The Walking Dead Rises to the Occasion
November 1st, 2010 by Aaron Neuwirth
I am not normally one to review television, but this is a special case, so I will give it a shot. The acclaimed graphic novel series, The Walking Dead, which also happens to be one of my favorites, has been adapted into a television series, airing Sunday nights on AMC. I was stoked to learn of this upon its first announcement. Not only have I been continually satisfied by AMC’s television series output (Mad Men and Breaking Bad are two of my favorite shows currently on television), I have also been very pleased with all the talent involved in getting this series made. Continue reading ‘The Walking Dead Rises to the Occasion’
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is another family classic that is finally coming to Blu-ray with a ton of special features! Starring Dick Van Dyke, Sally Ann Howes, and Lionel Jeffries, this tale about an eccentric inventor and his magical car is a long time classic and has been remastered for both video and audio and has never looked or sounded better! Take a look at the press release below to see all of the special features that will be loaded on this long awaited Blu-ray and also some clips of the movie kindly provided by MGM Studios. 
Are all you Blu-ray videophiles ready for Tuesday, November 16th? Did you forget the date? Come on! It’s none other than retail street date for the continuing journey of James Cameron’s AVATAR on Blu-ray. The 3-Disc Extended Collector’s Edition contains three different cuts of the film: Original Theatrical version, Special Edition Re-Release and the Collector’s Extended Cut (featuring more than 16 minutes than what’s in the theatrical version). I say, bring all three of them on! I’ll check them out. Actually, I’m looking forward to a return trip to the planet of Pandora.
So to get this out of the way, this movie is pretty terrible, but gets a bonus half of a star because the film was in fact shot in 3D (as opposed to converted) and did feature saws. Anyway, seven years later after the flawed, but only acceptable film in this series, Saw once again opens on Halloween weekend, but this time adding a whole new dimension. While I am aware that the gore-hounds will once again enjoy this film for the most part, the same problems and reasons for why I dislike this series exist: Ridiculous logic, plot, and characters, along with a lack of suspense, instead replaced by ample ways for you to feel dirty afterward. But hey, at least this should be the final Saw we see. 
Well here I am, the review that was not supposed to ever happen. I told myself due to time constraints with my most recent trip out here to California that I simply would not have the time, sadly, to review Shakira’s latest effort, Sale El Sol. That all changed after the publication of my last review, Shakira’s performance at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on October 23rd (see the full review 
There are certain words that I generally don’t like to use. One of those words is corny. Unfortunately, upon seeing initial trailers for this film, “corny” was the only word that really kept coming to mind. I was not quite sure why. The film was directed by Clint Eastwood, who has a pretty solid track record. It stars Matt Damon, who is consistently good in films. And it has an interesting premise, which is quite a change up as far as Eastwood films are concerned. Fortunately, this film actually delivered far greater than I thought it would. 
One of the greatest movie franchises ever made, The Back to the Future Trilogy has finally arrived on Blu-ray! For those fans who would like to see the stars talk about the movies and what it’s meant to them at the Blu-ray launch party, then take a look at all of the clips below. If you haven’t already ordered your copy of this incredible set, then click on the link below and make sure you get your own copy now! 
On November 23rd, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment kicks off the holiday season with the release of The Search for Santa Paws on Blu-ray & DVD! A heartwarming prequel to 2009’s Santa Buddies, this film reveals how the legendary friendship between Santa Claus and Santa Paws began and continues the most successful live action direct to video franchise ever. If your kids enjoyed some of the earlier movies in the franchise, they will be sure to like this latest holiday installment. 
Baz Luhrmann’s version of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a highly stylized retelling that sets the story in modern times. The second movie in Luhrmann’s self-described Red Curtain Trilogy (preceded by Strictly Ballroom and followed by his masterpiece of Moulin Rouge). In this movie, Luhrmann was stretching his wings and trying out new and innovative ideas and assembled an all-star cast to realize his vision. 
And then there was light…sabers…two actually. Yes, after the impressive sales of 2008’s Star Wars The Force Unleashed, it only made sense to build on that success and deliver a sequel. After all, the first one wasn’t just a video game, it was the only piece of Star Wars non-movie material that George Lucas declared official Star Wars canon. That means what you saw and played in that game, officially took place and is on par with the movies (between episode III and IV to be exact). 
Straight from Lionsgate, the studio has offered up a few release dates of some of their titles. I do have to offer one disclaimer thought; don’t be put off by the Blu-ray prices for some of these discs. I seriously doubt Amazon will be selling The Last Exorcism on Blu-ray for forty bucks (expect half that cost). Anyway, there’s some in-depth stuff here and it’s straight from the mouth of the Lion… 
The comic-con sensation is now on Blu-ray and although it may not have done great business at the box office, I predict that over time more audiences will discover this movie much like they did director Edgar Wright’s earlier movies Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Also like those previous films, Scott Pilgrim is a hybrid of multiple genres as it blends a mix of comedy, action, music, and a whole lot of video-game conventions and graphics together to create something original and fun. As Wright said,”“At one of the [test screening] focus groups somebody said, ‘It’s like a cross between Superbad, and Kill Bill, and Tron,” he recalls, “and I thought, ‘There’s nothing wrong with that!”
Hopefully Gregg will forgive me for making one very small post while I am on vacation. I just heard this news so I could not wait to spread the gospel regarding information on the sequel to one of my favorite films of all-time, The Dark Knight. First thing first, Nolan has announced the name of the film and it is…drum roll please…rat-ta-tat-tat…The Dark Knight Rises. I’m not too particularly crazy about the title, but it is what it is. Maybe it will grow on me. Anyway, are you ready for the next shocker? 
No, that’s not a crafty subtitle. There really is serious talk amiss in Hollywood that a sequel, not a remake, is in the works to follow up the original hit from the 80’s. Granted, the F-14 Tomcat has since gone the way of the dodo, but that would only be one of the expected changes slated for this release. The big money question is whether or not Tom Cruise will return or not. If you count him out, you might as well count out profits too. That would almost be as bad as making The Empire Strikes Back without Darth Vader. 
Easily the most anticipated movie in our household (especially by my son) this deluxe Blu-ray set has finally arrived to our delight and now I can share with you how incredible it is. The movie isn’t officially released until November 2 so get your pre-orders in! Not only is Toy Story 3 getting the Blu-ray treatment, it’s also getting a deluxe box set that contains the entire trilogy and all of their special features all in a replica of Andy’s wagon train toy box! 
Whether you’re a zombie fan or just appreciative of a really well-written story, you might want to get ready for an invasion of epic proportions this Sunday night. Back in 2003, Image Comics bigwig Robert Kirkman created a black and white comic book titled The Walking Dead. Sure, zombie pandemics are nothing new in the land of fiction. They’ve been done a zillion times. So how do you take something so rehashed and make it appetizing? You let Kirkman do the talking. 
