Blu-ray Review “Cleopatra: 50th Anniversary Edition”

Starring: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Carroll O’Connor, Roddy McDowall, Martin Landau
Directors: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Rated: G (General Audience)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: May 28, 2013
Run Time: 251 minutes

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

If you are a film buff then you know about the story behind 1963’s “Cleopatra”. The epic film was shot on 70mm film and cost an enormous $42 million to make,which is the equivalent of $300 million today. The film nearly bankrupted Twentieth Century Fox at the time, but despite its production issues it won four Academy Awards and has since been considered has became an iconic classic. In honor of the film’s 50th anniversary, 20th Century Fox has delivered a beautifully restored and presented 243-minute stunning high definition version this film. This is a must but if I had to recommend, I would say purchase the Limited Edition DigiBook edition, which comes out the same day.

Official Premise: Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of this epic spectacle – its opulence and sweeping grandeur have never been more glorious. Elizabeth Taylor stars as Cleopatra, the glamorous and cunning queen of Egypt. To secure her hold on power, she seduces the rulers of Rome, only to meet her match in Mark Antony, played by Richard Burton. Their passionate romance could decide the fate of the world’s greatest empires.

Like I said 20th Century Fox did an amazing job restoring this film and its 1080p transfer does not look like a 50 year old year at all.  It comes with an aspect ratio of 2.22:1, which shows all the fantastic detail and depth that this film comes with.  Since this film was made for large format screen, the visual “WOW” of this Blu-ray will blow you away. The colors, set, costumes are all just so stunning. I am shocked that this film is 50 years old since literally it looks like it was done yesterday. Top that with an amazing DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 audio track and this is a perfect release. The action, romance, drama are well extremely represented here, esepcially Alex North’s absolutely amazing score.

The special features are split over two discs and are very impressive. There is a commentary track with Chris Mankiewicz, Tom Mankiewicz, Martin Landau and Jack Brodsky, which is fantastic and a must listen. “Cleopatra Through the Ages: A Cultural History” is a short look at Cleopatra throughout history. “Cleopatra’s Missing Footage” is only eight minutes of lost footage, despite the endless reports of eight hour cuts of this film which will most likely never surface. So eight minutes is not eight hours but it still is something. “Fox Movie Channel Presents Fox Legacy with Tom Rothman” is a nice overview of the production. “The Cleopatra Papers: A Private Correspondence” includes reprints of letters and memos sent during the film’s shoot.

Disc two comes more great features including the continuation of the commentary track. “Cleopatra: The Film That Changed Hollywood” is a two hour in depth documentary on the film and it’s legacy. “The Fourth Star of Cleopatra” is a vintage featurette on the film’s production design. “Fox Movietone News” is various clips from Movietone items. Lastly there are three theatrical trailers for the film. Great special features rounding out a great release! Highly recommended!

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DVD Review “Popeye The Sailor: The 1960s Classics – Volume 1”

Voices: Jack Mercer, Mae Questel, Jackson Beck
Studio: Warner Archive
DVD Release Date: May 7, 2013
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Run Time: 409 minutes

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

Who doesn’t love Popeye The Sailor? If you are a parent, you should take advantage of his lessons to eat your spinach. When I was a kid, I remember my parents used to always say eat your spinach so you can be strong like Popeye. These shorts are really classics. They are also fun to watch when I was a kid and nothing has changed as an adult. I look forward to sharing these with my daughter as well. This release is volume 1 of the classics Popeye cartoons from Paramount, adding up to 72-episodes. If you are a Popeye fan, this is a great release from Warner Archive. The episodes look great and are well represented here. Sign me up for volume 2…and keep them coming Warner Archive!

With TV reruns of the Fleischer/Famous Studios theatrical shorts proving that Popeye still packed a spinach-powered punch that delivered smash ratings, King Features commissioned a new series of Sailor Man shorts under the aegis of executive producer Al Brodax. The TV incarnation of Popeye made up for its scaled back animation with a broadened narrative scope while still staying true to the source. Thanks to the continued use of voice actors Jack Mercer (Popeye), Mae Questel (Olive) and Jackson Beck (Bluto who was now called Brutus) as well as the use of veteran Popeye animation talents who were then working at Paramount Cartoon Studios, these shorts remained authentic. The addition of a number of Thimble Theater comic strip characters making their cartoon debuts – including King Blozo, Toar, and Sea Hag – only added to the shorts “yam what I yam” charm.

Disc 1 consists of the following episodes ranging from 1960-1961: 1. Hits And Missiles, 2. The Ghost Host, 3. Strikes,Spares An’ Spinach, 4. Jeep Is Jeep, 5. The Spinach Scholar, 6. Psychiatricks, 7. Rags To Riches To Rags, 8. Hair Cut-ups, 9. Poppa Popeye, 10. Quick Change Olie, 11.Valley of The Goons, 12. Me Quest For Poopdeck Pappy, 13. Moby Hick, 14. Mirror Magic, 15. It Only Hurts When They Laughs, 16. Wimpy The Moocher, 17. Voo-Doo To You Too, 18. Popeye Goes Sale-ing, 19. Popeye’s Travels, 20. Incident At Missile City, 21. Dog Catcher Popeye, 22. What’s News, 23. Spinach Greetings, 24. The Baby Contest, 25. Oil’s Well That Ends Well, 26. Motor Knocks, 27.Amusement Park, 28. Duel To The Finish, 29. Gem Jam, 30. The Bathing Beasts, 31. The Rain Breaker, 32. Messin’ Up The Mississippi, 33. Love Birds, 34. Sea Serpent, 35. Boardering On Trouble and 36. Aladdin’s Lamp

Disc 2 continue with shorts from 1961. 37. Butler Up, 38. The Leprechaun, 39. County Fair, 40. Hamburgers Aweigh, 41. Popeye’s Double Trouble, 42. Kiddie Kapers, 43. The Mark of Zero, 44. Myskery Melody, 45. Scairdy Cat, 46. Operation Ice-Tickle, 47. The Cure, 48. William Won’t Tell, 49. Pop Goes The Whistle, 50. Autographically Yours, 51. A Poil For Olive Oyl, 52. My Fair Olive, 53. Giddy Gold, 54. Strange Things Are Happening, 55. The Medicine Man, 56. A Mite of Trouble, 57. Who’s Kiddin’ Zoo, 58. Robot Popeye, 59. Sneaking Peeking and 60. Seer-Ring Is Believer-Ring.

Lastly Disc 3 completed the volume with more episodes but jumps from 1961 back to 1960 for some reason. 61.The Wiffle Bird’s Revenge, 62. Going…Boing…Gone, 63. Popeye Thumb, 64. Where There’s A Will, 65. Take It Easel, 66. I Bin Sculped, 67. Fleas A Crowd, 68. Popeye’s Junior Headache, 69. The Big Sneeze, 70. The Last Resort, 71. Jeopardy Sheriff and 72.Baby Phase.

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Blu-ray Review “The Numbers Station”

Actors: John Cusack, Malin Akerman, Liam Cunningham, Lucy Griffiths
Directors: Kasper Barfoed
Rated: R (Restricted)
Studio: IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT
Release Date: May 28, 2013
Run Time: 89 minutes

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

When it comes to John Cusack, I am not sure what it is but I am always down for this films. Same goes for Malin Akerman, who is great in “Childrens Hospital” as well as “Rock of Ages”.  Both of them are great in this film. The story is well done and packs some nice suspense.  If you haven’t heard of this film that ok since it was initially available through iTunes and only received a limited U.S. theatrical release in April 2013. I feel that these two actors should have been given more of a push for mainstream, since it should have had a decent sized audience.  If you are looking for a decent thriller with good action then I would check this out, especially for John Cusack fans!

Official Premise: After his latest mission goes disastrously wrong, veteran CIA black ops agent Emerson Kent (John Cusack) is given one last chance to prove he still has what it takes to do his job. His new assignment: guarding Katherine (Malin Akerman), a code operator at a top-secret remote CIA “Numbers Station” where encrypted messages are sent and received. When an elite team of heavily armed assailants lays siege to the station, Emerson and Katherine suddenly find themselves in a life-or-death struggle against an unknown enemy. With the station compromised and innocent lives at stake, they must stop the deadly plot before it’s too late.

The 1080p is very impressive as well.  I thought the film was well shot and looks awesome on Blu-ray. I have to admit the DTS-HD MA 5.1 is quite amazing. It is kick-ass and in your face. The action is sharp and the dialogue is clear. The score is also fantastic courtsey of Paul Leonard-Morgan (“Dredd”). The special features are not the greatest and there is only one extra but it does the trick. “The Making of The Numbers Station” is a 15 minute behind-the-scenes look at the film with interviews from John Cusack and Malin Ackerman. If you liked the film than this EPK is well worth watching.

 

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Film Review “Fast & Furious 6”

Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Dwayne Johnson
Directed by: Justin Lin
Rated: PG 13
Running time: 2 hrs 10 mins
Universal

Our Score: 2 out of 5 stars

When we last saw Dom (Diesel), Brian (Walker) and company they had just dragged a bank vault through the streets of Rio de Janero before heading off to a wealthy retirement. The film ended with Agent Hobbs (Johnson) being shown a photo of Dom’s girlfriend Lettie (Michelle Rodriguez) thought to be dead, taken recently. Bum! Bum! Bum!

At least a half-hour too long, “Fast and Furious 6” is not fast, which made my backside furious. Both Dom and Brian have settled down (Brian and his woman have just had a baby), declaring the old life over. But they are soon back in business when they are asked to track down another group of fast-drivers who have been targeting military hardware. Hobbs gets Dom to help out by showing him the photograph of Lettie. But things don’t go as planned when he first locates her. Unless he planned on her putting a bullet in him. Darn that amnesia…..some people can’t remember anything.

Packed with action that goes on F O R E V E R, “FF6” seems to have been made with the motto “anything worth doing is worth doing long.” I like cool car chases and epic stunts but not as the only reason to see a film. Of course the “FF” series has really been built on cool car chases and epic stunts, but this time it all seems so formulaic that it downright disappoints.

After this many films the roles have got to be getting boring to the cast. At least that is how they seem here. Even Diesel, who has always made Dom interesting, seems to be walking through the film. Surprisingly only Rodriguez shows any spark – perhaps missing the last film charged her batteries.

A film that’s all flash and no substance, only true fans of the series will truly enjoy it. And stay around for a sneak peak at “FF7.” To me it was the best part of the evening.

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Blu-ray Review “The Newsroom: The Complete First Season”

Actors: Jeff Daniels, Emily Mortimer, Dev Patel and Olivia Munn
Creator: Aaron Sorkin
Number of discs: 6
Rated: Unrated
Studio: HBO Home Video
Release Date: June 11, 2013
Run Time: 725 minutes

Season: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Aaron Sorkin knows how to do political drama, after all he also created the Emmy Award-winning “The West Wing”, which was a pretty well-known show 😉 HBO is really delivering some of the best television shows in the last year or so, along with “Veep” and “Game of Thrones”. “The Newsroom” features an all-star cast lead by Jeff Daniels, Emily Mortimer, Dev Patel and Olivia Munn. There is also a fantastic recurring cast including Jane Fonda, Hope Davis, Terry Crews, David Krumholtz, Patton Oswalt and Marcia Gay Harden. There is just so much talent in this show, I don’t know how it doesn’t explode. The show is witty and well-written, thanks to Scott Rudin (“The Social Network”). If you enjoyed the first 10-episode season, you will be happy to know that “The Newsroom” was renewed for a second season, which premieres on July 14, 2013 only on HBO.

Official Premise: HBO presents the new one-hour drama series from the fertile mind of Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network) and executive produced by Sorkin, Scott Rudin and Alan Poul. Smart, topical, humorous and highly entertaining, The Newsroom takes a behind-the-scenes look at a high-rated cable-news program at the fictional ACN Network, focusing on the on- and off-camera lives of its acerbic anchor (Jeff Daniels), new executive producer (Emily Mortimer), their newsroom staff (John Gallagher, Jr., Alison Pill, Thomas Sadoski, Olivia Munn, Dev Patel and others) and their news-division boss (Sam Waterston).

HBO gives a whole lot of love to its shows Blu-ray releases. First of all they all come packaged in this beautiful strong box, which is very sharp.  It also comes with HBO Select, which offers its viewers the choice of three ways to watch the show – Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Copy. The digital copy is redeemable via a provider of your choice: iTunes, Vudu or Amazon, as well as an UltraViolet copy through supporting providers. So you are filled with choices here and can watch the show wherever – whenever. The 1080p transfer of the show is very clear and sharp.  The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 audio track works well with the dialogue and since this is a political drama it is very important for this to work!

The special features are also very impressive, again since HBO treats their shows very well. There is a five audio commentaries track with no only Aaron Sorkin, but also executive producer Alan Poul and cast members Jeff Daniels, Sam Waterston, Emily Mortimer and more! This is a great way to get some replay value out of the show. “Mission Control”  is a great behind-the-scenes look at the production with the cast and crew. “The Rundown” is a roundtable discussion with Aaron Sorkin, executive producer Alan Poul, co-executive producer Greg Mottola, Jeff Daniels, Emily Mortimer and Sam Waterston as they discuss the first season. “Inside the Episodes” is an inside perspective on each episodes with Aaron Sorkin. Lastly there are a few Deleted Scenes and Episodic Previews & Recaps, rounding out a great release.

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Blu-ray Review “The ABCs of Death”

Directed by: Various
Rated: Unrated
Studio: Magnolia Home Entertainment
Release Date: May 21, 2013
Run Time: 130 minutes

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

Yeah…I am not sure how to easily explain this film.  “The ABCs of Death” consists of 26 short films from 26 different directors from all over the world.  Some of these are downright awesome and some of them are absolutely terrible.  I am still recommending this film just because it is so unique and like nothing I have ever seen before. In case you haven’t caught on each director was given a letter and complete creative freedom.  The shorts range from live-action to hand drawn animated to claymation. So there is tons of variety here.  If you are a horror fan, this is easily one of the most creative films you will see this year…as long as you have a tough stomach!

I would love to list all the clever names for each show but for me finding out during the film was part of the fun. When I was watching, I was constantly trying to figure out what the hell was going on and what was the short going to be called. I will giveaway two of them since they were the most obvious. I am not going to give the premise away but I will tell you the names. One of my favorites was “D is for Dogfight”, it was well done and very clever with only one word of dialogue.  The absolute worst was “F is for Fart”, go figure it was made in Japan, which is downright stupid and just gross.  I like a good fart joke but this was terrible. That is another thing some of these shorts is that all of them don’t all fit in the horror genre either except for the fact of dealing with death.

Official Premise: Twenty-six directors. Twenty-six ways to die. The ABC’s OF DEATH is perhaps the most ambitious anthology film ever conceived with productions spanning fifteen countries and featuring segments directed by over two dozen of the world’s leading talents in contemporary genre film. Inspired by children’s educational books, the motion picture is comprised of twenty-six individual chapters; each helmed by a different director assigned a letter of the alphabet. The directors were then given free reign in choosing a word to create a story involving death. Provocative, shocking, funny and ultimately confrontational, THE ABC’s OF DEATH is the definitive vision of modern horror diversity.

This Blu-ray being reviewing is the 1-disc Blu-ray version.  It also features an alternate cover which the baby holding the book has been removed. I personally prefer the originally artwork, which is only available on the 2-disc combo pack with a Blu-ray and DVD of the film. The 1080p transfers look good for the most part but constantly various in quality since there is many different types of camera options used for each short.  The same goes for the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 audio tracks.  It various from short to short but all around sounds decent.

The special features are quite impressive for this release. Get ready for this…there is a filmmaker commentary track on each short. I think that is a real treat because you can get to hear the vision behind each film. There are also extras included for 14 out of the 26 shorts. Including the letter A has a visual effects featurette. The letters B, D and I have a Making Of featurette. C includes some Deleted Scenes. F, H, J, T, V, W and Z all have Behind the Scenes looks and R has a Behind the Scenes Photo Gallery with 71 photos. Lastly there is “AXS TV: A Look at The ABCs of Death”, which runs under five minutes and some trailers included.

 

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Blu-ray Review “This Girl Is Badass”

Actors: Yanin “Jeeja” Vismitananda
Directors: Petchtai Wongkamlao
Rated: R (Restricted)
Studio: Magnolia Home Entertainment
Release Date: May 21, 2013
Run Time: 99 minutes

Film: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 1.5 out of 5 stars

When it comes to Thai action films, I have been grabbing them up whenever I could after “Ong-Bak”.  “This Girl Is Badass” is even from the director of “Ong Bak”, Prachya Pinkaew. Like how Prachya discovered Tony Jaa, he also brought us  JeeJa Yanin.  She was awesome in “Chocolate” and the title of the film suits her quite well. Did I mention that she is also only 5’2? Unfortunately this film is not one of my favorites, it plays more like a slapstick comedy, which is not funny, with a few decent action scenes chucked in. Unless you are a hardcore Thai martial arts fan, then I wouldn’t rush out to watch this one.

Official Premise: Witness jaw-dropping fight sequences from “Chocolate’s” kick-ass Jeeja Yanin, who also stars in the sequel to the martial arts hit, “The Protector”. In This Girl is Badass, Jeeja takes her skills to the next level as a bike messenger who is hired by competing mob bosses to smuggle goods. Caught in the middle and given an ultimatum, the only way out is a confrontation erupting into a battle of bullets, face kicks and blows.

“This Girl Is Badass” looks decent on Blu-ray but nothing spectacular. The 1080p transfer is relatively clear and consistent. The audio tracks are must better in terms of Blu-ray quality. First there is a Thai: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, which works well with the action. Normally, the dub tracks are terrible but since this film is already bad the English track works in its favor. The special features are also a let down with a short featurette “The Making of This Girl is Badass”, only in SD and in Thai, with English subtitles. There is also an even shorter “Behind the Scenes” including additional b-roll footage, also in SD. Lastly there is an International Trailer included.

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Film Review “The Hangover III”

Directed by: Todd Phillips
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis
Rated: R
Running Time: 1 hour 40 mins
Warner Brothers

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

In this third and mostly likely last “Hangover” installment, the Wolfpack brings back the brilliant, priceless and overwhelming hilarity that made the first film such a success!

After the death of Alan’s (Galifianakis) father (Jeffrey Tambor) and following 4 years of the Wolfpack befriending Alan and seeing his crazy, crazy ways, Alan’s friends and family stage an intervention, hoping to help Alan cease being a 42 year old child. He agrees, but on one condition… Phil (Cooper), Stew (Helms) and Doug (Justin Bartha) must take him on the short 2 hour drive to his new treatment facility. It’s only a 2 hour drive…what could go wrong?

A short while into their drive they are ambushed by a gangster (John Goodman) who tells them that their friend Mr. Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong) has stolen $21 Million worth of his gold and he is taking Doug hostage until they find their “friend” and his gold.

There are no black out hangovers or bachelor parties in this movie. There are no tigers or face tattoos either. This movie is a comparable film to the first “Hangover” but not in the same way as #2. They do not use any of the same jokes; it is not the same film set in a different country. The jokes are fresh, the timing perfect and I found myself being completely surprised and caught off guard just like the original “Hangover.”

Since this movie ends the trilogy, the many unsolved problems from the original are all wrapped up in this film. You didn’t think you could actually black out, end up in a hospital, steal money from a Chinese gangster, marry a hooker, steal a tiger and in the next 48 hours have the whole thing blow over did you?

“Hangover 3” uses the same recipe for success as many Todd Phillips films have done before. He allows the comedians to use comedy. They are not just speaking lines they are acting as comedians. Back from the first film are Mike Epps, Heather Graham and baby Carlos. New to the series are Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids) and new antagonist John Goodman (who I think should be in every movie). Those two plus an abundance of Ken Jeong scenes makes this movie a must see! I usually reserve my $10+ for a movie ticket for something that I can’t get at my own house: lots of 3D action or an overwhelmingly visual film, but I would pay to see this movie again and I advise you to do the same.

The original “Hangover” was something that audiences hadn’t been subjected too in a comedy for quite some time, causing outbursts of laughing fits in the theater to where you couldn’t always here the next line being spoken. There were times I just couldn’t believe what I just saw or what just took place. This movie has THAT. This is an original movie that could have been called “Hangover 2” and we could have just skipped the 2nd one all together.

This is a movie that you need to enjoy with many people. Friends or strangers, the more the merrier. I shared many a good laugh and exchanged looks with a man that looked like Santa Claus sitting next to me. I even had to give him a drink of my Coke after he started choking while laughing.

Blu-ray Review “The Hangover Part III”

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3D Blu-ray Review “Sadako 3D”

Actors: Satomi Ishihara, Kôji Seto, Yûsuke Yamamoto, Tsutomu Takahashi
Directors: Tsutomu Hanabusa
Rated: Unrated
Studio: Well Go USA
Release Date: June 4, 2013
Run Time: 96 minutes

Film: 2 out of 5 stars
3D: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: N/A

I am abig sucker for Japanese horror, especially 3D and especially from “The Ring” series.  But right from the tagline I cringed for this title “Sadako is Always Hungry. And She’s No Longer Alone.” Never alone? That was the whole point of the original “The Ring”. Sadako was this eerie ghost that was haunting everyone. She is also now upgraded from VHS tapes to online videos. The whole story is ridiculous and I wouldn’t waste my time on this even if you are the biggest fan of “The Ring” series. The film also calls itself “The Terrifying Conclusion”…but there is not concluded here. In fact it just leaves questions like “what the hell did I just waste my 96 minutes doing?”. What happened to Japanese horror? Can it please get back to its roots and start being scary again? This series has certainly run out of steam and originality!

Official Synopsis: Sadako waits, a vicious spirit, hungry for blood and souls. What began as a haunted videotape, passed from hand to cursed hand all those years ago in THE RING, has only gotten easier to find. Sadako waits. And it’s not just on tape anymore. At a local high school, there is a rumor about an online video of someone committing suicide. If it were only a prank, or the work of a deranged artist in town, the students wouldn’t be killing themselves after watching it, would they? The police would have a theory about the quickly-growing body count? And what about the woman in white with long hair? Sadako is always hungry. And she’s no longer alone.

With all the 3D Blu-ray that I have seen from Well Go USA, i.e. “The Shock Labyrinth 3D” and “Tormented 3D”, there has been some mega ghosting with the third dimension effect. The The 1080 transfer is sharp and works well with the 3D effects, which in this film actually looks quite awesome. Too bad the the film itself is a bore and leaves you tearing your hair out. All I have to say is…CGI creatures, BOO! There is a Japanese only DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, which works well with the little suspense in the film. There is also ZERO special features included here. But fans rejoice, “The Ring” series is not dead, we have more coming since Tsutomu Hanabusa has just completed production on “Sadako 2 3D”. Hopefully he will learn from his mistakes on this film or just leave this franchise to die or get rebooted like everything else.

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DVD Review “Picture Day”

Actors: Tatiana Maslany, Spencer Van Wyck, Steven McCarthy, Mark DeBonis
Directors: Kate Melville
Rated: Unrated
Studio: Arc Entertainment
DVD Release Date: May 21, 2013
Run Time: 93 minutes

Film: 2 out of 5 stars
Extras: N/A

I am usually not a fan of dramatic comedies, but I figured I would give this one a try since it starred Tatiana Maslany. Let’s just say I should have stuck with my gut despite the cast. Tatiana is gaining a lot of steam recently due to her role in BBC America’s “Orphan Black”.  She is ok in this film but she can’t carry the entire film on her own. The story feels like a weak coming-of-age dramedy. I didn’t really end up caring for any things characters and thought they were quite boring. To be quite honest the whole film is quite depressing. Definitely a big pass here!

Official Premise: Forced to repeat her senior year in high school, Claire’s (Tatiana Maslany) reputation is sliding from bad-ass to bad joke. At night, she escapes to would-be rock star Jim (Steven McCarthy), while at school, she bonds with Henry (Spencer Van Wyck), a nerdy freshman she used to babysit. Eventually, Claire learns the difference between sex, intimacy, and friendship.

Arc Entertainment released this film on DVD, which to me is a dying format. Not that Blu-ray would have done anything for this film. The DVD features an Dolby Digital 5.1, which works for the dialogue focused film. There are also no special features included at all which only leads me to be more disappointed for this release. This is Kate Melville’s first film, so I should have given it a little bit of leeway but I just got more and more frustrated as this film progressed. So I wouldn’t wish this film upon anyone is watch, unless you are a die-hard Tatiana Maslany fan.

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Blu-ray Review “My Neighbor Totoro”

Actors: Dakota Fanning, Elle Fanning, Tim Daly, Pat Carroll, Lea Salonga
Directors: Hayao Miyazaki
Rated: G (General Audience)
Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Release Date: May 21, 2013
Run Time: 88 minutes

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

“My Neighbor Totoro” is my favorite Studio Ghibli film, hands down and also one of my favorite films are all-time. There is something about this film that is so simple so contains a much deeper message. The film is very magical, sweet and just plain funny. The character of Totoro is one of my favorites and also ended up becoming also the logo for Studio Ghibli. It is crazy to think that this film is not celebrating its 25th anniversary. I remember watching this film as a kid and now I get to share this film on Blu-ray with my own daughter. She is already in love with this film and its characters. The film doesn’t show it’s age at thanks to an all new HD digital transfer, courtesy of Disney. If you are a Ghibli fan, this is an amazing release. I am sure that we will be watching this film on loop for many years to come.

Official Premise: Follow the adventures of Satsuki and her four-year-old sister Mei as they discover their new neighbor is a mysterious forest spirit named Totoro who can only be seen by the eyes of a child. As Totoro introduces the girls to his extraordinary friends, they embark on the journey of a lifetime. Featuring the voice talents of Tim Daly, Lea Salonga and real-life sisters Dakota and Elle Fanning, My Neighbor Totoro is an amazing animated adventure the whole family will fall in love with.

“My Neighbor Totoro” arrives for the first time on a Disney combo pack, with the film available on Blu-ray and DVD. It has never looked better and I was blown away but the clarity of this 25 year old animated film. The color lines looks beautiful and it looks like it was made yesterday. There are two audio tracks included on this release, both which are DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. The Japanese track was what I grew up with and love. But now that I have my own daughter, who is just 1 years old, she can’t read just yet so we have been stick with the English track. I have to say I am a little disappointed since I would have loved to see Disney give this film the 5.1 treatment. That being said the 2.0 tracks are not bad at all for this simple film. Joe Hisaishi sounds great and the dialogue is very clear still.

The special features are great and definitely worth checking out for any fan of the film. There is a featurette called “Behind the Microphone”, which shows our cast behind-the-scenes who gave these great characters life. My favorite extra is “Behind the Studio”, which consists of six featurettes, including “Creating “My Neighbor Totoro”, “Creating the Characters”, “The Totoro Experience”, “Producer’s Perspective: Creating Ghibli”, “The Locations of Totoro” and “Scoring Miyazaki”.  These really give us a great insight into the behind-the-scenes for the film. There is a little bit of everything included here.  They are not the longest extras but still worth checking out. Lastly there are the original Japanese Trailer, as well as the original Japanese Storyboards.

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Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: bluray, neighbor, review, totoro

Blu-ray Review “Howl’s Moving Castle”

Actors: Jean Simmons, Christian Bale, Lauren Bacall, Blythe Danner, Billy Crystal
Directors: Hayao Miyazaki
Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Release Date: May 21, 2013
Run Time: 119 minutes

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

You have no idea how excited I am for this Blu-ray! This is one of my all-time favorite Studio Ghibli films form the amazing Hayao Miyazaki. I don’t even know where to start with this film.  The story. The music. The characters.  everything about “Howl’s Moving Castle” is just amazing. It is one of those films that you can just watch over and over and never get bored. The film gets better and better with each viewing.  Thanks to Disney this film has also never looked better with a stunning new HD digital transfer, and perfect picture and sound! Perfect, that is a great word to describe this film. If you are a Ghibli fan, this is a must have for your collection.

Official Premise: Sophie, a quiet girl working in a hat shop, finds her life thrown into turmoil when she is literally swept off her feet by a handsome but mysterious wizard named Howl. The vain and vengeful Witch of the Waste, jealous of their friendship, puts a spell on Sophie. In a life-changing adventure, Sophie climbs aboard Howl’s magnificent moving castle and enters a magical world on a quest to break the spell. Featuring the voice talents of Christian Bale and Billy Crystal, Miyazaki’s artistry comes to life with inventive characters, unique storytelling, and richly detailed animation. Your whole family will love this epic fantasy on Disney Blu-ray!

Disney is releasing this film as a combo pack with a Blu-ray and also a DVD of the film.  The 1080p transfer is gorgeous and really well done.  The colors jump right off the screen and if you’ve seen this film it is very colorful! There are two audio tracks included, both which are DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1.  I have to go with the original Japanese track, which has always been my favorite.  Although, the English dub does have Christian Bale and he does give Howl some great life. Also Billy Crystal brings the funny while voice Calcifer. So I guess they are both good in their own way.  The action is captured well with the audio tracks as is the amazing Joe Hisaishi and his wonderful and beautiful score.

The special features are good but not as stunning as I would have hoped but I will take what I can get.  There is a featurette called “Behind the Microphone”, which shows our cast behind-the-scenes who gave these great characters life.  There is an interview with Pixar Animation Studios Director, Pete Docter, who worked on the US release for this film. There is a fun feature “Hello Mr. Lasseter”, which shows us Hayao Miyazaki visits to Pixar Animation Studios.  Lastly there are the original Japanese TV Spots and Trailers, as well as the original Japanese Storyboards.  ”My Neighbor Totoro” had a great collection of short extras “Behind the Studio”, I would have loved to see that for this release.

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Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: bluray, castle, howls, moving, review

3D Blu-ray Review “Escape from Planet Earth”

Starring: Brendan Fraser, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jessica Alba, Jane Lynch, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson
Director: Cal Brunker
Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
Release Date: June 4, 2013
Run Time: 90 minutes

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

“Escape from Planet Earth” is a movie that came out of nowhere and surprisingly did pretty well.  I couldn’t help but relate it back to past alien CGI animated film “Planet 51″. I wasn’t really drawn in by the trailer but I have to admit, I am a sucker for anything science fiction, animated or not. The film really does have an impressive voice cast including Brendan Fraser, Jessica Alba, Sarah Jessica Parker, William Shatner, Rob Corddry, George Lopez, Craig Robinson, Sofía Vergara and Jane Lynch. I mean there is a really nice wide array of talent here. But when it comes down to it, this is really a kids film and doesn’t really speak to their parents as much as other kids films try to do.  But kids should enjoy it as it is fun, well animated and did I mention it’s in 3D!

Synopsis: The 3D animated family comedy catapults moviegoers to planet Baab where admired astronaut Scorch Supernova (Brendan Fraser) is a national hero to the blue alien population. A master of daring rescues, Scorch pulls off astonishing feats with the quiet aid of his nerdy, by-the-rules brother, Gary (Rob Corddry), head of mission control at BASA. When BASA’s no-nonsense chief Lena (Jessica Alba) informs the brothers of an SOS from a notoriously dangerous planet, Scorch rejects Gary’s warnings and bounds off for yet another exciting mission. But when Scorch finds himself caught in a fiendish trap set by the evil Shanker (William Shatner) it’s up to scrawny, risk-adverse Gary to do the real rescuing. As the interplanetary stakes rise to new heights, Gary is left to save his brother, his planet, his beloved wife Kira (Sarah Jessica Parker) and their adventure hungry son Kip.

This combo pack release is very impressive.  It includes both 2D and 3D presentations of the film, as well as a DVD and UltraViolet digital copy. The 3D on the film is a lot of fun.  There is some great in your face moments and gags that kids will enjoy. The 1080p transfer looks amazing and the colors is very crisp and sharp. The DTS-HD Master Audio  5.1 track really works with the action and the original music by composer Aaron Zigman. The special features are good and work checking out if you enjoyed the film.  There is an audio commentary with Director Cal Brunker, which might not keep the attention of kids but parent could enjoy. “The Making of Escape From Planet Earth” is a nice behind-the-scenes look at the film. There is a few Alternate Takes and Deleted Scenes included.  Lastly there are several Music Featurettes for musicians Delta Rae, Owl City and Cody Simpson.

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Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: 3d, bluray, earth, escape, planet, review, ...

Blu-ray Review “LEGO Batman: The Movie – DC Super Heroes Unite”

Actors: Clancy Brown, Troy Baker, Travis Willingham, Christopher Corey Smith, Charlie Schlatter
Directors: Jon Burton
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Warner Home Video
Release Date: May 21, 2013
Run Time: 71 minutes

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

LEGO is one really smart company.  They not only have tons of great franchises like “Harry Potter”, “The Lord of the Rings” and “Star Wars” but they also have DC Comics on their side.  The LEGO Batman series is one of my favorites.  In fact, I have been playing the new “LEGO Batman: DC Super Heroes” on the iPhone quite a bit recently. So I am beyond excited for a full-length feature film.  I love what LEGO has done with the “Star Wars” shorts but they are just that…short.  This epic feature-film is very well made, packs a great voice cast and is alsovery funny. LEGO should be making these films for every franchise they support. They are great a real blast, clever and pack some great replay value. This is a must watch for all kids (and big kids) who love comics and superheroes!

The voice cast including Clancy Brown (“SpongeBob SquarePants” ) leads the pack with voicing Lex Luthor.  Troy Baker (“Batman: Arkham City”) pull double duty with voicing Batman and Two-Face. Travis Willingham voices Superman (“Avengers Assemble”, “The Super Hero Squad Show”). Rob Paulsen (“Animaniacs”), one of my favorite voice actors, is a laugh riot as Riddler. Christopher Corey Smith does a great job as The Joker (“Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe”) and lastly gotta give props to Charlie Schlatter (“Diagnosis Murder”) for giving Robin some great life!

Official Premise: DC Comics’ greatest superheroes and their arch nemeses face-off in a hilarious, action-packed battle in LEGO Batman: The Movie. Based on the popular video game series, the full-length TT Animation feature finds Lex Luthor taking jealousy to new heights when fellow billionaire Bruce Wayne wins the Man of the Year Award. To top Wayne’s accomplishment, Lex begins a campaign for President. And to create the atmosphere for his type of fear-based politics, he recruits the Joker to perfect a Black LEGO Destructor Ray. While wreaking havoc on Gotham, Lex successfully destroys Batman’s technology, forcing the Caped Crusader to reluctantly turn to Superman for help.

Warner Home Video has delivered a fantastic release here.  This combo pack includes a Blu-ray + DVD + UltraViolet Digital Copy, which I will be redeeming and revisiting quite often. Did I mention this release also comes with an exclusive LEGO Clark Kent/Superman Minifigure.  I mean I would purchase just for that to be honest.  The 1080p transfer looks stunning and very clear.  The film is quite colorful and it literally jumps off the screen. The DTS-HD Master Audio Track works so well with the film’s action and fantastic scores.  Once you hear that classic “Batman” theme you cannot help but just take a trip down memory lane.

The special features are quite impressive.  “Building Batman” puts us together with kids and master LEGO builder Garrett Barati about how they can make their own Batman mini-movie with LEGO’s. “Lego Batman Jumps Into Action” is Garrett Barati’s teaser used for “LEGO Super Heroes” and shows what can be done with stop-motion animation. “LEGO/DC Universe Super Heroes Video Contest Winners” shows us the short films from five of the winning entries. Lastly there are bonus DC episodes including “Triumvirate of Terror” and “Scorn of the Star Sapphire” from “Batman: The Brave and the Bold”, and “Overdrive” from “Teen Titans”.

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Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: batman, bluray, dc, heroes, lego, movie, ...

Concert Review: Jon Secada @ The Club at Treasure Island, May 4th, 2013

Jon Secada
The Club at Treasure Island
May 4, 2013
Treasure Island, FL

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

May 4th, 2013. It was a beautiful night in Tampa, Florida. There was no humidity, no wind, and the sun was setting over calm waters as my wife and I walked into The Club at Treasure Island. But for this particular fan, it could have been cold, windy and raining locusts and I wouldn’t have cared one bit. I was about to see Jon Secada live in person.

This was an exciting night for me, as we had meet-and-greet passes for after the show. It has been twenty years since Jon released his very first album, and I remember it like it were yesterday. I was ten years old, and I saved my allowance for almost two months before I was able to go buy it at The Wall (that’s a blast from the past for some of you mall-goers…it’s now known as F.Y.E.). It was the second CD I had ever bought. And on this night, after all these years of enjoying his music, I would meet Jon personally. I couldn’t wait to shake his hand and say “thank you.”

For many of us music fans seeing one of your favorite artists live in concert is as good as it gets. In my personal experience, unfortunately, I think that some artists disappoint. For a variety of reasons, the live experience just may not live up to the clean, crisp sound of the album. However, despite the intimate setting of a yacht club ballroom temporarily turned concert hall, Jon’s show was exactly the opposite. Jon and his band sounded fantastic that evening. So great, in fact, that I’d say that a professional studio recording doesn’t do him and his band members justice.

Jon sang several of his hits that he’s well known for such as “Just Another Day,” but he also played a handful of other songs such as “What a Wonderful World,” originally performed by Louis Armstrong and “My Way,” originally written by Paul Anka and performed by ‘Ol Blue Eyes himself. Between songs, Jon told stories from throughout his career – like how he was asked by Frank Sinatra to sing a duet with him for his aptly-named album, and about his time performing on Broadway in Greese and Cabaret. He even performed a part of his role from Cabaret.

The show was absolutely incredible. The setlist was well chosen, Jon sounded great, and the band behind him couldn’t have been better. It was everything a fan could have hoped for – and more. The only bad part to the show was the end – because the audience was left wanting more

 

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Filed Under: Concert Reviews Tagged With: club, concert, island, jon, review, secada, ...
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