Storage Wars: Season 1 - DVD Review

***SYNOPSIS***

Follow four professional “buyers” and their teams as they scour repossessed storage units in search of hidden treasure in Season 1 of the new A&E original real life series, STORAGE WARS. Part gamblers and part detectives, these seasoned veterans negotiate the fascinating and obscure world of storage auction and consignment, finding everything from dead bodies to the world’s most valuable comic book collection – and paying as little as ten dollars for items valued in the millions. Each episode of STORAGE WARS follows a group of bidders as they get a quick peek inside the units, aided only by a flashlight. They then must assess on the spot if the unit is worth a bid and how high they’re willing to go. The high-stakes fun begins as they see if the resulting buy is full of mostly trash…or true treasure. Driven by Dan Dotson, one of the most successful and outrageous auctioneers in the country, STORAGE WARS’ cast of buyers is as colorful and varied as the treasures they uncover.

*DISC ONE* High Noon in the High Desert / Railroad Roulette / Melee in the Maze / War on the Shore / The Old Spanish Standoff / All Guns To Port / Senior Center Showdown

*DISC TWO* Midnight in the Gardena Good and Evil / Collector’s Last Stand / School House Lock / Gambler’s Last Resort / Auction Royale / Makings of a Mogul / Trouble the Oil

*DISC THREE* Chairman of the Hoard / High End Heist / Young with the Gun / Skullduggery / Live and Let Bid

***MOVIE REVIEW***

"YUUUP", if your familiar with the show you know you'll hear this several times an episode from the big buyer on the show, Dave Hester. This eccentric character is accompanied by a group of fellow auction hunters of locked storage bins. The roughly 22 minutes episodes each flow pretty fast and all the "treasure" that they find could very well be in another mans opinion just junk. If you watch Pawn Stars this is a fun alternative to that hit show. 8/10


***VIDEO QUALITY***
Storage Wars arrives on DVD with a 480p in the original aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and the results were quite good. This being a show that consists of on location footage at storage rental places we get a lot of nice natural lighting and solid color reproduction. Contrast levels were consistently pleasing. The show airs in HD and this was a very good standard def presentation of that. 7/10


***AUDIO QUALITY***
Audio is provided by a Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0 track. Once again with the bulk of the show shot on location the dialogue from the various bidders and the auctioneer are crisp and clean. The musical score played clear as well. 7/10

WWE Randy Orton: The Evolution Of A Predator - DVD Review

***SYNOPSIS***

*DISC ONE*

I Am Randy Orton
The Road to WrestleMania Begins
Preparing for the Chamber
Embarking on a Path of Destiny
Training Days
The Elimination Chamber
Facing the Media
The Next Diamond
Signs of Trouble
Dealing with Injuries
The Legend Killer
The Man of Destiny
Punked Out
Coming Home
A Hard Lesson to Learn
Evening the Odds
The Mecca
The Price and Reward of WrestleMania
Making a Difference
Dark Days
Madison Square Melee
Randy's Redemption
Axxess to the Apex Predator
Legacy
The Day Has Arrived...
I Won't Be Your Hero
The Evolution of Randy Orton

*DISC TWO*

Randy Orton vs. Slick Robbie D
OVW Christmas Chaos - January 31, 2001

Randy Orton vs. Hardcore Holly
SmackDown - April 25, 2002

Randy Orton vs. Shawn Michaels
Unforgiven - September 21, 2003

Intercontinental Championship Match
Randy Orton vs. Rob Van Dam
Armageddon - December 14, 2003

Handicap Tag Team Match
Randy Orton, Ric Flair & Batista vs. The Rock & Mick Foley
WrestleMania 20 - March 14, 2004

Hardcore Match for the Intercontinental Championship
Randy Orton vs. Mick Foley
Backlash - April 18, 2004

Intercontinental Championship Match
Randy Orton vs. Edge
Vengeance - July 11, 2004

Handicap Casket Match
Randy Orton & "Cowboy" Bob Orton vs. The Undertaker
No Mercy - October 9, 2005

*DISC THREE*

Randy Orton vs. Kurt Angle
Vengeance - June 25, 2006

Legend Killer vs. WWE Legend
Randy Orton vs. Hulk Hogan
SummerSlam - August 20, 2006

Texas Bull Rope Match
Randy Orton vs. Dusty Rhodes
The Great American Bash - July 22, 2007

Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship
Randy Orton vs. Triple H vs. John Cena
WrestleMania 24 - March 30, 2008

"I Quit" Match for the WWE Championship
Randy Orton vs. John Cena
Breaking Point - September 13, 2009

Hell in a Cell Match for the WWE Championship
Randy Orton vs. Sheamus
Hell in a Cell - October 3, 2010

Randy Orton vs. CM Punk
WrestleMania 27 - April 3, 2011

World Heavyweight Championship Match
Randy Orton vs. Christian
SmackDown - May 6, 2011

***MOVIE REVIEW***

The main feature on Disc 1 runs at 1hr and 30min. This was one of my most anticipated releases and I wasn't disappointed. It all starts at Elimination Chamber 2011 where we see Randy being candidly followed into the back stage area and locker room. From there the doc follows this path all the way to WrestleMania XXVII with some great insight and reflection of his career so far.

One of the highlights is seeing the great family man he has matured into when he has a home show in St. Louis. We are given a glimpse into their home life with his adorable little girl and his beautiful wife. Harley Race is seen near catering at the arena and is so sweet with Randy's daughter. John Cena jokes that he got his food all ready for him. Randy and his Wife speak openly about his drug addiction and how it almost claimed his life and it by the end of this feature you will be proud of the man he has become by focusing on his family and how he now channels his rage into his "Viper" character instead of lashing out at people who care about him.

HHH, John Cena, Batista, Edge, Cowboy Bob Orton, The Miz, and several more superstars are both praising but bluntly truthful , the best Cena calling the old Orton "a Dick and and an asshole". HHH speaks on them bringing him into Evolution and seeing a once in lifetime talent. He also reflects on Randys cockiness and addictions. It first of all was great there was no Matt Striker or Michael Cole anywhere to be seen, and to here people be so candid for once instead of just glowing praise was refreshing. I won't speak anymore on this well made documentary and let you see for yourself, you will not regret purchasing this set. 9/10

***VIDEO QUALITY***
Evolution Of A Predator arrives on DVD with a 480p transfer in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The main feature is a superbly edited feature and there were no major signs of compression or edge enhancement.Interspersed between the main feature on Disc 1 are new interviews and they are pretty much perfect with deep blacks, rich color saturation, and superb facial details. The matches are presented in their original aspect ratios of 1.33:1 and more current ones in 1.78:1. There is a static image on the sides for the early matches to fill out the image on your HDTV. The content overall is crisp and clean with great color balance and strong black levels. This is a solid presentation that I'm sure will look even better on Blu-ray. 8/10

***AUDIO QUALITY***
Audio is provided by a Dolby Digital 5.1 track. While this is a 5.1 track it is for the most part very front heavy. The front channels exhibit some decent stereo separation and there was some subtle crowd din in the rear channels. The commentary on the matches was crisp and clean. Narration on the main feature was perfect, as was the newly shot interview footage. 7/10

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WWE: Money In The Bank 2011 - DVD Review

***SYNOPSIS***

For years, the Money in the Bank match was a highlight of WrestleMania, with each of the six winners going on to successfully cash in their opportunities and win World Championships. Last year, the popular match headlined its own WWE pay-per-view event, and two spectacular matches led to two more successful title reigns, including the Miz seizing on his momentum at last year's event to become the most must-see WWE Champion in history. So the stakes are incredibly high for the Superstars of Raw and SmackDown look to climb the ladder of success at Money in the Bank 2011. Now, you can own the DVD!

Smackdown Money In The Bank Ladder Match

Daniel Bryan vs. Wade Barrett vs. Sin Cara vs. Sheamus vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Heath Slater vs. Justin Gabriel vs. Kane

WWE Divas Championship Match

Kelly Kelly vs. Brie Bella

Mark Henry vs. The Big Show

Raw Money In The Bank Ladder Match

The Miz vs. Alex Riley vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Evan Bourne vs. R-Truth vs. Jack Swagger

World Heavyweight Championship Match (If Orton is disqualified Christian wins title)

Randy Orton vs. Christian

WWE Championship

CM Punk vs. John Cena

***VIDEO QUALITY***

Money In The Bank 2011 arrives on DVD with a 480p transfer in the original aspect ratio of 1.78:1. Black levels are good with solid contrast. Colors were great with nice saturation and no bleeding. Detail was solid but there was softness in the image the first 20 minutes due to Kanes' pyro making the ring and arena presented in a haze. There were some minor compression artifacts during ring entrances but nothing obtrusive. A solid performer, but it is a shame that the best PPV in quite some time doesn't get a Blu-ray release. 8/10

***AUDIO QUALITY***

Audio is provided by a Dolby Digital 5.1 track. Entrance music was the highlight with good dynamics and some solid bass performance. Commentary was crisp and clean throughout the show. Surround channels were used for atmospheric crowd din, which comes across well with the lively Chicago crowd. 7.5/10