Starring: Ryan Guzman, Briana Evigan, Misha Gabriel, Stephen “Twitch” Boss, Izabella Miko, Alyson Stoner, Adam Sevani
Director: Trish Sie
Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Lionsgate
Release Date: November 25, 2014
Run Time: 112 minutes

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

You would think that by the fifth film in the “Step Up” franchise that it would be losing some steam but that is hardly the case with “Step Up All In”. That may be the cast in terms of box office, but this film is jam-packed with high energy and outstanding dancing. Plus we get the setting moved to Las Vegas, which is always an amazing place to visit and showcase. I honestly hope there are more of these since they are a blast to watch. Plot aside, cause we all know this is about the dancing, you watch it and tell me that you aren’t considering busting a move!

Official Premise: One of the most popular dance franchises in film history takes competition to astonishing new heights in “Step Up All In”. Miami street dancer Sean Asa (Ryan Guzman) moves to Hollywood with visions of fame and fortune, only to discover the almost insurmountable odds of making it in the professional dance world. But when the new dance crew he forms with the beautiful and headstrong Andie West (Briana Evigan) reaches the final rounds of a high-stakes reality TV competition in glittering Las Vegas, he has a shot at finally making his dreams come true – if he can set aside old loyalties and long-time rivalries and just do what he loves most: dance.

The cast of this series really includes the best of from the entire franchise to date. It is the all-star “Step Up” Alyson Stoner returns from the first and third films. Briana Evigan makes her come back after stealing the show in the second film. Series regulars Adam Sevani, Mari Koda and Chris Scott are back as well. Luis Rosado was in the second and third film is back. Stephen “tWitch” Boss and Chadd Smith from the third and fourth are back. Lastly Ryan Guzman and Misha Gabriel return from the fourth installment.

I am really disappointed that Lionsgate is neglecting to release this film with a 3D Blu-ray since it was released in theaters in 3D. These films look outstanding in 3D and it is a shame that since this film did poorly in theaters that they are slacking on the home release. The 1080p transfer still look good and really captures the beauty of Vegas. The Dolby Atmos track is absolutely outstanding. This is a wonderful track for this film since it is really jam-packed with great music. There is also an equally impressive Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track.

The special features are also a win for this release. There is an audio commentary track with Director Trish Sie and Actress Briana Evigan. There is a collection of Ryan’s Favorite dance scenes with optional commentary included. There is a collection of Blu-ray exclusive featurettes including “All in with the Crew”; “Dance Breakdown: Final Stage”; “Clap, Stomp, Slide: The Sounds of Battle” and “The Vortex Dance Index”. Lastly there are some Deleted Scenes including.

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Number of discs: 28
Starring: James Gandolfini, Lorraine Bracco, Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli, Tony Sirico, Dominic Chianese
Creator: David Chase
Studio: HBO Studios
Release Date: November 4, 2014
Rated TV-MA
Running Time: 4680 minutes

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

Every once in a while, a show comes along that changed television. “The Sopranos” was one of those shows. It built HBO to what it is today. The series is respected as one of the greatest television series of all time…and I easily agree. I remember dating back to 1999 watching the very first episode and being completely hooked from the start. During that time, I was hooked on mobster films like “Casino” and “Goodfellas” (in fact this series shares 27 actors with the 1990 Martin Scorsese gangster film), so this show was an epic TV version of those films. The cast is just simply outstanding including  James Gandolfini, Lorraine Bracco, Michael Imperioli, Tony Sirico and numerous others. I miss this show and I miss James Gandolfini but at least now we have the complete series available in one collection on Blu-ray.

Official Premise: For six seasons, fans have devotedly watched Tony Sopranos deal with the difficulties of balancing his home life with the criminal organization he leads. Audiences everywhere tuned in to see the mob, the food, the family, and Catch up on, or re-watch your favorite episodes of the Sopranos with The Sopranos: The Complete Series DVD Set. For six seasons, fans devotedly watched Tony Soprano deal with the difficulties of balancing his home life with the criminal organization he leads for a very good reason: groundbreaking dramatic storylines. Audiences everywhere tuned in to see the mob, the food, the family, and who was next to get whacked. Celebrate the show that Vanity Fair called, “the greatest show in TV history”. Between 1999 and 2007, The Sopranos was honored with no less than 21 Emmy Awards and 111 Emmy nominations!

This 28-disc Blu-ray release features all 6 seasons from this series, adding up to 86 episodes. The seasons break down as follows: Discs 1-4: The Complete First Season, Discs 5-8: The Complete Second Season, Discs 9-12: The Complete Third Season, Discs 13-16: The Complete Fourth Season, Discs 17-20: The Complete Fifth Season, Discs 21-24: Season Six, Part 1, Discs 25-27: Season Six, Part 2 and Discs 8: Exclusive Bonus Features. HBO is releasing this Complete Series was a combo pack with a Blu-ray + Digital HD copy included. The 1080p transfers are good from season one to great by the end of the sixth season. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is a bit more balanced and sounds great throughout the entire series.

The special features are great even though alot of the content is ported over the previous DVD releases. There are 25 audio commentaries, which sounds amazing but some of good and some are not. I picked a few hear and there on some of my favorites and I realized that very quickly. Other than that there are a bunch of rather short featurettes spread across each of the 27 discs. Some of the highlight extras ported over is a nearly 80 minute interview with creator David Chase by Peter Bogdonavich, which discusses the series in-depth. There is also a decent featurette focusing around “The Music of The Sopranos” with David Chase, Steven Van Zandt and Dominic Chianese.

The main draw for the special features is easily the 28th disc, which offers all new high definition bonus content, including a 46-minute retrospective, two round table discussions between David Chase and members of his cast and crew, a 2-part interview with Chase, and deleted scenes for all 6 seasons of the series. This Blu-ray exclusive content runs about three hours and is worth the purchase of the release itself. “Defining a Television Landmark” is a 45 minute look into the effect this series had a television. “Supper with The Sopranos” is a 75 minute dinner conversation with David Chase and various guests. This is easily the best special feature on the entire release. Lastly there are over 20 minutes of lost scenes from each season.

Actors: Weird Al Yankovic, Victoria Jackson, Kevin McCarthy, Michael Richards
Directors: Jay Levey
Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Shout! Factory
Release Date: November 11, 2014
Run Time: 93 minutes

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

Weird Al Yankovic is so hot right now after topping the charts with his newest album (for the first time ever). It is also the 25th anniversary of his cult classic film “UHF”. The film stars Weird Al Yankovic along with Michael Richards (“Seinfeld”), Kevin McCarthy (“Invasion of the Body Snatchers”), Fran Drescher (“The Nanny”), Gedde Watanabe (“Sixteen Candles”), Victoria Jackson (“Saturday Night Live”) and more! It has been many years since I have seen this film and it still holds up today and is extremely funny. If you are looking for some laughs and some great special features, be sure to pick this up!

Official Premise: A lot of TV stations have forgotten what ’quality’means. But not Channel 62. They NEVER knew what it meant. In the cult classic UHF, Weird Al Yankovic is George Newman, a daydreamer who becomes the manager of a small TV station that’s losing money as quickly as it’s losing viewers. Before long he’s programming shows like ’Stanley Spadowski’s Clubhouse, ’ ’Wheel Of Fish’ and ’Raul’s Wild Kingdom. ’ But can Channel 62’s new popularity save it from sinister forces? To find out… don’t touch that dial!

This 25th Anniversary Edition of “UHF” makes its Blu-ray debut, thanks to Shout! Factory. The 1080p transfer looks good and relatively clean. I was not a huge fan of the audio track though since it is not even a full HD track. It is basically a DVD English Stereo track. It is not terrible but I would have expected more.  There are a great deal of special features included. There is the Retrospective Panel from the San Diego Comic-Con 2014, which literally just happened a mere few months ago. There is an audio commentary track, deleted scenes, some behind-the-scenes footage, a music video, production stills and some Easter eggs included.

Starring: Eric Bana, Édgar Ramírez, Olivia Munn, Sean Harris, Joel McHale, Chris Coy
Director: Scott Derrickson
Rated: R (Restricted)
Studio: Sony
Release Date: October 28, 2014
Run Time: 118 minutes

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

“Deliver Us From Evil” drew my attention since it is from the director of “Sinister” and “Exorcism of Emily Rose”, which are both great films. The film is claimed to be “Inspired by the Actual Accounts of an NYPD Sergeant”. The film stars Eric Bana (“Hulk”), Édgar Ramírez (“Zero Dark Thirty”) and supporting including Olivia Munn (“Magic Mike”) and Joel McHale (“Community”). Deliver Us From Evil” is aimed to be a mix between “The Exorcist” and “Seven” but it really comes off more as a thriller. There are a few decent scares/jumps but it really suffers from using too many horror clichés.

Official Premise: A New York police officer Ralph Sarchie (Eric Bana) begins investigating a series of bizarre and disturbing inexplicable crimes. When he uncovers that the crimes are of super-natural origins, he must join forces with an unconventional priest (Edgar Ramírez), schooled in the rituals of exorcism, to combat the frightening and demonic possessions that are taking over and terrorizing their city. Filled with action and thrilling suspense, the film is inspired by the book, which details Sarchie’s bone-chilling real-life cases.

Sony is releasing the film as a combo pack including a Blu-ray + Digital HD copy. The 1080p transfer captures the tone and atmosphere set well by the film. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track works great with Christopher Young’s terrifying score. The special features are pretty impressive. There is an commentary track from the director. ““Illuminating Evil: Making Deliver Us From Evil” is a fairly in-depth behind-the-scenes look into the production with writer/director Scott Derrickson’.

The following are Blu-ray ™exclusive bonus features. “Deliver Us From Demons” is a featurette on creating the film’s demonic presence. “The Two Sergeants” is a behind-the-scenes look into Ralph Sarchie and the actor playing “Ralph Sarchie,” Eric Bana. Lastly “The Demon Detective” is an intimate interview with Ralph Sarchie on his experiences and actual inspired events that the film is based on.

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Growing up in the 80’s, one of the highlights for me on television was always “The Wonder Years”. The cast was about the same age as me when the show aired, so I was able to relate to a lot of the issues that the series presented. This complete series has never before been released on DVD in its entirety. StarVista Entertainment/Time Life is presenting this as a 26-disc collector’s set featuring all 115 episodes housed in a replica metal locker. This is literally one of the best DVD presentations that I have honestly ever seen for a series. It is also jam-packed with over 23 hours of specially-produced bonus programming including featurettes, an incredible cast reunion 16 years in the making and never-before-seen outtakes. If you are looking to revisit the Arnold family and take a trip down memory lane, this is a wonderful release and I highly recommend it. Giving this a 5 out of 5 stars is not even nearly enough to give it the respect that it deserves.

Official Premise: It was 1968 — the year of Nixon and space walks and Mod Squad and Vietnam. Enter Kevin Arnold (Savage), a sixth grader at Kennedy Junior High School. Set against the suburban backdrop of Anytown, USA, Kevin sought to minimize his teenage angst while dealing with an older, noogie-happy brother Wayne (Jason Hervey), a rebellious sister, Karen (Olivia d’Abo), distant, workaholic father, Jack (Dan Lauria) and doting housewife mother, Norma (Alley Mills). Add to the mix Paul Pfeiffer (Josh Saviano), his nerdy, allergy-riddled best friend, a potential love interest in winsome girl-next-door Winnie Cooper (Danica McKellar) and narration by an older, wiser, wittier Kevin (voiced by Daniel Stern) to add perspective to the nostalgia, and you have the perfect recipe for TV greatness.

One of the biggest aspects that I remember from this series was the music. This show introduced me to numerous songs and bands in my early years. What is amazing to find out is that the team at StarVista Entertainment/Time Life went above and beyond to ensure that the series was delivered in its most available entirety. This release received over 400 clearances and includes near 300 songs from many iconic artists such as Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Simon & Garfunkel, Jimi Hendrix, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles and The Rolling Stones, plus Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and Many More!  I am happy that people behind this release were able to put in the time and effort to deliver this series with all this great music still included. That is definitely not an easy (and cheap) task to deliver. They could have easy just cut these songs and saved a butt load of money but they decided to take this route

When I hear certain songs like “Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)” by The Byrds, “Louie Louie” by The Kingsmen, “Sunshine of Your Love” by Cream, Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin’,” The Trogg’s “Wild Thing,” “Good Vibrations” and “Wouldn’t it Be Nice” by The Beach Boys, “My Girl” by The Temptations, I am literally transported back to my parents house and find myself sitting in front of the TV watching this show. Of course let’s not forget the show’s timeless theme song “With a Little Help from My Friends” by Joe Cocker. This song is just so amazing and timeless is really the best way to describe it…another 100 years in the future it will still be just as effective and hopefully still synonymous with this show.

Amongst the over 23 hours of bonus features, some of the new features included are a commentary track on the first kiss outtakes by Fred (Savage) and Danica (McKellar) on all six takes of the legendary first kiss from Pilot episode, never before available. “That’s a Wrap! Mark B. Perry’s Farewell Set Tour Season 5” features Writer/Producer Mark B. Perry’s home video set tour from the end of his final season on the show, along with new commentary from him. “From the Vault: Alley Mills and Bob Brush Letters” features Alley Mills reading her emotional, written conversation with Executive Producer Bob Brush about the show’s finale. The one-hour finale as it was originally aired on ABC on May 12, 1993, including a deleted scene not included in the half-hour broadcasts of the final two episodes.

There are ten brand-new featurettes inclluding”With A Little Help From My Friends: The Early Days of The Wonder Years, “The Times They Are A-Changin'”: The Era, “My Generation”: The Kids Grow Up, “When A Man Loves A Woman”: Kevin & Winnie Forever, “Bookends”: Kevin & Paul, “A Family Affair”: At Home With The Arnolds, “”I Love You For Sentimental Reasons”: Fan-Favorite Episodes, “Will You Love Me Tomorrow”: The Wonder Years’ Love Stories, “ABC”: Teachers That Made A Difference and “Both Sides Now”: The Music That Made The Moments. My favorite was the 2014 Los Angeles cast reunion, featuring all key cast together for the first time in 16 years.

There are also extensive individual interviews with all seven key cast members (Fred Savage, Danica McKellar, Josh Saviano, Dan Lauria, Alley Mills, Olivia d’Abo and Jason Hervey), as well as with notable actors featured as guest stars or in recurring roles, such as David Schwimmer, Ben Stein, Bob Picardo and Seth Green; plus, in-depth interviews with narrator Daniel Stern, Neal Marlens, Carol Black, Bob Brush and other production personnel. You can tell that the people that put together this release were fans of the show themselves. This is full of such amazing fan service that it will leave everyone satisfied.

If you want to purchase this Complete Series DVD set, click here. Also available now is the complete first season DVD, click here to buy. 

Actors: C. Thomas Howell, Cerina Vincent, Jason Wiles, Lew Temple
Directors: Steven R. Monroe
Rated: Unrated
Studio: Inception Media Group
DVD Release Date: September 9, 2014
Run Time: 90 minutes

Our Score: 2.5 out of 5 stars

From the premise of “Monika” is from director, Steven R. Monroe, is the guy behind the 2010 remake of “I Spit On Your Grave” and it stars Jason Wiles (“Third Watch”) and Cerina Vincent (“Cabin Fever”). Cerina is extremely bad-ass in the role but I feel like she was under used. According to the cover art, it shows her and only her but she is more supporting than lead in the film. The story is a bit confusing and the twist honestly comes a little too late to be effective enough. I was left curious and scratching my head with questions for too long. Worth renting if you are looking for some decent action but just don’t expect too much.

Official Premise: Reagan Tyler is a man troubled by visions and premonitions. In a cheap Las Vegas motel, he meets Monika, a beautiful young woman with seduction and revenge on her mind. Their brief encounter draws Regan into a surreal cat and mouse hunt for the hit-man who had earlier murdered Monika’s sister. In the best tradition of grind-house action, Monika takes Reagan on her mission for justice and she isn’t afraid to spill blood along the way. In this full throttle assassin meets assassin showdown, Monika packs a secret more powerful than her guns…she just may be invincible.

I was really hoping for a hardcore revenge thriller ala “Kill Bill” but due to the story issues, I was really not get into this film much. I was excited to see Cerina show off her fancy gun work. In fact for the film, she actually went to train shooting prior to shooting, so that is some dedication. I think if they would have focused more on Cerina’s character and went a bit easier with the plot twists, this could have been much more effective. There are no special features included on this DVD.

Starring: Kevin Dillon, Shawnee Smith, Donovan Leitch, Jeffrey DeMunn, Candy Clark, Joe Seneca
Director: Chuck Russell
Rated: R (Restricted)
Studio: Twilight Time
Release Date: October 14, 2014
Run Time: 95 minutes

Film: 4 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars

If you call yourself a horror fan, then you should be a fan of 1988’s “The Blob”. The film was directed by Chuck Russell (“The Mask”) and written by Frank Darabont (“The Shawshank Redemption”). This is a remake of the original 50’s Steve McQueen horror classic. Twilight Time is behind the release and it is great to see this film get a proper Blu-ray release. I remember the first time I picked this film up on VHS at my local mom and pop store and how it always freaked me out and still does today. It holds up very well. A must own if you can find it, horror fans!

This Blu-ray release is an Screen Archives Entertainment Exclusive and is a Limited Edition release with only 5000 copies produced. Normally Screen Archives’ releases are limited to 3000 but this one had quite the demand and I believe is already completely sold out. The 1080p transfer in 1.85:1 is good, especially with the practical effects which are solid impressive even though there is some grain throughout. Same goes for the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 with works well with all the ooey gooey sounds effects.

The special features are not as impressive as I would have hoped but not bare bones either, so thats a plus. There is an interesting audio commentary with Director Chuck Russell and Horror Authority Ryan Turek. There is a near 20 minute featurette called “Friday Night Flights at the Cinefamily”, which includes a Q&A with Chuck Russell. Lastly there is are two trailers and an isolated score track included

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Starring: Tara Strong, Ashleigh Ball, Andrea Libman, Tabitha St. Germain
Directors: Jayson Thiessen, Ishi Rudell
Studio: Shout! Factory
Release Date: October 28, 2014
Run Time: 72 minutes

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

“My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks” is a sequel to 2013’s “My Little Pony Equestria Girls”. This is the second brand new full-length film from the very popular “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic” series. I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting to like this but I have a two year old daughter and she is going absolutely crazy for it. She absolutely loves the music in this film and she dances and sings along. Since receiving this, we have probably watched this film at least one per day and it definitely grows on you. The music is easily the best part of this film, no question. If you love the “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic” series, then I highly recommend this!

Official Premise: In My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks, Canterlot High (CHS) is hosting a musical showcase, and Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy are going to be performing with their new band, The Rainbooms. But when The Dazzlings, a new girl group, arrive at CHS and convince everyone to turn the friendly showcase into a Battle of the Bands, tensions mount between the competing musical acts. A now-reformed Sunset Shimmer realizes that The Dazzlings may not be ordinary girls and are after something far more sinister than just being named Best Band at Canterlot High. The Rainbooms call on Princess Twilight to restore harmony to their world to help them perform a musical counter-spell so that they can win a battle that now determines the fate of the entire school.

Shout Factory is releasing this film as a Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy combo. I personally think that the digital copy is useless Shout has yet to get on board with Ultraviolet Digital HD service. They still use the download this to your device and that is very outdated. The 1080p transfer is gorgeous. The film is extremely colorful, as you can imagine if you follow the series. The DTS-HD Master Audio track works perfect with the fun characters and the fantastic tunes. The special features are pretty great as well with an audio commentary track, 8 Prequel Shorts and 3 Sing-Alongs included. The sing-alongs are a great way to re-enjoy each song.

Starring: John Hodiak, Barbara Britton, Chuck Connors, Bruce Bennett, Fess Parker
Director: Lesley Selander
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Olive Films
Release Date: October 14, 2014
Run Time: 83 minutes

Film: 4 out of 5 stars
3D: 4 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 1/2 out of 5 stars

When it comes to 50’s 3D films, I am always curious to see them. “Dragonfly Squadron” was actually never released in 3D ever in theaters. The film was completed in late ’53 and released early ’54 after the decline of the format, so it ended up only being released in 2D.  So this Blu-ray makes the first time that this film is ever available in stereoscopic 3-D, as originally intended, due to the wonderful work done by the 3-D Film Archive team. You have to give props to Olive Films for taking on this huge task. If you are a fan of this film, this is a must own.

Official Premise: In 1950, as the Korean peninsula is drawn closer to war, a stern Air Force Major (John Hodiak), is assigned to train a squadron of South Korean pilots, making them combat-ready in half the usual time. At the air base at Kongju, Brady comes face to face with a former flame (Barbara Britton), the wife of an army medical officer (Bruce Bennett). When enemy forces invade, most of the American personnel are evacuated, but Brady remains behind with the barely-trained South Korean troops, and bravely diverts the Russian-backed North Korean army.

The Blu-ray contains both the 3D and 2D versions on a single disc. The 1080p transfers, presented in 1.66:1, certainly look their age and not presented fullish polished and crystal clear, especially during the stock footage scenes. There is grain throughout but overall, it doesn’t overpower the viewing experience. The DTS-HD Master Audio Mono also isn’t perfect but it also sounds quite impressive with sound effects like the soaring plane and bombs exploding. The only special feature here included is a theatrical trailer. I would have loved to see featurettes on the film’s restoration. This is a real missed opportunity.

Starring: Lamb of God
Director: Don Argot
Rated: Unrated
Studio: 9.14 Pictures
Run Time: 121 minutes

Film: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 4 out of 5 stars

What starts out as a typical band related documentary quickly becomes much more than that. “As the Palaces Burn” is the latest DVD release from Richmond, Virginia’s Lamb of God. Directed by Don Argot and being released via Epic Records and 9.14 Pictures the 2 disc documentary runs just over a combined 4 hours and is mixed in stunning 5.1 Surround Sound and PCM Uncompressed Stereo.

To quote my previous review of the films theatrical release “Whether you are a fan of Lamb of God’s music or not I strongly urge you to see this film.” The film was just as powerful the second time around as when I first saw it a few months back. This is not just another pieced together making of documentary looking at one of heavy metals biggest bands. That may have been the original intent however mid way through the film it starts to document the series of events which lead to the incarceration of lead singer D. Randall Blythes incarceration in the Czech Republic for the charge of Manslaughter.

As the film delves deeper into these events the film takes its most dramatic turn as it shows the immense amount of emotion the band members have for one another as well as Randy’s own strength throughout the entire time of his incarceration and subsequent return to the Czech Republic to stand trial for these clearly bogus charges. Director Don Argot did a great job capturing everything I enjoy seeing in a film of this nature. Candid interviews with not only the band but with fans and fellow musicians gave the film a number of different perspectives that helped affirm the bands place in the music world and the impact the events involving Randy had on those both close to him and those from afar. The feature presentation of the film wraps up with a really cool Q and A session with not only the film’s director but also with the band themselves.

Clocking in at just over 2 hours the special features portion of the film plays like an alternate version of feature presentation. Further in-depth interviews with the band, fans and friends such as Slash and Dave Brockie reaffirm the impact the band has on it fans not only here in the states but all over the world. It was really great to see and hear more of the back stories of those who appear in the film as this bonus footage includes unedited takes from a number of interviews as well as extended footage which initially was only show in short edited clips. This film is a must have!

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Starring: Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo, Adam Levine, Hailee Steinfeld, Catherine Keener, James Corden, Mos Def
Director: John Carney
Rated: R (Restricted)
Studio: ANCHOR BAY
Release Date: October 28, 2014
Run Time: 104 minutes

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

I remember exactly where I was the first time that I saw “Once”. When I saw it it was still a film that no one heard of…and then it went to win an Academy Award for Best Song. “Being Again” attracted me because is the the latest film from writer-director John Carney, who also did “Once”. I love any film that includes music in it, especially good music…and especially music sang by actual actors. Wasn’t a huge Keira Knightley fan prior to this but she really won me over here. She had a fantastic voice and these songs work great for her. The film has a lot of heart and really draws you into the story. I really respect what John Carney does within in his films and his vision and respect for the music. Fantastic music, fantastic cast! Highly recommended.

Official Premise: Gretta (Keira Knightley) and her long-time boyfriend Dave (Adam Levine) are songwriting partners who go to New York City when Dave lands a deal with a major record label. But the excitement of Dave’s new-found fame affects the couple in unexpected ways, leaving Gretta unsure of her future – until Dan (Mark Ruffalo), a scruffy record label executive with a few problems of his own, stumbles across her performance on an East Village stage. Dan is immediately captivated by Gretta’s raw talent and unique sound, leading to a life-changing collaboration, set to the soundtrack of a summer in New York City.

Anchor Bay is releasing this film as a combo pack. There is a Blu-ray + Digital Copy included. The 1080p transfer captures the beauty of NYC perfectly, especially when they go on the tour mission to record the album. Really beautiful locations throughout this film. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track works perfectly with the film’s music. There is a great balance of the dialogue and songs. The special features are a let down though. There is a short featurette “The Making of Begin Again” and some music videos Including Adam Levine’s “Lost Stars”.

Starring: Chris Evans, Song Kang-ho, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, Octavia Spencer, Ewen Bremner
Director: Bong Joon-ho
Rated: R (Restricted)
Studio: ANCHOR BAY
Release Date: October 21, 2014
Run Time: 126 minutes

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

“Snowpiercer” is based on the French graphic novel “Le Transperceneige”. The film has a fantastic cast including Captain America himself, Chris Evans (“The Avengers”), Song Kang-ho (“The Host”), Tilda Swinton (“The Chronicles of Narnia”), Jamie Bell (“Jumper”), Octavia Spencer (“The Help”), Ewen Bremner (“Trainspotting”), John Hurt (“Hellboy”) and Ed Harris (“Apollo 13”). This film is a must see but is definitely not your typical sci-fi thriller. I love the look and feel of this film. It taken placed all on a train yet it has this much large scale to it. Joon-ho Bong is an amazing filmmaker and he did the same thing with his film “The Host”, which is equally awesome. If you are looking for something original and fresh, I highly recommend this!

Official Premise: It’s been 18 years since we froze the earth. The few remaining humans live on the Snowpiercer, a train on an infinite loop around the globe. For those at the front, it’s a lavish paradise of drugs and sushi in the lap of luxury; for those trapped in the tail section, life is short and cruel. But change is in the air. Curtis (Chris Evans), desperate to escape the tail of the train, plans an uprising, aided by his mentor Gilliam (John Hurt). What begins as an isolated riot explodes into a mass revolution, an all-or-nothing push to the front of the train, and a war for humanity’s future. Who will live and who will die? How far can they go? Is there hope beyond the frozen wastes.

Anchor Bay did something that is quite rare in Blu-ray releases today. It comes with a fantastic slipcover with beautiful artwork from the film inside. It may seem like a little thing but this a real treat when you are used to most bare bones releases. The 1080p transfer is fantastic, which add to the scale of this film. The visual effects are treated very well and look quite sharp. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 also sounds great, especially in the action scenes. You hear the train speeding my at top speed through each speaker. Marco Beltrami’s score sounds amazing as well and really adds a lot to the tension of the film.

“Snowpiercer” only features an audio commentary on the disc one of the release with Scott Weinberg, of Geek Nation, hosts MSN Movies’ James Rocchi, the Austin Chronicle’s William Goss, Hitfix.com’s Drew Mcweeny, Deadline’s Jennifer Yamato, and Movies.com’s Peter S. Hall. It is very in-depth and definitely aimed at the fans. Of course, I forget to mention that the there is an entire second disc of special features included. “Transperceneige: From the Blank Page to the Black Screen” is a documentary by Jésus Castro-Ortega, which is runs about an hour and dives into the film. “The Birth of Snowpiercer” is a much tighter making of piece. There is a focus on the film’s cast in “The Characters”.

There is an “Animated Prologue”, which dives into the events that are described in the opening monologue of the film.  (HD, 4:31): An animated opening that looks at some of the events only mentioned in the film. “Chris Evans & Tilda Swinton on Snowpiercer” feature the actors talking about their roles and the film. “The Train Brought to Life: Behind the Scenes of a Special Screening” takes us on a promotional tour for the film through Texas that ended with an outdoor screening at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. Also included is Tom League’s interview with Bong Joon-Ho. Lastly, there are Concept Art Galleries included.

Starring: James Cagney, Walter Huston, Joan Leslie
Director: Michael Curtiz
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Distributed by: Warner Archive
Running Time: 126 minutes

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

Warner Archive has delivered their best Blu-ray to date with Michael Curtiz’s “Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)”. Curtiz directed this film just before he took helm on the classic “Casablanca”. James Cagney brought home the Academy Awards for this film, which is such a national treasure. It also won two additional Academy Awards including Best Musical Score and Best Sound Recording. “Yankee Doodle Dandy” is over 70 years old but it has never looked better. The 1080p transfer is flawless and doesn’t look a year over 50. I also have a two year old that loves musical and she had a blast with the music in this film, which is presented extremely well with its mono track. Warner Archive also includes some outstanding extras as well. If you are a fan of classic musicals, I wouldn’t miss this release

Official Premise: Legendary actor James Cagney stars in the role for which he won an Academy Award–the life of singer, dancer and songwriter George M. Cohan, a true Yankee Doodle Dandy. This non-stop musical tour de force sings, dances and celebrates the life and career of a music man who lifted a nation, the first entertainer awarded the United States Congressional Medal of Honor for his contribution to morale. From his early days as a vaudeville performer to his stardom on Broadway, George M. Cohan composed the songs that defined his generation. And now the film – and its music – may be enjoyed as never before thanks to this pristine high definition 1080p Blu-ray Disc presentation that’s as close to a first-run 35mm viewing as possible this side of a time machine.

The special features on this Blu-ray are quite spectacular like the film. There is “Leonard Maltin hosts Warner Night at the Movies 1942 with Casablanca trailer”. There is a 1942 newsreel included. There is a Warner Bros. short “Beyond the Call of Duty”, as well as James Cagney in wartime short “You, John Jones”. There is the Warner Bros. vintage cartoon “Bugs Bunny Gets the Boid” and “Yankee Doodle Daffy, which are great and presented in 1080p HD. There is a documentary called “Let Freedom Sing!: The Story of Yankee Doodle Dandy”. There is an audio commentary with Warner Bros. historian Rudy Behlmer, which is a little dry but very informative. There is a featurette called “John Travolta remembers James Cagney”. Lastly there is an audio-only extras ­radio show, pre-recording session outtakes/rehearsals and theatrical trailer included.

Starring: Danielle Harris, Katharine Isabelle, Glenn Jacobs, Chelan Simmons, Kaj-Erik Eriksen, Lee Majdoub, Michael Eklund
Rated: R (Restricted)
Studio: Lions Gate
Release Date: October 21, 2014
Run Time: 90 minutes

Film: 1 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars

When “See No Evil” was released in 2006, I was psyched to see WWE wrestler Kane get a starring role in a horror film. After watching the film, I was totally underwhelmed. When I heard there was a sequel coming along over 8 years later, I was shocked and probably couldn’t care less until I saw that Jen and Sylvia Soska (aka The Soska Sisters) were directing. They did the fantastic horror flick “American Mary” and are taking over the horror genre…but unfortunately this film is a major let down still. It is first of all boring as hell. The kills are not inspired at all and the film follows every typical horror cliche. I know the Soska Sisters are better than this and I will give them a pass but any respecting horror fan should save themselves the true horror of sitting through this film. Lastly, why does everyone love Danielle Harris? Plain and simple…The chick can’t act!

Synopsis: WWE Superstar Glenn “Kane” Jacobs reprises his role as the psychopathic mass-murderer Jacob Goodnight in the rebirth of WWE Studios’ franchise See No Evil 2, the blood-soaked sequel to See No Evil. A group of friends pays a late-night visit to the city morgue to surprise Amy (Harris) on her birthday. But the surprise is on them when the one-eyed corpse of brutal psychopath Jacob Goodnight (Jacobs) unexpectedly rises from a cold sub-basement slab. Their wild party quickly turns into a terrifying slay-fest as the sadistic mass-murderer resumes his savage rampage complete with hooks, surgical knives and power saws.

Lionsgate is releasing this film as combo pack with Blu-ray and Digital HD copy. The 1080p transfer is decent giving the bland colors and boring locations that this film had to work with. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track suffers through one of the most terrible horrible scores that I have heard recently. The special features aren’t much better than the film itself. There are three featurettes included. The first focuses on the directors in “Twisted Twins (Soska Sisters)”, despite my hate for this film, I love these girls and they are going to do big things for the horror genre. “Autopsy: Dissecting the Kills” is a boring look at the boring and uninventive kills in the film. Lastly “Kane’s Goodnight: An Icon Reborn”, looks into the character Jacob Goodnight.

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Starring: Craig Sheffer, David Cronenberg, Anne Bobby, Charles Haid, Hugh Quarshie, Hugh Ross
Director: Clive Barker
Rated: R (Restricted)
Studio: Shout! Factory
Release Date: October 28, 2014
Run Time: 120 minutes

Director’s Cut: 3 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of 5 stars

“Nightbreed” is one of those movies that as a horror fan you can’t help but love. It is far from perfect in any sense but it is a cool little flick that has stuck around over the years. About 2 or so years ago, a new cut of the film emerged called “The Cabal Cut”, which ran about 160 minutes long put together with lost footage compiled over the years. Unfortunately, this is not “The Cabal Cut” that many fans have hoped for. What it is though is a new “Director’s Cut” of film which contains over 40 minutes of new and altered footage. So we get some new footage and at the same time loose some footage. The director’s cut is good but I feel like it is rather choppy and not as tight as I would have thought so. We do certainly get a completely different viewing experience if you think you know “Nightbreed”, so I will let horror fans see for themselves. Either way, “Nighbreed” is finally on Blu-ray”!

If you are wondering what director Clive Barker thinks about this, here is his office’s official statement: “The Nightbreed Director’s Cut is an entirely different film than the one which was released in theaters. Its 20 minutes longer than the theatrical cut, but it contains over 40 minutes of new and altered footage. Clive oversaw the reconstruction and edit himself, personally ensuring that, at long last, he was able to tell the story he always wanted to tell, but until now, had never been given the chance. Once the scenes were reordered, and the original film footage restored, the entire film received a brand new sound mix and color pass. It is, in every way, a different movie. It contains more story, more monsters, and there’s even a musical number. Ultimately, what we’ve delivered is a love story 25 years in the making”.

Official Premise: Boone (Craig Sheffer) may be a troubled young man, but his troubles are just beginning. Set up as the fall guy in a string of slasher murders, he decides he’ll hide by crossing the threshold that separates ’us’from ’them’and sneak into the forbidden subterranean realm of Midian. Boone will live among the monsters. Hellraiser creator Clive Barker writes (adapting his novel Cabal) and directs this vivid leap into horror that asks: in the battle of man vs. monster, who’s really the monster? The answer supplies flesh-crawling suspense, sudden fear, a colorful Danny Elfman score and a creepy array of shape-shifting beings. They are the Nightbreed, denizens of a world beyond death, beyond the imagination, perhaps beyond anything you’ve seen.

Shout Factory! is releasing this Director’s Cut as a combo pack with a Blu-ray + DVD included. They are also releasing a Limited-Edition 3-Disc release consists of only of 10,000 copies, which includes a collector’s book, a bonus disc of extras and the theatrical cut available on Blu-ray for the first time only in this release. I would certainly recommend that release over this one any day. The 1080p transfer has been said to been mastered in high definition from the original camera negative but there is some parts where the quality is very questionable. I understand it was taken from many different sources, I just expect a little more polish. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 works perfect though along with Danny Elfman’s amazing and memorable score.

The special features on this “Director’s Cut” release are good but not super outstanding. Like I mentioned the Limited Edition release has an entire Blu-ray for extras. Here we get an introduction by writer/director Clive Barker and restoration producer Mark Alan Miller, which goes into about the Director’s Cut…man does Barker look like shit BTW> There is a brand new audio commentary track with writer/director Clive Barker and restoration producer Mark Alan Miller. There is a new featurette called “Tribes of the Moon: The Making of Nightbreed”, which runs over 70 minutes and features interviews with Craig Sheffer, Anne Bobby, Doug Bradley and more, “Making Monsters” runs over 40 minutes with interviews with makeup effects artists Bob Keen, Martin Mercer and Paul Jones. “Fire! Fights! Stunts! 2nd Unit Shooting” is a 20 minute interview with Andy Armstrong. Lastly there is an Original Theatrical Trailer included.