I waited for the BDP-S350 release. Ordered from Amazon.com. The prerelease specs on the S350 indicated it was the same size as the BDP-S301. SURPRISE.. when my Sony BDP-S350 arrived I was shocked at its small size of 17 x 2.25 x 8.75 inch. Yes.. <9 inches deep. What a difference in size.

But the difference does not end there. The response time is instant in comparison and the picture quality is totally superb (I used to design TV monitors so I do have a clue on this). The on screen menu’s and all details appear to be really great (I am one week into ownership).

I’d recommend this player in a heartbeat. Go for it.

Until very recently, the conventional wisdom was that the Sony Playstation 3 — primarily a video game console — was universally the best option for those looking to get into Blu-Ray discs. Now with the release of the S350, and its late-September price drop, that is no longer the case. Which option is right for you?

Sony BDP-S350 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player
by Sony
Average Customer Review:

Buy new: $299.99 $219.99
26 used & new from $199.99

(Ranking is updated hourly. Visit the Bestsellers in DVD Players & Recorders list for authoritative information on this product’s current rank.)

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For new potential fans of The Office,” the DVD set of the break-out second season is a must-see. Start recording the third season now (premieres Sept. 21) and save those episodes, but don’t watch them until you’ve watched the complete second season.

Of all the half-hour comedy shows that I’ve ever seen, THE OFFICE is the one that I would have thought the least likely to be brilliant. The BBC original version of the show was a thing of genius. Trying to do an American version of it seemed to me to be akin to Andy Warhol doing a remake of Picasso’s “Guernica.” Watching the show in Season One I was astonished that it was not only not bad, but that it was in fact very good. Amazingly, in Season Two it became something utterly brilliant. Although I was a huge fan of the original show, I have to confess that the American show is every bit as good as the British original. It is the finest American adaptation of a British show since ALL IN THE FAMILY remade TIL DEATH DO US PART.

When “The Office first appeared on NBC the show used many of the basic plots for the brief first season. In comparison to the British inspiration these shows were good but it’s clear that the series hadn’t found its own voice yet. That can’t be said of the glorious, hilarious second season which actually surpasses its inspiration. Steve Carell can sell things with such sincerity and plays the role of Michael so perfectly straight that his deadpan approach fits the series like a glove.

The Office - Season Two
DVD ~ Steve Carell
Average Customer Review:

Buy new: $49.98 $14.99
124 used & new from $13.75

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Christopher Nolan has an incredible vision. And whether you agree with it or not, he definitely completes it in “The Dark Knight”–a vicious, engrossing, overwhelming, intelligent event- film that re-defines ‘comic-book-flicks’. In Nolan’s grim, dark-depiction of Gotham-City (the crime-ridden hell protected by legendary superhero Batman), the director strives to make everything real (something he began in the well-received “Batman Begins”). He makes it plausible, possible.

In “Batman Begins,” Christopher Nolan managed to do what few directors could do — create a dark, gritty atmosphere around an all-too-human Batman, who fights for the oppressed with quiet intensity.

That moody murk is only intensified in the breathtaking, harrowing “Dark Knight,” which fills itself with blasts of action, psychological twists and a shocking tragedy. Nolan pulls no punches for our dark knight or his ever-endangered Gotham City, but brilliant acting of the hero and villains is what truly elevates the second of Nolan’s Batman movies to a work of cinematic art.

The Dark Knight (Two-Disc Special Edition + Digital Copy)
DVD ~ Christian Bale
Average Customer Review:
Release Date: December 9, 2008

Buy new: $34.98 $20.99

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He’s outlasted all the “Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class” robots that were assigned some 700 years ago to clean up the environmental mess that man made of earth while man vacationed aboard the luxury spaceship Axiom. Wall-E has dutifully gone about his job compacting trash, the extreme solitude broken only by his pet cockroach, but he’s developed some oddly human habits and ideas. When the Axiom sends its regularly scheduled robotic EVE probe (Elissa Knight) to earth, Wall-E is instantly smitten and proceeds to try to impress EVE with his collection of human memorabilia. EVE’s directive compels her to bring Wall-E’s newly collected plant sprout to the captain of the Axiom and Wall-E follows in hot pursuit.

Suddenly, the human world is turned upside down and the Captain (Jeff Garlin) joins forces with Wall-E and a cast of other misfit robots to lead the now lethargic people back home to earth. Wall-E is a great family film with the most impressive aspect being the depth of emotion conveyed by a simple robot–a machine typically considered devoid of emotion, but made so absolutely touching by the magic of Pixar animation. Also well-worth admiring are the sweeping views from space, the creative yet disturbing vision of what strange luxuries a future space vacation might offer, and the innovative use of trash in a future cityscape. Underneath the slapstick comedy and touching love story is a poignant message about the folly of human greed and its potential effects on earth and the entire human race. Wall-E is preceded in theaters by the comical short Presto in which a magician’s rabbit, unfed one too many times takes his revenge against the egotistical magician. (Ages 3 and older) –Source, Amazon.com Tami Horiuchi>

Technorati Tags: animation, disney, DVD, movie, pixar, wall-e