WALL-E PS3 Review
July 3, 2008
WALL-E
PS3 Review
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Heavy Iron Studios
Players: 1
Released: June 24, 2008
WALL-E released in theaters last Friday from Disney and Pixar, as the companies have once again managed to introduce the world to a brand new character to fall in love with. The film has received rave reviews from critics, and is an incredibly entertaining movie to go see, whether you are young or old. With any big franchise from Disney and Pixar, you are bound to get a game based around it, the question is though, is the game any good?
The story of WALL-E is brought over to the game here as you see the trash-compacting robot going a bout doing his chores on Earth, cleaning up the garbage. Humans, after completely flooding the planet with trash, had to leave and go into space for 5-years, leaving WALL-E behind to clean up the planet and get it in good enough shape for it to be habitable again. Read more
WALL-E Xbox 360 Review
July 3, 2008
WALL-E
Xbox 360 Review
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Heavy Iron Studios
Players: 1
Released: June 24, 2008
WALL-E released in theaters last Friday from Disney and Pixar, as the companies have once again managed to introduce the world to a brand new character to fall in love with. The film has received rave reviews from critics, and is an incredibly entertaining movie to go see, whether you are young or old. With any big franchise from Disney and Pixar, you are bound to get a game based around it, the question is though, is the game any good?
The story of WALL-E is brought over to the game here as you see the trash-compacting robot going a bout doing his chores on Earth, cleaning up the garbage. Humans, after completely flooding the planet with trash, had to leave and go into space for 5-years, leaving WALL-E behind to clean up the planet and get it in good enough shape for it to be habitable again. Read more
Gangs of New York Blu-ray Review
July 2, 2008
Gangs of New York
Blu-ray Review
Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Release: July 1, 2008
Gangs of New York, an epic tale starting at the Battle of Five Points in 1846, has been brought to the Blu-ray format thanks to Walt Disney Home Entertainment. This film, directed by the Academy Award-winning Martin Scorsese, went on to do quiet well at the box office, and was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
The story kicks off with the Battle of Five Points back in 1846, with rival gangs going up against each other, warring for control over the slums of New York City. Read more
Drillbit Taylor Extended Survival Edition DVD Review
July 1, 2008
Drillbit Taylor Extended Survival Edition
DVD Review
Paramount Home Entertainment
Release: July 1, 2008
Produced by Judd Apatow (Superbad) and written by Seth Rogen (Knocked Up), Drillbit Taylor had a lot going for it to kick things off, including the inclusion of Owen Wilson as the lead character in the comedy. The story revolved around a group of kids who hire a bodyguard to take care of the bully at school, only to find out that who they end up with is just Drillbit Taylor.
Owen Wilson stars in this film as Drillbit Taylor, who ends up landing a job as a bodyguard for three nerdy high school freshmen. The three high school kids hire Taylor to deal with the school bully. Read more
Drillbit Taylor Extended Survival Edition Blu-ray Review
July 1, 2008
Drillbit Taylor Extended Survival Edition
Blu-ray Review
Paramount Home Entertainment
Release: July 1, 2008
The Blu-ray format has received some quality films to date, especially in the comedy department. We have seen some great stuff over the past year, and Paramount has now released Drillbit Taylor. Is it good enough to add to your Blu-ray collection?
Produced by Judd Apatow (Superbad) and written by Seth Rogen (Knocked Up), Drillbit Taylor had a lot going for it to kick things off, including the inclusion of Owen Wilson as the lead character in the comedy. The story revolved around a group of kids who hire a bodyguard to take care of the bully at school, only to find out that who they end up with is just Drillbit Taylor. Read more
Otterbox iPod Nano 3rd Gen Defender Strength Case Review
June 27, 2008
iPod Nano 3rd Gen Defender Strength Case
Review
Otterbox
Price: $29.99
Otterbox has quickly turned into one of the most trusted companies out there in regards to making high-quality cases for phones, laptops, etc. For something of a change of pace, they have come out with the iPod Nano 3rd Gen Defender Strength Case.
The idea behind this new move from Otterbox is truly something which needs to be applauded, as it lays the focus on helping donate money to the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade to fight breast cancer. Read more
Don King Presents Prizefighter Xbox 360 Review
June 27, 2008
Don King Presents Prizefighter
Xbox 360 Review
Developer: Venom Games
Publisher: Take-Two Interactive
Released: June 9, 2008
Unfortunately, for any boxing video game released, they are going to be compared to the great EA Sports Fight Night Round 3. This is an inevitable fate simply because the franchise has been so dominant on the last generation, and this current generation of consoles. 2K Sports took the chance though to sign on with the legendary Don King for a boxing game, Don King Presents Prizefighter. So is it a knockout? Or should they just throw in the towel.
The developers behind this one were Venom Games, the same team responsible for the enjoyable Rocky Legends on the Xbox. Things were a little different this time out though as the developer now had to go from making an arcade-style boxing game, to more of a simulation. Read more
Be Kind Rewind Blu-ray Review
June 25, 2008
Be Kind Rewind
Blu-ray Review
New Line Home Entertainment
Released: June 17, 2008
Be Kind Rewind comes to the Blu-ray format with a very interesting premise to say the least in regards to its storyline. The film stars Jack Black, along with Mos Def and comes from New Line Home Entertainment.
The story behind the movie is that businessman Mr. Fletcher (Danny Glover) makes the mistake of leaving his VHS-rental store in control of a clerk by the name of Mike (Mos Def). Read more
Spiderwick Chronicles Blu-ray Review
June 25, 2008
Spiderwick Chronicles
Blu-ray Review
Paramount Home Entertainment
Released: June 24, 2008
The Spiderwick Chronicles has arrived on the Blu-ray format from Paramount, following in the footsteps of film such as Narnia, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and others. The Spiderwick Chronicles is based on the book series and has been brought to the big screen.
The film follows the story of twin brothers named Simon and Jared. Both brothers in the film were played by Freddie Highmore. Beyond those two, there is also their older sister Mallory (Sarah Bolger), as well as their mother (Mary-Louise Parker). Read more
The Spiderwick Chronicles DVD Review
June 25, 2008
Spiderwick Chronicles 2 Disc Field Guide Edition
DVD Review
Paramount Home Entertainment
Released: June 24, 2008
The Spiderwick Chronicles follows the path of other fantasy films which have hit theaters over the past few years. These include the likes of Narnia, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and others. The Spiderwick Chronicles is based on a series which first appeared in 2003, and at its face follows the same type of magical prowess of a Harry Potter, but with a little less flair.
The film follows the story of twin brothers named Simon and Jared. Both brothers in the film were played by Freddie Highmore. Beyond those two, there is also their older sister Mallory (Sarah Bolger), as well as their mother (Mary-Louise Parker).
The family has moved to a mansion which has a great deal of history to it. Its former owner, Arthur Spiderwick, disappeared in a very mysterious manner some 80 years ago. His daughter stated that he was carried away by fairy-like creatures, and went insane trying to prove it to people.
One day, Jared, who is going through a tough time with his parents getting divorced, believed he has heard something in the walls of the mansion. Jared quickly discovers two things, one that there is a House Brownie, and also that there is a special shaft which lifts him to the secret workroom of Arthur Spiderwick. Jared then quickly finds the Field Guide, which revealed quite a bit of information discovered by Spiderwick.
Things get more adventurous from here, as the book is also sought by the villain of the film, Mulgarath.
Spiderwick is an interesting film in that it focuses a lot on how kids deal with problems in regards to home life and with their parents. This takes it away a bit from the whole fantasy aspect, which does pick up more later on in the film. The film depends on CGI a great deal as well, but comes across believable.
For those looking for the next Harry Potter though, you are not going to find it here. Even fans of the book series may think the film just seems too rushed. Unfortunately, Spiderwick lacks the magic of other comparable but superior films out there.
The video quality for the DVD release is pretty well done as it is presented in 2.35:1 enhanced. The highlight of the video quality can be broken down into two words, color and brightness.
The colors in the video transfer will come popping off your screen with a great level of detail and clarity to them. Everything seems bright and vibrant as the CGI world, as well as real-world environments are meshed seamlessly. A near flawless release in terms of video quality on DVD.
The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and is just as good as the video quality. There is a great level of separation here which allows the audio mix to spread out around your entire home theater. Dialogue is kept very crisp and clean, and the soundtrack is also well done.
We were able to review the two disc edition of The Spiderwick Chronicles, and can easily say that it is worth the extra money.
Both discs contain some quality features. The first disc contains Spiderwick: It’s All True, which looks back at the film and shows that everything is realistic and true. The next feature, A Spiderwick World, has interviews with the authors of the book series. Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide is next up, and is the most impressive feature here. What this does it is shows pages from his book, and allows you to link the pages to scenes in the film.
Disc 2 also has some good stuff, starting with Spiderwick: Meet the Clan. This features interviews with many of the main characters in the film. Up next is Making SPiderwick, which is your basic making of documentary. The Magic of Spiderwick will please the visual junkies as it looks at how the CGI was done. The final extra, beyond the deleted scenes and such is called A Final Piece of Advice, which features director Waters going through the events of the film once again.
The Spiderwick Chronicles is a fun fantasy film, but fails to capture the imagination the same way Harry Potter and others has managed to do. Regardless though, this is a fantasy film that is recommended, just don’t expect a masterpiece.
Film: 7.5 Not a masterpiece by any means, but a good fantasy film.
Video: 9.5 A fantastic DVD video transfer, extremely clear, great colors.
Audio: 9.0 The audio mix complements the video transfer nicely, great separation.
Extras: 7.5 The two-disc edition has some quality extras, but nothing really over the top. Still worth the extra money over the standard edition.
Final Score: 7.8
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Interested in picking up this release? Head over to Amazon at the link here The Spiderwick Chronicles (Two-Disc Special Edition)
