Some of the best childhood memories often involve sitting down with family or friends to read books filled with fantasy and general nonsense. Hollywood, ever exploring ways to draw in new audiences, has adapted many of these childhood favorites to film, including today's Blu-ray release of '
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs' from Sony Pictures Animation.
For the
Blu-ray review of 'Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs', staff reviewer Martin Liebman concluded, "Sony's latest animated marvel ranks among the best of its kind and for all the right reasons. There's enough charm, wit, humor, and originality here for two movies, but a double serving of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs is just as palatable. Sony's Blu-ray release is as tasty as the movie itself."
When the original '
Final Destination' was released in 2000, I was impressed with the unique way each character was systematically killed off-after missing their flight that exploded soon after take-off. Since then, the series has spawned three very successful sequels, including today's Blu-ray release the fourth film '
The Final Destination'.
"Even though The Final Destination suffers from a chronic case of been-there-screamed-at-that familiarity, it still offers fans a decent, albeit shallow dose of what they're looking for," commented staff reviewer Ken Brown in his
Blu-ray review of 'The Final Destination'. "Warner's Blu-ray edition is more fulfilling -- a strong video transfer and powerful DTS-HD Master Audio track add significant value to the release."
Far too often, romantic comedies are packaged neatly into tightly scripted stories of love lost and found. Of course, every once in a while, a film will break that mold. Such is today's Blu-ray release of '
10 Things I Hate About You', which takes the typical rom-com formula and adds in a strong cast and some Shakespeare to deliver a surprisingly entertaining film that continues to stands out even 10 years after its initial release.
Staff reviewer Ken Brown recently sat down with the film, and in his
Blu-ray review of '10 Things I Hate About You', he concluded "Be careful not to write off 10 Things I Hate About You as another derivative teen comedy. Dated pop culture references aside, it's smarter, wittier, and more memorable than newcomers probably expect. Disney's 10th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray release is quite strong as well."
My off-the-radar pick of the week goes to '
Riding Giants' which is an amazing documentary on big wave surfing and the people who have become icons of the sport. The film footage is absolutely breath-taking, while the stories of friends gained and lost tug at your emotions. I am not someone who will typically watch surfing, but this film goes way beyond just the sport into the lives of some very interesting people. The high definition presentation is equally impressive, making this a great pick-up on Blu-ray.
For a complete listing of all the Blu-ray titles released today,
click here.