an excellence show lacks even one commentary track.
For those of you that have seen season one, don’t pass up season two because the show just gets better. Soon after finishing season two on DVD, I switched my cable package from HBO to Showtime just so I could see the third season and what did I think of it….Well you’ll have to wait till August.
Review By Brad Peterson
Release Date: May 5, 2009
Hotel For Dogs Blu-ray Review
Monday, April 27th, 2009
REVIEW: Remember that movie with Diane Lane and John Cusack, what was it? Oh yeah, Must Love Dogs. Well, it’s not a requirement but it does help if you really want to enjoy this movie. One of Priscilla’s favorite dogs is the French bulldog. She would already have one if she could afford to get one. They are not cheap at all. If any of you know of any French bulldogs out there that are available at a decent price, please, please, send me an email. Or if you would like to contribute to the “Let’s Get Priscilla a French Bulldog Fund”, let me know as well. I’m going on and on about this and yet I’m not even sure if one of the canine stars in this movie is a French bulldog. I love dogs but I’m not a professional classifier. I still can’t tell a French bulldog from a Boston terrier. They look the same to me. Georgia, be it French or Boston, is one of the many adorable dogs used in this fun, light-hearted picture. If Priscilla would have gone with me to the screening, she would have been able to tell me what kind of dog Georgia is as well as what kind of dog Friday is too. I think he looks like a long-haired Jack Russell, but what do I know. Friday is the main canine star and he and his buddies steal every scene they are in. Friday is an ingenious dog that has the talent of finding and eating food and what a healthy appetite he has. Each of the other four legged stars has its own talent as well. We have chewers, fetchers, howlers, and even lovers. All of them have found the home they needed at this abandoned hotel thanks to Bruce (Jake T. Austin) and Andi (Emma Roberts), orphan siblings that have an affinity for dogs. Oh yeah, there are humans in this movie too. They all did as good as you would expect for this kind of movie. Bruce and Andi are trouble makers but they are ingenious trouble makers. Their hearts lie on the desire to be part of a loving family and so they created one for themselves and will defend it at any cost.
This film is geared more toward kids and based on the feedback I noticed during the screening, they will enjoy it. From the very beginning, there was audience participation with the movie as they clapped along with the opening music. There were kids galore in the audience and they were pumped and excited to watch this film. There were plenty of aw’s and oh’s throughout and it concluded with a nice round of applause. The story is predictable and cliché at times, down to the mean and nasty dog catchers, so you grown-ups might enjoy the movie more if accompanied by children, unless you’re a major fan of dogs. But regardless, the message that this movie delivers is for everyone. It sheds light on the fact that so many really good dogs are in need of a loving family and home. In the movie they get a hotel but in our world it might not be that simple. Director Thor Freudenthal did a good job of tugging at our heart strings by showing us the importance of being part of a loving family, both human and pet alike.
Film Review By Cine Marcos
BLU-RAY: The film is presented in 1080P widescreen in a 1.85:1 aspect ration preserving its theatrical format. The picture is just flawless, giving the film vast array of vivid colors. Not only the picture looks excellent in this release, also the sound it is good, a English 5.1-TrueHD Master Audio as well as a 5.1 Dolby Digital in French and Spanish. It also includes subtitles in English, French , Spanish and Portuguese. The audio capture in detail the sounds of man’s best friend.
In terms of special features the blu-ray includes, the usual making of featurette and about the more short featurettes that focus more on the canines. It also includes about eight deleted scenes and Commentary by Thor Freudenthal, Ewan “Jack” Leslie, Emma Roberts and Jake T. Austin. All of the special features in thu=is release are in HD, which is a good thing.
Overall Hotel for Dogs is a nice surprise, even if you are force to watch this film, you will find that it wasn’t bad. You actually may end up recommend it.
Release Date: April 28, 2009
The Reader Blu-ray Review
Sunday, April 26th, 2009
The Reader, one of the year’s most acclaimed films of 2008, is a ground breaking drama that puts the audience in a roller coaster of emotions from admiring beauty, studying guilt and doubting morals. Based on the novel of its same name, the film has put in plain view what good use of cinematography can do and in this case has been the connection between actors and viewers. This connection we owe not only to film director and mastermind, Stephen Daldry but to academy award winner for best actress Kate Winslet.
If you have not read the book, the beginning of this film might not inspire you to continue watching. Given that fifteen year old Michael Berg (David Kross) gets sick with Scarlett Fever and is assisted on the street by a woman twice his age. As they get to know each other they fall in love for one another but Hanna Schmitz’ (Kate Winslet) only condition is that Michael reads to her. Up to this point, the film is just a beautiful and forbidden coming of age romance, with lots of sexual scenes and a troubled Michael. The film quickly shows the polemic and controversial plot when after many years Michael sees Hanna agin as she is put on trial for a devastating crime. Michael, a law school intern holds a truth that could help Hanna’s case but decides to keep quiet. The plot continues to develop and needs to be carefully examined as flashforwards show an old Michael Berg (Ralph Fiennes), who has become an unhappy, lonely introvert whose love for Hanna goes beyond cell walls.
How can someone with such an immoral past be an inspiring role model for others? This is the question that an illiterate Hanna whose limitless drive to learn how to read and write has risen. At the end, it is this determination and will what saves this unpopular heroine, who might have used the quote “The sky is the limit”. A strong film with a solid message worth watching and adding to your collection.
The Reader is presented in widescreen format (1.85:1 aspect ratio) with English 5.1 TrueHD Dolby Digital Sound and English and French 5.1. It also includes English and Spanish subtitles. The picture looks flawless in HD, this is probably the best blu-ray released by The Weinstein Company. Bonus features including all-new cast and director interviews, deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes featurettes.
Review By Jen
Release Date: April 28, 2009
The Spirit Blu-ray Review
Monday, April 13th, 2009
Frank Miller applied all the knowledge he gained while co-directing Sin City with Robert Rodriguez to his follow up solo project The Spirit, a film that visually looks a lot like Sin City. However, while the visuals might be up to par with those of Sin City the story isn’t. The Spirit’s tale is just not as interesting.
In The Spirit, The Spirit (Gabriel Macht) much defeat his nemesis The Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson) before he becomes invincible. The Octopus with the help of (Pathos, etc) Louis Lombardi, which has some of the funnies scenes in the movie, and Silken Floss (Scarlett Johansson) are on a path for global domination. However, we never feel this threat is real enough as the characters are played a bit on the tongue and cheek side. The Spirit on the other hand is left to deal with The Octopus and Sand Saref (Eva Mendes), a childhood girlfriend who might be working for the wrong side.
The plot doesn’t offer much in the sense of intrigue. The most exciting elements of the plot where the origin story of out how The Spirit came to be. However, the worst thing about the movie is that Miller choose to keep the same style of acting used in Sin City where the characters deliver their lines overly dramatic with more tongue and cheek than I can handle. This day and age it’s hard to get these types of movies to work, audiences are looking for something real and gritty from their heroes.
The film is done entirely using CGI and has a nice and clean look, however they aren’t enough big set special effects pieces. The only two that stand out are near the beginning and at the climax. The look of the film gives it an almost black and white look. There are scenes where the only color is the red of The Spirit’s tie. Regardless, the movie looks fabulous on Blu-ray. However, this is also the source of other problem. The visuals are so nice looking that they distracted from the movie. Take for example, the snow, a lot of the scenes show snow falling and on Blu-ray the snow looks so beautiful that I sometimes lost my focus on the movie. The sound is also excellent, but be warned that action scenes and gun shots are loud, really loud.
The Blu-ray disc has some pretty nice features starting with Green World which describes the CGI techniques used for the movie, Miller on Miller where we get more information on the amazing mind of Frank Miller, a pretty cool alternated ending is also shown, but in story board form, a History Repeats feature where Miller speaks about Will Eisner the creator of The Spirit and an audio commentary by Frank Miller offering enough nuggets of info for those wanting to know all the in and outs of each scene.
The Spirit Blu-ray also marks the debut of the first LIONSGATE LIVE™ enabled title for the studio. LIONSGATE LIVE™ is a unique BD Live based menu system that delivers updateable exclusive content such as commentaries, games, ringtones, wallpapers, trailers and much more via a series of on-screen notifications and widgets. The Blu-ray Disc also features Molog, which allows users to insert and animate shapes, text, audio and other graphics right into the film as well as post “blogs” about the film to share with other registered MOLOG™ users. Unfortunately these features were not available at the time of the review
Review By Brad Peterson
Release Date: April 14, 2009
