Blu-ray Review “Justice League: Gods and Monsters”

Voice Cast: Michael C. Hall, Benjamin Bratt, Tamara Taylor, Paget Brewster, Jason Isaacs, Tahmoh Penikett, C. Thomas Howell, Penny Johnson Jerald, Richard Chamberlain, Josh Keaton, Carl Lumbly
Directors: Sam Liu
Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Warner Home Video
Release Date: July 28, 2015
Run Time: 72 minutes

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

“Justice League: Gods and Monsters” features a super cool alternate universe where Superman is the son of Zod. Batman is actually Man-Bat and Wonder Woman is the, God of War,  Princess Bekka. I really enjoyed this latest original movie in the DC animated universe and have always been a fan of DC Comics’ Elseworlds stories. Plus this film sees the return of animation legend Bruce Timm delivering a super cool new view of Justice League. A must see for an DC Comics fan!

Official Premise: “Justice League: Gods & Monsters” features a Superman born of General Zod’s blood, a Batman with a healthy dose of bat in the man, and a Wonder Woman rising from the ranks of the New Gods. This ain’t your daddy’s Justice League. They are as likely the world’s saviors as Earth’s despotic rulers. When a group of famed scientists experience untimely “accidents,” a government task force follows the trail of clues to the Justice League — and into a high stakes game of intrigue, mystery and action that asks the question: How do you serve justice to those above the law?

The voice cast of this film is nothing short of absolute epic and easiest the best accumulation of talent in a DC Animated Universe film.  The voice cast includes Michael C. Hall (Dexter) as Batman, Benjamin Bratt (Law & Order, 24) as Superman, Tamara Taylor (Bones), as Wonder Woman; Paget Brewster (Criminal Minds), as Lois Lane; C. Thomas Howell (E.T., Southland), as Dr. Will Magnus; Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter films, Dig) as Lex Luthor, Richard Chamberlain (Dr. Kildare, The Thorn Birds) as Highfather, and Tahmoh Penikett (Battlestar Galactica) as Steve Trevor.

Warner Bros is delivering this film as a combo pack with a Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD UltraViolet. The 1080p transfer is decent and delivers with the CG effects and animation. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track sounds great and no complaints there. “Alternate Realities: Infinite Possibilities” features various executives talking about the DC Comics’ Elseworlds stories. “Calculated Risk: The Making of Gods and Monsters” is a great behind-the-scenes look.

“The New Gods” talks about the film’s character designs and approach to putting the film together. In “From the DC Comics Vault” there are two animated episodes including “Phantoms” from Legion of Super Heroes and “Brave New Metropolis” from Superman: The Animated Series. Lastly there is a super rad sneak peak at the next DCU animated original movie, “Batman: Bad Blood”, which will introduce Batwoman.

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Film Review “Vacation”

Starring: Ed Helms, Christina Applegate and Chevy Chase
Directed by: John Francis Dailey and Jonathan M. Goldstein
Rated: R
Running time: 1 hour 39 mins
Warner Bros.

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

There’s a scene in the new film, “Vacation,” where one of the young sons of a now grown-up Rusty Griswold tells his father, “I’ve never even heard of the original vacation. Rusty’s response: “Doesn’t matter. The new vacation will stand on its own.”

Well, I’ve heard of the original. It’s a minute shorter and a heck of a lot funnier.

For the uninformed, 1983’s “Vacation” told the story of the Griswold family and their attempt to spend a family vacation at the Disneyworld-esque amusement park known as Walley World and the many mishaps that befell them on the way. In this version, it’s older son Rusty (Helms) who decides to rekindle that old feeling by taking his wife and sons to see the famous Moose. Along the way they stumble onto toxic waste, learn that Mrs. Griswold (Applegate) had a hell of a good time in college and discover that, despite all that can (and does) go wrong, dad’s heart is always in the right place.

What slows the film down some is Helms, who usually excels in supporting comedy roles. As the lead here, he doesn’t really bring any energy to the role. Chevy Chase’s Clark Griswold had a way of making Walley World seem like it really WAS the greatest place on earth. Helms just seems to think everyone already knows it. I would have much rather seen the original Rusty, Anthony Michael Hall, who still acts (he was so good in the “Dead Zone” television series) show up and bring have some fun. It’s not that the film isn’t “funny,” it’s that it isn’t FUNNY! The situations here are mostly too wild to laugh out loud. Here’s it’s a lot of nervous giggling and hoping that the next gag will be as funny as Helms and company try to sell it. The supporting cast does better, laugh wise, with Leslie Mann shining as the now grown-up Audrey and Chris Hemsworth shining as he plays a rural weatherman with a six pack abdomen and a little more than that packed below. He is truly unrecognizable and a hoot to boot.

This summer, give your new vacation a look if you’re really looking forward to it. Otherwise, sit back and remember how good the first “vacation” was!

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Film Review “Pixels”

Starring: Adam Sandler, Josh Gad and Peter Dinklage
Directed by: Chris Columbus
Rated: PG 13
Running time: 1 hour 45 mins
Columbia

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

In 1982 the world changed. Especially for kids. That was the year that video arcades began springing up all over the world, giving you a few minutes of fun for every quarter you dropped into them. The better you got, the longer your quarter went. That year found four young boys competing for Nintendo domination: Brenner, Cooper, Ludlow and Eddie. Their achievements were video-taped and included in a capsule sent out into space. 33 years later that capsule was found, a presumed challenge accepted, and now the quartet must pool their skills, remember their patterns and save the world.

A fun reminder for anyone that ever put a dollar bill in a change machine and pumped quarter after quarter into “Missile Command” (guilty) “Pixels” is really a series of individual episodes featuring a different video character from the past. The four boys have now grown up into men with varied careers. Brenner (Sandler), who came in second in the 82 tournament, is now a NERD (think the GEEK SQUAD from Best Buy), installing the latest electronic equipment into homes. Cooper (Kevin James) is somehow the President of the United States, caught in a mini-scandal when a bout of fatigue at an elementary school makes it look like he can’t read. Ludlow has gone off the grid, his mind a jumble of conspiracy theories. And Eddie, the winner of the event? Let’s just say he’s right where he belongs.

Things pick up some when President Cooper assembles his friends to take on a group of aliens who have recreated the actions of the video games of the past, allowing such forces as “Galaga” and “Pac Man” to attack. The effects are well done, but sometimes they overwhelm the on-screen action. The cast is game, no pun intended, with Gad and Dinklage rising high above the material. Sandler only pulls a couple “Sandler-isms” out here, which people who aren’t fans of the actor should appreciate. And a special nod to Q-bert, who has fun with a small, supporting role. Fans of the 1980s will also appreciate that the aliens appear in the form of people very popular in that decade, from Ronald Reagan to Madonna to Max Headroom. And if you have to ask who Max Headroom is, you probably shouldn’t be seeing this movie.

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Concert Review: Breaking Benjamin “Dark Before Dawn Tour” Big Flats, NY

“Dark Before Dawn Tour”
Breaking Benjamin, Starset
Date: Tuesday, July 14th 2015
Venue: Tag’s Summer Stage, Big Flats, NY

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Breaking Benjamin kicked off their summer tour run in support of their most recent album “Dark Before Dawn” at Tag’s Summer Stage in Big Flats, NY on July 14th. Despite torrential down pours which prompted flash flood warnings mixed with heavy periods of thunder and lightning the show seemed to go off without a hitch.

Razor & Tie recording artist Starset would open the night hitting the stage performing their unique blend of techno infused rock. Clad in spacey lighted costume the members of the band laid a solid foundation for vocalist Dustin Bates who split his time behind the microphone and a giant touch screen control panel that seemed to be straight out of an “Iron Man” film. The group performed a variety of songs of their debut album “Transmission” including the hit single “My Demons” prior to the conclusion of the set. After a rather lengthy set change and still under foreboding skies the members of Breaking Benjamin would hit the stage to instant applause as they performed the song “So Cold”.

Throughout the bands 22 song set the band took time to show their appreciation for the crowds support throughout the numerous bouts of bad weather leading up to the bands performance. The nights set list was a combination of both new and old material with a handful of covers including Queen’s “Who Wants to Live Forever” and Tool’s “Aenima” to name just a few. The addition of the covers made me questions the bands decision as with 5 albums worth of material to choose from why not give the fans a little more of your own material as opposed to someone else’s. Either way all the hits were still there including the group’s 2002 break out hit “Polyamorous” which certainly was one of the songs garnering the night’s biggest applause.

With this being the bands first night of the tour I was a bit skeptical as you never know what to expect as things are generally still being worked out 2 to 3 shows into a tour however the band sounded great and right out of the gate seemed to be firing on all cylinders. Breaking Benjamin did not let bad weather hinder their performance and the sizeable crowd was very gracious. The tour runs through August so if you haven’t gotten tickets yet for the show closest to your area what are you waiting for?

Breaking Benjamin Set List:
1.) So Cold
2.) Angels Fall
3.) Follow
4.) Break My Fall
5.) Who Wants to Live Forever (Queen Cover)
6.) Unknown Soldier
7.) Sooner or Later
8.) Blow Me Away
9.) Failure
10.) Breath
11.) AEnema (Tool Cover)
12.) Phase
13.) Away
14.) Give Me a Sign
15.) Shallow Bay
16.) Imperial March/ Schism/ Smells Like Teen Spirit/ Walk
17.) Polyamorous
18.) Evil Angel
19.) Until the End
20.) I Will Not Bow
21.) Lights Out
22.) Dance with the Devil
23.) Intro
24.) The Diary of Jane

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Film Review “Southpaw”

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Forest Whitaker and Rachel McAdams
Directed By: Antoine Fuqua
Rated: R
Running Time: 123 minutes
The Weinstein Company

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

After being denied a much deserved Oscar nomination for best actor last year for “Nightcrawler,” Jake Gyllenhaal is back to beat the hell out of anyone who thinks otherwise. While last year he was downright chilly as a cunning sociopath with an appetite for visual destruction, in “Southpaw” he’s a mumbling, short-tempered boxer by the name of Billy Hope. The gusto that Gyllenhaal has given in his performances over the past couple of years on display in “Southpaw,” but his acting prowess is too good for this script.

When we meet Billy, he’s being bandaged up for an upcoming boxing match. It’s one of the few instances in this movie we don’t see him beaten, bruised, or bleeding. Gyllenhaal sets the tone capturing the mannerisms of an all-star athlete psyching himself before a match, but once he speaks, he captures the literacy of Mike Tyson, and that’s not a bad thing when you’re portraying someone whose life is all about getting bashed in the head by fists.

His character is a bit like Lenny from “Of Mice and Men” because he has a gentle heart, but wields the strength to break some bones. Billy has a lovely wife, Maureen (McAdams) and a 10-year-old daughter whom he absolutely adores, Lelia (Oona Laurence). He turns into a pile of mush talking to them and fawns over them constantly, but once he steps into the ring, he turns into an absolute monster. This big swing in delivery and emotions is what makes Gyllenhaal’s performance one of the best this summer.

The story that Gyllenhaal gets to act in is not as stellar. The high-life ends when a freak accident, which I’m still not sure what happened in it, kills Maureen, and leaves Billy and Lelia alone. The story logistics, or domino effect of bad events after Maureen’s death, are hasty and illogical. Focusing on them could easily cloud one’s judgement and prevent one from enjoying the cheap entertainment that “Southpaw” is. Billy loses custody of his daughter, he loses his home and his livelihood, and he’s left penniless in the streets, all within a matter of days. You think the undefeated lightweight champion of the world could afford a better trial lawyer and would have at least a couple of million for the rainiest of days.

Instead of solving problems in a clear, concise manner, the movie relies on aged sports movie clichés to get from one scene to the next. One instance for example is when Forest Whitaker shows up as the Apollo of the movie, Titus. Titus has some strict morals about training a professional boxer that he ends up forsaking so it won’t inconvenience the plot. While all of this certainly puts a damper on everything, if you treat it like most summer blockbusters, you shouldn’t have too hard a time enjoying what transpires.

“Southpaw” is an enjoyable break from the explosions and CGI of the summer, as long as you’re not putting it in the ring against “Rocky” or “Raging Bull”. “Southpaw” gives us one of the more loveable brutes of the summer, while providing cheap popcorn entertainment. For all its faults, it can be enjoyed as long as you turn your brain off. And if I can be forgiven for just one more heap of praise for Gyllenhaal, seeing his shapeshifting transformation from role to role since “End of Watch” is reason enough to purchase a ticket for “Southpaw”.

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Digital HD Review “Silicon Valley: Season 2”

Starring: Thomas Middleditch, T.J. Miller, Zach Woods, Martin Starr, Kumail Nanjiani, Matt Ross, Amanda Crew and Josh Brener
Creator: Mike Judge
Rating: TV-MA
Studio: HBO Studios

Season: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2 out of 5 stars

Whatever Mike Judge touches is instant gold. Season one of “Silicon Valley” was a real blast to watch. It was smart and very funny. Well, Season two didn’t just improve on the first, it trumped it. The show delivers non-stop laugh out loud moments and introduces my new favorite character Russ Hanneman played by the amazing Chris Diamantopoulos. This is no question one of the best shows on television right now and I am glad to report that HBO has already renewed “Silicon Valley” for a third season, so keep an eye out for more next year.

Official Premise: After taking the tech world by storm with their debut at TechCrunch Disrupt last season, Richard and his Pied Piper team look ahead to a big future–one that’s immediately soured by legal woes and petty revenge plans from Hooli overlord Gavin Belson–in Season 2 of Mike Judge’s hit HBO comedy series. This season, Monica finds herself torn between her allegiance to Richard and her job working under a new head honcho; meanwhile, the presence of Richard’s departed longtime pal Big Head looms large, as Gavin decides to use him to his fullest potential.

Redeemed through VUDU, there are two additional extras included. The first is a preview the season with Erlich, Richard and other characters from the series discussing season 2 of the show. There is also an extra called “Invitation to the Set”, which features Mike Judge and the stars of the show discuss what to expect season 2. iTunes has a few other extras included but that is all for VUDU. HBO still has yet to deliver the extras digitally that are available with their Blu-ray/DVD releases.  Currently at this time there is no Blu-ray/DVD release date for season 2 of “Silicon Valley”, so if you want to see it and don’t have HBO, then I would definitely recommend checking out the Digital HD streaming option.

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Concert Review “The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses” Orlando, FL

The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses
Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts
Orlando, FL
July 18, 2015

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses was a delicious meal for the ears and eyes. The concert started off softly, drawing you in with the subtle sounds of Zelda. Of course, they saved some of the best songs for last.

A live orchestra and chorus performed in sync with clips from various Legend of Zelda games, such as Twilight Princess and Majora’s Mask. For added effect, live cameras would occasionally pan into orchestra pit to feature an instrument soloist. Also, they featured video clips where the games’ creators, such as Shigeru Miyamoto, sharing the delight they’ve had in creating the Zelda games.

The only downside was that sometimes the audience would get overly excited at the beginning of certain, popular songs and start loudly clapping and cheering. This, sadly, would overwhelm about 20-30 seconds of the song. While I was a little disappointed to miss the start of the song, I had to admit the music deserved the applause.

Regardless of the occasional crowd noise, this show is a must see for the avid Legend of Zelda fan. A live orchestra that is playing Zelda music? It was everything that I imagined.

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Blu-ray Review: “What We Do in the Shadows”

Starring: Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi, Jonny Brugh, Cori Gonzalez-Macuer
Directed By: Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi
Distributed by: Paramount
MPAA Rating: R
Running Time: 85 Minutes
Release Date: July 21st

Film: 4.5 out of 5 Stars
Extras: 5 out of 5 Stars

What We Do in the Shadows was released here back in February and still remains my favorite comedy of 2015. From the makers of HBO’s Flight of the Conchords, What We Do in the Shadows is a mockumentary from New Zealand which sees the vampire genre through the eyes of four decidedly uncool flatmates who are also undead. If the thought of yet another vampire film has you reaching for your crucifix, I would implore you to hold off just for these 85 minutes. Despite its slight runtime, Shadows manages to cleverly hit upon all the classic vampire tropes in new and hilarious ways. Rather than Interview with the Vampire, we get interviews with some vampires by way of Christopher Guest or “The Office”.

Taika Waititi is our main vampire, Viago, a friendly fop of only 379 who likes to keep the flat neat even while draining victims of their blood. To start off, he calls a flat meeting where he and ex-torture-master Vladislav (Clement) can confront their youngest roomie Deacon (Brugh, playing 183 years old) about his lax approach to dish duty. Fourth roommate, Petyr, a Nosferatu-like creature who lives in a stone tomb in the basement declines his invite to the meeting. It’s a brilliant intro to the dynamics of this most unusual household before the ‘film crew’ are able to go further into each character’s origins, heartaches and peculiar hobbies. Their routine of hitting up Wellington, NZ nightspots and scouting for potential victims is broken up when one of those potentials is accidentally turned into a new vampire Nick (Gonzalez-Macuer). Nick brings with him a mortal BFF Stu, a deadpan company IT guy, who charms the household into not eating him by simply being cooler and showing the vamps how the internet works. Meanwhile Nick flies around town trying pick up lines like “I’m Twilight” blowing their cover and generally–and fortunately for the viewers – stirring up trouble while blowing their cover.

The film culminates at the Unholy Masquerade where all the communities of supernatural Wellington beings convene. It’s a brilliant finale which allows the filmmakers to expand their lens from vampires to zombies, goblins and werewolves, causing one to wonder what’s going on in all those other shadows over there?? Rhys Darby in particular has a standout bit part as the leader of the werewolves who are just doing their best to keep calm. The comedy works on pretty much every level and was a welcome return to the sensibilities that I loved so much in “Flight of the Conchords”.

Extras 

As seems to be the case with mockumentaries, ‘Shadows’ has a wealth of extra footage that was left on the cutting room floor. This blu-ray is bursting with additional characterization of everyone on the screen, that is pretty much as hilarious as what made it to the final cut. Kudos go to the filmmakers for keeping the final film as tight as it is when they had this much content at their hands. Additionally, while the supernatural gags blend seamlessly into the comedy, the film has a whole lot of practical special effects at work–from blood splatters, to men on fire and rotating entire sets– that the behind the scenes footage highlights. Clements and Waititi’s original short version of the film completes the disc, showing the seeds of what eventually made it to feature length.

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DVD Review “Sesame Street: Count on Elmo”

Actors: Ryan Dillon, Leslie Carrara-Rudolph, David Rudman, Eric Jacobson, Matt Vogel
Directors: Ken Diego, Kevin Clash, Jim Martin, Joey Mazzarino, Ted May
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Sesame Street
DVD Release Date: July 7, 2015

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

Having a young child, the world of Sesame Street is well known in our house. My daughter loved Elmo growing up. As she is getting older and starting to learn her numbers the latest DVD is coming at the perfect time for her. “Count on Elmo” is a great learning tool to aid kids in their process of getting to know their numbers.

Official Premise: Kids can rely on their Sesame Street friends for lots of fun, laughs and counting in Sesame Street: Count on Elmo. When the Noble Counting Prize committee is looking for the World’s Greatest Counter, Elmo knows that his friend The Count is perfect for the prize. Elmo, Grover, Abby and Cookie Monster try and capture The Count’s amazing counting skills on camera so they can enter him in the contest, but everything goes awry! Will The Count win the prize or will it be a Count-astrophe? Kids will learn about friendship and math concepts such as numbers, counting, and enumeration.

It’s crazy to think that Sesame Street has been around for more than 45 years and I am sure it will be around for another 45 years easy. These DVD’s are important and teach very important lessons for our kids. This DVD includes over 2 hours of fun and education for kids (and parents) to enjoy. This DVD also features the new song “Count on Friends” and a bonus video “Pre-School is Cool: ABC’s With Elmo”.

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Film Review “Trainwreck”

Starring: Amy Schumer, Bill Hader and Lebron James
Directed by: Judd Apatow
Rated: R
Running time: 2 hrs 5 mins
Universal

Our Score: 2.5 out of 5 stars

I sometimes wonder who decides on the titles of films. When the film “Wind” came out I’m sure there was more than one critic who summed up the film by saying, “WIND Blows!” So if you’re going to call a film “Trainwreck”…. I think you get the picture.

We meet nine-year old Amy (Devin Fabry) and her little sister, Kim (Carla Oudin) as their father (Colin Quinn) is explaining to them why he and their mother are getting a divorce. He doesn’t make a lot of sense to the girls but Amy does take to heart one piece of wisdom from her dad: “Monogamy isn’t realistic.” Now in her early 30’s, Amy (Schumer) is still following her dad’s advice, hopping from relationship to relationship with no thought of the other person. She has convinced herself she will never fall in love. And then she meets Dr. Connor (Hader).

A hit and miss comedy that at times hits and at others misses badly, “Trainwreck” isn’t one, but it teeters in that direction. The ads proclaim that it’s “from the guy who brought you Bridesmaids,” (which Apatow produced) but unfortunately it’s not from the gal that wrote “Bridesmaids.” Star Amy Schumer wrote the script here, and while the film is funny in parts, sometimes the raunch factor is so over the top that you wonder how a skilled comic mind like Judd Apatow let some of the “jokes” slip by. And this is coming from someone that loves a good dirty joke.

The film’s saving grace is its cast. Bill Hader is so damn likeable that you can’t help but wish he had chosen a better film. Schumer also credits herself well here, though you wish she had a better writer. Tilda Swinton is unrecognizable as Schumer’s magazine editor-boss and delivers many of the laughs. But I have to give a special shout-out to Lebron James and WWE star John Cena, both of who prove themselves very funny people indeed. Would love to see the two of them teamed up in a film, like Van Damme was with Dennis Rodman in “Double Team.” That would be a collision I’d welcome seeing.

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Film Review “Ant-Man”

Starring: Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas and Corey Stoll
Directed By: Peyton Reed
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 117 minutes
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Our Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

In the hearts and minds of many, Robert Downey Jr. will always be Iron Man, Chris Evans will always be Captain America, and Hugh Jackman will always be the Wolverine. This isn’t a bad thing because these are all beloved characters that have now been etched into movie history. Of course some people, like Ben Affleck, will always be remembered for the abysmal “Daredevil” movie. So with that said, Paul Rudd, you are Ant-Man, and damn good at it.

It’s a difficult job to be the Marvel movie that follows up the box office success, “Age of Ultron,” but “Ant-Man” is not only a sufficient follow-up, but better than the epic spectacle earlier this summer. While “Ant-Man” may not have the budget, the explosive scenes, and the plethora of characters building around its hyperbolic villain, it’s still grand. Its pint sized hero does everything wonderfully on a much smaller scale, but with a lot more heart.

Scott Lang (Rudd) is a cat burglar who constantly reminds everyone that his robberies were not violent. He’s recently been let out of jail and is staying with his buddy Luis (Michael Pena). Scott wants to do right. He has the smarts and drive, but as his wife says, he leaves when things get tough. So after some unsuccessful attempts at getting a decent job, including a shameless product placement, Scott quickly resorts back to a life of crime.

Luis has the scoop on a home with a massive safe in the basement. Scott breaks in, and his first foe is an impressive metal door with a thumb print key lock. He disposes of this quickly, seemingly ready to meet the illegal challenge. But it isn’t gold bars, jewelry, the Ark of the Covenant, or any treasure like that inside this mystery vault. Instead it’s a suit, and as the cliché goes, it comes with a great power. Scott may not be ready for the power, but the creator of the suit, Hank Pym (Douglas), is ready to teach him.

Like most origin stories, it does deal with the obligatory training scenes and exposition that we’ve become accustomed to in many of these superhero movies. “Ant-Man” reminds me a lot of “Iron Man” in that the training sequences are coupled with personal growth in our hero. It isn’t simply bulking up, learning fighting tactics, and growing into a suit, but it’s also about growing as a person. We don’t need the end of the world to be impressed with superhero movies, but we’ll certainly have a lot more admiration for someone who’s just as human as me or you. With Paul Rudd’s acting and the clever writing, “Ant-Man” becomes one of the best Marvel movies.

“Ant-Man” is enjoyable, fun, exciting, and filled with humor. It knows when to be emotional and it knows when to laugh at itself. A lot of that is thanks to the script penned by Edgar Wright. While three others were attached to it, Wright’s mark has been left. Peyton Reed, who is far from being known for directing action movies, does an OK job replicating Wright’s style of direction. The blueprints were there, but there is this faint feeling that it could have been perfect if Wright was behind the camera.

Ant-Man joins a very crowded field of superheroes, and sure to become even more crowded with Captain Marvel, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, and others on the horizon. While I’m sure Marvel will handle all of these characters like it has in the past, with grace, heart, and comedy, but as of right now, Ant-Man’s short stature has left the biggest mark on the Marvel universe. Good things do come in small packages.

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Blu-ray Review “Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2”

Starring: Kevin James, Raini Rodriguez, Neal McDonough, Shirley Knight, Eduardo Verástegui, D.B. Woodside
Director: Andy Fickman
Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Release Date: July 14, 2015

Film: 1.5 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars

There is no denying that Kevin James is talented. He has his moments where he is quite funny. “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” was a decent film at best but it never warranted a sequel. Even though I love Vegas, this film was a complete waste of time and really unnecessary. Just like “Grown Ups 2,” another film that James was in that wasn’t needed. Still though, if you liked the first film you might, stress might, enjoy this film.

Official Premise: In this sequel, in which Kevin James reprises the role of Paul Blart, the security guard is headed to Las Vegas to attend a Security Guard Expo with his teenage daughter Maya (Raini Rodriguez) before she departs for college. While at the convention, he inadvertently discovers a heist – and it’s up to Blart to apprehend the criminals.

The Blu-ray comes with a combo pack with a Blu-ray + DVD + UltraViolet copy included. The 1080p transfer is sharp, courtesy of Sony who consistently delivers impressive releases. Even though not a film needed to be mastered in 4K, Sony definitely takes pride in their Blu-ray transfers. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track sounds good and works well even with the cheesy action.

The special features are nothing special but include a gag reel, some deleted scenes, and a few very short features. The first is “Security Force: The Cast of Paul Blart 2” has cast chatting about the sequel. “Back in the Saddle” discusses the use of the Segway back in this film. “How to Make a Movie” is a chat with the director Andy Fickman. “Le Reve” introduces the Vegas location into the mix. “No Animals Were Harmed” looks into the bird fight scene. Lastly there is a photo gallery included and trailers.

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Concert Review: Heart “Music=Love Tour”

“Music=Love Tour”
Heart
Date: Tuesday, June 30th 2015
Venue: The Oncenter Crouse Hinds Theater

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

2013 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Heart made a stop at the Crouse Hinds Theater in Syracuse, NY on June 30th as part of the groups 2015 Music=Love tour. The group fronted by sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson performed a stellar 90 minute set which featured songs from the groups 40+ year career. The near capacity crowd instantly took to their feet with the band opening number “Magic Man” which instantly set the tone for the evening’s performance. As the set progressed both Ann and Nancy took turns at the mic introducing the numbers and giving some background on some of the more personal songs.

Songs such as “What About Love”, “Straight On” and “Barracuda” all received tremendous praise however it was songs like “59 Crunch” and a cover of The Sonics song “The Witch” where you saw the band really stretch its legs and get down and dirty. The band performed relatively flawless throughout the initial 15 song set after which they left the stage briefly only to return and treat the appreciative crowd to a 3 song encore consisting of “Immigrant Song”, “No Quarter” and “Misty Mountain Top” all Led Zeppelin classics.

Along with Ann and Nancy members Ben Smith, Craig Bartock, Chris Joyner and Dan Rothchild all brought their A game this evening. Don’t let the fact that the band which was formed in 1973 fool you as they pack just as much punch now as they did then. Possibly even more! The group will be on tour through the beginning of December with both standard and VIP ticket packages available. We definitely recommend you check them out if they are in your area. You won’t be disappointed.

Set List:

1.) Magic Man
2.) Heartless
3.) What About Love
4.) Kick It Out
5.) Straight On
6.) Love Alive
7.) 59 Crunch
8.) There’s the Girl
9.) Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters
10.) These Dreams
11.) Alone
12.) Dear Old America
13.) The Witch
14.) Crazy On You
15.) Barracuda
16.) Immigrant Song
17.) No Quarter
18.) Misty Mountain Top

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Filed Under: Concert Reviews Tagged With: concert, heart, musiclove, review, tour

CD Review: Phinehas “Till The End”

Phinehas
“Till The End”
Artery Recordings
Tracks: 13

Our Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

La Mirada, California’s Phinehas is back with a brand new full length record titled “Till The End”. The album features 13 tracks of searing metal-core goodness and serves as the follow up to the bands 2013 release “The Last Word Is Yours to Speak”. This is the bands first release since signing to Artery Recordings and also the first to feature Daniel Gailey on guitar.

From the second the albums opening track “Dead Choir” opens till the closing notes of “Till The End” ring out Phinehas deliver. Vocalist Sean McCulloch provides the perfect blend of guttural screamed verses and melodic infused chorus giving each of the 13 tracks that make up the album multiple levels of appeal. Guitarist Daniel Gailey fits right in with the band and showcases his talents on all the tracks but for me really stood on tracks such as “White Livered” and “Forever West”.

The rhythm section of the band consisting of Bryce Kelly on bass and Lee Humarian on drums provide and extremely well executed level of tightness that elevates the album to the next level. A perfect example of this is the track “Illiaster (More Than Skin)” which features an intricate arrangement with multiple time signatures. The band shows a different side of themselves on the track “Seven” which features a rolling acoustic riff and subtle verses which gives way haunting choruses before ending in the bands thunderous signature roar.

The latest offering from Phinehas is an album you can throw on and listen to over and over again without it becoming stale or repetitive. The band used its time wisely between releases and the work certainly shows on “Till The End” fans of the band and the metal-core genre will certainly want to grab a copy of this album.

Track Listing:
1.) Dead Choir
2.) White Livered
3.) Truth Be Told
4.) Non
5.) Forever West
6.) Tetelestai
7.) Coup de Grace
8.) Omnis
9.) Seven
10.) Iliaster (More Than Skin)
11.) Evening Grey and Morning Red
12.) Moriar
13.) Till The End

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Filed Under: CD Reviews Tagged With: cd, phinehas, review

CD Review: Starset “Transmissions”

Starset
“Transmissions”
Razor & Tie
Producer: Rob Graves
Tracks: 14

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

“Transmissions” is the debut release from the Columbus, Ohio based rock band Starset. The album features 14 immense tracks which fill the listener’s ears time and time again with something new. Produce by Rob Graves (Red, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster) and released via Razor & Tie “Transmissions” is a unique experience the runs the gambit of musical styles.

The album starts off with a somewhat cryptic and distorted message which instantly sets the stage for what’s in store with the preceding tracks. From there the track “Down With The Fallen” kicks off and shows it’s self as one of the albums stronger tracks. Former Downplay vocalist Dustin Bates does a nice job blending the transitions between the melodic and overdriven vocals which define the groups sound. As the album progresses listeners are bombarded with distorted guitars and catchy choruses that with ease get stuck in your head.

The album’s first single “My Demons” is a perfect example of this and also another personal highlight. Though I felt some of the album was a bit overdone it wasn’t enough to completely lose my attention or make me skip ahead to the track. If you’re a fan of rock music with orchestral arrangements and a variety of spacey samples then you will certainly want to check out “Transmissions

Track Listing:
1.) First Light
2.) Down With The Fallen
3.) Halo
4.) Carnivore
5.) Telescope
6.) It Has Begun
7.) My Demons
8.) Antigravity
9.) Dark On Me
10.) Let It Die
11.) The Future Is Now
12.) Point of No Return
13.) Rise and Fall
14.) Let It Die (Maniac Agenda Remix)

 

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Filed Under: CD Reviews Tagged With: cd, review, starset, transmissions
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