Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on October 5th, 2010
For somebody who does a lot of the cartoon reviews on this website, I often miss many new cartoons that crop up on Saturday mornings, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, etc. One such animated show cropped up on my review slab. In the spirit of Halloween, (but not an official Nights of Terror post), it is my pleasure to take a look at Ugly Americans, the newest animation from Comedy Central.
Mark Lilly is a newcomer to Manhattan. He moves into his first apartment that he found on Craiglist, a nice two-bedroom with a roommate. One little problem, his roommate is a flesh-eating zombie named Randall Skeffington. Randall became a zombie in an attempt to win over a hot girl who was into zombies. The only issue is that the hot girl had moved on to warlocks by the time Randall had turned.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on October 3rd, 2010
The other day, I was conveying to my better half that she should do an open review about a movie called Secretary that was fairly new to Blu-Ray. She ultimately decided against it because she felt she could not do a PG review for such a risqué movie. It is only fitting that a week or so later, I find Bad Lieutenant, a NC-17 movie in my own review pile and I was faced with the same task. Take an absolutely gritty, dark and disturbing movie and do what you can to make it a wholesome review. I always did like challenges.
Harvey Keitel plays a very bad cop. In fact, he's actually a Lieutenant of a local New York precinct (btw, he's never actually given a name, so we'll call him Lt.). He's had the crazy life that echoed the overzealous nature of the 80's. He has a family complete with a wife and children but the wholesome image stops right there. In his time out on the streets, he boozes, gambles, steals evidence, womanizes and does drugs including a whole lot of cocaine.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on September 30th, 2010
Most people who actually know me can say that I do love to sing. Much of my singing is relegated to a combination of karaoke and Xbox 360 games (Lips/Rock Band). But a long time ago, I wasn’t very comfortable with my singing. Had I been comfortable, I might have joined my school’s glee club. Fast forward a few years and we have a show about a high school glee club. Its funny how you can miss an experience you have never had.
William McKinley High School is in need of a new director of their glee club. The last one was a bit too handy and had to be dealt with. Luckily, there is a Spanish teacher named William Schuester (played by Matthew Morrison) who wishes to take over the position. Principal Figgins (played by Iqbal Theba) lets him know they have almost no budget but he still must place them in regionals for them to continue.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on September 23rd, 2010
This might be a newsflash to some, but I can’t dance. I can’t groove, shimmy or even lay down some dope moves. As such, a whole generation of movies is probably lost on me. In it, young hip kids move around and perform moves that would have made Fred Astaire jealous. It is a showcase of talent on the most basic level. One such movie appeared on my review plate named Stomp the Yard: Homecoming. Hopefully with some fresh moves, we can get an interesting story to boot.
Atlanta, Georgia. A dance competition goes down in the hood and newcomer Chance Harris (played by Collins Pennie) is doing quite well. However, when the chips go down, the local favorite is deemed the winner in a very questionable decision. Later that night, Chance is introduced to a plethora of fist sandwiches at the hands of Jay (played by David Banner) and his band of merry thugs. Chance pleads with them that he will pay them back, just give him some time.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on September 20th, 2010
Abstraction indicates a departure from reality in depiction of imagery in art. It is an interpretation of a visual that is different from what most perceive as normal. Art is no longer simply drawing a bowl of fruit but rather what the fruit means to the artist. Recently, I found myself trying to interpret a film named (Untitled), which takes a journey down the road of abstract art and music. After a great deal of reflection, I believe I am still confused.
Adrian Jacobs (played by Adam Goldberg) is a composer who makes music by kicking buckets, breaking glass and occasionally playing notes on a piano(usually without any rhythm and described as nonsense). He makes a living by working at restaurants, weddings and any other function in need of a piano player. Those engagements usually don’t last too long as he is annoyed by most of his clientele.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on September 16th, 2010
Most people are aware that I don’t care for romantic comedies but nothing gets under my skin more than a horrible prison movie. My attempts to forget the movie are usually successful until the next time a similar movie appears in my review pile. Maybe it is the cliché plot, the contrived and stereo-typed characters, or the male on male forced action. How would a movie fare where it simulates the jail experience in a behavioral experiment? I dare to find out.
Travis (played by Adrien Brody is just another drifter trying to get through life. He works part-time at the retirement home until the state cuts back and lays him off. As he considers his options, he attends a peace protest where he meets a rather attractive girl named Bay (played by Maggie Grace) who is also demonstrating. Bay wants to go to India for spiritual enlightenment and wants Travis to join her. Travis however needs some money to make the journey.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on September 7th, 2010
Black Label Society formed officially in 1998 and released their first album Sonic Brew in late October. At first, the record was only received in Japan but later they found an American label in late spring of the following year. They would go on to produce many albums, tour the world and basically generate rock n roll and mayhem wherever they went. Eagle Vision decided to bring concert footage to Blu-Ray from their European Tour in 2005. It is simply called Doom Troopin Live.
In 2005, Black Label Society produced their sixth studio album entitled Mafia. It was a commercial success and sold over a quarter of a million copies. This would be the only record that the band would release under the label, Artemis Records. As per their usual promotion, they toured to sell the album to their die hard fans. This time they traveled to Europe and did a series of concerts. This disc focuses primarily on the Paris Chapter with a few songs from their infamous stop at the Astoria.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on September 6th, 2010
My taste in music is not exactly all over the place. I like rock, hard rock. Sure, I can listen to a country tune or two or dabble in some Mozart but if the bass is bumping and the guitarists are having seizures on the strings, I'm good to go. So when the owner of this site asked if I would do a few music blu-rays as a change of pace, I was worried and excited at the same time. Music in Blu-ray is an amazing experience but if I didn't like the music, not so much. But I was still eager when I opened the first one: Jane's Addiction: Live Voodoo.
It's Halloween. The night of October 31st, 2009. The place is the Voodoo Experience (also called Voodoo fest) in New Orleans. On the previous night, such acts as the Silversun Pickups and Eminem took the stage. The headline act for tonight is Kiss but there is one other band that needs to take the stage. Their name is Jane's Addiction. The band lineup is a little surprising but the sound is simply electric.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on September 3rd, 2010
The sandbox style of games is a rather recent genre when compared to many of the old standbys. We could argue that the idea started as far back as Metroid or Legend of Zelda from the mid 1980’s. However, it was not popularized as a grand concept until the birth of Grand Theft Auto III. Since then, it seems that every time you turn around, you are presented with a new game in the open world. Enter Mafia II, a gritty game set in the 1940’s showing the ugly side of the mafia underworld. Can Vito and Joe set their sandbox apart?
The video for this game is widescreen and capable of 1080p resolution. Empire Bay is a dark place reminiscent of major cities in the time period. It is alive and full of people and there is much to see. Many of the buildings appear to be in bad shape and you can see details of the decomposition. You recognize life is brutal every which way you turn as the snow covers the landscape. The landscape is truly gorgeous and feels authentic.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on August 30th, 2010
Despite lasting over a hundred episodes, The Patty Duke Show only lasted about three years from the fall of 1963 until the late spring of 1966. However, it was often penned as one of the best shows of the 1960’s and still finds a way into syndication when networks such as TV Land need a wholesome show to fill a time slot. So, it is little surprise that Shout Factory have decided to release all three seasons of the show to DVD. But how does the final season of this show hold up after all of these years?
Prior to this dvd set, I wasn’t very familiar with the show and had only caught a few random episodes on Nick at Nite. So I’ll do the service of giving a brief layout before we continue. The show is based in Brooklyn where the Lanes family resides. The main character of the show is Patty Lane (played by Patty Duke) who is a strong willed and outgoing teenager. She has a dad named Martin (played by William Schallert) and a mother named Natalie (played by Jean Byron).
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