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You may not be surprised to hear that this little seen pseudo-fantasy film by virtually unknown writer/director Joshua Michael Stern took 2 years to reach DVD, big deal, right, for a film no one’s heard of. On the other hand, it is quite surprising that this films stars Ian McKellen, Aaron Eckhart, Nick Nolte, Brittany Murphy, William Hurt, Jessica Lange, and Alan Cumming, and those aren’t bit cameos either, that’s the actual cast of the film. How this film came together with that cast is a mystery to me and automatically raises a red flag that this is a film some of the cast wish never-was. But in the end, I found Neverwas to be a nice little film that could be worth you time.

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Word on the street is that some Wal-marts are beginning to carry a Magnavox branded Blu-ray player in the $288-298 price range as well as the Samsung 1500 for just under $350. Little is know about the Maganavox unit yet, however it has been suggested in various forums that the product is manufactured by Funai of Japan and may be a re-branded Phillips player.

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Cuba? What the hell…?

What’s next Norbit 2? Please noooooo!!!!

I don’t get it, why does this movie exist? What’s the thought process? Let’s take an already mediocre movie (Daddy Day Care) and make a less inspired, poorly conceived sequel. I miss the days when only good movies got less inspired, poorly conceived sequels.

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When Space Ace showed up on my doorstep, I kicked me heels in a fit of joy. OK, maybe I’m not athletic enough to actually do that anymore, but you get the point. I had seen the previous Dragon’s Lair Blu-ray/HD DVD release and was very curious about the quality, but never took the plunge myself. This was probably due to all of the mediocre PC and console releases I’ve seen and played over the years which had left *mostly* a bad taste in my gaming mouth. But I had high hopes for Space Ace and I am more than pleased with the results.

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Do you enjoy a little Beethoven with your ultraviolence? Stanley Kubrick’s controversial A Clockwork Orange has arrived on Blu-ray Hi-Def (as the TV adds now like to call our BD format). Often imitated, sometimes misunderstood, A Clockwork Orange is a classic no matter your opinion of the film. Personally, this isn’t my favorite Kubrick film (that would have to be 2001), but it’s essential viewing nevertheless. Whether you choose to view it on this Blu-ray might be another story….

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Let’s say we take one of the greatest (if not the greatest) female novelists of all time, and reduce her life into a romantic fluff piece aimed squarely at fans of modern chick-lit? We’d get something close to Becoming Jane. That may be a bit harsh for this light-hearted tale of a young Jane Austin. I wasn’t completely underwhelmed by the film, more like just *whelmed*.  Fortunately, this Blu-ray Disc is a nice surprise otherwise with superior video transfer and a nice audio track to boot. So, all is not lost, you husbands of women who force such films upon you.

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Human Giant is a sketch comedy show starring Aziz Ansari, Rob Huebel and Paul Scheer. These guys may not necessarily be household names, but these are three guys who know their way around the comedy circuit. Personally I’ve never caught this show on MTV. I guess that’s because I don’t watch MTV. Ever. But as a fan of Mr. Show, SCTV, and the like, I’m happy to have discovered Human Giant: Season One on DVD.

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This could be either one of the greatest home cinema experiences of your lifetime, or you may be bored to tears. Thus is the dilemma of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Either way, go buy this Blu-ray, that way you can at least feign serious film collector.

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Chucky returns with bride Tiffany and androgynous child Glen/Glenda in a modern sendup of old Hollywood. A little bit of gore, some John Waters, and a healthy dose of Jennifer Tilly keep this film fresh and original despite its obvious 80s slasher gimmick origins. Universal has put together an excellent package for this HD DVD release that should please Chucky fans young and old. HD DVD dead? Oh well….worth a pickup at your nearest firesale.

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WHAT TIME IS IT? Well, actually it’s about 2:30pm EST during a snowstorm where I’m sitting, but had I asked the same question to either of my kids, or likely any preteen of the female gender, I may have been answered with: SUMMERTIME! followed by the rest of the theme from High School Musical 2, which has already been so ingrained into their very being, they have no choice but to break into song on cue. Yep, that even includes my 3 year old. You might think I’m a sad excuse for a parent, but maybe I’m just looking for ANY possible alternative to grown men singing about fruit salad. So yeah, we’re cool with HSM at my house, and it’s only easier to justify on Blu-ray.

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Ahh..Baseball and Kevin Costner. Goes together like chocolate and peanut butter, but not quite as tasty or always as enjoyable. Still, Costner has carved a nice niche for himself playing baseball players (four times by my count) with enough heart and sentiment to give even haters of America’s pastime a little American spirit. This time around Sam (Spider-man/Evil Dead) Raimi directs For Love of the Game with Kelly Preston, John C. Reilly, and Jena Malone co-staring. Costner plays an almost-washed-up pitcher for my local boys the Detroit Tigers. While not completely a sports film, and a bit more heavy on the romance, the Tigers haven’t looked as clear as they do on this HD DVD since last I’ve seen them in person.

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I remember feeling quite enthusiastic when I heard about a big screen adaptation of one of my favorite childhood cartoons was coming. I also remember the bile raise in my gut when I actually saw the trailer for Underdog. How could I not assume the worst when my quirky, retro hero had been turned into another attempt at live-action, talking animal film? Admittedly, I wanted nothing to do with this remake, but when I sat down with my family to watch Underdog for this review, a funny thing happened. Not only did I find myself enjoying this fresh new take, catching many references to the original series, but my children actually sat still.

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How about a new review this morning? C’mon, it’ll be fun. I brought doughnuts and a crappy movie.. OK, OK I ate the doughnuts, but at least you didn’t have to sit through Stir of Echoes 2: The Homecoming. Rob Lowe stars in this “thriller” and, like his predecessor Kevin Bacon (from the first film if you didn’t catch that), he too can see dead people. At this point I’m wondering if they’re isn’t anyone who can’t see dead people anymore. Seriously, if you work in Hollywood and haven’t seen any dead people in one of your films, call your agent because apparently this bandwagon is still being pulled by that long dead horse. Anyway, this time around instead of a guy losing his mind digging up his yard and basement to solve a plaguing mystery, Lowe is a soldier who comes home (it’s in the title, get it), drinks alot of orange juice, listens to rap music, and drives to a dumpster. Interested???

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Merry Christmas from UpcomingDiscs! Let me bring you a little holiday cheer with a new Blu-ray review today. I’ll have to admit that I had never actually watched the previous two Santa Clause films, so before I ventured into new territory, I took the time to watch the first two because I am just that dedicated to you, the reader (or maybe my family forced me to sit through them as they played relentlessly on cable). Either way, I’m prepared to bring you the latest (and hopefully last) entry into this tired series.

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The premise of Twilight Zone the Movie wasn’t a bad one. Steven Spielberg, John Landis, Joe Dante, and George Miller would give their own takes on the Twilight Zone mythos in several short featurettes. Unfortunately, the tragic events surrounding the making of this film only exacerbated the film’s failure. The death of star Vic Morrow and two other actors during John Landis’ segment of the film placed a dark cloud over this movie that still remains to this day. Even Spielberg’s lighthearted “Kick the Can” and John Lithgow’s great performance of George Miller’s reworking of “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” can’t save this film from the weight of uneasiness that still remains. The HD DVD presentation does make for a better viewing experience than the standard cable TV presentation I’ve been accustomed to, but I’ll have to leave this disc for the die hard fans only.

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Though comic scribe Alan Moore may want little to nothing to do with this film adaptation of his graphic novel of the same name, From Hell manages to be an entertaining, pulpy, if not a little overblown thriller. Of course, it doesn’t hurt when Johnny Depp plays the lead and directors the Hughes Brothers work hard to break from the norm of their previous efforts (Menace II Society, Dead Presidents). Having only viewed this movie upon its original DVD release, and feeling mixed about the results, I found myself enjoying From Hell more than I expected or remembered. Maybe the great transfer on the Blu-ray Disc had something to do with it.

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What would Christmas be without shopping and Ahhnuld? Well, I guess there wouldn’t be any family fun then, would there? Yeah….I think there would. But if you need a dose of the Governator on top of your waiting in long check out lines, then look no further than Jingle All the Way: Family Fun Edition. Apparently the previous DVD edition briefly went out of print, and fans demanded their annual Schwarzenegger/Sinbad Christmas fix, so Fox studios reached down from the heavens with a heavy dose of Christmas magic to give their fans the gift that keeps on giving: Jingle All the Way: Family Fun Edition. Oh Joy!

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Jay Mohr starts in this painfully unfunny Christmas “comedy” titled Christmas Do-Over. A blatant ripoff of Groundhog Day that intends to appeal to both kids and adults, but ends up entertaining no one. I wish I had a “do-over” so I could skip this drivel. In fact, if I was repeating the same day over and over, I’d find time to track down Jay Mohr, Daphne Zuniga, and the rest of the cast (Adrienne Barbeau how could you?) and slap them all upside the head. How bout that for a “do-over”?

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If you’ve started reading this review, and have yet to have the title song stuck in your head, watch the preview and you’ll be hard pressed to forget it before the end of the day. Viva Las Vegas is arguably one of Elvis’ best films known especially for the on-screen chemistry between the King and Ann-Margaret. Some catalog high definition releases have been of less than desirable quality, but Warner Bros has put out a real winner here that’s sure to stun friends and family. If you wanted something to show your parents, or grandparents (gasp!) the value of high definition, look no further. Oh yeah, and the movie’s fun too!

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I’ll describe this show the same way I did to a friend of mine who is now a fan of all things Dethklok. If you took This Is Spinal Tap added Type O Negative (at their hardest) and made it into a cartoon, you might have some idea what Metalocalypse is all about. Part tribute, part parody, all metal, Metalocalypse is likely the most gruesome and one of the best shows on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim lineup.

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What’s more frightening? The thought of your life ending by a horrible, fast-acting virus that kills you as you’re coughing up blood, or that Tiffani Thiessen, French Stewart, Vincent Spano, with Eric Roberts and Faye Dunaway might be the only ones who can save you!? That’s the premise (sort of) of Hallmark’s mini-series Pandemic which, for those who care (or will humor me by reading my review) is available on DVD. While I’m generally not a fan of the made-for-TV movie type fare, this series had enough plot and character development to keep me not only awake, but mostly interested during it’s 3 hour runtime. Rumoured to be re-airing on soon, your Tivo could do worse…

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Just to be clear, if you didn’t catch it in the review title above, this review is NOT for the Michael Bay live action Transformers that was recently released on DVD and HD DVD. It IS for the original animated film which is not available in North America on high definition. But yes, there is still a good reason for us local transfans to be excited. Metrodome has given us a remastered Blu-ray REGION FREE version of the fan favorite film. So how do you get this and is it worth the import? Is this a movie a new fan would enjoy? Well, let me tell you….

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