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Sears “Black Friday” deals

Posted in Blog Posts, News and Opinions by Archive Authors on October 29th, 2007

Some great deals on the unholiest day of retail sales(source).

Coby DVD Player – $9.99
Curtis Home Theater System – $29.99
Philips HDMI Up Convert DVD Player – $29.99
Sony 1000 Watt 5 Disc Home Theater System – $299.99
Sony 1000-Watt 5-Disc Home Theater System – $299.99
Sony 800 Watt Home Theater System – $149.99
Sony Combination DVD VCR Player – $84.99
Sony DVD Recorder With VCR DVD – $199.99
Toshiba HD-A3 HD DVD Player – $169.99
Zenith DVD Player / VCR Combo – $39.99

A Clockwork Orange (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 28th, 2007

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Very few of us know A Clockwork Orange as the 1962 novel by Anthony Burgess, instead we know it as the 1971 Stanley Kubrick film adaptation. Not only did Kubrick direct this cult classic, he also wrote the adapted screenplay and produced it. There’s no doubt that Kubrick put a lot into this movie, and by now we all know the results. A Clockwork Orange is a perfect example of Kubrick’s career, highly controversial. After the cult hit 2001: A Space Odyssey, it was crucial for Kubrick to keep the audience on the edge of their seats, and what better way to do that than adapt A Clockwork Orange. There are those who would call this movie trash, and of course there are those who absolutely love it, then of course there’s everyone in between. Well A Clockwork Orange isn’t new news to me, it’s release on HD DVD already looks to impress.
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The Invisible

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 27th, 2007

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The Invisible appears to have been marketed a couple of different ways when it was released in early 2007, but the most used phrase for the film appears to be “Supernatural Thriller”, which might address it to some degree if it was, you know, thrilling.

Christine Roum (Bodyguard II) co-wrote the screenplay, which David Goyer directed. Goyer has been a longtime writer, providing words to such films as Dark City, Blade and Batman Begins. And for all the good work he’s put in as a writer, you’d think he would have learned some things when it comes to directing, but ultimately, he’s just another guy who was talented in one area and needs some work in his new one.

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The War (Ken Burns)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 27th, 2007

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I don’t think any documentarian in history has been as famous as Ken Burns. His series on the Civil War is what first made him a household name, and his in depth looks at baseball, New York City and jazz are what has solidified his place in the American consciousness as the world’s premiere documentary filmmaker. He is so well-respected, in fact, that his method of making still photographs interesting by zooming and panning is actually known as the Ken Burns Effect.
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Smallville – The Complete Sixth Season (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 24th, 2007

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Smallville, although well shot and portrayed has never been a favorite series of mine. Growing up I was a Marvel comics fan, I hardly ever crossed into the DC market and if I did, it was for Batman, never Superman. Of course, for those of you that don’t know Smallville follows the life of a young Clark Kent in the years prior to him becoming Superman. Of course it started out in season 1 with Kent in high school, very unsure of his potential but six seasons later he’s very Superman esque.
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New & Improved Review Index

Posted in Blog Posts, Site News by Archive Authors on October 19th, 2007

I’m happy to report that after a bunch of work the “Reviews” tab at the top has been significantly revamped. Its now, hopefully, a quicker, easier way to find a particular movie, or just browse our archives.

Click the “Reviews” tab to get started, and you’ll a big page full of different categories – so that you can see a list of our Blu-ray reviews, for instance, or Horror reviews (just in time for Hallowe’en), or Adult Swim reviews for when you’re feeling maturely humorous, or all reviews of films from Tartan Studios, when you’re feeling Asian.

The list pages are organized with 50 results per page (alphabetically), and include thumbnails of the covers where available. Click the cover or the title to go to the review, and you’re done!

Anyway, please comment any feedback, and happy browsing!

UPDATE: Some of the pages will be slow to load the first time – that’s the covers loading from Amazon. Fortunately, I tacked on a caching system to speed these requests, so as covers are cached, performance site-wide should perk up slightly (over the next few days).

Sony officially confirms $399 PS3, along with an immediate $100 price drop on current model.

Posted in News and Opinions by Archive Authors on October 18th, 2007

From AP(source),

Sony Corp. on Thursday cut the price of its PlayStation 3 game console in the U.S. and announced an even cheaper model that will arrive before the holiday shopping season.

Starting November 2nd, Sony will be selling a new 40 gig PS3. This newer model features a upgradeable 40 GIG HDD. However, This new model is now missing backwards compatibility with PS2 titles, memory card readers and 2 USB ports(leaving 2 ports remaining).

Sony also announced that their latest model featuring a 80 GIG HDD has been immediately dropped to the MSRP of $499.

Vincent Price is the Last Man on Earth: Dec. 4

Posted in Blog Posts, News and Opinions by Archive Authors on October 17th, 2007

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Vincent Price’s “The Last Man on Earth” precedes the Will Smith vehicle “I Am Legend” by 10 days, due for DVD release on December 4th. Both movies are based on the same, highly influential horror-screed “I Am Legend” by Richard Matheson.

From the press release:

Scientist Robert Morgan is the only human immune to the air-borne plague that has transformed the entire population of the Earth into vampire-zombie like creatures. Alive among the lifeless, alone among the undead, Morgan must find a way to survive in a world that is no longer his.

4 stills of Price nattily hammering stakes into zombie/vampires while dressed in tweed follow after the jump….

Bug

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 17th, 2007

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Director Peter Bogdanovich has a theory that you can make almost any movie better by cutting the first 20-minutes off of it. Exposition is intended to set-up the background of the characters for the audience, but it usually just ends up slowing things down until the conflict eventually arises. After watching Bug, I would be willing to accept Bogdanovich’s argument, and double it.

Bug is the story of a down-on-her-luck waitress (Ashley Judd, doing her best impression of Charlize Theron from Monster) who lives in a cheap motel and works as a waitress in a honky tonk bar in Oklahoma.
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Smallville – The Complete Sixth Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 16th, 2007

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With season seven already underway, our favourite TV drama about young Clark Kent’s journey to becoming Superman is still going strong. Back in 2001, I have to admit I wasn’t all that optimistic about the show’s prospects. The pilot was strong, but after viewing the first few freak-of-the-week episodes, thing weren’t exactly looking up, up and away. At least not for me, anyway. Thankfully, I don’t make the decisions, because Smallville grew to become an entertaining show with decent story arcs and interesting twists in the lives of its characters.

….to HD or not HD that is the question!

Posted in Bitchy Rants by Archive Authors on October 16th, 2007

Today I ask the question, “Is remastering in HD worth the trouble?” As many a Trekkie knows, season 1 of Star Trek TOS (The Original Series) is coming out on HD-DVD Nov. 20th. This dual format release is pretty groundbreaking. Over the summer, Paramount has been syndicating these remastered Star Trek episodes. Each one meticulously color-corrected, rescanned for 1080P and edited with newly created CG models. There are obviously some skeptics out there but the truth is the episodes do look better, and the new CG and score are still cheesy enough for the 70’s, but now have enough detail and depth so you don’t get taken out of the plot. Each episode has supposedly had a million-dollar budget for these remasters. Now, with the HD-DVD release coming, paramount is looking to cash in on the new HD standard. The set is retailing for $194.99(129.99 via amazon), that’s about $4.50- 6.70 per episode. Keep in mind, you also get a SD version of each episode on the opposite side of the disc(whether you wanted one or not).

This is all well and good for TOS, which is only 3 seasons long. But what about the gargantuan TNG (The Next Generation), which clocks in at 7 seasons? Well, read on and I’ll discuss it…

Grindhouse Presents: Planet Terror – Extended and Unrated

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 14th, 2007

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Quentin Tarantino’s Deathproof need no longer be sad and alone on your DVD shelf. Robert Rodriguez’s Planet Terror – Extended and Unrated (Two-Disc Special Edition) streets October 18, completing the one-two-punch release of the directors’ Grindhouse double feature.

Separating these two schlock-fests begs the question, which one’s better? Don’t ask me. I didn’t catch Grindhouse in theatres, and haven’t gotten around to Deathproof on DVD. All I can tell you is Planet Terror throws down 105 minutes of mindless, campy and gory fun. So pop your lid, take out your brain and enjoy. But don’t leave that brain unattended, ’cause there be zombies about.

Harsh Times (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 14th, 2007

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Usually a top young name combined with a recognizable name (or more accurately a recognizable body), brings a film that is somewhat underwhelming or even forgettable for all involved. In the case of Harsh Times, you’ve got Christian Bale, the latest Batman, and Eva Longoria, who stars in Desperate Housewives, appearing in a film about, well I’m not exactly sure.

Spider-Man 3

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 13th, 2007

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“Spidey’s back, and better than ever.” Good thing, too, because in this third installment in the highly successful comic book-to-film franchise, Spider-Man faces off against a trio of villains: Sandman, the new Goblin and, of course, Venom. Each is a handful on his own. Together, they’re Spidey’s toughest challenge yet. But he’s up to it, so long as he can first overcome his own internal conflict.

Spider-Man 3 hits store shelves October 30, on DVD in both a single-disc widescreen edition and a two-disc special edition, and on a two-disc Blu-ray release. I got my hands on the single disc and put it through its paces. Does the bare-bones DVD hold its own? Read on to find out.

Black Christmas (2006) (HD DVD)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 13th, 2007

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What is it with horror films today? They just seemingly lack all original wit and style. And let’s not even mention the remakes that Hollywood forces on us. Having just finally watched John Carpenter’s Halloween (yes I know!!), forcing myself to watch the drab Black Christmas almost made me cringe.

Toshiba: HD DVD hardware back on top

Posted in Blog Posts, News and Opinions by Archive Authors on October 11th, 2007

HD DVD players are back on top, at least for now. Several news sites are reporting Toshiba’s announcement that HD DVD players have out-sold Blu-ray in 2007, according to the latest NPD Group sales figures. NPD shows HD DVD units at 53%, while Blu-ray is nine points down at 44%. Combo players account for the other 3%.

While Sony has seen good pick-up on their $499 units, released in August, Toshiba’s $299 player is beginning to hit store shelves. The big T is also touting big expectations for sales of HD DVD PC drives. They’re estimating 5 million units will be sold in 2008, which should help address Sony’s PS3 advantage. Still, with studio support pretty much split 50/50, the format war has no end in sight. Have you jumped in, or are you holding out for a victor?

Hell freezes over, Sonic has joined Super Smash Bros: BRAWL

Posted in News and Opinions by Archive Authors on October 10th, 2007

Today Nintendo announced that their one-time arch rival Sega, has licensed Sonic to be included in the latest installment of the hit Super Smash Bros. franchise. The game releases in early 2008. The game also features the Legendary Solid Snake from the Metal Gear series. The game is of course exclusive to the Nintendo Wii and features numerous Nintendo and gaming mascots fighting it out on uniquely themed levels.

sonic vs mario

Dare to Dream: The Story of the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 9th, 2007

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I’m not much of a soccer fan. I played a few years as a kid, for a local community club, but quit well before puberty. I almost never watch it on TV, even when the World Cup bandwagon rolls around. The only players I can name are Pelé, Beckham and Hamm. And Knightley, but I suppose the Bend it Like Beckham star doesn’t count.

With my limited knowledge and appreciation of the game, I didn’t expect much from this HBO documentary. Sure, I know sports stories can be dramatic and exciting, but the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team? Not my first choice of subjects. Imagine my surprise when I became totally engrossed in the inspiring story of these women who gave their all when hardly anyone cared, who fought through all kinds of adversity, who dared to dream.

Surf’s Up

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 9th, 2007

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Surf’s Up is Sony Pictures Animation’s second and latest film, and is directed by Toy Story 2 co-director Ash Brannon and Chicken Little‘s Chris Buck. Although it was considered a box office failure, Surf’s Up has since been applauded by critics and fans alike. I have to say, normally I’m a sucker for CGI films but lately there has been a flood of them on the market, and frankly they’re starting to decline in quality. But Surf’s Up does something different, it’s actually a CGI mockumentary on surfing documentaries, and with quite a list of voice actors. The list includes Jeff Bridges, Zooey Deschanel, Jon Heder, Shia LaBeouf, James Woods, Diedrich Bader, and more. So does this film break free from the recent rut the animated film genre seems to have found itself in?
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CSI:Miami – Season Three

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 8th, 2007

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Some portions of this review regarding general show information are shared with the Season 1 and Season 2 reviews.

After watching the first two seasons of CSI Miami I was pleased with the shows story arc, and although the latter season was starting to get a bit dull with regards to the character development, the case loads were just as engaging and bizarre. As I’ve said before, I hope that in Season 3 a few of the weaker aspects form the past two season can be rectified like the sometimes endless dialogue.
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CSI:Miami – Season Two

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 8th, 2007

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Some portions of this review regarding general show information are shared with the Season 1 and Season 3 reviews.

Before I saw Season 1 of CSI Miami I was quite skeptical about the shows ability to live up to the original. After watching the first season I was impressed with most aspects of the show, ranging from character development to entertaining and interesting cases. I don’t want to over praise the show though, because it does have its flaws, and can drag on a bit at times, but I’m hoping that Season 2 might just improve on these aspects.
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Special Xbox 360 holiday bundle announced

Posted in News and Opinions by Archive Authors on October 8th, 2007

Kotaku reported today that, Microsoft will be including 2 free games with all Xbox 360 SKUs starting at the end of October. The two titles being included are Forza Motorsports 2 and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. This adds at least 90 dollars in value to the current prices of 360 units. Microsoft made it clear that no changes to pricing would be involved with the bundles.

Trailer for Futurama: Bender’s Big Score

Posted in News and Opinions by Archive Authors on October 8th, 2007

Here’s the trailer for the NEW straight to DVD Futurama movie. It releases on, November 27th, everywhere. Also look for the shows upcoming new season on Comedy Central early next year.

CSI:Miami – Season One

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 7th, 2007

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Some portions of this review regarding general show information are shared with the Season 2 and Season 3 reviews.

When the original CSI was put on the air, I was a huge fan. At the time it was totally unique, entertaining, and to a certain degree educational. Not to say that hasn’t changed over the years, but it has certainly lost its uniqueness over the course of two spin-offs. However I won’t judge the quality of these spin-offs because I’ve never actually watched them before, who knows maybe they still have the integrity of the original show. But when you have a show staring David Caruso, it’s going to be hard to win me over, so I’m hoping for some developed storylines and engaging character arcs.
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Gracie

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 5th, 2007

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The main quote on this disc’s cover reads, “if you liked Bend it Like Beckham, you’ll love Gracie.” Baloney. OK! Magazine’s Karen Berg got me all excited with this raving tidbit, because I did like Bend it. A lot. Unfortunately for me and anyone else who pays attention to such quotes, Bergie either never watched Gracie or just doesn’t know movies and why people like them.

Here’s my new quote for the DVD case: “If you still like after-school specials, you’ll be delighted with Gracie, a half-baked TV movie in the guise of something more.”

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