Actors: Bobby Driscoll, Kathryn Beaumont, Paul Collins, Tommy Luske, Bill Thompson
Directors: Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske
Number of discs: 3
Rated: G (General Audience)
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Release Date: February 5, 2013
Run Time: 77 minutes

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

“Peter Pan” has always been my second favorite Disney movie (behind “Alice in Wonderland). It’s story is so timeless.  I mean, who doesn’t want to fly, no worries and get a chance to fight buccaneers (and pirates too!).  Seems like the perfect fairy tale  right? Walt Disney Studios is celebrating the 60th Anniversary of this wonderful classic and what better time than to release it for the first time every with a new digital restoration and high definition picture and sound on Blu-ray. “Peter Pan” is also a great display of Disney’s Golden Age of animation and was one of three films to actually include all nine of Walt Disney’s “Nine Old Men” working as Directing Animators. This release will have you soaring high, past the second star to the right and straight on ‘till morning.  If you have always wanted to take a trip to Never Land, this Blu-ray a good start to relive your childhood memories with Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Wendy, Michael, John and Captain Hook with his band of bilge rats. If you don’t believe me take the words of the Indian Chief: “Me no spoof’em”.

Now let’s get down to the meat of this release   First of all, I am head over heals for the cover art of this release.  I love when a classic film get’s re-imagined. I understand the love of original art but this just feels so fresh and yet classic at the same time.  Disney is delivers a three-disc Blu-ray combo pack within under its well-respected Diamond Edition label.  Besides the Blu-ray disc, it also comes with a DVD, Digital Copy and even an Storybook App for iPhones and iPads. Now onto the wonderful (and probably much-debated) 1080p transfer. This film has been beautiful restored thanks to new digital advances used by the Disney restoration team. “Peter Pan” has been slightly altered in order to improve it to it’s original Walt Disney expectations.  But despite that, the film has never looked better.  And man, the colors just absolutely stunning! Disney tops it off with a first rate DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround track that works so perfectly with the film’s beautiful music.  Of course, then there is also included is an original Dolby Digital Mono track. I easily prefer the 7.1 track, even if it is a little bit overkill for this film.  It still sounds amazing and really immerses you in this wonderful world of Never Land.

Disney did not skimp on the special features for this Blu-ray at all.  They come stocked with some great content.  To start there is an Introduction by Diane Disney-Miller, which has her reflecting on her father’s work. Roy Disney hosts a fantastically extensive audio commentary track, which was taken from the previous DVD release. Disney himself is a little stiff but still delivers some great knowledge and chats with animators, voice actors and more. Highly recommended. “Growing Up with Nine Old Men” is a 40+ minute feature on the Walt Disney’s famous group of lead animators. There are two deleted scenes and two deleted songs that have been restored to HD and dug out from the Disney Vault,including an alternate ending “The Journey Home”. They are presented either in original storyboards, concept art or rough cel elements format.  Also included are the classic DVD extras, starting with “Backstage Disney”, presented in SD and running just over an hour. This is made up of five behind-the-scenes featurettes and documentaries including “You Can Fly: The Making of Peter Pan,” “In Walt’s Words: Why I Made Peter Pan,” “Tinker Bell: A Fairy’s Tale,” “The Peter Pan that Almost Was” and “The Peter Pan Story”.  There is also a bunch of classics music extras as well including “Disney Song Selection”, “Deleted Song: The Pirate Song,” “Never Land: The Lost Song,” “Music Video: Never Land, performed by Paige O’Hara” and “Music Video: The Second Star to the Right, performed by T-Squad.”

Rounding out this release is one of my favorite new Disney special features, which is the “Disney Intermission”.  What is it?  Well try pausing the film at point and what what happens.  You are transported to Never Land with over 30 minutes of additional hidden treasures. Included are many fun activities and games for kids.  You can “Hunt for Peter Pan’s Shadow”, “Spot the Doubloon” and “Read Smoke Signals”, all wrapped up with video clips helmed by the first mate of the Jolly Roger.  I found myself pausing just for the heck of it. Even though I know every word to this film backwards and forwards, it is still great that a Sing-Along track is included. We also get to enjoy “DisneyView Side Bars”, which fills in the boring ‘ole black bars on the sides of the picture with beautiful artwork from Walt Disney background painter Cristy Maltese (“Beauty and the Beast” and “The Little Mermaid”). Lastly, there are a great deal of sneak peeks into what Disney has in store next including “The Little Mermaid 3D”, “Return to Never Land”, “The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh”, “The Muppet Movie”, the next “Tinker Bell” movie (no official title yet) and much more.

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Actors: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Pena, Anna Kendrick, Natalie Martinez, America Ferrera
Directors: David Ayer
Rated: R (Restricted)
Studio: Universal Studios
Release Date: January 22, 2013
Run Time: 109 minutes

Film: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3 out of 5 stars

Wow, I cannot believe it took me this long to see this movie. I never gave “End of Watch” a second look when it was in theaters last Fall, but boy was I missing out. This film has some amazing and powerful performances from both Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña, where are the Oscar nods?! The film is from the writers of “Training Day” and he really captures the same essence that he did with that film. The film is raw, gritty, in-your-face and very powerful. It is also a little bit scary to think that certain areas of the world are really like this. I liked the hand-held camera aspect to the film as well, since it really added the fly-on-the-wall feeling, which I really dug. Literally, this is one of the best films of 2012 and easily one of the most impressive and rawest cop films in years.

Official Premise: From the writer of Training Day comes a gripping, action-packed cop drama starring Academy Award nominee Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña. In their mission to abide by their oath to serve and protect, Officers Brian Taylor (Gyllenhaal) and Mike Zavala (Peña) have formed a powerful brotherhood to ensure they both go home at the end of watch. But nothing can prepare them for the violent backlash that happens after they pull over the members of a notorious drug cartel for a routine traffic stop. Seen from the point of view of the officers, gang members, surveillance cameras, dash cams and citizens caught in the line of fire, a 360 dergree perspective creates a gritty, compassionate and intense portrait of the city’s darkest streets, and the brave men and women patrolling them.

Universal delivered “End of Watch” with its typical yet very impressive Two-Disc Combo Pack.  It includes the following: Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy + Ultraviolet.  That Ultraviolet code was immediately redeemed and will be used and revisited as often as I can. The 1080p transfer on the Blu-ray looks sharp even though the film is so gritty and made to feel like it is shot using handhelds. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track on the Blu-ray is just as raw yet effective as the film. You literally find yourself dodging the bullets during the shootouts. Both audio and video are very impressive.

The special features on this release are not good in quantity but pack some good quality.  There is a fantastic audio commentary track from writer/director David Ayer.  He really adds great depth to the film and gives a lot of great insight. There are a hella lot of deleted scenes included here, in fact there are almost 50 minutes of deleted scenes.  Yes that’s right 50 minutes.  It is a mixture of eighteen deleted scenes and various alternate takes.  As much as I enjoyed the film itself, I loved some of the longer deleted scenes and a few of them would have really worked in the final product.  Lastly, there are five featurettes summing up the extras but they are very short and disappointing. They consist of  “Fate with a Badge,” “In the Streets,” “Women on Watch,” “Watch Your Six” and “Honors”, which consist of two-minute looks into the production with the cast and crew.

Actors: Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle, John Goodman, Kelly Reilly, Bruce Greenwood
Directors: Robert Zemeckis
Rated: R (Restricted)
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: February 5, 2013
Run Time: 138 minutes

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

“Flight” is Robert Zemeckis’ first live-action film since “Cast Away” and “What Lies Beneath”, both released in 2000. Let me tell you as much as I loved his motion-capture films, this is a fantastic return for him. It is a great original story and very performance driven, kudos to my man Denzel. I have had the wonderful privilege of meeting and interviewing Denzel Washington a few years back. He shines in this role and was rightfully given an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. The opening plane crash scene will leave you biting your nails and then it turns its this fantastic character piece that has you enthralled until the end. All around great acting, directing and script.  Recommended.

Official Synopsis: Academy Award® winner Denzel Washington stars in this “riveting and powerful nail-biting thriller” from Robert Zemeckis, the Academy Award®winning director of Forrest Gump and Cast Away. Airline pilot Whip Whitaker (Washington) miraculously lands his plane after a mid-air catastrophe. But even as he’s being hailed for his heroic efforts, questions arise as to who or what was really at fault. Action-packed, engrossing and powerful, Washington’s performance is being hailed as “a triumph” and one that “will be talked about for years.

Paramount is known for delivering fine Blu-ray releases and that is definitely the case here. “Flight” comes as a Blu-ray + DVD + UV Digital Copy combo pack. The 1080p transfer on this release is very well represented and comes with a solid DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 audio track, which works well with the film’s dramatic tone and Alan Silvestri’s score. The special features are good but not amazing. I would have loved to see an commentary from Zemeckis at least. There are three behind-the-scenes featurettes including “Origins of Flight”, which looks into the story behind the film. “The Making of Flight” is a generic behind-scenes look with cast/crew. “Anatomy of a Plane Crash” is my favorite part of the film but runs a little short. Lastly there is a highlight of a Q&A session for the film.

Actors: Colin Farrell, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken, Tom Waits
Directors: Martin McDonagh
Rated: R (Restricted)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
DVD Release Date: January 29, 2013
Run Time: 110 minutes

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

“Seven Psychopaths” works because it is an original idea that comes packs with an awesome cast and a sharp script. It is a laugh riot that surprises you around every corner. Original ideas are not the norm when it comes to Hollywood filled with sequels and remakes. The combination of Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson and Christopher Walken are cinematic genius. Farrell reunites with Academy Award® Winner Martin McDonagh, Writer/Director of “In Bruges”. The DVD of the film also includes an Ultraviolet digital copy, so I know that I will be revisiting this film quite often. Highly recommended for sure!

Official Synopsis: From Oscar®-winning writer and director Martin McDonagh comes a star-studded, blood-drenched, black comedy. Marty (Farrell) is a struggling writer who dreams of finishing his screenplay “Seven Psychopaths” and all he needs is a little focus and inspiration. Billy (Rockwell) is Marty’s best friend, an unemployed actor and part time dog thief, who wants to help Marty by any means necessary. Hans (Walken) is Billy’s partner in crime, a religious man with a violent past. Charlie (Harrelson) is the psycho-pathetic gangster whose beloved dog Billy and Hans have just stolen. Charlie is unpredictable, extremely violent and wouldn’t think twice about killing anyone or anything associated with the theft. Marty is going to get all the focus and inspiration he needs, just as long as he lives to tell the tale.

Here is the deal with the special features for the DVD. They come with six different featurettes but they are very short, each one and just leave you wanting more. Each one is just over 2 minutes long at most, which is just not worth it. “Martin McDonagh’s Seven Psychopaths” is featurette with cast and crew chatting about the film. “Colin Farrell is Marty” is a feature with Farrell chatting about his character. The same goes for “Woody Harrelson is Charlie”. “Crazy Locations” is an all too brief look a the shooting locations. “Seven Psychocats” is the best extra, mixing the trailer with cats standing in for the actors. Lastly, “Layers” is a short mash-up of the film set to a rap beat. Very disappointing extras for such a funny film.

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Starring: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith
Studio: 20th Century Fox
DVD Release Date: January 29, 2013
Run Time: 22 minutes

Film: 4 out of 5 stars
EXtras: 3 out of 5 stars

The gang is back in “Madly Madagascar” in this new Valentine’s Day-themed special. This franchise is not a stranger to holiday specials after “The Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper” and “Merry Madagascar”. They were both very clever and fun. This special is loaded with great jokes and continues the trend that the “Madagascar” franchise is not even close to being dried up. I recommend this for all families to enjoy for the holiday and I hope that they have more planned in the future, while we are waiting for “Madagascar 4”.

Official Premise: Your favorite Madagascar pals are back in an all-new adventure! Alex’s favorite holiday, Valentine’s Day, brings hilarious surprises and excitement for the entire gang. Melman plans a big surprise for Gloria, Marty tries to impress a new friend and everyone wants to get their hands on King Julien’s love potion. You’ll fall in LOVE with Madly Madagascar!

I would have loved to have this film on Blu-ray, I am not sure why Fox decided not to deliver that. The special features included on the DVD are two additional animated shorts. The first is called “Hammy’s Boomerang Adventure” and the second is “First Flight”. They are both very funny and worth checking out. Since the feature is only 22 minutes, the extra content is well worth checking out. In case you think it is not worth the purchase you can always catch it on TV airing on Valentine’s Day this year…and I am sure this will become a yearly tradition.

Actors: James Remar, Lucas Till, Jason Trost
Directors: Jason Trost
Rated: Unrated
Studio: IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT
Release Date: January 29, 2013
Run Time: 78 minutes

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

Writer/director Jason Trost is a name that has come up twice now in the last year. He is part of the duo responsible for last years cult hit “The FP”, which I also really enjoyed. “All Superheroes Must Die” is a real treat with all the focus on superheroes thanks to “Marvel’s The Avengers”. I like the idea of focusing on a game where superheroes actually lose. Jason Trost stars as well along with Lucas Till (“X-Men: First Class”) and deliver a fun and very clever look at the genre. This is much more than just a superhero movie, it is a great character piece as well.

Official Premise: “All Superheroes Must Die” follows four masked avengers – Charge (Trost), Cutthroat (Till), The Wall (Valmassy) and Shadow (Merkley) — who find themselves stripped of their powers by their arch-nemesis (Remar), whom they defeated years earlier. Or so they thought. When the sinister mastermind puts the heroes through a series of brutal challenges that are virtually impossible to overcome, they must battle the clock, and even each other, in a race to stop a deadly countdown that could mean total destruction. Will the superheroes prevail, or will they be forced to meet their demise as mere human beings?

The film carries a budget of under $1 million dollars but looks quite impressive. The scale is small but feels a lot larger than it is. The 1080p transfer on the Blu-ray is very impressive, especially since the film is very dark. The accompany the impressive video is also a sweet audio packing a nice DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 track. After enjoying this film, I would wanted to run right to the special features and check them out. Unfortunately there are none – no commentaries, no featurettes. A little bit disappointing.

Starring: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Selena Gomez, Steve Buscemi, David Spade, Andy Samberg
Director: Genndy Tartakovsky
Number of discs: 3
Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Sony Animation
DVD Release Date: January 29, 2013
Run Time: 91 minutes

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

After Adam Sandler’s last few terrible films like “That’s My Boy” and Jack and Jill”, I didn’t want to see any more of him. Luckily in “Hotel Transylvania” you only have to hear him, so that works for me. This is also the directorial debut for Genndy Tartakovsky, who is known best for “Samuari Jack” and the 2003 “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” mini-series. The animation style is very different but the man definitely knows how to direct animation. I am a big fan of the classic monsters and this film feels like today’s reboot of Rankin/Bass’ “Mad Monster Party”. We get all the great monsters here and this film is actually really funny and entertaining. I would highly recommend checking this out for sure, especially in 3D if possible. Sony Animation is really stepping up its game and delivering hit after hit in this department.

Besides Adam Sandler playing the role of Dracula. Wizard of Wavery Place’s Selena Gomez plays Mavis, Dracula’s 118 year old “teenage” daughter, Andy Samberg plays the human Jonathan, Kevin James voices Frankenstein and his wife Eunice is voiced by Fran Drescher. Steve Buscemi is Wayne the Werewolf and his wife Wanda is voiced by Molly Shannon. David Spade voices Griffin the Invisible Man. Cee Lo Green is Murray, the obese mummy. Lastly, Jon Lovitz voices Quasimodo Wilson, the former Hunchback of Notre Dame now a gourmet chef. I love the twist that they put on each of these classic monsters. It adds a lot to the film and really delivers the laughs.

Official Premise: Welcome to Hotel Transylvania, Dracula’s lavish five-stake resort, where monsters and their families can live it up and no humans are allowed. One special weekend, Dracula (Sandler) has invited all his best friends – Frankenstein and his wife, the Mummy, the Invisible Man, the Werewolf family, and more – to celebrate his beloved daughter Mavis’s (Gomez) 118th birthday. For Dracula, catering to all of these legendary monsters is no problem, but the party really starts when one ordinary guy stumbles into the hotel and changes everything.

I have to come straight out and say that I feel that Sony delivers the best Blu-ray experience, specially with Blu-ray 3D. They have been very consistent and never let’s you down. This release is very impressive in all areas. It comes as a combo pack with a Blu-ray 3D disc, a stanard Blu-ray, a DVD disc and also an UltraViolet Digital Copy, which will be immediately added to my account for repeat viewings. The 1080p transfer is really perfect. The 3D effects in the film are fun and not too over-the-top. I feel that they look even better on home media format then in theaters. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track really works well with the music and crazy antics that this film delivers.

The special features are kick-ass just like the film and come jam-packed with a lot of kid-friendly goodies. First up we have ““Goodnight Mr. Foot””, which is the new mini-movie also directed and animated by Genndy Tartakovsky. There are three deleted scenes included. There is a music video by Becky G Featuring will.i.am for the song “Problem (Monster Remix)”, as well as a behind-the-scenes featurette on the video. There is a really sweet commentary with Director Genndy Tartakovsky, Producer Michelle Murdocca, and Visual Effects Supervisor Daniel Kramer. I loved listening to Genndy talks about the film and Daniel giving tips about the effects used. The rest of the extras are exclusive to the Blu-ray discs including three progression reels and two Featurettes: ““Meet the Staff and Guests: Voicing Hotel Transylvania”” and ““Making the Hotel””. Both featurettes are great and a higlight of the release.

Actors: Fivel Stewart, Booboo Stewart, Eric Roberts, Vanessa Angel
Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Lionsgate
DVD Release Date: January 22, 2013
Run Time: 90 minutes

Film: 2 out of 5 stars
Extras: 1.5 out of 5 stars

With “Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters” hitting theaters this month, here comes the low-budget DTV rip-off called “Hansel & Gretel​: Warriors of Witchcraft. The film is a dark modern day twist on this fairytale and aims to draws in the tweens and Twihard with casting Booboo Stewart of “The Twilight Saga” franchise and his sister Fivel Stewart. The film also co-stars Eric Roberts and Vanessa Angel, which just add more cheese to this already cheesy film. Unless you are a young girl, I would steer very clear from this.

Official Premise: Jonah and Ella Mazer (Hansel and Gretel) were happy, normal teenagers–sent to an elite boarding school. The Head Master, Sebastian, seems to know more about the brother and sister than they know about themselves. As both get to know their high school classmates, strange and frightening things begin to happen. When their new friends explain that they are all descended from powerful witches, and they’ve been waiting for Hansel and Gretel to join them and complete a new generation of the Coven, both refuse to believe them. But it’s not until Hansel discovers a message from his mother in an old leather-bound book of spells hidden in the school library, that he understands their true and dangerous destiny – slaying witches.

Some of the special effects look cool to be honest so it isn’t all bad. I was a little soft on my rating, since I had the priveldge of meeting and interviewing Mr. Booboo Stewart in person and he is really a super cool kid. I feel bad that he had to take on this role. The special features include an audio commentary track with the director David DeCoteau and the stars Booboo and Fivel Stewart. It is entertaining for the most part and Booboo and his sister Fivel seems like they are having fun together. Lastly there is a stills gallery including.

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Actors: Luke Goss, Danny Trejo, Tanit Phoenix, Frederick Koehler, Robin Shou
Directors: Roel Reine
Rated: R / Unrated
Studio: Universal Studios
Release Date: January 22, 2013
Run Time: 105 / 106 minutes

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

When Roger Corman made this original cult classic “Death Race 2000” back in 1975 with David Carradine and Sylvester Stallone, I doubt he ever though the film will be remade or turn up with two prequels either. When I saw “Death Race” in the theaters, I thought it was plain ole stupid fun. With “Death Race 2”, it feels a lot smaller than the first but I actually enjoyed it a bit more since there was no bullshit just action and plenty of Tanit Phoneix. This second prequel brings back Luke Goss (“Hellboy 2: The Golden Army”), Danny Trejo (“Machete”), Ving Rhames (“Mission: Impossible”), Fred Koehler (Death Race 1 & 2), Robin Shou (“Mortal Kombat”) and Tanit Phoenix (“Death Race 2”). So the crew is back from “Death Race 2” and it is really well-polished action film. The plot or lack of is forgivable but it is very entertaining. The scale of the film seems so much bigger than it is and shot in some really beautiful locations. I didn’t think I would say this but what’s next for this franchise? I’m still hungry!

Official Premise: Repentant convict Carl Lucas (Luke Goss)- aka Frankenstein- is a legendary driver in the brutal prison blood sport known as Death Race. Only one victory away from winning freedom, Lucas is plunged into his most vicious competition yet: the first-ever desert Death Race. Through South Africa’s infernal Kalahari Desert, Lucas is pitted against ruthless adversaries and powerful forces at work behind the scenes to ensure his defeat. Also starring Danny Trejo and Ving Rhames, Death Race 3: Inferno is an insane, action-packed thrill ride.

Universal has delivered a fantastic two-disc combo pack. This comes with a Blu-ray, a DVD and two digital copies – iTunes and UltraViolet. Count me in for the Ultraviolet, I will be adding that to my account for sure. I should note that the DVD disc actually includes both cuts of the film, which is impressive. You can tell though when it is including the unrated footage since it jumps/lags a bit. The film packs an unrated cut but only runs a minute longer than its also included R-rated version. We get some longer – very bloody kills, which is good enough for me. The 1080p looks very sharp with the locations used in the film, very impressive. As does the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 audio track, which revs up and kicks ass on my 7.1 surround sound system.

The special features for this film are quite fantastic actually. First up we have extras that are exclusive to the Blu-ray disc. There is an alternate opening, which is definitely worth check out. “Racing For Death” is a look into the cars and the work that went into them for the production. “Art Imitating Life” is a featurettes on the character Goldberg and the actor who plays him, Danny Trejo. The rest of the extras are available on both Blu-ray and DVD. There is a montage of deleted scenes to start. “The Making of Death Race 3: Inferno” is the best extra and takes us behind-the-scenes on this new version of the popular Death Race franchise. Lastly, there is an audio commentary track With Director Roel Reiné, also worth checking out for sure.

Actors: Bela Lugosi, Madge Bellamy
Directors: Victor Halperin
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Kino Lorber
Release Date: January 29, 2013
Run Time: 69 minutes

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

If you are a fan of zombies and shows like “The Walking Dead”, let me introduce you to “White Zombie”.  This is the film that started it all…the first zombie movie. This has influenced so many films over the last 80+ years. For the firs time, this film has been remastered in HD, thanks to Kino Classics! “White Zombie” has been released many times before on DVD and never looked like this at all.  Bela Lugosi, who is best known for playing Dracula, stars in this fan favorite with those mystical eyes of his. If you are a fan of this film, then this is the Blu-ray for you. Personally, this might not be Lugosi’s best film but it is certainly become a cult classic over the years and I recommend it highly on Blu-ray.

Official Premise: Along a desolate road in the Haitian mountains, a carriage bearing Neil Parker and Madeleine Short encounters a funeral in which the body is being buried in the road. Further down the road, the coach stops at the sight of a man of satanic appearance: six human shapes step forth, and the horrified driver shouts ”Zombies!”, signaling the first appearance of the living dead in American cinema. When first released, “White Zombie” occupies a deserved place beside “Dracula” and “Frankenstein” as one of the most eerie and interesting horror films of the 1930’s and remains a horror classic.

Kino’s Blu-ray of “White Zombie” comes with two complete versions of the film.  Both versions have been taken from an original 35mm negative with a few missing scenes taken from a 16mm print. Both are presented in it’s original aspect ratio: 1.37:1. This Blu-ray doesn’t really blow you away with its presentation of this film and for a film that is 80+ years old it shows its age quite a bit.  Same goes for the Linear PCM 2.0 audio track, it is decent but nothing special. The special features are a bit of a let down with quantity not quality.  There is a commentary track with film historian Frank Thompson, worth checking out for some good zombie references.  There is a nice interview with Bela Lugosi, which was filmed during White Zombie’s production. Lastly, there is a trailer from the 1951 re-release.

Starring: Justin Gregg, Pail Tylak, Nicola Coughlan, Alan Stanford, Liz Lloyd, Paul Tylak
Directors: Oskar Jonasson
Distributed by: Arc Entertainment
Release Date: 01/15/2013
MPAA Rating: PG
Run Time: 83 minutes

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

After the success of “The Avengers”, you have to imagine that there will be tons of copycats trying to cash in on its success. “Thor: Legend of the Magical Hammer” though is a pretty well done CG animated film. The story is very silly and not the sharpest but still fun, especially for kids. This film includes a few firsts This is a Walmart exclusive and is the first full-length animated film to come out of Iceland, thanks to the studio CAOZ. For that being said, it is really well done. The animation is quite impressive, if you can over the way Thor looks. Kids who are fans of superheros should definitely enjoy this.

Official Premise: Thor, the son of the mighty god Odin, battles the evil Ice Queen and her army of vicious giants in this exciting animated adventure! Thor is a village blacksmith who dreams of being a mighty warrior, practicing with a broomstick as his mother laughs at him. When a talking hammer falls from the sky, he realizes he may truly have a way to fulfill his dreams.  Soon after, the Ice Queen kidnaps his mother and the rest of the villagers, and he must reach deep inside himself to unleash his full powers to fight the queen and her army.  Will Thor and his magical hammer be enough to save the world from destruction?

On thing I just need to point out is that the Ice Queen reminded me so much like Izma from Disney’s “The Emperor’s New Groove”, she is decent baddie but no Loki. Arc Entertainment is the distributor and they have yet to cross over into 3D Blu-ray, as they barely release many Blu-ray but this film was made in 3D.  It includes many over-the-top 3D gimmicks, though would have been fun to see but remain unavailable. There are no special features besides a trailer included.  Lastly there is a Vudu digital copy of the film included.

Actors: Tom Baker, Lalla Ward, David Brierley, Christopher Neame
Directors: Pennant Roberts
Number of discs: 3
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: BBC Home Entertainment
DVD Release Date: January 8, 2013
Run Time: 109 minutes

Film: 3 out of 5 stars
Extras: 4 out of 5 stars

“Shada” is my first experience to Doctor Who prior to the 2005 revival. It probably isn’t the best idea to start with an story 109, which is half way through The Tom Baker Years 1974-1981. This DVD features the legendary unfinished Fourth Doctor story, which is newly restored from original film negatives and studio recordings with 1992 linking material from Tom Baker, which fills in the blanks from the missing material. This show was intended to close the 17th season of the show was in 1980 and was never shown on TV. I appreciate the fact that this is finally being released for all the Doctor Who fans. Though if you think that this release is cool to own wait till you see the TWO discs, that’s right TWO discs of special features. Easily worth the purchase alone.

Official Premise: Written by Douglas Adams as his final contribution to Doctor Who, Shada was envisaged as a Time Lord story without a Gallifreyan setting. It sees the Doctor bringing Romana to present-day Earth to visit Professor Chronotis, an elderly Time Lord who absconded from Gallifrey and now lives a quiet academic life at St Cedd’s College in Cambridge. Also seeking Chronotis is a scientist called Skagra who has a device, in the form of a floating sphere, with which he intends to steal the Professor’s mind and thereby learn the location of a book entitled The Worshipful and Ancient Law of Gallifrey. Skagra eventually succeeds in obtaining the book, which has been borrowed from the Professor’s study by a student named Chris Parsons. He then kidnaps Romana and hijacks the TARDIS.

On the first disc, the special features focus are with commentary. The first feature is “Shada – BBCi/Big Finish Version” is DVD-ROM content only, which is an animated radio/webcast version with Paul McGann as the voice of the doctor. There is no commentary track included but there is info text option, which is quite entertaining to read. The second disc focuses more on featurette based extras. The first is “Taken Out of Time: The Making and Breaking of Shada”, which includes interviews from Tom Baker, Daniel Hill (plays Chris Parsons, Pennant Roberts and more. “Shada: Now & Then” looks at the locations from the shoot from 1979 to 2012. “Strike! Strike! Strike!” is a new extra with interviews from Tony Lennon (ex-president of BECTU union), Nicola Bryant (who played Peri Brown) and looks into the strikes that caused this series an major problem. “Being a Girl” is narrated by Louise Jameson (who played Leela) and looks into the female companions. Lastly there is a Photo Gallery.

The third disc is where the meat is for this release. Besides “Shada”, the star is the 90-minute documentary from 1995 called “More Than 30 Years in the TARDIS”. This is highly recommended for all Whovians. Next up is “Remembering Nicholas Courtney” is a feature looing into Courtney’s roles and is moderated by Michael McManus. “Doctor Who Stories – Peter Purves” looks into his role as Dr. Who’s companion Steven Taylor in various Dr. Who series. “The Lambert Tapes – Part 1 & 2” is an in depth interview with the actor. “Those Deadly Divas” focsues on Kate O’Mara, Camille Coduri and Tracy Ann Oberman. O’Mara. Lastly there is a Photo Gallery for “More Than 30 Years in the TARDIS” and also a hidden Easter Egg.

Actors: Boris Karloff
Number of discs: 1
Rated: Unrated
Studio: Warner Archive
DVD Release Date: January 8, 2013
Run Time: 181 minutes

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

When you think about classic horror, you think about Boris Karloff, who is an icon of his time.  In this three-film collection it shows three different roles from his films at Warner Bros including playing a warlord, a murder suspect and a prison inmate.  The films included are “West of Shanghai (1937)”, “The Invisible Menace (1938)” and “Devil’s Island (1939)”.  These aren’t the best films of his career but they are fun roles nonetheless.  These are available for the film time on DVD, thanks to Warner Archive.  If you are a fan of Karloff, then you will certainly appreciate being able to now own these films all on one DVD.

When it comes to quality Warner Archive tries to deliver decent content with what is available. These films have not been remastered or restored but have been manufactured from the best-quality video master currently available.  The films look decent overall but have quite a bit of age showing. They are each presented in 4 X 3 full frame and with their original aspect ratio of 1.37:1.  The audio track is a standard Dolby Mono track but I felt there was a bit of an issue with some of the dialogue, specifically with “The Invisible Menace”, otherwise they worked well. My personal favorite is “West of Shanghai (1937)”, since it delivers some great make-up work for Karloff’s character, especially for the time.

SYNOPSIS: A cinematic icon, Boris Karloff was one of Hollywood’s greatest actors. Although synonymous with horror, Karloff excelled in other genres as well, providing a lasting legacy of memorable performances. And in this collection of three rarely seen gems drawn from his work at Warner Bros., Karloff shines in a wide range of roles, encompassing mystery, adventure and drama. West of Shanghai (1937): A wily warlord (Karloff) holds a small group of Americans prisoner in a northern China mission. The Invisible Menace (1938): Army intelligence suspects an ex-con (Karloff) of murdering the ordnance expert who framed him. Devil’s Island (1939): A French doctor (Karloff) wrongfully convicted of treason falls victim to the barbaric cruelties of the penal colony’s commandant.

Own it today on DVD http://bit.ly/BuyKarloffTriple

Actors: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, Leland Orser, Jon Gries
Directors: Olivier Megaton
Rated: PG-13 / Unrated
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: January 15, 2013
Run Time: 92 minutes

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

When I first saw Liam Nesson take on the role of former CIA operative Bryan Mills and his ‘particular set of skills’ in “Taken”, I was blown away. “Taken 2” is basically the exact same thing as the first film. I figured that they would have done something different this time around. If you saw the first one basically you can skip this one.
The film is based on a script by Luc Besson (“The Fifth Element”) and directed by Olivier Megaton (“Colombiana”, “Transporter 3”) so there is no issues with the action here, that is in good hands and gets delivered well. That is the only reason, I gave 3 stars for the action, the rest would be barely 2 stars. Overall, the whole idea just feels a little bit re-used and missing any fresh ideas. Let’s just hope that “Taken 3” doesn’t see the light of day.

Official Premise: Liam Neeson returns as Bryan Mills, the ex-CIA operative who stopped at nothing to rescue his daughter from sadistic kidnappers. When the father of one of the kidnappers swears revenge, it is Bryan and his wife who find themselves “taken” hostage in Istanbul. To survive, Bryan must enlist the help of an unlikely ally and use his brutally efficient skills to take out his heavily-armed foes one by one.

The release comes as a combo pack from 20th Century Fox with both the Theatrical and Unrated Extended Cut of the film.  Included in the release is a Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Copy of the film. The film looks great with its 1080p transfer and comes with a flawless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, which highlights the action well. The special features are also decent overall.  There is a “Black Ops Field Manual and Kill Counter”, which showcases Bryan Mills’ badassdom.  There are deleted and extended scenes, including an alternate ending that runs over 20 minutes and I enjoyed quite a bit. “Tools of the Trade” is an interactive feature on his ‘specific set of skills’.  Lastly there is a behind-the-scenes featurette focusing on the films elaborate special effects.

Actors: Seth Swirsky, Henry Winkler, Jon Voight, Smokey Robinson, Sir Ben Kingsley
Directors: Seth Swirsky
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Cinema Libre Studio
DVD Release Date: October 2, 2012
Run Time: 85 minutes

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

I like the idea of stories.  I am a big storyteller myself.  I like how Seth Swirsky has taken his love for The Beatles and really delivers a fun…yet also informative film here.  “Beatles Stories” is nice and tight documentary with a lot of great input from a lot of people who have known and been inspired by the music of The Beatles. This is not just a re-hash of already known stories, Seth really went out of his way to deliver new and very interesting stories from these people.  When I think of The Beatles, I want to hear the music.  So of course I was hoping to hear more Beatles tunes throughout but I understand the cost of that.  So being a big Beatles fans since I was little child, I really enjoyed this and highly recommend this.

Seth Swirsky is one of the ultimate fans of The Beatles.  He grew up in Long Island, NY (as did I) loving every aspect of The Beatles (also as I did). Seth sets out on a road trip gathering stories from many known people from Sir Ben Kingsley, Sir George Martin, The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson, Henry Winkler snd Beatles engineer Norman Smith. As well as people who were involved with The Beatles, Seth also dives into his other musical favorites like Smokey Robinson, Graham Nash and Davy Jones and then relates then back to The Beatles. It is a very personal project and even though it is independent and a little choppy in parts.  You can feel that it is just a real labour of love.

The special features included are quite impressive for this independent release. There is 30 minutes of additional interviews or “stories” as they are called. The film alone runs 85 minutes, so the additional time is welcomed. There is an extended interview with The Beatles’ first recording engineer Norman Smith, which is highly recommended. Lastly there is a commentary track from the director Seth Swirsky, which is good if you enjoyed the film and looking for more. For a documentary overall, I am very impressed with these extras and this is a must for all Beatles fans!