DVD Review “LEGO Nexo Knights: Season 1”

Actors: Alessandro Juliani, Ian Hanlin, Brian Drummond, Nicole Oliver, Vincent Tong
Rated: Not Rated
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Release Date: July 26, 2016

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

I have to admit, I have never heard of Nexo Knights. I am an avid fan of all things LEGO but this series never crossed my path. The episodes are pretty neat. Its a quirky cross between medieval and space theme. Not just for kids either, definitely stole my 34 year old attention with no trouble. I know there is a second season out there, so I hope that WB has plans to release that next.

Official Premise: The high tech Kingdom of Knighton is in trouble. The King’s Jester has gone rogue and stolen the strange talking Book of Monsters. Using its evil magic, he summons an army of dangerous Lava Monsters and attacks. It is up to the brave but inexperienced NEXO Knights to come to the rescue. In their amazing rolling castle and with the help of holographic Wizard Merlok 2.0, they have technology and NEXO powers, an incredible new digitized magic, on their side. But the Jester and the Book of Monsters have a sinister plot that may spell doom over the once peaceful kingdom.

On this 2 disc set there are 10 episodes from season 1 included: “The Book of Monsters – Part 1”, “The Book of Monsters – Part 2”, “The Power of Merlok”, “The Knight’s Code”, “Fright Knight”, “The Golden Castle”, “The Maze of Amazement”, “The Black Knight”, “The Book of Total Badness” and “The Might and the Magic”. No other special features are included on this DVD.

 

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DVD Review “Peppa Pig: Sunny Vacation”

Number of discs: 1
Studio: 20th Century Fox
DVD Release Date: August 2, 2016
Run Time: 60 minutes

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

I have seen literally every single episode of Pegga Pig due to my 4 year old’s love for this show. Actually let me fix that statement, I have seen every every of Peppa Pig numerous times. But honestly, I never get tired of it. “Peppa Pig: Sunny Vacation” is the latest DVD release in this series. It includes a 4-Part Special + 8 Fun-Packed Peppasodes! It is all based around the family taking trips. The episodes are fun and even though we have seen them over and over they are still great to watch.

Official Premise: It’s time for a special Family Holiday! Join Peppa Pig, her little brother George, Mummy Pig and Daddy Pig on their fun-filled trip abroad. Peppa is enjoying all of the sights and sounds of Italy, but she also can’t wait to go home and see her friends! Little ones will love the four-part sunny adventure and the rest of this cheery peppasode collection.

The 12 episodes included are “Flying on Holiday”, “The Holiday House”, “Holiday in the Sun”, “End of the Holiday”, “Potato City”, “The New House”, “Basketball”, “Mr. Fox’s Shop”, “Grampy Rabbit’s Dinosaur Park”, “Lost Keys”, “The Aquarium” and “The Sandpit”. Can’t wait till the next themed release for this fun and cute series! Can I request another Halloween or Christmas themed DVD?

Blu-ray Review “The Tiger”

Director: Hoon-jung Park
Starring: Choi Min-sik, Man-sik Jeong, Sang-ho Kim, Yoo-Bin Sung, Ren Ôsugi, Jung Suk Won
Language: Korean
Subtitles: English
Rated: Not Rated
Studio: Well Go USA
Release Date: August 9, 2016
Run Time: 139 minutes

Film: 4 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 1/2 out of 5 stars

“The Tiger” is a Korean drama that probably no one will ever see yet it was easily one of my favorite films this year. It stars Choi Min-sik and a CGI tiger, which looks not good but outstanding. Why didn’t this get a bigger release is beyond me. You might know Choi Min-sik from “Oldboy” from 2003 not the terrible Spike Lee remake with Josh Broli from 2013 and also from the Scarlet Scarlett Johansson led “Lucy”.

The film is a bit long running about 2.5 hours but the payoff is totally worth it. Even though slow moving, the story keeps you going and draws you in and you develop feelings for this CGI marvel. The wolves are not as fine tuned but still impressive. IF you are done with all the summer dazzle action films, definitely give this a look!

Official Premise: n ex-sharpshooter for the Kingdom of Korea (Choi Min-sik, Oldboy) is hunting the country’s last tiger. But Japanese forces and vicious local poachers also seek “The Four-Legged Mountain Lord,” and will stop at nothing to claim their prey.

The Blu-ray’s 1080p transfer compliments the VFX and beautiful locations perfectly. I also well in love with the film’ major cue from the score. I absolutely loved it and it just sounded amazing. The only special feature is a theatrical trailer included, which is a major shame because I would have loved to seen a featurette on the tiger’s VFX.

 

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CD Review: “A Decade of Dio: 1983-1993”

“A Decade of Dio: 1983-1993”
Dio
Rhino
Producer: Ronnie James Dio, Tony Platt, Mike Fraser
Discs: 6

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Legendary vocalist Ronnie James Dio may have passed away in 2010 however that has not stopped his legacy and music from living on. Thanks to Rhino Entertainment fans of the former Elf, Rainbow and Black Sabbath front man can experience “A Decade of Dio: 1983-1993”. The six album collection focuses on the first 10 years of Ronnie’s solo career which he embarked on in 1983. Remastered and packaged in a sleek box set featuring brand new artwork from Marc Sasso, the artist who was responsible for many of the band’s iconic covers.

The latest offering from Rhino Entertainment “A Decade of Dio: 1983-1993” isn’t just a collection of greatest hits. Instead you get the first 6 albums from Ronnie James Dio’s solo career in their entirety. Remastered and repackaged complete with replica inserts “Holy Diver”, “The Last In Line”, “Sacred Heart”, “Dream Evil”, “Lock Up The Wolves”, and “Strange Highways” all sound just as good as the originals. However I was a little disappointed at the remastering process as it didn’t seem to add anything to mix. If anything the remastering added a layer of thinness that was a bit shrill on the ears at time. Thankfully Ronnie and his bands performances are so strong on the included albums that you can easily get past the sonic shortcomings and enjoy the track for what it is. Tracks like “Last In Line”, “Egypt (The Chains Are On)” and “Gypsy” were some of my personal favorites while classics like “Stand Up and Shout”, “Holy Diver” and “Rainbow in the Dark” are always a fun listen.

If you already have these albums then there probably isn’t enough offered in this package to warrant purchasing them again. However for those looking to bolster their Dio collection then this set is worth its weight in gold. The recreated front and back album art and inserts is nice little feature as when you open up the main box it’s as if your getting 6 miniature LP’s. I think it would have been nice if the set came with a book providing background info/photos on the releases as I feel that would have given a little incentive to those who already have some of these albums to pick up this package. None the less still a cool offering, the set is available now on CD and will be released on vinyl October 4th.

Disc 1: “Holy Diver”
1.) Stand Up And Shout
2.) Holy Diver
3.) Gypsy
4.) Caught In The Middle
5.) Don’t Talk To Stranger
6.) Straight Through The Heart
7.) Invisible
8.) Rainbow In The Dark
9.) Shame On The Night

Disc 2: “The Last In Line”
1.) We Rock
2.) The Last In Line
3.) Breathless
4.) I Speed At Night
5.) One Night In The City
6.) Evil Eyes
7.) Mystery
8.) Eat Your Heart Out
9.) Egypt (The Chains Are On)

Disc 3: “Sacred Heart”
1.) King of Rock And Roll
2.) Sacred Heart
3.) Another Lie
4.) Rock N’ Roll Children
5.) Hungry For Heaven
6.) Like The Beat Of A Heart
7.) Just Another Day
8.) Fallen Angels
9.) Shoot Shoot

Disc 4: “Dream Evil”
1.) Night People
2.) Dream Evil
3.) Sunset Superman
4.) All The Fools Sailed Away
5.) Naked In The Rain
6.) Overlove
7.) I Could Have Been A Dreamer
8.) Faces In The Window
9.) When A Woman Cries

Disc 5: “Lock Up The Wolves”
1.) Wild One
2.) Born On The Sun
3.) Hey Angel
4.) Between Two Hearts
5.) Night Music
6.) Lock Up The Wolves
7.) Evil On Queen Street
8.) Walk On Water
9.) Twisted
10.) Why Are They Watching Me
11.) My Eyes

Disc 6: “Strange Highways”
1.) Jesus, Mary & The Holy Ghost
2.) Firehead
3.) Strange Highways
4.) Hollywood Black
5.) Evilution
6.) Pain
7.) One Foot In The Grave
8.) Give Her The Gun
9.) Blood From A Stone
10.) Here’s To You
11.) Bring Down The Rain

CD Review: Masked Intruder “Love and Other Crimes”

“Love and Other Crimes”
Masked Intruder
Pure Noise
Tracks: 6
Our Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Wisconsin based punk rockers Masked Intruder recently released a new EP titled “Love and Other Crimes”. The six track ep which is being released via Pure Noise is the follow up to the band’s 2012 self titled debut which was released via Red Scare and then re-released by Fat Wreck Chords in 2013.

Despite the band being somewhat mysterious due to their identities being hidden behind brightly colored ski masks one thing is certain, These guys know how to have fun! With six songs clocking in at just under fifteen minutes Masked Intruder’s “Love and Other Crimes” wastes no time getting to the point. Each song is brimming over with Ramones like rhythms and comedic lyrics which instantly make the release a fun listen each and every time. Tracks like the albums guitar fueled opener “Take What I Want” the super catchy “Beyond a Shadow of a Doubt” and the tongue and cheek filled “Running from the Cops” are all songs you can listen to time and time again. Even after multiple listens the songs still remain fun and fresh.

Don’t let the bands comedic look and nature fool you as each of the 4 members (Blue, Yellow, Green and Red) show tremendous disciple at their instruments making “Love and Other Crimes” a solid testament to that statement. If you’re a punk rock fan looking for something light and new grab yourself a copy of this release.

Track Listing:
1.) Take What I Want
2.) First Star Tonight
3.) Beyond a Shadow of a Doubt
4.) Running from the Cops
5.) Still Always on My Mind
6.) If Only

Concert Review: Vans Warped Tour 2016, Syracuse, NY

Vans Warped Tour 2016

Date: July 7, 2016
Venue: New York State Fair Grounds, Syracuse, NY

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

The Vans Warped tour made a stop in Syracuse, NY on July 7th for what proved to be a great day of music and fun. Despite foreboding clouds which hovered over the event site earlier in the day the power of punk rock could not be stopped as once the music kicked off the negative weather took a quick turn towards the positive allowing everyone to stay dry and soak up some rays while listening to this year’s assembled line up.

For over 20 summers now the Vans Warped tour has been the go to for traveling one day festivals featuring alternative and punk rock music. This year despite sporting a thinned down roster, less stages and fewer activities the festival still proved to be just as good if not better than years past. The Syracuse venue featured a great lay out with side by staging for the 6 main stages and a 7th smaller stage was only a short distance from all the bigger action. Each stage offered plenty of viewing space, merch areas and facilities, there was even a massive shaded pavilion area which gave fans a place to escape the sun in between acts. Aside from waiting to get into the venue there were really no other lines to speak of throughout the day which again only added to the events over all appeal. Even the free water filling station which always seems to be a hot bed of action was easy and quick to access. This year’s lineup was a great mixture of up and coming bands infused with some of Warped tours biggest veterans. As the day started out bands like Teenage Bottle Rocket, Masked Intruder and Vanna would put on stellar performances which fit in perfectly between bombastic sets from Warped tour regulars Reel Big Fish, Less Than Jake and New Found Glory. Other notable performances from the day included those by State Champs complete with inflatable waving men and bubbles, Old Wounds who in my opinion dominated the Full Sail Stage, The Interrupters who despite playing later in the day were able to keep the energy going as temperatures pushed towards the 90’s. To cap off an already impressive day the closing set of the festival belonged to Sum 41 who bashed out hit after hit to the massive crowd.

Despite a scaled down lineup and production this year I felt that Warped Tour 2016 was better than ever. Sure having a bunch of stuff to do in between acts is fun and all but, when you go to a rock show you are going essentially for the music. That was clearly the focus for this year’s tour as you couldn’t have asked for a more stellar line up. Aside from the extremely long lines to get into the venue the day was a lot of fun and we heard a lot of really great music. The tour runs through August 13th so be sure to grab tickets for one of the shows closest to you. You won’t be disappointed.

Line Up:
Against the Current, Assuming We Survive, Avion Roe, Bad Seed Rising, Ballyhoo!, Broadside, Cane Hill, Chelsea Grin, Chunk! No, Captian Chunk!, Coldrain, Crown the Empire, Cruel Hand, Dash|Ten, Emarosa, Every Time I Die, Falling In Reverse, Four Year Strong, From Ashes To New, Ghost Town, Gideon, Hail the Sun, I See Stars, Ice Nine Kills, In Hearts Wake, Issues, Knuckle Puck, Less Than Jake, Like Pacific, Masked Intruder, Mayday Parade, Mother Feather, Motionless In White, New Found Glory, Oceans Ate Alaska, Old Wounds, Palaye Royale, Pepper, Real Friends, Reckless Serenade, Reel Big Fish, Roam, Safe To Say, Secrets, Set It Off, Silent Planet, Sleeping With Sirens, State Champs, Sum 41, Sykes, Teenage BottleRocket, The Color Morale, The Heirs, The Interrupters, The Maine, The Story So Far, The Word Alive, Tonight Alive, Too Close to Touch, Vanna, Veil of Maya, Volumes, Wage War, Waterparks, We the Kings, Whitechapel, With Confidence, Yellowcard, Young Guns

All photos are copy written and cannot be used without permission

 

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DVD Review “Tom and Jerry: Back to Oz”

Actors: Jason Alexander, Frances Conroy, Grey Griffin, James Monroe Igelhart, Stephen Root
Directors: Spike Brandt, Tony Cervone
Studio: Warner Bros Home Entertainment
DVD Release Date: June 21, 2016
Running Time: 81 minutes

Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars

The fact that there are still new Tom and Jerry films made blows me away. Not to mention actually good films! “Tom and Jerry: Back to Oz” is the sequel to the 2011 animated film, “Tom and Jerry and the Wizard of Oz”, which was a great film in itself. The songs are great and I love that they incorporated the lost Jitterbug song into the film as well. In terms of voice cast, there is no shortage of talent here. Jason Alexander (“Seinfeld”) voices both Mr. Bibb / The Nome King, Rob Paulsen (“Animaniacs”) voiced The Tin Man / Hickory, Frances Conroy (“American Horror Story”) voiced Aunt Em / Glinda and Stephen Root (“Office Space”) voiced Uncle Henry. If you love “Wizard of Oz” and Tom and Jerry, this is a must see!

Official Premise: With the Wicked Witch of the West now vanquished from Oz, Tom and Jerry along with Dorothy are back in Kansas! But not for long as an all-new villain has surfaced from beneath the magical land, the Gnome King! Having captured the Good Witch, the Gnome King and his army are wreaking havoc throughout Oz and need but one item to take control of The Emerald City, Dorothy’s ruby slippers! It’s up to our favorite cat and mouse duo to team up, go Back to Oz and save the land they love. Take to the skies, courtesy of the Wizard himself, with Dorothy, Toto, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Lion as they make their magical journey. The laughs and adventure will roar as they encounter all-new frights and mischievous creatures down the Yellow Brick Road, ’cause “we’re not in Kansas anymore!”

Warner Bros Home Entertainment only released this sequel on DVD…but they did include a Digital HD copy, which is a huge bonus for me! In terms of special features, there is not a whole lot included but worth checking out if you enjoyed the film. There are four sing-along music videos from the films songs. There is also a neat alternate opening for the film with the feature “Tom and Jerry: Back to Oz: Classic Style”, which gives the film a fun sepia tone opening. Having watched this film 2 or 3 times already at the time of writing, this film gets better with each viewing as well. Just simple plain Tom and Jerry fun!

Blu-ray Review “The X-Files: The Event Series”

Directors: Chris Carter, James Wong, Darin Morgan, Glen Morgan
Starring: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Mitch Pileggi, William B. Davis
Number of discs: 2
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: June 14, 2016
Run Time: 264 minutes

Event Series: 4 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3 out of 5 stars

It has been 14 years since “The X-Files” left television. Hardcore fans have always wanted more and we never left satified from the sub par feature films. This year marked the much anticipated return to TV with a limited 6 episode “event series” run. Some fans were ecstatic and some felt still unsatisfied. Personally, I was just happy to see the major cast return to the series and get back in the game, even if it was just for 6 episodes. Obviously, this was a test from Fox to see how it was received and due to the dazzling rating, I would say it went quite well. I hope that they continue this series with more episodes, but I have a feeling that if it does happen it will not be right away. Hardcore fans will have to keep hope and stick with this series cause the truth is still out there!

Official Premise: Almost 14 years after the original series run, the next mind-bending chapter of THE X-FILES is a thrilling, six-episode event series from creator/executive producer Chris Carter, with stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson re-inhabiting their roles as iconic FBI agents FOX MULDER and DANA SCULLY. Mitch Pileggi also returns as FBI Assistant Director WALTER SKINNER, Mulder and Scully s boss, who walks a fine line between loyalty to these investigators and accountability to his superiors. This marks the momentous return of the Emmy®- and Golden Globe® Award-winning pop culture phenomenon, which remains one of the longest-running sci-fi series in network television history.

The BLu-ray presentation is a nice improvement over the earlier series, of course, due to the age of the older episodes. This new series packed some great visuals and really showed up its 1080p transfer. Same goes for the DTS-Master Audio 5.1 track, just hearing the theme song once again gave me chills. The special features are pretty solid as well. There are three commentary tracks on episodes, “Founder’s Mutation” with Chris Carter and James Wong, “Mulder & Scully Meet the Were-Monster” with David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson and “My Struggle II” with Chris Carter, Gabe Rotter.

The rest of the bonus features include some featurettes and a gag reel and some deleted scenes. The first featurette is “Season X”, which runs just over 20 minutes and gives a series overview. “Monster of the Week: A Recap of the Wildest and Scariest from the Original Series” is a flashback to the original series with host Kumail Nunjiani. “The X-Files: Green Production” looks into this series’ efforts to be ecologically aware. Lastly there is a short film called “Grace” by Karen Nielsen, the series’ script coordinator.

Blu-ray Review “The Martian: Extended Edition”

Actors: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Michael Peña, Sean Bean
Directors: Ridley Scott
Number of discs: 2
Rated: PG-13
Studio: 20TH CENTURY FOX
DVD Release Date: June 7, 2016
Run Time: 151 minutes

Extended Edition: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 4.5 out of 5 stars

When it comes to double dipping on their home video releases, Fox is the king! “The Martian” is the latest film to get a second life on Blu-ray with this Extended Edition release. This all-new extended cut features over 10 minutes of footage not shown in theaters. The film itself before this extension was already an amazing film! The new footage doesn’t really change the film in any way besides giving some new details about our characters. The real selling point of this new Blu-ray is that there is more than two hours of new behind-the-scenes content and the fact that it includes the original Theatrical cut as well. If you didn’t purchase this film originally when it was released, now is definitely the time to pick this up.

Official Premise: Nominated for 7 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor (Matt Damon), The Martian is a breathtaking sci-fi adventure directed by Ridley Scott (Alien, Prometheus) and based on the #1 New York Times best-selling novel. When an American astronaut (Damon) is left behind during a mission to Mars, he must find a way to survive on the barren planet until a team of scientists can devise a rescue plan to bring him home!

The audio/video presentation of this film on Blu-ray is stunning. I could only imagine it would be topped by the 4K presentation on Blu-ray. The DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 really blew me away with the space scenes and overall sound delivery. The new special features include an audio commentary by renowned director Ridley Scott, writer/executive producer Drew Goddard and author of the novel Andy Weir. There are two mighty in-depth features looking into the science of the film. The first is “The Long Way Home: Making The Martian”, which runs nearly 80 minutes and the second is “The Journey to Mars 101” which runs over 2 hours, which is jam packed with information.

There are two NASA based featurettes including “Dare Mighty Things: NASA’s Journey to Mars” and
the shorter “Ridley Scott Discusses NASA’s Journey to Mars”. Lastly there are still a few deleted scenes left on the second disc as well as some theatrical trailers. That concludes the new content but also included is all the bonus features included in the original The Martian Blu-ray release as well, so set aside a good amount of time to get through all this wonderful content!

Film Review: “Hunt for the Wilderpeople”

Starring: Julian Dennison, Sam Neill, Rachel House
Directed By: Taika Waititi
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 101 minutes
Orchard

Our Score: 5 out of 5 Stars

Last year New Zealand director Taika Waititi breathed life into the vampire genre with his brilliant What We Do in the Shadows, my favorite comedy of 2015. The director this week turns again to his home turf to even more success for the quirky tale of Ricky Baker in Hunt for the Wilderpeople. Wilderpeople is an unconventional spin on the tried-and-true old mentor meeting his younger match that manages to be action packed, unpredictable and heartfelt without veering into the saccharine territory oft trod by coming of age stories. Not only has Waititi matched my expectations based on his Shadows and “Flight of the Conchords” work but he’s significantly upped my excitement for his next project–Thor: Ragnarok (as if that was even possible!)

Julian Dennison stars as a ‘real bad egg’ called Ricky Baker, an orphan from the city who’s been to his share of foster homes. Child services drops him at a remote farm in the New Zealand bush kept by the sweet Bella (Rima Te Wiata) and bearded grump Hec (Sam Neill). Bella invites Ricky to dub them Auntie and Uncle, though Ricky and Hec are less than keen. When the welcoming Bella passes away leaving Ricky under Hec’s care, his new country life looks about to be ripped from under him again by child services. Naturally Ricky flees to the wilderness with Hec following along. They quickly become a pair of outlaws–everyone believing Hec a kidnapper–and infamous for evading a country-wide manhunt.

As Ricky Baker, newcomer Julian Dennison delivers a star-making performance. He is the perfect age for this little adventure of Waititi’s. A foster child who’s been passed around with a long list of ‘offenses’ (which child service agents will rattle off at the drop of a hat to hilarious effect), Baker is on the verge of puberty and of actually buying into his own bad reputation but is still very much malleable. There’s glimpses of Ricky posturing his ”gangsta” image between his wardrobe or his Scarface references but the brilliance of Dennison is watching the child that he actually is come to the surface. Dennison’s vulnerability is exposed when faced with the prospect of being separated from his most stable home to date. Meanwhile, his curiosity and eagerness to learn the bush life chip away at his city-kid exterior and the fact that he’s wont to spout haikus only makes him all the more endearing. There are a million layers to Ricky Baker and Dennison plays them all with great heart.

This isn’t at all to belittle the terrific support Dennison receives from his adult cast. It’s been 23 since Sam Neill begrudgingly led some kids through Jurassic Park and the years and the beard have only hardened his ornery exterior to perfection. His soft center is tougher to wear down to, but Ricky is game for the challenge. And there aren’t any dinosaurs that Neill needs to evade, but as the formidable Paula from Child services, Rachel House is an absolute scene stealer with dreams of being the Terminator. Rounding out these guys is an appearance from frequent Waititi collaborator Rhys Darby used to wacky effect as Psycho Sam.

Despite some real live threats in the bush and some choice language from kids and adults alike (“Like hell!” abounds), I can’t help but feel that Hunt for the Wilderpeople might be a perfect family film. Shot in beautiful locations, it’s hilarious without being malicious, populated with quirky characters forming genuine human bonds and I can’t stress enough the joy I derived from Dennison’s honest performance. Add to all that an action packed finale and you’ve got A Summer Movie to compete with the biggest of blockbusters. As Uncle Hec says, truly “Majestical.”

June 24 – I screened Hunt for the Wilderpeople at TFF 2016, it is now in limited US release. Visit Wilderpeople.film for trailer and local release dates. 

Film Review: “A Fat Wreck: The Punk U Mentary”

“A Fat Wreck: The Punk U Mentary”
Director: Shaun M. Colon
Writer: Greg Pratt
Open-Ended Films/ Leaders & Flares/Charlie Uniform Tango
Runtime: 84 minutes

Our score: 5 out of 5 stars

“A Fat Wreck: The Punk U Mentary” is half inspirational story of chosen family and community and half debauchery as it tells the story of Fat Wreck Chords founder Fat Mike (bassist for the band NOFX) and his ex-wife Erin-Kelly Burkett. “A Fat Wreck” has it all from the birth, growth and struggles the label has endured over its 25 years to the thriving label we know today who continues to put out some of the best punk rock albums year after year.

If you were into punk rock in the 1990’s then chances are you at one time or another listened to a Fat Wreck Chords released album or band. Group’s such as Strung Out, Lagwagon, No Use For A Name and Propagandi and many others were fortunate enough to call Fat Wreck Chords their home while at the same time making a phenomenal impact on the evolution of punk music. “A Fat Wreck: The Punk U Mentary” is the story of that monumental label and the bands who helped define 90’s era punk rock. From candid interviews with label founders NOFX bassist Fat Mike and his ex-wife Erin to clips and interviews with the multitude of bands who have made up the labels roster during its past 25 years through today. For the first time in one spot the entire story of how this small independent label grew from a bay area basement to one of the most recognized and respected labels in punk rock. It’s all here!

How can you not like a killer punk rock soundtrack, fresh interviews and puppets!? Yes I said Puppets! “A Fat Wreck” from beginning to end is pure gold. If you were/are a fan of 90’s era punk rock then you owe it to yourself to watch this. The film is more than just another documentary about a group of musicians and a label that kick started a lot of careers, Underneath all of that is a refreshing story of family, unity and fun that everyone needs to check out.

Blu-ray Review “Rick and Morty: The Complete Second Season”

Creators: Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland
Starring: Justin Roiland, Chris Parnell, Sarah Chalke, Spencer Grammer, Kari Wahlgren, Brandon Johnson
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Release Date: June 7, 2016
Run Time: 220 minutes

Season: 5 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 4 out of 5 stars

If you haven’t heard of Rick and Morty, seriously just stop reading and watch this show immediately since it is literally one of the best cartoons to hit TV since “The Simpsons” (and feel free to quote me on that Cartoon Network). Adult Swim really has a huge hit on their hands with this show and I just honestly can’t get enough of it. The show has amazing replay value and I feel like I can watch it over and over and over. It is also so extremely quotable that sometimes I laugh completely out of the blue just randomly relating daily life situations to events from the show. Totally classic and must see! Can’t wait for season three later this year!

Official Premise: Rick Sanchez (Justin Roiland) is still living with his daughter Beth’s (Sarah Chalke) family and causing more trouble than ever. This season the rest of the family, his son-in-law Jerry (Chris Parnell), grand-daughter Summer (Spencer Grammer) and grand-son Morty (Justin Roiland) are dragged into Rick’s intergalactic adventures, as he faces new threats and mysteries of his secret past are revealed. Can the family survive Rick’s insanity and all the chaos the universe throws at them?

Cartoon Network and Warner Home Video really stepped up their game for this Blu-ray release. Since they usually only go 1080i and a Dolby Digital 2.0 track for shows like “Adventure Time”. This second season of “Rick and Morty” comes stocked with a beautiful 1080p resolution with an
original aspect ratio: 1.78:1 and really kick ass HD Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track for each episode. Also they include a digital HD copy of the entire series to add to your streaming accounts.

There some good bonus content included for this season as well. Most importantly there are not only animatics for every episode but also audio commentaries for every episode with cast and crew. This is worth the purchase of the Blu-ray alone!! There is also a Behind the Scenes into the season as well as Deleted Animatic Sketches. Lastly a really amazing bonus that is given for us hardcore fans is an actual Plumbus Manual Premium included.

DVD Review “The League: Final Fantasy”

Cast: Mark Duplass, Katie Aselton, Nick Kroll, Paul Scheer, Jason Mantzoukas
Format: DVD
Rating: Not Rated
Number of Discs: 2
Studio: 20th Century Fox
DVD Release Date: June 7, 2016
Genre: TV Series

Season: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3 out of 5 stars

Let’s start with the fact that I am not a fan of football, fantasy football or sports in general, so right off the bat this show didn’t really call out to me. What I can appreciate though is a great cast including Mark Duplass, Nick Kroll, Paul Scheer, who are some of my favorite comedy actors, as well as Katie Aselton and Jason Mantzoukas. There is a whole lot of talent here that makes this show worth checking out for sure. Unfortunately this is the last season but the show has a great run on FX with seven seasons. Whether you are just finding out about this show or a hardcore fan, it’s worth checking out.

If you aren’t familiar with the show here is a series premise: A partially scripted comedy which follows the lives of six men who belong to a fantasy football league. The men take their contest extremely seriously and often will do anything to gain an advantage or win at any cost. Their obsession with fantasy football bleeds into other activities of their daily lives, affecting their jobs and families. A variety of colorful characters from the local community, from local business owners to a homeless man, get caught up in this zany world of fantasy sports.

Here is a season premise: Huddle up for the final outrageously funny season of the fantasy football comedy that’s always out of bounds. This year, the scheming smack-talkers find themselves embroiled in a string of scandals, kicking off when Pete discovers that his ex-wife Meegan is sleeping with a fellow league member. Next up, Taco flies into the drone zone, Kevin and Pete play chicken with their private parts, Jenny gets slot-shamed and Rafi hooks up with a watermelon. From blind-spot shenanigans to fake-book deflategate, Season Seven hits a highpoint by sinking to new lows.

The first disc includes the following episodes season 7: “Other Draft, The”; “Draft of Innocence, The”; “Blind Spot, The”; “Deflategate”; “Bully, The”; “Beer Mile, The”; and “Trophy Kevin”. There are also some Deleted Scenes included on here as well. Disc 2 includes the following episdoes “Last Temptation of Andre, The”; “Yank Banker, The”; “Block, The”; “Adios y Bienvenidos”; “13 Stages of Grief, The”; and “Great Night of Shiva, The”. Lastly there are also more Deleted Scenes on this disc as well as a Gag Reel, Alt Nation and Taco Tones for fans of the series.

 

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DVD Review “Strawberry Shortcake: Campberry Stories”

Strawberry Shortcake: Campberry Stories DVD
Street Date: June 7, 2016
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Total Run Time: 66 minutes

DVD Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3 out of 5 stars

Growing up in the 80’s and having a younger sister, there was no shortage of “Strawberry Shortcake” in our home. 30 years later and it is still extremely relevant and going strong. “Campberry Stories” is the latest DVD release in the series of episodes from this TV series. I  have to admit, this show honestly keep my attention when my daughter watches it. It is cute, funny and very colorful. So out of all the kids shows that I am “forced” to watch, this one is definitely one of easier ones to get through. Any fan of the series will want to pick up this latest collection of themed episodes.

Official Premise: It’s time for tall tales and small kindnesses in this berrytastic animated trio. Strawberry Shortcake and her pals are on their annual campout in Very Beautiful Meadow when they decide to see who can tell the most OUTRAGEOUS story. Plum, Cherry and Orange get things started with different made-up reasons to explain why they’re late to the party. Sour tells everyone an imagined adventure involving her and her sister, Sweet. And Apple tells the campers about a thrilling cross-country race… only she insists it really happened. It’s going to be a berry difficult decision to choose the best tale!

Fox has been putting out these DVDs in this series quite regularly. They are only on DVD, not Blu-ray but come with a bonus Digital HD copy, which is great to be able to stream on the road. The format for the DVD is Widescreen 1.78:1 and the audio tracks included are English Dolby Digital 5.1 and Spanish Surround Dolby Digital 2.0. There are some decent special features as well for the kiddos including “Exclusive Berry Sweet MASH UP videos”; “Meet Strawberry Shortcake & Friends”; “Best of Sweet Sunshine Adventures” and lastly some fun printable coloring pages and activity sheets to enjoy outside of the DVD as well.

Blu-ray Review “Roots: The Complete Original Series”

Directors: David Greene, Marvin J. Chomsky, John Erman, Gilbert Moses
Starring: Ben Vereen, John Amos, LeVar Burton, Olivia Cole, Vic Morrow, Louis Gossett Jr.
Number of discs: 3
Rated: Not Rated
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Release Date: June 7, 2016

Series: 5 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of 5 stars

“Roots” is a modern piece of TV history. This series had stood the test of time with some of the best performances since on TV ever. It is brutal sometimes, hard to watch but simple outstanding. Especially with the rebooted series which just aired on TV this past month, this is the perfect time to revisit this classic. It is presented in it’s original broadcast with all the program bumpers intact at the beginning and end of each episode. If you haven’t seen this series ever or not for a long time, now is the time to revisit this for sure!

Official Premise: His name was Kunta Kinte. Kidnapped from Africa and enslaved in America in 1767, he refused to accept his slave name of Toby. Heirs kept his heroic defiance alive, whispering the name Kunta Kinte from one generation to the next until it reached a young boy growing up in Tennessee. His name was Alex Haley. And he proclaimed Kunta Kinte’s name to the world. Through the lineage of one family, Haley and his Pulitzer Prize-winning ROOTS told a story for all America and the world. Seen by 130-million viewers during its premiere telecasts and the winner of dozens of awards, the David L. Wolper production remains a vital and engrossing entertainment landmark decades later.

This 40th anniversary release includes all the episodes in their original aspect ratio of 1:33, which has never looks better. Strangely the box specs say that the video is 1080i and that audio is Dolby Digital but that is definitely not the case because this series boasts a solid 1080p 24 frame video with sharp DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 sound, especially for a 40 year old TV series. You can tell that they actually did a lot of work to keep this series looking better than it ever has. The real bonus for me is that there is also a digital HD copy of the series included for you to watching streaming additionally.

The special features are also jam packed with content include two news features. The first is
“Roots: The American Story Continues” which features Whoopi Goldberg, James Earl Jones, Blair Underwood, Debbie Allen, Tavis Smiley, Shonda Rhimes and Reverend Al Sharpton talking about the effects of the series on their lives. The second is “The Cast Looks Back”, which includes original cast members including LeVar Burton, John Amos, Louis Gossett Jr., Ben Vereen, Cicely Tyson, Ed Asner, Sandy Duncan, Georg Stanford Brown and Lynne Moody share reflecting on the series.

Also included are a few great features like “Crossing Over: How Roots Captivated an Entire Nation”; “Connecting With the Past”; “The Struggle to Make Roots” and even an original screen test from Mr. LeVar Burton. Lastly there is an Alex Haley Interview by David Frost and a look back into the series with “Roots: One Year Later”. So if you are a fan of this series, you will not be let down with the additional content included in this very special 40th anniversary release.