This Week On Blu ray - Life

Discover the glorious variety of life on Earth and the innovative, intelligent and sometimes bizarre tactics animals and plants employ in order to survive. More than four years in the making, taking full advantage of the latest advances in filming technology, this breathtaking ten-part blockbuster reveals the natural world’s most remarkable behavior in unprecedented depth and detail. Full of amazing filming ‘firsts’ on every continent and in every habitat – from 250 six foot Humboldt squid hunting as a pack to Komodo dragons (the world’s largest venomous animal) stalking buffalo and cheetahs (notorious lone hunters) working cooperatively to hunt prey twice their size – this is evolution in front of your eyes. Yet this astonishing series is not simply about revelation, it is also about entertainment. With sequences that inspire awe, wonder, sadness and humor, Life allows us to truly relate to the animals and their endeavors, and to understand and appreciate them as never before.

Format: AC-3, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Language: English
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
Studio: Warner Bros. / BBC
DVD Release Date: Jun 1 2010

Overall: This has to be one of the best documentary series I've ever seen. The attention to detail on the creatures they observe at the time is amazing. This is a definite must-buy for documentary fans or even anyone in general interested in the creatures of our planet.

Updates

Sorry for the lack of up-dates but, there were problems with the computer, we should have things back to normal within the next week or so.

War of the Worlds [Blu-ray] (2005)

An ordinary man has to protect his children against alien invaders in this science fiction thriller, freely adapted from the classic story by H.G. Wells. Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise) is a dockworker living in New Jersey, divorced from his first wife Mary Ann (Miranda Otto) and estranged from his two children Rachel and Robbie (Dakota Fanning and Justin Chatwin), of whom he has custody on weekends. On one such visitation, looking after the kids becomes a little more difficult when, after a series of strange lighting storms hit his neighborhood, Ray discovers that a fleet of death-ray robotic spaceships have emerged nearby, part of the first wave of an all-out alien invasion of the Earth. Transporting his children from New York to Boston in an attempt to find safety at Mary Ann's parents' house, Ray must learn to become the protector and provider he never was in marriage. Also starring Tim Robbins, War of the Worlds was directed by Steven Spielberg, who had been planning the project for years, but set it aside until a wave of "alien invasion" films (led by Independence Day) had run its course.

Actors: Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Tim Robbins, Miranda Otto, Justin Chatwin
Directors: Steven Spielberg
Writers: David Koepp, H.G. Wells, Josh Friedman
Producers: Colin Wilson, Damian Collier, Kathleen Kennedy, Paula Wagner
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
Language: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Number of discs: 1
Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Dreamworks Video
DVD Release Date: June 1, 2010
Run Time: 117 minutes

Special Features
Revisiting the Invasion
The H.G. Wells Legacy
Steven Spielberg and the Original War of the Worlds
Characters: The Family Unit
Previsualization
Production Diaries
Designing the Enemy: Tripods and Aliens
Scoring War of the Worlds
We are Not Alone
Galleries
Theatrical Teaser Trailer HD

Overall: War of the Worlds is a visually stunning and ultimately terrifying film about encounters with ruthless invaders. While I praise this film for the alien scenes and plot, the rest is so mundane and negative that it almost ruins the movie.

This week on Blu Ray - Escape from L.A.

The man with the patch is back. Call him Snake. Kurt Russell rejoins filmmakers John Carpenter and Debra Hill to do to the Big Orange what they did to the Big Apple in Escape From New York – with even more futuristic thrills and slam-bang action! Into the 9.6-quaked Los Angeles of 2013 comes Snake Plissken (Russell). His job: wade through L.A.'s ruined landmarks to retrieve a doomsday device. Don't miss the excitement as Snake surfs Wilshire Blvd., shoots hoops at the Coliseum, dive bombs the Happy Kingdom theme park, and mixes it up with a wild assortment of friends, fiends and foes (Stacy Keach, Steve Buscemi, Peter Fonda, George Corraface, Cliff Robertson, Pam Grier and more).

Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
Language: English
Subtitles: English, French, Portuguese, Spanish
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Paramount
DVD Release Date: May 4, 2010

Overall: Having seen the original ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, I was hoping for a pretty good action adventure film in ESCAPE FROM L.A. What I got was a big disappointed. Basically, ESCAPE FROM L.A. is a mediocre copy of the first movie. Don't get me wrong. I like corny movies that are meant to look bad. 15 years later after New York. Snake Plisken did it once. He can do it again. Good Action Movie! But not as good as the first.

That's this week on Blu ray.

This Week On Blu ray - Tooth Fairy

The Rock plays Derek Thompson, a washed up hockey player who is the definition of used to be. He's playing in the minor leagues, was once a flashy pro player, but now he relies only on his brute strength to send people careening through the boards. He's earned the nickname The Tooth Fairy, because of all the teeth his hits have extracted from his opponents.

Fairly self-absorbed, Derek doesn't believe in fairy tales. He takes advantage of his girlfriend's family, and one night steals her daughter's tooth fairy money to use in a poker game. When the money is found to be missing, Derek decides it's time to tell the young girl that there is indeed no tooth fairy.

In the irony of ironies, which is really, really what the writers want you to believe anyway, this wayward hockey player nicknamed The Tooth Fairy is actually sentenced by the magical court of make believe (or something like that) to be an actual tooth fairy for the space of a few weeks. Being a tooth fairy is a hard job, and if you're found badmouthing it, Julie Andrews will appear (complete with wings) and sentence you to hard tooth-gathering labor.

Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
Language: English
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Number of discs: 3
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
DVD Release Date: May 4, 2010
Run Time: 101 minutes

Special Features
Disc One:

Introduction by Director Michael Lembeck
Audio Commentary by Director Michael Lembeck
Tooth Fairy Training Center
Fairyoke
Deleted Scenes with Optional Introductions by Director Michael Lembeck
Derek Arrested
Derek Takes Gabe's Tooth from Under Pillow
Derek Scolds Tracy for Tricking Him into Gabe's Room
Extended Version - The Music Store
Extended Version - Derek Agrees to Help Tracy Train to Be a Tooth Fairy
Extended Version - Randy's Talent Show
Behind the Scenes
Introduction to Behind the Scenes
Let's Go Behind the Scenes with Lem and Jake
Lem and Jake Talk About VFX: Before & After
1st Assignment with Storyboards with Commentary by Director Michael Lembeck and Visual Effects Supervisor Jake Morrison
Wee Man with Commentary by Director Michael Lembeck and Visual Effects Supervisor Jake Morrison
Flights, Tights & Fairy FX
Wings and Fairy Things
Creating Fairyland
Tooth Traditions: Worldwide
Theatrical Trailer
Flicka 2 Sneak Peek
Sneak Peek:
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Sound of Music
Disc 2: Theatrical Feature DVD

Disc 3: Digital Copy (English Only)

Overall:This movie has a great storyline and is perfect for the whole family. In order to appreciate it, you should not take it seriously, and just enjoy the fun. Stellar performances by Ashley Judd, Dwayne Johnson, Julie Andrews, Stephen Merchant, Chase Ellison and Billy Crystal.

This week on Blu Ray - K-19

Inspired by a true story that was kept secret until the fall of communism, K-19: THE WIDOWMAKER is a tale of ordinary men who sacrifice everything for their shipmates and their country. In 1961, at the height of the Cold War, an ill-prepared Russian nuclear missile submarine embarks on its maiden voyage with near-disastrous consequences. When the sub's nuclear reactor malfunctions, Captain Alexei Vostrikov (Harrison Ford) makes some decisions that are unpopular with the crew. Tensions mount as radiation levels rise throughout the submarine and there is no respite in sight. If the sub explodes, it may cause an international incident as it may be mistaken as an attack on a nearby NATO base and an American Navy destroyer that is in the area. If the sub dives deep below the surface, perhaps the malfunction can be fixed, but the loss of some lives is then inevitable. The Executive Officer, Mikhail Polenin (Liam Neeson), who formerly commanded the sub, can placate the crew, but must decide where his own loyalties lie. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow (BLUE STEEL, POINT BREAK), this thriller examines the Cold War from the Russian perspective.

Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
Language: English
Subtitles: English, French, Portuguese, Spanish
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Paramount
DVD Release Date: May 4, 2010
Run Time: 138 minutes .

Overall: Harrison Ford gives one of the better performances of his career. Liam Neeson also did a very good acting job in this movie. It was completely believable as a story, which can sometimes be difficult when basing a movie on true events. A good submarine movie with plentiful action to keep the story moving, if, that is, you can move beyond the pathetic accents.

That's this week on Blu Ray.

Armageddon [Blu-ray] (1998)

From the mega-hitmakers who produced and directed The Rock and Pearl Harbor comes Armageddon. And now, these mind-blowing action-adventure explodes on Blu-ray for the first time ever! Bruce Willis (Surrogates, Sin City) and Academy Award winners Ben Affleck (1997, Best Original Screenplay, Good Will Hunting) and Billy Bob Thornton (1996, Best Adapted Screenplay, Sling Blade) head an all-star cast that incudes Liv Tyler (The Lord of the Rings trilogy), Steve Buscemi (Con Air) and Will Patton (Gone in 60 Seconds). When NASA's director (Thornton) realizes the Earth has 18 days before it's destroyed by a metor the size of Texas, he has only one option; land a ragtag team of roughneck oil drillers on the asteroid and drop a nuke into its core. With spectacular special effects, laugh out loud humor, a riveting story and a rockin' soundtrack featuring Aerosmith and Bon Jovi, this adrenaline-pumping thrill ride now boasts the staggeringly intense picture and incomparable theater quality sound of Blu-ray high definitition.

Actors: Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, Will Patton
Directors: Michael Bay
Writers: J.J. Abrams, Jonathan Hensleigh, Robert Roy Pool, Shane Salerno, Tony Gilroy
Producers: Barry H. Waldman, Chad Oman
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
Language: English, Spanish, French
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number of discs: 1
Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Touchstone Home Entertainment
DVD Release Date: April 27, 2010
Run Time: 150 minutes

Overall: Many have complained that Armageddon has many mistakes and scientific inaccuracies but that's really unavoidable considering the movie's far-fetched scenario. Sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. This was a very fun and entertaining movie. The cast did a great job! It was action packed and suspenseful. Special effects and sound effects were out of this world.