METAL GEAR SOLID 4 REVIEW FOR THE PS3

METAL GEAR SOLID 4 REVIEW FROM IGN

HERE IS THE REVIEW OF THE GAME METAL GEAR SOLID 4 FROM IGN.


Twenty-one years ago, the gaming world was introduced to a hero: a soldier that fought alone against impossible odds to save the world. Over time, the hero grew into a legend that changed the gaming landscape and redefined stealth action games with his epic battles. After more than two decades of service, Solid Snake is finally receiving an honorable discharge in the latest chapter in the Metal Gear Solid franchise. While this is Snake's final mission, he isn't going quietly into that good night, nor is he being constrained by previous titles. Indeed, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots shatters the proverbial bar, becoming a technical, cinematic and gaming standard that future action and stealth titles will be judged by. It's been a long time coming, but this game is a true classic and a masterpiece from Hideo Kojima, Kojima Productions and Konami. The world of Metal Gear Solid 4 is quite a bleak one. In fact, in many ways, it's precisely the one that Solid Snake and Otacon have been hoping to avoid. Set six years in the future, war and conflict are no longer a sporadic occurrence with hot spots around the globe; instead, the entire planet is engulfed in constant battle. War has become its own self-sustaining industry, replacing the overall global economy with the contracts of private military corporations, or PMCs, that sell their services to the highest bidder. These mercenaries constantly try to prove their effectiveness on the battlefield to gain even more contracts, which causes more and more destruction as nanomachine-enhanced soldiers clash in cities, in buildings and on the streets. With such a chaotic environment, not even civilians are safe from the constant fighting, as skirmishes can break out at any point.
Be sure to watch or download the video review here (HD available). This is the setting that Solid Snake has been called out of retirement for: one final mission issued by Col. Campbell to save the world from one last threat. Snake is initially inserted into the war zone of the Middle East undercover as a UN PMC inspector to gauge how the situation on the ground is being handled by troops there. Of course, he has a more direct task that takes advantage of his specialized skills: he must find and assassinate Liquid Ocelot, who has become the head of five of the largest PMCs in the world. That's definitely easier said than done, as Ocelot has surrounded himself with a group of deadly comrades -- including a quartet of deadly females known as the Beauty and the Beast Corps who appear to be half woman, half machine -- to eliminate Solid Snake. Or perhaps we should say Old Snake? You see, the legendary soldier is suffering from accelerated aging due to cellular degeneration. This is much more harmful than his multiple pack-a-day smoking addiction, making him physically older than his years and hampering his movements every so often. To accomplish his toughest mission yet, Solid Snake will need to pull a couple of new tricks from his camouflaged sleeves. Fortunately, there are plenty of them to go around in Metal Gear Solid 4, which is easily the deepest and most expansive title in the series.

Welcome to the war zone.

Fans familiar with previous Metal Gear Solid games are aware that each title has introduced new gameplay mechanics for Snake to take advantage of. The incredible part about Metal Gear Solid 4 is there are tons of additional features added to this title, and even when you run into a system or mechanic that you wouldn't think would fit in the Metal Gear Universe, Kojima and his team have figured out a way to make it blend seamlessly with the gameplay, which easily allays any fears or concerns you have. Not only are they well balanced and quite layered, each one adds to the scope of MGS4, which can be considered epic. From the first action sequence in the Middle East where you and a squad of militiamen fight against PMCs, to escorting Meryl and her Rat Patrol squad through a fierce gunfight with The Frogs (Liquid's private army), to the climactic battle at the end of the title, you'll be amazed at the sheer depth included within the game. Take for example the new twist to Snake's classic on-site procurement orders, which plays a major role within the title. In previous games, Snake would be deployed with a minimal amount of equipment, and would have to find his weapons scattered around installations he was infiltrating. This would allow him to stealthily enter and exit a location, using the enemy's weapons against them without leaving a trace. That concept doesn't apply in this new world, as each soldier's nanomachines restrict weapons to their ID-coded owners, preventing anyone else from using them against their owner. Thanks to these new technological restrictions, Snake will have to rely on the services of a gun launderer named Drebin. A mysterious character that seems to be everywhere at all times, Drebin (and his comical hairless monkey known as Little Gray) will remove all firearm safeguards as well as sell new weapons, accessories and ammunition. While the price of his services will vary based on the demand of specific weapons as well as the day of the week (even offering 20 percent off sales), Drebin will always be available to supply Snake with what he needs. This expands Snake's arsenal and his methods significantly. Not only can he instantly purchase new arms or unlock collected weapons that can be immediately used in battle, he can also customize some of his firearms, adding everything from laser scopes and fore grips to noise suppressors and grenade launchers, which will affect the statistics and tactics used for the weapons. For example, if you add a fore grip to an assault rifle, you increase its stability and improve your chances for accurate shots. Adding a flashlight, by contrast, allows you to blind soldiers, giving you a chance to perform CQC moves or hold them up for items. What's more, if Snake runs out of ammunition for a particular weapon in the middle of battle, he can immediately purchase additional rounds that can sustain a fight.

It's coming right for us! Run!

All of these purchases, of course, are based on whether Snake has enough Drebin Points to purchase the item or weapon that he wants. Snake acquires these points in a variety of ways. First of all, he can provide the gun dealer with any extra weapons he doesn't need so that Drebin can maintain his business around the world. This means that any dropped weapons from incapacitated or killed enemies are fair game to loot for points. You'll also receive different Drebin Point bonuses for flashbacks that will pop up here and there during cutscenes, certain story moments, and for eliminating specific enemies. Players can even receive certain bonuses based on how they play through the title. The system is incredibly expansive, and players will be surprised at how it affects their experience. Granted, some critics will say that such widespread influence of the Drebin system and its points makes the game too easy and eschews the traditional stealth roots of the title in favor of an action focus. This is an extremely shallow way to view what this new mechanic provides, which allows players to pick and choose exactly how they would like to play the title. Purists to the covert aspects of the franchise can sneak and crawl through the game with a focus on stealth, restricting their purchases of ammunition or completely avoiding the Drebin system entirely. These players will find plenty of new features to support them in their clandestine moves.

Snake's got an itchy trigger finger. Don't move.

For one thing, the Octocamo system and threat ring gives players a new way to infiltrate areas because of the ease with which Snake can blend into the environment and detect enemies. An obvious evolution of the camouflage system from MGS3, Snake's body suit instantly takes on the appearance of whatever surface he's up against or lying on, helping him blend into his surroundings. Any pattern can instantly be saved and recalled at any point, effectively turning Snake into the ultimate chameleon. This is coupled with the threat ring, which alerts players to the directional position that opponents happen to be in. The more alert the soldier, the higher (and redder) the spike gets on the threat ring. Using these two effectively is extremely important because Snake will go up against the most intelligent grunts that he's ever encountered. The enemy AI is extremely smart and won't follow set patterns of patrolling or searching. In fact, during non-alert phases, they'll interact with fellow soldiers, talking and passing whatever time they can while they wait for action. However, when the caution or alert phase has been raised, they actively search for trouble, which will include taking out any possible hiding places, such as cardboard boxes or drum cans. They'll also immediately call for back up and perform intelligent flanking maneuvers to take out their targets. As a result, you may need to use everything from playing dead to rolling on the ground to evade visual contact to new CQC attacks, such as lying atop an enemy and choking them silently to incapacitate opponents. However, even the most covert players will need to unleash some bullets here and there, relying on firepower to make it through specific fights. Now, players that lean more towards action can go full out with their firepower and blast their way through enemy soldiers much easier than before. Obviously, the ability to acquire and customize new weapons from Drebin helps with this. However, depending on the location that you happen to be in, you can also take advantage of mortars or fixed machine guns. This allows you to shell positions or spray an enemy location with a large number of rounds, eliminating anyone within the weapon's killzone. Players also have new tactical ways of eliminating soldiers, such as performing rolls to avoid incoming fire and even shooting from your back if you're knocked off your feet. However, even rampant run-and-gun tactics has been balanced thanks to the inclusion of the Psyche and Stress meters that govern and influence Snake's mental state in the middle of battle. The Psyche meter is directly below Snake's health gauge and affects his physical abilities and his accuracy with weapons. The lower the Psyche meter, the harder it is for Snake to remain effective in combat. In fact, he'll start to feel the effects of his age, grasping for his back or having other pains hamper him for a few seconds. While this will slowly replenish over time, the meter can be further impacted by his Stress meter, which gauges the tension that Snake is feeling at any point in time. Snake doesn't like certain conditions because they are less conducive to his mission, such as being out in the open instead of the shadows, being in areas that are too hot or too cold, or being spotted by enemies. The higher his stress, the sharper the decline will be in Snake's Psyche.

Two against one? Not a problem.

The only twist is that every now and then, particularly when you are in the midst of battle during an alert phase and your levels have spiked, you can enter a combat high. During this stage, your Psyche will be stabilized, and Snake will take less damage, but there is a serious caveat – once the high is over, his Stress and Psyche gauges will bottom out to represent the drop in adrenaline he undergoes. This leaves Snake extremely vulnerable to attacks, so players will need to balance this state carefully. This tightrope balance between Stress and Psyche encourages balance between stealth and action and helps MGS4 appeal to stealth and action fans, as well as a wider audience of players, engaging many of them with its varied gameplay. Regardless of the method that you use to explore the game's environments, there are two gadgets that will help Snake immensely. The first one is the Solid Eye System, which frees him from the constant swapping back and forth between goggles and binoculars in the field. Not only does the Solid Eye System include night vision and binoculars, it identifies all personnel on the battlefield by their group affiliation, weapon carried and any items that they've dropped on the battlefield. This provides a large amount of tactical information that can be exploited by stealth or brute force.

Now that's actually a challenge.

The other gadget is the Mark II, the small robot that Otacon provides to Snake. The Mark II is an extremely versatile item because it can be used as an advance scout for Snake. Thanks to its small size and its ability to turn invisible, players can use the Mark II to get a sense of where enemies and other hazards may lie, which gives them an advantage in battle. It can also be used to incapacitate soldiers, as it can deploy a powerful shock similar to Snake's Stun Knife, which is another great way to quietly bypass guards. What's more, the Mark II can be used to collect weapons and items, and because the Mark II is a communication conduit that Snake can use to contact Drebin, any weapons it collects are instantly converted to Drebin points as well. This is a safe way to pick up guns in the midst of a firefight without exposing Snake to any undue fire, provided that he deploys the robot from a protected location. Even more than the style of play and the various gadgets that can impact the overall experience during battle, the Drebin system touches a primal collection urge within players, where they get a sense that running out and gathering every single pistol, rifle and grenade is innately tied to their survival in the midst of battle. However, it also establishes Snake as another cog in the war economy, one who will exploit the system from the inside in order to protect the rest of the world from its ravages by any means necessary. In some ways, this extends to Snake's ability to gain allies on the battlefield. It may sound like a strange concept, but the fact that the world is engaged in factionalized warfare means that Snake can sometimes exploit this division to his advantage. As you move throughout the various environments in the game, you'll come across different militia troops that are fighting the PMCs for control of their locations. Players essentially are presented with two options in this situation: on one hand, players can retain a lone wolf focus, proceeding on their own, fighting PMC and militia alike. This is perhaps the most traditional way of fighting through a Metal Gear Solid title, and will add an extra challenge as just about every single person in the environment will be hostile to Snake. On the other hand, they can attempt to gain the trust of these local troops by fighting alongside them, attempting to gain their trust by attacking the PMCs. By building a reputation as a freedom fighter that believes in their cause, the militiamen will aid you in your mission, providing additional fire support during skirmishes and even eliminating PMC soldiers for you. What's more, the PMCs will help Snake out by giving him different items, such as ammunition or health items in battle. However, you'll have to be careful with your aim in the middle of a fight. If you accidentally wind up endangering the militia troops, you can ruin your standing with them, turning them into enemies. That forces you to try to regain their trust after a while, or attempt to bypass their attacks with careful disguises that make you appear to be one of their organization.

Let's get ready to rumble!

All of the above elements contribute to the compelling plot of Metal Gear Solid 4, which is nothing short of incredible for two primary reasons. First of all, as the final chapter in the Solid series, it wraps up every single loose end that has been included within the franchise. Players that have been looking for answers to questions that may have been raised within previous games will find them within MGS4, which is an incredible feat. Many of the mission briefings not only explain where you're going in your next mission, but also cover large sections of topical information to the series. The Patriots, Foxdie, Metal Gear -- somehow, the Kojima Productions team managed to condense all of the franchise's obscure concepts into easily digestible plotlines that players can follow and understand. That's not to say that it will be perfectly clear for beginners, but it does its best to explain as much as possible. In a way, some of the cutscenes play out like CliffsNotes for the Metal Gear Solid universe, providing additional details for those players that have been actively following the franchise while summarizing and explaining what's going on for newcomers. In some ways, this provides more than enough impetus for franchise beginners to fully acquire and explore the previous games in the series, such as the Metal Gear Solid: Essential Collection. Secondly, while Metal Gear Solid games have always been resonant with issues of the day, MGS4 is particularly layered with allegories and topics both to previous games in the series and the real world that reveal a subtle amount of depth. Kojima weaves a tale that explores complex elements such as the horrors of war and its effects on civilians, technology gone horribly awry, mental manipulation and control (whether by technology or an organization) and personal sacrifice into a tour de force experience. In many ways, the number of topics addressed within the title and how they are handled within the title and franchise are large enough to be worthy of a dissertation on its own. There is a caveat to the exploration of these topics, which is that the cutscenes or dialogue sequences that occur around the exposition of these plot pieces can be somewhat lengthy. In fact, the longest cutscene within the game clocks in around 45 minutes, which can be rather daunting by the numbers. However, the scenes themselves are engaging enough that most players won't pay attention to the clock, although you can pause the cutscenes if you need a break or life interrupts, which is an excellent addition for this title.

They look hideous, but they're deadly in battle.

All of these features contribute to an excellent gameplay experience, but additionally striking are its visuals, which make MGS4 one of the best looking titles to date in gaming history. It's apparent that Guns of the Patriots squeezes every pixel possible out of the PS3 and renders them beautifully. As a result, players are witnesses to one of the finest games ever created on any console or PC. Character models are large and impressively rendered in real time, and transitions between cutscenes and gameplay are seamless and natural. What's more, certain action sequences are just as sharp and framed as well as many Hollywood action movies, and there are some moments in particular which surpass film in the way the story is told. Much of this has to do with camera angles that showcase the game action exquisitely – it's rather obvious that from Subsistence on, Kojima Productions has focused on creating a camera system that works exactly the way you want it to, allowing players to experience the entire game from first person if they so choose, or swapping between shoulders with a click of the right analog stick. Environments pop with sharp details as well, and there are subtle little touches, like dirt that will settle on the camera lens or water droplets that will lightly cascade down the screen. Further helping the game showcase its heightened visuals is the fact that the title performs a large basic install for eight minutes, with individual act installs at the end of every chapter. These secondary installs take only a few minutes, but are quite important. Once one stage installs over another, the replaced textures, levels and environments cut down on load times and transitions. That's not to say that the visuals don't come without some issues. While a few textures are flat here and there (with some low res issues now and then) and light framerate drops during gigantic explosions, these issues are generally overwhelmed by the level of detail shown within the game and the cinematic scope of the title, which highlights what a masterpiece this game is. This is also supported with an excellent soundtrack, such as "Love Theme" which is one of the best songs of the MGS4 series. Haunting and melodic with a tone that evokes loss and remembrance, this song feels rather appropriate for the sentiment of this title. The soundtrack also covers the entire breadth and depth of the MG universe thanks to the included iPod functionality, which plays various songs that you unlock once you've discovered the classic songs throughout the game. Further strengthening the title is the fact that Snake and every other character also sound phenomenal within the game, showcasing a masterful delivery with their dialogue.

Use your cover as best as possible, or go in guns blazing. The choice is yours.

I haven't gone over all of the features within the title, such as the photo gallery which stores and displays pictures taken by Snake with his camera, or the virtual range which lets you practice with the various firearms that you have within the title. Nor have I mentioned the exquisite evolution of the control scheme, which is the best one yet. But the one other significant feature of MGS4 is the inclusion of Metal Gear Online, which provides a multiplayer feature to a package that is already solid (no pun intended) with its single-player campaign. Technically, Kojima Productions didn't even need to include this section within the game, particularly because it's a starter pack and will be expanded into a full online product by itself. But what's included on the disc is a good sneak peek of what to expect from the multiplayer realm of Metal Gear. Similar to that of the beta test, Metal Gear Online features five multiplayer maps for up to 16 players to blast their way across. The starter pack now includes two additional stages not seen in the beta, Urban Ultimatum and Ambush Alley. Urban Ultimatum is a large stage that's more impressive due to its verticality than its various nooks and crannies that you can explore – many players can climb the ladders attached to the buildings and take up positions as snipers on rooftops. Ambush Alley, by contrast, is all about stealth and surprise, as the bombed out rubble and smashed buildings provides quite a bit of cover for players to engage and eliminate unsuspecting enemies.

Simply the best.

While you will have to register for a Konami ID and register one character for your online play (sorry Beta players, all of the old accounts have been reset and your progress has been lost), the process is infinitely easier and runs much smoother than it did in April. A few minor adjustments have been made to MGO, such as a change of skill names to more descriptive terms. For example, the Throwing Skill that governed how well you could throw grenades has changed to Quarterback, while the Fast Movement Skill has changed to Runner. It doesn't affect the skill itself; it's only to help you decide at a glance which trait you want to assign to Snake. Another change is with the Clan creation. Whereas you could be level 2 in the beta with a light number of hours invested, in the full game you need to be at least level 3 with 20 hours of play before you can create your own clan. One final change that we noted was with the online music selection; players can pick and choose from two original tracks or from songs pulled from all 21 years of the MGS franchise. It's pretty sweet to blast someone in Groznyj Grad to the Tara track from Metal Gear. During Sneaking missions, only Snake can decide the music selection, but that seems appropriate considering that he is the target of both teams. We did have reservations with the first two downloadable selections, however. One of them is simply a codec pack that allows players to audibly make comments during games, while the other sells additional characters for your Konami ID. The codec pack isn't crucial or useful, and the price for extra soldiers seems a little high right now. But considering that you don't need to buy either one of them to experience the action that is raging across servers right now, that's a minor problem that can be addressed by Konami at any time.

Closing Comments
Is it possible to give a game an 11? If so, this would be the game that would merit that score. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is a title that exceeds all of the hype that was attached to the title. Regardless of whether you've seen every trailer and screenshot, read every preview and heard every interview, you won't get a full sense of how phenomenal this title is unless you sit down and experience it for yourself.

Legends die hard and deserve a heroic story that lives on when they are gone. Metal Gear Solid 4 is such an ending for the legendary warrior Solid Snake. Not only does it sum up the full franchise of Metal Gear, its depth and its complexity, coupled with its technical prowess, make it one of the best games of the year and, indeed, one of the best games ever made. Get some well earned rest, Snake. You've earned it. We salute you.

Another Take
from Greg Miller
Buy this game. I don't care if the gameplay in the past titles didn't appeal to you, I don't care if long cutscenes scare you, and I don't care if you're broke.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is the best reason to own a PlayStation 3 thus far.

I've played every Metal Gear Solid game since the series won me over in 1998, and I can tell you that I have never felt as connected to Snake as I did in this game. Hell, I've never felt this connected to any character in any other videogame that I've played. Our hero has gone from a soldier in his prime to an elderly warrior trying to make a difference. We see Snake struggle, we see Snake win, we see Snake lose, we see Snake relax, and we see Snake become a truly three-dimensional character. Whether he's chilling on the Nomad in street clothes, discussing his turn of fortune with "friends," or taking part in the game's phenomenal final boss battle, this is the greatest iteration of the character that I have ever seen.

This game is emotional, powerful, fun, beautiful, deep, engaging, and just about every other positive adjective you could assign it. Metal Gear Solid 4 pulls you in and doesn't let you go until the final, final credits roll.

I'm sad to see Snake go, but he couldn't have asked for a better sendoff.

IGN Ratings for Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3)

Rating	Description
10	Presentation A story worthy of a feature length film, with action that keeps you engaged from the second you hit the start button 'til the final credits roll.
10	Graphics Incredibly detailed and visually breathtaking, with amazing camera angles, MGS4 is one of the most beautiful titles ever made.
10	Sound Haunting melodies, the re-introduction of classic themes via iPod, and perfect line delivery by actors -- this is an aural delight from start to finish.
10	Gameplay Not only does MGS4 include new gameplay mechanics, it shatters the mold of what's expected from the series. Stealth, action, or balanced play: the choice is yours in how you explore this MGS world.
10	Lasting Appeal There are dozens of secrets and Easter Eggs, along with tons of ways to approach any combat situation. Plus, when you're done with the single player, MGO will keep you engaged for weeks on end.
10 Masterful	OVERALL (out of 10 / not an average)

STOP-LOSS NOW AVAILABLE

STOP-LOSS NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE STOP-LOSS FROM IMDB

Decorated Iraq war hero Sgt. Brandon King makes a celebrated return to his small Texas hometown following his tour of duty. He tries to resume the life he left behind. Then, against Brandon's will, the Army orders him back to duty in Iraq, which upends his world. The conflict tests everything he believes in: the bond of family, the loyalty of friendship, the limits of love and the value of honor. Written by Paramount Pictures

HERE IS A REVIEW FOR THE MOVIE STOP-LOSS FROM DVDTALK


No matter what the behind-the-scenes politics involved, it's taken filmmaker Kimberly Peirce nine years to come up with something to follow her 1999 near-masterpiece, "Boys Don't Cry." Maybe her vision rusted shut or inflammable passions on the Iraq War clouded her judgment, but "Stop-Loss" is a miscalculated heap of screwy intentions, abysmal acting, and crudely-realized sermonizing.

While stationed in Iraq, Sgt. Brandon King (Ryan Phillippe) watched in horror as his friends were killed by militants and the country he was fighting to stabilize refused to cooperate with the U.S.'s noble objective. Now finally free of his military duty, Brandon is looking forward to civilian life with pals Steve (Channing Tatum) and Tommy (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), only to find he's been "stop-lossed," or contractually forced to return to active duty. Frustrated with the government's deception, Brandon goes AWOL and hits the road with Steve's fiancée Michelle (Abbie Cornish, mangling a Texan drawl) in an effort to overturn his contract, finding that only leaving America entirely will solve his problems.

The failure of "Stop-Loss" is amazing to behold considering the excellence of "Boys Don't Cry." This isn't about idiotic cries of a "fair and balanced" view of American troop experiences or other tangled political issues; it concerns Peirce failing the material at nearly every turn of the ham-fisted screenplay, using a jackhammer to sell her zeal when only light tapping was required. It's a fumbled passion play intended to jab at unfair U.S. policy and further explore the quagmire of Iraq. Instead, "Stop-Loss" features cartoonish lessons on disillusionment and irksome actors trying to blue-steel the crap out of each other.

While watching "Stop-Loss" unfold, I couldn't help but think of Oliver Stone's majestic "Born on the Fourth of July," which covered essentially the same cultural and political terrain, only Stone knew to wield his topic carefully; he made certain primary filmmaking functions were attended to before diving off into personal stances. "Stop-Loss" is a hollow creation by comparison, barely making time to introduce its plethora of characters and their torment before trotting off to the next hackneyed scene of mental combustion.

The failure of this picture doesn't suggest I believe the military agony offered in "Stop-Loss" is misleading (that would be foolish considering the shape the world is in today), but the hell presented here is devoid of gravitas and rage. It steps into soap opera realms where the actors are incapable of holding an internal thought, instead heaving stiffly-considered words at the screen - perhaps an inch too articulate when placed into the context of blinding frustration.

Peirce wants to spread out her ideas on the futility of the Iraq War and the government's inability (or flat-out refusal) to protect those in combat. These men and women are open wounds at this point, caught between monolithic ideals of patriotism and the never-ending parade of death that awaits them overseas. The intent of "Stop-Loss" is palpable and commendable, but everything is executed with a fingerless futility that starts with the brainless casting and works its way through the picture's stunning lack of vision for characterization and resolution.

Just what the hell is Michelle doing following Brandon around the country? Who knows, since Pierce creeps away from the obvious sexual tension like a blushing schoolgirl. Actually, it takes Pierce a full 80 minutes to even address how Michelle is involved in the scenario. The same lack of finesse is found with the Tommy subplot, which never rises above the vet/alcoholic cliché that deserves more careful inspection, or Steve, who comes off more as a vessel for Tatum to try out his new method acting techniques than a rounded character corroded with relatable aggravation. Let's be honest here: "Stop-Loss" plays like a good hour of footage was removed hastily, turning a considerate examination of emotions into awkward bullet points.

The chasm between intention and execution is abyssal here, and I began to feel disinterest the more "Stop-Loss" kept forcing itself upon the audience. Go rent "Boys Don't Cry" and you'll find a movie infatuated with unspoken degrees of longing and violence. "Stop-Loss" is as transparent a statement as you'll find in this medium, and to originate from a director once held in such high esteem is a truly upsetting development.

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE STOP-LOSS.

FIRE IN HOLLYWOOD SET HAS GOT A LITTLE MORE DESPERATE AND GHOSTLY

HOLLYWOOD FIRE THAT LAST WEEK HIT THE DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES SET AND MORE

HERE IS THE ARTICLE FROM YAHOO NEWS

Los Angeles (E! Online) - Wisteria Lane has survived tornadoes, catfights and now, raging infernos.

An ABC representative for the hit series Desperate Housewives tells E! News that there is "no damage to Wisteria Lane" from Sunday morning's massive blaze at the Universal Studios backlot, despite earlier rumors. The show's infamous neighborhood is housed on the property.

However, CBS' Ghost Whisperer, starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, may not have fared as well. A press executive for the studio tells E! News, "Preliminary reports say just two exterior sets were damaged."

They haven't received the full report yet but do not think the damage is extensive enough to delay production on the show.

Neither Universal's CityWalk nor theme park were damaged, but the park was shut down for the day. The MTV Movie Awards, hosted by Mike Meyers, is scheduled to go on as planned Sunday night at 5 p.m. in Universal's Gibson Amphitheatre.

At least 400 firefighters were called in to quench the at times 100-foot-high flames, which broke out around 4:45 a.m. and tore through a soundstage and several buildings and famous movie sets.

The King Kong exhibit, New York and New England streetscapes, the iconic Back to the Future set (including the clock tower) were extensively damaged, as was the studio's television video archive. Four firefighters and a sheriff's deputy were also injured, although not severely.

Crews are bulldozing demolished buildings and heavy smoke continues to pour out of the fire, eight hours after it started.

BACK TO THE FUTURE TO BE ON BLU-RAY

BACK TO THE FUTURE TO BE ON BLU-RAY SOON

HERE IS THE ARTICLE FROM HIGH DEF DIGEST

'Back to the Future' fans got a sneak peek this past weekend at an apparently in-the-works Blu-ray release of the '80s favorite.

As first reported by the fansite BTTF.com, 'Future' producer Bob Gale surprised fans at a special screening near Orlando with a new digital remaster of the flick, which he said had been produced for an eventual release on Blu-ray.

"What you're going to be seeing today is the digital master for the upcoming high-definition Blu-ray version of 'Back to the Future,'" Gale told the crowd. "I don't know when it's coming out yet, but I was involved in the mastering of this tape, so I can tell you that it looks absolutely beautiful!"

Gale also spoke to potential supplemental features on a Blu-ray version of the trilogy, saying only that never-before-seen bonus materials may appear, though he stopped short of offering any specifics

At press time Universal had not confirmed nor denied plans for a 'Future' release on Blu-ray, but as always we'll keep you updated as any official news comes in.

EVOLUTION NOW AVAILABLE

EVOLUTION NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE EVOLUTION FROM IMDB

When a meteorite falls to Earth two college professors, Dr. Ira Kane and Prof. Harry Phineas Block, are assigned the job of checking the site out. At the site, they discover organisms not of this planet. Soon the site is taken over by the government, forcing Ira and Harry to the side. As the new life-forms begin to evolve and start to get more and more dangerous, it's up to the two professors to save the planet. Written by FilmFanUK

Glen Canyon, Arizona, the present day. Wayne, practising at night in the desert for his upcoming fireman's exam, witnesses the impact of a meteorite. The next day, biology teacher Dr. Ira Kane and geology teacher Harry Block from Glen Canyon Community College manage to get to the meteorite, which is stuck in the ground at the bottom of a cave. By taking a sample, they discover a slimy blue fluid coming out of the meteorite. A little later, Ira Kane finds out that myriads of single-celled life-forms dwell in the fluid, evolve at an incredible rate, even while he's watching. What first seems like a sure ticket to Sweden for the Nobel Prize soon develops into a nightmare: By evolving and adapting at that unbelievably fast rate, the Aliens start spreading out, and the Military comes in. Now it all comes down to what Darwin so rightfully stated: Survival of the fittest. And no good idea in sight... Written by Julian Reischl {julianreischl@mac.com}

HERE IS A REVIEW FOR THE MOVIE EVOLUTION FROM DVDTALK

Recipe for disaster: first, take Ghostbusters as a model. Knead vigorously, and carefully trim out any trace of lingering humor. Strip out all chemistry between the leads, and make sure any remnant of the sort of romantic tension between Sigourney Weaver and Bill Murray has been fully excised. Add in a series of bland actors, and generously sprinkle with the most hackneyed, by-the-numbers dialogue conceivable. Remove the Academy Award winning optical effects, and finally, litter every other frame with CGI aliens. Ta-da! With just a few simple steps, Ivan Reitman has hopped down several rungs on the evolutionary ladder from one of the most memorable films of the past twenty years to a movie that is easily among 2001's biggest disappointments. With Evolution, Reitman makes a half-hearted attempt to pump some life into his lagging career and recapture the magic of one of the top-grossing films of all time. Despite the surface similarities and the presence of Dan Ackroyd, Evolution is not Ghostbusters. Evolution isn't even Ghostbusters II. Heck, forget the inevitable Ghostbusters comparisons; Evolution barely stands up next to the like of Troll II. Maybe Extreme Ghostbusters, though...

While hapless firefighter-in-training Wayne Green (Seann William Scott) prepares for his final exam, a meteor hurtling from the outer reaches of spaces tosses his car a couple hundred feet in the air as it crashes into a barren stretch of Arizona desert. The event attracts the attention of two professors from a nearby community college, disgraced scientist Ira Kane (David Duchovny) and geologist/Arizona's most successful women's volleyball coach, Harry Block (Orlando Jones). Upon collecting a sample from the meteor, the pair notices that the rock bleeds when struck. After close examination of that electric blue liquid, Ira excitedly informs Harry that they've stumbled upon single-celled life from another planet. As Harry takes a gander at the slide to verify, it appears that their sample has evolved at a nearly exponential rate to become multicelled organisms in the space of a few minutes. After a trip back to the site to sieze the meteor and wrap up their Nobel Prize, the area is teeming with otherworldly mushrooms and flatworms. The government predictably intervenes, led by General Russell Woodman and Dr. Allison Reed (Ted Levine and Julianne Moore, respectively). While Harry and Ira fumble through bureaucratic red tape to reclaim their discovery, aliens are evolving at alarming speed, eventually assaulting a local shopping mall and threatening a stranglehold over the United States in a matter of week. As is usually the case in these sorts of movies, no one takes the recommendations of our plucky leads with any degree of seriousness, and of course, it's left up to that small, ragtag team to save the day.

At one time, it was a virtual guarantee that a movie starring a recently-departed Saturday Night Live cast member would be unbearable. Perhaps the same holds true for Mad TV, as three of its alumni -- Orlando Jones, Pat Kilbane, and Andrew Bowen -- appear in roles of varying prominence in Evolution. Much like Fox's late night sketch comedy series, what passes for humor falls entirely flat, leaving yet another check under the burgeoning "didn't crack a smile" column. I seem to vaguely recall chuckling a couple of times during the theatrical trailer; it would seem as if all of Evolution's highlights can comfortably fit into a two-minute package. A few of the gags might seem funny on paper, perhaps. When the secret weapon against the alien menace was revealed, I mentally recognized that the solution was somewhat clever and funny, yet the pain of the past 85 minutes was such that I couldn't possibly bring myself to laugh. A good 37% of the gags revolve around the rectum, so if ass jokes are your thing, disregard this review and wait impatiently outside your local Best Buy until 10 AM on December 26th. The remainder of the dialogue is excruciatingly bad as well, littered with the sort of mindless filler as Return of the Jedi and seems incapable of going more than a couple of lines without weak innuendo. Phil Tippett's creations are, for the most part, far too similar to real Earth creatures rather than seeming alien or in any way fantastic. Perhaps this similarity is by design, but why bother? Even after countless viewings of Ghostbusters, a few of the jump scares still hold up after all these years, and the action sequences are all reasonably well executed. The formulaic Evolution, on the other hand, is entirely predictable, and it becomes so blatantly obvious when a nasty creature's going to jump out that there are no shocks or surprises whatsoever. Individual attack scenes have a tendency to meander, and aliens rarely attack or are attacked in groups.

The lead characters are so dull that referring to them as one-dimensional would be a stretch. At best, they're 5/8-dimensional, their very presence warping the face of the space/time continuum. Orlando Jones' character is the poorest attempt at a comedic sidekick since Leon in Bats, and in case you happen to divert your attention from the screen for more than a few fleeting seconds, Harry takes every possible opportunity to remind viewers that he's black. I've noticed this sort of bizarre behavior in several other movies recently, particularly Rush Hour 2 and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Hopefully this trend is soon to run its course. David Duchovny is nearly somnambulistic as Ira, lacking the faintest trace of chemistry with co-star Julianne Moore. I can't say that I've ever been too big a fan of Moore, but she comes off as sorely miscast here. There are constant references to her as some sort of gorgeous sexpot throughout the movie, leaving me wondering if the role was written with someone half her age in mind. Seann William Scott's character is thoroughly useless, despite the build-up in the first half of the movie that seemed to point that he'd later be of some remote significance. Not only are the four lead characters annoying individually, but as a group, they are an entirely random combination, unlike the infinitely more cohesive Ghostbusters. Though I had somehow duped myself beforehand into thinking I'd enjoy this movie, Evolution is unoriginal, unengaging, and uninteresting. Steer clear.

Video: Reviews of Dreamworks DVDs invariably come with the loosely-thrown-around phrase "reference quality" attached in some form, and their impressive catalog had left me fully expecting to follow suit with Evolution. To my amazement, this disc boasts what is by a considerable margin the worst Dreamworks transfer to date and hopefully is not indicative of what consumers can expect throughout 2002. The image ranges from 'spectacular' to 'decidedly mediocre', leaning precariously towards the less impressive end of the spectrum. Quite a number of shots are riddled with grain, though its presence varies wildly. I tossed my notepad aside after fifteen minutes or so of jotting down particularly grainy portions, but two such scenes that stand out in my mind are the initial descent into the depths of the cavern and the rather unpleasant removal of Harry's fly. Noise, perhaps due to overcompression to compensate for the space-intensive DTS track, becomes an intermittent concern. Two quick examples from the early moments of the film are Wayne's car in its first appearance and the portion of the chalkboard to Ira's right during the end of a lecture. Other shots are noticeably soft, nearly to the point of seeming out of focus. These are terribly infrequent, but one of the more glaring instances is when Wayne first begins running away from the crashing meteor. Shadow detail is often on this side of murky, and haloing around high contrast objects is visible from time to time. Evolution is also the first new release from a major studio where I've spotted more than a couple of flecks on screen. I could probably count the number of times I noticed black specks on both hands, but I've become so spoiled by the phenomenal quality of recent releases that even this paltry amount seems excessive. On the upside, colors are generally fairly strong, particularly with regard to the cartoonish CGI creatures. Maybe this is all representative of the intended look of the film, which I admittedly did not see theatrically, but this DVD release of Evolution certainly doesn't look like an $80 million project.

Audio: There are no fewer than four 5.1 audio tracks on this disc, most notably mixes in English Dolby Digital and DTS. The music, particularly the score from frequent Dreamworks composer John Powell, is the true standout, making extensive use of all channels and offering a tight, rich low-end punch. Other elements of the mix aren't quite as aggressive, largely anchored towards the front for the duration of the film. Despite the constant crashing leaps and soaring of Evolution's alien creatures, the little buggers don't provide much in the way of heavy bass until the amorphous blob at the movie's climax. The audio really comes alive in the handful of battle sequences, particularly those that involve military helicopters and winged beasts. Split surround effects aren't nearly as commonplace as I was expecting, with rears dedicated almost entirely to music and isolated ambiance. No single component of the soundtrack is overwhelmed by any other, and dialogue isn't hopelessly immersed by the score or various effects. Other audio options include an English stereo surround track and 6-channel Dolby Digital mixes in Spanish and French. There are no real problems worth noting with the Dolby Digital audio, but Evolution doesn't offer the grandiose, expansive feel generally associated with summer blockbusters.

Supplements: The apparent lack of a commentary track struck me as a surprise, but sure enough, a feature-length commentary is masked under the curiously-titled A Conversation With Ivan Reitman, David Duchovny, Orlando Jones, and Seann William Scott. I'm hesitant to say that Reitman dominated the track, though he seemed to make a conscious effort to keep the discussion from falling into the sort of rampant fun so often present on Kevin Smith's DVDs. The three actors mostly hide in the background, making the occasional comment or quip. Duchovny in particular displays a quick wit, and I'm looking forward to hearing him unrestrained on a commentary in the not-too-distant future. The discussion puts a heavier emphasis on characters and the plot than technical details, and production anecdotes are infrequent. As it is, this is a moderately entertaining commentary track, but certainly not one where I'd wear out my voice screaming its praises from the rafters.

It's always a pleasure to see supplemental material presented in anamorphic widescreen, and all six of the deleted scenes are enhanced for 16x9-capable televisions. Each piece of footage begins with obligatory brief audio introductions from Reitman, which might be bothersome to those who abhor these sorts of mildly intrusive comments. There are few surprises to be found, and although the alternate ending is mildly interesting, the removal of all of these scenes is entirely justified. Offering a respite from continual button-mashing every couple of minutes, all fifteen minutes of deleted scenes can be viewed continuously.

There are two featurettes included on the disc. One is the thrice-damned HBO: First Look with its usual extended trailer + insubstantial interviews format. The second is a ten minute visual effects featurette that seems truncated, offering a behind-the-scenes peek at the creation of the creatures in both the physical and digital realms. DVD buffs ravenous for storyboards should take note, as there are well over twenty minutes of that material here, viewable individually or picture-in-picture style. Along those same lines is an incredibly comprehensive still gallery, offering a score of conceptual art of the critters seen throughout Evolution. Rounding out the supplements are the standard production notes and cast/crew bios, though a theatrical trailer is noticeably absent.

Conclusion: Evolution tries to juggle the precarious balancing act of being both a light-hearted adventure as well as a comedy. Ivan Reitman may have successfully kept the pins from dropping in Ghostbusters, but Evolution fails in every way possible. Devoid of humor or any engaging action, Evolution is at best rental material. It's not unwatchable, but far too many have taken the same ideas and put together vastly superior movies to bother. Rent it.

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE EVOLUTION.

SHORT CIRCUIT NOW AVAILABLE

SHORT CIRCUIT NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE SHORT CIRCUIT FROM IMDB

Number 5, one of a group of experimental military robots, undergoes a sudden transformation after being struck by lightning. He develops self-awareness, consciousness, and a fear of the reprogramming that awaits him back at the factory. With the help of a young woman, Number 5 tries to evade capture and convince his creator that he has truly become alive. Written by Jean-Marc Rocher {rocher@fiberbit.net}

HERE IS A REVIEW FOR THE MOVIE SHORT CIRCUIT FROM DVDTALK

Movie:
Short Circuit, originally released in 1986, has finally made its way to DVD. The movie stars Ally Sheedy (Stephanie), Steve Guttenberg (Newton Crosby), G.W. Bailey (Skroeder), Fisher Stevens (Ben), Austin Pendleton (Howard), and of course, Number 5 (voiced by Tim Blaney).

The film opens with Nova Robotics hosting a field test of their newest $11 million dollar robotic weapons, which they hope will eventually replace ground troops in armed combat. The five of them easily dispatch covered transports and tanks, much to the delight of the spectators. Soon after it starts to rain, the audience is moved inside, and the robots are sent to be disarmed. However, a bolt of lighting strikes a generator near Number 5 and shorts out some of his programming, allowing him to learn and process information. Instead of going to disarming, he wanders onto a trash truck and is driven out of the gates, much to the dismay of Newton, his programmer, Ben, Newton's assistant, Howard, the head honcho, and Skroeder, the chief security officer. They waste no time in sending men after him, which Number 5 manages to elude by parachuting off a bridge and onto the back of a snack wagon driven by Stephanie. Stephanie discovers him upon arriving at her house, mistakes him for an alien visitor, and invites him inside her house. Since some of his circuits have shorted out, Number 5 has an insatiable appetite for 'input,' which Stephanie is only happy to fulfill with numerous books and encyclopedias. The next morning, she discovers that he's actually a robot, and immediately calls to inform Nova Robotics of his whereabouts. Number 5, who learns of this, hijacks her truck with her in tow, and tries, unsuccessfully, to escape. Newton and Ben get to them first, and see that Number 5 just might be 'alive.' Before they can run any tests or come to a conclusion, Skroeder captures Number 5. However, Number 5 manages to escape, but is determined to convince Newton and Stephanie that he really is alive, but to do that, he has to elude being destroyed by Skroeder and his men.

No matter what anyone says, I love Short Circuit. I haven't seen it in quite a few years, but I remember watching it over and over again as a kid. It is just a fantastic movie, for any age group really. Sure, some parts of it, especially those involving the Three Stooges, are incredibly cheesy, but they are funny as well. I'm surprised the number of jokes and references in the movie that only an older person would understand. The acting is pretty good too, and I found the story line to be quite fascinating, especially as a kid. The real gem of the movie is watching Number 5, who is quite the robot, do all sorts of stuff.

Picture:
Short Circuit is presented in 2.35:1 widescreen and it is not anamorphic. The picture contains quite a few instances of too much edge enhancement, resulting in some shimmering that is quite distracting. There were also a few marks and some grain that are easy to detect on the print. For positives, the colors are vibrant and the flesh tones are accurate. And it's a real treat to finally see Short Circuit in widescreen.

Sound:
Short Circuit is presented in both English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo. The 5.1 surround was well implemented and sounded great; I couldn't detect any problems with it. The dialogue was crisp and clean throughout the film.

Extras:
Short Circuit really delivers tons of extras. Most notable is the audio commentary with John Badham, the director, and both writers, S.S. Wilson and Brent Maddock. The commentary is quite informative with never a dull moment. Fans should get a lot out of it. An isolated music and effects track is also present. Also included are: a behind the scenes featurette, a "Creation of Number 5" featurette, five video interviews with the cast and crew, a photo gallery, concept sketches for Number 5, the original theatrical poster and press kit photos, production notes, cast and crew biographies/filmographies, and the trailer. The trailer was a bit disappointing as its in rough shape, but its nice to have. I found all the supplemental material to be quite interesting, especially the "Creation of Number 5" featurette. They show how a few individual parts work before Number 5 was assembled. It's a bit on the short side though, and they never show the puppeteer actually controlling Number 5. Of note are the hidden interview clips found in the biographies section; you can access them by pressing 'left' on your remote. The only real disappoint I had with the extras were that no subtitles were included.

Summary:
Short Circuit is a terrific movie, marred on DVD only by the non-anamorphic transfer and frequent instances of edge enhancement, and as such, I can't highly recommend this disc, though I would have loved to. Fans of the movie will still want to pick it up for the numerous extras, the widescreen presentation, and terrific sound. For others, it's a solid rental, if not a possible purchase. Recommended.

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE SHORT CIRCUIT 1 OF 2.

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE SHORT CIRCUIT 2 OF 2.

GALAXY QUEST NOW AVAILABLE

GALAXY QUEST NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE GALAXY QUEST FROM IMDB

Eighteen years after their sci-fi adventure show "Galaxy Quest" was canceled, actors Jason Nesmith, Gwen DeMarco, Alexander Dane, Tommy Webber, and Fred Kwan are making appearances at sci-fi conventions and store openings in costume and character. They're wallowing in despair and at each other's throats until aliens known as Thermians arrive and, having mistaken the show for fact and consequently modeling their entire culture around it, take them into space to save them from the genocidal General Sarris and his armada. Written by Jeff Cross {blackjac_1998@yahoo.com}

HERE IS A REVIEW FOR THE MOVIE GALAXY QUEST FROM DVDTALK

The Movie:

It's a fun concept and it's done, for the most part, very well. "Galaxy Quest" stars Tim Allen as the leader of a former sci-fi TV show quite similar to "Star Trek". The show has long since ended, and the group, which includes Gwen Demarco(Sigorney Weaver) and Alexander Dane(Alan Rickman) are doing sci-fi conventions where groups of rapid fans quiz them about the inaccuracies of the show's science.

Meanwhile, in outer space, a group of friendly aliens have looked at the show as reality, and think that the crew can save their race. The film is both a gentle goof on the fans of such sci-fi hits as Star Wars and Star Trek, as well as a really solid production all its own, with impressive sets and well-done special effects.

Once the film finally gets going, it becomes more of an adventure as the crew tries to save the alien race, with the occasional joke thrown in. I was never a big fan of the sort of "Star Trek" sci-fi series so, although I laughed a few times at the comedy, I appreciated the adventure more.

I was never a big fan of Tim Allen, and I especially disliked "Home Improvement" ( I still have no idea how that show became as popular as it did, or lasted as long as it did ), but he gets the sort of William Shatner parody that the role is supposed to be perfectly. Weaver, Rickman and Tony Shalhoub make for a solid supporting cast as well. I didn't always laugh at the comedy, but director Dean Parisot ("Home Fries") has stepped up from the little comedy of "Fries" into a major effects film well, and has constructed an entertaining adventure.


The DVD

VIDEO: Dreamworks has done an outstanding job with "Galaxy Quest"! The image is bright and beautiful, showing off all of the sets and special effects excellently, with an image that is clear and wonderfully sharp looking, with good detail. Colors are marvelous, looking vibrant and never showing any problems. Black level is excellent and flesh tones are natural, at least for the human characters.

As with any major new movie, there isn't a single mark on the print used, which is in crystal clear condition. There's not a bit of shimmering or pixelation at all, and overall, "Galaxy Quest" looks great, with an image that looks very "film-like". Dreamworks hasn't done that many films, but for their DVDs so far, they've done an excellent job, and "Galaxy Quest" is no different. The DTS version contains the exact same image quality as the Dolby Digital version, and both are excellent.

SOUND: Although the Dolby Digital version has plenty of positives, the DTS version presents a smoother, richer experience that provides a more seamless presentation. Although again, the film starts off fairly calmly, once the movie really gets going, the audio expands out to create a impressive, energetic experience, packing very solid, deep bass and effective (and occasionally agressive) use of the surrounds. The audio provides a fine sense of dimension during the busier scenes, and also cleanly presents the dialogue-based scenes with ease. The musical score by David Newman again sounds phenomenal on this release, enveloping the listener with the powerful, energizing score. Newman's music really gives the film a boost, giving the action scenes intensity and backing the emotional scenes. Dialogue is exceptionally clear and clean, sounding well integrated into the scenes. The DTS version is remarkable, a very entertaining and enjoyable action-movie soundtrack that many will likely enjoy.

MENUS:: The menus are excellent! The animated menus are very busy, and have plenty of action and animation when the viewer makes a choice.

EXTRAS: The DTS version has the same extras as the Dolby Digital version but the real suprise here is that all the extras, even the preview trailers, are presented in DTS.

Trailers: Trailers for "Road Trip", "Galaxy Quest", "Road To El Dorado" and "Chicken Run".

On Location In Space: This 10 minute featurette is pretty much promotional in nature, with some behind-the-scenes clips and interviews pretty much telling the story of the movie which, in this case, we've just seen. There are some interesting sequences that take a look at the production and effects work, but it's a little late - I would have liked to have learned more about how the effects were done.

Cast and Crew Bios: A very nicely done and informative set of cast and crew bios, and some even offer clips with the actor talking about their role and the film in general.

From The Cutting Room Floor: 7 Deleted Scenes, all of which are pretty entertaining, and definitely more interesting than some of the deleted scenes that are offered on DVDs, which usually, deserve to be cut. These were probably cut out because of time, but most of them are pretty funny, and make for a very nice addition. It would have been nice if there was commentary telling us more details about the origin of the scenes and why they were cut.

Also: Production notes and an audio track recorded in the language of the friendly Thermian alien race. The alien language track is kinda funny once, but I'd rather have a commentary in that space, to be honest.

Final Thoughts: The movie is basically a light, entertaining action/comedy, and I found it moderately enjoyable. I was happy to see that the DTS release contained all the extras of the Dolby Digital release (with the extras on this disc in DTS, even). With this edition providing the better presentation with the same features(and at the same price!), I'd have to recommend this one.

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE GALAXY QUEST

THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN NOW AVAILABLE

THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE ANDROMEDA STRAIN FROM IMDB

In "The Andromeda Strain," a U.S. military satellite crashes in a small town and unleashes a deadly plague killing all but two survivors. As the military quarantines the area, a team of highly specialized scientists is assembled to find a cure to the pathogen code-named "Andromeda," and a reporter investigates a government conspiracy only to discover what he is chasing wants him silenced. Written by Official Site

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE ANDROMEDA STRAIN

WAR INC. NOW AVAILABLE

WAR INC. NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE WAR INC FROM IMDB

A political satire set in Turaqistan, a country occupied by an American private corporation run by a former US Vice-President (Aykroyd). In an effort to monopolize the opportunities the war-torn nation offers, the corporation's CEO hires a troubled hit man (Cusack), to kill a Middle East oil minister. Now, struggling with his own growing demons, the assassin must pose as the corporation's Trade Show Producer in order to pull off this latest hit, while maintaining his cover by organizing the high-profile wedding of Yonica Babyyeah (Duff) an outrageous Middle Eastern pop star, and keeping a sexy left wing reporter (Tomei) in check. Written by fmmini

HERE IS A REVIEW FOR THE MOVIE WAR INC FROM DVDTALK

"War, Inc." aims to be a sly "Dr. Strangelove" for today's disgruntled generation, who slowly simmer in the misfortune of the Iraq war. The film just isn't that razor sharp, but look at "War, Inc" as a back-flipping, over-the-top political farce, and the results are far more pleasurable. Consider the film an unofficial sequel to the 1997 classic "Grosse Pointe Blank," and "War, Inc." is absolutely wonderful.

Disgruntled hitman Hauser (John Cusack) is at the end of his rope, needing to down shots of hot sauce just to feel anything in his life. Commissioned by the Vice President (Dan Aykroyd) to travel to the war-torn Middle Eastern country of Turaqistan to protect ruling corporation Tamerlane's financial interests, Hauser's job is to kill competing CEO Omar Sharif while remaining under the guise of a trade show producer. With his trusted secretary (Joan Cusack) in tow, Hauser settles into the unfortunate responsibility of controlling the local insanity. However, once he meets aggressive journalist Natalie (Marisa Tomei) and Eastern European teen pop sensation Yonica Babyyeah (Hilary Duff), Hauser finds his allegiances altered while Turaqistan explodes around him.

I didn't laugh much while watching "War," but I found myself tickled with the tone that Cusack (who co-wrote the script) and director Joshua Seftel were trying to achieve. "War" is a constant burst of chaos, taking aim at political and cultural targets of all shapes and sizes. It's a ballsy, abrasive farce that will surely have most audience members sprinting for the exit. Yet I fell in love with its symphony of outrage, slapstick, and ultraviolence.

The tough question to answer is how to exactly approach the material. "War" is critical of current shady American business methods and Bush-age Middle-Eastern maneuvering, but it's blasted onto the screen with a heavy satirical bent. These are acidic brush strokes, but "War" is amazingly light on its toes, packing in heated depictions of corruption and corporate manipulation while saving plenty of room for much broader spit-takes. With Golden Palace-sponsored military vehicles, a legless chorus line show, Yonica fellating a gas pump while singing "I Want to Blow You...Up," fast food chicken shops dominating the town square, and a motion-simulator ride where writers can experience the horrors of embedded journalism, "War" isn't exactly a finely-tuned Michael Moore slash job; it has much more fun tinkering with established combat zone iconography and media-fed hooey.

Or, if you're like me, you could drink in "War" as the sequel to "Blank" Cusack criminally never received the chance to make. Oh, the similarities are all over this production, and it doesn't take a genius to discern that Cusack just shifted a few key elements around to avoid a Disney lawsuit. Basically, it's "Martin Blank Goes to War," with Cusack returning to the character's anxiety-riddled kitten purr voice, the blend of comedy and graphic violence, Joan Cusack hamming it up again as Hauser's assistant, and the film's dramatic arc of the lonely assassin rethinking his life's purpose. In any incarnation, it's great to see this persona back on the screen, and there's always a special thrill that comes from watching Cusack assume a more haggard Steven Seagal stance as Hauser/Blank starts to mow down the bad guys when backed into a corner.

"War" gets a little sticky trying to tie together all the madness in the final reel, detailing Yonica's wedding-day disasters, Hauser trying to rescue Natalie from extremists, and revealing the villainous Walker (Ben Kingsley, in full Looney Tunes mode) as the "viceroy" of the city. Seftel tries to even things out with some spaghetti-western guitar strumming to boost the cartoon nature of it all, but even with all the previous high-wire theatrics, it can reach frustrating levels of ambition.

While not for everyone's taste, I was thoroughly amused by "War, Inc." and its enthusiastic hustle to make a point. It's not a perfect poke at today's headlines, but it's a pleasingly mischievous creation that trades stomach-churning hopelessness for an acerbic take on current and future woes.

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE WAR INC.

TOMB RAIDER NOW AVAILABLE

TOMB RAIDER NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE TOMB RAIDER FROM IMDB

A member of a rich British aristocratic family, Lara Croft is a "tomb raider" who enjoys collecting ancient artifacts from ruins of temples, cities, etc. worldwide, and doesn't mind going through death-defying dangers to get them. She is skilled in hand-to-hand combat, weapons training, and foreign languages - and does them all in tight outfits. Well, the planets of the solar system are going into planetary alignment (Which occurs every 5,000 years), and a secret society called the Illuminati is seeking an ancient talisman that gives its possessor the ability to control time. However, they need a certain clock/key to help them in their search, and they have to find the talisman in one week or wait until the next planetary alignment to find it again. Lara happens to find that key hidden in a wall of her mansion. The Illuminati steal it, and Lara gets an old letter from her deceased father telling her about the society's agenda (Her father was also the one who hid the key). Now, she must retrieve the key and find and destroy the talisman before the Illuminati can get their hands on it. Written by Vampirok

Based on the popular video game series, Tomb Raider features the adventures of Lara Croft an antiquities hunter-for-hire. She travels to exotic locales in search of treasures and artifacts in the catacombs of ancient tombs and ruins remaining from age-old empires. A female Indiana Jones, Croft's expeditions are always chock full of action, danger, intrigue, suspense and her omnipresent knack for defying death in tight outfits. Written by Sujit R. Varma

Lara Croft is a wealthy, British archeologist/tomb raider who tries to thwart a secret society/doomesday cult seeking two pieces of a mysterious device hidden in two different places of the world in order to use it during a rare planetary alignment to bring them unlimited power to control or destroy the world. Written by Matthew Patay

HERE IS A REVIEW FOR THE MOVIE TOMB RAIDER FROM DVDTALK

The Movie:
Considering how shamelessly most video games steal all of their ideas from Hollywood movies, why is it that Hollywood still can't make a decent movie adaptation out of a game? Some of the best games have really juicy concepts and characters that should lend themselves well to a big screen reworking. Talented people have tried and great sums of money have been expended in the attempt, yet time after time we wind up with garbage like Wing Commander, Doom, or Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.

Angelina Jolie stars in the latter as Lady Lara Croft, a wealthy adventuress who's well-endowed in multiple senses of the term. The appeal of the game is obvious; our heroine is a cross between Indiana Jones and James Bond, with enormous breasts and a waist the diameter of a nickel. With guns, gadgets, and a Wonderbra-enhanced tight T-shirt at her disposal, Lara runs, jumps, and jiggles her way through all manner of exciting scenarios in a globe-hopping adventure in search of exotic treasures. So follows the movie, only much louder.

The plot, as if anyone cares, has Lady Croft seeking out the two halves of a magical triangle (seriously!) that's the key element of an ancient conspiracy involving planetary alignments, secret societies, time portals, and other ridiculous nonsense. To find them she'll have to travel first to Cambodia (don't forget to pick up a baby while you're there, Angie) then to Siberia, in both places navigating through underground labyrinths, avoiding elaborate booby traps (no pun intended), and solving puzzles. Oh yes, she also has to shoot and blow up stuff. A lot.

The movie is loud, stupid, and boring. Directed by Simon West (Con Air, The General's Daughter), the picture is jumpy and never establishes a consistent tone from one scene to the next. The idiotic plot is so low on anyone's list of priorities that almost no attempt is made to explain what's happening, why the characters need their mystical thingamajig, or what it does. The uneasy mix of sci-fi and supernatural elements is also never properly established; we seem to be in a typical shoot-'em-up action movie, until from out of nowhere statues come to life and people start jumping backwards and forwards in time. Each scene simply provides a new excuse to blow up something new, but even to that end the action sequences are shot and edited incoherently. There's always a lot of random activity going on, illustrated with generally lousy CGI, and you can never quite tell what any of it is or means.

Tomb Raider is an unpleasant mess that just gets dumber and more obnoxious as it goes. Angelina Jolie would later prove herself a compelling action star in Mr. & Mrs. Smith, but all this movie (and its equally dumb sequel) offer her are the opportunity to strut around in a push-up bra and spandex bike shorts with guns strapped to her thighs. Yeah, she looks hot, but that's not enough to justify 100 minutes of tedium.

The Blu-ray Disc:
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider debuts on the Blu-ray format courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment. The studio previously released the title on HD DVD in July of this year.

Blu-ray discs are only playable in a compatible Blu-ray player. They will not function in a standard DVD player or in an HD DVD player. Please note that the star rating scales for video and audio are relative to other High Definition disc content, not to traditional DVD.

Video:
The Tomb Raider Blu-ray is encoded in High Definition 1080p format using MPEG2 compression on a single-layer 25 gb disc. The movie is presented in its theatrical aspect ratio of approximately 2.35:1 with letterbox bars at the top and bottom of the 16:9 frame.

For an $80 million production, the movie has really blasé photography that's for the most part grainy, dull, and flat. I'm sure this was deliberate, but like so much else about the film it serves little artistic purpose. The High Definition image has only moderate sharpness and detail. I'm sure it's better than the comparable DVD edition, but it's nothing special by HD standards. Wide shots are frequently soft, there's little sense of depth, and colors are merely adequate without much pop to them. Aside from some specks on the source elements, I don't have anything specific I can pinpoint as being wrong with the disc mastering. The transfer is probably as faithful as it can be. This just isn't a very dynamic-looking movie.

The Tomb Raider Blu-ray disc is not flagged with an Image Constraint Token and will play in full High Definition quality over a Blu-ray player's analog Component Video outputs.

Audio:
The movie's soundtrack is provided in standard Dolby Digital 5.1 or DTS 5.1 formats. I compared the two and found the DTS track fuller and more involving. That said, this is a by-the-numbers summer action movie mix heavy on the bass and light on anything resembling subtlety or nuance. The only appropriate way to describe the soundtrack is loud no matter what volume you set it for. Bass is boomy and seriously overcooked, to the point where your walls will still be shaking even after you've reduced the dialogue and sound effects to a whisper. Naturally, the surround channels are also constantly buzzing with bullet ricochets and stuff blowing up behind you. This is certainly an aggressive, immersive mix, but one more grating than impressive. Audio fidelity is pretty blah overall. There's a ringing bell in the Siberia portion of the movie that resounds nicely through the soundstage, but otherwise gunshots and sound effects are much duller than expected.

Subs & Dubs:
Optional subtitles – English, English captions for the hearing impaired, French, or Spanish.
Alternate language tracks - French or Spanish DD 5.1.

Extras:
The disc automatically opens with a lengthy HD DVD promo that can fortunately be skipped but is a nuisance. All of the supplements from the DVD edition have been carried over, plus a couple of trailers. All features are presented in Standard Definition video with MPEG2 compression, except the trailers which are encoded in High Definition using VC-1.

• Audio Commentary - Director Simon West focuses on the technical and logistical aspects of the production, such as the hassle of digitally painting out Jolie's many tattoos in any scene where she shows skin.
• Digging Into Tomb Raider (25 min.) – A decent making-of piece covering development and production of the movie from game to screen. Stunts and visual effects are discussed, along with a bunch of promotional nonsense about the "spiritual heart of the film". Whatever.
• Crafting Lara Croft (7 min.) – A look at Angelina's workout and training regimen to prepare for the role. She learns fighting and weapons techniques, and we get to laugh at the "Billy Bob Forever" tattoo on her arm.
• The Visual Effects of Tomb Raider (20 min.) – A breakdown of 8 major VFX pieces from the movie. Hey look, it's all done in a computer! Wowzers! Never would've guessed that.
• The Stunts of Tomb Raider (9 min.) – So Angie did all of her own stunts, huh? Yeah, sure, I believe that.
• Are You Game? (8 min.) – Background history of the video game franchise. The primitive Playstation graphics are hilarious, but even funnier are the game developers trying very hard to divert attention from the real source of Lara Croft's popularity, her gigantic boobs.
• Deleted Scenes (7 min.) – Four scenes that might have actually explained or advanced the plot of the movie, so clearly they had to go.
• Alternate Main Title - This opening title sequence was much too cool for the movie, so it had to go too.
• U2 Elevation (4 min.) – A movie tie-in music video that at least tries half-heartedly to play around with the standard format for such things. The band members are digitally inserted into clips from the movie, though without any rhyme or reason. Then there's a about $4 million worth of cheesy, overdone "Bullet Time" visual effects and explosions going on for no particular reason while the band plays.

Missing from the DVD edition are an easter egg interview with Jolie and her father (if it's on the disc I didn't spot it, though admittedly I didn't put much effort into looking) and some DVD-Rom games and crap. None are significant losses. New to the Blu-ray are:

• Teaser Trailer (2 min.) – Presented in High Definition.
• Theatrical Trailer (2 min.) – Also presented in HD.

Final Thoughts:
As a movie, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider just plain stinks. As High Definition eye candy it's nothing special either. This is strictly rental material.

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE TOMB RAIDER