Blu-ray Contest Giveaway: Ran & The Ladykillers
February 18th, 2010 by Blu-ray Brian
Our good friends from Lionsgate gave us a couple Blu-rays to give away this week to 2 lucky Why So Blu readers. The Studio Canal Collection brings together the very best of cinema, with a series of acclaimed and influential films on Blu-ray with superior picture and sound quality and unique special features. Cinema masterpieces will never look the same after you experience these Blu-rays. Continue reading ‘Blu-ray Contest Giveaway: Ran & The Ladykillers’
Marc Rizzo may not exactly be a household name, but I have no doubt that this guitar extraordinaire will be on the tip of your tongue for a long time after one listen to his newest CD, Legionnaire. Whether you know it or not, if you are a true metal fan, then you definitely should be familiar with some of his previous projects. Just in case, let me jog your memory for you. Mark is the lead guitarist of the American metal band Soulfly and formerly of Ill Nino. 
Marvel has woven quite the tale this time. Siege is the latest all-encompassing mini-series that Marvel has unleashed upon the public. It is spawned from the Dark Reign storyline which enveloped just about every title under the Marvel sun. This was in turn birthed from the Secret Invasion series and we can even go further back to Avengers Disassembled when one of the most popular hero teams in all of Marvel was brought down in a hurry. 
So the The Wolfman is finally out, unleashed on the world and causing havoc in cinemas! Whereas if it’s good or bad, I honestly don’t know yet (still have to see it), but in celebration of its release I thought it would be fun to explore the golden nuggets of its sub-genre. As I mentioned in this column before; a good werewolf movie is a rare beast, not to mention the amount of films to have explored the subject are few and far between, especially compared to its counterparts; the Zombie and the Vampire. 
Released in theaters in the autumn of 2009, Women in Trouble contains a pretty impressive cast, featuring the likes of Carla Gugino (Spy Kids, Sin City), Adrianne Palicki (Legion), and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (500 Days of Summer) among several others. Now arriving on Blu-ray, the film brings its cast and story to your home February 16th. The film was written and directed by Sebastian Gutierrez (The Eye, Snakes on a Plane) who has another production in the works, connected to Women in Trouble, that will be released this year. 
Fresh out on the Blu-ray format this month is William Friedkin’s To Live and Die in LA. The 1985 cop thriller contains a pretty impressive cast, but how does this movie withstand the test of time? More importantly, how does the film look and sound in its Blu-ray debut? We’ll answer those questions and more in today’s Blu-ray review…so read on! 
I’ve grown up watching Meg Ryan and it’s hard to believe she will be 50 this November. So far, she has had a great acting career, but I don’t believe we’ve seen all the sides of Meg Ryan until now. Serious Moonlight is simply Meg Ryan’s best performance. In memory of his wife, Adrienne Shelly, Andy Ostroy produced the film, as it was her final script. Adrienne Shelly was murdered in her apartment on November 1, 2006, where her husband found her hanging by a bed sheet in the bathroom. 
The latest in the string of children’s fantasy books adapted into big screen adventures is Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief starring Logan Lerman, Pierce Brosnan, Uma Thurman and Rosario Dawson among others. The film is directed by Chris Columbus of the Home Alone franchise. Some are calling it a Harry Potter knockoff, but here’s why I don’t think so. 
I first encountered The Wolfman at the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con and being the werewolf fan that I am, grew excited with anticipation of its release. Little did I know at the time that it would be a full year and a half before this movie finally landed in theaters. It was, without a doubt, one of my most anticipated films of 2010. Notice I said ‘was.’ 
International Martial Artist Tony Jaa is back in the prequel to his breakout performance in Ong Bak: The Thai Warrior. I not only missed Ong Bak 2 when it was in the theaters, but also the Sneak Peak presentation of it on HDNet. So needless to say, I was really excited when I was asked to review it. Simply put, this is an action movie that is given a historical setting of political intrigue. 
2006 was a remarkable year in cinema, easily the best of the past decade. A year of dark, meaningful films, with remarkable performances; all of which were trumped by the astounding Forest Whitaker’s Oscar winning performance as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in Kevin MacDonald’s The Last King of Scotland. Most actors find it easy to impersonate historical figures, but only rarely do few find themselves acting as historical figure-incarnate, as Whitaker has done to perfection here. 
What’s more indicative of a romantic comedy than the title Valentine’s Day? Sure it’s sappy, and sure it’s formulaic as hell, but I just can’t shake the minority feeling that when I say compared to the handful of lackluster films I have seen theatrically these first two months of 2010, Valentine’s Day was one of the better ones. Rest assured, I’m pretty confident that by December of this year Valentine’s Day will be far removed on my Top 10 list, but for now let’s talk about how I believe this film succeeded and why a sequel has apparently already been green lit. 
It’s almost Valentine’s Day. Love is in the air. So what are you waiting for? Check out Chris Stuckmann’s video review for Valentine’s Day, the new romantic comedy from Garry Marshall director of Pretty Woman and Runaway Bride. This one interweaves the various romantic exploits of couples on Valentine’s Day, reminding many people of Love Actually. 
This one is for all the kiddies out there, especially my nephew, Kasey, whose parents better buy this Blu-ray for him on Day #1. And yes I said the Blu-ray edition…Cheryl! Don’t worry. It comes with a bonus “who cares” DVD. The blockbuster Alvin and the Chipmunks: the Squeakquel arrives on Blu-ray with over an hour more of music, dancing and chipmunk fun with all new “Squeak-Along” bonus content on March 30th from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. 
I watched the first 30 minutes and then I reluctantly forced myself to finish the film. It was that bad. The lack of story, plot and the development of the main character, Charles Bronson, is what made the film so difficult to watch most of the times. Can you believe it? That’s what the main draw of the movie was too. Let’s talk a bit more about the story before we dive into the Blu-ray vitals. 
I hope I wasn’t misleading with the title. LOL. Here’s one of those titles that is up for an Academy Award that many people quite frankly probably never even heard of. I am one of those people. In fact, I just saw it was playing finally at local theater near me. I don’t know how this one slipped my radar, but it must be good if it is nominated for Picture of the Year right? Nonetheless, Sony Pictures will be bringing the drama An Education to the Blu-ray format on March 30th. 
Originally a novel penned by Audrey Niffenegger, The Time Traveler’s Wife made its big screen debut last autumn. The film had many waiting with baited breath in hopes that their affinity for the publication would be equally appeased on film. After all, Niffenegger’s work was a best seller and the film had two big names headlining the production in Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams. The film underachieved at the box office, but is that really any indicator on how good or bad it really is? 
YouTube Video reviewer guru Chris Stuckmann is back on the scene with his latest look at the Channing Tatum/Amanda Seyfried romance Dear John, which opened nationwide yesterday. Dear John was directed by Lasse Hallstrom and adpated from the novel written by Nicholas Sparks. Find out why Chris says that Channing Tatum actually stands a chance of having his performance taken seriously this time around. I know…shocking! 
