John Sinnott's DVD Talk DVD Reviews https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/list/DVD Video DVD Talk DVD Review RSS Feed en-us The Kinetophone: A Fact! A Reality! DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/73217 Sun, 29 Jul 2018 15:49:25 UTC Recommended

The Shorts:

If you ask most casual film fans when sound came to the movies,they'd say in 1927 with the release of The Jazz Singer. While that is when they became popular, various companies werelooking to add sound to movies for years.  The earliest filmsthat were created with synchronized sound for public consumptionwere released way back in 1913 under the Kinetophone label.  Itwas a sound-on-cylinder system created by the Thomas Edison'scompany, and one of the reasons that it didn't catch on inpopularity was that it didn't really work.  The sound andvisuals would often go out of synch and once that happened it washard to get them back together.  Now, thanks to moderntechnology, the Library of Congress in association with the museumof the Thomas Edison National Historic Park has been able to matchup the audio and video to the eight survi...Read the entire review

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The Marcel Perez Collection: Vol. 2 DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/72862 Thu, 15 Mar 2018 20:09:34 UTC Highly Recommended

The Shorts:

One of my absolute favorite compilations of silent film shorts isUndercrank Productions disc TheMarcel Perez Collection. An amazing and totally forgottensilent clown, Perez made hilarious films that were also creative andtechnically innovative. The only down-side was that the 10 shorts onthat disc were all of the films of Marcel Perez that were availableat the time. Luckily, more have turned up so Undercrack has releaseda second volume, appropriately titled The Marcel PerezCollection Volume 2, filled with eight more offerings fromthis silent clown. Just as fun and entertaining as the first volume,this is a disc you'll want to add to your collection.

Perez started out in Europe but immigrated to the US at the outbreakof World War I. This collection starts off with one film from hisEuro...Read the entire review

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John Bunny - Film's First King of Comedy DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/72604 Wed, 22 Nov 2017 20:10:07 UTC Recommended

The Movie:

When people think of silent comedians, Charlie Chaplin, or possiblyBuster Keaton, leap to mind. Before either of those star becamefamous however, John Bunny was drawing in audiences with theone-reelers he was making at Vitagraph. Now largely forgotten, evenamong silent film fans, this important actor from the early days ofcinema gets some attention in John Bunny: Film's First King ofComedy. This short (41 minutes) documentary looks at thecomedian who was billed as "the man who makes more than thepresident" and made over 150 films during his five-year career.

John Bunny came from a sea-faring family. His father and grandfatherwere both mariners and his mother advised him not to go to sea...until he was 21 years old. But breaking with tradition Bunny went tothe theater. Based in New York, John played the circuit as part of aminstrel show and took smaller roles in pl...Read the entire review

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Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume XXXIX DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/72598 Sun, 19 Nov 2017 18:08:02 UTC Recommended

The Movies:

It's a bitter sweet day for Mystery Science Theater fans...Shout! Factory has released the last (probably) collection ofepisodes from the original run of the show. While it's great thatthree new episodes (and a disc of bonus material... more on thatlater) are out on DVD, it's sad that there are eleven installmentsthat have never been released, and probably never will be, becauseof copyright issues. Still, these three shows from the Mike yearsare solid, and the set, rather aptly, includes the very lastepisode.

The shows included in this set are:

Experiment 601 - Girls Town:

Mike (referring to Mel Torme): He's like a youthful Jabbathe Hut!

This first episode from season six features the installation of theUmbilicus, a tube that runs from the Satellite of Love to Deep 13,and allows items to be sent between the Mads and the SoL. It'...Read the entire review

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Beauty's Worth DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/72276 Wed, 02 Aug 2017 14:44:17 UTC Recommended

The Movie:

Though Marion Davies is best known as the William Randolph Hearst'smistress, she was also an excellent actress. A trio of her lesserknown films are begin released by Undercrank Productions including WhenKnighthood was in Flower [reviewhere], The Bride's Play, and this film, 1922's Beauty'sWorth. A light comedy, the film is enjoyable and fun andMarion Davies is delightful.

Prudence Cole (Davies) is a young girl who is being raised by hertwo maiden aunts. Her guardians are strict Quakers "to whom thewhole Twentieth Century is a work of Satan." Needless to say, it's aquiet lifestyle.

When Prudence's childhood friend, Henry, comes for a visit with hismother the two have a great time catching up after being apart foryears. At the end of the visit Henry's mother invites...Read the entire review

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When Knighthood Was In Flower (Blu-ray) Blu-ray https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/72243 Wed, 19 Jul 2017 19:00:53 UTC Highly Recommended

The Movie:

Talented silent actress Marion Davies is best known (when peoplerecognize her name) not for her movies, but for being the mistressof newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. And of those who doknow of her, many of them probably think of the shrill andtalentless Susan Alexander, a role based on Davies in Orson Welles'Citizen Kane. Unfortunately, Welles did a huge disservice toDavies in his masterpiece (something he admitted in later years) andthe truth is that Marion Davies is a very talented actress and awonderful comedienne. Hearst did back many of her movies and gaveDavies an incredible amount of publicity in his newspapers. Hepreferred her to appear in classy, elegant films, and since he waswriting the checks he got his way (at first). One of the biggestproductions that he backed was the costume drama When Knighthoodwas in Flower, a film concerning the royal ...Read the entire review

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Bones The Complete Series DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/72212 Sat, 08 Jul 2017 15:59:04 UTC Recommended

The Show:

Like Castle or White Collar, Bones isanother in a long line of crime show that pair two unlikelypartners. While they don't get along at the start, over the courseof the show the two learns about each other, grow closer, and put alot of murderers behind bars. That's pretty much what happens inBones, and after a very impressive 12-season run the program hasfinished its time on the small screen and that means it's time for acompete series set. This massive 64-disc collection includes all 245episodes and some decent bonus material (unfortunately all of itpreviously released) in a nice new case. It's a decent show thatstarts off slow but builds steam as it goes along.

Based on a series of books by Kathy Reichs, the show revolves aroundDr. Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel), a brilliant forensicanthropologist with little-to-no social skills, and Seeley Bo...Read the entire review

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The Mysterious Airman DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/72035 Wed, 03 May 2017 00:14:12 UTC Highly Recommended

The Serial:

Movie serials were a staple of movie matinees in the 30's and 40's,but they were incredibly popular in the silent era too.Unfortunately, there are few chapterplays from the 1910's and 20'sthat still exist in complete form. That's why it's so exciting thatSprocket Vault has unearthed, restored, and released a complete 10chapter serial from 1928: The Mysterious Airman. Not only isthe film of interest to historians however, but it's a funcliffhanger in its own right. The tinted picture looks amazing too,especially for a film this old that was presumed lost for decades.

Jack Baker (Walter Miller) is the owner of an aviation company andengaged to one of his pilots, Shirley Joyce (Eugenia Gilbert).Joyce's father has invented a new device, the Joyce Aerometer, whichmakes flying safe in all sorts of weather and even at night. He'sleased the gadget only to Baker and won't...Read the entire review

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Vitaphone Varieties Volume Three DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/72000 Sun, 23 Apr 2017 15:25:42 UTC Highly Recommended

The Shorts:

After a long wait, Warner Brothers, through their direct-to-consumerprogram The Warner Archives, have released the third volume of VitaphoneVarieties. It's been over four years since the second volumewas released, and it's great that they are continuing thecollection. This single disc (the previous installments weremulti-disc collections) contains 16 rare shorts with appearances byperformers who are great, not so great, and just weird. It's a funand entertaining collection that's sure to amuse.

Most of these one-reel shorts feature performers that were recruitedfrom the vaudeville circuits. (One performer didn't even bother tochange the patter in his act, and discusses how everyone came out tosee a vaudeville show.) At the time these were surely just a quick...Read the entire review

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How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (Blu-ray) Blu-ray https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/71949 Thu, 06 Apr 2017 19:00:08 UTC Highly Recommended

The Movie:

My favorite musical finally arrives on Blu-ray. 1967's How toSucceed in Business without Really Trying is based on the hitBroadway play that ran for an impressive 1417 performances, woneight Tony awards and even a Pulitzer Prize for Best Drama. With apedigree like that, it was a no-brainer to bring the production tothe big screen. For the movie adaptation, most of the Broadway castreprised their roles and the result is a wonderfully delightfulsend-up of the business world.

Walking to work one day, J. Pierrepont Finch (Robert Morse) stumblesacross a book at a newsstand: How to Succeed in Business withoutReally Trying. This self-help manual gives step-by-stepinstructions on how to climb the corporate ladder quickly and withthe least amount of actual work. A window washer by trade, Finchdecides to give it a try and steps into the offices of theWorld-Wide Wicke...Read the entire review

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Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume XXXVIII DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/71938 Sun, 02 Apr 2017 18:20:16 UTC Recommended

The Movies:

Shout! Factory keeps churning out more Mystery Science Theater 3000collections, and the latest one is Volume XXXVIII (or 38 for thosewho've forgotten their Roman numerals). This set contains anotherfour episodes, all from the Mike era of the show, and while none ofthese are classic installments, they all have their moments. Thisset is well worth picking up for fans of the classic program.

The shows included in this set are:

Experiment 602 - Invasion, U.S.A.:

"Will somebody please invade something!" - Tom Servo

This experiment starts off with a great short, A Date with YourFamily. ("The Woody Allen Story!" - Crow) This short was alsoincluded on the compilation disc Shorts Vol. 1 which can be found inRhino's release of Mystery Sci...Read the entire review

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Trailer Trauma 3: 80s Horror-Thon (Blu-ray) Blu-ray https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/71762 Sun, 05 Feb 2017 16:30:36 UTC Highly Recommended

Trailer Trauma 3The Compilation:

There is nothing quite like an 80's horror flick. The decade was agolden age for films that were created to scare and horrify viewers,with creative filmmakers pushing the boundaries of the genre. Fromslasher flicks finding new and disturbing ways of killing thevictims to monster movies coming up with imaginative and shockingcreatures to grossout films that were daring you to look away it wasa great era for the horror fiend. For those who appreciate thatspecial time, Garagehouse Pictures has put out an amazingcollection: Trailer Trauma 3: 80s Horror-Thon. After establishingtheir credentials as a company that really knows how to put out acompilation collection with TrailerTrauma and Read the entire review

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The Mad Magician in 3D (Blu-ray) Blu-ray https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/71732 Wed, 25 Jan 2017 14:33:20 UTC Highly Recommended

Mad MagicianThe Movie:

Twilight Time has released one of the movies that has been on mywish-list for years: 1954's The Mad Magician in 3-D. Created at the end of the 50's 3-D craze (it was Columbia's last 3-Dfeature) the movie hasn't received the love that it's more famouscousin, House of Wax (1953) has garnered, which is ashame.  Presented in both 3-D and flat 2-D, this Vincent Pricevehicle looks magnificent and includes a wonderful assortment ofextras making this a must-buy title.

Warner Brothers' 1953 3-D movie House of Wax was a hugehit.  It was one of the highest grossing films of the year andthough is stared an actor whose career, at the time, seemed to havepeaked.  But audience's loved Vincent Price as a talenteds...Read the entire review

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Mystery Science Theater 3000: XXXVII DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/71558 Sat, 26 Nov 2016 17:48:40 UTC Recommended

The Movies:

It's hard to believe that Shout! Factory is putting out the 37thcollection of Mystery Science Theater 3000 shows. While most of thebest shows (that don't have rights issues) have been released, I'mpleased to say that this set has four good shows. While none of themare classic episodes, these three Mike and single Joel 'experiments'are well worth watching and adding to your collection.

The shows included in this set are:

Experiment 420 - The Human Duplicators:

Crow: This is Beverly Hills Cop, only the slow, whiteversion.

Season four had Joel and the bots at the height of their game, butthere are still some so-so installments, such as this one. The filmitself features Richard Kiel as an alien who has arrived on Earthwith the purpose of creating robot duplicates of humans to wreakhavoc on the planet and soften it up for an invasion...Read the entire review

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Accidentally Preserved Volume 4 DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/71502 Sat, 12 Nov 2016 18:45:25 UTC Recommended

The Shorts:

Undercrank Productions has gone back to the vaults once again andhas emerged with Accidentally Preserved Volume Four. Theseries presents movies that only exist thanks to the home market,movies that were sold (or rented) directly to consumers on smaller(and therefore less expensive) gauge film. Sometimes these reductionprints are the only versions that survive, with no examples to befound in film archives around the world. This time the disc presentseight movies that only exist on 9.5mm prints. While these offer lessresolution that 16mm the images are still clear and all of the filmspresented here look decent.

While the 9.5mm film was never a leading format in the US, they werevery popular in Europe and England. Since three strips of 9.5mmcould be derived from a single reel of 35mm film, the larger gaugefilm was used to imprint three side-by-side images, processed...Read the entire review

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Cartoon Roots: The Bray Studios - Animation Pioneers (Blu-ray) Blu-ray https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/71285 Sun, 18 Sep 2016 17:38:35 UTC DVD Talk Collector Series

The Cartoons:

When it comes to early animation, The Bray Studios are the mostinfluential and innovative production company that you've neverheard of. Not only did the studio create ways of streamlining theanimation process that cut costs drastically, but it also was thehome, if only temporarily, to such animation luminaries as MaxFleischer (Betty Boop, Popeye, and Superman (1940s)), Paul Terry(Mighty Mouse, Heckle & Jeckle), and Walter Lantz (WoodyWoodpecker). Cartoons on Film has now released a magnificentcollection of this studio's output on Blu-ray and DVD. Entitled CartoonRoots: The Bray Studios this set of films is a wonderfulintroduction to the studio and their films.

Read the entire review

]]> Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe (Blu-ray) Blu-ray https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/71275 Wed, 14 Sep 2016 22:16:10 UTC Highly Recommended

The Show:

Is it a serial, or isn't it? That's the question that has often beendebated about the 1953 Republic multi-episode adventure CommandoCody: Sky Marshal of the Universe. It was intended to be a TVshow (and it was broadcast in 1955) but contractual obligations madethe studio release it as a 12-part serial, even though there are notcliffhangers at the end of each chapter. There is a single plotrunning through all of the installments (well... about as much of aplot as they fit into traditional serials), there is somecontinuity, just like a normal chapter play, and the hero did starin earlier serials, albeit with a different name in one of them. Butit pretty much feels like a TV show. Now fans can judge forthemselves after watching the whole run on a beautiful lookingBlu-ray set, thanks to Olive Films.

Read the entire review

]]> Wonders of the Arctic: IMAX (Blu-ray) Blu-ray https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/71261 Sun, 11 Sep 2016 18:10:02 UTC Recommended

The Movie:

Shout! Factory continues to release some gorgeous looking 4K discs,and their latest release, Wonders of the Arctic, is noexception. Originally intended for IMAX theaters, this naturedocumentary takes viewers to the frozen north to the land of InuitIndians, polar bears, whales, and lots and lots of snow.


 
This documentary looks at a few different aspect of life north ofthe Arctic Circle, an area where the warm (relatively speaking)weather last weeks rather than months and where the seas ice overevery winter. They start with a research scientist who is studyingthe effects of global warming o...Read the entire review

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IMAX: The Last Reef: Cities Beneath The Sea (Blu-ray) Blu-ray https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/71252 Thu, 08 Sep 2016 17:09:36 UTC Recommended

The Movie:

Shout! Factory has been releasing some impressive 4K UHD Blu-raysrecently. All of them have been IMAX movies that look and sound justgreat. The latest offering is The Last Reef: Cities Beneath theSea, a look at coral reefs and the animals that live in andaround them. While this is just as eye-popping as the other 4K Imaxreleases, the story is a bit weaker than the others in the seriesbut the visuals are just as arresting.



Starting out with the atomic bomb test on Bikini Atoll, and thefamous swimwear that was named after the test site, the film startsto explore the reefs of the world and compares them to large cities.The...Read the entire review

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DC's Legends of Tomorrow: Season 1 (Blu-ray) Blu-ray https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/71232 Thu, 01 Sep 2016 18:03:34 UTC Rent It

The Show:

While movies based on DC Comics characters haven't been getting thecritical or popular acclaim, in general, that was hoped, on thesmall screen they're really coming alive. Arrow is a bigsuccess and so is The Flash which is starting its thirdseason in a little over a month. This super-hero universe getsfleshed out even more with the newest show DC's Legends ofTomorrow, an ensemble project that looks great on paper: asuperhero group created largely of DC heroes that were firstintroduced in Arrow and The Flash played by actorwho made their names on other popular TV shows (including DoctorWho and Prison Break), traveling through time andfighting an immortal tyrant. It sounds great! And while the visualstyle is good, this first season is marred by poor scripts and someaverage acting.

Read the entire review

]]> Metalstorm: The Destruction Of Jared-Syn (Blu-ray) Blu-ray https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/71222 Tue, 30 Aug 2016 19:21:14 UTC Recommended

The Movie:

In the mid 1980's there was a wave of 3D movies released in anattempt to combat people staying at home watching movies on theirnew VCRs. Most of them were pretty awful, including Jaws 3-D,Amityville 3-D, and Parasite. Along with this wavecame the awkwardly titled subject of this review: Metalstorm:The Destruction of Jared-Syn. It follows the trend of being apretty cheesy 80's flick whose main attraction is the use of 3D, andsurprisingly the effects are actually pretty good. Being a fan ofshlocky 80's films, I'm excited about this release. I was doubtfulthat this movie would ever be released with its original aspectratio preserved (the only other DVD release was a pan and scanmonstrosity) and never thought it would make it to Blu-ray. With 3DTVs not really taking off and home video release of the formatrather spotty, I would have bet money that I'd ne...Read the entire review

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Miss Sadie Thompson - 3D (Blu-ray) Blu-ray https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/71148 Wed, 03 Aug 2016 20:25:39 UTC Recommended

The Movie:

Somerset Maugham's short story Miss Thompson has made it tothe big screen several times. The first was in 1928's SadieThompson starring Gloria Swanson, and it was remade as Rainin 1932 and had Joan Crawford in the leading role. For the 1953version entitled Miss Sadie Thompson, Columbia cast RitaHayworth in the title role and they couldn't have picked a betterstar. Though the story is watered down due to the Hays Commissionrules, Hayworth really shines in this version. Originally releasedin 3D (for all of two weeks before it was pulled and only the flatversion was shown theatrically after that) Twilight Time has put outa beautiful edition of the 3D version as well as the 2D variety onone disc.

Read the entire review

]]> IMAX: Humpback Whales - 4K Ultra HD (HD DVD) HD DVD https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/71146 Wed, 03 Aug 2016 15:50:33 UTC Highly Recommended

The Movie:

Shout! Factory continues their release of IMAX films on 4K Blu-raydiscs with Humpback Whales and fascinating look at thegentle giants of the sea. More than just footage of thesecreatures swimming through the water, this documentary presents alot of information on the whales and relates it in a fun andentertaining manner.



This documentary starts out giving a brief history of humpbackwhales, how absolutely enormous they are and how they were heavilyhunted until relatively recently. Narrator Ewan McGregor thengoes on to explain how these whales have made a comeback in recentyears and how scientists are continuing to learn a lot about theseaquatic mammals.

That's when the documentary really shifts into high gear. Theamount...Read the entire review

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Pioneers of African American Cinema (Blu-ray) Blu-ray https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/70920 Sun, 24 Jul 2016 20:33:51 UTC Highly Recommended

The Movies:

One area of film history that is rarely discussed is the 'racefilms' that were written, directed, produced, and starred people ofcolor and were intended to be seen, not in the big movie palaces,but is small cinemas that served a largely black clientele. Beingall but banned from a film career with the big Hollywood studios dueto the color of their skin, a small but important group of peoplestarted making films on their own telling their own stories.Independent productions with miniscule budgets these movies werelargely ignored after their brief theatrical run and largelyforgotten. Even books on the history of American movies outside ofthe studio system rarely mention these films and if they do it isoften no more than a page or two.



...Read the entire review

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Eddie The Eagle (Blu-ray) Blu-ray https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/71127 Thu, 21 Jul 2016 16:56:34 UTC Recommended

The Movie:

I remember watching the 1988 Olympics and the media's completecoverage of Eddie Edwards, the first ski jumper from Britain tocompete in the international sporting event in decades.  Hecame in dead last, by a lot, and I always thought that hisappearance was the equivalent of a prankā€¦ good harmless fun but notmeant to be taken seriously.  It turns out there's a bit moreto the story (but, granted, not a lot more) which is related in thebiopic of the famous jumper Eddie the Eagle.  As with manyHollywood sports films based on true events, this is a fun butlightweight movie that hits all of the numbers that one wouldexpect.



As a young child, Eddie Edwards (Taron Egerton) became fascinatedwith the Olympics and ...Read the entire review

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The Divergent Series: Allegiant - 4K Ultra HD (HD DVD) HD DVD https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/71111 Mon, 11 Jul 2016 18:26:48 UTC Rent It

The Movie:

The third film in the Divergent Series has just arrived onhome video and no, it has nothing to do with calculus I'm happy toreport. Following the further adventures of plucky Tris and herhunky boyfriend Four in a post-apocalyptic world, The DivergentSeries: Allegiant is based on the last book in the youngadult trilogy penned by Veronica Roth. As with other teen bookseries that have been brought to the screen (Harry Potter, Twilight,Hunger Games) the producers decided to break the final bookinto two movies, so this is only the first part of the conclusion. Ienjoyed the first film (The Divergent Series) and thought thesecond one (The Divergent Series: Insurgent) was flawed butokay. Unfortunately this third movie continues the downward trendand is the weakest in the series so far.

Read the entire review

]]> IMAX: Flight Of The Butterflies (Blu-ray) Blu-ray https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/71104 Wed, 06 Jul 2016 19:33:48 UTC Highly Recommended

The Movie:

Shout! Factory has released three titles for the new 4K Ultra HDformat so far and they've all been very good IMAX films. Theystarted with the impressive Journeyto Space in June, and this month they are releasing theinteresting documentary RockyMountain Express that looks at the construction of the firstCanadian railroad to cross the Rockies. They are also putting out Flightof the Butterflies in July, and it's the best one so far. Thefilm tells the beautiful and engaging story of a man who devoted hislife to the migration patterns of butterflies, and managed todiscover something that's fairly amazing. The movie looks great onthe 4K disc, but there's also the 3D version included (why won'tmore studios release 4K/3D combo pa...Read the entire review

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IMAX: Rocky Mountain Express (Blu-ray) Blu-ray https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/71096 Sun, 03 Jul 2016 15:33:51 UTC Recommended

The Movie:

Railroad fans will want to seek out a copy of Shout! Factory'slatest 4K UHD release: Rocky Mountain Express. Originallyshown in IMAX theaters and shot in 70mm, this short film is partdocumentary, part travelogue, and part nature film telling the storyof Canada's first railway to cross the Rockies. The gorgeousCanadian countryside looks stunning in UHD and the disc even comeswith some great bonuses that complement the main feature.



In 1871 British Columbia became part of Canada, and one of theprovisions of their joining was that a railroad would join theprovince with the rest of the country. That was easier said thandone since the Rocky Mountains separated the two. In the early1880's, a man with the imposing name of William Cornelius Van Hornewas cha...Read the entire review

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Star Trek Into Darkness - 4K (HD DVD) HD DVD https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/71085 Tue, 28 Jun 2016 17:16:04 UTC Recommended

The Movie:

While not perfect, director J. J. Abrams reboot movie Star Trek(2009) was undeniably entertaining. In 2013 he released the secondin the new series, Star Trek Into Darkness, which like thefirst was flawed but still a lot of fun. Both have now been releasedon 4K BR (you can read my review of the first movie here)and they both really look and sound amazing.



A year or so after the events in the first film, James T. Kirk(Chris Pine) is captain of the starship Enterprise and the ship isstill crewed by the familiar names including Spock (Zach Quinto),his sort-of girlfriend Uhura (Zoe Saldana), the medical officerBones (Karl Urban), the chief engineer ...Read the entire review

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Independence Day - 4K (HD DVD) HD DVD https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/71076 Sat, 25 Jun 2016 21:05:54 UTC Highly Recommended

The Movie:

Just in time for the Fourth of July Fox has released IndependenceDay (ID4) on 4K Ultra HD. The set includes both theoriginal theatrical release and the extended cut of the film as wellas a lot on nice extras ported over from earlier releases and a newhalf-hour documentary on the film.



Like the best disaster movies (a genre that this film comfortablyfits in) this story follows the lives of several individuals andtheir families. We get to know various people including agenius-level scientist who lacks motivation and therefore has amenial job (Jeff Goldbum), a crazy pilot who claims to have been thevictim of an alien abduction years ago (Randy Quaid), a hot-shot AirForce pilot (Will Smith) and the President of the United ...Read the entire review

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Star Trek (2009) - 4K (HD DVD) HD DVD https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/71070 Thu, 23 Jun 2016 20:00:56 UTC Recommended

The Movie:

"Your father was captain of a Starship for 12 minutes. He saved 800lives, including your mother's and yours. I dare you to do better."- Captain Pike to a young James T. Kirk

J. J. Abrams' 2009 Star Trek arrives on 4K Ultra HD thanksto the good folks at Paramount. While it's by no means a perfectmovie, it is action-packed and a lot of fun for new and old fansalike and it both looks and sounds fantastic in on this HDR enhanceddisc.



The film's rather convoluted plot begins with the Federation ShipKelvin encountering a large and impossibly advanced Romulan ship.With the captain dead the young first officer, George Kirk, assumescommand and uses the ship as ram, sacrificing himself so that thecrew, including his pregnant wif...Read the entire review

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FitzPatrick Traveltalks: Volume 1 DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/71064 Wed, 22 Jun 2016 18:53:10 UTC Recommended

The Shorts:

Warner Archives continues to release treasures from the WB and MGMmovie vaults. One of the great things about the program is that theydon't limit themselves to feature films, but also TV shows, and inthis case, theatrical shorts. One of their latest releases is awonderful collection of FitzPatrick Traveltalks, one-reeltravelogues that were created by the independent producer James A.FitzPatrick and released by MGM. Originally filmed in black andwhite, after 1934 FitzPatrick shot in Technicolor and all 60 of thegems in this collection are from that period. (Though not as vividas one would hope... skip down to the technical section for moreinformation.) This is a great collection that takes a look at aworld that, for the most part, no longer exists.

FitzPatrick TraveltalksRead the entire review

]]> Gold (Blu-ray) Blu-ray https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/70753 Wed, 15 Jun 2016 16:10:31 UTC Recommended

The Movie:

Kino Lorber has been releasing a number of very cool niche titles onBlu-ray recently. From some solid 50's SF like TheMagnetic Monster to gritty 70's movies like TheTaking Of Pelham One Two Three and excellent film noir titlessuch as 99River Street the company has really been doing a great job offinding interesting titles to put out in high definition. One oftheir latest releases is Gold, a rather unique sciencefiction film made in Nazi Germany in 1934 that has more elementsmelodrama than SF. While it is definitely a flawed film, it's alsoan interesting look at what the state-owned Ufa studio was puttingout in the ea...Read the entire review

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Deadpool - 4K UHD (HD DVD) HD DVD https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/71014 Mon, 30 May 2016 23:16:18 UTC Highly Recommended

The Movie:

The Marvel comic character Deadpool made his big screen debut in X-MenOrigins: Wolverine back in 2009, and this appearance made fanscollectively shout WTF! In his first appearance, the wise-cracking,ultraviolent, politically incorrect antihero had his mouth sewn shutfor the entire movie, removing his defining characteristic: theinsane, yet funny gibberish that he constantly spouts. It would belike portraying Spider-Man without his webs or Superman without hissense of justice. (Okay, they did the last one in Batman V.Superman, and we all know how that turned out.) Luckily theyrebooted the character and started anew and the result is prettyawesome. In his self-titles movie, Deadpool is just a wicked, funny,and off the wall as his best comic appearances and that makes for ahell of a film.

Read the entire review

]]> Major Crimes: Season 4 DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/71011 Sun, 29 May 2016 21:04:36 UTC Recommended

The Show:

I really enjoyed the LA-based cop drama The Closer. WhenKyra Sedgwick, who played the lead character Brenda Johnson, leftthe show however, I didn't continue watching the series which wasrenamed Major Crimes. I thought continuing the series wasjust a cash grab and didn't have high expectations. Recently Idecided to give the show a try, starting at the beginning, anddiscovered that it has a lot of the same chemistry and fun thatmarked the earlier incarnation. While the show isn't perfect, thecharacters are engaging and the mysteries are intriguing making allof the seasons, including this fourth one, great to binge watch.

Captain Sharon Rydor (Mary McDonnell) is a tough, intelligent, andbuy-the-book police officer who is in charge of the Major CrimesDivision of the LAPD. They handle the high profile cases that aremore than likely to get the attention of the pre...Read the entire review

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