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June DVD

Far and away the best picture quality yet, 1 April 2008

This Blu ray is amazing. Pin sharp picture, full HD 1080P. At just over an hour and a half, the film never lags, and the narration is superb by Patrick Stewart.

  Amazing........, 28 Mar 2008

Amazing' picture quality and dolby sound, played this through my cinema surround sound and HDTV (lights off)and the experience was unbelivable. Will watch this time and time again, and show off the quality to my friends....worth every penny if you have a big HDTV....I have a few Blu Ray discs and this is by far the best.

April DVD

  Great!

I know a lot of readers of the original book will be diappointed by this film. However, as a film, and purely on that basis, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Will Smith is my favourite actor, so that helped and he is one of the few in today's pack that can carry off a difficult, virtually one man role like this because of his superb screen presence. So on that basis I give it five stars even if it is a bit flawed and has a few continuity issues.

Wow!! This is a Powerful Performance by Will Smith

I watched this thinking it might be a light-hearted Independence Day type performance by Will Smith. I watched this and have GREAT admiration and respect for Will Smith. Its one of the most powerful performances I have ever seen. He makes you feel what it likes to be there and identify with him. This is one of the most disturbing and powerful films I have seen in years. I spoke to some friends and family about the effect this film had on me. They have reminded me it's just a Film, and it could never happen. If it should ever become reality, I don't want to be the last person left. The agony that this person portrays/suffers in the film is quite overwhelming.

Kingdom of Heaven—The Director's Cut: This is one of the first 50GB Blu-ray discs, and the result is an excellent image of Ridley Scott's 194-minute director's cut of this Crusades-era epic. Blacks and dark scenes are surprisingly easy to discern, details on walls and other backgrounds are vivid, and the stellar DTS HD Master Audio is accessible on certain AV receivers that can do PCM audio. I stood five feet away from the screen and still couldn't see any pixels. Unfortunately, even a three-hour-plus movie in Blu-ray is too big to include any extras.

The Devil Wears Prada: Okay, so the movie isn't so great, but Meryl Streep keeps it going. The good news is that you don't have to worry about paying 100 percent attention to the plot since this disc has some fun extras, including pop-up-video-style info bubbles with background on each piece of couture in the film, fashion history, and other assorted production notes. The image is crisp and accurately colorful.

Superman Returns: Yes, you can get this movie in digital form nearly everywhere (Xbox Video Marketplace, Wal-Mart, Comcast), but the 1080p Blu-ray (and HD-DVD) version is the best out there for clarity on the big HD screen. Plus, it's got about 15 minutes of deleted scenes in HD, as well as a hefty two-hour-plus documentary by director Bryan Singer on the making of the movie.

Black Hawk Down: Given that it's like one long first-person-shooter video game, this movie lends itself well to the high-def format, both for the excellent transfer that makes the considerable night scenes discernable and the detailed 5.1 soundtrack that delivers immersive battle-like realism. Frankly, it might be a bit gory for some at this resolution. The disc is also the first with Blu-wizard technology, which is a fancy name for the ability to program the extra features (documentaries and the like) you want into the movie.

M:I:III: Tom Cruise aside, this action-packed thriller is a fun ride and translates well to the HD screen, with explosive sound and a sharp picture. The release is broken up into two discs. In addition to the movie, the first disc features a commentary by director J. J. Abrams and Tom Cruise that's actually informative; the second disc has a series of making-of documentaries in HD.

So those are the best discs, in terms of video/audio quality, that I've seen so far. Despite some flaws, I also enjoyed the following Blu-ray discs: House of Flying Daggers (uneven transfer, but great audio and fantastic movie), Blazing Saddles (great image and fun, though non-exclusive extras like the nutty 1975 sitcom spin-off Black Bart), The Fifth Element, Aeon Flux, Click, Bubble, Talladega Nights, and Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (no need for HD on this one, but a great documentary). I hated: RV, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, XXX (sorry, Vin Diesel fans).

Couldn't agree better than with the previous feedback. This is an awesome concert with lots of EWF and Chicago's catchy tunes. What a synergy between the two bands! Video is presented in 1080i/60, which is totally acceptable for concerts. It's brilliantly filmed. Audio is either 5.1 DTS HD MA, 5.1 Dolby Digital, or PCM 2.0. Both 5.1 surround sounds are great, but no doubt the DTS HD MA sound is superior to the Dolby Digital one. As far as concerts on Blu-Ray are concerned, only Shakira would top this one in my opinion. Better get both!

I had a real good time with this blu-ray that features a great PQ (AVC coding) and amazing AQ (DTS-HD MA 5.1/2.0). I almost felt like "being there". The combined showcase from Chicago & EWF is very entertaining and enjoyable. You can't just sit down and watch; you will find yourself stand up and shake your body (like all the audience in the Greek Theatre)! I have been a big fan of EWF's and the band is simply amazing in the concert even without Maurice White. Philip Bailey is such a great musician with his great voice and covers M. White's spot very well. He also can play the kalimba as Mr. White does! V. White, who is co-leader and plays the bass, makes us smile and happy with his passionate gestures. As for Chicago, I have to admit I wished Peter Cetera had been there. They are still good but, to me, not enough without the former lead singer. Before I watched the concert, I had no idea what had made these two bands do a concert together. Now I know they have some connections: both of them are brass bands and EWF's "After the love has gone", which the both bands sing and play together, was co-written by Chicago's Bill Champlin.

Here's my conclusion: get this blu-ray and have a great time especially when you want "cheer-up" and dance!

July DVD

The reason the other two members (John and Graeme) weren't in the video is because Justin plays Forever Autumn during the intermission, while the other two are backstage. So don't worry, they come back!!! This is a great buy, and the Moodies are a great band, so go ahead and add this to your hi-def

 I got the new Moody Blues concert on Blu-Ray today in the mail!!!

Anxiously, I loaded it into the machine, and watched the performance of "Forever Autumn". Wow - totally excellent!!!

The audio/video quality, and performance are as good as it gets.

It could be better however. Not all of the original members of the group are there (2 are missing). And, they didn't have an orchestra backing them up as in some previous performances. But, the group they put together is top notch nevertheless. Justin Hayward is in top form.

I highly recommend it.