Ancient Aliens: Season Two - DVD Review

***SYNOPSIS***

ANCIENT ALIENS returns in SEASON TWO to explore the controversial theory that extraterrestrials have visited Earth for millions of years. From the age of dinosaurs to ancient Egypt, from early cave drawings to continued mass sightings in the United States, each episode in this new series gives historic depth to the questions, speculations, provocative controversies, firsthand accounts and grounded theories surrounding an age-old debate: Did intelligent life forms from outer space visit Earth thousands of years ago? Do they visit us now? HISTORY ignites this inquiry.

DISC ONE Mysterious Places / Gods & Aliens / Underwater Worlds / Underground Aliens

DISC TWO Aliens and the Third Reich / Alien Tech / Angels and Aliens / Unexplained Structures

DISC THREE Alien Devastations / Alien Contacts



***VIDEO QUALITY***
arrives on Blu-ray with a 1080p transfer utilizing the codec in the original aspect ratio of . A sort of mash up of newly shot footage, interviews and vintage stock footage the image overall was okay of inconsistent. Color reproduction was good with newly shot segments exhibit strong detail. Stock footage though was quite soft as well as graphics on the screen. 6.5/10


***AUDIO QUALITY***
Audio is provided by a Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo track. E.T.'s pal Peter Coyote and his narration are the star here. Dialogue was crisp and clean with his wonderful voice adding to the images on screen. Music cues came across well with good stereo separation. A solid presentation. 7/10

WORLD EXCLUSIVE WWE: The Greatest Cage Matches of All Time - DVD Disc Review

***SYNOPSIS***

Some of the greatest rivalries end with brutal cage matches matches that keep the combatants in the ring and interference out. For decades, steel-cage matches have been one of the most popular matches in every wrestling company, including WWE, WCW, ECW, Smokey Mountain, AWA, WCCW, and more. This 3-disc set collects the greatest steel cage matches in history.

DISC 1

Introduction by Josh Mathews

Steel Cage Match for the WWE Championship
Bob Backlund vs. Pat Patterson
Madison Square Garden 24th September, 1979

Steel Cage Match for the WWE Championship
Bob Backlund vs. Jimmy `Superfly' Snuka
Madison Square Garden 19th May, 1980

Steel Cage Match
Bruno Sammartino vs. Larry Zbyszko
Shea Stadium 9th August, 1980

World Class Mayhem

Steel Cage Match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
`Nature Boy' Ric Flair vs. Kerry Von Erich
Christmas Star Wars 25th December, 1982

Steel Cage Match for the NWA World Tag Team Championship
Ivan & Nikita Koloff vs. Rock `N' Roll Express
Starrcade 28th November, 1985

Steel Cage Match
Road Warriors vs. Michael P.S. Hayes & `Gorgeous' Jimmy Garvin
WrestleRock 20th April, 1986

Hardcore Style

Steel Cage Match
Abdullah the Butcher vs. Bruiser Brody
Cotton Bowl Extravaganza 12th October, 1986

Steel Cage Match
Midnight Rockers vs. `Playboy' Buddy Rose & `Pretty Boy' Doug Somers
Brawl in St. Paul 25th December, 1986

Steel Cage Match
Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant
WrestleFest 31st July, 1988

DISC 2

Gladiator in a Steel Cage

Steel Cage Match for the World Heavyweight Championship
`Nature Boy' Ric Flair vs. Lex Luger
Capital Combat 19th May, 1990

Steel Cage Match for the WWE Championship
Ultimate Warrior vs. `Ravishing' Rick Rude
SummerSlam 27th August, 1990

Steel Cage Match
Ultimate Warrior vs. `Macho King' Randy Savage
Madison Square Garden 21st January, 1991

A Shattered Relationship

Steel Cage Match for the Intercontinental Championship
Shawn Michaels vs. Marty Jannetty
White Plains, NY 17th August, 1993

Steel Cage Match
Mankind vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley
SummerSlam 3rd August, 1997

The Rattlesnake vs. The Boss

Steel Cage Match
Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Mr. McMahon
St. Valentine's Day Massacre 14th February, 1999

Steel Cage Match for the WWE Championship
The Rock vs. Triple H
Rebellion 2nd October, 1999

DISC 3

New School of Aggression

Steel Cage Match to Unify the Tag Team Championships
Dudley Boyz vs. Hardy Boyz
Survivor Series 18th November, 2001

Steel Cage Match
Edge vs. Chris Jericho
SmackDown 25th July, 2002

Steel Cage Match
Chris Jericho vs. Christian
Raw 10th May, 2004

Steel Cage Match
Randy Orton vs. `Nature Boy' Ric Flair
Taboo Tuesday 19th October, 2004

Passion and Emotion

Steel Cage Match
Matt Hardy vs. Edge
Unforgiven 18th September, 2005

Steel Cage Match for the WWE Championship
John Cena vs. Edge
Raw 2nd October, 2006

Steel Cage Match for the World Heavyweight Championship
Batista vs. Chris Jericho
Raw 3rd November, 2008

Steel Cage Match for the World Heavyweight Championship
CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy
SmackDown 28th August, 2009

The Last Resort

***MOVIE REVIEW***

Wow this was a fun set to watch. I enjoyed this compilation more than any other WWE release in quite some time. Yes, the sticker on the front of the package states "Unedited" and TV-14. There will be blood. This collection of brutal cage matches are hosted by the likeable Josh Mathews who gives some info such as when the original first steel cage match was originally thought to be held as well as taking commentary duties along with Matt Striker on the Bruno Sammartino vs. Larry Zbyszko that took place at Shea Stadium. While I'm not personally a fan of Stiker he had a good back and forth with Mathews and they even took jabs at their social life away from wrestling. Of course I'm sure everyone would prefer Jim Ross talking about that classic match but it is what it is.

WWE has done a great job supplying matches that to this day are still thrilling and overall this is a much more coherent set than the 2003 release of WWE: Bloodblath . I highly enjoyed watching matched that I had never seen or haven't seen for several years. Love that blue barred cage that WWE used until the early 90's. I know that wrestlers stated it hurt like hell but it was so visually arresting. One of the best aspects of this DVD is the original entrances are kept intact and there were a couple of interviews included before the match as well such as Ultimate Warrior's insane promo before his match with "Ravishing" Rick Rude at Summerslam 1990. Understandably there are a couple classics that are of course left out because those matches involved "He who shall not be named".

If you have fond memories of the bloody and brutal steel cage matches from the early 80's to the more modern daredevil matches with The Hardy Boyz or Edge this is an excellent mix of old and new that is well worth your time and money. I highly recommend this collection. 9/10

***VIDEO QUALITY***
WWE: The Greatest Cage Matches of All Time arrives on DVD with a 480i transfer in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The majority of the presentation consists of the original 1.33:1 aspect ratio of the vintage matches with a steel cage pattern on the sides of the image to fill out the screen on HDTVs without sacrificing the original footage and stretching it. Early footage was a mixed bag with muted colors and not the deepest blacks. Detail was average. As we come into the 90's colors take a giant leap in saturation and boldness. Detail was improved with only very slight softness with the MSG match between "Warrior" and "Macho King". The last couple matches as expected offered the best image quality as far as match footage is concerned. The introductions with host Josh Mathews were clearly filmed in HD and the transfer exhibits deep, inky black levels and well saturated colors with no bleeding. Overall this set is a solid performer. 7.5/10

***AUDIO QUALITY***
Audio is provided by a Dolby Digital 5.1 track. Don't let the five audio channels fool since the only matches that take advantage of the 5.1 track is the last few matches that exhibit some decent stereo separation and noticeable crowd din in the rear channels. Vintage matches varied from crisp and clean commentary to a couple matches exhibiting a slightly muffled sound. This is pretty much a front heavy track with dialogue placed dead in the middle. A mixed bag overall as I expected going in but nothing to get too worried over. 7/10

Sons of Anarchy: Season 3 coming to Blu-ray August 30th

Fox Home Entertainment has announced their plans to release the hit FX show Sons of Anarchy: Season 3 as a 3-Disc Blu-ray set on August 30, 2011. The show stars Ron Pearlman, Charlie Hunnam, and Katey Sagal.

All 13 episodes of the third season will be presented in full 1080p in the original aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and audio will be provided by a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Special features are set to include the following:

* Episode Commentary on "SO" - Kurt Sutter, Dave Erickson, Chris Collins, Regina Corrado, Katey Sagal and Marco Ramirez
* Episode Commentary on "Firinne" - Kurt Sutter, Charlie Hunnam, Katey Sagal and Maggie Siff
* Episode Commentary on "NS" - Kurt Sutter, Charlie Hunnam, Ron Perlman, Mark Boone Jr., Kim Coates, Tommy Flanagn, Theo Rossi and Dayton Callie
* "Bainne" (Extended Episode)
* "June Wedding" (Extended Episode)
* Season 3 Bridge Pieces
* Writers Roundtable
* Bike Customizer
* Directing the Finale with Kurt Sutter
* "NS" Table read with Cast
* Fox Movie Channel Presents World Premiere: Sons of Anarchy Season 3
* Deleted/Extended Scenes
* Gag-Reel

Top Gun: 25th Anniversary Edition coming to Blu-ray August 30th

Paramount Home Entertainment will be re-releasing the 2008 edition of the film Top Gun as a new "25th Anniversary Edition" Blu-ray with the only new addition unfortunately being a Digital Copy. The Blu-ray/Digital Copy combo will release on August 28, 2011. The film stars Tom Cruise in the role of "Maverick".

Technical specs will feature the same 1080p transfer in the original aspect ratio of 2.39:1 and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Dolby TrueHD tracks supplying the audio. Special features remain the same as well and will include the following:

* Commentary by producer Jerry Bruckheimer, director Tony Scott, co-screenwriter Jack Epps, Jr., and naval experts
* Danger Zone: The Making of Top Gun Six-Part Documentary
* Multi-Angle Storyboards - Includes optional commentary by Tony Scott
* Best of the Best: Inside the Real Top Gun
* Music Videos Kenny Loggins ("Danger Zone") Berlin ("Take My Breath Away") Loverboy ("Heaven In Your Eyes") Harold Faltermeyer and Steve Stevens ("Top Gun Anthem")
* TV Spots
* Behind-the-Scenes Featurette
* Survival Training Featurette
* Tom Cruise Interviews
* NEW Feature - Digital Copy

Star Wars: The Clone Wars The Complete Season Three coming to Blu-ray October 18th

Warner Home Entertainment has announced their plans to release Star Wars: The Clone Wars The Complete Season Three on Blu-ray October 18, 2011.

The animated hit show will presented in the original aspect ratio of 2.39:1 in full 1080p. At this time we do not have word on whether or not this will be the first Clone Wars Blu-ray release to feature a DTS-HD Master Audio track. Hopefully Warner will provide fans with the absolute best audio possible. I will update when final audio presentation and special features are officially announced.

CG Animated hit Rio coming to Blu-ray August 2nd

Fox Home Entertainment has announced their plans to release the CG Animated hit Rio as a Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy Combo Pack on August 2, 2011. The movie features the voices of stars Jesse Eisenberg and Anne Hathaway.

The film will be presented in full 1080p in the original aspect ratio of 2.39:1. Audio will be provided by a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Below are the planned special features:

* Explore the World of Rio - Beach, Jungle, City, Stadium
* Blu Shows the Way - Introduction
* Boom-Boom Tish Tish: The Sounds of Rio featurette
* The Making of Hot Wings featurette
* Saving the Species: One Voice at a Time featurette
* The Real Rio featurette
* "Welcome to Rio" Music Video
* Taio Cruz – "Telling the World" Music Video
* Deleted Scene: "Fruit Stand"
* Postcards from Rio featurette
* Carnival Dance O Rama - Intro, Blu, Jewel, Luiz, Monkeys, Nico and Pedro, Raphael, Samba Line
* Rio de JAM-eiro Jukebox
* Angry Birds Rio – Trailer
* Angry Birds Rio – Nigel Mash Up
* Angry Birds Rio – Instructional Video
* Live Lookup Powered By IMDB

Entourage: The Complete Seventh Season coming to Blu-ray July 12th

HBO Home Entertainment has announced their plans to release Entourage: The Complete Seventh Season on a Blu-ray July 12, 2011. The show will be presented in full 1080p in the original aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and will be accompanied by a DTS-HD Master Audio track. Special features will include the following:

* Three audio commentaries - Contributors will include creator/executive producer Doug Ellin, executive producer Ally Musika, Adrian Grenier, Jeremy Piven, Kevin Connolly, and Jerry Ferrara
* Inside the Hollywood Highlife - The making of season seven
* The Shades of Sasha Grey - A featurette on adult film actress and Entourage guest star Sasha Grey

World Exclusive VIDEO PREVIEW WWE: The Greatest Cage Matches of All Time DVD Package Contents

Here is my exclusive video preview of the package contents for the June 28th release of WWE: The Greatest Cage Matches of All Time 3-Disc DVD set.

World Exclusive First Look Pics - WWE: The Greatest Cage Matches of All Time 3-Disc DVD Set

Hello everyone, here are some World Exclusive pics of the package contents of the upcoming WWE: The Greatest Cage Matches of All Time 3-Disc DVD set to release on Tuesday June 28, 2011. Please note that there once again is no insert or content listing with this product.

Thank you for looking. I'll be back with my full review of the disc contents no later than Tuesday evening. Stay tuned.

The Kids in the Hall: Complete Series Megaset - DVD Review

***SYNOPSIS***

Thirty Helens agree: for five groundbreaking seasons, the legendary Canadian-bred comic prodigies THE KIDS IN THE HALL stretched sketch comedy to its ultimate limits with hilariously off-the-wall results.

With a cast of comic creations only the brilliant–or truly twisted–could imagine, THE KIDS IN THE HALL: THE COMPLETE SERIES presents the Kids’ nearly 800 sketches from every single episode of each season in this stunning set. From the infamous Girl Drink Drunk, Chicken Lady and Headcrusher to the romantically challenged Cabbage Head and Darryl, these ever-charming comedians always managed to land on the stranger side of funny–and still look good in floral dresses.

The unhinged and unfailingly unpredictable, critically acclaimed cult favorite THE KIDS IN THE HALL is at long last available in its sidesplitting entirety. Be warned: it may crush your head.

FEATURING: Buddy Cole, Hecubus, Head Crusher, Chicken Lady, Apathetic Cop, Gavin, Sir Simon Milligan, A.T. & Love Boss, The Queen, Cabbage Head, Bad Doctor, Francesca Fiore, Bearded Lady, Flying Pig, Satan

BONUS FEATURES An Oral History-Season 1: 45 Minutes of Interviews with the Kids and Lorne Michaels; An Oral History-Season 2: 15 minutes with the Kids, Paul Bellini, and Lorne Michaels; Audio Commentary by The Kids; 10 Best-of Compilations Featuring Fan-Favorite Sketches; Over 90 Minutes of Original Performances from the Rivoli Theater; Archival Footage Never-Before-Seen-on-TV; Full sketch listing, poster gallery, cast bios, slideshows, and much more.


***VIDEO QUALITY***
Kids in the Hall arrives on DVD with a 480i transfer in the original aspect ratio of 1.33:1. As one would expect from a fullscreen image that was shot in the late 80's and early 90's for television means that colors are somewhat muted and detail is left wanting. There were instances of softness to the image but overall it was a consistent if bland visual presentation. 5/10


***AUDIO QUALITY***
Audio is provided by a Dolby 2.0 Stereo track. While lacking any superb stereo separation or aural effects this a solid comedy listen. The Kids dialogue is crisp and clean. Audience din and musical segments were well represented with a clear listen for the viewer at all times. 6/10

Dog the Bounty Hunter: This Family Means Business - DVD Review

***SYNOPSIS***

Beware of this Dog,his bark is just as bad as his bite.In DOG THE BOUNTY HUNTER: THIS FAMILY MEANS BUSINESS, Dog, Beth and the Chapman clan cross the 200th episode threshold, further proving to be one of television’s most successful long-running franchises. From Hawaii to Colorado, Duane “Dog” Chapman continues to feed fans the action-packed, high-stakes hunts that have made him the world’s most famous bounty hunter, tracking fugitives alongside his wife Beth and their fearless family-based posse. In this season, Dog enlists the girls to hunt down a female fugitive while he spends the day caring for his newest granddaughter…old friends Tim Chapman and Sonny Westbrook lend a hand to capture a thief with violent tendencies…and Dog discovers social networking plays a vital role in tracking a fugitive with a long rap sheet.

EPISODESGirl Power / Prodigal Son / Family Ties / Surface Scratches / The Great Debate / Facebooked

BONUS FEATURES - Dog the Bounty Hunter…Best of episode. A retrospective special celebrating Dog the Bounty Hunter’s 200th episode



***VIDEO QUALITY***
Dog arrives on DVD with a 480i transfer in the original aspect ratio of 1.33:1. It begrudges me to say that the production team still sees fit not to use HD equipment or even shoot in widescreen. The image is okay with a gritty, natural feel to it but surely nothing to write home about. 6/10


***AUDIO QUALITY***
Audio is provided by a Dolby Stereo 2.0 track. Filmed on location and naturally the audio was still crisp and clean. As long as you don't expect aural fireworks this track will do fine. 6/10