All the Way Blu-ray Review

**SYNOPSIS**


Hailed as “dramatically dazzling” (Baltimore Sun) and “powerful” (Chicago Sun-Times), All the Way was nominated for eight 2016 Emmy Awards® including Outstanding Television Movie, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie (Bryan Cranston, who reprises his Tony® Award winning role). The film follows LBJ during his early administration, as he stakes his presidency on what would be an historic, unprecedented Civil Rights Act. Johnson finds himself caught between the moral imperative of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the expectations of the southern Democratic Party leaders who brought Johnson to power. As King battles to press Johnson while controlling more radical elements of the Civil Rights movement, Johnson navigates the bill through Congress, winning a landslide victory against Barry Goldwater, but causing the South to defect from the Democratic Party.

Co-starring with Cranston are Anthony Mackie (Martin Luther King, Jr.), Melissa Leo (Lady Bird Johnson), Bradley Whitford (Hubert Humphrey) and Frank Langella (Sen. Richard Russell). Additional cast members include Joe Morton (Roy Wilkins), Stephen Root (J. Edgar Hoover), Marque Richardson (Bob Moses), Aisha Hinds (Fanny Lou Hamer), Todd Weeks (Walter Jenkins), Mo McRae (Stokely Carmichael) and Spencer Garrett (Walter Reuther). The film was directed by Jay Roach (Emmy® winner for HBO’s Game Change and Recount) from a screenplay by Robert Schenkkan (Pulitzer Prize winner for “The Kentucky Cycle”; two-time Emmy® nominee and Writers Guild Award winner for HBO’s The Pacific), who has adapted his Tony Award-winning play of the same name.








**MOVIE REVIEW**


All the Way is a well made if bland HBO movie but the incomparable Bryan Cranston gives a powerhouse performance as LBJ that makes it worth watching, as does rest of the tremendously talented cast. This is a film of performances but the actual storyline while following history I couldn't fine myself engaged in. 7/10


**VIDEO QUALITY**


All the Way arrives on Blu-ray with a 1080p transfer in the aspect ratio of 1.78:1. - Colors have a natural appearance but there isn't much in the way of lush or bold primaries. Black levels were okay. Detail in close ups of the intricate makeup work are razor sharp, textures and patterns in period clothing show great clarity.8/10


**AUDIO QUALITY**


Audio is provided by a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. - The track is a front heavy affair except for the use of surrounds for crowd din. Dialogue reproduction was crisp and clear. The LFE Channel lends some heft to gunshots and the score by James Newton Howard. 8.5/10


**SPECIAL FEATURES**


* Bryan Cranston: Becoming LBJ (HD, 01;55)

* All the Way: A Walk Through History (HD, 10:06)

Sesame Street: Love to Learn DVD Review

“Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the DVD I reviewed in this Blog Post. The opinions I share are my own.”

**SYNOPSIS**


Elmo and his friends love to learn about so many different things all the time! Elmo and Chris go on a camping trip and learn about what different animals eat. Also, Elmo and Leela teach Rosita about rainbows since she's never seen one. Join your Sesame Street friends as they learn about other fun and exciting things!.





**SERIES REVIEW**


Another informative and adorable collection featuring Elmo and other smile inducing Sesame Street characters. My personal favorite is Tully. This is the perfect DVD to pop in and watch one of the five stories in the main feature while the kids are eating breakfast and getting ready for another school day. 9/10


**VIDEO QUALITY**


Sesame Street: Love to Learn - Bold primaries pop. Black levels were good. Fine details in the sets, puppet fur and overall clarity was sharp. 8.5/10


**AUDIO QUALITY**


Audio is provided by a Dolby Digital 2.0 track. - The cute voices of the Sesame Street characters and their were crisp and clear. The two channel presentation had acceptable stereo separation. Music numbers had solid dynamic range. 8/10


**SPECIAL FEATURES**


* Bonus Episode "Elmo's World: Transportation"

* Animated Storybook: Twiddlebug ABCs

* Full-length Feature - All Star Alphabet

Nine Lives Blu-ray November 1st

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment has officially announced they will be releasing the feline comedy Nine Lives to Blu-ray and DVD on November 1, 2016. The Blu-ray will feature 1080p video in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio and a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Below are the official details:


**SYNOPSIS**


Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Garner and Christopher Walken star in this purr-fect family comedy. Billionaire Tom Brand’s (Spacey) workaholic lifestyle has distanced him from his beautiful wife Lara (Garner) and adoring daughter Rebecca (Malina Weissman). Hoping to make amends, Tom buys Rebecca a cat for her birthday. But a bizarre event lands Tom inside the cat’s body. Now, Tom must either cough up proof that he’s a loving dad – or he’ll spend the rest of his life coughing up hairballs in this hilarious romp directed by Barry Sonnenfeld (Men in Black films).


**SPECIAL FEATURES**


* Letting the Cat Out of the Bag: The Making of Nine Lives
* Russian for Herding Cats
* Includes Digital HD

The Conjuring 2 Blu-ray Review

**SYNOPSIS**


Reprising their roles, Oscar® nominee Vera Farmiga (“Up In the Air,” TV’s “Bates Motel”) and Patrick Wilson (the “Insidious” films), star as Lorraine and Ed Warren, who, in one of their most terrifying paranormal investigations, travel to north London to help a single mother raising four children alone in a house plagued by malicious spirits.

Rounding out the cast are Frances O’Connor (TV’s “The Missing”) as the single mom, with Madison Wolfe (TV’s “Zoo”) and newcomers Lauren Esposito, Patrick McAuley and Benjamin Haigh as her children.


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**MOVIE REVIEW**


Director James Wan put the horror genre on notice with the instant classic The Conjuring in 2013. Wan returns with has to be one of best sequels in years. The Conjuring 2 brings back the Warrens with the perfectly cast Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson. They are one of the most likeable couples I've seen in recent memory. You root for them to defeat evil and protect the young girl and her family in London from the terrifying entity that is in their home.

Their is a pending sense of doom through the film that help to make the jump scares even more effective. Special effects are seamlessly used. I highly recommend any fan of the first film or great horror in general should add The Conjuring 2 to their collection. 9/10


**VIDEO QUALITY**


The Conjuring 2 arrives on Blu-ray with a 1080p transfer in the aspect ratio of 2.40:1. - Color reproduction was pretty much flawless with a cool blue tone and bold primaries mixed in setting the look for London while the Warren's home in the states pops with bright yellows and warmer tones of wood that match the 70's style. Skintones appear natural save for some color grading that lends to a more orange hue during a happy scene between the Warrens. Black levels are inky and deep with perfect shadow delineation. Details in clothing, textures and close ups were eye popping in clarity and depth. I noticed no signs of edge enhancement or digital noise. 10/10


**AUDIO QUALITY**


Audio is provided by a Dolby Atmos track remixed specifically for the home theater environment to place and move audio anywhere in the room, including overhead. - This new mix for the Blu-ray is one of the most enveloping and startling tracks I've had the pleasure of listening to. Dialogue reproduction was brilliant and had no problem with the London accents. The overhead channels and surrounds are engaged from start to finish, there is a moment where the Mother is walking in the upstairs of the home and environmental effects are stunning in how realistic and natural they sound as though I was walking down the hall way and back with the character. When the entity really starts to ramp up the terror voices hauntingly come at you from every angle and above, things in the house fly and crash with blood curdling strength.

Super deep bass is provided by the LFE channel. About 20 minutes into the film there is a very low and precise build up of bass that felt as thought the bottom of the floor is going to cave out beneath you. The effective and haunting score by Joseph Bishara is beautifully balanced within the mix. No pops, cracks or hisses were heard. 10/10


**SPECIAL FEATURES**


* Crafting The Conjuring 2 (HD, 10:02)

* The Enfield Poltergeist: Living The Horror (HD, 12:46) - Some of the actual family members of the Enfield case are interviewed.

* Creating Crooked Man (HD, 06:44)

* The Conjuring 2: Hollywood’s Haunted Stage (HD, 05:08)

* The Sounds of Scary (HD, 07:00) - A look at the recording of Joseph Bishara's score.

* Deleted Scenes (HD, 06:31) - There are four deleted scenes included here. There is only the play all option.

Ice Age: Collision Course 4K Blu-ray October 11th

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment has officially announced they will be releasing the hit comedy Ice Age: Collision Course to Blu-ray 4K UHD, Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD on October 11, 2016. The Blu-ray will feature 1080p video in the 2.40:1 aspect ratio and a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track, while the 4K UHD Blu-ray will feature 2160p video and a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track. Below are the official details:





**SYNOPSIS**


Your favorite ICE AGE heroes are back and cooler than ever in this all-new adventure! Scrat’s epic pursuit of the elusive acorn accidently triggers cosmic events that threaten the ICE AGE world. Now Buck, Manny, Ellie, Sid, Diego and the rest of the herd must work together on a hilarious journey filled with nonstop action and colorful new characters in order to survive the global Scrat-tastrophe!


**SPECIAL FEATURES**


* Featurettes
- “Scrat: Spaced Out Mini-Movie”
- “Ice Age: The Story So Far”
- “Scratasia: Scrat’s Solo Adventures”
- “Mysteries of the Scratazons”
- “Star Signs of the Animal Kingdom”
- “The Science of It All: deGrasse Tyson deBunks”
- “Figaro Sing-along”
* Gallery (12 images)