Blu Ray Players Blog

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa [Blu-ray]

Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 02/06/2009 Run time: 89 minutes Rating: PgThe sequel to the animated movie Madagascar gives more of everything audiences loved in the first movie: More of the penguins; more of Julian, king of the lemurs; more musical bits of classic rock; and many, many more lions, zebras, hippos, and giraffes. In the first film, a quartet of coddled zoo animals found themselves shipwrecked on the island of Madagascar in a misguided effort to return them to the wild. InMadagascar: Escape 2 Africa, a failed attempt to fly back to New York maroons Alex the lion (voiced by Ben Stiller), Marty the zebra (Chris Rock), Gloria the hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith), and Melman the giraffe (David Schwimmer) in an animal preserve on the African continent, accompanied by the four deranged penguins and the lunatic lemur king (deliriously voiced by Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat). By wild coincidence, this is where Alex was born–and where his father is still the alpha lion, and where his malevolent uncle seeks to take over (let’s call this an homage to The Lion King). The other beasts have their own story arcs, but really it’s all an excuse for daffy comic bits. Though the result is disposable, it’s also entirely entertaining. The action sequences pop with dizzying spectacle; though some jokes are mainstream fodder, more often they’re surprisingly quirky and engagingly oddball. This is the best kind of cotton candy filmmaking–it dissolves into nothing, but it’s oh-so-sweet to the taste. –Bret Fetzer

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Very good follow-up to the first movie
My oldest child loves the Madagascar movies and TV shows (did you know the Penguins have their own series?). This movie did not disappoint. He sat with rapt attention throughout the whole movie in the theater, and when he got it for X-Mas this year he sat through it again laughing and enjoying it like he was seeing it for the first time.

5 Stars very happy with my purchase
This is the first time that I have ever bought anything off of Amazon.com. I got the video and it was brand new. Would buy something again

5 Stars Hysterically Funny
Maybe I’m childish, but I find this movie hysterically funny for both a child and adult. I put this movie in for a three year old toddler and found myself enjoying it more than he did.

4 Stars Rumble in the Jungle
So who would win in a fight? The animals of Madagascar 2 or the animals (and two people) from Up? Okay…that’s just silly. Okay…which movie is better? Let’s break it down in pro boxing’s real world 8-point-must system.

The fight for the better movie (7 Rounds):

M2 story: 10

UP story: 10

M2 voice acting talent: 10

UP voice acting talent: 9

M2 action: 10

UP action: 10

M2 Animation/FX: 9

UP Animation/FX: 10

M2 Humor: 10

UP Humor: 9

M2 family fun factor: 10

UP family fun factor: 10

M2 “I wanna see it again” factor: 9

UP “I wanna see it again” factor: 8

Decision: M2 68; UP 66

Better Movie: Madagascar 2

Both movies are well worth your time…especially for a nice warm Winter sit-down with the kids. Check ‘em out.

5 Stars Disney of course it’s good
Bought as a present for my 4 yr. old, the whole family, especially the grandparents loved it. She has watched it at least 12 times now and still wants to watch it again.

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Dexter: The First Season [Blu-ray]

Genre: Television: Series
Rating: NR
Release Date: 6-JAN-2009
Media Type: Blu-RayAn interesting and original idea that’s very skillfully executed, Showtime’s Dexter is never less than watchable, often quite compelling, and sometimes thoroughly riveting. As the 12 episodes from the show’s first season (packaged here in a four disc set) reveal, it’s also the epitome of “high concept,” a kind of Silence of the Lambs for the C.S.I. generation. Creator-executive producer James Manos Jr.’s title character, one Dexter Morgan (played by Michael C. Hall of Six Feet Under renown), works for the Miami Police Department as an blood spatter analyst, visiting crime scenes and helping figure out what happened. He has an avocation, too: during his off hours, he tracks down some very, very bad people who for various reasons have eluded the proper authorities. Seems his adoptive father, a cop himself, taught the kid how to channel his dark side in a “positive” direction; and so, having captured these evildoers (including a child molester-murderer and a recidivist drunk driver with a trail of bodies in his wake), Dex dispatches them with clinical precision, thus making him a serial killer who snuffs serial killers. But there’s more–much more, as it turns out. By his own description, Dexter is “a monster,” an empty shell who fakes all human interactions and admits to no real feelings for anything or anyone, including his foster sister (Jennifer Carter) and his nominal girlfriend (Julie Benz), a former crack addict and battered spouse who’s as uninterested in sex as he is. There’s an explanation for Dexter’s weirdness, of course, one so deep and traumatic that even he isn’t aware of it. It’s gradually revealed over the course of the season as he and the cops (who include Erik King, Lauren Velez, and David Zayas, all first-rate) track down the so-called “Ice Truck Killer,” a fellow monster whose grisly m.o. both fascinates and taunts our hero, leading to a genuinely shocking and squirm-inducing finale. Dexter can be a bit arch, with an ironic, too-hip-for-the-room tone that get a little old. Still, it’s a safe bet that anyone who views this first season will be salivating for the second. Extras include audio commentary on two episodes, a featurette about real-life blood spatter analysis, and a variety of DVD-ROM items. –Sam Graham

Beyond Dexter

More TV Head-cases on DVD

The Book that Started It All

More from Showtime

Stills from Dexter: The First Season (click for larger image)

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Dexter season one
I don’t know what happened with the shipping from Amazon but I didn’t get the Dexter Season One when they said i would it got lost in the mail. So Amazon sent it to me over night to Alaska and it was here for christmas.

5 Stars Great watch!!!!
This is a fantastic watch. I had not been introduced into the dark and twisted world of Dexter Morgan. The wife and I watched th entire season over the corse of two days. Both evenings, like clockwork as soon as we both set down for dinner it was Dexter and Dexter alone that kept our company. I have just ordered season 2 and we are ready for it to arrive so that we may continue in our disturbing journey of murder and discovery.

5 Stars The Best!!!
This is one of the BEST shows on Showtime, Just when you think you know the plot it turns!! I’m working on Season two right now and can’t wait to start season 3!

5 Stars Best Show since Lost
Everyone at my office has been watching Dexter, so I thought I’d give it a shot. I’m obsessed; already into the third season! The cinematography is admirable, the characters and charming and three dimensional, the plots are enticing, and it keeps you on the edge of your seat. The last time I felt this way about a series was when I bought the first season of Lost.

5 Stars Should you watch it?
First a little background, I got Dexter season 1 for my birthday in December of ‘09. I hadn’t seen any episodes but the premise seemed intriguing and I had heard some good things from a few relatives (although that’s usually more of a warning sign than anything good). Anyways, I haven’t seen season 2 and I just finished watching all of season 1, so you get an opinion solely based on if season 1 was a “keeper” in my opinion.

Yes, Dexter lived up to the hype. Obviously, it’s about a serial killer with a code who feeds his “monster” by slaughtering other folks who are up to no good. Dexter, played by Michael C. Hall is the most interesting character ive seen in a long time. You want to know what he’s thinking (and he often narrates exactly that) and you want him on the screen at all times. He is the reason to watch. The writing was good enough to support his acting and I really got a kick out of the Miami Nights themed soundtrack. It also has it’s retinue of former Oz players (some good and some mediocre) but this show clearly has a lot of depth and I won’t be surprised if this series gets even better as time goes on. Dexter’s girlfriend played by Julie Benz could have been an annoying character (she is almost cloyingly sweet), but she is not! I don’t know if any other actress could have pulled it off and been as likeable. All the kids are adorable too, including young Dexter.

My only minor quibble is that Dexter’s sister may be the most annoying character I’ve suffered through since the lady that played Dr. Lewis’ sister on ER (I think she plays Luke’s brother on my wife’s favorite show Gilmore Girls as well.) As annoying as Dexters sister is, she is equally unattractive which wouldnt be a problem except that I think we are meant to believe that she is “hot”. She seems out of place with the rest of the folks on this show when it comes to acting ability…Almost distracting.

I think anyone would like this show if they can get through the gory stuff which is really not all that bad. Heck, my mom even watches this show and she fast forwards everything she watches…Enjoy!

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The 40-Year-Old Virgin [Blu-ray]

The outrageous and unforgettable comedy delivers more laughs in this all-new special edition filled with hours of never-before-experienced pleasures! With loads of new bonus features and deleted scenes, this hilarious 2-disc set is even better than the first time. Comedy sensation Steve Carell is Andy Stitzer, a nice guy who has somehow managed to go forty years without “doing it.” When his pals make it their mission to help him score, their misguided advice takes him on a hilarious journey toward love.Cult comic actor Steve Carell–long adored for his supporting work on The Daily Show and in movies like Bruce Almighty and Anchorman–leaps into leading man status with The 40 Year-Old Virgin. There’s no point describing the plot; it’s about how a 40 year-old virgin named Andy (Carell) finally finds true love and gets laid. Along the way, there are very funny scenes involving being coached by his friends, speed dating, being propositioned by his female manager, and getting his chest waxed. Carell finds both humor and humanity in Andy, and the supporting cast includes some standout comic work from Paul Rudd (Clueless, The Shape of Things) and Jane Lynch (Best in Show, A Mighty Wind), as well as an unusually straight performance from Catherine Keener (Lovely & Amazing, Being John Malkovich). And yet… something about the movie misses the mark. It skirts around the topic of male sexual anxiety, mining it for easy jokes, but never really digs into anything that would make the men in the audience actually squirm–and it’s a lot less funny as a result. Nonetheless, there are many great bits, and Carell deserves the chance to shine. –Bret Fetzer

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Comedy
This is a great movie that we seem to watch over and over….

The actors have good parts and play them well. Watch it !!!

5 Stars The 40 Year Old Virgin Unrated blu ray
Unrated is always the BEST, this is so funny no matter how many times i see it.

4 Stars good clean fun
Brilliant combination of both raunchy and clean humor in this surprising good movie.Never heard of Steve Carell before this movie came out and he is really good.

5 Stars Judd Apatow is a Genius
I have seen this movie many times and I find myself laughing every single time.It touches several subjects that many other movies don’t want to go near. I find the dialogue to be very refreshing and original, almost natural and improvised.

Steve Carrel,Seth Rogen, and Paul Rudd. Where can you go wrong? Great cast and great plot.

Looks beautiful on blu ray.

BUY IT!

5 Stars Love this movie!
This movie is one of the best ever! It ranks right up there with Office Space. My wife and I have watched this multiple times and it is still funny every time. If you aren’t too prudish, then you should this very entertaining. The embarrassing situations combined with the right amount of sexual humor is perfect. You should give this a try if you haven’t seen it.

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Rome: The Complete Series [Blu-ray]

Four hundred years after the founding of the Republic, Rome is the wealthiest city in the world, a cosmopolitan metropolis of one million people, epicenter of a sprawling empire. But now, the city’s foundations are crumbling, eaten away by corruption and excess…And two soldiers unwittingly become entwined in historical events, their fates inexorably tied to the fate of Rome itself. The entire award-winning, critically-acclaimed series will be available as a Blu-ray gift set, just in time for the holiday season.Family dysfunction. Treachery. Betrayal. Coarse profanity. Brutal violence. Graphic (and sometimes brutal) sex. No, it’s not The Sopranos, it’s Rome, HBO’s madly ambitious series that transfixed viewers with its lavishly mounted spectacle and human dramas of the historical figures and fictional characters. Set in 52 B.C., Rome charts the dramatic shifts in the balance of power between former friends Pompey Magnus (Kenneth Cranham), leader of the Senate, and Julius Caesar (Ciaran Hinds), whose imminent return after eight years to Rome after conquering the Gauls, has the ruling class up in arms. At the heart of Rome is the odd couple friendship between two soldiers who fortuitously become heroes of the people. Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) is married, honorable, and steadfast. Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson) is an amoral rogue whose philosophy is best summed up, “I kill my enemies, take their gold, and enjoy their women.” Among Rome’s most compelling subplots is Lucius’s strained relationship with his wife, Niobe (Indira Varma), who is surprised to see her husband alive (but not as surprised as he is to find her upon his homecoming with a newborn baby in her arms!). Any viewer befuddlement over Rome’s intrigues and machinations, and determining who is hero and who is foe, disappears the minute Golden Globe-nominee Polly Walker appears as Atia, Caesar’s formidable niece and a villainess for the ages. In the first episode alone, she offers her already married daughter as a bride to the recently widowed Pompey, and the viewer eagerly awaits to see what (or who) she’ll do next.

Season 2 begins in the wake of Julius Caesar’s assassination, and charts the power struggle to fill his sandals between “vulgar beast” Mark Antony (James Purefoy) and “clever boy” Octavian (Simon Woods), who is surprisingly named Caesar’s sole heir. The series’ most compelling relationship is between fellow soldiers and unlikely friends, the honorable Lucius Vorenus and Titus “Violence is the only trade I know” Pullo, who somewhat reverse roles when Vorenus is overcome with grief in the wake of his wife’s suicide. Season 2 considerably ups the ante in the rivalry between Atia, who is Antony’s mistress, and Servilia (Lindsay Duncan) with attempted poisonings and sickening torture. Another gripping subplot is Vorenus’s estrangement from his children, who, at the climax of the season opener are presumed slaughtered, but whose true fate may be even more devastating to the father who cursed them.

Rome is a painstakingly mounted production that earned well-deserved Emmy nominations in such categories as costumes, set design, and art direction. In writing Rome’s epitaph, we come to praise this series, not to bury it. Although two seasons was not enough to establish a Rome empire, it stands as one of HBO’s crowning achievements. –Donald Liebenson

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Excellent series, not so good packaging
The series is very entertaining. It’s a shame that HBO canceled it after only 2 seasons. I don’t really care for the packaging. It looks nice, like a book, but the sleeves aren’t very protective of the discs and you have to slide them out, risking scratches.

4 Stars Tankjock
WOW..great series in Blu Ray. wow..cant say enough about this Series.

Loved it when I saw it on TV and glad I bought the entire series. Its great in BLU ray..If you like the tv series…U will love these discs.

5 Stars Caesars and the common man
What “Rosencrantz and Gildenstern Are Dead” was to “Hamlet,” “Rome” is to “Julius Caesar.” This series is an imaginative retelling of the rise of Julius Caesar and his successor, Octavian. Arguably, this novelization of the period stretches the truth a bit, but the depiction of the overall atmosphere of the age and the life of the ‘average’ Roman, make this an immensely entertaining piece. The series weaves the stories of the Ruling Class and “Joe-6-chalice” from the end of the Gaelic Wars until the defeat of Marc Anthony at the hands of Octavian in a breathlessly new and earthy series of adventures that is far from the usual Hollywood Blood and Sands, and avoids the usual Romans are really upper class British Empire stereotypes. The cast is unusually exceptional and the tale is very well told. At the end, you will bemoan the brevity of only 24 episodes.

A word about this particular release. I had the good fortune to see the original broadcasts and the first DVD release. Seeing it in high definition blue ray is stunning. One can clearly see the richness and careful composition of the cinematographer. It is a vastly improved experience! I enjoyed the special documentation and especially valued the “All Roads Lead to Rome” feature, which would periodically during the viewing add in some interesting historical reference. Its only drawback was its infrequency, and like me, you will wish for more.

5 Stars Utterly Engrossing
With Rome, HBO wonderfully marries the spectacle of the big screen with the intimacy of the small. The series never forgets that Rome may be remembered for its pomp and circumstance, its wars and legendary exploits, but it was its colorful array of morally dubious historical figures who continue to make Rome - and this TV series - so utterly fascinating.

1 Stars Poor picture quality
I am disappointed in pucture quality. I enjoyed Rome when it was on HBO. My plan was to test my new blu-ray player for the first time with Blu-Ray discs. Possibly this is a problem with my Blu-Ray player. They do send a disclaimer with delivery that the seller takes no responsibilty for buyers Blu-Ray player software upgrades. This should be explained before purchase .

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District B13 [Blu-ray]

Brought to you by the producer of Transporter, Transporter II, Ong-Bak, The Professional and La Femme Nikita. Paris, 2010. An isolation wall surrounds the ghetto cities of District B13. Within these walls, without effective law enforcement, gang rule is absolute. Damien is a member of an elite police squadron highly trained in martial arts. He goes undercover to infiltrate a gang in order to defuse a neutron bomb and save District B13 from annihilation. Damien recruits the help of a criminal named Leïto-whose only goal is to save his sister from the clutches of the same gang. SPECIAL FEATURES * Making of District B13 * Deleted Scenes/Outtakes * Stunt ReelFor eye-popping kinetic thrills, District B13 tops the class. In the near future, the worst ghettos of Paris have been walled in and left to rot. When a neutron bomb gets stolen by a criminal kingpin in seedy District B13, Damien–a cop who specializes in deep cover assignments (Cyril Raffaelli, a stuntman turned actor)–has to team up with Leito (David Belle), who grew up in the district and has his own reason for going back: the kingpin kidnapped his sister (tough yet adorable gamine Dany Verissimo). The plot takes a few preposterous turns, but it’s beside the point–every turn serves only to maintain the relentless flow of sheer physical prowess. Belle is one of the inventors of a sport called parkour, which treats a city’s architecture like an obstacle course; while running from gun-toting thugs, Leito leaps, bounds, and scrambles up and down buildings with astonishing grace. The fight sequences are just as down-to-earth yet over-the-top as Damien whirls, kicks, and crunches through armies of bad guys. Just as important is the tongue-in-cheek tone that never turns smirky; the movie doesn’t take itself seriously, but doesn’t mock itself or its basic cinematic pleasures. Anyone looking for a break from the overbearing CGI and self-important pomp of Hollywood action movies should watch District B13. –Bret Fetzer

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Fun movie but the Blu-ray is lacking.
Great film with lackluster features on the BD. The audio and video quality are good throughout. There should have been better features though.

5 Stars Amazing Action Flick w/ Morals
In Paris, in 2010 (I guess this isn’t prophetic), some ghettos have been walled off and segregated from the general population. Leito was born and grew up in one of these walled ghettos B13. He tries to live an honest, clean life, keeping drugs and violence away from his apartment building and the tenants living inside. When a dealer comes around, Leito flushes the drugs causing a deadly conflict between himself and the kingpin than ends with Leito in jail (due to a crooked cop) and his sister in the hands of the kingpin. When the police need help in B13, they enlist the aid of Leito offering to help get his sister back in exchange for help.

The fight and chase scenes in this film rival the best that Hong Kong has ever sent to the US and put to shame modern American “action heroes” who can’t even do their own stunts let alone Parkour stunts where the actors fly up, over and around walls, rooftops, and extremely small escape routes. The two actors, David Belle, Leito, and Cyril Raffaelli, Damien a cop who teams up with Leito, are out of their minds amazing! Whether gunfights, hand to hand, stunts, or chase scenes this film exceeds all expectations.

Some may be turned off by the French language and English subtitles but don’t be. This is an amazing film that deserves to be on the watch list of every one who appreciates action movies. Highly recommended.

3 Stars Great movie, questionable release on Blu-ray
Those people who loved director Pierre Morel’s surprise 2009 smash Taken [Blu-ray] would do well to check out his first movie DISTRICT B13, which is even more loaded with great action and stunts, plus is not as predictable. Unlike TAKEN, which takes about a third of its runtime to catch up to its title and is slow going until it does so, this film is a total rush from beginning to end and action fans will be pleased. Though the story is involving, you don’t nessescarily need to understand all of the dialogue in order to understand what is going on because of its action-oriented nature, so people who are norally scared of forigen language movies shouldn’t shy away from this particular title. If you do, you’ll be missing a tremenously exciting romp which is refreshing because of its decided lack of much computer graphics in the action sequences.

However, this Blu-ray release is extremely questionable because the only form of subtitles on this French film are closed captions for the hearing impared, which contain unintentionally hillarious descriptions of every sound effect and physical action in the movie in addition to a translation of the dialogue. This is doubtlessly helpful for customers who are hearing impared and should be included, but should not be the only option available because it gets fairly annoying very quickly for viewers who don’t need that kind of description. Because the limited theatrical release featured a perfectly normal subtitle track, its exclusion here is both puzzling and highly bothrsome. The only other option for viewing the film is a poor English dub which serves as the default soundtrack (unless you are fluent in French and can leave the subtitles completely off.) Unfortunately, even with Pierre Morel’s rising popularity, this is a older release now and I highly doubt it will be corrected. I assume the regular DVD version suffers from the same problem but can’t confirm that because I have never seen it in that form.

It’s still a fun movie and very much worth watching if you can get past this issue, but be forwarned when making your purchasing choices. I definately watch the movie less than I would if it had a proper subtitle track.

5 Stars Wow what action!
Another title I saw on the HD network. It was subtitled but although I find this something I’d rather not have, I ordered it just for the excitement in the film. And when I received the DVD it was dubbed too. So, it is among my latest collectibles. Although a foreign film, it shows how other countries have caught up with American action films.

5 Stars Fast Pace Action
What can I say about this movie… well… I love it.

Note it is a foreign movie so you must be able to like foreign films which are very different that typical U.S. films.

It is more about action and chase seens than story but I love real stuntwork when I watch a action flick.

If your into fast pace action this movie is for you.

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