A Nightmare on Elm Street (Blu-ray Review)
April 5th, 2010 by Gregg Senko
Horror movies have never been my cup of tea and if my memory serves me correctly, I believe the original Friday the 13th was my first exposure to the genre. It scared the hell out of me as I was somewhere around 6 or 7 years old. My parents would never let me watch that kind of movie (with good reason), so I would go over the neighbor kid’s house who must have had really liberal parents. Somehow, as scary as the movie was, I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. Continue reading ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street (Blu-ray Review)’
IMAX films are known for delivering the highest quality in sound and video, trying to bring the actual experience as close to home as possible. Granted, you don’t get the massive, curved screen and concert speakers at home like you do at an actual IMAX/Omnimax theater, but you’re still getting a top-notch product nonetheless. The latest arrival from the IMAX folks is Under the Sea. Most IMAX films run in the 40 to 45-minute range and this educational film is on par with that at a few seconds shy of 41 minutes. Grab your wetsuit and scuba gear as we head Under the Sea. 
This past April 1st was no fool’s day, as rocker Chris Daughtry and company were in Cleveland performing in front of a capacity crowd. I’m still utterly dumbfounded when I mention Daughtry’s name (referring to either the man himself or his band’s namesake) and I still get retorts of “I don’t know” or “I don’t watch American Idol.” I wasn’t alive during the late 1700’s but I still know who George Washington is. My point is, I don’t watch the show either, but somehow through the magic of reading or some other kind of awareness, I know who the guy is. 
When I discovered late last year that one of my favorite childhood movies was going to be remade, I was jittery with excitement. Clash of the Titans was a film I enjoyed time and again, but notice I said ‘was’. Let me preface this; Star Wars is a movie that used, for its time, cutting-edge special effects. Even though they are no longer the latest and greatest effects, it is a movie that can still be enjoyed today. The original Clash of the Titans is similar in that it too used what were once modern visual effects. 
How do you tell who the hero is in Clash of the Titans? He’s the one with the buzz-cut. Sam Worthington of Avatar fame dons the role of Perseus, son of Zeus himself, played by Liam Neeson (who has now been a jedi, a martial arts master, and the trainer of Batman for goodness sake) in a role that is destined to be remembered for it’s costume over it’s performance. CGI creatures and fun battles galore, but can Clash of the Titans work beyond a brainless popcorn flick? 
After recently suffering through the 1981 adaptation of Clash of the Titans on Blu-ray (see review 
The BD-Live Community Screening of Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes (see our Blu-ray review 
I just wanted to share an email that just came across my desk from our friends over at 20th Century Fox and MGM Home Entertainment about a huge Easter promotion. Family-friendly titles such as Alvin and the Chipmunks, The Black Stallion, Ice Age, The Secret of Nimh and more are available on Blu-ray Disc and DVD, packaged with eye-catching Easter Basket Approved! stickers. That’s right! And now for a limited time you have the chance to win $50,000! 
Typically, when you come across an author, they specialize in one type of format. Their area of expertise is usually one in novels, short stories, poetry, or even comic books, but a combination of two or more of these is a rarity. Such is the case with author Mike Haszto. The former New Yorker and St. Anthony High School graduate didn’t spend his youth focused on writing though. Haszto utilized his extracurricular time on the soccer field, the baseball diamond and the hockey rink. 
Warner Bros. has announced a July 13th Blu-ray release date for the Christopher Nolan crime thriller Insomnia. The film stars Al Pacino, Robin Williams and Hilary Swank. Technical specs have not been announced as of yet. The Blu-ray release will include movie cash for Nolan’s ‘Inception’ hitting theaters on July 16th. Interested? Well you’re in luck. The Amazon pre-order has just been listed 
The Wolfman did not exactly get the highest praise during its short theatrical release this winter and now I am presented with a dilemma. Our own Gregg Senko reviewed the film 
Here’s a title that Gregg Senko will be excited to see on the Blu-ray format. It was actually the first decent movie he and I both saw in the bleak calendar year of 2010. You can read all about it in his review 
MGM is preparing the Musketeers for for a Blu-ray release on May 11th. Of course I am talking about the greatest Musketeer movie ever made…The Man in the Iron Mask. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, John Malkovich, Gabriel Byrne, Jeremy Irons, and Gerard Depardieu. This is a favorite of mine so I am welcoming it on the Blu-ray format with open arms wide open! No technical specs have been announced as of yet, but it will be getting a Blu-ray/DVD combo treatment. 
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has finally dated and announced an October 5th Blu-ray release date for the modern day classic Beauty and the Beast . The Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack will launch seven weeks ahead of its DVD counterpart. Disney has already announced a complete “state-of-the-art” restoration of the film, 7.1 audio and hours of additional features such as behind the scenes features, deleted scenes, enhanced music tracks, immersive games and more. 
Back in the early 90’s, several comic book companies were trying to secure their foothold in the industry. Comics were selling, but not necessarily at the volume they are today. The aggressive onslaught of comic book movies has only helped this surge in book sales, but twenty years ago, Marvel, Dark Horse, and DC didn’t have this luxury. Okay, so there were your Superman movies and the Tim Burton Batman movies (followed by the atrocious Joel Schumacher versions) but these tended to stray from what made the characters successful on paper. 
It still holds true, after my Blu-ray viewing last night, that I generally like movies more the second time around. So why would last night’s viewing of Sherlock Holmes on Blu-ray be any different? I’m not going to lie and say that I fell head over heels in love with the film concurrently with my second viewing, but I definitely enjoyed it more and I was also able to hear much of the dialogue that was so hard to make out during my initial theatrical experience. 
My original reaction from the trailer of How To Train Your Dragon was that it might be a fun little piece of forgettable fluff, maybe even less. But that’s because the filmmakers chose to do the rare feat of not giving away all the best parts in the trailer! The last time I was this surprised by a children’s movie was Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. A children’s movie is rarely this smart, moving, funny and action-packed all at once. Check out my video review and enjoy the movie, because I know you’ll trust me… right? 
Let the following statements exist purely to serve as my disclaimer. I went into the press screening of How to Train Your Dragon this past Saturday morning with zero expectations. I had never heard of the children’s book before and I knew nothing about the plot other than what my fellow reviewer, Gregg Senko, told me in a car ride conversation that seemingly went in one ear and out the other. Truthfully, I was probably paying more attention to the road (as I was the driver) than I was to his synopsis. 
