For many who watch the Kubrick classic '
2001: A Space Odyssey' for the first time, it's often difficult to fully digest the eon-spanning story and epilepsy-inducing visuals into anything more than a confusing mess. Upon repeat viewings, however, a deeper story is revealed and the fog of confusion clears to reveal one of the most definitive science fiction films of all time. Sadly, the more popular science fiction films over the past decade are better defined as "futuristic action", and resemble little of what science fiction fans have loved since Fritz Lang's '
Metropolis'. Luckily, writer/director Duncan Jones created '
Moon' - available today on Blu-ray - as a reminder of science fiction has always been and should always be.
Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) is a contract astronaut working on the dark side of the Moon, harvesting Helium 3, an essential energy source now that Earth has been completely depleted of the carbon based fuel we take for granted. With only a few weeks remaining in his three-year stint, Sam is eager to see his wife and child again, though the solitude is having a serious effect on his health - both physical and mental. After a collision during a routine harvester inspection lands him in the base infirmary, Sam is left with no memory of the incident. Once he is fully healed, Sam begins investigating how he was injured and soon finds out that he may not be the only one at the base.
Whereas numerous other science fiction films had their potential ruined due to demands of general audiences for blood-thirsty aliens and intergalactic war, 'Moon' stays true to its science fiction intentions. Sam Rockwell's performance is the best of his career, and Kevin Spacey voices GERTY perfectly. My only complaint, and something that sadly forces me to recommend a rent on this title, is that the story is too predictable. For as much credit as I have to give Jones creating a true science fiction film, I wish the story was bit less revealing so early in the story.
The Blu-ray release suffers from no such faults, and delivers on every aspect. The monochromatic color scheme of the film is presented strongly, with crisp contrast and detail presenting crisp images to the eye. Audio, however subtle, is also represented well, with a soundtrack that only fully reveals its power upon a crank of the volume knob. Another wonderful Blu-ray presentation from Sony.
A shocking tale of a US Army Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) unit in Iraq, '
The Hurt Locker' was pushed through theaters on a limited release, but managed to pick up numerous awards along the way. With a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, this is definitely a title you want to consider picking up.
'
The Simpsons: Season 20' marks not only an astounding achievement by the show, but also the first time that a season of The Simpsons has been released on Blu-ray.
When rocker/filmmaker Rob Zombie announced that he was rebooting the Halloween franchise, many horror fans were excited to see what the director of '
House of 1000 Corpses' and '
The Devil's Rejects' would do to the now iconic Michael Myers. His first effort, simply titled '
Halloween', was met with some criticism for changing the material too much. For the sequel, '
Halloween II' (out on Blu-ray today), Zombie stuck to his guns and continued the story right from where the first one had left off, resulting in, once again, criticism from fans expecting more.
Staff reviewer Martin Liebman, in his
Blu-ray review of 'Halloween II', commented, "Halloween II is a tale of two films; on one hand the picture is horrifically dark and unsettlingly atmospheric, while on the other it boldly attempts to cobble together some supernatural backstory that's ultimately vague, a hindrance to the pacing, and an obstacle to the pitch-perfect mood that otherwise permeates the picture." He continues, "Sony's Blu-ray release of Halloween II delivers a 1080p transfer that's rough around the edges but seemingly reflective of Zombie's intended look, a strong lossless soundtrack, and a handful of extra materials."
For a complete listing of all the Blu-ray titles released today,
click here.