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An affable teen comedy comes to Blu-ray.

Tonight is our independence night.

What happens when you take hundreds of school-weary graduating seniors, all with varied
backgrounds, big ideas, tall tales, regrets, and desires, and throw them into one house the night
of
graduation? You find the biggest party of the year! Can’t Hardly Wait is an
amalgamation of all things teenager, with every social class within your typical 1990s-era high
school represented. From the jocks to the nerds and everyone in be…

Video

Can’t Hardly Wait features a decent, but not great, 1080p, 1.85:1-framed transfer.
Viewers will be treated to a fairly standard high definition image, one that, at this point in the game,
won’t wow anyone who has seen several Blu-ray discs in action, but it won’t disappoint fans of the
film or the format either. The picture is somewhat dim and not very vibrant. Still, colors are fine,
flesh tones are good, detail is generally solid, and black levels are acceptable. There are a…

Audio

Can’t Hardly Wait parties on Blu-ray with a quality Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack.
The film’s opening sequence over the graduation ceremony features some voices emanating from
every speaker, and it sounds somewhat gimmicky and forced. The popular music sounds fine, and
the hip-hop songs come to us with the appropriate lows that work the subwoofer more than one
might expect from a comedy soundtrack. In fact, popular music plays a pivotal role throughout the
film and eac…

Supplements

Can’t Hardly Wait rounds out its curriculum vitae thanks to its participation in several
extracurricular activities. Two commentary tracks are available, one being the “original” track
featuring co-writers/co-directors Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan, producer Jenno Topping, and
actor Seth Green. The track is fast-paced and fun, combining a recounting of stories from the
set,
technical details of the shoot, the music of the film, cuts and edits made in the film to earn the
d…

Final Words

Can’t Hardly Wait graduates with honors. It’s a fairly good teenage party movie with
characters that fall into stereotype, but the actors play them with a genuine spirit that makes the
movie not just tolerable, but mostly likable. The film hits all of the expected clichés, too, including
broken hearts, broken and mended relationships, teenage hormones, popularity, revenge, and
plenty of laughs that hold the film together in between the more serious, dramatic moments. The
film……

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Warner Home Video has announced that they will bring the summer blockbuster hit ‘The Dark Knight’ to Blu-ray on December 9th, day-and-date with the DVD release. This two-disc special edition will be Warner’s first BD-Live Blu-ray title, as well as come with a digital copy of the film. Video will be presented as 1080p VC-1 accompanied by a 5.1 Dolby TrueHD soundtrack….

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One of DreamWorks Animation’s best films finally arrives in high def glory

DreamWorks Animation has built a rather crass reputation for itself in the ten years that it has been releasing feature films to the public at large. Beginning with the hand-drawn Prince of Egypt, a film unabashedly aimed at the Abrahamic crowd, DreamWorks has since proven it has no scruples in doing whatever it takes to play with the big dogs in the United States’ animation market. Quickly dropping hand-drawn films to follow the “winning trend” of computer-generated animation, the stud…

Video

Encoded in AVC and averaging about 30 Mbps, Madagascar looks simply stellar. So many fine details of fur, skin, and leaf texture, muddled in standard definition, come alive on Blu-ray. It shows all the smallest touches the animators labored to put in - even the sparse little “mustache” of hairs on Gloria’s upper lip. Comparing shots between the two formats reveal an even greater amount of picture present; the DVD was slightly and inexplicably windowboxed, while the Blu-ray has filled i…

Audio

Boasting an impressive array of options, Madagascar comes to Blu-ray with an English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track, as well as Spanish, Portuguese, and French Dolby Digital 5.1 options. The lossless TrueHD audio is quite impressive, especially given the good handful of scenes throughout with real action or musical performance of some sort. The overplayed, yet still somehow entertaining, lemur rendition of “I Like To Move It” is especially good with high definition picture and sound. Di…

Supplements

As would be expected, most of the extra features on Madagascar are kid-oriented, or have too much of a “press kit” feel to them with the chipper content, but there is still a good amount of material to be had here for all ages. Most significant of which is the Audio Commentary with the film’s two directors, Tom McGrath and Eric Darnell. They are an obviously enthusiastic pair who love their work in animation, and talk about the differences between Madagascar and other Drea…

Final Words

A light animated feature that relievedly breaks the trend of DreamWorks’ standard humor, which often has a short shelf life and is generally rather crude. The voicework isn’t stilted, the story is well-executed, and the character design is inspired. The attention to detail is utterly awesome, resulting in a film that is not only entertaining, but fun to simply study for its surreal beauty and vivid colors. And never has Madagascar looked better than its current release on Blu-ray. Fea……

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Fox Home Entertainment has announced that they will bring the 1951 classic film ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’ to Blu-ray as a Special Edition on December 2nd, day-and-date with the DVD release. Coming on a BD-25, video will be presented in 1.33:1 1080p AVC accompanied a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack….

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Gary Hustwit’s Helvetica (2007) is undoubtedly one of the most unique films to enter the Blu-ray market thus far. Informative, well researched, and expertly produced this terrific documentary should encourage other distribs to follow Magnolia Pictures in their admirable efforts to popularize non-mainstream cinema amongst mainstream audiences.

A documentary about the history of typography on Blu-ray probably isn’t what many expected to see this early into the format’s life cycle…

Video

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-2, and granted a 1080p transfer Helvetica arrives on Blu-ray via Magnolia Pictures. The presentation is solid. Shot with an HD camera the film reveals a well balanced look where sharpness, detail, and clarity are all well maintained. There are numerous interviews here with specific examples revealing the technical characteristics of Helvetica. During such detail is particularly impressive allowing the viewer to see a great deal of …

Audio

Helvetica arrives on Blu-ray with an English DD 2.0 track. As this is primarily a dialog-driven feature the inclusion of the above mentioned track should not surprise anyone. The documentary does not offer any elaborate sound effects and obviously the English DD 2.0 track compliments the basic dialog perfectly well. This being said, everything appears to be handled perfectly by thy producers of Helvetica as I did not detect any pop-ups, cracks, or hissings. Finally, I certainly und…

Supplements

The high-definition release of Helvetica offers the same supplemental materials found on the SDVD. There is a massive collage of interviews here addressing in depth a lot of the issues the main feature focuses on. Certainly a lot of these commentaries add substantially more to what different parties have already stated in the documentary while at the same time adding a bit more to a few selected sub-topics as well (consumerism, contemporary advertising, mass perception, etc). Indeed, all …

Final Words

A terrific low-budget documentary has found its way to Blu-ray and those of us who look for variety in a sea of commercial releases are certainly pleased to see the direction Magnolia Pictures have decided to explore with their presentation of Helvetica. I found this film to be incredibly well-done and informative. Its subject matter is unusual but treated with a deserving amount of attention I believe casual viewers will appreciate. The actual presentation is solid and without any issues……

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Today marks the Blu-ray releases of what are generally accepted as two of the best films ever made: ‘The Godfather’ and ‘The Godfather Part II’. Released as part of ‘The Godfather Collection: The Coppola Restoration’ Blu-ray box set, these films represent the pinnacle of American cinema and a product of historical significance. Of course, you probably knew that already….

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John Carpenter’s horror masterpiece is a disc worth absorbing into your collection.

Trust is a tough thing to come by these days.

John Carpenter’s The Thing is a seminal piece of horror that is not only a fine
specimen of its era, but it also serves as a shining example of horror done absolutely right in
any era. Combining gross-out special effects reminiscent of Hellraiser, the nail-bitingly
intense, claustrophobic filmmaking of Alien, offering a story that is very
well-paced, such as George A. Romero’s <a
href=”http://w…

Video

The Thing infests Blu-ray with a fine-looking 1080p, 2.35:1-framed transfer. Obviously,
The Thing has never looked better on home video than it does here. The film’s open,
featuring a background of white arctic snow contrasted against a bright daytime sky, is pure in its
presentation and a pleasure to behold, particularly for those who have seen the film countless
times before. Still, there is some noticeable noise against some of the brightest backdrops that
may bothe…

Audio

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and I would imagine the film’s title creature
would
agree. In this case, however, Universal’s lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack is not simply a lossy
imitation — it’s the full thing, The Thing exactly as it was meant to be heard. Whether
he
writes the music or not, Carpenter’s films always feature standout music, and The Thing
is
certainly no exception. As expected, it’s never sounded fuller and more robust tha…

Supplements

The one area where this disc is sorely lacking is here, the supplemental section. Fortunately, the
disc offers two solid extras, the first being a wonderful commentary featuring director John
Carpenter and actor Kurt Russell. Carpenter’s recounting of the filmmaking process and the
experiences he and the cast and crew shared while shooting the film is impressive. Russell plays
second fiddle to the director, but his contributions are nevertheless insightful and interesting.
Anytime …

Final Words

The Thing is a fine example of horror cinema, one that not only manages to offer audiences
a barrage of gruesome imagery, but one that also maintains a smart plot and a quick pace while
indulging in plenty of psychological terror along the way. Expertly crafted, well acted, and a
pleasure to watch, The Thing is not for all audiences, but for those capable of withstanding
a
series of bloody and oftentimes shocking special effects, the film offers a rich horror experience,……

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Universal Studios Home Entertainment has revealed the complete specs for the upcoming Blu-ray release of ‘Hellboy II: The Golden Army’, which is due to hit store shelves on November 18th, day-and-date with the DVD release. The two-disc set will feature 1.85:1 1080p video accompanied by a 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack….

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This botched effort at romantic comedy only comes off as hollow and offensive.

As of this writing, a recent news story revealed that Universal Studios turned down Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson’s requested $130 million budget for their film adaptation of the popular Tintin comic series. It was a harsh example of the financial concerns of major Hollywood studios in crumbling economic time; it shows that even names with a generous amount of clout behind them, like Spielberg and Jackson, are not immune to the almighty dollar.

I mention this because all …

Video

It’s always a surreal experience when, thanks to Blu-ray, one is able to see that even the most rotten of films looks damn good on the screen. Yes, no matter how atrocious the script may be, mainstream films are usually treated to high production values on a technical level. Made of Honor is encoded in AVC and averages about 30 Mbps, making for a crystal clear presentation and an all-around fine picture. Contrast is quite good, and a fine level of film grain is always present. Black l…

Audio

Sony has a habit of giving their major Blu-ray releases a plethora of language tracks to choose from, and Made of Honor is no exception. Supplied with a lossless Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track in English, Portuguese and French, the film also sports both Spanish and Thai tracks in Dolby Digital 5.1. The TrueHD English track is clear and unsullied, and the dialogue-heavy film is never difficult to decipher. Being light in tone, the film obviously doesn’t give the ol’ speakers a workout, but the …

Supplements

Made of Honor comes with a handful of extra features, none too extensive aside from the standard Audio Commentary with director Paul Weiland. It’s entertaining to listen to the British filmmaker drawl on about the film as if it’s such a legitimate piece of cinema - otherwise it’s really the typical “this is what we tried to achieve in this shot, and this is what we changed from the original script, etc.” It’s standard fare, though it would certainly have been far more entertainin…

Final Words

My lasting impression of Made of Honor is one of stupefied awe; how does a film so obviously bad get produced in the first place? How do projects like these receive financing, when a whole library full of well-written premises and imaginative takes on well-known plot devices stagnate on a shelf, or in the minds of would-be creators? In any case, here we are, and the resulting film can only be judged on its merits. Despite its good picture and audio quality, Made of Honor ……

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In an early announcement to retailers, Shout Factory has revealed that they will bring the ‘2008 World Series’ to Blu-ray on December 16th. The upcoming championship game, for which the opponents have yet to be determined, will take place on October 22nd. As this is an unofficial announcement, no technical specs or special features have been announced at this time….

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Between the light and the darkness…there is Blu.

So long as there are those among us who believe in light, there will be hope.

Nochnoy Dozor? What in the world is that? A Russian-language fantasy/horror film?
Subtitles?
Why would anyone be interested in that? The answer is simple. Other than making for a very
good Blu-ray disc, Nochnoy Dozor, subsequently referred to as Night Watch, is a
very well-done horror/action/fantasy/drama film, one that definitely has a very odd vibe about it,
but…

Video

Presented in 1080p high definition and framed at 1.85:1, Night Watch looks very good on
Blu-ray. Colors are rich and natural throughout the movie, perhaps a bit subdued, thanks in large
part to the nature of the movie. It’s a somewhat dark movie, but not overly so. It’s actually
brighter and more alive than I would have expected from a film entitled Night Watch, but
the transfer remains strong between the darkest scenes and those most awash in light, and
everything in …

Audio

As always, Fox offers viewers a DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack, this time in the film’s original
Russian language. A 768 kbps dubbed English language DTS track is also available, as are English
subtitles. The original language lossless track is the only way to go, and it sounds great. The movie
features a loud, active soundtrack awash in effects and music. Surrounds are used to fine effect
throughout, for atmospherics, action, and music. There is oftentimes a very good, forebodin…

Supplements

Night Watch comes to Blu-ray as a fully-featured special edition. A commentary track
with
director Timur Bekmambetov is first. The director discusses this film’s place in Russian cinema
history, the themes that run throughout the picture, and the differing genres that come into play
throughout the film. The track is slow and deliberate, with some minimal gaps in the
commentary,
but fans should get a lot out of what is presented here. Another commentary track is available, …

Final Words

Night Watch is an amalgamation of horror, drama, and fantasy, a film that revels in
kinetically-filmed action and plenty of blood and guts, but also remembers there is a story to be told,
and a good one at that. The film offers just the right mix of horror action and good storytelling, and
the result is one of the more unique pictures of the decade. It’s slow to build but quick to
crescendo, a film that slowly unravels its secrets and finishes with a barrage of revelations that ……

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There is probably no other U.S. national park more iconic and universally recognized than Yellowstone. Sprawling across the state of Wyoming and into Montana and Idaho, the park attracts millions of tourists a year. Its many geologic phenomena, variety of wildlife, and barely-tamed territory prove to be a huge draw for young and old alike.

Yellowstone enjoys the honor of being the first established national park in the United States. State parks like Yosemite came before it, but pr…

Video

Encoded in VC-1 and averaging about 25 Mbps, Yellowstone is shown off in newly-filmed high definition footage. The overall quality can be middling at times. Slight softness is apparent throughout the programs, due to the interlaced picture rather than a progressive scan. Some artifacts such as pixelation and even the odd appearance of edge enhancement here and there can be spotted. With lots of atmospheric activity like steam and snow caught on film, the picture problems like macroblo…

Audio

Featuring both a stereo and multichannel Dolby Digital 5.1 track, Yellowstone is not out to blow the viewer away with killer audio, obviously. Meant to be primarily educational, the sound retains a good amount of clarity despite the lossy mix. Narration emanates from the center channel and is understandable for the most part. The lack of subtitles can prove to be somewhat frustrating at times however - the location names are run through without much in the way of enunciation, and Yello…

Supplements

Like the other Scenic Natural Wonders Blu-rays, Yellowstone comes as a double feature, paired with Inside Grand Teton National Park. Only fitting, as Grand Teton is the nearby sister park of Yellowstone. Named after the largest peak of the Teton Mountain Range, Grand Teton became a national park long after Yellowstone, in 1929. The land was under threat of becoming mere ranchland and residential plots, but a controversial move by the Rockefellers, one of the United States…

Final Words

The Scenic National Parks series is a well produced look at the United States most celebrated parks and reserves. A good overview of the natural wonders and tourist attractions, these lovely vistas are all the more gorgeous in high definition. Yellowstone and its double feature prove to be no different, and are incredibly enticing to view and (vicariously) experience. They are indeed quite effective at stirring one’s sense of adventure - as they well should, having a promotional……

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