“Ice Age 3,” “Wrong Turn 3″ — Russo DVD, Blu Ray Reviews
November 5, 2009 || Category: DVD Reviews | Leave a Comment
Reviewed by: Joe Russo (Filmmaker & SoSF Movie Critic)
If you enjoy subjecting your youngsters to mindless entertainment, Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is a safe bet.
Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
Russo Rating: 5/10
While the Ice Age series has never been known for classy storylines, the third installment, Dawn of the Dinosaurs took [...]
“Battlestar Galactica: The Plan” DVD — A Slice of SciFi Review
October 26, 2009 || Category: DVD Reviews | 11 Comments
Reviewed by: Michael Hickerson (Slice of SciFi Editor)
Actors: Edward James Olmos, Dean Stockwell, Tricia Helfer, Michael Hogan
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Language: English
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number of discs: 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Studio: Universal
DVD Release Date: October 27, 2009
Run Time: 95 minutes
Slice of SciFi Rating: 5.0 out of 5.0
A must-see for “Battlestar Galactica” [...]
“Snow White” Diamond Edition BluRay — A Russo Review
October 5, 2009 || Category: DVD Reviews | Leave a Comment
Reviewed by: Joe Russo (Filmmaker & SoSF Film Critic)
Director: David Hand
Producer: Walt Disney
Original Film Debut Date: 1937
Voice Actors: Adriana Caselotti, Roy Atwell, Eddie Collins,
Pinto Colvig, Billy Gilbert, Otis Harlan, Lucille LaVerne, Scotty Mattraw & Moroni Olsen
Diamond Edition Blu-ray/DVD Release Date: October 6, 2009
“Revolutionizing the medium, Snow White is one of Disney’s most memorable and [...]
“X-Men Origins: Wolverine”/Vol 3&4 — A Russo DVD/Blu-ray Review
September 18, 2009 || Category: DVD Reviews | Leave a Comment
Reviewed by: Joe Russo (Filmmaker & SoSF Movie Critic)
Director: Gavin Hood
Writers: David Benioff & Skip Woods
Actors: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Ryan Reynolds, Danny Huston, Lynn Collins & Dominic Monaghan
MPAA Rating: PG-13
“While X-Men Origins: Wolverine certainly disappointed the legions of Marvel fans out there, the Hugh Jackman action vehicle fared well at the box office….”
Twentieth Century [...]
“Doctor Who: Image of the Fendahl” — A Slice of SciFi DVD Review
September 10, 2009 || Category: DVD Reviews | 3 Comments
Reviewed by: Michael Hickerson (Slice of SciFi Editor)
Actors: Tom Baker, Louise Jameson
Format: Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC, Color
Language: English
Subtitles: English
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Studio: BBC Warner
DVD Release Date: Sep 1 2009
Run Time: 95 minutes
Slice of SciFi Rating: 4 out of 5
An overlooked classic
Before he went on to produce and write many of [...]
“Doctor Who: Delta and the Bannermen” — A Slice of SciFi DVD Review
August 31, 2009 || Category: DVD Reviews | 1 Comment
Review by: Michael Hickerson (Slice of SciFi Editor)
Actors: Sylvester McCoy, Bonnie Langford
Directors: Chris Clough
Format: Color, DVD, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
Language: English (Dolby Digital 1.0)
Subtitles: English
Region: Region 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: BBC Video / Warner Bros.
DVD Release Date: September 1, 2009
Run Time: 73 minutes
Slice of SciFi Rating: 1 out 5.
“Delta and [...]
“Doctor Who: The Deadly Assassin” — A Slice of SciFi DVD Review
August 27, 2009 || Category: DVD Reviews | 1 Comment
Reviewed by: Michael Hickerson (Slice of SciFi News Editor)
Actors: Tom Baker
Format: Color, DVD, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
Language: English
Subtitles: English
Region: Region 1
Number of discs: 1
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: BBC Warner
DVD Release Date: September 1, 2009
Run Time: 94 minutes
A classic that earns the distinction and is a crossroads for classic “Who”
Robert Holmes’ 1976 masterpiece “The Deadly [...]
“I Love You, Man” — A Russo DVD/Blu-ray Review (I know it’s not Sci-Fi, but hear me out)
August 12, 2009 || Category: DVD Reviews | 2 Comments
Reviewed by: Joe Russo (SoSF Film Reviewer)
Director: John Hamburg
Writers: John Hamburg & Larry Levin
Producers: Anders Bard, Jeffrey Clifford, Donald De Line,
Andrew Haas, John Hamburg, Bill Johnson, Tom Pollock & Ivan Reitman
Actors: Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Rashida Jones (& a whole host of SNL alum)
Russo Rating = 8 out of 10 Stars
”
Why should a Sci-Fi fan, [...]
“Race to Witch Mountain” — A Russo DVD/Blu-ray Review
August 7, 2009 || Category: DVD Reviews | Leave a Comment
Reviewed by: Joe Russo (SoSF Guest Fim Reviewer)
Russo Review Rating = 6 Stars out of 10
“Identity crises and mediocre special effects aside, the performances are what carry Race to Witch Mountain.”
There is no doubt about it; Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is a movie star. And the physically imposing actor’s star shines the brightest when he [...]
“Echelon Conspiracy” — A Russo DVD/Blu-ray Review
August 4, 2009 || Category: DVD Reviews | 1 Comment
em>Reviewed by: Joe Russo (SoSF Film Reviewer)
Director: Greg Marcks
Writers: Michael Nitsberg & Kevin Elders
Actors: Shane West, Edward Burns, Ving Rhames, Martin Sheen, Yuriy Kutsenko, Sergey Gubanov, Steven Elder, Sandra De Sousa & Greg Donaldson
Russo rating = 6 Stars out of 10 Stars
“Directed by young, up-and-coming filmmaker Greg Marcks, Echelon Conspiracy not only boasts [...]
“Torchwood: Children of Earth” — A Slice of SciFi DVD and Blu Ray Review
August 3, 2009 || Category: DVD Reviews | 2 Comments
Reviewed by: Michael Hickerson (Slice of SciFi News Editor)
Actors: John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Gareth David-Lloyd, Peter Capaldi, Paul Copley
Directors: Euros Lynn
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number of discs: 2
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: BBC Warner
DVD Release Date: [...]
“Doctor Who: The Planet of the Dead” — A Slice of SciFi DVD and Blu-Ray Review
August 3, 2009 || Category: DVD Reviews | Leave a Comment
Reviewed by: Michael Hickerson (Slice of SciFi Editor)
Actors: David Tennant, Michelle Ryan
Format: Color, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
Subtitles: English
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: BBC Warner
DVD Release Date: July 28, 2009
Run Time: 60 minutes
Had it been part [...]
Dollhouse - DVD/Blu-ray — A Russo mini-Review
July 28, 2009 || Category: DVD Reviews | Leave a Comment
Reviewed by: Joe Russo (SoSF Contributing Reviewer)
Russo Review Rating = 7 out of 10 Stars
“Never one to make cookie-cutter television, Whedon’s Dollhouse is certainly not of the norm.”
From the mastermind behind Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Firefly, Dollhouse is Joss Whedon’s latest television achievement, and the ambitious science fiction program has his loyal followers [...]
Russo Review — “Transfomers,” “G.I. Joe” Season One DVDs
July 2, 2009 || Category: DVD Reviews | 1 Comment
Written by: Joe Russo (Film Critic/SoSF Contributor)
Russo Ratings: Transformers Season One 8/10, GI Joe Season One 8/10
Collecting nearly 230 million in a week, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen has put Paramount in the drivers seat as far as which studio will rule the summer box office. With another Hasbro toy line waiting to make it’s [...]
Written by: Joe Russo (Film Critic/SoSF Contributor)
Russo Ratings: Part II - 3/10
Part III - 4/10
Part IV - 7/10
Part V - 2/10
Part VI -4/10
Accompanying the release of the Michael Bay produced, 2009 remake, Paramount Home Entertainment has decided to re-release a handful of the classic Friday the 13th titles, some for the first time on BluRay, [...]
Russo Review: Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li
June 16, 2009 || Category: DVD Reviews | 2 Comments
Written by: Joe Russo (Film Critic/SoSF Contributor)
Russo Rating: 2/10
Fails in all the same ways as the nightmarish 1994 adaptation
During the era of comic book movies done right, it is only in a geek’s best interest to hope that someday movie studios will hit audiences with an awesome videogame adaptation. What looked like an [...]
Written by: Joe Russo (Film Critic/SoSF Contributor)
Hot on the heels of the franchise’s biggest opening weekend ever at the box office, Paramount Home Entertainment has decided to hit consumers salivating for more Kirk and Spock with a nice helping of nostalgic Star Trek.
Hoping to please long time fans of the series, and new Trekkies converted [...]
Russo Review — “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” Blu Ray and DVD
May 11, 2009 || Category: DVD Reviews | Leave a Comment
Written by: Joe Russo (Film Critic/SoSF Contributor)
Russo Rating: 9 out of 10
A must own high definition release.
Some people might argue that The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is David Fincher’s masterwork. I say Fight Club still holds that title. Heck, even Seven is a better movie. That being said though, that doesn’t mean that this [...]
“Doctor Who: Battlefield” — A Slice of SciFi DVD Review
May 6, 2009 || Category: DVD Reviews | 1 Comment
Reviewed by: Michael Hickerson (Farpoint Media News Director)
Actors: Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred, Jean Marsh, Nicholas Courtney
Format: Color, DVD-Video, Original recording remastered, Subtitled, NTSC
Language: English
Subtitles: English
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only)
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 2
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: BBC Warner
DVD Release Date: May 5, 2009
Run Time: 95 minutes
Slice of SciFi Rating: 3.0 out of [...]
Russo Review — “X-Men Animated Series,” “X-Men Trilogy”
May 6, 2009 || Category: DVD Reviews | Leave a Comment
Written by: Joe Russo (Film Critic/SoSF Contributor)
With Fox’s summer tent pole, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, multiple studios are gearing up to unleash new X-content on DVD and BluRay. Here’s a look at some of the exciting new products to help whet your Wolverine whistle:
X-Men: The Animated Series, Volume 1 and 2
Russo Rating: 8/10
I grew up on [...]
“Doctor Who: The E-Space Trilogy” — A Slice of SciFi DVD Review
May 4, 2009 || Category: DVD Reviews | 1 Comment
Reviewed by: Michael Hickerson (Farpoint Media News Director)
Actors: Tom Baker, Lalla Ward, Matthew Waterhouse
Format: Box set, Collector’s Edition, Color, DVD-Video, Original recording remastered, NTSC
Language: English
Subtitles: English
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only)
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 3
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: BBC Warner
DVD Release Date: May 5, 2009
Run Time: 288 minutes
Slice of SciFi Rating: 4.5 out [...]
“Caprica” — A Slice of SciFi DVD Review
April 20, 2009 || Category: DVD Reviews, Featured, TV Reviews | 1 Comment
Reviewed by: Michael Hickerson (Farpoint Media News Director)
Actors: Eric Stoltz, Michelle Andrew, Roger R. Cross, Magda Apanowicz, Genevieve Buechner
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating: Unrated
Studio: Universal Studios Home Entertainment
DVD Release Date: April 21, 2009
Run Time: 93 minutes
Clearly a pilot episode…it will leave you anxious for more
Slice of SciFi [...]
Doctor Who: The Key To Time Special Edition — A Slice of SciFi DVD Review
April 16, 2009 || Category: DVD Reviews | 1 Comment
Reviewed by: Michael Hickerson (Farpoint Media News Director)
Actors: Tom Baker, Mary Tamm
Format: Box set, Collector’s Edition, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Original recording remastered, Special Edition, Subtitled, NTSC
Language: English
Subtitles: English
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 7
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: BBC Warner
DVD Release Date: March 3, 2009
Run [...]
“The Spirit” DVD & Blu-Ray — A Slice of SciFi Review
April 14, 2009 || Category: DVD Reviews | Leave a Comment
Reviewed by: Michael Hickerson (SoSF Editor)
Visually stunning with some superb performances
Rating: 2.5 of 5
Director: Frank Miller
Producer: Deborah Del Prete, Gigi Pritzker, Michael E. Uslan
Screenwriter: Frank Miller
Actors: Gabriel Macht, Eva Mendes, Samuel L. Jackson, Sarah Paulson, Dan Laura, Paz Vega, Eric Balfour, Scarlett Johansson, Louis Lombardi, Stana Katic, Jaime King
MPAA Rating: PG-13
2008 was [...]
Russo Review — “The Day the Earth Stood Still” (2008) Blu-Ray & DVD
April 9, 2009 || Category: DVD Reviews | Leave a Comment
Written by: Joe Russo (Film Critic/SoSF Contributor)
The biggest highlight for consumers the inclusion of the original 1951 classic
Russo Rating: 5/10
For some Science Fiction junkies the original 1950s The Day the Earth Stood Still is the Mecca of the genre. For myself, having grown up in an era of special effects blockbusters, I actually didn’t [...]
Written by: Joe Russo (Film Critic/SoSF Contributor)
The oddest pairing of 007 films yet
Russo Rating: 8/10
Snazzy packaging should certainly help make 007 fans drool over the third collection of James Bond titles release on BluRay. However, even the sleek, gray case doesn’t change the fact that this might be the oddest pairing of 007 films yet.
The [...]
Written by: Joe Russo (Film Critic/SoSF Contributor)
Actors: John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman, Mark Walton, Malcom McDowell
Directors: Chris Williams; Byron Howard
Format: Animated, Color, Widescreen
Language: English
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Rating: PG
Studio: WALT DISNEY VIDEO
DVD Release Date: March 22, 2009
Run Time: 97 minutes
Will surely melt even the iciest [...]
Russo Review — “Quantum of Solace” & “Never Say Never Again” Blu Ray
March 24, 2009 || Category: DVD Reviews | Leave a Comment
Written by: Joe Russo (Film Critic/SoSF Contributor)
So dark and bleak it (loses) what makes James Bond films so popular in the first place, fun
Quantum of Solace:
Russo Rating: 6/10
So I get it. Batman Begins was a successful remake. The Dark Knight brought out the brooding character arch even more so. So why wouldn’t Sony, MGM and [...]
Film: The Princess Bride
Director: Rob Reiner
Original Theatrical Release Date: September 25, 1987
Blu-ray Edition DVD Release Date: March 17, 2009
SoSF DVD Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
“When ‘The Princess Bride’ debuted in 1987 it immediately became a cult favorite and has stood the test of time for 22 years.”
On March 17, 2009 one of the most [...]
Written by: Joe Russo (Film Critic/SoSF Contributor)
Russo Rating: 6/10
The high-octane thriller has never looked better
The Boondock Saints is an interesting phenomenon. Released in only five theaters, the 6 million dollar action film barely had a chance to recoup its budget. On DVD, the actioner became a phenomenon.
The reason for the project’s initial stumbling was [...]



