LATEST ADDITIONS

Anton van Beek  |  Jan 28, 2013  |  0 comments

Smash hit comedy Ted stars Mark Wahlberg as John, an amiable slacker whose best friend just happens to be a teddy bear that he wished to life when he was a kid (voiced by MacFarlane in full-on Peter Griffin mode). Which would be fine, if continually blowing off work to get stoned with a stuffed toy wasn't the kind of thing that might spoil things with the love of your life (Mila Kunis).

Anton van Beek  |  Jan 28, 2013  |  0 comments

What this introspective Antipodean drama about a mercenary hired to hunt and kill an extinct animal (the Tasmanian Tiger) lacks in immediate thrills, it more than makes up for with its gorgeously moody cinematography. So it's a good job that Artificial Eye's Blu-ray release features a rich, natural-looking AVC 2.40:1 1080p image. Matching this perfectly is a DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix that's adept at bringing life to the film's wild locations. While the chat-track and deleted scenes from the US disc have gone walkabout, the UK BD does include a Making of… and 16-minute interview.

Anton van Beek  |  Jan 26, 2013  |  0 comments

Sun, sea and shooting are the order of the day in this superb first-person action game. Eschewing the genre's usual fondness for funnelling players down carefully-disguised corridors, Far Cry 3 gives you an open-world tropical island to explore as you try to rescue your chums from vicious pirates.

Anton van Beek  |  Jan 25, 2013  |  0 comments

Is there really such a thing as the 'Untold Story of 007'? Possibly, but you're unlikely to find it in Stevan Riley's officially-sanctioned documentary looking back at the history of the Bond movie franchise and its stewardship under Albert 'Cubby' Broccoli and Harry Saltzman. However, this doesn't mean that you should simply write off Everything or Nothing as little more than a hagiography produced to cash-in on the franchise's 50th anniversary.

Anton van Beek  |  Jan 25, 2013  |  0 comments

Violent. Scary. Sexy. Blimey, this latest series from producers Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk couldn't be more different from their previous smash hit, Glee.

Anton van Beek  |  Jan 25, 2013  |  0 comments

Frank Henenlotter's gory skid row shocker about a young man and his monstrous Siamese twin doesn't seem like an obvious choice for a hi-def remaster. But we're pleasantly surprised by the fidelity of the AVC 1.33:1 1080p encode and how it helps reinforce the grain and grime of the original 16mm footage. The two bigger-budget sequels fare better in terms of AV, although the quality of the actual films dips with each instalment. A refreshingly frank 79-minute examination of the making of the trilogy is the pick of the set's copious extras.

Anton van Beek  |  Jan 25, 2013  |  0 comments

Equal parts hypnotic, claustrophobic and didactic, Cronenberg's latest film sees the 69-year old filmmaker at his most experimental. While unlikely to find favour with fans hoping for a return to his g(l)ory days as a purveyor of body horror, it's still an oddly irresistible piece of cinema, and the Blu-ray it arrives on is equally impressive. Admittedly, the DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix isn't given too much to work with in terms of dynamics, but the AVC 1.85:1 1080p encode revels in the original digital photography. Best of all though is the fascinating 110-minute Making of… doc.

Steve May  |  Jan 25, 2013  |  0 comments

This business-like box is as much about the Panasonic Smart Viera ecosystem as it is about time-shifting X-Factor – and that’s a good thing. For those wanting a connected TV experience without having to trade in their older TV, it’s a great solution.

Steve May  |  Jan 25, 2013  |  0 comments

2013 is fast shaping up to be the year of eight million pixels. Full HD, now ubiquitous on TVs at every price point and served up by more than 60 channels, finally has something to look up to. 4K resolution displays, built for those with really deep pockets, are finally becoming a reality. January’s International CES was a galvanising launch pad for these next-generation screens.

Anton van Beek  |  Jan 24, 2013  |  0 comments

Fans of Toshiya Fujita's blood-soaked 1973 tale of revenge and its equally entertaining 1974 sequel (Lady Snowblood: Blood Song of Vengeance) are in for a treat with this hi-def outing. The AVC 2.35:1 1080p encodes look extremely faithful to the source material and show no signs of overt digital manipulation. Likewise, the Japanese LPCM 2.0 audio for both is excellent, with both offering considerably more depth and range than I ever expected. Given that both films have been squeezed onto a single disc, it's hardly surprisingly that extras are limited to trailers and a 11min featurette.

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