Fear [Blu-ray]

When you see a movie edited on tv and you say "I have got to own this movie!" then you know that it is really good. I was afraid to commit to it since it seemed like a CRUSH rip-off and I didn't want it to outstand my beloved favorite movie. It didn't. But, it's still a creepy little thriller about obsession, love and murder.
Meet Nicole Walker. A 16 year old girl with sex on her mind. Her father just married a woman and has a new stepbrother. Her girlfriend Margo Masse and her friend Gary decide one day, to be late for school and to go get some food at a gritty coffee shop. Nicole glances at David but doesn't really meet him until a party later that night. When the party becomes a riot, Nicole escapes with David to sit around and talk. It's love at first sight.
One night, Nicole tells David that she's ready to have sex. He says he's with some friends and has to do something. She tells him it's alright and to come over after and she tells him the code to the front door. Well, David comes in and they have sex. A day later or so, David goes to Nicole's school to pick her up, he see's Gary hug her. Not good in David's eyes. He goes over and beats the crap out of Gary and in the process, hits Nicole in the face, giving her a black eye.
Nicole's father is more than pissed. David seems to give him the creeps. When he confronts David, David says "You know, Mr. Walker-you really aren't a f***ot." Mr. Walker tells David to stay away from Nicole. After Mr. Walker leaves, David starts hitting himself in the chest. He tells Nicole that her father hit him. So she runs off with David, feeling sorry for him. He asks her if she wants to go to a party when he brings her back to her house. She tells him no. But after a few seconds, when he leaves, she decides to drive over herself. She goes there, and looks in a window to see Margo being abused and about to be raped by her "true love" David.
She now discovers David's true dark side. She won't talk to him so he "attacks" her in a bathroom at the mall. Mr. Walker's red car gets smashed up with a note on the broken window saying "Now I've poped both your ........!"....Mr. Walker finds out where David and his gang lives and ruins the place. When the group finds the place in ruins, David knows exactly who it is. And by their law "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a ...... tooth" they decide to pay the Walker family a little visit...
What worked in this movie was the psychotic attitude of David. He's a soid good actor and a damn good liar. You know he's bad but you really like him. He seems perfect. You try to like him after his accidently hitting Nicole but it becomes harder and harder.
RECCOMENDED TO FANS OF:
Fatal Attraction (1987)
The Crush (1993)
The Stepfather (1987)
CAST
Mark Wahlberg...........David McCall
Reese Witherspoon....Nicole Walker
William L. Petersen.....Steve Walker
Amy Brenneman..........Laura Walker
Alyssa Milano..............Margo Masse
THE MOVIE: 3/4
THE PICTURE QUALITY: 10/10 Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 with only a very very very small amount of grain. Basically, perfect.
THE AUDIO QUALITY: 10/10 5.1 surround is perfect for my TV's sound system. No upping the volume for me! There is also a Dolby Surround French track.
THE SPECIAL FEATURES: Production notes on the film, cast & crew bios and film credits (Only pre-FEAR movies are shown), a trailer with a lot of grain and Universal Weblinks (basically pointless).
SUBTITLES: English and spanish.

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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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Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers [Blu-ray]

Halloween is the best horror movie series. This DVD will be perfect even if it only included the High Def transfers. I hope they are working on the Blu-Ray Halloweens.
What is included:
* Widescreen Presentation enhanced for 16x9 TVs
* Audio commentary with director Dominique Othenin-Girard and actors Danielle Harris and Jeffrey Landman (HALLOWEEN 5)
* Inside Halloween 5: Documentary featuring rare behind the scenes footage, a cut scene, and interviews with Danielle Harris, Ellie Cornell, Don Shanks, Executive Producer Moustapha Akkad and Cinematographer Rob Draper
* Introduction by stars Danielle Harris and Ellie Cornell
* On-Set Halloween 5 Footage: Rare, never-before-seen footage taken on the set
* Theatrical trailer

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Invasion of the Body Snatchers [Blu-ray]

According to Hollywood lore, the cast and crew of this film decided to play a practical joke on actress Carolyn Jones during the filming: while she was out of her bungalow, they slipped in and left one of the large seedpods made for the film on her bed. They received a more memorable response than they expected, for when Jones returned to her bungalow for a nap and found the pod she ran screaming out into the street.
And such is the power of this film. There are no major special effects, and for the most part everything looks the way it should in small town America of the 1950s. But the idea it presents and the paranoia it creates is a remarkable, tangible thing.
Loosely based on the novella by Jack Finney and directed by Don Siegel, THE INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS was just a little black and white horror film--but it exploded within America's 1950s subconscious with all the force of an atomic bomb, tapping into fears of everything from Cold War-era communism to a decreasing sense of community to the notorious House Unamerican Activities Committee. And in the process it became one of the most influential horror films ever made, a motion picture that would exert a strong pull on every one from novelist Stephen King to filmmakers like Wolf Rilla.
The story has been told in no fewer than three film versions, but while the Donald Sutherland and the Meg Tilley versions are each quite fine in their own ways, the original remains the most powerful. Dr. Bennell (Kevin McCarthy) returns to the small California town of Santa Mira from a medical convention--only to discover that several members of the community have developed a strange form of hysteria: they have become convinced that certain friends and relatives are being impersonated by exact duplicates. Bennell brushes this aside as an oddity, but he soon realizes there is more to this than mere hysteria. The people of his small community are indeed being replaced by duplicates--duplicates being spawned by a strange plant-like alien lifeform.
Everything about this film is remarkably fine. The direction is first rate, the script is sharp and intriguing, and the film has a remarkable "everyday" look to it that is gradually subverted by increasing darkness and unexpected camera angles. And the cast is extremely, extremely good. Kevin McCarthy, the beautiful Dana Wynter, King Donovan, and Carolyn Jones all give truly amazing performances in the leads, and the overall ensemble is every bit their equal.
The DVD offers the choice of widescreen and standard ratio; apparently it was filmed in standard ratio but later converted to widescreen when that format became the norm. I must say that it works well in either version. The bonuses are slight, including only a brief interview with McCarthy, but it is quite interesting. And the transfer to DVD is extremely good. Even if you already a VHS version of this film, you may find it worth the cost to replace it with this DVD. Recommended.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer

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Phantasm II (Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray]

Director Don Coscarelli's Phantasm II revamps the nightmarish dreamscape of his 1979 cult classic for an offbeat if energetic sequel that receives a lavish showcase in this collector's edition Blu-ray. Produced nearly a decade after Coscarelli's Phantasm became a surprise hit, the sequel picks up shortly after the events of the first picture, with young hero Mike (James Le Gros, replacing A. Michael Baldwin), newly released from a psychiatric hospital but still plagued by dreams of the sinister, dimension-hopping Tall Man (Angus Scrimm) and his legion of diminutive, grave-robbing henchmen. After reuniting with Reggie (Reggie Bannister, reprising his role from the first picture), Mike takes to the road to stop the Tall Man with the help of a young woman (Paula Irvine) with whom he shares both a psychic link and disturbing dreams, and an amusingly aggressive hitchhiker (Samantha Phillips). Phantasm II works hard to satisfy a broad audience by blending the first picture's moody budget surrealism with wide swathes of gory effects--much of which centering around the franchise's lethal flying silver spheres--and touches of '80s-style boom-and-bang action. Serving so many palates in a single film is bound to leave one or more parties feeling slighted, and those who appreciated the unsettling atmosphere of the first Phantasm may feel that it's been supplanted in favor of the more crowd-pleasing elements. However, Coscarelli keeps the pace at a brisk clip and milks his trump card--Scrimm's undeniably creepy presence as the Tall Man--for all its worth. The result is best described as Big, Broad Horror Fun, and generated enough interest from the horror community to produce two additional (and lesser) sequels.
The single-disc Scream Factory presentation of Phantasm II compares favorably to the fan-friendly packaging of its previous releases (including Halloween II and They Live) with this Blu-ray edition, which includes both new and previously released supplemental material. Among the features produced for the Blu-ray is the 40-minute Ball Is Back, which covers the film's conception and execution through interviews with Coscarelli and his primary cast and crew, as well as test and behind-the-scenes footage. There's also a commentary track (culled from a previous DVD release) featuring Coscarelli, Bannister, and Scrimm that underscores the trio's long-running and friendly relationship, as well as the reasons for not bringing back Baldwin for the sequel (he would return for subsequent entries). A second interview feature with special effects creator Greg Nicotero (The Walking Dead) focuses on his work for the franchise, deleted and alternate scenes taken from both Coscarelli's own 35mm archive, and a work print of the film featuring mostly extended dialogue sequences, though a couple of the picture's grislier moments are also expanded. Short featurettes on makeup and effects and several stunt scenes should be familiar to fans that have seen previous DVD editions, though die-hard Phantasm aficionados will be both pleased and amused by the inclusion of a vintage educational short film for Encyclopedia Britannica starring Scrimm (under his real name, Rory Guy) as Abraham Lincoln. Trailers for the first three Phantasm pictures, as well as galleries of production stills and promotional art, round out this enjoyable disc. --Paul Gaita
The Tall Man is back with a vengeance in Phantasm II, the second chapter in the cult classic Phantasm series!
Released after seven years in a mental hospital, Mike convinces his old pal Reggie to join forces with him to hunt down and destroy The Tall Man once and for all. Mike’s visions lead the two to a quiet little town where a horde of flying killer balls aim to slice and dice their gruesome way through everyone. Exploding with special effects, unparalleled thrills, horror and suspense, Phantasm II climaxes with a blood-curdling conclusion that you have to see to believe

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Planes Trains & Automobiles [Blu-ray]

When I think of "Planes, Trains & Automobiles" I smile. It is an absolutely wonderful movie. Yes, it is regarded as a comedy but when I think of it I think of it as more of a drama. The jokes don't get old. This is probably my favorite comedy of all time. Hughes takes the traveling nightmare genre to a whole new level. It's more a triumph in script writing than anything
For those who don't already know Planes, Trains and Automobiles is simple in its approach. Everything that can go wrong does. It's a comic routine that can be funny, but here it is a trip to hysterical. The plot is simple enough as well. Neal Page (Steve Martin) is on his way home for Thanksgiving. He's your typical businessman that works in New York and has a family he wants to see in Chicago. The only problem is everything from delayed flights to ripped up car tickets happen on the way. Only worsening matters, Del Griffith (John Candy), is along for the ride. An annoying shower curtain ring salesman, Neal can't get rid of him no matter how hard he tries.
John Candy gives the performance of his too short career as the traveling shower curtain ring salesman Del Griffith. What makes Candy's performance so impressive is that while Del is an obnoxious, annoying slob, Candy shows that this is a very lonely, sweet, kind, and caring man with a great heart. This is a man who is putting his needs behind the needs of another person, a complete stranger in Neil Page. Candy creates an incredibly complex man, who the audience really gets to know and genuinely care about. They say comedies are the hardest films to get nominated for Oscars, which is true. And while "PT & A" is no Best Picture winner, it certainly in my mind has a performance not just worthy of a nomination but of an Oscar as well. It would be interesting to see how Candy's performance would be regarded if the film came out today.
The ending, whew!, it's a rough one. And again, despite all the wonderful comedy in this film, whenever I think of "PT & A" I think of the wonderful character of Del Griffith and the powerful ending. If you haven't seen this movie, rent it. I strongly recommend it as a first rate comedy that doesn't come along often. Whether it's the music capturing the perfect mood in the hilarious bedroom scene or meeting Owen, it's an earnestly frantic and tender trip through the modern transportation system.

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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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