Archive Page 573
April 21st, 2011 by Blu-ray Brian
At least that’s what Todd Brown of Twitch Film is calling this movie. Over the weekend I shared the trailer with you all (see here) and now we are back for more. I’m excited to inform you of the launch of the two latest Stake Land character prequels (there are four in total) on Apple Trailers. These mini-vignettes, detailing the time leading up to the horrific events of the film, each provide a tantalizing glimpse into the lives of the Stake Land cast of characters. The two most recent installments are titled JEBEDIAH starring Michael Cerveris and directed by Larry Fessenden and WILLIE starring Sean Nelson and directed by the lovely Danielle Harris (listen to my audio interview with her here). To view both of these trailers click the link below. Continue reading ‘The American Horror Film of the Year is…Stake Land?’
April 21st, 2011 by Gerard Iribe
Considered part of the Japanese new-wave of cinema, Pigs & Battle ships is Shôhei Imamura’s fifth film, and is a portrait of the wannabe-Yakuza subculture in the U.S. Navy occupied area of Yokosuka. It’s a chaotic tale of petty thugs, strong minded women, gangsters, and much more who are all battling for control over the pork trade in the Yokosuka coastal town. This special Dual Format Blu-ray/DVD will also contain Shôhei Imamura’s 1958 debut, but rarely seen, Stolen Desire. The Blu-ray format will certainly bring out all of the details in the rich black and white ‘Scope’ cinematography found in Pigs & Battleships. Pigs & Battleships will be released in the UK June 27th, 2011. Continue reading ‘Pigs & Battleships (including Stolen Desire) (Masters of Cinema) is to be released in the UK as a Dual Format Blu-ray/DVD on June 27 2011’
April 20th, 2011 by Gerard Iribe
Masters of Cinema will be releasing the French silent film classic Coeur Fidele on a Dual Format Blu-ray/DVD package this June. Coeur Fidele is the story of a barmaid who is continuously oppressed by her exploitative foster family that keep trying to push her into the arms of someone with questionable motives. Her heart, of course, already belongs to another. Masters of Cinema have gone to great care in assembling this Blu-ray package. There is a new remastered picture, many supplements, and a 44-page booklet which contains many pictures and notes on the production of the film. Coeur Fidele is French silent cinema at its best! Continue reading ‘Cœur fidèle (Masters of Cinema) is to be released in the UK as a Dual Format Blu-ray/DVD on June 27 2011’
April 20th, 2011 by Brian White
I was really hoping that I would be getting Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I to review on Blu-ray because not being the biggest advocate of the franchise these past ten years, I wanted to see whether I still liked the film or if it was an off night for me when I saw it theatrically. And golly gee, was that a long sentence or what? Alright, I will try my best to constrain and rope in my thoughts as I proceed on here. Well, one thing’s for sure. I already spilled the beans. I am not a Harry Potter fan. I have never read the books, but many have told me that they are fantastic. And no, I have not taken very well to the films so far (#1 and #2 are sure fire cures for insomnia, in my opinion), but I was hoping just maybe, the seventh final two installments might be the charm. Who knows? Continue reading ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I (Blu-ray Review)’
April 19th, 2011 by Blu-ray Brian
I missed this one in the theater, but the same mistake won’t happen when it arrives on Blu-ray this June. Two of our reviewers really liked this one (see here and here) so I’m not going to let this one slip off my radar. Anyway, of course I am talking about the salesman comedy of the year Cedar Rapids. The film will make its Blu-ray debut with a Super Awesome Edition on June 21st. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment assures me that you will be able to slam back a shot of cream sherry and dance with the tiger on June 21st. I guess I will have to watch the Blu-ray to find out what the heck they are talking about. Until then…here’s the press release! Continue reading ‘Take The Trip To ‘Cedar Rapids’ on Blu-ray’
April 19th, 2011 by Blu-ray Brian
It’s that time again! Yep! That’s right! It’s episode #2 of the online phenomenon known as Mortal Kombat: Legacy. Fight! So here we are. This is the Kevin Tancharoen’s second installment in the webseries that picks up right after the big explosion in the first episode. I guess the only complaint circulating around the web today about this second episode is its mere running time of 7 minutes. I got one thing to say about that. Shut up people! It’s free and it’s Mortal Kombat! What more do you want? So without further ado, here’s episode #2. Enjoy! And again…Fight! Continue reading ‘Mortal Kombat: Legacy – Ep. 2 – Jax, Sonya and Kano (Part 2)’
April 19th, 2011 by Gerard Iribe
What happens when the musical genre gets meshed with the biography of the musician who created some very famous musicals? That’s what De-Lovely aims to tell in this Blu-ray release. De-Lovely has a very cool and creative cast featuring the likes of Kevin Kline, Ashley Judd, and Jonathan Pryce. In addition to the main actors cast for De-Lovely, the filmmakers went ahead and secured several very famous contemporary musicians for some of the big production numbers. Not only were they featured in the film, but they also got to sing. These superstars included, but were not limited to: Sheryl Crow, Alanis Morissette, Elvis Costello, Robbie Williams, Diane Krall, Natalie Cole, among others. How does De-Lovely stack up against other musical features that came before or after it? Come on in and find out. Continue reading ‘De-Lovely (Blu-ray Review)’
April 18th, 2011 by Blu-ray Brian
Are you all ready for some sex, drugs, lies, corruption and murder? Yeah! I know you are! Ray Liotta stars in the gritty cop thriller Street Kings 2: Motor City. The film comes out on Blu-ray and DVD tomorrow, but our good friends from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment have given us several DVD copies to give away to three lucky readers here. Intrigued? Want to know more? Well, that’s good because it’s easy to win these. All you have to do is follow the simple rules listed below and answer one quick question. I don’t think I even need to give you a hint either. Sometimes the answers are right in front of your face. Get my meaning? Continue reading ‘Street Kings 2: Motor City Giveaway!’
April 18th, 2011 by Gerard Iribe
The Silent House aka La Casa Muda is the new horror film presented by IFC Midnight. It’s based on the “true story” that happened in Uruguay in the late 40’s. Laura is and her father are the inhabitants of an old house out in the countryside. After some scary events transpire during their stay Laura decides to leave. The house has other ideas. On the surface this does look to be another haunted house tale, but haunted house tales are cool. What separates The Silent House from the rest is not just the story, but the on how it was made. The Silent House was shot for $6,000 in ONE 78 minute single take. In fact, The Silent House runs JUST 78 minutes long; the length of the take! The Silent House will be available ON DEMAND May 11th, 2011. Here’s hoping it gets a release on the big screen soon after…or on Blu-ray! Continue reading ‘The Silent House (La Casa Muda) is Coming May 11th’
April 17th, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
The Conspirator means well, despite only measuring up to being decent. I majored in History, I am a fan of the subject matter being presented, and I am a fan of director Robert Redford and his cast of very talented individuals. It is unfortunate that this film could not bring all of these elements together into a more interesting historical drama. As it stands, the film is anchored by its leading performances and its eye for small, but important details, but the story has a problem of feeling very by the numbers, going through the motions of this period in history, without making the material more engaging or letting us see through the eyes of a more interesting character. Continue reading ‘‘The Conspirator’ Has Been Found Accurate, But Average’
April 16th, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
I had a chance to watch the opening of Scream once I got home, after watching this third sequel. I think those 10 minutes may be the best thing that director Wes Craven has ever done. The sequence has a lot of fun playing with convention, ratcheting up the tension, and then paying off in an effectively gruesome manner. Craven has made other very good films in the past and has created a couple horror icons, but I honestly don’t think he’s made a good film since maybe Scream 2 in 1997. Despite having made the worst film of 2010, I was holding out a small shred of hope that Craven could revisit his groundbreaking franchise, along with its screenwriting creator, Kevin Williamson, and successfully reestablish it into a new decade of horror satire. Continue reading ‘‘Scream 4’ Stabs Its Meta Soul In The Face’
April 16th, 2011 by Blu-ray Brian
Ever since I spoke to Danielle Harris a few months ago I have been growing impatient to check her out in a new film. I mean her performance, but of course. So it comes with great joy that I am able to spread the gospel with the latest press release I have received on behalf of IFC Midnight and Dark Sky Films. They are thrilled to announce the premiere of the official trailer for Stake Land, the film’s Official Facebook Page and also the brand new theatrical poster. Stake Land stars Danielle Harris and Kelly McGillis. So without further ado, check out the film’s trailer below, full press release and new theatrical poster. Continue reading ‘Get Staked with Danielle Harris in Stake Land’
April 15th, 2011 by Sean Ferguson
The third Narnia film based on C.S. Lewis’ imaginative novels, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader has a lot of expectations to live up to. The first movie in the series The Lion, The With, and The Wardrobe, has some nice effects and a great trailer but was disappointing for fans of the novels. The second movie, Prince Caspian seemed more mature and had some action in it, but it was only marginally better than the first. This third entry is the first one produced by Twentieth Century Fox after Disney decided the costs weren’t worth the return and let the rights go. Does Dawn Treader succeed where the previous two failed or does it tread water? Read on and find out… Continue reading ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Blu-ray Review)’
April 15th, 2011 by Gerard Iribe
Magnolia Films is set to release Brad Anderson’s (The Machinist, Session 9, Transsiberian) on Blu-ray this May. Vanishing On 7th Street is the story of a mysterious blackout that blankets Detroit. Only a few strangers are left among the heaps of empty clothing, empty cars, and abandoned buildings. They are not alone. Evil lurks in the darkness. They must gather as much supplies as possible and will have to try to stay in the light to survive. Vanishing On 7th Street will come equipped with bonus features and an audio commentary by director Brad Anderson. Vanishing On 7th Street hits stores on May 17th, 2011. Continue reading ‘‘Vanishing On 7th Street’ Appears on Blu-ray May 17th’
April 15th, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
I enjoyed Red State quite a bit. That’s the way to start something like this. Red State is an offbeat, dark thriller that centers on some unfortunate souls who get wrapped up in the world of sinister religious fundamentalists, before taking other twists and turns. While many feel the need to bring up all of the muck that surrounds Kevin Smith and his supposed “antics” when it came time to unleashing his latest film to audiences, I will be trying my hardest to leave all of that out and focus on the film, which matters most. So again, I really enjoyed Red State, which is a significant departure for Smith, who has made a career out of foul-mouthed comedies, this time delivering a no-holds barred (and occasionally foul-mouthed) thriller. Continue reading ‘Say Your Prayers And Enter ‘Red State’, Kevin Smith’s Decent Into Indie Horror’
April 14th, 2011 by Sean Ferguson
Lately, I’ve been reviewing a lot of World War II films including: The World at War (see my review here) and Victory at Sea (here) and my recent review of Apocalypse: World War II that you can read here, but this two disc documentary varies from all of those because the focus on the war is from the German people’s viewpoint. And that doesn’t necessarily mean from the Nazi point of view either, since many Germans were opposed to Hitler and his policies. This documentary covers a lot of the how and why the German people allowed Hitler to seize power and eventually lead them to ruin. Continue reading ‘The Third Reich (DVD Review)’
April 14th, 2011 by Gerard Iribe
Stanley Kubrick has already been documented as one of the greatest directors that ever lived, and Steven Spielberg is considered by some to be one of the greatest living directors of all time. What would happen if both of these world class directors teamed up to make a movie? A.I. Artificial Intelligence would be that project, but unfortunately Stanley Kubrick would not see the film come to fruition due to his untimely death in 1999. Kubrick was initially inspired to make A.I. when he read Brian Aldiss’ short story Supertoys Last All Summer Long in the 1970’s. It was a project that he nurtured for many years and he even brought Spielberg on board to direct the film while he produced. It was not meant to be, so Spielberg took the reigns himself and brought A.I. to the world about two years after Kubrick’s death. Continue reading ‘A.I. Artificial Intelligence (Blu-ray Review)’
April 14th, 2011 by Gerard Iribe
Steven Seagal is back, and he was Born to Raise Hell, in his latest DTV (direct-to video) adventure on Blu-ray! Paramount Pictures has picked up the home video distribution rights. Not only is Steven Seagal back to take out the garbage, he also wrote and produced Born to Raise Hell. Here’s another tidbit of information, Born to Raise Hell was also made for about ten million dollars. Yeah, that’s not a low budget for independent films. That’s a decent amount of cash. Born to Raise Hell was also filmed in Bucharest, so there’s a very exotic feel to it. The question beckons, though. How will Born to Raise Hell measure up to Steven Seagal’s previous DTV romps? That’s where you come in, my dear reader. Go forth and find out! Continue reading ‘Born to Raise Hell (Blu-ray Review)’
