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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Rachael Ma stands at just under 5 feet and can currently be seen in the role of the robot opposite Frank Langella in “Robot & Frank”. If you have seen the film you know that Peter Sarsgaard is the voice of the robot but as Rachael puts it “people…literally think the robot IS a robot”. Thanks to Alterian, which is the company behind the LED helmets worn by the electro duo Daft Punk, Rachael gives wonderful life to this role. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Rachael about the film and what she has planned next.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us how you get started acting, singing and dancing?
Rachael Ma: My mom owns a dance studio in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and was a dancer herself. I was born into it. Being a dancer first, it was very easy to channel physicality into acting and singing. Movement tells a story.

MG: How did you get involved with the role of the Robot in “Robot and Frank”?
RM: The whole process was very quick; from my first casting (interview) to the first day of shooting was, only 2 days. Originally, the robot was supposed to be performed by another girl, a friend of the director, and the suit was specifically built to her body specifications. But the first time she tried it on in its entirety, she had a claustrophobia and refused to go back in it. I was a replacement and was brought in mostly because I fit the costume (and was willing to have claustrophobia).

MG: Tell us about the costume itself; was it different to act in?
RM: The heat, lack of vision and immobility of the parts made bringing the robot to life difficult. The robot is all-encapsulating in two layers: the first layer is a thick, rubber unitard that covers everything- head to toe, and then a delicate, fiberglass shell of body parts, including non-ventilated helmet lined in mesh and foam. No breathing room, no A/C, no fans. Just sweat. And wow, it was hot! We shot 12 hour days, outdoors, during a heat wave in the summer for 5 weeks. I was constantly dehydrated, nauseous and fainting. The helmet was another challenge because it was lined with a thick mesh and decreased my vision by about 70%. When we shot at night, I did everything in the blind. The robot joints are clunky and bulky which also made mobility a challenge. As a dancer, I have a fine understanding of controlling movement and to deliver a robot that appeared smooth, grounded and with precise comedic timing in its gestures, was no easy task. I rehearsed and analyzed its walk, its head quirks and wanted to develop certain nuances that made the robot lovable.

MG: Was there any particular scene that sticks out to you?
RM: In one scene I was supposed to catch a mimosa flute that falls off a table- it was no movie magic- I caught that glass out of thin air 13 takes in a row! Clunky robot hand and all! It was miraculous.

MG:Tell us about taking the show “Nutcracker: Rated R” to Tokyo?
RM: I’m in my 4th season of “Nutcracker: Rated R” and am so excited its going to Tokyo. My friends tell me Tokyo is like being in a city in the future, which is kind of funny because I feel like I’ve already been to the future with “Robot and Frank”.

MG: How do you feel that stage differs from film and TV?
RM: Acting for the stage is a whole different beast. Its film/TV acting on steroids. Shifting between stage and screen takes adjustments in my mindset and body, but I always approach whatever work I’m doing thinking of the audiences perspective. It helps me focus on what needs to be seen.

MG: What else do you have planned for 2013?
RM: In 2013 you can expect to see me in New York City’s Broadway/off-Broadway shows, in Tokyo with the raucous ‘Nutcracker: Rated R’, and the occasional film/TV/commercial stint.

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.

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Johnny Knoxville, Forest Whitaker and Luis Guzman
Directed by: Jee-woon Kim
Rated: R
Running time: 1 hour 47 mins
Lionsgate

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

There must be something in the water in California. In 1967, actor Ronald Reagan began the first of two terms as Governor. In 2003, actor Arnold Schwarzenegger did the same. But the similarities don’t end there. Both were succeeded in office by Jerry Brown (ironically, Reagan succeeded Jerry Brown’s father). After leaving office both went on to be President. OK, just kidding there, though I’m sure it’s only the fact that, because he was born in Austria, Schwarzenegger is constitutionally prohibited from running for the office. No, now that the politics are over Schwarzenegger is back in the movie game. And he picked a good one right out of the chute.

Las Vegas. As a state trooper sits parked on the dark desert road outside of town he is startled by the roar of an engine outside. He sees nothing in the dark except his radar gun screen, flashing 197. Angered he radios in to complain about the Air Force flying their jets low to the ground. Down the highway, in the little border town of Sommerton, the local high school football team is heading out for a trip to the state championships, as is most of the town. Staying behind is Sheriff Ray Owens (Schwarzenegger), a former Los Angeles drug cop who left the city behind years ago. With most of the townsfolk away for the weekend, Ray envisions an easy weekend, turning over the care of the town to his three deputies. But fate has other ideas.

Smoothly directed and featuring characters that rise above being one dimensional, “The Last Stand” could be an old episode of “Gunsmoke,” with its theme of the law versus the bad guys. Ray is Matt Dillon while his three well meaning but inexperienced deputies (Guzman, Zach Gilford and Jaimie Alexander) are Festus. Sommerton is Dodge City and drug cartel leader Gabriel Cortez (Eduardo Noriega) is the bad guy. And what a bad guy he is. No fewer than a dozen members of law enforcement are killed when Cortez escapes federal custody, aided in his escape by a Corvette ZR-1, a car so fast that, when an attempt is made to pursue it the police are told it’s faster than their helicopter. A fast car always equals car chases and director Kim does not disappoint. In fact, all of the extreme action scenes staged by Kim are quite impressive. His camera continually moves, putting the viewer in the car and taking them along for the ride.

Cast wise it appears that Schwarzenegger still knows how to hit his mark. Now 66, the Austrian Oak has lost a step or two and isn’t afraid to acknowledge it. It’s also great to see Forest Whitaker in a role worthy of his talent. As the head of the FBI team tracking Cortez, he gets to chew a little scenery for once. Peter Stormare is in full crazy-guy mode (think of his role in “Fargo”). I’ve been a fan of Luis Guzman’s since the late 1980s so it’s always great to see him on screen. Speaking of a crazy guy, Johnny Knoxville rounds out the cast as the local goof with one hell of a gun collection.

If you haven’t already got your Oscar ballots marked you may want to attend the annual “Critics vs Oscars Free-For-All” slated for Wednesday, January 23 at the Screenland Crossroads Theatre in Kansas City.

During the program trailers for films Oscar-nominated in all major categories will be screened, as will scenes from all nine Best Picture nominees. Each trailer will be followed by a sure to be impassioned discussion from some of Kansas City’s best known film critics.

The event starts at 7:00 p.m. but there will be a pre-show mixer starting at 6:00 p.m. in which those in attendance can rub shoulders and share opinions with KC’s cinema scribes. A donation of $10 is requested from those in attendance, which goes to support CinemaKC and it’s efforts to serve the movie community in 2013. Your donation not only gets you 90 minutes of film and discussion but also a raffle ticket for a chance to win some great movie memorabilia and passes to the Screenland Theatre and the Boulevard Drive-In. For more information on the event or CinemaKC go to www.CinemaKC.com

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!