New Blu-ray Reviews

The Hidden Blade Blu-ray Movie  

隠し剣 鬼の爪 / Kakushi ken oni no tsume / Blu-ray + DVD

Palisades Tartan | 2004 | 132 min | Rated R | Jun 19, 2012 | Dr. Svet Atanasov

An honest, low-ranking samurai, Munezo Katagiri finds himself buffeted by the confusion of old and new in mid-19th century Japan. Facing outside pressure, the Shogunate is trying to open Japan to the West and some carefully selected Western ways, while maintaining its fragile political base. Munezo, and his colleague Samon Shimada try to maintain their footing, paying heed to the demanding moral code of the samurai while also learning new military strategies, particularly the mastery of Western artillery. But Munezo also has a personal complication. He is secretly in love--so secretly, he may not even admit it to himself--with his family's maid, the sweet and beautiful country girl, Kie. His passion leads him to rescue Kie from a loveless marriage after she leaves his household; the samurai even shocks propriety by carrying away the low-caste young woman on his back. Just as Munezo starts to get his domestic situation in something to resembling order, Munezo hears devastating news. A comrade, Yaichiro Hazama, has been caught up in a plot in Edo. Their clan has sent the rebellious samurai home in the humiliating transport of a "prisoner's basket." Munezo comes under suspicion because he and Yaichiro, the clan's best swordsmen, shared a famed instructor, but Munezo refuses to cooperate with the chief retainer's witch hunt. Tension finally leads Munezo to confess his growing affection to Kie, a development that the young woman begins to hope will lead to the abandonment of caste structures. But before Munezo can realize his romantic destiny, Yaichiro escapes. Munezo is ordered to kill him, and the loyal, honorable samurai is faced with one final challenge to his principles.

Drama / Romance / Foreign

Home on the Range Blu-ray Movie  

Blu-ray + DVD

Disney / Buena Vista | 2004 | 76 min | Rated PG | Jul 03, 2012 | Kenneth Brown

Alameda Slim, a wanted cattle rustler, uses an alias to buy up properties all over western Nebraska, and his next target is the Patch of Heaven dairy farm, where the widow owner cares more for her 'family' of yard animals's welfare then for profit, so she just hasn't got the cash to keep in business. The other animals, mainly carefree youngsters, being unable, three cows of very different temperament and manners rise to the desperate occasion and set out to do battle for their dream home, teaming up unnaturally with each-other, the sheriff's megalomaniac horse and any other animal who can possibly help, even a crazy lucky rabbit and an invincible buffalo, hoping to beat the crook to the Patch's auction, or anything it takes...

Animation / Family / Western

Chariots of Fire Blu-ray Movie  

Blu-ray + CD

Warner Bros. | 1981 | 124 min | Rated PG | Jul 10, 2012 | Jeffrey Kauffman

The story of two British track athletes, one a determined Jew, and the other a devout Christian who compete in the 1924 Olympics.

Drama / History / Sport / Period

The Flowers of War Blu-ray Movie  

金陵十三钗 / 金陵十三釵 / Jīnlíng Shísān Chāi

Lionsgate Films | 2011 | 142 min | Rated R | Jul 10, 2012 | Jeffrey Kauffman

A story of love and war - and a band of outcasts who emerge as unlikely heroes from the shadows of a city's occupation. At once lyrical and visceral, in the apocalyptic world of Nanjing in 1937, a vibrant human story about the invisible people of the city and a series of unexpected relationships that lead to a resonant act of sacrifice.

Action / Drama / History / War / Foreign / Period

The Grapes of Wrath Blu-ray Movie  

20th Century Fox | 1940 | 130 min | Not rated | Jun 05, 2012 | Casey Broadwater

In the troubling times of the Great Depression the Joad family, accompanied by their friend Reverend Jim, migrate from Oklahoma to California in the hopes of finding work in a vineyard and improving their financial condition. But the road is long and rough, and when they reach their destination things aren't quite what they expected.

Drama / Period

Glacier National Park Blu-ray Movie  

Image Entertainment | 2007 | 61 min | Not rated | Mar 09, 2010 | Michael Reuben

An aerial tour of Glacier National Park in Montana, photographed in high definition and accompanied by a choice of narration and music, music alone or just ambient sound.

Documentary / Nature

La Cérémonie Blu-ray Movie    

Artificial Eye | 1995 | 112 min | Rated BBFC: 15 | Jul 23, 2012 | Dr. Svet Atanasov

The upper-class owner of a gallery, Catherine Lelievre, hires the efficient and quiet maid Sophie to work in the family manor in the French countryside...

Crime / Drama / Thriller / Foreign

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen Blu-ray Movie  

Blu-ray + UV Digital Copy

Sony Pictures | 2011 | 107 min | Rated PG-13 | Jul 17, 2012 | Martin Liebman

When Britain's leading fisheries expert is approached by a consultant to help realize a sheik's vision of bringing the sport of fly-fishing to the desert, he immediately thinks the project is both absurd and unachievable. But when the Prime Minister's overzealous press secretary latches on to it as a "good will" story, this unlikely team will put it all on the line and embark on an upstream journey of faith and fish to prove the impossible, possible.

Comedy / Drama / Romance

Body and Soul Blu-ray Movie  

Olive Films | 1947 | 106 min | Not rated | Jul 31, 2012 | Jeffrey Kauffman

Charley Davis wins an amateur boxing match and is taken on by promoter Quinn. Charley's mother doesn't want him to fight, but when Charley's father is accidentally killed, Charley sets up a fight for money. His career blooms as he wins fight after fight, but soon an unethical promoter named Roberts begins to show an interest in Charley, and Charley finds himself faced with increasingly difficult choices.

Drama / Film-Noir / Sport

Wind Blast Blu-ray Movie  

Xi Feng Lie

Well Go USA | 2010 | 119 min | Not rated | Jul 03, 2012 | Jeffrey Kauffman

Four proficient detectives are assigned to track down a murder suspect who has fled the city with his girlfriend. The trail leads them to a desert where they soon find themselves in hot water as the suspect has hired two top drawer professional assassins with far deadlier skills than their own

Action / Foreign

Treasure Planet Blu-ray Movie  

10th Anniversary Edition / Blu-ray + DVD

Disney / Buena Vista | 2002 | 95 min | Rated PG | Jul 03, 2012 | Kenneth Brown

A futuristic twist on Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, Treasure Planet follows restless teen Jim Hawkins on a fantastic journey across the universe as cabin boy aboard a majestic space galleon. Befriended by the ship's charismatic cyborg cook, John Silver, Jim blossoms under his guidance and shows the makings of a fine shipmate as he and the alien crew battle a supernova, a black hole, and a ferocious space storm. But even greater dangers lie ahead when Jim discovers that his trusted friend Silver is actually a scheming pirate with mutiny on his mind.

Adventure / Animation / Family / Romance / Sci-Fi

Alien Origin Blu-ray Movie  

Asylum | 2012 | 88 min | Not rated | Jun 12, 2012 | Martin Liebman

Recently discovered footage from a lost military expedition exposes a horrifying truth about the genesis of life on earth.

Sci-Fi

The Decoy Bride Blu-ray Movie  

IFC Films | 2011 | 89 min | Not rated | Jun 26, 2012 | Casey Broadwater

When the world's media descend on the remote Scottish island where a Hollywood actress is attempting to get married, a local girl is hired as a decoy bride to put the paparazzi off the scent.

Comedy / Drama

The Samurai Trilogy Blu-ray Movie  

Criterion | 1954-1956 | 3 Movies | 303 min | Not rated | Jun 26, 2012 | Dr. Svet Atanasov

See individual titles for their synopses.

Action / Adventure / Biography / Drama / History / Martial arts / Foreign / Period

WWII: The Pacific Campaign Blu-ray Movie  

Madacy Special Mkts | 2011 | 460 min | Rated PG | Apr 17, 2012 | Kenneth Brown

The earthshaking battles of WWII come to life in this fascinating collection reviewing one of the most epic and disturbing chapters in history. This visually stunning documentary is a powerful testament to the titanic struggles of those who lived, fought and died in a war that shook the world. Astonishing COLOR footage, taken from newsreels and captured enemy film, reveals the grinding intensity of campaigns fought in the Pacific theatres. WWII BATTLEFRONT covers the war in the air, on the ground, and above and below the sea in never-before-seen COLOR footage and captures WWII the way it was lived and fought by soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen from both the Allied and Axis armies.

Documentary / War

Midsomer Murders, Set 20 Blu-ray Movie  

Acorn Media | 2010-2011 | 360 min | Not rated | Jul 03, 2012 | Michael Reuben

Homicide, blackmail, greed, and betrayal: just a taste of what goes on behind the well-trimmed hedges of Midsomer County. Inspired by the novels of Caroline Graham.

Crime / Drama / Mystery / Foreign

Intruders Blu-ray Movie  

Millennium Media | 2011 | 100 min | Rated R | Jul 17, 2012 | Martin Liebman

A horror/thriller centered on the origin of the monsters that are born in childhood and are passed on by the family.

Horror / Thriller

Sanctuary: The Complete Fourth Season Blu-ray Movie  

Entertainment One | 2011-2012 | 572 min | Rated PG | Jul 17, 2012 | Jeffrey Kauffman

Dr. Helen Magnus is a beautiful and enigmatic scientist who seeks out all manner of monstrous creatures. Aided by her protege, forensic psychiatrist Dr. Will Zimmerman, and her fearless daughter Ashley, the Sanctuary team tracks down, studies and protects the strange and often terrifying creatures that secretly populate our world.

Crime / Mystery / Sci-Fi

Humans vs. Zombies Blu-ray Movie  

Hannover House | 2011 | 93 min | Not rated | May 22, 2012 | Michael Reuben

An artificially engineered zombie virus escapes containment and infects the population of a Texas college town. Based on the "Live Action Role-Playing" game of the same name.

Horror / Sci-Fi / Thriller / Dark humor

Deserter Blu-ray Movie  

Simon: An English Legionnaire

Inception Media Group | 2002 | 94 min | Not rated | Jul 17, 2012 | Michael Reuben

Driven by romantic illusion to join the French Foreign Legion, Simon Murray undertakes a physical and spiritual journey during Algeria's battle for independence from France.

Adventure / Drama / War