Jurassic Park: The Ultimate Trilogy (1993-2001) Blu-Ray

"Welcome to Jurassic Park" They have spared no expense with this 3 disc set.

I don’t know if everyone is like me but these movies hold a special place in my heart. The first Jurassic Park reminds me of my childhood as I was only 12 when it was released and to this day it is one of if not the best theatrical experience I have ever had. When I left that theatre I could not stop talking about it with my friends and ended up seeing it 5 times in the theatre. I loved it. As an adult I can say the same. It is an extremely well-crafted movie; ihowever it’s not a perfect movie. As an adult I can now spot the flaws of the films (which are not many) but it didn’t matter due to my love for the film. I can’t say my love for the other two are the same. I enjoy them very much; however they just don’t hold that special place in my heart like the first one. That aside this is still a phenomenal set of legendary movies (at least the first two) and the Blu-rays look great!

Universal does not always deliver the goods when it comes to putting out some of their older catalog films, but this one just as with Back to the Future they really brought the goods. From a technical standpoint it uses a VC-1 encode which is not used as much anymore but that does not mean it looks any worse. Quite frankly I don’t see how any of these films could possibly look any better than they do with this release. They come with a thunderous 7.1 DTS MA track and those dinosaur roars will be felt, literally felt through the blast of the sub-woofer and sounds of the jungle will surround your entire living room and you feel like you’re in the jungle. They sound phenomenal! One of the best home theatre audio experiences one could ever get. The picture was really great too. When watching older films restored to Blu-ray the viewer has to understand it’s not going to able to look as good as the modern new releases such as Captain America, it’s just not possible. However you can rest easy, because the transfers for these films look great. It’s going to be pretty hard to beat the technical presentation of this set. It really is marvelous.

On top of a top notch tech presentation there are a new set of special features to go along with all of the old special features from the original trilogy DVD release. The new special features are very similar to the ones done for the Back to the Future trilogy set Universal released last year at this time. The best of the set is the new 6 part documentary that spans all three movies with all new interviews from cast and crew and Spielberg himself and is just as fascinating as the movies themselves. ITs called Return to Jurassic Park and it answers all of those questions I had a kid in this very informative and interesting set of feautrettes. Simply put this set is a must own for any fan of the series of film and also for just about anyone. They are great films for families and film buffs a like. Plus there are even some real thrills in there also. Watching these films on Blu-Ray is like experiencing them for the first time again. Spielberg blu-rays have always been a real treat to watch on Blu-Ray. The man puts out exceptional discs on everything he has ever put out in the Blu-ray market. Even the last film that was directed by Captain America Director Joe Johnston got the royal treatment. This set come highly, very highly recommended! Run don’t walk to the store to pick this set up, it’s that good.

Moneyball (2011)

"It's hard not to get romantic about baseball"

I give this movie a 4.8 out of 5 stars and a 90% on RT although if I could I would give it a 98%

I should start by saying that not only is one the best sports movies I have ever seen this was one of the best movies I have seen. I don’t throw those words around lightly, I loved this film! I guess I should start by saying that I am a huge fan of the game of baseball. I am an even bigger fan of movies based on what can lovingly be referred to as "our fathers game" This movie not only will manage to please the die-hard baseball fans out there but just about anybody who watches this compelling and true story. They have managed to do something very difficult and that is make a movie about baseball statistics interesting. Billy Beane is a fascinating individual and going into this film I did not know much about him other than what I knew from the press and that was he was shaking things up a bit in the baseball world and this movie is his story. He managed to do something in baseball that nobody has ever done and I’ll tell you folks it’s fascinating to watch. I knew I was excited to see this and I had high expectations and when this happens I am usually very leery. This film however remarkably managed to surpass them. This movie is early in the Oscar race but it won’t be forgotten come February. I don’t know if it will get a best picture or best director nom, even though it is easily worthy of it, however I do feel that Brad Pitt will get a nomination for sure. Jonah Hill was excellent playing a role like you have never seen him play before. He is not focusing on the funny and really for the first time I have got a chance to see him as a serious actor and I liked what I saw. He was very good but in this film Brad Pitt steals the show. If that weren’t enough, the old Oscar veteran Philip Seymour Hoffman is there for support as well. He is just as good as always in what seems like flawlessly finding his character and fleshing it out on screen. The acting was great but so was the overall structure of the movie. I won’t go into detail but I will say the way this movie is edited and put together really looks great and tells a great story. I was also really impressed with the director’s choice in the use of sound or lack thereof. Nothing can set a lonely tone or can allow the user to feel isolation than dead silence and while the entire movie is obviously not silent, there are scenes where that silence is used and boy it is certainly very effective. Everyone involved with this film simply hit a home run here. The movie fires on every level and keeps the audience engaged from start to finish. There is a reason this was my favorite movie of the year so far and in my opinion it’s also the best so far, weather that remains top be seen with all of the Oscar bait coming out we shall see, but this is the first truly impressive film I have seen on every aspect this year. Well I could probably include The Help with that sentence as well but Moneyball is a sure fire hit for baseball fans and a great movie for those who don’t even like the game. I can’t recommend this movie enough and I highly, highly recommend this film to everyone! You don’t have to take my word for it though it is easily certified fresh on RT and sitting at a 94% on the tomatometer, the numbers don’t lie, you know what to do just go see it and enjoy.

Modern Family Season Two Blu-Ray

I give the Video a 4.5 out of 5 and the audio of the discs a 4.0 out of 5 and the special features a score of 3.5 with an overall score of 4.5 out of 5

The 2 time Emmy award winning comedy makes its way to Blu-ray for a second time. The second season of Modern Family exceeds that of the first and therefore doing what many shows cannot do and that is beat the sophomore slump. It’s the opposite, I truly believe Modern Family to best and funniest show on television since Arrested Development and the second season of the show really shines. The actors are hitting their stride even more so than the Emmy winning first season. Last year Eric Stonestreet won the Emmy for his portrayal of Cameron. This year the show was given even more Emmy nominations and surprise, surprise they won more. This year in addition to taking home the statue for best comedy for the second year in a row also two of the 6 nominated actors from the cast won, meaning 3 out of the 6 main adult cast members have won Emmy’s for their performances. That is incredible! In season two it was Julie Bowen who plays Claire Dunphy and my personal favorite Ty Burrell won for his performance of Phil Dunphy. The laughs come nonstop on an excellent season and an excellent three disc set. Even if you don’t take the awards seriously this show is funny for everyone. I have had several people who randomly stop by when the show is on and have to ask what it is because they laugh so much. So I highly encourage you to check it out and see for yourself.

Enough gushing over the quality of show, let’s talk about the Blu-ray. This is Modern Family's second time hitting the Blu-ray market and the first season was great and from a technical standpoint this season looks exactly the same. Shot natively in HD the transfer to Blu-ray is very easy and it shows. If you have watched shows like the office on Blu-Ray they are very comparable as they both look very similar in their mockumentary type style. The DTS-MA audio lossless track is nice to have but hardly necessary. I mean that is the standard pretty much for Blu-ray these days but this is a dialogue driven show so it’s not really necessary but it’s nice to know it’s there when its needed like showing a beastly mustang racing down the street you are reminded that you are listening to the lossless audio and the dialogue come through clear as a bell, No lines are dropped or are hard to hear and really sounds pretty great. The extras are a small smattering of a few gems deleted scenes, extra family interviews and a few commentaries and such. I don’t know about you but I don’t really get into the special features of TV shows, they just don’t hold my interest like Blu-ray movie special features do but the ones included here are solid and worth a look after you have gone through the set. Overall this hardly needs a recommendation, the show has won two Emmy’s, one for each year it has been on, the actors are Emmy laden and pitch perfect in fleshing out these ridiculous characters based on the real life families of the writers Christopher Lloyd (not Doc Brown but another Chris Lloyds) and Steve Levitan. Those guys won Emmys also by the way for writing, so what are you waiting for if your still reading you know you want it. Very highly recommended!

Star Wars: The Complete Saga 1977-2005 Blu-Ray

Let me start out by saying this and just get it out of the way. Regardless of how you feel about the changes that George Lucas has made to his movies you would be doing yourself a large dis-service to not watch these blu-ray discs. The very fact that you are reading this review means you have an interest in the best possible picture and audio quality and that is what Lucas delivers here. That being said these blu-rays are not going to be the greatest thing you ever saw on Blu-Ray just because it is Star Wars and while your hopes are justifiably high you have to realize that the original trilogy is over 30 years old there are only so many things you can do to old film. Don’t be discouraged however because this is a top notch set of discs and rest assured you are getting them in the highest quality that they will ever achieve, and quite frankly they look un friggin believable. The final disclaimer, there is a very good chance that George Lucas will ever release a set that is absolutely perfect, there are just way to many fans to try to please them all with everything you have ever wanted and the biggest question everybody has is, are the original untouched versions of the original trilogy included in this set? I’m just going to rip the band aid off right now, no they are not. Why they are not I can’t really come up with an answer, people have wanted them for years and as far as I know they were only released on DVD once in a set that I bought in 2006 at best buy with an exclusive tin that had the 1997 released Special Edition copies and a bonus disc with a full screen version of the original un altered films, you know the one where Han Solo was the only one that shot, not Greedo. As for now it looks to stay that way, I was really hoping that they would be included in a remastered wide screen format and they were not. That was the biggest let down for me. But enough about the negative let’s move on to the tech specs. Below is the limited edition Best Buy collector set that included the original untouched trilogy

I am not going to give everyone or judge the merits of this set the details of the movies. Everyone has seen them probably multiple times and there really is no point to it. Your feelings on the Prequels vs. the original trilogy does not really matter in this set. Simply if you don’t like the prequels you don’t have to buy them they make separate sets but I’ll tell you this if you skip the prequels you will miss out on the best looking disc of the set and if you don’t get the complete saga you will miss out on three bonus blu-rays filled with over 40 hours of special features. So if you want to get it I strongly recommend you spend the extra to grab the entire set. The format will be as follows, I have not done a review of this size and quite frankly this important to home video so I will go in order by movie and give a couple of general thoughts and a number rating for those who want something concrete, the number system will be out of 5 stars and after the films are discussed I will give a brief breakdown on the special features.

Episode I - The Phantom Menace

Strangely this is the worst looking of the entire set, and also the worst movie if you want to know my opinion. That being said it still looks nice, in fact it looks easily better than you have ever seen it, no joke. It’s almost so good you can look past the terrible acting and Jar Jar Binks. This movie was shot on 35mm film back then and it was before George Lucas and Lucas film ltd. switched over to digital and you can tell in some spots. To use a technical term there is a lot of DNR Digital Noise Reduction which is a technique done to try and clean up an image digitally without the proper full and much more expensive way. When this is used too much it can wash out your black levels and give a soft appearance to the film and that happens in episode I more than a few times. It also can take away from some fine detail and that is what episode I was lacking in more than ever was lack of extreme detail. It's not all bad though it’s really not. A lot of the film looks incredible, mostly the stuff done with cgi. The battle of Naboo, the underwater world of the Gungans and The pod races at Tatooine all look incredible and are the highlights of the disc. Also the first of the changes occurs; they swapped out the puppet Yoda with that of a CG Yoda that matches up with the other two films of the prequels. Picture quality is a 3.5 borderline 4 The Audio is a perfect 5!

Episode II - Attack of the Clones

Episode II fares much on Blu-ray, a lot of the detail has been restored and much less of DNR is present. Lucas had started the switch over to digital at this point and you can tell. The end battle and the scenes on Camino look the best out of this disc and the Naboo scenes look impressive as always and an upgrade from episode I. This happens to be a much better movie in my opinion as well. The Picture quality of this disc is a 4.0 borderline 4.5 and the audio is a perfect 5!

Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

This movie is a pure Stunner! Easily the best looking of the entire set and it is also the 2nd best looking blu-ray I have ever seen behind Avatar and some scenes came close to even that. This disc is incredible people I cannot state that enough! It looks light-years ahead of the other movies as Lucas was shooting all digital by this time. The colors leap off the screen, the black levels are perfect and just the general sense of the magnitude of what you’re watching followed by the technical flawlessness of it all just makes for a world class experience. The opening space fight sequence, the light saber battles with General Grieveace, the laser beams, the end climax on the lava planet, it all just looks so incredible! You have never seen Star Wars like this and it is 100% pure awesome! Call it reference quality if you will but this disc is perfect! Picture and audio quality are perfect 5's

The Original Trilogy Episode IV - A New Hope, Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, and Episode VI - The Return of the Jedi.

I am reviewing these all together because they all do not differ very much if at all. If you are like me these are the ones you wanted to get your hands on the most and were hoping the quality is up to snuff. Rest easy my friends our beloved childhood classics have never EVER looked better. I can say that with ease. Black levels look great the exterior shots look gorgeous and a lot of care has gone into making these beloved films look the best that they possibly can. I mean that too, I really don’t see how these movies could look any better than this, they certainly won’t sound better. You can see the scuffs on Darth Vaders helmet and some of the details you were never able to tell before you can now because of the upgrade in clarity and fine detail. I give the picture quality on all three 4.0 borderline 4.5 and the audio is a perfect 5.

 Changes of note, in episode I Obi Wan makes a different sounding call to scare off the sand people, it doesn’t really make any difference but its weird if you watched the movies as many times as I have. The Ewoks blink, and it’s really kind of creepy and weird and Darth Vader says "No, Nooooo" before he throws the emperor over the side. There were a couple other minor changes but those were the major ones.

 A note on the audio and that is that it really is perfect. I don’t just use the term lightly I mean it’s the best thing I have ever heard in a home theatre setting. I have never watched movies in my house that have sounded better. Perfectly mixed with sounds coming at you from every direction. The DTS 6.1 Master Audio Lossless track is absolute perfection and it will blow you away!

 The special features rounding out this epic set are spread over 3 blu-ray discs and features all kinds of stuff such as new documentaries and deleted scenes and more, the deleted scenes are around a hour and a half or so as well over 90 minutes of Star Wars spoofs from all kinds of sources and it was pretty awesome, plus a history channel feature on Star Wars technology and so much more great stuff.
 The Packaging is a very nice booklet like appearance with painted artwork on the inside for each movie and bonus discs. It is very much like the Alien ultimate Anthology set that came out earlier this year. I found the artwork and packaging to be sturdy and beautiful. Looks great on any shelf!

The movie alone should be enough for anyone to run, not walk out and buy this set. It is arguably the biggest and most anticipated set to ever hit blu-ray and it does not disappoint. No it’s not the most perfect and complete set you’ve always wanted but its close and I don’t think anyone will ever get the perfect set, so don’t be stubborn and neglect yourself from seeing something you love in a totally different light. The quality of the films themselves is epic whether it be love or hate for these films, but that’s not what this review is about and from a technical standpoint I’m pretty sure these movies will never look or sound any better than they do right now. No Brainer folks this is THE must own set along with the extended Lord of The Rings that will define your Blu-ray collection! It gets my Highest recommendation.

O Brother Where Art Thou? Blu-Ray

I give the Picture Quality on this disc a 5 out of 5 and a 5 out of 5 for the DTS 5.1 Master Audio. The overall rating of this disc easily give a 5 out of 5.

When I picked this up last night I didn’t really know what to expect on picture quality other than I know almost all of the Coen Brothers Blu-Ray releases look incredible. Well I am happy to report that this one is no different. This is one of my all-time favorite movies by the Coens and just in general and one of my favorite movie soundtracks of all time as well so I was hoping it would get the golden treatment and from what I saw this afternoon it did. I have not seen black levels that could look any better than this film; it is on par with Alien for the best black levels I have ever seen. The Night time camping scenes in this movie looked every bit as good as any new release in fact it may have looked a little better. It is clear a lot of time and care went into this transfer and you can tell it looks fantastic. All of the desired intent on the Coens designed color schemes to the great shots that got it nominated for a cinematography Oscar. Every aspect of the video looked great! The DTS Master Audio is just as great, every note of the soundtrack is heard in crystal clear tones. The gunshots that ring out from Baby face Nelsons car to thunder crashes when they are about to be hanged it all sounds so extremely good. When the Soggy Bottom boys take the stage so does this audio mix. Its great presentation all the way around and on Par with the Coens best and most recent releases. The only real disappointment was lack of the special features, sure they tossed in a few but this upgrade is purely for the visual and audio. If you love this movie then run out immediately and get it, it looks every bit as good as you hoped it would. The upgrade is well worth it, if you don’t own this movie on DVD and are looking to get it now is the perfect time. I was turned off at first on the spendy price tag on it, I would have liked to see it about 5 dollars cheaper but after watching it I am perfectly satisfied and it is surprisingly one of the best looking Blu-Ray's I have in my collection, and believe me folks I have a lot of blu ray discs, just look at my HT photos. This disc is very highly recommended!

Thor Blu-Ray (2011)

"Whoever wields this Blu-Ray, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor."

I rate the movie a 4 out of 5 stars and an 80% on RT, I rate the Blu-Ray Video quality a 5 out of 5 Stars and the 7.1 DTS Master Audio a 5 out of 5.

Thor was another one of my favorite movie releases of the year thus far. I had been waiting for Thor for a while before it hit theatres in May and when I saw it, it was the first comic book movie I had seen all year and the first real movie kicking off the Summer movie season. Needless to say I was ready for it and for me it really delivered the goods. There are a lot of people out there who did not care for this movie for various reasons. Weather it be problems with the script or the acting, I did not have those problems. I took this movie at what it was and that was a comic book movie, so I did not expect an Oscar caliber script or anything, I went in expecting to have fun and that is what I had. So much fun I had that I saw this three times in the theatre, twice regular and once in IMAX. The IMAX is still the best overall theatre going experience I have ever had. The movie isn't perfect, its far from it, but I find it to be better than most comic book movies and I think its a lot of fun to watch. It's different than other comic films, what I mean by that is it takes itself pretty seriously and that is where I think some people had problems with it. The Movie is directed by Kenneth Brannah who loves his Shakespeare and I think he tried to bring in a bit of that Shakespearean element and I can see in some instances where he succeeded and I can see some spots where it failed in its attempt. But enough about the movie and what it did right and what it did wrong, you know where I stand on it and if you go into it expecting to have fun and watch a good story your really going to enjoy it. If you go in expecting it to be Hamlet or something you might leave a bit disappointed.

This movie from a Blu-Ray standpoint is incredible. Many times during the viewing of this disc I found myself rewinding scenes just to re watch them again in all their high def glory. From start to finish the picture quality of this disc will leave you gap jawed in amazement. Especially the first 30 mins of the film and all of the Asgard scenes with their warm and almost glowing color tones to the cool look and feel of Jotunheim the realm of the frost giants all the way to the nice crisp clean images of Earth, they all look stunning! The Audio on this disc is just as good if not better than the picture, this disc contains a 7.1 DTS Master audio track that brings the Thunder (see what I did there) This track is loud and proud and fires on every speaker, the dialogue is crisp and your sub woofer will flex to the max. Your rear and mid speakers will be particularly aggressive as well. When I watched this sounds came at me from every direction and was one of the better audio tracks I have heard. Only a few I have heard have sounded better. There are some special feature that add up to about 2 hours or so maybe a bit more. There are 7 featurettes and a couple of trailers and a quick look at The Avengers (which was awesome but way to short) and then another video helping you tie together various though lines between all of the films that led up to the upcoming Avengers film. Not too shabby a pack of supplements, not enough to overwhelm you but enough to keep you busy. This disc is a really easy recommendation to almost everyone, unless you don't like comic book movies this movie is very enjoyable and fun. Fans of Thor should immediately add this to their collection as it is a pretty decent way to introduce a beloved comic character to the big screen. So for Comic and Thor fans this disc is a must buy. The blu-ray from a tech standpoint is damn near flawless and it makes for a very enjoyable home movie experience. This movie is a popcorn flick in just about every way so grab some corn and beverage and settle in for one awesome blu-ray experience!   Highly & easily recommended!

Contagion 2011

I give this movie 3 borderline 3.5 out of 5 stars and a 60% on RT although if I could I would have given it about a 67%

Let me start by saying that Contagion is not a bad movie, it's really not. The problem is it just has some hampering flaws from letting it be a truly great movie. If you check the other reviews they are all fair to pretty good and I cant argue that it is not a decent movie, but this is the important part and that is it is worth your movie monies to go out and see it. The answer to that is a resounding no! I went last night and dropped my 30 bucks for two tickets a drink and some corn and that was the standard 30 dollars which I normally do not mind plunking down. However when the movie does not pay off I get a bit of buyers remorse and that is what happened with this movie. It drew me I mean hey whats not to like its got a decent story an Oscar nominated director and a Jam packed star studded cast whom most of were nominated for Oscars as well. So whats not to like about the idea of going to see it in the theater with all that going for it, well I tell you. The opening of the movie was great I was drawn in immediately, things were happening and I was thinking alright I love the start and lets get settled and that's what happened after the opening, the movie settled, settled a little too much. I love watching the drama unfold but where they falter a bit here is what they were going for is what they got, they wanted to be very technical in discussing the virus, and spreading rate and such. So much at times I felt like I was in math class. That may be a bit extreme but my point is that was a lot of the technical dialogue was very boring to watch, even with a great actress such as Kate Winslet. There were too many lulls in between the stuff you really wanted to see. So after a bit of the bore fest they try to spice it up again by showing more of the virus and such. That being said I am sure that anyone who works for the CDC (Center for Disease Control) would love it as it felt very authentic for a movie. The acting in this movie was great though and there were many familiar faces in the film and all of them turn in pretty solid performance. That was the movies saving grace was the performances were good, especially Matt Damon who is one of my very favorite actors to watch, and the story was good enough to keep your interest, when you could actually see the affects of the virus, not when they talk about it. The cinematography is cool with the empty city shots but its nothing new or better than we have seen before in these types of movies. I am Legend is still the staple to me for an empty city shot. Overall that was the problem with the film and that was it never really delivered for me or the person I was with. We just kept waiting for something more serious to happen and it never did and then it was over, very abruptly. I like they way you find out what the virus is and they way they handle showing the spread of it, I thought it was probably the best thing about the movie and again the true back story was only handed out in doses but the pay off is nice. I don't usually like to re hash plot points in the reviews because I feel audiences need to have a sense of wonder before going to see some movies and this movie is no different. In the end as I said before in the first sentence and that is that Contagion is not really a bad movie its actually a decent movie however this movie is a rental in the truest since of the word. Plan on seeing it, but you should really try to wait, in retrospect I wish I would have but the allure Drew me in so I write this review to tell you the same, unless you dying to see it (see what I did there) Plan on saving the 15 to 30 dollars and wait till the Blu-ray hits and give it a rent. Because for the right price it it an enjoyable film, just not really a great theatre experience.

X-Men First Class Movie & Blu-Ray Review

I give this movie 4.5 of 5 Stars and a 90% on RT, although if I could I would have given it a 97%

I will start out by saying that this is possibly my favorite movie of the year so far, its back and forth with me between this and The Rise of the Planet of the Apes. This is a really groovy flick. It is highly stylized in the fashion of James Bond and it is a great throwback. It manges to have the look and feel of a retro film while keeping its mainstream appeal and producing some really great looking images. The film also manages to do one of my very favorite things and that is blend in fiction with real life history. In the case of X-Men First Class the real history situation blended in was the Cuban Missile Crisis and that is just perfect to symbolize the boiling point of two sides, USA vs Russia and Eric, Xavier. Another way this film truly exceeds its counter parts is its knowledge of the comics and the homage it pays to its fans and it really ties itself in great with the other movies of the franchise, especially the first one released in 2000. X-Men First Class is easily the best of the entire series. The film is rounded out by a great young cast of up and comers and they do a bang up job here. Michael Fassbender is fantastic as Eric (Magneto) as well as James McAvoy as Xavier. Jennifer Lawrence and Kevin Bacon also stand out with some charismatic performances and January Jones, well......She just looked real pretty. All of these things combined are the makings of a great film and if you missed it in the theatres you defiantly don't want to miss the Blu-Ray release.

The Blu-Ray from a technical standpoint is really pretty solid I give the video quality a 4.5 and the audio 5.0. The Special features a 3.5. The video is really sharp and quite colorful, some scenes more than others but this blu-ray really benefits from the films retro look. Detail is very sharp, the picture has an overall warm look to it but the image is crisp. There is only minor crushing that I saw and that was in the beginning and was only for a brief moment. The blacks levels were solid and there was a very fine level of grain to give it a very film type look. The picture quality is really quite nice. My only complaint and its minor is that there seemed to be an error on the disc involving blu lines, while sometimes you see this as a refraction of natural bright light it looked very out of place on this disc and I had to wonder if it wan error or if it was in the original film. It defiantly looks out of place and though I would have remembered seeing something like that in the theatre but maybe not either way it was only very briefly and in two moments. When Magneto is in the restaurant in the beginning and when Havok is testing out how to control his energy beams. The audio on the other hand is just about as perfect of a DTS 5.1 Master lossless audio track could be. You never lost any of the dialogue and sounds were full and booming. The special features rounds out at about 2 hours. There are some decent deleted scenes at about 14 mins and there is an excellent 1 and 10 minute documentary called Children of the Atom and its well worth a watch of all things behind the scenes. There is also a mode called X marks the spot mode which adds about 20 minutes to the film by cutting away to interviews and such. These can also be viewed by themselves in the special features. Overall this is a rock solid disc from the quality of the movie itself to the tech specs to the special features. This one is a no brainer to almost anyone and get my Highest Recommendation

Win Win Blu-Ray and Movie Review

I give this movie a 4.5 out of 5 stars and a 90% on RT although again if I could I would rate it at about a 96%

"If you can read this, YOUR PINNED!"

Most of you who are reading this review probably have never heard of this movie. Don't feel bad I had not heard of it either until a buddy of mine alerted me to the fact the he bought it on Blu-Ray. That led to me investigating a little bit and found out a very little bit, I Love Paul Giamotti and I love movies about wrestling. That was enough for me to decide to check it out and boy am I glad I did. Going into this movie not knowing much is a bit of a blessing because when you watch this movie it can really surprise you in how good of an Indy flick this really is. I wrestled in high school at the weight of 126 and I can identify with this movie quite a bit and yes this is a sports movie but its also a very endearing picture of family life and the caring of other people and the film maker here manges to do what so very few directors do now days and that is make you care about the characters you are watching. I'm not going to go into much details about the plot because I want those who read this to go into the movie not knowing much about it other than Paul Giamotti is a lawyer who becomes a guardian for an elderly gentlemen Burt Young and ends up taking care of that gentleman's grandson. Giamotti is also a high school wrestling coach and the young man is quite a talented wrestler and this movie is their story about both wrestling and family life and it is quite an oddly uplifting tale really in a non regular way. Most sports movies are walking cliche's these days with the exceptions of the really good ones and that is where this movie differs, and that is because its not really a sports movie completely and it is certainly not like any of the other underdog sports movies out there. Its a movie with a couple of different themes with a sports setting. The acting in this movie is rock solid, Paul Giamatti is excellent as he always is and is surrounded by Amy Ryan who is always fun to watch do her thing, she is also extremely talented. In the supporting role is Jeffrey Tambor who is one of my all time favorite supporting players in everything he does. The relative newcomer Alex Shaffer who they got to play Kyle was also quite excellent to round everything out. In the end this is a movie that caught me off guard, its has its funny moments and its genuinely touching moments as well and I really enjoyed it very much.

From a Blu-Ray perspective this disc is great, its picture quality framed in its 1.85 aspect ratio and 5.1 DTS master audio. I give the picture quality on this bad boy a 4.5 out of 5 stars and the audio a 4.0 out 5 stars. This is a very dialogue driven movie so the need for the lossless track is not one of necessity but its its nice to know its there. A fair but overall kind of weak assortment of special features rounds out the disc. Overall as good as the movie is, it is very much an indie flick which means it might not be for everyone so a rental is probably the way to go for most folks but if your like me who is a fan of wrestling movies or Paul Giamotti as an actor then this disc is rock solid and you should not hesitate to pick this one up.

Fright Night (2011)

I give this movie 3.5/borderline 4 stars and a 70%percent on RT, although If I could I would rate it at about a 77%

I watched the original Fright Night from 1985 last night in preparation to watch this new one and I can confidently say that not only is the new one better, but the original is a prime example of an old movie begging for a remake. That does not mean that I did not like the original, its quite the opposite I liked it a lot. My problems from the original are that which endear it to some and that is the dated special effects and the hefty layer of cheese. It was the 80's though and if I watched it in 1985 it probably would have creeped me out, but I did not and I laughed out loud instead. The remake not so much. The remake was able to take everything that the first one did right such as having a great story overall and a different twist on the average vampire tale. All of that holds true in the new one as well. In a world filled with so many vampire stories the story of Fright Night is different and its refreshing, to quote Stanley from The Office "How many Vampires am I supposed to care about these days." At least one more because Colin Farrell  plays a damn good one and is supported strongly by Anton Yelchin  and throw in an assist to Toni Collette  and the acting in this re make is strong. Another thing that was pretty good in the original was the acting of the Jerry (The Vampire) by Chris Sarandon but the rest of the cast from the original sorely needed an upgrade especially the dude that played Evil Ed, thank god he was replaced by a very suitable replacement in Christopher Mintz-Plasse. So after they upgraded the cast the other obvious upgrade between the two were the special effects, however they did not go CG crazy. They really went out of the way to pay homage to the original and by doing that it lets its fans of the old film know they were not forgotten about and lets the new audience enjoy a film thats up to the standards of modern day movie effects. Overall I had a really good time with this flick, The acting was solid, the story was good, all be it a little different than the original but still staying true to the theme of the original. The movie itself is quite different from the first while still being close to the source material if one can understand what I'm trying to say. This film is highly recommended for fans of the first film and easily recommend for everybody else. Including those annoying Twi-Hards, this vampire film should please almost all.

Apocalypse Now 2-Disc Blu-Ray

"I love the smell of Napalm in the morning", or should I say afternoon since I am viewing Apocalypse Now Redux on Blu-Ray this afternoon to close out my war movie session. Saved the best for last, I am about to descend into madness over the quality of this disc. Fans of the film should upgrade if ever given the chance. Never has anything so disturbing looked so beautiful!

Never have I seen black levels look this good, I was leary about replacing my Complete Dossier edition, but this is one of the best blu-ray upgrade one could make. Colors leap off the screen and I don't know how but this transfer looks every bit as good as some new release modern movie blu-ray's and for a movie that won an Oscar for Cinematography it deserves nothing less. The audio is even better than the PQ. Its lossless audio track is outstanding, as it should be as it won an Oscar for sound and it shows in this release. When the napalm blast went off I think it set off my car alarm outside.The special features will keep you going for hours, both new and old. This is a super solid presentation with everything you need. Great movie, perfect Blu-Ray release. I don't see how this film could ever look any better than it does here.

New Statement

Most of the time this site is used for pure reviews, however recently I took and posted online pictures of all my tech equipment for insurance purposes and to chronicle it on blu-ray.com. Since I watch so many movies and give technical blu-ray reviews as well as movie review I just though that I should show anybody who wants to see the high tech equipment I use to screen and review these films with. This is my personal home theatre/work space. I have put everything extra I have into making this place the best place to watch and enjoy high quality movies, so please give it a look, perhpas rate the gallery or leave a comment if you have any tips or if you enjoy. Either way after this stement its back to strictly reviews.

Here's the link - http://www.blu-ray.com/community/gallery.php?member=Simpdogg420&folderid=6068

Thanks to anyone who reads the blog (if there is anybody out there)

Ryan

Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011)

I give this movie a 4 out of 5 stars and an 80% on RT although if I could it would be an 83% I will start of the review by stating that I am a HUGE Steve Carell fan. I own all of his movie with the exception of Evan Almighty and I like all of his movies with the exception of Evan Almighty. Now that being said You do not even need to be a fan of Steve Carell to enjoy this movie, it's great. Now I am not one to usually delve into the Rom Com genre, however my lady likes them so I watch with her on the occasional ones that I think look all right. That was not the case with this film, I wanted to see it as much if not more than she did and it did not let me down. Romantic Comedies these days are a dime a dozen they crank em out fast and many of them flop and are to be frank pretty terrible films overall. This is not a statement to the genre some of them can be done really well and Crazy, Stupid, Love. falls under that category. Its starts you off immediately with what the preview already tells you and I love that they did not waste time getting into the specifics of it. The preview states it Steve Carell's character is told by his wife Julianne Moore that she wanted a divorce and the movie starts off from this point. Steve Carell has been out of the dating world for forever and is lost in many ways and does a brilliant job at portraying it. This is not the fan in me talking, this is the trained actor and film reviewer talking it is some of his finest and most poignant work. After he is out on his own he is introduced to Ryan Gosling who the audience is introduced to in an earlier scene therefore setting the tone of his character quickly along with the introduction of the Lovely Emma Stone. She is always a treat to watch and in this film it in no different. Gosling is a ladies man and takes an interest in helping Carell, that is what the previews tell and Ill leave it at that but the story weaves and intricate web almost that of Seinfeldian proportions, yep that might not be a word but I will use it anyways. It is a marvelous exercise in story telling and it is a romantic comedy that breathes a little bit of fresh air into a bloated genre of mediocrity. This movie is great for a date or just by yourself and it is an excellent movie with no special effects just a great cast and a great script, and I highly recommend it! Spend you movie monies with ease on this one and bring a date if you can.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

I am not completely sure but I do think this just might be my favorite movie I have seen this year! I give the movie 4.5/5 stars and a 90% on RT. Although It is more like 95% but you just cant do that. I know I can be a little loose with my scores sometimes, but not with this one. This movie is excellent in almost every way. It takes a completely different approach to the franchise and turns out to be the best in the entire series. I know that movie purists would argue with me but in this day and age you can;t deny that this new approach is better in every way. Gone is the thick slice of cheese that accompanied the earlier films and bests the Tim Burton disaster of 2001 in every way possible. However that's enough about the new approach, lets just say it works, and to those who are tired of origin stories or are saying that this is just another origin story, they are right but it is a damn fine one. There is nothing wrong with an origin story if its done right and boy did they nail it on this one. The special effects are crazy good but nothing can beat the emotionally captivating performance of Andy Serkis as Caesar. I mean is there anything this guy can not do! If that's not enough the performances from James Franco and John Lithgow are fabulous as well. As if you would expect anything less from those two high caliber individuals, unless your James Fanco and its the Oscars (Ziiiing) but seriously its the realistic performances that they gives that makes this slightly absurd story very believable, that being the key word they actually made a Planet of the Apes movie that is believable and its quite a fun movie to watch. I feel I should throw and Honorable mention out there to Tom Felton, aka Draco Malfoy who has made a wise choice for his first post potter performance and he is actually pretty good. Throw in the wily veteran Brian Cox and you have got a very solid cast. There really is no point dragging on and on about how good the movie is because it would seem like over kill just know it is great from start to finish in just about every way and easy worth your movie monies without a doubt! Grab some tickets with ease and grab a snack and enjoy some excellent movie making from the CGI to the acting to the primates it is pretty solid top to bottom. Highly Recommended!!

Cowboys & Aliens 2011

I give this movie a strong 4.2 out of 5 and about an 80% on RT although if I could I would give it like an 88%. This movie is pure summer entertainment, so grab some corn and some beverages and sit back to enjoy a movie like no other, really like no other. I have never seen a combination and blending of two drastically different genres, and here lye's the rub, Jon Favreau does a wonderful job with it. Many have tried before to do something as such with the western and have failed miserably, for example look at the train wreck that was Wild Wild West. From the moment the film starts I was and you will be sucked into it immediately wondering whats going on, who is this guy, and where is he going and you cant wait to find out the mysteries surrounding this person. Now The premise here is that of a simple western story and a motif that has been hit so many times in the genre, an old an familiar western story and feel. Then there is the Story of the Aliens which is also a very traditional take on an alien film in the Sci Fi genre. By themselves they are both not too spectacular, however when you blend them together you get something you have truly never seen and it is quite a treat. The acting is pretty solid, you get a traditional but solid performance of what we expect to get out of Harrison Ford. It also boggles my mind how great of shape he has stayed in and how great he looks for a dude that is getting up there in age. You also have a strong performance from Daniel Craig, he struggles with hiding his accent sometimes but it is rare and most people will not even notice, and overall he lends himself quite well to the western settings. The beautiful and talented Olivia Wilde rounds out the cast and she was wonderful to watch as always both with her acting and her looks. There is one scene where it focuses in on her bright green eyes and they were one of the most beautiful sights mine eyes have ever seen. Finally that brings me to a personal favorite of mine and a bonus to the already solid cast and that is what Jon Favreau refers to as his "secret weapon" Sam Rockwell. Rockwell is a treat in everything I have ever watched him in and this film is no exception. That brings me to the overall look of the film, it's great! Beautiful landscapes mixed with cool Alien effects but old west alien effects. I know that sounds weird but when you see it you will know. I really did not know what to expect when I saw this other than I knew I loved westerns and I knew I loved Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig, i mean they play two of the most Iconic film characters of all time so seeing them do their thing together was quite a treat. This movie is not the greatest thing you will ever see but it damn sure will entertain you and keep entertaining you through multiple viewings because the movie is just plain fun. Grab some tickets to this flick with ease and enjoy an experiment with film genres gone right. This is not just a great summer flick, its just a plain ol' fashioned good movie.

Source Code Blu-Ray

Rango Blu-Ray

I give this Blu-Ray a 5 out of 5 for audio and 5 out of 5 for video. Let me start by saying weather you have seen this film or not  or even if you do not have any desire to, you need to watch this Blu-Ray! It is of the most outstanding quality and the 3rd best looking blu ray disc I have ever seen. Rango is also the best looking animated movie I have had the pleasure to watch on the format edging out Shrek Forever After. Its attention to detail is incredible, every drop of water looks so tasty, you can see every scale of Rango's face, every feather in the owl mariachi band (yep you read that right) every grain of sand in the desert covered town named Dirt. Every aspect of it is incredible and audio and videophiles should ad it to their collection without any hesitation, its that good! Black levels are perfect, sunsets look like you are looking through a window and character detail is off the charts. Enough about the blu ray though lets talk about the film itself, it is a very unique and very cool movie. I have never really seen anything like it and Nickelodeon studios now has my attention in the world of animated films. Rango is easily the best animated movie I have watched in 2011 I didn't catch it in the theatre but it could not have been a better experience than the blu ray. This is a very high recommendation for most folks and an easy blind buy for blu ray video enthusiasts and at its cheap price point its really a no brainer to grab this one. Not sure how much longer it lasts but you can get a 5 dollar off manufacturers coupon but only for a limited time at http://www.rangocoupon.com/. and last I checked best buy had it for 19.99. Minus the coupon and you can get the Blu-ray with dvd and digital copy for 14.99 that kind of price is incredible. Take advantage peoples.

Captain America (2011)

I give this movie a 5 out of 5 stars and a 100% on RT. We have been waiting years to get a good Captain America film, was it worth the wait? The answer is an absolute YES! Marvel really did it right with this one, I consider it to be their second best film out of all of the films they have made. Yep, right behind X-Men First Class. Cap does everything right, I was enthralled with the story right from the start. It’s hard to know what to expect when you have expectations built up so much in your head but this movie somehow managed to exceed them! The movie is your standard super hero stuff and it’s also something totally new. You get to enjoy the same super hero movie antics such as thrilling fight scenes, dangerous chases, and a bit of well-timed humor and Cap has all of that, however what the viewer is not used to is watching a superhero movie not set in modern times. Like X-Men first class it takes place in a different time period offering the viewers a whole different world to experience the super hero story in. Captain America is set in the 40's not the 60's like X-Men First Class so the viewer gets to enjoy some really great setting out of the World War II era. They nail the look and feel of it very well. They manage to find a way to make the Captain America we love and make him relevant in a real world setting. Not like Christopher Nolan’s Batman epics but just that of being able to logically explain a man wearing an outfit like Cap's and it also addresses how he was kicking ass back then and still kicking ass in the present. Chris Evans does a fantastic job as Steve Rodgers aka Captain America as well as his supporting cast. Tommy Lee Jones is always a treat and was no different in this film, i love Tommy Lee and was glad to see him involved. Hugo Weaving plays an excellent villain in Red Skull and the makeup and effects were outstanding. Mu only real complaint about Red Skull is I wanted more a backstory than what was given in the film, but it’s a very minor complaint. This movie wraps up the comic book major movies for the year and it does it with a bang letting us know that Marvel is in the business of churning out quality comic book films as all three of their big releases this year were highly excellent and praised by critics and fans alike. he next time we see Marvel in the theatres will be for The Avengers and The Amazing Spiderman which I expect to be awesome beyond belief, well The Avengers at least. In the end Captain America is more than a good summer film it’s a great superhero/comic film. It has a great and beloved character and it gives him the movie he deserves. This movie is a no brainer so get out there and see it, it awesome! Also if you are going and are wondering if it’s worth the extra to 3-D or not to 3-D, do it. Pay the extra cash the 3-D effects are pretty awesome and it adds some more awesome to an already awesome flick. Highly Highly Recommended! Oh yes and whatever you do make sure you STAY FOR THE END OF THE CREDITS!

The Fighter Blu-Ray

I give this film a 4.5 out of 5 for video and 4.5 of 5 for audio (DTS Master Audio Lossless) This Blu-Ray is a knockout from top to bottom. It looks almost as good as the movie is itself. The film makers look and feel are faithfully represented in this excellent disc. The movie itself is incredible, A textbook example of the finest acting one can witness while watching a movie. Amy Adams Mellisa Leo and Christian Bale specifically. Righfully so as Bale now has a little golden statue named Oscar to validate his performance as Dicky, just like Leo has a matching one for the portrayl of his mother. There should also be an honorable mention to Mark Wahlberg. Simply superb acting in every way! Throw in a superb underdog story and this film has eclipsed Rocky as my Favorite boxing movie of all time. Simply put this film is a knock out. My higest Recomendation!

Unstoppable Blu-Ray review

I give the video quality a 4 out of 5 and the audio a 5 of 5. (DTS Master Audio Lossless) This is a great looking Blu-Ray disc and the audio is even better. The normal stuff, clean, crisp image, very natural looking flesh tones, fine detail. The level of grain is a bit higher but that is no surprise as that is how Tony Scott likes his movies to look and feel, those are my thoughts on the disc, how about the movie? Well, I am a big fan of Tony Scott, I own all of his movies and this one rates right up at the top right next to True Romance. This was an exhilarating ride that the audience get to ride along with and one cant go wrong with Denzel. That's right the guy is so good I don't even need to say his last name, he is just that good. Grab the popcorn and enjoy. Highly recommended.

127 Hours Blu-Ray

I give the video on this disc a 4.5 and the DTS Master audio track a 5 out of 5. A few thoughts on the film first, A powerhouse acting performance from a young actor (James Franco) turning in his finest performance to date. This film along with Franco's performance is Raw, emotional, enthralling, intense, and disturbing. While it is easily Franco's finest hour( or 127, pun) on film it is also the best work of director Danny Boyle. I do not typically like Boyle, I find him to be slightly over indulgent, but rarely got that sense in this movie. Boyle is also a very visual director and this is by far his best looking movie, some very visually pleasing shots in this one. This is a movie that must be watched to see Franco's performance but this movie will stick with you not just from the acting but the overall experience, that will ensure that Franco and Boyle will be remembered come Oscar time. The Blu-Ray is just as exceptional. Danny Boyle always has a visual flair in the movies he directs and this is no different and it sparkles on Blu-Ray. A clean, crisp image and vivid dessert colors will light up your flat screen, a very solid blu-ray release for an excellent movie. Seriously this is a film not to be missed. Very Highly recommended!

Green Lantern (2011)

I give this movie 4 out of 5 stars and rate it a 80% although its closer to 75% but you can't rate in those numbers so 80 it is. Perhaps I am biased due to my love of the Green Lantern comics, but I just can not agree with the critics on this one. I don't know what they were expecting, its a comic book movie. It's not like the recent trend started by Nolan in Batman Begins nor the modern super hero masterpiece The Dark Knight, but it never tries to be either. The Green Lantern is not a hero who lends himself well to a real world take, so the filmmakers had some fun & made a great super hero movie to watch that reminds us of old school super hero fun and the 3-D effects were rockin' It's not my favorite super hero movie this year, that belongs to X-Men:First Class, but its right up there with Thor for me as a fun trip to the movies. Grab the popcorn, enjoy the effects and don't read to much into it. It stays true to the comics & has a really great villain performance (Skarsgard) Highly recommended for comic fans, recommended for everyone else. Also if faced with the choice of 3-D or not, go for it with this one, its worth the extra cash, and is a delight for the eyes.

Limitless Blu-Ray Review

I give the movie 4 out of 5 stars and a 80% on RT. Picture quality is a 4.5 out of 5 and the DTS Master Lossless audio I give a 4.0. Limitless is a sleek and sexy film. Bradly Cooper brings this film to life as Eddie a down on his luck fellow who is stuck in a rut and needs a change and he gets it. Bobby DeNiro is also in it as well as Abbie Cornish. The film itself starts out much like Eddie does the colors are a bit drab flesh tones are muted a bit and there is just an overall drabness to the entire picture then he pops the NZT and the colors start to fly at you like a hallucinogenic state. The literally explode off the screen and Bradley Coopers eyes are highlighted and leap off the screen, they almost glow. The film also has some very stylistic shots that benefit greatly from being on Blu-Ray and the overall picture looks great, a little bit a grain to keep its film like quality and no real complaints overall. The audio was clear and effective, there was a lot of talking in the film and I noticed the dialogue was not quite as clear as should have been and I had to turn it a bit but not much and it was a minor qualm really anyways. This picture was an easy pick up for me, I enjoyed the film in the theatre and the Blu-Ray even more. It looks and sounds great with a strong performance from Cooper and a pretty decent story overall, the one downside is that there are not too many special features and if you like that there isn't much to be found here. Also they say it includes and alternate ending and it foes but it is of very poor quality and I will never watch it again as I think the movie had a great ending to begin with. Overall Its highly recommended!

Minority Report Blu-Ray

Picture and Audio quality easily a 5 out of 5 on both counts. If you don't already own Minority Report this is a no brainer and if you have it on dvd it is a very significant upgrade. This is Spielberg at his finest and its not one of his more known films but he directs a complex undertaking in Phillip K Dicks novel and he foes it brilliantly. So while you know the caliber movie your getting you don't know the caliber of the Blu Ray disc and it is the truest definition of the word perfection. The film is true to its source and presents a very film like quality with its very fine and perfectly intended layer of grain, preserved in his self proclaimed approved HD Master, there is nothing on this disc that Spielberg himself did not approve. I was gushing over this disc while watching it seemed like watching again for the first time and it left my jaw on the floor. Much like his other recent blu ray release of War of the Worlds, the color schemes are not that of your typical modern day blu ray release but that does not mean that they look any worse in fact they can hold their own with modern release on the market. They also completely and faithfully represent the film makers intention and in the end you cant ask for much more than that!

Super 8 (2011)

I give this movie 4.5 out of 5 stars and a 90% on RT.

Super 8 is a Super movie, well worth your movie monies. It seemed more Speilberg than Abrams but thats allright with me. It reminded me of why I loved The Goonies as a child mixed with a touch of horror & action, with moments of real, pure, touching moments. JJ Abrams does what so many high profile action movie directors fail to do and that is make you care about who your watching. Highly Highly recomended!

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)

I give this movie 3.5 out of 5 stars and a 70% on RT.

Ok here's the deal, if your reading this review you are most likely planning on seeing this film anyways and it's a Transformers film by Michael Bay, so if you have seen the others and are contemplating spending your movie monies on this one, chances are you know what you are in for, Lots of explosions, robots, and total Bayhem. That being said however unlike the abysmal Revenge of the Fallen, he took his time with this one and actually came up with a script. It's not the greatest script ever but it's better than the other two. He also interweaves real historical events into the film which for me as a history buff was very pleasing and enjoyable to watch. Then there were the explosions and oh man in glorious 3-D they were quite the spectacle. Robots larger than life, and also the introduction the Shockwave, one of my personal favorites as a yout. The movie has a bit of a bloated run time at a little over two & a half hours plus 20 mins of previews but the ending is a nice payoff, especially if you live in or have been to Chicago many times. The battle that takes place at the end in the windy city is incredible. I was in the city as it was being filmed and thinking man this thing will be epic, and it was. This film stands out above the rest of the Transformers film by quite a bit. It's not perfect but it's a perfect summer flick to grab some corn sit back and lose yourself in a movie that is the definition of "Summer Film" The Script isn't perfect, the acting isn't great (especially aggressive for Lebeuff) but if you went into this movie expecting that kind of stuff then why did you even go in the first place. I give the movie 3.5 to borderline 4 stars on a pure entertainment factor. Make sure to see this movie in the theatre, the Blu-ray will look incredible but this is one that needs to be seen on the biggest & loudest screen you can find. In closing if the question is to 3-D or not to 3-D spend the extra bucks for it with this one. There were some pretty incredible visual effects for the eyes. In the end I had a lot of fun with Dark of the Moon, it's my favorite entry and it comes Highly Recommended as a very fun summer flick. Biggest Downside is the overly long run time so find a theatre with comfy seats.

Bad Teacher (2011)

I five a 2.5/3 Stars of 5 and a 60% on RT. Saw Bad Teacher last night, it was medioker and the real shame is that is could have been a lot better than it was, dont get wrong its not a bad movie, but its not great either. I will say this, if you hire Jason Segal to be in your movie then USE HIM! He was easily the best part of the movie and was barely in it. Recomended if your bored but otherwise wait to rent it. I would give Bad Teacher a C, maybe a C+. Anyways Im looking forward to going to Horrible Bosses tonight.

Horrible Bosses (2011)

Easily 4 of 5 stars and a 90% on RT. Comedies are a dime a dozen these days, and you really have to be on your A game to get the formula just right. Horrible Bosses nails it. The cast meshes together so nicely that the comedy seems effortless. This film is by far the funniest comedy I have watched this year. The film is raunchy, outrageous and hilarious. The humor will have you laughing out loud and then feeling a little bad for laughing at it but you just cant deny the humor of this movie. It's crude yes, but also features a strong theme of friendship and bonding hidden between the crude. The bosses will leave your jaw on the floor with their antics, yet you will be laughing just the same. This comedy does everything right and its nice to see Jennifer Aniston take a role out of her comfort zone and it was totally refreshing and has paid off for her with a hit, her first in years. In the end of dime a dozen comedies this rises above and is totally worth your movie monies, its a goofball, lude, crude, rollicking good time. A Great Cast tops it all off, highly highly recomended.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 (2011)

I gave this 5 of 5 stars and a 100% on RT. What an Incredible film, and what an incredible experience. Today was the culmination of a decade of films for not just me but for millions of people. This film was an emotional and engaging film right from the start. You were captivated throughout the entire conclusion of the series and reminded of little things along the way almost as a direct tribute to all the movies before it. It's hard to watch without shedding a tear or two as like me most people watching have invested a large portion of their lives watching these movies. David Yates did not let me down, now I don't read the books, I never have but I do watch movies, a lot of them and I was fully satisfied at the end of the movie and at the end of the series. Everything was wrapped up nicely and when I watch these movies every holiday season for the rest of my life it will so satisfying to watch all 8 movies on Blu-Ray from start to finish. I don't want to go too much into plot points because I don't want to spoil anything just know that if you're going to see this it's almost impossible not to like it. In the end all I was left with was my jaw dropped at the end of one of the greatest stories ever told and my eyes with a tear, not only from the incredible visuals this last potter offering gives, but a tear for saying goodbye to a boy who 10 years ago I asked Harry who? What's all this about, I went I found out what he and it was all about and I never, ever looked back. There is not one bad film out the entire lot of them and that is no easy task when you're talking about 8 movies. In the end all I can say is Goodbye Harry, I'm going to miss you and thanks for all the memories. I will see you and the gang every holiday season until the day I die.

Hello and Welcome

Hello and Welcome to anyone who may stumble upon this blog. This is sort of my mission statement so to speak, the Skinny, the jist of what this blog was created for. My name is Ryan Simpson and I have a B.S. Degree in Acting with a minor in Cinema studies and I love to watch and review movies, both theatrical and Blu-Ray. My home collection is around over 1000 dvd's and about 300 Blu-Ray discs, so I have seen a lot! I post regularly on RT (RottonTomatos.com) a lot also so you can find my reviews over there as well. I am new to the blogging world but not to reviewing films. I base my film reviews on three things, enjoyability/Fun, Story plot, and Visual, 3-D and the like. My Blu-Ray reviews are based on the main two things the picture and audio quality, but also on price point and overall worthiness on owning it on the specific format of Blu-ray and weather its relevant to upgrade catalog studio films as they are replaced.