The Josephine Baker Story (Blu-ray Review)
Winner of five Emmy awards including Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special for Lynn Whitfield (Eve’s Bayou) and the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for TV for Louis Gossett Jr. (Academy Award winner, An Officer and a Gentleman), The Josephine Baker Story comes to Blu-ray disc with all new bonus content featuring an audio commentary with Whitfield, writer Ron Hutchinson and associate producer Alisa Taylor. Outrageous, shocking, sensational – Josephine Baker was born poor, but achieved fame and fortune through her sizzlingly exotic and erotic performances. Starting life on the American Vaudeville circuit, success took Josephine to Paris where her semi-nude dancing causes an international sensation. Josephine’s life becomes a roller coaster ride of love and rejection from both her lovers and her country. Whether she is semi-nude or head-to-toe in sequins, in battle fatigues or rags, her beauty and ambition ensured that Josephine Baker will always be remembered as the first, and possibly most loved, truly international star. Continue reading ‘The Josephine Baker Story (Blu-ray Review)’
It was one of the most emotional documentaries ever aired on the Showtime Cable Network. Now, for the first time, on December 6, fans will have a chance to own The Love We Make, a look back at Sir Paul McCartney and his efforts to plan and perform a benefit concert in the aftermath of the worst day in the history of New York City. The film is directed by Albert Maysles (Gimme Shelter) and Bradley Kaplan, the film was shot in stark 16 mm black and white, complete with color concert clips. The Love We Make juxtaposes dramatic images of “The Concert For New York City,” held mere months after 9/11, with scenes of McCartney himself as he walks the streets of the town that his former songwriting partner, John Lennon, loved so much. 
HBO Films’ critically-acclaimed Thurgood was nominated for three Emmy awards including Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for star Laurence Fishburne (Oscar nominee, What’s Love Got to Do with It). Shot before a live audience at the Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theater in Washington, D.C., the film is a one-man show that traces the personal and professional history of civil rights pioneer and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. From childhood stories of his family and home life in Baltimore, to his college days at Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C., Marshall recollects his triumphs over adversity to pursue a successful career in the judicial system fighting for human rights. Establishing benchmarks in civil rights advancement, Marshall tried the historic case of Brown vs. Board of Education before the Supreme Court, successfully challenging the unconstitutional segregation of black and white students in public schools. His achievements eventually led him to become the first African-American to serve as a Supreme Court Justice. 
For the first time in Blu-ray High Definition, Academy Award winner Robin Williams (Best Supporting Actor, Good Will Hunting, 1997) delivers a tour-de-force performance in the 25
The Tuskegee Airmen, winner of three Emmy awards, comes to Blu-ray disc this January. Debuting just days before the theatrical release of the George Lucas-produced film Red Tails, which was inspired by the story of the Airmen, the film is encased in a stunning 32-page hard-bound book featuring sweeping unit and historical photography. Featuring an outstanding cast lead by two-time Emmy award winner Laurence Fishburne (Miss Evers’ Boys, Tribeca), Academy Award winner Cuba Gooding Jr. (Jerry Maguire) and Emmy nominee Malcolm-Jamal Warner (The Cosby Show), The Tuskegee Airmen tells the story of the first squadron of African-American pilots allowed to fight for their country. It is 1943 and the Germans are winning the Second World War as the U.S. suffers huge losses on the ground and in the air. Four newly recruited pilots are united by a desire to serve their country, at a time when African-American flyers are not welcomed in the Air Force. Now, through the brutal demands of their training, to the perils of flying over nations at war, the men they call “The Tuskegee Airmen” must undertake the riskiest mission of their lives – to prove to America that courage knows no color. 
When the staff of New York City’s most expensive and luxurious condominium discovers that the billionaire investment advisor living in the penthouse has plundered their retirement fund, they take matters into their own hands. Convinced that light-fingered Wall Street Titan Arthur Shaw (Alan Alda) has stashed his ill-gotten millions in his apartment, building manager Josh Kovacs (Ben Stiller) rallies his troops and enlists the help of small-time thief Slide (Eddie Murphy) to make sure they get back what’s rightfully theirs. These rookie thieves—including high-strung concierge Charlie (Casey Affleck), broke ex-Wall Streeter Mr. Fitzhugh (Matthew Broderick), new bellhop Dev’Reaux (Michael Peña) and feisty maid Odessa (Gabourey Sidibe)—know the building better than anyone. It turns out they’ve been casing the place for years…they just didn’t know it. 
Two years after the release of its landmark Emmy-winning series WWII in HD, The History Channel shifts its focus to a new generation and one of the most controversial chapters in American history, the Vietnam War. Vietnam in HD will immerse viewers in the sights, the sounds and the stories of the Vietnam War as it has never before been seen. Thousands of hours of uncensored footage – much of it shot by soldiers in action – will detail every critical chapter of the conflict. The war will unfold onscreen through the gripping firsthand accounts of thirteen brave men and women who were forever changed by their experience in Vietnam. 
Kung Fu Panda 2, DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc.’s popular follow up to the Academy Award-nominated original debuted on Blu-ray and DVD on December 13, 2011. Combining non-stop action, a fantastic cast, and stunning animation, this sequel delighted viewers of all ages with its engaging story and colorful visuals. Featuring an all-star cast of voice talent including Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Gary Oldman, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross, Michelle Yeoh, Danny McBride and Jean-Claude Van Damme, the film earned more than $650 million at the global box office, making it one of the top five films of the year worldwide. 
Celebrate the 20th anniversary of director Joe Johnston’s (Captain America: The First Avenger) action-filled and witty movie known as The Rocketeer. Now with state-of-the-art digital restoration and enhanced high definition sound, experience it as it jets off for the first time on Disney Blu-ray. The discovery of a top-secret rocket pack hurls test pilot Cliff Secord into a daring adventure of mystery, suspense, and intrigue! Cliff encounters an assortment of ruthless villains, led by a Hollywood screen star who is a secret Nazi spy. With the help of his actress girlfriend, the young pilot battles enormous odds to defeat his foes who are anxious to use the device in an evil plan to rule the world. The dangerous mission transforms the ordinary young man into an extraordinary hero. 
Making a Top Ten list of Blu-rays is always a difficult thing for me to do. The fact that there’s so many excellent releases that I haven’t seen yet just makes it even harder because I know a lot of them would be on my list. So I’ve decided to make a list of the Top 10 Blu-rays that I’ve seen and most likely reviewed, and another list of Blu-rays that I would have included on this list if I had seen them. 
The Simpsons Season 14 
Re-live the story of one of America’s darkest moments through superb visuals and a double sided narrative that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The classic film Tora! Tora! Tora! comes to Blu-ray from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment was released on December 6th. The winner of the 1970 Academy Award for Best Special Effects Tora! Tora! Tora! was nominated for four more Oscars including Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Editing and Best Sound. Experience Tora! Tora! Tora! through the superb visual quality of Blu-ray for the first time. 
One of Hollywood’s greatest directors teams with a cast of incredible screen legends for this bold, sweeping tale of a ship’s captain who ventures west to find a hotbed of jealousy, hatred and dangerous rivalries. As the reluctant hero is thrust into the maelstrom, he must summon all of his resolve to save not only his own life, but also the life of the woman he loves. Four-time Academy Award Winner William Wyler directs this action-packed adventure that stars Gregory Peck, Jean Simmons, Charlton Heston, Chuck Connors, and Burl Ives (in an Oscar-winning performance), this magnificently entertaining epic will take your breath away with it’s grand scale! 
An imaginative fusion of live action, state-of-the-art puppetry, prosthetics and CGI, Farscape, produced by The Jim Henson Company in association with RHI Entertainment, featured mind-boggling alien life forms, dazzling special effects, edge-of-your-seat thrills, irreverent humor and unforgettable characters — all brought to rich life by the creative minds at Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. Strap in and hold on tight for the extraordinary adventures of astronaut John Crichton, (Ben Browder) who, after a freak accident, finds himself surrounded by hostile aliens and soaring through the cosmos aboard Moya, a glorious living space ship. Hunted by the relentless Peacekeepers, he allies himself with Moya’s crew — Aeryn Sun (Claudia Black), Luxan warrior Ka D’Argo (Anthony Simcoe), azure priestess Zhaan (Virginia Hey), spritely Nebari thief Chiana (Gigi Edgley), Dominar Rygel, the deposed royal ruler of the Hynerian Empire and Pilot – to search for a way out of this inconceivably alien world and return home. 
Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, and Martin Balsam lead an all-star cast in this suspenseful film based on the sizzling best seller by John Godey. A gang of thugs who have hijacked a subway train near New York’s Pelham Station threaten to kill one hostage per minute. Forced to stall the assailants until a ransom is delivered or a rescue made, transit chief Lt. Garber (Walter Matthau) must somehow ad-lib, con and outmaneuver one of the craftiest, cruelest villains (Robert Shaw) ever. It’s a race against time, and no one knows whether things will end heroically or tragically in this pulse-pounding thrill ride! 
