Ghostbusters (Mastered in 4K) (Single-Disc Blu-ray + Ultra Violet Digital Copy) (Blu-ray)

And the answer is absolutely YES!
I won't get caught in the main synopsis of the movie, I'm guessing you know the story and the actors. If not you should be asking your self where have you been the last twenty years or so...now lets get into it!
Video Quality on this release is in full 1080p using the MPEG-4 codec on a BD-50 (50 gigabyte dual-layered Blu-ray Disc). This is a great catalog release. It is so refreshing to see a studio not attempt tweaking the original image with digital noise reduction and edge enhancement. This is a faithful to the source transfer. Clarity and resolution is where this transfer shines, all the little signs, switches, knobs and so forth are all clearly defined displaying an excellent depth of field. Colors are nicely saturated and accurate displaying good natural hues.
As for the Bonus Materials: these are presented in Standard Definition 480i and High Definition 1080i with Dolby Digital 2.0 sound.
* BD-Live - Keep in mind that BD-Live requires the user to be on a "Profile 2.0" capable Blu-ray Disc Player and connected to the Internet to access online content via the studio (in this case Sony). Once online you can access content such as downloadable trailers for other Sony Blu-ray Disc release upcoming and already available. Title specific content in this case is actually included. 2 different Ring tones are available which are just dialogue from the film. Standard rates apply to get these I'm sure, nothing is 100% free these days.
* "Cinechat" - This BD-live application allows viewers to chat with friends and family while watching the film. A easy to understand tutorial is included.
* "Slimer Mode" is a Blu-ray exclusive feature that is using Bonus View which requires the user to be on a "Profile 1.1" or higher capable Blu-ray Disc Player. If you are capable of it, this is worth the time to watch all the way through. A neat "Ghostbusters" border frames the film while it's playing; at the same time a Picture-In-Picture track plays interview clips featuring the cast and crew looking back at the production. It is complemented with additional still photographs and behind-the-scenes video. A pop-up trivia track is also inserted into the mix, showcasing interesting facts about the film and its shooting locations.
* "Blu-Wizard" - A BD-Java feature that will allow viewers to create their own play list of special features by selecting only those of interest. Once activated, a pop-up marker indicates when that particular feature is available to view.
* Audio Commentary - Director Ivan Reitman is joined by co-writer/actor Harold Ramis and associate producer Joe Medjuck. It is unfortunate that they weren't able to update the commentary (originally recorded in 1999 for the DVD release) with thoughts from Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, or Sigourney Weaver. This is very informative track but unfortunately it comes across as dry. Opcional subtitles are included.
* "Scene Cemetery" (9 minutes - SD) - This is a collection of 10 deleted scenes that while fun to see in their own right aren't missed in the film.
* "1984 Featurette" (9:45 - SD) - This is a fun vintage featurette shot for the original 1984 release. Featuring behind-the-scenes footage and short interviews with cast and crew talking about the various aspects of making this beloved movie.
* "Cast and Crew Featurette" (10:53 - SD) -This is a short 11 minute featurette originally recorded for the 1999 DVD release.It is a collection of interviews with Ivan Reitman, Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis talking about the film and its impact in general.
* "SFX Team Featurette" (15:22 - SD) - This is a panel discussion with the original F/X team.They discuss their experience of working on the film.
* "Multi-Angle Featurettes" (SD) - This is broken into three sections: "Spook Central Exploding" (2:49), "She's A Dog" (2:00), and "Crossing the Streams" (1:23). Here you can watch the rough video and animation work in before-and-after stages from three particular scenes.
* "Storyboard Comparisons" (SD) - Also broken into three sections: "Slimer" (2:13), "Dogs Drag Dana" (2:09), and "Atop Spook Central" (2:04). you can watch the hand-drawn storyboards and compare them to the film's finished cut.
* "Ecto-1: Resurrecting the Classic Car" (15:37 - HD) - Sony and the filmmakers had the hero car restored to its original glory for the promotion of "Ghostbusters: The Video Game". Interview clips include Dan Aykroyd and the talented crew of people who worked on the refurbishment of the 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Ambulance. The real treat is seeing the process of breaking down the car and building it back up to look better than it ever has. Once it is restored Dan Aykroyd was invited to see the Ecto-1 in all it's glory and it is a pleasure seeing the genuine joy he displays at being reunited with the old girl.
* "Making of Ghostbusters: The Video Game" (11:18 - HD) - A promotional fluff piece for the video game has the cast and creators sharing their thoughts about the game and its storyline. Brief clips of the video game are interspersed throughout. The game looks like a fun trip down memory lane. The graphics look authentic to the "Ghostbusters" films.
* "Ghostbusters Garage: Ecto-1 Gallery" (HD) - This is a beautiful slide show highlighting the restoration process, whilst Elmer Bernstein's music plays in the background.
* "Ghostbusters: The Video Game Preview" (1:43 - HD) - Simply this is the trailer for the now available video game.
* Theatrical Trailers (HD) - A collection of previews in HD `The Da Vinci Code: Extended Cut,' `Close Encounters of the Third Kind,' `Men in Black,' `Fired Up!,' `Paul Blart: Mall Cop,' `So I Married an Axe Murderer,' and `You Don't Mess With the Zohan'.
Hope this was useful.
At the end if you ask me this si a must have!

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Resident Evil: Retribution (+ UltraViolet Digital Copy) [Blu-ray]

I don't get the people who trash these movies. What are they expecting? The RE series has never been about superb storytelling, characterization, and acting. It's about style and excitement! And that's what these movies are: High-octane action movies for guys. Especially their inner 14-year olds.
People here spend a lot of time trashing the RE movies, and this movie in particular. Why? It delivers what I've come to expect here. Some awesome action sequences, an interesting (albeit completely nonsensical) storyline, and some really incredible cinematography. What else do you want? I submit that if that's not good enough for you, then you're just watching the wrong kind of movie.
Those who trash the story of Resident Evil: Retribution as "the worst of the lot", or whatever, need to go watch something else. It is what it is. I for one think it is excellent!
I like how the storylines of the movies continue from movie to movie, which each one ending in a cliffhanger. You never know what the next movie will bring! Yeah, the story is complete garbage. But that's what's enjoyable about it! Invite a few friends, have a beer, put your brain firmly in the "off position", and enjoy!
And there's a lot to enjoy here. The awesomeness that is Milla Jovovich cannot be denied. Sure, the character of Alice is weak, and in this movie, she turns into Ripley. But when she's killing zombies with a chain and pistol, it's so awesome I don't care. My brain says, "This sucks." My inner 14-year old says, "THIS IS AWESOME, DUDE!" That's what happens, man. If you want to enjoy it, you just have to surrender to the awesome.
The movie has a lot of interesting ideas. I also like that it took a lot of elements from the RE 4 video game, which I loved. Leon Kennedy is here, and so is Ada Wong. They both certainly look the part, although their characterization is actually STRONGER in the video game than in the movie! Here, they're just generic action heroes, but I'm okay with that.
Another cool element from RE 4 (the game) was the introduction of the Los Plagues (sp?) virus. A lot of people were confused by the zombie nazi's driving jeeps. But in the context of RE 4, this makes more sense. In that game, a small European village was taken over by the Los Plagues virus. It doesn't turn people into zombies exactly - rather it changes their insides to be like bugs and changes their minds. So they still can operate weapons and such. And some of them were clothed in military style uniforms, same as the game and movie. If you haven't played the game, then this doesn't make so much sense. I thought it was a pretty cool tie-in.
Another thing I am really liking about the this movie and also "Afterlife" is the 3D. The 3D in these movies is really well done. Out of all the 3D movies in my collection, those two movies probably have the best 3D of all, and that's really saying something. Again, it just shows how good these movies are when it comes to the cinematography.
So the final verdict? Resident Evil: Retribution is awesome! It is my favorite of all the RE movies so far. Those who say it is "the worst" just don't know what they're talking about. They're watching the wrong type of movie, expecting the wrong things. I watch these movies with only a few expectations: Excellent fight choreography, excellent cinematography, and an interesting story (that I don't expect will make sense). This movie delivers on ALL THREE of those. And it sets things up nicely for RE 6.
So don't listen to the haters. This is not Oscar-worthy material. It doesn't pretend to be. It is a mindless-junk action movie for the mindless-junk action movie lover's soul! And it totally rocks.
Peace!

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Star Trek Into Darkness (Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy)

4 years, almost to the date, any concerns fans had over Paramount Studio's decision to reboot the initial Star Trek `Enterprise & Crew' were, within the first 30 minutes dispelled, and a new generation and legions of new fans embraced the concept of `new faces' to the `old characters'.
All associated with this project are due credit for successfully rebooting and breathing new life into a tired franchise. The real credit resides with Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci who's homage to the initial Star Trek, highlighted by the presence of Lenoard Memoy, complete with a clever alternate time line and universe, allowed J.J. Abrams' the opportunity to mine the history of the Star Trek universe, and unfettered by the history and short comings of the previous movies, allowed the same characters to be developed in a different arc.
With the same crew in-front of and behind the camera from the first outing, Star Trek into Darkness with a longer running time, affords greater character development and screen time to each member of the Enterprise. In the process each actor elevates the status and depth of their characters and in the process finally lay to rest, the ghost of, and, any comparisons to the initial cast and crew.
The show here belongs to, and is focused on the central relationship between Chris Pine's Kirk and Zachary Quinto's Spock, their emerging friendship, and the impact and cost this relationship will have on each character and each other.
Credit once again must go to Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Damon Lindelof who's story and script anchors this film with the characters and their relationship, and do not allow the spectacular, non-stop action, and dynamic set pieces to overshadow the real story, which is one of relationships, and the cost and price friendship can demand. This is no simple achievement, but is the basis on which this film will be categorised as either good, great, or, brilliant.
J.J. Abrams continuing foray into this genre, is nothing short of spectacular! His ability to not only maintain, but improve on his re-booting of Star Trek is a phenomenal achievement, and testament to his skill as a visionary story teller and action director, which are the real reasons that Disney and George Lucas went out of their way to secure his Directorial Services for the forthcoming Star Wars IIV.
The barometer for Star Trek into Darkness should not be measured against Star Trek, but against the recently released Iron Man 3 which appears to be the movie that all 2013 releases will be gauged. In this face-off, Star Trek into Darkness casts the longer shadow, and on all aspects of movie making, can be counted as the best movie thus far in 2013.
Prior to concluding, particular mention must go to the `Supporting Cast', especially Bruce Greenwood, in a limited but career best performance, ably supported by Peter Weller However, the real star of Star Trek is Benedict Cumberbatch, who's screen presence is 3D even in 2D. Every frame, each perfectly enunciated syllable and facial nuance is one of pure intensity, malevolence and distain that would send a shiver down the spine of Hannibal Lecter (even on a second viewing). This follows on from his excellent and measured performance in Cloud Atlas, his spectacular ownership of Sherlock Holmes, and the as yet unknown performance in The Hobbit Trilogy!
In conclusion, STAR TREK into DARKNESS is a spectacular movie, a rare achievement, matched only by the calibre of talent in front of, and behind the lens, and is an indictment of a director with a limited number of peers. This is a movie that can be deemed a companion and equal to movies such as The Dark Knight Rises, Blade Runner, The Lives of Others, Alien, Shawshank Redemption.
9.5 out of 10

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The Croods (Blu-ray 3D / Blu-ray / DVD + Digital Copy)"

I admit, I went into the film thinking this was going to be a total bomb, but a friend had a free ticket for a pre-release showing of the movie, so I thought, why not?
The Croods is a story about one of the last surviving pre-historic families that embark on a road trip looking for a new cave when their old cave is destroyed as the earth is going through many dramatic changes. If that wasn't enough for the Crood family to deal with, there is the father/daughter struggles throughout the storyline that any parent can relate to if they have had teenagers, especially daughters.
When the Croods daughter, Eep (Emma Stone) can't understand her Dad's mentality that "fear is good; change is bad" and having to live by his number one rule "never leave the cave" she starts to rebel and pushes the boundaries set by her Dad, the over-protective, Grug (Nicolas Cage). One of the characters I got a kick out of was Gran (Cloris Leachman) who is their wisecracking grandma who Grug is constantly hoping that she won't make it through their daily challenges. The rest of the Crood family includes Mom, younger brother and baby sister which are more or less "extras" to round out the family dynamic. On their journey to find a new cave, they meet Guy (Ryan Reynolds) who has evolved alot further then the Croods with his ability to make fire and shoes and his pet sloth who doubles as Guy's utility belt. Together they join in their journey in finding a new place to live, which Eep is desperately hoping won't be another cave.
I will admit that there were several moments that the movie was very predictable and the story line could have been a bit better. However,over all the movie was better than I thought it would be. I would suggest paying to see a matinee showing or wait until it comes out on DVD.

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Hit & Run (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy + UltraViolet) (Blu-ray)

Not too many movies around that have this kind of exuberance. This moves like a freight train but you might not want to get out of the way.
Here's the scoop. Yul Perkins (writer/director Dax Shepard) is in the witness protection program with Tom Arnold as his protector. His girlfriend Annie Bean (Kristen Bell) has received a once in a lifetime job offer in Los Angeles. Does Yul break cover for the girl he loves, and if he does, what are the consequences?
I found this entirely engaging. The set up is pretty basic, but, as in any good plot, the details are doled out slowly so the picture becomes more subtle and involved as things progress. Yul is a cool character. He is truly trying to turn his life around and his girl Annie is a big part of that. They have some very witty, Tarantino-esque conversations. They feel good together. The other characters are written well also. Brad Cooper, as Alex Dimitri, is a real card. Too many movies write their villains as shallow, and/or stupid tough guys. He's anything but. His dog food scene alone is worth the price of admission. About the weakest link here is Tom Arnold. I like Tom Arnold. He plays a good second banana, but he is simply too inept to be a Federal Marshall. This is a crazy bunch of people with their own back stories, but the way all the factions come together is really cool and unexpected. Yes there's tension but these folks aren't just shooting at each other and threatening each other. They're having these really great conversations. The car chase scenes are directed really well. Car chases are such old news, it's always good to see some that rise above the fray.
This is a way fun movie. It's tense, funny, clever, well acted and well directed. Is it great art? No. But it delivers, in spades, what it sets out to deliver.

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Cloud Atlas (Blu-ray/DVD + UltraViolet Digital Copy Combo Pack)

Have you ever felt hammered by a movie? Has it ever taken you days, weeks,
to integrate a movie, in your head and heart? Read on ...
If you see this movie, you'll probably see why some people don't like it. In
fact you may see different reasons for different people. A great movie allows
the individual to bring their own positive interpretation. Cloud Atlas also
allows the individual to bring their own negatives.
My own personal bitterness was "How come my heros always die, but your heros
always live happily ever after?" This hit me hardest as I was walking out of
the theater, but it still galls me to think about it.
You see, its like this: Cloud Atlas goes for power and effect. If they hit
something positive in you, you rave about it. If they hit something negative,
you hurt big time. This movie isn't about entertainment, its about achieving
enough kinetic force to shake you up. Its wrenching. And some people do not
like being shaken like a rag doll. More so, because as people have said,
Cloud Atlas is unlike any other movie ever made.
In a broader sense, I think almost everyone has at least one scene where you
ask yourself "Do I really wanna sit here and watch this?" The whole diversity
thing, not just diversity of people, but diversity of fates, gets close to the
point of overload with Cloud Atlas, and anyone who feels pushed over the redline
will walk out, having better things to do.
Again, its like this: If you can hold the movie at arms length, you're ok, but
if you step inside it, then its really disturbing. And I'm not talking about
the sex and violence either. Its the ideas, plural. There are so many ideas in
this movie, at so many different levels, its like a living fractal. Not ideas
just for the sake of ideas, not ideas just to shake you up, but ideas that
speak to you as a unique individual.
For me, Cloud Atlas is the most disturbing movie since Donnie Darko, although
they are radically different movies. But then again, some of it is funny, and
parts of it are exhilarating too. It has a mix of light and dark, it isn't all
dark. And it isn't "comic relief" either. Somehow, the lighter parts of the
movie are woven directly into the fabric of the story. It works amazingly well.
In technique, Cloud Atlas takes the concept of an ensemble movie, and re-invents
the entire purpose and effect of having an ensemble. And it isn't just in how
the actors are related, and who plays what role. One of the foundations of a
conventional movie is to build an association in our minds, between 1 actor and
the 1 role they play. Cloud Atlas demolishes that foundation and replaces it
with its own unique creation. Its disorienting, to such a degree that you can't
grasp it from other people's words. You have to experience it for yourself to
appreciate the *power* of it.
Cloud Atlas is also a film that has a voice, in particular on the subject of
artificial life. This topic has been around for many decades in science fiction
books and movies. But as technology seems to get closer to actually creating
it, fiction has gotten more sophisticated in how it expresses its message about
artificial life. That message is the most disturbing part of Cloud Atlas for me.
The writers see a storm coming, a new kind of storm that no one has ever seen
before.
I'm not talking about things like the Terminater and SkyNet. Cloud Atlas doesn't
deal with machines, it deals with souls. Sure, Cloud Atlas is fiction. But our
past is not fiction. We have an ugly history of repeating our mistakes. And some
mistakes only become fatal after they've been repeated over and over and over
again.
Regarding the "everyone's connected" philosophy, I thought this works great
as a narrative device, without me feeling (today at least) that I personally
subscribe to that philosophy. I would hope this philosophy doesn't deter
anyone from seeing the movie, because I think they turn it into a positive
thing, even for people who don't agree with it. Its part of how the story
is built, and built very well.
Another area where Cloud Atlas pushes the envelope is in taking all the actors
and doing radical, (sometimes humorous) make-overs to fit them into a character.
This itself has offended some people, because Cloud Atlas doesn't apply any
limitations at all, and it has dozens of makeovers. This is very different than,
for instance, Looper, where the make-up and acting are all focused with
overwhelming skill into changing 1 single person into another single person,
with absolute conviction. In Cloud Atlas, the transformations are beautiful,
striking, uncanny, other-worldly. It becomes another way in which this movie
hammers at you.
If you decide, like me, that Cloud Atlas is indeed a masterpiece, you will
probably have one moment, one scene, which pushes you over the edge and into
the realization that it *is* a masterpiece. Not necessarily the most powerful
scene in the movie, but the scene where the sum of it all finally overloads
your doubts.
For me, that scene was where we first see Doona Bae as Tilda. I've never seen
anything like that in a movie, and it took me about 15 seconds to just begin
to parse what I was seeing. The sheer creativity, the imaginative beauty of
the character, connecting outwards into 2 hours of the vast scope of the movie,
just blew me away. Truly, a masterpiece.

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Bullhead (+ Digital Copy) (Blu-ray)

'Bullhead' is one of those films that you will either love or hate. Not to do with the acting, perhaps to do with the subtitles, but moreover to do with the fact that it is a long, dark, foreign indie film that doesn't stray too far from the path of cow farming and the mafia that can sometimes go with that.
But, to miss out on viewing this masterpiece, to not witness what has to be one of the most incredible, passionately heartbreaking, violently stoic movies of the past decade is to have let something breathtaking avoid your gaze.
The film opens with a spoken warning that, basically, things long since buried have a way to still come back and bite you in the ass! Our lead actor, a domineering brute of a cattle farmer Jacky Vanmarsenille (played by a pumped-up-for-the-role Mattias Schoenaerts) is hooked on all manner of drugs. Why, we don't know quite yet, but nevertheless he is a force to be reckoned with - for others and himself. It turns out he is using Androstederm to fatten his cows. It fattens the animals in 8 weeks, not 10 weeks and after injected half an hour later is out of their system. It also adds 10% fat to their body weight! Jacky also uses it in small doses.
It turns out that in Belgium there is such a thing as the Hormone Mafia Underworld, which deals in such acts as this with other farmers. But why is Jacky so angry when he makes all this money, well, that is shown in a 20 year flashback to being a young boy; and the cruel, painful victim of a mentally-challenged older boy. An act that went unpunished at the time, it changed Jacky's life forever and put him instantly on the path of self-destruction.
Having taken growth hormones since being a little boy, we see how he views women, sex, gives out beatings and keeps injecting himself day in day out. His harrowing ordeal back all those years ago is hard, so very tough to watch (as a man), but suddenly explains everything as we progress.
His young friend at the time, Dieterick is now a distant adult friend of his, but out of nowhere he finds out that when he goes to do a new cow drugging deal, there is his old friend - worryingly involved in the whole thing. Now he's taking more, just to get by. Such high profile drugs as Sustanon, Mestanolone and Methyltestosterone which is making him think less and act more (hence the title of the film).
There are brutal scenes of a nightclub beating, a REAL cow gets cut open and has her calf removed (you simply couldn't fake that, for as the knife cuts the cow moans and flinches), and soon Jacky is visiting the long-lost never-had woman he could have had in his life. And so, as we get to the finale of this incredible film, Jacky is ploughed on as many drugs as he can inject and digest and takes on the world in one last stand.
The director, in the special features behind-the-scenes tells the young boy who plays the Young Dieterick in the flim that Jacky's spirit will come back and inherit the body of him in 'Bullhead 2.' The boy never flinches and says, "I'll still be playing the role, yes?" To which the director sarcastically responds with, Yes, ... but ten years from now!" We can only hope. We can only hope.

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