54 (Blu-ray Review)
March 15th, 2012 by Matt Goodman
Sex, drugs, and disco is what 54 is all about. 54 was an odd experience for me, particularly due to how the subject material was handled. The film constantly switches it’s tone from incredibly serious to incredibly silly. The film does in fact feature an all-star cast including Mike Myers (Austin Powers), Neve Campbell (Scream), Ryan Phillippe (Flags of Our Fathers), and Salma Hayek (Grown Ups). Does 54 make the cut? Is it as crazy as I’m making it out to be? Read on to find out. Continue reading ’54 (Blu-ray Review)’
At this point, there’s a good chance that you’ve already heard people singing the praises of Gareth Evans’ The Raid (now clunkily titled The Raid: Redemption, but we’re just gonna continue calling it The Raid): for months now, the film—which may, in fact, be the greatest action movie since the original Die Hard—has been making the rounds on the festival circuit, and it’s never played to anything less than a wildly enthusiastic response. Earlier this week, Evans’ film played as part of the SXSW 2012 lineup. Wanna know more? Read on for our official review. 
This past weekend, the 2012 SXSW Film Festival opened with Drew Goddard’s Cabin in The Woods, a horror/comedy mashup you’re going to end up seeing on a whole bunch of film geek top-ten lists come December 2012. The buzz surrounding Cabin in The Woods has—let’s be frank—kind of bordered on the hyperbolic, calling it a “masterpiece”, “brilliant”, “worth seeking out immediately in a packed theater”, and a dozen other effusive bits of praise. Well, folks, I can’t help but join in with the rest of ‘em: this is a film that’s worthy of every bit of hype it receives. Read on to find out why you need to see Cabin in The Woods immediately. 
As seen on PBS’s Masterpiece Mystery!, the impeccable Hercule Poirot is back on the case in these eleven mysteries from the hit series. David Suchet returns to reprise his role as the definitive Poirot, portraying Agatha Christie’s beloved Belgian with intelligence and bone-dry wit. Brimming with beguiling 1930s period details, these lavish adaptations look better than ever in this remastered edition. Also starring Hugh Fraser (Sharpe) as the affable Captain Hastings, Philip Jackson (Little Voice) as Chief Inspector Japp, and Pauline Moran as Miss Lemon.
Norman Dale (Gene Hackman) is a volatile basketball coach with a dark past who arrives in a small, rural Indiana town to attempt to lead the high school team to victory. This group of underdogs needs all the help they can get, and no one would have ever suspected that it would come from the unlikely duo of Dale and his newly hired assistant coach, the town’s recovering alcoholic, Shooter (Dennis Hopper). Under Dale and Shooter’s guidance, the Hickory team surprises their town – and themselves – by not only becoming an unstoppable team during the basketball season, but also taking home the 1952 State Championship. 
A terrorist sets off an explosion that rocks the Federal Building and unleashes a toxic gas throughout the ventilation system. His purpose: to expose the Government’s secret biological warfare weapon, a deadly virus that instantly attacks a person’s adrenal system, causing them to become inhumanly aggressive, with an uncontrollable urge to kill each other. Sounds like the ingredients for a rich feature, no? Well on April 10th, you can find out for yourself when Anchor Bay Entertainment unleashes The Terror Experiment on Blu-ray and DVD. Check out the two quick videos below and 
Boasting high-energy dancing, an inspirational story and an impressive cast of rising stars and screen veterans, writer/director Craig Brewer’s (Hustle & Flow) modern update thrilled audiences of all ages with its combination of youthful spirit and infectious fun. Newcomer Kenny Wormald stars as Ren MacCormack, a city kid transplanted to the small town of Bomont where dancing has been outlawed. Ren goes up against Bomont’s reverend (Dennis Quaid) to challenge the ban with the help of the minister’s daughter (Julianne Hough, “Dancing with the Stars”) and in the process reminds the entire town that dancing is more than youthful exuberance—it’s a celebration of life. The film also stars Andie MacDowell (Beauty Shop) and Miles Teller (Rabbit Hole) and features an outstanding soundtrack with musical artists including Blake Shelton, Big & Rich, Ella Mae Bowen and more. 
You got to like it when you look at the PR clip included in this post and the You Tube page says “One of the most controversial films in history finally arrives! Battle Royale.” I don’t know about you, but I’m SOLD. Battle Royale and Battle Royale: The Complete Collection is available for the first time in North America on Blu-ray, DVD and digital download on March 20th from Anchor Bay Entertainment. Mark your calendars. That date is coming up soon! In the meantime, check out the synopsis we have been provided below as well as two clips, a Red Band and a Behind The Scenes one. Enjoy! 
Game of Thrones is the blockbuster new series from HBO that won two 2011 Emmy awards including Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (Peter Dinklage). The drama follows kings and queens, knights and renegades, liars and noblemen as they vie for power in a land where summers span decades and winters can last a lifetime. Two powerful families are engaged in a deadly cat-and-mouse game for control of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. As betrayal, lust, intrigue and supernatural forces shake the four corners of the Kingdoms, their bloody struggle for the Iron Throne will have unforeseen and far-reaching consequences. 
From Academy Award–winning filmmaker Andrew Stanton comes John Carter – a sweeping action-adventure set on the mysterious and exotic planet of Barsoom (Mars). John Carter is based on a classic novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, whose highly imaginative adventures served as inspiration for many filmmakers, both past and present. The film tells the story of war-weary, former military captain John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), who is inexplicably transported to Mars where he becomes reluctantly embroiled in a conflict of epic proportions amongst the inhabitants of the planet, including Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) and the captivating Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins). In a world on the brink of collapse, Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes that the survival of Barsoom and its people rests in his hands. 
On behalf of Anchor Bay Entertainment, we are excited to announce that W.E., the ultimate love story and Madonna-directed drama, will be coming out on Blu-ray and DVD May 1st, 2012! W.E. has received numerous accolades, including a 2011 Academy Award® nomination for Best Achievement in Costume Design, a 2012 Golden Globe® Award for Best Original Song (Motion Picture) for the song “Masterpiece”, and a 2012 Golden Globe® Award for Best Original Score (Motion Picture). Madonna’s W.E. delivers an elegantly stylish and beautifully dramatic look into the lives of two fragile yet passionate women intertwined across the decades. 
You know I can NEVER resist a good horror remake…especially if done right! Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II, III and IV) with screen story and screenplay by Scott Milam based on the original Mother’s Day written by Charles Kaufman and Warren Leight, Mother’s Day is a graphic remake of the Troma horror classic. After a bank robbery gone wrong, three brothers go home to hide out…only todiscover that their Mother (Rebecca De Mornay) lost their house in a foreclosure. The new owners and their party guests become the depraved brothers’ unwitting hostages. Their sadistic Mother soon arrives and brilliantly takes control of the situation, ratcheting up the terror. As the hostages struggle desperately to survive the harrowing torture, they realize that there is nothing a Mother won’t do to protect her children. 
