Archive Page 252
November 11th, 2016 by Brandon Peters
Deliver a bundle of family entertainment when “Storks” arrives onto Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and Digital HD. The animated adventure “Storks” stars Andy Samberg (“Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,” “Hotel Transylvania”), Katie Crown (“Clarence”), Kelsey Grammer (“Toy Story 2,” “The Simpsons”), Jennifer Aniston (“We’re the Millers,” “Horrible Bosses”), Ty Burrell (“Finding Dory,” “Modern Family”), Keegan-Michael Key (“The Angry Birds Movie,” “Keanu,” “Key & Peele”), Jordan Peele (“Keanu,” “Key & Peele”) and Danny Trejo (“The Book of Life,” “Muppets Most Wanted”).
Continue reading ‘STORKS On 4K UHD Blu-ray December 20th!’
November 11th, 2016 by Aaron Neuwirth
Looking at the documentary Mifune: The Last Samurai, I am reminded of Gimme Danger, the Jim Jarmusch documentary about Iggy & The Stooges, which I didn’t get around to reviewing. That film and this one, which details the life legendary actor Toshiro Mifune, have little to offer outside of an engaging, cinematic version of Wikipedia research, but there is plenty to enjoy. For Mifune, there is a bonus that comes in the form of hearing Spielberg and Scorsese share their insight, in addition to many others. Various clips and archival footage make a good case for why the actor deserves all his acclaim as well, regardless of whether this doc has any other impact outside its key subject.
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November 11th, 2016 by Brandon Peters
As most probably expected, Finding Dory became the year’s biggest film this summer. Following one of Disney/Pixar’s most successful, beloved and heralded films of all time was sort of a no-brainer in the wondering of who’s going to go see it. This time they would focus on the fish with the short term memory loss, Dory, who was voiced by Ellen Degeneres. The whole crew from the first film returns for this adventures as well as adding in some new friends voiced by character acting favorites. I recently covered the digital release for the film, this is the one that covers the Blu-ray release (Which indeed includes the digital version as a bonus as well as the DVD edition of the film). Its coming November 15th, so there’s still time to get your pre-order in and have it waiting for you on release day. Continue reading ‘Finding Dory (Blu-ray Review)’
November 11th, 2016 by Aaron Neuwirth
It is pretty fitting to see this year’s AFI Fest kick off with a film that tells the story of maverick filmmaker and business tycoon Howard Hughes. Produced, written and directed by Warren Beatty, nearly twenty years after his last directorial effort, Bulworth, the film serves as a semi-fictional biopic, a screwball comedy and a drama all rolled into one. Coming from an idea Beatty started developing 40 years ago, the film is a clear passion project and despite all the various issues involving tone and narrative construction, I dug it. Beatty and his four editors have assembled a messy film out of what is likely a ton of footage, but it was never uninteresting, features some terrific performances and even buries some interesting themes amidst all the Hughes-focused chaos.
Continue reading ‘AFI Fest 2016: Rules Don’t Apply (Movie Review)’
November 10th, 2016 by Jason Coleman
A fewer array of indies dissected as end of year mandatory viewing duties begin to take hold of my precious movie watching schedule (so many films, so little time!), but there are some surprises here nevertheless. Tales involving deadly relationship intrigue, a hot widow who gets her dates via the occult, an examination of the true meaning of what constitutes a monster and courage in the face of shark attack on the high seas make up the movies examined this week. Check out the Encapsulated Movie Reviews of Come And Find Me, The Love Witch, The Monster and USS Indianapolis: Men Of Courage below!
Continue reading ‘Encapsulated Movie Reviews – Four New Indie Titles’
November 10th, 2016 by Brian White
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 calling out to me. I don’t know but whatever it was I was smitten by the first trailer I saw. I knew that as soon as I saw Amy Adams trying to communicate with the extraterrestrial visitors that I must see this one. If she’s good enough for Superman, she’s good enough for me. Couple that with the fact that we have the mind (Denis Villeneuve) behind Prisoners and Sicario in the director’s chair here and you have an event that I wouldn’t dare missing out on. As an added bonus it’s science fiction too. So in other words Arrival already had me at hello. Now let’s review this science-fi odyssey. Continue reading ‘Arrival Is NOT Your Typical Alien Invasion Film (Movie Review)’
November 10th, 2016 by Gerard Iribe
In the wake of the burning of Charles Town, all the New World lives in fear of Captain Flint. But when his campaign of terror crosses over into madness, and new threats emerge to challenge his supremacy, it falls to John Silver to locate the man within the monster, before Flint’s war against the world consumes them all. Meanwhile, on the pirate island of Nassau, it’s a new day. With Eleanor Guthrie facing judgment in London, Jack Rackham sits atop a fortune in Spanish gold, hoping to secure his legacy as a king among thieves. To do so, he’ll have to compete with the return of one of history’s most notorious captains, who holds a different vision for their home, as well as a complicated past with Rackham’s chief ally, Captain Charles Vane. All will be tested when a new opponent arrives to claim Nassau, one the pirates could never have anticipated. It knows them. It understands them. And in the blink of an eye, it will do the one thing they never thought possible… turn them against each other. Continue reading ‘Black Sails: The Complete Third Season (Blu-ray Review)’
November 9th, 2016 by Jason Coleman
A couple of slice and dice international martial arts imports make their way into eager DVD hands this week – viva la wire work! A dangerous gal who goes into hiding and the iconic real-life story of a general slaying warrior make up the two tales touched upon this time out. Check out the review skinny via DVD Roundup for both The Lost Bladesman and Reign Of Assassins below! (As always tech specs provided at the end for the DVD purist!)
Continue reading ‘DVD Roundup – 2 New Indie Titles (DVD Reviews)’
November 7th, 2016 by Aaron Neuwirth
Imagine how the world reacts to multiple spacecraft entering our atmosphere without any warning. Now take away the immediate imagery that has come from years of seeing various blockbusters use this as a way to provide explosive spectacle. Arrival has little interest in adding action-based excitement to its story about how an elite team works to uncover an extraterrestrial mystery. Instead, director Denis Villeneuve follows up his terrific crime thriller, Sicario, with a strong science fiction film that allows smart people to do their job and be genuinely affecting at the same time. The film succeeds at being smart as a whole for both what it attempts to accomplish and how meaningful it could end up being.
a Continue reading ‘It’s The ‘Arrival’ Of An Interesting Alien Mystery (Movie Review)’
November 7th, 2016 by Brandon Peters
Director Antoine Fuqua, alongside an all-star ensemble cast, delivers a modern take on the classic Western genre in THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, debuting on Digital December 6 and on 4K Ultra HD™/Blu-ray™ Combo Pack; Blu-ray and DVD December 20 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and MGM Studios. The “perfectly assembled” (Brian Tallerico, ROGER EBERT) cast includes two-time Academy Award® winner Denzel Washington as Sam Chisolm, Chris Pratt as Josh Farraday, two-time Academy Award nominee Ethan Hawke as Goodnight Robicheaux, Vincent D’Onofrio as Jack Horne, Byung-Hun Lee as Billy Rocks , Martin Sensmeier as Red Harvest, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Vasquez and Peter Sarsgaard as Bartholomew Bogue.
Continue reading ‘THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN Debuts On 4K/Blu-ray Combo Pack December 20’
November 7th, 2016 by Aaron Neuwirth
It’s great to hear a lot of positive things about a small film you have some interest in and find that it delivers. Morris from America is the kind of film that would have had to be sought out to find it in theaters this past summer, despite its success at the Sundance Film Festival. That is understandable, as it’s an independent film acquired by A24, but a shame, as the film is plenty enjoyable for a coming-of-age tale and a fish out of water story. Fortunately the film can now be found on Blu-ray and watched by many more with interest in this fine, little comedy-drama.
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a Continue reading ‘Morris From America (Blu-ray Review)’
November 6th, 2016 by Brandon Peters
All good things must come to an end and all Mockingjays must have their part 2. And it all felt like it came and went so quickly. Just a mere 3 and a half years following the first film, here we were with a fourth (extra film to be honest) and final chapter. It was quite an enlightening and engaging journey through some terrific science fiction, action and thrilling politics. The series also gave us a iconic actor/character in Katniss Everdeen that will forever remain one of cinema’s best. The Hunger Games series raised the bar and went beyond the level of just simply something for the young adult enthusiasts. While Twilight never went beyond the Twi-hards (And there are a TON of them) and Harry Potter really didn’t pick up the all-ages crowds til around the fourth one, The Hunger Games had it from the start. And here’s its climactic finish. You can own it and the rest of the films on 4K UHD Blu-ray when Lionsgate drops them November 8th. Continue reading ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)’
November 5th, 2016 by Brandon Peters
Following in the footsteps of its contemporaries, Harry Potter and Edward Cullen, Katniss Everdeen had the final book in her series split into to. For the fans of the novel, it brought some head scratching, that of the three books, Mockingjay would get split and not one that could have been more detailed in Catching Fire. When it comes to the splits of these novels, you get the impression the studio is trying to milk the cow dry, but in Harry Potter’s case, it actually worked out very well. Either way with Hunger Games: Mockingjay, you can just look through a purely financial standpoint and see that Lionsgate made the correct choice from that angle. This penultimate film in the Hunger Games series isn’t splitting any differences when it makes its debut on the 4K UHD Blu-ray format on November 8th. Continue reading ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)’
November 5th, 2016 by Brandon Peters
Following on the heels of Harry Potter and the Twilight films, The Hunger Games was the next in line to carry the torch of big time young adult novel adaptations turned blockbuster films. This first film was expected to do well, but wound up taking in a massive box office haul, which not only was a record for when it was released, but also for something that wasn’t a sequel or based off of anything prior. This first film catapulted Jennifer Lawrence into superstardom and made her the total “it girl” that still seems to be running. Starting in 2012 and ending in 2015, the series came and went in a flash. But fear not, the complete series is now hitting 4K UHD, the first to have its entire run on the format (Unless you count the nu-Trek as its own series, but technically, its part of the longer 13 film ouvre in the lore). Continue reading ‘The Hunger Games (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)’
November 4th, 2016 by Brandon Peters
Witness the dramatic and heroic story behind the Miracle on the Hudson—and the previously untold events that followed—when “Sully” arrives on Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray Combo Pack, 2 Disc Special Edition DVD and Digital HD. From Oscar-winning director Clint Eastwood (“American Sniper,” “Million Dollar Baby”) Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Sully” stars Oscar winner Tom Hanks (“Bridge of Spies,” “Forrest Gump”) as Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger.
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. Continue reading ‘Clint Eastwood’s SULLY Starring Tom Hanks Lands On 4K UHD Blu-ray December 20th!’
November 4th, 2016 by Jason Coleman
With October filled with scare cinema and December an awards heavy film time, November is a fine time shed some good old-fashioned movie guilt – welcome to Forgotten Friday Flick! Are there films you love that you tell no one about? Movies with cheesy acting, deplorable dialogue and plot twists you can drive a Mack truck through, but that you secretly adore anyway? That’s the genre film focus for this month – guilt pleasures. Up first is a film so gamey that it received no less than five top Razzie nominations. A youth revenge fantasy that shamelessly cashes in on a previous picture coupling and has some of the worst lines ever uttered on screen. Some call it s@it – I lovingly call it…Blue City.
Continue reading ‘Forgotten Friday Flick – “Blue City”’
November 3rd, 2016 by Brian White
Doctor Strange is actually one Marvel comics movie I was not looking forward to. Truth be told I’ve never been a fan of the comic book character. He always reminded me too much of Tony Stark in the looks department. Coupled with the fact that I’m not a huge Benedict Cumberbatch fan and I’m already batting 0 and 2 going into this one. However, I’m a huge fan of superhero films and I love what Marvel has done with this Cinematic Universe (MCU) thus far. Therefore I wont let my prejudices supersede my judgment here. Despite initial early reviews and some warnings calling this Marvel’s Green Lantern I was still stoked to see what was in store for me here. If nothing else, the visuals look pretty trippy and Inception-like in the trailers. It should at least be a spectacle. That much I was counting on! Continue reading ‘Doctor Strange is Magically Entertaining (Movie Review)’
November 3rd, 2016 by Jason Coleman
The only thing stranger than Doctor Strange this week is the continued unprecedented amount of cinematic offerings for those with an eye out for alternative moving pictures. (Movies find a way!) From passionate docs about everything from climate change to unbroken human spirit to dramas about coming to terms with baggage past and present (and a little killer Krampus action to boot!) we’re running the genre gamut to provide film fans with a wide range of superhero alternatives. Check out the Encapsulated Movie Reviews of Off The Rails, Keep In Touch, Before The Flood, Dog Eat Dog, My Dead Boyfriend, All Governments Lie: Truth, Deception and The Spirit of I.F. Stone and Krampus Unleashed below!
Continue reading ‘Encapsulated Movie Reviews – Seven New Indie Titles’