The Sand Pebbles (Blu-ray)

June 3rd, 2008 Blu-ray-au

The Sand Pebbles (Blu-ray)

20th Century Fox | 1966 | 179 mins | Rated PG-13 | Jun 03, 2008

1926 China. Engineer Jake Holman is transferred to the USS San Pablo, a gunboat patrolling the troubled waters of the Yangtze River. As Chinese factions battle around them, the crew has one singular mission: to protect American interests in the region… without provoking an international incident. But as hostility over the U.S. presence in the river intensifies, Holman and his sole ally know their latest assignment – to save a U.S. missionary – could be their last!

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The Recruit (Blu-ray)

June 3rd, 2008 Blu-ray-au

The Recruit (Blu-ray)

Disney / Buena Vista | 2003 | 115 mins | Rated PG-13 | Jun 03, 2008

James Clayton might not have the attitude of a typical recruit, but he is one of the smartest graduating seniors in the country?and he’s just the person that Walter Burke wants in the Agency. James regards the CIA’s mission as an intriguing alternative to an ordinary life, but before he becomes an Ops Officer, James has to survive The Farm, where the veteran Burke teaches him the ropes and rules of the game. James quickly rises through the ranks and falls for Layla, one of his fellow recruits. B…

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Patton (Blu-ray)

June 3rd, 2008 Blu-ray-au

Patton (Blu-ray)

20th Century Fox | 1970 | 170 mins | Rated PG | Jun 03, 2008

Patton is a three-dimensional bronze bust of World War II field general George S. Patton who wrote poetry, fired pistols at strafing fighter planes, and loved America with a lofty and historical zeal. Tracing his personal rivalries with such generals as Rommel and Montgomery, his problematic treatment of his own men, and his nearly runaway contempt for diplomacy, the film triumphs as an enduring portrait of a complex and larger-than-life figure.

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The Sand Pebbles (Blu-ray Review)

May 30th, 2008 Blu-ray-au

The Sand Pebbles (Blu-ray Review)

Robert Wise’s classic film sails on Blu-ray.

Hello, engine. I’m Jack Holman.

A movie star in every sense of the word — not only handsome but also immensely talented and
the
ultimate “guy,” — Steve McQueen (Bullitt) takes on a
role
in 1966’s The Sand Pebbles that garnered him his one and only Best Actor Oscar, a
surprise
to me considering not only the presence he brought to his roles, but also the classic films he
performed in (t…

Video

The Sand Pebbles sets sail on Blu-ray in yet another high quality MPEG-2, 1080p, 2.35:1
transfer
from Fox. With this release as well as Patton and The Longest Day,
20th Century Fox has shown they mean business when it comes to their classics (I cannot wait
to see what they do with another Robert Wise classic, The Sound of Music). …

Audio

The Sand Pebbles debuts in Blu-ray high definition with Fox’s usual DTS-HD MA 5.1
lossless
audio soundtrack. Much like Patton, a noticeable hiss accompanies much of the soundtrack. The film’s
legendary score by the late composer Jerry Goldsmith sounds fantastic. It’s a bit too
loud
at the film’s open, but its majesty and grace fills the room beautifully afterwards, reason enough
to
warrant a listen and…

Supplements

&Like Patton and
The Longest Day,
The Sand Pebbles arrives on Blu-ray with an impressive array of supplemental features.
Unlike those aforementioned Fox war classics, however, all of this disc’s special features are
contained on the same Blu-ray disc as the movie itself. The main attraction is a commentary
track
featuring director Robert…

Final Words

The Sand Pebbles is not your traditional war film. In fact, there is very little shooting in the
film, and moviegoers expecting three hours of guns and explosions will come out of the experience
incredibly disappointed, although the prominent image of Steve McQueen wielding a rifle on the
disc’s cover could very well lead viewers to think the film is far more action-packed than it is. The
film is rather a thinking man’s epic, a film that follows one sailor’s
tumultuous tour of……

Read full review: Blu-ray.com

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Rambo 1-3 Box Set (Blu-ray)

May 30th, 2008 Blu-ray-au

Rambo 1-3 Box Set (Blu-ray)

Lionsgate Films | 0 | 293 mins | Rated R | May 27, 2008

This box set includes Rambo: First Blood, Rambo: First Blood Part II and Rambo III.

Rambo 1-3 Box Set complete specs at Blu-ray.com | Rambo 1-3 Box Set at Amazon.com

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Rambo III (Blu-ray)

May 30th, 2008 Blu-ray-au

Rambo III (Blu-ray)

Lionsgate Films | 1988 | 102 mins | Rated R | May 27, 2008

When Col. Sam Trautman (Richard Crenna) is captured during a top-secret mission in Afghanistan, Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) erupts into a one-man firestorm to rescue his former commanding officer and decimate the enemy. this intense, heart-pounding adventure boasts unrelenting action and suspense from start to finish.

Rambo III complete specs at Blu-ray.com | Rambo III at Amazon.com

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Rambo: First Blood Part II (Blu-ray)

May 30th, 2008 Blu-ray-au

Rambo: First Blood Part II (Blu-ray)

Lionsgate Films | 1985 | 95 mins | Rated R | May 27, 2008

Ex-Green Beret and Vietnam vet John Rambo is sent on assignment back to Southeast Asia to uncover evidence of still missing POWs, and ends up with his hands full when he comes up against Vietnamese soldiers still guarding the camps, the Russian military that oversees them, and the American State department officials who apparently sent him there fully knowing that he’d be taking on a doomed mission.

Rambo: First Blood Part II complete specs at Blu-ray.com | Rambo: First Blood Part II at Amazon.com

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Rambo (Blu-ray Review)

May 30th, 2008 Blu-ray-au

Rambo (Blu-ray Review)

The best ‘Rambo’ since ‘First Blood’ brings its title character full circle in an emotional and fitting
resolution.

Live for nothing or die for something.

“It’s a long road when you’re on your own.” So begin the lyrics to the theme song from 1982’s
First Blood, the movie
that introduced the world to the cinematic representation of John Rambo, played by Sylvester
Stallone (Rocky Balboa), a
legendary character first presented to the fictional wor…

Video

Rambo hits Blu-ray with an impressive 1080p high definition transfer, framed in the
film’s
original 2.35:1 aspect ratio. The picture looks a bit intentionally saturated which results in an
image that appears a bit brighter than normal with black levels that are a bit bright and gray at
times. The
print is pristine, as is to be expected, free of any blemish. The darker scenes, of which there are
many in the first two acts of the film, look good, considering the lighting cond…

Audio

Rambo explodes onto Blu-ray with a reference-quality DTS-HD MA 7.1 channel lossless
sound presentation that may very well be the finest I’ve heard to date. That score that I love so
much sounds fantastic here, easily the best I’ve heard it (and far surpassing the MP3 version I
have playing in the background as I write). This entire soundtrack provides room-filling sound
that is focused in the front but finds its way into the rears to truly engulf the viewer in the
experience o…

Supplements

Rambo joins the fight on Blu-ray with an impressive selection of bonus materials.
Leading
things off is a feature-length commentary track by writer/actor/director Sylvester Stallone.
Stallone
begins the track by discussing the problems in Burma and why the public isn’t more aware of the
situation. Sly offers up yet another great track (have a listen to his thoughts on First
Blood). He proves himself to be a highly intelligent and eloquent man, far from the
stereot…

Final Words

John Rambo is a character I care deeply about. His ordeal as a man in First Blood, not
knowing his
place in life, wondering what it is he’s become (or has always been), is resolved in this film, and the
ending was absolutely better than I could have hoped for, one of the finest conclusions to
not only a movie, but to a man and a franchise in film history. It’s simple yet powerful, Rambo’s
final choice hearkening back to the “long road” theme that runs through the films. The B……

Read full review: Blu-ray.com

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Pan’s Labyrinth (Blu-ray)

May 18th, 2008 Blu-ray-au

Buy Pan’s Labyrinth on Blu-ray.

Following a bloody civil war, young Ofelia enters a world of unimaginable cruelty when she moves in with her new stepfather, a tyrannical military officer. Armed with only her imagination, Ofelia discovers a mysterious labyrinth and meets a faun who sets her on a path to saving herself and her ailing mother. But soon, the lines between fantasy and reality begin to blur, and before Ofelia can turn back, she finds herself at the center of a ferocious battle between good and evil.

Posted in Blu-ray Movies / DVDs, Blu-ray Movies [P - T], Genre - Drama, Genre - Sci-Fi & Fantasy | No Comments »

Resident Evil: Extinction (Blu-ray)

March 24th, 2008 Blu-ray-au

Resident Evil: Extinction (Blu-ray)

Alice, now in hiding in the Nevada desert, once again joins forces with Carlos Olivera and L.J., along with new survivors Claire, K-Mart and Nurse Betty, to try to eliminate the deadly virus that threatens to make every human being undead… and to seek justice. Since being captured by the Umbrella Corporation, Alice has been subjected to biogenic experimentation and becomes genetically altered, with super-human strength, senses and dexterity. These skills, and more, will be needed if anyone is to remain alive.

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