Smurfs: The Lost Village (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)
Well, here we go again. Another Smurfs movie put out on 4K Ultra-HD, and another task at hand for me. As you’ll recall, I thoroughly enjoyed my last experience just a couple months ago (Sarcasm font). The Lost Village is the third film in the ongoing Smurfs cinematic franchise. I didn’t see the second one, so there’s a gap in the middle for my watching, but something (and someone, Brian) tells me I’m going to be okay by having missed the sophomore outing. At least if there is a fourth one, I have some time to have a break as all of them are on 4K Ultra-HD now and don’t have it coming on the horizon. You can find this one in stores now, as it was already released on July 11th. If you love your kids, this probably makes for a good treat. Continue reading ‘Smurfs: The Lost Village (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)’
Not too far back, Brian White covered the 20th anniversary release of director Luc Besson’s The Fifth Element on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray. Because he likes me/feels bad for me/wanted to be generous/something, we agreed to split the Besson 4K Ultra-HD Blu-rays coming out in July (In preparation for Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets nonetheless). The other, his sorta underground classic 1990s hitman drama/action/thriller, Leon: The Professional. This one, like Fifth Element, you’ll remember was released on Blu-ray last year remastered in 4K. Well, now we TRULY get to see what that is all about. Unlike The Fifth Element, you’ll ONLY be able to purchase this one at Best Buy starting on July 11th for the time being. With this release you get both cuts of the film (Theatrical and Director’s Extended Cut). Here’s hoping the go the full mile and we see La Femme Nikita on 4K Ultra-HD soon! 
Terrence Malick has been on a tear in this current decade (Do we call it “the tens” or whatever?). It once took the man thirty eight years to put out five films, now he’s put out five works in the last six or seven years (One of said films is a documentary). I actually still haven’t seen Knight of Cups, which this reminded me of that gap. His latest is a look on the Austin, Texas music scene called Song To Song. The main players in the film are quite an elite bunch, featuring three (each multiple) Academy Award nominees and one Oscar winner. That would be Natalie Portman, Rooney Mara, Michael Fassbender and Ryan Gosling. So, ideally you’re getting some of the finest voice over inner monologues you can get, right? Song To Song is coming to 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray (Malick’s first film to land on the format) on July 4th. 
I have to get the following off my chest first before we move along. I have never seen nor do I have any interest in ever seeing the classic anime film Ghost in the Shell. It doesn’t even intrigue me in the slightest. I was such a big fan of 
I’m sorry but try as I might I’m just not a fan at all of 2014’s 
When I first sat down to work on this movie review prior to seeing the actual movie itself this spring I thought to myself what a wonderful world. LOL. I am kidding. I pondered about what they can do in this outing that hasn’t been done in the previous seven ones. I must admit I was a bit nervous. However, the one thing I always manage to do is have fun with this franchise. Therefore, I wasn’t expecting anything less than a good time with this eighth episode in the franchise. Much like attending a Posion concert back in the late 80’s you can always count on the Fast & Furious franchise to deliver nothing but a good time. You don’t even need to know about cars except the fact that they can fly in these movies. All you need to do is come equipped with the ability to laugh, giggle and excite from the larger-than-life action pieces and humorous one-liners. I think the majority of us can at least do that. What say you? Let’s tackle Universal’s newest 4K release.
The Fifth Element seems to be one of those films that is every sci-fi + A/V enthusiasts wet dream. I’m not saying by any means it’s the greatest movie ever made, but you can definitely have fun with it if you allow it. The film’s audio surround track has always been heralded as a favorite amongst home theater enthusiasts/fans. This one practically screams 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray treatment so much so that I’m really shocked Sony didn’t release it last year. Maybe they were waiting for the the all-new bonus featurette to be completed. It’s even presented in 4K here. In “The Director’s Notes: Luc Besson Looks Back” extra the acclaimed director discusses the origins and impact of the celebrated film. Whatever the reason of delay for this historic 4K UHD release the day is finally among us and the wait is practically over. Join me below in celebrating everything The Fifth Element releasing in glorious, eye-popping 4K Ultra HD July 11th. Read on baby!
21 years ago, Trainspotting arrived. One of the biggest trends in film of the 1990s was the rise of the independent film and Trainspotting was one of the largest. It was the second film from Danny Boyle (Go seek out Shallow Grave, his first, its awesome), but its the one that really launched him. It also launch the careers of Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle, Johnny Lee Miller, Kelly Macdonald and Ewan Bremner as well. The film was one of those “MTV Generation” kind of movies, but damn was it ever so energetic and effective. Rewatching it for this review, I had just forgotten how damned good and powerful it was. Now, we’re here 21 years later (2o for the characters in the film) for a reunion movie and follow up that had been discussed by Danny Boyle for many years. And, is it also ever so exciting to see a Danny Boyle film getting a 4K Ultra-HD release! The film will be available for purchse on June 27th and can be pre-ordered below. 
If the year 2011 taught us nothing but the fact that good things can come from rebooting a beloved franchise, then I’d be alright to call it a day right here and now. Never in my wildest dreams could I have ever conjured up such a crazy notion that the quirky Planet of the Apes franchise could ever be resurrected after that feeble attempt by Tim Burton (I really wish they could have went through with the Adam Rifkin script) way back in the summer of 2001 before our economy took a crap and I have been broke ever since because of low interest rates. However, I digress. We are not here to discuss our nation’s economy because if the fictional ape character of Caesar was real, I have no doubts that it would thrive once again under his direction. All hail Caesar, right? Exactly! That’s exactly the sentimentality I want you all to have over the course of the next five minutes or so as I impregnate your mind with a world dominated by apes, or at least on the cusp of that becoming a reality in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.
Just what the world needed…another reboot of a legendary franchise. That was exactly my sentiments when I first learned about the production of Rise of the Planet of the Apes. I remember watching and enjoying the original films as a kid, but not enough to warrant my full attention to what was going on behind the scenes of this new production. I still cant get the bad taste of the Mark Walhberg adventure out of my mouth. Then one day I had not one, but several friends asking me if I caught the new trailer of Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Astonishingly, all of their recounts and tales had one thing in common. They all included the word bada$$. How could they all be wrong? So I reluctantly caved in and gave it a watch. And much to my surprise I thought…not bad! But that didn’t mean I became an instant fanboy overnight. Quite the opposite happened. 
Despite loving all things sci-fi and horror Life is a movie I had been against ever since I saw the very first trailer on television last year. I felt like it was such a ripoff of Alien that it did not even warrant my attention. However, the one thing I could not deny was what an absolutely fantastic cast it has. I have to admit that having Rebecca Ferguson (not related to 
Two years ago, one of the dumber, bad ideas came to fruition: The LEGO Movie. Sure, really young kids would go and enjoy, yeah. But, they can deserve better. Low and behold, it was BETTER and one of the best films of the year and animated films of the last ten years. Everything was awesome! One of the scene stealers in the film was Batman, and so, logically, they gave him a spin off. While slapping a big LEGO logo on it, it did prove you can have multiple Batmen and Batman movies in pop culture at the same time. And yeah, there may be darkness and no parents, but the film was loaded and became a big box office hit. LEGO is now building a quality animated brand with a unique touch to their humor. I had no desire to see a LEGO Ninjago movie (I don’t even know exactly anything about it other than…Ninjas?), but I’m on board and that trailer was pretty hilarious. Here now, lets look back at The LEGO Batman Movie, coming June 13th to 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray. 
In the fall of 2015, everyone was taken by surprise by the popularity of the Keanu Reeves pure action film, John Wick. The Keanu Reeves-led film featured what seemed like a silly premise, but played into becoming an all timer thanks to some fresh, innovative and game changing action choreography that felt a bit of a return to form for the low budget affair. While the first one was a pretty modest hit, Lionsgate rolled the dice with this sequel, John Wick: Chapter 2 and were rewarded when this one built of the previous film at the box office, while continuing on with the critical praise. Wick’s second outing will be available on the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray format (Just like the first, which looked LOVELY) on June 13th. Get your pre-order in now by clicking on the Amazon link at the bottom of the page following the review. 
I remember seeing trailers for Snitch like crazy during The Walking Dead on Sunday nights like crazy. Why? It had series star Jon Bernthal in the movie (Who was very popular when he was on the show). So, I guess they were hoping that would get people out to see it? But, lets not fool ourselves, folks. The main attraction here is global superstar Dwayne Johnson! I’m pretty sure there wasn’t a lot of hype for this movie when it came out, but then it surprised people by being a pretty solid film. Lionsgate has a film with The Rock in it, so they are going to use it, and use it they will when the film debuts on the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray format on June 6th alongside the likes of their cult classic comic book film, Dredd. Pre-order below to make sure you have yourself a copy to complete your Dwayne Johnson collection. 
One of the biggest cult films of the modern era has to be Lionsgate’s Dredd. The film surprised many and was well liked by those who saw it. It’s a comic and revival property that didn’t really take the world by storm though at the box office. It pretty much wound up breaking even at the box office. Fans have been persistently pushing for a sequel, but you gotta understand for Lionsgate its pretty risky. Karl Urban still gets questions and talks about it, but who knows what will come. Right now, word is that it will now be TV series. Lionsgate is respecting the fans here though, and dropping Dredd onto the 4K Ultra-HD format very early on, acknowledging that yes, it is indeed one of their more popular titles on home video. You can pre-order from the Amazon link at the end of the review to have yours waiting for you in your mailbox on June 6th when it releases. 
There’s something about A24’s Ex Machina that brings warm thoughts to my human mind. Maybe it’s because of their 2014 sleeper hit, 
Logan is a film that really needs no elaborate setup to whet your appetite for. If you have not already, you should be practically dying to see this one. The mere fact that this even got made with an R-rating is no doubt thanks to the brilliance and success of last year’s Deadpool. Had it not been for that film, which proved in a world of failed Kick-Ass movies R-rated comic book films can indeed thrive, I’m quite sure Logan would have been slapped with that dread PG-13 rating. Luckily for us that’s not the case in our present scenario. 
While I have been completely disgusted by what has been transpiring with the divided American public this year (rioting, violence, demonstrations, destruction, etc) since the Presidential Inauguration there’s no doubt about it, the women very much have the power in xXx: Return of Xander Cage. Feminists and enemies of President Trump cannot argue that. Without the many women players in this particular outing our titular hero would not have been the smashing success he is. You hear that feminists? Equal opportunities are everywhere in this new Paramount outing, which if you’re keeping score is the third film in this wild xXx action franchise. So now that I have my little political rant off my chest, as I too feel like a piece of meat at times, let’s talk about the good, the bad and the ugly in xXx: Return of Xander Cage.
