Firestarter – Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray Review)
Scream Factory first dipped their toes into the world of Stephen King last fall with its definitive release of the initial classic (And one of horror’s all-time best) Carrie. Now, they are at it again with another of his telekinetic girls with the Drew Barrymore-led Firestarter. Yes, its already on Blu-ray, but that lackluster release is getting a masterful update with Scream Factory’s Collector’s edition. Not only does this boast a lot of brand next extras for this disc, but its been given a brand new 2K transfer as well. As per usual, this thing will be well worth the upgrade, or the holdout you’ve had for the movie (Even just the curious bystander that picks up based on Scream Factory’s choice to release). But, lets dig into this anyway, shall we? The release is set for March 14th, but you can make sure you have one come release day by pre-ordering on the Amazon link below. Continue reading ‘Firestarter – Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray Review)’
Releasing soon on Blu-ray and Digital HD, the first season of HBO’s new comedy “Insecure” stars comedian Issa Rae as an awkward young black woman just trying to live her life in Los Angeles. The show is created by Rae and Larry Wilmore, of the unfortunately cancelled “Nightly Show” on Comedy Central, and makes a point to tackle the topic of modern female blackness from the lens of an everyday regular person. Issa’s character is not a strong, loud, independent black female stereotype. Instead, she is, as the title of the show might suggest, insecure – in many senses of the term. 
Paramount is continuing on with its re-releasing of all the Star Trek iterations in new packaging and whatnot. Last year saw the full original crew release in celebration of 50 years that included the full series run, the animated series (A debut on Blu-ray) and the films featuring that crew. A few months later we got new packages of the original series, The Next Generation and the standalone release of the Animated Series. Just last month saw Star Trek: Enterprise and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine repurposed in new full season sets. I think these these recent ones were set to coordinate with Star Trek: Discovery’s premiere, but that got pushed back. The last such of those releases is the full season Series of Star Trek: Voyager on DVD. And that’s the one we are here to cover today. Up front, these are the exact same discs that have been out the whole way, its just different, “shelf space saving” packaging this time around. But, lets dig in and check it out anyway. I’ve included pictures of the new packaging in this review, as well as listed the bonus material (Easter Eggs included) so you can confirm you already have this. 
Moana is finally here on Blu-ray! “How far will you go” to get yourself a copy? Target? Best Buy? Fry’s? Amazon? Deep Discount? Or was the walk too long and you just settled to buy the digital one and call it a day? Hopefully not, especially if you’re a reader on a site that’s called Why So Blu. But, its a weird world that doesn’t seem to make sense anymore, so I kind of understand that. Yes, this might be the weirdest intro paragraph to a Moana review there is. The box office and global sensation IS indeed coming to home video and its got plenty of bonus features to boot. This movie was gonna make “ze monies” no matter what, but its kinda funny that you can add that “The Rock” bump to it if you so want to please. You can order yourself a copy of the newest Dwayne Johnson epic by clicking the Amazon link below (I also appreciate that when you do!). 
A lot has changed in my home media arsenal since I first sat down last June to review my first set of 4K Ultra HD gear, the Sony XBR65X930D and Samsung UBD-K8500, over 
Last Sunday the brilliant Bill Paxton passed and the world lost one amazing actor who had made our movie hearts soar for decades. With such memorable and quirky character roles as the bully brother Chet in John Hughes Weird Science, blowhard Private Hudson in James Cameron’s flawless Aliens and the cocky killer vampire Severen in Kathryn Bigelow’s Near Dark, Paxton created some of the most iconic on-screen roles during one very long and lush career that I was so proud to be able to grow up with and witness. (Plus for stunning standout stuff check out Carl Franklin’s One False Move and Sam Raimi’s A Simple Plan – five-star Paxton work!) From Trespass (a Walter Hill hidden gem) to Tombstone, True Lies to Apollo 13 and Twister to Titanic (and a little Edge of Tomorrow too!), Paxton was a movie man whose contribution to the cinema will indeed be missed. So I’m dedicated this week’s column to a Hitchcockian horror hidden gem that the late, great Paxton not only starred in, but also impressively made his feature film directing debut. A five-star terror tale that sends chills up the spine known as…Frailty. 
It’s a place where your worst fears can come to life. A place where it’s hard to tell nightmares from reality. A place where you will discover Tales from the Hood. Lauded for its take on complex social issues like police brutality and domestic abuse, this cult horror anthology from director Rusty Cundieff and executive producer Spike Lee makes its Blu-ray debut April 18th, 2017 as a Collector’s Edition Blu-ray from Scream Factory. Tales from the Hood comes loaded with bonus features, including the new documentary Welcome to Hell: The Making of Tales from the Hood, which features new interviews with director/writer Rusty Cundieff, producer/writer Darin Scott, actors Corbin Bernsen Wings Hauser and Anthony Griffith, special effects supervisor Kenneth Hall, doll effects supervisors Charles Chiodo and Edward Chiodo; audio commentary with director/writer Rusty Cundieff, a making of Tales from the Hood featurette, original theatrical and TV spots, and more! Fans can preorder their copies now from ShoutFactory.com. 
This is quite a wonderful week for indie flicks indeed. Not only are there films across all genres, but there are TWO five-star films on the list that are also in full contention for my Top Ten Films of 2017. (Viva the lush The Lure and cool Catfight!) Mermaids with mayhem in mind, gals with a grudge, body hoping demons, odd homecomings, tales of the undressed, coming to terms with the past and being trapped in a sandy prison are the subjects dissected in the seven films that make up this weeks Encapsulated Movie Reviews. Check out the skinny on The Lure, Catfight, Don’t Kill It, Donald Cried, Burlesque: Heart of the Glitter Tribe, Lavender and Deserted below!
Writer and Director M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, The Visit) delivers his most gripping film yet with SPLIT, an original psychological thriller available on Digital HD on April 4, 2017 and on Blu-ray™, DVD and On Demand on April 18, 2017, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Jason Blum (Insidious, Ouija, The Visit, The Purge series) returns to collaborate with Shyamalan in the box-office hit, starring James McAvoy (X-Men: Apocalypse, Victor Frankenstein). The frightening thriller SPLIT delves into the mysterious depths of one man’s fractured mind as a terror unlike the world has seen prepares to be unleashed. SPLIT offers viewers a closer look at the movie fans are raving about with a never-before-seen alternate ending, deleted scenes, character spotlight, and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film. 
Red Dawn is one of those quintessential 1980s “super 80s” films that has lived on with nostalgia goggles long since it dropped in on us back in 1984. It features an 
Like Dr. Sam Beckett used to do through time, Scream Factory (Shout! Factory, in general) is on a mission to put right what once wrong. Giving to us the versions of films we like that celebrate the fan and collector, while the studio original just put out a minimal effort. And now its time to give some love to the RoboCop sequels. I’m pretty sure nobody prefers either over the original, but the second film has its fans (I’m sorta one) at least. Despite their quality, these misses always make for a great retrospective documentary, making the film worth owning or taking another look at. On March 14th, RoboCop 2 and RoboCop 3 will get some beefy Collector’s Edition releases from Scream Factory. In this review, we’ll look at RoboCop 3. 
