THE VERDICT [BLU-RAY]: (1982) "The Verdict presents a good but not great film. The story has promise, and the actors make it work, but the execution of the plot seems flat and melodramatic much of the time. Still, it works well enough to offer an enjoyable experience. The Blu-ray offers decent picture and audio along with a fairly informative mix of bonus materials. This is an upgrade over the DVD, but only a minor one, as I don’t get the impression it delivered a new transfer." Starring Paul Newman, Charlotte Rampling. Fox, $19.99, 5/7/2013.

THE PETRIFIED FOREST [BLU-RAY]: (1936) "While its stars would all go on to greater glory in later endeavors, The Petrified Forest provides a satisfying flick. It meshes the romantic and gangster genres to create a lively and involving character drama. The Blu-ray presents terrific picture quality along with more than acceptable audio and a nice roster of supplements. I like the film and think the Blu-ray reproduces it about as well as I could imagine." Starring Leslie Howard, Bette Davis. Warner, $19.97, 5/21/2013.

CHEECH & CHONG'S ANIMATED MOVIE [BLU-RAY]: (2013) "Maybe if I’d been of stoner age in the 1970s I’d better understand the appeal of Cheech and Chong. Alas, I was born too late and find myself perplexed by their continued popularity. Cheech and Chong’s Animated Movie packages a lot of their old routines into cartoon form with generally unfunny results. The Blu-ray delivers excellent visuals as well as good sound and a bevy of commentaries. The Blu-ray is a quality product but the movie itself leaves me cold." Starring Tommy Chong, Cheech Marin. Fox, $29.99, 4/23/2013.

VEGAS VACATION [BLU-RAY]: (1997) "No one will confuse Vegas Vacation for a great comedy, but I must admit I found it to offer a surprisingly – though sporadically – amusing affair. It mixes some weak moments with enough reasonably funny ones to create a generally watchable effort. The Blu-ray gives us generally positive picture and audio but lacks supplements. This becomes a competent presentation of the film but not one that impresses." Starring Chevy Chase, Randy Quaid. Warner, $19.98, 5/21/2013.

THE PUBLIC ENEMY [BLU-RAY]: (1931) "A seminal gangster flick, The Public Enemy doesn’t always satisfy. However, much of it works well due to strong acting and directorial creativity; those elements help balance out a lackluster script and awkward pacing. The Blu-ray gives us high quality picture as well as pretty good audio and bonus materials. The Blu-ray brings home a classic gangster flick in a satisfying manner." Starring James Cagney, Edward Woods. Warner, $19.98, 5/21/2013.

BROKEN CITY [BLU-RAY]: (2013) "With a high-powered cast, Broken City looked like a potential winner. Unfortunately, the actors find themselves mired in warmed-over film noir clichés and a muddled, meandering story that does little more than bore. The Blu-ray delivers pretty good picture and audio along with a few decent bonus materials. Don’t let the stars on the Blu-ray’s cover entice you; Broken City is a dud." Starring Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe. Fox, $39.99, 4/30/2013.

LITTLE CAESAR [BLU-RAY]: (1931) "While influential and important as an early gangster flick, Little Caesar can look dated to modern eyes. That doesn’t mean the movie doesn’t entertain, though, as a stellar lead performance from Edward G. Robinson ensures that we remain interested in the movie despite its weaknesses. The Blu-ray offers erratic but acceptable picture and audio along with a smattering of enjoyable supplements. This becomes a generally positive presentation of a classic." Starring Edward G. Robinson, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Warner, $19.98, 5/21/2013.

Colin Jacobson (Publisher and Senior Reviewer): colinjacobson@dvdmg.com

David Williams (Webmaster and Reviewer): dwilliams@dvdmg.com