King of Devil's Island - DVD and Blu-ray (2010) – Grade B

Click here to read my review for King of Devil's Island.

The Darkest Hour - DVD and Blu-ray (2011) – Grade C-

Two Americans arrive in Russia on business and soon after aliens decide to attack the planet. The good news: the aliens are invisible and it’s not a gimmick or simply a way to shoot a low budget film without resorting to a ton of special effects; the aliens use cloaking technology as a tactical advantage. The bad news: everything else in the film. The special effects are pretty good overall – whole streets are empty and left devastated and there is some other neat technology stuff (kind of) – but the dialogue is remarkably sloppy and some of the ways in which the survivors think can be quite stupid at times. It’s still not a terrible film because the last 20 minutes are kind of cool. Why couldn’t the film start there and then continue as an action extravaganza for another 65 minutes? At least it's not a complete mess and it's dumb enough to entertain.

A Streetcar Named Desire - Blu-ray (1951) - Grade A+

Need I really say anything that hadn’t already been said? Here is one of the greatest play-to-film adaptations of all time; one of the most quotable films of all time; and we have unforgettable performances by Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh, Kim Hunter, and Karl Malden. The HD transfer is excellent and this is a definite blind buy. :O)

A Trip to the Moon - Blu-ray (1902) - Grade A+

A landmark in primitive special effects and a masterful use forced perspective, this, Georges Méliès’ most famous film comes to Blu-ray in its original colour tinting format courtesy of Flicker Alley. Anyone who’s watched Martin Scorsese’s Hugo should recognize this film’s importance and if one hadn’t yet watched it (or Hugo)… well, you’re not doing me a favor by skipping out on greatness.