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I Am Number Four (Blu-Ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on May 23rd, 2011

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When I was a kid, I always wished and hoped I had super powers. Frankly, I did not even think my parents were my parents, rather hosts for somebody who would eventually change the world. Somewhere along the way, I grew up (kinda) but always wondered what would happen if things were different. I Am Number Four explores the story of a teenager who could change the world with his powers if he can simply stay alive long enough. By the way, I still don’t think my parents were my parents.
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The Rite (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 21st, 2011

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“Do you believe in Sin?”

The Exorcist was one of the most chilling films ever made. William Friedkin used subliminal images as well as those quite famous scenes of Linda Blair being taken over by Satan himself. Ever since that time filmmakers have been trying to cash in on the phenomenon. Exorcism movies have become almost a sub-genre in the horror field. There have been everything from no-budget to mega-budget attempts. There have been both sequels and prequels to the original film.
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Beverly Hills Cop (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 19th, 2011

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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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Manchurian Candidate (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on May 19th, 2011

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During the Korean War, a platoon led by Laurence Harvey and Frank Sinatra is captured and sent off to Manchuria. Here the men are brainwashed into believing that Harvey saved them all in an incredible feat of heroism (which he did not) and that he’s a loveable guy (which he isn’t).The unfortunate Harvey is programmed to become a remote-control assassin. Back in the States, Sinatra is plagued by nightmare memories of the experience, and gradually comes to believe that something … really did happen.
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Blue Valentine (Blu-Ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on May 11th, 2011

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The real world will try to teach us many things. It teaches us that only two things are certain, death and taxes. Unfortunately, one of the things that is not always certain is the wonderful mystery of love. Sometimes, it lasts for a lifetime but more often than not it can be a cruel device and become fleeting. The movie, Blue Valentine deals with this difficult subject and explores one such relationship that is clearly on the ropes.

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Street Kings 2: Motor City (Unrated) (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 11th, 2011

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Of all the straight-to-video titles I didn’t expect to see, Street Kings 2 would be high on the list. The original film was a predictable film with bad pacing. The box office was no better. That film pulled in about $26 million and quickly faded into obscurity. But here we are two years later and the title has been attached to a direct-to-video release from Fox. None of the original characters or actors are found here. The title merely suggests a similar story, this time in the Motor City, Detroit.
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The King’s Speech (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 25th, 2011

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Every year when the Academy Awards have been given out, I look over the winners in each category, and more often than not I scratch my head at the ultimate winners. I find myself wondering if they saw the same movie I saw. I start to ponder if there might be an alternate-universe version of these movies that somehow find themselves in the hands of the Academy jury. Sure, once in a while they get it right.
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The Greatest Story Ever Told (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 25th, 2011

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“In the beginning was the word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. I am He. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him, was made nothing that has been made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of man. And the light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness grasped it not. The greatest story ever told…”

Every spring around the time of Easter you could count on several annual films to make their way to televisions across the country for special family presentations.
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The Way Back (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Bob Ross on April 23rd, 2011

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By the early part of World War II, the Soviet Union’s ultra-harsh prison system was already an established key to Josef Stalin’s paranoid dictatorship. Hundreds of concentration camps, called gulags, kept criminals and innocents alike trapped behind barbed wire, without edible food or minimal medical care. The most miserable gulags were the notorious Siberian compounds, stuck in such hostile sub-arctic territory that an attempt to escape was considered just another form of suicide.
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Ip Man 2: Collector’s Edition (Blu-Ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on April 23rd, 2011

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There are usually two schools of thought when it comes to judging sequels. One tends to be very harsh on the proceedings expecting it to surpass the original (which it hardly ever does) in all aspects of film-making. The other still expects a good film but realizes that this sort of thing is usually financially driven and just hopes for something that can favorable stand against the original. I happen to be in the later crowd. But, I certainly found myself inching towards the former when I received the blu-ray package to review Ip Man 2, Legend of the Grandmaster. Let’s go inside, shall we?
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The Incredibles (Four-Disc Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 21st, 2011

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I’ve long held the belief that the folks at Pixar are really just children who have refused to grow up. That doesn’t mean that they don’t have to deal with the realities that adulthood thrust upon each of us. I’m sure they have families and are responsible citizens and parents. They consistently make movies, that while there is certainly appeal for children, are obviously intended for adults, adults like them, who have decided to never grow up. If you ever required proof of that concept, The Incredibles should prove the point quite nicely.
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Still Waiting… (Unrated) (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Bob Ross on April 14th, 2011

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Urine jokes. Fart jokes. Breast and penis jokes. What could be more tasteless? How about telling them all in a place where people are trying to eat? That’s the unappetizing summary of Still Waiting …, one of those unnecessary, straight-to-video sequels designed to make a quick payoff before the first film’s fans catch on.
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Fiddler on the Roof (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 12th, 2011

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Adapted from the hit stage musical, Norman Jewison’s film version of Fiddler on the Roof has established itself as a classic over and over again since its release in 1971.

“He loves her. Love, it’s a new style… On the other hand, our old ways were once new, weren’t they?” I’ll hardly be the first to write it, but the reason Fiddler on the Roof, a story about Jewish people and their culture, is so popular, is that its themes have universal appeal.
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The Cove (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Bob Ross on April 9th, 2011

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Everybody loves dolphins. We marvel at their graceful rolls among the waves. We enjoy watching trained ones do tricks for Sea World audiences, and some of us even pay big bucks to swim with them at specially built facilities. But behind these glimpses of intelligent marine life, there’s a deadly, disgraceful hypocrisy. There are mega-millions being made at the expense of innocent creatures, and the people behind the conspiracy will stop at nothing – including murder – to preserve their lucrative, dirty business.
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Black Swan (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 6th, 2011

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“We all know the story. Virginal girl, pure and sweet, trapped in the body of a swan. She desires freedom, but only true love can break the spell. Her wish is nearly granted in the form of a prince, but before he can declare his love, her lustful twin, the Black Swan, tricks and seduces him. Devastated, the White Swan leaps off a cliff, killing herself, and in death finds freedom.”

Darren Aronofsky made a huge name for himself with The Wrestler.
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Tron: Legacy / Tron: The Original Classic (Five-Disc Combo)(Blu-ray)(Blu-ray 3D)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 6th, 2011

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If you are old enough to have seen the original Tron back in 1982, you know how much things have changed in the digital world since then. The block graphics of the film and subsequent game might have been state-of-the-art at the time, but it looks like something very primitive to the younger generation. Like all good science fiction, many of the incredible elements of the film have become quite commonplace. The idea that a person can be scanned by a laser and transported into a virtual world
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The Resident (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 6th, 2011

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Hammer has risen from the grave. A group of investors have resurrected the film brand and intend to honor the tradition of the once-defunct horror giant. President Simon Oakes is a self-proclaimed fan since he was a kid. He has no interest in trying to fit Hammer into the new mold of torture porn or slashers. He acknowledges that there is plenty of room for those kinds of films in the horror genre. He hopes to bring back more than just the Hammer name. He intends to bring back the gothic spirit that was Hammer Films
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Tangled (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 5th, 2011

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“Once upon a time, a single drop of sunlight fell from the heavens. From this small drop of Sun grew a magical golden flower. It was said that this flower held the power to heal the sick and injured. From this flower sprang a glorious kingdom, ruled by the most generous king and queen, who were soon to have a baby…”

That baby has been the subject of many tales over the years. Walt Disney himself had begun work on an animated feature based on Rapunzel back in the 1940’s. Uncle Walt was fascinated with timeless fairy tales, and they became the studio’s specialty over the years
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King of Kings (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 5th, 2011

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“And it came to pass in these days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. And all went to be taxed, everyone into his own city. So it was that Joseph, a carpenter, went up from Galilee unto Bethlehem to be taxed with his wife, Mary who was with Holy Child.”

Every spring around the time of Easter you could count on several annual films to make their way to televisions across the country for special family presentations. For Easter you had The Greatest Story Ever Told and King Of Kings.
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Fair Game (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Bob Ross on March 30th, 2011

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A newspaper article infuriates the White House, which retaliates with all its political might to discredit the story, crush its author and cover up its own internal corruption. Sound familiar, like maybe All the President’s Men? If that’s among your favorite docudramas, then make room on the shelf for Fair Game, a real-life paranoid trip that unfolds across continents but finds its emotional center in a quiet suburban home.
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The Tourist (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 29th, 2011

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All eyes are on Angelina Jolie; okay, so that’s not much of a surprise, is it? But, I’m talking about the opening scenes of Jolie’s partnership with Johnny Depp in the remake of the French spy thriller Anthony Zimmer, retitled for the American audience, The Tourist. Her character Elise is attracting a lot of attention from men hidden away in vans with surveillance equipment trained on her every move and from every angle. No, it’s not the paparazzi this time. Elise is being followed because the intelligence community believes she will lead them to their real target, an elusive master criminal named Alex.
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Yogi Bear (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 29th, 2011

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“Jellystone Park, one of the nation’s oldest and most beautiful stretches of wilderness. For years, families have headed out from the busy city eager to enjoy a little camping, fishing, and, of course, observing the park’s natural wildlife…”

He’s smarter than the average bear. Children and adults alike have been watching his adventures since 1959. Yogi and his young sidekick Boo Boo were one of the most popular of the Hanna-Barbera stable of talking animal characters
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Hereafter (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 24th, 2011

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The home video release of Hereafter, like its Asian box office release, is the victim of bad timing. The movie has been pulled from theaters in Japan since the tragic events that have struck that country in recent weeks. It’s unfortunate that the movie opens with one of the most realistic depictions of a tsunami that I’ve ever seen. The ultra-realism will be an emotional pang for anyone who shares the sadness of the current disaster. The film has suddenly been criticized for its graphic portrayal, but that kind of statement bears the mark of the worse kind of insincerity
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The Ten Commandments (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on March 23rd, 2011

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A sure sign that Easter is just around the corner is yet another home video release of perennial seasonal favorite The Ten Commandments. In years past, we got the multi-disc edition, complete with original silent version of the film. This particular version is rather more stripped down, as far as features go, but it does mark the film’s extremely welcome arrival on Blu-ray.
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The Man from Nowhere (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Bob Ross on March 17th, 2011

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Connections between Eastern and Western cinema aren’t new, but they do seem to be proliferating. Back in 1964, Italian maestro Sergio Leone borrowed from Japanese genius Akira Kurosawa, turning Yojimbo into A Fistful of Dollars. Just last year, Korean writer-director Lee Jeong-Beom looked to the West for multiple influences, and the result is The Man From Nowhere, a psychological action-thriller that alternately engages, confuses and kicks major butt.
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