http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/ Media Reviews includes SD-DVD, HD-DVD and Blu-ray Disc Movie Reviews as well as popular Game Reviews from select movie review and game review enthusiast. Reviews here are moderated and must meet certain criteria before being published. If you would like more information on having your media movie reviews posted in the Media Reviews forum, please use the Contact Us link at the bottom of the page or see the Sticky Thread posted in the forum. Media Reviewers: Brando, Jon Liu, wbassett en Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:54:53 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/images/misc/rss.jpg http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/ http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/media-reviews/22887-g-i-joe-rise-cobra-blu-ray-review.html Sun, 15 Nov 2009 02:56:33 GMT G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra

Starring: Channing Tatum, Marlon Wayans, Sienna Miller, Rachel Nichols, Ray Park, Byung-hun Lee, Christopher Eccleston, Dennis Quaid, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Arnold Vosloo, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Director: Stephen Sommers
Studio: Paramount
Runtime: 117 minutes
Rating: PG-13
Blu-ray Release Date: November 3, 2009

Movie:2stars:

A set of four highly lucrative warheads, produced by James McCullen (Eccleston) and his company, MARS, is presented to NATO for their bidding. These warheads are demonstrated to employ a nano-technology that is capable of leveling a full armored tank within seconds. When NATO purchases the warheads they put a special task force of the U.S. Army, led by Duke (Tatum) and Ripcord (Wayans), is put in charge of transporting and delivering them. While en route to their destination the task force’s humvees are ambushed by a team of high-tech soldiers called Cobra, led by Baroness (Miller). Cobra end up annihilating the whole task force in order to take the warheads into their possession. However, Duke and Ripcord secure the warheads and are saved by several mysterious soldiers, Scarlett (Nichols), Snake Eyes (Park), and Heavy Duty (Akinnuoye-Agbaje) who take Duke, Ripcord, and the warheads back to their top secret command center.

In this secret base, Duke and Ripcord are introduced to General Hawk (Quaid), who heads an organization known as G.I. Joe. After seeing how advanced the Joes are Duke and Ripcord convince General Hawk to allow them to join the team by providing some intel provided about Baroness that could ultimately lead to the Joes finding Cobra. As the two finalize their training in becoming G.I. Joes Baroness, Storm Shadow (Byung-hun) and a set of nanotechnology-injected soldiers infiltrate the Joes base to carry out their original objective to steal the warheads. Succeeding in their task Baroness and Storm Shadow take them to their base and with the warheads in hand, Cobra set their plan in motion to threaten the human race and ultimately dominate the world. It is now up to the G.I. Joes to save the world from the clutches of Cobra.

I personally found this movie to be over the top and while there doesn’t seem to be much storyline I found myself having a hard time keeping track of what was going on. It seems so simple to get, but at the same time, a lot of the movie just didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. Things within the plotline happen to quickly and follow after one another so quickly that it just feels messy. I suppose that a lot of this had to do with the movie being driven by the action sequences anyway, which were too numerous to count. Surprisingly though, the action sequences were the saving grace of the film and gave me reason enough to stick it out through the film. The acting, dialog and some of the casting in this movie seem off to me. I really think Channing Tatum was improperly cast as Duke and I also can’t get passed Marlon Wayans as an action hero of any sort. Aside from mainly those two, I thought pretty much everyone else were better fits for their characters.

Rating

G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra is rated PG-13 for strong sequences of action violence and mayhem throughout. It seems to be an accurate assessment since the whole movie is nearly non-stop action and fighting.

Video:4stars:

This film was shot with an aspect ratio of 2.39:1 and receives a high-quality transfer for this blu-ray release. While the transfer is solid, it also is less forgiving for some of the heavy-laden CGI effects. Detail throughout the film is consistently high and allows the viewers to easily notice the facial and clothing detail for each of the characters. Black levels were also particularly impressive, as well. Many of the outfits in this film are comprised of black, but never does it just look black. There is a lot of level of detail and shades of black that are visible and consistently so. There are also plenty of dark sequences allow shadow detail to really appear. Color reproduction is very good as well, being very natural looking, but never flat. Nothing seems over saturated and the transfer really allows specific instances of bold colors to really pop, i.e. Scarlett’s deep red hair.

However, the film’s overall presentation reveal some of the computer generated effects and sequences a bit more making them appear bogus. I remember originally downloading the high-definition trailer before G.I. Joe’s theatrical run and noticing some of the blatantly obvious CGI shots in the trailer. This originally made me fearful to watch this movie because it seemed as though it would be quite distracting. After my viewing with this film, I can say that many of the CG sequences were very noticeable and borderline distracting. I think it was especially bad during the entire Paris street change sequence. Sequences blending live action and CG effects are sometimes blurred and don’t quite look natural. Notwithstanding, the transfer is not really to blame for the obviousness of the CGI, the director and the post-production team should’ve been a little more stringent in making the effects look more natural.

Audio:4.5stars:

The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track is as aggressive as all get up. The action in this movie is nearly non-stop and the sound mix follows suit with an equally bombastic audio mix. Surround sound usage is incredibly lively and especially when action sequences are in full-tilt, the aural experience is truly something to be excited for. Whether it is vehicles zooming on and off screen, gunfire and pulse weaponry blasting, each speaker channel envelops the listener in the fight between the Joes and the Cobra. Explosions? There are exuberant amounts of that from beginning to end. To lay foundation for the explosions and weight of the high-tech weaponry the low end kicks in and authoritatively pounds away allowing the viewer to, not only be aurally immersed, but physically, too.

On top of it all, dialog remains crystal clear even with all of the activity going on. The audio mixers did a great job balancing out the dialog so every word can be heard. Whether or not you like the actual dialog is a different story. My only nitpick about the audio mix is the lack of subtlety and again that may not necessarily be the fault of the mix itself, but just the in-your-face nature of the film.

Extras:2stars:

The extras for this release are quite disappointing. Disc one contains the movie and the only thing supplemental on that disc is an audio commentary with Director Stephen Sommers and Producer Bob Ducsay. Disc two contains ‘The Big Bang Theory: The Making of G.I. Joe and ‘Next-Gen Action: The Amazing Visual FX and Design of G.I. Joe, along with the digital copy of the movie. The really disconcerting thing is since they put the extras and the digital copy on the same DVD that means the two real substantial extras are limited to standard definition.

Overall:3stars:

Growing up watching G.I. Joe and as a fan of the comics, I can’t say that it entirely lived up to my standard. I wasn’t expecting a whole lot in the movie, but I did expect some nostalgia to occur during the movie. Truthfully, little to no nostalgic moments occurred; it seemed too far removed from the comic or the cartoon. I still enjoyed G.I. Joe, but I can’t quite say I was taken for a ride, like the movie intended. I think I was too distracted by many of the noticeable CG portions of the film and the lack-luster writing/acting in this film most of all. However, the action sequences, which were plenty, really were fun, especially when supplemented by an audio mix like the one this movie has. While it certainly has plenty demo-worthy scenes in it I wouldn’t suggest everyone go buy this film just to have more demo material. ]]> Media Reviews Jon Liu http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/media-reviews/22887-g-i-joe-rise-cobra-blu-ray-review.html http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/media-reviews/22577-proposal-blu-ray-review.html Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:13:40 GMT The Proposal

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Craig T. Nelson, Mary Steenburgen, Betty White, Denis O’Hare, Malin Akerman
Director: Anne Fletcher
Studio: Touchstone Pictures/Buena Vista
Runtime: 108 minutes
Rating: PG-13
Blu-ray Release Date: October 13, 2009

Movie:3.5stars:

Margaret Tate (Bullock), a hard-nosed, success-driven book editor in one of the top New York publishing companies is told that she is facing deportation for violation of a term of her work visa by her bosses. An utterly stunned Tate is forced to come up with a solution so that she can remain in her position at the company. In comes Andrew Paxton (Reynolds), Tate’s assistant who has been slaving at Tate’s side for the last three years in order to earn his way to a promotion. When he interrupts the conversation and she instantly concocts a scheme that could easily solve her deportation woes. Margaret reassures her bosses that there is nothing to worry about because she will be marrying Andrew. Tate reassures Paxton that it will be only be temporary and they will be divorced in no time. Reluctantly and confused Paxton goes along with it and the two go to the immigration office to resolve her deportation issue.

Upon arrival Margaret and Andrew receive a zealous caseworker named, Mr. Gilbertson (O’Hare), who immediately sees right through their plot, however, with no proof and their word that it is a real marriage he must let them go for now. Mr. Gilbertson reminds them that it is highly illegal to marry simply for the purpose of avoiding deportation and he assures them that he will be checking up on them to ensure that it is not a scam. Both Margaret and Andrew reassure Mr. Gilbertson of their decision and to solidify it Margaret reveals her intent to go to tell Andrew’s parents in the upcoming weekend. Mr. Gilbertson sets an appointment for after the weekend to meet with the couple again and find out how much one another knows about each other.

In order to pull this off properly, Margaret must learn as much about her assistant, Andrew, in the upcoming weekend retreat in Sitka, Alaska where his family will be celebrating Andrew’s grandmother’s (White) 90th birthday. During their time with his family, Andrew and Margaret force themselves to get along with one another to also convince his family that they are really a couple. As the weekend progresses, the seemingly mismatched pair begin to have feelings for one another, but is it enough to convince everyone, and specifically, can they convince Mr. Gilbertson that the wedding is legitimate? More importantly, is their love truly flourishing?

The Proposal, may not be what most would instinctively pick to watch, but I will be honest, I was surprisingly entertained by this movie. Sandra Bullock seems to have a knack for playing this type of role and she does it very well. Ryan Reynolds is also very memorable and the two together actually have a comedic chemistry that I found myself engaged in throughout the film.

Rating

The Proposal is rated PG-13 for sexual content, nudity and language. This is a moderately rated PG-13 movie as there are several scenes of sexual content and a longer sequence of nudity, although the important stuff is covered up. Almost all of these sequences of sexual content and nudity are done in humorous ways.

Video:3stars:

The Proposal receives a decent transfer, but it really is nothing to write home about. The overall detail resolution seemed slightly lacking and was especially obvious with facial detail or lack thereof. The image is not soft, but it lacks the fine detail on objects that would’ve made this transfer stand out. Foliage and landscape shots were slightly more pleasing, but ultimately still fell short. I would have loved to have seen a better transfer for this, especially given the two locations this film takes place in, busy New York City and beautiful Alaska.

Colors have a natural tone to them and there aren’t a whole lot of instances where colors stand out. In the couple of scenes that the movie was shot in dim or dark sequences shadow delineation and black levels appeared to be spot on, however those scenes were very sparse through this brightly lit movie. Whites were never overblown and during the many, bright sequences of the movie the contrast remained in check. Again, though the contrast was fine, it still lacked a certain pop. There just seems to be a general lack of three-dimensional depth to this film.

Overall, the video transfer of this is somewhat what I come to expect from this genre, but for a movie that I actually found myself enjoying more, I was hoping that the video would add to my level of enjoyment during my viewing. At least, it did not hinder my enjoyment of the film.

Audio:3.5stars:

The film gets treated to a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track that actually is better than some within the same genre. Dynamics are hardly anything worth noting, but the clarity of the dialog throughout the film was great, which is the most important part especially for this type of film. Surround speaker activity is relatively sparse and more supportive to the activity on screen.

Music in this film was more noticeable to me, likely due to many of the catchy tunes they used, but it also called for some low frequency activity that did surprise me slightly. Aside from the low-end support for music, the LFE was much less active throughout the film. There aren’t any instances that the LFE gets low enough to flex the power any heavy-hitting subwoofers, but it was more than you usually would receive in a romantic comedy.

Extras:3stars:

There’s not a whole lot of extras for this release. The extras are as follows:

-Audio commentary with director, Anne Fletcher, and writer, Peter Chiarelli
-Three deleted scenes (6 minutes)
-An alternate ending (6 minutes)
-“Set Antics: Outtakes and Other Absurdities from ‘The Proposal’” Gag reel (6 minutes)
-Theatrical Trailers
-Digital Copy of the movie to transfer to your computer

Overall:3.5stars:

As I stated before, I actually found myself enjoying this film quite a bit. In fact, I enjoyed it enough that I went out and bought it because it is likely a movie I will watch over again. Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds both have comedic timing and personalities that really lend to their characters really nicely. Truthfully, without them this movie would really not be worthwhile. The video transfer and audio track are nothing really memorable, but both did what they needed to well enough. I recommend this movie as a great choice for those whose significant others may be aching to watch a romantic-comedy. ]]> Media Reviews Jon Liu http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/media-reviews/22577-proposal-blu-ray-review.html http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/media-reviews/22128-drag-me-hell-dvd-review.html Fri, 23 Oct 2009 01:08:52 GMT

Starring: Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Lorna Raver
Directed by: Sam Raimi
Written by: Sam Raimi, Ivan Raimi
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 99 mins
DVD Release Date: October 13, 2009

Written and directed by Sam Raimi, the man behind Evil Dead and Army of Darkness, Drag Me to Hell is an over-the-top, gross out, suspense thriller that is sure to get some attention as we creep closer and closer to Halloween. It is creative and stylistically original, offering unexpected sequences that break dramatically from the standard scarefest template. Unfortunately, it’s often too original; Raimi’s hybrid slapstick/gooey-gorefest theme is rarely frightening, and even when the atmosphere does border on the spine-tinglingly suspenseful, awful writing by Raimi and brother Ivan makes the overarching story and the characters feel cheap, even superficial. Too often I expected Anna Faris to pop out and convince me this was Scary Movie 17 (or whatever number they’re currently excreting straight to DVD).

Drag Me to Hell’s story is not particularly novel. In 1969, a young Mexican couple bring their troubled young son to the home of, for lack of a better word, exorcist Shaun San Dena. Tortured by nightmarish voices and images of demonic shadows, the boy, caught stealing by a collection of gypsy riff-raff, is cursed, condemned to spend eternity in the bowels of Satan’s lair. Despite attempts to free the boy’s soul of the curse, he is dragged into the underworld before San Dena’s very eyes. She then vows to thwart the gypsies on their next attempt.

Fast forward to 2009 and Christine Brown (Alison Lohman) is a promising young loan officer with her heart set on a big promotion. Most of the time she plays fair with loan applicants, doing her darndest to keep people from losing their homes or to help mom and pop start a new store downtown. However, when a sycophantic competitor challenges for the new assistant manager position Christine has been hoping to land, she’s forced to take a new and more cutthroat approach to customers. When a rather pathetic (but mostly disgusting) old woman (Lara Raver) comes into the bank pleading with Christine to extend her mortgage payment a third time, the young loan officer, convinced that showing some backbone is the best way to land the new promotion, promptly turfs the old crone out on her duff. After fumbling her plasmatic dentures back into place, the old woman, as if she were the long-lost grandmother of Tony Soprano, confronts Christine in the parking lot for a Battle Royale. Bitter and homeless, the old gypsy lays down the mother of all curses upon poor Ms. Brown.

The curse, which torments the victim with three days of demonic imagery and screeching noise pollution before Satan’s minions, you guessed it, drag her to hell, soon takes effect. Alone in her kitchen, Christine is attacked by unseen entities, she receives monstrous noise bleeds, and during an unfortunately timed meet-the-parents night with boyfriend Clay (Justin Long), coughs up a fly and reacts to inexplicable wall pounding by shattering her potential mother-in-law’s fine glassware.
Confused, Christine visits a remarkably talented palm reader who is able to inform her of the curse. Though Clay, a professor, is understandably sceptical, within twelve hours he undergoes a remarkable change of face and agrees to put up the $10,000 required so that Christine might consult our old exorcist friend San Dena about the problem. If you ask me, it’s a steep price for someone who’s 0/1 in situations where demons are in scoring position.

I will not ruin the movie’s final 1/3, but suffice it to say, I felt the action, like the story, was predictable and the computer-generated nasties laughable. No, seriously – I had more laughs while watching this movie than Year One, the incredibly un-funny “comedy” starring Jack Black I reviewed not long ago. Much of the problem is the writing, which is exceptionally shallow. Gypsies? Really? I thought we got past blaming them for underworld doings back in the 1980s. Then again, there hasn’t been an Evil Dead movie for 17 years, so perhaps this one has been in the Raimis’ pipeline since the Bill Clinton era. Some writing humdingers found in this one: despite being exceptionally cynical at first Clay is so convinced Christine is indeed possessed (after witnessing absolutely no paranormal activity while with her) that he gives a witchdoctor $10,000 to help find a cure. Number two: how is it that a successful young loan officer can’t come up with 10 Gs when the devil’s knocking down her door?
Most of the dialogue is terrible. We can blame both the acting and writing for that; Lohman is most definitely not ready for prime time, and Long, although having his moments in this one, also needs a few more years in the minors working those pleasant Mac ads.

Surprisingly, at 92% on Rotten Tomatoes’ tomato-meter, this is one of the highest-rated horror films in some time. However, part of me wonders if critics went in expecting another atrocious Evil Dead or Army of Darkness, and when the production quality simply wasn’t that bad, they produced a much-relieved thumbs up.

Video :3stars:

Although the CGI sequences are a bit corny, the strength of this movie is in its visuals and its action. There are some semi-amusing battle sequences between Christine and living and dead versions of the same gypsy, and several clashes between earthly and demonic forces. Many of these moments feature bright colors and moody old mansions. Those convinced this is worth watching may as well make the upgrade to HD.

Sound :3stars:

Despite some painful dialogue, the movie sounds good. The thump-thump-thump of invisible demons crawling up Christine’s staircase and the guttural roars of the more life-like versions are well choreographed.

Overall (the movie itself) :1star:

While it is a technically impressive film with strong audio notes and some creative visual sequences, the film’s troubled acting and writing tip the thematic scale of Drag Me to Hell too much towards the comedic. In no way am I trying to be a big man by denying my fright – Drag Me to Hell simply isn’t at all scary and only marginally more entertaining. ]]> Media Reviews Brando http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/media-reviews/22128-drag-me-hell-dvd-review.html