New Blu-ray Reviews

Giuseppe Verdi: La Traviata Blu-ray Movie  

Teatro alla Scala | Special Edition

Arthaus Musik | 2007 | 1 Movie, 2 Cuts | 132 min | Not rated | Mar 30, 2010 | Jeffrey Kauffman

Lorin Maazel conducts this critically acclaimed production of Giuseppe Verdi's renowned opera, recorded live in 2007 at the Teatro alla Scala di Milano and featuring that venue's orchestra, chorus and ballet. Angela Gheorghiu stars as the noble courtesan Violetta Valéry opposite Ramón Vargas as Violetta's lover, Alfredo. The production also features Roberto Frontali as Giorgio Germont and Natascha Petrinsky as Flora Bervoix.

Music / Musical

Planet 51 Blu-ray Movie  

Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy

Sony Pictures | 2009 | 91 min | Rated PG | Mar 09, 2010 | Martin Liebman

American astronaut Captain Charles "Chuck" Baker, lands on Planet 51 thinking he's the first person to step foot on it. To his surprise, he finds that this planet is inhabited by little green people who are happily living in a white picket fence world reminiscent of a cheerfully innocent 1950s America, and whose only fear is that it will be overrun by alien invaders--like Chuck! With the help of his robot companion "Rover" and his new friend Lem, Chuck must navigate his way through the dazzling, but bewildering, landscape of Planet 51 in order to escape becoming a permanent part of the Planet 51 Alien Invaders Space Museum.

Adventure / Animation / Comedy / Family / Fantasy / Sci-Fi

Ouran High School Host Club: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie  

FUNimation Entertainment | 2006 | 650 min | Rated TV-14 | Mar 30, 2010 | Kenneth Brown

Haruhi is a poor tomboyish student at a school for the ultra-wealthy, able to attend because of a scholarship, and unable to even afford a uniform. One day, she stumbles across the decidedly peculiar but very popular Ouran Host Club. She tries to leave, but accidentally breaks a vase, and unable to pay for it, she's told that she'll have to stay and do odd jobs. That is, until they decide she would be more valuable as a club member. Not realizing she's female due to her appearance, they fix her up and give her a male uniform. She's an instant hit, so they decide to have her keep up the charade even after they find out the truth. Haruhi, being average almost to a fault, doesn't know what to make of the unconventional activities of the Host Club (or of the even more unconventional members), but having little choice, she plays along. Before long, real bonds are formed, friends made, and Haruhi finds herself accepted in a way she could never have been otherwise in this affluent school.

Anime / Comedy / Romance / Teen / Comic book / Foreign

The Killer Blu-ray Movie  

喋血雙雄 / Dip huet seung hung

Vivendi Visual Entertainment | 1989 | 104 min | Not rated | Mar 30, 2010 | Jeffrey Kauffman

Chow Yun-Fat stars as an assassin with a code of honor, who agrees to one last job before quitting for good. When his bosses double-cross him, he must confront the mob in one of the most explosive showdowns in film history.

Action / Crime / Thriller / Foreign / Melodrama

Raging Phoenix Blu-ray Movie    

จีจ้า ดื้อสวยดุ / Deu suay doo

Cine-Asia | 2009 | 114 min | Rated BBFC: 15 | Apr 12, 2010 | Dr. Svet Atanasov

Deu, a girl with equally high degree of recklessness and beauty has never experienced 'true love'. One day her life changes completely when some gangsters try to kidnap her and she narrowly escapes with the help of Sanim, a sad looking stranger with a painful past. Waking up in an abandoned factory, she joins his gang of merry do-gooders who practice a form of drunken Thai break-dancing martial arts that they dub Meyraiyuth. Sanim and his friends, having had loved ones abducted, join together to break the gang of kidnappers.

Action / Romance / Martial arts / Foreign

The Slammin' Salmon Blu-ray Movie  

Starz / Anchor Bay | 2009 | 98 min | Rated R | Apr 13, 2010 | Martin Liebman

When a boxer turned restaurateur (Michael Clarke Duncan) announces a contest to his waitstaff, the good news is that the winner will get a $10,000 bonus. The bad news? The loser will be on the receiving end of a heavy- duty smack-down at the hands of the champ himself.

Comedy

Blood Ties: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie  

Eagle Vision Media | 2007 | 1023 min | Not rated | Apr 06, 2010 | Kenneth Brown

Based on Tanya Huff's supernatural crime thrillers, 'Blood Ties' follows the adventures of Vicki Nelson (Christina Cox) and her ragtag team of paranormal vice cops, including 450-year-old vampire Henry (Kyle Schmid), as they sniff out otherworldly evildoings.

Fantasy / Horror

Battlestar Galactica: Season One Blu-ray Movie  

Universal Studios | 2003-2005 | 756 min | Rated TV-14 | Jan 05, 2010 | Kenneth Brown

Deep in the universe, cybernetic Cylons have all but wiped out the human race, laying waste to the Twelve Colonies of Man. Cast out, the few survivors aboard the Battlestar Galactica search for a so-called 13th colony: the mythical planet Earth.

Action / Adventure / Drama / Sci-Fi

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Blu-ray Movie  

Sony Pictures | 2009 | 123 min | Rated PG-13 | Apr 27, 2010 | Martin Liebman

'The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus' is a fantastical morality tale, set in the present-day. It tells the story of Dr. Parnassus and his extraordinary 'Imaginarium', a traveling show where members of the audience get an irresistible opportunity to choose between light and joy or darkness and gloom. Blessed with the extraordinary gift of guiding the imaginations of others, Doctor Parnassus is cursed with a dark secret. An inveterate gambler, thousands of years ago he made a bet with the devil, Mr. Nick, in which he won immortality. Centuries later, on meeting his one true love, Dr. Parnassus made another deal with the devil, trading his immortality for youth, on condition that when his daughter reached her 16th birthday, she would become the property of Mr Nick. Valentina is now rapidly approaching this 'coming of age' milestone and Dr. Parnassus is desperate to protect her from her impending fate. Mr. Nick arrives to collect but, always keen to make a bet, renegotiates the wager. Now the winner of Valentina will be determined by whoever seduces the first five souls. Enlisting a series of wild, comical and compelling characters in his journey, Dr. Parnassus promises his daughter's hand in marriage to the man that helps him win.

Adventure / Fantasy / Mystery / Imaginary / Surreal

The Lovely Bones Blu-ray Movie  

2-Disc Special Edition

Paramount Pictures | 2009 | 136 min | Rated PG-13 | Apr 20, 2010 | Martin Liebman

Susie Salmon, a young girl who has been murdered, watches over her family -- and her killer -- from heaven. She must weigh her desire for vengeance against her desire for her family to heal.

Drama / Thriller / Supernatural / Melodrama / Period

Minority Report Blu-ray Movie  

Paramount Pictures | 2002 | 145 min | Rated PG-13 | Apr 20, 2010 | Martin Liebman

In a future where a special police unit is able to arrest murderers before they commit their crimes, an officer from that unit is himself accused of a future murder.

Action / Crime / Mystery / Sci-Fi / Thriller

Eureka Seven: Good Night, Sleep Tight, Young Lovers Blu-ray Movie  

Kôkyô shihen Eureka Sebun: Poketto ga niji de ippai

Bandai Entertainment | 2009 | 117 min | Not rated | Mar 02, 2010 | Dustin Somner

For almost half a century, mankind has been at war with a mysterious entity known as the Eizo. It is the year 2054 and human-kind is on the brink of destruction. A select few are evacuated to colonization spaceships and the government is about to fire their doomsday device, the Hammer of God. In the middle of this war are two teenagers, Renton and Eureka; two childhood friends who were separated when Eureka was kidnapped by government forces eight years ago. Renton is now a soldier, piloting the Nirvash, aboard the Gekoo led by Holland Novak but the crew of the Gekko is actually rebels with their own mission. Renton and Eureka are now reunited and fate will test the young lovers as they fight the Eizo, government forces and even Holland. Their love will be the key to mankind's future and fulfilling their dreams.

Action / Anime / Sci-Fi / Foreign

Kurokami: The Animation Volume 1 Blu-ray Movie  

Episodes 1-4 / Black God

Bandai Entertainment | 2009 | 102 min | Not rated | Mar 02, 2010 | Dustin Somner

Black God

Action / Anime / Comedy / Drama / Comic book / Foreign

Harry Brown Blu-ray Movie    

Lionsgate Films | 2009 | 103 min | Rated BBFC: 18 | Mar 22, 2010 | Dr. Svet Atanasov

Set in modern-day Britain, 'Harry Brown' follows one man’s journey through a chaotic world where drugs are the currency of the day and guns run the streets. A modest law-abiding citizen, Harry Brown is a retired Marine and a widower who lives alone on a depressed housing estate. His only company is his best friend Leonard. When Leonard is murdered by a gang of thugs, Harry feels compelled to act and is forced to dispense his own brand of justice. As he bids to clean up the run-down estate where he lives, his actions bring him into conflict with the police, led by investigating officer DCI Frampton and Charlie Creed-Miles.

Crime / Drama / Thriller

Rush: R30 Blu-ray Movie  

Zoe Records | 2005 | 181 min | Not rated | Dec 08, 2009 | Dr. Svet Atanasov

R30 captures the band's $21-million grossing, sell-out 30th Anniversary World Tour and was filmed with 14 hi-definition cameras in 16x9 widescreen format at the Festhalle, Frankfurt Germany on September 24, 2004. The set list spans the band's diverse 30-year career, and includes fan favorites "Xanadu," "The Spirit of Radio," "Working Man," "Tom Sawyer," "Subdivisions," "Earthshine," "2112," "Limelight," "Between the Wheels," which hasn't been performed live in 20 years as well as tracks from 2004's covers EP Feedback, including "Summertime Blues" and "Crossroads." Most of all eighteen studio albums are well represented through a non-stop energetic set of 22 electrifying songs.

Documentary / Music

Trinity Blood: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie  

FUNimation Entertainment | 2005 | 600 min | Rated TV-MA | Mar 23, 2010 | Kenneth Brown

Humanity shares the World with Vampires, and vatican priest Abel Nightroad is neither. He is something far more terrible – A new breed to be feared by even the most fearsome. The two races tremble on the brink of war; some seek harmony, while others pursue a dangerous shift in the balance of power. An agent of the formidable AX, Nightroad is tasked with maintaining the fragile equilibrium. When a common adversary arises, only co-operation between the two races can offer survival. The enemy of an enemy is a friend, and father seeks salvation for all.

Action / Anime / Drama / Horror / Sci-Fi / Foreign

Mulan Blu-ray Movie    

花木蘭 / Hua Mulan

Panorama | 2009 | 114 min | Rated IIB | Feb 09, 2010 | Dr. Svet Atanasov

The epic story of the Chinese girl-warrior, Mulan, who fights to defend her father.

Action / Adventure / Drama / Romance / War / Martial arts / Foreign / Period

A Nightmare on Elm Street Blu-ray Movie  

Warner Bros. | 1984 | 91 min | Rated R | Apr 13, 2010 | Martin Liebman

Nancy is having nightmares about a frightening, badly-scarred figure who wears a glove with razor-sharp "finger knives." She soon discovers that her friends are having similar dreams. When the kids begin to die, Nancy realizes that she must stay awake to survive. Uncovering the secret identity of the dream killer and his connection with the children of Elm Street, the girl plots to draw him out into the real world.

Horror / Mystery / Thriller / Supernatural / Surreal

Poseidon Blu-ray Movie  

Warner Bros. | 2006 | 98 min | Rated PG-13 | Apr 06, 2010 | Jeffrey Kauffman

It's New Year's Eve on the Poseidon. As partying guests lift glasses to toast the future, a rogue wave flips the cruise ship over and a struggle to survive and escape starts.

Action / Thriller

The Baader Meinhof Complex Blu-ray Movie  

Der Baader Meinhof Komplex

MPI Media Group | 2008 | 150 min | Rated R | Mar 30, 2010 | Casey Broadwater

Set in Germany, chronicles the rise and fall of the Red Army Faction, postwar Western Germany's most active terrorism organization, also known as the Baader-Meinhof Group.

Action / Biography / Crime / Drama / History / Foreign