Virtuosity (Blu-ray Review)
August 1st, 2015 by Aaron Neuwirth
It is nice to see Warner Brothers taking the rights and reaching into the Paramount vault and pulling out a few titles at a time in an effort to convert their library to high definition. That said, that also means taking films that are enjoyed by some, but mostly looked at poorly by others. Virtuosity is not a great film. It is not terrible, as that is near impossible for Denzel Washington to accomplish (save for John Q), but it is a film that shows its age in the worst of ways, while also offering little value as a narrative. With all of that in mind, I was happy to revisit the first film that brought Washington and Russell Crowe together, flaws and all.
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Disney presents for the first time The Collected Works Of Hayao Miyazaki, including all 11 of Miyazaki’s feature-length masterpieces in one spectacular 12-disc collection available on Blu-ray™ Exclusively via Amazon.com on November 17, 2015. Experience the majestic works of one of the most celebrated filmmakers in the history of animated cinema. Hayao Miyazaki weaves his unique style of artistry and epic adventure into astonishing tales of triumph, bursting with imagination and wonder.
There was a period of time in my life back in the middle 2000’s where I just wasn’t a fan of Tom Cruise. Maybe it was his relationship with Katie Holmes, or maybe it was all his scientology crap, I don’t know, but I just couldn’t watch his films for awhile. I remember catching Mission: Impossible III one late night on a Dell Latitude laptop (yuck!) while working third shift in a data center, but other than that I had no idea what I was missing out on. Then came news of Tom scaling one of the tallest buildings in the world in Dubai in the fourth entry of this series, and that was all it took. My butt was definitely in a theater chair to see that. Ever since that Tom Cruise can do no wrong in my books churning out incredible flicks left and right like Oblivion and Edge of Tomorrow, just to name a few. 
Here’s some interesting news to come across my desk today. Game of Thrones fans who are used to waiting eight months to own the latest season can rejoice: Winter is Coming earlier than ever! That’s right, Game of Thrones: The Complete Fifth Season will be available to download on Digital HD on my birthday, August 31, 2015, just two months after its finale on HBO, before debuting on Blu-ray & DVD next year. This is the first time the iconic series, which has been nominated for 24 Emmy Awards including Outstanding Drama Series, will be available to download before its physical release. The Digital HD full-season download is packed with bonus content at select retailers, including two never-before-seen pieces introducing fans to Dorne, the newest Westeros location introduced in Season 5, and exploring the many poisons used throughout the show. 
Want to know what Michael Bay has been up to since that last horrible Transformers film? Well good because I’m about to tell you. This one is fresh in my head as we just saw the first trailer for it last night during the press screening of Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation so ladies and gentlemen may introduce to you the world premiere trailer of 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi. It looks pretty good, doesn’t it? Click play! 
You’ve all seen the numerous press releases I have posted thus far for The Walking Dead: The Complete Fifth Season Blu-ray release on August 25th, but wait until you get a load of this. Please gaze your eyes below this massive paragraph of intellectual text to find a bonus feature clip from The Walking Dead: The Complete Fifth Season on Blu-ray. 
A deadly threat resurfaces halfway around the world when giant, man-eating worms attack a South African wildlife park in the sci-fi comedy, Tremors 5: Bloodlines, available on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, DVD and Digital HD on October 6, 2015 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Michael Gross (“Family Ties,” “Suits,”) returns as Graboid hunter extraordinaire Burt Gummer, with Jamie Kennedy (“The Cleveland Show,” Scream franchise) as his new tech-savvy second-in-command, in this all-new adventure. The latest chapter of the franchise known for its campy humor and voracious monsters features thrilling new special effects, 25 minutes of bonus features; extended scenes and outtakes, as well as a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film. 
Believe it or not, July 29th’s Vacation is actually the fifth theatrical and the seventh total installment of the National Lampoon’s Vacation series. However, that stat does little to phase or impress me. While I loved some of the earlier National Lampoon’s Vacation movies, the trailers for 2015’s Vacation absolutely rocked. So much so that I felt if a trailer can elicit that much laughter from me, I just have to see the finished product and ensure there are still some good, unexpected laughs to be had with the feature. And that ladies and gentlemen is why we’re here today to discuss in-depth the merits and hopeful laughs of Vacation. And I know this is digression, but God I could really use one (referring to the very real dictionary definition of the word vacation). Haha. 
This is not your parents’ Justice League! These heroes are not the renowned saviors of the world – they’re more likely Earth’s despotic rulers. Witness the divergent reality where the Justice League protects the planet but answers to no one but themselves. Employing methods of intimidation and fear, this Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman deal brute force in the name of justice. The Elseworlds-style tale features the voice talents of Michael C. Hall as Batman, Benjamin Bratt as Superman, Tamara Taylor as Wonder Woman, Jason Isaacs as Lex Luthor, Paget Brewster as Lois Lane, and C. Thomas Howell as Dr. Will Magnus. Gods & Monsters arrives on Blu-ray/DVD/Digital HD combo pack. 
This summer, brace yourself for explosive action and edge-of-your seat thrills with highly anticipated motion picture prequel to the popular overseas action series Black & White. On August 4, 2015, Shout! Factory will unleash Black & White: The Dawn of Assault on Blu-ray™ and DVD. Delivering blockbuster movie entertainment, Black & White: The Dawn of Assault puts its own spin on the classic buddy cop formula with this outrageous actioner filled to the brim with over-the-top stunts, government conspiracies, and weapons of mass destruction. 
Here’s your chance folks! Here’s the wind-up. A teenage undercover agent discovers graduating from high school may be a bigger challenge than being an international spy in the action comedy Barely Lethal, arriving on Blu-ray (plus Digital HD) and DVD (plus Digital) August 4th from Lionsgate Home Entertainment. Here’s the pitch! It stars Jessica Alba! Released theatrically by A24, director Kyle Newman’s (Fanboys) film shakes up the teen spy genre with an all-star cast (including Jessica Alba) that kicks butt while making the audience laugh out loud. Read more about this upcoming release in this post and find out how you can win a Blu-ray of this movie for your very own home media collection. 
Making its Blu-ray and DVD debut on September 8th, 2015 from Scream Factory, The Editor comes loaded with bonus features, including an audio commentary with 
After hearing word that his three sons have been killed in the Battle of Gallipoli, Australian farmer Joshua Connor (Russell Crowe) travels to Turkey in order to find their remains and return them home. The uneasy aftermath of World War I and an uncooperative regime in power provide heavy conflict for Connor in his epic search. The film premiered in Australia and Turkey on December 26th, 2014, before seeing wide release in the United States on April 24th, 2015. 
Marvel Studios unleashes the next global phenomenon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: MARVEL’S AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON,
I really wanted to love this movie. I really did. Although the special effects are very amazing and rather stunning; it is the same old same old Happy Madison movie formula. Sandler is the hero who doesn’t have self-confidence, James is the best friend who does believe in the hero and serves as a moral compass, Dinklage plays the over-sexed and inappropriate sleazy friend, and Gad plays the under-sexed and awkward nerd. It was disappointing. 
