Blu-ray Review “La La Land”

Actors: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, John Legend, Rosemarie Dewitt, Finn Wittrock
Directors: Damien Chazelle
Rated: PG-13
Studio: Lionsgate
Release Date: April 25, 2017
Run Time: 128 minutes

Film: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of 5 stars

I was highly anticipating “La La Land”. I told myself I wasn’t going to hear a note of the music before seeing the film. Funnily enough after my first viewing, I felt really let down. Afterwards, I spent time listening to the soundtrack and since have fallen absolutely in love with the music and the film itself becoming one of my favorites from 2016. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone are/and also sound amazing. I love them singing and I love them together. A must see for sure!

Official Premise: Winner of 6 Academy Awards® including Best Director for writer/director Damien Chazelle, and winner of a record-breaking 7 Golden Globe® Awards, LA LA LAND is more than the most acclaimed movie of the year – it’s a cinematic treasure for the ages that you’ll fall in love with again and again. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling star as Mia and Sebastian, an actress and a jazz musician pursuing their Hollywood dreams – and finding each other – in a vibrant celebration of hope, dreams, and love.

The 1080p transfer is gorgeous. I love the look and the way that this film was shot. I feel like it speaks true to Hollywood today. Since this is an musical, you would assume that the sound of this Blu-ray is very important. Well Lionsgate films does not disappoint. They have delivered us with an epic Dolby Atmos track as well as a Dolby TrueHD 7.1. So two great options way to enjoy this beautiful film and its beautiful songs!

The special features are solid. There are about over 10 featurettes focusing on all aspects of the production bringing nearly 80 minutes of content. There is an informative audio commentary with Writer/Director Damien Chazelle and Composer Justin Hurwitz. I love these two together on this track. “Damien and Justin Sing: The Demos” is a look at two demos for the track “What a Waste of a Lovely Night” and “City of Stars”. Lastly there is a gallery and trailers.

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Blu-ray Review “Rings”

Starring: Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz, Alex Roe, Johnny Galecki, Aimee Teegarden, Bonnie Morgan, Vincent D’Onofrio
Director: F. Javier Gutiérrez
Rated: PG-13
Studio: Universal Studios
Release Date: May 2, 2017
Run Time: 102 minutes

Film: 2 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2 out of 5 stars

“Ringu” aka “The Ring” originally was a great Japanese horror movie. Honestly didn’t need an expensive US remake. Still, the remake was decent and worth working. “The Ring 2” is hardly. When I heard report of “Rings”, I thought “yeah sounds cool, it’s been some years now and what could they do with all this new technology etc”. Well this was just another boring reboot of the original film with nothing worth wild here at all. Samara is not scary at all and all her scenes could have been taken scene for scene from the previous films and you wouldn’t have realized.

Official Premise: A new chapter in the beloved RING horror franchise. A young woman becomes worried about her boyfriend when he explores a dark subculture surrounding a mysterious videotape said to kill the watcher seven days after he has viewed it. She sacrifices herself to save her boyfriend and in doing so makes a horrifying discovery: there is a “movie within the movie” that no one has ever seen before…

“Rings” comes as a combo pack with a Blu-ray + DVD+ Digital HD cop included. The DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track is solid for this film I do have to give credit there! The special features are bland and pointless like the movie. There are two featurettes “Terror Comes Full Circle” and “Resurrecting the Dead: Bringing Samara Back” about the production and creating Samara again, respectively. “Scary Scenes” is a stupid cast reaction to horror. Lastly there are nearly 20 minutes of deleted/alternate/extended scenes, cause you can tell this movie was chopped up to hell and was probably an entirely different film before it was released!

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Blu-ray Review “Gold”

Actors: Matthew McConaughey, Edgar Ramirez, Corey Stoll, Bryce Dallas Howard
Directors: Stephen Gaghan
Rated: R
Studio: LIONSGATE
Release Date: May 2, 2017
Run Time: 121 minutes

Film: 3 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars

For the talent involved you would have thought that a film like “Gold” would have gotten a lot more notice. This film stars Matthew McConaughey (“The Dark Tower”), Bryce Dallas Howard (“Jurassic World”), Corey Stoll (“House of Cards”), as well as veterans Stacy Keach (“American History X”) and Bruce Greenwood (“Star Trek”). Talent-wise this film is a score. I enjoyed watching it, thought it would be a film that I would never see again for sure. Not my kinda movie.

Official Premise: “Gold” is the epic tale of one man’s pursuit of the American dream — to discover gold. Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey stars as Kenny Wells, a prospector desperate for a lucky break, who teams up with a similarly eager geologist, and they set off on an amazing journey to find gold in the uncharted jungle of Indonesia. Getting the gold was hard, but keeping it would be even harder, sparking an adventure through the most powerful boardrooms of Wall Street.

“Gold” comes in a combo pack with a Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD included.  The 1080p transfer is typical. Doesn’t stand out. Doesn’t suck. Looks solid enough. Same goes for thhe DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, which delivers great sound especially for the title track by Iggy Pop and Danger Mouse. The special features includes an audio commentary with director Stephen Gaghan as well as a deleted scene, a featurette on the film’s locations and a behind-the-scenes look at Matthew McConaughey’s character.

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Film Review “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2”

Directed by: James Gunn
Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan,
Pom Klementieff, Elizabeth Debicki, Chris Sullivan, Sean Gunn, Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russell
Distributed by Walt Disney Studios
Release Date: May 5, 2017
Running time: 136 minutes

Mike G’s Score: 4 out of 5 stars

When I left the advance screening back in 2014 for Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy”, I said to my wife that this movie is the “Star Wars” for our new generation and it will be HUGE! Fast forward to 2017 and here we are with Vol.2 being released and looking back at how much the first film affected Hollywood. The magic of the first film has tried to be copied since and the only film to get close was “Deadpool”. It is hard for me to scream that “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” is better than the first. I really really liked it but I also watch the first film almost weekly or at least monthly, so to say I’m a big fan is an understatement. I even got my 5 year old daughter into the first film (I know I’m a terrible dad, but she LOVES IT!). Vol.2 is easily one of the best films I have seen this year and an amazing follow-up to the first film. I have a feeling as I see it a few times more my love will only grow.

Personally, I am bored with “The Avengers” in general, i.e. Iron Man, Captain America and their movies. I am more into Marvel’s releases like “Guardians”, “Doctor Strange” and even the new “Thor” looks fantastic! These are great superhero movies and I can easily add Vol.2 to that list! The sequel not only is action packed entertaining movie but also packs some mega emotional character driven dramatic moments. I love those moments. This movie has so much heart, literally so much. The jokes are funnier. I swear everything that Drax says is pure gold. Baby Groot was cute and really wasn’t overused like I assumed he would be to steal the show.

Everyone was talking about Kurt Russell’s role of Ego and Peter Quill’s father..and he was everything I wanted and more! Russell is just tearing it up with this and the “Fast and Furious” franchise. He is on fire. The star of this film is no question, Michael Rooker. His role of Yondu was expanded greatly from the first film and really gets some amazing screen time (cue Cat Stevens’ song “Father and Son”). Even Sean Gunn (James’ brother) got an expanded role and delivered some really great scenes. I really enjoyed Kraglin in this film! Sylvester Stallone popped up for a bit, cool to see him but didn’t do much. He was mostly just setup for future films playing the important character aka Starhawk. And if you are a Toby fan like me from the TV series “This Is Us” keep an eye out for Taserface! Love him! The girl power in “Guardians” was very strong, which makes me happy due to having an eager to see this 5 year old. Karen Gillan got a chance to expand Nebula more in this sequel and she was just brilliant. Zoe Saldan and her got some nice screen time together. Pom Klementieff joined on playing a very important character named Mantis and easily stole our hearts…even though she is really ugly…(according to Drax).

The songs from the first “Guardians” really made the film so special and unique. The second film doesn’t disappoint in terms of great picks and don’t feel forced like when “Suicide Squad” tried to copy. ELO’s “Mr. Blue Sky” is a great track. Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain” has great placement in the film. Sam Cooke’s “Bring it on Home to Me” was a great and very sweet moment. George Harrison’s “My Sweet Lord” is one of my favorite songs ever. I mentioned above Cat Stevens’ song “Father and Son,m which was just a perfect choice for this film. James Gunn’s band along with David Hasselhoff, yes David Hasslehoff even have a fun song in the end credits. The score is beautiful again from Tyler Bates. I’ve been listening to it for about a week now before seeing the film and I had a really great appreciation for the music when I saw it. Honestly this is the first Marvel film that really interested me with their score.

The visual effects are just beautiful. Ego’s planet is breathtaking for sure. This is a film that needs to be seen in the theater. Preferable the biggest IMAX screen possible. Please do not see this film at little theater. 3D was good didn’t really jump out too much. I could have gone either way on that. This franchise has a BIG future ahead of it and as long as it has James Gunn’s vision leading it down this path I am on board and very excited to see what is coming next! Hopefully Gunn will actually give Nathan Fillion a decent role in next film that won’t be cut 😉 I am just happy that Vol.2 doesn’t disappoint and I believe that it is because they didn’t just try and copy the first film. They took what worked from the first film, expanded it perfectly and ended up with one of the year’s best film.

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Blu-ray Review “The Girl With All The Gifts”

Actors: Gemma Arterton, Paddy Considine, Glenn Close, Sennia Nanua
Directors: Colm McCarthy
Rated: R
Studio: Lionsgate
Release Date: April 25, 2017
Run Time: 111 minutes

Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 1.5 out of 5 stars

Who knew that six-time Academy Award nominee Glenn Close’s next film was going to be a post apocalyptic zombie film, I would have said “Hell no!” But she kicks some major ass in “The Girl With All The Gifts”. This British zombie flick definitely stands out among the flood of non-stop entries into this popular genre. In this film the flesh-eating beasts are called “hungries” and are teachable like pets (sort of). Very cool flick. Great performance from the underappreciated Gemma Arterton and stealing the show is the newcomer Sennia Nanua! She was amazing and I hope to see much more of her!

Official Premise: Humanity has been all but destroyed by a fungal disease that eradicates free will and turns its victims into flesh eating “hungries.” Only a small group of children seems immune to its effects. At an army base in rural England, these unique children are being studied and subjected to cruel experiments. When the base falls, one little girl escapes and must discover what she is, ultimately deciding both her own future and that of the human race.

Lionsgate is delivering the film as a combo pack with a Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD copy. Unlike the film, the special features are disappointing. There is only one featurettes included here called “Unwrap the Secret World of The Girl with All the Gifts”, which is a pretty standard brief behind-the-scenes look. Was hoping for a commentary track to get a little deeper into the subtext of the film itself.

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DVD Review “Tangled: Before Ever After”

Actors: Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, Ashley Judd, Clancy Brown, Sean Hayes
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
DVD Release Date: April 11, 2017
Run Time: 57 minutes

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

“Tangled” is easily one of my favorite Disney films EVER! I just love it and I my daughter has been watching it non-stop ever since she was born and she just turned 5. I was overly excited when I saw that Disney was making a TV series based on the film. “Before Ever After” is the kick-off movie to the series and a great follow-up to the motion picture. The original characters (and voices) are back as well as some great new characters and beautiful music/songs by Disney legend Alan Menken.

Official Premise: After all those years stuck in a tower, everyone’s favorite “barefoot princess” (Mandy Moore) yearns to make up for lost time. With the help of her true love Eugene (Zachary Levi), pals Pascal and Maximus and daring new friend Cassandra, Rapunzel postpones her wedding and royal duties to defy danger and boldly explore life beyond Corona’s walls. Sparkling with fun, adventure and music from the legendary Alan Menken, “Tangled: Before Ever After” is a magical movie event!

The film itself runs a just under an hour, which is typical for the TV series kick off films similar to “Sofia the First” and “Elena of Avalor”. There are some extras includes on the DVD as well with four fun “Tangled” shorts: “Checkmate”; “Prison Bake”; “Make Me Smile”; “Hare Peace”. These are great and a nice bonus to “Tangled: Before Ever After”. If you aren’t watching the new TV series as well, which has been airing on the Disney Channel, I also highly recommend.

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Blu-ray Review “Monster Trucks” [BD/DVD/Digital HD Combo]

Actors: Rob Lowe, Barry Pepper, Thomas Lennon, Lucas Till
Number of discs: 2
Rated: PG
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: April 11, 2017
Run Time: 104 minutes

Film: 2 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 4 out 5 stars
Extras: 3 out of 5 stars

“Monster Trucks” is a film that should have been a big hit by just its legacy that precedes it since it is based on the Hasbro product that every child (or at least boys) has played with in their life. Unfortunately, it was made into what seemed like a “Transformers” rip-off with a huge budget and no big names in the cast. The film is too family friendly to be enjoyed by anyone over the age of 10 and not interesting enough to draw in the younger crowd. The film is also fairly short and still drags, no torque in these “Monster Trucks”.

Official Premise: Looking for any way to get away from the life and town he was born into, Tripp (Lucas Till), a high school senior, builds a monster truck from bits and pieces of scrapped cars. After an accident at a nearby oil-drilling site displaces a strange and subterranean creature with a taste and a talent for speed, Tripp may have just found the key to getting out of town with a most unlikely friend.

I know this film had sat on the shelf for sometime since Paramount knew what a turd it had on its hands. Still though, the Blu-ray presentation is solid. The film comes in a combo pack with a Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD copy included. The 1080p transfer looks great. With the visual effects and action sequences, there is a lot to view on the screen and the colors really pop. Surprisingly enough, the soundtrack is also a win delivering a quality Dolby Atmos soundtrack.

There are three main short featurettes making up the special features. First is called “Who’s Driving the Monster Trucks?” and features the cast discussing the film. “The Monster in the Truck” mixes visual and practical effects. “Creating the Monster Truck” looks deeper into Tripp’s truck. “Production Diaries” gives a decent look inside the film. Lastly there are some deleted scenes included and a decent length gag reel.

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Blu-ray Review “The Founder”

Actors: Michael Keaton, Laura Dern, Linda Cardellini, Nick Offerman, Patrick Wilson
Directors: John Lee Hancock
Rated: PG-13
Studio: Lionsgate
Release Date: April 18, 2017
Run Time: 115 minutes

Film: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3 out of 5 stars

There is one reason why I saw this film Michael Keaton. I do not eat McDonald’s and I am generally not a fan of bio-pics but this one drew me in. Other than Keaton, this film has a stand up cast including Linda Cardellini, Patrick Wilson, Laura Dern and also John Carroll Lynch, Nick Offerman, who were simply outstanding. I am not one of steal a quote but when I left this screening the first time I saw it someone walked out and said “Keaton’s best villain role since “Beetlejuice”” and I cannot say it better than that! This film ended up being out of my favorites from 2016. Must see!

Official Premise: The Founder features the true story of how Ray Kroc (Keaton), a struggling salesman from Illinois, met Mac and Dick McDonald, who were running a burger operation in 1950s Southern California. Kroc was impressed by the brothers’ speedy system of making the food and saw franchise potential. Writer Robert Siegel (The Wrestler) details how Kroc maneuvered himself into a position to be able to pull the company from the brothers and create a billion-dollar empire.

“The Founder” comes as a combo pack with a Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD copy included. There are four featurettes included in the special features look at the story, Keaton’s role, the original brothers and the production design. There is also a cool lapse video focusing around building a McDonald’s as well as a Press Conference with Filmmakers and Cast included. Pretty solid and enjoyed overall.

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Blu-ray Review “Teen Titans: The Judas Contract”

Starring: Christina Ricci, Miguel Ferrer, Taissa Farmiga, Jake T. Austin, Kari Wahlgren, Sean Maher
Director: Sam Liu
Distributed by: Warner Bros.
Running Time: 84 min
Rated PG-13
Release Date: Apr 18, 2017

Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3 out of 5 stars

“Teen Titans: The Judas Contract” is the sequel to “Justice League vs. Teen Titans”. The DC Universe animated original movies have been stepping up their games. This one had a slightly more grown-up feel for our Teen Titans. The voice cast is great Stuart Allan returns as Robin, Taissa Farmiga as Raven, Brandon Soo Hoo as Beast Boy, Jake T. Austin as Blue Beetle, Kari Wahlgren as Starfire and Sean Maher as Nightwing. Some new talent includes Christina Ricci as Terra, Miguel Ferrer as Deathstroke, which is also his last role since he died earlier this year, Gregg Henry plays Brother Blood, Meg Foster as Mother Mayhem and even Kevin Smith plays himself in the film. It was a fun film and “Teen Titans” as a product is very hot right now! I give it a thumbs up for sure!

Official Premise: Led by Starfire, the Teen Titans – Beast Boy, Raven, Blue Beetle, Robin and the just-returned Nightwing – have built a cohesive team in their never-ending battle against evil; but their newest teammate, the mysterious, and powerful Terra, may be altering that dynamic. Meanwhile, an ancient evil, Brother Blood, has awakened, and familiar foe Deathstroke is lurking in the shadows – both waiting to pounce. Ultimately, the Teen Titans will need to battle their enemies and their own doubts to unite and overcome the malicious forces around them, in this twisting tale of intrigue, adventure and deception.

“Teen Titans: The Judas Contract” comes as a Blu-ray + DVD + UltraViolet combo pack. Special features are not jam-packed but worth taking a look. First up “Titanic Minds: Wolfman and Perez” is a documentary exploring the relationship of Marv Wolfman and George Pérez talking about Teen Titan history. “Villains United: Deathstroke” is a short featurette on the villain. There are two bonus cartoons in “From the DC Comics Vault”. Lastly, there is a sneak peek at the next DC Universe Original Movie, “Batman and Harley Quinn”, with the creators and voice cast.

 

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Blu-ray Review “National Geographic: Mars”

Number of discs: 3
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: April 11, 2017
Run Time: 328 minutes

Series: 4 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of 5 stars

“Mars” is not just another sci-fi movie, it is a TV mini-series, which aired on the National Geographic Channel. It is also not another documentary series either, which makes it kinda unique and interesting! First of all it is from executive producers Brian Grazer & Ron Howard, so right there we have something special. “Mars” is a docudrama. It mixes dramatic TV story line perfectly with real-life interviews and it absolutely stunning to look at. We want more shows like this National Geographic!

Official Premise: MARS follows a crew of courageous international astronauts on its exhilarating maiden voyage to Mars and quest to colonize the fourth planet from the sun. In a unique blend of scripted drama intermixed with documentary sequences and feature-film-caliber visual effects, the series presents what the greatest minds in space exploration are doing to make traveling to Mars a reality, featuring Big Thinkers like Elon Musk, Neil deGrasse Tyson and Stephen Petranek.

The 1080p transfer looks amazing with the added CG elements from this series. The DTS-Master Audio 5.1 track sounds greet with the dramatic tone added in and effects are well balanced. The special features are solid. There is a great behind-the-scenes look called “Making Mars”, which clocks in at over 45 minutes. “Before Mars – A Prequel” gives some great backstory to the series and runs over 30 minutes. Then there are some more behind-the-scenes looks and interviews with Ron Howard and other cast and crew. Definitely worth watching!

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Blu-ray Review “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”

Actors: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen, Wen Jiang
Directors: Gareth Edwards
Rated: PG-13
Studio: Walt Disney Studios
Release Date: April 4, 2017
Run Time: 133 minutes

Film: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of 5 stars

“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” was a very risky film in the “Star Wars” universe but it also paid off 10x. I want to start with I commend the director Gareth Edwards for taking on such a challenging project and yet still come out looking like a rock star leaving even the most hardcore “Star Wars” fans satisyed. This film is a great stand alone to the series which tells a very important story seperately like still keeping the big universe in its eye sight and giving us perfect cameos of characters like Darth Vader and even Princess Leia (via CGI). An obvious must see for any “Star Wars” fans and let me tell you it gets better and better with each viewing.

Here is the film’s premise: Jyn Erso, a Rebellion soldier and criminal, is about to experience her biggest challenge yet when Mon Mothma sets her out on a mission to steal the plans for the Death Star. With help from the Rebels, a master swordsman, and non-allied forces, Jyn will be in for something bigger than she thinks.

The Blu-ray presentation of “Rogue One” is nearly flawless. The 1080p transfer looks perfect and the “Star Wars” “universe has never looked sharper. The DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 audio track delivers a flawless sound for this film and packs a helluva punch! With every blaster to droid sound to John Williams score, the sound is just perfect. The film comes in a combo pack with a Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet Digital HD copy.

The special features are decent and worth checking out. Not perfect like everything else on this release but still impressive. There is a collection of featurettes focusing on all aspects of the production. “A Rogue Idea” takes the film getting started from the idea pitch. “Jyn: The Rebel” looks at the lead character in this story. “Cassian: The Spy” focusing on Diego Luna character. If you can guess which the next featurette is focused on with “K-2SO: The Droid”, who stole the show. If you are catching the drift here the characters are all covered in featurettes and even the Empire has its own assorted one. Lastly there are featurettes on the digital effects and Rogue cameos.

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Blu-ray Review “Veep: The Complete Fifth Season”

Starring: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Anna Chlumsky, Tony Hale, Matt Walsh, Reid Scott, Timothy Simons
Number of discs: 2
Studio: HBO
Release Date: April 11, 2017

Season: 4 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3 out of 5 stars

The fifth season of the political satire, “Veep”, aired in a very important year in our history. The year of the election that Donald Trump became out 45th President of the United States. The election was everywhere you turned. “Veep” is a very important show as well because how 6 ballsy it is and how much it pokes fun of politics yet extremely smart at the same time. Since come people considered this past election to be a joke, this show had a lot in common. This season was extremely strong showing that this show has no signs of slowing down. Season 6 airs this month!

Official Premise: Season 5 of the acclaimed comedy series created by Armando Iannucci finds Selina Meyer in the midst of a virtually unprecedented Electoral College tie – with her future as President coming down to only a few hundred votes. Selina finds herself spinning her wheels in D.C. as her staff continues their mission to make her seem presidential (even though she is the President) while fending off the ambitions of her charismatic Vice Presidential running mate who, through an obscure constitutional procedure, could end up being President. Veep continues to prove that in Washington, even the most banal decisions can have ripple effects – with unexpected and often hilarious consequences.

Along with the 10-episode season also included was a digital download copy of the full season. The special features are split over the two Blu-rays and worth checking out if you want more of this show’s zaniness. There are half hour of deleted scenes over the whole season span. Lastly there are four audio commentary tracks including on episodes 1, 4, 6, and 7. The tracks include star Julia Louis-Dreyfuss and also Executive Producer as well as Tony Hale, Reid Scott, Timothy Simons, David Mandel and more!

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Book Review “Nella the Princess Knight” by Christine Ricci

Age Range: 3 – 7 years
Grade Level: Preschool – 2
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Release Date: March 7, 2017

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

“Nella the Princess Knight” is the latest new animated preschool series to come out of Nick Jr. This show quickly became one of my 5 year old’s favorite series. The show is cheesy and drives me nuts personally but my girl loves it and that is all that matters to me. This is the first book in the “Nella the Princess Knight” series and tells the story of “Nella’s Unicorn Rescue”. Since receiving this book, it has become a staple for my daughter at bedtime. If your kids has discovered this show I would recommend the book for sure…and if you haven’t discovered the show my daughter would highly recommend it.

Keeping it with the family, the story is written by Christine Ricci, which is a curriculum consultant on Nick Jr. shows like “Blaze and the Monster Machines” and “Team Umizoomi”. The show is cute and works well for kids because it focuses on relationship development and positive messaging for preschoolers and promotes them to be courageous. That is a message that I want my daughter to have as she is soaking up everything around her and growing up. I look forward to future books from Random House Books for Young Readers and I hope they continue this series for “Nella the Princess Knight” for a while!

 

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Blu-ray Review “Lion”

Actors: Dev Patel, Rooney Mara, David Wenham, Nicole Kidman
Directors: Garth Davis
Rated: PG-13
Studio: Lionsgate
Release Date: April 11, 2017
Run Time: 120 minutes

Film: 3 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2 out of 5 stars

“Lion” is what I like to call an award season film. These films are not usually my favorite. This film packs some major talent starring Dev Patel, Rooney Mara and Nicole Kidman. The film is impressive scenery. The locations were easily the best part of the film. I can’t call this film bad but at the same time I can say that it wasn’t for me. Others might love it but for the cast and locations its worth taking a look to see which is you.

Official Premise: A five-year-old Indian boy gets lost on the streets of Calcutta, thousands of kilometers from home. He survives many challenges before being adopted by a couple in Australia; 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family.

“Lion” comes as a combo pack with a Blu-ray + Digital HD copy included. The 1080p transfer showcases the film’s beautiful landscapes. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is also solid but recently most tracks are at all 7.1, so it’s debatable especially since this sort of film doesn’t need a 7.1 track to be good. Special features are lacking with only having a lyrics music video, some deleted scenes and a five part collection of featurettes in “Behind the Scenes Gallery”.

 

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Blu-ray Review “Wishmaster Collection”

Actors: Tammy Lauren, Andrew Divoff, Robert Englund, Angus Scrimm, Paul Johansson
Directors: Robert Kurtzman, Jack Sholder, Chris Angel
Number of discs: 3
Rated: R
Studio: LIONSGATE
Release Date: March 28, 2017
Run Time: 370 minutes

Collection: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of 5 stars

“Wishmaster” is and always will be one of my favorite horror genre flicks. I was one of the many few that saw this in theaters, dragging my father at the time (who still hates me to today over 20 years later). This is a great movie. It is made my horror legends for horror fans. It has everything. Gore. Comedy. Practical Effects. Great cameos including Robert Englund (“A Nightmare on Elm Street”), Kane Hodder (“Friday the 13th”) and Tony Todd (“Candyman”) aka horror icons Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees and Candyman respectively. This is a must see for all horror fans…the sequels are…watchable but never lived up to the first.

This four film collection on Blu-ray contains the following films: “Wishmaster”, “Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies”, “Wishmaster 3: Beyond the Gates of Hell” and “Wishmaster 4: The Prophecy Fulfilled”. Like I said, I have seen all the sequels but they never really wowed me. I enjoy the character but the limited budgets and production value doesn’t give them potential to reach far.

The A/V presentation on these films vary quite a bit but are all together impressive. “Wishmaster” and “Wishmaster 3: Beyond the Gates of Hell” both feature a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track, even though “Wishmaster” claims on the box it comes with a 5.1 surround track. It doesn’t. A little bit of a let down I thought but overall it still impressed me. “Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies” and “Wishmaster 4: The Prophecy Fulfilled” both pack a solid DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks.

“Wishmaster” come stocked with the best special features in the bunch.  There are two audio commentary, first with director Robert Kurtzman and screenwriter Peter Atkins and second with Kurtzman (again) and stars Andrew Divoff and Tammy Lauren. They are both great and worth checking out. There is also isolated score selections and an audio interview with composer Harry Manfredini.

Next up there are a ton of interviews with everyone from director Robert Kurtzman and co-producer David Tripet to screenwriter Peter Atkins to stars Andrew Divoff and Tammy Lauren to director of photography Jacques Haitkin and actors Kane Hodder and Ted Raimi. Lastly there are some trailers, spots, vintage featurettes and behind-the-scenes footage along with galleries…and that is only on disc one!

Disc 2 for “Wishmaster 2” has an audio commentary with writer/director Jack Sholder. As well as a trailer and still gallery. Not a whole lot for the sequel. The commentary track is solid. Disc 3 “for Wishmaster 3” features an audio commentary with director Chris Angel and cast members John Novak, Jason Connery and Louisette Geiss. There is also a vintage making-of featurette and a trailer included.

Lastly “Wishmaster 4” which shares disc 3 with the previous film comes with two audio commentary tracks. The first is with director Chris Angel and cast members Michael Trucco and Jason Thompson and the second is with director Chris Angel (again) and actor John Novak. Also included is a featurette called “Wishmasterpiece Theatre” and a trailer included closing out this fantastic set!

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Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: bluray, collection, review, wishmaster
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