Archive Page 549
September 10th, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
With Contagion, acclaimed director Steven Soderbergh moves away from his more obscure arthouse fair and back into more mainstream film territory. The result is a procedural-style thriller geared towards adults and it is plenty effective in having the surrounding audience be weary of anyone who coughs near them after having seen the film. Using a similar template as he did with Traffic, Soderbergh has taken away the sensationalizing of a thriller based around a global virus pandemic and focuses on a core set of characters “realistically” doing what they can, given the situation they are in. As a result, while not without some characterization issues, the film is absorbing, well made and acted for certain, and quite chilling at times. Continue reading ‘‘Contagion’ Spreads Procedural-Style Chills’
September 9th, 2011 by Gerard Iribe
It has been an extremely busy year for comic book based films, and we’re still not done yet; Captain America, I’m looking at you! Before we get to the Cap’n, we’ve got to get to the God of Thunder himself; Thor! I need to preface this review by stating that I received the full 3-D Blu-ray set, but for all intents and purposes, this will be a full review of the 2-D version along with the special features. We will leave the “Limited Edition” artwork for reference purposes, as well. So how will Kenneth Branagh’s epic tale of the Norse-comic book-mythology play it out? These, and all of your other questions will be answered in our review, so without further ado, let’s get it started, yo! Continue reading ‘Thor (Blu-ray Review)’
September 9th, 2011 by Blu-ray Brian
Our weekend here at Why So Blu? would not be complete, I feel, without letting all our readers see, if they have not already, the next installment in The Human Centipede franchise. Ah…it feels good to say that. Let’s say that again…The Human Centipede franchise. I can almost hear our staff writer Sean Ferguson jumping up for joy over this series. Yep, that’s right folks…the brilliant mind behind The Human Centipede (First Cut), Tom Six, is back with the appropriately titled sequel, The Human Centipede (Full Sequence). Don’t believe me? Check out the first teaser trailer below. I can’t wait! Enjoy The Human Centipede (Full Sequence) this Fall! Continue reading ‘The Human Centipede (Full Sequence) U.S. Teaser Trailer’
September 9th, 2011 by Gregg Senko
There does need to be a little bit of a disclaimer to the title of this article. There are some redeeming qualities and I commend Director Fred Andrews for bringing a touch of uniqueness to this picture. However, there are more sour moments than redeeming ones in Creature.
Continue reading ‘‘Creature’ No Great Feature’
September 9th, 2011 by Sean Ferguson
Disney returns to the Hundred Acre Wood with “Winnie the Pooh.” Featuring the timeless charm, wit and whimsy of the original featurettes, this all-new movie reunites audiences with the philosophical “bear of very little brain” and friends Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Owl, Kanga, Roo – and last, but certainly not least, Eeyore, who has lost his tail. Owl sends the whole gang on a wild quest to save Christopher Robin from an imaginary culprit. It turns out to be a very busy day for a bear who simply set out to find some honey. Disney’s all-new “Winnie the Pooh” movie is inspired by three stories from A.A. Milne’s books in Disney’s classic, hand-drawn art.
Continue reading ‘Winnie the Pooh Arrives on Blu-ray 10/25 and is Now Available to Pre-order!’
September 9th, 2011 by Sean Ferguson
Celebrate the 20th anniversary of director Joe Johnston’s (Captain America: The First Avenger) action-filled, witty The Rocketeer. Now with state-of-the-art digital restoration and enhanced high definition sound, experience it as it jets off for the first time on Disney Blu-ray. The discovery of a top-secret jetpack hurls test pilot Cliff Secord (Billy Campbell) into a daring adventure of mystery, suspense, and intrigue! Cliff encounters an assortment of ruthless villains, led by a Hollywood screen star (Timothy Dalton) who is a secret Nazi spy. With the help of his actress girlfriend (Jennifer Connelly) , the young pilot battles enormous odds to defeat his foes who are anxious to use the device in an evil plan to rule the world. This highly anticipated release is now available to pre-order! Continue reading ‘The Rocketeer: 20th Anniversary Edition Will Fly To Blu-ray Dec. 13th!’
September 9th, 2011 by Gerard Iribe
Spectacular action, stunning visual effects, non-stop thrills and fan-favorite characters including OPTIMUS PRIME, BUMBLEBEE and Sam Witwicky rocketed Transformers: Dark of the Moon into the stratosphere, with the latest installment of the wildly popular TRANSFORMERS franchise surpassing its predecessors to earn over $1.1 billion at the worldwide box office. From Paramount Pictures in association with Hasbro, the breathtaking film redefines the scale, scope and emotional impact of what a blockbuster can be with the ongoing epic story of the mighty AUTOBOTS in a thrill-packed adventure that the whole family can enjoy. Distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment, the film will debut in a Blu-ray/DVD Combo with a digital copy and on standard DVD on Friday, September 30, 2011, followed by a deluxe Blu-ray and DVD release, including a Blu-ray 3D, in the coming months. Continue reading ‘Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon Blasts off on Blu-ray/DVD on September 30’
September 9th, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
So the summer movie season has come to an end, but that does not mean us here at Why So Blu can’t have one last hurrah. With such an assortment of different films that came out this past summer (a particularly crowded one, which benefited from having a lot of good crowd pleasers to offer), I thought it would be a fun idea to have a majority of the group contribute some thoughts on their top picks for this past summer. With that said, anyone else should feel free to submit their thoughts on the films they enjoyed most this summer in the comment section below as well. But for now, keep reading to hear what a bunch of us had to say about our picks. Continue reading ‘The Why So Blu Crew’s Favorite Flicks Of Summer 2011’
September 8th, 2011 by Brian White
I left the theater after seeing Contagion with many thoughts on my mind. They ranged from global epidemics and government cover-ups to animal cruelty and issues of morality. Contagion opened your eyes to all the questions regarding the BIG IF. What IF this really happened to us? I’m referring to a widespread, global virus epidemic, that is. How would people act? How would our government and many rescue agencies treat us? Better yet, what if the medical professionals all went on strike? I mean, let’s face it. This is survival of the fittest. What would you do? And I ask you point blank…seriously, what would you do? You have to admit, there would be chaos all around you given these circumstances explored within the 115 minute runtime of Contagion. Continue reading ‘Heinz 57 to the Rescue in ‘Contagion’’
September 8th, 2011 by Scott Wampler
Apparently, BloodyDisgusting.com — the awesome website for horror aficionados, gore hounds, and scary-movie enthusiasts– has gotten into the film distribution game. Y’know, one of those things where a company tracks down a series of little seen movies and slaps its logo (in this case, Bloody Disgusting’s not-entirely-iconic “skull with a buzzsaw blade in it”, which looks dangerously similar to Wilson from Cast Away to me) on the upper-lefthand corner of the cover box? Well, I got a good look at two of Bloody Disgusting’s films this week, one of which was terrible…the other of which was pretty damn awesome. Which was YellowBrickRoad? Keep on reading to find out, folks… Continue reading ‘YellowBrickRoad (DVD Review)’
September 8th, 2011 by Gerard Iribe
Although the status of the U.S. space program is in flux, those wishing to explore the furthest reaches of the cosmos need to look no further than FARSCAPE: THE COMPLETE SERIES BLU-RAY EDITION. This November, home viewers will be transported through a wormhole across a thousand galaxies to the stunningly original universe of this groundbreaking cult classic from The Jim Henson Company, finally available in spectacular hi-def! Bringing together all four complete seasons (88 episodes) and over 15 hours of bonus programming across 20 blu-ray discs, this definitive collection, optimized for HD from the European PAL masters – the highest quality available source elements — delivers the most optimal viewing experience for the series which TV Guide named “one of television’s best cult shows ever”. And, on November 15, it will be available for fans both new and old for $199.95srp. Continue reading ‘On 11/15, Prepare for Starburst with A+E’s Eagerly Awaited FARSCAPE: The Complete Series Blu-ray Edition’
September 8th, 2011 by Gerard Iribe
The epic story begun in the Academy Award® nominated worldwide box office hit How To Train Your Dragon continues with the groundbreaking new DREAMWORKS DRAGONS Double DVD and Video Game, taking flight November 15, 2011. One of the best reviewed films of 2010*, How To Train Your Dragon enchanted audiences the world over with its captivating and original story boasting fire-breathing action, heroic deeds and heartfelt laughs. DreamWorks Animation’s new signature entertainment experience, DREAMWORKS DRAGONS Double DVD and Video Game features two brand new adventures plus a Dragons online video game available for the first time ever. These three exciting experiences come in one highly-affordable package just in time for holiday gift-giving, available in both Blu-ray and DVD. Continue reading ‘Dreamworks Dragons Double DVD and Video Game flys onto DVD and Blu-ray November 15th’
September 8th, 2011 by Gregg Senko
DC Comics’ ‘New 52’ mass reboot of 52 of their titles is already a huge success. A good handful of these titles are already out in stores. Check out DC’s schedule to see what issue 1’s you may have missed and what’s right around the corner… Continue reading ‘DC Comics Schedule of ‘The New 52’’
September 7th, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
So truth be told, I am not a big fan of the 80s teen comedies from John Hughes. I do have two large exceptions to this however. One is Weird Science, which I always enjoy watching. The other is Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, which is just a great coming-of-age story about our hero and his friends having the day of all days off, after ditching school for the sake of fun. Various adventures, comedic hijinks, and character realizations occur in this classic comedy that has plenty of memorable moments, quotes, and characters. Now Ferris Bueller’s Day Off sees its second release on Blu-ray, which is a good enough reason for anyone who doesn’t already have it to pick up their copy. Continue reading ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (Blu-ray Review)’
September 7th, 2011 by Gregg Senko
One of the many titles of DC’s New 52 on the release agenda is the brand new character Batwing, which, as you can guess, comes from the Batman universe. The artwork caught my eye a few weeks back, but not having much to go on as far as background is concerned resulted in me not putting this high on my want-list. Oh how that has changed.
Continue reading ‘Batwing Makes DC Debut’
September 7th, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
When it comes to addressing the sports movie genre, I tend to be a bit unenthusiastic. While there are many good sports movies, I feel it’s a genre of film that really needs to do something special to get me to want to appreciate it more. Warrior has done that. It is an inspiring, heartfelt, and action-packed film that features great performances all around and manages to place itself within the higher rankings of the sports film genre. I would not say it manages to completely subvert some of the standard conventions of this type of film, but it does a great job at embracing some of them, while not turning up the melodrama or going overboard with the dramatic stakes of the film. Most importantly, this is a film that is completely engaging thanks to its fine performances based around two brothers caught up in believable family drama and the extreme world of mixed martial arts. Continue reading ‘‘Warrior’ Skillfully Tackles The Mixed Martial Art of Acting, Action, and Storytelling’
September 7th, 2011 by Sean Ferguson
From the celebrated film-making team of Joel Coen and Ethan Coen (Fargo, Raising Arizona), comes this visually stunning tale of a double-cross—and murder—in a small town. When the owner of a backwoods bar hires a man to kill his cheating wife and her boyfriend, he opens a door into the criminal world that he’ll never be able to shut. Blood Simplemarked the debut of the Coen Brothers and also represented the big break for Frances McDormand, Dan Hedaya, and it gave M. Emmet Walsh the biggest role of his career. Continue reading ‘Blood Simple (Blu-ray Review)’
September 6th, 2011 by Sean Ferguson
More astonishing and spectacular than ever before, Academy Award nominated writer/producer Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas is now available for the first time ever to own on Disney Blu-ray 3D and/or 3D Movie Download! The Nightmare Before Christmas is produced by Academy Award nominated writer and producer Tim Burton (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride) and Denise DiNovi (Edward Scissorhands, James and the Giant Peach), directed by Henry Selick (Coraline, James and the Giant Peach) and written by Michael McDowell (Beetle Juice, Thinner) and Caroline Thompson (Corpse Bride, The Addams Family). And the spectacular charactersare voiced by the talents of Chris Sarandon (The Princess Bride, Fright Night) as Jack Skellington’s speaking voice, Danny Elfman (Corpse Bride, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) as Jack Skellington’s singing voice and Catherine O’Hara (Home Alone, Best In Show) as Sally, to name a few. Continue reading ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas 3D/2D (Blu-ray Review)’
With Contagion, acclaimed director Steven Soderbergh moves away from his more obscure arthouse fair and back into more mainstream film territory. The result is a procedural-style thriller geared towards adults and it is plenty effective in having the surrounding audience be weary of anyone who coughs near them after having seen the film. Using a similar template as he did with Traffic, Soderbergh has taken away the sensationalizing of a thriller based around a global virus pandemic and focuses on a core set of characters “realistically” doing what they can, given the situation they are in. As a result, while not without some characterization issues, the film is absorbing, well made and acted for certain, and quite chilling at times. Continue reading ‘‘Contagion’ Spreads Procedural-Style Chills’
