The Brothers Grimsby (Blu-ray Review)
June 20th, 2016 by Aaron Neuwirth
It appears I have very defined limits when it comes to the humor of Sacha Baron Cohen. A lot of his edgy stuff tends to be funny in the moment, but it rarely sticks with me. Obviously that kind of humor works best for him when it’s a mix of candid moments set in reality pushed to their extremes by Cohen’s intense commitment to character. The Brothers Grimsby is more along the lines of The Dictator, as he has developed a fictional feature film with co-writer Phil Johnston, though this time it functions as an action-comedy. All of that in mind, the results are not good.
Here’s a subject I never thought I’d be talking about anytime so soon, but you know you have to roll with the punches and tribulations life throws your way. Only by overcoming your fears and doubts and rising above them do we as people become something more, something awe-inspiring to others. Ladies and gentlemen, it has been a bumpy and long, painful ride, but thanks to my friend Erric for the hookup, many months of exhausting research and Kori’s never-ending persistence we are finally living and breathing in the eye-popping world of 4K UHD in the White household here within the laid-back, farm country of Leander, TX. I present to you down below my lessons learned as I recount my first 24 hours with the 4K, UHD Premium certified Sony Bravia XBR65X930D and its necessary counterpart, the Samsung UBD-K8500 Ultra HD Blu-ray player. Ready to get this 4K party started? Man, was I ever. Let’s get going! 
Directed and written by John Harlow (Dangerous Cargo), Appointment with Crime stars William Hartnell (TV’s original Doctor Who or “the first doctor” for us fans) & Raymond Lovell (49th Parallel). The stylish British noir co-stars Herbert Lom (A Shot in the Dark) as the reptilian crime lord Gregory Lang and Joyce Howard (Shadow of the Past) as Carol Dane, a woman drawn to the dangerous Leo Martin. The good folks over at Olive Films will be presenting this on Blu-ray June 21. Check out our review below and if you’re interested, go ahead and pre-order it from the link at the bottom.
We are excited to announce Criterion’s incredible September line-up. First up, one of the company’s most ambitious and long-awaited releases, a complete and newly-restored edition of Krzysztof Kieślowski’s epic 10-part masterpiece, Dekalog, a kaleidoscopic exploration of morality and humanity, available on Blu-Ray and DVD. The films will also have a theatrical release. Next we visit Valley of the Dolls, Mark Robson’s steamy, eye-popping adaptation of the decade-defining pop culture novel, as well as its deliriously entertaining, ante-upping semi-sequel, Russ Meyer and Roger Ebert’s Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, an outrageous and raucous cult classic, each in their own glorious new DVD and Blu-ray editions. Just as visually stunning is the restoration of one of the great debuts of American cinema, Joel & Ethan Coen’s Blood Simple, a mad, murderous, and wildly influential Neonoir fresh off its theatrical re-release. The long awaited release of Jacques Tourneur’s Cat People, made under the guidance of legendary producer Val Lewton, is a landmark of the horror genre and one of the cinema’s best creature features. Kenji Mizoguchi’s pre-war masterpiece of love and theater, The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums, joins the Collection in a US debut on Blu-Ray and DVD. All this plus Carol Reed’s WWII Spy Thriller, Night Train to Munich, from the writers of Hitchcock’s The Lady Vanishes, now available on Blu-Ray for the first time, plus the twenty-five-film set of the adventures of Zatoichi, The Blind Swordsman, now available in a Blu-Ray-only edition. 
Star Wars Rebels: Complete Season Two delivers all 22 action-packed episodes of the hit CG animated series’ second season, plus exclusive, never-before-seen bonus material on DVD and even more exclusive footage on Blu-ray! This thrilling continuation of the Star Wars Rebels saga depicts the continued efforts of the crew of the starship Ghost to defeat the evil Empire. Available in your galaxy on Blu-ray™ and DVD August 30, 2016.
Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise will boldly go where they have never gone before when STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN Director’s Cut arrives for the first time ever on Blu-ray June 7, 2016 from Paramount Home Media Distribution. As part of the 50th anniversary celebration of the Star Trek franchise, this classic film has been digitally remastered in high definition with brilliant picture quality and will be presented in both Nicholas Meyer’s Director’s Edition and the original theatrical version. The Blu-ray also includes a brand-new, nearly 30-minute documentary entitled “The Genesis Effect: Engineering The Wrath of Khan,” which details the development and production of this fan-favorite film through archival footage, photos and new interviews. 
Writer/director Dan O’Bannon (Alien, Lifeforce) puts an uproarious spin on the zombie apocalypse movie in 1985’s cult classic
Experience the world of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar when Narcos: Season 1 arrives on Blu-rayTM (plus Digital HD) and DVD (plus Digital) on 
I guess it all depends upon what you want to call it, The Event Series or Season 10, but make no mistake about it, The X-Files was revived some 13 years later and came back stronger than ever this past January on prime time television. If you suffered with me through my epic Blu-ray review of the massive 55-disc box set last year (found right 
A disgraced mixed martial artist is forced into a deadly game of cat and mouse in the jungles of Thailand in Hard Target 2, debuting on Blu-ray™ combo pack, DVD and Digital HD on September 6, 2016, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. A hard-driving action-thriller, the Universal 1440 Entertainment original production includes Director’s Commentary as well as over 20 minutes of exclusive bonus features that take the audience behind the scenes of the ultimate manhunt.
The seed is planted…terror grows. On 
A powerful reimagining of the essential American story, HISTORY’s Roots arrives on Blu-ray (plus Digital HD) and DVD (plus Digital) 
Alex Haley spent 12 years combing through historical records in order to trace find his lineage all the way back to before his ancestors were stolen from Africa and enslaved. This was an incredibly difficult task due of course to the fact that once an African was enslaved and taken to America, they were given a new name and were violently tortured if they were ever found engaging in activities from their native culture such as language, religion, or music. Fortunately for all of us, he became the first African American to find to be able to trace his lineage back to it’s point of origin. Roots chronicles the life of Haley’s ancestor Kuna Kinte from his birth in Africa all the way through his life as a slave into old age. We witness through all these years, thorough the beatings, the mutilations and humiliations how he still fought to hold onto his given name and heritage.
On June 28th, cult Blu-ray masterminds Blue Underground will be releasing an Edgar Wallace double feature. Continuing with their year of double features in 2016, this also could be considered a Christopher Lee or Klaus Kinski double feature as those screen legends both star in the films. Lee (Dracula: Prince of Darkness), Kinski (Venom), Suzy Kendall (Bird With the Crystal Plumage), Margaret Lee (Eugenie) and Leo Genn (The Bloody Judge) co-star in the gripping thriller Circus of Fear directed by John Moxey (Horror Hotel, The Night Stalker) and based on the novel by legendary mystery writer Edgar Wallace. In Five Golden Dragons, Hitchcock hero Robert Cummings stars in this exotic British feature from 1967, adapting one of Edgar Wallace’s celebrated Commissioner Sanders stories. Directed by ITC stalwart Jeremy Summers and produced by B-movie legend Harry Alan Towers, Five Golden Dragons combines glamorous locations, gorgeous girls, mystery, action and plenty of humor, with Christopher Lee, George Raft and Brian Donlevy among the villainous ‘dragons’ encountered. 
