Star Trek: Enterprise – The Complete Series (Blu-ray Review)
Hey Trekkies! Its that time again where we witness Paramount reissuing all the Star Trek series in new bundles or editions. Well, not new editions, because we’re always trying to get the most miles on the discs we’ve owned. This winter/spring we’re privy to new complete collections of Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Enterprise. Enterprise is the only one coming to Blu-ray probably…well…ever. Last week broke a terrific story I’m sure you saw on the insane amount of effort to restore The Next Generation and the reasons why time, money and demand just aren’t there for Deep Space Nine and Voyager (Bummer, yes, so don’t scoff at the DVD sets you’ve been holding off on, pick them up). Here today, we are glossing over the complete set of the most recent Star Trek TV show (Until Discovery launches), Enterprise! Continue reading ‘Star Trek: Enterprise – The Complete Series (Blu-ray Review)’
To keep the totally rad 80’s movies kick going, this week sees a special edition of my regular column of all things five-star film past – welcome to Forgotten Friday Flick! Since the good folks over at Mill Creek Entertainment decided to finally release the film I’ve chosen here on a more lush than VHS Blu-ray format I thought why not kill two birds with one critical stone. The result – a film review and Blu-ray review rolled into one for your reading convenience! That’s right folks! Not only do you get the full review of my favorite produced by Michael Mann 80’s misfit flick for Forgotten Friday Flick time, but you also get a bird’s eye view into the Blu-ray specs on the latest release ala Mill Creek to boot. So let’s get the team together, form a bond and become one of the five fingers ala…Band Of The Hand!
I said it before and I’ll say it again – we all need someone to look up to…though these may not be the guys! Vice Principals: The Complete First Season arrives on Blu-ray and DVD (both with a free digital download copy) on February 7, 2017 and is created by Danny McBride and Jody Hill, creators of HBO’s Eastbound & Down, along with Ben Best. The acclaimed new HBO comedy series tells the story of North Jackson High School and the two people who almost run it, the vice principals. McBride and Walton Goggins (The Shield, Justified) star as the school administrators, who are in an epic power struggle to become school principal. The series also features Georgia King, Busy Philipps, Shea Whigham, Sheaun McKinney, Kimberly Hebert Gregory, Edi Patterson and guest stars Bill Murray and Susan Park. The Vice Principals: The Complete First Season Blu-ray is loaded with exclusive new bonus content including a hilarious blooper reel, never-before-seen deleted scenes and laugh-out-loud audio commentaries with the cast and crew for all nine episodes – check out the review skinny specs below!
In Lionsgate’s vault, as with any other studio, there are some titles that just do good business for them. Lionsgate, of course inherited the Artisan library and Vestron Pictures one when it was in its infancy. Dirty Dancing is one of their staples on the home video market and with the 30th anniversary of the film’s release upon us, its no surprise that a new edition is coming. This marks (In the US alone) the fourth iteration of the Partick Swayze / Jennifer Grey dance classic on home video. While, yea, its always a cash grab, Lionsgate has at least added new supplements (In one previous iteration a new transfer) to make it not just be a new cover. With them having a Vestron Video label (primarily mirroring the Scream Factory model) and Dirty Dancing originally being a Vestron Pictures release, I thought it would have been fun to have done a Vestron Collector’s Series with this one, siding up to the likes of Return of the Living Dead 3 and Chopping Mall. But alas, it was not to be. Those Hungry Eyes settled for just an updated regular Blu-ray line of release. 
Arrival is one of those films that when you first see the theatrical trailer for it just cries out to you. It screams that you must see me. Who knows. Maybe it’s the aliens in the film that called out to me. I don’t know but whatever it was I was smitten by the very first trailer I saw of it. I knew that as soon as I saw 
I could start and stop my film review section right here with Why So Blu reviewer Aaron Neuwirth’s comments on my theatrical review of John Wick where he left the following remarks. “A dude with long hair, a dog, and Mustang beats up Theon Greyjoy. Of course you loved this movie.” He also went on to add that “and he listens to Marilyn Manson! You must have been in heaven.” Let the record show, Aaron knows me well. I was truly in a nirvana-like state throughout the movie’s entire runtime, and I have been salivating ever since for the eventual sequel this February. This is why I’m a reviewer! I already have John Wick on Blu-ray, but now in my grubby hands some weeks before anyone else I have it 4K Ultra HD! I want to shout it from the top of the tallest mountain, I LOVE IT SO! 
Regular, natural pregnancy is scary and a challenge enough for a couple, let alone adding a supernatural element to it. But with Antibirth, they not only give it that slap dash of gross out and weird horror, its done with a bit of a comedic touch too. Making its Blu-ray and DVD debut February 7th, 2017 from Scream Factory, in conjunction with IFC Midnight, Anitbirth also includes psychedelic clips, storyboards and theatrical trailer as bonus features. Spiked with blasts of hallucinatory color, surreal shocks, and subversive comedy, the audacious feature debut from Danny Perez is a no-holds-barred descent into delirium. 
Throughout fairy tale history, Beauty and the Beast is a story that is a well, with directors, writers, studios, theatres and such constantly going back to it. Its been done on the stage, in film, on television and I’m sure in the comic book format as well. My youth had a week to week series back in the day, a modernized version where a Ron Perlman Beast lived in the sewers woo’ing his beauty that was Linda Hamilton. No matter how many, there are only two interpretations that have really stood the test of time and become the “go to” definitive versions. One obviously being the Disney animated film. The other, is the masterpiece of French cinema, Jean Cocteau’s 1946 film. And next year, Disney is doing a live action rendition of their animated feature with Emma Watson and Dan Stevens. Today, we are taking a look at 2014’s French take on the classic story from the director of Brotherhood of the Wolf and Silent Hill. 
Glowingly reviewed by critics, but never finding an audience at the box office, Disney’s Queen of Katwe is making its way to Blu-ray. Based on the vibrant true story of a young girl (Madina Nalwanga) from the streets of Uganda whose world changes when she is introduced to the game of chess, and, as a result of the support she receives from her family and community, is instilled with the confidence and determination she needs to pursue her dream of becoming an international chess champion. I’m not sure what more could have been done, it did open on a rather stacked opening weekend. Maybe a bigger marketing push? Who knows what kept audience interest from seeing this one, but you’ll get a chance to catch it now on home video. 
Pinocchio now is joining the ranks of classic Walt Disney films from its original golden era, seeing their status upgraded to worthy of a double dip with the hip and fresh Signature Edition. Importantly, though, its a really good idea and deal for those who hadn’t own this legendary Disney film before. So, those who didn’t pick it up the first time around and wished upon a star for it to return to stores, now’s your chance. There are no strings to hold you down, so don’t be a jackass this time and pick it up. Disney has added a new array of bonus materials to it, too, so those who may want to upgrade based on that have something new. This set will be available on January 31st, but pre-orders are up and running now. 
The Da Vinci Code book was one of those that come around every so often that make non-readers take note of and spend time doing something they normally wouldn’t…they READ. Yes, I’m one of those suckers too. While I love to read I often have this problem in life called no time. By the time I snuggle up with a book it’s like I have taken a large dose of Tylenol PM. A book, good or bad, usually puts me right to sleep just like a classic X-Files episode does calming my hectic nerves. Dull reading material is prone to giving me narcolepsy during the middle of the day. However, every once in awhile that magical manuscript does come along that wildly captivates and fascinates my imagination. It ceases to let go of me as it manages to keep me engrossed, excited about and invigorated over throughout the read. Those are the books that I can’t inexplicably put down and just want more of. The Da Vinci Code was one of these so called “magical” books for me. It kicked off mad fervor for author Dan Brown. I fondly remember those moments like they were yesterday.
Poltergeist took its final journey with trilogy capper, Poltergeist. Who knows, though, if Heather O’Rourke hadn’t tragically passed right after filming this, how many they would have done following. This film was dealt with toughly upon release, but has found its band of faithful fans and really does offer much to be appreciated. Showing their appreciation for it and the fans is Scream Factory. Coming into the Collector’s Editions series (Along with the second one) in the month of January, you’ll get the film with a brand new transfer and a wealth of bonus materials. Be sure to complete your Poltergeist Collection by pre-ordering it and the third film in time for release on January 31st! 
The original Poltergeist still holds as one of the greatest horror films of all time and to this day finds itself scaring new audiences and being celebrated, copied or poorly remade. Its celebrating its 35th anniversary this year. But, did you know its sequel was pretty damn solid, too? Well, fright flick fans have been appreciating it for many years, and now’s the time to be alive as we have a company like Scream Factory that’s giving it some love. Coming into the Collector’s Editions series (Along with the third one) in the month of January, you’ll get the film with a brand new transfer and a wealth of bonus materials. Be sure to complete your Poltergeist Collection by pre-ordering it and the third film in time for release on January 31st! 
The Resident Evil franchise is a series I nearly gave up on had it not been for my friend Susan’s advice back to me in 2008. You see, quite honestly, I take my films very seriously and well, Resident Evil movies just didn’t cut it for me in that department. I was just not able to take the lunacy, stupidity and over-the-top nature of them. Resident Evil: Extinction was that final nail in the coffin. I liked the first film, hated the second outing and just thought the third one was okay. But what was really wrong with me? I’ll tell you what it was…I forgot how to have fun in life. I forgot how to not be serious all the time. I mean after all, I liked Crank, so what was my deal? Susan opened my eyes up to this world as she encouraged me to take a closer look at these films and to see them how her husband views them…purely as nonsensical entertainment. I embraced Susan’s encouraging words and took the leap of faith. The Blu-ray trilogy set eventually became my Valentine’s Day gift in 2008 (isn’t that sweet?) and I never looked back. I found a way to appreciate these films and have fun with them while looking past everything else (I’m not perfect). Thanks Susan!
Lionsgate’s USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage tells a true tale from World War II about a ship that help transport parts of an Atomic Bomb and then was shot up in the water with its survivors hanging afloat for 5 days. Headlining the cast is Academy Award Winner Nicolas Cage (The Wicker Man, Left Behind) along with Tom Sizemore (Slumber Party Slaughter, Pauly Shore Is Dead), Thomas Jane (LOL, Pawn Shop Chronicles) and James Remar (Deleted Scenes from Aliens). USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage is directed by Mario Van Peebles. It will be available on Blu-ray from Lionsgate on January 24th. You can pre-order the film now from Amazon and be able to have it right on release day if you’re a Prime member. 
Jack Reacher is one of those films I had to go back and revisit to not only freshen up going into the premiere of Jack Reacher Never Go Back, but make sure I liked it too. I honestly could not remember as I hadn’t seen the first film since 2013 when I reviewed the Blu-ray 
Death Race, the original, was made in 1975, considered a cult classic piece of B-grade genre filmmaking from the master of such, Roger Corman. We went a whole 33 years with no sequels, TV spin-offs or remakes. In 2008, the film was remade as is popular to do nowadays, but it spawned a straight-to-video surge for this franchise, and now in just over 8 years, we have 4 films added to the original. Two not mentioned are sequels to the remake (Which Paul WS Anderson apparently feels is a prequel to the original). Now, Corman is back behind it all (Though his name is over the title, he only produced, GJ Echtenkamp directs), and he’s making sequel-reboot (Rebootquel, legacy sequel…all the terms) to the original. There’s been a surprising amount of press for this. Not much, mind you, but much more making the common movie watcher aware than you would think for something like this. 
