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Tag Archives: Blu-Ray

Review: The Ruins (DVD and Blu-Ray)

The Ruins is a surprising movie in that it is rated R in theatres and is released in an unrated version, and yet contains virtually no nudity and surprisingly little profanity, even in the unrated version. The movie comes by its R/unrated rep the old fashioned way: violence and disturbing imagry.

As a high-tension suspense flick with a supernatural edge, it delivers equal measures of psychological terror and pure gross-out. It’s the kind of movie that may not make you scream a lot, but may give you some sleepless nights or, in the case of this movie, make you get nervous every time you feel an itch…

The set-up is typical of the latest spurt of torture-horror flicks as you have a group of attractive college kids lured to a remote location. Only this time, instead of a cold, dour European setting, it’s Mexico and instead of a bleak hostel, it’s a Mayan Temple that is the location they are lured to.

The young group goes to the ruins in search of some archeological adventure, but once they get there and set foot on the pyramid, some locals show up and become violent about letting them off it, and show a willingness to use lethal force to prevent any escape.

As a psychological mind-pluck, though, the film’s only getting started and things get even more disturbing quite quickly. Boasting some great cinematography and lots of creep-out horror without resorting to having sex perverts cutting the kids to ribbons for kicks, The Ruins is one of the first truly disturbing movies I’ve watched in a while, and whenever I get an itch, the memories of this film come flooding back, unwanted.

With great special features on both DVD and Blu-Ray (click here for online coupons), as well as a nice alternate ending, this is one DVD/Blu-Ray package that delivers the goods. Not for the faint of heart, but certainly entertaining for folks who prefer to be creeped out, rather than grossed out.

Review: The Invisible (DVD/BluRay)

While The Invisible falls into the general category of supernatural thriller, and although a couple of the people involved were also involved in the classic standard-bearer of this genre, no one will be confusing The Invisible with The Sixth Sense any time soon.

The Invisible tells a bit of an implausible tale of a young writer, Nick Powell, who is brutally attacked and left for dead. Next thing he knows, Nick’s a ghost but only the gal primarily responsible for his murder can see him. Then Nick finds out his body’s still alive and if he can get someone to find it in time, he still has a chance to live. That, unfortunately, means having to deal with the street-hardened young woman who put him in the whole predicament in the first place.

The implausibility of a potential murderer helping to save her victim is glossed over by a rather contrived romantic connection the two develop as he haunts her. Which is explained by the idea that they used to be friends in elementary school. Or something like that. It gets a bit too convoluted for most viewers if you let the details of the plot matter much to you.

What this all boils down to is that screenwriter Mick Davis isn’t quite in the same league as M. Night Shyamalan as a storyteller. That said, a cast made up predominantly of unknowns does as well as they can with the material at hand and manage to keep the film watchable. Veteran director David S. Goyer performs well but, like Davis, does not fare well in comparison to Shyamalan. Still, give the man a Rolex Submariner for a decent effort that ultimately falls short of its goal.

The Blu-Ray package is sharp, offering the full 1080p experience for those who are equipped to take full advantage; however, the Blu-Ray package isn’t exactly taken advantage of by the studio, as it features only the exact same special features as the regular DVD, just in 1080p rather than standard definition. It would be nice, just once, to see some studio take advantage of all the extra storage space on a Blu-Ray disc to load up on a bunch of extra features the standard DVD lacks or needs a second DVD in order to include it.

All in all, it’s a decent package, but unless you’re planning on getting a 1080p system, or already have one, the standard-edition DVD is a bit less expensive. Fans of supernatural thrillers will probably enjoy this film, although it’s unlikely to convert those who only like this sort of film once in a while into a fan of the genre. Most folks with want to rent before they buy.

Blu-Ray outsells HD-DVD 2 to 1!

Those wondering about the outcome of the high-def format war between Sony’s Blu-Ray Disc format and Toshiba/Microsoft’s HD-DVD format need look no further than the news coming out of the Consumer Electronics Show. With Holiday 2007 now history, the votes that matter most have been cast: consumer spending dollars.

In that battle, it is Sony’s Blu-Ray Disc format that is emerging as the winner. For the 2007 holiday season, Blu-Ray Disc outsold HD-DVD by a two-to-one margin. At the CES, Sony’s reps and movie studio partners were saying that the war is pretty much over; it’s just a matter of time now.

By contrast, the Toshiba reps were saying, “It’s too early to cast HD-DVD aside.”

Considering the sales figures, however, and the fact that a Blu-Ray Disc holds 20 GB more information than the largest-capacity HD-DVD, whose reps sound more desperate? Hands down, Blu-Ray Disc is going to be the high-def format winner, thanks in large part to PlayStation 3 sales.

These aren’t your grandparents’ air purifiers wars, kids! This is for keeps!