Archive for the 'Blu-ray Reviews' Category
February 13th, 2015 by Brandon Peters
Alchemy is proudly bringing the film, THE WORLD MADE STRAIGHT to DVD and Blu-Ray this coming Tuesday (February 17). The thriller is based on the 2006 novel of the same title by New York Times best-selling author Ron Rash. David Burris (Executive Producer of CBS’ “Survivor”) directs the talented cast that includes Noah Wyle (The Librarian franchaise, NBC’s “ER”, TNT’s “Falling Skies”), Jeremy Irvine (War Horse, The Railway Man, Now Is Good), Haley Joel Osment (The Sixth Sense, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Pay It Forward) and Minka Kelly (500 Days of Summer, Friday Night Lights, Lee Daniel’s The Butler).
. Continue reading ‘The World Made Straight (Blu-ray Review)’
February 13th, 2015 by Aaron Neuwirth
Five years back the Spierig brothers made a film called Daybreakers, which received a level of praise from some circles, as far as interesting takes on the vampire genre go. I was not huge on the film overall, but I was happy to praise the world they created for the film, which I thought was actually better suited for a TV series. Now the Spierig’s are back with Predestination, a time travel story, based on a short story by sci-fi writer Robert A. Heinlein. I am a fan of time travel movies and this film did a number on me in terms of both the handling of the always tricky plotting for these types of films and its approach to gender politics, which I was certainly not expecting. Now the film is available on Blu-ray, which is good, because this is an involved, well-filmed, well-acted, and engaging time travel flick that fans should go check out.
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February 12th, 2015 by Brandon Peters
From the creator of the internationally-acclaimed action thriller The Man From Nowhere,comes the heart-pounding box office hit NO TEARS FOR THE DEAD. A hit man traumatized from accidentally killing a young girl during a job is given the mission to eliminate her mother and begins the ultimate fight to save her life. The film’s all-star cast includes superstar JANG Dong-gun, KIM Min-hee, Brian Tee, KIM Hee-won and KIM Joon-seong. Blu-ray and DVD bonus materials include director’s commentary and the featurette “The Making of No Tears for the Dead,” while bonus materials exclusive to the Blu-ray release includes an interview with Brian Tee, deleted scenes, a “Behind the Scene” featurette, action highlights and two character spots. Continue reading ‘No Tears For The Dead (Blu-ray Review)’
February 12th, 2015 by Gerard Iribe
Issei Hyodo is back with all of his voluptuous friends, only this time he has more power than ever before. With the Excaliber swords and the Archangel Michael joining him in battle against the deadliest of foes yet, only time will tell if the Occult Research Club continues to thrive or if new leadership is needed to usher in a new magical era. The enchanting adventure returns with more badass babes than any high school male should ever have to drool over. Continue reading ‘High School DxD New: The Series (Blu-ray Review)’
February 11th, 2015 by Brandon Peters
Academy Award® winner Nicolas Cage (Best Actor in a Leading Role, Leaving Las Vegas, 1995) ignites a powder keg of action in the electrifying cloak-and-dagger thriller Dying of the Light. The film is currently available On Demand. From the writer of Taxi Driver and co-writer ofRaging Bull, Dying of the Light also features Anton Yelchin (Star Trek Into Darkness, Terminator Salvation), Alexander Karim (TV’s “Tyrant,” Zero Dark Thirty) and Irène Jacob (Three Colors: Red, U.S. Marshals). Evan Lake (Cage), a veteran CIA agent, has been ordered to retire. But when his protégé (Yelchin) uncovers evidence that Lake’s nemesis, the terrorist Banir (Karim), has resurfaced, Lake goes rogue, embarking on a perilous, intercontinental mission to eliminate his sworn enemy. Continue reading ‘Dying Of The Light (Blu-ray Review)’
February 10th, 2015 by Aaron Neuwirth
Laggies is a mix of typical rom-com material with typical coming-of-age story material fit inside of the shell of an indie comedy. However, this ‘indie’ effort from director Lynn Shelton has far more mainstream appeal than her previous features, Humpday and Your Sister’s Sister, given the presence of big Hollywood actors Keira Knightley, Chloe Grace Moretz, and Sam Rockwell. It is not the most unique of stories, but it has enough fun with its story and enough charm coming from the performances to make for an entertaining film. Now Laggies is available on Blu-ray for many to check out and see for themselves.
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February 10th, 2015 by Brenna Smith
Debuting on DVD, Digital and Best Buy exclusive Blu-Ray, indie horror film ZOMBIE KILLERS: ELEPHANT’S GRAVEYARD tells the story of a small compound surviving in the middle of the zombie apocalypse, guarded by an elite gun-slinging crew called “Zombie Killers.” Produced and directed by B horror veteran Harrison Smith, ZOMBIE KILLERS stars Billy Zane (Titanic, Back to the Future, Zoolander) as the ex-military leader of the killing crew Seiler; Michael Kean in his first role as Ian, member of the ragtag crew and the film’s lead; Brian Gallagher (Close Up, 6 Degrees of Hell, Camp Dread) as community member Rory; Mischa Barton (The O.C., The Sixth Sense) as his ostracized pregnant wife, and Brian Anthony Wilson (6 Degrees of Hell, Apocalypse Kiss) as the messianic leader of the compound. Bonus materials include a behind the scenes featurette on both the look of the film and the making of, as well as a segment with the folks behind the YouTube channel Bloodbath & Beyond. Continue reading ‘Zombie Killers: Elephant’s Graveyard (Blu-Ray Review)’
February 9th, 2015 by Aaron Neuwirth
Looking at this film and all the actors and producers involved, it seems quite clear that The Lookalike was a script that a lot of people had faith in. There is, indeed, a fun, pulpy story being told here, with enough characters, dark humor, twists, and turns to make for what could have been a fun crime comedy-drama. Unfortunately, director Richard Gray (the writer’s husband) does not seem to possess enough skill in the way of flashiness to really bring out the entertainment that should be had in an over-the-top story like this. Still, the effort was made, so now a Blu-ray exists for people to check it out for themselves.
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February 9th, 2015 by Aaron Neuwirth
Rosewater is the film based on “Then They Came for Me” by Maziar Bahari, a journalist who was imprisoned for a lengthy period, following, among other things, an interview with a correspondent from The Daily Show. This film was the screenwriting and directorial debut of Jon Stewart, which arrived in theaters last year. It did not do a ton of business, but it was given a good amount of respect for what it set out to do and certainly shows promise for the future of Stewart as a filmmaker. I would say he found a way to be very respectful to his subject, in an effort to make a compelling drama that may not be what one would expect, when it comes to watching a film put together by the host of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show. Now the film is on Blu-ray, where hopefully more people can catch up with it.
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February 9th, 2015 by Aaron Neuwirth
26 horror shorts all in one package? Sounds neat! That said, horror anthology films tend to be a mixed bag for me. Sometimes I find them very enjoyable. Other times they tend to go on for too long, exhausting me in the process, and leaving me with only so much to praise, despite the strong effort coming from the filmmaker(s) involved. Truth be told, I never got around to seeing ABC’s of Death, as I had heard things that led me to believe I would not really appreciate it. For ABC’s of Death 2, however, I had heard the short films presented were mostly much more effective this time around. Given that there is no continuity in a film like this, I went for it and got what I expected in terms of overall reaction. Now the film is on Blu-ray, with 26 different shorts for viewers to wrap their minds around.
Continue reading ‘ABC’s Of Death 2 (Blu-ray Review)’
February 5th, 2015 by Brandon Peters
The past three years, consistently in the horror world, we’ve been anticipating a film in the V/H/S series. Done in the classic horror anthology mode, but using the modern “found footage” aesthetic, the first film was a neat experiment that went pretty hit or miss. Last years’ followup was seen as a consensus improvement. It also contained a segment that had one of the most horrifying and disturbing horror stories I had seen in a long time. I was eager to see what they are considering the finale. Which, it surprises me that they are showing restraint and cutting the series off at this point, as I could see it going on much longer with more original stories or similar ones from different perspectives. Plus, these don’t cost much and also don’t seem to have lengthy productions by their nature. Continue reading ‘VHS: Viral (Blu-ray Review)’
February 4th, 2015 by Aaron Neuwirth
Roger Ebert was a force to be reckoned with when it came to film criticism, and I was very saddened by his death in April, 2013. The documentary film Life Itself, an adaptation of the late film critic’s memoir and a look at the last few months of his life, puts his story front and center, with no one more fitting than Steve James (director of Hoop Dreams, one of Ebert’s favorites) to be the one to direct the film. The film is rife with stories and insight about the life of Roger Ebert, as far as his career as a writer and onwards goes, with plenty of interviews to back up a truthful look at a man who was not perfect, but certainly a huge influence and impressive figure when it came to what he accomplished. This is a documentary for many film fans, as they may not have been shaped by Ebert’s film criticism, but it has certainly been a factor, while he had his time to say something about cinema.
Continue reading ‘Life Itself (Blu-ray Review)’
February 4th, 2015 by Gerard Iribe
From Director Wong Ching Po (Revenge: A Love Story) and acclaimed Action Director Yuen Wo Ping (The Grandmasters, Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2,Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) comes ONCE UPON A TIME IN SHANGHAI, debuting on Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital. The modern action-packed fable features rising martial arts star Philip Ng (Young and Dangerous: Reloaded) as a country bumpkin who moves to 1930’s Shanghai in the hope of becoming rich, but ends up honing his kung fu skills to become a lethal fighting machine. ONCE UPON A TIME IN SHANGHAI also stars the legendary Sammo Hung (Ip Man franchise), Andy On (As the Light Goes Out, White Vengeance), Michelle Hu (Mr. & Mrs. Player), Luxia Jiang (Ip Man: The Final Fight), Mao Junjie (Jackie Chan Presents: Wushu), Chan Koon-Tai (The Man with the Iron Fists), Yuen Cheung-Yan (Kung Fu Hustle, Charlie’s Angels franchise) and Fung Hak-On (Tai Chi Zero). Bonus materials include the behind-the-scenes featurette “The Making of Once Upon a Time in Shanghai.” Continue reading ‘Once Upon a Time in Shanghai (Blu-ray Review)’
February 3rd, 2015 by Brandon Peters
A mesmerizing look at small town life, the four-part HBO® Miniseries drama Olive Kitteridge, starring Academy Award winner Frances McDormand and Academy Award® nominee Richard Jenkins. The HBO Miniseries production was directed “with an impeccable balance of sensitivity and humor” (Hollywood Reporter) by Academy Award nominated director Lisa Cholodenk and is based on Elizabeth Strout’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, with a teleplay by Emmy-winner Jane Anderson. The supporting cast features Golden Globe winner Bill Murray as Jack Kennison, a widower befriended by Olive; Emmy nominee Peter Mullan as Jim O’Casey, a fellow teacher at Olive’s school; Rosemarie DeWitt as Rachel Coulson, a shut-in who is one of Henry’s customers at the pharmacy; and Zoe Kazan as Denise Thibodeau, who works at the pharmacy. An HBO Miniseries presentation of a Playtone production in association with As Is, Olive Kitteridge is executive produced by Gary Goetzman, Tom Hanks, Frances McDormand and Jane Anderson. Steven Shareshian co-executive produces. Continue reading ‘Olive Kitteridge (Blu-ray Review)’
February 2nd, 2015 by Brandon Peters
Sometime in the later 1980s, the famous books and story of The Phantom Of The Opera fell into public domain; meaning anybody could make their own cinematic, televised or stage rendition of it without having to jump through hoops to get the rights. Coming of the success of Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers, director Dwight H Little wanted to get the first one done before countless others threw their cards in the hat. He snagged up fright icon Robert Englund at the peak of his pop culture popularity as well as one of the “it girls” of the moment Jill Schoelen to do his own take on the story. Largely forgotten, this was a pretty hyped and anticipated film back in 1989. Not just in the horror community either. The film wound up being a crushing disappointment both from a critical and box office perspective. However, through the annals of home video, the film first began finding itself an audience of appreciators on VHS and even more when it was released on DVD. Here it comes to the next format, where it hopes to find even more new fans. This makes it the perfect candidate for a Scream Factory release. Continue reading ‘The Phantom Of The Opera – 1989 (Blu-ray Review)’
February 2nd, 2015 by Gerard Iribe
Life’s A Breeze is a charming comedy that follows a family struggling to stay afloat and together through hard times. The family is turned upside down when Nan’s (Fionnula Flanagan) unemployed slacker son Colm (Pat Shortt), and his niece Emma (Kelly Thornton) make a well-intended attempt to clean out her house and accidentally trash the mattress where she’s been stashing her life savings. Now they must overcome their many differences to lead their family in a race against time to find a lost fortune. Continue reading ‘Life’s A Breeze (Blu-ray Review)’
February 1st, 2015 by Brandon Peters
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (Now Alexander throughout the rest of this review) was a popular book published back in 1972 by Judith Viorst. I remember that book being a popular book to read even during my youthful years. Even though, I’m not sure whether I read it or not. I at least remember that title pretty well. Once a project over at 20th Century Fox, the film moved to Disney and was released this past October. In a market hungry for a live action family comedy film, the film prospered to the tune of a great opening weekend and overall awesome box office performance. This genre seemed somewhat of a thing of the past, not so much popping up with any frequency anymore (Maybe it hasn’t gone away, but I don’t feel I’ve seen anything with prominence, success or marketing like this one). With the majority positive reviews and a successful box office take, this might mean we see a small resurgence in this kind of film as an option at the multiplex. Continue reading ‘Alexander And The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (Blu-ray Review)’
February 1st, 2015 by Brandon Peters
Scream Factory’s newest original film is a modern dangerous woods creature feature. Its another film that comes from Chiller TV (As they’ve had plenty of their original films go to Scream Factory for physical media release). This however first debuted on VOD before making its way to Chiller TV. The name that first caught my eye when I learned of it was Joey Lauren Adams being in the film and being over the title. While she’s not just some glorified cameo in the movie, she is kinda wasted. When I watched the film, another name I recognized was that of Drew Barrymore. No, she’s not in it, but she was the producer for it. If you missed the film when it ran on Chiller TV or Video OnDemand, Scream Factory is giving you a chance to just straight up own it with this Blu-ray edition of Animal. Continue reading ‘Animal (Blu-ray Review)’
