Directed by: Daniel Espinosa
Starring: Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds
MPAA Rating: R
Distributed by: Universal Home Entertainment
Release Date: June 5, 2012
Running Time: 115 minutes

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

With a cast of Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds, you really can’t go wrong.  The film is action packed and really thrilling.  Whenever I see Denzel in a a role like this, it immediately sparks my interest.  I mean…the guy really knows for to succeed in playing a crazy man.  He just does it well!  The film is also shot and directed really well, thanks to Daniel Espinosa channeling his inner Oliver Stone and Michael Mann.  Normally I am not a big action movie fan but without re-creating the genre, this film is still able to delivers a fun entertaining experience.

The film follows Matt Weston (Reynolds), a rookie CIA operative, so is frustrated with his boring job of running a safe house in Cape Town, South Africa. Of course everything changes for Matt when he meets  Tobin Frost (Washington), a renegade intelligence officer who had been on the run for almost a decade. When the safe house is mercenaries attack the house, Weston and Frost make a narrow escape and together must find out who they can trust.

Kudos to Universal for really delivers an ass-kicking Blu-ray.  It comes with a Blu-ray of the film, along with a DVD and a digital copy discs, as well as a Ultraviolet streaming digital copy as well.  The 1080p transfer looks awesome presented in its original aspect ratio: 2.39:1, especially with the action sequences. As does the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, which really excels with the film’s intense scenes.

The special features are very impressive overall.  To start there are a few interactive features like Universal’s first U-Control feature, which is basically a Picture-in-Picture track, features interviews with cast and crew and provides decent behind-the-scenes footage.   Secondly, Universal brings a Second Screen Experience that works with the pocket BLU app able to be downloaded to your tablet, Mac or PC,  which syncs the app with the film.

There is a decent  behind-scenes featurette called “Making Safe House”, which focuses on production and characters.  “Hand-to-Hand Action” focuses on the film’s fights with fight coordinator Olivier Schneider and his team. “Shooting the Safe House Attack” is a short look at the film’s major action scene. “Building the Rooftop Chase” takes a behind-the-scenes look at Washington and Reynolds leaping from roof to roof. “Behind the Action” is another look into the shooting film’s action sequences. “Inside the CIA” takes a look at creating Langley and at the CIA itself today.  Lastly, “Safe Harbor: Cape Town” focuses on shooting on location in Cape Town.

Directed by: Brandon Trost, Jason Trost
Starring: Jason Trost, Lee Valmassy, Art Hsu
MPAA Rating: R
Distributed by: Image Entertainment
Release Date: June 19, 2012
Running Time: 83 minutes

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

“The FP” easily has to be one of the most bizarre and unique films I have seen in many years. There is nothing out there like it. It is a crazy mix of “Step Up” with “Mad Max”. To fit my description perfectly it also features narration by James Remar (“The Warriors”), which is just perfect. The film is also from the producers of “Paranormal Activity”, which just makes it more and more interesting. Some are calling it an instant cult hit and I agree it definitely has what it takes to create that.

The film takes place in a dystopian future, focusing on a relentless turf war rages between two rival gangs for control of rural wasteland Frazier Park (aka The FP). Though this isn’t your typical gang wars since it the battles take place within a deadly arena of competitive dance-fight video game “Beat-Beat Revelation.” Right there, you might be saying to yourself “WHAAAAAA?” But it honestly works and the film is fast paced and really delivers.

The Blu-ray looks and sounds great, boasting its 1080p transfer and presented in an aspect ratio of 2:39.1. The special features included are impressive as well. “Never Ignorant Getting Goals Accomplished: The Making of THE FP” is a decent behind-the-scenes featurette. “THE FP in The FP: A Return to Frazier Park” takes a look at the locations used for the film. There is an audio commentary from the directors, The Trost Bros., who prove this film really was a labor of love. Lastly there is a special collector’s edition booklet with Intro by Rob Zombie and Brian Taylor and Mark Neveldine, it is a real treat and rare to actually have a booklet included in recent Blu-rays these days.

Directed by: Brian Robbins
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Ariel Winter, Kerry Washington
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
Release Date: June 26, 2012
Running Time: 91 minutes

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

When it comes to Eddie Murphy, he has been hit or miss (mostly miss) recently. His decisions to constantly do kid’s films are really hurting his career. I mean if they were good kids film’s that one thing but besides “Shrek” franchise…they aren’t. This film is no different and actually has sat on the shelf since 2008. My main concern why would you have Eddie Murphy in a film where he can only speak a thousand words when he is the funniest when he goes on long-winded rants. It doesn’t seem like a smart move. Due to this the film really doesn’t deliver beyond a few chuckles.

Eddie Murphy plays Jack McCall, a literary agent who in order to sign huge client, a New Age guru, he must agree to the following the guru’s ways in order to get the contract. When a tree suddenly appears in Jack’s backyard, he finds that it loses a leaf every time Jack says speaks or writes a word. He has to choose his words carefully and aims to learn a valuable lesson on the consequences of every word we speak…Yawn.

The Blu-ray is not bad for a comedy. The 1080p transfer looks good and is presented in its original aspect ratio: 2.39:1. The audio track included is an DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, which sounds decent also. The special features are lacking though like the film itself. There are a whooping 11 deleted scenes included and an alternate ending. That is about it. The scenes are decent and worth a watch but nothing that could have helped the film.

Starring: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard
Number of discs: 20
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Distributed by: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Release Date: June 5, 2012
Running Time: 635 minutes

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

I have been watching “The Three Stooges” from since before I could walk…or probably talk (thanks to my Grandfather).  There is something about that humor that really lasts through time and never looses its laughs.  When they released this under the title of “The Ultimate Collection”, they were not joking…this is really the ultimate collection of the Three Stooges.  They cover 25 years of the Three Stooges and really captures their unique brand of humor.  Included in this set is all 190 short films, plus 11 hours of movies and other never-before-released material…like I said really the ultimate collection.  Get ready to enjoy all the eye-pokes, face slaps, hollow head knocks and knuckle cracks that you can possibly handle.

These have been properly and beautifully remastered for the best quality picture and sound. For shorts that were filmed back as far back as the 30’s, they definitely do not show it.  Great job from Sony for a great digital restoration.  You’ll experience the Stoogers  like you’ve never heard or seen them before. This collection also not only includes all of the Three Stooges Columbia shorts but also three discs of bonus material as well featuring the solo work of the Stooges!  This never-before-released bonus content features included are films “Rockin’ In The Rockies” (1945) and “Have Rocket–Will Travel” (1958) . There are also 14 Shemp Howard solo shorts, 10 Joe Besser solo shorts and 4 Curly-Joe solo shorts.  Lastly, there is also three animated shorts from Columbia as well. This is worth the purchase of the collection alone.

Besides the three discs of rare and unreleased content, the rest of the collection is split up into eight individual volumes.  The first volume covers from 1934-1936, includes the first 10 Columbia shorts, including “Punch Drunks” which made them big. Vol. 2 focuses on 1937-1939 in chronological order including 24 shorts and such classics “Dizzy Doctors”, “Saved By The Belle”, and “Calling All Curs. Vol. 3 covers what some thought to be the Golden Age from 1940-1942. Included are 23 shorts among was also a historical first featuring Moe Howard as the first American to portray Hitler on film, in 1940’s “You Nazty Spy”, which was also Moe’s personal favorite. Vol. 4 covers 1943-1945 and include 21 shorts with some of their best work, including “Micro-Phonies” (1943). Also featured are “They Stooge to Conga” (1943) and “The Yoke’s On Me” (1944), both were very controversial shorts.

Next up we have Vol. 5 which covers 1946-1948 and features 25 shorts. This period also marks the end of Curly’s career with the Stooges and the return of Shemp. Vol. 6 covers from 1949-1951, which continues with Shemp as the third Stooge. These collection of 24 shorts contain classics like “Merry Mavericks” (1951) and a reworking of “Phony Express” (1943) featuring Red Morgan. Vol. 7 features 22 shorts from 1952-1954. It was a hard time for the Stooges with the passing of Curly in 1951. Though it did still includes such classics as the first 3-D short, “Spooks!” (1953) and “Shot In The Frontier” (1954), a parody of the film “High Noon”. Lastly Vol. 8 covers the last 32 short for Columbia from 1955-1959 and marks the end of comedy era. 1955 also came with the sudden death of Shemp Howard, which caused Moe and Larry to use a stand-in on some of the shorts. This concludes 24 years and 190 shorts with Columbia.

The Three Stooges are really a comedy team that to this day remains unparalleled in both their success and popularity. I have a feeling that it will stay that way as well. They are true Hollywood legends. Their slapstick humor and physical comedy have influenced numerous icons in today’s times like Robin Williams and Jim Carrey and will continue as time goes on. Luckily for studios like Sony, we get to enjoy this complete and ultimate collection of The Three Stooges work and if you are fan of theirs this release is extremely recommended and also very affordable. Do not miss out of this wonderful release!

Starring: Breckin Meyer, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Malcolm McDowell
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Distributed by: Sony Home Entertainment
Release Date: June 19, 2012
Episodes: 10
Running Time: 422 minutes

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

When it comes to law shows for me it is hit and miss. The show really needs to be able to provide engaging court scenes and also provide light humor to the situations. “Franklin & Bash” does that and more. TNT really scored a hit with this show bringing it into its Summer line-up last year. The show recently started it second season and is already off to a great start. Breckin Meyer and Mark-Paul Gosselaar really work perfectly together in this series and deliver one hell of an entertaining show. If you missed season one, be sure to pick up this season to catch up before watching season two.

The show follows Jared Franklin (Breckin Meyer) and Peter Bash (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), who are two of the most unique lawyers that practicing law. They bring the funny to the courtroom ranging from making out with a plaintiff, to fist fighting on the courtroom steps, to chugging beers as evidence. Though their unorthodox methods always seem to get results and win client’s cases. The independent duo catches the interest of attorney Stanton Infeld (Malcolm McDowell)who asks them to join his high-powered law firm Infeld Daniels. Of course, when the duo come on board they find themselves taking the big-leagues for a ride and turning the courtroom upside down. The complete first season features guest stars Jason Alexander, Beau Bridges, Harry Hamlin and Tom Arnold.

The special features are very impressive and jam-packed. Firstly there is a never-before-released blooper reel, which is a laugh riot. There are seven behind-the-scenes featurettes. The first is “Creating the Cases” focusing on the cases taken in the first season. Next “Franklin & Bash & Friendship” takes a look into the duo’s relationship. Franklin & Bash Behind-The-Scenes” takes a look into the making-of the show. “Behind the Behind” features Mark-Paul discussing the scene where he exposes his bottom. “Working for Franklin & Bash” focuses on Kumail Nanjiani and Dana Davis’ roles. “Malcolm McDowell Office Tour” is a tour of the head of Infeld Daniels law firm’s office. Lastly in the featurettes is “Man Cave Tour” is a look into the duo’s bachelor pad. To top off the amazing extras, there are three faux “Frankin & Bash” law commercials.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Our Score: 1 out of 5 stars

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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