Archive Page 554
August 27th, 2011 by Sean Ferguson
A lone gunfighter, the man with no name, rides into town on his old mule. He’s a cynical loner with a clouded past and a cigar hanging out of his mouth. He’s as fast as the devil with a gun and he kills for money. But this isn’t the ideal town to ride into. Two rival families are against each other in a cut throat war. The one is led by their powerful mother mostly and the other by a blood thirsty criminal, Ramón, who has kidnapped a local man’s beautiful wife, Marisol. When the steely blue-eyed mercenary arrives in the dusty border town where these two rival bands of smugglers terrorize the impoverished citizens, he pits the gangs against each other in one of the most influential westerns in cinema history. Can the stranger remain neutral, or will he end up doing the right thing and helping the town? Oscar-winner Clint Eastwood blends a quiet steadiness with a palpable ferocity as the iconic gunslinger “The Man With No Name” in Sergio Leone’s first gritty “spaghetti Western.”
Continue reading ‘A Fistful of Dollars (Blu-ray Review)’
August 27th, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
In Our Idiot Brother, Paul Rudd is able to do something few actors can in the opening minutes of the film. He makes us instantly like him. His character’s hippy-ish, Dude-like persona is non-grating and adorable, despite the fact that his character, Ned, makes some poor choices. It is just too bad he has to deal with three nearly-shrewish sisters. Ned’s siblings tend to make him a punching bag of sorts in a film that is not quite biting, but is certainly meaner in spirit than it is in actually watching it. The film does manage to be quite funny and features a great cast, but its incredibly laid back attitude and willingness to rest all of charm on Rudd’s shoulders makes the film a bit uneven. Our Idiot Brother has a very 70s way of keeping its meandering story watchable, even when its fairly trite wrap-up comes into play. Continue reading ‘‘Our Idiot Brother’ Is A Pretty Nice Guy’
August 27th, 2011 by Gerard Iribe
Having Norwegian Ninja arrive for me to review was a surprise, because the only thing I’d really heard or seen of the film was one single trailer with English subtitles. The trailer looked hilarious. Why? It’s in the title! Norwegian Ninja! How could I not be impressed with it? The trailer looked like an extremely low budget flick with crappy production values. I was so in! Then the DVD copy arrived and I was…even more in? Yep, Why So Blu is proud to present (wait for it) the DVD review of…NORWEGIAN NINJA!!!! Continue reading ‘Norwegian Ninja (DVD Review)’
August 27th, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
The haunted house horror subgenre has seen resurgence lately; with films like Paranormal Activity and Insidious providing fresh and clever takes on material that has been done quite a bit in the past. Hell, even last week’s Fright Night, a vampire film, managed to provide a house of horrors for its characters. Don’t be Afraid of the Dark is a new horror film produced and co-written by the horror/creature-obsessed filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro. His idea was to remake the original made for TV film of the same name, as it terrified him as a child. With plenty of options at his disposal; a talented cast, a great setting, Del Toro’s own eye for creature design, and a malicious cold open, it would seem that this film has everything set to provide for a spooky story. Unfortunately, even with a solid bag of tricks, the magicians at work didn’t make their illusions at all spectacular. Continue reading ‘You Can Keep Your Eyes Open, ‘The Dark’ Isn’t Very Scary’
August 27th, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
Colombiana is the latest action/thriller from French producer Luc Besson. For those unfamiliar, Besson was the director responsible for wonderful action films such as Leon (The Professional) and La Femme Nakita, but has since been known for producing a slew of slick and simple action films such as The Transporter series and Taken. As usual, it seems as if Besson simply had an idea during a meal and wrote it down on a napkin, only to have one of his French protégé’s develop a whole film around it. Colombiana does not win many points for originality, but it does manage to be a serviceable action film with the great presence of Zoe Saldana in the lead role. Continue reading ‘‘Colombiana’ Is Sexy, Violent, And Average’
August 26th, 2011 by Brianna Reagh
In all honesty, I am afraid of the dark. Let’s just get it all out there. I am a perfect candidate to assess the sinister atmosphere of a movie and be successfully disturbed, because a lot of things scare me. I am a baby, I have no shame. I had no idea what to expect when seeing Don’t be Afraid of the Dark, other than there was some sort of scary creature(s), so I had no mental preparation giving me preemptive stability. From the opening credits, the movie seemed like it could have had a curious blend of Tim Burton in the directing, for there was a twisted, childlike terror to the feel of the vision of the film so I couldn’t tell what I was getting into.
Continue reading ‘I Won’t Be Afraid of the Dark…’
August 25th, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
Saturday’s panel, “Building Worlds: Inside The Walt Disney Vault,” at Disney’s D23 Expo has already been the source of some exciting and interesting upcoming films from the Mouse House, including Pixar’s Brave, John Carter, and of course, The Avengers. The last film I want to touch upon is the upcoming animation project from director Tim Burton. Back in 1984, before Burton’s first feature film (Pee Wee’s Big Adventure!), he made a short family film, titled Frankenweenie, which was a parody/homage to the original Frankenstein film. Given that this was a fun, personal project stemming from the more family friendly mind of Tim Burton, he has now been given the chance to remake Frankenweenie as a full-length, stop-animated film and he has brought along plenty of Burton regulars to help out. Read on to learn more about the next Burton-style family film. Continue reading ‘D23 Expo: Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie’
August 24th, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
Continuing the coverage of what was a pretty excitement-packed Saturday morning at Disney’s D23 Expo, Director Andrew Stanton and the cast of John Carter made an appearance as well. This took place at the D23 Arena panel known as, “Building Worlds: Inside The Walt Disney Vault,” which was a place for all the upcoming Disney projects to be shown off or announced to the crowd. Just as audiences were treated to sneak peeks at films such as The Muppets, The Avengers, and Pixar’s Brave, everyone was able to see a behind the scenes look at the upcoming film adaptation of the famed pulp novel hero. Read on to find out more about the heroics of Tim Riggins and the height requirements for Willem Dafoe in John Carter. Continue reading ‘D23 Expo: John Carter’
August 24th, 2011 by Blu-ray Brian
Here’s another press release hot out of my email inbox from my favorite PR person in the world. Anchor Bay Entertainment is proud to release the highly anticipated Starz Original series CAMELOT- THECOMPLETE FIRST SEASON on Blu-ray and DVD September 13th. The 3-disc set contains all ten episodes of the Arthurian Legend with a kingly lot of bonus features including never-before-seen featurettes, bloopers, behind-the-scenes (including a unique on set visit with actor Paul Mooney), character profiles and easy access episode recaps. How’s that for your Blu-ray bucks? Check out the video below and pre-order your copy today! Continue reading ‘Blu-ray Extra Clip From Camelot: The Complete First Season’
August 24th, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
Mahna Mahna…excuse me, Saturday at Disney’s D23 Expo was a big day indeed. I have already covered The Avengers presentation, which was a way for plenty of people to geek out. I have also written about Pixar, which has big, ambitious plans for their future as well. This whole film presentation was a part of the D23 Arena panel, titled “Building Worlds: Inside the Walt Disney Studios,” which was a way for Disney to bring out the various cast and crew members involved in all of their upcoming films and show new footage. Among those was a sneak peak at the upcoming Muppets film, due for release this Thanksgiving. Given my belief that Muppets can bring out the joy in practically anyone, I was plenty happy to learn even more about this film. Read on to find out when it will be time to meet the Muppets on the Muppet Show tonight. Continue reading ‘D23 Expo: The Muppets Take The Stage’
August 24th, 2011 by Sean Ferguson
Collecting the first twelve episodes from the show’s second season, the two-disc Batman: The Brave and The Bold Season Two, Part One DVD collection is the latest home video release for the acclaimed Batman: The Brave and The Bold animated series. This is the first of two planned DVD releases to collect the entire 26-episode second season of Batman: The Brave and The Bold with the next one scheduled to be released in early 2012. The show has benefited from some great guest stars including: Morena Baccarin, Xander Berkeley, Clancy Brown, Jeffrey Combs, Tim Conway, Olivia d’Abo, Dana Delany, Michael Dorn, Ioan Gruffudd, Neil Patrick Harris, Tippi Hedren, John Michael Higgins, Carl Lumbly, Stephen Root, Ron Perlman and a ton more! The highlights for me were the returning fan favorite Batman: The Animated Series regulars Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill. Continue reading ‘Batman – The Brave and the Bold Season 2 Part 1 (DVD Review)’
August 23rd, 2011 by Gerard Iribe
Beginning on August 23, 2011, BestBuy.com will give fans the opportunity to pre-order the Blu-ray/DVD Combo pack of the blockbuster hit Thor in sensational, limited edition packaging exclusive to the retailer. From Paramount Pictures and Marvel Studios, the phenomenal screen debut of the legendary God of Thunder took audiences by storm, earning more than $448 million at the global box office. The collectible package features the very first image of Marvel’s Thor, which appeared in the comic book “Journey into Mystery” #83 in August 1962 with cover art by Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott. The vintage image invites consumers to “Begin the saga of Thor in this issue!”.In addition, every person who pre-orders the Thor Blu-ray/DVD Combo prior to September 13, 2011 on BestBuy.com will receive a one-month subscription to Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited ($9.99 value). The Thor Blu-ray/DVD Combo debuts on September 13, 2011 and includes a digital copy of the film, as well as 80 minutes of immersive bonus materials including an original short film Marvel One-Shot: The Consultant, an unprecedented look inside the world of director Kenneth Branagh, a sneak peek into Marvel’s The Avengers, and much more. Continue reading ‘‘Thor’s’ Collectable, Limited Edition Best Buy Exclusive for Pre-Order 8/23′
August 23rd, 2011 by Gerard Iribe
Prepare for out-of-this-world fun with the DVD premiere of two spooky adventures from DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. (NYSE: DWA): Scared Shrekless and Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space, arriving in time for Halloween in a thrill-filled Double DVD Pack. The perfect centerpiece for family Halloween party fun, the Double DVD Pack includes not only the two delightfully creepy main attractions, but also “Thriller”, an all-new Shrek-ed out parody of Michael Jackson’s epic music video “Thriller”. Dance along with your favorite Shrek characters as they get funky—and freaky—in the sensational new video. The Halloween Party Double DVD Pack also includes loads of other musical fun, video and more, making it an ideal choice for families to come together and enjoy Halloween. Continue reading ‘‘Scared Shrekless’ and ‘Monsters Vs Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins’ comes to DVD 9/27′
August 23rd, 2011 by Scott Wampler
Top Gear‘s a show that I’ve been hearing about for years, one that I’ve been told time and again that I’d really enjoy if I “just gave it a chance”, but one that I’d never actually given a chance to: I’d seen the series pop up in my Netflix Instant queue on more than one occasion– beckoning me with its promises of silly-ass stunts, British humor, and car-worship– but I never quite found the time to give it a whirl. And so, when the fine folks at WhySoBlu.com offered to pass the latest season of the series along to me (on my beloved, razor-sharp Blu-ray format, no less) I was happy to take it off their hands. Finally, I was going to get a chance to see what everyone’s been raving about. So, did Top Gear turn out to be a all buzz and no bang, or did it turn out that this long-running series had earned its esteemed reputation? (Hint: there are sixteen seasons of Top Gear). Continue reading ‘Top Gear: The Complete Season 16 (Blu-ray Review)’
August 22nd, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
Saturday at Disney’s D23 Expo was a big day indeed, as I have already written about The Avengers, which is an event within itself. This whole film presentation was a part of the D23 Arena panel, titled “Building Worlds: Inside the Walt Disney Studios,” which was a way for Disney to bring out the various cast and crew members involved in all of their upcoming films and show new footage. Among those was a large look at what is next for Pixar Animation Studios. Pixar Chief John Lasseter was on hand during this portion to present all of the upcoming Pixar projects, with appearances by those involved as well as a special sneak peak at some of these upcoming titles. Hearing not only about what is the next Pixar film, but getting a look at projects up to 3 years away in advance was certainly something special. Read on to learn more about what is in the future for the films of Pixar. Continue reading ‘D23 Expo: Pixar’s Brave And Other Announcements’
August 22nd, 2011 by Scott Wampler
When you think about it, horror movies are a lot like the hamburgers you get at McDonald’s. McDonald’s seems to have no qualms about the fact that just about everyone agrees their food sucks, mainly because people continue consuming it. They take the cheapest, weakest ingredients and mash ’em together to create a product that– while hungover or drunk– might seem like a good idea, but one that loses a lot of its appeal once the booze wears off and common sense kicks in. Similarly, studios have always treated horror films as a dirty little (not-so-secret) secret, churning out titles (all of which are destined to end up cluttering the clearance bin at Wal-Mart) with alarming rapidity simply because they know that the ill-informed, the drunk, and the hungover will always have an appetite for them. Whereas McDonald’s “cheap ingredients” might include grade-D beef and more than a little rat feces, studios’ “cheap ingredients” include grade-D actors and…well, more than a little rat feces. All of this is a very longwinded– and entirely unnecessary– was of getting to this: when you’re trolling the bargain bins and bottom-shelves of the world, you never know what you’re gonna get. Continue reading ‘Midnight Movie: The Killer Cut (DVD Review)’
August 22nd, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
Saturday at Disney’s D23 Expo was a big day, mainly due to the massive film presentation in the Anaheim Convention Center Arena. While Notable films including The Avengers, John Carter, and Pixar’s Brave made their mark, a few other films were on hand as well, including an upcoming Disney animated feature called Wreck-It Ralph. I would have to honestly say that besides The Avengers and Brave, I believe Wreck-It Ralph was the film I was most impressed with, having heard about it for the first time. It has a clever premise, some great talent involved, and looks to be a lot fun. Aside from a few films such as Tangled and Bolt, I don’t believe the CG animated Disney films without the Pixar name attached have been entirely successful in the past. Hopefully Wreck-It Ralph will be on the success list. Read on to find out more about the flick. Continue reading ‘D23 Expo: Wreck-It Ralph’
August 21st, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
While there are plenty of other things to eventually write about concerning Disney’s D23 Expo, which took place at the Anaheim Convention Center this past weekend, one of the most anticipated moments was easily the debut of basically anything related to the upcoming Avengers film. As many keeping track of this sort of news know, Disney skipped out on having a big show at this year’s San Diego Comic Con, with intentions to save their big presentations for the D23 Expo. As Disney currently owns Marvel, this meant holding back The Avengers as well. Well the time has now come, and The Avengers did make an appearance at the Expo. Nearly the entire cast was present on the arena stage, and they came with an entire scene from the film, as well as a sizzle real of new footage. It was a good place to see Disney and Marvel fans geek out. Continue reading ‘D23 Expo: Avengers Assemble And Bring New Footage’
