Blogcritics Category: Video: Blu-ray

Blu-ray Review: Water Horse - Legend of the Deep

Matt Paprocki — Wed, 14 May 2008 15:49:00 EDT

Family fantasy rarely gets any better.
A whimsical, light hearted children's fantasy, Water Horse isn't particularly original. What it is is a fine piece of storytelling, aided by wonderful visual effects that are spot on throughout. Water Horse is a fine piece of family entertainment. While never actually stated, the audience is led to believe this is the story of Loch Ness. It's...

Blu-ray Review: Blazing Saddles

Matt Paprocki — Thu, 8 May 2008 07:25:22 EDT

Comedic brilliance in a fantastic hi-def package.
Maybe it’s the comedy. Maybe it’s the lack of seriousness. Maybe it’s that fans don’t need to take notice. Whatever the case may be, to most people Mel Brooks' classic western spoof is completely devoid of message. Yes, there’s a lot to Blazing Saddles besides its racial slurs, fart jokes, Warner Bros parking lot...

Blu-ray Review: Wild Hogs

Matt Paprocki — Tue, 6 May 2008 19:52:09 EDT

No wilder on Blu-ray than DVD.
A by-the-numbers, predictable, and hardly funny middle-age road-trip movie, Wild Hogs has little to recommend. The jokes fall flat and the characters feel ripped out of numerous other films. This feels like an extended sitcom at best, and the only saving grace is an enjoyable performance by William H. Macy. Read the full movie review.While sharp...

Blu-ray Review: Alien vs. Predator 2 - Requiem

Matt Paprocki — Mon, 5 May 2008 23:01:38 EDT

A disaster of a movie lands on a better Blu-ray.
A misfire on all almost all counts, Alien vs. Predator 2 is an oppressively dark creature feature. Its incomprehensible script leaves more questions than answers, and the action is either pitch black or cut too fast to see what’s going on. The cardboard cutout characters are plucked from one of a few hundred direct-to-cable monster movies,...

Blu-ray Review: National Treasure 2 - Book of Secrets

Matt Paprocki — Mon, 5 May 2008 16:47:51 EDT

Equally dumb but energetic sequel that offers grand, globe-trotting entertainment.
Following closely in the footsteps of its predecessor, National Treasure 2 offers little surprise and plenty of predictability. What it offers is a fun, energetic adventure filled with likable characters to carry audiences through an increasingly absurd story. This manages to entertain on its own brain dead scale as well as the original. The full...

Blu-ray Review: National Treasure

Matt Paprocki — Thu, 1 May 2008 07:26:13 EDT

Dumb as a rock, but you can't deny the obvious appeal.
Filled with hilariously stupid dialogue, summer Hollywood clichés, and a lighthearted tone that seems to thrive on the latter two points, National Treasure is undeniably fun. Yes, it’s stupid… mind-numbingly so. Still, it has energy and a fun premise - if you can accept it - to get you into this story. That Declaration of...

Blu-ray Review: The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe

Matt Paprocki — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 22:11:05 EDT

One of the best live action Blu-ray discs on the market.
Loaded with striking visual effects, fantastic characters, and enough of a story to carry the energetic action scenes, Chronicles of Narnia is a classically styled Hollywood epic. This is a film crafted with care and carried through to the final frames. Everything here, from the extravagant set design to the well written dialogue, achieves its...

Blu-ray Review: Predator

Matt Paprocki — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 07:32:32 EDT

If Blu-rays bleed, Fox can kill them.
While somewhat confusing and lacking narrative coherence on its own, the original Predator spawned countless pieces of canon. With that knowledge in tow, Predator is many things: a classic Schwarzenegger movie, a classic creature feature, and a classic ‘80s action flick all wrapped up in 100 minutes of gory fun. Recalling numerous Vietnam...

Blu-ray Review: Shall We Dance?

Matt Paprocki — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 18:44:43 EDT

If that title isn't rhetorical, the answer is no.
It’s nice to see Hollywood choosing to remake something other than Asian horror movies. In the case of Shall We Dance?, this remake of the Japanese romantic comedy carries mixed performances and eye-roll-worthy melodrama. While good enough for a few laughs, Shall We Dance? is instantly forgettable. Susan Sarandon is the scene stealer here...

Disney Pays You Ten Dollars to Upgrade to Blu-Ray Disc

Chris Boylan — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 07:05:48 EDT

Owners of select Disney/Buena Vista DVDs can get $10 toward the purchase of the same films on Blu-ray Disc.
No one likes to feel like they're being ripped off. And when the Beatles eponymous album with the white cover (aka the "White Album") was re-issued multiple times -- LP, white LP, Special Edition white LP, limited pressing special edition white LP, CD, special edition CD, etc. -- it became a running joke among audiophiles. As new...