Sure, everyone’s heard of Blu-ray and seen the players at Best Buy and of course, heard the term HDTV thrown around.  What does high definition really mean though?  Ask most families and the results are rather frightening.  A study done in 2008 showed that nearly 75% of HDTV owners were unaware that in order to actually take advantage of their brand new $2000 purchase they would, in addition, require a source capable of delivering high definition content, such as HD movies, HD video games, or HD television.  Just ask my mother-in-law, who loved to watch the hockey game in wonderful 480i, stretched image across her brand new 50″ Samsung LCD.  *Shudder*

The recent, required transition to Digital TV has perhaps been an eye opening experience for people used to plugging in their sets and simply flipping through the channels.  Is an additional box required in order to truly enjoy everything your HDTV set has to offer? Sure, why not?  The price is right, with most companies offering rental of units at very reasonable prices, sometimes for no fee at all.  Blu-ray players are dropping in price rather fast, with good quality units available for $200 and Blu-ray movies available at nearly every store that carries DVDs.

Last but not least, there are videogame machines which are now doubling as HD content delivery machines.  Units are available such as the PlayStation 3 and most notably the XBOX 360, which apparentely is the most profitable source of HD movie content in the world.  Who would have ever thought?  The ability to ‘rent’ HD movies has become so easy thanks to the XBOX 360, it’s not really a big surprise.

Let’s hope the HD revolution (albeit a slow one) continues to grow and with the demand for HD content increasing, so must the quality of service.

What I watched today might be my favorite movie of the year, and it was a trailer!  Before I get ahead of myself though, I need to wait until I see Moon (starring Sam Rockwell) this Wednesday night at one of only TWO theaters in all of Ontario showing it.

District 9, starring…. no one really, looks phenomenal and has a very inventive plot.  The trailer does a great job of explaining what to expect, getting you excited, while still keeping a lot secret.

The movie is directed by first-time director Neill Blomkamp who has based it on his own short film, Alive in Joburg.  Amazingly, it’s out very soon, August 14th to be exact.  Since it’s not a sequel or ribald comedy, I’m sure no one will see it, so I urge everyone to go!

Ok, so 2009 hasn’t been the greatest year for film. It started out with a bang and a lot of promise, but has not lived up to the expectations. There have been a few gems : Star Trek, Coraline, The Hangover, Drag Me To Hell, Pixar’s Up and to a lesser extent I Love You, Man. However, the list of stinkers is longer than you can imagine, with such shining examples as : Paul Blart Mall Cop, X-Men Origins : Wolverine, Fast & The Furious, Bride Wars, Land Of The Lost and I could go on and on.

So, my fingers and toes are crossed that the remainder of the year will wash the bad taste out of my mouth.  Here then, is a list of the movies scheduled for the rest of 2009 that I believe will offer the most entertainment for your hard earned bucks.  Some may currently in limited release, but wide release is what you’re looking at here.

The Hurt Locker : Wide Release Unknown

Public Enemies : July 1st

Miyazaki’s Ponyo : August 14th

Inglourious Basterds : August 21st

The Boat That Rocked : August 28th

Mike Judge’s Extract : September 4th

Shane Acker’s 9 : September 9th

Zombieland : October 9th

Where The Wild Things Are : October 16th

Avatar : December 18th

So little is still known about this film, but James Cameron seems to know what he’s doing. He has promised something earth shattering, something unique. Nothing is guaranteed, but at the very least, you will be entertained.

Sherlock Holmes : December 25th

Everyone’s probably seen this original video by now, but have you seen this excellent rendition, featuring none other than the musical styling of Benny Hill?

Let me just begin by saying this movie will stick with you.  Whether you want it to, or not.  However, it will leave you smiling AND looking down your hallway making sure that noise you heard was just the fridge kicking in.

I haven’t been so utterly amused and terrified with a movie since, ironically, the Evil Dead series.  Drag Me To Hell tends to lean towards the more terrifying end of the spectrum more often, however there were a few laughs to be heard in the theater.  There are a few soul possessions in particular, which I won’t go into any more, except to say they will put a smile on your face.

The lead character of Christine Brown (played by the wonderful Alison Lohman of Matchstick Men and Big Fish) becomes the victim of a gypsy curse, given to her by a bitter, elderly woman Mrs. Ganush (played by Lorna Raver).  This is not just any curse.  It will torment its victim for 3 days, mentally and physically, after which, will ensure they end up in a rather nasty place.  You can take a wild guess where.  Christine’s boyfriend Clay Dalton (played by everyone’s favorite Mac, Justin Long) tries to understand what she’s going through and even enlists the help of a fortune teller, all of who which are determined to eradicate the curse.

Not since The Haunting (yes, the terrible remake) have I felt dread and the sense of terror, through sounds and noise alone.  Raimi does what he did in the Evil Dead series and what many horror directors can only dream of, and that is instill fear before anything has actually happened.  Once it does happen… he scares you some more. Sure, there are some cheap scare tactics used here and there, but movies are supposed to be fun, right?

The reason I continue to go back to Evil Dead, is because you cannot escape the fact that this feels so similar, thankfully in the best ways possible.  If you are a fan of the ‘Dead’ series, you will find a handful of tongue-in-cheek references, including some very obvious ones.  If not, this film may convince you to go back and give them a watch, to see what Raimi did pre-Spidey.

Synopsis : A stellar horror film.  It has everything you can possibly ask for : great acting, tongue in cheek humour, geniune scares and some memorable characters.  Not including one of the best endings I’ve ever seen.  You will be talking about this for days after you see it, I guarantee.