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It's our final preliminary round of voting. Please check out our Amazon Election page to vote for your favorite movie president. In this bracket is our presidents in crisis. They fight aliens, they save the world, they clock out some terrorists. You contributed to the final list of contenders, and now you can make your voice heard for the winner! Pick from:

Harrison Ford as President James Marshall in Air Force One

Bill Pullman as President Thomas J. Whitmore in Independence Day

Morgan Freeman as President Tom Beck in Deep Impact

Peter Sellers as President Merkin Muffley in Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

Mary McDonnell as President Laura Roslin in Battlestar Galactica

Dennis Haysbert as President David Palmer in 24

Jack Nicholson as President James Dale in Mars Attacks!

Tuesday begins our own primaries. The top vote getters in each bracket will face off until we're down to two candidates. -- Ellen

I'll be honest: My Own Worst Enemy did not top my Fall TV most-anticipated list, though I did amuse myself by thinking of the ironies of that title vis a vis the bad-boy history of the show's star (Christian Slater). But now that I've seen it, I'm hooked. (Enemy doesn't make its official NBC broadcast debut until next week, but you can see it free right now at Amazon Video On Demand.) The show opens with a moment that right away captures the essence of the show -- Slater's character speaking directly to the camera, with urgency, highlighting a secret drama of the suburban staple (kids' sports): "My name is Edward. By now, you have forgotten all about me. But you need to listen very carefully to what I have to say. First, call your wife and tell her you're going to miss the soccer game. Your life depends on it." Seconds later, he's doing spy stuff and (ahem!) other things with shirtless urgency, making the show sexy, shoot 'em up and mysterious less than five minutes in. Enter Alfre Woodard as this show's M, and I'm extra sold. See for yourself! -- Stephanie Reid-Simons, Amazon Video On Demand

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Blu Monday: Bill and the Bride

by Armchair Commentary at 10:40 AM PDT, October 6, 2008

(Blu Monday is our roundup of what's new in Blu-ray...)

Among the Blu-ray discs I've been spinning lately are Kill Bill: Volumes 1 & 2.  These movies look absolutely great, and the uncompressed PCM sound is great too.  After the opening black-and-white scene, we're in Vivica Fox's suburbia, and those colors really pop compared to the old DVD.  I'd just meant to take a quick look at the picture and sound quality and ended up watching them nearly the whole way through because I'd forgotten just how much crazy, over-the-top fun the movies are.  Not so great are the bonus features, which were all on the DVDs, and in standard definition look pretty bad (relatively speaking, of course).  For comparison's sake, I had to rent the standard DVDs because I never bought them years ago: I was about to then got caught up in the rumors that they might be released together as The Whole Bloody Affair.  I know some customers are holding out for TWBA on Blu-ray as well, but if you just want the original movies, these Blu-ray discs are the way to go.  --David

New Blu-ray pre-orders that have recently hit the catalog:

In topics: Action, High Definition
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"Moonlight" shines on DVD at last!

by Armchair Commentary at 4:17 PM PDT, October 3, 2008

Yes!  Moonlight is going to be on DVD after all, and you can pre-order it now!  For all you fans who watched the vampire series starring Alex O'Loughlin and have been waiting patiently (or not so patiently) to own it on DVD, January 20, 2009 is your day.  And for those of you who have participated in our First To Know system, this is a big win.  We told Warner Home Video about how many of you had signed up to be notified about DVD release.  We told them about your customer reviews and discussion boards.  We told them that you want Moonlight on DVD!  And now it's finally coming.  Of course, the next question is: what about Blu-ray?  No news yet, but just like before, you can sign up to be notified and we'll pass that on too!  --David

What it is: James Bond is a supersuave British agent with a license to kill and a liking for martinis shaken, not stirred.... No, we know that you know who James Bond is.  Suffice to say that coming out in October are six Bond movies (three Connery, two Moore, one Brosnan) on Blu-ray for the first time: Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Thunderball, Live and Let Die, For Your Eyes Only, and Die Another Day

Why it's Significant: High-definition fans tend to like action movies.  James Bond is the most famous action franchise of all time.  Put two and two together, and you have either a long-awaited addition to your collection or another reason for upgrading to Blu-ray.  The six films are available individually, in two three-packs, or in an Amazon-exclusive six-pack.  --David 

P.S.: The prospect of beautiful Bond women in Blu doesn't hurt either.  Below you can watch Ursula Andress's memorable entrance in the first Bond movie, Dr. No.

IRON MAN --> BLU-RAY

by Armchair Commentary at 12:35 PM PDT, September 28, 2008

Cold. Cold. Warm. WARM. Cold. WARM. HOT. VERY, HOT. STINGING ACID BURNING PLASMA IN YOUR EYE HOT--Iron Man has made it to Blu-ray, streeting September 30th.

What do you get? Well, the movie. TrueHD surround sound. And with BDLive you can quiz other people watching the film. Other coolness allows you to test out three different Iron Man suits. No, you don't actually wear them.

As you may have heard, there was a recall on the first Blu-ray print of this release by Paramount, causing me "The High-def guy" some annoyance, updating otherwise perfectly placed campaigns on the Amazon Blu-ray site.

But Paramount, you know what? You've eased my open metaphoric wounds with the salve of your iron reluctance to let a mishap like this destroy your biggest release of the year, by burning some new and working Blu-ray discs. Lots of them. So yo, you got the green light from Amazon.

And this song is still awesome.

--Rich

First impressions of upcoming movies, based on trailer (Click on the title to watch the high-resolution trailer: You may need QuickTime for most). Release dates are subject to change. --Ellen

Doubt (dir. John Patrick Shanley): Based on a Tony-winning play, Meryl Streep stars as a nun who suspects a priest (Philip Seymour Hoffman) of molesting a boy and sets out to ruin his name without evidence. Amy Adams co-stars as a young nun who follows, then questions, Streep's convictions. Streep, who was sunned and singing in the Greek isles this summer in Mamma Mia!, now sneers behind a bonnet like the Wicked Witch of the West. Seeing her and Hoffman yell at each other is a breath of fresh air after the past month of summer druthers. (Dec. 5)

               

Four Christmases (dir. Seth Gordon): Reese Withspoon's first comedy since 2005's Just Like Heaven teams her up with Vince Vaughn as a couple who normally avoid their divorced parents for Christmas but must visit all four when their vacation plans go sour. We love Robert Duvall as Vaughn's dad and Jon Favreau as his mohawked, UFC-fighting brother, and really hope this is not one of those cases where all the funny bits are in the trailer. (Nov. 26)

         

Changeling (dir. Clint Eastwood): Not a feel-good movie by any means, this latest from Clint Eastwood follows the true-life tale of a 1928 kidnapping of a 9-year-old boy and his mother (Angelina Jolie), who was sent to a psychiatric ward for claiming the boy the police returned was not her son. Is it police corruption? Conspiracy? Or Oscar gold? (Oct. 24)


   

The Soloist (dir. Joe Wright): Nathaniel Anthony Ayers (Jamie Foxx) was a Julliard-educated cellist who was found playing on the street (with missing strings) by a reporter (Robert Downey Jr.). Inspirational or cheese-tastic? This true story reads like perfect Oscar material for Foxx, who won the Oscar for Ray, but most of the emotional scenes belong to Downey. Wright (Atonement, Pride & Prejudice) directs his first film without Keira Knightley. (Nov. 21)

            

Milk (dir. Gus Van Sant): Sean Penn's last acting job, the critically hyped--then pounded--All the King's Men, did not serve him well. But this next go-round as a politician looks promising: Penn plays Harvey Milk, the first ever openly gay elected official. This civil-rights drama, based on Milk's run for office in San Francisco, includes James Franco as his lover and Josh Brolin as the city supervisor opposed to him. It's also Van Sant's first major studio film since 2000's Finding Forrester.  (Nov. 26)

      

 

I don't know about you, but after the Olympics, vacation, and numerous other distractions, I didn't catch up on nearly as many DVDs as I'd hoped over the summer (back into the to-be-watched pile you go, Arrested Development!).  And now the summer is officially over because the first of the shows I watched last year returns tonight: Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.  You can watch a Rapid Recap (warning: spoilers!) of season 1 and a glimpse of the upcoming season 2 below.  --David

What it is: Chuck (Zachary Levi) is a mild-mannered nerd working at Buy More (a barely veiled Best Buy) when he downloads a virus that implants the entire U.S. intelligence network into his brain.  Obviously that makes him a prime target, so he falls under the protection of two agents, Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strahovski) and John Casey (Adam Baldwin), who become his only hope of leading a normal nerdy life.  But is his relationship with Sarah strictly professional?

Why it's Significant: Combining action and comedy, Chuck was my favorite new show of the 2007-08 season.  In fact, Chuck's sister's boyfriend would say it's "Awesome!"  Levi is charming in the title role, Baldwin is not too far off from his Firefly character of Jayne (that's a good thing), and the tough-yet-tender Strahovski was a breakout star.  Much like The X-Files' Gillian Anderson became the thinking man's crush, Strahovski became a fantasy for nerds everywhere, especially after appearing in the famous Princess Leia slavegirl outfit.  And for those of you used to watching your TV in high definition, there's a Blu-ray version as well. New to Chuck?  Watch the full NBC promo below.  --David

Best DVDs of September 2008: "Iron Man"

by Armchair Commentary at 1:34 AM PDT, September 2, 2008

What it is: Iron Man on Blu-ray and DVD. For those of you who have been living under a rock for the past year Iron Man, a Marvel Comics adaption, is about Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), an extremely rich weapons developer, who after being captured by terrorists, finds that his weapons aren't exactly being used for just causes. Putting his weapon building experience to good use, he develops a metal suit, escapes, then devotes his life to righting the wrongs his weapons have caused. Also featuring Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard and directed by Jon Favreau.    

Why it's significant: If there is one movie release on DVD in September (more like all of 2008) which warrants an excuse to buy that Blu-ray player you’ve been putting off, it is Iron Man . Girlfriends, Wives,and Fiancés will forgive you once they see Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark tearing up the skies, his garage, and terrorists. If you’ve already upgraded to Hi Def heaven, then owning this movie is a no-brainer. What better way is there to show off your home entertainment system’s capabilities than the incredible action sequences of a driven and not-so-humble super hero?  Of Course, for those of you who have a mortgage, are still waiting to win the state lottery, or aren’t trust fund babies, Iron Man is also available on Standard Def DVD. It just won’t impress your neighbors… as much.  --Mike