Blu-ray Movie Reviews
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Hotel Rwanda (Blu-ray)
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
David Vaughn • May 23, 2011 • 0 comments
Hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle) is put between a rock and a hard place when he's confronted with saving his family or doing whatever he can to save over 1,200 Tutsi refugees from being massacred by Hutu extremists.

The world can be an ugly place and in 1994 the situation in Rwanda resulted in over 1 million deaths. Men such as Rusensabagina show us that despite all the bad in the world, there are truly good people that will stop at nothing to do what is right, even if it means sacrificing their own life. Cheadle's performance earned him an Oscar nomination, but in my opinion he was robbed when Jamie Foxx won for his portrayal of Ray Charles.

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I Saw The Devil—Magnet/Magnolia
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Kris Deering • May 22, 2011 • 0 comments
Video: 4/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 2/5
Choi Min-Sik plays Kyung-chul, a dangerous psychopath who kills for pleasure. The embodiment of pure evil, he has committed horrifying and senselessly cruel serial murders on defenseless victims, successfully eluding capture by the police. On a freezing, snowy night, his latest victim is the beautiful Ju-yeon, daughter of a retired police chief and pregnant fiancee of elite special agent Soo-hyun. Obsessed with revenge, Soo-hyun decides to track down the murderer, even if doing so means becoming a monster himself. And when he finds Kyung-chul, turning him in to the authorities is the last thing on his mind as the lines between good and evil fall away in this diabolically twisted game of cat and mouse.
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The Usual Suspects (Blu-ray)
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
David Vaughn • May 20, 2011 • 1 comments
A $91 million cocaine heist...a devastating boat explosion...two survivors. U.S.Customs agent David Kujan (Chazz Palminterir) is determined to find out who and what's behind the melee. As he pieces the clues together with the help of a half-charred Hungarian gangster and an outspoken, crippled con man from New York (Kevin Spacy), Kujan soon finds out this story actually begins with five criminal minds and one infamous mastermind.

Second-time director Bryan Singer showed he had the chops to direct feature films with this classic hit from 1995. The ensemble cast includes Stephen Baldwin, Kevin Pollack, and Benicio Del Toro, but it's Spacey who steals the show as the con man Verbal Kint. Like The Sixth Sense, this is a movie that actually gets better the second time around because you start to notice the subtle hints that point towards the surprising resolution at the end of the film.

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True Blood Season 3—HBO
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Kris Deering • May 19, 2011 • 0 comments
Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 3.5/5
The Maenadian reign of terror may be over, but Sookie Stackhouse and the townspeople of Bon Temps face a new calamity that makes the bacchanalian evils of Maryanne Forrester seem tame by comparison. In Season 3, Sookie desperately tries to locate her fiancee, ending up in a netherworld of human and undead interlopers, among them the powerful Vampire King of Mississippi, Russell Edgington.
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The Mechanic—Columbia Pictures
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Kris Deering • May 18, 2011 • 0 comments
Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 4.5/5
Extras: 2/5
Arthur Bishop is a 'mechanic' - an elite assassin with a strict code and unique talent for cleanly eliminating targets. It's a job that requires professional perfection and total detachment, and Bishop is the best in the business. But when his mentor and close friend Harry is murdered, Bishop is anything but detached. His next assignment is self-imposed - he wants those responsible dead. His mission grows complicated when Harry's son Steve approaches him with the same vengeful goal and a determination to learn Bishop's trade. Bishop has always acted alone but he can't turn his back on Harry's son. A methodical hit man takes an impulsive student deep into his world and a deadly partnership is born. But while in pursuit of their ultimate mark, deceptions threaten to surface and those hired to fix problems become problems themselves.
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The Terminator (Blu-ray)
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
David Vaughn • May 18, 2011 • 0 comments
A ruthless killing machine (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is sent back in time by Skynet in order to kill Sarah Conner (Linda Hamilton), the woman who will soon give birth to the leader of the resistance movement in the future. But her future son isn't going to let his mother be exterminated and sends Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) back in time in order to save her from certain destruction and give the human race a chance to survive.

This is about the umpteenth time this classic sci-fi/horror/action film has been released on home video, but I'm sure the fans will pick it up agian in order to have the digibook packaging. Regardless, this is one of the best movies of the late 20th Century and launched the careers of both Schwarzenegger and writer/director James Cameron.

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American Graffiti—Universal
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Kris Deering • May 17, 2011 • 0 comments
Video: 4/5
Audio: 3.5/5
Extras: 2.5/5
From director George Lucas and producer Francis Ford Coppola, "American Graffiti" is a classic coming-of-age story set against the 1960s backdrop of hot rods, drive-ins and rock n' roll. Starring Ron Howard, Richard Dreyfuss, Harrison Ford, Cindy Williams, Mackenzie Phillips and Suzanne Somers in their breakout roles, this nostalgic look back follows a group of teenagers as they cruise the streets on their last summer night before college.
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Black Death—Magnolia Pictures/Magnet
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Kris Deering • May 17, 2011 • 0 comments
Video: 3.5/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 3/5
The year is 1348. Europe has fallen under the shadow of the "Black Death". As the plague decimates all in its path, fear and superstition are rife. There are rumors of a village, hidden in marshland that the plague cannot reach. There is even talk of a necromancer who leads the village and is able to bring the dead back to life. Ulric, a fearsome knight, is charged by the church to investigate these rumors. Their journey to the village and the events that unfold take them into the heart of darkness and to horrors that will put their faith to the ultimate test.
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The Big Bang—Anchor Bay
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Kris Deering • May 16, 2011 • 0 comments
Video: 4/5
Audio: 3/5
Extras: 2/5
In Ned Cruz, iconic screen legend Antonio Banderas brings to life a detective as smart as he is tough, who in his search for a missing stripper, goes up against determined cops, a brawling prizefighter, and, quite possibly, the end of the world as we know it.
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I Am Number Four—Dreamworks/Disney
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Kris Deering • May 16, 2011 • 0 comments
Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 3/5
John Smith is an extraordinary teen masking his true identity to elude a deadly enemy sent to destroy him. Living with his guardian in the small town he now calls home; John encounters unexpected life-changing events - his first love, powerful new abilities and a secret connection to the others who share his incredible destiny.
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Human Planet—BBC/Warner Bros.
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Kris Deering • May 14, 2011 • 1 comments
Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras:2/5
Following in the footsteps of "Planet Earth" and "Life", this epic eight-part blockbuster is a breathtaking celebration of the amazing, complex, profound and sometimes challenging relationship between humankind and nature. Humans are the ultimate animals - the most successful species on the planet. From the frozen Arctic to steamy rainforests, from tiny islands in vast oceans to parched deserts, people have found remarkable ways to adapt and survive. We've done this by harnessing our immense courage and ingenuity; learning to live with and utilize the other creatures with which we share these wild places. "Human Planet" weaves together eighty inspiring stories, many never told before, set to a globally-influenced soundtrack by award-winning composer Nitin Sawhney. Each episode focuses on a particular habitat and reveals how its people have created astonishing solutions in the face of extreme adversity. Finally we visit the urban jungle, where most of us now live, and discover why the connection between humanity and nature here is the most vital of all.
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The Rite—Warner Bros.
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Kris Deering • May 14, 2011 • 0 comments
Video: 4/5
Audio: 4.5/5
Extras:3.5/5
Inspired by true events, this supernatural thriller follows a seminary student sent to study exorcism at the Vatican in spite of his own doubts about the controversial practice and even his own faith. Only when sent to apprentice with legendary Father Lucas, who has performed thousand of exorcisms, does his armor of skepticism begin to fall. Drawn into a troubling case that transcends even Father Lucas's skill, the young seminarian glimpses a phenomenon science can't explain or control - and an evil so violent and terrifying that it forces him to question everything he believes.
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Papillon (Blu-ray)
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
David Vaughn • May 13, 2011 • 0 comments
Based on the true story about French ex-convict Henri Charriére (Steve McQueen), a petty criminal who is unjustly convicted of murder, and his constant struggle to escape to freedom from the brutal French penal system at Guiana's infamous Devil's Island. On the way to the hellhole, he meets Dega (Dustin Hoffman), a convicted counterfeiter who relies on Henri for protection. The two men end up becoming good friends and they rely on each other for their survival.

While the performances are marvelous from both McQueen and Hoffman, the pacing of this movie is horrendously slow. I understand that director Franklin J. Shaffner is trying to show the struggle that Charriére endured to secure his freedom, but a good 45 minutes could have been left on the cutting room floor improving the overall enjoyment of the film.

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Daydream Nation—Anchor Bay
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Kris Deering • May 11, 2011 • 0 comments
Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 3.5/5
Extras: 1/5
Seventeen year-old Caroline Wexler (Kat Dennings) has just moved to a tiny, nowhere town where an industrial fire burns ceaselessly and a serial killer is claiming young victims. When Caroline realizes she has nothing in common with the permanently stoned kids that populate her new school, she pursues the one person she connects with - her handsome young teacher, Mr. Anderson (Josh Lucas). A bizarre love triangle ensues between Caroline, Mr. Anderson, and a stoner classmate (Reece Thompson).
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Blue Valentine—Anchor Bay
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Kris Deering • May 11, 2011 • 0 comments
Video: 4/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras:2/5
Told in an innovative style that blends present moments in time with romantic past memories, "Blue Valentine" is the uncompromising portrait of Dean and Cindy, a young married couple who have grown apart, taking one night away from their daughter to try to save their relationship.
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