Monthly Archive for January, 2008

Review: 3:10 to Yuma (Blu-ray)

Published on January 31, 2008 in Movies. Closed Tags: , .

10 to Yuma Movie Poster

I just got done watching 3:10 to Yuma on Blu-ray and I’m still digging into the supplemental features (which all seem to be 1080p as well). For me, there is a lot to like about this film. First off, it showcases Russell Crowe and Christian Bale and I’m extremely fond of both actor’s work. On this front, 3:10 doesn’t disappoint at all. The film, while a Western, is also a character piece that focuses on Bale’s rancher character’s motivations. Poor, down on his luck, disabled, family issues, etc. all play in to the desperation that Bale does a wonderful job of portraying. Crowe’s Ben Wade is almost the antithesis, but they do share some traits in common.

The story itself is simple, but it is the acting that makes this film shine. Besides the leads, there is a huge amount of talent in this film; Ben Foster (from Punisher & X3 fame … don’t let that fool you, he’s really good here), Peter Fonda, Alan Tudyk, and Gretchen Mol. There are also a number of lower tier actors that really contribute to the feel of this film.

When I went into this, I had a feeling I would like it, but wasn’t sure. Now I know I want to own it. This ranks up there with The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and Unforgiven for me. I expect I will enjoy many repeat viewings of this one. Even if you’re not into Westerns, I think this is one to try. It’s exciting and intriguing from a modern filmgoers perspective while still maintaining the core feel of a Western.

Image found via the Internet IMP Awards (Internet Movie Poster).

High-Definition Successor to DVD to Be Showcased

Published on January 26, 2008 in Movies. Closed Tags: .

High-Definition Successor to DVD to Be Showcased in Seven New Cities across North America

According to the story (As seen on Engadget HD), they’ll be showing off current and upcoming Disney/Pixar films, such as Finding Nemo.

I’m looking forward to checking it out as they’re coming to Raleigh from February 22-24.

Review: Playstation 3

Published on January 25, 2008 in Gaming and Movies. Closed Tags: , .

Here is my first look full review of Playstation 3 from the perspective of a casual gamer…

First thing’s first. I do like the PS3 a lot. I bought the 40GB which I hear runs cooler and quieter than other variants. I very much like the XMB (XrossMediaBar) user interface, however I do wish it were available in-game. Right now there is no way to access email, the store, etc. without quitting your game, movie, etc. The interface is sleek and sexy. It is a joy to play with and use. I am quite fond of the standardization such as the use of Bluetooth, user-upgradable hard disk, mini-USB connectors, etc. It makes for a slightly more consumer friendly system than the walled garden world of the Xbox 360.

Here are some of my initial thoughts for pros & cons:

Pros:

  • Sleek hardware design
  • Industry standard components (USB->mini USB charging cables, SATA drive, etc.)
  • UPnP Media Sharing from Windows, Macintosh, Linux
  • Wonderful Blu-ray playback (despite the lack of the proper support the high-def audio codecs)
  • Light, comfortable bluetooth controllers
  • Sleek bluetooth remote control
  • Nice touch sensitive eject/power buttons on the front
  • Network/disk access lights

Cons:

  • Poor online implementation (Compared to Xbox Live)
  • Playstation Storefront needs more content (i.e. more demos, game videos, movies, etc.)
  • Incredibly slow downloads from the store
  • Lack of rumble in controllers (ETA: 2008)
  • Lack of in-game XMB
  • Lack of IR receiver
  • Small catalog of good games titles (Compared to Xbox 360)

All in all, I am VERY pleased and wish I had purchased this rather than jumping into HD DVD with the Xbox 360 player first, but hindsight is always clearer…

Toy Story 3 is coming!

Published on January 24, 2008 in Movies. Closed

TOY STORY 3-D!!!! — Ain’t It Cool News: The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news.

ComingSoon.net: Toy Story Trio Goes 3-D!

Pixar is prepping Toy Story (October 2nd, 2009) & Toy Story 2 (February 12th, 2010) for re-release to theaters in 3D. This is all in advance of Toy Story 3 (June 18th, 2010) being released. Wow! I am thrilled with this news. I have a lot of faith in Pixar’s ability to do an absolutely amazing 3rd movie in this series. I also think these dates will possibly allow me to take Ben to see all three of these. At that point, he may very well be old enough to enjoy these flicks with me. He already can watch Ratatouille or Cars with me. He just can’t quite make it through the whole movie yet.

I really can’t to check these out in the theater and then, obviously later, on Blu-ray disc.

Why the Hell are people voting Clinton?

Published on January 20, 2008 in Personal. Closed Tags: , .

She simply cannot win in a general election. In almost every scenario she is shown to lose in the full election. There are simply too many negatives that people associate with her. People will actually go out of their way to vote against her.

Now, I know what some people will think this has to with her being a woman. No, this has to do with who SHE is. I simply couldn’t support her. I actually have stronger negative opinions of her over Bill Clinton.

If she gets the Democratic nomination, I will either vote for the Republican (if it were McCain) or likely not vote. Obama would get this long term conservative’s vote in a heartbeat.

It’s just a shame…

Snow and a Birthday

Published on January 19, 2008 in Gaming and Personal. Closed Tags: .

So, we’re getting some snow, but I don’t see anything sticking. Today is also Heather’s Birthday. Drop a comment if you have a chance to wish her a happy b-day!

While Heather went to the gym, Ben and I went on a trek. You see, my PS3 was finally, physically at the east Durham Post Office! We drove 45 minutes to get there, convinced the lady behind the counter to give it to me (seems that isn’t their policy?), and came home by way of Wal-Mart. This last stop led to me picking up Warhawk for the PS3. So far, I have tried out Warhawk, a brief bit of Heavenly Sword, and a few Blu-ray flicks. All in all, I am very happy with the PS3 so far, but I’ll come back later with a full review.

Right now, I need to go get a little boy up from his nap…

Death of the format war?

Published on January 17, 2008 in Movies. Closed Tags: , , .

I thought it was about time I posted on the high-def format war that has been going on for some time. I initially considered both formats, blu-ray and HD DVD. I finally came to the conclusion that with the affordability of the HD DVD drive for Xbox 360, it would be the better choice for me initially. I got it late last year as an anniversary gift at the low price of $129 from Amazon. I proceeded to buy some discs and I got Planet Earth for $65 for Christmas last year. I always assumed that given it’s advanced features, cheap hardware prices, etc. that it would either eventually win out or that there would continue to be a stalemate for 12-18 months. Given the later, I assumed that I would buy a PS3 at some point :)

Well, hmmm…maybe not so much? Warner has now switched from neutral to Blu-ray exclusive as of June 2008. This only leaves 2 studios in the HD DVD camp. I believe that this is a blow that they cannot recover from. this lead me to order a PS3 2 weeks ago. I returned any unopened HD DVDs and now I am going Blu-ray exclusive. I will still submit my MIR for 5 free discs and I will watch the discs I already have or rent, but no new HD DVD purchases.

This does pain me somewhat as I have about $250 in to HD DVD, but that isn’t the end of the world. I simply don’t believe HD DVD will be able to hold onto Universal and Paramount at this point and it is only a matter of time before the format sinks into irrelevancy. I believe the HD DVD format should die off gracefully. They should cut their losses and move on, but it isn’t clear what will take place in the coming months…

Now before any of you paint me as a fanboy or negative, I would suggest this for either format given the same circumstances. This is especially true given that I started out with HD DVD first.

Hence, the moving on…

More delays for my PS3 delivery

Published on January 17, 2008 in Personal. Closed Tags: .

Do NOT trust the free shipping option at Sony Style.

My PS3 ship date is closing in on 2 weeks ago. They say the free shipping is through USPS and the site told me delivery averaged 8 business days. Both are false for my situation. My PS3 shipped via something called FedEx SmartPost (palletize shipments for long distance travel) and then will likely transition to USPS for local delivery. Originally FedEx’s SmartPost site estimated delivery on Saturday, 1/19, but now it says 1/21 which is a holiday, so it is unlikely I will get it that day at all. This was on top of a screwup with my new Sony credit card which delayed shipment a day due to their customer reps not contacting me to resolve the issue. All in all, the service was kind of lousy, but I did get $100 off the price.

Thinking back, it is unlikely that I will use Sony Style again due to these issues. I just can’t imagine this is the best a company like Sony can do…

You like me, you REALLY like me :)

Published on January 17, 2008 in news. Closed

Hey, cool, didn’t know my blog got listed as a “Featured Blog” for movies…

I hope to be posting a large number of blu-ray reviews in the coming week when I FINALLY get my PS3. I’ve also got a post coming regarding the format war in high-def media…

Come with me if you want to live…

Published on January 17, 2008 in TV. Closed Tags: .

The Sarah Connor Chronicles 1

So, I just finished watching the first episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles that I have had sitting on my DVR. So far, I like what I see, but I am concerned that they can’t turn this into an ongoing series. Basically, the gist is that this occurs after the 2nd film, but before the 3rd.

So far, the major characters I have seen are Sarah, John, and Cameron. I like all of the actors and actresses well enough. They seem well chosen and somewhat believable.

Lena Headey, who plays Sarah Connor, is a bit young for the role in my opinion, however, you do get a feel that she has seen much and come out somewhat worse for wear. I guess I would say she is less believable than Linda Hamilton was in the movies, but she has also brings a sexier Sarah to the table which isn’t exactly unwelcome.

Thomas Dekker, playing John Connor, is believable and interesting. He really is nailing the confused, unready kid who hasn’t bought into his destiny fully yet.

I’ve saved the best for last. Summer Glau, who was great in Firefly, truly shines as Cameron Phillips. I don’t want to speak much here as her character is the sole newcomer of the headliners. I think she could make this show fun and interesting.

I do think the plot lines could get redundant over time (I think you’ll see what I mean after you watch an episode), but for now I have fully bought in and plan on watching to see what they’ve come up with!

The Sarah Connor Chronicles 2

UPDATE:

I have watched a couple more episodes off my DVR of this show and it is still entertaining, but my attention did waiver somewhat. Interesting, entertaining, a bit too contemplative for the style of show, and I still think it may get old in a few more shows, but we’ll see…