Archive for the 'Blu-ray Reviews' Category
July 6th, 2015 by Brian White
They bill Arnold Schwarzenegger as being back, better than ever in the post-apocalyptic story, Maggie, arriving on Blu-ray July 7th from Lionsgate Home Entertainment. What do you think of that statement? Do you believe there is any validity to that? I don’t know about you, but that’s why I was most curious to tackle this one. Sure it will be interesting to see Arnold outside his action/comedy comfort zone, but I was also curious as to whether or not this tale was any good or does it exist simply trying to capitalize off the recent popularity and craze of zombies, much like vampires were years ago. However, the real Debbie Downer in all of this was I had to wait so long to find all this out. Sure I could have easily taken the VOD approach several months ago, but I didn’t want to. I wanted my first time to be special. I wanted it to be on the Blu-ray format. And that ladies and gentlemen is why we’re all here today. I present to you Maggie on Blu-ray. Continue reading ‘Maggie (Blu-ray Review)’
July 6th, 2015 by Gerard Iribe
From the director of Taken comes The Gunman, a pulse pounding action thriller starring two-time Academy Award winner Sean Penn. It’s been eight years since Jim Terrier (Penn) worked as a black ops assassin and now someone from his old organization wants him dead. Pursued across Africa and Europe by elite hit men, Terrier is dragged back into his dangerous past as he engages in a relentless cat-and-mouse game to take out the man who betrayed him. Idris Elba, Ray Winstone, Mark Rylance and Oscar winner Javier Bardem costar in a hair-trigger thrill ride the critics are calling, “Intense!” Continue reading ‘The Gunman (Blu-ray Review)’
July 3rd, 2015 by Brian White
This past March I had the pleasure of visiting Los Angeles after not being in that beloved city for over two years. Absence truly made my heart grow fonder, but it did not do anything for the ridiculous traffic out there. Anyway, one of my most fondest memories from that recent trip was taking Why So Blu Staff writer Gerard Iribe on a date (he put me up so it was the least I could do) to see It Follows. I was blown away by it. As soon as the credits rolled I turned to Gerard and said was that old school John Carpenter Halloween style or what. He whole-heartedly agreed! We then ate a vegetarian dinner afterwards, but I choose to digress here about all of that. So here’s the real deal. It Follows, the critically acclaimed breakout movie of the year, arrives on on Blu-ray July 14th from Anchor Bay Home Entertainment and I got y’all covered down below. Continue reading ‘It Follows (Blu-ray Review)’
June 30th, 2015 by Aaron Neuwirth
The second season of The Strain is premiering soon on FX and what better way to celebrate than by checking in on the first season of the series. There is of course a chance that you may have already seen the first season and even own the Blu-ray, which was reviewed by Why So Blu’s Brian White. Well, now we have the Premium Collector’s Edition, which houses the Blu-ray in a collectible bust of the series’ main villain, The Master. The Blu-ray package also contains all new supplements to make this Collector’s Edition more worthwhile. Continue on to see pics of the set and details on what else is in store for those interested.
Continue reading ‘The Strain: The Complete First Season – Premium Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray Review)’
June 29th, 2015 by Gerard Iribe
Brooklyn mobster and prolific hit man Jimmy Conlon (Liam Neeseon), once known as The Gravedigger, has seen better days. Longtime best friend of mob boss Shawn Maguire (Ed Harris), Jimmy, now 55, is haunted by the sins of his past – as well as a dogged police detective (Vincent D’Onofrio) who’s been one step behind Jimmy for 30 years. Continue reading ‘Run All Night (Blu-ray Review)’
June 29th, 2015 by Sean Wright
Will Ferrell’s James King is a millionaire head fund manager who is accused of fraud and embezzlement, who seeks the aid of Darnell Lewis (Kevin Hart) to prep him for life in prison in Get Hard. The two form an unlikely bond in the 30 days leading up to his incarceration. The film premiered at South by Southwest on March 16th, 2015 before its wide release in the U.S. on March 27th. Continue reading ‘Get Hard (Blu-ray Review)’
June 25th, 2015 by Brandon Peters
On July 21, 2015, SCREAM FACTORY™ is proud to present I, MADMAN Blu-ray™on home entertainment shelves for the first time. Arriving for the first time on Blu-ray, this long-awaited release contains insightful bonus content, including interviews with director Tibor Takacs, actor & artistic supervisor Randall William Cook, screenwriter David Chaskin, actor Clayton Rohner and actress Stephanie Hodge, behind-the-scene footage, audio commentary and much more! A must-have for movie collectors and horror enthusiasts. Directed cult filmmaker Tibor Takacs (The Gate), I, MADMAN stars Jenny Wright (Near Dark, The Lawnmower Man), Clayton Rohner (April Fool’s Day, The Human Centipede III) and three-time Academy Award® winner Randall William Cook (Dr. Caligari) as the mysterious and frightening Malcolm Brand. Continue reading ‘I, Madman (Blu-ray Review)’
June 23rd, 2015 by Brandon Peters
RLJ Entertainment (NASDAQ: RLJE), under the Image Entertainment brand, announces the DVD release of the thriller THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN. Directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon (Me, Earl and The Dying Girl, “American Horror Story”), screenplay by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Carrie, “Glee”) and based on the 1976 cult-classic film of the same title directed by Charles B. Pierce. THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN will be available on DVD abd Blu-ray. The film stars Addison Timlin (“Californication,” That Awkward Moment), newcomer Travis Tope, Gary Cole (“Veep,” Office Space), Joshua Leonard (“Bates Hotel,” The Blair Witch Project), Anthony Anderson (“Black-ish,” The Departed), Denis O’Hare (“American Horror Story,” Dallas Buyers Club), Edward Herrmann (“The Good Wife,” “Gilmore Girls”) and Veronica Cartwright (The Birds, Alien). It is produced by Jason Blum (the Paranormal Activity franchise, Sinister) and Ryan Murphy (“American Horror Story,” “Glee”). Continue reading ‘The Town That Dreaded Sundown – Best Buy Exclusive (Blu-ray Review)’
June 23rd, 2015 by Brandon Peters
A gift from Heaven…or a curse from Hell! Scream Factory presents a quartet of supernatural thrillers with brand new HD transfers. All part of the Scream Factory All Night Horror Marathon and All Night Horror Marathon 2 releases on DVD in 2013,fans called for better video transfers and here they are! The Outing & The Godsendand Cellar Dweller & Catacombs make their Blu-ray debut on July 14, 2015. This is exciting to be seeing them make the jump, and maybe one day the remaining four films (C’mon The Dungeonmaster Blu-ray!!!) will get to see double feature releases too. This review will be focusing on the two films coming from the Volume 2 release; the cryptic and creature featuring of Cellar Dweller and Catacombs. Continue reading ‘Cellar Dweller / Catacombs – Double Feature (Blu-ray Review)’
June 22nd, 2015 by Gerard Iribe
A Foreign Service Officer (Milla Jovovich) newly posted to the American embassy in London is charged with stopping terrorists from getting into the US. After surviving a vicious attack on the embassy, she finds herself framed for crimes she didn’t commit and racing to elude assassins while trying to clear her name and stop a large-scale terrorist attack set for New Year’s Eve. SURVIVOR is directed by James McTeigueand also stars Pierce Brosnan, Dylan McDermott, Angela Bassett and Robert Forster. Continue reading ‘Survivor (Blu-ray Review)’
June 22nd, 2015 by Gerard Iribe
‘Lost Songs: The Basement Tapes Continued’ is a film by director Sam Jones that accompanies the album ‘Lost On The River’ released by Harvest Records in November 2014. The project focuses on sixteen sets of lyrics that were written by Bob Dylan during the legendary ‘The Basement Tapes’ sessions in 1967 but only recently rediscovered. Under the auspices of producer T-Bone Burnett and with the approval of Bob Dylan an extraordinary collective of musicians was brought together to set the lyrics to music: Elvis Costello, Rhiannon Giddens, Taylor Goldsmith, Jim James and Marcus Mumford. The film presents an exclusive and intimate look at the making of the ‘Lost On The River’ album set against the important and historical cultural backdrop of Bob Dylan and The Band’s original ‘The Basement Tapes’. Continue reading ‘Lost Songs: The Basement Tapes Continued (Blu-ray Review)’
June 20th, 2015 by Gerard Iribe
A cocky businessman and big-game hunter (Michael Douglas) hires an earnest young guide (Jeremy Irvine) to take him hunting in the Mojave Desert. Far from civilization, the unthinkable happens when another outdoorsman is mistaken for game and accidentally shot. Things take an even worse turn when the guide refuses to be drawn into the dishonest cover-up, and must now run for his life before the hunter – the elements – do him in. Continue reading ‘Beyond the Reach (Blu-ray Review)’
June 20th, 2015 by Brian White
I purposely chose to tackle the Blu-ray review of The Lazarus Effect for two main reasons. First, I love stories about mad scientists. There’s something about them playing God in the real world that just wildly appeals to me and curdles my blood. Secondly, I feel like Anakin Skywalker at times. I truly do want to stop people from dying, especially loved ones. For anyone familiar with the biblical tale of Lazarus or even the reference in Nolan’s Interstellar last year, the man came back from the dead. On any given day, that happening alone makes it a good one, no? Of course it does! So here we are. It’s not the biblical times, but it’s 2015 and we have a movie that caters to both my obsession with raising the dead and people playing mad scientists. So why shouldn’t I want to review The Lazarus Effect? Now you’re getting it. Continue reading ‘The Lazarus Effect (Blu-ray Review)’
June 19th, 2015 by Gerard Iribe
In this hilarious drink-like-a-fish-out-of-water comedy, Vince Vaughn stars as a hard-working entrepreneur who travels to Europe with his two associates (Dave Franco and Tom Wilkinson) to close the most important business deal of their lives. But the journey quickly spins out of control as the hapless trio encounters all kinds of crazy obstacles, including Oktoberfest bar brawls, hotel foul-ups, foreign GPS directions, and a global fetish festival. In the end, these guys gone wild might just land the deal…if they can survive the trip. bottoms up! Continue reading ‘Unfinished Business (Blu-ray Review)’
June 19th, 2015 by Brandon Peters
A gift from Heaven…or a curse from Hell! Scream Factory presents a quartet of supernatural thrillers with brand new HD transfers. All part of the Scream Factory All Night Horror Marathon and All Night Horror Marathon 2 releases on DVD in 2013,fans called for better video transfers and here they are! The Outing & The Godsendand Cellar Dweller & Catacombs make their Blu-ray debut on July 14, 2015. This is exciting to be seeing them make the jump, and maybe one day the remaining four films (C’mon The Dungeonmaster Blu-ray!!!) will get to see double feature releases too. This review will be focusing on the two films coming from the Volume 1 release; the super campy The Outing and The Godsend. Continue reading ‘The Outing / The Godsend – Double Feature (Blu-ray Review)’
June 18th, 2015 by Brandon Peters
Academy Award® winner Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables, The Devil Wears Prada) and Johnny Flynn (Something In The Air) star as strangers who connect under unlikely circumstances when Song One releases on Blu-ray and DVD March 24 from Cinedigm (NASDAQ: CIDM) and The Film Arcade. The film has been available on Digital HD since January 23. Set against the backdrop of Brooklyn, New York’s vibrant music scene, the “delicate drama” (Variety) is written and directed by first time filmmaker Kate Barker-Froyland and produced by Hathaway and Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs). Also starring Academy Award® winner Mary Steenburgen (The Help) and Ben Rosenfield (“Boardwalk Empire”), Song One features original music composed by indie duo Jenny Lewis and Johnathan Rice, with live performances by a vast group of popular artists within the thriving New York music community, including Sharon Van Etten, The Felice Brothers, Paul Whitty, Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens, Cass Dillon and Lola Kirke. Continue reading ‘Song One (Blu-ray Review)’
June 17th, 2015 by Brandon Peters
Academy Award nominee Mariel Hemmingway (Best Supporting Actress, Manhattan) stars as Christine, the school teacher girlfriend of lead Kurt Russell who will become a pawn in a frightening game of cat & mouse in The Mean Season. Director Phillip Borsos’ nail-biting thriller The Mean Season, from a screenplay by Leon Piedmont based on the novel In The Heat of the Summer by John Katzenbach, co-stars Andy Garcia (Ocean’s Eleven, The Untouchables), Richard Masur (Risky Business, The Thing), Joe Pantoliano (Bound, TV’s The Sopranos) and Richard Bradford (Night Game). This early 80s thrill a minute is being release by the nice folks over at Olive Films. Continue reading ‘The Mean Season (Blu-ray Review)’
June 17th, 2015 by Brandon Peters
This July, beat the summer heat with two highly stylized horror thrillers, Dark Summerand Alien Outpost, both making their Blu-ray and DVD debut on July 7th, 2015 from Scream Factory, in partnership with IFC Midnight. Featuring exciting new bonus content including cast and crew interviews, audio commentaries, making of featurettes and more, both titles can be pre-ordered now from ShoutFactory.com. Today we are taking a look and reviewing the science fiction portion of the releases. That being the IFC Midnight thriller Alien Outpost. Directed by Jabbar Raisani (Visual Effects Supervisor on Game Of Thrones, Machete, Predators), the explosive Alien Outpost is a science-fiction gem with stunning effects and non-stop action. Continue reading ‘Alien Outpost (Blu-ray Review)’
