Archive Page 549
September 14th, 2011 by Sean Ferguson
In the spring of 1980, the Mariel boatlift brought thousands of Cuban refugees to the sun-washed avenues of Miami in search of the American dream. From acclaimed director Brian DePalma, Scarface is the rags-to-riches story of Tony Montana (Al Pacino), who finds wealth, power and passion beyond his wildest dreams…at a price he never imagined. Tony Montana’s meteoric rise, lavish life and soul-destroying fall, are the elements of the film have that inspired a worldwide following and changed the fortunes of the movie from a mediocre box office under-performer into a phenomenon. The role of Tony Montana gave Pacino one of his most memorable roles as he blasts his way to the top of Miami’s drug underworld in a bravura performance. Continue reading ‘Scarface: Limited Edition Steelbook (Blu-ray Review)’
September 13th, 2011 by Brian White
Before there was Insidious, there was 2001’s The Others. Of course, they are completely different stories, but they both travel down a similar road I love in my movies, that being the paranormal/supernatural one. I could go on and on about my love for both of these films, but for today, my proverbial spotlight will be shining solely upon Lionsgate’s September 20th Blu-ray release of The Others. And rightfully so, this film stands the test of time in my opinion. It’s very rare that a film of this caliber, which depends almost exclusively on its one hell of a twisted ending, lends itself well to many repeat viewings. It has been awhile since my last rendezvous with The Others, so here goes nothing. Continue reading ‘The Others (Blu-ray Review)’
September 13th, 2011 by Patrick Bellante
When I thought about Madden this year I thought wow this is going to be the same old dog and probably no new tricks. To be honest the only reason I even thought about purchasing this installment was because I love Cleveland and our hard working running back, Peyton Hillis, got the fans vote to grace the cover of this edition. The one drawback I was expecting from this title was the lack current rosters due to the NFL lockout that almost plagued the season. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that an updated league roster was available right out of the package. Continue reading ‘Madden NFL 12 (PS3 Game Review)’
September 12th, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
So imagine the heavy metal version of Calvin and Hobbes and you have something close to resembling Hesher, a strange sort of drama that features a tornado of destruction, in the form of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who enters the life of young TJ, a boy still grieving the loss of his mother. Hesher is definitely the product of independent cinema and it is a strange blend of many different qualities that still have me questioning whether I truly enjoyed this film as whole or just aspects of it. Fortunately, as opposed to going through some kind of aggro rage bender like Hesher would, I can simply work out my thoughts through the process of reviewing this Blu-ray. Continue on to see where I ended up with this very warped version of a buddy film/family drama. Continue reading ‘Hesher (Blu-ray Review)’
September 12th, 2011 by Sean Ferguson
Not long ago, I had the chance to talk to with some very influential people in Disney about the restoration work done for the upcoming Dumbo Blu-ray. Those people included Sara Duran-Singer, the Senior Vice-President of Post-Production, Dave Bossert, the Creative Director of Walt Disney Studios Animation, and Joe Jiuliano, who is the Director of Film and Video Services The discussion yielded a lot of interesting information on how Disney restores and preserves their films as well as some interesting trivia such as the fact that legendary Warner Brothers animator Chuck Jones got his start working for Disney. We also found out that some of Disney’s classic live action films including (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Swiss Family Robinson, and Mary Poppins) have already been restored and will be coming to Blu-ray. Ostensibly, we were supposed to talk about the amazing restoration done on Dumbo, but I managed to sneak in a question about the legendary Song of the South which is still locked up in the vault, and I actually got an answer that might surprise you. Read on to find out more… Continue reading ‘A Talk With Disney About the Restoration of Dumbo’
September 12th, 2011 by Gregg Senko
Last night I received a very sobering text message from fellow WSB writer Gerard Iribe. It stated that Spartacus star Andy Whitfield passed away. For months I had wondered of the progress of the actor’s battle with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and last night was not the outcome I was expecting. Instead of focusing on the sadness of his departure, however, I figured it better to reflect on the positive that he brought to us as well as the indirect impact he has had here on Why So Blu.
Continue reading ‘The Passing of Andy Whitfield’
September 10th, 2011 by Scott Wampler
Of late, I have developed quite the interest in Asian cinema. Oh, sure, I’d dabbled before– I’ve got more than a few Miike films on my shelf, for instance– but lately I’ve been going bananas with our friends to the East (note: “Friends to The East” does not include Kim Jong-Il, just in case anyone’s concerned about my political affiliations). It started with me revisiting Old Boy, and quickly turned into me buying up a slew of Asian Blu-rays over the past few weeks: The Good, The Bad, and The Weird and The Host and I Saw The Devil and — of course– House. And so, when the opportunity to review the Asian horror film Cold Fish arose, I gladly accepted. Unlike another, American-made horror film released under the “Bloody Disgusting Selects” banner that I just reviewed (YellowBrickRoad), this one was actually pretty damn good. Let’s get to it. Continue reading ‘Cold Fish (DVD Review)’
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’
