DVD Review “Vikingdom”

Actors: Dominic Purcell, Craig Fairbrass, Conan Stevens, Natassia Malthe
Directors: Yusry Abd Halim
Rated: Unrated
Studio: Epic Pictures
DVD Release Date: January 21, 2014
Run Time: 114 minutes

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

Holy shit! What a ride! Vikingdom” is by no mean “The Lord of the Rings” and it doesn’t try to be either. It is low-budget feature, sometimes a little cheesy but it is also brutal as all hell, fast paced and a really fun time. Did I mention it is gory as hell, definitely for the squeamish here. The visual effects are quite impressive for the budget and stand up very well. “Vikingdom” is one of these films that you can just kick back relax, let yourself go and enjoy! Hope Epic Pictures is planning a franchise for this since I have my fingers crossed tightly!

“Vikingdom” is a fantasy, action adventure loosely based on the tales of Viking mythology.  It stars Dominic Purcell as Eirick, a man who’s story begins when he dies and comes back to life. He sets out on a journey to battle for his life ranging from hell and beyond in order to retrieve the mystical artifact, Odin’s Horn. He is told that this artifact is the only way to defeat Thor, the God of Thunder, and prevent The Blood Eclipse. Only Eirick can unleash its powers and stop Thor from conquering the world.

Dominic Purcell is one busy man and had five films released just in 2013 alone. He is known for his role in the TV series “Prison Break” and also with Uwe Boll with “Suddenly” and “In the Name of the King III”. He really nails this role and and even rocks that long hair quite well. Conan Stevens, who played Thor in this film is also know for is motion capture work playing Bolg in “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”. Jon Foo, known for his role in “Tekken”, rocked some awesome martial arts. Why aren’t we seeing more of this guy?!

Natassia Malthe is also known like Purcell for her work with Uwe Boll in the “BloodRayne” series. She is awesome as always and quite bad-ass. She also worked with Purcell in Boll’s “Assault on Wall Street”, another great film. My main complaint is that they censored the sex and nudity scenes. If you have seen her in “Bloodrayne: The Third Reich” you will know what I mean. The film is already unrated and bloody as hell, so why cut away?

This film was initially shot for release in 3D and I am really disappointed that we are not able to get a chance to experience it in that format. I think it would have been really awesome, especially with the battle scenes with obviously catered to that dimension. The film also would have benefited from a Blu-ray release to really take advantage of the film’s very impressive visual layer. Hopefully, the DVD will catch on and give the studio a reason to consider releasing it this way.

In terms of special features, there is some decent extras included here. First we get “Making of ‘Vikingdom'”, which consists of a featurette with interviews with cast/crew. It runs a meaty 25 minutes and really shows a decent look behind-the-scenes with this film. There is also a music video included from Mojo with the song “Dark Clouds”, which also plays over the film’s end credits. It is epic like the film and screams 80’s hair metal. Lastly there is a theatrical trailer included, as well as a teaser and TV spot.

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DVD Review “I Will Follow You Into the Dark”

Actors: Mischa Barton, Ryan Eggold, Leah Pipes
Directors: Mark Edwin Robinson
Rated: Unrated
Studio: Epic Pictures
Release Date: January 28, 2014
Run Time: 111 minutes

Film: 3 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars

When I read about “I Will Follow You Into the Dark”, I immediately interested due to the supernatural nature of the film. What I didn’t know is that the film also has a well-balanced aspect of romance as well. Mischa Barton really gets a chance to show off her acting chops and she impressed me quite a bit. I enjoyed the film even though I felt like it could have been about 30 minutes shorter. I felt like it dragged in the beginning getting to the part dealing with the film’s title but when it does get the suspense portion of the film, it is quite effective for sure with some great jumps. I would still recommend checking it out for a good rainy day film.

Official Premise: A young woman (Mischa Barton) who is severely depressed after the death of her parents retreats within herself, only to be drawn out of her depression by an unexpected romance with a young man named Adam (Ryan Eggold). After Adam mysteriously disappears into the depths of a haunted apartment building, she vows to pursue him, even if it means crossing into the world of the supernatural.

“I Will Follow You Into the Dark” had a brief theatrical release last year and was also released on VOD. I personally prefer the film when it’s title was just “Into the Dark”, the current title seems like it is trying to explain itself too much. Epic Pictures is behind this film’s life on DVD and they are becoming quite the powerhouse after their fantastic release for “Big Ass Spider!”. They also have a film called “Vikingdom” in the cards for this month as well. In terms of special features, there are a few decent behind-the-scenes featurettes taking a look into the production with cast/crew. There is also a few short deleted scenes included.

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3D Blu-ray Review “Run”

Actors: William Moseley, Adrian Pasdar, Eric Roberts
Directors: Simone Bartesaghi
Rated: Unrated
Studio: Millennium
Release Date: January 14, 2014
Run Time: 90 minutes

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

“Run” to be me feels like an indie version of “Step Up” mixed with a crime thriller twist. The film is pretty action packed and includes really solid cast. William Moseley, from “The Chronicles of Naria” film series, is impressive in this film and gets a chance to take the lead. Adrian Pasdar is always brilliant and honestly who doesn’t love Eric Roberts. For a film that runs 90 minutes, it really is tight and solid and definitely worth checking out especially for Amazon’s low price under $13 dollars.

Official Premise: Set in the streets of New York City, RUN is a fast-paced, 3D crime thriller that follows the life of Daniel Lombardi – a troubled seventeen year old who nomadically moves from city to city with his father and utilizes Parkour to commit crimes in order to survive. Daniel soon uncovers his father’s dark past that ultimately led to their life on the run. As he gets pulled deeper into an unsuspecting world of crime, Daniel is forced to put everything he holds dear on the line, including the love of his life who has secrets of her own.

Millennium is behind this Blu-ray 3D combo pack release. After watching the trailer for this film, I know that this would be even cooler in 3D. I have to admit, it probably doesn’t have to be watched in 3D to be enjoyed but I did like the option for sure. They take advantage of the third dimension when using the first person camera angles and the impressive stunts in the film. The Parkour aspect of the film also works well with the 3D effects. It reminded me of the film “District 13” quite a bit (and that is a good thing).

The 1080p transfer was crisp and capture the streets of New York quite well, same goes for the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which really delivers the film’s score and music very well. It is also quite fast paced like the film. In terms of special features, there is only one extras included, which is “The Making of Run” and briefly goes behind-the-scenes on this film. Nice follow-up after watching this film but I would have hoped for a little bit more.

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Blu-ray Review “Raise the Titanic”

Actors: Richard Jordan, Jason Robards, Alec Guinness
Directors: Jerry Jameson
Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Shout! Factory
Release Date: January 21, 2014
Run Time: 114 minutes

Film: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2 out of 5 stars

“Raise the Titanic” was based on Clive Cussler’s fourth book in his “Dirk Pitt Adventure” book series. It was released back in 1980 or five years before the actual wreck was discovered and was never well received and or found an audience. What “Raise the Titanic” does have is a great score, impressive visuals and solid cast including Alec Guinness (“Star Wars”) popping up but personally I was never a huge fan of the film since it is borderline silly and not practical at all. But it is still worth a look on Blu-ray if you do enjoy it.

Synopsis: Join the underwater race to salvage the Titanic and its vital defense cargo. Adapted from Clive Cussler’s international best-seller, the story follows the exploits of American special agent Dirk Pitt as he sets out to recover vital material from the Titanic which could make the US impregnable to atomic attack. The ship is down too deep for divers and the only solution is to raise it. The incredible project must be managed in absolute secrecy because of deadly interference from a rival nation. The Titanic is finally, and majestically, brought to the surface — but the vital, rare mineral is missing…

Despite my opinions on the film itself, Shout! does deliver a solid Blu-ray presentation. The 1080p transfer holds up well for a film that is over 30 years old. It is quite sharp and there is little noise interference. They also delivered a great DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Like I mentioned above, I was a fan of the score to this film and it is well represented here for sure. In terms of special features, unfortunately is nothing special here including only one behind-the-scenes extra called “Making of ‘Raise the Titanic'” and a theatrical trailer.

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Blu-ray Review “Carrie (2013)”

Actors: Chloë Grace Moretz, Judy Greer, Portia Doubleday, Alex Russell, Gabriella Wilde
Directors: Kimberly Peirce
Rated: R (Restricted)
Studio: MGM
Release Date: January 14, 2014
Run Time: 100 minutes

Film: 1.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3 out of 5 stars

Let’s just say that when I saw that “Carrie” was being remade again, I couldn’t be any less interested. This is the fourth (and hopefully last) rendition of Stephen King’s 1974 novel. The first go around was, of course, in 1976 (and still the best). The terrible sequel “The Rage: Carrie 2” came in 1999 and the even worse TV Movie remake came in 2002. I really wanted to go into this with an open mind but just couldn’t do it.

This latest remake is absolutely unnecessary and just plain terrible. Chloë Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore are fine in the their respective roles. Moore, I think forgets this is a “horror film” and tries to go for the Oscar nomination. The film also relies way too much on CGI in the last 30 minutes, which is quite sad because it is such a cop out and to be honest doesn’t have the gore edge like the ’76 film despite being R-rated. What we have here is a sad remake of “Carrie” for today’s MTV generation.

Official Premise: “Carrie” is a re-imagining of the classic horror tale about Carrie White (Chloë Moretz), a shy girl outcast by her peers and sheltered by her deeply religious mother (Julianne Moore), who unleashes telekinetic terror on her small town after being pushed too far at her senior prom.

The film came in a combo pack with Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet Digital Copy. It also comes in a neat Collectible Lenticular package. The 1080p transfer is clean and showcases well all the film’s terrible CGI effects. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 works well with the prom scene action but too bad had no edge and lack of terror in it.

The special features are better than the film but not amazing. There is an equally bad alternate ending and some Deleted/Extended Scenes with commentary by Director Kimberly Peirce. There is also a feature commentary track by Director Kimberly Peirce. There is a featurette “Bringing Back Carrie”, which takes us behind the scenes. “The Power of Telekinesis” looks into Carrie’s abilities. There is the “Telekinetic Coffee Shop Surprise”, which was an online viral joke video. Lastly there is a theatrical trailer included.

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Film Review “Her”

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams and Scarlett Johannson
Directed by: Spike Jonze
Rated: R
Running time: 2 hrs 6 min
Warner Brothers

Our Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Theodore Twombly (Phoenix) leads a pretty ordinary life. He spends his days at work, where he is known as Letter Writer #612. He is employed by a company known as HandwrittenLetters.com. His job is to write letters for people that either can’t or don’t want to. The rest of his day is spent engrossed in the technology that surrounds him. Currently unattached he “meets” like minded people for…umm…chatting purposes. Then one day he meets Samantha (the sultry voice of Johannson), who voices his new operating system. And before you know it, it’s love at first sound.

Spike Jonze has always amazed me as a filmmaker. His brilliant first feature, “Being John Malkovich,” earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Director. His adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s “Where the Wild Things Are” not only took you into the fantastic worlds of your childhood, it made you wish you were there as an adult. With “Her” he establishes himself as the quirkiest, yet most talented, director to come along since Tim Burton unleashed Pee Wee Herman on the world almost three decades ago! Here he has taken an almost laughable premise and given it a heart.

The film, also written by Jonze, also succeeds thanks to the talented cast. Joaquin Phoenix is pitch perfect here. Best known for playing more serious, and even surly, characters in films like “Gladiator,” “Walk the Line” and “The Master” (and earning Oscar nominations for all three films) here he shows a softer side bordering on sweetness. Seriously, I think this is the first time I can remember seeing Phoenix smile on camera since “Parenthood.” Just as sweet (and seductive) is Johannson, who delivers an amazing and award worthy performance as the voice of Theodore’s dreams. The supporting cast, including Amy Adams, Chris Pratt and Rooney Mara do solid work as well, but the film works best when it’s just Theodore and Samantha alone and center stage. If I had a cell phone company I would hire her immediately. Move over, Siri…Samantha is here!

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Blu-ray Review “Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa”

Starring: Johnny Knoxville, Spike Jonze, Jackson Nicoll, Jack Polick, Catherine Keener
Director: Jeff Tremaine
Rated: R (Restricted) / Unrated
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: January 28, 2014
Run Time: 91 / 102 minutes

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

If you saw “Jackass 3D”, then you will remember Johnny Knoxville running around in old man makeup and it was epic. When you see this title, “Jackass Presents”, you might think this to be expect just gross ass stunts and funny antics but “Bad Grandpa” is much more. The film has quite a bit of heart…mixed in with the crazy stunts and funny antics.  Jackson Nicoll adds a different level of funny and balances out Johnny Knoxville quite well who again rocks that make-up.  Fan of “Jackass” series or not, I would highly recommend checking out.

Official Premise: Jackass ringleader Johnny Knoxville reprises his role as 86-year-old Irving Zisman in the story of a crotchety old man unexpectedly saddled with the care of his 8-year-old grandson, Billy (Jackson Nicoll). The two generations of troublemakers soon develop a bond, as they hustle their way across the heartland of America pursuing hijinks and pulling pranks on unsuspecting, real-life people—all of whom had no idea they were starring in a hidden camera film.

Paramount is releasing this film in a combo pack with a Blu-ray + DVD + HD Digital Copy. It also includes two different version of the film, the 91 minute theatrical cut and a 102 minute new unrated cut with more hilarious footage not shown in theaters! This is not your typical two minute longer unrated cut, this packs some impressive new footage. The 1080p transfer is good but you have to remember that a lot of this was shot with hidden cams. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track works ok but I had some issues here some of the talking over the louder music.

In terms of special features, the fun doesn’t stop with the film. There are eight Behind-the-Scenes featurettes including, “The Funeral”, “Estate Sale”, “Window Launch”, “Shipping Billy”, “The Penguin”, “Wedding Crashers”, “The Drop Off” and “Beauty Pageant”. There six different Alternate Reactions takes from Real People with “Meet Billy”, “Meet Irving”, “The Skype Call”, “Billy Shops for Parents” and “Irving Hits on Women 1 & 2”. Lastly there are three deleted scenes included.

 

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Film Review “August: Osage County”

Starring: Meryl Streep, Ewan McGregor and Julia Roberts
Directed by: John Wells
Rated: R
Running time: 2 hrs 1 min
The Weinstein Company

Our Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Hollywood is full of movies about pushy and/or overbearing mothers. From Mother Bates in “Psycho” to Mama Rose in “Gypsy” to Margaret White in “Carrie” (the original 1976 version), we’ve seen how they manipulate and mold their children through fear and threats. To that short list add Violet Weston (Streep). When Violet’s author-husband Beverly (Sam Shepard) goes missing, their three daughters return to the family homestead. Oldest daughter Barbara (Roberts) brings along her husband, Bill (McGregor) but doesn’t tell her family that they are currently separated. Middle daughter Ivy (Julianne Nicholson) has a new beau but if afraid to spill the beans. And youngest, free-spirited Karen (Juliette Lewis)….well, she’s young and free-spirited. As is her fiancée, Steve (Dermot Mulroney), who sadly has eyes for Barbara’s too old for her own good 14 year old daughter, Jean (Abigail Breslin). With all of these personalities in one house you know the fireworks can’t be too far behind.

Based on the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning play by Tracy Letts, “August: Osage County” could best be categorized as a class in Acting 101. Led by the magnificent Streep, the film takes a grounded play that ran for three and a half hours and compresses it into a two hour showcase of talent. It is during those two hours that stories are told and secrets are revealed.

What can I say about Meryl Streep that hasn’t been said elsewhere? The most honored actress in film history, she adds another jewel to her crown here. Violet is loud and vulgar, with a smart aleck comment always at the ready. “Are you supposed to be smoking,” she’s asked early in the film. “Is anybody SUPPOSED to be smoking,” she retorts. Unbeknownst to Violet, Barbara has learned to give as good as she gets and the verbal battles between Streep and Roberts are better than fireworks on the fourth of July. To be honest, there isn’t a bad performance in the lot, but I’d be remiss not to give credit to Nicholson and Margo Martindale, who manage to shine in front of this all star assembly.

If there is a problem with the film it’s because of its running time. You can almost sense that there are some things not told, but when the story begins to run over three hour longs you have to cut when you can. Director Wells does open the show up some, but the words and situations are all Letts, who also scored a cult hit last year with the film version of another one of his plays, “Killer Joe.”

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Film Review “Lone Survivor”

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch and Eric Bana
Directed By: Peter Berg
Rated: R
Running Time: 121 minutes
Universal Pictures

Our Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

You’re deep in the mountains of Afghanistan and you’re there to eliminate a dangerous Taliban leader. The only problem is, during recon, you’ve been discovered. Three goat herders have stumbled across you. One of them is a weathered old man, another is a young boy and completing the trio is a bitter young adult whose body language screams hatred. You can kill them and continue with the mission. Or you could leave them tied up to starve to death or get eaten by wolves. Or you can let them go and risk the entire mission and your safety. It’s not easy to kill and it’s not easy to condemn a man to death. It’s even harder to give yourself that fate. “Lone Survivor” is about four soldiers making that decision and witnessing hell.

The title makes it easy to assume things will not turn out well. This is reinforced by an establishing sequence of events showing you Marcus (Wahlberg) being brought in by helicopter, covered in blood stained bandages. Nonetheless the movie’s first 40 minutes attempts to establish our four main men. Besides Marcus, there’s Michael (Kitsch), Danny (Emile Hirsch) and Matt (Ben Foster). Before we have time to digest their personalities or soak in their background, we’re being thrust into Operation Red Wing. The goal is to kill or capture Ahmad Shah. The operation is being headed by Lieutenant Commander Erik (Bana). Just like our four main characters, we’re not acquainted long enough with Erik before he’s commanding our boys into the Kunar province. That’s where a routine part of the mission, surveillance, goes haywire.

The conversation between the soldiers is very honest. It’s not a decision any of us could ever make. It’s a moral dilemma that reveals a very human side to war. It’s easy to sympathize with both sides of the argument, but it’s clear what the decision will be: Letting the goat herders live. As far as movies about modern war go, this one deserves to be one of the models on how it’s done. The direction plops us right into the middle of the action as they realize their decision has doomed them. Some shots are so viciously intimate you feel twitches of pain watching these men’s bodies crack and break. The cinematography adds such a brutal touch to the shootout and the camera is not afraid of getting a bit bloody.

The best thing this movie does is avoid any kind of political stance. In a time where we continue to bicker about the “what ifs” of our contemporary wars, it’s a bit refreshing to watch a movie that’s nonpolitical. Instead of beating the war drums or waving the banner of peace, I feel that this movie’s purpose is to be a harsh slap of reality. We don’t need director Peter Berg to build up the human side of our characters before showcasing their fears and realizations of mortality because we’ve spent over a decade realizing some harsh truths about our world. Inherently, we already know the terror that happens overseas. We’ve also read and have seen the mental, emotional and physical toll of America’s soldiers. Berg simply let’s the story unfold naturally and gives us a very brisk and unsettling true-to-life battle.

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Blu-ray Review “Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy”

Actors: Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, Wes Craven, Lisa Wilcox, Alice Cooper, Mark Patton, Monica Keena, Brendan Fletcher, Ronny Yu
Directors: Andrew Kasch, Daniel Farrands
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT
Release Date: January 21, 2014
Run Time: 238 minutes

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

“Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy” was originally released on DVD in 2010 but thanks to Image Entertainment, we get a new Blu-ray edition. Directing duo Daniel Farrands and Andrew Kasch has been known for their documentary work in the horror genre including the also recently released “Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th”, which runs over 7 hours itself. This film is a four-hour retrospective documentary that really dives very in-depth in the “Nightmare on Elm Street” film series. I have always loved this series, the good AND the bad and this is really the best way to give this series the respect that it deserves. A must have for any horror fan.

Official Premise: For decades, Freddy Krueger has slashed his way through the dreams of countless youngsters, scaring up over half a billion dollars at the box office. In this thrilling retrospective, fans will enter the world of Freddy Krueger and A Nightmare On Elm Street like never before: exploring what spurred mastermind Wes Craven to craft the first groundbreaking film; delving deep behind the scenes of the original and all of its sequels; learning how the cast and crew brought their worst nightmares to life; and finally, understanding the impact the series and its myths have had on modern pop culture and the horror genre. Child murderer. Dream demon. The son of a thousand maniacs. Any way you slice it there can be only one man, one monster, who epitomizes horror like no other.

So if you haven’t seen this film already it is jam packed with clips from each of the film along with never-before-seen photos, behind-the-scenes footage, conceptual art, publicity materials and exclusive new interviews with over 100 key cast and crew from every Nightmare film. Just some of amazingly talent people include Wes Craven, Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, Jack Sholder, Mark Patton, Kim Myers, Chuck Russell, Jennifer Rubin, Renny Harlin, Lisa Wilcox, Tuesday Knight, Stephen Hopkins, Kelly Jo Minter, Rachel Talalay, Lisa Zane, Alice Cooper, Patrick Lussier, Miko Hughes, Monica Keena, Brendan Fletcher, Ronny Yu and many more. These filmmakers really set out to make the definitive documentary and they achieved that with no question.

In terms of special features, the Blu-ray comes stocked with the same amazing special features that the DVD did back in 2010. If four hours wasn’t long enough there are additional “Extended Interviews” covering each of the films and it definitely consists of some great additional content. There is a (or was a) “First Look: Heather Langenkamp’s “I Am Nancy”, which was a doc that came out in 2011 told from the star’s perspective of attending conventions etc. “For the Love of the Glove” follows online sellers as they talk about their work with making custom Freddy gloves. “Fred Heads: The Ultimate Freddy Fans” gives us an inside look into the world of the collectors behind this series.

“Horror’s Hallowed Grounds: Return to Elm Street” is an episode from the great online series from Sean Clark in which he visits all the old shooting locations of the classic film. “Freddy vs. The Angry Video Game Nerd” features James Rolfe talking about the (rather terrible) NES video game. “Expanding the Video Game Universe: Freddy in Comic Books and Novels” talks with authors and artists about their expanding universe for Freddy. “The Music of the Nightmare: Conversations with Composers and Songwriter” is an amazing extra diving into the memorable music from this great series.

“Elm Street’s Poster Boy: The Art of Matthew Joseph Peak” looks into the work of this very talent artist, who also brought us the cover art for this film. “A Nightmare on Elm Street in 10 Minutes” is an extended version of the actor line readings, which is shown in the film’s credits. Lastly there is a teaser trailer included. Whew! This movie and special features all together are so entertaining and I have never seen so much packed into one release. Don’t miss this one!

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Blu-ray Review “Runner Runner”

Actors: Justin Timberlake, Ben Affleck, Gemma Arterton, Anthony Mackie
Rated: R (Restricted)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: January 7, 2014
Run Time: 92 minutes

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

“Runner Runner” seemed to have a lot going for it. A list cast including Justin Timberlake and Ben Affleck, who both are very hot right now. When I first saw a trailer for list I was just extremely disinterested. I think they had the right idea but it was just poorly executed. The script is quite poor and probably should take most of the blame here because our actors do their best to save this film with their performances. Since I am sucker for poker films, I could probably recommend this to fans of Timberlake and Affleck but just keep expectations very low.

Official Premise: Justin Timberlake and Ben Affleck star in this high-stakes crime thriller where the lure of easy money is the riskiest bet of all. When Princeton grad student Richie Furst (Timberlake) believes he’s been swindled by an online poker site, he heads to Costa Rica to confront gambling tycoon Ivan Block (Affleck), the man he thinks is responsible. But Richie will soon face the ultimate power play as he finds himself caught between Block’s promises of unlimited wealth and the zealous FBI agent (Anthony Mackie) trying to bring him down.

“Runner Runner” does get a solid Blu-ray, thanks to 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. The 1080p high-definition transfer is quite beautiful and really shows off Costa Rica quite well. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 works as well especially with Christophe Meck’s score. The special features are another let down though. “House of Cards- The Inside Story of Online Poker” take a look into the world the film is based around. Besides that there are about 10 minutes of deleted scenes and a Theatrical Trailer included.

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CD Review: Mathew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs “Under the Covers Vol. 3”

Mathew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs
“Under the Covers Vol. 3”
Shout Factory
Produced by: Mathew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs
Tracks: 14

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

Singer song writers Mathew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs are back with their 3rd installment of cover albums titled “Under The Covers Vol.3”. Like their previous two compilations which covered songs from the 60’s and 70’s the latest in the trilogy tackles the widely popular 1980’s. Produced by both Sweet and Hoffs the album is being released via Shout Factory and feature 14 tracks ranging from the obscure to the more popular of 80’s tracks.

When you hear the name Mathew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs it’s hard not to envision the sounds of Sweet’s classic album “Girlfriend” and the countless hits Hoff has sang/played on with her former group The Bangles. Though the two are quite different it’s easy to assume they wouldn’t mix very well however the result is the exact opposite. Since the duo’s first covers album “Under the Covers Vol. 1” in 2006 the two have been steadily releasing more work together. The latest “Under the Covers Vol.3” brings the listener back to the age of stone washed denim, hyper color t-shirts and teased hair. Though Sweet and Hoff chose to cover a few more obscure tracks like R.E.M.’s “Sitting Still” and “The Bulrush” by The Bongos each track is given a fresh spin featuring bubbling pop type arrangements making the album one of those that you can throw on and kick back to while looking through your old year book.

My favorite of the 14 tracks were the renditions of Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin” and the always enjoyable Go-Go’s tune “Our Lips Our Sealed”. Even though both of those tracks have had their fair share of reworking by other artists these two renditions were packed with plenty of appeal. My biggest complaint about this album was again that some of the songs were a bit obscure for my liking however I certainly cannot fault the performers for wanting to do something different from an era over flowing with tons of great music.

Track Listing:
1.) Sitting Still
2.) Girls Talk
3.) Big Brown Eyes
4.) Kid
5.) Free Fallin’
6.) Save It For Later
7.) They Don’t Know
8.) The Bulrushes
9.) Our Lips Are Sealed
10.) How Soon Is Now
11.) More Than This
12.) Towers of London
13.) Killing Moon
14.) Trouble

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Book Review “The Mayor of MacDougal Street: A Memoir”

“The Mayor of MacDougal Street: A Memoir”
Author: Dave Van Ronk Elijah Wald
Paperback: 232 pages
Publisher: Da Capo Press

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

“The Mayor of MacDougal Street: A Memoir” written by Dave Van Ronk and Elijah Wald is a firsthand account of the sixties folk scene, A scene which included the likes of Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Woody Guthrie. However this book starts before that as its subject Dave Van Ronk was performing folk style music years prior and has been noted as an influence by those who would go on to define not only a genre but an era. Ronk’s life story is also the subject of the latest Cohen brothers film “Inside Llewyn Davis” which stars Oscar Isaac and Justin Timberlake.

Not being a huge folk music fan I was a bit out of the loop when I first started this book. Prior to my reading the only thing I could really attach to the term folk music was early pictures of Bob Dylan and his acoustic guitar. However after reading “The Mayor of MacDougal Street” I realized that there was a lot more to it and that it didn’t just happen all of a sudden. Van Ronk tells in detail stories of his first taste of recording to the struggles of finding places to perform and throughout the books pages when fitting recounts intimate memories and experiences with the likes of Joni Mitchell and Phil Ochs. For those like myself who didn’t have a lot of knowledge of what would later be called the “Great Folk Scare” which Van Ronk had a huge hand in creating look no further as Wald and Van Ronk himself put together a colorful yet fitting account of what life was like on New York City’s MacDougal Street in the early 1960’s

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Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged With: book, macdougal, mayor, memoir, review, street, ...

Book Review “Birth School Metallica Death: The Biography Vol. 1”

“Birth School Metallica Death: The Biography Vol. 1”
Author: Paul Brannigan, Ian Winwood
Hardcover: 378 pages
Publisher: Da Capo Press

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

“Birth School Metallica Death: The Biography Vol. 1” written by former Kerrang! Editor Paul Brannigan and British rock journalist Ian Winwood is an in-depth look at arguable one of the greatest heavy metal bands of all time. The first in a two part series Vol.1 documents from the bands inception in 1981 up through 1991 and the release of the groups ground breaking “Black” album. “Birth School Metallica Death: The Biography Vol. 1” is being released via Da Capo Press and features 378 pages along with 8 pages of photos.

From the time I first saw Metallica’s video for “One” I was hooked. Anything and everything related to the band I had to check out (good or bad) and even though they had released 3 albums prior to “And Justice for All” the album spawning the single “One” and I was late getting to the party it didn’t hinder my quest for all things Metallica. Prior to reading this book my expectations were not very high as I had thought that I pretty much read everything about the band that was available. Upon delving in to the 378 pages you instantly realize that you are going to be in for a treat as the authors take you places normally off limits to the public. Weather they are talking with members of the band at their practice space known as “HQ”, Telling stories of speaking with Lars on a phone booth at 3am or covering the listening party for the “Black Album” “Birth School Metallica Death: The Biography Vol. 1” has a bit of everything. Even if you have heard some of these accounts before I found it quite interesting to hear different take. Along with some great writing are 8 pages packed with rare photos going back to when Dave Mustaine was in the band. I only wished that there had been a few more of these photo pages placed throughout the book to correspond with the subsequent chapters.

Fans of Metallica and or heavy metal music in general will surely enjoy “Birth School Metallica Death: The Biography Vol. 1”. Not only does it contain some really cool interviews and accounts but it’s a fairly straight forward and easy read. So even if you are terminally shaken from years of head banging and moshing I encourage you to put down your devil horns and stagger over to your nearest book store and pick up a copy of this book.

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Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged With: 1, biography, birth, book, death, metallica, ...

CD Review: Big Head Todd & The Monsters “Black Beehive”

Big Head Todd & The Monsters
“Black Beehive”
Shout Factory
Producer: Steve Jordan
Tracks: 11

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

With 25 years in the music business under their belts the members of Big Head Todd and the Monsters have no plans of slowing down. The group’s newest album titled “Black Beehive” hits the shelves a quarter century after the group’s 1989 debut album “Another Mayberry”. Featuring 11 brand new tracks produced by Grammy Award-winning multi-instrumentalist Steve Jordan (John Mayer, Keith Richards) “Black Beehive” see the band strengthening their roots while moving forward at the same time.

Filled with classic blues based instrumentation that blends several other genres such as country, rock and folk music “Black Beehive” is a melting pot of styles and sounds which will appeal to a variety of listeners both young and old. From the down home thump of “Hey Delila” to the dark and gritty rumblings of “We Won’t Go Back” the band covers a lot of musical territory while remaining true to their signature sound. The album features several guest performers including guitarist Ronnie Baker Brooks, Long time Howlin’ Wolf band member Eddie Shaw on Saxophone and harmonica along with producer Steve Jordan who all add the proverbial icing on the cake making the almost 3 year gap between this album and the bands previous release “100 Years of Robert Johnson” worth the wait as both acoustic and electric instrumentation coupled with Todd Mohr’s stylistic vocals make this a must have for any BHT fan.

Track Listing:
1.) Hey Delila
2.) Everything About You
3.) Seven State Lines
4.) Josephina
5.) Black Beehive
6.) We Won’t Go Back
7.) Fear, Greed and Ignorance
8.) Hubert’s Dream
9.) I Get Smooth
10.) Travelin’ Light
11.) Forever Bonnie

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Filed Under: CD Reviews Tagged With: beehive, big, black, cd, monsters, review, ...
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