CD Review “JT Hodges: JT Hodges”

JT Hodges
JT Hodges
Release Date: August 21st 2012
Label: Show Dog Universal Music
11 Tracks
35 minutes

Our Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

I had the privileged of interviewing JT in person last year and he was one of the nicest and humbled guys in the business. You can just tell that his inspiration and creativity was flowing like crazy. At the time, he only had his one single “Hunt You Down” released but promised a great debut album. Let me tell you he really delivered on his words. My only real complaint is that the album runs a little short at 35 minutes. I would have liked it to be a little longer. Nonetheless, it is one of the best country music albums that I have had the privilege to listen to in the last few years. Keep an eye out for JT Hodges, he is going to be doing great things for the genre.

It is rare on an album that honestly every single track is single worthy but that is the case with JT’s debut album. I think they are going to have a very hard time picking his new single. JT’s songs aren’t just scripted tracks. You can tell that there is fantastic real life experiences behind each track and they are just dripping with inspiration. “Sleepy Little Town” and “Goodbyes Made You Mine” are both guaranteed to be hit singles very soon as they are the most catchy on the album. JT also has a very unique song in the business that sets him aside from all other country acts. His tracks are not large productions but feel like they really draw you in to each songs. If you don’t like this album well then it has a simple solution…”I’m gonna hunt you down!”.

Track Listing:
1. Rather Be Wrong Than Lonely
2. Sleepy Little Town
3. Hunt You Down
4. Give It One More Night
5. When I Stop Crying
6. Goodbyes Made You Mine
7. Leaving Me Later
8. Right About Now
9. Rhythm Of The Radio
10. Green Eyes Red Sunglasses

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: CD Reviews Tagged With: cd, hodges, jt, review

Blu-ray Review “The Dictator: Banned & Unrated”

Director: Larry Charles
Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Anna Faris, Ben Kingsley, Chris Parnell, Jessica St. Clair, Jason Mantzoukas
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Distributed by: Paramount
Release Date: August 21, 2012
Running Time: 83 minutes

Film: 3 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2 out of 5 stars

I feel very honored to review this Blu-ray release and would like to thank the Wadiyan treasury and the Admiral General for their kind donation.  Media Mikes though cannot be bribed ;-). Paramount delivered this Blu-ray to review with a personalized letter from Admiral General Wadiyan and a butt load of Wadiyan dollars.  Unfortunately it doesn’t help me to see the film in any better of light.  The film itself just doesn’t work for me.   It is very funny in parts but then very bland and boring is the rest of the film.  I can’t say that I hated the film because I did laugh quite a bit but overall I was left with calling the film forgettable.   I don’t really see myself bragging about it and will probably never watch again.  I call it a “one-timer”.  The unrated cut of the film just adds more of the vulgarity and boobs, which I actually thought the theatrical cut was lacking. Nonetheless, the cut ends up feeling even more drawn out…and don’t forget this film runs less than 90 minutes already.

The film follows Admiral General Aladeen, who while planning to address the United Nations in New York, to ensure that democracy would never come to the country. He ends up becoming a target for assassination. Even though he survives he is left shaven of his signature beard and wandering the streets of the Big Apple, unrecognized. While Aladeen, most trusted friend, Tahir (Kingsley) brings in a dimwit body double in his place in order to pull the strings and take power. It is up to Aladeen to adapt to everyday life in New York, where he meets and befriends a left-wing activist Zoey (Anna Faris). He plans a way to get his life back and ensure that democracy does not fall into his country or is it learning that his past ways are not what he really is looking for?

Let’s get to the Blu-ray presentation now.  The 1080p comes with an aspect ratio of 2.40:1, which looks good but isn’t going to break any real Blu-ray standards.  Same can be said for the DTS-HD MA 5.1 track.  Don’t get me wrong this film looks and sounds good but for a comedy it doesn’t stand out.  The Blu-ray release comes as a combo pack.  Besides the Blu-ray the film also comes with a DVD disc and a digital copy included.  The special features include basically just two features. There are over 30 minutes of deleted and extended scenes including, some funny and some completely missable.  There is a funny but short music video for “Your Money is on the Dresser” featuring Aladeen. Lastly there is an extended Larry King Interview as seen briefly in the movie.

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: banned, bluray, dictator, review, unrated

Michael Biehn & Jennifer Blanc-Biehn talk about working together on “The Victim”

Michael Biehn & Jennifer Blanc-Biehn are husband/wife team who made the horror/thriller “The Victim”.  The duo took on numerous role with Jennifer acting and producing, while Michael acted as well as written and directed the film.  The film is set to be released in theaters August 24th then will head to Blu-ray and DVD shortly after.  I highly recommend this film.  It is a real labor of love from the two of them and it really shows.  Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Michael and Jennifer about their experience from making the film to getting it released.

Mike Gencarelli: Michael, since this is your directoral debut with “The Victim”; what is the main thing you have taken away from this experience?
Michael Biehn: It was a lot more work then I expected it to be and was also a lot more time consuming. After I directed it then went into post-production, but my job didn’t end there. I thought my job was over, maybe I would have be right if I was working for a studio. But at that point then I had to get out and get people to see this movie. I spent just about a year then traveling with it.  We went to Los Angeles, Kansas City, San Francisco, Texas, Louisville and all over Canada. As we were showing the movie, it started getting some good reviews and some buzz among the distributors. Finally Anchor Bay picked it up and I have been happy with working with them.

MG: How was it working together as a team on this project?
Jennifer Blanc-Biehn: Well we worked together before over the years but we never worked together in this capacity before where I was producing and starring opposite him and he was directing and writing. Then we added our production company into the mix, so it is a whole new world. We are both intense, passionate and volatile people anyway. This project was intense and volatile but at the same time really fun and collaborative. As passionate as we get, I always trust Michael and I have his back. Overall, it was a really great experience.
MB: Jennifer is really a born producer. It never would have gotten made without her. She found the money and the source material. The movie was original based on another screenplay, but it was a page one rewrite. Jennifer handled everything from the beginning. She pushed everything through and worked very hard for this film.

MG: The film itself is quite intense, what was each of yours biggest challenge?
JBB: I think for me trying to stay calm was a big challenge. My character didn’t need to stay calm, so it was probably ok.
MB: Well, the biggest challenge for me was obviously time. I shot the movie in 12 days. I had never worked on a project before that time in any less than 24 days. I always feel like if you have $100,000 dollars and 6 weeks to build a house, you can probably build a pretty nice house. If you got $10,000 dollars and a week to build a house, its going to be a different kind of house. We were doing like 45 setups a day. Also when I found out we were going to make this movie, we had to actually start filming right away. I had to finish the script and do pre-production at the same time. Any filmmakers will tell you is not the ideal way to do it. Basically our pre-production was crewing up, casting, location scouting and dealing with the Screen Actors Guild. When you have that little time, I told the people that brought the money to the table that I would do this but I would have to have all the creative control, production control and all the decision making. It was a lot of responsibility but also fun and exsilerating at the same time to finally be the boss. It’s like I had the Jim Cameron contract on a Roger Corman movie.

MG: Jennifer, what do you enjoy most about producing aspect of the film?
JBB: I think what I enjoy the most is not the logistics of producing, which is dealing with the crews etc. That is more of a line producer. I am better at championing a film, sifting out material that excites me, getting other people excited and finding investors. I like the more social aspect of producing. I am also good at nagging people with emails [laughs]. I can find a role for myself instead of having other people dictate what I do. I started off as an actress and only an actress. So it has been fun to be able to find a role I like and possibly find a way to make it work. Lastly, I like the idea of bringing stuff to Michael and getting him excited about it.

MG: So how/when can people get a chance to see “The Victim”?
JBB: We open a theater in NY on August 24th at the Quad Cinema. On that same day we also premiere at FrightFest UK at the Empire Cinema. We play a week in NY, then we play for a week in Los Angeles at Quentin Taratino’s theater, the New Beverly Cinema on September 7th. Then on September 18th, we go to Blu-ray, DVD, VOD, Amazon streaming, Netflix, iTunes, Redbox…the whole deal.

MG: What do you guys have planned next together?
JBB: We are going to start a remake at the beginning of next year it is called “Hidden in the Woods”. We found this movie at Fantastia International Film Festival and both of us just fell in love with this filmmaker. It is directed by a guy named Patricio Valladares and he is just unbelievable and up-and-coming.
MB: He is just a great young filmmaker and only like 22 years old. I happen to be on the jury at the festival and got to see his film early. I have never been a fan of the “Saw” and “Hostel” series, but this one even though it has a lot of violence it doesn’t feel gratuitous. So we are looking forward to this project quite a bit.

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: Film Interviews, Interviews Tagged With: biehn, blancbiehn, jennifer, michael, talk, victim, ...

“Top Gun” director Tony Scott dead at 68

Tony Scott who, along with his brother, Ridley, was one of the most successful directors of the past three decades, died yesterday after jumping off a bridge to his death in California. He was 68.

One of three sons born into a military family in Britain, Scott showed an interest in art and painting and pursued that career in college, earning a Masters of Fine Art from the Royal College of Art. After failing to make a successful living painting for a couple of years, he teamed with his brother, Ridley, to form the Ridley Scott Association, where he began directing commercials.

His 1983 feature film debut was “The Hunger,” a vampire romance starring David Bowie, Susan Sarandon and Catherine Deneuve. He followed that film with 1986’s “Top Gun,” which launched Tom Cruise to super-stardom. The next year he directed Eddie Murphy in the hugely successful sequel “Beverly Hills Cop II.”

Other early successes include “True Romance,” “The Last Boyscout” and “Days of Thunder.” He then began a long association with Denzel Washington by directing the actor in “Crimson Tide.” He guided Will Smith, Jon Voight and Marty Kircher through the political thriller “Enemy of the State.” His last four features, “Man on Fire,” “Deja Vu,” “The Taking of Pelham 1,2,3” and “Unstoppable” all co-starred Washington.

 

Related Content

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: Film Headlines Tagged With: 68, dead, director, gun, scott, tony, ...

Blu-ray Review “Jaws”

Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss
MPAA Rating: PG
Distributed by: Universal Home Video
Release date: August 14, 2012
Running time: 2 hour 4 mins

Film: 5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 4.5 out of 5 stars

As someone that considers “Jaws” his favorite film of all time it would be easy for me to review it like this:

“The greatest film ever made!”

The End

But that would not do justice to why I have loved this movie since the first time I saw it on September 21, 1975.

During a night time beach party a young woman and her beau run off towards the surf. Her intention is to go skinny dipping but his over indulgence leaves him passed out at the water’s edge. While swimming she is suddenly attacked by something and pulled, screaming beneath the waves. Thus begins one of the best stories ever to be brought to the screen. Featuring a trio of heroes, “Jaws” allows the audience to identify with each of them as the film progresses. There is police chief Martin Brody, newly arrived to the town of Amity via the streets of New York City. Oceanographer Matt Hooper, a wealthy wise ass with a love for sharks. And Quint (just Quint), the crusty fisherman whose chosen profession came about in part by a horrible tragedy in his past. Due to the often repeated story that “the shark was not working, director Spielberg had to improvise on the set, shooting the film without the shark visible. This decision makes the tension genuine as the audience is lulled into believing every time it hears the ominous notes of John William’s Oscar winning score that the shark is going to appear. However, after a few false alarms, you’re never sure when or where the shark is or will be. The cast delivers award winning performances, most notably Shaw. His lone soliloquy in describing the harrowing tale of the sinking of his ship during World War II is an acting tour de force. Spielberg’s direction is flawless. By placing his camera at the waterline the audience gets to imagine what it would be like to be in an unfamiliar situation. The film earned four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, and won three Oscars (Best Musical Score, Best Film Editing and Best Achievement in Sound).

On the technical side, the transfer of “Jaws” is outstanding. I own a 16mm copy of the film and it isn’t as clean and bright as the picture here. Scenes that may have appeared overcast or murky are now vivid and bright. The audio transfer is equally well done. “Jaws” won an Oscar for its soundtrack and all of the original elements are heightened here. When you look at the 1080p transfer for the film, it is completely amazing.  Universal’s complete restoration is one of the best Blu-ray transfers that I have ever seen.  The DTS-HD 7.1 surround track is absolutely pristine.  It includes sounds incredible and include complete clarity and the film sounds better than it ever has.  Besides the Blu-ray disc, this film also includes a DVD copy of the film and a Ultraviolet streaming digital copy.

When it comes to the special features the spotlight of them is the documentary “The Shark Is Still Working”. With an original running time of over three hours, “The Shark is Still Working” is a labor of love created by a quartet of “Jaws” fans. It includes interviews with cast and crew, including the last interviews with the book’s author, Peter Benchley, and co-star Roy Scheider, who also narrates. Edited down to a smooth 100 minutes, the film is a worthy companion to the brilliant Laurent Bouzereau documentary that appeared on the “Jaws” laser disc boxed set. An added plus: both of Media Mikes “Mikes”appear in it, making this disc well worth purchasing. Other new features include The Restoration of “Jaws”, which is a short piece on the restoration of the film. For more on this process, see our interview with the man who directed the restoration, Peter Schade, here. ”The Making of ‘Jaws’” is a very condensed portion of the Bouzereau film. The original documentary ran a minute longer then “Jaws” and it’s a shame Universal didn’t include it here in its entirety. Outtakes including different footage from the estuary attack is included. There is a collection of various deleted scenes, none featuring the shark, most of which were included during the first television showing on ABC in November 1979. There are only a couple of outtakes included, the most recognizable one being where Scheider’s pistol constantly refuses to fire. Other outtakes are included in the various other extras.  “From the Set” is a a short but enjoyable visit to the set on the second day of filming. Includes an on-set interview with Steven Spielberg and the original discovery of Ben Gardner’s boat scene, scrapped when Carl Gottlieb, whose character was along for the ride, accidentally fell overboard. “Jaws” Archives is a collection of storyboards and production photos, as well as marketing items and bits on the phenomenon of the film. Lastly there is the theatrical trailer included for the film. There are other trailers, including a great teaser, featured in the full version of the Bouzereau documentary. Overall a great collection of extras but they lose ½ a star for not featuring the entire “Making of ‘Jaws’” doc.

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: bluray, jaws, review

Blu-ray Review “Jersey Shore Shark Attack”

Directed by: John Shepphird
Starring: Jeremy Luc, Melissa Molinaro, Jack Scalia
MPAA Rating: R
Distributed by: Anchor Bay
Release Date: August 28, 2012
Running Time: 87 minutes

Film: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2 out of 5 stars

Whenever I see the word shark in a film’s title, I come running. Personally, I have never seen a single second of MTV’s “Jersey Shore” (reporting proudly). But I don’t think I missed much plot, this film a just about a bunch of dumb Guidos running around after sharks. It definitely packs a few good laughs including a cameo from Joey Fatone but overall misses on all other accounts. The sharks are actually really poorly done and not very intimidated. Honestly though with a title like “Jersey Shore Shark Attack”, the film delivers exactly what you should expect from a title like that.

Do you really need a premise described for this film?  It’s called “Jersey Shore Shark Attack”.  It is the Fourth of July and Seaside Heights is the place to be in New Jersey! That is until an illegal coastal drilling operation causes a horde of man-eating albino bull sharks to attack the cities patrons. Guess what? It is up Jersey’s finest crew of idiot Guidos to fight off these ravenous sharks before the whole town is consumed.  The Blu-ray itself looks good with its 1080p transfer and the audio is decent as well but nothing to call home about.  The special features including an audio commentary track from executive producers Barry Bernholtz and Jeffrey Schneck, as well as producers Peter Sullivan and director John Shepphird.  Lastly there is a quick production featurette called “On Set: Jersey Shore Shark Attack”, which plays like a mini-episode of “Jersey Shore”.

Leave it up to Syfy to mash up “Jersey Shore” with albino sharks.  Also keep an eye out for actors like Paul Sorvino, William Atherton and Jack Scalia who pop in. Unless you are a hardcore SyFy creature feature fan, then I suggest you completely stay away from “Jersey Shore Shark Attack.” I just would have liked to have seen more Guidos get eaten by the sharks, personally. I still haven’t figured out which Vinnie was killed in the beginning 😉

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: attack, bluray, jersey, review, shark, shore, ...

Noah Wyle reflects on Season Two of TNT’s “Falling Skies”

Noah Wyle is currently playing the role of Tom Mason on TNT’s “Falling Skies”. The series is wrapping up its second season this month, but don’t worry since it has been already renewed for a third season set for Summer 2013. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Noah again to have his reflect on season two of the show.

Michael Smith: You now have a year under your belt with this character, are you still learning more about the character and finding different ways to perfect him?
Noah Wyle: Yes I sort of feel like I am just getting started you know they aren’t going start with this guy really will extent over three or four years in this slow deconstruction of his intellectual aspects. And his becoming a little bit harder and they’re way having a big of transference with the Weaver character who starts off very militaristic where Tom’s a bit more of a humanist. And then gradually Weaver becomes a lot more vulnerable and a lot more human and Tom gets a lot more practical and a lot harder edged. We sort of continue in that vein hopefully arriving at some sort of synthesis between the two of them as the most effective way of leading this group which isn’t not traditionally military dogmatic style and not exactly touchy feely human but something in between.

MS: Is it a challenge for your trying to act or interact with skitters or any other computer generated elements in the show that aren’t there with you on the set?
NW: I hadn’t done a lot of that kind of work up until this show but it’s a muscle that the more you exercise the better at it you get. And it’s kind of 50 50 between the screen and practical we do a lot of work hack into tennis balls on the end of sticks. But then we also have a really talented puppeteer and a really great skitter suit, for the close up personal interactions with the aliens. I would say the most difficult part is when you’ve got four or five actors in the same frame all having to react to the same thing that’s not there, trying to find a line of continuity and performance can be tricky.

MS: What continues to be the most challenging aspect to you for the series for your character?
NW: It’s kind of an aggregate thing. It’s a tough show to do most of it, it takes place at night, so you go to work around 12 in the afternoon and you work till 5 in the morning. And because we wanted this year to be less focused on any single location have the group be a lot more mobile, it made for some long wet nights as were shooting in mostly practical locations and exteriors.

MS: How did the second season differ for you, compared to the first?
NW: No there were some significant differences, you know we moved the production from Toronto, Canada to Vancouver, so we had allnew crew for the most part, we only had two or three people on staff that were there in season one. We had almost a brand new writing staff certainly a new show runner, so it wasn’t like we were building on internal momentum, we sort of had to start and get to know each other all over again which gave it a different era, just sort of ambiently. And then storytelling wise I thought we really stepped up the notch you know not having to dedicate so much of our screen time to exposition, establishing the world, establishing the characters. Allowed us a little bit more freedom to be creative in flushing out these character arcs and exploring the mythology of the aliens and why they’re here and who they are and how we’d radically misunderstood the situation in season one.

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: Interviews, TV Interviews Tagged With: falling, noah, reflects, season, skies, tnts, ...

Alison Klayman talks about directing “Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry”

A 2006 graduate from Brown University, Alison Klayman is a documentary filmmaker and a freelance journalist. After graduating college she went to China where she spent four years producing radio and television stories for NPR’s “All Things Considered,” Associated Press Television, Voice of America, Current TV, and CBC. She reported the story “Who’s Afraid of Ai Weiwei?” for PBS’ “Frontline” and currently completed her first feature documentary film, “Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry.” Her documentary short, entitled “Ai Weiwei: New York Photographs 1983-1993,” was shown as part of the artist’s exhibition at the Three Shadows Photography Art Centre in Beijing from January through April of 2009. She also adapted a shorter version for the Tate Modern’s online channel. Ms. Klayman recent sat down with Media Mikes to talk about her film and the inspiration she draws from it’s subject.

Mike Smith: What was your inspiration to make this film?
Alison Klayman: I had been in China for a couple of years. And the reason I went… after I graduated from college, my goal was to make a documentary film. And in meeting Ai Weiwei I knew I had found a character who was not only very charismatic and complicated but, after our initial meeting together, I felt he could expand my ideas about China. I thought that an audience would enjoy watching him.

MS: You worked in China for several years. What brought you there?
AK: What brought me to China was a desire to go abroad…have adventures…become a journalist and do foreign correspondence work. The reason I went to China was very random. I had a friend who had family there. I went on a trip with her and ended up staying. I just wanted to go abroad…to anywhere in the world. I ended up in China. But I really threw myself into it. I worked in a lot of different industries. My dream was to one day feel like I deserved to make a documentary film. And in Ai Weiwei I found a great subject.

MS: How did you come to meet Ai Weiwei?
AK: Another story that’s more random than anything else. My roommate at the time in Beijing was working for a local art gallery and she was curating an exhibition of Ai Weiwei’s photographs from the decade that he lived in New York. How I actually initially heard of Ai Weiwei was though these photographs. And in 2008 she said to me that she thought it would be nice to have a video to accompany the gallery show. Something to show in the lobby that offered a deeper story to some of the photos. She asked if I wanted to make it and I said “yes.” In December 2008 I was brought over to Weiwei’s studio along with the gallery team. And on the first day we met I already had my camera in hand. And I started filming right away. I was so lucky that I had this introduction and was given this great opportunity.

MS: This is kind of a two part question. Until he’s detained by the Chinese government you seem to have almost total access to him. Were you able to communicate with him once he had been detained? Also, because of your association with this project, did you have any fear for your safety while in China?
AK: Nobody was really able to be in touch with him during his detention. His wife was brought to visit him once. She was the only person to see him during those 81 days, apart from those who were guarding him. She wasn’t told the location where she met with him and she was only allowed to be with him for 20 minutes. And during his detention I was in very close touch with people at the studio. I was very active on social media…giving interviews on what was happening. I was able to meet with him about two months after his release in Beijing. That was very important because we showed him the film before we headed out to Sundance. As to my safety…it was a good thing that I was already used to living in China and doing work as a journalist. I know there are certain ways to behave so that you won’t necessarily run into trouble. So on the whole, I did not fear for my safety. I did fear for the safety of Ai Weiwei and the other citizens who were engaged in his work. There were the ones that were really taking the serious risks. For me there were a few scary moments during filming, particularly when Weiwei was heading towards the police stations and the court houses. I was along for the ride, one of many cameras. I think when you watch you can see those moments and see that we didn’t know how they played out. Those were the only experiences where I experienced any interference from the authorities….trying to take the camera…trying to take the tapes.

MS: Due to the rather unflattering light that you shine on the Chinese government would you ever return to China?
AK: Definitely. I really hope to do more work there. I’m hoping that life will take me there again.

MS: Do you still communicate with Weiwei?
AK: The best way we talk is very open through Twitter. And what’s great is that he often re-tweets my posts, like, “just saw the film in Europe at a film festival.” He re-tweets that and I know he was able to see where the film had been shown. That’s the main way we stay in touch. We do also text and occasionally will talk on the phone, though it’s not necessarily safe to talk on the phone. I last talked to him about two weeks ago and he was blown away by the reach and the impact the film was having.

MS: Have you decided on your next project yet?
AK: I wish! I’m just developing ideas…not sure if they’re ideas for short films or a series of films. I’m coming off a really exciting project. I had a healthy respect for documentaries in college and I’m constantly curious and fascinated by their stories. I want to find another story that makes me feel the same way.

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: Film Interviews, Interviews Tagged With: ai, alison, directing, klayman, talks, weiwei, ...

DVD Review “Lisztomania”

Directed by: Ken Russell
Starring: Roger Daltrey and Ringo Starr
Distributed by: Warner Archive
Release Date: August 7th, 2012
MPAA Rating: R
Running Time: 103 minutes

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

I have to admit, I have never heard of the film “Liztomania” before it showed up on my doorsteps, thanks to Warner Archive. Boy, I was very happy to have seen this film. I am a big fan of Roger Daltrey and he is such a hoot in this film. He is over-the-top and does what he does best sings! We even get guest appearances other rock legends like Ringo Starr. The film is filled with woman, music, what else can you ask for? It is set in the 1840’s but really plays like a film in the 70’s. It has these unbelievable stage production and large scale feel. I have to say overall it is just one hell of a trip, literally.

The film is also outrageous funny and feels like “Pink Floyd: The Wall” meets “The Beatles: Yellow Submarine but on acid…and that is saying something for sure. The DVD presentation looks great and comes sporting 16X9 letterbox and with its original aspect ratio of 2.40:1. The audio track is Dolby Digital Mono track but it works well.  The film has a bunch of musically tracks throughout and it definitely doesn’t disappoint. Thanks again for Warner Archive for releasing this musical gem.

Synopsis: The shaggy-maned idol rips into his song – and the audience screams with excitement. Some ecstatic fans storm the stage, wanting simply to touch him. Some want to bear his child. One adoring woman announces she already has. And outside the hall, a horse-drawn carriage waits to whisk the performer away. Meet Franz Liszt (Roger Daltrey), rock star, circa 1840. And great ready for all the glitter, groupies and gaudy good times of Lisztomania. The incredible list of frenzied delights goes on and on in this splendiferous extravaganza from writer/director Ken Russell, whose works include Women in Love, Altered States and Crimes of Passion. He takes you where no one else does. Or dares. Brace yourself for Lisztomania. Viewers expecting a polite gathering of people neatly posed on Louis XVI furniture are going to be blown out of their chairs, but good!

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: dvd, lisztomania, review

Blu-ray Review “Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers”

Directed by: Dominique Othenin-Girard
Starring: Donald Pleasence, Danielle Harris, Ellie Cornell, Beau Starr
MPAA Rating: R
Distributed by: Anchor Bay
Release Date: August 21, 2012
Running Time: 88 minutes

Film: 3 out of 5 stars
EXtras: 3 out of 5 stars

After the cliffhanger of “Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers”, the series takes another downfall. Although the fifth installment is still a decent film. The film also features some great gore from our buddies over at KNB EFX Group. The film has been full re-mastered and like the recent release of “Halloween 4”, it is definitely an essential upgrade from the previous DVD releases. Personally I am more excited about Scream Factory’s upcoming releases for “Halloween 2” and…yes…even “Halloween III”. If you are a fan of the series then this release will be a must.

“Halloween 5” looks very sharp and clear on Blu-ray just like “Halloween 4”.  It’s 1080p transfer is impressive with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1.  The audio track, Dolby TrueHD 5.1 is also surprisingly a lot better than the fourth film also. The special features does include a few new items unlike “Halloween 4”.  I am not sure why “Halloween 4” promised a bunch of new extras but didn’t deliver on the release.  This release is still missing the “Inside Halloween 5” featurette and the intro from Danielle Harris and Ellie Cornell from last DVD release.

The special features include a few ports from previous DVD releases, along with the new content.  I am a confused though since the packaging contains a bunch of typos and mismatched the names for each commentary.  Who was the proofreader for these releases? There is an audio commentary with director Dominique Othenin-Girard and actors Danielle Harris and Jeffrey Landman, worth checking out.  The star of this release is the audio commentary with actor Don Shanks aka Michael Myers and moderated by author Justin Beahm, this is new for this release. I also enjoyed the 17 minutes mix of raw production footage in “Halloween 5: On Set Footage”, a must for fans.  Lastly there is a the original promo trailer included.

 

Related Content

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: 5, bluray, halloween, michael, myers, revenge, ...

Blu-ray Review “Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers”

Director: Dwight H. Little
Starring: Donald Pleasence, Ellie Cornell, Danielle Harris, Sasha Jenson, David Jensen, Beau Starr
MPAA Rating: R
Distributed by: Anchor Bay
Release Date: August 21, 2012
Running Time: 88 minutes

Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
EXtras: 2.5 out of 5 stars

I always thought that “Halloween 4” was a great reboot of the series especially after “Halloween III”, which lost it aim on the franchise. This will does what the subtitle says, it brings back the master murder Michael Myers. As a big fan of the “Halloween” series, I was hoping that this release would really bring something new to the table for its fans. In that sense, it really doesn’t but it is still an essential upgrade from the previous DVD releases. It is also crazy to believe that it has been almost 25 years since this was released.

“Halloween 4” looks very sharp and clear on Blu-ray.  It’s 1080p transfer is impressive with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1.  The audio track, Dolby TrueHD 5.1 is good but a little bit of a let down overall. The special features are also a bit of a let down, especially since Anchor Bay reported about a full half hour of deleted and alternate scenes but they are no one to but found. Also MIA is a promised audio commentary with writer Alan B. McElroy.  Also from past DVD releases, the “The Making of Halloween 4: Final Cut” is not included as well.

Since these features are all ports from past releases, don’t expect anything new.  The bulk of the special features are audio commentaries.  The first is from director Dwight H. Little with Justin Beahm, the editor-in-chief of halloweenmovies.com as the moderator. It is definitely worth checking out.  The second commentary is with actresses Ellie Cornell and Danielle Harris, which is not as good.  There is a “Halloween 4/5 Discussion Panel”, which is from the H25 convention and runs about 20 minutes.  Lastly a standard-def trailer is included.

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: 4, 5, bluray, halloween, michael, myers, ...

Film Review “Zombie A-Hole”

Directed by: Dustin Mills
Starring: Jessica Daniels, Josh Eal, Brandon Salki
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Distributed by: MVD Entertainment Group
Release Date: August 21, 2012
Running Time: 108 minutes

Film: 3 out of 5 stars
Extras: N/A on review copy

For a film that only costed $1,000 bucks, “Zombie A-Hole” is a pretty decent ride. Dustin Mills is the man behind the incredibly creative micro-budgeted movie “The Puppet Monster Massacre”, featuring an all-puppet cast. Mills will be making a sequel to this fun film but in the meantime we get “Zombie A-Hole”.   It is fun Grindhouse/exploitation flick filled with a lot of blood, nude girls, gore and some kick ass southern rock.  No the film is not amazing by any means at all but for its micro budget it looks awesome and packs some decent special effects.  IF you respect indie horror then you are going to definitely enjoy this little film…or at least get you through until “The Puppet Monster Massacre 2”.

The story follows cowboy and a one-eyed girl who are seeking vengeance on the Zombie A-Hole, who preys on naked twin girls. It is not just a revenge film though with a zombie, this film also tapers with voodoo and did I mention twins?.   It mixes live action with CG, as well as a mix of horror and comedy.  The review DVD is presented bare-bones with no special features.   But the official release coming August 21st actually does contain special features including a commentary, the original trailer, and a deleted scene featuring a fourth main character that was cut from the film.  Overall though I am a fan of horror films and even though low-budget this is worth checking out, since a lot of love when into making this little film.

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: ahole, film, review, zombie

3D Blu-ray Review “Sector 7”

Directed by: Ji-hun Kim
Starring: Ji-won Ha, Sung-kee Ahn, Ji-ho Oh
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Distributed by: Shout Factory
Release Date: June 26, 2012
Running Time: 112 minutes

Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 1.5 out of 5 stars

“Sector 7” was a real surprise. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this South Korean monster feature. But it is a really neat little action-horror film. It reminded me a mix between “The Host” and “Aliens”. The monster effects were good, not perfect but still entertaining. I suggest watching the film in 3D, I thought the effects were great. I know people are going to knock the motorcycle scenes but I thought they worked well. The film is not your typical Syfy creature feature though, this actually has some production value to it. It is actually Korea’s first 3D film as well and I give it a big thumbs up. Also it is also currently available on Netflix streaming, if you are not a fan of 3D.

“Sector 7” follows an oil rig crew who while digging for oil are forced to battle a deadly creature at sea. Hae-jun’s greatest dream is to find oil and has become obsessive with this quest on Sector 7 but has yielded no results. Hae-jun and her crew decide to try one more drilling effort before backing up and calling it quits as instructed by headquarters. Though things start to go terribly wrong on the rig and the crew finds out that they are not alone and need to struggle to survive.

This release includes both the 3D Blu-ray and a regular Blu-ray.  Like I mentioned the 1080p transfer looks sharp with it’s widescreen transfer of 1.85:1.  The audio tracks included are impressive as well.  There is a DTS-HD 5.1 Korean track and also a Dolby Digital 5.1 Korean track.  For all you that hate subtitles, the English dub track is actually watchable  though comes with a not as impressive Dolby Digital Stereo track only.  The special features are equally as disappointing only including one short making of featurette.  So overall, if you are looking for an entertaining 2 hours that is not groundbreaking but still memorable, then check take a visit to “Sector 7” for sure.

 

Related Content

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: 3d, 7, bluray, review, sector

Blu-ray Review “Father’s Day”

Directors: Astron-6
Starring: Adam Brooks, Mackenzie Murdock, Matthew Kennedy, Conor Sweeney
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Distributed by: Troma Entertainment
Release Date: August 14, 2012
Running Time: 99 minutes

Film: 3 out of 5 stars
EXtras: 3.5 out of 5 stars

I think Astron-6 and Troma teaming up on this film is definitely a good match.  Do I think they made the perfect film, no.  The film is not only offensive, it is extremely offensive and almost hard to watch.  But that was the plan and what was expected for sure, so it does not come as a shock.  It doesn’t make it anymore watchable though.  I’ve been watching Troma films for over 20 years and vulgar they have always this is a new high…or low for even them.  Astron-6 definitely should get credit for trying to make a film that is so over-the-top it actually works…mostly minus the male/male rape. They even did this on a ridiculously low-budget of $10,000 and it looks like it costs at least 10x that.  So I commend the special effects, especially the green screen work that is very impressive.  This is really a true grindhouse film even including a commercial about two thirds of the way through.  Maybe this film wasn’t 100% for me personally, it definitely has an audience I assume (but not a very wide one though).

There is really no words that can describe this film. From the trailer it makes it seem that this focuses on The Father’s Day Killer, but there is so much more including genital mutilation and many scenes of male rape.  If you are not a fan of acts of sodomy and other gross behavior you might want to skip this film all together.  But if you aware of Troma’s style you might be looking for this. The general story follows Ahab, a man who is seeking a violent revenge on the man who raped and murdered his dad. He joins up with an unlikely duo of a priest named John and a street hustler, Twink.  Together the three set out to find this so-called Father’s Day Killer and get their revenge.

The video presentation on this Blu-ray does look rather decent, even though its comes with an MPEG-2 encode and its purposely scratchy print and VHS quality aspects. The film also includes an aspect ratio: 1.78:1. I understand that this film trying to really be a Grindhouse film, so the Dolby Digital 2.0 track is in-line with that. Since it is on Blu-ray though, there is a certain expectation of quality…even though it is Troma. The audio is simply rather disappointing. The Blu-ray presentation comes in a great packaging with old school video store stickers. It comes in a four-disc set with one Blu-ray disc, two DVDs and even one CD.  The release is limited edition and numbered out of 5,000. The Blu-ray contains just the film and an HD trailer, there are no special features. The first DVD comes with the film in standard definition and a trailer and a two very short deleted scenes. The rest of the special features are located on the second DVD disc. The fourth disc includes a CD Sampler of songs from the film’s soundtrack.

While though, the special features are presented on the second DVD disc and besides being all in standard definition, there is no shortage of them. Lloyd Kaufman introduces the film at Comic-Con, which also starts with the beginning of the film. There are the same deleted scenes as the first DVD, no idea why they duplicated. There are four features focusing on foreskin, ranging from the original “Father’s Day” foreskin to extended to animated to TV version, but all offensive. There is a Behind the Scenes Slideshow, which runs less than 5 minutes. There are two “Make Your Own Damn” features on Fuchman and on a Tire Iron. Similarly, there is a faux “Create Your Own Damn Award Winning Movie Poster The Dude Designs Way”. I am a big fan of The Dude Designs personally. “Roll Out the Blood Carpet” runs just over 15 minutes and covers the various different “Father’s Day” premiere nights. “Troma & Astron-6 Charm Festival of Fear” is a short 5 minutes Q&A at Toronto. It’s not Troma with nude shots and that calls for “Super Tromette Elena Recreates the Low Life”. “Father’s Day Article at Rue Morgue Magazine” is so pointless and hard to read. “Babies the Fathers Gave Birth to Before Birthing Father’s Day” are shorts from Astron-6 including “Lazer Ghosts” and “Cool Guys”. “Make Your Own Damn Green Screen! (A Lesson by Lloyd Kaufman)” is the best feature focusing on those sequences, Lastly there are to non-connected with its with director James Gunn and South Park’s Matt Stone.

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: bluray, day, fathers, review

Kodi Smit-McPhee talks about voicing Norman in “ParaNorman”

Kodi Smit-McPhee is best known for his role in the dark horror film “Let Me In”. Kodi also voices the role of Norman in the stop-motion animated film “ParaNorman”. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Kodi about this role in the film, the process of doing voice work and what he has planned upcoming.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about your experience voicing Norman in “ParaNorman”?
Kodi Smit-McPhee: It was really cool. I have done voice over work before but it was computer generated, a lot quicker and overall very different. I knew about stop-motion before this but when I worked on it, it was completely not what I expected. When I when to Oregon to see Laika studios, I was just blown away at how much passion they have and seeing how much work and patience goes into creating the town and these characters. It really motivated me to do the best that I can really do.

MG: Tell us about the process of recorded your role?
KSM: We knew that there were ten sessions that I had to record and there were a few months in between. I would go in and record the whole script and then send it off to Laika. They would work around my around my voice and then I would go back in and touch up anything we had to do over.

MG: How long did the whole process take?
KSM: It was about two years. I started when I was fourteen and now I am sixteen.

MG: When you recorded the voice were you with any of the other cast?
KSM: Yeah. It was really cool when I got to record my material with someone. Usually since I was typically in this black room when recording solo. When someone came in it helped fill in your imagination a bit and makes those scenes very natural. You can actually interact with someone and react off their energy. It was an awesome experience.

MG: What was your biggest challenge doing voice work?
KSM: I think the biggest challenge was keeping the voice up in that area, since I was getting older at the time. In the Town Hall scene, where he climbs up the side of the building and was yelling at the Witch, it was such an emotional scene. It was very hard to do. To get all of that emotion out through my voice was a challenge but we did get it in the end.

MG: After starring in “Let Me In”, what do you enjoy most about the horror genre?
KSM: I think the cool thing of horror is that as it gets older, people are bringing so much more into it. I think with “ParaNorman” and “Let Me In”, there is the horror aspect and it is fun but there are also these underlining deep stories within them. So you are able to take two things away from it.

MG: What do you have planned next?
KSM: Right after “ParaNorman”, I did “Romeo and Juliet”, which is something totally different. It is with Hailee Steinfeld, Douglas Booth and Paul Giamatti. Then I did a sci-fi film called “The Congress” which is also with Paul Giamatti and Jon Hamm. Right now, I am in New York working on a new film called “A Birder’s Guide to Everything” with Ben Kingsley.

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: Film Interviews, Interviews Tagged With: kodi, paranorman, smitmcphee, talks, voice, work, ...
« sdf
Previous
Page 48 of 118
Next
Next Page »