Archive Page 482
December 19th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
Here’s the thing about Jack Reacher – You have to accept a few things in order to get into the film. For fans of the book series, you will have to accept the physical stature of Tom Cruise. For people who are iffy on Tom Cruise in general, you will have to believe that he is playing a fairly handsome, charismatic man who can pass through life as a drifter and possess top notch fighting skills. And for people hoping for an action fest that matches up with the Mission Impossible films, you will have to accept that this is more of a procedural with bursts of fun moments throughout. Now, I don’t think these are necessarily burdensome qualifiers to enjoy the movie, because I actually do think Jack Reacher is quite good. It may not be the best movie for the holiday season and it runs bit too long, but it is an entertaining procedural that I wish embraced more of its pulpy elements.
Continue reading ‘‘Jack Reacher’ Puts Cruise In A Tall Position To Act In A Cool Procedural (Movie Review)’
December 18th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
Coming this March to DVD and Digital Download, The Bay, from director Barry Levinson (Rain Man). I missed my chance to see this film, when it was in limited release and have not yet tried to rent it OnDemand, but now I wont have to worry about missing it, come March 5, 2013. From what I have been told by a colleague of mine,The Bay may be one of the scariest films to have come out in recent memory. I will be curious to find out of that is true, but for now, I can only sit back and wait to see if this story of a town infected by a deadly disease turns into something that I really end up being terrified by and liking a lot. Continue on to learn more about this upcoming release, including the special features available on the disc.
Continue reading ‘The Disturbing Horror Story, ‘The Bay’ Arrives March 5′
December 18th, 2012 by Charles Cassady
The microwave is a time machine. Okarin proved it. The self-annointed mad scientist nuked bananas into some gelatinous version of the future. Or maybe it was the past. Doesn’t matter. No one thought he could do it. But he did it anyway. He sent text messages through time to people he knew. To his friends. Some of them female. Pretty. He should have been more careful. He should have stopped. Tampering with the time-space continuum attracts unwelcome attention. Clandestine organizations of nefarious origin take notice. SERN. Always watching. Okarin knows: he can feel their eyes. That’s why he started the top secret Future Gadget Lab. To stop them. You should join. We get to wear lab coats, and it’s dangerous. Danger is exciting because it’s deadly. The microwave is a time machine. Steins;Gate is a surreal viewing experience that’s an absolute must-watch for all fans of sci-fi. Continue reading ‘Steins;Gate: Complete Series, Part One (Blu-ray Review)’
December 17th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
Coming this February to Blu-ray – Here Comes the Boom, starring Kevin James (Paul Blart: Mall Cop), who takes on the role of a teacher trying to save the school’s music program by becoming an MMA fighter. I will say this, I may not be a big fan of what has come out of Happy Madison production lately, but I was strangely intrigued by this film. Maybe it’s because it looked like a more lighthearted version of the great film Warrior from 2011, but something about the trailer made me want to see it. Of course, no one wanted to go with me, so I didn’t get a chance to check it out. I am aware it is not going to win any awards and may not be as good as I want it to be, but dammit, I’m going to see it eventually, and I will have my chance on February 5th. Read on to see the full press release, which lists all of the extra features that will be available on this fully loaded Blu-ray.
Continue reading ‘HERE COMES THE BOOM Debuting on Blu-ray™ with UltraViolet™ February 5th’
December 17th, 2012 by Blu-ray Brian
Wow! What can I say about this flick that hasn’t been said before? It was as the Boss would put it a “Brilliant Disguise.” More importantly, this is the screenwriting flick for all ambitious writers out there to learn, live and study from for all eternity. I really can’t say enough good things about this one. It’s definitely on my Top 10 list of the year and on January 29th, it will be in my Blu-ray player. So what are you waiting for? Pre-order or ask for this one for Christmas this holiday season (the pre-order that is) and check out the full press release below from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Continue reading ‘Seven Psychopaths Don’t Take Any Shih Tzu on Blu-ray’
December 17th, 2012 by Sean Ferguson
In this stunning underwater adventure teeming with memorable comedic characters and heartfelt emotion, Finding Nemo follows the momentous journey of an overprotective clownfish named Marlin (voiced by Albert Brooks) and his young son Nemo (voiced by Alexander Gould). When the two are unexpectedly separated in the Great Barrier Reef, Nemo is carried far from his ocean home and deposited in a fish tank in a dentist’s office. Buoyed by the companionship of Dory (voiced by Ellen DeGeneres), a friendly-but-forgetful blue tang fish, Marlin embarks on a dangerous trek and finds himself the unlikely hero of an epic effort to rescue his son – who hatches a few daring plans of his own to return safely home. Finding Nemo is now available for the first time ever in high-definition Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D and Digital platforms! Continue reading ‘Finding Nemo 2D / 3D Ultimate Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray Review)’
December 17th, 2012 by Gerard Iribe
For generations, humans traveled the stars and worked together to settle worlds under the banner of the United Nations Space Command. Now that peace is shattered by insurrectionists, causing a galaxy-spanning civil war. Cadet Thomas Lasky and his fellow students at Corbulo military academy now train to make this war their future. But Lasky is conflicted about his path, and his resolve is tested when the academy comes under attack from a terrifying alien assault. Lasky and his fellow cadets fight for survival, only to find assistance from a mysterious ally – a mythic, armored supersoldier known as Master Chief. Continue reading ‘Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn (Blu-ray Review)’
December 17th, 2012 by Gregg Senko
I couldn’t sum up the Blu-ray releases of 2012 better than Brian White’s article in which he mentioned standouts such as the Bond collection, Universal Monsters and so on. It’s almost as if the studios got together and said, “Hey, if the world does end on 12/21/12, we better go out with a bang.” Had that fictional conversation took place, they certainly lived up to their aspirations. It was definitely much easier assembling a list of top 10 cinema releases this year than it was Blu-rays. Now onto the rankings!
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Continue reading ‘Gregg’s Top 10 Bodacious Blu-rays of 2012′
December 17th, 2012 by David Freedman
Guest reviewer Kevin Taft, David and Aaron review the new road trip comedy starring Barbra Streisand and Seth Rogen. Starring Kevin P. Taft, Aaron Fink and David Freedman. Directed by Sean Wright.
Synopsis: Andy starts a sales trip across the US with a visit to his overprotective Mom. Against his better judgment, he invites her along for the drive. But the journey turns out different than either of them expected.
WATCH US ON PBS SOCAL Saturdays at 6PM or pbssocal.org/justseenit
Continue reading ‘The Guilt Trip Movie Review – Just Seen It’
December 17th, 2012 by David Freedman
Sean, Liz and Brenna review this “sort-of” sequel to Knocked Up from Judd Apatow. Starring Sean Wright, Liz Manashil and Brenna Smith. Directed by Matt Breault.
Synopsis: Pete and Debbie are rapidly approaching middle age. But Pete is desperately trying save his record label. So their family, careers and finances all get tested.
WATCH US ON PBS SOCAL Saturdays at 6PM or pbssocal.org/justseenit
Continue reading ‘This Is 40 Movie Review – Just Seen It’
December 17th, 2012 by David Freedman
Brenna, Salim and Aaron review the long awaited return to “Middle-Earth” from director Peter Jackson. Starring Brenna Smith, Aaron Fink and Salim Lemelle. Directed by Liz Manashil.
Synopsis: Bilbo leads a peaceful life until Gandalf knocks on his door. He enlists Bilbo to join a band of dwarves and reclaim their long-forgotten city. Together, they venture to Lonely mountain to fight an evil dragon.
WATCH US ON PBS SOCAL Saturdays at 6PM or pbssocal.org/justseenit
Continue reading ‘The Hobbit Movie Review – Just Seen It’
December 16th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
The arrival of a new Ice Age film is not something that initially thrilled me. I enjoyed the first film in the series, but was let down by the sequel, which led to me not even bothering with the third entry in the franchise. Still, given the opportunity to see this latest entry, ‘Continental Drift’, I figured, “Why not?” and decided to go for it. Fortunately, I found this latest Ice Age film to be enjoyable. While it may be missing a major element that made me enjoy the first film so much, I was still pleased with the fair amount humor and the vocal performances, animation quality (particularly the action sequences), and of course Scrat. The Blu-ray turns out to be a nice treat as well, given the great video/audio quality and the amount of interactive extras for youngsters and behind the scenes info for those who are interested.
Continue reading ‘Ice Age: Continental Drift (Blu-ray Review)’
December 16th, 2012 by Gregg Senko
In the aftermath of the Avengers vs. X-Men battle royale that nearly leveled the planet, characters are either regrouping or recovering. As part of Marvel’s new “Join the Revolution” campaign they’ve created, we’re seeing a lot of new titles popping up, one of which is Cable and X-Force. With issue 1 coming out this past week, the cover caught my eye and it became an immediate purchase.
Continue reading ‘Cable and X-Force: Issue #1’
December 16th, 2012 by Sean Ferguson
In Iowa, butter carving is as cut-throat as a Presidential election, plagued with scandal, greed, blackmail, and sex – except with butter! When long-reigning champion butter sculptor, Bob Pickler (Ty Burrell), is forced to step down, his zealous wife, Laura (Jennifer Garner), enters the competition herself to fight for their status as butter royalty. A win seems virtually guaranteed for the poised and studied candidate when a formidable contender emerges: the fresh-faced, effortlessly charismatic 10-year-old, Destiny (Yara Shahidi), an African-American foster child of local couple, Jill and Ethan (Alicia Silverstone and Rob Corddry). Suddenly, it’s anybody’s game and Laura will do anything to win – even if it means resorting to sabotage and seducing her foolish ex-boyfriend, Boyd (Hugh Jackman), as a co-conspirator. Continue reading ‘Butter (Blu-ray Review)’
December 14th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
And so it begins; another tale of perilous, fantastical traveling. I think it is funny that I went into The Hobbit knowing incredibly little about the actual plot, only to find that there was not a whole lot to learn. I have not read any of J.R.R. Tolkien’s books and have only seen trailers for the film, which seemed very light on story. Apparently it was because there is really not much there, at least for this first film, in a brand new Middle-Earth-based trilogy. ‘An Unexpected Journey’ re-introduces us to this world that director Peter Jackson brought to life in his highly acclaimed Lord of the Rings trilogy, with the first part of a new trilogy based on The Hobbit, which proceeds those ‘Rings’ films. In terms of making things grand, I was once again impressed by the scope of the production, but I was only just happy to have seen a good portion of this story, as opposed to being enthralled all the way through the film’s epic runtime. There is a lot there, but I am not sure how much was needed. Continue reading ‘‘The Hobbit’ Brings Back Jackson, Dwarves, And Epic Length (Movie Review)’
December 14th, 2012 by Gregg Senko
If you’re on the fence about getting into comic book reading or not, now is as good a time as any. In all honesty, this is a great time to delve into the pop culture art form. The stories and artwork that grace the pages of many of today’s titles are entertaining if not exceptional reads. Looking for a few good titles to let your imagination escape? This list will provide the best of what we saw in 2012.
Continue reading ‘Gregg’s Picks – Best Comic Books of 2012′
December 13th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
This March, the enjoyable fantasy adventure film, Willow, hits Blu-ray for the first time. For those unaware, Willow is a classic good vs. evil fantasy story developed by George Lucas and director Ron Howard. This is a film that I grew up with and while it is not necessarily the benchmark of fantasy adventure films (despite the innovative use of digital morphing technology), there is certainly a lot of fun to be had thanks to a lot of the creativity for the time, the fantastic score by James Horner, and of course the surprisingly enjoyable dynamic duo made up by Warwick Davis (the Harry Potter franchise) and Val Kilmer (Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang). This blu-ray will feature an all-new digital transfer supervised by Lucas film, never-before-seen footage and more. It arrives March 12, 2013. Continue on to learn more about this upcoming Blu-ray release.
Continue reading ‘WILLOW Comes To Blu-ray For The First Time In March’
December 13th, 2012 by Brian White
Did the world really need this? Is the world even ready for this? Wasn’t 10+ hours of theatrical cuts enough to sit through back in the day and again on Blu-ray? Are we ready for three more consecutive years of a tale that’s mainly self-contained in one book and a few appendices? Of course we are! We’re talking J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings after all. It’s like Star Wars and crack mixed together for fantasy nerds and geeks alike, including myself (not that I have ever partaken in the use of the said recreational drug). So prepare to usher in three butt numbing sessions in 2012, 2013 and 2014…there’s a new adventure hitting the silver screen…an unexpected journey…in an unexpected frame rate. Of course I’m talking about Peter Jackson’s new, three-part, life consuming project, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Surely you heard of it. Continue reading ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Movie Rant (Movie Review)’
