Maxim’s Movie Reviews and Opinions Blog

New 80GB PlayStation 3 available September 1
Sony discovered pretty quickly that the original 60GB PlayStation 3 [read Maxim's Review] may have been too expensive for some people, so they came up with cheaper 40GB PlayStation 3. This new model had no backwards compatibility with PlayStation 2, but was cheaper, quieter, and cooler. But we live in the age where multiple competitors are touting video on-demand and video downloads. Unless you are downloading movies from your PC and then streaming to your XBox 360, PlayStation 3 or a media player like DLink DSM-520, you need more storage. The latest version of PlayStation 3 (model # PS398013) doubles the amount of available storage with its 80GB hard disk drive. Other technical specifications remain the same:

• Same Cell Broadband Engine that is not back ward compatible with PS2, but will play PS1 games
• 256MB RAM and 256MB video RAM
• 2.5″ serial ATA 80GB hard drive
• 2xUSB ports
• Gigabit Ethernet + Wireless B/G
• Blootooth 2.0 radio with 1 DUALSHOCK 3 bluetooth controller included
• Supports video resolution from 480i to 1080p (24p/60p)
• 1 x HDMI 1.3 output featuring x.v.Color a deepColor
• 1 x Analog A/V output
• 1 x Digital Optical output
• A read-only Blu-Ray/DVD/CD drive that will up-convert your old DVDs to 1080p

This game console/Blu-Ray player will be selling for $399 and is currently on pre-sale on Sony’s website. If this is too big a price to pay to play your Blu-Ray movies, consider new Toshiba’s revenge for the loss of its HD-DVD technology and product lineup to Sony’s Blu-Ray - the new up-converting DVD player XD-E500. A 160GB version has also been reportedly announced at Games Convention in Leipzig, and should his markets on October 31 at $499.99 (MSRP) bundled with Drake’s Fortune and other content. (0)

Toshiba announces new 1080p DVD player with XDE
After a devastating and embarrasing loss to Sony in the high definition video disk war, Toshiba ended production of its HD-DVD players, but they still found a use for their powerful upscaler. Previously, Toshiba’s HD-DVD players were capable of up-converting regular DVDs to 1080p with amazing quality, and that’s where Toshiba believes the near-term future for its technology is. It’s new up-converting player, XD-E500 costs only $149.99 or less - compare it to the cost of existing Blu-Ray players, few of which support Blu-Ray Profile 2.0 and are not upgradable, so really the only full Blu-Ray specification implementation is available on Sony’s gaming console - PlayStation 3. Compared to other Blu-Ray players, XD-E500 seems reasonably priced. In the heart of the player is a chipset with Toshiba’s XDE (eXtended Detail Enhancement) technology, allowing up-conversion to 720p, 1080i and 1080p (including 1080p/24p mode) with three optimization modes: Sharp for added edge detail, Color for richer blues and greens, and Contrast for enhancement of details in darker scenes. The XD-E500 also incorporates key features found on today’s up-converting standard DVD players such as HDMI-CEC, DivX certification, JPEG capability, MP3 and WMA playback and much more in a slim, high-gloss cosmetic design to complement today’s HDTV. It does not play HD-DVD or Blu-Ray disks. (0)

Hot New DVD and Blu-Ray Releases This Week (August 19, 2008)

House, M.D. - Season Four

(2007) NR In the fourth season of this Emmy-nominated drama, the always-cranky House (Hugh Laurie) deals with the departure of his entire diagnostic team by hiring 40 new doctors and forcing them to compete in “Survivor”-like fashion for permanent positions on his staff. While firing unqualified candidates left and right, House uses his remarkable medical deduction skills to solve the ailments of his patients, including a female race car driver. DVD (4-disc series)

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

(2008) PG-13 After losing yet another nanny position because of her gruff demeanor, Guinevere Pettigrew (Frances McDormand) mistakenly lands an assignment as the assistant of an American starlet (Amy Adams) and finds herself swept up in a dizzying world of glamour and high society. Based on the novel by Winifred Watson, this charming 1940s-era tale also stars Ciarán Hinds, Lee Pace, Shirley Henderson and Mark Strong. DVD | Blu-Ray

Street Kings

(2008) R Still reeling from the death of his wife, Los Angeles detective Tom Ludlow (Keanu Reeves) is devastated when he’s named as a suspect in the murder of his partner (Terry Crews). With the help of a young homicide detective (Chris Evans), Ludlow struggles to clear his name. His boss (Forest Whitaker), meanwhile, tries to protect him from a tough Internal Affairs investigator (Hugh Laurie) who’s determined to put Ludlow behind bars. DVD | Blu-Ray

Recount

(2008) R This made-for-cable film chronicles the extraordinary behind-the-scenes drama that unfolded in the weeks following the highly controversial 2000 election - a presidential race that further split an already divided America. With the country’s leadership hanging in the balance after the closest vote in history, the battle between George W. Bush and Al Gore would come down a hotly contested vote count in Florida. Kevin Spacey and Laura Dern star. DVD

Prom Night

(2008) R Donna (Brittany Snow) has been looking forward to her senior prom for as long as she can remember, anticipating a night of magic surrounded by her best friends. But what she doesn’t bargain for is a visitor from her dark past and a party that will end in murder. Donna and her friends find themselves fighting to escape the clutches of a deranged killer before the night of their dreams turns into their worst nightmare. DVD | Blu-Ray

Nixon

(1995) NR The Watergate scandal toppled the world’s most powerful man: U.S. President Richard Nixon (Anthony Hopkins). Director Oliver Stone re-creates the turbulent days of the early 1970s as a shadowy epic of lies and intrigue. The cast includes James Woods, Ed Harris and Joan Allen, but the film belongs to Hopkins, who portrays Nixon as a man possessed of great gifts but haunted by past failures. DVD | Blu-Ray

The Life Before Her Eyes

(2007) R As the 15th anniversary of a tragic high school shooting approaches, Diana (Uma Thurman) flashes back to a time when her teenage self (Evan Rachel Wood) and best friend, Maureen (Eva Amurri), dreamed of leaving their small town. As she relives the events surrounding the tragedy, drifting between past and present, Diana wonders if she can live with the choice she made that changed their lives forever. DVD | Blu-Ray (0)

Hot New DVD and Blu-Ray Releases This Week (August 5, 2008)

Foyle’s War: Set 5

(2008) NR Detective chief superintendent Christopher Foyle (Michael Kitchen) is forced to come out of retirement to aid the undermanned police force in Hastings, a coastal English town surrounded by the chaos and confusion of the ongoing WWII campaign. Expertly blending fiction and history, the fifth season of this period crime drama has Foyle investigating a death linked to a priest, the murder of a young doctor, and a suicide. DVD

Get Smart - Season 1

(1965) NR Created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, this Emmy-winning spoof of the spy genre stars Don Adams as bumbling operative Maxwell Smart, who — aided by shapely Agent 99 (Barbara Feldon) — must outwit the dastardly KAOS organization. Despite his ineptness with the gadgets at his disposal, clueless Max invariably foils the baddies, but if he needs help, his boss (Edward Platt) is only a shoe-phone call away. First season guests include Leonard Nimoy. DVD | The Complete Series DVD.  

Nim’s Island

(2008) PG When the young island-dwelling Nim (Abigail Breslin) loses contact with her scientist father (Gerard Butler) who’s lost at sea, she reaches out to her favorite author (Jodie Foster) for help. Problem is, the writer — of adventure stories no less — is a recluse who hasn’t left her house in years. Can the agoraphobic author summon the same courage she’s instilled in the hero of her novels in time to rescue her biggest fan? DVD | Blu-Ray 

The Counterfeiters

(2007) R Facing an ethical quandary, Jewish master forger Salomon Sorowitsch (Karl Markovics) must choose between abetting the Nazis and saving his skin in this taut Oscar-nominated drama based on a true story. Assembled at a death camp, a cadre of printers, artists and chiselers — led by the opportunistic Sorowitsch — is tasked with counterfeiting currencies to weaken Allied economies. But will Sorowitsch’s conscience begin to gnaw at him as the war draws to a close? DVD | Blu-Ray

Starship Troopers 1-3

(1997-2004-2008) R In this sci-fi adventure based on a novel by Robert A. Heinlein and directed by Paul Verhoeven, fire-spitting, brain-sucking bugs attack Earth, and the city of Buenos Aires is wiped off the map. Coming to the rescue are Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien), Dizzy (Dina Meyer), Carmen (Denise Richards) and Ace (Jake Busey), courageous soldiers who travel to the distant Klendathu system for the ultimate showdown. The Starship Troopers (played by Bill Brown, Colleen Porch, Cy Carter, Drew Powell and Ed Lauter) are back to take action against the Bugs in this fast-paced film directed by Academy Award winner Phil Tippett. Unfortunately, their enemies are ready for them, and they end up stranded, unable to fight their way out unless they team up with those who betrayed them. Includes interviews with Tippett and the producers, a featurette and more. When a Federation starship crash-lands on the far-flung alien planet OM-1, its passengers, including Starship leader Sky Marshal Anoke (Stephen Hogan) and pilot Lola Beck (Jolene Blalock), find themselves stranded, and their only hope for salvation lies with Col. Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien). Now, Rico — the hero of Planet P’s Bug Invasion — must mobilize a team of Troopers for a death-defying rescue mission. Blu-Ray | Starship Troopers: Marauder DVD. 

Lonesome Dove

(1989) NR Larry McMurtry’s novel comes to the screen as a six-hour epic with a cast of legendary performers led by Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones. Texas Rangers Augustus McCrae (Duvall) and Woodrow F. Call (Jones) saddle up for the cattle drive to end all cattle drives: a 2,500-mile journey from the Rio Grande to Montana. “Lonesome Dove” ranks with director John Ford’s greatest Westerns. Blu-ray |