Directed by: Adam Deyoe
Starring: James C. Burns, Scott Peat, Marissa Merrill, Corsica Wilson
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Distributed by: Image Entertainment
Release Date: July 31, 2012
Running Time: 88 minutes

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

When it comes to zombie films, there are definitely no shortage. In fact there is almost a new one every month. “Dead Season” stays above the rest and delivers some great effects, gore and entertaining story. It is a film that is not afraid to get its hands dirty and really dive deep into the zombie genre and delivers a kick-ass fun time. It is low-budget but looks the complete opposite. Fans of the horror genre should consider giving this latest zombie entry a try. You should be pleasantly surprised for sure.

When the zombies apocalypse breaking out, we follow two survivors who are looking to flee the chaos and make their way to a remote island and looking to start a new life. Of course once they make it to the island there are already hordes of the flesh-hungry undead and other people already on the island. They are forced to join forces with the island group in order to survive and escape from the zombies with their lives.

Image Entertainment has been releasing some pretty great titles in the horror genre recently after this last months “Some Guy Who Kills People”. I wish they would bring these films to the Blu-ray format though. There are some decent special features included on this DVD at least. There is a Making of featurette. As well as a few deleted scenes and outtakes included. Lastly there is a trailer included for the film. I commend Adam Deyoe for taking zombie and without recreating the wheel delivering an great addition to this genre.

Starring: David Janssen
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 1210 minutes
Distributed by: Warner Archive
Release Date: July 10, 2012

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Warner Archive is studio behind this new fantastic release. This is the first time that the complete season of “Harry O” has ever been released on DVD.  David Janssen, who is probably known best for his role in “The Fugitive”, recreates the role of a detective in this show. Though after watching this season, I must saw that this might have been David Janssen at his best. If you are reading this WB, please don’t keep us waiting and release season two ASAP!

“Harry O” blends a mix of action and humor.  It definitely represents some good ole’ fashioned television. This releases consists of six DVD, which include all 22 episodes from the entire first season.  Besides David Janssen, the show also co-stars Henry Darrow and Anthony Zerbe and includes a bunch of special guests including Stefanie Powers, Linda Evans, Martin Sheen, and Cab Calloway. The DVD looks great for a show from the 70’s and comes presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1 and is in full frame. The audio comes in a Dolby Mono track, which also sounds great for its age. Besides containing the entire first season, this DVD release also comes with a special bonus of the original pilot episode “Such Dust as Dreams Are Made On”.

Harry Orwell is a decidedly different detective. And Harry O is decidedly different TV show. Forced off the force thanks to a bullet lodged near his spine, former police detective Harry Orwell gets by on his disability pension and the occasional private detecting gig (“100 bucks a day. Plus expenses”). No flashy car for the downtrodden Harry – he’s as apt to get around town on bus as he is on foot. But he’s as savvy as he is sophisticated, and though he might have to avoid the slugfests, he can crack any case. Even if it sometimes breaks his heart. Harry O features an actor at the top of his game, playing a character complex enough to contain his talents.

Directed by: Steve Barron
Starring: Eddie Izzard, Elijah Wood, Donald Sutherland, Toby Regbo, Rupert Penry- Jones
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Distributed by: Vivendi Entertainment
Release Date: July 24, 2012
Running Time: 183 minutes

Film: 3 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic “Treasure Island” seems to be something that gets “re-imagined” at least once a year. The real draw here is Eddie Izzard playing Long John Silver. He really nails the role and is a lot of fun but that is about it. Elijah Wood is a nut in the film but doesn’t really show up till the second half. This mini-series aired earlier this year on Syfy in two-parts. After the first part, I was not incredibly thrilled but the second half definitely carried the weight of the film but it really wasn’t enough to really make this worth the wait. If you are a fan of other Syfy mini-series though like “Tin Men” and “Alice”, then definitely give this a look and expect the same quality in “Treasure Island”.

The story follows young Jim Hawkins, who is the only one who can successfully get a schooner to a legendary Island looking for buried treasure. Aboard the ship is a mysterious cook named John Silver (Izzard), who has other plans for the trip and causes Jim to loose trust in the crew. After that you known the rest of the story for “Treasure Island”, expect a bit of pirate action adventure, buried treasures and high sea sailing.

The Blu-ray presentation is quite impressive. The 1080p transfer looks sharp and worked well with the location shooting. It is also presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The audio track, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, also works well especially with the film’s action sequences.

The special features are slightly disappointing overall. There is a commentary track with by Director Steve Barron and Actor Eddie Izzard, few good laughs overall. There is a brief featurette “The Making of Treasure Island” with interviews with Steve Barron, Elijah Wood, David Harewood, Eddie Izzard but is just too short. There are more cast interviews including Eddie Izzard, Elijah Wood, Toby Regbo and Philip Glenister and Ruper Penry-Jones together. These are worth checking out but also short. “A Tour of the Hispaniola” is a feature with Dan Malone, Marine Coordinator on the film, taking us on the guided tour of the tall ship. “Anatomy of a Stunt” is a short feature on one of the stunts taking place on the ship. Lastly there is a trailer included as well.

Directed by: Ryan Little
Starring: Danny Glover, Vinnie Jones, Corey Sevier, Larry Bagby, Kepa Kruse
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Distributed by: Arc Entertainment
Release Date: July 24, 2012
Running Time: 92 minutes

Film: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: N/A

If you are fan of Syfy Original Movies, then you might have caught “Age of Dragons” when it aired a few months ago. Well let’s just say it is not one of the better films to ever have graced its network. The draw for me personally besides the dragons was Danny Glover and Vinnie Jones. The film is a re-imagined version of “Moby-Dick,” the classic Herman Melville novel. I think that is a really cool aspect, except it really wasn’t that entertaining and failed to really do justice to the original story.

Set in a medieval era, follows vengeful captain Ahab (Glover) who is leading the dragon hunters including Ishmael (Corey Sevier), Queequeg (John Kepa Kruse) Stubb (Vinnie Jones) and Starbuck (David Morgan) in order to find and kill the legendary white dragon. Ahab’s developed obsession is due to that the white dragon slaughtered his family when he was a kid and left his body scarred and mauled.

Science fiction fans might get a kick-out of this medieval re-imagining of “Moby Dick”. As with all Syfy Original Movies, the quality of the CG effects are limited but still decent or should I say acceptable for this film. But overall, I thought the story was lacking, slow moving and not extremely entertaining. I would call this a Redbox renter and a one-time watcher. To top it off there are no special features included on this DVD.

Directed by: Phil Olsman
Starring: Ozzy Osbourne
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Distributed: Eagle Rock Entertainment
Release Date: July 17, 2012
Running Time: 78 minutes

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

I remember the first time I heard an Ozzy Osbourne song at the age of 10 and it changed my life. I remember running out the record store and picking up and vinyl I could find from him, completely against the wishes of my parents. I think that is what made Ozzy so great that you knew that you shouldn’t be listening to him as a kid but you just HAD TO. I have seen Ozzy numerous times live but there is something special about Ozzy from the early 80’s. The show was live from Irvine Meadows Amphitheater in California on June 12, 1982 during his “Diary of a Madman” tour.

When it comes to DVD concerts, the audio is everything.  This release has been digitally restored and remastered and presented in DTS and Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound for the first time. Honestly it couldn’t sound better, especially for DVD.  ’82 was such an awesome year for Ozzy and “Speak Of The Devil” is such an awesome album.  The classics  included in this concert are “Mr Crowley” “Over The Mountain”,  “Crazy Train”, “Iron Man”, “Paranoid”, “Goodbye To Romance” and many more. The line-up for this show features Ozzy Osbourne (vocals); Don Airey (keyboards); Tommy Aldridge (drums); Brad Gillis (guitar) and Rudy Sarzo (bass).

Eagle Rock Entertainment is distributor behind this great release.  As much as I love DVD, I would have love to see this hit Blu-ray.  But after viewing the print, it is obvious this was a low quality video record but it looks good on DVD still for 30 years old. Ozzy is definitely one of heavy metal’s best and this concert portrays him in his prime.  I would highly recommend his for hardcore fans of Ozzy and even newcomers, it is a great intro to his amazing set list.

Track Listing:
1) Over The Mountain
2) Mr Crowley
3) Crazy Train
4) Revelation (Mother Earth)
5) Steal Away (The Night)
6) Suicide Solution
7) Guitar / Drum Solo
8) Goodbye To Romance
9) I Don’t Know
10) Believer
11) Flying High Again
12) Iron Man
13) Children Of The Grave
14) Paranoid

Directed by: Brandon Nutt
Starring: Craig Fairbrass, Randy Couture, Vinnie Jones, Dominic Purcell, Holt McCallany
MPAA Rating: R
Distributed by: Anchor Bay
Release Date: July 31, 2012
Running Time: 90 minutes

Film: 3 out of 5 stars
Extras: N/A

Former UFC Heavyweight Champion, Randy Couture is one bad-ass in the octagon…but I am still 100% convinced that he is an action hero star. He was decent in the film “The Expendables”. He does kicks some decent ass in “Hijacked” but he doesn’t pound the wait of fellow co-stars. One major problem I had with this film was that the killed the film’s best attribute, Vinnie Jones in the opening scene, ala killing off Steve Seagal in the opening of “Executive Decision”, another plane hijacking movie. The action is a little tame but overall the story is well-planned and entertains throughout…for the most part.

The film follows a rogue Special Agent (Randy Couture) who while tracking a crime lord, he board a private jet that is targeted by hijackers working for the same goal. When Ross finds out that his finance is also on-board this plane, he risks it all to save the love of his life and the passengers on this plane which is set for destruction.

The film also has a notable supporting cast of Dominic Purcell (“Prison Break”), who is sporting one hell of a stash and doesn’t get enough screen time. Also the gorgeous Tiffany Dupont (“Greek”) delivers the pretty. This release comes as a Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo, which is always a bonus for me. Though unfortunately there are ZERO special features, zlitch.

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Directed by: Lasse Hallström
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Emily Blunt, Amr Waked, Kristin Scott Thomas, Catherine Steadman
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Distributed by: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Release Date: July 17, 2012
Running Time: 107 minutes

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

Lasse Hallström really knowns how to make romantic relationship films. He is known for his work on films like “Dear John”, “Casanova” and “Chocolat”. “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen” basically follows in the same path of those. It focuses on aspects of faith, friendship and love and the goal to accomplish the impossible. It is well-directed, as is expected due to Hallström credits. Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt have good chemistry together as well. I enjoyed both of their performances and it really was the driving factor for which I enjoyed the most. If you are looking for a cute, simple and touching film, look no further.

This film is a tale of romance mixed with fly-fishing and politics.  It is based on Paul Torday’s novel focusing on a scientist who looks to fulfills the dream of a sheikh by bringing the sport of fly-fishing to his homeland in Yemen. He in fact though believe this both absurd and unachievable. When the Prime Minister’s press secretary comes on board to showcase this as a “good will” story, the two form an unlikely relationship and decide to put it all on the line and take a leap of faith and to prove the impossible, possible.

When it comes to the Blu-ray presentation, Sony has really taken a simple film and made it look really good. The 1080p transfer is near perfect and really brings out the film’s beauty. The DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio track is good but doesn’t really have much range but plays well with the score. Like most, if not all recent, Sony releases this film also includes a DVD along with the Blu-ray disc. Also they include an Ultraviolet streaming digital copy. The special features are pretty disappointing with only two features and no commentary. “Miracles Happen: Making Salmon Fishing in the Yemen” is a short cast/crew interview overview piece. Lastly there is “The Fisherman in the Middle East: Novelist Paul Torday” which is very short and looks into the origin of the story from the novel and it conversion to film.

Directed by: John Hough
Starring: Peter Cushing, Dennis Price, David Warbeck, Madeleine Collinson, Mary Collinson
MPAA Rating: R
Distributed by: Synapse Films
Release Date: July 10, 2012
Running Time: 87 minutes

Film: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 4 out of 5 stars

When it comes to Hammer and vampire films, nobody has done it better…ever!  Hammer is known for their blend of horror with erotic undercurrent throughout their films. Synapse Films deserves an award for really being a pioneer for releasing these amazing horror classics.  They continue to out due themselves with each release.  This is not your basic “just-covert-and-put-out-in-HD” release.  “Twins of Evil” includes an all-new 1080p high definition transfer.  Synapse also does not play around when it comes to extras, this film includes some really amazing exclusive special features.  If you are a fan of Hammer and classic 70’s vampire films, you don’t need my recommendation, this is a no-brainer to sink your teeth into.

“Twins of Evil” is the third film of “The Karnstein Trilogy”, based on the vampire novella “Carmilla” by Sheridan Le Fanu. Hammer released this classic horror film in 1971 and stars Peter Cushing (Hammer alumni) and real-life twins and Playboy Playmates, Mary and Madeleine Collinson. They star as Maria and Frieda, recently orphaned teenage girls, who move from Venice to Karnstein in order to live with their uncle Gustav Weil (Cushing). Their Uncle Weil is also the leader of a witch-hunting group. When Frieda comes under the power of local Count Karnstein, who is also a vampire. Frieda now needs to hide the fact she has become a vampire from her sister, while escaping her uncle’s hunt.

Synapse is just a company that aims to please its fan, they are not releasing these movies just for the hell of it.  They are releasing movies that they want to see on Blu-ray and they make sure that it is done right. The 1080p transfer is beautiful and looks so crisp in its widescreen 1.66:1 ratio.  The audio tracks are even better (if that is possible).  There is an amazing DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono track.  But that is not all there is also an amazing DTS-HD MA isolated score & effects only track, which I really enjoyed.  Hammer films are known for their music and this is a great way to showcase it.  This release also comes in a combo pack with a DVD copy of the film as well.  The only thing I looked for with this release and didn’t see was a reversible cover, which Synapse is known for but it already has amazing cover art so it wasn’t even a problem.

Let’s finally get to these amazing special features.  Firstly there is an 85 minute amazing  feature length documentary called “The Flesh and the Fury: X-posing Twins of Evil”.  It explores the background on Hammer’s classic “Karnstein” trilogy and ranges from the origin of Carmilla to the making of “Twins of Evil”.  This is a feature not to be missed and is worth the purchase of this release alone.  “The Props That Hammer Built: the Kinsey Collection” featurette looks into the amazing design that went into creating these amazing Hammer films.  There is short deleted scene included as well.  Lastly there is a Motion Still Gallery and Original Theatrical Trailer & TV Spots included to top off this great release.

Directors: Zion Myers, Jules White
Number of discs: 6
Distributed by: Warner Archive
Release Date: July 6, 2012
Running Time: 1010 minutes

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

This release from Warner Archive comes with over 50 shorts running over 1000 minutes for the original MGM “Crime Does Not Pay” series. It is really a wonderful set and something that could have only been made by MGM in its heyday. The complete collection includes shorts from 1935-1947.  They are very unique and represent a very specific time in film history and in MGM’s history.  It also short showcases within in short with various different situations proving that in fact “Crime Does Not Pay”!

These B&W shorts looks fantastic on DVD, especially for their age.  Warner  Archive did a fantastic job of restoring and releasing this shorts to the public finally.  They are presented in full screen with an aspect ratio of 1.37:1. There is one bonus short included within the 50 called “Eyes of the Navy”. It is from 1940 and though not a “Crime Does Not Pay” short, it was released by MGM in theaters as part of the series.  Overall if you are a fan of classic shorts from Hollywood’s early days, this is something that you would not want to miss for sure.

The 50 shorts included are: Buried Loot Alibi Racket Desert Death Thrill for Thelma, A Hit and Run Driver Perfect Setup, The Fool Proof Public Pays Torture Money It May Happen to You Soak the Poor Give Till It Hurts Behind the Criminal What Price Safety Miracle Money Come Across Criminal is Born, A They’re Always Caught Think It Over Wrong Way Out, The Money to Loan While America Sleeps Help Wanted Think First Drunk Driving Pound Foolish Know Your Money Jackpot Women in Hiding Buyer Beware Soak the Old You, the People Respect the Law Forbidden Passage Coffins on Wheels Sucker List Don’t Talk For the Common Defense Keep ‘Em Sailing Plan for Destruction Patrolling the Ether Easy Life Dark Shadows Fall Guy, The Last Installment, The Phantoms, Inc. Gun in His Hand, A Purity Squad Luckiest Guy in the World, The EC: Eyes of the Navy.

Directed by: Seiji Chiba
Starring: Rina Takeda
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Distributed by: Section 23
Release Date: July 24, 2012
Running Time: 65 minutes

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

When it comes to ninja and samurai swords, I am first in-line. “Kunoichi” suffers from slow-pacing and a rushed ending. The action and fight sequences in the film are great though, if and when they occur though. Rina Takeda is labeled as a rising martial arts superstar and Japanese Karate champion but when it comes to acting, her skills aren’t as developed. Luckily for her the few fights in the film are decent. The film also runs just over an hour, which is sad especially since it feels longer.

The film follows the brutal and bloody war between the Iga and Koga ninjas.  Though it is the women of these rival clans who suffer the most.  They are captured, denied death and reduced to sex slaves.  But when two Iga warriors kidnap four Koga women, they get a lot more than they bargin for.  They learn they have captured a ninja, Kisaragi, and find out they made a big mistake.

The special features for the release are decent overall.  Included is “The Making of The Kunoichi”.  There is a Kunoichi Stage Greeting from a screening.  There is a featurette on the Action of  The Kunoichi (misspelled though on the DVD box).  There are a few outtakes and lastly Japanese trailers for the films.  If you are a fan of samurais and ninjas, this is worth checking out but is nothing amazing overall.

Directors: Gene Kelly, Stanley Donen
Starring: Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Donald O’Connor,
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Distributed by: Warner Home Video
Release Date: July 17, 2012
Running Time: 103 minutes

Ultimate Collector’s Edition: 5 out of 5 stars
Film: 5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 5 out of 5 stars

Warner Home Video is really setting the standards high for quality collector’s edition releases. After the recent amazing anniversary editions of “Ben-Hur”, “Casablanca” and “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”, Warner Home Video has out-down themselves again. This is my favorite of all the ultimate collector’s editions. “Singin’ in the Rain” is one of my favorite films of all time and continues to entertain even after 60 years. The film is so timeless and contains such memorable songs, wonderful dance sequences and of course Gene Kelly, who is alone amazing. 10 years ago this was the first film for WHV’s to receive their “Ultra-Resolution” process. But that is not enough for this 60th anniversary Blu-ray debut, “Singin’ in the Rain” has been made to look and sound even better with a complete 4k scan restoration of the Technicolor 3-strip negatives and a new uncompressed DTS-Master audio track. What more can a fan of this film ask for?

So if all that amazing detail above isn’t enough for you and you are asking what makes the “Singin’ in the Rain: 60th Anniversary – Ultimate Collector’s Edition”, so ultimate? Firstly this the first time the film has ever graced the Blu-ray format. This new edition like the past Ultimate Collector’s Editions comes packaged in a beautiful box (11½w x 8h x 3d) with a bunch of amazing goodies. Inside this set included a three disc DigiPak that includes one Blu-ray disc and two DVD’s.  The first DVD is jam packed with bonus features and the second is a copy of the film.  There is a nice hardcover 48-page book spread out with wonderful photographs and production notes from the film. There are three miniature reproductions of the theatrical door panel posters.  But wait there is still more…what is “Singin’ in the Rain” without an umbrella? This release comes with an amazing themed and full-size commemorative inside of a red nylon case.

Let’s get to the special features now.  It just keeps getting better and better with this release.  There is a brand new documentary called “Singin’ in the Rain: Raining on a New Generation”, which is located on the Blu-ray disc and is even in high definition. It runs just under an hour and is absolutely amazing. The rest of the special features are located on its own DVD with another bunch of vintage features. Starting off there is a wonderful and very jam-packed commentary track with by Stanley Donen, Debbie Reynolds, Donald O’Connor, Cyd Charisse, Kathleen Freeman, screenwriters Betty Comden and Adolph Green, filmmaker Baz Luhrmann, and film historian Rudy Behlmer. It is simply wonderful. Next up is “Great Performances: Musicals Great Musicals: The Arthur Freed Unit at MGM”, which a 1996 PBS documentary about the career of producer/songwriter Arthur Freed. “What a Glorious Feeling: The Making of Singin’ in the Rain” is a 2002 doc hosting by Reynolds, which is a little dated but very informative.

Continuing on, we still have a lot of features including “Excerpts from Features Where Songs Originated”, which focuses on the many of Singin’ in the Rain’s songs that originally debuted in earlier films. Included for example is “All I Do Is Dream of You” from Sadie McKee (1934). Continuing with the music, there is a Jukebox included which you can create, save and listen to an audio/video playlist of Singin’ in the Rain songs. There is an outtake musical number with Debbie Reynolds for “You are My Lucky Star”. We get transported to MGM’s scoring stage for Scoring Sessions from the film, running about 75 minutes. There are also a collection of 12 film clips from earlier films with Freed/Brown songs included. Lastly we get a photo montage of production photographs and a theatrical trailer, which I still stop and watch before going on Disney’s Hollywood Studios’ The Great Movie Ride, never fail.

Celebrate the 60th Anniversary of Singin’ in the Rain with the commemorative Blu-ray edition, out July 17th! http://bit.ly/N6vGNf
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“Singin’ in the Rain”, set in the days of Hollywood’s transition from silent films to “talkies,” continues to this day to provide pure cinematic entertainment. It stars Gene Kelly at the pinnacle of his career and co-stars Debbie Reynolds, Donald O’Connor, Cyd Charisse, Jean Hagen and Rita Moreno. Written by legendary musical “book” writers Betty Comden and Adolph Green, Singin’ in the Rain was helmed by legendary directors Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen. The film was nominated for two Academy Awards ® and has been ranked as one of the Top 10 Greatest Films of All Time by the AFI and Entertainment Weekly, among others.

AFI’s #1 Movie Musical will be offered in a new limited and numbered gift set edition with four hours of bonus content and will be beautifully packaged and ready for new generations of fans to enjoy. The Blu-ray & DVD Pack will be priced at $84.99 SRP. A single disc Blu-ray will also be available for $19.98 SRP and a Two-disc Special Edition DVD for $14.96 SRP.

Director: Bruce Malmuth
Starring: Steven Seagal, William Sadler, Frederick Coffin, Kelly LeBrock, Branscombe Richmond
MPAA Rating: R
Distributed by: Warner Home Video
Release Date: July 17, 2012
Running Time: 96 minutes

Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: N/A

When it comes to the early work of Steven Seagal, it doesn’t get much better. I have always been a fan of this movie and it is a great follow-up for Seagal after “Above the Law”. Also who doesn’t love looking at Kelly LeBrock in 1990 (and I stress 90’s, have you see her recently?). Warner has been releasing it catalog titles recently and this is the latest of the bunch. For hardcore fans of Seagal, I would definitely recommend this title.

What do you need to know about the premise? Honestly, it’s Steven Seagal and he kicks some baddie ass. He plays Detective Mason Storm, who falls into a coma after being shot during a fire-fight that killed his wife Felicia and son Sonny. When he reawakens seven to find that he son is actually alive, he heads out to get revenge with the help of his nurse and his old partner.

The Blu-ray presentation is very impressive. Warner did a rally fine job with the 1080p transfer and definitely looks sharp. The audio track is also impressive with its Dolby Digital 5.1 track, works well with the film’s action. Lastly like all the recently catalog films Warner has not included an special features. Though if you are looking for a straight forward HD release of this film and a low-cost, look no further.

Directed by: James Mather, Stephen St. Leger
Starring: Guy Pearce, Maggie Grace, Peter Stormare, Vincent Regan, Joseph Gilgun
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Distributed by: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Release Date: July 17, 2012
Running Time: 95 minutes

Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2 out of 5 stars

When you see the name Luc Besson attached to a movie, you usually know you are in for a treat. He knows action (“The Transporter”) and sci-fi (“The Fifth Element”), “Lockout” is a great combination of the both with even some great humor thrown in. The film was done on a relative low budget of $20 million but when you look at it it should have cost at least $90 million. I have no idea how Adam Sandler’s terrible comedies cost over $80 million for each film. The visual effects in this film are over-the-top, fun and feel straight out of video game…especially the car chase in the beginning. On the box the film is labeled as “Die Hard meets Blade Runner,” but I really couldn’t stop thinking to myself it really felt like remake of “Escape from New York”, which is not a bad thing. Overall this is a real fun time for all sci-fi fans.

The film follows, Snow, a man convicted of wrongfully committing espionage against the U.S. but is offered his freedom if he can rescue the president’s daughter from an outer space prison taken over by violent inmates. Doesn’t that sound cool enough? Of course normally action/sci-fi slow down after the opening scene but that is not the case with this film at all. This film is literally a 95 minute non-stop roller coaster. Guy Pearce was awesome in this film and kicks some major ass. Maggie Grace…well…she could have stayed on the island in “Lost” but at least they are fun and snarky together. The only question I have is what is the deal with the Unrated Edition? The film was 95 minutes in theaters and 95 minutes with the Unrated cut, I guess there was not much left to put back in.

If you thought the movie was kick-ass enough, the Blu-ray presentation is even better. “Lockout” looks absolutely fantastic on Blu-ray. It’s 1080p transfer really delivers especially since most of the film is very dreary and dark. To accompany the perfect video transfer, the Dolby DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio track is out-of-this-world (get it?). Since the film is 95 minutes non-stop ride, this audio track really gets pushed to the limits and succeeds well. This release also includes a streaming Ultraviolet digital copy, which is yet another plus. Though then we come to the special features, which basically are a let down. There are only two short featurettes and nothing else. The first is “Breaking Into Lockout” is features cast and crew chatting about their characters and the production, typical. “A Vision of the Future” is a cool look into the films futuristic look and feel. Despite the lack of extras, this is still a great film and an awesome Blu-ray.

Director: Rand Ravich
Starring: Johnny Depp, Charlize Theron, Joe Morton, Clea Duvall, Donna Murphy
MPAA Rating: R
Distributed by: Warner Home Video
Release Date: July 10, 2012
Running Time: 109 minutes

Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: N/A

1999 was an interesting year for Johnny Depp. He just came off of my favorite films and his best performance in “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” and on the eve of the great “Sleepy Hollow”. This film was never my favorite Depp film ever but I still enjoyed it. I thought it played well on the horror/thriller genre. Johnny Depp doesn’t get to play the baddie often and he definitely plays it well. Nonetheless fans of his films will definitely want to check out this HD upgrade and pick up this release.

The Blu-ray itself includes a nice 1080p transfer.  The film packs some decent special effects and looks really good.  The audio included is a sweet Dolby Digital 5.1 track, which works well for the suspense in the film.  So with this release we get a good film, great Blu-ray transfer… but unfortunately zero special features.  I wasn’t expecting new features but I am not sure why they did not just mirror the DVD special features.

Buy It 7/10 on Blu-ray™
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Premise: Academy Award and Golden Globe-nominees Johnny Depp (“Pirates of the Caribbean,” franchise, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”) and Academy Award and Golden Globe-winner Charlize Theron (“Monster,” “The Italian Job”) star as the perfect all-American couple–astronaut Spencer Armacost and his beautiful schoolteacher wife–so passionately in love they can sense each other even while he floats in space and she is two hundred thousand miles below. But in two minutes it all turns to inexplicable terror. For two minutes, Armacost completely loses consciousness while on a space mission, returning home just barely alive. His wife senses something amiss from the moment he lands on earth. She begins to have strangely violent dreams–dark, paranoid thoughts–and the sensation that her husband is not the lover, or the man, he was.

Directed by: Matt Piedmont
Starring: Will Ferrell, Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna, Nick Offerman, Genesis Rodriguez
MPAA Rating: R
Distributed by: Lions Gate
Release Date: July 17, 2012
Running Time: 84 minutes

Film: 3 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Will Ferrell is one of my favorite comedic actors.  He always manages to make me laugh.  His film roles recently have been hit or miss, he is still one of my favorites.  “Casa”, unfortunately sits right on the border of hit or miss.  When I heard the idea of a comedy that features Will Ferrell speaking only Spanish, I thought it would be the funniest idea ever.  Even though the film runs only 84 minutes, its angle gets old after about 30 minutes.  Don’t get me wrong it is still funny but I do not think it is something I will be able to re-watch and quote (especially since I don’t speak Spanish) like “Anchorman”.  Fans of Ferrell, I suggest you give it a shot but just don’t expect to fall on your ass laughing.

The film follows Armando Alvarez (Ferrell) who lives a simple life living and working on his father’s ranch in Mexico.  Armando’s younger brother Raul (and his father’s favorite), shows up with his new fiancé, Sonia when the ranch encounters financial problems.  Since Raul’s is a very successful international businessman, he pledges to settle all debts his father has incurred. Things get sticky when Armando falls for his brothers wife Sonia and Raul’s success is coming from working with drug lord, the mighty Onza.

The 1080p transfer isn’t really made to look amazing since it is purposely low-budget and parodied. The Spanish audio included is an DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track.  The special features included are a commentary track by director Matt Piedmont, writer/producer Andrew Steele, and Will Ferrell.  There is a Behind-the-scenes featurette and a few deleted scenes included as well.  There is a funny music video for “Fight for Love” by Will Ferrell and Genesis Rodriguez.  I love when Will Ferrell sings.  There are four different “Commerciales” starring Will Ferrell, Diego Luna, Genesis Rodriguez, Efren Ramirez, and Nick Offerman.  These together are funnier than the film. Lastly Pedro Armendáriz Jr.’s final interview is included.