Archive Page 498
September 30th, 2012 by Blu-ray Brian
OH YEAH!!! Christmas comes early this year!!! What else can I say besides this is my most anticipated Blu-ray of the year, with the exception of The Indiana Jones catalog collection found right here. That’s right ladies and gentlemen. I’m talking about the epic conclusion to the boldest and most ambitious comic book hero story ever told on the big screen…The Dark Knight Rises. Hot off the press from Warner Bros., check out all the cool stuff you’ll find on this Blu-ray combo pack in stores December 4th. Continue reading ‘Christmas Comes Early: The Dark Knight Rises on Blu-ray’
September 30th, 2012 by Gerard Iribe
From “one of the greatest films of all time” (Chicago Sun Times) Apocalypse Now to the “raw and riveting” (Rolling Stone) Tetro, the set includes some of the iconic filmmaker’s best works, sharing a combined total of 12 Academy Award® nominations and two wins. In addition to Apocalypse Now and Tetro, the collection also includes the classic film’s updated and extended version, Apocalypse Now Redux, along with the thriller The Conversation and One From The Heart, available for the very first time in stunning high definition. Continue reading ‘Francis Ford Coppola 5-Film Collection on Blu-ray December 5th!’
September 30th, 2012 by Sean Ferguson
Steve Martin is one of the most beloved and iconic talents in American comedy. Until now, however, his body of work on television has been largely unavailable on DVD. That all changed on September 18, 2012, with the release of Steve Martin: The Television Stuff from Shout! Factory and SOFA Entertainment. From the stand-up act that made him a comedy rock star (of which only two complete performances were ever recorded, both included in this set) to his four joyfully twisted NBC sketch comedy specials, his Oscar-nominated short film and a jewel box of additional comic bits, The Television Stuff finally delivers one of the most unique and treasured eras in Steve Martin’s celebrated career. The set was made in collaboration with the celebrated actor, comedian, author, playwright, producer and musician, and will feature never-before seen videos. Continue reading ‘Steve Martin: The Television Stuff (DVD Review)’
September 29th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
I may be a guy, in his 20s, who writes about movies and Blu-rays, and plays video games, and would have seemingly no reason to want to see a film about competitive a capella groups, but I found the trailer to be slight, but enjoyable, and who can say no to a smile from Anna Kendrick? Pitch Perfect is pretty much what I expected; sometimes charming, sometimes incredibly formulaic, with a soundtrack that will be dated by the time the film leaves theaters, but it’s harmless. It has some fun performances and a neat a cappella battle scene that I wanted to see more of, but the standard plot bogs it down. Essentially, if you are a big fan of Bring it On, you will probably have plenty of fun with Pitch Perfect, so take that as you will. Continue reading ‘‘Pitch Perfect’ Is Aca-Okay’
September 29th, 2012 by Brian White
Although I’m a big Joseph Gordon-Levitt fan and who can deny the charisma of Bruce Willis, I gotta say…I wasn’t really looking forward to this one. The trailers looked intriguing, but they never completely sold it and hooked me in. But I thought…hey….why not? If the movie’s terrible, there’s always Emily Blunt to look at for 118 minutes. See…you gotta look for the good in EVERYTHING. At least in these economically deprived days. Times are tough. And without further ado or any more words from our commercial sponsors I am free to begin deconstructing the time travel plot of September 2012’s science fiction action film…Looper. Here goes nothing. Continue reading ‘Don’t Get Caught With Your Pants Down: Looper (Movie Review)’
September 28th, 2012 by David Freedman
Salim, Rachel and Liz get into the Halloween spirit with a review of this new animated comedy starring Adam Sandler. Starring Salim Lemelle, Rachel Appelbaum and Liz Manashil. Directed by Cullen Metcalf-Kelly.
Synopsis: Count Dracula runs a hotel for monsters with no humans allowed. But by accident, a human boy stumbles into their haven. As his daughter falls for the boy, the Count has more than he can handle.
WATCH US ON PBS SOCAL Saturdays at 6PM or pbssocal.org/justseenit
Continue reading ‘Hotel Transylvania Movie Review – Just Seen It’
September 28th, 2012 by Sean Ferguson
The man with the hat is back – and looking and sounding better than ever! The world’s favorite globe-trotting archaeologist is, at long last, embarking on his greatest adventure – when The Complete Indiana Jones Blu-ray Collection comes to Blu-ray Disc from Lucasfilm Ltd. and Paramount Home Media Distribution. Exploding to instant acclaim, the film has now been carefully restored, alongside remastered versions of the archaeologist’s other thrilling adventures—Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Prepare for excitement, adventure and snakes—why did it have to be snakes?—all with pristine picture and sound when Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures have finally made their debut on Blu-ray, using the highest possible high definition picture and audio presentation – along with a “best of” collection of documentaries, interviews, featurettes and a few new surprises. Continue reading ‘Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures (Blu-ray Review)’
September 28th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
Time travel movies can often be tricky. I am a big fan of films that attempt to utilize the subject, as I like to spend plenty of time thinking about the logic involved. In many cases, regardless of how much fun or how good the film is, the logic is not really sound. Some time travel flicks work because of how much time they spend detailing their own logistics (Primer is the ultimate example of this). Others work because of how little they seem to care about the logic (think Bill & Ted). But then there are time travel films that just fail on all fronts (think Timecop). Writer/director Rian Johnson’s Looper excels at making its time travel premise work, because it smartly sidesteps a lot of its own issues by almost using its setup as a clever misdirect. As characters bend time, the film bends its own meaning, with a smart and original script and solid performances to hold it all together. Continue reading ‘‘Looper’ Bends Time And Breaks Convention’
September 27th, 2012 by David Freedman
Rachel channels the little ghost girl from the new horror thriller V/H/S. Starring Rachel Appelbaum. Directed by Cullen Metcalf-Kelly.
WATCH US ON PBS SOCAL Saturdays at 6PM or pbssocal.org/justseenit
Continue reading ‘Rachel’s Rant on V/H/S – Just Seen It’
September 27th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
Resident Evil: Damnation is an all new CG horror/action film set in the world created by the Resident Evil video game series. It is separate from the live action film franchise and takes more inspiration from various story elements that have happened in the video game series (Damnation supposedly has some loose connections to the upcoming Resident Evil 6), rather than try to resemble the plot of any of the games. Damnation can technically be seen as a sequel to the first Resident Evil CG film, Degeneration, but it really functions more as a standalone adventure for fan favorite characters Leon S. Kennedy and Ada Wong that happens to tie into the same world. True to form, the film revolves around a zombie-like outbreak caused by bioweapons, with lots of over-the-top action taking place to stop it. To its credit, the film does a lot more good than bad, which is a nice change of pace for someone who has not enjoyed Resident Evil films in the past. It also helps that the Blu-ray does a lot of good as well. Continue reading ‘Resident Evil: Damnation (Blu-ray Review)’
September 27th, 2012 by Brian White
This is going to be a very easy review for me to blow through simply because both the monster horror fan AND the kid in me had an absolute ghoulishly good time with this one. Of course I’m referring to the 3-D computer animated comedy from Sony Pictures Animation, Hotel Transylvania, hitting theaters this Friday, September 28th. The feature, helmed by Samurai Jack’s creator, Genndy Tartakovsky, features the voices of Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Andy Samberg, Kevin James, Fran Drescher, Jon Lovitz, Cee Lo Green, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon and David Spade. I wonder how many more movies the “Dream Team” of Adam, Kevin and David will do together? But nonetheless, like 2010’s Grown Ups, the chemistry mixed monstrously well here. So let’s take a closer look under the microscope and find out why I feel the way I do. Continue reading ‘For a Ghoulishly Good Time: Hotel Transylvania (Movie Review)’
September 26th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
It can be stated as an “art house romantic comedy,” but it is still a regular romantic comedy. Lola Versus may play out in its own sort of way, but it very much follows a lot of the same patterns that these types of films tend to have. That does not make it bad, as I liked a lot of the film, save for some issues I had with the third act. Despite the disastrous nature of some of the romantic follies Greta Gerwig’s character becomes involved with, the film had enough going for it to make it work for me. Now the film has arrived on Blu-ray, so continue on to hear more about Lola’s battle against everything and how good the film looks and sounds. Continue reading ‘Lola Versus (Blu-ray Review)’
September 26th, 2012 by David Freedman
Liz and Sean chat with director Valerie Weiss about her new romantic comedy, Losing Control. Starring Valerie Weiss, Liz Manashil and Sean Wright. Directed by Amy Taylor.
Synopsis: Samantha is a scientist seeking a mate. But her scientific approach to find the ideal mate proves maddening. It is only after her boyfriend Ben proposes, that she must decide between science and matters of the heart.
WATCH US ON PBS SOCAL Saturdays at 6PM or pbssocal.org/justseenit Continue reading ‘Valerie Weiss Interview – Losing Control – Just Seen It’
September 25th, 2012 by Robert Graziosi
Picture this: You are sitting at work one day and the phone rings . It’s the police. One of your employees is being accused of theft. Not just any employee . The cute teen age blonde. They want you to detain her. Okay. No problem. They want you to search her personal effects. A little more uncomfortable but, c’mon, it’s the police. Okay. We do the search. Still didn’t find that money. Gonna have to do a strip search. Say what? Somebody smack the guy that just yelled “hell yeah”. What if they told you to go even further? Where would you draw the line? Continue reading ‘Exclusive Interview with ‘Compliance’ Producer Tyler Davidson’
September 25th, 2012 by Sean Ferguson
Academy Award-winning Director and master storyteller, James Cameron journey’s back to the site of his greatest inspiration – the legendary wreck of the Titanic. With a team of the world’s foremost historic and marine experts and friend Bill Paxton, he embarks on an unscripted adventure back to the final grave where nearly 1,500 souls lost their lives almost a century ago. Using state-of-the-art technology developed expressly for this expedition, Cameron and his crew are able to explore virtually all of the wreckage, inside and out, as never-before. With the most advanced 3D photography, moviegoers will experience the ship as if they are part of crew, right inside the dive subs. In this unprecedented motion picture event, made especially for IMAX 3D theatres and specially outfitted 35MM 3D theaters across the country, Cameron and his team bring audiences to sights not seen since the sinking 90 years ago and explore why the landmark vessel – more than any shipwreck – continues to intrigue and fascinate the public. Continue reading ‘Ghosts of the Abyss 3D / 2D (Blu-ray Review)’
September 25th, 2012 by Blu-ray Brian
Dangerous and decadent, “Magic City” begins in 1959, in Miami’s Miramar Playa Hotel where hotelier Ike Evans (Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Watchmen, Texas Killing Fields) is conjuring up ways to finance his dream. He has essentially sold his soul to the devil: mob boss Ben “The Butcher” Diamond (Danny Huston, The Kingdom). Ike’s wife Vera (Olga Kurylenko, Quantum of Solace), a former showgirl, and his three children think he is an honorable man, but he just can’t break his pact with the most notorious criminal in town. So Ike’s life is a façade: his home and his business must be kept separate – but does he have the sleight of hand to pull it off? You can find out for yourselves with our exclusive Blu-ray giveaway contest thanks to the good folks over at Anchor Bay Entertainment. And did I mention Olga Kurylenko is in it? Check out the full details below on how you can win! Continue reading ‘Magic City: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Giveaway’
September 24th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
Talk about surprises! End of Watch is maybe the best cop drama I have seen since The Departed, let alone the best cop film I have seen in quite some time that does not involve corrupt or undercover officers who get in too deep. This seems like a film that could have been incredibly generic, serving as just another entry in a line of crime dramas and buddy cop movies, while only bringing the notion of found footage to the table as a new take on the genre. Instead, End of Watch turned out to be an incredibly engaging film, depicting too good cops who get in over their heads, after working too effectively. The film works due to the strength of these two lead performances and the sense of urgency that is utilized given the filming style. It is intense when it needs to be, but also quite enjoyable because of how well we come to know the relationship between these two cops who are partners that work hard to stop crime. Continue reading ‘Two Good Cops Work Until The ‘End Of Watch’’
September 24th, 2012 by Gregg Senko
With the vast array of music that’s out there, it’s often difficult to find something that sets itself apart from the incessant library of songs and tunes. One dilemma facing music today is originality…or lack thereof. So many tracks come across studio-heavy, burdened with a bad case of being over-produced. Such is not the case with Shishonnah and their debut album, Elysian Dreams.
Continue reading ‘Shishonnah Brings Vocal, Instrumental Grace’
