Archive Page 504
August 26th, 2012 by David Freedman
Rachel has the pleasure of chatting with Natasha Calis, Jeffery Dean Morgan and Kyra Sedgwick, the stars of the new horror film. Starring Natasha Calis, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Kyra Sedgwick and Rachel Appelbaum
Synopsis: A young girl buys an antique box at a yard sale. But the box is inhabited by a malicious ancient spirit that takes her over. So her father must team up with his ex-wife in order to end her curse.
WATCH US ON PBS SOCAL Saturdays at 6PM or pbssocal.org/justseenit
Continue reading ‘The Possession Industry Interviews – Just Seen It’
August 26th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
The Killer Joe poster describes the film as a “Totally twisted, deep-fried, Texas redneck, trailer park murder story.” That is entirely correct. Director William Friedkin reteams with playwright Tracy Letts (they previously made Bug together) for a wild and darkly comedic thriller that resembles something akin to a Coen Brothers film, except Killer Joe is much more explicit. The film is quite lurid and deals with a very dysfunctional family, but it is also incredibly well acted and put together. Headed up by Matthew McConaughey, in a performance that sizzles, this is a film that fires on all cylinders, as it moves along without restraint and does not apologize for going to twisted places to become an absurdly entertaining film. Continue reading ‘‘Killer Joe’ Enjoys KFC And I Enjoyed This Dark And Twisted Movie’
August 25th, 2012 by Gerard Iribe
Ah, the year of two Snow White films, the other being Snow White and The Huntsman, this one being an actual light hearted attempt at the material. Not only does it feature Julia Roberts as the evil queen, but it’s directed by none other than the master visualist, Tarsem of The Cell, The Fall, and Immortals fame. If anything, the film could suck hard, but it would be a beautiful looking failure. Most were quick to dismiss it after the first trailers hit the interwebs due to them having seen a much darker telling in the previously mentioned Huntsman film. How will Mirror Mirror do in comparison? You’ve got questions, I’ve got answers. Continue reading ‘Mirror Mirror (Blu-ray Review)’
August 25th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
Action movies dropping into theaters at the end of summer do not generally inspire a lot of confidence, especially when they are flicks that were moved from the already dead time of year that is January and into the even worse doldrum-like area that is the weeks that hover around Labor Day weekend. Still, it is always nice to be relieved when a simple, high concept flick ends up delivering the kind of fun you were hoping for. Premium Rush does not aspire to be anything more than a fun, lighthearted chase thriller and it succeeds in doing just that. The added plus of properly utilizing its New York location and making me twitch every time a bike got close to crashing only helped the film out further. Continue reading ‘Gear Up For ‘Premium Rush’ (And Wear A Helmet)’
August 24th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
On Sunday, August 19th, at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, CA, I was happy and intrigued to be able to sit in on a screening of the 1930 film Just Imagine. Just Imagine was an American science-fiction musical, which was made to counter the 1927 German science-fiction film Metropolis. It is a film that is rarely seen these days, but is one that has inspired many famed science fiction films since. Along with the screening of the film, this event also featured a pre-show honoring of the film’s production designer, Stephen Gooson, along with a post-show Q&A with Professor Nicholas Cull, who has written books about the effect of science fiction in pop culture. Continue on to learn more about this film and to hear audio of the pre- and post-show discussions that took place. Continue reading ‘‘Just Imagine’ Screening and Q&A’
August 23rd, 2012 by Gerard Iribe
It’s about time we got some more Ingmar Bergman (Seventh Seal, rules!) on Blu-ray, but we’re taking it back a few years and focusing on his dramatic efforts with regards to love. Yeah, you might be saying that love and Bergman don’t mix, but they do if you add the components of death, despair, and so forth. Summer Interlude is no different and it marks the celebrated director’s TENTH film. He had yet begun to define himself, as some would say. Criterion Collection has done a great thing by bringing Summer Interlude to the Blu-ray format. Keep reading after the jump to see if Summer Interlude is worth owning. Also, keep it here, because we’ve got more Bergman on the way with Summer With Monika. See, I always take care of our readers. 😉 Continue reading ‘Summer Interlude: Criterion Collection (Blu-ray Review)’
August 23rd, 2012 by Sean Ferguson
The chart-topping super-team of Joss Whedon (“Marvel’s The Avengers”) and John Cassaday (Captain America, Planetary) return for more action on home entertainment shelves in Astonishing X-Men: Torn! Comic book pages from the third story arc of this acclaimed series by one of Marvel’s greatest collaborations between Whedon and Cassaday come alive from Shout! Factory, in association with Marvel Knights Animation, in the highly anticipated Astonishing X-Men: Torn on DVD! This third installment brings more action and adventure as Emma Frost’s erratic behavior has the X-Men spinning in a nonstop downward spiral. Will an unlikely union be the final straw? After secretly lying in wait for months, the new Hellfire Club makes its move! This DVD invites viewers to delve deep inside the imaginative world of the Marvel Universe. A must-have for collectors and loyal fans, this deluxe DVD is featured with a graphic rich cover and a unique replica of comic book-style packaging that bridges the comic book to DVD concept. Continue reading ‘Astonishing X-Men: Torn (DVD Review)’
August 23rd, 2012 by Sean Ferguson
From the director of The Fugitive comes a riveting, turbo-charged crime thriller starring international action star Chuck Norris (“Walker, Texas Ranger”). Exploding with heart-stopping chases and lethal martial arts confrontations, it’s an adventure that pits an honest cop against two vicious crime lords and his own department. Eddie Cusack (Norris) is a Chicago detective who plays by his own rulesa dangerous habit, especially when he breaks the force’s “code of silence” to blow the lid off a deadly police cover-up. Now an outcast, he receives little help from his embittered fellow officers when he’s hurled into a blistering battle against rival drug kingpins. But Cusack is a one-man army, waging war on the criminals with his razor-sharp wits, lighting-fast karate moves and a special surprise: “Prowler,” a remote-controlled, rocket-equipped tank!
Continue reading ‘Code of Silence (Blu-ray Review)’
August 23rd, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
Boss is a political drama series starring Kelsey Grammer as the mayor of Chicago. The show was broadcast on Starz and initially arrived with so much confidence that the network greenlit a second season a few weeks before the first season even premiered. I would not necessarily say that Starz got a little ahead of themselves, but Boss is merely a series that has a lot of good to sometimes great things in it, but does not quite reach event television for me. The show wants to be stylish and interesting, but only pulls off one of those things effectively the majority of the time, while not quite providing me with characters that extend beyond caricature. Still, I did find the series watchable enough, with a Blu-ray set that delivers a strong audio/video presentation, yet only a smattering of extras. Read on to learn more about the first season of Boss and how the Blu-ray faired. Continue reading ‘Boss: Season 1 (Blu-ray Review)’
August 22nd, 2012 by Gerard Iribe
Celebrated documentarian Ken Burns delivers an engrossing chronicle of America’s greatest environmental catastrophe with THE DUST BOWL, arriving on Blu-ray and DVD November 20, 2012 from PBS Distribution and Paramount Home Media Distribution. The two-part, four-hour documentary offers a dramatic depiction of how human blindness to the balance of nature destroyed the farmlands of the Great Plains throughout the 1930s as prairies were turned into deserts and massive deadly dust storms took the lives and hopes of many Americans. Yet amidst the heartbreaking tragedy, there are also tales of heroic perseverance as families found ways to survive and government agencies and farmers worked together to develop new farming and conservation methods. Continue reading ‘‘The Dust Bowl’ on Blu-ray November 20th’
August 22nd, 2012 by Sean Ferguson
Legendary renegade Texas Ranger J.J. McQuade (Norris) is fierce with his gun – but lethal with his roundhouse kick! When his teenage daughter’s life is threatened by hijackers attempting to steal a truck full of weapons and ammunition, the job becomes personal for McQuade. Uncovering a colossal arms-struggling outfit that is selling guns and ammo to terrorists all over the world, McQuade come face to face with its kingpin, Rawley Wilkes (Carradine) – a world-renowned martial arts expert who has never lost a battle! Does the Ranger have what it takes to save his daughter and his honor – or has he finally met his match, and ultimately his demise? Continue reading ‘Lone Wolf McQuade (Blu-ray Review)’
August 21st, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
On September 18th, Fox will be releasing several films under their Filmmaker Signature Series banner. This films being released on this day include The Brothers McMullen, She’s The One, The French Connection, Wall Street, Hoffa, and The War of the Roses. What makes the Filmmaker Signature Series notable is that all of these Blu-rays are given personal attention by the original filmmakers, meaning that the transfers onto Blu-ray were personally supervised and approved by them, implying that these are the preferred and best current way to view these films in a home media format. I believe Best Buy previously had an exclusive deal to sell these titles, but in September they will be available all over. Continue on to learn more details regarding the release of these upcoming films. Continue reading ‘This September See Several Fox Filmmaker Signature Series Films On Blu-Ray’
August 21st, 2012 by Sean Ferguson
Directed by Academy Award winner Steven Spielberg, Jaws set the standard for edge-of-your seat suspense quickly becoming a cultural phenomenon and forever changing the movie industry. When the seaside community of Amity finds itself under attack by a dangerous great white shark, the town’s chief of police (Roy Scheider), a young marine biologist (Richard Dreyfuss) and a grizzled shark hunter (Robert Shaw) embark on a desperate quest to destroy the beast before it strikes again. Featuring an unforgettable score that evokes pure terror, Jaws remains one of the most influential and gripping adventures in motion picture history. Jaws is one of 13 classic Universal films to be digitally remastered and fully restored from 35mm original film elements as part of Universal’s ongoing 100th Anniversary celebration. The Jaws restoration began with researching and evaluating the existing film elements to determine the best means to restore the film. Over the course of several months, skilled technicians at Universal Studios Digital Services meticulously balanced color, removed dirt and scratches, and repaired any damage to the film elements shot by shot and frame by frame. Following the picture restoration, Universal Studios Sound team up-mixed the iconic Jaws soundtrack to DTS-HD Master 7.1, optimizing the sound on the Blu-ray for the latest home theater technology. The entire restoration process was conducted in conjunction with Steven Spielberg and Amblin Entertainment’s post-production team to ensure that the integrity of Spielberg’s original vision remained intact. Continue reading ‘JAWS (Blu-ray Review)’
August 21st, 2012 by Gerard Iribe
Ladies and germs, we are happy to bring you Lit’s brand new music video for one of, if not, my favorite track off of their new album, The View From The Bottom. Sit back, relax, take a sip from your favorite beverage and let the rock take you to places you want to go. What’s cool about this live compilation is that I was actually at the HOB show that is featured in the clip, so this means a bit more to me than the usual. If you’re interested in more tunes from Lit and their new album then hit the affiliate links for your fix. It’s the return of the rock! Continue reading ‘Lit: The Broken (Music Video)’
August 20th, 2012 by Gerard Iribe
Following a shocking murder, the lives of the police, suspects and victim’s family are intricately woven together in this “spellbinding” series starring Mireille Enos and my boy Joel Kinnaman, This engrossing series has earned huge acclaim, as well as a Golden Globe nomination and multiple Emmy nominations in its first season alone. AMC seems to be on fire with quality programming as of late, which is all good, because the more the better. How does the first season of The Killing stack up? All aboard! Continue reading ‘The Killing: The Complete First Season (Blu-ray Review)’
August 19th, 2012 by Brian White
If there was one thing I was hoping for here in the summer of 2012, it was that I get to review the hotly anticipated second season of AMC’s smash zombie hit, The Walking Dead. The show snuck up on me last year like an embarrassing pimple on your nose does during the middle of the workday. Boom! All the sudden it was part of my normal Sunday night routine. I’m so glad I did not give up on it during the first season when I wasn’t feeling it half way through. Thank you for the positive encouragement Susan to keep on going or I would have never known what I would have missed out on in this blissful gospel I’m about to preach. Ladies, gentlemen and the undead…I give you The Walking Dead: The Complete Second Season…the Blu-ray review! Continue reading ‘The Walking Dead: The Complete Second Season (Blu-ray Review)’
August 19th, 2012 by Sean Ferguson
Welcome to Rekall, the company that can turn your dreams into real memories. For a factory worker named Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell), even though he’s got a beautiful wife (Kate Beckinsale) who he loves, the mind-trip sounds like the perfect vacation from his frustrating life – real memories of life as a super-spy might be just what he needs. But when the procedure goes horribly wrong, Quaid becomes a hunted man. Finding himself on the run from the police – controlled by Chancellor Cohaagen (Bryan Cranston), the leader of the free world – Quaid teams up with a rebel fighter (Jessica Biel) to find the head of the underground resistance (Bill Nighy) and stop Cohaagen. The line between fantasy and reality gets blurred and the fate of his world hangs in the balance as Quaid discovers his true identity, his true love, and his true fate. Continue reading ‘Total Recall (Movie Review)’
August 18th, 2012 by David Freedman
Is it as fun and entertaining as the first Expendables? Sean, Salim and Rachel weigh in on the action-star laden thriller! Starring Sean Wright, Salilm Lemelle, Rachel Appelbaum. Directed by Amy Taylor.
Synopsis: Mr. Church reunites the Expendables for what should be an easy paycheck. But the team is betrayed and one of their own is killed. Seeking revenge, they must fight their way out of hostile territory.
WATCH US ON PBS SOCAL Saturdays at 6PM or pbssocal.org/justseenit Continue reading ‘The Expendables Two Movie Review – Just Seen It’
