Redbelt (+ BD Live) [Blu-ray] Review

“Redbelt” is probably the finest martial arts film ever made, if one is looking for a combination of martial arts plus the underlying philosophy of the way of the warrior. This is not the kind of lip service paid in Bruce Lee and Steven Segal films (which I love) where the hero says that “peace is the way” and then proceeds to kill and/or maim hundreds of people. Rather it is a demonstration of the difficulty of “the way” and how being true to yourself is a struggle. But don’t fret, at the end of the day, a very reluctant hero is forced into a confrontation, and the martial arts display is formidable.
The film is written and directed by David Mamet and stars Chiwetel Ejiofor with a great supporting cast that includes Tim Allen, Joe Mantega, Alice Braga, Max Martini, Ricky Jay, and MMA former …

Hot Fuzz (Ultimate Edition) [Blu-ray] Review
Sometimes a satire goes beyond just satire. “Hot Fuzz” makes fun of the common over the top police buddy films by giving us the usual unlikely couple taken to extremes. Nicholas Angel is more than “by the book”– he lives the book, and his partner Danny is a caricature of the slightly inept, slightly lazy policeman. The relationship between the two is played for the usual laughs against a British community that is just a little too perfect and a little too peaceful.
And then the movie sneaks up on us as the two partners get to genuinely like one another and we get to genuinely like them, even as the nefarious plot behind the town’s quiet unfolds in a series of gristly murders. So Nicholas, who is so good at police work he rarely has ever needed to use guns, and Danny, who has always …

Black Rain [Blu-ray] Review
What a stunning display of the beauty of high-definition. Most Ridley Scott films are visual extravaganzas and the Blu-ray treatment here is quite special. The sheen and polish of Scott’s urban landscapes is a sight to behold. Black Rain is almost like a neo Tokyo, anime version of Blade Runner, only filmed in Osaka! It’s pretty amazing just how much the look of Blade Runner was influenced by Asian metropolises and then Blade Runner influenced the look of a lot of anime in return. Black Rain is total cheese, a completely by the numbers American cop movie filled to the brim with excessive cliches and all that the genre implies but it’s a masterpiece of art design and production values. It simply reeks of Hollywood excess and gratuitous surfaces polished to perfection. The look of the movie on Blu-ray makes your mouth water if you are a …

Vertical Limit [Blu-ray] Review
When I saw this shortly after it came out on VHS (and later, this DVD), it got high marks just for the spectacular sound alone. It had some of the best rear-speaker sound I had ever heard. It was a showpiece for surround-sound systems at the time.
The movie is interesting with it’s main fault being a common one: overdone action at the end. Along the way, however, it has many almost jaw-dropping scenes and some spectacular mountain scenery which still looks great on the sharp DVD transfer. I”m holding off on the Blu-Ray, due to mixed reviews here on the audio and visuals.
The stunt work in here is also incredible. Martin Campbell, the same director who did “The Mask Of Zorro” and “Goldeneye,” is good at producing eye-popping action scenes.
How accurate is it concerning mountain-climbing? Not much, according to a few mountain- climbing experts …