Archive Page 575
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)’
April 14th, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
So I don’t tend to write about my own process and circumstances when writing very often, but I am going to point out something about James Gunn’s film Super, which relates to me. I was at a loss for a few days after seeing this film, before finally sitting down to write this review. It could be related to how busy I have been, but really it has to do with what I thought about this film. On one hand, it has a darkly comedic take on the story of an ordinary man who becomes a vigilante in an effort to fight crime, which is fairly entertaining, if a bit familiar for a premise these days. On the other side of things, the film presents a wavering tone that balances these more comedic moments with some very uncomfortable and disturbing violence. Continue reading ‘‘Super’ Sticks A Wrench Into Its Twisted, Darkly Comic Tale’
April 13th, 2011 by Gerard Iribe
Wow, has it been fifteen years already? The fifteenth season of South Park kicks off on Wednesday, April 27, but the complete FOURTEENTH season of South Park will be released on Blu-ray, Tuesday, April 26th. You’ve got a whole day and a half to catch up. South Park: The Complete Fourteenth Season Uncensored will also be available on DVD. Season fifteen episodes will be presented in HD Exclusively On xBox LIVE, iTunes, Sony Playstation Network, Amazon Video On Demand. New episodes will also be available on SouthParkStudios.com.
Continue reading ‘‘South Park: The Complete Fourteenth Season Uncensored’ Blu-ray Arrives In Stores On Tuesday, April 26′
April 13th, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
Back in 2007, in anticipation of the horror/exploitation double feature that was directors’ Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez’s Grindhouse, there was a contest held for others around the world to create their own exploitation film-themed movie trailer, which would be played at the Grindhouse premiere. Canadian filmmaker Jason Eisner won the contest with his trailer for Hobo with a Shotgun. Now, as Robert Rodriguez’s own fake trailer – Machete, has gone on to become a film of its own, Eisner also managed to make a full length feature film version of ‘Hobo’. As a result, Eisner has created a film that is, in some ways, more enjoyable than the other attempts at rejuvenating exploitation flicks. Style, performances, and overall tone have all come together in the best ways possible that are suitable for a film about a bum going gun crazy. Continue reading ‘‘Hobo With A Shotgun’ Is Like Finding A Rose In The Dumpster’
April 13th, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
I think there is something that is important to address in regards to this web series and the person involved in its creation – Jon M. Chu. I am a fan of this writer/producer/director. The name may not be familiar as of now to many, but I think he is quite talented when it comes to filming action, which could lead down an entertaining path for him in the future. The twisted part of this statement is that all of his action direction has so far come in the form of dance related films. Chu is responsible for Step Up 2: The Streets and Step Up 3D. Regardless of the opinions that some have of those films, the one thing I can stand behind is that the filmmaking involved in capturing the dance sequences is damn solid, which is why I was willing to embrace Chu’s personal project – The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers. Continue reading ‘The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers: Seasons 1 & 2 (DVD Review)’
April 13th, 2011 by Blu-ray Brian
As many times as I was asked to see this film I reluctantly missed out on it in the theaters. But now that I know I only have a short wait for the Blu-ray presentation I’m pretty sure I can hold out. And I suppose, since I do live in Cleveland, I should really be able to get into this film. I would think so. Don’t you? After all, Kill The Irishman is a crime action film that tracks the rise and fall of real-life Irish-American mobster Danny Greene in Cleveland during the 1970’s. Starz/Anchor Bay has announced a June 14th Blu-ray release date for the mobster film. If only my grandfather were still alive to see this one. I have a strong premonition that he would like it. The Jonathan Hensleigh directed film stars Ray Stevenson, Vincent D’Onofrio, Val Kilmer and Christopher Walken. Continue reading ‘Kill The Irishman on Blu-ray!’
