Alvin and the Chipmunks have been a part of American culture for nearly 50 years. Created in 1958 by Ross Bagdasarian, they burst onto the scene with "The Chipmunk Song," which was the fastest-selling album in history until The Beatles came along a few years later. They had a prime-time TV show in the 1960s, a Saturday-morning cartoon in the '80s, and now they jump from their animated roots to a CGI-enhanced movie that garnered over $208 million in box-office receipts!

Seeing the trailers for this one didn't get me very excited, but with two kids (11 and 9), I didn't have much choice to watch this one on Blu-ray when it arrived. Color me impressed! The story is basic, the acting is a little over the top, but the movie itself is a lot of fun, and the chipmunks are a riot.

As much as I liked the movie, I was even more impressed with the AVC encode. Rich and luscious colors come to life and leap off the screen. Detail is equally impressive, with razor-sharp images without the need for any edge enhancement, and the shadow detail is phenomenal, providing great depth. The CGI effects blend seamlessly into the picture, and I was nearly convinced that they were real, not animated.

The audio is presented with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix, but I could only listen to the core DTS data due to the inability of my PS3 to decode the lossless track. That being said, I was still very impressed with the sound. Dialog reproduction is excellent, even with the manipulated voices of the chipmunks. Since the film is geared toward a younger audience, the mix isn't as aggressive as it could be, but that's not a bad thing. The musical numbers sound very good with ample use of the LFE channel, and the surround channels are well utilized for ambient effects.

The disc is a single-layer BD25, so the bonus features aren't as copious as they could have been if the studio had used a dual-layer disc. There are two featurettes (in standard definition)—one on the history of Alvin and the Chipmunks with the creator's son, Ross Bagdasarian Jr. (who also produced the film), and another that focuses on the music in the film. We enjoyed watching them as a family, and I didn't realize how popular the franchise was or how far back its roots went.

The critics panned this film before its release, but raking in over $200 million at the box office shows that it wasn't catering to their demographic. As a father with two children, I loved this film, and I was even more impressed with the presentation on Blu-ray. If you have children (or grandchildren), be sure to check this one out. Highly recommend.

Release Date: April 1, 2008

Film: 8.0 out of 10
Picture: 9.5 out of 10
Sound: 8.5 out of 10

Review System

Source
Sony PlayStation 3

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Onkyo Pro PR-SC885 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Belkin PF60 power conditioner

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M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

Bonnie and Clyde was not supposed to be a successful film. Released in August, 1967, it was pulled from the theaters after coming under attack by critics such as The New York Times' Bosley Crowther, who called it "a cheap piece of bald-faced slapstick."

But much like the hits of today, critical acclaim isn't everything. Young moviegoers fell in love with the film, and by December, Time magazine put the movie on its cover. The following month, the film was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and launched the careers of Faye Dunaway, Gene Hackman, and Estelle Parsons (who won the 1967 Best Supporting Actress nod for her role as Blanche). It would also serve as the vehicle for establishing Warren Beatty as a filmmaker.

Meticulously restored by Warner, Bonnie and Clyde probably hasn't looked this good since its debut in theaters over 40 years ago. The VC-1 presentation preserves the grain structure of the original cinematography with detail and depth surpassing what should be expected from a film this old. The color saturation really blew me away, causing the image to "pop" right off the screen, even with the subdued Depression-era color palette. Warner has a great track record of restoring old films, and Bonnie and Clyde is another notch on its belt.

Although a new video master was used for this disc, the audio elements were limited to the original mono soundtrack, and the resulting sound is less than impressive. Volume levels are inconsistent throughout, with dialog-driven scenes on the low side and action scenes loud and harsh. As expected, all the action takes place in the center speaker with little to no surround ambience, but the sound is good enough to support the action on the screen.

This was one of the first films to make its way to DVD back in 1997; it didn't even have any bonus features. Befitting its classic heritage, Warner has included a number of bonus features on this disc, such as the documentary "Revolution! The Making of Bonne and Clyde," a History Channel program called "Love and Death: The Story of Bonnie and Clyde," two deleted scenes (with no audio), a wardrobe test by Warren Beatty, and a couple of trailers from the film, all in standard definition.

Of special note is Warner's first foray into the "book" type of special-edition packaging. The case itself is stiff cardboard with a plastic insert for the disc. It also includes a 35-page book that is bound inside the front cover and offers production details, cast biographies, and some press clippings from 1967. This is a cool addition to the disc and a good read to boot!

I can see why Bonnie and Clyde was considered a very violent film in its day, but compared to what we see in cinema today, I found it tame. The restoration is nothing less than spectacular, and it translates well to Blu-ray. If you are a movie collector, there is no reason not to add this to your library. For those with casual interest who have never seen the film, add it to your Netflix queue or take a trip to your local Blockbuster—it is definitely worth it.

Release Date: March 25, 2008

Film: 8 out of 10
Picture: 9 out of 10
Sound: 4 out of 10

Review System

Source
Sony PlayStation 3

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Onkyo Pro PR-SC885 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Belkin PF60 power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

Independence Day—also commonly known as ID4, since the climactic action takes place on July 4—is a throwback to the science-fiction movies of the 1950s with the blockbuster appeal of the 1970s disaster films. Featuring an ensemble cast that includes Will Smith, Bill Pullman, and Jeff Goldblum with the aid of some phenomenal marketing, the film was a resounding success in 1996, when it raked in over $300 million in box-office receipts. While hardly original, the film is a lot of fun and has held up well over time.

The movie's release on Blu-ray has been highly anticipated, and Fox has delivered a fine video presentation. The 27Mbps AVC encode looks great, especially on a film over a decade old. The print is clean with a slight veil of grain that only interferes with the picture in the darker sequences, which tend to look a bit noisy. Color saturation is excellent and very natural looking. Fine detail is very good as well, but some of the CGI effects can be easily discerned with the high-resolution image that Blu-ray provides.

The DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack is slightly inconsistent on this release, which was evident even though I was listening to only the "core" DTS data on my PS3. At times, the bass is thundering, especially with the arrival of the invaders. But when the attack begins, the bass is a bit anemic by comparison. Surround ambience is underutilized, and even when the action picks up on the screen, the mix isn't as encompassing as it could be. Dialog is intelligible, although it's recorded at a slightly lower level than the rest of the mix, requiring me to constantly turn the volume up and down throughout the movie depending on the action.

The special features include a couple of commentary tracks as well as a trivia track. Theatrical trailers for Independence Day are in HD, as are some trailers for other Fox films on Blu-ray. Thankfully, you can choose to view these or not—they aren't forced on you before getting to the main menu. Also included is a rather pointless game called "Alien Scavenger Hunt" as well as a search function that lets you search for a specific item in the movie—say "White House"—and jump directly to the scene in which it blows up. Finally, if you own a D-Box motion-simulation system, this disc makes use of it to vibrate your seat during all the explosions.

I hadn't watched this film since seeing it in the theater almost 12 years ago, and I really enjoyed the experience on Blu-ray. The story holds up well, and how can you not cheer the human race as it kicks some alien butt? Recommended.

Release Date: March 11, 2008

Film: 8 out of 10
Picture: 8.5 out of 10
Sound: 7 out of 10

Review System

Source
Sony PlayStation 3

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Onkyo Pro PR-SC885 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Belkin PF60 power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

Enchanted is not your typical "princess movie"—in fact, it's like no other you have seen before. Every cliché from Disney movies past can be found in this film, but in a self-mocking way. When Giselle enters the real world of New York City, the laughs are endless with her sweet innocence thrown into a not-so-innocent world.

Amy Adams is certainly the star of the show, and she has genuine chemistry with Patrick Dempsey as Robert Philip, the divorce lawyer who befriends her in New York. And Susan Sarandon tears up the screen with a delightfully evil performance. Honorable mention also goes to the Oscar-nominated music by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz as well as the costume design by Mona May.

This is another nearly perfect video transfer from Disney. The lavish color palette comes to life with the 1080p AVC encode. The film opens with the animated sequence that harkens back to days of old at Disney, and the picture looks just as good when the live action begins in New York. Giselle comes to life in Times Square, which has never looked better, with superb detail. Blacks are nice and inky with excellent shadow detail, and the CGI (computer-generated imagery) is picture-perfect without looking unrealistic in the least. My only gripe in the picture department is some occasional banding, especially in the backgrounds. This is the only item that keeps this presentation from getting a perfect 10 for video quality.

Disney has been a big supporter of PCM tracks on their Blu-ray releases, but in this case, the audio is presented as a Dolby TrueHD 5.1-channel mix (48kHz/24-bit), which is lossless, so it should sound just as good as a PCM track with the benefit of saving some space on the disc for other goodies. The soundtrack is quite aggressive for a kid's movie, with ample bass, excellent dynamics, and good use of the surround speakers. The musical numbers have a flair and dynamic quality of their own, and the lossless mix really lets them shine.

The special features include some neat items to complement the movie. First up is "The D-Files—Enchanted," which displays multiple-choice questions about references to other Disney films at various moments during the movie. Answer them correctly, and you rack up points, which are stored in the player. Score enough points, and you are treated to three special videos: "So Close," "Making Ever Ever After," and "True Love's Kiss."

Next up is "Pip's Predicament: A Pop-up Adventure" that follows Giselle's chipmunk on a mission to rescue Prince Edward. There are also three behind-the-scenes featurettes and deleted scenes and bloopers, all in HD. Finally, there is the music video "Ever Ever After" by Carrie Underwood in standard def.

Enchanted expertly combines a nice romance with a spoof of past Disney films in a way that is entertaining for both kids and adults. Amy Adams carries the picture, and her performance alone makes this one worth watching. When you throw in the rest of the all-star cast and the Academy Award-nominated songs, Enchanted gets my highest recommendation.

Release Date: March 18, 2008

Film: 8.5 out of 10
Picture: 9.5 out of 10
Sound: 9.5 out of 10

Review System

Source
Sony PlayStation 3

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Onkyo Pro PR-SC885 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Belkin PF60 power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

In the year 2012, virologist Robert Neville (Will Smith) is the last human survivor in New York City. An outbreak of a lethal virus in 2009 wipes out 99% of the human population, leaving most of the remaining 1% as mutants, with the exception of Neville, who is immune to the virus. Along with his loyal canine, Samantha, Neville hunts for other survivors by day, and in his spare time—which he has lots of—he works on an antidote for the virus utilizing his own blood as the source.

It takes a powerful actor to pull off a role with no supporting cast. Much like Tom Hanks in Cast Away, Smith spends over 90% of the movie alone with only his dog. Does he have the acting chops to make it work? You bet he does, and he makes this film worth watching. The first act really builds the tension, and the second act introduces us to the mutants. Unfortunately, the third act is a disappointment. I don't want to post any spoilers here, but the first two acts had me believing the world created by the film could actually exist. However, I guess Hollywood thinks that no one will sit through a movie unless there is ample use of CGI and big explosions.

The video is encoded using VC-1 at 1080p, preserving the theatrical aspect ratio of 2.40:1. The overall presentation is one of the better—if not one of the best—efforts I have seen from Warner Brothers. Depth and clarity are both outstanding, with only occasional softness in the farthest backgrounds. Black levels are inky with three-dimensional shadow detail, and close-ups are extremely detailed—I could see a scar on the back of Smith's neck that I have never noticed before, even though I've seen him in multiple movies on Blu-ray.

In what I hope is a sign of the future, a lossless Dolby TrueHD 5.1-channel soundtrack is the audio of choice on this disc. The track is very well done, especially in quiet sequences. The mix is well–designed, with ambient effects that effectively set the mood—for example, when birds flutter around the rear speakers. Dynamics are tested on a few occasions, and the LFE channel packs some punch, especially in the bombastic third act. What little dialog there is in the movie is easily intelligible, even in the most action-packed sequences.

The bonus features consist of material presented in both high definition and standard definition. The HD goodies include four animated comics: Death As a Gift, Isolation, Sacrificing the Few for the Many, and Shelter. Also in HD is a featurette entitled Cautionary Tale: The Science of I Am Legend, which explores the history of pandemic viral infections and the reality of life-threatening microbes that can affect humans.

In standard definition are several mini-documentaries with behind-the-scenes material. The way these are presented reminds me of the enhanced PIP content found on Warner's recent HD DVD releases, and they seem somewhat disorganized.

I Am Legend really had me hooked until the last fifteen minutes, which just fell apart with a very unsatisfying ending. The disc does offer the option of an alternate version thanks to seamless branching, which adds about four minutes to the movie, but I chose to watch the theatrical version for this review. The presentation is excellent, though, and if you are a fan of Smith's work as an actor, be sure to at least rent this one, because his performance is top-notch.

Release Date: March 18, 2008

Film: 7.0 out of 10
Picture: 10 out of 10
Sound: 9.5 out of 10

Review System

Source
Sony PlayStation 3

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Onkyo Pro PR-SC885 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Belkin PF60 power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

Based on the events that led Jim Morris into the major leagues, the film itself is a heartwarming tale about never letting your dreams die, and if the opportunity to live out your dream presents itself, take it. Morris only pitched for two brief seasons, but his story should be an inspiration to us all.

The movie is presented with a high-bitrate AVC encode in the theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1. Fine detail is generally very good throughout, but there are moments when some softness creeps in, specifically on some long shots. Colors are vibrant and look especially vivid in the climactic stadium scene—the primary colors worn by people in the crowd really jump off of the screen. The black levels vary a bit from excellent to average, but overall, this 1080p presentation never lets you forget that you are watching high definition.

The 5.1-channel PCM soundtrack doesn't disappoint, either. The mix isn't very aggressive and is mostly presented across the front soundstage. Clarity is excellent, and it's highlighted by a snappy country-western score. The surround channels are employed for ambience only, but they come alive when Morris makes his major-league debut. Dialog intelligibility is never an issue, and although the mix is far from reference-quality, it serves its purpose well in the storytelling.

Ported over from the DVD release, the bonus features are all presented in standard definition on the BD50 disc. Leading off is an audio commentary with director John Lee Hancock and actor Dennis Quaid. Batting second are eight deleted scenes with director's introductions. Third up is "Spring Trainer: Baseball Tips from the Pros," a short featurette on the baseball aspects of the film. And batting clean up is the best feature of the bunch, "The Inspirational Story of Jim Morris," a 25-minute documentary about the real Jim Morris with actual footage of his major-league debut and a look at his life story.

Although it's not a "bonus feature" in the classic sense, Disney has included a coupon for a $10 rebate to anyone who already owns the DVD of this movie—send in the proof-of purchase tab from the DVD and Blu-ray, and Disney will send you a check for $10. I think this is a great idea to encourage consumers to adopt Blu-ray. Hopefully, other studios will follow suit with this type of promotion.

The Rookie is an excellent family film and gets my highest recommendation for anyone with young kids. There is nothing offensive in this movie and I applaud its G rating. The presentation on Blu-ray is very good, and fans of the film won't be disappointed in the upgrade from DVD, which gets you a $10 rebate to boot.

Film: 9 out of 10
Picture: 9 out of 10
Sound: 8 out of 10

Review System

Source
Sony PlayStation 3

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Onkyo Pro PR-SC885 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Belkin PF60 power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

The voice talents of Ray Romano (Manfred), Dennis Leary (Diego), and John Leguizamo (Sid) really make this film work. The friendship that develops between these three characters is genuine, and the protective bond they create with the baby is priceless.

Ice Age presents an enjoyable image on Blu-ray. With a 1080p AVC encode, the disc boasts excellent colors and, for much of the film, a three-dimensional look. Unfortunately, some softness creeps in on a few occasions, compromising the fine detail, and the black levels are slightly elevated, especially in darker scenes. I compared a couple of scenes against the DVD version and there was no doubt that the Blu-ray edition is a vast improvement, specifically in the textures of the characters' fur and how realistic their eyes look.

The 5.1-channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack is phenomenal with its foundation-rocking bass and immersive surround-sound experience (even listening only to the lossy DTS "core" data as I had to do from the PS3). There are many demo-worthy moments, ranging from the opening sequence with our beloved Scrat to the boys having a little fun on the "ice slide." The Dolby Digital soundtrack on the DVD is very good, but the mix on Blu-ray takes it up a notch or two. If you are looking for a disc to impress friends with your system's prowess, Ice Age will deliver a jaw-dropping experience.

The bonus features are ported from the 2006 DVD release and include a commentary by director Chris Wedge and co-director Carlos Saldanha as well as deleted scenes with optional director/co-director commentary. The best feature of the bunch is "Gone Nutty: Scrat's Missing Adventure," an animated short that is very funny, although I wish it was high-def. The features are rounded out with three Ice Age trailers presented in HD as well as some trailers for other Fox films.

Ice Age is a movie that has grown on me over the years. When I sat down to watch this one on Blu-ray, I wasn't prepared for how much better the experience would be in high definition, and I was simply blown away by the reference-quality audio. For this reason alone I can recommend this disc, even if you already own it on DVD.

Film: 8 out of 10
Picture: 8.5 out of 10
Sound: 10 out of 10

Review System

Source
Sony PlayStation 3

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Onkyo Pro PR-SC885 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Belkin PF60 power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

But things are about to change for Dan as he takes his daughters to Rhode Island for the annual family gathering. On a visit to a local used-book store, Dan meets the woman of his dreams, Marie (Juliette Binoche), and ultimately scores her phone number. But Dan can't catch a break when, later that day, his brother Mitch (Dane Cook) introduces him to his new girlfriend—who just happens to be Marie!

After viewing the trailer for Dan in Real Life, I had high expectations for a laugh-out-loud comedy. What I discovered, though, is that this film is more dramatic in nature, and the laughs are more authentic to real life than Hollywood-inspired. The performances are excellent all around; kudos to Steve Carell for tackling a more serious role—the chemistry with Juliette Binoche is genuine and heartfelt.

Disney has consistently been one of the best producers of Blu-ray content in terms of video quality. Unfortunately, this isn't one of the studio's best-looking titles. The high-bitrate AVC encode has excellent resolution, but the color saturation is overcooked, and the flesh tones have an amber appearance, lending an unnatural look to the movie. Exterior shots fare much better, looking far more natural. Overall, the film doesn't look bad by any means, but it just doesn't offer that looking-through-the-window experience that other Disney Blu-ray titles provide.

There are several audio options on the disc, but the best by far is the uncompressed PCM 5.1 track (48kHz/24-bit). The mix isn't what you would use for demo material, but the dynamics and clarity never left me wanting more. The soundtrack is also somewhat front-heavy, which is consistent with the movie's genre.

The bonus features on the BD50 disc include 20 minutes of deleted scenes, a featurette on the musical score, and a "making of" featurette, all of which are presented in HD. There are also four minutes of outtakes in standard definition, but they aren't that entertaining. For fans of audio commentaries, writer and director Peter Hedges provides his take on the production and how personal this movie was for him.

Dan in Real Life is a pleasant film with a satisfying ending and is well worth the time invested. The cast is first-rate, and it's nice to see Carell grow as an actor in a similar way as Jim Carrey by branching out into more challenging roles. Be sure to check this one out.

Film: 7 out of 10
Picture: 7 out of 10
Sound: 8 out of 10

Review System

Source
Sony PlayStation 3

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Denon 4308CI A/V receiver (used as a pre/pro)
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Belkin PF60 power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, LSB, RSB)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre-pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

It's not hard to see why this film won Best Picture at the Academy Awards this year. The Coen brothers' masterful adaptation of the book by Cormac McCarthy comes to life on the screen. Javier Bardem's Oscar-winning performance as the ruthless killer Anton Chigur is reason enough to watch the film, but the performances by both Brolin and Jones aren't exactly chopped liver, either. The film has some violent moments, but it all happens within the confines of the story and isn't there merely to shock the audience. In fact, some of the most brutal moments are never seen but rather left to the imagination of the viewer, much like a classic Hitchcock film.

The 2.35:1 Blu-ray presentation is fantastic. The fine detail is exquisite and it never wavers, whether in a close up or a long shot. There are many dark scenes in the movie, and the black level is rock solid with excellent depth and shadow detail to die for. Colors are a bit muted and laid back, which really exemplifies the 1980 time period of the film and the dry Texas countryside. Compression is never an issue thanks to the high-bitrate AVC encode. If I have one nit to pick, it would be some very minor banding that showed up in some skylines, but this was rare and didn't detract from the beautiful picture quality.

As is customary with Buena Vista titles, an uncompressed PCM 5.1 mix is included on the disc, and boy is it impressive! Dialog is crisp and clear from the moment you are greeted by Jones' southern drawl, and it only gets better from there. Not once did I strain to hear any of the phenomenal dialog in the Coens' Oscar-winning adaptation. The movie's many gunshots had a creepy, lifelike quality, and the ambience from the surround speakers had me sitting on the edge of my seat on many occasions awaiting the arrival of impending death. While just short of reference quality, the Oscar-nominated sound mix never disappoints.

The bonus features are good, but sadly, they are only presented in standard definition. Included are three featurettes, including "Working with the Coens," an 8-minute piece on how the actors and other members of the crew feel about working with the two brothers. Next is a 25-minute "making of" featurette, and finally, a 7-minute featurette titled "Diary of a Country Sheriff," which contrasts the differences between Tommy Lee Jones' sheriff and the ruthless killer portrayed by Javier Bardem.

This is not a film for the faint at heart, so be warned going in. But if you are a fan of cinema, it's a must-watch. The Coen brothers have entertained with such works as Raising Arizona and Fargo, but No Country for Old Men may very well be their best film to date. Highly Recommended.

Film: 9.5 out of 10
Picture: 9.5 out of 10
Sound: 9.5 out of 10

Review System

Source
Sony PlayStation 3

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Denon 4308CI A/V receiver (used as a pre-pro)
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Belkin PF60 power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre-pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre-pro to projector

If you have seen Blade Runner, and recall it negatively, this set could change your mind. Its style alone makes it one of the most influential films of the past 25 years, spilling over into everything from music videos to The Matrix.

I first saw this film during its initial theatrical run in 1982. I had two big issues with it. First, the voiceover narration that cluttered up the soundtrack, particularly the early exposition, was a major distraction. Second, the cheery, "Let the Sunshine In" conclusion seemed to be from another film. (And it was—as you'll learn from then extra features here, some of those landscape shots were outtakes from Stanley Kubrick's The Shining!)

Evidently I wasn't alone in those concerns. In 1990 a work print version made its way into special showings in several art houses around the country. Fans were stunned. The quality of the print was far from polished, and the sound included a mix of the final score and a temp track. But what they saw was, at last, a Blade Runner closer to the one that Director Ridley Scott had originally intended. The narration and Happy Days ending were gone.

Nervous studio chiefs and investors had demanded those tacked-on elements. They feared the public wasn't ready for a bleak, intellectually challenging, film noir vision of a possible future.

We'll never know if they were right, since even in its altered state the movie was a failure at the box office. But those 1990 fans were all over that work print version, and in 1992 a Director's cut, sans the narration and loopy conclusion, became a cult hit, particularly in a by-then thriving home video market that barely existed in 1982. Releases on tape, Laserdisc, and, ultimately, DVD, kept the interest in the film alive.

But now it's the end of 2007, and Warner Brothers has given fans the best holiday gift possible short of ending the HD DVD / Blu-ray format war. This 5-disc release features a new, definitive edit of the film—The Final Cut—and much more.

In addition to the modifications in that 1992 release, The Final Cut includes many other, smaller changes. I'm not going to describe them in detail here. You really should experience this new version for yourself, freed of the "gotcha" distraction of looking for those key moments. There's time enough to obsess over them later, if that's your thing.

I will tell you that most of those changes involve CGI, which was not available to filmmakers in 1982. But this is not Ridley Scott having a George Lucas moment. The CGI used here is subtle and serves the film. Even if you're looking for the alterations, you're unlikely to spot more than a couple of them on a first viewing.

The changes to the soundtrack are more significant—in a good way. The audio here does not sound at all dated. There aren't a lot of explosive sound effects, but the surrounds are far more active than before, the bass deeper, and the audio, overall, more dynamic and forceful. This is particularly true of the extremely clean and clear Dolby TrueHD track.

Vangelis score also sounds spectacular, and it's now more obvious than ever how it serves not just as background, but as vital punctuation to what's happening on screen. It's as much a character in the film as any of the actors.

The HD video quality on The Final Cut is superb. Yes, there are shots in the film that aren't as tightly focused as I might like. The crispness of its photography and video transfer aren't quite in the same league as The Matrix or even The Chronicles of Riddick. But there's so much going on that you rarely notice. Ridley Scott may know how to fill a frame better than any other living director.

The film is also very dark. With the possible exception of a unicorn dream scene (and the excised ending) there isn't a single shot in Blade Runner that takes place in sunlight. Black level and shadow details are very important to this film, and the transfer is impeccable in these areas. The quality you see will ultimately depend on your video display.

But this boxed set doesn't end with The Final Cut. Disc 3 contains three additional versions of the film: the original U.S. theatrical cut, the original international theatrical cut, and the 1992 Director's Cut, all laid down with seamless branching. And disc 5 contains that (in) famous work print that reinvorated the Blade Runner fan base.

While all of these additional versions of the film are billed as high definition, none of them look (or sound) nearly as good as The Final Cut on disc 1. I suspect they were made from less pristine source elements, and perhaps mastered to HD with a little less loving care—a good reminder that not all high definition is created equal. But of the four, only the work print looks genuinely mediocre, with uneven brightness levels and clearly inferior shadow detail. But all of the versions are watchable.

Discs 2 and 4 are packed with extra features. Disc 2, in particular, offers the feature length documentary, "Dangerous Days: The Making of Blade Runner." It spares no details about the film's adaptation from author Philip K. Dick's novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, its problem-plagued production and post production, and its initial rejection by the critics and public alike.

While the documentary consists mostly of talking head interviews, it's loaded with interesting insights. There are a lot of shots here that never made it into the film, plus artists' concepts of scenes that were conceived but never actually filmed. The most intriguing for me was a plot point that was to show that Tyrell, the head of the company that manufactures the replicants, has long been dead and vacuum-preserved in a room high up in the Tyrell Corporation pyramid. The living Tyrell we see in the film is a replicant!

Disc 4 is loaded with additional, shorter features, including a remembrance of Philip K. Dick, deleted and alternate scenes, and trailers. And if that's not enough for you, there are three commentary tracks on disc, an additional one for the disc 5 work print, and a feature on disc 5 showing the genesis of the film's various versions including the creation of The Final Cut.

The special features on discs 2 and 4 are billed as standard definition, but while the film clips shown there are clearly that, some of the interview head shots could pass for high definition, even on a big screen.

Kudos to Warner Brothers not only for producing this set, but for keeping the price reasonable at $39.99 on either Blu-ray or HD DVD. A $99.98 5-disc Blu-ray or HD DVD gift set is also available, but apart from a fancy case and a variety of periphery like artwork and a model unicorn, it offers the exact same disc content.

And thanks to Warner's also for not cluttering up any of these discs with front-loaded trailers for other films and DVD releases—a practice that is not only annoying but also quickly dates collectors' sets. Apart from that ubiquitous FBI warning, you're shuttled directly to the main menus on all of these discs. First Class.

(Ratings apply only to The Final Cut)

Picture: 9.0 (out of 10)….Sound: 9.5…Film: 9.5

Reviewed on a Sony VPL-VW60 1080p projector and Stewart Studiotek 130, 78" wide, 16:9 screen, with the Toshiba GD-A35 HD DVD player, an Onkyo TX-SR875 Surround Sound Receiver (used as a pre-pro), an Anthem Statement P5 power amplifier, and an APC S15 power conditioner/UPS. Also B&W 683 (L/R front) and 685 (surround), Revel C12 (center) speakers and a Revel B15 subwoofer.

They needed better training. So author J.K Rowling conjured up Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and populated it with a colorful collection of professors and students, including one Harry Potter—he of the google-eyed glasses and Zorro scar.

I saw the first four Harry Potter movies during their theatrical run and later on DVD. They were all fun, but never stayed with me very far from the theater exits. Maybe that’s because I never read the wildly popular books, written for both mature children and child-at-heart adults. I like to think I fall into the latter category (why else the passion for all these electronic toys!), but Harry Potter just never found his way onto my reading list.

Nevertheless, the movies have become deeper, darker, and more serious as the series has progressed. The third and fourth films, in particular, promised a lot more than the first two lightweight installments, and for the most part they delivered.

Still, I wasn’t inspired enough by the maturing of the films to check out the most recent release, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, when it came to a theater near me. But on high definition disc it has grabbed me in a way that the earlier films did not. Perhaps it was the fact that the child stars have grown beyond their “cute” years. In particular, Daniel Radcliffe, as Potter, has become a good young actor and not just a wunderkind.

Or perhaps it was because the parade of Britain’s best actors that populate these films now seems more inspired than gimmicky. Imelda Staunton’s turn as the new Professor of the Dark Arts, Dolores Umbridge, should earn her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nod but probably won’t because this sort of film is often overlooked during awards season. The Lord of the Rings is the only significant exception that comes to mind.

The plot isn’t difficult to follow. Harry Potter gets dragged before a tribunal for violating the Wizard code of ethics by performing wizardry at the wrong place and time. The Ministry of Magic, it seems, refuses to believe that Voldemort—the Dark Lord whose name shall not be spoken—is back in town and spoiling for a fight. Since Harry is an outspoken witness to that return, the Ministry is out to discredit him. With no apparent help coming from higher up, Potter organizes the resistance that the Ministry refuses to provide by secretly training fellow Hogwarts students. This deepens an ongoing conflict between him and Professor Umbridge, the Ministry’s agent who has been assigned to Hogwarts. Umbridge is busy remaking the place in her own cheerfully totalitarian image.

I won’t tell you how this plays out. But enough remains undone that additional flms will be needed to put everything right—two more, to be precise, judging from the books.

Perhaps one of the reasons I enjoyed this movie so much is that this Blu-ray release (and the similar Combo Format HD, thanks to Warner’s continued support of both HD formats) is a real winner. The picture quality could hardly be better (credit the missing half star in the rating to nothing more serious than critic’s reserve). The detail is all there, from the skin textures and hair on the actors to the remarkably real-looking sets (probably a mixture of real paint and wood and CGI—it’s getting harder to tell these days where one starts and the other ends—a welcome development). The deepest blacks are rich and true and there is excellent shadow detail—a good thing given the many dark scenes in the movie. And the colors always look right.

The audio (TrueHD on the HD DVD; uncompressed PCM on then Blu-ray) is perhaps even more impressive. The bass is deep, the surrounds fully fleshed-out when they need to be, and the effects super. That’s all expected in modern movies of this sort (though not always delivered). But the recording of Nicolas Hooper’s superb score is also impressive.

Nicolas Who? I wondered the same thing. A search of the Internet Movie Database revealed that he has been around for some time, mainly composing scores for British television. This is his first truly high profile film, and I hope more will follow. While themes originally written by John Williams for the first three Harry Potter films are woven through this score (Patrick Doyle wrote the score for the fourth film), there’s a lot of original work here, and it’s outstanding (good enough, in fact, to drive me to buy the soundtrack CD).

The special features include an “In-Movie Experience” which inserts a button in the form of a spinning disc onto the image whenever a short clip describing the creation of the scene is available for viewing. An interactive feature on editing, which allows the viewer to combine three shots from a specific scene in any order, with different options for sound and music, is also fun. Both formats also include deleted scenes. But while the HD DVD version does have several web-enabled features that the Blu-ray lacks, the Blu-ray has two other featurettes that the HD DVD does not. I wasn’t able to try the web features, but the extra material on the Blu-ray disc is very good, and I wouldn’t want to be without it. The Hidden Secrets of Harry Potter, in particular, runs for 43 minutes. It probably wouldn't fit on the HD DVD with that format's smaller data capacity.

Several of the extra features on the Blu-ray version are promoted as high definition on the disc jacket. That’s only partially true. Most are a combination of crisp high definition, soft-looking high definition, and standard def.

Altogether, however, this is a great release of a very fine film.

Picture: 9.5 (out of 10)….Sound: 9.5…Film: 8.5

Reviewed on a Sony VPL-VW200 1080p projector and Stewart Studiotek 130, 78" wide, 16:9 screen, with the Panasonic DMP-BD30 Blu-ray player, an Onkyo TX-SR875 Surround Sound Receiver (used as a pre-pro), an Anthem Statement P5 power amplifier, and an APC S15 power conditioner/UPS. Also B&W 683 (L/R front) and 685 (surround), Revel C12 (center) speakers and a Revel B15 subwoofer.

The film has all the classic Spielberg touches, including unique, sometimes quirky but effective (with one or two exceptions) pre-computer special effects, often striking images, a creative sound mix, authority figures who are either pig-headed or deceptive, and a John Williams score.

But I've always found its main characters hard to like, particularly Richard Dreyfus' Roy Neary. Roy's shrew-wife is understandably concerned with his bizarre and obsessive behavior following a major UFO sighting. He's ultimately compelled by this obsession to travel from his home in Indiana to Devil's Tower in Wyoming, where UFOs are gathering. Together with another witness to the original event, a woman whose son has been abducted by the same aliens, he participates in the close encounter of the title, an encounter that features music—or at least five mysterious musical notes.

The original 1977 theatrical cut of this movie (oddly, never released on home video) spawned two later versions. In 1980 Columbia Pictures released a re-edited Special Edition, which in addition to some smaller changes added a completely new closing sequence showing the inside of the Mother Ship. And in 1998 came the Director's Cut, which restored several cuts made in the Special Edition but deleted the Mother Ship interior shots. Spielberg had had second thoughts about those shots in the intervening 18 years, and ultimately felt that the inside of the ship was better left to the viewer's imagination.

I prefer the original version, but the choice is yours in this 2-disc release. It includes all three cuts on the first disc via seamless branching. The time differences between the different versions are not large: 132 minutes for the shortest (the 1980 Special Edition) and 137 minutes for the longest (the 1998 Director's Cut). The set includes a guide that clearly describes the differences between the three versions, plus a collector's book loaded with production photos.

I saw an informal sneak preview of this release at the recent Blu-ray Festival in LA. The check disc looked terrible, even on a relatively small LCD screen. Sony insisted that what looked like horrendous noise throughout the transfer was film grain.

It was not. Fortunately, however, whatever it was (possibly a defective display?) is largely gone on this final release.

Not that it's flawless. While there is no heavy dose of noise here, there is certainly plenty of grain. And the look of the transfer is uneven from scene to scene. Sometimes it's very sharp, at other times it's soft, looking little more detailed than an average, standard definition DVD. Blacks look crushed in some overly contrasty shots, but fine in others. These issues, however, likely stem from the age of the source material (there is no claim on the packaging that any restoration of the film was done for this release).

The disc also includes both Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio soundtracks. I listened to the TrueHD track. At its best the sound is surprisingly good for a 30-year old film. If your system's volume is set a bit too high, as mine was at first, the opening music crescendo will lift you off your chair. And the scene in the desert that follows, with a sandstorm and revving piston engines from old single-engine fighter planes, leaves nothing to be desired compared to more modern soundtracks apart from its lack of subterranean bass.

But the sound does show its age overall, especially in the quality of the music recording. It often sounds a little rough and edgy, with a soundstage that's distinctly left and right with a big hole in the middle. This soundtrack was recorded years before John Williams teamed up with music recording engineer Shawn Murphy, who has recorded some of the best-sounding film music. To hear what I mean check out the soundtrack from Empire of the Sun, one of the first Spielberg/Williams/Murphy collaborations, recorded 10 years after CE3K.

The special features here include a mix of HD and SD video, including "Storyboard to Scene Comparisons," the 1977 "Watch the Skies" featurette, and the theatrical trailer. New material includes an interview with Spielberg and a new "Making Of" documentary. A director's commentary track would have been nice, but commentary tracks can sometimes spoil the magic in a film by revealing too much, which is apparently why Spielberg declines to do them.

While this isn't my favorite Spielberg film by a long shot, I encourage anyone who has not seen it, or has seen it only on a 4x3 TV screen, to experience this release on a good widescreen televison—on Blu-ray if you possibly can, or if not, then on regular DVD.

Picture: 7.5 (out of 10) Sound: 8.0 Film: 8.0

Reviewed on a JVC DLA-RS1 1080p projector and Stewart Studiotek 130, 78" wide, 16:9 screen, with a Samsung HD-P1200 Blu-ray player, an Onkyo TX-SR875 Surround Sound Receiver (used as a pre-pro), an Anthem Statement P5 power amplifier, and an APC S15 power conditioner/UPS. Also B&W 683 (L/R front) and 685 (surround), Revel C12 (center) speakers and a Revel B15 subwoofer.

These three Blu-ray discs, but Ratatouille in particular, show what HD is all about.

Yes, I know that animation usually looks sharp and clear, even on standard definition DVD. But in high definition great computer animation is the very essence of video eye-candy. On Cars you can almost count the number of peop—er—cars in the racetrack stands. Or catch each reflection from the shiny paint and chrome on every vehicle. The picture quality on the Pixar Short Films Collection is a little more variable, with a couple of the company's earliest efforts looking a little soft. But once you get to the most recent ones, awesome. (My personal favorite: "One Man Band.")

Then there's Ratatouille. The film is a visual feast from beginning to end. The textures and details in every scene make those early Pixar short film efforts, and even its first full length releases like Toy Story and A Bug's Life, look like kindergarten stuff. If you watch it on a good big screen display, just be sure to bring cushions to catch your jaw as it drops to the floor. It's that good.

The old canard that animation looks good on anything really doesn't tell the whole story here. It may look good on most anything, but for it to look truly great the "anything," had better be a good, big screen display and the source resolution had better be HD.

The sound is also superb on all the discs (limited only in some of the earliest Pixar shorts), particularly the uncompressed PCM tracks recorded at 48kHz/24bits. Kudos to Disney for publishing this information rather than just calling it "uncompressed PCM" with no additional details. (Are you listening, Sony?)

Cars has the most consistently dynamic sound mix of these three discs, but Ratatouille deserves a share of the glory. It excels not only in its biggest action sequence (the rats escaping a country cottage) but in the small details as well (check out Remy the rat's nearly inaudible footsteps as he walks across the cottage's kitchen countertop earlier in the film).

But there's much more to these releases than their stunning technical chops. Pixar films have been consistently successful because they haven't forgotten that all the great visuals in the world won't satisfy in the long run if the story isn't there. Cars has a great story, and so does Ratatouille. I won't spoil them for you with details, but Cars' log line is basically, " Egotistical, rooky racing car is dumped off in nowhereVille and gets to know quirky local residents. Humility and a change of heart ensues." In Ratatouille, "Rat with a culinary passion gets his big break with the help of new friend/restaurant gofer/sock puppet Linguini. Good eating/bad vibes follow" Or, if you prefer, "Rat gets spatula, Rat loses spatula, Rat gets spatula."

Of course, there's a lot more to both feature-length films than this—more than enough, in fact, to thoroughly entertain everyone from the smallest child to any adult who can get past the "animation is for kids" barrier.

As originally posted, this review commented on slow loading times for these discs. Indeed, I was initially unable to skip quickly over the discs' many front-loaded trailers and go directly to the main menus. In a later check, however, this cleared up. Why the discrepancy? I dunno—possibly gremlins in the HDMI. Whatever it was, both discs now load relatively fast on the Panasonic DMP-BD30 and Samsung BD-P1200 players (for an HD disc, that is)—as long as you use the Top Menu button on the remote to skip over all the promotional material at the front of the discs (Samsung calls this button this Disc Menu).

I won't go into the special features on these discs, but for me the real highlight of the bunch is the special animated feature, "Your friend, the Rat" on Ratatouille. It's in HD, and hilarious. Don't miss it.

I do wish that Disney would stop front-loading its Blu-ray discs with interminable trailers. That's an ongoing complaint around here. On Ratatouille it took over 14 minutes, without skipping, to get from the first on-screen promo to the actual film menu (about 90 seconds less with the Panasonic player). Disney is the main industry offender here. It's carried over from Disney DVDs, but as used here, in a new format struggling to compete, the practice is a major annoyance.

End of bitching. I wouldn't want to be without any of these discs. You won't either.

Ratatouille Picture: 10.0 (out of 10.0) Sound: 10.0 Film: 10.0

Cars Picture: 9.5 Sound: 10.0 Film: 9.0

Pixar Short Films Collection Picture: 7.0 (early shorts)…10.0 (later shorts) Sound: 7.0 (early shorts)…10.0 (later shorts) Film: 9.0-10.0

Reviewed on a JVC DLA-RS1 1080p projector and Stewart Studiotek 130, 78" wide, 16:9 screen, with Pioneer Elite BDP-HD1, BDP-94HD, Samsung BD-P1200, and Panasonic DMP-BD30 Blu-ray players, an Onkyo TX-SR875 Surround Sound Receiver (used as a pre-pro), an Anthem Statement P5 power amplifier, and an APC S15 power conditioner/UPS. Also B&W 683 (L/R front) and 685 (surround), Revel C12 (center) speakers and a Revel B15 subwoofer.

But for now, we have three. It's a variable lot, but I think it's safe to say that no superhero comic book franchise has ever produced a better, or a more profitable, series of films. This Blu-ray box set of all three will be in stores on Tuesday, October 30th.

But it all started with the original Spider-Man. It's a delightful work, laying out the often-tedious background required of any superhero saga with a light—but not campy—touch. There isn't a wrong move here from the first bite to the final shot, where Spidey briefly but prominently shares the screen with a huge American flag. (You'll see fast-cut but clear shots of the flag in all three films. Director Sam Ramey isn't afraid to do a little flag-waving, particularly here in the first film which was released during the spring that followed 9/11).

Spider-Man 2 is even better. In fact, it’s the best of the lot, a potent and all too rare example of the sequel that outdoes the original. It's richer and deeper, with more depth, far better action scenes (which advance the story without appearing to be simply tacked-on to ratchet-up the excitement) and the most emotionally satisfying finale of all the films. It also has, by far, the best villain.

Spider-Man 2.1, a video only version (previously released on DVD) adds 9 minutes to the original film's running time. It's included on disc 2 in this set, along with the theatrical version, using what must certainly be seamless branching. The added scenes are mainly character moments, but for the most part they enrich an already excellent film.

Spider-Man 3 falls down in a number of ways that could have been at least partially corrected by some cuts to its bloated 2 hour, 19 minute running time. It has one (perhaps two) villains too many, and none of them are as interesting or well explored as Doc Ock in the second film. There's also too much romantic angst here, and Kirsten Dunst's Mary Jane, now that she has a better idea of why Peter Parker can't always be there for her, appears annoying and selfish rather than sympathetic. Worst of all, many of the scenes featuring the "bad," goo-controlled Peter Parker are cringe-worthy.

But one advantage of home video is that you can skip the bad stuff, particularly on subsequent viewings. The best parts of Spider-Man 3 are the special effects scenes. Last summer I was invited to Sony Pictures Imageworks, where the largely computer-generated special effects were produced. There we were given a complete rundown on the creation of several if the key special effects sequences. The Spider-Man 3 package in this box set provides all of the same information I received, and a lot more. It contains 11 high definition featurettes, each dedicated to a specific aspect of the film, plus theatrical and TV trailers and spots.

Disc 1 of the Spider-Man 3 package in this set also includes two audio commentary tracks, one by the actors and another from the producers, editor, and special effects supervisor. There's also a blooper reel, some of which, as usual with such reels, appears to have been staged specifically for the DVD release (though the staging probably was not responsible for the random R-rated language that occasionally pops out on this feature).

It's in the overall quality of its features, however, that this box set comes up short. The extensive extras that fill out disc two of the last film aren't enough to hide the virtually complete lack of special features on the Spider-Man and sets. No commentaries here, no "Making of" featurettes, no—nothing. Special features are not high on my list of must-haves on packaged media, but if they are make-or-break additions to you, you'll see a lot more of them on earlier DVD releases of these films.

Fortunately, the three discs on this Blu-ray set have technical chops that far exceed anything you'll see on DVD, including their Super-Bit releases. While they aren't the very best Blu-ray discs I've seen, their limitations might well originate in the original photography rather than in the HD transfers. Of the three, Spider-Man 3 is the most consistent, with sharp but not artificially enhanced details and textures, good shadow detail, and spot-on colors.

Spider-Man 2 has the most uneven transfer, though most of its problems —softness in some of the medium and long shots, a few grungy-looking dark scenes, occasionally too-warm colors—come in the first third of the film and seem to clear up later. The brief, dark, establishing shots of Dock Ock's riverfront lair, in particular, look stunning, as do the (less challenging but still relatively dark) interior shots in the big finale.

The video quality of the original Spider-Man, overall, is good and roughly equal to 2. It's also the only 1.85:1 film here; the others are 2.40:1.

All three films offer excellent English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtracks, with additional language tracks in standard Dolby Digital 5.1 (two of the movies even offer 5.1-channel Thai soundtracks!). Only Spider-Man 3, however, also includes an uncompressed PCM 5.1-channel soundtrack.

The audio is impressive on all three films, but particularly so on the last two, with deep, explosive bass and active surrounds. And the music on the soundtracks was particularly well handled, presented on a wide and deep cinematic canvas perfectly suited to the style of the films. It never sounds unrealistically grating or edgy—with one exception. All three films feature pop songs over the closing credits, and the style of those songs, particularly in the first two films, destroys any attempt to savor the mood lingering from the films' final scenes. They scream "Buy the soundtrack album today!"—which is clearly their intended purpose.

But I doubt if anyone will be disappointed in any of the soundtracks on this box set. The jury is still out for me, however, on the TrueHD vs. uncompressed PCM question. In theory, both types of audio tracks should be equivalent, everything else being equal (unlike some studios, Sony does not provide the sampling rate and bit-depth of its uncompressed audio tracks on the disc jacket). But I did switch back and forth between the TrueHD and uncompressed tracks several times while watching Spider-Man 3. The comparison was complicated by the fact that the uncompressed track was definitely louder (why?). But even after dropping its level by several dB in a rough attempt to compensate, the uncompressed track still sounded fuller and more powerful, particularly through the midbass.

Spider-Man 3 is also available separately on Blu-ray, in two-disc form identical to the one on this packaged set. Both two disc and one disc DVD releases are also available. No separate Blu-ray releases of the first two films have been announced—yet. (While we have no crystal-ball, inside information on this, want to bet against separate, expanded, full-featured Blu-ray releases of the first two films sometime in the future?)

Spider-Man Picture…8.5 Sound…8.5 Film…8.5 (maximum 10.0)

Spider-Man 2 Picture…8.5 Sound…9.0 Film…9.5

Spider-Man 3 Picture…9.0 Sound…9.0 (TrueHD), 9.5 (PCM) Film…7.5

(Reviewed on a JVC DLA-RS1 1080p projector and Stewart Studiotek 130, 78" wide, 16:9 screen, with a Samsung HD-P1200 Blu-ray player, an Onkyo TX-SR875 Surround Sound Receiver (used as a pre-pro), an Anthem Statement P5 power amplifier, and an APC S15 power conditioner/UPS. Also B&W 683 (L/R front) and 685 (surround), Revel C12 (center) speakers and a Revel B15 subwoofer.

Purists will be troubled by more than a few departures from the known historical facts. Some critics have also pointed, justifiably, to the movie's dramatic parallels to The Godfather. But there's no doubt that the politics of the 16th century were Machiavellian, complicated by the intense religious strife of that era. This is immediately addressed in a horrific opening scene showing three Protestants being burned at the stake.

One critic even described Elizabeth as a horror film disguised as a historical drama. I wouldn't go that far. Yes, there are a few scenes of violence, and the R rating is well deserved. But this isn't Saw V . It's history. Not particularly accurate history, but a terrific story nevertheless. It's also supported by so many outstanding performances that it would take too long here to credit them all. But the title role was clearly a star-making turn for Cate Blanchett. She is incredible.

So is this disc. I haven't yet seen a better-looking HD DVD. The beautiful cinematography, together with spectacularly detailed costumes and sets, certainly helps. The images are sharp but natural, from the brightest scenes to the darkest. The colors are lush. I've seen other HD DVDs that challenge this one for the prize as the best-looking HD DVD on the market, but none that can surpass it.

The same goes for the Dolby TrueHD audio. It's every bit as compelling as the picture. There are no explosions, and few truly over-the-top effects (with the exception of the sound of a stunning thunderstorm). But with its natural dialogue, surprisingly vivid bass, a beautifully recorded music score, and strikingly clarity, the sound here is as good as it gets in a feature film.

Picture: 10….Sound: 10….Film: 9.0 (Maximum: 10)

(Reviewed on an InFocus IN82 1080p projector and Stewart Studiotek 130, 78" wide, 16:9 screen, with a Toshiba HD-A20 HD DVD player, an Onkyo TX-SR875 Surround Sound Receiver (used as a pre-pro), and an Anthem Statement P5 power amplifier. Also a Revel B15 subwoofer and Revel Ultima Studio2, Voice2, and Gem2 speakers.)

But the film was not a box office success. It had the potential to appeal to science fiction fans, but if the animation didn't turn them off (many sci-fans are young men who wouldn't go to an animated film if you paid them), the word-of-mouth about its weird, muddled plot did.

An uneasy mix of post-apocalyptic fantasy, sci-fi action, and Druidic mysticism, the story has mankind holed-up in protected, domed cities. There they seek refuge from strange, ghost-like aliens who have occupied the rest of Earth.

As odd as it is, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is well worth a look. It's enormously creative visually, and as presented here on Blu-ray disc provides two hours of stunning eye- and ear-candy. The images are consistently and compelling sharp and crisp, with excellent shadow detail (a lot of the film is very dark, in more ways than one). The colors are subdued, but that's deliberate.

The audio is even more astonishing. This film always offered first-class demo-quality surround sound even on DVD, but as heard here in 5.1-channel uncompressed PCM it's of unquestionable reference quality.

Picture: 10….Sound: 10….Film: 7.0

(Reviewed on an InFocus IN82 1080p projector and Stewart Studiotek 130, 78" wide, 16:9 screen, with a Samsung BD-P1200 Blu-ray player, an Onkyo TX-SR875 Surround Sound Receiver (used as a pre-pro) and an Anthem Statement P5 power amplifier. Also a Revel B15 subwoofer with Revel Ultima Studio2, Voice2, and Gem2 speakers.)

Here we have surfing penguins (!!)—if you haven't already figured that out from the title or the cover art. The story, told in a pseudo-documentary style, follows Cody, a young, surfing-obsessed penguin from Shiverpool, Antarctica, to the tropical the penguin surfing paradise of Pen Gu Island. There he plans to enter, and win, a big surfing contest.

Surf's Up isn't a serious, documentary look at the penguin lifestyle. Nor does it slip in a message about evil humans disrupting the penguin ecosystem. Yes, along the way Cody does learn the value of friendship, and that winning isn't everything. But the message is no more heavy-handed than the nearly identical twist at the end of Cars. (For other opinions, Google Vince Lombardi and George Patton.)

What we have here is simply a good time at the movies. What a concept! It's hilarious, and while kids will certainly enjoy it, no one who likes a good comedy, of any age, will be bored.

The computer animated images are beautifully rendered. They aren't as ambitious or detailed as in many other animated films on BD and HD DVD, particularly The Wild, Happy Feet, and Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. But you won't be disappointed.

The uncompressed 5.1-channel PCM audio is good (a TrueHD track is also available), but apart from a few climactic scenes it isn't up to the spectacular standards set by numerous other recent animated movies. It serves the film well, but words like "awesome" or "wow" don't appear in my notes.

Picture: 9.0….Sound: 8.0….Film: 8.0

(Reviewed on an InFocus IN82 1080p projector and Stewart Studiotek 130, 78" wide, 16:9 screen, with a Samsung BD-P1200 Blu-ray player, an Onkyo TX-SR875 Surround Sound Receiver (used as a pre-pro) and an Anthem Statement P5 power amplifier. Also a Revel B15 subwoofer with Revel Ultima Studio2, Voice2, and Gem2 speakers.)

Yes, it's derivative. A young man plucked from obscurity to save the universe, together with aliens and space battles, echoes Star Wars. A con man is right out of (literally) The Music Man. And the bittersweet but uplifting ending is reminiscent of E.T.

But The Last Starfighter is clearly not as ambitious as any of those films. It's simply a modest space opera with two highlights: a primitive but effective early use of computerized special effects and actor Robert Preston's final movie appearance.

The special effects won't wow anyone who has been exposed to 20+ years of subsequent, computerized filmmaking, but they were groundbreaking for their day. They still work for me, probably because of my innate fondness for the film. How well they'll work for someone seeing the movie for the first time today is a question I can't answer. But the effects are still nicely done, despite the fact that they never look "real."

Preston revisits his Music Man shtick for the last time here, and it's as endearing as ever. As Centauri, a sort of interstellar, talent scouting bounty hunter, he convinces Alex Rogan, an 18-year old whiz at the Starfighter video game, to help save the Star League, and ultimately the Earth, from the evil Zur and the Ko-dan Armada. If that description makes it all sound a bit silly, so be it.

But it's also a charming, lightweight, coming-of-space-age story that holds up nicely in repeated viewings. Its PG rating is a soft one, and the film is suitable for all but the youngest viewers, who may find some of the aliens scary. And while the movie is never preachy, it has important things to say about growing up, how life often spins us off in unexpected directions, and about accepting responsibility for more than your own little corner of the universe. As Centauri says to a reluctant Alex, who doesn't think he's good enough to be anything but a kid from a trailer park, "If that's what you think, that's all you'll ever be."

This is a solid HD DVD transfer. The dark scenes near the beginning of the film, and occasionally later, look a bit crushed. But despite some unevenness here and there the image often looks startlingly good. It was never an amazing-looking film to begin with, but it's safe to say that its 2.35:1 widescreen images have never looked better than they do here, either in the theater or on any previous video format.

There isn't anything particularly impressive about the sound, however, despite the available Dolby TrueHD audio track. It's perfectly adequate and never distracting, but it's also as dated as you might expect from an early 1980s production. The dialogue sounds canned, and the sound effects aren't particularly ambitious. And while I've always liked the film's appealing music, with its weighty brass, it sounds distinctly left-right oriented here, with little sense of spread across the front soundstage.

Despite these limitations, I strongly recommend this HD DVD to fans of this film. And may it create many new ones.

Picture: 8.5….Sound: 7.0….Film: 8.5

(Reviewed on an InFocus IN82 1080p projector and Stewart Studiotek 130, 78" wide, 16:9 screen, with a Toshiba HD-A20 HD DVD player, an Onkyo TX-SR875 Surround Sound Receiver (used as a pre-pro) and an Anthem Statement P5 power amplifier. Also a Revel B15 subwoofer with Revel Ultima Studio2, Voice2, and Gem2 speakers.)

Presented in 1080p using VC-1, the video transfer here is reference quality. It's incredibly pristine, with razor sharp detail. It's obviously hi-def for every frame, but it's also stunningly natural and three-dimensional. The colors look sensational, and there are no artifacts of any kind to distract from the beauty of the image. The depth if detail and solidity of front to back depth is remarkable. This is a very, very pleasant surprise. A stunner, really. Odd, in the sense that nothing here is as appropriate to pull out for a demo as say, The Matrix, but nevertheless this transfer is second to none.

The Dolby Digital Plus soundtrack, presumably at 1.5Mbps, is over the top and down the other side. On purpose. It's literally part of the gag in hyperbolizing everything on screen. By the middle of the movie I was actually tired of hearing my subwoofer crush my house every time a door closed. It was impressive to a point, but actually a bit too much of a funny thing. The bass was loud, but not particularly deep, which made it sound a bit boomy to me. And the dialog wasn't quite as crisp as I would have liked, often sounding drowned out by the bass. But it's all in good fun and it works to the movie's point.

There's enough bonus material here to occupy an entire weekend. Among those I sampled and was amused by were the outtakes, and a brief sequence called The Man Who Would Be Fuzz in which stars Simon Pegg and Nick Front (you guessed it!) recite their dialog as the chracters portrayed by Sean Connery and Michael Caine in The Man Who Would Be King. You really have to love these guys.

My only gripe here is that this DVD/HD DVD combo disc costs almost ten bucks more on Amazon than the DVD. Why not sell an HD DVD disc that's cheaper?

That being said, overall Hot Fuzz is easy to recommend for purchase. Great satire, tons of extras and a sparkling video transfer. Everything HD is about!

Picture: 10 out of 10

Sound: 7.5 out of 10

Video reviewed on Marantz VP-11S1 1080p DLP projector, 80" wide Stewart Filmscreen Studiotek 130 screen. Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD player and Sony PlayStation3 Blu-ray Disc player via HDMI to Anthem AVM 50. Audio sent as PCM over HDMI to Anthem AVM 50. Ayre MX-R monoblocks and Theta Dreadnaught power amps, and Vandersteen loudspeakers. All video cables by Bettercables, all audio cables by AudioQuest

The Bourne Identity is as good and rare as action thrillers get. It's quick-paced with great action sequences, but very smart and emotionally engaging (on the latter score, thank script and the strong, interesting performances by Matt Damon and Franke Potente of Run Lola Run fame). This is one of the rare movies in which the characters miss nothing instinctually or intellectually; the filmmakers trust the audience to get it. And compared to the sequel, which I also liked, this original is less active with the camera work, and the result is more effective.

As always, this Universal HD DVD is presented in 1080p and crunched with VC-1. The HD imagery here is always rock solid and obviously HD, but seldom truly spectacular. Compared to the very best transfers out there this release is always just a bit softer and not as spectacularly detailed as it could be. And that's not just a comment on the muted color scheme. Compare this transfer to Children of Men and you'll see what I mean. That being said I prefer this look to the harder, edgier, artifically enhanced look I've been seeing from some Universal HD DVDs in recent months. There are no significant artifacts of any kind to distract from what is a satisfyingly rich and film-like transfer that's short of the best by a small but noticeable margin.

The sound here is Dolby Digital Plus, presumably at 1.5Mbps. It too is a solid effort that can knock you back in your chair when required in the action sequences. The overall sound design is an impressive study in contrast- it can be relatively quiet before the sound effects or the music explode with the action. But it's nothing revelatory, and when it's not being aggressive it isn't as immersive as it could be.

In addition to a wealth of typical extras that could feasily fill a two-disc DVD set, there are a couple of worthy U-Control Picture-In-Picture features. The first is a running set of video interviews and and behind the scenes footage presented in the Picture-In-Picture format that is terrific. And there's also a U-Control accessible feature called "The Treadstone Files" offering back stories on the characters, GPS info on the locations and other spy dossier type stuff. This is a much more engaging way of experiencing these extras.

I'm a big fan of the first two films on the Bourne series, and this an easy recommendation for HD DVD. Rock solid high-definition picture and sound that's a clear cut above the DVD, and some cool extras to boot. A no-brainer for pucrhase, even if it isn't state-of-the-art.

Picture: 8 out of 10

Sound: 7.5 out of 10

Video reviewed on Marantz VP-11S1 1080p DLP projector, 80" wide Stewart Filmscreen Studiotek 130 screen. Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD player and Sony PlayStation3 Blu-ray Disc player via HDMI to Anthem AVM 50. Audio sent as PCM over HDMI to Anthem AVM 50. Ayre MX-R monoblocks and Theta Dreadnaught power amps, and Vandersteen loudspeakers. All video cables by Bettercables, all audio cables by AudioQuest