‘1’ on Blu-ray and DVD January 28th!
Millennium Entertainment is proud to announce the home entertainment release of Paul Crowder’s documentary feature film 1, the exhilarating true story of the rise of Formula 1® narrated by Golden Globe® nominee Michael Fassbender (12 Years a Slave, Prometheus, X-Men: First Class). From the producers of the Academy Award® winning films Undefeated and The Cove, 1 will be available on DVD and Blu-ray™ beginning on January 28th. Featuring never-before-seen archive footage and the most impressive list of Formula 1® interviewees ever assembled, including world champions Sir Jackie Stewart, Mario Andretti, Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher, Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel, 1 tells the story of the golden age of Formula 1®, when the sport became terrifyingly dangerous and the drivers were like rock stars with charisma and raw talent, but with many of them paying the ultimate price. Continue reading ‘‘1’ on Blu-ray and DVD January 28th!’
My generation and that before have seen Keanu Reeves come up through his career as a one-trick stoner comedy pony, to really bad surfer actor, to action to star, to blockbuster superstardom to serviceable ensemble actor. In 2013, we take another step. Keanu Reeves: the director. In his directorial debut The Man Of Tai Chi, Keanu showers us with his love for martial arts in this modern take on the 70s Kung Fu genre. The story, tone, performances and plot feel like they walked right out of Bruce Lee or Sonny Chiba’s wheelhouse, but take place in a modern setting and melding modern techniques. It’s an incredible fun film that should have you fully engaged right from the offset. Anchor Bay delivers the first of what will 2 of this year’s Keanu martial arts outputs (the other, 47 Ronin). 
There were plenty of great releases that arrived on store shelves this year, but let’s be honest. Will any year really compare to what came out in 2012? I mean, last year for Blu-rays was like what 1939 was for cinemas. It was only twelve months ago when the year’s releases included E.T., Jaws, Singin’ in the Rain and Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures. I may be starting this article off on the wrong foot, but last year was just too awesome to not tip the hat to again. While 2013 may not be loaded up with the classics that last year had, there are still more than enough great releases to load up your shopping cart with. Let’s get to it!
In my opinion, when it comes to the world of Irish dancing, there’s always three names that instantly come to mind, first and foremost, Michael Flatley. The Chicago native is single-handedly responsible for bringing Irish dancing to the mainstream worldwide audience with his involvement in the second name I want to drop on you, Riverdance. His next venture in the world of Irish dancing went on to become one of the most popular shows ever created and it’s the third name that I alluded to above, which really needs no introduction, Lord of the Dance. However, in recent years, a new name has entered my vocabulary whenever I think about the world of Irish dancing and that is (drum roll please) Rhythm in the Night: The Irish Dance Spectacular. If you are not familiar with that name, don’t fret it. You will be. Trust me. We are going to talk about that and so much more today, but before I forget, let’s add a fifth name to the list that you should think of whenever the thought of Irish dancing conjectures in your head, Rhythm in the Night‘s lead female dancer, Cleveland’s own Ann Profeta.
Despite this second installment of The Hobbit films being a grand adventure, with lots of excitement and visuals, at this point I think I know what the inherent problem is with this second Tolkien trilogy. For all the fun this movie wants its audience to have, no one in these films seems to be having much fun. Save for some one-liners from the various dwarfs, whose names I don’t know, almost everyone is gruff and serious all the time. I am not saying everyone should be laughing and smiling, but it comes down to the stakes at hand, and compared to the apocalyptic nature of The Lord of the Rings, the plot of the Hobbit films is about as serious as making it to a relative’s BBQ on time. Given how thin some of these characters are, spending nine hours with this story could be aided by a bit more charm to go with the heaps of CGI. With that being said, The Desolation of Smaug is a lot of the same, with the adventure starting midway through, allowing for less setup. There are plenty of thrills, action, and neat visuals to be found, but I am curious if the next chapter will make this unexpected trilogy something worth being turned into three separate films.
A lot of times I see films that seem to ooze a lot of cool and pizazz, regardless of substance, from directors I enjoy. My go-to example of this tends to be Steven Soderbergh and Ocean’s Eleven. What helps is how that film and others like it also have a collection of actors turning in really solid work, even in the midst of a story that is more about having a fun time. American Hustle, from director David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook, The Fighter, Three Kings), has this kind of vibe. It loosely bases a story around true events, but is really more of a fun ride, filled with the styles of the 70s and a Scorsese-like drive to be a sexy, violent, and often funny piece of entertainment.
Well, it’s that time of the year again and I have volunteered to go first with my Top 10 list of what I feel are MUST-OWN Blu-rays that were released in the calendar year 2013. Now keep in mind, these are not necessarily my favorite movies of the year listed in order, but instead they are listed as discs that I feel best represent the Blu-ray format in 2013 that just so happen to be some of my favorites too. Coincidence? I think not! And I want to reiterate again…presentation over special features will always be a win for me. If a Blu-ray disc is outstanding in every which way that’s important (film and A/V presentation), but is completely bare bones (that good old goose egg)…I’m not going to ding it for that reason alone. However, there are no bare bone Blu-rays mentioned below. I can’t guarantee you’ll agree with my list or rankings, but I can at least assure you of the fact that all of these have something “special” to offer their owners in each of the four categories we grade on here at WSB: Film, Video, Audio and Extras. 
It is not as though I am completely averse to movies with intentions of having good-natured stories or ones that thrive on inevitably sweet and heart-warming outcomes, but sometimes a premise and those involved can give you that idea and sway your interest elsewhere. I have not seen Mary Poppins in many years and do not exactly hold the film in high esteem, because of that, so a film from the director of The Blind Side, produced by Disney, which involves telling a story about the making of Mary Poppins and Walt Disney’s personal involvement seems like it could go a very specific way. Fortunately, while the film has its share saccharine moments, there is also a more personal story here, with darker elements here, which focuses on an opportunity allowing for a character to move on with their life. Some terrific performances really aid the film as well, let alone choices in how the film decides to depict Disney. All of this turned the film into a favorable one for me.
Here we are once again. It’s the same place we were last year. It’s the cold month of December so it must be coincidentally time for the newest entry in The Lord of the Rings (LOTR) saga…err I mean The Hobbit saga. And low and behold…IT IS! Whether it’s a bad omen or not, the second picture in the epic fantasy series, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, is opening on none other than on Black Friday. No, I don’t mean that Black Friday where all the ridiculous sales happen (although this year I think Thanksgiving Day sales were much more generous), but that special day when our favorite serial killer Jason Voorhees looms, Friday the 13th! And I’ll make this promise to you. My review below will not be as long as every LOTR infused butt numbing experience you ever had. No sir! Or no ma’am! I promise to keep my babbling to a minimum, but just in case let’s get a move on it. We have lots to discuss here. We have a dragon to slay, elves, dwarves and orcs to feud with and possibly even a certain hobbit to toast. Ladies and gentlemen…this is second installment in the three-part film series set to conclude with There and Back Again next summer…may I introduce The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug… 
The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug is a big release for this time of year, with a likely gross ending up north of a billion dollars worldwide. Given the nature of this release, it only makes sense for Warner Brothers to debut trailers for a few of their potential blockbusters for next year around the same time, which is exactly what has happened. Along with several other recent and upcoming trailers, Warner Brothers has released trailers and teasers for 3 of their 2014 summer movies – Godzilla, Jupiter Ascending, and Edge of Tomorrow. Godzilla is a new update of the classic monster movie story/social commentary, with director Gareth Edwards (Monster) at the helm. Jupiter Ascending is a new science fiction film from The Wachowski Starship (The Matrix Trilogy). Edge of Tomorrow is a sci-fi war movie with a Groundhog’s Day-like twist, from director Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity). Each of these films has the potential to be a big hit next summer. Continue on to view these trailers for these upcoming features.
