Got a DVD collection and now have a blu-ray player? Upgrade!

We went through it when VHS gave way to DVD. We went through it when records gave way to cassette tapes, and again when cassette tapes gave way to CD. Now, we are again faced with having a huge collection that is quickly becoming outdated. I am talking, of course, about the DVD to blu-ray conversion.

This time is a little different, because blu-ray players are backwards compatible with DVDs, so you can still watch your movies with no problems. However, there are movies in everyone's collection that they will want to upgrade to the HD blu-ray format. I am currently going through this process, and wanted to share something I found with the rest of you.

Warner Brother's is offering a dvd to blu-ray trade up service. If you own one of the dvds on their select list, you can send them the dvd and pay a small upgrade fee(usually $7.95) and they will send you the blu-ray copy! They also offer HD-DVD to blu-ray trades, for those of you who jumped the gun on HD-DVD.

Granted, their list is not vast. I have almost 500 dvds and there are only 55 movies on their list at the moment. However, I still found 4 movies that I owned which were eligible, and for all 4 movies to be upgraded to blu-ray I am paying $33, which includes tax. Pretty good deal!

They don't require you to send in the case or anything, just the disc. If you have a different version of the movie than the one listed it doesn't matter. Just send in the feature DVD and you're good. The blu-ray they send you is the same one you would buy in the store, with the case and all unopened. There is a limit of 10 movies per household, but considering I only had 4 with a collection as big as mine, if you have more than 10 on their list you can probably afford the others at full price anyway.

The entire process takes 4-5 weeks according to the website. I will update you all when I get mine as to how long it actually took. They provide you with a shipping label, so you don't need to worry about postage. Also, after you complete your order you can opt to receive their promotional emails. I would recommend doing so, as I have just gotten a one time use code for buy 2 blu-rays, get one free, and their prices are pretty good to begin with(they have over 100 blu-rays ranging from $7.96 to $19.99)! The Warner Brothers shop is actually a pretty good place to get cheap blu-rays, even without a code.

I wish every company offered this service! I could upgrade my collection for like a third of what it would normally cost, but as of now this is the only company I know of offering this. If any of you find others, let us know! Until next time, see you at the movies.

 ***Update: 3/30*** I got my Blu-rays today! So, just after 3 weeks later, and I gotta say I'm pretty happy. They did not email me to let me know they were coming, which they claimed would happen, so I wasn't expecting them. However, one of my DVDs I sent them was in poor condition and they still sent me the Blu-ray(it played, but had sticker residue all over the front), so all in all it was a great transaction! I wasn't charged until just over a week ago, so my guess would be once you see the charge occur in your bank statement, you will have your blu-rays within about 10 days, give or take. I highly recommend the service! Good luck!

Demand Solomon Kane to be released in your city!

View all Port Charlotte events on Eventful

Invictus - In Theaters Dec. 11

This tells the story of Nelson Mandela's life in post-apartheid South Africa. Stars Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon, and is directed by Clint Eastwood.

On DVD This Week - Monty Python: Almost The Truth

I watched some of this when it was on IFC last week, and it was pretty interesting. It tells the tale of all the members of Python, from before they did the show to after it all ended.

Find out whose decision it was to finally call it quits, who were the driving force behind the sketches, how the movies got started, and more.

This DVD runs for 360 minutes, so it is a ton of information to be found here! Check it out!

REVIEW: Law Abiding Citizen

Rated: R
Length: 1 hour 48 minutes
Rating:(new rating systems starts with this one) B-

 I have to admit I am not a huge Gerard Butler fan. To be fair, I have not seen previews for any movie he has been in to make me want to watch them. Gamer came close, but I had a gut feeling that it had a high probability of being cheesy. However, as of this movie, color me impressed.

For 99% of this movie you are rooting for the "bad guy". Maybe you don't agree with his methodology, but his message rings true and the "good guys" are so slimy you couldn't possibly want them to get the upper hand. In some movies you root for the bad guy for short periods of time, or the bad guy isn't that bad. Trust me, in this one, Butler is "bad" in every sense of the word.

This movie keeps you guessing, even though you know who done it from the beginning. It keeps you jumping, even though you pretty much know whats coming. And it keeps you glued to your seat, even though you know the probable outcome.

One of the things this movie does right is keeping the kills interesting and spontaneous. I won't give anything away, but one particular kill makes you jump ten feet in the air, and makes you jumpy the rest of the movie. Also, they do a terrific job of making the killer more relate-able than the justice guys.

The action is great, and keeps your heart racing. No pointless car chases, or filler fights. Every action scene has a direct and definite purpose and serves to further the plot.

One of the things this movie does wrong is the motives of some of the characters don't make sense. They are proven wrong, right in front of their face, and they refuse to admit it even though it means more people will die. Or, they make a decision based on two extreme options, even though we the audience could think of several less drastic solutions that would probably be less costly. Also, the dialogue is at times too rigid. What I mean is, you can't picture real people speaking the way the characters do. Most of the time the writing is fine, but there are quite a few important scenes where you really have a hard time believing the dialogue.

All in all this movie is spectacular, exciting and captivating. The flaws are ignorable, and for the most part don't take away from the story. The only huge minus I have is that the way the movie ended seemed forced, but I am betting dollars to donuts there are alternate endings that will come out on the dvd. But even that wasn't too bad, and I still left the movie feeling pumped up. This movie will not disappoint, so go check it out.

The Spy Next Door - In Theaters Jan.15, 2010

Sorry for the lack of updates. I have had some serious computer problems the last week, but all the parts should be here tomorrow, so everything should be back to normal some time this weekend.
Anyway, this is a new Jackie Chan movie due out in January. Should be good!

Serious Moonlight - In Theaters Dec. 4

This one stars Meg Ryan, Kristen Bell, Justin Long and Timothy Hutton. It is the story of a wife who holds her adulteress husband hostage, and then they are robbed. Looks like a re-imagination of The Ref, to me.