The focus of the new system is to become the hub of your living room. From live TV, to movies, to video games and internet, the Xbox One wants to control everything you use to stay entertained while sitting on your couch. The design of the system itself is a bit clunky, it just looks like one of the original, 1st gen blu-ray players from Sony. And the kinect sensor looks as if it’s beefier than the previous iteration, but I’m not sure. The controller has remained very similar to the Xbox 360′s controller, which is good because Microsoft hit the nail on the head with that controller. The only complaints I’ve ever heard about the 360 controller was the terrible D-pad, but Microsoft listened and redesigned it. It also sounds like they added the ability to have some sort of feedback come through the trigger buttons.

The design of the physical console isn’t where Microsoft was trying to be innovative, it’s with the software. The Xbox One will run a stripped version of the Windows kernal (the dashboard looks just like Windows 8), and will allow you to seamlessly switch between games, live TV and anything else you want to do on the console. It’s things like this that left people a bit disappointed after the keynote yesterday. Microsoft focused so much of their time and energy on showing off the tv capabilities of the Xbox One, that we only got to see 1 game really… Call of Duty: Ghosts, and even with that we didn’t see any gameplay. And I understand that E3 is coming up and Microsoft has to save something for that show, but you’d think they’d want to at least appease the majority of the crowd at the keynote and show them some games. I even read that all the screams and cheers you heard while watching the live stream of the keynote, were in fact Microsoft employees in the back and not from the actual press in the audience… interesting.

So while not everyone was excited about what Microsoft put on display yesterday, I think the Xbox One is going to be a huge step forward in taking over the living room. I’m actually excited for all the TV interactivity that seems to be coming, especially the fantasy football and live sports stuff. I know a lot of people tuned out when they kept talking about sports, but that part actually really excited me. So I guess we’ll have to wait until E3 to see what some of the games actually look like, what the price point is, and when the system will actually be released, but as soon as you can preorder it, I’m putting down my money. Microsoft may have lost me when it comes to my home computers, but they’ll keep me around as long as the Xbox is in play. Hell, even if Apple decides that they need to release a game console, I’ll still stick with my Xbox.

So what did you guys think of the reveal? Were you disappointed with the lack of games talk? Did you like the TV stuff?

If you haven’t seen the finale yet there will probably be some spoilers ahead, just giving you a fair warning. So the finale jumps to a year after the previous episode in which we saw Dwight and Angela get engaged as well as Jim prove his love to Pam. So naturally the finale would focus on Angela’s wedding and a reunion of the “cast” of The Office documentary as they come together to be on a Q&A panel hosted by PBS. A few people have left the Dunder Mifflin since the last episode; Stanley retired to Florida, Andy had already quit his job and is now the laughing stock of the internet because his audition for American Acapella Idol (or whatever) went viral, Kevin was fired for being an idiot, Toby was fired because he’s Toby, Daryl moved to Austin with Athlead (Athleap), and apparently Nellie left for some reason as well and now lives in Poland…. Either way, everyone comes back to town for the Q&A panel, which happened to fall on the same weekend as Dwight and Angela’s wedding, but not by coincidence. Jim knew that not everyone would fly in for the wedding so he made it a point to manipulate PBS into having the panel that same weekend because he knew the network would fly everyone in for it. Gutenprank #1.

Jim plans out a serious of Gutenpranks for Dwight, since Dwight gave him the honor of being his Best Man. Gutenprank #2 was the chance to fire a bazooka at some barrels while Gutenprank #3 was getting Dwight and Kevin to make amends so that Kevin would be at the wedding. Gutenprank #4 was convincing Dwight that he couldn’t be his best man because traditionally the best man has to be older than the groom, and who better to be the best man than Michael Scott. Yup, Steve Carrell came back to be Dwight’s best man, and it couldn’t have been more fitting. I actually teared up a bit when the camera panned around to see Michael standing in the doorway. Come to think of it, I actually teared up quite a bit throughout the episode.

The wedding was the main focus of the finale, we even got to see Ryan and Kelly come back together. It was like one big happy/sad reunion with everyone we’ve come to love over the years. The only person I don’t think I saw on the episode was Pam’s ex, Roy, but I’m pretty sure he wasn’t allowed anywhere near Dunder Mifflin. After the wedding, we find out that Pam has been secretly trying to sell their house so that they can move to Austin and Jim can work for Athleap instead of Dunder Mifflin. When Jim and Pam arrive at their house a little earlier than expected, the realtor is still there showing it to an eager couple. So eager in fact that they offer to buy the house right then and there. Upon telling Dwight the news, he immediately fires both of them, but not to be a dick, instead it’s so that he can give them both severance packages on their way out. So despite all of the pranks and annoyances between the two of them for the past 9 years, it’s obvious that they have truly become close.

The whole episode wrapped up with a touching song from Creed as he is caught living in the bathroom/storage closet in the office. He’s been on the run after the cops found out that he was someone else with quite a few outstanding warrants in his past. Everything came together quite nicely in the end and I’m very happy with the way things were resolved. A lot of times I’m disappointed in how shows wrap up their series finales, or just the fact that the shows themselves are over, but not this one. The Office ended exactly how it should have, with a lot of laughs and a lot of tears, people moving on, and people getting along. It was perfect. And as for the show itself, it had run it’s course and it was time to end.

What did you guys think of the finale?

I know the idea behind Google Hangouts is to compete with services like iMessage and Facebook Messenger, but the whole idea behind GChat was that it was an instant messaging app… you knew who was online! That’s really the only thing I don’t like about it. If I want to “chat” with someone at any time, from my phone, I’m probably just going to use iMessage, but that’s only because I’m on mostly Apple devices and an iPhone. So I guess in that sense, and the fact that there are a lot of android phones out there, this move does make sense for Google now that I think about it.

I guess now that I’ve talked it out to myself it makes more sense. Hangouts is basically Google’s iMessage which doesn’t need to rely on Online or Offline status… it’s just always online. It will just take a little while for everyone to download the apps so that it truly is a universal messaging applications across all platforms. I do like that the computer portion of it is web based (just like GChat) so that I don’t need an application on my computer in order to talk to people from my desktop. This makes it easier at work where I can’t install iMessage on my computer… Damn, maybe I’ll end up exclusively using Hangouts instead of iMessage…. nah, probably not, but the more I think about it, the more benefits I’m seeing in this. Good show Google.

Update: Apparently there is a notification of whether or not people are online, it’s a small green bar underneath their profile picture, but the problem is that the “friends list” on the side doesn’t sort by online or not…

After arriving at the camp, all of the prisoners immediately start scanning their surroundings in an attempt to escape, with some even getting pretty close. The squads’ leader, Bartlett, begins his plan to escape shortly after being interrogated by the SS. This plan involved tunnels as well as super detailed maps of the camp. The tunnels all had a nickname; Dick, Tom and Harry. The rest of the flick takes you on an enjoyable ride as you follow the fugitives out of the Stalag and to freedom, as well as an awesome motorcycle chase, lead by the “not that frequently on screen” McQueen.

Video

The 1080p transfer is alright for a movie made back in the 1960′s. It is definitely not a movie you will be like “oh wow look at that picture!!!”, but it is certainly watchable. Other than that, i feel like the restoration was decent and the viewer, if excited to see this film, will enjoy seeing it brought back in a “clearer” visual spectacle.

Audio

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is actually a pleasant surprise. The voices are clear and crisp as is the soundtrack that goes along with the movie. Also noticeable are the sounds of the prison life as well as the ambient noises and surrounding sounds. Overall great quality!

Special Features

The Great Escape: Bringing Fact to Fiction: One of a group of short documentaries produced for MGM in 2001 by The History Channel and narrated by Burt Reynolds!!!

The Great Escape: Preparations for Freedom: This 2001 History Channel featurette shows the real escape efforts by the prisoners at Stalag Luft III, which were accurately depicted in the film

The Great Escape: The Flight to Freedom: This 2001 History Channel featurette compares the film’s account of the escapees sprint to freedom against the of course less dramatically depicted escape of the actual survivors

The Great Escape: A Standing Ovation: This 2001 History Channel featurette basically focuses on the reputation of the film.

The Great Escape: The Untold Story: This is a 2001 documentary made for British TV. Using interviews and re-enactments, it chronicles the successful Allied effort, after the war’s end, to identify and prosecute members of the Gestapo responsible for casualties among the escaped prisoners.

The Great Escape: The Untold Story—Additional Interviews

The Real Virgil Hilts: A Man Called Jones: A portrait of American Army pilot David Jones, who served as the inspiration for Steve McQueen’s character, told through interviews with Jones in 2001.

Return to The Great Escape: This 1993 Showtime documentary directed by Steven Jay Rubin features retrospective interviews with Garner, Pleasance and Coburn, among others, and provides an effective overview of the making of the film.

Original Theatrical Trailer: This is kind of cool to see.

Commentary with Director John Sturges, Cast and Crew:Feels less like a commentary piece and more like a series of interviews that have been stitched together

Overall a pretty cool restoration of a classic 60′s flick. Fans of this era will be delighted to relive this extraordinary film as well as viewers from a different generation to witness this basically impossible feat in American history! Enjoy

The movie follows NYPD Detective Billy Taggart as he is hired by the Mayor (Crowe) to do a little private detective work to determine if his wife is cheating on him. Obviously there’s a lot more to the story than just that. Taggart has been recently thrown off the force due to the fact that he killed the man who raped and murdered his sister-in-law. It was the mayor who took it upon himself to conveniently make some key evidence disappear so that Taggart wouldn’t be thrown in jail, but in return Taggart had to become his personal P.I. When he finally tracks down the guy that the Mayor’s wife is sleeping with it turns everything on it’s head and leads to a lot of people dying.

I wouldn’t say that the movie was terrible, but I wouldn’t say it was very good. There are some pretty gaping plot holes throughout the whole thing and it seems like the director needed some guidance from his other half. Do I regret watching the movie? No, not in the least bit, but I wish there was a little more to it. The plot moved along at a good pace, but the end reveal was pretty obvious as things started to play out. The suspense never really built up to a climactic ending as it probably should. Aside from the movie itself though, I thought the acting was very good. Wahlberg and Crowe do an excellent job here as do the supporting cast in Catherine Zeta-Jones and everyone’s favorite football coach Kyle Chandler. So thankfully, due to the decent acting, the movie was watchable and semi-enjoyable. I wouldn’t say run out and buy it, but I would give it a rent if you’re curious.

Technically speaking there’s nothing bad about this blu-ray. The audio and video are pristine, and everything looks and sounds great. This set included both the blu-ray and the DVD as well as an iTunes digital copy and an ultraviolet digital copy. The special features aren’t too bad, but I’m a sucker from behind-the-scenes featurettes so a 35 minute BTS made me happy. You also get to check out about 9 minutes of deleted scenes, along with an alternate ending to the flick (which is pretty dumb).

So while the flick isn’t really unique or have that “wow” factor, it’s not the worst thing I’ve seen and is worth checking out if you’re curious.