Dark Skies (Blu-ray Review)
About three weeks ago I received a weird unmarked postcard in the mail. It was black with strange red symbols and the only text to be found on it were the words “Were You Chosen?” I snapped a photo of it and texted it to my girlfriend and Gerard Iribe. Neither one knew what it was. Gerard saw the Texas address on the reverse side of the postcard and said that’s Scott Wampler’s address. At first I was like wow, this must be a wedding invite from the man. I can’t believe I got one. I felt honored. But wait! That was my address! LOL. So I did what any rationale person would do after exhausting their lifelines. I “googled” it! It turns out that was a slogan for the newest Weinstein product, Dimension Films’ Dark Skies. And that was the end of that. I tossed the postcard aside disappointed it wasn’t anything more. I want adventure in my life. If it’s not, don’t waste my time. Continue reading ‘Dark Skies (Blu-ray Review)’
Being a huge Star Wars fan all my life who frequently has called Star Trek boring, dull and lifeless with the exception of The Next Generation episodes Ashley Judd appeared in, I was astonished by how much fun I had with J.J. Abrams fresh take on the franchise back in 2009. In my opinion, he resuscitated the franchise, made it enjoyable and brought much needed life and energy back into it, not to mention some really humorous moments too. And for that, I appreciated J.J. Abrams even more as a filmmaker and didn’t even bat an eye when this sequel was announced back in 2011. I have actually been anxiously awaiting its arrival in theaters. I was so thrilled and taken aback by the first one, 2009’s Star Trek, that I have actually been genuinely pumped, geeked and excited for this next chapter in what I would presume to be a trilogy, Star Trek Into Darkness. And quite honestly, I never thought I would ever utter those words that I am excited for something Star Trek. It feels like a betrayal to everything Star Wars and that goes against all my rooted values, but sometimes you need to spice life up and stop being a hater, right? Different is good! Sometimes. 
Ever see something so confusing that looks so mind-bending that you just had to see it with your own eyes despite what your better judgment and gut told you? Well, that’s exactly how I felt about Cloud Atlas and its many bizarre, but very bold and ambitious trailers out there. Much like the story within Life of Pi and the pursuit of whether there’s a God or not, going into Cloud Atlas I had hoped all my questions and curiosity on the subject matter of what’s beyond this life would be answered. After all, that’s what the movie was about, or is it? Wait! Hold on. Are you telling me you don’t know what Cloud Atlas is about or what to expect? How could you? Well anyway, welcome to the club. That’s what we’re here to talk about today and if I go off on a tangent please forgive me as I just got done watching a time/globe spanning near 3-hour amazing, high concept journey so I’m a little taken aback right now to say the least. Come on. We have a long and winding path to embark upon here in this review. We best be moving along with little to no haste. 
Before entering Tuesday evening’s press screening of The Great Gatsby, I strongly held the opinion that this was either going to be one of those films you’d love or you’d hate with uncompromising passion, no middle ground in the equation. I know I found myself seriously conflicted in how I felt about it these past several months. The first trailer did nothing to persuade me that this was a film I must-see. Other than my infinite love for Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge masterpiece, I had not one ounce of desire to partake in a viewing. And then came the second theatrical trailer and it totally erased all the negativity I had surrounding the picture. Despite not being the biggest fan of Carey Mulligan, I found myself longing to see this spectacular unfold on screen. And then boom! A third trailer was released and I felt a little uneasy again until I saw a preview for the film on the Cloud Atlas Blu-ray I was reviewing…talk about indecisiveness. Haha. All I knew was that Tuesday night was going to be an interesting night to say the least. Which way did I teeter? Well, you’ll have to read on to find out, won’t you?
Well, whether you wanted it or not, you got another Texas Chainsaw “Massacre” film. Many say this was to erase the puddle of mud that was Michael Bay’s bastardized attempt back in 2003, but quite honestly…I liked that one, Milo and all. So what’s this latest incarnation about? Good question! And I’m really glad you asked because that’s what we are gathered here to talk about today. Supposedly, this time around this one, Texas Chainsaw without the ‘Massacre” in the title, is a direct sequel to Tobe Hooper’s 1974 classic. And yeah…if you buy that one I also sell you on the fact that Superman Returns was a direct sequel to the legendary Superman II too. But whatever, toe-may-doe toe-ma-doe, let’s get going here because I don’t have all day, at least not for this fill in the (blankety blank adjective of your choice) title. 
Like my curious flirtation with Mama in my last HD Digital Download review over 
Universal’s Mama was a film I purposely missed when I had a chance to attend the press screening for it up in Cleveland. The movie’s trailer did not sell me and quite frankly, it looked God awful to me. I had already suffered through a Guillermo del Toro produced film before and I did not want to lose two hours of my life doing it again. But the weirdest thing happened. Instantly, this film garnered all sorts of positive reviews and attention from critics and fans alike. Even friends of mine raved about it. So like usual in life, I was kicking myself for missing out on the opportunity I had to see it and needless to say, I was very much anticipating this title’s arrival on the high definition format of choice…in this case iTunes HD Digital Download. So lets get down to the nitty gritty. What say you? 
I’m not sure where I’ve been since 1997, but I’ve never heard of the name Jack Reacher until I heard news of the film being developed some years back. Turns out Jack is quite the popular character from literary author Lee Child’s wildly “popular” series of novels. Heck, this August will see the released of the eighteenth novel in the series. Wow! Again…where have I been? So when I was asked if I wanted to see this film with a friend last December, I kindly turned down the many offers because I simply had no prior insight as to what the film was about nor did I have any interest really in spending hard earned money on something I felt unsure of. And I never really been the biggest fan of Tom Cruise (although I do respect and there’s no denying his legacy and his many body of works), but that all changed this this past week when I saw him in Oblivion and upon arriving home from a business trip I found this title on my desk ripe for reviewing on the Blu-ray format. So needless to say…hoorah…I jumped at the chance. I want to see what I have been missing out on all this time and more importantly…who is this Jack Reacher guy? My inquiring mind wanted to know. And now I’m here to tell you all about him. And while you are at it…check out the 1080p screenshots below too! 
So I’ve heard mixed things about the Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe and Catherine Zeta-Jones 2013 crime thriller, Broken City. Sadly, I missed the press screening when it was previewed in my area and I altogether missed the theatrical release so needless to say I was thrilled when I recently offered the chance to review the DHD version of it. For those of you that don’t know, DHD stands for Digital HD, Fox’s early access to newly released blockbuster films you can watch anytime and anywhere weeks before the film’s Blu-ray and DVD release, often with a discounted price of $14.99 or so. But like I was saying, I accepted the chance to check this movie out in advance before all the Blu-ray and DVD critics get their colloquial paws on their respective review products and be one of the first, the elite, to tackle this one on the World Wide Web. So without further ado, let’s take a private eye look at Broken City, through the eyes of yours truly…me! 
“Django, have you always been alone? Django, have you never loved again? Love will live on, Oh Oh Oh…Life must go on, Oh Oh Oh…For you cannot spend you life regretting. Django, you must face another day. Django, now your love has gone away. Once you loved her, whoa-oh…Now you’ve lost her, whoa-oh-oh-oh…But you’ve lost her for-ever, Django.” God! I love that song! And God I love this movie! Let it be know here and now that this review is going to be nothing but praise for Quentin Tarantino’s Christmas 2012 masterpiece…Django Unchained. So if you’re not a fan of the film or Tarantino’s work in general, there’s Sean Ferguson’s Wreck it Ralph Blu-ray review over 
It seemed like a long wait, but the day has finally arrived when we get treated once again to the bloody gore and pulverized meat of last November’s The Collection, a sequel to the 2009 horror film The Collector, on Blu-ray, DVD and HD Digital Download. The film sees Josh Stewart (Bane’s right hand man from The Dark Knight Rises) returning and reprising his role as Arkin alongside Emma Fitzpatrick, Christopher McDonald and more. Marcus Dunstan is back in the director’s chair and also serves as scribe with Patrick Melton. If you’re a fan of 2009’s The Collector at all, boy are you in for a treat here. The Collection picks up right after the brutal events in the first film and really never lets you come up for air throughout its short 82-minute runtime. Sound interesting to you? Well…read on for more! That’s why you’re here. 
Being the Blu-ray snob I have been ever since the fall of 2006, I’d never thought I would ever hear myself mutter the following words. It didn’t dawn on me until my move from Cleveland, OH to Austin, TX just how much cheaper it would have been to transport my 500 HD movies in the cloud as opposed to their real world vessels, not to mention the physical space such a collection takes up in one’s place of dwelling. I’ve gone on record in the past how I would never support digital downloads, what a waste Digital Copies are and how I’m sore because I can’t get lossless audio from the source. Then I think back to 1996 when I attended Kiss’ unplugged concert. I remember hearing Gene Simmons tell the audience he would never ever think about ripping apart the Revenge lineup in favor for a reunion tour with the old members. And guess what? He did. It was a business decision. And that’s partly why I have chosen to go all digital in life. I want to simplify my life. 
So Taken 2, huh? You think they could have came up with a “better” name like Taken Again, Retook, Taken Aback, Retake or whatever else you’re clever enough to come up with. But regardless, when I first sat down in the theater to “take” in Taken 2, I was just overjoyed to have Liam Neeson back in the 2008 bada$$ action role that redefined his career after Jedi Master Qui Gon Jin nearly did him in. I remember 2008’s Taken very fondly. I remember vacationing down in Mexico and seeing Taken’s name plastered around every theater down there. I had no idea what it was. It wasn’t until I came back to the States that one of my friends said I just watched the most amazing action movie that had me on the edge of my seat. When I asked him what movie he was referring to I nearly fell off my own rocker (literally speaking). 
I kind of feel sorry for my fellow reviewers here because for weeks now they had to hear me complain left and right about Zero Dark Thirty not being theatrically released within the calendar year of 2012 in the greatest city in the world, Cleveland, Ohio. So therefore, just about every critic in Los Angeles or New York City had Zero Dark Thirty in their Top Ten Films of 2012 lists and I had The Woman In Black. Woe is me, huh? Well that’s okay. Maybe one day I’ll be fortunate enough to live within the city of angels, but until that time comes I will take whatever I can get in the rustbelt capital of the world and enjoy my constitutional freedom by taking in the film that everyone in LA and NYC has been buzzing so loudly about…Katheryn Bigelow’s sure thing for Best Picture of the year, Zero Dark Thirty. So while the critics elite of the world already had their day in court, join me in taking up our Midwestern constitutional arms and let’s talk some more about it, shall we? 
For my Top 10 list of favorite films from the calendar year of 2012 I decided to take the high road. What I mean by that is in these annual posts I also tend to pick on and rip apart all the films I either hated or was utterly disappointed by in the current calendar year. Not this year! I’m not spreading any more animosity into the world than ultimately necessary. I feel I did that enough this year. I’ll do what it takes to make this world a better place so therefore, rest assured, my Top 10 list is not only more harmonious and peace loving than previous years gone by, but also greener too. I know you all print these lists out so now without my endless, rambling rants and complaints you’ll have less paper to waste. Hey, what can I say? I’m a changed man! 
Although I’m a big Joseph Gordon-Levitt (JGL) fan and who can deny the charisma of Bruce Willis, I gotta say…I wasn’t really looking forward to this one back in September. The trailers looked intriguing, but they never completely sold it and hooked me in. But I thought…hey….why not? If the movie’s terrible, there’s always going to be Emily Blunt to look at if nothing else. So you have to look for the good in EVERYTHING…at least in these economically deprived days. Times are tough. But enough about me. This about you…the loyal masses who read our Blu-ray reviews. So without further ado or any more words from our commercial sponsors I am willing to begin deconstructing and re-evaluating (since this will be my second time viewing and talking about the flick) the time travel plot of September 2012’s science fiction action film…Looper. Here goes nothing. 
I have to admit, while covering Sony’s Resident Evil Comic-Con panel in 2010 (
Did the world really need this? Is the world even ready for this? Wasn’t 10+ hours of theatrical cuts enough to sit through back in the day and again on Blu-ray? Are we ready for three more consecutive years of a tale that’s mainly self-contained in one book and a few appendices? Of course we are! We’re talking J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings after all. It’s like Star Wars and crack mixed together for fantasy nerds and geeks alike, including myself (not that I have ever partaken in the use of the said recreational drug). So prepare to usher in three butt numbing sessions in 2012, 2013 and 2014…there’s a new adventure hitting the silver screen…an unexpected journey…in an unexpected frame rate. Of course I’m talking about Peter Jackson’s new, three-part, life consuming project, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Surely you heard of it. 
While this was a huge year for long-awaited, big catalog title Blu-ray releases such as Finding Nemo, 
