Oculus Blu-ray Review

**SYNOPSIS**


Seeing is deceiving in this disturbingly original horror flick that reflects heart-stopping terror as you’ve never imagined! It’s been ten years since the lives of siblings Tim (Brenton Thwaites; Maleficent) and Kaylie Russell (Karen Gillan; “Doctor Who”) were shattered and Tim was convicted of murdering their parents. Now released from a mental institution, Tim wants to move on, but his sister has other plans. Kaylie blames their childhood nightmare on the Lasser Glass—an antique mirror with a grisly history—which she intends to destroy by any means possible, even as the mysterious entity continues to cast sinister spells on anyone who gazes into it.





**MOVIE REVIEW**


Director Mike Flanagan has crafted an effectively eerie horror film that relies more on the mind than gore. The performances from the cast are solid down the board but my favorite had to Katee Sackhoff who starred previously on Battlestar Galactica as Starbuck. She plays the abusive and terrifying Marie who is the Mother of Kaylie and Tim. I enjoyed the fact there aren't the more often used horror scares to frighten but a more cerebral approach is taken that has you wondering if the main character is telling the truth the whole time or insane. The end of the film loses a little steam but I still would recommend taking the time to pick this one up. 8.5/10


**VIDEO QUALITY**


Oculus arrives on Blu-ray with a 1080p transfer in the aspect ratio of 2.40:1 - Colors have a natural appearance with good saturation. As the story gets darker so does the image. Black levels were deep and displayed solid shadow delineation. The overall image is sharp with some really nice detail coming through on close ups. There were no signs of edge enhancement or compression artifacts. 9/10


**AUDIO QUALITY**


Audio is provided by a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. - Dialogue is placed front and center while coming across crystal clear. LFE performance is quite stunning by how deep and foreboding the rumbling is and the power it strikes with during more intense moments. Surrounds are used effectively for creating a sense of environment. The score breathes effortlessly through the mix. No pops, or hissing heard. 9.5/10


**SPECIAL FEATURES**


* Commentary by Mike Flanagan and Trevor Macy - Both participants try their best to provide info on the production but there are several moments of nothing being said at all.

* Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by Mike Flanagan and Trevor Macy (HD, 9min48sec)

* Inside The Mirror: Creating Oculus (HD, 9min34sec) - A standard behind-the-scenes featurette with interviews from cast and crew mixed in between clips from the film.

* Original Oculus 33 Minute Short Film with Optional Commentary by Mike Flanagan and Trevor Macy (HD, 32min15sec) - I found this to be a worthwhile extra that varies from the full length feature and was eerie enough.

* Theatrical Trailer (HD, 1min26sec)

Edge of Tomorrow on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD October 7th

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has officially announced they will release the Summer smash Edge of Tomorrow to Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD, and Digital HD on October 7, 2014. The film stars Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. The Blu-ray specs are 1080p video in the 2.40:1 aspect ratio and a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track should be expected for audio. Below are the official details:





Burbank, CA, August 13, 2014 – Live, Die, Repeat when “Edge of Tomorrow” arrives onto Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and Digital HD on October 7 from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. Directed by Doug Liman (“The Bourne Identity,” “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”), “Edge of Tomorrow” stars Oscar® nominee Tom Cruise (“Born on the Fourth of July,” “Jerry Maguire,” “Magnolia”) and Emily Blunt (“The Devil Wears Prada,” “The Adjustment Bureau”).

Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ sci-fi thriller “Edge of Tomorrow” was directed by Liman from a screenplay by Christopher McQuarrie and Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth, and based on the novel entitled “All You Need is Kill” by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. “Edge of Tomorrow” is the first motion picture to be shot at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden.

“Edge of Tomorrow,” was produced by Erwin Stoff, Tom Lassally, Jeffrey Silver, Gregory Jacobs and Jason Hoffs, alongside executive producers Doug Liman, David Bartis, Joby Harold, Hidemi Fukuhara and Bruce Berman, with Tim Lewis and Kim Winther serving as co-producers.

Supporting Cruise and Blunt is an international cast that includes Bill Paxton (“Aliens,” HBO’s “Big Love”), Brendan Gleeson (“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1”), Noah Taylor (“Lawless”), Kick Gurry (Australian TV’s “Tangle”), Dragomir Mrsic (“Snabba Cash II”), Charlotte Riley (“World Without End”), Jonas Armstrong (BBC TV’s “Robin Hood”), Franz Drameh (“Attack the Block”), Masayoshi Haneda (“Emperor”) and Tony Way (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”).

“Edge of Tomorrow” will be available on Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack for $44.95 and on Blu-ray Combo Pack for $35.99. Both include a digital version of the movie on Digital HD with UltraViolet.* Fans can also own “Edge of Tomorrow” in Digital HD on October 7 via purchase from digital retailers.


**SYNOPSIS**


The epic action of “Edge of Tomorrow” unfolds in a near future in which an alien race has hit the Earth in an unrelenting assault, unbeatable by any military unit in the world. Major William Cage (Cruise) is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously dropped into what amounts to a suicide mission. Killed within minutes, Cage now finds himself inexplicably thrown into a time loop—forcing him to live out the same brutal combat over and over, fighting and dying again…and again. But with each battle, Cage becomes able to engage the adversaries with increasing skill, alongside Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski (Blunt). And, as Cage and Rita take the fight to the aliens, each repeated encounter gets them one step closer to defeating the enemy.


**SPECIAL FEATURES**


* Operation Downfall - Adrenaline Cut

* Storming The Beach

* Weapons Of The Future

* Creatures Not Of This World

* On The Edge With Doug Liman

* Deleted Scenes

Young Frankenstein: 40th Anniversary on Blu-ray September 9th

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment has officially announced they will release Mel Brook's best film Young Frankenstein: 40th Anniversary to Blu-ray on September 9, 2014. The film stars Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle. The Blu-ray will feature 1080p video in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio. Audio will be provided by a DTS-HD Master 5.1 track. Below are the official details:





LOS ANGELES, CA (August 14, 2014) – The scariest comedy of all time gets resurrected as Young Frankenstein: 40th Anniversary arrives on Blu-ray September 9 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Comedy icons Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Cloris Leachman, Marty Feldman, Teri Garr and Madeline Kahn star in Mel Brooks’ brilliantly outrageous riff on Mary Shelley’s classic story of Frankenstein. After inheriting his grandfather’s castle in Transylvania, young Dr. Frankenstein (Wilder) follows in his ancestor’s freaky footsteps as he sets out to reanimate a dead body in Brooks’ “funniest, most cohesive comedy to date.” (The New York Times)

Young Frankenstein was nominated for two Academy Awards* and two Golden Globe Awards**. More than 40 years later, the film has stood the test of time, ranking at lucky number 13 on the American Film Institute’s list of the top 100 funniest films.

In celebration of the 40th anniversary, fans of Young Frankenstein can also enter themselves for a chance to win an autographed set photo from the man himself, Mel Brooks! Beginning on September 1, fans can go to www.YoungFrankSweeps.com for all the rules and a chance to win.

* Best Sound, Richard Portman and Gene Cantamessa, 1975; Best Writing/Adapted Screenplay, Mel Brooks, Gene Wilder, 1975.

**Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical Comedy, Cloris Leachman, 1975; Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture, Madeline Kahn, 1975.


**SPECIAL FEATURES**


* Commentary by Mel Brooks
* Interviews with Marty Feldman, Gene Wilder and Cloris Leachman
* “Inside the Lab: Secret Formulas to the Making of Young Frankenstein” featurette
* Blucher Button
* “It’s Alive: Creating a Monster Classic” featurette
* “Making FrankenSense of Young Frankenstein” featurette
* “Transylvanian Lullaby: The Music of John Norris” featurette
* Deleted Scenes and Outtakes
* Production Photo Galleries and More!