Empire Records (Blu-ray Review)
Odd as it may sound, Empire Records is actually a bonafide cult classic. As much as people of my age range talked about it, quoted it and the frequency with which we watched it, we were in the minority. The film has been more appreciated on in more recent years, and especially in our nostalgia drenched society, which comes as a bit of a surprise. This film was loathed by critics and really not seen by audiences. It didn’t get much of a wide release, but here’s a fun fact; Empire Records didn’t even make one million dollars at the box office. I would be interested to see the home video intake for the film though, as it seems to have caught on their and grown to a more widespread popularity. Its also a home media survivor, making the jump to DVD and now crossing over into Blu-ray. Continue reading ‘Empire Records (Blu-ray Review)’
Here we are in 1978 where Burt Reynolds is peaking so very damn hard. While some may now be like “Hoop-what?”, Hooper was a big deal in 1978. The film was a follow up to the massive hit, Smokey and the Bandit the year prior. Smokey would have been the biggest film of 1977 had it not been for that pesky Star Wars movie. It marked a quick reteaming of stuntman-turned director Hal Needham with Burt Reynolds and Sally Field. Field and Reynolds were also a huge onscreen item back then, doing a plenty of films together in a short run. Hooper ended up being a huge success too being the 6th highest grossing film of the year and kept Reynolds and his teaming up with Neeham running. 
Upon its 2005 DVD release, the Australian thriller LONG WEEKEND quickly became one of the most highly-regarded films in the Synapse Films library, later to be prominently featured in Mark Hartley’s acclaimed documentary NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD and remade by director Jamie Blanks (URBAN LEGEND) in 2008. Fans have long requested a Blu-ray upgrade for this unrelenting Aussie classic, now making its high-def debut on a stunning new Synapse Blu-ray! From the writer of ROAD GAMES and RAZORBACK comes this “spooky little gem” (Premiere Magazine), presented in a high-definition transfer from original vault materials with a re-mastered DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround soundtrack created by Synapse Films.
Burt Reynolds was a busy man in the late 70s and early 80s. He was one of the biggest film stars in the world. And in 1981 he made three films. Most memorable of them and popular is likely The Cannonball Run. Another positive mark for Reynolds would be his adaptation of William Diehl’s novel, Sharky’s Machine, which he not only starred but directed. Reynolds told rival larger than life actor/director Clint Eastwood that if he was going to make one of his movies (Referring to Every Which Way But Loose), then he was going to do Dirty Harry in Atlanta. Sharky’s Machine wound up being another big hit for Reynolds, and his highest grossing directed film at the box office internationally. 
Everly is one of those films where I feel like I’ve been waiting forever to see. No, I’m not going to divulge whether I liked it or not just yet, but what I mean by that is ever since its VOD release in January I have been resisting the urge to buy or rent just so my first viewing could either be on the big screen or on my HD format of choice, Blu-ray. Regrettably I had a chance to see it when it was in town 
Look out or they’ll get you in the end! Scream Factory proudly presents a monstrous double feature of 
Anchor Bay Entertainment and The Weinstein Company are proud to announce the home entertainment release of the visually stunning film, THE IMMIGRANT.Hailed by theA.V. Club’s Ignatiy Vishnevetsky as “an American masterpiece,” audiences can own the film on DVD and Blu-Ray™ April 7, 2015. Following its world premiere at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival where it was nominated for the Palme d’Or prize, The Weinstein Company released this compelling drama theatrically on May 16, 2014. The New York Film Critics Circle awarded Academy Award® nominee Darius Khondji the prize for Best Cinematographer and Marion Cotillard for Best Actress. Cotillard and Khondjihave both been nominated for a 2015 Independent Spirit Award for their great achievements in the film. 
You wanted the best. You got the best! The hottest band in the world…KISS!!! And the roar of the crowd goes absolutely banana nuts crazy. How did that sound? That was my best text recreation of the legendary lines employed at the beginning of KISS’ amazing Alive album, which forever changed the band members’ 4 lives and millions of others (aka the KISS Army) the past 40+ years. And finally, after all these years (as assistant producer Tim Sullivan and director Adam Rifkin can attest to), the 1999 cult classic Detroit Rock City will be coming home to the Blu-ray format and diehard KISS fans everywhere will be shouting it out loud in the privacy of their living rooms courtesy of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment/New Line Cinema. Now I have to warn you. Because of this film’s holy grail cult-like status, I don’t know if my below Blu-ray review and my songs of praise can ever truly do this long anticipated HD home media release complete justice, but rest assured that the KISS freak in me is going to treat this like the ultimate fan letter or testament to KISS much akin to how the recording of Alive V would ultimately go down (if it ever did). So here goes nothing. You wanted the best. You got the best…err…you got me!
Back in 2013 we got a “modernized” Carrie remake for “the current generation”. The thought of it from the start had people up in arms. The “WHYYYY???” crybaby fanboys and the such angered that a sacred property was being redone. Yet, they completely were forgetting that its not so sacred, that the Chloe Grace-Moretz film would be the fourth iteration of the Carrie tale in live action form. This double feature set includes the two inbetween that they were forgetting about. There was a sequel (which basically was a newer take on the same tale) and straight up remake made for television. Plus all of these are adaptations from a novel. So, while the most recent wasn’t a good film at all, nobody should have been complaining about the pre-production like this hadn’t been done already and been more accepting of another interpretation. 
This spring, let your imagination run free. Sci-fi fantasy and comic book fans will have the chance to embark on a unique journey beyond space, time and known worlds that await us. Visionary writer-director Guillaume Lubrano brings his faithful, well-crafted adaption of the world renowned comics anthology Métal Hurlant (also known internationally as ‘Heavy Metal’ Magazine) to live-action with a star-studded cast including Rutger Hauer (Blade Runner), Scott Adkins (Expendables 2) Michael Biehn (Aliens), Kelly Brook (Piranha 3D), David Belle (Prince of Persia), John Rhys-Davies (Raiders of the Lost Ark), Joe Flanigan (Stargate: Atlantis), James Marsters (Buffy The Vampire Slayer), Dominique Pinon (Alien: Resurrection), Michelle Ryan (Doctor Who) and Michael Jai White (Spawn). 
Legendary action star Jason Statham (The Expendables franchise, Transporter franchise) headlines the action-packed thriller Wild Card, showing its hand 
Anchor Bay Entertainment invites fans for a little bit’o the green and a LOT of the red with MUCK, a chiller seething with the greatest fear of all: that nowhere is safe! The directorial debut of Steve Wolsh, who also wrote and produced, MUCK reads like a bloody love letter filled with just the sort of jolts horror fans have been waiting to hear – and see! Shot in state-of-the-art 4K Ultra HD resolution, MUCK is packed with old-school effects, shocks – and yes, breasts – that stick with you, creating terror with effects and stunts without the use of CGI. MUCK arrives uncut, uncensored, and unrated. Featuring Kane Hodder (Hatchet, Jason Voorhees in four of the Friday the 13th films), Lachlan Buchanan (“Pretty Little Liars”), Puja Mohindra (Foreign), Bryce Draper (Bound) and YouTube Sensation Lauren Francesca (iwantmylauren), MUCK is throwback horror at its best. 
Let’s venture into Ashborough, a quaint, small town in New Hampshire where its serenity and family-friendly settings are just pretenses for the ultimate terror! The harrowing suspense thriller, infused with deadly small-town secrets and folklore from Michael Laimo’s celebrated novel 
When a film gets hailed as “the most exhilarating film this century,” director Christopher Nolan’s “must-see masterpiece” (New York Post) you just gotta see it right? Of course you do! You want some more proof of why you should see Interstellar? It has been named one of the Top Ten movies of 2014 by Rolling Stone, Esquire, the New York Post and more, and had received five Academy Award nominations including Best Visual Effects, Best Production Design, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing and Best Original Score. Better yet, I’m pretty sure the movie was Ace Frehley’s inspiration for the song “Rocket Ride” back in 1977 on KISS’ Alive II album. What do you want to bet that “they” told Ace to write that track? Sounds silly huh? However, it could be true. Who’s to say that it isn’t? That’s the kind of bat craziness I’m talking about here and this is what Interstellar is all about! 
Drug Dealing. Gang Beatings. Prostitution. They’re all part of a typical day for the students of Lincoln High. Take a trip into this academic abyss with Scream Factory’s release of Class of 1984. The film makes its Blu-ray debut as part of a Collector’s Edition Combo Pack that comes loaded with bonus features, including new interviews with director Mark Lester, composer Lalo Schifrin and actors Perry King, Lisa Langlois and Erin Noble, new career retrospective interview with Perry King, audio commentary with director Mark Lester, the featurette Blood and Blackboards, which includes interviews with director Mark Lester, actors Perry King and Merrie Lynn Ross, and more! This packed disc is the first Collector’s Edition from Scream Factory in 2015. Hard to believe, I know! 
From the director of “Chicago” and the producer of “Wicked” comes a modern twist on the beloved fairy tales you thought you knew. Academy Award®-Winning actress Meryl Streep (Best Actress, The Iron Lady), leads an all-star cast in this enchanted adventure about daring to venture Into The Woods. The film wound up landing Meryl Streep yet another Academy Award nomination (Best Supporting Actress, which ended up going to Patricia Arquette for her role in Boyhood) to which she yawned and said “yeah I know”. The film was released around this past Christmas season, which seemed the perfect time for it.
This is the critically acclaimed cult classic written, produced and directed by Larry Cohen that remains one of the most disturbing and though-provoking horror films of our time: God Told Me To. Larry Cohen, who got his start being a fine Blaxploitation director (Kicking off Fred Williamson’s era of dominance in Hell Up In Harlem and Black Caesar…which would make for nice Blu-rays), and wound up being known for some top tier B-grade films that have gone onto become A-List cult classics. In addition to God Told Me To, he’s done films like The Stuff, Q: The Winged Serpent and the It’s Alive series. Blue Underground has gone alllllll the hell out on this God release, giving it a boost with new interviews, a 7.1 surround track and a 4K restoration for a transfer. All this for God Told Me To. Makes the big league studios look like chumps. Let’s dive right into this beauty, shall we?
