DVD Releases January 20 2009 : New DVD Releases

Moonlight - The Complete Series
From Warner Home Video
Average customer review:

Any private eye knows a lot about other people's secrets. L.A. private eye Mick St. John (Alex O'Loughlin) has a secret of his own. He’s a vampire, dwelling in a covert netherworld complicated by friendship with an undead finance honcho (Jason Dohring), memories of the alluring ex- wife (Shannyn Sossamon) who turned him into a vampire, and a relationship with a human (Sophia Myles) he feels drawn to protect – and maybe to love. But no matter how tempting, Mick knows a vampire-human romance is eternally dangerous. This 16-episode, 4-disc set of the series voted the 2008 People's Choice Award for Favorite New TV Drama is a sure entertainment bet for all who like their vampire stories sleek, intense and passionate.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #5 in DVD
Released on: 2009-01-20
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Formats: AC-3, Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Original language: English
Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French, Thai
Number of discs: 4
Running time: 60 minutes

Customer Reviews

A must own for the series fans...
I think it's safe to say many were disappointed in CBS when they decided to cancel the series after what seemed to be a successful first season. It left the fans and I think those involved with the show saying 'WTF?' (I personally haven't watched CBS since)...

Thankfully they released the one season to DVD and for those that loved the show, they'll buy the season. I will say it doesn't seem they put much effort into giving the fans what they were clamoring for - very simple packaging and I'm not seeing much on the 'extras' front so that's a bit disappointing... But I'm just incredibly thankful those of us that miss this show have something to remember it by...

(PS with the success of True Blood and Twilight, I wonder if the network is wishing they hadn't canceled!! They should bring it back - so much could've been done with this show)

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Repo! The Genetic Opera
Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman
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Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #17 in DVD
Released on: 2009-01-20
Rating: R (Restricted)
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Original language: English
Subtitled in: English, Spanish
Number of discs: 1
Running time: 98 minutes

Customer Reviews

Never too pressed for l'dramatico entrance!
Ignore the critics. The movie doesn't make an effort to be anything more than it claims to be: a rock opera involving gore. So if you put this movie on expecting to see people getting their spines ripped out set to an awesome rock soundtrack - you're going to get exactly that.

Of course, there's a lot more to it than that. You can say the characters are great and engaging. You'll notice the costumes are all elaborate and all the sets look fantastic and really set the dark mood. You'll notice the award nominated music shifts from fast-talking melodies to industrial metal to classical opera. And sure, if you read deep enough into it, you'll even see that the movie is a social commentary on our obsession with obtaining beauty, and the terrifying consequences of what may be should we continue down that path.

It's not for the squeamish or the easily offended. Which basically means, if you're out of touch with the mainstream, you're not going to like this movie. For the rest of us, it's pure entertainment. And just to toss it in - The Rocky Horror Picture Show saw a limited release and was slandered by critics but loved by movie goers. Sound familiar, Repo fans?

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King Kong [Blu-ray]
Directed by Peter Jackson
Average customer review:

Movies don't come any bigger than Peter Jackson's King Kong, a three-hour remake of the 1933 classic that marries breathtaking visual prowess with a surprising emotional depth. Expanding on the original story of the blonde beauty and the beast who falls for her, Jackson creates a movie spectacle that matches his Lord of the Rings films and even at times evokes their fantasy world while celebrating the glory of '30s Hollywood. Naomi Watts stars as Ann Darrow, a vaudeville actress down on her luck in Depression-era New York until manic filmmaker Carl Denham (a game but miscast Jack Black) entices her with a lead role. Dazzled by the genius of screenwriter Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody), Ann boards the tramp steamer S.S. Venture, which she--and most of the wary crew--believes is headed for Singapore. Denham, however, is in search of the mythic Skull Island, hoping to capture its wonders on film and make a fortune. What he didn't count on were some scary natives who find that the comely Darrow looks like prime sacrifice material for a mysterious giant creature....

There's no point in rehashing the entire plot, as every movie aficionado is more than familiar with the trajectory of King Kong; the challenge facing Jackson, his screenwriters, and the phenomenal visual-effects team was to breathe new life into an old, familiar story. To that degree, they achieve what could be best called a qualified success. Though they've assembled a crackerjack supporting cast, including Thomas Kretschmann as the Venture's hard-bitten captain and young Jamie Bell as a plucky crewman, the first third of the movie is rather labored, with too much minute detail given over to sumptuous re-creations of '30s New York and the unexciting initial leg of the Venture's sea voyage. However, once the film finds its way to Skull Island (which bears more than a passing resemblance to LOTR's Mordor), Kong turns into a dazzling movie triumph, by turns terrifying and awe-inspiring. The choreography and execution of the action set pieces--including one involving Kong and a trio of Tyrannosaurus Rexes, as well as another that could be charitably described as a bug-phobic's nightmare--is nothing short of landmark filmmaking, and a certain Mr. Spielberg should watch his back, as Kong trumps most anything that has come before it.

Despite the visual challenges of King Kong, the movie's most difficult hurdle is the budding romance between Ann and her simian soulmate. Happily, this is where Jackson unqualifiedly triumphs, as this unorthodox love story is tenderly and humorously drawn, by turns sympathetic and wondrous. Watts, whose accessibility balances out her almost otherworldly loveliness, works wonders with mere glances, and Andy Serkis, who digitally embodies Kong here much as he did Gollum in the LOTR films, breathes vibrant life into the giant star of the film without ever overplaying any emotions. The final, tragic act of the film, set mostly atop the Empire State Building, is where Kong earns its place in movie history as a work that celebrates both the technical and emotional heights that film can reach. --Mark Englehart

Customer Reviews

Don't care if it is the long or the short version this is a really great movie now on BluRay
I really enjoyed this movie at the theater and am glad to see it on BluRay. Regardless of whether it is the long or short version. It is cheaper than what I paid to see it and the concession stand tax (;-). Jack Black is not my favorite actor and I thought it would be just another makeover of a classic film but I was wrong. This is well worth the cost and on BluRay it should be fantastic.

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Emergency!: Season Five
Directed by Alan Crosland Jr., Bruce Bilson, Christian I. Nyby II, Dennis Donnelly, Georg Fenady
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Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #35 in DVD
Released on: 2009-01-20
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Formats: Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
Original language: English
Subtitled in: English
Number of discs: 5

Customer Reviews

I was 7 year in 1972 watch emergency
My favorite Emergency TV when first air 1972 tv I was 7 year old and until end air 1979 I was 14 year old. I watch TV every Saturday evening on 1972 to 1979. Now I am 43 year old. I never forgot it long time ago. I found emergency season 1 dvd on internet last 2005 and I brought it also Emergency 1, 2, 3, and 4 season dvd and 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008. that I buy Emergency 5 season last Nov 2008. I will buy other next 6 season and final 7 season in fall 2010. I am fan Emegency! Whoa In summer 1976 my teacher pick up me Saturday morning drive her house and watch outside action camera on Emergency then I met Kevin Tighe and Randolph Mantooth and fire man and my teacher camera me with fire man. I give a autograph to Kevin Tighe and Randolph. I was kid deaf and I live in Los Anegeles Country in 1965 to 1980. Do you believe it? I never forgot. Emergency dvds are very interest good.

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The Rockford Files: Season Six
Directed by Corey Allen, Ivan Dixon, John Patterson, Joseph Pevney, Lawrence Dobkin
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Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #41 in DVD
Released on: 2009-01-20
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Formats: Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
Original language: English
Subtitled in: English
Number of discs: 3
Running time: 592 minutes

A Good Friend Says Goodbye

If ever a star had that certain something which put him in the same category as those shining ones from the 1930's and 1940's, it was James Garner. He had a fine film career, to be sure, but it was his laconic charm as Jim Rockford on television with which he will always be most identified. He was an ex-con given a full pardon when it was discovered he was innocent after all. Working as a P.I. and parking his gold Firebird in front of his trailor on the L.A. beach, Rockford could never quite shake the ex-con tag, nor could he shake his old cellmate, Evelyn "Angel" Martin.

Stuart Margolin was Angel, always looking for the easy buck, and getting his old buddy Jimmy into trouble with him. Neither Rockford or the viewing audience could stay mad at Angel for long, however, because in Margolin's hands, Angel was really a stand-up guy at heart and you had to admire his enthusiasm. Noah Beery, Jr. portrayed Rockford's lovable dad, Rocky, with equal aplomb.

Rocky was an easygoing retired trucker who loved to fish, and passed on the hobby to Jim. Between the car chases, cons, and mad scrambles to stay out of jail were simple moments of life we all recognized from our own. It was that down to earth formula, coupled with Garner's charm and some excellent writing from Juanita Bartlett which kept Jim Rockford coming into our homes week after week for years. Rockford would only work on closed cases in an effort to avoid the cops which, of course, never quite worked out.

Joe Santos was Rockford's often exasperated police pal, Dennis Becker. He was the buffer between Rockford and Becker's superiors, who in season 6 was James Luisi as Lt. Chapman. He hated Rockford and wanted any excuse to pull his P.I. license. Becker was a pal, but could only do so much for Jim as he had to stay out of hot water himself. He had a wife and kids to support, and for some strange reason, that sometimes took priority over helping his old buddy Jim out of a complicated jam. Beth was gone by this season, but Rita Moreno lit up the small screen as Rita Capkovic.

Season 6 only had 12 episodes, but some really fine ones, and some terrific guest stars. Rockford got to go to Hawaii in one installment. In a way, looking back, as someone has already mentioned, it was sort of the changing of the guard type of season. Tom Selleck would reprise his role of Lance White, the detective so perfect it drove Rockford nuts! Larry Manetti would guest star on an episode as well. They would make Magnum P.I. a television staple the following year, and by the end of its long run, Joe Santos would star on that classic also.

Season 6 episodes are: PARADISE COVE (MARIETTE HARTLEY) -- LIONS,TIGERS, MONKEYS AND DOGS (LAUREN BACALL--2 PARTER) -- ONLY ROCK AND ROLL WILL NEVER DIE (MARCIA STRASSMAN--2 PARTER) -- LOVE IS THE WORD -- NICE GUYS FINISH DEAD (TOM SELLECK) -- THE HAWAIIN HEADACHE -- THE NO-FAULT AFFAIR -- THE BIG CHEESE -- JUST A COUPLE OF GUYS -- DEADLOCK IN PARMA

It was only from December of 1979 through January of 1980 that we got to enjoy Mike Post's Rockford Files theme song, which only began after we'd heard one of those crazy messages on Jim's answering machine. It had only been a couple of years since Garner had finally gotten his Emmy Award for his fine portrayal of the affable Rockford. There is comfort food, and comfort television, and Rockford certainly falls into that category. A really fine television show worthy of its fan base.

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MGM: When the Lion Roars
Directed by Frank Martin
Average customer review:

On April 24, 1924 the movies changed forever: the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio opened and soon assembled “more stars than there are in the heavens.” Patrick Stewart hosts this enthralling Emmy winner as Best Informational Series, a 3-part story of MGMs reign as Hollywoods class act and legendary entertainment empire. Bursting with memorable film clips, rare interviews, behind-the-scenes footage and insider info, this is a mother lode for film fans, profiling perfectionist moguls, glamorous and charismatic actors, innovative filmmakers and landmark movies. Experience the dramatic and romantic fire, singing and dancing magic, and sweeping epic adventure of Hollywoods greatest studio in this must-have 2-Disc DVD set.

Customer Reviews

MORE STARS THAN THERE ARE IN HEAVEN

Indeed MGM was the Tiffany's of the old classic movies studios of Hollywood. The studio was known for it's superb craftsmanship in creating films for the masses that were jewels of popular entertainment. Other studios in town each had their specialties, Universal had its monster movies, and Warmer's had the gritty hardboiled edge with its gangster films and social epics. Twentieth Century Fox had musicals mixed in with its films that dealt with social problems; Paramount had C.B. DeMille and glittering comedies. What set MGM apart was its Stars; more than there are in the heavens. MGM more than any other studio was responsible for Hollywood glamour of the Golden Age, for great musicals that no other studio could match. Family films and adventures with great heroes like Gable and Tracy. Epics like nothing we will ever see again and wonderful dramas from Broadway brought to the screen in the 50's and 60's. MGM was all of this and much more. It was the stuff of our collective dreams.
This documentary covers the glittering history of the studio with tons of great clips and behind the scene footage. And many of the stars of its golden age share their reminiscences ranging from wistfully sweet to the bitter and amusing. Patrick Stewart is a fine host who guides us through the decades. This is a must have for any fan of movies, film buffs will love it, and for anyone just discovering the history of Hollywood with will open doors you never even dreamed existed to a world of astonishing entertainment. No there will never be a studio like MGM again, nor the stars it created. It is only a golden dream now, a dream that is gone with the wind.

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Max Payne [Blu-ray]
Directed by John Moore
Average customer review:

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #19 in DVD
Released on: 2009-01-20
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Original language: English
Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
Dubbed in: French, Spanish
Number of discs: 2
Running time: 203 minutes

Customer Reviews

Good action
If you like good action,the likes of 'Wanted' 'Shoot em up' even 'Matrix' (to some extent) then this Blu Ray with mind blowing DTS sound is for you..this Blu Ray carries both the Theatrical aswell as the Unrated version..don't expect too much from the unrated version (just 3 minutes extra),there is also a digital copy of the unrated version included. The special features are nothing to shout about, nevertheless this movie is good fun and had some really great "WOW"action scenes.

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Ghost (Special Collector's Edition)
Directed by Jerry Zucker
Average customer review:

Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze are the passionate lovers whose romance is undone when the latter is murdered during a bungled hit arranged by a rival. The clever concept by screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin (director of My Life) extends outward into comedy (Swayze's character communicates through a sassy medium played by Whoopi Goldberg, who won an Oscar for this role), horror (the afterlife is populated by hell-bound demons and the like), and romantic complications (a handsome suitor, played by Tony Goldwyn, comes on to Moore while Swayze's spirit is still hanging around). Directed by Jerry Zucker, previously best known for codirecting Airplane! and similar broad comedies, Ghost is a careful balancing act of strong commercial elements, but at heart it is a timeless Hollywood tearjerker that easily gets under one's skin. --Tom Keogh

From The New Yorker
It sounds like a horror movie, but it's a romantic fairy tale. The scariest thing about it is its shamelessness. A young New York bank executive, Sam (Patrick Swayze), is killed, on the street, at a moment in his life when everything seems to be going his way. After his death, Sam sticks around, as a spirit (and Swayze stays onscreen, as a body). He attends his funeral; watches his beautiful girlfriend, Molly (Demi Moore), drift grief-stricken through the spectacular loft they had just moved into; and then devotes himself to protecting her from the people who killed him. Through a reluctant psychic (Whoopi Goldberg), he tries to communicate with Molly; later, an experienced ghost (Vincent Schiavelli) teaches him how to move objects and break stuff. In this movie, death is treated as if it were merely a form of disability, one of those handicaps we've seen people struggle bravely with in TV movies-something for the individual to triumph over, with will power, hard work, and love. This creamy-toned fantasy, directed by Jerry Zucker from a screenplay by Bruce Joel Rubin, certainly pushes the audience's emotional buttons. It's a twentysomething hybrid of "It's a Wonderful Life" and some of the goofier, more solemn episodes of "The Twilight Zone," and there's not a trace of wit or irony in it. Its images of death have a soothing banality, like a greeting-card message from the world beyond. Also with Tony Goldwyn and Rick Aviles. -Terrence Rafferty
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

looks and sounds fairly good
'Ghost' is a film that I fell in love with back in 1990. The Blu-ray version materializes on with the same set of original features that graced the 2007 DVD special edition release of the film that I own.The 1990 film looks okay, if not betraying its age. It also isn't a huge leap for me over the previous DVD -- I rarely felt I was watching a high-def image but The print is in good shape. Detail is overall wanting, however, with some decent depth at times but a generally two-dimensional appearance. It doesn't help that much of the film looks like it was shot through gauze, and the now-dated CGI effects suffer from blurriness. The encode is tight, however, with no obvious artifacts. 'Ghost' looks fine, just far from exceptional.The film's soundtrack has been upped to full-on Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround (48kHz/24-bit.Much of the mix is front-heavy. There are a few discrete effects that accompany the trips to the "other side" and its evil demons, but they are obvious in the surrounds and can sound forced. The use of lite-pop/rock songs on the soundtrack and the score get a bit of dispersement in the rears as well.
All and All Blu-ray looks and sounds fairly good, and its extras are substantial enough to earn the special edition tag. 'Ghost' fans, this Blu-ray may be won't blow you away, but it's worth a look.

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Saw V [Blu-ray]
Directed by David Hackl
Average customer review:

How do you keep a horror franchise going when your villain has been unquestionably and irrevocably killed off? That's a conundrum any number of genre series have tackled--to varying degrees of success--and the problem facing the sadistic Saw films in its latest entry, Saw V. The filmmakers' answer--faithful henchmen--is at first blush a savvy idea, as it allows the mayhem of original bad guy Jigsaw to continue unabated, despite the fact that he was dissected on a morgue slab in the previous film. Saw V extends the premise by having disgraced detective Hoffman (Costas Mandylor from the previous two films) don the pig mask to unleash horrific tortures on another group of seemingly unconnected strangers. Scott Patterson (Aliens in America) also returns as Hoffman's Javert, a dogged fellow agent who escapes death in the fourth film and an ugly fate in this entry to continue his pursuit. All the elements that have made the Saw series popular with horror fans--the elaborate killing machines, the trompe l'oeil plotting, and the sociopathic judgments handed down by Jigsaw--are intact in Saw V, which is a positive for its most faithful followers, but a negative for just about everyone else. Saw V covers no new ground, expands no part of the mythology of the series and seems perfectly content to present a lifeless retread of Saw III and IV. It also suffers from the absence of Tobin Bell as Jigsaw, who despite his top billing, is glimpsed only in brief flashbacks. Bell, who could be unsettling even in the stillest moments, gave the series a gravity that kept its least plausible moments in check, and Mandylor, though game, simply cannot provide the same. What's left is dreary and relentlessly downbeat, and to make matters worse, ends on an open note that clearly indicates that a sixth film is in the works, no matter how obvious that the diabolical ingenuity of the original Saw has been worn to the bone by its sequels. Only diehard Saw fans need to sign up for this round of Jigsaw's games. -- Paul Gaita

Customer Reviews

Offers nothing new, but yet still enjoyable for the most part
It seems everyone bashes the Saw franchise, but yet when the original came out a lot of people seemed to like it, but once the mass got hold of it and it turned into a franchise suddenly the cool thing to do is bash the series. But with the amount of money the Saw franchise is making a lot more people like it than willing to admit. The Saw franchise is this generations Friday the 13th; while the Friday the 13th movies are a bit more mindless (nothing wrong with that), but both feature a little more violence than other horror flicks of their time and like in the 80s almost every year there was a new Friday the 13th movie since Saw came out in 2004 each year has had a new sequel.

Going into Saw V I did have low expectations; I really enjoyed Saw and I thought Saw II is one of the few sequels that totally lives up to the original and in some ways outdoes it. But in my opinion after Saw II there really wasn't much of a direction left to go and while Saw III wasn't bad it just suffered from offering nothing new and more importantly was much longer of a film than it needed to be. Saw IV was nothing more than a rehash, but flowed better than Saw III and, while far from great I did enjoy Saw IV.

But Saw V was actually quite a nice surprise and while it offers nothing new and is pretty much a rehash of the previous parts, but yet I thought it worked well overall. Saw V is far from a classic, but it could have been a disaster, but turned out alright. By this point in the series I suppose nothing new can be done since you cannot stray from the formula; you just make the best possible film and hope for the best.

Patrick Melton & Marcus Dunstan wrote Saw IV and return to write Saw V; overall the script was good the characters were alright and mostly under developed, but when all is said and done they serve their purpose. The script does feel like a rewrite of past Saw movies with characters either not developed or just a rehash of past characters. The Saw flicks always try and stay one step ahead of the audience, which isn't a bad thing, but things can get a little too complex and to further the series we keep getting back-stories, which works, but feels a little forced. Despite the characters being a little weak or a rehash Melton & Dunstan get the job done overall and I suppose at this point wrote the best screenplay that could be written. Not many movies with the number V after them are very good, so despite some shortcomings the script gets the job done.

David Hackl makes his directorial debut taking over for Darren Lynn Bousman who directed Saw II-IV. Hackl previously served as Production Designer on Saw II-IV and 2nd unit director on Saw III & IV. What David Hackl does is pretty much follows what Darren Lynn Bousman did, but thankfully the quick edits weren't done as much. Hackl never really injects anything of his own in the movie. Had Darren Lynn Bousman's name been listed as director you wouldn't even know it wasn't true.

But despite that David Hackl still makes a film far better than it should have been. The pacing of the film works well and is mostly moving forward and the gore scenes play out well and Hackl keeps the story from getting too complicated. Saw V may not be a masterpiece of the genre, but David Hackl makes a film that is far better than it should have been and overall gets the job done. The suspense and tension is lacking a bit, but that has more to do with the formula getting stale rather than the direction.

The traps were pretty good and the Pendulum trap just might rate as one of my favorite if not favorite trap of the Saw franchise. Saw V delivers the goods with the gore and is pretty gruesome at times

Saw V should work well with fans of the franchise, but the rest of you are better off skipping. I like the Saw series, but I'm not a massive fan, but I do mostly enjoy them and Saw V was a nice surprise. I didn't expect much and while far from great Saw V turned out to be rather enjoyable.

The Blu-ray features are the same as the DVD with a look at the traps of Saw V, two audio commentaries' and the trailer. I haven't seen the DVD so I cannot compare the picture and sound, but the Blu-ray has an excellent transfer and the audio quality is amazing.

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