Directed by: David Anspaugh
Starring: Gene Hackman, Barbara Hershey and Dennis Hopper
Release Date: June 5, 2012
Distributed: MGM Home Video
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 115 minutes

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

In 1954 the basketball team from the small town of Milan, Indiana, led by Bobby Plump, achieved the ultimate Cinderella-story ending when it captured the states High School Basketball Championship.

Coach Norman Dale (Hackman) has been given a second chance. Under a cloud of mystery the former big time college coach has accepted the position as teacher and coach at the small town Hickory high school. Coach Dale has many ideas, most of them that go against what the teams players and fans have been used to. A row on the first day of practice causes a couple players to quit, leaving the team with six players to start the season. Coach Dale has heard about another player, Jimmy Chitwood (Maris Valainis), who isn’t playing this year. He’s also warned to stay away from Jimmy by another teacher, Myra Fleener (Hershey) who feels Jimmy can get out of the small town by using his mind, not his skill with a leather ball.

The season gets off to a bad start, with the team and town rebelling against Coach Dale’s ways. But Jimmy takes notice. When the town meet to dismiss Coach Dale Jimmy makes an appearance and says he wants to play, but only if the Coach is retained. With another second chance Coach Dale begins to mold the team the way they need to be molded. Along the way he also recruits the alcoholic father (Hopper, in an Academy Award nominated performance) to assist him as a coach, with the condition that he not drink. Coach Dale also sees the benefits in giving second chances.

An uplifting film that is often listed on the short list of the best sports films of all time, “Hoosiers” succeeds because basketball is secondary to the relationships portrayed. Coach Dale and the team. The town and the Coach. Coach and Myra. They are front and center with the game an exciting backdrop. The entire cast, from the stars to the untrained boys portraying the players, are outstanding. That Hopper also made “Blue Velvet” in the same year and was nominated for THIS performance is a reminder as to how good he is here. The emotions are real and director Anspaugh keeps the story moving. The musical score by Jerry Goldsmith (also Oscar nominated) is one of his best and captures perfectly the emotions of the film.

This 25th Anniversary Edition looks great on Blu-ray with its 1080p transfer and presented in the original aspect ratio of 1:85.1. The audio on the film is also very impressive boasting a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and also a Dolby Digital 4.0 track. The special features are very impressive on this release. They include a Commentary track by Director David Anspaugh and Screenwriter Angelo Pizzo, Documentary – “Hoosiers History”, Deleted scenes, Theatrical trailer and the real 1954 Championship game

In both the commentary and documentary, director Anspaugh (who would later go on to direct “Rudy”) and screenwriter Pizzo, both Indiana natives, describe in great deal how high school basketball is truly the life blood of Indiana. The documentary also features many famous Indiana basketball names, including Reggie Miller and Rick Carlisle. Also, many members of the 1954 Milan team, including Bobby Plump, relate their tale.

The deleted scenes are pretty standard…a lot of expositional stuff. The actor who suffers most is Hershey, who had a lot of her scenes with Hackman excised at the expense of the film’s running time. One scene fans of the film will welcome explains how Buddy, one of the boys who quit the team, suddenly reappears in the middle of the film as a player.

The gem of the extras is this old 16mm film, probably run in local gymnasiums to inspire other schools, of the 1954 Championship game in which small-town Milan defeated Muncie Central. A little trivia not included on the disc: to get to the final game Milan had to defeat Gerstmeyer Tech, which hailed from Terre Haute. Tech was led by future NBA Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson.

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Directed by: Roger Donaldson
Starring: Nicolas Cage, January Jones, Guy Pearce, Harold Perrineau
MPAA Rating: R
Distributed by: Anchor Bay Entertainment
Release Date: June 19, 2012
Running Time: 105 minutes

Film Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras Score: 1 out of 5 stars

I am a life-long fan of Nicolas Cage, I believe he can do no wrong, even with his not some amazing films (cough cough “Season of the Witch”). This film is a quaint little film that flew by the waste-side missing a theatrical release. It is backed by a great supporting cast of January Jones (“X-Men: First Class), Guy Pearce (“Lockout”), Harold Perrineau (TV’s “Lost”). Everybody really pulled their weight in this film and delivered a great ensemble. The film itself is thrilling and grabs your attention from the moment it starts.

Nicolas Cage stars as a high school teacher whose wife (January Jones) becomes the victim of a brutal rape. Following her recovery, her husband enlists the services of a vigilante group, when approached by stranger (Guy Pearce). The strange man offers him a way to get the person responsible and settle the score. Of course, there is more involved and the husband finds himself in deep trouble and needs to get to the bottom of it fast.

This film is released a two-disc set with a Blu-ray disc and DVD of the film. The video resolution looks sharp with its 1080p transfer and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1. The audio included is a very potent Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track. It works well with the action and worked to add suspense. Sadly the special features are not as impressive only including a short Behind the Scenes featurette.

MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Distributed by: Vivendi Entertainment
Release Date: June 26, 2012
Episodes: 6
Running Time: 141 minutes

Our Score: 1 out of 5 stars

This show does not work on any level at all. I am a big fan of the character “Iron Man” but this is a waste of time for any real Marvel fan. It will surely entertain young kids, who only do not know any better. The 3D CGI toon doesn’t even look good. It’s animation looks to date back to the days of “ReBoot”. I have a love of the simple hand drawn look of other Marvel shows like “The Super Hero Squad Show”.

This series also focuses on a younger (still cocky) Tony Stark, at the age of 16. It is a look inside early Stark’s life acting as heir of the billion-dollar corporation Stark International. Though he is already sporting the famous iron suit and friends with teenage version of Pepper Potts (who is incredibly annoying in this series). Season two focuses on Tony and his friend fighting to keep control of Stark International. They fight evil who seek to steal the suit and team up with rivals like Black Panther.

When the first season of “Iron Man: Armored Adventures” was released on DVD, it was presented as a complete series with a total of 26 episodes. Now for season two, they have decided to release them in 6 episode intervals. I am not a fan of this decision, it seems like a way to cash in the recent explosion of “The Avengers”. And they seemed like they didn’t want to wait for season two to be completed.   The episodes included are: “The Invisible Iron Man Part 1: Disassembled!”, “The Invisible Iron Man Part 2: Reborn!”, “Look into the Light”, “Ghost in the Machine”, “Armor Wars” and “Line of Fire”.

Director: Sam Raimi
Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Alfred Molina
Distributed by: Sony Home Entertainment
Release Date: June 12, 2012
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 127 minutes

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

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has decided to reissue the “Spider-Man” Trilogy in lieu of this summer’s reboot “The Amazing Spider-Man”.  The film is presented in a nice individual O-Ring package. In addition, this release includes a bunch of great features including an Ultraviolet streaming digital copy.  Also their is a sneak peek included for “The Amazing Spider-Man”, as well as “The Amazing Spider-Man” movie money (worth $10 bucks). I enjoyed “Spider-Man 2” but I thought it was a loud and started the trend of Spider-Man crying (a  lot).  If you are a fan of the “Spider-Man”  series and do not already own this, I would recommend for sure though.

The Blu-ray presentation is impressive. “Spider-Man 2” really amped up the visual effects from the first one.  The 1080p transfer looks fantastic and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1.  The audio track included on this release though is different from past releases. Included is an DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track instead of the prior release which included PCM 5.1 Surround and Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround tracks.

The special features on “Spider-Man 2” are very impressive.  Besides the theatrical cut of the film, this release also includes the extended version, 2.1, with additional footage and fight sequences not seen in theaters.  This cut also comes equipped with optional commentary by producer Laura Ziskin and screenwriter Alvin Sargent.  On the theatrical version there are two other commentaries with cast and crew and a technical commentary.  If you are a fan of featurettes, this release is jam-packed.  There is a twelve-part “Making the Amazing” featurette, “Hero in Crisis” behind-the-scenes featurette and “Ock-Umentary” behind-the-scenes featurette.  There is a fantastic five-part visual effects breakdown, which is worth a watch.  Lastly there is a blooper reel included.

Director: Sam Raimi
Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Willem Dafoe
Distributed by: Sony Home Entertainment
Release Date: June 12, 2012
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 121 minutes

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

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has decided to reissue the “Spider-Man” Trilogy in lieu of this summer’s reboot “The Amazing Spider-Man”.  The film is presented in a nice individual O-Ring package. In addition, this release includes a bunch of great features including an Ultraviolet streaming digital copy.  Also their is a sneak peek included for “The Amazing Spider-Man”, as well as “The Amazing Spider-Man” movie money (worth $10 bucks).  If that is not enough there is still more…this release also comes with a few new special features including  ‘Spider Sense Trivia Challenge” and “The Spider-Man Cutting Room”. I personally have always enjoyed “Spider-Man”, the most out of the trilogy.  If you are a fan of the “Spider-Man”  series and do not already own this, I would recommend for sure.

The Blu-ray presentation is impressive, as “Spider-Man” is a film meant for a high-def presentation.  The 1080p transfer looks fantastic and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1.  The audio track included on this release though is different from past releases. Included is an DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track instead of the prior release which included PCM 5.1 Surround and Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround tracks.

The rest of the extras include three audio commentaries.  The first consists of filmmakers and cast: Sam Raimi, Laura Ziskin, Grant Curtis, and Kirsten Dunst.  The second includes Visual effects designer and crew: John Dykstra and special effects crew and the last includes actors: Tobey Maguire and J.K. Simmons.  There are various behind-the-scenes features including “Spider-Man: The Mythology of the 21st Century”, “HBO Making of Spider-Man” and “Spider-Mania: E! Entertainment Special”.  There are eight behind-the-scenes featurettes additional including a costume design featurette. There is a filmmaker profiles for director Sam Raimi and a composer profile for Danny Elfman.  There is screen tests included for Tobey Maguire, J.K. Simmons, and CGI Spider-Man, as well as costume and makeup tests.  There is gag/outtake reel included.  There are six multi-angle webisodes included.  Lastly there are two music videos for “Hero,” performed by Chad Kroeger and featuring Josey Scott and “What We’re All About,” performed by Sum 41.

Director: Sam Raimi
Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Topher Grace, Thomas Haden Church
Distributed by: Sony Home Entertainment
Release Date: June 12, 2012
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 139 minutes

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

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has decided to reissue the “Spider-Man” Trilogy in lieu of this summer’s reboot “The Amazing Spider-Man”.  The film is presented in a nice individual O-Ring package. In addition, this release includes a bunch of great features including an Ultraviolet streaming digital copy.  Also their is a sneak peek included for “The Amazing Spider-Man”, as well as “The Amazing Spider-Man” movie money (worth $10 bucks). I am not a fan of this film at all but it does have a lot of perks in this release and looks and sounds the best.  So if you want to complete the trilogy on Blu-ray, this is the release to get.

This Blu-ray consists of the best release of the three films.  It packs the best video and audio presentation out of the trilogy.  The 1080p transfer looks fantastic and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1.  The audio track plays similar to the past releases unlike recent 2012 re-releases of “Spider-Man” and “Spider-Man 2”  including LPCM 5.1 and Dolby TrueHD 5.1 tracks.

The special features for “Spider-Man 3” are not as grand as the first two films and falls short like the film itself.  In fact, the past Blu-ray for this film has actually provided better features. There are  two commentaries tracks included.  The first is a director and cast track with Sam Raimi, James Franco, Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Thomas Hayden Church and Bryce Dallas Howard. Second, there is a filmmaker’s track with producers Avi Arad, Grant Curtis, Laura Ziskin, visual effects supervisor Scott Stokdyk and editor Bob Murawski. There are two photo galleries focusing on concept art and special effects.  There is a blooper reel like the first two films.  Lastly there is a music video for “Signal Fire,” performed by Snow Patrol.

Directed by: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, Jared Harris
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Distributed: Warner Home Video
Release Date: June 12, 2012

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

Can Robert Downey Jr. do no wrong?  He is brilliant as Tony Stark and amazing as Sherlock Holmes.  The interactions between RDJ and Jude Law are just absolutely perfect.  They are made to start in these roles together.  Jared Harris is also an amazing villain and a great rival for Holmes. “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” is not just an action film.  It is so much more.  Thought maybe not the best sequel ever, it definitely improves some on the first film and is downright really entertaining. I really enjoyed this film and I hope that Warner continues this franchise.

The Blu-ray presentation is very impressive for this release. The 1080p transfer looks really sharp and crystal clear. It also boasts an aspect ratio of 2.40:1.  The audio track is also amazing boasting a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1.  During the film’s action scenes, my surround sound system was shaking the walls, which is totally awesome! This releases (like most WB’s releases) comes stocked with all the goods. It comes with a Blu-ray of the film, plus a DVD disc as well. Lastly there is an UltraViolet streaming digital copy included.

The special features are decent but not completely overwhelming.  There is a Maximum Movie Mode including, which is a Picture-in-Picture track hosted by Robert Downey Jr..  It is a very informative and who will honestly turn down a one-man-show of Robert Downey Jr.? There are 35 minutes of “Focus Point” included through seven featurettes, within Maximum Movie Mode. Lastly be sure to check out the free Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows movie app for iPad2 or Kindle Fire. The app synchs with the Blu-ray disc to start exploring the rich and exciting history of Sherlock Holmes. http://bit.ly/JlZkvR

Synopsis: Robert Downey Jr. reprises his role as the world’s most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, and Jude Law returns as his friend and colleague, Dr. Watson, in “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.” Sherlock Holmes has always been the smartest man in the room…until now. There is a new criminal mastermind at large—Professor James Moriarty (Jared Harris)—and not only is he Holmes’ intellectual equal, but his capacity for evil, coupled with a complete lack of conscience, may give him an advantage over the renowned detective. Around the globe, headlines break the news: a scandal takes down an Indian cotton tycoon; a Chinese opium trader dies of an apparent overdose; bombings in Strasbourg and Vienna; the death of an American steel magnate… No one sees the connective thread between these seemingly random events—no one, that is, except the great Sherlock Holmes, who has discerned a deliberate web of death and destruction. At its center sits a singularly sinister spider: Moriarty. Holmes’ investigation into Moriarty’s plot becomes more dangerous as it leads him and Watson out of London to France, Germany and finally Switzerland. But the cunning Moriarty is always one step ahead, and moving perilously close to completing his ominous plan. If he succeeds, it will not only bring him immense wealth and power but alter the course of history.

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Directed by: Brian Taylor, Mark Neveldine
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Ciarán Hinds, Idris Elba, Violante Placido, Johnny Whitworth
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Distributed by: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Release Date: June 12, 2012
Running Time: 95 minutes

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

Unlike most people, I was a big fan of the first “Ghost Rider” film. I am also a huge fan of Nicolas Cage and he is at his most zaniest in this film. After seeing the crazy trailer for “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance”, I was psyched that they were really bringing back Ghost Rider as more dark and violent and even in 3D. But unfortunately, they disappointed by taming this film to yet another safe PG-13 release. Ghost Rider is a dark character from Hell yet they have been afraid to really take the plunge on this franchise. On the bright side of this release though, the Blu-ray is impressive and the 3D is great even though it is converted.

Nicolas Cage returns to the role of Johnny Blaze in this sequel. He is still struggling with his curse as the devil’s bounty hunter. While hiding out in a remote part of Eastern Europe, he is recruited by a secret group from the church in order to save a young boy (Fergus Riordan) from the devil (Ciaran Hinds), who is looking for a new body. Blaze decided to embrace the power of the Ghost Rider once more in order to protect the boy and possibly rid himself of his curse forever.

Even though the film is a bit disappointing, the Blu-ray release is not. “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance” packs a sweet 1080p 3D transfer and looks better on Blu-ray than it did on the big screen. Though if you are not a fan of 3D, there is also a 2D presentation of the film as well included. Also included is a sweet Ultraviolet streaming digital copy. This Blu-ray also packs a super awesome quality DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio track, which blew up my surround sound.

There special features are impressive overall.  Unlike most 3D releases, this one actually packs a 3D extra called “Riding Into Another Dimension”.  It is a little short but focuses on cast/crew discussing 3D filmmaking and issues with converting the 2D to 3D in post-production. There is an awesome director’s expanded video commentary with picture-in-picture.  It is being described by Sony as “an all access behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film”.   There are just over 10 minutes of deleted scenes included.  Lastly there is a super intense six-part documentary, ” The Path to Vengeance: Making Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance”, which encompasses focusing on the behind-the-scenes making the film. Highly recommended.

Directed by: J.B. Rodgers
Starring: David Cross, Michael Vartan, Sean Astin
MPAA Rating: R
Distributed by: Starz / Anchor Bay
Release Date: June 12, 2012
Running Time: 94 minutes

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

This film is being marketed from the guys who brought us the “American Pie” franchise” and that is really a good and a bad thing. The main selling point for this film is the cast and without them this would fail miserably. This comedy delivers a fun time but is rather predictable and runs a little weak in the middle. There is some good laughs though, which is enough for me to recommend this release.

This film follows a pair of prank-playing tire salesmen, Rodney (Michael Vartan) and Mike (Sean Astin). After they play one too many pranks on their recently new boss (David Cross), they find themselves demoted to secretarial jobs. Now the two pranksters will have to climb their way back to the top. The collaborative of Michael Vartan, Sean Astin and David Cross works well and they mesh well. The film also had a decent supporting cast including Sara Foster, Ron White, Constance Zimmer and Cleo King.

This is one of those films that you really don’t need to have on Blu-ray. It is a standard Blu-ray, it has good but not spectacular video and sound. If you are also look for ANY special features, look again because this release is super bare-bones. If you are looking for a new “Office Space”, this unfortunately is not it but it is still a bit of fun.

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Directed by: Eiichi Kudo
Starring: Koutaro Satomi, Ko Nishimura, Chiezo Kataoka, Ryohei Uchida
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Distributed by: Animeigo
Release Date: June 5, 2012
Running Time: 125 minutes

DVD Score: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Film Score: 3 out of 5 stars
Extras Score: 2 out of 5 stars

When it comes to 1963’s “13 Assassins”, I know this film is the original but I liked Takashi Miike’s 2010 adaption far more. Though, this black and white adaption is virtually bloodless tough it still manages to be semi-effective. The one aspect I had major trouble with was Animeigo’s subtitles. They chose the most annoying font and they continue to change the color with each person that speaks.  This is very distracting, especially with a black and white film.  Not sure if that was the best decision here.

The film’s story is about a group of top class assassins, who set out to remove Lord Naritsugu before he enters into a political position. The Lord does follow any rules and kills anyone that crosses his path. It is up to the 13 chosen assassins to bring him down before he reaches his destination.

The DVD is presented in widescreen with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1. It also only included a Japanese audio track with its Dolby Digital Stereo, no dub track. There are a few special features but nothing worth checking out. Included are Trailers, Program Notes, Cast & Crew Bios and Image Gallery. Overall if you are fan of samurai films, it is worth checking out but definitely not my favorite. I prefer the 2010 remake for sure.

Directed by: Menahem Golan
Starring: Chuck Norris, Lee Marvin, Martin Balsam
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox / MGM
Release Date: June 5, 2012
MPAA Rating: R
Running Time: 128 minutes

Film: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: N/A

I remember the first time I saw “The Delta Force”, I was blown away. You have the amazing Chuck Norris topped off with the amazing Lee Marvin and Martin Balsam. This film has a lot of ass-kicking kick-ass action, say that 5x fast. Honestly one of the best 80′s action films that I have seen. Currently this film is a Walmart exclusive release and is only available to purchase there. It is cool to have this film on Blu-ray but it is a bit of a letdown with its bare bones release. I feel that this is really a cash-in to capital on Norris’ return to theaters in “The Expendables 2″.

This film focuses around terrorism on a plane, wow, not even Chuck Norris would be able to do that today.  After a 707 aircraft on its way from Athens to Rome and then to New York City is hijacked by Lebanese terrorists, but the terrorist don’t realize they are up again Chuck Norris.  Major McCoy and by Colonel Alexander are called in to eliminate the threat and retake the plane before the terrorists kill all the hostages.

“The Delta Force” looks good on Blu-ray presentation for a 1986 film, with its 1080p transfer. It is also presented in a slightly altered aspect ratio of 1.78:1. But like the other recently released Norris films, the audio track is disappointing with no surround track, only a DTS-HD Master Audio Mono. Nonetheless, if you are Chuck Norris loyal fan like myself, you will be happy enough just to have this film in HD. I can live without special features.

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Directed by: Lance Hool
Starring: Chuck Norris, Soon-Tek Oh, Steven Williams
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox / MGM
Release Date: June 5, 2012
MPAA Rating: R
Running Time: 95 minutes

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

If you haven’t seen Chuck Norris kick some major ass in “Missing in Action”, then you just haven’t lived. This film is a great follow-up to a great 80’s action film. Currently this film is a Walmart exclusive release and is only available to purchase there. It is cool to have this film on Blu-ray but it is a bit of a letdown like “Missing in Action”. I feel that this is really a cash-in to capital on Norris’ return to theaters in “The Expendables 2”.

This film is a prequel to the first “Missing In Action”, it flashbacks to when Colonel Braddock was captured during a rescue mission in the Vietnam war. It focuses around him and the other American POWs in a prison camp and his plans to escape. Braddock becomes a one-man fighting machine with his only mission to free himself and his men at any cost.

The Blu-ray presentation for “Missing In Action 2: The Beginning” looks good with its 1080p transfer. It is also presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. But like “Mission in Action”, the audio track is disappointing with no surround track, only a DTS-HD Master Audio Mono. Nonetheless, if you are Chuck Norris loyal fan like myself, you will be happy enough just to have this film in HD. I can live without special features.

Directed by: Joseph Zito
Starring: Chuck Norris, M. Emmet Walsh, David Tress
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox / MGM
Release Date: June 5, 2012
MPAA Rating: R
Running Time: 101 minutes

Film: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: N/A

When its comes to Chuck Norris, I am completely bias. I love of his films and they just crack me up. I don’t laugh at him, I am just in awe of his coolness. I am the Chuck Norris fan that wears his shirts, recite his “facts” and respects the beard. Currently this film is a Walmart exclusive release and is only available to purchase there. It is cool to have this film on Blu-ray but it is a bit of a letdown. I feel that this is really a cash-in to capital on Norris’ return to theaters in “The Expendables 2”.

“Missing in Action” was a big franchise for Norris. It was followed by two sequels, both equally as good as the first. The first film follows, Colonel James Braddock, an American officer, who after escaping from a Vietnamese POW camp, he heads back to locate and save remaining MIAs. with the help of an attractive State Department official (Lenore Kasdorf) and a former Army buddy (M. Emmet Walsh), Braddock prepares to blast his way into Vietnam and save the day.

This release gives “Missing in Action” a decent presentation with its 1080p transfer. It is also presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The audio track is disappointing though with no surround track, only a DTS-HD Master Audio Mono. Nonetheless, if you are Chuck Norris loyal fan like myself, you will be happy enough just to have this film in HD. I can live without special features.

Directed by: Craig Moss
Starring: Danny Trejo, Charles S. Dutton, Ron Perlman, Joyful Drake, Patrick Fabian
MPAA Rating: R
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: June 5, 2012
Running Time: 90 minutes

Film: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2 out of 5 stars

Finally a film that lives up to its title! “Bad Ass” is totally bad-ass (sorry, couldn’t resist). Danny Trejo is one of my favs and really kicks some major ass in this film. I thought he was awesome in “Machete”, this film gives it a run for its money. I found myself completely sitting on the edge of my chair, laughing and routing for Trejo. Yes it is cheesy.  Yes it is campy.  But if you are looking for a fun time and complete over-the-top action, do not miss “Bad Ass”.

The film follow Vietnam War veteran Frank Vega (Trejo) who after stopping hate crime on a city bus, footage of him beating down goes viral online and become an overnight celebrity. The fun does not last long when his best friend is murdered and the police are not willing to find his killer.  Vega decided to put his new Bad Ass nickname to work and hit the streets in pursuit of some ole’ fashion justice!

The Blu-ray presentation itself is impressive.  It’s video resolution on the 1080p looks good and comes with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1.  The audio also impresses with its DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track.  I mean how can you not laugh in when Trejo walks down the street in slow-motion with his own “Bad Ass” theme song in the background blasting through the surround speakers.  The special features included are not as great as the film.  They only have included an audio commentary track and a brief behind-the-scenes featurette “Birth of Bad Ass”.

Directed by: Nina Montee
Starring: Dr. Harvey Karp
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Distributed by: Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Release Date: June 12, 2012
Running Time: 40 minutes

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Timed to the 10th anniversary of these NY Times best-sellers, Lionsgate is re-releasing “The Happiest Baby on the Block”. The DVD arrived for review perfect timing since my wife and I just welcomed our first child about two weeks ago. And honestly who is going to turn down a chance to have the following tagline “The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Baby Sleep Longer”, that is something that new parents are going to jump all over.

This program follows, Dr. Harvey Karp, one of America’s most trusted pediatrician. Some of the techniques that Dr. Karp shares with its viewers range from finding out about the calming reflex and the ability to use the 5 S’s to turn “off” crying. My main concern with the DVD is that it is rather short running only about 40 minutes but I guess there is only so much you can cover about one topic. I would like to thank Dr. Karp for sharing his secrets helping my newborn babies stay happy.

The special features are not out of this world but worth checking out for new parents. Dr. Karp Answers 25 Hot Topic Parenting Q&As, which included some interesting and informative information. Lastly there is a bonus sneak peek of “The Happiest Toddler on the Block”. If you are a new parent, I would recommend this release even though it is a bit short.

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