DVD Review “Woody Allen: A Documentary”

Director: Robert Weide
Starring: Woody Allen, Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin, Penelope Cruz, Larry David, Mia Farrow, Diane Keaton, John Cusack
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Distributed by: New Video
Run Time: 195 minutes

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

This film is really an absolute complete look into the career of Woody Allen. It starts during his teenage years writing jokes for comics and local papers to working for Sid Caesar to doing standup comedian to his writer-director career. In that last career he has averaged one film each year for more than 40 years. If you are fan of Woody Allen this is a great tribute to his amazing career and if you don’t know Allen this is a great place to start.

In this very extensive look his films we get everything covered from his early films “Take the Money and Run” and “Bananas” to the favorites like “Annie Hall” and “Manhattan” to his latest critical and commercial successful films like “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” and “Midnight in Paris”. “Midnight” was easily my favorite film of 2011 and re-sparked my interest in his films. I thought I knew quite a lot of his films but I felt myself learning so much about Woody Allen and his work from watching this.

Besides Woody Allen himself, I would like to list just some of his people who contribute new interviews for this documentary: Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin, Penelope Cruz, John Cusack, Larry David, Mariel Hemingway, Scarlett Johansson, Julie Kavner, Diane Keaton, Martin Landau, Louise Lasser, Sean Penn, Tony Roberts, Chris Rock, Mira Sorvino, Naomi Watts, Dianne Wiest, and Owen Wilson and many others. They all provide great back story into their experience of working with Woody.

The special features on this film are really great and plentiful. If the 3.5 hour film is not long enough for you, there are more extended deleted scenes and interviews. Woody Allen goes around Brooklyn reminiscing more about his neighbors, dating and the local movie theater; Mariel Hemingway talks about Allen’s meeting her family and the story behind Allen’s 1966 debut in The New Yorker are all among the scenes included. Lastly, there is a fast and fun Q&A between Allen and director Robert Weide.

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DVD Review “Under the Boardwalk: The Monopoly Story”

Directed by: Kevin Tostado
Narrated by: Zachary Levi
MPAA Rating: G
Distributed by: New Video
Running Time: 88 minutes

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

Who doesn’t love “Monopoly”? Everyone has played this game at least once in their lives. This movie is a great showcase of the game and its biggest fans behind it. This game has been around for the last 75 years and I am sure that it will continue to be successful for many more years. If you are ever wondering what is the back story to how this game came to where it is today, this is the movie for you.

The film is told in two parts. One part focuses on the history of the game and how it started and spread like a virus worldwide during the depression. The second part focuses on the competitive nature of the game. It takes us through stories during the 2009 Las Vegas and World Championships of Monopoly. I never even knew that these events took place, prior to watching this. We get to meet the people that compete for these events and some of them are laughable for there devotion to the game but some are normal people like lawyers and teachers.

The special features on the disc are very impressive for a documentary. There is a thorough commentary from director Kevin Tostado. They have completed match from the 2009 World Championship final game. I enjoyed most the featurette “The Methods, Math & Myths of Monopoly”, which into mythology behind the game. In case you didn’t realize, Zachary Levi (“Tangled”, “Chuck”) narrated this film and they have a great outtake reel of this work on the film. There are a few extended scenes included but I felt the film was already paced well. Lastly there is a fun (but challenging) interactive Monopoly quiz included.

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DVD Review “Fireflies in the Garden”

Directed by: Dennis Lee
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Willem Dafoe, Emily Watson, Julia Roberts, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hayden Panettiere, Ioan Gruffudd, Cayden Boyd
Distributed by: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
MPAA Rating: R
Running time: 98 minutes

Film: 2 out of 5 stars
Extras: 1 out of 5 stars

“Fireflies in the Garden” is the type of film that really proves that an amazing impressive cast does not mean an amazing movie. The cast includes the amazing talents of Ryan Reynolds, Willem Dafoe, Emily Watson, Julia Roberts, Carrie-Anne Moss and Hayden Panettiere. Willem Dafoe easily gives the best performance out of the group by a long shot. This film has been in on the shelf for many years since it was filmed back in 2008, it is no surprise why either. In fact the film was completely re-cut recently prior to this release and I am scared to see what it was like prior to the that.

The film centers around an accident with Charles (Dafoe) and his wife Lisa (Roberts) as they are heading to a family reunion. From there I was completely lost with the film switching between past and present through flashbacks. When the family gets together during the funeral there lives become intertwined. Charles and his son Michael (Reynolds) try to work their difficult relationship…also told through flashbacks.

I did really enjoy the score of the film from Jane Antonia Cornish. It helps push this film a long during its short 89 minute running time that feels more like over 2 hours. The special features are almost non-existent. There is only a brief behind the scenes called “A Flash of Life: The Making of Fireflies in the Garden”. Watch it for the cast and Dafoe’s performance but otherwise it is worth taking a pass on.

 

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DVD Review “Delocated: Season 1 & 2”

Created by: Jon Glaser
Starring: Jon Glaser, Jacob Kogan, Nadia Dajani, Eugene Mirman, Kevin Dorff, Zoe Lister-Jones, Mather Zickel
Distributed by: Warner Home Video
Episodes: 19
Rated: Not Rated
Running Time: 347 minutes

Season 1 & 2: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Jon Glaser, creator/writer/star of “Delocated” has created one hell of funny gem with this show.  The show focuses around a family that is in the Witness Protection Program that gets their own reality show.  It is not just that though…they have to wear ski masks and voice changes patches to hide their identity .   It only gets funny from there as they are being tracked down by the Russian mob, who also end of getting a reality show.  The show is packed with great co-stars and delivers many laughs in each episode.  With season three right around the corner, this is a great chance to catch up on seasons 1 and 2 of the series.

In season 1, each episode clocked in at 11 minutes each but in season two it was upgraded to 22 minutes.  I feel that the show definitely was improved during season two with the extended length.  Episodes from Season 1: Pilot, “Bar Mitzvah”, “Good Buds”, “Rage Cage”, “The Soother”, “Member’s Only”, and “Sick Of It”; Season 2: “Decoys”, “Conversion”, “Dog Mayor”, “Mixer”, “Jon He Does It”, “Mole”, “Kim’s Krafts”, “‘Fidence”, “Tap”, “RV B&B”, “David’s Girlfriend” and “Coma”. Season two definitely has the best co-stars like Mather Zickel as Jon’s bodyguard Federal Agent, Eugene Mirman as the Russian hit man Yvgeny Mirminsky and Jerry Minor playing the show’s executive producer Mighty Joe Jon: The Black Blond. Yes, BTW that is what he is called the whole season. Just don’t grow too attached to each character since they are not afraid of killing anyone off and replace them instantly. Which only adds to the laughs!

The special features include two commentary tracks from Glaser on the first disc.  The second disc includes about ten minutes of deleted scenes and about 25 minutes of outtakes.  I am a big fan of outtakes and this one definitely takes the cake.  It sure does look like filming was a ton of fun.  There are two flip books included with include some great behind the scenes and  production stills.  There is also Glaser’s demo that he used to pitch the show to the studio.  It was cool to get to check that out especially since the show’s format was slightly different. Overall if you enjoyed the show, you should race over to the special features for more of the same greatness from the show.

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DVD Review “Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated: Season 1, Part 2”

Created by: Joe Ruby and Ken Spears
Directed by: Victor Cook
Voices of: Frank Welker, Matthew Lillard, Grey DeLisle, Mindy Cohn, Gary Cole, Patrick Warburton, Lewis Black
Studio: Warner Home Video
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Episodes: 14
Running Time: 311 minutes

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

Finally WB’s listens to its fans and gives us more episodes. The last “Scooby Doo” DVD release only included 4 episodes, this one includes a packed 14 episodes spread over two discs and completes the first season of this great series revival. Of course these episodes include great notable voice work from Patrick Warburton as Sheriff Bronson Stone, Gary Cole as Mayor Fredrick Jones Sr., Vivica A. Fox as Angel Dynamite, Udo Kier as Professor Pericles and Linda Cardellini, who played Velma in the two live action theatrical films, as Hot Dog Water. I mean I could go on for paragraphs listing the amazing talent in this series. Overall fans of old “Scooby Doo” give this a shot and it is definitely a no-brainer for kids.

The remaining episodes in season one continues to follow the mystery of The Crystal Cove Curse. They even go into Fred and Velma getting married, which is really cool to see that dynamic in the series. During their mysteries, they have come across secrets about the original Mystery Incorporated group. They need to solve their mystery fast before they face the same fate. These episodes also make great homage and reference to the following: H.P. Lovecraft., Jonah Hex, Jonny Quest and Vincent Price. They also include great cameos from Hanna-Barbara characters like Jabberjaw and The Flintstones.  All-in-all great episodes to close a great season! Can’t wait to see what they have in store for season two.

Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated: Crystal Cove Curse available on DVD 1/14 at http://bit.ly/AbtsdB!

The adventures of a talking dog and his four human pals as they try to unravel the strange and haunted history of their hometown. The tone is comedic, but it will never lose the edge that our heroes are in some frightening situations. The stakes are real. Now you can see the second 14 episodes of Season 1 together in this set.

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DVD Review “Drive”

Directed by: Nicolas Winding Refn
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Christina Hendricks, Ron Perlman, Oscar Isaac, Albert Brooks
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
MPAA Rating: R
Run Time: 100 minutes

Film: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of 5 stars

This film is one of those films that are split among most people. You either love it or hate. This film was originally set to be a big budget film but instead took the independent route. Luckily it did because the film plays so well playing it cool and low key. The acting in the film is really superb. Ryan Gosling delivers a fantastic performance (not shocking…he’s always great). Though I have to give the best actor award to Albert Brooks, who returns to the big screen is brought with a  fierce presence. Also notable is Ron Perlman, who plays bad-ass tough guy so well. If you missed this film in theaters like most did, be sure to catch it on DVD or Blu-ray. It is one fun ride (get it?).

Ryan Gosling plays the unnamed “driver”, who is a Hollywood stunt driver but also is a getaway driver for hire. when he meets his beautiful neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan) and can’t help falling for her. He finds himself going up against ruthless criminals (Albert Brooks and Ron Perlman) in order to save his new love. The driver finds out that he might be in over his head and needs to make a plan to outsmart his new enemies.

The special features on the disc are very production heavy but unfortunately there is no audio commentary present. The first feature “I Drive” focuses on the story and character profiles. “Under the Hood” picks up where the last left off and features in-depth look into the film’s characters and it’s cast. “Driver and Irene” focuses on the film’s subtle love story. “Cut to the Chase” focuses on the driving stunts. Lastly, “Drive Without a Driver: Entretien Avec Nicolas Winding Refn” is the longest feature and focuses on the director and his opinions of the production and the film itself. Overall the features are great despite the lack of commentary track.

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DVD Review “Mad: Season 1, Pt. 2”

Created by: Kevin Shinick
Starring: Kevin Shinick, Hugh Davidson, Larry Dorf, Rachel Ramras, Gary Anthony Williams
Distributed by: Warner Home Video
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Episodes: 13
Running Time: 146 minutes

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

This DVD release included the second half of “Mad”, from episodes 14-26. I have to say that this show works best because it is only 11 minutes per episode. We all grew up reading the “Mad” magazine (or at least I did) but who actually reads magazines anymore. Since “Mad TV” ended a few years ago, Cartoon Network decided to make the decision to create an animated series. It uses all different types of animated style, which is actually interested instead of just one format. Some of the jokes are fun, nothing really laugh out loud but still funny.

There is no pop-culture safe from this TV series…music, movies, TV or sports. This show spoof everything on this episodes included “Pokemon”, “The A-Team”, “Smallville”, “The Big Bang Theory” (my favorite), they also spoof every Marvel character in their catalog and of course “Twilight”, obviously.  Another favorite of mine is mash-up of “Source Code” and “Star Wars”, titled …get ready…”Force Code”. There is also classic “Mad” spots like Spy vs. Spy, which are still relevant and gives a few laughs. Season two of this show has already be airing, so expect season two DVDs soon. If you like pop-culture spoof, then you will really enjoy this show.

“Mad: Season 1, Pt. 2” available on DVD 1/17 at http://bit.ly/zZ2bJM

Synopsis: Watch the second half of MAD season 1, the new animated sketch-comedy series from Warner Bros. Animation, is inspired by the iconic MAD magazine, a twisted mix of humor and animation styles pulls back the curtain and exposes the sordid truth behind movies, TV shows, games and ~ of course ~ curtains. This is not a typical animation show, MAD magazine comes to life in this satirical animated sketch show. Each episode is a collection of animated parodies of movies, games, TV shows, celebrities, and other media using various types of animation

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Indomina Releasing’s “Punished” DVD Giveaway [ENDED]

THANK YOU FOR ENTERING, THE CONTEST HAS ENDED. WINNERS HAVE BEEN CHOSEN AND NOTIFIED VIA EMAIL. PLEASE CHECK BACK EVERY WEEK FOR NEW GIVEAWAYS!


To celebrate the DVD release of Indomina Releasing’s “Punished”, Media Mikes would like to giveaway THREE copies of the DVD. If you would like to win one of these great prizes, please leave us a comment below or send us an email. This giveaway will be open until Monday February 6th at Noon, Eastern Time and is only open to residents of the United States. Only one entry per person, per household; all other entries will be considered invalid. Once the giveaway ends, Media Mikes will randomly pick out winners and alert the winners via email.

Indomina Releasing is adding another action-packed drama to its release titles, PUNISHED, produced by critically acclaimed Johnnie To and directed by Law Wing Cheong, starring Anthony Wong (Infernal Affairs, Exiled), Richie Jen (Life Without Principle, Fire of Conscience), Janice Man (Basic Love) and Maggie Cheung (Clean, Song of Exile). PUNISHED will street on January 24, 2012 via DVD, Digital and Movies on Demand. Distributed by Vivendi Entertainment and Indomina Releasing, PUNISHED will be priced to own at $19.97 SRP (DVD). Pricing on Digital and Movies on Demand editions of PUNISHED may vary by service provider.

SYNOPSIS:
PUNISHED centers around real estate tycoon Wong Ho-Chiu (Anthony Wong). While sheltered in the luxurious trappings afforded by his wealth and power, he suffers an unbearable loss when his daughter Daisy (Janice Man) is kidnapped and killed: a victim of her decadent lifestyle and cocaine addiction. Wong Ho-Chiu turns to his trusted bodyguard Chor (Richie Jen) to seek out the perpetrators and exact revenge. Chor does his employers bidding with an unflinching determination and scarcely contained rage thinly hidden beneath the surface. Wong Ho-Chiu goes one step further and orders Chor to videotape each of their executions, an order to which he complies, revealing the depths of depravity to which he will sink to match hand with his former underworld brethren in his quest for revenge.

DVD BONUS MATERIAL:
· Two behind-the-scenes featurettes
· Photo Gallery
· International Trailer
· Exclusive QR Code for Additional Bonus Material

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DVD Review “Limelight”

Directors: Billy Corben
Starring: Peter Gatien, Michael Alig, Ed Koch, Howard Safir
MPAA Rating: R
Studio: Magnolia Home Entertainment
Run Time: 102 minutes

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

I remember the night of my prom pulling up the cathedral doors of Limelight club. It was an experience unlike an other. The club was the known hotspot in the 90’s in NYC. Peter Gatien was the known as the king of the New York City club scene. He was not only the owner of Limelight though, he also owned legendary hotspots like Tunnel, Palladium, and Club USA. The film itself was interesting overall but felt like it could have worked better as a 60 minute special.

The film told the story of the eye-patch-wearing Ontario native, Peter Gatien, and how he ran his nightclubs in Manhattan starting in 1983. It showcases, the rise of the clubs during the years it was successful. It also focused years of legal battles and crackdown with drugs during the mid-90’s. Peter was definitely had his share of struggles during that time and seems to be given a bum-rep even being sent back to Canada only due to tax evasion charges. The film does have some interesting interviews from Gatien himself, as well has other his past employees and friends.

The special features on the DVD are decent overall. Though basically the only real feature is about 30 minutes of deleted scenes, they surely are worth watching if you enjoyed the film. Also included is a trailer for the film. If you are familiar with the NYC nightclub scene or not familiar and interested…you might want to consider checking this out.

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DVD Review “Merlin: The Complete Third Season”

Director: Jeremy Webb, Dave Moore, Alice Troughton
Starring: Colin Morgan, Bradley James, Anthony Head, Katie McGrath, Richard Wilson
Number of discs: 5
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Distributed by: BBC
DVD Release Date: January 17, 2012
Run Time: 571 minutes

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

The series of “Merlin” has been around the block a few times so far. It debuting in the U.K, but has no luck in the US airing on NBC. But thanks to the Syfy channel for giving this show its life. The show is still going strong though…season four just premiered on Syfy on January 6, 2012 and season 5 airs in March on BBC in the UK. The shows performances still remains solid throughout season three. Colin Baker continues to show his talent as Merlin. Bradley James is a greater balance to Colin’s character. Angel Coulby has a smaller role in this season but her romance with Arthur gets some nice spotlight. Of course everyone loves, Anthony Head and he gets some great scenes as well. Another notable role in the show is the dragon (voiced by John Hurt).

Although not HD, the picture and audio are great on the DVD pushing the limited of standard definition with bright colors and an ass kicking Dolby 2.0 Stereo sound. The 13 episodes from season three are spread out over four discs with the entire fifth disc is set aside for special features. The extras included start with great commentaries from the directors and actors featured for episodes 1-3 and 10-13. Next up, the disc is packed with a bunch of great featurettes on the making of season. They go in great depth on the shows production and is worth checking out. There are also deleted scenes, outtakes, a photo gallery. Overall a great layout of special features for a great season.

Merlin Season 3 is available 1/17 on DVD at http://bit.ly/A759kY!

The legendary sorcerer returns with even more magic, adventure and romance. In the exciting third season, Merlin (Colin Morgan, Parked) must work harder than ever to conceal his unique abilities from the king and his war against magic. While battling deadly assassins and mystical monsters, the young wizard struggles to protect Prince Arthur in the perilous world of Camelot. As seen on SyFy.

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DVD Review “Janie Jones”

Directed by: David M. Rosenthal
Starring: Abigail Breslin, Alessandro Nivola, Brittany Snow, Elizabeth Shue,
Peter Stormare
Distributed by: Tribeca Film
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Running time: 107 minutes

Film: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars

This film is one of my favorites from 2011. The film didn’t get a big release and deserves a lot more attention. It’s story is really original and touching. The performances in the film from Abigail Breslin and Alessandro Nivola are top notch and packed with emotion. Besides the performances, I really enjoyed the original music created for the film by Gemma Hayes and Eef Barzelay. Also the songs are actually sung by Nivola and Breslin, which is very impressive. This is a must see film and definitely worth picking up on DVD.

The film is inspired by a true story about a 13-year old girl, Janie Jones (Abigail Breslin) is abandoned by her former-groupie mother (Elizabeth Shue), and informs fading rock star, Ethan Brand (Alessandro Nivola), that she is his daughter. Janie is left on the road with her new found father and his world is falling apart himself. The two of them embarks on a journey that might lead them both to be find what they are looking for.

Even though this film is so great, the special features are that great. Included on the disc is an brief but decent interview with JANIE JONES Team, presented by American Express. I was hoping for some features on the music created for the film, which I really enjoyed. Although it isn’t all lost since there is a good audio commentary track from director David M. Rosenthal and film’s producers.

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DVD Review “The Ides of March”

Directed by: George Clooney
Starring: Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Marisa Tomei, Jeffrey Wright, Evan Rachel Wood
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
MPAA Rating: R
Running time: 101 minutes

Film: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Normally, I stay far away from political dramas but this drew me in with its one hell of a powerful cast. George Clooney not only co-stars he directs, produces and co-wrote this film. Ryan Gosling continues to take over the world of acting. Paul Giamatti also gives a great performance and has great execution on his lines. Which brings me to discuss the dialogue in the film.  It is so sharp and leaves you hanging on every next word. The pacing of the film is also so fast yet very precise and well planned. This is a must to check out for sure if you haven’t already.

The story follows Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling), the Junior Campaign Manager, who is working with for Mike Morris (George Clooney), Governor of Pennsylvania, as they are campaigning to win the preliminaries for Ohio and secure the candidacy for the Democratic party. Of course in any political race there is lies, deceit and cover-ups. All that and more is included in this story and it asks the question: How much are you will to give up to win and how far are you looking to go?

The special features are a decent overall are are mostly saved by a strong commentary track from George Clooney and co-writer/co-producer Grant Heslov. It is a great companion to the film as they discuss the making-of elements of the film. Definitely enjoyable. Next up, the feature “Believe: George Clooney” features Clooney talking about wearing all the different hates on this production. Lastly “On the Campaign: The Cast of The Ides of March” is a short discussion with the actors in the film about the film and their roles. Even though the extras are short they still leave you mostly satisfied. Though in case you are looking for more the Blu-ray release contains more extras than the DVD.

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DVD Review “An Idiot Abroad: Series 1”

Directed by: Krishnendu Majumdar, Luke Campbell
Starring: Karl Pilkington, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant
Distributed by: BBC Worldwide Americas, Inc.
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
No. of episodes: 8
Running Time: 347 minutes

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

Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington are just such a great team. They could sit in a white room and they could make it funny. In this series, they decide to send Karl Pilkington all over the world and have him experience different cultures. Karl Pilkington is just so clueless and over the top funny. Whether or not he is joking is meaningless since almost every word out of his mouth is magic. Ricky Gervais’ laugh is also infectious. He just cracks you up every time if you don’t find it funny. A friend of mine suggested that his laugh should be a ringtone and I couldn’t agree more.

In this first series of 8 episodes called: “The Seven Wonders”, Karl gets sent to the following places: China, India, Israel, Jordan, Mexico, Egypt, Brazil and Peru. In China, he visit the Great Wall of China. In India, he visits the Taj Mahal. Episode 3, while in Israel we see Karl visit a few places like East Jerusalem for the Western Wall, the Palestinian territories Bethlehem, The Dead Sea and Petra in Jordan. In Mexico he explores Chichen Itza, the city built by the Maya civilization. In Egypt he visits the Great Pyramid of Giza. In Brazil he meets the statue of Christ the Redeemer. Lastly in Peru, he visits the 15th-century Inca site, Machu Picchu.

I think the special features are a little lacking but overall still decent if you are a fan of the trio. “The Preview Show” has a sit down with the group and it definitely get a few laughs. There are about 8 deleted scenes totaling about 15 minutes, which are great. Then the only extra left is a 3 minute slideshow of stills. I would have loved to have more hands on features from Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington and perhaps some commentaries or featurettes. I wish this was also released on Blu-ray in the States.  I know for sure that I am really looking forward to season two.

An Idiot Abroad: Season 1 now available on DVD at http://bit.ly/zQOTWr!
With friends like these, you’d be better off alone! In this hilarious travel series the co-creators of The Office and Extras, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, send their mate Karl Pilkington (The Ricky Gervais Show) around the globe- against his will-to visit the Seven Wonders of the World. Along the way he’s forced to endure camel rides, dine on toads, search for a clean bathroom and worse!

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DVD Review “The Guard”

Director: John Michael McDonagh
Starring: Brendan Gleeson, Don Cheadle, Mark Strong, Liam Cunningham, David Wilmot
MPAA Rating: R
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Run Time: 96 minutes

Film: 2 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of 5 stars

“The Guard” is a comedy that mixes the following plot points murder, blackmail, drug trafficking, and police corruption. When you put that together and add it to a great cast including Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle, you expect a great turnout. Unfortunately the film is quite slow moving and really doesn’t take off until the closing scene. The humor is the film is dark and doesn’t really show up much or if it does at all  I completely missed it. Brendan Gleeson was great in the role of the clueless but sharp cop but Don Cheadle feel a little bit under used and doesn’t really like he belongs here.

The general plot of the film follows two cops (Gleeson and Cheadle) who join forces to take on an international drug-smuggling gang. One cop is an over the top-no rules Irish policeman and the other is a by-the-books FBI agent who is out of place in his environment.

The special features on this disc are definitely packed. There is a decent audio commentary with the director John Michael McDonagh and the film’s stars Don Cheadle & Brendan Gleeson. “The Second Death” is a short film written and directed by John Michael McDonagh and served as the basis for character Sergeant Gerry Boyle. “Making of The Guard” is brief look at the behind the scenes for the film. It is decent but runs less than 20 minutes overall. The outtakes, The deleted scenes include three short scenes running about 6 minutes total. The extended scenes are a lot longer, running about 20 minutes, and worth checking out for sure. If the commentary isn’t enough to finish off the special features is an fun Q&A With Don Cheadle, Brendan Gleeson and John Michael McDonagh done during the LA Film Fest.

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DVD Review “Chop”

Director: Trent Haaga
Starring: Will Keenan, Timothy Muskatell, Ricardo Gray, Max Haaga
Rated: Unrated
Studio: The Collective
Run Time: 88 minutes

Film: 3 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2 out of 5 stars

With horror comedies it is usually hit or miss to entertain, though this one kinda sits on the line of both. The film is called “Chop” but the gore really isn’t that present as would be expected. I think this film could have been much better if it just added a lot more gore. The story is well-planned and its plan to reveal the story progress works perfectly. It also seems to give a slightly new twist on the revenge classic story. If you are looking a few laughs and a little bit of mindless fun, this might be worth checking out.

The story follows Lance (Will Keenan) who is attacked and taken hostage by a stranger psycho though who seems to have met Lance in the past. Lance’s past is reveals to have not been the greatest due to his prior drug use. The stranger’s goal is to get Lance to sorry for what he has done to him. He is planning to cause pain to Lance by removing his limbs in order to get him to remember.

Will Keenan channels his inner Bruce Campbell from “Evil Dead” series. He really makes this movie worth wild just for his performance. He is funny and way over-the-top as needed. Will also reunites with first time director Trent Haaga, who also is a Troma veteran. The special features on the disc are lacking with a short gag reel that is only funny in its second half when Keenan steps in. There are two deleted scenes featuring an extended convenience store scene, which is funny. The other is a scene featuring Lance’s mother, which is not worth the time.

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