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Death Wish (2018) (UHD Blu-ray) (4K)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 15th, 2023

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By JC.

Cinematically speaking, the name Eli Roth has been synonymous with murder and mayhem. The director is best known for his work in the horror genre, bursting on the scene with 2002’s Cabin Fever and upping the ante with Hostel and Hostel: Part II a few years later. So it was a bit surprising to hear he’d be taking on a remake of Death Wish — the iconic 1974 Charles Bronson revenge flick — until I started thinking about the bloody possibilities. If the Hostel films gained notoriety as prime examples of “torture porn”, then it seems like Roth has graduated to “revenge porn” with this slick and (intentionally) silly re-imagining.

“People rely on the police to keep them safe. That’s the problem.”

Paul Kersey (Bruce Willis) has it all. He’s a successful, emergency room trauma surgeon living in Chicago with a loving wife (Elisabeth Shue) and college-bound daughter (Camila Morrone).
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Death Wish (1974) (UHD Blu-ray) (4K)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 24th, 2023

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“What about the old American social custom of self-defense? If the police don’t defend us, maybe we should do it ourselves.”

Vigilante justice has always been a popular subject in our movies, television shows, literature, and even comic books. Batman is nothing more than Bruce Wayne out to get back at criminals like the ones who murdered his parents when he was a kid. Batman is the ultimate vigilante. And let’s be honest. Haven’t you ever once fantasized that you could cross that line and punish some injustice or another that crossed your path? The subject has been around since stories have been told. There are those landmark tales, however, that for some reason or another reach the soul of the masses.
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Beverly Hills Cop (UHD Blu-ray) (4K)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 24th, 2020

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“The heat is on…”

From the bouncing opening music by Glenn Fry to the final frame of Eddie Murphy’s smile, Beverly Hills Cop has established itself as a classic. Now finally out on Blu-ray, the film shows us all over again why we fell in love with it almost 20 years ago. Murphy hasn’t been as funny since, but we’ll always have Beverly Hills and Axel Foley.
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The Wizard of Lies (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on October 6th, 2017

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“In our conversation, he seemed relaxed, unfailingly candid, earnest, and trustworthy. That is his talent and his curse.”

You probably know the name Bernie Madoff, the notorious fraudster who used a Ponzi scheme to steal almost $65 billion dollars from his victims. (Yes, that’s “billion” with a B!) But if you were hoping to gain some insight into the man and his methods, this HBO film isn’t really the place to look. The Wizard of Lies features a fantastic cast, some effective directorial touches, but is too often guilty of telling rather than showing.
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T2 Trainspotting (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on June 28th, 2017

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“First, there is an opportunity. Then…there’s a betrayal.”

It’s been 20 years since the release of Trainspotting, and it’s fair to say a lot has changed in the past two decades. I remember going out to the United Artists Mission Bell Cinemas to see Trainspotting the weekend it came out. I was with my best friend at the time, and neither of us was old enough to buy tickets for the film, so we ended up having to sneak into the film. We’d seen the trailers, and in a time before the internet there just wasn’t much we could find out about it aside from reading articles in the entertainment magazines.
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Veep: The Complete Fourth Season (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on April 25th, 2016

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“We’re making history with the first woman president.”

That statement may or may not become a reality in a matter of months, but HBO has real-life politics beat either way. Season 3 of Veep, the caustic, constantly-cussing comedy series, concluded with U.S. Vice President Selina Meyer ascending to the highest office in the land. But lest you think the show jumped the shark by having VP Meyer outgrow the show’s title, there’s more than enough sharp-tongued mayhem to go around once Selina and her staff — referred to as “an infection of mediocrity” in season 4 — have their finger on the button.
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Wolf Creek 2 (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on June 25th, 2014

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When the first Wolf Creek was released it was one of those films that had a lot of hype around it, and when I got around to watching it, I dug it. It’s one of those films where the more I’ve watched it the more I’ve gotten to appreciate it, not just for its gore, but the film has a solid story, and I appreciated that the film at no time allows you to get too comfortable. At any moment a character could be brutally murdered. It’s the character of Mick Taylor (John Jarratt) who could equally make me smile with his crude outback charm or make me squirm with uneasiness the moment his hands took hold of a weapon.
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Dark House (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 25th, 2014

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Sometimes a horror movie comes along that is rich in originality and ideas. Dark House certainly fits into that category. There are some truly scary moments and seriously frightening images to be found here. For a low-budget affair, the movie sports pretty solid acting and an atmospheric production design. Writer/director Victor Salva knows how to get the most out of the resources at his command. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a serious flaw to be found here. This is a movie that is often a little too clever and more than a little enigmatic at times.
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Here Comes the Devil (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on March 20th, 2014

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Remember the first film that kept you awake at night? The film that had you keeping the light on, when every strange noise you heard was that of some monster you were all but certain was lurking in the darkness waiting for your eyes to finally close? For me it was that thrill that got me excited about horror films, where every Saturday I’d watch Creature Feature, and in the evening I’d channel-surf till I found some horror film to keep me up into the late hours of the night
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Bonnie & Clyde (2013) (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 5th, 2014

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“Sometimes I like to think that fever of an unexpected origin, that I never came out of the other side. And that the rest of my life, none of it ever happened, especially that part where I got shot 37 times, giving my Bonnie Parker her big ending.”

When you’re telling the story of Bonnie and Clyde, it’s very hard to say anything new. The exploits of the pair were followed closely by the entire nation. Newspaper accounts and silver screen newsreels took advantage of every turn of events in the case
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Argento’s Dracula (Blu-ray 3D)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 29th, 2014

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“This evening I finally met Count Dracula. He is younger than I expected, although his behavior and his demeanor seem to somehow contradict his appearance.”

Dracula and vampires in general have taken on many appearances and personalities over the years. He has been portrayed as the suave European gentleman and a vicious gaunt creature best left to the shadows. Lately vampires have taken on the angst and yearnings of adolescence. Dracula has been around since 1897 when Bram Stoker wrote his groundbreaking novel.
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Treme: Complete Series (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on January 29th, 2014

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Creator David Simon (The Wire and Generation Kill) has never been a show runner concerned about cliffhangers or plot twists; instead he thrusts his viewers into the day-to-day life of the everyday Joe and shows that real life generates more conflict than most fiction can ever deliver. Ever since I first watched The Wire I’ve considered myself a fan of Simon’s work, and I feel it could be argued that what Simon did with The Wire is a large factor in why we have the quality of television that we do today
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Morrissey: 25: Live (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on November 8th, 2013

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Twenty-five years in any business is a feat to be recognized, especially when it is in the field of entertainment. It requires constant dedication, devotion, and a loyal fan base that sticks by you; Morrissey seems to have all three. In his latest concert series, Morrissey 25 Live, the English singer celebrates his latest career milestone at Hollywood High School in Los Angeles. From the very beginning, it is obvious that the singer has a loving and dedicated fan base, which was the most surprising detail for me given that before this disc, I had never heard of the singer.
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Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 7th, 2013

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“I like people to go away from a Queen show feeling fully entertained, having had a good time. I think Queen songs are pure escapism, like going to see a good film – after that, they go away and say that was great, and go back to all their problems” – Freddie Mercury

I had that very pleasure back in the late 1970’s when I attended a Queen concert at the old Spectrum in Philadelphia. It was one heck of a show. Freddie was flamboyant as always
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Banshee: Season One (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 8th, 2013

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“With a name like Banshee how can you not be drawn in?”

Alan Ball got my attention in 2001 with HBO’s black comedy Six Feet Under. It was one of the most original shows I had ever seen, and to this day I find it hard to characterize the series when asked to do so. It was there that he also introduced me to Michael C. Hall, who continues to amaze me in the role of Dexter over at Showtime. When Six Feet Under left the airwaves, Ball didn’t waste very much time in bringing his quirky style back
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42 (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on July 15th, 2013

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“You give me a uniform, you give me a number on my back — and I’ll give you the guts.”

More than any sport, baseball is all about numbers. Unfortunately, some of those numbers — like 73 (home runs in a single season) and 500 (career homers) — mean a little less in light of the steroid era. Others, like 56 (Joe DiMaggio’s legendary hitting streak), seem destined to live on forever. The most significant number on that shortlist might be 42, worn by Jackie Robinson when he broke major league baseball’s color line on April 15, 1947. 42 — the film, not the number — is significant for a somewhat surprising reason
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Bullet To The Head (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 15th, 2013

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It’s hard to imagine that Sylvester Stallone and Walter Hill never crossed paths for an action movie in the early days of their careers. Both have established themselves as staples in the action movie genre, and they dominated the 1970’s and 1980’s. It seems like a dream come true that the actor and director have finally joined forces. Unfortunately, some dreams are actually nightmares, and if Bullet To The Head is any indication, the two stars would have been better off had they remained unaligned.
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Escapee (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on April 24th, 2013

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“Now it’s mandatory that you do not make make eye contact until we tell you that it’s all clear.”

Typical, one person can’t follow simple instructions and the rest are doomed to die because of it. Or at least that’s how it starts in Escapee, the new suspense horror film starring Dominic Purcell and Christine Evangelista, or what I like to call it: Halloween with a dash of Friday the 13^th. Harsh perhaps, but as I watched the film I could not help but the see the comparisons. It fooled me at first
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Skyfall (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 20th, 2013

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“Were you expecting an exploding pen? We don’t really go in for that sort of thing anymore.”

It was 1962, and Ursula Andress emerged from the tropical island surf sporting a provocative swimsuit, and a tradition was born. The seductive scene would become the first iconic image in a line that has lasted a half a century and counting. Fifty years; 23 movies makes it the longest-running film franchise in motion picture history. He had many faces over those 50 years: Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, George Lazenby, and even David Niven, Peter Sellers and Woody Allen in a 1967 spoof. For the last three films he’s been played by Daniel Craig.
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Heavyweights (Blu-Ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on December 17th, 2012

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Most Disney live-action kid’s films do not have a kind memory in my heart. They feel contrived, full of soft characters and contain tons of bad comedy. They also proceed to force upon the audience some kind of weak message about morals and attempt to make us feel better about ourselves. This never works. However, today I have a shining light in the sea of bad Disney live-efforts and that film is the 1995 cult classic, Heavyweights.
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Courier, The (Blu-Ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on October 10th, 2012

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Direct to Video movies is usually just a clever term to mean “We have a small budget and B-List stars so we are going to skip the theater and go straight to video and hope to capitalize on the people who might pick this up on a very slow Friday night.” Today’s review is about a man simply known as the “Courier”. It could be a ripoff of the Transporter. It might be a mailman who handles packages by day and the ladies by night.
Bad B-Movies aside, let’s see how this one plays out.

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The Dictator – Banned & Unrated Version (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on August 21st, 2012

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There’s obviously nothing funny about the atrocities committed by some of history’s most notorious tyrants. So why have these men proven to be such a surprisingly fertile source of comedy? Whether it’s (Puppet) Kim Jong-il crooning forlornly about being lonely (actually “ronery”) in Team America: World Police or Adolf Hitler being saluted by a chorus line of high-stepping stormtroopers in The Producers, there’s certainly a precedent for mocking these reviled figures. With The Dictator, Sacha Baron Cohen appears to be taking his patented inappropriateness to a new level.
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Cold Mountain (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on February 14th, 2012

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It really does seem like certain movies are created for the sole purpose of winning a boatload of Oscars. I don’t really have a problem with this: I’d personally rather see studios and filmmakers make a shameless grab for prestige than make no attempt at all and revert to their de facto sequel/prequel/reboot mode. The problem is — despite that one clueless, rude person who insists on taking phone calls and texting during the feature presentation, and is somehow always seated directly in front of or behind you
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Deep Purple with Orchestra – Live at Montreux

Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on December 5th, 2011

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The latest incarnation of Deep Purple is going the route of many “classic” rock and/or metal bands, and are putting being accompanied by a symphony for a special release. This particular concert closed out the 2011 Montreux Jazz Festival.
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“31 Nights Of Terror” Frankenhooker (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by M. W. Phillips on October 31st, 2011

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“In a blaze of blood, bones, and body parts, the vivacious young girl was instantly reduced to a tossed human salad… a salad that police are still trying to gather up… a salad that was once named Elizabeth.”

Ah, there is nothing that can bring an exploitation movie alive like the unhinged imagination of Frank Henenlotter.
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