Anatomy & Anatomy 2 (2000 - 2003)

Movie: 4.5/5
Video: 4/5
Audio: 4/5
Extra: 0/5
Overall: 3/5

"Can We Get a Recall?"

It's a shame that Sony, creator of the Blu-ray format, has given up on releasing their movies on Blu-ray! Well, it's a good thing that Mill Creek decided to step in and release titles for them. I managed to order this Blu-ray from one of my favorite webstores and scored it for under $6. This Blu-ray would be perfect, if it wasn't for one small, but large flaw.

Anatomy: 5/5

Paula Henning (Franka Potente, Princess and the Warrior) is accepted into one of Germany's best medical schools. As she arrives to Heidelberg, we learn that there is a secret underground society that is conducting illegal dissections on people. As Paula discovers the mystery, her friends are dying off one by one.

I thought this was a great German horror film. Franka Potente does a great job as does Benno Furman. Which is a great duo as they are foes in this film and lovers in Princess and the Warrior. And it's really nice that we have a different kind of horror movie; it's a slasher, but the methods are unique as the killers are obsessed with the human body. 5/5.

Anatomy 2: 3.5/5

Jo is a young med student who is trying to find a cure for his brother's muscular disease. While at the same time, the same group of medical madmen are operating at his university. This time, this branch of the Anti-Hippocratics are focusing on improving the human condition. Jo is soon accepted into the group and realizes he is in over his head.

For a sequel, it was good. Franka Potente has a cameo in the film and is in it for about five minutes and that's it. The cast is ok. Just the plot of this film does not compare to the first film. Considering that these people are not preserving, but, essentially destroying the human body as they want to replace everyting with synthetic muscles and everything else under the sun. I give the film a 3.5/5

Video: 4/5

Anatomy: 4/5

Mill Creek's transfer of the film Anatomy is pretty good as it is in 2.35:1, 1080p, and MPEG4/AVC. This is a different source which was not used on the Sony DVD. The credits on the DVD were in English whereas all of the credits on Mill Creek's Blu-ray are in German. Grain is pretty strong in most spots. There was only three instances of print damage that I could spot while viewing the film; 56 minutes, 67 minutes, and in the final scene during the end credits. There might be some dirt here and there, but it's not as bad as the transfer was on the DVD. Sony and Mill Creek give Anatomy a quality debut on Blu-ray. 4/5.

Anatomy 2: 4/5

NOTE: I would give this a zero out of five stars, but, I don't feel it's entirely fair.

The biggest problem with the transfer on Anatomy 2 is that English subtitles are hardcoded into the video transfer of the film. So, if you decide to watch the film with French or Spanish subtitles, you have to watch it with English subtitles on top of that. This is something that you expect with a DVD. I cannot recall any Blu-rays that I have seen where the subtitles are actually hardcoded into the video itself.

While setting this aside, the video quality is pretty good for a film that is now ten years old. Presented in 1080p, in 2.35:1, and in MPEG4/AVC. I never saw Anatomy 2 on DVD, so, I cannot comment on the quality differences between both formats. Grain is present throughout. I give the video presentation, despite the hardcoded subtitles, a 4/5.

Audio: 4/5

Anatomy: 4/5

This is another oddity, the original German audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and the English dub is presented in Dolby Digital DTS-HD MA 5.1. Why Sony handed off the original audio in an inferior soundtrack is questionable. English is the default audio track on the film. But, are most people going to listen to the film in it's English dub? We also have the film with a French Dolby Digital 2.0 track. I give the audio presentations a 4/5.

Anatomy 2: 4/5

Unlike Anatomy, we do not have an English dub track for the second film and we now have the German audio in DTS-HD MA 5.1. Then we have a Spanish dub in Dolby Digital 5.1 for the film, which the first film didn't have. And on top of that, French Dolby Digital 2.0. I'd say the sound levels all sound even in comparison to the first film. But, I think the English subtitles are more of a distraction compared to listening to the audio. I give the audio presentation a 4/5.

Extras: 0/5

Can't say if there was any extras on the second film, but all of the bonus material from the first film is non-existant on this Blu-ray. I can't think of any Mill Creek Blu-rays, with the exception of the Gamera trilogy, that had extra features. 0/5.

Overall: 3/5

I got this for under $6; if the problem of hardcoded English subtitles on the second film doesn't bother you, then go for it. I think I'll wait until Sony Germany releases Anatomy 2 on Blu-ray over there and see if it has English subs. I just think it's such a doozy that this happened; was there any quality control done on this Blu-ray? Setting that problem aside, 3/5.

Django Unchained (2012) - Target Exclusive

Movie: 5/5
Video: 4/5
Audio: 5/5
Extras: 5/5
Overall: 5/5

"And this is my horse, Fritz!"

While Django Unchained was in its theatrical run, I had the chance to see it twice; release day on Christmas and a few hours after the premiere of my first feature film. I remember on the release day, I left an hour before the first showing and I was stuck in a line and was in that line for ninety minutes and it was at the point where I had to catch the second showing. And I was the third person in a long line for the second showing as I arrived forty-five minutes before it started, to get concessions and such. After being one of the first people sitting down, a large obesse man with his wife sits right next to me in an open theater and says; "Hey, hon! Let's sit next to him! He's got a large bucket of popcorn!"

I proceeded to move over a seat and the movie soon starts. When the film starts and Dr. King shoots the horse, the man proceeds to freak out and say out loud; "He shot that horse!" And his wife quietly responded to him and said; "This is a Tarantino film, honey!" It made me aware who was wearing the pants in this crappy marriage. After the film ended, it was myself and another hippy-ish couple in the theater and the lights come on. As I was the last person walking out, I can hear this guy saying; "This movie won't be playing long in the theater as it will be banned! They said the 'N' nonstop throughout the film!"

Again, the town I live in is full of rocket scientists. I don't live in Europe, not any more, where a government can actually ban films from being sold and purchased. In America, the government does not have that type of power. Despite the fact that the MPAA has nothing better to do than go after illegal downloads, I'm sure that government has better things to do, then again...

Django Unchained tells the story of a slave (Jamie Foxx) is freed by a German bounty hunter named Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz). Schultz has Django help him track down and collect a bounty on three brothers who helped Django get sold off. After the task is said and done; Schultz learns from Django about his wife, Broomhilde, (Kerry Washington) who was sold off at the same time and that Django wants to find and free her. Schultz and Django learn that his wife was sold to Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), who is a sinister slave owner.

I place Django Unchained in my top three Tarantino directed films, next to Pulp Fiction and Inglourious Basterds. He managed to capture this look of what the late 1850's looked like before the Civil War. However, I do think that the you could have named the title character anything else and it would still be as good. I'm sure most are aware that Django was a lone gunslinger played by Franco Nero (who cameos in the film) the 1966 film, Django.

Samuel L. Jackson plays a despicable villain in this film and terrorizes Kerry Washington again, previously in the 2008 film Lakeview Terrace. I think all of the actors shine in this film. Waltz does another great job, this time playing a protagonist in this film. Jamie Foxx as Django also gives appeal and humor to his character whenever Django is interacting with Broomhilde towards the final moments of the film. I give the film a 5/5.

Video: 4/5

Presented in 2.35:1 and in 1080p, Anchor Bay gives the film the best look it can get. Since the film is pushing three hours and does have a few bonus materials, I think that the transfer could be better as it seems to hang around the low 20's in the Mpbs acording to my PS3. Despite that, it's solid, as we have the overall feel of the theatrical presentations I had seen. Grain is decent and I'm sure it could have been stronger. I give the video presentation a 4/5.

Audio: 5/5

Anchor Bay gives the film a nice DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio track. We also have the film presented with French and Spanish dub tracks for the feature. The English audio is very nice as we hear sound effects with zoom ins, like when we first see Candie's face and Tarantino has the tight zoom in for the reveal. I think this audio track really helps the experience as you are immersed with Tarantino's vision for this film. I give the audio presentation a 5/5.

Extras: 5/5

While the Blu-ray only has a few extras, we have an extra DVD which includes the cast at Comic-Con in 2012. On the Blu-ray, we have "Remembering J. Michael Riva", the production designer who sadly passed while working on the film. The crew and cast talk about how they were impressed with how he helped managed to capture the look the of the late 1850's. "Horse and Stunts" which talks about using horses and that Jamie Foxx actually used his own horse towards the end of the film as he rides back to Candie-land.

A look at the woman who was the costume designer who helped make all of the characters stand out and not look exactly alike. Tarantino talks about how the one who looked exactly like the sketches was Don Johnson as Big Daddy and how his look leaped from the drawings to the big screen. Promotional trailers for the Django Unchained soundtrack and the highly stupendous Tarantino XX Blu-ray boxset. Problem I have with this boxset is that they do not include From Dusk Till Dawn which is probably one of the most important films that Tarantino wrote and also starred in.

On the bonus Target exclusive DVD, we have a 50+ minute look at the cast and director Quentin Tarantino at Comic-Con 2012. I think this is an interesting bonus, but, ultimately not needed. Also, something else that is not needed with this Blu-ray is a DVD copy, and iTunes and Ultraviolet Digital Copies of the film. I give the bonus features a 5/5.

Overall: 5/5

I'm not a fan of exclusives. Virtually all of the big retail chains, Best Buy; Target; and Wal-Mart had exclusives for this film. These exclusives and combo packs, especially the combo packs are a big waste of production time and money! I loved the film, but DVDs and Digital Copies are a big waste of time for me as a consumer. If you're a fan of Tarantino's work, this will no doubt be in your collection of films. I recommend Django Unchained, despite whatever Blu-ray exclusive you buy. 5/5.

Le Pacte Des Loups (2001)

Movie: 5/5
Video: 4/5
Audio: 5/5
Extras: .5/5
Overall: 3.5/5

"Bonjour, je voudrais le loup dans le Gevudan!"

Christophe Gans, the little filmmaker who can. While he has directed only a few films which you can count with the fingers on one hand, he truly is a great director who gets the shaft whenever he wants to make movies. He wanted to do an adaption of Silent Hill 2 after he did Onimusha and was also going to do Rahan; Captain Nemo and the Nautilus; Fantomas; Swedish Knight; and countless other films that died a horrible death. While Onimusha was only a few months shy of filming, Heath Ledger died while filming Dr. Parnassus. This caused the producer, Samuel Hadida, to scramble and shut down every film that was not rolling.

It's a real shame, as French filmmaker Christophe Gans is a master at his craft. With his second, out of three, full length feature; Le Pacte Des Loups, it's based on the true story of the Beast of Gevudan. The beast, which is claimed to be a monstrous wolf or even a werewolf; stalked the French countryside in the 1700's. The beast killed and disfigured countless, unsuspecting women and children; but oddly few men were attacked.

In this film adaption of the true story, a knight named Fronsac (Samuel Le Bihan, Frontiere(s)) and his Native American friend (Mark Dacascos, I Am Omega) go to Gevudan to kill the beast by orders of the king of France. They meet the royal family and Fronsac falls for both the daughter, Marianne (Emilie Dequenne); and the mysterious prostitute, played by Monica Bellucci. As Fronsac draws in closer to the lair of the beast, things are not as it seems in this community and the tables soon turn with Fronsac and Mani fighting for their lives.

Vincent Cassell makes an awesome villain in this movie and does a tremendous job. Most of the actors are great and go above and beyond in this film and it puzzles me that we can see Mark Dacascos in this and then see him in other films like, Cradle 2 the Grave and I Am Omega. Monica Bellucci naked is nothing new and is a great treat whenever she shows up on screen. And Samuel Le Bihan is great as the lead protagonist in this film.

I remember being twelve years old whenever this hit DVD, I remember being disappointed that I missed this in theaters. The cut of the film on this Blu-ray is the director's cut which runs almost two-and-a-half-hours long. I feel that the restored scenes in this cut makes Christophe Gans' vision a stronger movie. As we have scenes in which Marianne and Sylvia (Bellucci) interacting in this cut, whereas they have no real knowledge of each other's existance in the American theatrical cut of the film. This movie is one in my top ten films of all time. I give the film 5/5.

Video: 4/5

Presented in 1080p and in 2.35:1; Studio Canal's transfer of Le Pacte Des Loups might seem a bit dated, but, the video is pretty strong. Grain is pretty strong, however in some spots it seems weak. In darker scenes, especially towards the end of the film, the grain is bright white and it does wash out the image a bit. For the most part, the transfer is good on the eyes. Very beautiful, but, not close to perfection as I wish it could be. I give the video transfer a 4/5.

Note: To access the film with English subtitles, you have to select "UNITED KINGDOM" on the first screen.

Audio: 5/5

Studio Canal presents the film in a DTS-HD MA 5.1 French audio track. Even though this is the only track on the disc, it's booming whenever there's action. And then it's quiet and somber whenever the scenery gets drap or depressing. I'm sure if I had a proper set up, this would be demo audio. I give this audio a 5/5.

Extras: .5/5

Only bonus material on this disc is quite pathetic and brings the disc down. We have a video and audio calibration on the disc. That's it. No trailers or anything. Such a shame. .5/5

Overall: 3.5/5

While I haven't seen and don't really plan on getting the UK disc, I can recommend the French Blu-ray if you can play Region B locked discs. If not, go for the German Blu-ray which is Region Free, despite the fact it has English dubbing and not English subs if you really want this film. This disc is worth a spin. 3.5/5.

The Expendables (2010)

Movie: 4/5
Video: 3.5/5
Audio: 2/5
Extras: .5/5
Overall: 2.5/5

"Give this Job to my Friend. He Loves to Play in the Jungle!"

Piracy! The problem has gotten so bad in Asia and in Russia; and it's gotten to the point in Russia where films will be released in a "vanilla" version about a week or two after the film hits theaters. These will mainly hit DVD and a few will hit Blu-ray, albeit a very few. The Expendables is one of those few that hit on Blu-ray in a combo pack with a DVD copy. All though, I think this plan of having "vanilla" releases has somewhat backfired in terms of fighting piracy. You virtually have perfect video and just Russian audio that bootleggers will sync up English audio from a camera copied source.

The thing is, Russian DVDs and Blu-rays are hard to come by. Almost all of Russian webstores will only ship within Russia. I was luckily able to get one of these elusive Russian Blu-rays from a kind soul in Canada who sold this to me for a good $10.

The Expendables is a rag-tag group of mercenaries, composed of Sylvester Stallone (Rambo & Rocky), Jason Statham (The One & Transporter), Jet Li (The One & Fearless), Dolph Lundgren (The Punisher & Red Scorpion) Mickey Rourke (Angel Heart & Sin City), Terry Crewes (White Chicks & Friday After Next), and Randy Couture (Red Belt & Scorpion King 2). After given a job by a stranger named "Mr. Church", played by Bruce Willis, they are on the path to a small island in South America called Vilena.

The island is ruled by a Castro-esque villain, played by David Zayas, who is being pulled along by an ex-CIA agent (Eric Roberts). Barney (Stallone) and Christmas (Statham) meet and are lead by a beautiful island girl played by Giselle Itie. The military closes in on the trio and as Barney and Christmas escape; they return back to their base to develope a strategy to take down Vilena.

For being a throw back to 80's action films, I enjoyed it. Sure, the acting could be better, but how long has it been since we seen my favorite version of "The Punisher" on the big screen? Statham and Li's third outing together is probably the best one yet. And the cameos by Willis and Schwarzenegger are pretty bad ass. I give the film a 4/5.

Video: 3.5/5
Usually these Russian "vanilla" versions have some rough video quality. For an HD transfer, I feel that this one is pretty good. Video is soft in some shots, but grain is present and it's pretty sweet. For a telecine transfer, it's good. 3.5/5

Audio: 2/5
Only audio option we have on the film is a Russian dub in DTS-HD MA 7.1. I don't who mixed this audio track, but, I honestly felt that this was a disappointment. Action was weak, but all of the dubbed dialogue felt over done. The Russian dub would revert to the original Spanish (or is it Portuguese) whenever we cut to David Zayas' character talking and we would have Russian subtitles on the screen; there's a difference in quality whenever it cuts back and forth. I give this a 2/5.

Extras: .5/5

On the disc, we have only two Russian dub trailers for the British film "Centurion"; and the French documentary "Oceans". And then, we have a DVD copy of the film. .5/5.

Overall: 2.5/5

I cannot recommend this release unless you speak Russian. There's no English at all on this disc. If you are someone like me, who goes after obscure Blu-ray releases, this one is a long stretch. If this was 2010 when the film came out, sure, it'd be worth picking it up. Now, just pick up the U.S. Blu-ray or whichever Blu-ray release is out in your country for the film. 2.5/5.

Hometown (2012)

Movie: 3/5
Video: 4/5
Audio: 5/5
Extras: 5/5
Overall: 4.5/5

"This is my Hometown? Wait..."

NOTE: Like "Psycho Street", this is an official release, but burned onto a BD-R for the public.

Hometown, a no-budget horror film from Jay Byrne. It's an anthology that's based around two killers who kidnap a teenager and hold him hostage in a basement until they kill them. The kid stalls the two killers and begins to tell them multiple stories, first one about a girl named Rachel. Then about a man who sells his soul to the devil. Then finally, a story about a killer babysitter.

Why am I not going in depth about this film? It's complicated in a way to describe it without spoiling the whole plot of the film revolving around the kidnapped teen. I think that the stories were interesting, I liked the second short, "The Request". In which Keith Cooper does a good job in doing, mostly, a one man show with the board of "Harold the Goat". I give it a 3/5.

Video: 4/5

Hometown is presented in 1080i and in the aspect ratio of 1.78:1. Shot digitally, video is mostly flawless. However, not much grain is present throughout the film. Some of the digital alterations done in post were kind of a turn off. Like the shots of Rachel seeing herself as a demon in her dreams. And at the end where you see the sky turn red in the trees. I also don't think that the video needed to be switched from color to B&W in all of the basement shots in the "Abduction of Jordan" segments. But, I can say, since this was all shot digitally and it's nice and clean, I give the video a 4/5.

Audio: 5/5

We have the film presented in LPCM 2.0. Sound is pretty good. Considering that there's atmosphere and music comes and goes, I think that this type of audio is suitable for the film. I have no complaints about this portion of the disc. 5/5 for the audio.

Extras: 5/5

Hometown on Blu-ray comes with a bonus DVD disc with extras. Extras on the Blu-ray consist of, "Fund Raising Featurette"; we have Jay Byrne and other cast and crew basically in a room with a few people asking for money and showcasing the first shot segment "House on King Road". A "Gag Reel" which goes for almost 10 minutes. "Still Gallery", which is not the average one you see. We have production shots, promotional shots, lobby cards, and posters. Pretty good. Then we have four trailers present for the film. And final bonus on the Blu-ray is an audio commentary with Jay Byrne, Katie Rysz Byrne, and Mike Welch.

Then on the DVD disc, we have "Now What?" which is what the group is doing after the film was completed. This twenty minute documentary shows them all going to conventions and Jay being interviewed. We have the original ten minute version of "The Sitter" which was made almost twenty years ago. And finally, we have a look at Jay's next film; "You Better Watch Out". A teaser and a video log on the film are included. I give the extras a 5/5. If you have a lot of time to kill, I think it's worth the watch.

Overall: 4.5/5

If you love indie films and search out in the deep, dark bowels of the internet for low/no-budget films, I'd say it's worth a watch. Jay packed the discs with tons of extras which are worth giving it a shot. With great video, sound, and extras; I give this release a 4.5/5.

Way of War (2008)

Movie: 2.5/5
Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 5/5
Extras: .5/5
Overall: 3/5

"A Decent Straight-to-Video Movie with a Cop Out Ending."

I never understood what happened to Cuba Gooding Jr's career. Who did he piss off that he's now in the straight-to-video bin with Jean Claude Van-Damme, Steven Seagal, Dolph Lundgren, and Chuck Norris? With being in some nominated and highly praised films like "Jerry Maguire", "As Good as it Gets", and "Radio"; what happened? I would see trailers here and there for his straight-to-video stuff and never got around to seeing any of them, until now...

"Way of War" is a 2008 action film with Cuba playing David, a war veteran on the run after the government kills his fiancee after David kills Osama Bin Laden. With the orders being given out by two officials high up in the White House, they are tracking David's location and are set on a collision course where someone dies.

I give the film a 2.5/5, what ruins my enjoyment of it is the cop out ending that this film has. Without spoiling it, when they all collide and it breaks loose, I expected so much more from it. Even though he has second billing in the credits, J.K. Simmons is in the movie for about five minutes and he does a good job. Clarence Williams III does a good job and is in for the last half of the film when David brings the fight to his character's shop. And for Cuba Gooding Jr, I thought he did good for what it's worth.

Video: 4.5/5

Presented in 2.35:1 and shot on film with only two instances of print damage that I caught with a few scenes with dirt popping up, I thought the transfer was pretty solid. Also, something else I caught, there's a shot of the Washington Monument where you see two seperate cars drive by, where this footage looked like hell. I don't know if this was something done later in post to be some sort of filler. The grain levels are very strong and detailed on this presentation, which is kinda surprising that this wasn't shot in High Definition since it would have been a lot cheaper. I give First Look's (Millennium Media) presentation a 4.5/5.

Audio: 5/5

Despite being listed as "5.1 Surround Sound" on the back cover, we have a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track for the film, as well as a 2.0 Dolby Digital track for the film. The audio track is pretty solid. However, you can clearly hear where the sound editors stuck in these cheesy gun shot stock audio. So, it sticks out whenever there's shootout scenes in the Middle East. I give the audio a 5/5.

Extras: .5/5

Trailers for "Way of War", "Stileto", "Sukiyaki Western Django", "Contract Killers", and "Smoke Jumpers". As mentioned on the Blu-ray for "Immortal", these are horrible quality and are possibly sourced from a VHS tape. Quality is shockingly bad. I give the extras .5/5.

Overall: 3/5

For my first ever outing of a Cuba Gooding Jr straight-to-video film, I wasn't really disappointed with it. I figured Cuba would probably pull a Steven Seagal and just act in the movie for about five minutes and have someone else dub over him like in all of his movies. And First Look Pictures, now a part of Millennium Media, gives a better presentation on this film unlike "Immortal". Considering you can get this for $5 brand new, I'd say it's worth it for the price. 3/5.

Mirrors 2 (2010) / Into the Mirror (2003)

Movies: 3.5/5
Video: 3/5
Audio: 4.5/5
Extras: 3/5
Overall: 3.5/5


Before I begin my review, I would like to state that I am counting this as a double feature. Despite the fact that the original South Korean film, "Into the Mirror" is presented in Standard Definition on the DVD. Scores for "Movie", "Video", and "Audio"; all represent ratings for both films combined.

Movies: 3.5/5

Into the Mirrors (2003): 4/5

What possess a studio to remake a foreign film? While I lived in Germany during 2003 to 2006, I would frequent the German movie theaters usually on Sunday mornings to see what film would be playing in it's original English language. However, when I would go there, I saw posters for films that would be from South Korea, France, Italy, US, UK, etc. In this day and age where celluloid has gone the way of the dodo in theaters, why can't we have foreign films more accessable for viewing?

Well, "Into the Mirrors" was remade by French director Alexandre Aja. The difference is vast between the original and remake. The ending to the Aja film was downright hysterical. I remember busting out in laughter along with the rest of the audience when I caught the remake upon arriving for my year of college in Hilo.

"Into the Mirrors" is a South Korean supernatural mystery film. No real horror at all in this film. There was only one moment where I seriously jumped and it was where the first victim died. Story revolves around a security guard working for his uncle when all these murders start occuring. We learn that a girl who's sister died in the mall and a fire broke out. However, her sister's still out there, alive... in the mirror!

This film makes you think. You have the natural and the supernatural causing confusing between the people investigating and trying to get to the truth of the mystery. I liked the film and I think that in comparison to the remake, I like that they wanted to reopen the mall after the fire.

The remake was like; "Eh, it burned down. We're not going to rebuild and reopen. It's just there! Watch over it!" I think it's as powerful of a film as the original Japanese film of "The Ring". I think it's worth a watch, despite it being in this Blu-ray set, only on the DVD! I give it a 4/5.

Mirrors 2 (2010): 2.5/5

What possess a studio to do a straight to video sequel? The first time I was ever aware of a straight to video sequel was back in the late 90's when they did From Dusk Till Dawn 2. I was like; "Huh?" The whole concept was alien to me as a child that they could sequels, or movies in general, and they'd go straight to video.

Mirrors 2, despite being labelled as "Unrated" on the box art feels more like it was intended to be a straight to television sequel that plays on the Lifetime channel. Even though there's gore, it could be easily be cut because it's all very short. It's a horror film that plays it too safe.

This film is more or less a remake of the original South Korean film; mall chain, the Mayflower, which Kiefer Sutherland worked for in the original remake is relocating to Louisiana. The only real mention of the events of the first film is just in the opening credits as newspaper articles drift in and out of frame. Max (Nick Stahl; Terminator 3, Sin City), is depressed over the death of his fiancee. Max's father is the owner of the Mayflower chain and offers him a job as a night watchman.

As Max starts working, people who high up on the Mayflower chain are slowly dying off. Max learns that the ghost in the mirror is a young girl who was killed by a Mayflower employee. Max must figure out who killed her before it's too late.

As stated in a previous paragraph, this feels more like a remake of the original South Korean film. There's even an homage to the original pizza cutter as the ghost tries to kill off Max's father after he tells him he quits. William Katt as Max's father should have been in the film more, at least in the final moments of the film. He should be relieved that the terror caused by the mirrors that's been haunting his stores over the years is over. I give this film a 2.5/5

Video: 3/5

Into the Mirror (2003): 1/5

Even though the film is presented in 480i, Standard Definition, the presentation is awful. You would not think that this film is ten years old. The video presentation makes it look like this movie was made atleast twenty to thirty years ago. Honestly, this felt like a VHS copied to a DVD. Did Fox honestly think this transfer was acceptable from the South Korean studio? 1/5

Mirrors 2 (2010): 4.5/5

In 1080p, Mirrors 2 is presented in 1.78:1. It seems that all straight to video sequels are always 1.78, whereas the original is 2.35:1. Shot in HD, the film is pretty much flawless in terms of detail. Only time when CGI stands out is whenever you see Elenore the ghost in the mirror. Colors and saturation look great in the daytime and dark and drab in the night time shots when Max is in the mall. I give the video quality a 4.5/5.

Audio: 4.5/5

Into the Mirror (2003): 4/5

Presented in a Korean Dolby Digital 2.0 track, the audio is miles above the video presentation on "Into the Mirror".. I had no real complaints towards the audio. Just the video. 4/5

Mirrors 2 (2010): 5/5

We have a nice and solid DTS-HD MA 5.1 track presented on "Mirrors 2". The movie is very quiet as we have Max trolling the halls most of the movie and trying to find Elenore's ghost. Considering that, the audio is very good. 5/5.

Extras: 3/5

We have deleted scenes, a making of, and VFX process. There's also a PIP function for the film. And a DVD copy of the film along with the original South Korean film on the other side of the disc. The bonus materials are all right. We do see that Christy Carlson Romano wasn't naked when she pulls her head off in the mirror. You see that whole green screen process. It was pretty cool. I give the extras a 3/5.

Overall: 3.5/5

I got this for $8 about a year and a half ago. I think for the price and that it's two movies, despite the fact that the original South Korean is on the DVD. It would have been so much better that the original film was presented in HD. I'd say give it a shot. 3.5/5.