Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on September 14th, 2011
Ever watch one of those movies that you don’t quite get or understand the first time around? You are certain that the movie is decent and the plot moves along well. But the problem is there are plot holes and the viewer is sure of them. Until they watch the movie a second time. Then either the viewer realizes the movie is brilliant or still full of plot holes. Well, today I encounter one of those films, Dressed to Kill and I think this one has filled out nicely.
It is another morning. Mike Miller (played by Fred Weber) shaves his face with a straight razor and we pan to the very nude Kate Miller (played by Angie Dickinson) taking a shower. She watches him intently and then starts to touch herself (this is unrated kids, we get to see a whole lot of Angie). As she becomes more aroused and more into herself, she doesn’t notice that there is now a man behind her. He takes her aggressively and she cries out in pleasure as we fade to black.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on September 7th, 2011
Somehow in addition to my love for bad action movies and cartoons, I have developed another feather in my cap as being one of the people on this site that regularly reviews concerts and musical documentaries on dvd or blu-ray. This is despite the fact that about the only musical talent I possess is the ability to sing glam metal or hair band rock. Okay, perhaps I can sing some other rock songs too but I would not consider myself a musical aficionado. So today’s musical act to review? That would be the Counting Crows.
Most people when they hear the band name Counting Crows think of the song, Mr. Jones, a very curious alternative rock hit that blew up the radio rock airwaves in late 93 and early 94. The truth is that song was an unexpected hit for the band who sang the song out of fun and fantasy. Lead singer Adam Duritz ’s childhood friend, Marty Jones (Himalayans bassist) was one of the inspirations for that song that spoke of the desire of musicians who wanted it to make it big.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on September 4th, 2011
It is cartoon review time boys and girls. We have a very special guest today, he is the president of the The More Angry Beavers in Cartoons Today Thingy club. He is going to show us a cartoon today called, wait for it. *Waiting* *Random children start to flic boogers at each other* It's the Angry Beavers! *One kid cheers and the others throw paper wads at him* Wait, you don't know the Angry Beavers?! Well, then let us start the show and we will introduce to these two, Daggert and Norbert who live in a bachelor dam (not under the sea but above it!).
The Angry Beavers was a very successful cartoon for the Nickelodeon network that ran from 1997 to 2003. They did a total of sixty three episodes over four seasons and were nominated for eleven awards, four of which they actually won including a Daytime Emmy for Sound Editing and an Annie Award for Production Design. But enough about how wonderful this show and let us move on to the main characters.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on September 3rd, 2011
A Mini-series is probably the hardest thing to review for me. Movies are fairly easy, even the ones that exceed two hours. Television series since they are episodic in nature, one can watch a few, come back and watch a few more. Video Games despite taking triple the effort of an average movie are easy because they are interactive. But most mini-series are usually 3-4 hours long and really can not be broken up. Well for today’s review, multiply that duration by two and we have the Thomas Hardy Collection.
There are two tales contained in the Thomas Hardy Collection. There is Tess of the Dubervilles and The Mayor of Casterbridge. Each of these run over three hours long and are split up in two parts a piece. So theoretically you could watch these in at least four parts but most will want to watch Mayor in one sitting and Tess in the next. Our chariot awaits and may we not fall asleep on the way.
Posted in: The Reel World by Michael Durr on September 1st, 2011
As with many of the audience who reads the reviews we write, I have been to a ton of movies. But most of the time when I go, I go on the second or perhaps third week of release. Rarely do I ever go the first week. Even rarer is when I get invited to a screening of a movie before it even opens. Well, on August 31st, 2011, I got the chance to see the new feature from Lionsgate entitled The Warrior which opens September 9th, 2011. Let us see what it had to offer.
A train rolls by, a factory opens for the day’s work, and the day is upon us. We are in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Paddy Conlon (played by Nick Nolte) comes out of church, pops in an audio book and drives home. When he gets home, he sees the image of his son, Tommy (played by Tom Hardy) on the porch steps with a bottle in his hands. His son has not been home in many years.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on August 22nd, 2011
In my life, I have always made a habit rooting for the underdog. Whether it would be in the business world with a small company or at the NCAA March Madness tournament with a Cinderella team, I always like to see the unexpected. It happens in movies too for the most part, I routed for Rocky, I routed for the Indians in Major League (didn’t root for Rudy though, that was too much even for me.) But what would I think of the little soldier in Little Big Soldier? Well, we will have to see.
It is the year 227 B.C., battles are waged, and wars carry on. Land is gained, people are lost. However, we as the viewer are interested in one large battle between the Liang and the Wei that involves over 3000 people. There are those three thousand people that are soon annihilated by each other in an attempt to win for the other side. It is then when we join the action in progress with bodies lining the earth as far as the eyes can see. The ground is silent until we see one body move in the distance.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on August 18th, 2011
Sometimes, I look through my collection of dvd and blu-rays. I tend to notice patterns fairly well. First, I like plenty of science fiction or thriller types. On the animation front, for the most part I tend to like anything oddball or superhero. Plain jane ordinary kid cartoons never seem to be my thing. The weirder the better. Today, I review Hey Arnold!, the first season. Perhaps I can give this Nick classic some bland cookie cutter love.
Hey Arnold! was a show that ran from 1996 to 2004 on the Nickelodeon network. It was a staple for that station for many years. It even churned out a movie at one point. It had a ton of characters but I will go over a few. There is the main character, Arnold who is in the fourth grade. His head is shaped like a football (something that many of the earlier cartoons beat to death) and he stays with his grandparents, Phil and Gertie. He also has a pet pig named Abner and they live in an old apartment building.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on August 17th, 2011
After reviewing the entire first season of Batman: The Brave & the Bold, it looks like I am back for another season of that Silver Aged Guardian of Gotham. Outrageous adventure and more kooky villains await this reviewer every episode. We get twelve episodes to sink our teeth into and it looks like there will be some interesting plots for us to tackle this time around. Let’s go Boy Wonder, to the Batcave!
These twelve episodes of the Batman, Brave & the Bold are all over the map. As explained before, there is some minor continuity but pretty much we can jump into any episode we darn wish and not feel like we have missed anything. Remember, the setup is one two minute teaser, followed by a roughly twenty minute full length cartoon. Without further adieu, let’s look at this half of season two with four episodes of my choosing.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on August 15th, 2011
Animation is traditionally geared towards kids. From Bugs Bunny to Monsters, Inc, cartoons have been a staple of kid’s viewing experience for decades. However, as time wore on, more and more adults have craved for animated experiences that not only are kid friendly but have adult nods so that the older audience can enjoy it. Shrek is probably the most famous of these types of pictures. Perhaps the sequel to Hoodwinked! can provide an equal passion to please both audiences.
Boingo the Bunny is locked up in the pen and the Happily Forever After agency is up and ready for business. The team is comprised of Red Riding Hood (or “Red” for short), Granny (Red’s grandma), Wolf W. Wolf, and Twitchy the Squirrel. They are overseen by Nicky Flippers, a very tall frog. At the time of the opening scene, Red is busy training with the Sisters of the Hood, a clan of Kung Fu Bakers. But the other three members of the group are more than ready to take on the evils of this fairy kingdom.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on August 11th, 2011
Get Shorty was one of the best films of the mid 90’s. I have seen it about five or six times and it is one of those rare movies that you see something new every time you watch it. It had amazing dialog, good action and this style to the whole movie was just uncanny. The movie was a film where one had to think but at the same time could enjoy themselves. So, when the sequel Be Cool dropped on blu-ray, would I be able to enjoy it as much as the original?
Chili Palmer (played by John Travolta) and Tommy Athens (played by James Woods) are riding along in the car talking about the movie business. Chili has been a producer for a few years now and is starting to think that he needs out. Tommy is half owner of NTL Records and pitches an idea about a movie involving his story as a music producer. They pass by a Get Lost movie poster with Martin Weir (played by Danny DeVito).
![Dressed to Kill [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/dressed-to-kill-blu-ray-large.jpg)
![August and Everything After: Live at Town Hall [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/august-and-everything-after-live-a-large.jpg)
![Little Big Soldier (Bluray + DVD Combo) [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/little-big-soldier-bluray-dvd-co-large.jpg)
![Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil [Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/hoodwinked-too-hood-vs-evil-two--large.jpg)
![Be Cool [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/be-cool-blu-ray-large.jpg)
