Share varmintx's profile
 
Facebook Twitter
 
 
varmintx
 
 
 
varmintx's stats
 
  • Review count
    27
  • Helpfulness votes
    12
  • First review
    April 13, 2013
  • Last review
    August 4, 2017
  • Featured reviews
    0
  • Average rating
    4.2
 
  • Review comment count
    1
  • Helpfulness votes
    5
  • First review comment
    August 30, 2013
  • Last review comment
    August 30, 2013
  • Featured review comments
    0
 
Questions
  • Question count
    0
  • Helpfulness votes
    0
  • First question
    None
  • Last question
    None
  • Featured questions
    0
 
Answers
  • Answer count
    0
  • Helpfulness votes
    0
  • First answer
    None
  • Last answer
    None
  • Featured answers
    0
  • Best answers
    0
 
 
varmintx's Reviews
<< 1 2 3
 
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Intense chronicle of the hunt for Usama bin Laden
on June 13, 2013
Posted by: varmintx
from Covington, KY
Full disclosure, though I liked it, I didn't think Kathryn Bigelow's previous film, The Hurt Locker, was quite as incredible as the reviews suggested it would be, but I was thoroughly impressed with its follow-up here. Chronicling the hunt for for Usama bin Laden, the film takes on the pseudo-documentary feel that's becoming more and more common-place, but in this particularly instance, it's very appropriate. And, despite what pundits on either side of the political spectrum would have you believe, the film doesn't really worry too much about the politics involved. It tries to adhere to the facts as much as possible, and sometimes those facts are a little ugly and the morality at play is thoroughly in a murky, gray area, but the film itself doesn't want to take sides. The writing and acting are top-notch and the climactic infiltration of the compound at the end, though a little long, is extremely intense.
The audio/visual presentation of the blu-ray is outstanding, but extras are a little lacking.
My Best Buy number: 967325208
What's great about it: An all-around expertly-made film.
What's not so great: People's politics surrounding the film.
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
Customer Rating
4 out of 5
4
An excellent drama about poker.
on June 1, 2013
Posted by: varmintx
from Covington, KY
Poker has been used in a number of very good movies, but Rounders is probably the best of them. Matt Damon turns an excellent performance with Martin Landau and John Malkovich supplying strong supporting roles. But, it's Edward Norton that steals every scene he's in. It's hard to believe that he is so convincing as a scrawny hustler in this film the same year he was a terrifying, muscular skinhead in American History X.
The blu-ray's picture quality is pretty good for a catalog release though it seems pretty obvious the contrast was boosted a little too much. Audio quality is front-heavy as you would expect from a mostly dialogue-driven film, but you never have any trouble understanding anyone including Malkovich through his thick Russian accent.
My Best Buy number: 967325208
What's great about it: Acting and writing are great.
What's not so great: Not much of anything.
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
Customer Rating
4 out of 5
4
An excellent crime drama with some dark humor
on May 31, 2013
Posted by: varmintx
from Covington, KY
Martin McDonagh has only made 2 feature-length films, but both have been very good. Where Seven Psychopaths tended towards being a little more absurd, In Bruges is more serious. That's not to say the film is humorless, far from it, but you shouldn't expect to be laughing most of the time. Performances are superb all-around, and the blu-ray's audio/visual presentation never falters.
My Best Buy number: 967325208
What's great about it: A very real look at the morality of people who decide to engage in criminal behavior.
What's not so great: People expecting a Guy Ritchie-type film will be disapointed.
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
Customer Rating
4 out of 5
4
Great film; sub-par blu-ray
on April 28, 2013
Posted by: varmintx
from Covington, KY
Sporting an ensemble cast with very witty dialogue and wonderful direction by Robert Altman, Gosford Park is just one of many of the filmmaker's great films. I only wish the blu-ray was anywhere near as good as the film within it.
First of all, there's no menu which proves to be an immediate nuisance because it defaults to the lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 track instead of the DTS-MA 5.1 one. Speaking of the audio, it is such an obvious, and poorly done, remix of a stereo track as, though there is plenty of ancillary dialogue around all the time, the rear channels are never used. More problematic, the center channel is also poorly implemented leaving dialogue often muddled.
The source is obviously from an old DVD master as the video is quite lifeless without any fine detail to speak of. Some print damage is evident periodically in the form of white specs. Thankfully, the vast majority of the film takes place within the mansion, because exterior shots are even worse looking with plenty of edge enhancement creating a blurry mess.
There are no extras included. If you already own the DVD, there is really no reason to upgrade to this blu-ray and I would very much suggest you wait and hope for a proper release. However, the film is so good that if you haven't had the pleasure of watching it yet, I would recommend you pick it up immediately.
My Best Buy number: 967325208
What's great about it: Wonderful writing, acting and direction.
What's not so great: The blu-ray is mediocre in every way.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
 
Customer Rating
4 out of 5
4
A better sequel than the second.
on April 14, 2013
Posted by: varmintx
from Covington, KY
After the mediocre second film, I wasn't terribly enthusiastic about watching another Men in Black film, but was pleasantly surprised. The time travel premise works especially with Josh Brolin's dead-on Tommy Lee Jones impersonation. More surprising, there is actually a worthwhile point at the end. My biggest complaint is that, by virtue of the plot, Jones doesn't get much screen time.
The audio/video presentation on the blu-ray is quite solid. The 3D is not up to par with the best conversions, Titanic and The Avengers, but is well done and mostly avoids the awful cardboard cut-out look that plagues many conversions.
My Best Buy number: 967325208
What's great about it: Intriguing plot and setting.
What's not so great: Still not as good as the first film.
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
Customer Rating
4 out of 5
4
Solid sequel to the Predator franchise
on April 13, 2013
Posted by: varmintx
from Covington, KY
Predators is very much like Aliens is to its predecessor, it tries to ramp up the stakes by having multiple predators to deal with and in unfamiliar territory. And like Aliens, it's quite a solid sequel, but doesn't quite live up to the original.
The blu-rays audio/visual quality, while not quite demo material, is very impressive.
My Best Buy number: 967325208
What's great about it: Interesting premise, good action
What's not so great: After its great opening, the rest of the movie isn't quite as good.
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
The second season is just as great as the first.
on April 13, 2013
Posted by: varmintx
from Covington, KY
It's hard to call a series that's only just started its third season the greatest television series of all time, but Game of the Thrones somehow manages to stand above what is a rather large crowd of incredible dramas the likes of which we've never had before. The remarkably complex plot interweaves so many characters in different places and yet never feels like some are getting under-served. More so than any other series, the threat of death looms largely over everything creating a high level of tension as no one ever feels truly safe.
As with the first season, the audio/visual presentation of the blu-ray is phenomenal.
What's great about it: Engrossing plot with well developed characters
What's not so great: Waiting for the next season.
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
varmintx's Review Comments
 
You stand looking out on the arresting lands of Eorzea, digesting your surroundings, gazing upon the familiar Final Fantasy creatures you know so well. What you may not realize is that you're standing on the brink of a precipice in which the land is poised to plunge. At the bottom awaits unrest, danger, ruin, terror, battle, adventure, triumph, victory, courage, good and evil. At the bottom awaits the Seventh Umbral Era. The prosperous Astral era is fading fast, the Garlean Empire has amassed an invading army on the eastern border and the otherworldly primals have been summoned by the native beast tribes. These threats will not be easily overcome, but you accept the emergence of a new Umbral era with the knowledge that your comrades will toil alongside you with courage in their hearts and the breath of hope filling their lungs as you reforge the fate of Eorzea. Embark on the adventure of a lifetime with the stunning graphics and high-definition, real-time cutscenes that are the hallmarks of the Final Fantasy franchise. Forge new friendships with players from around the globe in this MMORPG as you create your own unique stories and become a part of the history of Eorzea. Mount chocobos, board airships, explore the landscape and gather your wits for epic battles against familiar Final Fantasy monsters – you create your own destiny with unique abilities, equipment and a flexible class system that allows you to traverse 18 different classes simply by changing your equipped weapon or tool. Whether you're playing on a PS3 or a PC, robust gameplay features, such as Free Companies, story-driven player-vs.-player content and primal summoning bring players together for true cross-platform play.
 
Overall1 out of 51 out of 5
servers are down
By jackiehfdst from m
the servers have been down too much for a game that was released 3 year ago all of this shoulda been figured out before this game was reborn
Customer Avatar
varmintx
Covington, KY
August 30, 2013
It's an MMO in the first week of release. There are ALWAYS server problems in the first week of an MMO's release. This is hardly a justifiable reason to give the game a 1/5. They're already adding new servers, and as such, the one complaint you've given will be rectified in a week.
+4points
5of 6voted this comment as helpful.
 
varmintx's Questions
 
varmintx has not submitted any questions.
 
varmintx's Answers
 
varmintx has not submitted any answers.