Dark City (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
Dark City was born of the dark and gloomy surreal movies of the mid to late 80s.  Directed by the person who, arguably, launched that trend with The Crow, Dark City doesn’t quite hit on the levels that The Crow did, but it does hit on a few that it never reached.

QUALITY:
Good.  The picture quality gets shadowed at times and, as expected, a bit grainy but is over all respectable.  The sound doesn’t quite hit like 7.1 should, sounding a bit more like 5.1 native.

BONUS FEATURES:
Director’s Cut and Theatrical Cut, Featurettes, Commentary, Documentary, Picture Gallery, Making Og.

Dark City is definitely a movie that is deserving of the blu-ray treatment and is one that is often lost in memory even by those that enjoyed it at the time, myself included.  Performances by Kiefer Sutherland, Rufus Sewell and William Hurt are all spectacular as usual.  B+ (3.54)

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Stargate Continuum (MGM Home Entertainment)
The movie itself may not be the greatest but it does have the entertainment value of the numerous series.  Don’t be fooled by the back of the box or the trailers, Richard Dean Anderson really only makes a cameo and does not star in it, but that doesn’t necessarily take away from the film.

QUALITY:
Amazing.  There are few to no spots or shadows throughout the entire movie and the sound is incredibly rattling.

BONUS FEATURES:
Featurettes, Commentary.

Stargate isn’t quite the Star Trek they were hoping to become (although they are getting up there in how many spin-offs they have had) but that doesn’t stop it from be enjoyable.  The sound and picture are both incredible but I wouldn’t recommend the movie itself to anyone outside of the fan-spectrum of the show itself.  B+ (3.60)

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Rolling Stones: Shine a Light (Paramount Home Entertainment)
For a concert film, this is probably one of the best I have seen.  That, of course, could very well be because of the fact that Martin Scorcese directed it.

QUALITY:
Good.  The picture is decent, probably the best I have seen for a concert film and the sound, as it should be, is outstanding.

BONUS FEATURES:
Featurette, bonus performances.

This is not necessarily a documentary so don’t go into it expecting that.  With that said, this is probably not for those that are not Rolling Stones fans (it’s small box office take can be attributed to the limited audience).  But, for the millions of Rolling Stones fans, Shine a Light is certainly recommended.  A- (3.85)

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Beowulf: Unrated (Paramount Home Entertainment)
This movie is really all for technical show.  You have visual directors (Baz Luhrmann), you have gritty directors (Tony Scott) and then you have directors that have just panned out to be experimenters, as is the case with Robert Zemeckis.

QUALITY:
Fantastic.  Clear, exhuberant animation, ripping sound all combine for a great blu-ray experience.

BONUS FEATURES:
Featurettes, Deleted Scenes, Making-Of and more featurettes.

Filled with Academy Award Winners (Anthony Hopkins, Robert Zemeckis, Angelina Jolie), Beowulf is an experiment that half works.  The special effects are incredible and probably the best I have seen but the motion capture technology still leaves the eyes void of life.  The story is entertaining but nothing wholly original (obviously).  B (3.00)

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The Hunt for the Red October/Patriot Games/Clear and Present Danger/The Sum of All Fears (Paramount Home Entertainment)
The Jack Ryan Collection was previously released as an HD-DVD box set and it was passed off as more of a quick sub-par release, about equivalent to the $5.00 DVD bin.  Have things changed this time around for the Blu-Ray?

QUALITY:
The quality gets better as the years go by on these films, as expected but they pinnacle at The Sum of All Fears in a very non-exciting way.  The sound is a bit muffled throughout all four movies and the picture jumps in and out of grainy and, well, not-so grainy.

BONUS FEATURES:
Commentary and Featurettes.

I’m guessing that the HD-DVD box set didn’t sell well so Paramount decided on releasing these ones singly.  Regardless, these should not be the standard $29.99 retail and Paramount should have taken the opportunity to be the first to release affordable catalog titles.  Red October: B+ (3.36) | Patriot Games: B+ (3.40) | Present Danger: B (3.05) | Fears: C+ (2.40)

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Doomsday: Unrated (Universal Home Entertainment)
I was not a fan of The Descent and I really didn’t see what all the hype was about.  I am, however, a fan of post-apocalyptic movies so Doomsday seemed to be right up my alley.  But, with a director I previously didn’t like, I wasn’t expecting much.

QUALITY:
The quality is pretty good, even for a movie that is supposed to be gritty.  The sound is also very heavy, deep and crisp.

BONUS FEATURES:
Commentary and some blu-ray only “specs”.

The bonus features are disappointing but I was surprised with actually kind of liking the movie itself.  Mind you, it’s isn’t anything great but it was great for an obvious 80s (and Mad Max) inspired funfest.  I also caught hints of inspiration from Journey to the Center of the Earth of all things (The book, not that new 3D travesty) in the search for the father figure who has since gone “crazy” with power in his lost world. B (3.25)

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The Mummy (Universal Home Entertainment)
This franchise is one of the few that count itself as a “remake” while completely changing the plot, characters and overall feel of the movie, and still remains entertaining.  Brendan Fraser’s decidedly “dull” performance actually fits somehow into the high-energy movie.

QUALITY:
The quality is unimpressive.  I’m not sure if it was a conscious decision because of the film’s inspiration, but it looks more like a 50s movie that was re-formatted into high definition rather than a newer movie that doesn’t need as much work.  The sound is, however, pretty convincing and sounds great in 7.1 or 5.1.

BONUS FEATURES:
Commentaries, Deleted Scenes, Featurettes

The movie surprised everyone by actually being good but the transfer quality is pretty disappointing.  The special features (including a new one featuring footage of The Mummy 3) look so bad that you feel as if you are watching a VHS, which isn’t a big deal to those among us that don’t care for special features too much.  C+ (2.65)

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The Mummy Returns (Universal Home Entertainment)
The first movie was a remake of a movie and kept no similar elements aside from the title.  So, there is no way a sequel can be good, right?  Surprisingly, wrong.  The Mummy Returns is arguably better than the original while retaining the Indiana Jones-style magic.

QUALITY:
The picture quality on this one is lightyears better than The Mummy and actually stands up to any of its peers.  The sound is just as good as the first, rattling even the best sound system.

BONUS FEATURES:
Commentary, Featurettes, Outtakes, Music Video (on BD Live)

This is the way blu-ray should be.  Although the bonus features still look pretty bad, the movie itself is incredible.  The outtakes are actually pretty funny (not just fart noises and actors making faces).  A great movie, a great transfer and an overall great release.  B+ (3.79)

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The Scorpion King (Universal Home Entertainment)
Not a great movie but what more can you expect for the first headlining vehicle for wrestler The Rock?  This has all the makings of a straight-to-DVD prequel but it has just enough that warranted a theatrical release.

QUALITY:
The picture is great and the sound is flawless.  Surprisingly, one of the best quality releases in this whole bunch.

BONUS FEATURES:
Commentary.

A descent movie (surprisingly better than latest Mummy outing) with some great action and so-so storyline.  The transfer is incredible which is really all this is about.  The bonus features are a bit lacking but the sound and picture more than make up for this near barebones release.  A- (3.80)

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In the Line of Fire (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
I’m not a huge Clint Eastwood fan but In The Line of Fire is actually a pretty entertaining movie and is one of this first steps away from the “badass” characters that we are used to seeing him in.

QUALITY:
A decent picture, but pretty bad sound make this one a so-so release.

BONUS FEATURES:
­Featurettes, Documentary, Deleted Scenes, Commentary.

Rene Russo is, well, Rene Russo.  John Malkovich is astounding.  Clint Eastwood is not overacting.  The movie is entertaining.  What more could you want?  The features are fun, the movie is great and the picture is decent.  Better sound would have made this a solid release.  C+ (2.79)

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The Ruins: Unrated (Paramount Home Entertainment)
I, personally, did not like this book and I thought it was ridiculous and way-to far-fetched.  So, when the movie came along, I went into expecting to hate it (I know, a writer shouldn’t do that, sue me).  The only saving grace I was expecting was that I like Jonathan Tucker (The Black Donnellys).

QUALITY:
The picture is a LITTLE bit grainy but the sound is excellent.

BONUS FEATURES:
Featurettes, Deleted Scenes, Commentary, Alternate Ending.

Despite my pre-conceptions of the movie, it ended up actually being pretty decent.  It had it’s scare elements and the characters were fleshed out better than the books.  Aside from absolutely hating Jena Malone’s character, the overall experience was good.  The transfer quality could use a little work but the sound rounds out nicely.  B (3.10)

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Meet the Browns (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
Calling this a “2-Disc Special Edition” is a bit misleading because you would think that the second disc is all bonus features but its really only a digital copy, which is nothing to sneeze at but I thought I would just put that out there.

QUALITY:
The picture is extremely grainy at times and the sound is only OK.

BONUS FEATURES:
Digital copy, featurettes.

Having a digital copy definitely gets the bonus points which are quickly taken away with the grainy picture and only decent sound.  It’s a bit disappointing that Tyler Perry didn’t include deleted scenes or outtakes as well.  C (2.35)

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21 (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
Card-playing movies are few and far between but I look forward to them as much as heist movies.  Throw on top of it the fact that it is based on a true story of card-counting in Vegas and I’m sold.

QUALITY:
Good.  The picture is not as crisp as it could be but it is clear and certainly better than standard DVD.  The sound is clear and there doesn’t seem to be anything lost in the transfer.

BONUS FEATURES:
Commentary and a whole bunch of featurettes including one that has a quick and entertaining tutorial on card-counting that I have yet to test.

21 is exactly what I wanted out of a movie like this.  It had great setup, great character development, great suspense and an extremely entertaining storyline.  The bonus features are fun but slightly lacking, but the picture and sound make up for it.  A- (3.85)

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Shutter: Unrated (Fox Home Entertainment)
I am quickly growing tired of asian horror movie remakes.  Something gets lost in translation and they just haven’t worked since The Ring.  Starring Dawson’s Creek’s Joshua Jackson and Transformers’ Rachael Taylor, the movie just doesn’t add up.

QUALITY:
Good.  The transfer is surprisingly crisp and the sound is purely lossless.

BONUS FEATURES:
Deleted Scenes, Featurettes, Commentary, Interviews.

The movie is vaguely comprehensive throughout until you get to the “twist” ending and everything just goes to hell.  It is so ridiculous that I actually laughed out loud when it happened.  Despite the always likeable Joshua Jackson, the movie just falls flat. D+ (1.79)

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I Know What You Did Last Summer (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
The late-90s bratpack is back in another horror movie produced by Neil H. Moritz.  Not nearly as good as the scream franchise but I Know What You Did Last Summer is still entertaining over a decade later.

QUALITY:
Not great but I really didn’t expect much more.  The sound is better but doesn’t really work well on 7.1.

BONUS FEATURES:
Featurettees, Commentary, music video.

Jennifer Love Hewitt is Jennifer Love Hewitt.  Freddie Prinze Jr is Freddie Prinze Jr. and, well, you get the idea.  No new ground-breaking stuff here but it is still entertaining just the same.  Even though the movie may not live on forever, the title alone will surely stand the test of time.  B- (2.94)

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College Road Trip (Buena Vista Home Entertainment)
Martin Lawrence, Raven-Symone (who hyphenates their first and last name?), Donnie Osmond star in a live action G-Rated Disney movie.  What are you really expecting from this one?

QUALITY:
Good, the picture is clear and the sound is great.

BONUS FEATURES:
Deleted Scenes, Commentary, video diary, music video, alternate opening and ending, gag reel.

As I said, what are you expecting from this really?  Despite that, the same thing could have been said about The Pascifer and that was actually relatively entertaining.  This movie is just bad with nothing really able to save it.  Crazy dad, gung-ho daughter that wants freedom, “crazy” stranger, best friend and a strange animal that no one would really have in their house in a suburb.  Wow.  D+ (1.70)

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Urban Legend (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
Another Neil H. Moritz movie from the late 90s and another horror movie with Pacey…errr…Joshua Jackson.  I remember actually liking this movie at the time so I was looking forward to revisiting it.

QUALITY:
Not great.  The picture is grainy even for a decade old movie and the sound is really low.

BONUS FEATURES:
Commentary and a featurette.

Weak special features, weak quality and a movie that really doesn’t stand the test of time all add up to a sub-par release.  Rebecca Gayheart actually isn’t so bad as the lead but the movie just really doesn’t have too much suspense past the opening scene.  C- (1.90)

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