Sherlock Holmes (Blu-ray Review)
March 27th, 2010 by Brian White
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. Continue reading ‘Sherlock Holmes (Blu-ray Review)’
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. 
It was only recently in February when I saw an oversized poster for an upcoming animated film called How To Train Your Dragon. I really wasn’t over-enthused or anxious to see it, but anything with a dragon is intriguing enough for me so I did have at least a little bit of anticipation in looking forward to this film’s release. It is a DreamWorks production and while they typically put forth good quality, they never seem to reach that level of animation stardom that Pixar’s works do. 
Comics come in all kinds of shapes, sizes, attitudes, styles. Jim Shubert is a big guy with a very physical and sometimes playfully disgruntled act, who recently performed for an audience I was more than glad to be a part of. Shubert is a seasoned veteran of his trade and he has been around the block more than once. The Irish-American comedian/actor has a resumé a mile long with appearances in films such as Mr. and Mrs. Smith, The Italian Job and Coyote Ugly. 
It’s been a while since I’ve seen a comedy show and I always walk into these standup gigs with a bit of apprehension. I’ve seen the likes of Tracy Morgan live and in person and when someone with a big name like that disappoints, you get a little skeptical with those performers that you are not so familiar with. This past weekend I had the chance to catch the up and coming Dan Grueter at the Hilarities Comedy Club in Cleveland, Ohio. 
It’s been 25 years in the making, but Cheech & Chong are back! They embark on an all new Blu-ray adventure this April. Cheech & Chong’s Hey Watch This combines their classic characters, outrageous jokes, hilarious songs and live performance footage into a comedic orgy. Vivendi Entertainment and The Weinstein Company will bring the Day-and-Date DVD and Blu-ray to retail shelves on April 20th. Make sure you mark that day on your calendar as the day the best buds of comedy return. 
I know we just posted the press release not so long ago for James Cameron’s monster hit Avatar, but when this press release hit my inbox I instantly had a thought. What a better way to persuade our eco-friendly writer Gregg Senko into buying this Blu-ray release. So Gregg…if you are reading this, check out the press release below that speaks directly to you. To all our other readers, make sure to read the below press release to find out about the positive impact you will make to the environment by pre-ordering Avatar now! 
This one is just too good to pass up the opportunity to write about. Ahh…the downward spiral career of my favorite actress Ashley Judd instantly comes to mind. Can your career get any lower than starring in a comedy called The Tooth Fairy with The Rock? I think she can pretty much kiss any aspirations of an Academy Award in the near future goodbye with this pile of poo on her resume. And I say that politely too, not even having seen this film. It just looks awful! 
I have a friend who is gonna be very excited about this Blu-ray title. I am ashamed to say, although a lover of Michael Bay films, I have regretably never seen this one. I am talking about the Will Smith/Martin Lawrence film Bad Boys. Sony Pictures has announced a June 1st release date for the Blu-ray edition that will feature a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. From everything I heard about the explosive film, I think I will like this one on Blu-ray. 
Rumor has it that a BD-Live Community Screening of Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes is going to take place on April 1, 2010 at 9:00PM EST (6:00 PM Pacific). But wait! That’s not even the good part. On hand to host the BD-Live event will be none other than the man himself…Robert Downey Jr. The first 100,000 BD-Live members who sign up will be eligible for a spot in this event. Like in the past, participants can submit questions through their computers and other web enabled devices. 
Cinderalla stories are not always abundant, and that even holds true for the fictional ones, brought forth from the creative mind of someone whose paper or computer is their canvas. Take Michael Lewis for instance. Here is an author who decided to write a story about a rags-to-riches scenario with a little bit of good old American football thrown in. He called it The Blind Side. There is one thing to keep in mind with this literary work, though. The Blind Side is no fairly tale. 
In 2005, a new Irish-themed show entered the touring scene. Debuting in Cleveland, Ohio at that time, the show started appearing on public television and was soon amassing fans across the country. It wouldn’t take long before the hit show made itself known overseas as well. So what exactly made this entity such a hit with fans? 
Warner Home Video has announced a May 11th Blu-ray release date for Mel Gibson’s latest thriller Edge of Darkness. If you missed this in the theaters, then you can read our review 
John Woo has returned to his roots, so to speak. It’s been almost 20 years since he’s taken on a project of Chinese origin, whether it being a gangster, war, or period piece. This was obviously a passion project, and when you have total control and a nice sized budget, the sky is the limit. John Woo Executive produced, co-wrote the screenplay, and directed the film. It’s been a 3-year journey to this moment. 
I just came home from a Wednesday night preview screening of The Bounty Hunter. One word quickly comes to mind. Cliché. The Jennifer Aniston/Gerard Butler romantic comedy, and I’ll use those two words loosely, is about as dull and predictable as they get. I felt my mind going gad during most of the screening. It’s not the worst movie I have seen so far this year, but it definitely won’t have me standing outside Best Buy on a cold Tuesday morning before the store opens to grab a copy on Blu-ray. 
Okay, so Boba Fett wasn’t actually comedic as the intent of this film is, but he was cool and that’s something the film The Bounty Hunter is not. Starring Gerard Butler and Jennifer Aniston, audiences get to discover that Gerard Butler can be in a crappy film. Call it bad direction, call it bad acting, call it a bad script, heck, call it all three of those, because in the end, it really doesn’t matter. His work on this project was as flat as the Nebraska plains. Meanwhile, those same audiences get to rediscover that Jennifer Aniston is not an actress. 
Whenever I get a chance to write about Rob Zombie I jump right on the first opportunity to do so. The man has done so much over the past 20+ years and his legacy continues. Word cannot even describe how much his career, music, films and other passions mean to me. He provides me the much needed motivation to live strong every day. But wait…his legacy just doesn’t end with music and movies…he’s also been heavily involved in the world of comics and he’s making his return known this May with the title Whatever Happened to Baron Von Shock? 
