I Spit On Your Blu-ray Grave…
November 19th, 2010 by Blu-ray Brian
Come on. Tell me you do not want a perfect way to celebrate your Valentine’s Day next year? Well if you do, then your in luck. Here’s a film I have been dying to see, and coming this February 8th, I will be able to enjoy it on the Blu-ray format. Of course, I’m talking about the thriller I Spit On Your Grave. And wait! There’s a bonus! Also, the very same day, you will be able to enjoy the 1978 Original, I Spit On Your Grave (aka Day of the Woman). How’s that for a Valentine’s Day treat? Continue reading ‘I Spit On Your Blu-ray Grave…’
This Saturday, MMA and Why So Blu collide once again as the former Cage Stars brand, now under the Rocktagon, brings us another high octane fight card to the masses on November 20th. You may remember this past June when Why So Blu covered the arrival of UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, who flew all the way up from Brazil to make an appearance at a multi-bout event. Silva won’t be around this time, but it’s the sight of the sport that truly draws fans in anyway and there’ll be plenty of sport to be had. 
Leave it to our good friends at Fox Home Entertainment to impress me today. I thought this was a pretty clever PR release for the Oliver Stone sequel, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. The Michael Douglas and Shia LaBeouf film will make its Blu-ray debut on December 21, 2010. Don’t believe me? Then check out the really cool stock certificate below that will fill in all the details (click on the image below to enlarge it for reading pleasure). And oh yeah, while you are at it. 
When I watched this movie, I didn’t realize that it was the ninth (!) entry in a long running franchise that began with Air Bud and evolved in the “Buddies” series. It seems that they keep re-inventing the franchise to keep it fresh. This movie is a spin-off of it’s own from Santa Buddies: The Legend of Santa Paws which was a spin-off from Santa Buddies, so you get the picture and I’ll stop the chain right there. 
Well, I guess I should preface this entire review by saying first and foremost that 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 maybe, just maybe, the seventh and final two installments may be the charm? Who knows? I don’t know, but going into Tuesday evening’s press screening, I was definitely interested in finding out while keeping an open mind (a necessary evil in the world of film reviewing). 
At last the hills are alive with the Sound of Music on Blu-ray! This is is one of my all time favorite musicals (a genre that doesn’t have that many movies that interest me) and one of the movies that never fails to cheer me up. After all, it was brilliantly directed by Robert Wise and has a stellar cast, great songs and choreography, and breathtaking panoramic visuals that just beg for the Blu-ray treatment.
I had the good fortune to be allowed to participate in a round-table discussion with the Director of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (and the National Treasure series) to promote the upcoming Blu-ray and DVD releases of the movie. A lot of times, it’s hard to get a lot of questions answered either due to the quantity of interviewers or because of time but Mr. Turteltaub was extremely generous by allowing us over two hours to talk with him so I was able to get in a lot of questions.
Something has been gnawing at me about this cutesy, romantic comedy, based around a morning news program. It has nothing to do with its leads, who are all charming in their own ways, whether it be Rachel McAdams bubbly, yet spunky personality, or Harrison Ford’s ability to play bull-headed and grumpy (yes, he’s “acting”) for comedic effect. It also does not have anything to do with the story, which is a pretty standard script, delivering a good amount of laughs, before settling into familiar plot territory. 
Fair Game is both a drama centered on politics and a character study about the struggle of a marriage. The story is based on true events, involving the Bush administration’s attempts to discredit an American ambassador by revealing his wife’s status as a covert CIA agent. The film is very much skewed towards a certain audience, but for those interested in a film like this, it is very well made. The direction and editing are solid enough to make note of, as the film constantly moves forward, while dealing with all of the information presented. 
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a family classic that I somehow missed until now which is a mystery to me since I am a huge fan of Dick Van Dyke. The movie stars not only Dick Van Dyke, but also the beautiful Sally Ann Howes (in a role that was originally intended for Julie Andrews), Lionel Jeffries, and in a drastic departure from the role of the villainous Auric Goldfinger, Gert Frobe too. It’s funny that my next review is for The Sound of Music which stars Van Dyke’s fellow Mary Poppins alum Julie Andrews and it’s interesting to see both of their follow-up movies play even more to both of their unique talents than Mary Poppins did. This time, Dick Van Dyke has a the starring role and it’s one that showcases his admirable abilities as a singer and a dancer.
I hope some comments answer the question I am going to start this off with. Why this film is called The Next Three Days? After sitting through this silly thriller, which consists of a lot of empty entertainment that can easily fall apart for the viewer if they try to step back and think about it for even a second, I still found myself wondering what the title of the film was actually referring to. We are presented with a number of title cards during the film, which give us a rough time on how things are progressing, but never one that actually says “The Next Three Days.” 
If Skyline was a person, you would complement their shoes because of how unappealing the rest of that person is. Basically, yes, this movie does some nice work with the effects, but really fails to deliver in any other category to make you like the movie. Directors Colin and Greg Strause (billed as The Brothers Strause) are special effects guru’s who have done work on films such as Avatar and Iron Man 2 and also directed Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem. For this film, they enlisted a few pretty, but low-profile actors and filmed a very cheap movie within their own apartment building. 
Unstoppable is the new action thriller from director Tony Scott and star Denzel Washington and presumably the second part of their “Train Trilogy,” which began with the tepid The Taking of Pelham 123, and will hopefully conclude with an adaptation of red-light/green-light taking place on a monorail and reuniting Denzel with his Man on Fire costar Dakota Fanning. Seriously though, this was an entertaining film that managed to be better than I thought it could be. It is a solid B-movie that audiences should be able to enjoy. 
Well, why not prepare by reliving the first 5 Harry Potter films! Warner Bros. Digital Distribution has your back. They are ready to prepare you for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 with the release of the first 5 Harry Potter films this month On Demand (cable & satellite) and through digital Download on iTunes, Amazon Video on Demand, XBOX and Playstation and other online digital retailers. Follow the links below and learn how you can catch up. 
I spent this whole movie with one thought burning through my brain – who is the actress playing Alice Creed and where do I know her from. In this movie, I watched her fight, listened to her talk and scream, saw her topless and still couldn’t figure it out. As I begin writing this review, the light bulb comes on in my head and I realize that she is the woman from Prince of Persia. The actress, Gemma Arterton, may have had a long career and Prince of Persia may be the least interesting thing people know her from – but it’s where I know her from and I am thoroughly proud of myself for figuring it out without the assistance of a Google search!
I’m pretty sure that all three of my staff Blu-ray reviewers, excluding myself, would put some of the Alien movies in their all-time favorite lists if I asked them. And so when the Alien Anthology Blu-ray box set arrived at my doorstep upon returning from sunny California, almost two weeks ago, it arrived at what Tyler Durden would call a very unusual time in my life. Despite Sean loving these movies so much, I’m afraid to pass these along to him, as I already know he has a lot on his plate with our pals over at Disney and Warner Bros. 
Hey! My girl is back. Sorry for all the Alice Creed stuff as of late, but by now I’m sure you can all tell how excited I am for this November 23rd Blu-ray release, right? Well my favorite PR person just emailed me another clip form The Disappearance of Alice Creed Blu-ray and DVD release. This time around, it’s an interview with none other than my girl, Gemma Arterton. Check out the interview, film trailer and press release below. And don’t forget to 
Re-imagining classic TV shows has become very popular since the shows tap into any nostalgic feelings viewers may still harbor for the old show, and it also gives the new show a chance to update and modernize the special effects, the tone, and the story-lines. A perfect example on how to do it right would the remake of Battlestar Galactica which ended up being superior in every way compared to the original show that it was based on.
