Up is Pixar’s 2009 entry to their ever-growing catalog of superb animated classics. I missed seeing Up when it was in the cinemas, so I avoided any discussions about the movie, and went into it knowing only the bear minimum.

What a delightful movie this was. It’s definitely one of Pixar’s most mature movies to date in my opinion. The start of the movie was thoroughly depressing, and it almost had me in tears! Fortunately things became a bit more light-hearted from there onward, but it retained the premise that it set up in the start all the way through.

I’d say that Up is now my favouritest Pixar movie to date, pushing Monsters Inc. into second place. And man, I would love for my dog to have a collar like that!

Score – ]]> http://broken.co.za/blog/2010/01/04/up-blu-ray/feed 0 http://broken.co.za/blog/2009/10/12/nightmare-before-christmas-blu-ray http://broken.co.za/blog/2009/10/12/nightmare-before-christmas-blu-ray#comments Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:08:59 +0000 Broken http://broken.co.za/blog/?p=507 11 October 2009 – Sunday

Nightmare Before Christmas is a movie that needs very little introduction. Pretty much everybody is familiar with the tale of Jack Skellington and his taking over of Christmas. The Blu-ray edition of this movie is pretty much the definitive release, features gorgeous hi-def imagery accomplished by outstanding surround sound. This is the way to experience this movie. It’s also no slouch when it comes to features, it’s stuffed to the brim with all manner of interesting material. If you’re a fan of this movie, you really should get the Blu-ray version! Score:

[singlepic id=263 float=left]Quantum of Solace is the newest Daniel Craig Bond movie. It picks up directly where Casino Royale left off, so by my count it’s the first Bond movie that’s actually a direct sequel.

Quantum of Solace is a story of revenge. Bond is out to find the people at the route of Vespa’s death, and this leads him on a whirlwind trail across the world. It’s every bit as brutal and action packed as the first, in fact, more so even. It’s a non-stop race to the finish, and you’re hardly able to catch your breath. That’s not a lot of depth to the story, but right now I’m more then happy with an all-out action Bond.

Blu-ray wise, it’s a pretty decent transfer. Image and sound quality if superb, but it’s severely lacking on special features. They will most definitely release a special edition down the line, like they did with Casino Royale.

Overall, a great movie. If you enjoyed the first Daniel Craig Bond, you’ll definitely enjoy this one.

Score: ]]> http://broken.co.za/blog/2009/04/24/quantum-of-solace-blu-ray/feed 0 http://broken.co.za/blog/2009/03/23/300-blu-ray http://broken.co.za/blog/2009/03/23/300-blu-ray#comments Mon, 23 Mar 2009 09:18:16 +0000 Broken http://broken.co.za/blog/?p=415 300 is the graphic novel my Frank Miller brought to life by Zack Snyder. Snyder most recently brought another comic cult hit Watchmen to celluloid. 300 is the movie that made us all confident that he would be able to give the translation the needed care and attention that it required. Based on the story of the 300 Spartans who stood against the might of the Persian army. The movie and novel are very stylised accounts of the events, it doesnt purport to be an accurate retelling. That given, its an amazing visual experience. Very violent, but all in context. The movie does a sterling job of bringing the graphic novel to the big screen, with many scenes directly recreated frame for frame from the novel. Fans of the novel are in for a treat. The Blu-ray is probably the best way to experience this movie. The picture quality is superb, as well as the sound quality. Its a feast for the eyes and ears. Well worth the price of admission! Score: ]]> 22 March 2009 – Sunday

The story follows Evie, played by Natalie Portman. V saved her from a attempted rape and assualt, and a friendship starts between them. We witness her transformation into someone who embraces the views of V.

Having read the graphic novel before seeing the movie originally, one’s left with a little sadness that they couldn’t bring the full effect of the novel through. But these things aren’t really feasible without making a convoluted over-long movie which would’ve really not appealed to anybody but the hardcore fans. As such, I enjoyed the movie for what it was, and the message that the novel conveys came through well enough in the end with the movie.

Well worth a watch if you enjoy Orwellian type movies.

Score ]]> http://broken.co.za/blog/2009/03/06/v-for-vendetta-blu-ray/feed 0 http://broken.co.za/blog/2009/01/09/movies-on-leave-review http://broken.co.za/blog/2009/01/09/movies-on-leave-review#comments Fri, 09 Jan 2009 17:32:12 +0000 Broken http://broken.co.za/blog/?p=239 Lazyness update of movies watched over the holiday period. I know, I should try harder, but I’m still suffering from the holiday blues.

Kung Fu Panda is a new animated movie from Dreamworks. It’s set around Kung Fu as a scenario, and features real Kung Fu styles as animals. So we have Tiger, Snake, Money, Matis and Crane. Then we have the titular Panda who wants so much to be a Kung Fu master as well. And he gets his chance, but first he has to go through trial by fire, so to speak, and in the end he has to face off against a evil Kung Fu master.

The amimation in this is superb, and on Blu-ray it really comes to live. The sound too is extremely well done in surround, and really the only way to watch this movie!

It’s a fun movie for the whole family to watch, it’s got something for everyone.

Score – 9/10

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Blu-ray) is definitely the best way to experience the latest addition to the Indy series. Everything I’ve mentioned about the movie in my original review still holds. The Blu-ray edition has excellent image reproduction, and the sound is pretty passible, although there’s room for improvement. The additional features on the Bonus disc is also very impressive and informative.

Score – 9/10

Iron Man (Blu-ray) is still an amazing piece of cinema. My previous review still stands, but there’s a few things to mention now. With the arrival of The Dark Knight, Iron Man is now only my second favourite comic book movie. But it’s still a close thing. The Blu-ray definitely is the way to watch this movie, the images are crisp, the soundstage is brilliant, and it’s all round just a fun movie.

The Blu-ray has some excellent feaures, I haven’t even started going throughh them yet though. It also features BD-Live, so I’ll see what online features it has at some point. It does need to download some stuff, and I don’t know how long that will take on our local lines, so I skipped it for now.

Score – 9/10