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1. The Pursuit of Happyness (Blu-ray)

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 2006 / 117 Minutes / Rated PG-13

Overall Grade An instant classic!
Audio & HD Video Quality Worth it! A good drama that can boast your self-esteem when you are really down.




Product Description
A real-life tale of survival over life's toughest challenges. After a chain of circumstances left Gardner jobless and homeless at age 30, he found himself and his baby son living in a bathroom at a San Francisco train station. Despite the negative situation, Gardner continued to fight toward his goal of becoming a broker, eventually landing a job as a trainee and rising through the ranks at such companies as Dean Witter and Bear Stearns to his current standing -- partner and owner of the Chicago-based minority brokerage firm Gardner Rich & Co. and self-made millionaire.


2. Memoirs of a Geisha (Blu-ray)

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 2005 / 145 Minutes / Rated PG-13

Overall Grade Amazing plot & impressive cinematography.
Audio & HD Video Quality Revealing the beauty of Japan art, culture, history, environment in Blu-ray.






Product Description
Chicago director Rob Marshall's pretty but empty (or pretty empty) film has all the elements of an Oscar® contender: solid adaptation (from Arthur Golden's bestseller), beautiful locale, good acting, lush cinematography. But there's something missing at the heart, which leaves the viewer sucked in, then left
completely detached from what's going on.

It's hard to find fault with the fascinating story, which traces a young girl's determination to free herself from the imprisonment of scullery maid to geisha, then from the imprisonment of geisha to a woman allowed to love. Chiyo (Suzuka Ohgo), a young girl with curious blue eyes, is sold to a geisha house and doomed to pay off her debt as a cleaning girl until a stranger named The Chairman (Ken Watanabe) shows her kindness. She is inspired to work hard and become a geisha in order to be near the Chairman, with whom she has fallen in love. An experienced geisha (Michelle Yeoh) chooses to adopt her as an apprentice and to use as a pawn against her rival, the wicked, legendary Hatsumomo (Gong Li). Chiyo (played as an older woman by Ziyi Zhang), now renamed Sayuri, becomes the talk of the town, but as her path crosses again and again with the Chairman's, she finds the closer she gets to him the further away he seems. Her newfound "freedom" turns out to be trapping, as men are allowed to bid on everything from her time to her virginity.

Some controversy swirled around casting Chinese actresses in the three main Japanese roles, but Zhang, Yeoh and Gong in particular ably prove they're the best for the part. It's admirable that all the actors attempted to speak Japanese-accented English, but some of the dialogue will still prove difficult to understand; perhaps it contributes to some of the emotion feeling stilted. Geisha has all the ingredients of a sweeping, heartbreaking epic and follows the recipe to a T, bu t in the end it's all dressed up with no place to go.

Supplements

First up are two screen-specific audio commentaries -- the first with director Rob Marshall and co-producer John DeLuca, and the second with costume designer Colleen Atwood, production designer John Myhre and editor Pietro Scalia. While there's certainly a lot of information included in each of these tracks, I personally found them interesting only in fits and starts. As you might expect, both commentaries include a seemingly endless amount of fawning over the impeccable craftsmanship on display in the film, but unless you happen to be pursuing a career in costume and/or production design, the first track (featuring the director and producers) is probably your best bet. I found the portions of the commentary having to with the lengths to which the film's producers went to woo Marshall to the project after Steven Spielberg dropped out to be most fascinating, with Marshall himself coming off as endearingly humble when he admits tobeing "as surprised as anyone" that he's managed to have a successful career as a director. Unlike the overlong commentary tracks, the eleven making-of featurettes are much more breezy and better suited to the material, considering the highly visual nature of the film. Each segment runs somewhere between 5 and 15 minutes, and combined they form a very nice and thorough hour-plus documentary.

Focusing on the film's lengthy pre-production, the first trio of vignettes -- "Sayuri's Journey: From the Novel to the Screen" (14 min), "The Road to Japan" (12 min) and "Geisha Boot Camp" (12 min) -- fit together nicely. After suffering through three failed attempts to adapt his story for the screen, author Arthur Golden went on to see several deals at major studios fall apart before Marshall came on board. "Geisha Boot Camp," meanwhile, almost plays like a reality TV show -- watch as the film's actresses undergo what to my Western eyes looks like a form of sartorial torture in order to be transformed into a geisha. Critics of the film are likely to find a lot of ammunition for claims that 'Geisha' is just a watered-down, Hollywood-ized bastardization of Asian culture in the main batch of production featurettes. "The Look of a Geisha" (16 min.), "A Geisha's Dance" (8 min.) and "The World of a Geisha" (9 min.) all focus on the tech crew's efforts to "modernize" the costumes, design and aesthetics of the period for Western audiences.

"Music of Memoirs" (9 min.) is enjoyable, if only because John Williams makes the bizarre admission that 'Geisha' is the only film he ever asked to score. Also fun are "The Way of the Sumo" (6 min.) and "A Day with Chef Nobu Matsuhisa" (9 min.), even if they really don't have much to do with the actual film itself. The latter is particularly amusing, in that the world-renowned Chef Nobu seems to have been asked to make a cameo in the movie only so that he would whip up some great meals for the cast and crew.

Finally, "Building the Hanamachi" (12 min.) gives set designer John Myhre more time to talk about building all the sets, while "The Rob Marshall Story" (10 min.) features more of the director wondering why he has a career (if he delivers another big-budget flop like 'Geisha,' he may not have to wonder much longer)

3. The Covenant (Blu-ray)

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 2006 / 97 Minutes / Rated PG-13

Overall Grade Vampire flicks experience on Blu-ray
Audio & HD Video Quality






Product Description
In 1692, in the Ipswich Colon y of Massachusetts, five families with untold power formed a covenant of silence. One family, lusting for more, was banished, their bloodline disappearing without a trace. Until now. Four young students at an elite private school who are descendants of the original families who settled in Ipswich Colony in the 1600s, are bound by their sacred ancestry and special powers. When the body of a dead student is discovered after a party, secrets begin to unravel that threaten to break the covenant of silence that has protected their families for hundreds of years.


4. Hellboy (Blu-ray)

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 2003 / 132 Minutes / Unrated

Overall Grade A must have for comic geeks, fantasy fanatics,
Audio & HD Video Quality Amazing transfer! Grab it cause this year the sequel is out.






Product Description
From visionary writer/director Guillermo del Toro (director of Blade II, The Devil's Backbone) comes Hellboy, a supernatural action adventure based on Mike Mignola's popular Dark Horse Comics series of the same name. Born in the flames of hell and brought to Earth as an infant to perpetrate evil, Hellboy (Ron Perlman) w as rescued from sinister forces by the benevolent Dr. Broom (John Hurt), who raised him to be a hero. In Dr. Broom's secret Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, Hellboy creates an unlikely family consisting of the telepathic "Mer-Man" Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) and Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), the woman he loves who can control fire. Hidden from the very society that they protect, they stand as the key line of defense against an evil madman who seeks to reclaim Hellboy to the dark side and use his powers to destroy mankind.

Presented in 1080p using the AVC MPEG-4 codec, 'Hellboy' looks absolutely wonderful in this Blu-ray edition. The film's colors are extraordinarily robust, and this transfer handles reds and blues with particular confidence. More importantly, the palette doesn't look artificial -- textures are very stable and fine object detail is top notch. Black levels are deep throughout, contrast is perfect, and the imagery pops off the screen with a convincing three-dimensional appearance. The cinematography is drenched in darkness, which I thought might be problem, but shadow delineation is excellent and visibility is exactly as it should be.
the excellent documentary "Hellboy: The Seeds of Creation" (144 minutes) did make it to Blu-ray. This six-part film covers every aspect of 'Hellboy' that you could imagine -- from the early conceptual meetings between Del Toro and Mignola, to work on the costumes and makeup, to candid behind-the-scenes production footage. It certainly stands as one of the most complete and robust documentaries on a comic film. The most engaging moments include exuberant interviews with Del Toro, glances at the creation of the practical effects, and the actors development of the characters. My personal favorite elements were those that examined the adaptation of the comic story and its characters -- Mignola basically gave Del Toro carte blanch e with his occultic universe an d the director delivered a faithful representation that excited the creator himself.



5. Ghost Rider (Blu-ray)

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 2007 / 114 Minutes / Unrated

Overall Grade Impressive super-hero movie
Audio & HD Video Quality Brilliant to watch in HD.
The special effects is totally vivid in Blu-ray. Impressive.





Product Description
Columbia Picture s Ghost Rider (Blu-ray)
Johnny Blaze (Nicolas Cage) was only a teenage stunt biker when he sold his soul to the devil (Peter Fonda). Years later, Johnny is a world renowned daredevil by day, but at night, he becomes the "Ghost Rider" of Marvel Comics legend. The devil's bounty hunter, he is charged with finding evil souls on earth and bringing them to hell. But when a twist of fate brings Johnny's long-lost love (Eva Mendes) back into his life, Johnny realizes he just might have a second chance at happiness - if he can beat the devil and win back his soul. To do so he'll have to defeat Blackheart (Wes Bentley), the devil's nemesis and wayward son, whose plot to take over his father's realm will bring hell on earth - unless "Ghost Rider" can stop him.



6. Casino Royale (Blu-ray)

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 2006 / 144 Minutes / Rated PG-13

Overall Grade Top selling Blu-ray. Should I say more?
Audio & HD Video Quality Fantastic. Best action flick from beginning till end. Best Bond ever made. One of the collection that you must have in your Blu-ray shelves.





The most succcessful invigoration of a cinematic franchise since Batman Begins, Casino Royale is the most brutal and viscerally exciting James Bond film since Sean Connery left Her Majesty's Secret Service. Meet the new Bond; not the same as the old Bond. Daniel Craig gives a galvanizing performance as the freshly minted double-0 agent. Suave, yes, but also a "blunt instrument," reckless, and possessed wit h an ego that compromises his judgment during his first mission to root out the mastermind behind an operation that funds international terrorists. In classic Bond film tradition, his global itinerary takes him to far-flung locales, including Uganda, Madagascar, the Bahamas (that's more like it), and Montenegro, where he is pitted against his nemesis in a poker game, with hundreds of millions in the pot. The stakes get even higher when Bond lets down his "armor" and falls in love with Vesper (Eva Green), the ravishing banker's representative fronting him the money.

For longtime fans of the franchise, Casino Royale offers some retro kicks. Bond wins his iconic Austin-Martin at the gaming table, and when a bartender asks if he wants his martini "shaken or stirred ," he disdainfully replies, "Do I look like I give a damn?" There's no Moneypenny or "Q," but Dame Judi Dench is back as the exasperated M, who one senses, admires Bond's "bloody cheek." A Bond film is only as good as its villain, and Mads Mikkels en as Le Chiffre, who weeps blood, is a sinister dandy. From its punishing violence and vir tuoso action sequences to its romance, Casino Royale i s a Bond film that, in the words of one character, makes you feel it, particularly during an excruciating torture sequence. Double-0s, Bond observes early on, "have a short life expectancy." But with Craig, there is new life in the old franchise yet, as well as genuine anticipation for the next one when, at last, the signature James Bond theme kicks in following the best last line ever in any Bond film.

7. Layer Cake (Blu-ray)

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 2004 / 105 Minutes / Rated R

Overall Grade Great break-through film for Craig!
Audio & HD Video Quality A good bloody thriller. Intelligent script, dramatic ending. Highly recommended.






As its title suggests, Layer Cake is a crime thriller that cuts into several levels of its treacherous criminal underworld. The title is actually one character's definition of the drug-trade hierarchy, but it's also an apt metaphor for the separate layers of deception, death, and betrayal experienced by the film's unnamed protagonist, a cocaine traffic middle-man played with smooth appeal by Daniel Craig (rumored at the time of this film's release to be on the short list for consideration as the next James Bond). Listed in the credits only as "XXXX," the character is trapped into doing a favor for his volatile boss, only to have tables turned by his boss's boss (Michael Gambon) in a twisting plot involving a stolen shipm ent of Ecstasy, a missing girl, duplicitous dealers, murderous Serbian gangsters, and a variety of lowlifes with their own deadly agendas. As adapted by J.J. Connolly (from his own novel) and directed by Matthew Vaughan (who earned his genre chops as producer of Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch), Layer Cake improves upon those earlier British gangland hits with assured pacing, intelligent plotting, and an admirable emphasis on plot-moving dialog ue over routine action. Sure, it's violent (that's to be expected) and not always inv olving, but it's smarter than most thrillers, and Vaughan's directorial debut has a confident style that's flashy without being flamboyant. This could be the start of an impressive career.

Product Description
Planning to retire and begin a new life, Mr. X (Daniel Craig, Casino Royale), a successful West End drug dealer, has been asked for one last favor: to negotiate the sale of one million hitsof Ecstasy. Unfortunately for Mr. X, the pills were stolen from a Serbian drug lord who'll cut offhis head if he sells them. And with a London crime czar (Michael Gambon, Open Range & The Insider)promising to retire him permanently if he doesn't, Mr. X may be rightfully concerned about his future. Nothing worth losing his head over.


8. Gridiron Gang (Blu-ray)

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 2006 / 120 Minutes / Rated PG-13

Overall Grade Inspiring drama. Enjoyable to watch.
Audio & HD Video Quality Great buy! It really motivates you. Trust me on this.





Plot Outline: Teenagers at a juvenile detention center, under the leadership of their counselor, gain self-esteem by playing football together.
Plot Synopsis: In the Kilpatrick juvenile detention center, the supervisor and former football player Sean Porter sees the lack of discipline, self-esteem, union and perspective in the teenage interns and proposes to prepare a football team to play in one league. He is supported by his superiors and his successful experience changes the lives of many young kids.In Gridiron Gang, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson once again displays far more cinematic charisma than one could expect from a former professional wrestler. Sean Porter (Johnson, Be Cool), a football player turned juvenile detention counselor, wrestles with a seemingly insolvable problem: The vast majority of young men who leave detention fall right back into crime. Seeking a way to give these not-yet-hardened kids a taste of self-esteem and discipline, Porter persuades his superior s to let him teach the kids football--and then take on high school teams. Though based on a true story (documentary footage over the closing credits reveals that some dialogue was lifted straight from the real Sean Porter's mouth), Gridiron Gang is pure underdogs-overcome-adversity formula. A formula is not necessarily a bad thing; when executed with skill and commitment, fulfilling a classic story mechanism can be perfectly satisfying, and Gridiron Gang qualifies. But it's Johnson who carries it through, demonstrating--in the most unlikely of roles--a surprisingly gentle touch. Johnson manages to be manly without overbearing machismo, earning not only respect but empathy ~Amazon.com


9. Stomp the Yard (Blu-ray)

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 2007 / 114

Minutes / Rated PG-13

Overall Grade Totally hip-hop
Audio & HD Video Quality Astonishing quality.





Product Description
DJ (Columbus Short), an amazing underground street dancer, hasn't been in college for a day before he's entranced by the lovely April (Meagan Good).Working as a gardener to pay the bills, DJ doesn't fit in with the wealthier students around campus, but one thing does catch his attention - the rival fraternity competition known as - stepping. With April's help, DJ learns about the legacy and heritage behind the fraternities and decides to join up. Now part of an official step group, DJ must balance rehearsals, work, and school, while at the same time winning the heart of the girl of his dreams. With the National Step Championship drawing closer, DJ must learn to stop dancing as an individual, and start stepping as a team.

Sony continues to im press with recently bumped-up support for supplemental features on their Blu-ray releases. Though 'Stomp the Yard' doesn't boast the most extensive package of extras ever seen on a next-gen disc, it does replicate what's found on the standard-def DVD release of the film, so at least f ans won't miss out on anything.


9. Open Season (Blu-ray)

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 2006 / 99 Minutes / Rated PG

Overall Grade Great family movie! Relaxing colors.
Audio & HD Video Quality Fantastic graphics!

• Plot Outline Boog, a domesticated 900lb. Grizzly bear finds himself stranded in the woods 3 days before Open Season. Forced to rely on Elliot, a fast-talking mule deer, the two form an unlikely friendship and must quickly rally other forest animals if they are to form a rag-tag army against the hunters.
• Plot Synopsis: A happily domesticated grizzly bear named Boog, has his perfect world turned upside down after he meets Elliot, a scrawny, fast-talking one-horned wild mule deer. They both end up stranded together in the woods during hunting season and it's up to the duo to rally all the other forest animals and turn the tables on the hunters.

Product Description
In Sony Pictures Animation's first feature film, the animated action adventure comedy Open Season, the odd are about to get even. Boog (Martin Lawrence), a domesticated grizzly bear with no survival skills, has his perfect world turned upside down when he meets Elliot (Ashton Kutcher) a scrawny, fast-talking mule deer. When Elliot convinces Boog to leave his cushy home in a park ranger's garage to try a taste of the great outdoors, things quickly spiral out of control. Relocated to the forest with open season only three days away, Boog and Elliot must acclimate in a hurry. They must join forces to unite the woodland creatures and take the forest back!.


10. Ultraviolet (Blu-ray)

Sony Home Entertainment / 2006 / 87 Minutes / Rated PG-13

Overall Grade Totally sucks!
Audio & HD Video Quality Nice High Definition!
Buy it if you like Bang! Bang! Boom! Kinda movie...






Plot Outline A beaut iful hemophage infected with a virus that gives her superhuman powers has to pr otect a boy in a futuristic world, who is thought to be carrying antigens that would destr oy all hemophages.
Plot Synopsis: Human society has been decimated by a holocaust caused by biological warfare research gone wrong: instead of creating super-soldiers, a genetically-engineered virus turns infected humans into Hemophages, a vampire-like sub-species with enhanced physical abilities. In the infection-paranoid and technologically advanced society that follows, Violet is a singular Hemophage warrior battling the totalitarian dictator who is determined to wipe out her species at any cost.
Product Description
Milla Jovovich (" Resident Ev il," "The Fifth Element"), Cameron Bright ("X-Men 3"), Nick Chinlund ("The Legend Of Zorro") and William Fichtner ("The Longest Yard") star in this theatrical set in the late 21st century, a subculture of humans have emerged who havebeen modified genetically by a vampire-like disease (Hemophagia), giving them enhanced speed, incredible stamina and acute intelligence, and as they are set apart from "normal" and "healthy" humans, the world is pushed to the brink of worldwide civil war (a war between humans and hemophages) aimed at the destruction of the "diseased" population. In the middle of this crossed-fire is - an infected woman - "Ultraviolet," who finds herself protecting a nine-year-old boy who h as been marked for death by the human government as he is believed to being threat to humans.


11. Underworld: Evolution (Blu-ray)

Sony / 2006 / 106 Minutes / Rated R

Overall Grade Superb performance! Really kick ass!
Audio & HD Video Quality Good collection.
'Underworl d: Evolution' offers a good example of what
Blu-ray is capable of. Awesome.





Product Description
Kate Beckinsale is back as vampire heroine Selene in the highly anticipated sequel to "Underworld." "Underworld Evolution" continues the saga of war between the aristocratic Death Dealers and the barbaric Lycans(werewolves). The film traces the beginnings of the ancient feud between the two tribes as Sel ene (Kate Beckinsale), the vampire heroine, and her love Michael (Scott Speedman), the lycan hybrid, try to unlock the secrets of their bloodlines. The tale of action, intrigue and forbidden love takes them into the battle to end all wars as the immortals must finally face their retribution.

• Disc Features:
  • Available Subtitles: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese
  • Available Audio Tracks: English (PCM), French (PCM)
  • Original Featurette: Bloodlines: From Script To Screen
  • • Original Featurette: The Hybrid Theory
  • • Original Featurette: Making Monsters Roar
  • • Original Featurette: The War Rages On
  • • Original Featurette: Building a Saga
  • • Original Featurette: Music and Mayhem
  • • Music Video: "Her Portrait in Black" by Atreyu
  • • Director's Commentary

12. Hollow Man (Director's Cut) (Blu-ray)

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 2000 / 118 Minutes / Rated R
Overall Grade Kevin Bacon delivers his best! Very good disc.
Audio & HD Video Quality A stunning & superb special effects. Mind blowing invisibility that been presented in high definition indeed.







Product Description
In Paul Varhoeven's appropriately shallow Hollow Man, Kevin Bacon plays a bad-boy egotistical scientist who heads up a double-secret government team experimenting with turning life-forms invisible. How do we know he's a bad boy? Because he (a) wears a leather overcoat , (b) compares himself to God, (c) drives a sports car, and (d) spies on his comely next-door neighbor while eating Twinkies. Sadly, this is the most character development anyone gets in this undernourished action/sci-fi thriller, which boasts some amazing special effects and some amazingly ridiculous plot twists. After experimenting rather ruthlessly on a menagerie of lab animals, Bacon finally cracks the code that will turn the invisible gorillas, dogs, and so on, back into their visible forms. Does it work on humans? Faster than you can say "six degrees," Mr. Bacon appoints himself human guinea pig, strapping down for an injection of fluorescent-colored serum . Thanks to some phenomenal, seamless and Oscar-worthy computer effects, Bacon is indeed rendered invisible, organ by organ, vein by vein. And what's the first thing you'd do if you were invisible? Why, spy on your female coworkers in the bathroom and molest your comely next-door neighbor, of course! S oon, Bacon is thoroughly psychotic, and it's up to Elisabeth Shue (Bacon's coworker and ex-girlfriend) and hunky Josh Brolin (her current snuggle bunny) to defeat the invisible man, who's picking off the science team one by one. You'd think this would be a prime opportunity for copious amounts of cheesy sex and aggress ive violence--which Varhoeven served up so well and so exuberantly in Starship Troopers and Basic Instinct--but if anything, the director seems to tone down the proceedings, and really, who wants a muted Paul Verhoeven movie? Shue (who got top billing and a bad haircut to boot) and Brolin (who, yes, does take off his shirt at least once) generate little heat, and while Bacon does give an effective, primarily voice-oriented performance, his character is so underdeveloped that, well, you can see right through him. --Mark Englehart

13. Little Man (Blu-ray)

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 2006 / 90 Minutes / Rated R

Overall Grade Adult humour, kinda silly but entertaining.
Audio & HD Video Quality White Chick fans, don't miss it!







Product Description
Hired to steal the fabulous Queen Diamond, pint-sized jewel thief Calvin Sims (Marlon Wayans) and his dimwitted partner Percy (Tracy Morgan) stash the stone in Vanessa Edwards' (Kerry Washington, Ray) handbag when their getaway plans go uproariously awry. Discovering Vanessa's husband, Darryl (Shawn Wayans), who's hopelessly obsessed with becoming a father, Calvin trades in his duds for diapers and poses as an abandoned baby. Suffering through a host of hysterical humiliations and outrageous family outings, Calvin desperately tries to retrieve the gem before his cover is blown, and Darryl and Vanessa really cut him down to size. Directed by Kennon Ivory Wayans (White Chicks).

14. Into the Blue (Blu-ray)

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 2005

/ 110 Minutes / Rated PG-13

Overall Grade Fantastic plot with a twist
Audio & HD Video Quality Jessica Alba's sexy figure.
Watch her ass & curves in HD, I tell you...don't miss this opportunity.




Product Description
Red-hot action superstars Paul Walker and Jessica Alba heat up the screen as two sexy young divers who dream of finding hidde n treasure. When they take some friends (Scott Caan and Ashley Scott) on an extreme sport adventure, the last thing they expect to see below the shark-infested waters is alegendary pirate ship rumored to contain millions of dollars in gold. But their incredible go od fortune is short-lived, as a ruthless gang of deadly criminals gets word of what they have uncovered. The discovery of a lifetimecould just cost the treasure hunters their lives,in the exciting new thriller from the director of Blue Crush.

15. Secret Window (Blu-ray)

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 2004 / 96 Minutes / Rated PG-13

Overall Grade Stephen King's plot, Hitchhokian mind gripping thriller. The other side of Johnny Depp revealed.
Audio & HD Video Quality Suspenseful! Great Blu-ray spect.






Product Description

Johnny Depp gets high off another acting challenge in this tricky adaptation of a Stephen King yarn. Although the mood is too sinister to allow for the mischief of his Edward Scissorhands turn, Depp still manages to embroider his role here with plenty of quirky business. He plays a writer, depressed and nearly divorced, who's stuck in an isolated cabin (shades of The Shining) when a stranger (John Turturro) arrives, accusing him of plagiarism. Writer-director David Koepp (Stir of Echoes) does his best to make the rickety material compelling--he gets the maximum out of the cabin set, for instance--but the problems inherent in the King story eventually win out. The climactic scenes are particularly unpleasant, especially in contrast to the cleverness of Depp's performance.

Disc Supplements

Kicking off with a mediocre director's commentary, the supplemental package here leaves a lot to be desired. Director David Koepp spends a lot of time talking about the history of film in general, but very little about the history of this particular film. I personally was disappointed that he seemed more interested in discussing his on-screen, symbolic "brilliance" instead of the tonal differences between his film and the Stephen King story upon which it was based. Overall, his dry comments tend to drift into the realm of the technical and I had a rough time staying interested in this track.

Four Deleted Scenes also make an appearance (two come with accompanying commentary to explain their exclusion), but none add any interesting beats to the film. "From Book to Film" is a short featurette that includes interviews with Koepp about his motivations and adaptation of Kings "Secret Window" novella. As a King fan, I was happy to see this aspect of the film covered on the disc. "A Look Through It" and "Secrets Revealed" are two featurettes that cover the filming of 'Secret Window,' but each felt too short and promotional to present much of a thoughtful examination of the flick. At least Koepp brings some high energy to his interviews in these featurettes -- a similar approach would have really benefited his commentary track.

Finally, 'Secret Window' includes three animated storyboards that don't reveal anything I haven't seen on other releases with similar videos. SFX hounds will enjoy watching the creation of the CG elements, but I wasn't impressed enough by the end product to be terribly interested in seeing how it was done.

16. Identity (Blu-ray)

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 2004 / 90 Minutes / Rated R

Overall Grade Intense horror flick! Recommended.
Audio & HD Video Quality Suspense! A high-gloss slasher flick. Watching in HD is so tremendous.






Product Description
What if every choice we ever make was already made for us? What if there really were no coincidences in life and our destinies were already predetermined? Ten strangers with secrets are brought together in a savage rainstorm: A limo driver (John Cusack), an '80s TV star (Rebecca DeMornay), a cop (Ray Liotta) who is transporting a killer (Jake Buse y), a call girl (Amanda Peet), a pair of newlyweds(Clea DuVall and William Lee Scott) and a family in crisis (John C. McGinley, Leila Kenzle, Bret Loehr), all take shelter at a desolate motel run by a nervous night manager (John Hawkes). Relief in finding shelter is quickly replaced with fear as the ten travelers begin to die, one by one. They soon realize that, if they are to survive, they'll have to uncover the s ecret that has brought them altogether..

Sony ports over the complete suite of extras that graced the standard-def DVD release to the Blu-ray, thanks to a nice and spacious BD-50 dual-layer disc. It's a nice package of supplements that holds up well.

Director James Mangold kicks things off with a screen-specific audio commentary. He gives smart (if somewhat dry) commentary, and I certainly admire his respect for the genre. However, I'm not sure that I agree with him on the depth that he ascribes to his characters, most of whom never transcended the archetypal to my eyes. Genuine production stories are also pretty rare (aside from a bit of info on the creation of the main motel location), as Mangold concentrates largely on balancing the complex plotting of the story, and how he attempted to ensure that the "twist" ending paid off.

The 13-minute ""Starz: On the Set" featurete (4:3 full screen 480i video only) is total fluff. Despite actually being interviewed on the set, none of the cast or crew really have much of interest to say about the film. Only plot recaps, how great everyone was to work with, how cool the movie is gonna be, blah blah blah. Entirely skippable.

Better are four Deleted Scenes, which get the full 1080p/MPEG-2 treatment. Mangold offers optional commentary, and his reasoning for cutting all of the sequences is familiar -- all are character moments that slowed the movie down. However, I liked all four scenes, and personally, I like more development in movies like this, even if the pace gets somewhat slowed. So fans should definitely give these a watch.

The last extra is a collection of three Storyboard Comparisons: "Lou's Demise," "George's Death" and "Rhodes' Backstory." Each sequence is presented with the original storyboard and dialogue on top, and the finished sequence on the bottom. Also a nice plus is that like the Deleted Scenes, these are also presented in 1080p/MPEG-2 video.

17. The Patriot (Extended Cut) (Blu-ray)

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 2000 / 165 Minutes / Unrated

Overall Grade Great movie in great definition.
Audio & HD Video Quality Compulsory collection.






Product Description
In 1776 South Carolina, widower and legendary war hero Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson) finds himself thrust into the midst of the American Revolutionary War as he helplessly watches his family torn apart by the savage forces of the British Redcoats. Unable to remain silent, he recruits a band of reluctant volunteers, including his idealistic patriot son, Gabriel (Heath Ledger), to take up arms against the British. Fighting to protect his family's freedom and his country's independence, Martin discovers the pain of betrayal, the redemption of revenge and the passion of love.

'The Patriot' is a good movie that boasts exceptional performances from Mel Gibson and Jason Isaacs, but every time I want to love the film, it throws in a bout of melodrama or a cringe-worthy exchange between supporting actors that keep me from completely immersing myself in the story. Fans will be ecstatic to see how great the film looks and sounds -- the video transfer is almost perfect and the uncompressed sound track is spectacular.

18. A Knight's Tale (Blu-ray)

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 2001 / 132 Minutes / Rated PG-13

Overall Grade Creative movie. Modern blend.
Audio & HD Video Quality Terrific soundtrack, great movie.







There's no rule against rock anthems from the 1970s in the soundtrack for a movie about a medieval jousting champion, but if you're going to attempt such jarring anachronisms, you'd better establish acceptable ground rules. Writer-director Brian Helgeland does precisely that in A Knight's Tale and pulls off this trick with such giddy aplomb that y ou can't help but play along. (Upon witnessing a crowd of peasants at a jousting match, singing and clapping to the beat of Queen's "We Will Rock You," you're either going to love this movie or dismiss it altogether.) Other vintage rock hits will follow, but Helgeland--the Oscar®-winning cowriter of L.A. Confidential--handles this ploy with judicious goodwill, in what is an otherwise honest period piece about a peasant named William (Heath Ledger) who rises b y grit and determination to the hallowed status of knighthood. As if the soundtrack weren't audacious enough, Helgeland (recovering from the sour experience of his directorial debut, Payback) casts none other than Geoffrey Chaucer (wonderfully played by Paul Bettany) as William's cohort and match announcer, along with William's pals Roland (Mark Addy) and Wat (Alan Tudyk), and feisty blacksmith Kate (Laura Fraser). Of course there must be a fair maiden, and she is Jocelyn (newcomer Shannyn Sossamon), with whom William falls in love while battling the nefarious Count Adhemar (Rufus Sewell) on the European jousting circuit. Add to this an i nspiring father-son reunion, Ledger's undeniable charisma, a perfect supporting cast, and enough joyful energy to rejuvenate the film's formulaic plot, and A Knight's Tale-- Amazon.com

19. Click (Blu-ray)

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 2006 / 107 Minutes / Rated PG-13

Overall Grade Worth the collection.
Audio & HD Video Quality Amazing effects.







Click is a high-concept, low-brow variation on It's a Wonderful Life that will have Adam Sandler fans laughing even as it leaves Frank Capra spinning in his grave. In their third collaboration (after The Wedding Singer and The Waterboy, Sandler and director Frank Coraci aim at the lowest comm on denominator and consistently hit their target, from scary casting (David Hasselhoff as Sandler's shallow, sexi st boss; Sean Astin in a tight red Speedo) to a rancid menu of fart jokes, fat jokes, oversexed dogs, and other attem pts at humor that rarely rise above the level of grade-school pranks. Sandler's "family comes first" sentiment somehow manages to survive the onslaught of rude, crude attitude that Sandler brings to his role as Michael Newman, a workaholic architect who learns the hard way that, well, family comes first. This happens after Newman gets a magical remote control from Morty (Christopher Walken, the film's one and only highlight), an eccentric oddball in the "Beyond" section of a Bed, Bath & Beyond store who's a devilish version of Wonderful Life's benevolent guardian angel. But Sandler's no James Stewart as he uses his techno-marvel (complete with a DVD-like "life menu") to fast-forward through his life's most unpleasant moments, only to realize that he's been missing lots of good stuff, too. With Kate Beckinsale as Newman's neg lected wife, impressive older-age make-ups by Rick Baker and a lot of digital wizardry to beef up the humor, Click won't disappoint Sandler's established fan base, and its $40 million opening weekend offered ample proof that Sandler's box-office clout remains remarkably consistent.

Product Description

A harried workaholic, Michael Newman (Adam Sandler) doesn't have time for his wife (Kate Beckinsale) and children, not if he's to impress his ungrateful boss and earn a well-deserved promotion. So when he meets Morty (Christopher Walken), a loopy sales clerk, he gets him to bypass life's little distractions with increasingly hysterical results. But as Michael gleefully mutes, skips and scans past his family and friends, the remote gradually takes over his life and begins to program him, in this fast, funny and out-of-control comedy adventure.

20. 50 First Dates (Blu-ray)

Sony / 2004 / 99 Minutes / Rated PG-13

Overall Grade Adam Sandler's did it again!
Audio & HD Video Quality Adam Sandler's die hard fans must get it. Reminder: Tremendous transfer. Watch the beauty of Drew Barrymore in Blu-ray is absolutely fantastic





Product Description
See if Adam Sandler can make Drew Barrymore fall for him over and over again in unprecedented high-definition quality with the Blu-ray Disc version of 50 First Dates. Blu-ray Disc provides picture quality beyond anything else available, with full capability 1080p/24 resolution in Blu-ray and up to 40Mbps bit encoding -- 5x current DVD.

21. The Fifth Element (Remastered) (Blu-ray)

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 1997 / 126Minutes

Overall Grade A must have for Blu-ray starters.
Audio & HD Video Quality Wow! Totally awesome.







Product Description
New York cab driver Korben Dallas didn't mean to be a hero. But he just picked up the kind of fare that only comes along every five thousand years a perfect beauty, a perfect being, a perfect weapon. Now, together, they must save the world. Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, and Gary Oldman star in acclaimed director Luc Besson's outrageous sci-fi adventure, an extravagantly styled tale of good against evil set in an unbelievable twenty-third century world.

Sony's upgrade of the 'The Fifth Element' on Blu-ray apparently does not extend to the supplements. Although the film has enjoyed numerous releases on standard-def DVD, including an "Ultimate Edition" that boasted a number of featurettes, trailers, and other never-before-seen materials, all of that is all gone from this new Blu-ray edition.

Instead, as was the case with the prev ious Blu -ray edition, all we get is a regurgitated Subtitle Fact Track. As is usual with these types of features, this one's a compendium of mostly frivolous trivia, including production notes and cast bios, plus other random tidbits

22. Warriors of Heaven and Earth (Blu-ray)

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 2003 / 120 Minutes / Rated R

Overall Grade Great historic choreography!
Audio & HD Video Quality Magnificent scene of Gobi Dessert & China. Spectacular action flick. Clash of the titans between east and west.






Product Description
In the tradition of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Warriors of Heaven & Earth weaves a thread of battle, comradeship and honor. Set in the ferocious Gobi Desert, the story follows Lieutenant Li (Jiang Wen) and Japanese emissary Lai Xi (Nakai Kiichi, both firs-class warriors and master swordsmen. After decades of service to the Chinese Emperor, Lai Xi longs to return to Japan, but is instead sent to the west to chase wanted criminals. His only passport back to Japan is to capture and execute Lieutenant Li, a renegade soldier wanted for leading a violent mutiny when he refused orders to kill female and child prisoners. Li and Lai Xi battle, but finally agree to delay their final personal fight until the caravan carrying a Buddhist monk is brought to safety. T he monk, however, is carrying a sacred and powerful pagoda that attracts the attention of the region's ruthless overlord, Master An (Wang Xuengi). Lai Xi and Lt. Li, accompanied by Li's former posse of soldiers, who have forsaken their peaceful new lives to return to his side, must face the cruelty of the desert, the region's barbaric bandits and the brutality of the overlord's menbefore they can finally face one another.

23. xXx (Blu-ray)

Sony / 2002 / 133 Minutes / Rated PG-13

Overall Grade Ermm just okoklah. Kind of B-Grade movie, but the main thing is people like Vin Diesel.
Audio & HD Video Quality Nicely restored.

• Plot Outline Xander Cage is an extreme sports athelete recruited by the government on a special mission.
• Plot Synopsis: Vin Diesel plays Xander Cage. He's your standard adrenaline junkie with no fear and a lousy attitude. When the US Government "recruits" him to go on a mission, he's not exactly thrilled. His mission: to gather information on an organization that may just be planning the destruction of the world, led by the nihilistic Yorgi.

Vin Diesel is no James Bond, and he doesn't want to be. That's why XXX announced Diesel as the adrenalin-junkie Bond of the PlayStation generation, copying the Bond formula so shamelessly that this action-packed silliness would be a Bond movie if it starred Pierce Brosnan. Reuniting Diesel with his Fast and the Furious director Rob Cohen, XXX has an attitude (if not a brain) all its own, plucking Diesel's Xander Cage from his celebrity as an extreme sports renegade, recruited by a National Security Agency big shot (Samuel L. Jackson) to foil a nasty Czech villain (Marton Csokas) who's eager to depopulate Prague with remote-controlled biological weaponry. Toss in a sulky, sultry Russian agent (Asia Argento) and you've got extreme Bond-age for anyone who thinks tuxedos are passé. With a handful of eye-popping action sequences, XXX-- Amazon.com


24. Black Hawk Down (Blu-ray)

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 2002 / 144 Minutes / Rated R

Overall Grade A must have war movie collection! Intense, from start to finish!
Audio & HD Video Quality Experience the real war. Wanna have the feeling to shoot and being shot 'live'? Get this great damn disc.

• Plot Outline 123 elite U.S. soldiers drop into Somalia to capture two top lieutenants of a renegade warlord and find themselves in a desperate battle with a large force of heavily-armed Somalis.
• Plot Synopsis: Action/war drama based on the best-selling book detailing a near-disastrous mission in Somalia on October 3, 1993 where nearly 100 U.S. Army Rangers, commanded by Capt. Mike Steele, were dropped by helicopter deep into the capital city of Mogadishu to capture two top lieutenants of a Somali warlord which lead to a large and drawn-out firefight between the Rangers and hundreds of Somali gunmen which led to the destruction of two U.S. Black Hawk helicopters in Mogadishu, and the heroic efforts by various Rangers to get to them, centering on Sgt. Eversmann, commanding one Ranger unit named Chalk Four, leading Rangers to the first black hawk crash site, to Warrant Officer Durant who was only survivor of the second black hawk crash site and whom was captured, to Col. McKnight who leads a rescue convoy for the Rangers only to get lost within the hostile city, to Sgt. Sanderson desperately trying to get to the first crash site, to Staff Sgt. Yurek who leads two fellow Rangers, Nelson and Twombly to meet with up their squad, Chalk Four, at the first crash site, to many others involved who where either killed or survived.

Product Description
From acclaimed director Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Hannibal) and renowned producer Jerry Bruckheimer (Pearl Harbor, Armageddon) comes a gripping true story about bravery, camaradarie and the complex reality of war. Black Hawk Down stars an exceptional cast including Josh Hartnett (Pearl Harbor), Ewan McGregor (Moulin Rouge!), Tom Sizemore (Saving Private Ryan), Eric Bana (Chopper), William Fichtner (The Perfect Storm), Ewen Bremner (Snatch) and Sam Shepard (All The Pretty Horses). In 1993, an elite group of American Rangers and Delta Force soldiers are sent to Somalia on a critical mission to capture a violent warlord whose corrupt regime has lead to the starvation of hundreds of thousands of Somalis. When the mission goes terribly wrong, the men find themselves outnumbered and literally fighting for their lives.


25. Tears of the Sun (Blu-ray)

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 2003 / 121 Minutes / Rated R

Overall Grade Great film. Bruce Willis at his best.
Audio & HD Video Quality Great spec for a Blu-ray disc.






Product Description
A rousing celebration of American military expertise, but one pricked by conscience. The stoical Lieutenant A. K. Waters (Bruce Willis) leads a crack unit of Navy SEALs into a civil conflict in Nigeria between Muslims an d Christians. Their mission is to rescue an Italian-born American citizen (Monica Bellucci), a doctor operating a Catholic missionary hospital. Appalled by the atrocities committed against defenseless people, the unit winds up staying on the ground to protect the patients. Bellucci, a flaming dark beauty with snapping eyes and a sumptuous décolletage, runs through the bush with her shirt partly open. Because of such absurdities, and the general atmosphere of American noblesse oblige, skeptics have dismissed the movie as an embarrassing crock-another contrived occasion for U.S. soldiers to demonstrate their nobility while fighting and killing a great many nasty-looking Africans. Baldly stated, this is true, but the movie, directed by Antoine Fuqua, has been made with ravishing skill. The cinematographer, Mauro Fiore, who also worked with the director on "Training Day," does wonders matching the natural light from shot to shot. -David Denby Copyright © 2006


26. S.W.A.T. (Blu-ray)

Sony Home Entertainment / 2003 / 117 Minutes / Rated PG-13

Overall Grade Good action packed movie.
Audio & HD Video Quality Great to watch in HD. Wanna experience cat and mouse chase? This is the good one.






Product Description
Samuel L. Jackson and Colin Farrell swagger through S.W.A.T., a guns-and-big-trucks macho extravaganza based on the 1970s TV show of the same name, about the police teams brought in to take care of extremely dangerous situations. Jackson plays a sergeant brought out of retirement to form a new squ ad, which includes rebellious Farrell (The Recruit) and tough babe Michelle Rodriguez (Girlfight, Blue Crush). After a lot of training and head-butting with a smarmy police captain, the squad gets assigned to transfer the head of a European crime cartel (Olivier Martinez, Unfaithful) who's declared on television that he'll give $100 million to anyone who gets him out. Every scumbag in Los Angeles descends to claim the money, turning a routine transfer into a bullet-filled gauntlet. Despite some gaps in logic and a generic flavor, S.W.A.T. will satisfy most action-movie junkies. Also featuring LL Cool J and Josh Charles.


27. Stealth (Blu-ray)

Sony Home Entertainment / 2005 / 121 Minutes / Rated PG-13

Overall Grade Recommended to blow off your sound system.
Audio & HD Video Quality Very nice!! Experience Blu-ray with this title is totally amazing.

• Plot Outline Deeply ensconced in a top-secret military program, three pilots struggle to bring an artificial intelligence program under control ... before it initiates the next world war.
• Plot Synopsis: In the near future, the Navy develops a fighter jet piloted by an artificial intelligence computer. The jet is placed on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific to learn combat manuevers from the human pilots aboard. But when the computer develops a mind of its own, it's the humans who are charged with stopping it before it incites a war...

Featuring the best special effects that money can buy and a screenplay that any six-year-old could follow, Stealth is a pure action thriller that starts fast and never slows down. Moving up from The Fast and the Furious and xXx, director Rob Cohen proves himself as a master of popcorn entertainment for teenagers, turning this derivative military sci-fi action thriller into a dazzling showcase for impressive aerial action sequences, featuring digital effects and highly detailed model work (by James Cameron's Digital Domain effects company, among others) that are so realistic you could swear the movie's high-tech aircraft are absolutely real. The plot serves the effects (it should be the other way around), and it's a cheesy hybrid of Top Gun, The Right Stuff, Firefox and Behind Enemy Lines, in which a close-knit trio of Naval Air Force aces (Josh Lucas, Jessica Biel, and Jamie Foxx) pilot state-of-the-art "Talon" fighter-bombers, ready to scramble on orders from their not-entirely trustworthy commander (Sam Shepard). They're teamed up with an ultra-high-tech UCAV (Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle) nicknamed "EDI," an artificially intelligent fighter drone that's as erratically dangerous (after its circuitry is damaged by lightning) as it is deadly effec tive. With a standard third-act rescue mission amidst the threat of global warfare, Stealth is brainless entertainment from start to finish, but the aerial action and epic-scale pyrotechnics ensure that it's never, ever boring. Cohen may be guilty of dumbing down his recycled plots for mass appeal, but there's no denying his skills as an action auteur. Move over, Michael Bay, you've got serious competition. -- Amazon.com


28. Kung Fu Hustle (Blu-ray)

Sony Home Entertainment / 2005 / 99 Minutes / Rated R

Overall Grade Highly recommended. A must have.
Audio & HD Video Quality Superb sound & effects. A total buy on this title.






Product Description
Stephen Chow (director and star of Shaolin Soccer) is at it again with his newest action-packed and comedic martial-arts adventure, Kung Fu Hustle. From wildly imaginative kung fu showdowns to dance sequences featuring tuxedoed mobsters, you've never seen action this outrageous and characters this zany! With jaw-dropping fight sequences by Yuen Wo Ping (famed action choreographer of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and The Matrix), Kung Fu Hustle will blow you a way! In a town ruled by the Axe Gang, Sing (Stephen C how) desperately wants to become a member. He stumbles into a slum ruled by eccentric landlords who turn out to be kung fu masters in disguise. Sing's actions eventually cause the Axe Gang and the slumlords to engage in an explosive kung fu battle. Only one side will win and only one hero will emerge as the greatest kung fu master of all.


29. RV (Blu-ray)

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 2006 / 98 Minutes / Rated PG-13

Overall Grade Impressive family movie.

Audio & HD Video Quality Amazing restoration in HD quality.






Product Description
The long tradition of family vacation comedies continues in RV, with Robin Williams doing his best to keep things amusing. He succeeds, for the most part, by downplaying his manic persona and settling comfortably into his role as well-meaning husband and father Bob Munro. Determined t o combine work and pleasure, Bob rents the titular motor hom e to drive his wife (Cheryl Hines), teenage daughter (Joanna "JoJo" Levesque) and pre-teen son (Josh Hutcherson) on a scenic vacation in the Colorado Rockies while secretly preparing his presentation for a high-stakes corporate merger. Their dysfunctional road trip leads to repeated encounters with the all-too-happy Gornicke family (led by Jeff Daniels and Kristin Chenoweth), who only appear RV
to be stupid rednecks, when in fact they represent the familial togetherness that Bob is striving to regain. As directed by comedy veteran Barry Sonnenfeld (whose image as "Irv" the RV rental king is plastered across the side of the Munro's RV), these warm-and-fuzzy sentiments are strictly by-the-numbers, along with plenty of jokes about raw sewage, scavenging raccoons, and RV's run amuck. There aren't any real highlights, and the outcome is utterly predictable, but delivers enough comedy to qualify as an enjoyable diversion.

'RV' is a movie I thought I would hate but ultimately enjoyed, even if only as a Monday afternoon time-waster. No, it ain't a great movie, or even a very good one, but if you're in the right mood it can be rather fun. Sony has produced a solid Blu-ray release for the film, with a generally fine transfer, a nice sound mix and about as fluffy a batch of extras as you'd expect for a film like this. Though I can't really recommend this sight unseen for purchase, it is at least worth a rental for the easily amused ~ HighDefDigest.com


30. All the King's Men (Blu-ray)

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 2006 / 108 Minutes / Rated PG-13

Overall Grade Just DVD also enough.








Product Description
'All the King's Men' is a film that on paper must have seemed like a sure thing. Great material, great cast, a huge budget -- in short, Oscar-bait. But rather than igniting the box office, it made one of the speediest trips to home video in recent memory. This Blu-ray release is fine enough technically, with a very good transfer and soundtrack helping to offset a complete lack of extras. Still, unless you are a diehard fan of the filmmakers or of political movies, the best I can recommend for 'All the King's Men' is a rental.

31. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (Blu-ray)

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 2001/ 106 Minutes / Rated PG-13

Overall Grade Superb graphics! Blu-ray really show some muscle in CGI. Absolutely amazing.
Audio & HD Video Quality Fuiyoo!






Product Description
The year is 2065 AD. The Earth is infested with alien spirits, and mankind faces total extinction. Led by a strange dream and guided by her mentor, Dr. Sid, scientist Aki Ross struggles to collect eight spirits in the hope of creating a force powerful enough to destroy the alien presence and pure enough to protect the planet. With the aid of the Deep Eyes Squadron, Aki must save the Earth from its darkest hate and unleash the final spirit. Final Fantasy is the groundbreaking new CGI film from the creators of the Final Fantasy Video Game Franchise.

32. Monster House (Blu-ray)

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 2006 / 91 Minutes /Rated PG

Overall Grade Good family film.

Audio & HD Video Quality Brilliantly restored

Product Description
Columbia Pictures Monster House (Blu-ray)
Even for a 12-year-old, D.J. Walkers has a particularly overactive imagination. He is convinced that his haggard and crabby neighbor Horace Nebbercracker, who terrorizes all the neighborhood kids, is responsible for Mrs. Nebbercracker's mysterious disappearance. Any toy that touches Nebbercracker's property promptly disappears, swallowed up by the cavernous house in which Horace lives. D.J. has seen it with his own eyes! But no one believes him, not even his best friend Chowder. What everyone does not know is that D.J. is not imagining things. Everything he's seen is absolutely true and it's about to get much worse than anything D.J. could have imagined.

33. Vertical Limit (Blu-ray)

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 2001 / 124 Minutes / Rated PG-13

Overall Grade Action thriller adventure at it's best.
Audio & HD Video Quality Amazing scene and sound as well. If you wanna feel how is the experience climbing a mountain like Everest, this is the perfect one indeed.





Finally, a movie for the REI set! For all those mountain-climbing aficionados who devoured Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air and similar books (as well as the IMAX film Everest), Vertical Limit attempts to translate man-against-the-mountain adventure into compelling, albeit fictional, drama. And while the climbing action is pretty darn breathtaking, somebody forgot to put the brakes on the cliché machine while penning the screenplay. Two siblings (Chris O'Donnell and Robin Tunney) are mentally scarred by a climbing accident in which their father died to save them. She becomes a famous mountain climber (catch that Sports Illustrated cover?); he never climbs again, and becomes a National Geographic photographer. She agrees to accompany a shady billionaire (Bill Paxton) up the icy carapace of K2, the world's second highest mountain; he just happens t o be "in the neighborhood" when she starts. After the requisite argument, she sets out, but an avalanche strands her and the billionaire in some kind of underground cavern, and bad weather forbids a daring rescue. It's up to her determined brother to bring her back, along with a ragtag team of rescuers that includes a French-Canadian babe, two wisecracking Aussies, and a crusty old sage (Scott Glenn) who has a few scores to settle.

It's easy to pick out the rest of the story from here (though you probably didn't count on that faulty nitroglycerine, now did you?), but Vertical Limit is less about the hackneyed plot than it is about putting its characters into increasingly dangerous situations and hanging them precariously over various mountainsides. It's a credit to director Martin Campbell (GoldenEye) that the impressive action keeps the film moving along past the bordering-on-absurd plot twists. O'Donnell tosses his mane of fluffy hair admirably, but it's still disheartening to see this once-promising actor turning into a pretty-boy stand-in; only Glenn manages to overcome his character's predictability. Mountaineering enthusiasts will recognize a cameo by world-renowned climber Ed Viesturs, who as an actor proves that he's... a very good mountain climber. --Mark Englehart, Amazon.com

Product Description
K2, a 28,250-foot mountain in Pakistan's Karakoram Range, is the setting for this adrenaline-pumping action-adventure. It's a race against time when a retired mountain climber (Chris O'Donnell) leadsa rescue mission to save his estranged sister (Robin Tunney) and other members of her team who havebecome trapped on K2 after a deadly avalanche. Martin Campbell, the celebrated director of The Maskof Zorro and GoldenEye, delivers high-voltage action and exhilarating suspense in a film that pits man against his own limitations and the awesome power of nature's uncontrollable elements.

34. The Replacement Killers (Blu-ray)

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 1998 / 96 Minutes / Unrated

Overall Grade Asian cinema with Hollywood blend.
Audio & HD Video Quality An eye popping shooting angle. Nice blowing sound and Blu-ray transfer.






Product Description
International superstar Chow Yun-Fat (John Woo's"Hard-Boiled") makes his Hollywood debut with Oscar(R) winner Mira Sorvino (1995 Best Supporting Actress, "Mighty Aphrodite") in "The Replacement Killers," a fierce and explosive action thriller fromdirector Antoine Fuqua (Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" video). After he betrays Mr. Wei, the ruthless crime boss who hired him to avenge his son's death, professional killer John Lee (Yun-Fat) goes onthe run. Enlisting the aid of beautiful document forger Meg Coburn (Sorvino), Lee attempts to return to his family in China before they are victimized by his betrayal. But Wei's army of "replacement killers" is hot on his trail, and now both he and Meg are targets of their impressive firepower. With both sides fully armed and determined to fight to the death, an ultra-violent shootout breaks out when they finally face off against each other.