Archive for the 'Blu-ray Reviews' Category
May 20th, 2012 by Gerard Iribe
¡Alambrista! is our next Criterion Collection Blu-ray review, which tackles that pesky subject of immigration and those coming over to make a better life for themselves and their family. If memory serves me correctly, ¡Alambrista! was the first film released theatrically to cover the subject. That would have been in 1977. Whether it remains relevant or not is another question. Then again, it’s in the Criterion Collection vaults for a reason, so I’ll let you take a wild guess on its relevancy. How does ¡Alambrista! stack up 35 years later? I will do my best to shed some light on the film – it’s subject matter I’m too familiar with. Let’s do this. Continue reading ‘¡Alambrista!: Criterion Collection (Blu-ray Review)’
May 18th, 2012 by Sean Ferguson
Believing that the lives of an everyday family would be relatable to Americans in a way that existing TV shows were not, filmmakers set out to chronicle the life of the Louds, a seemingly “perfect family.” Once filming began though, the strain in the Loud’s marriage, the ups and downs of raising five children, as well as the criticism Pat Loud received for asking for a divorce and openly supporting her gay son, came sharply into focus. A complete departure from television shows of the time, An American Family gripped the nation, making the Louds a television sensation while leaving them unprepared for the consequences. In 2002, TV Guide named the documentary series one of the “Top 50 Greatest Shows of All Time.” Fascinating and illuminating, Cinema Verite stars an amazing ensemble cast. Along with Lane, the film features Academy Award and Golden Globe winner Tim Robbins (Mystic River) and Golden Globe and Emmy winner James Gandolfini (HBO’s The Sopranos). Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini directed a script written by David Seltzer. Continue reading ‘Cinema Verite (Blu-ray Review)’
May 13th, 2012 by Sean Ferguson
Filmed in high definition, recorded in Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby 5.1 Surround and DTS, with a running time of approximately three and a half hours, Live At Montreux 2004 includes all the greatest hits of his legendary career. The 25-song 2004 concert encapsulates the essence of this great artist, who has performed on the Montreux stage numerous times. One such time, in 1996, was with a Jazz Big-Band. Thirteen songs from that ’96 performance—including one with Tony Bennett (“There’ll Be Some Changes Made”)—serve as a bonus feature (in standard definition). From “In The Air Tonight” “You Can’t Hurry Love” and “Easy Lover” to “A Groovy Kind Of Love” “Another Day In Paradise” “One More Night” and “Against All Odds” the set-list accentuates the wildly fluctuating amount of genres and styles that Collins has smoothly assimilated within his own personal flair.
Continue reading ‘Phil Collins: Live at Montreux 2004 (Blu-ray Review)’
May 12th, 2012 by Gerard Iribe
Aggression Scale: (noun) A psychological test measuring the frequency of overt aggressive behaviors that may result in physical or psychological injury to others. What a cool and evocative title for a film, if I do say so myself. The first things that come into my mind are…aggression (duh) and violence (double duh). Anchor Bay is on a roll as they bring us this feature film by director Steven C. Miller. It made a big splash over at the 2012 SXSW Film Festival this past year, so I’m hoping that it will make a big splash on Blu-ray. I love the one tagline used on the back of the box by Indiewire.com – Like Home Alone, but with more death! Well you don’t have to tell me twice. This should be a neat romp. Continue reading ‘The Aggression Scale (Blu-ray Review)’
May 12th, 2012 by Gerard Iribe
I’m always on the look out for low budget independent horror films, so when I saw the tagline for Playback read: Some secrets should stay buried, I was like cool! Throw in Christian Slater into the mix and we definitely got something brewing that could be special. I even like the cover art. Magnolia’s “Magnet” genre pictures label presents Playback, a horror movie that will do its best to scare up thrills and such. Will Playback succeed or will it make you wish your Blu-ray player had a rewind button? That’s what we’re here to find out, so don’t touch that dial. Do televisions even have dials anymore? Nevermind. Continue reading ‘Playback (Blu-ray Review)’
May 12th, 2012 by Gerard Iribe
La haine (Hate) is French actor-director-writer Mathieu Kassovitz’s 1995 film that deals with race, riots, police brutality, and class warfare seen through the eyes of young people in the ghettos of France. Criterion Collection has, at long last, brought this important film to the Blu-ray format. The original DVD was also released by Criterion back in 2006 to coincide with its 10 year anniversary at the time. Now 17 years later (the film was released in 1995 theatrically), high definition enthusiasts can see what all the praise is about on Blu-ray. La haine is fully loaded and looks to nail the viewer right between the eyes. Stay sharp! Continue reading ‘La Haine: Criterion Collection (Blu-ray Review)’
May 12th, 2012 by Jami Ferguson
Written and directed by Amy Heckerling (Fast Times at Ridgemont High), Clueless stars Alicia Silverstone in a break-out performance as Cher, a beautiful and self-absorbed high school student who spends her days focused on assembling the ideal fashion ensemble, talking her way out of bad grades and searching for the perfect boyfriend. What Cher discovers is that popularity only gets you so far, looks can be deceiving and love is sometimes found where you least expect it. Whatever. Clueless features an outstanding ensemble cast including Paul Rudd (Role Models), Brittany Murphy (8 Mile), Stacey Dash (“Single Ladies”), Donald Faison (“Scrubs”), Jeremy Sisto (“Law & Order”) and Breckin Meyer (“Franklin & Bash”). Continue reading ‘Clueless (Blu-ray Review)’
May 10th, 2012 by Sean Ferguson
The 1992 presidential election was a triumph not only for Bill Clinton but also for the new breed of strategists who guided him to the White House and changed the face of politics in the process. For this thrilling, behind-closed-doors account of that campaign, renowned cinema verité filmmakers D. A. Pennebaker (Monterey Pop) and Chris Hegedus (Startup.com) closely followed the brainstorming and bull sessions of Clinton’s crack team of consultants—especially the folksy James Carville and the preppy George Stephanopoulos, who became media stars in their own right as they injected a youthful spirit and spontaneity into the process of campaigning. Fleet-footed and entertaining, The War Room is a vivid document of a political moment whose truths (“It’s the economy, stupid!”) still ring in our ears. Continue reading ‘The War Room: Criterion Collection (Blu-ray Review)’
May 9th, 2012 by Gerard Iribe
Actor Michael Fassbender (Inglourious Basterds) and director Steve McQueen (Hunger) have teamed up once again to bring us Shame, a tale of sexual addiction and depravity. Carrey Mulligan (Drive) joins in on the festivities. Shame is rated NC-17, the highest, or next to highest rating a Hollywood feature can get. I think X or XXX is next, but that doesn’t happen with mainstream films. Shame was one of the most talked about films of 2011 and it garnered a Golden Globe nomination for Michael Fassbender in the lead actor category. How does Shame stack up to the lurid word-of-mouth it got upon release? Will this Blu-ray presentation be a shame or will it live up to the hype? We’ll see what happens. Continue reading ‘Shame (Blu-ray Review)’
May 9th, 2012 by Gerard Iribe
Since that most sacred day is coming up this weekend, we here at Why So Blu thought it best to review the new remake of the 1980 cult-classic, Mother’s Day starring Rebecca De Mornay and Jaime King. Mother’s Day is a modern day remake of the old school flick that was written, produced, and directed by Charles Kaufman and produced by his brother, Lloyd Kaufman (Troma Films). This remake was directed by Darren Lynn Bousman who was director of the Saw films 2-4, and Repo! The Genetic Opera. With actors who have extensive experience in front of the camera doing thrillers, to directors who have extensive experience crafting horror thrillers behind the camera – I was curious to tackle Mother’s Day on Blu-ray. Let’s see if my curiosity was satisfied in the following review. Continue reading ‘Mother’s Day (Blu-ray Review)’
May 2nd, 2012 by Matt Goodman
After [intentionally] missing the theatrical release of One For the Money, I finally got around to watching one of 2012’s least-talked-about movies! I’m saying all of this due to the underwhelming 2% approval rating from Rotten Tomatoes and the many poor things I heard. Aside from that one film I liked of hers (Knocked Up), Katherine Heigl gives one of her worst roles, even topping her flop a few years ago, Killers. Enough of that, let’s get on to the goods: One for the Money, based on the best-selling book written by Janet Evanovich, is about a normal woman becoming a fake officer to do well on her cousin’s bail bond assignment. I guess she’s looking for a few not-so-good-men (wonderful tagline, folks)! Does One for the Money make the big bucks? Read on for more. Continue reading ‘One for the Money (Blu-ray Review)’
April 29th, 2012 by Brian White
The world needed another Underworld film, right? Of course it did! Don’t kid yourself for one single minute that Kate Beckinsale’s tight, formfitting black leather outfit doesn’t fill theater seats. Of course it/she does! And don’t fret! Sony Pictures didn’t let us down. Not by a long shot, in my opinion. There’s plenty of Kate Beckinsale a$$ shots to go around. Rest assured…even if you’re Gregg Senko and this is your most anticipated film of 2012, it’s hard, again…in my opinion, not to at least have some fun with this a$$ kicking fourth entry in the Underworld franchise. Everyone loves a good time, right? Why so serious?! Continue reading ‘Underworld: Awakening (Blu-ray Review)’
April 28th, 2012 by Gerard Iribe
Steven Soderbergh is back with his latest indy film disguised as a big budget feature, which features an all-star cast and marks the debut of MMA female champion Gina Carano. Who’s in Haywire? Everyone. You’ve got Michael Douglas, Ewan McGregor, Antonio Banderas, Channing Tatum, Michael Fassbender, Bill Paxton, and a partridge and a pear tree. Seriously, with that much talent in front and behind the camera, one would be hard pressed to not think that the Haywire is something special. Well, we’re here to find out if all that awesomeness transcends into an awesome feature film. Keep reading and we’ll tell you. Boom! Continue reading ‘Haywire (Blu-ray Review)’
April 28th, 2012 by Sean Ferguson
Continuing to focus on New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina, the second season of the critically-acclaimed HBO series Treme tells the colorful, interwoven stories of a group of ordinary people who endure in the midst of unthinkable loss and hardship. It’s now fourteen months post-Katrina and residents of the Crescent City are finding it harder than ever to rebuild their lives, much less hold on to their special cultural and musical identity. Some have left to become expatriates in places like New York City; others have been forced to sell their homes to outside developers. Those who remain cope with high crime levels and dwindling federal support. Still, the proud, even defiant spirit that defines the city lingers among its faithful inhabitants. Continue reading ‘Treme: The Complete Second Season (Blu-ray Review)’
April 25th, 2012 by Matt Goodman
Two minutes in The Wicker Tree, and already I’d rather have the bees. Labeled as a sequel to the 1973 cult classic The Wicker Man (while clearly being a sequel to the god-awful 2006 remake with Nicolas Cage), The Wicker Tree does no good, entertainment-wise. Not only is The Wicker Tree horribly written – it takes about fifteen million years to get into motion – and when it does, you’ll already be dozing off. While those are some pretty harsh reasons, my biggest gripe with the film was our two leads, Brittania Nicol and Henry Harrett, who do absolutely nothing to capture the audience’s attention. The Wicker Tree is massively un-entertaining that rightfully deserves to be shelved in the $2.99 section of Best Buy and never visited again. This is a rather pointless retread of the first. Does the film have a worthwhile Blu-ray presentation? Read on to find out. Continue reading ‘The Wicker Tree (Blu-ray Review)’
April 19th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
We Bought a Zoo is a movie made to make you feel good. There is no other way around that. It features nice performances, a nice score, stakes that are enough to keep you involved, but never to really put you in a tense place, and an overall sweetness that is enough to make your teeth fall out. It is certainly nothing I hold against the film, especially given that it is based on a true story, but the joyful optimism seen in this film can only take one so far, before the level of interest starts to fade. Still, We Bought a Zoo is perfectly acceptable for families to watch together and at least possesses a confidence in the acting and filmmaking to keep it ahead of other, similar family friendly features. It also helps that the Blu-ray is pretty fantastic Continue reading ‘We Bought A Zoo: Blu-ray Review’
April 16th, 2012 by Gerard Iribe
Every second counts in this sexy, stylish action-thriller starring Justin Timberlake and Amanda Syfried. In a future where time is literally money and aging stops at 25, the only way to stay alive is to earn, borrow, steal or inherit more time. But when a poor, working-class man (Timberlake) is falsely accused of murder, he teams up with a beautiful heiress (Seyfried) and must figure out a way to bring down the corrupt system before their dwindling life clocks run out! Continue reading ‘In Time (Blu-ray Review)’
April 14th, 2012 by Jami Ferguson
The electrifying science-fiction thriller The Darkest Hour arrives on 3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD April 10th from Summit Entertainment. Emile Hirsch (Speed Racer, Into the Wild), Max Minghella (Ides of March, The Social Network) and Olivia Thirlby (TV’s “Bored to Death,” Dredd) star in this story of five young people who find themselves stranded in Moscow and fight to survive in the wake of a devastating alien attack. With Moscow’s classic beauty as the backdrop, The Darkest Hour features some interesting special effects from the minds of visionary filmmakers Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted) and Chris Gorak (Fight Club, Minority Report). The movie never lets up as the invaders begin their assault on Earth, targeting the planet’s power supply. Continue reading ‘The Darkest Hour 3D / 2D (Blu-ray Review)’
April 12th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
I want to spotlight a single scene of Reindeer Games. At one point in this film, Ben Affleck’s character is attempting to escape his situation. He is in a casino and his plan is to enter a bathroom and exchange clothes with the person in there with him (weirdly, the person he switches with is a young Ashton Kutcher in a nothing role). One of the men keeping their eye on Affleck’s character enters the bathroom, immediately sees the guy who has switched clothes, only to be shoved, from the side, by Affleck. Apparently his plan was to gain merely a couple seconds head start, before attempting to escape. It is a completely ludicrous scene, which is one instance that reflects how ludicrous the film is as a whole. Reindeer Games is certainly an awful film, but it is also awfully entertaining. Continue on to see how the Blu-ray fares. Continue reading ‘Reindeer Games (Blu-ray Review)’
April 12th, 2012 by Sean Ferguson
War Horse, the Academy Award-nominated Best Picture, is a story of incredible friendship, loyalty, courage, hope and tenacity. Based on the Tony Award-winning play, and set against the sweeping canvas of World War I, this deeply heartfelt tale begins with the remarkable friendship between a feisty colt named Joey and his young trainer Albert (Jeremy Irvine). When they’re forced apart by war, the film follows Joey’s extraordinary journey as he changes and inspires the lives of everyone he meets. No matter where they go or what they experience both boy and horse keep forging ahead, driven by devotion and the hope of returning home. Filled with spectacularly rich visuals, War Horse is one of the most powerful and moving stories of friendship and love ever filmed. Continue reading ‘War Horse (Blu-ray Review)’
