Easter Promo – Win $50,000 – Family-Fun!
April 1st, 2010 by Blu-ray Brian
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! Continue reading ‘Easter Promo – Win $50,000 – Family-Fun!’
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. 
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. 
