Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on August 13th, 2012
Stand-up comedy almost always puts me in a good mood. Even when it is bad, it can be unintentionally good and what is good can often be spectacular. Needless to say, I always am on the lookout for new comics or comics that I have overlooked. Today, we get to take a look at Todd Barry, a man who has been in standup for about 15-20 years. Yes, I believe I have completely missed this one.
Todd Barry was born on March 26, 1964 in the Bronx, New York and grew up in Florida. He actually did not start doing standup until about 1994 where he did a few open mike nights in New York City. It was not until 1999 where he finally got a break of sorts as he did a Comedy Central Presents episode that showcased his brand of comedy. I believe this is the standup that I saw a few weeks ago though I might be confusing it with the episode he did for Comedy Central during 2006. It was really good regardless.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on August 12th, 2012
Any compilation of the greatest moments in Chicago Cubs history has the potential to come off as a cruel joke. After all, we're talking about a franchise that hasn't been to the World Series since 1945. On top of that, Roosevelt was in office the last time they won it all...Teddy Roosevelt in 1908! As a result, The Essential Games of the Chicago Cubs obviously doesn't feature any moments from the Fall Classic.
Fortunately, the Cubs happen to be one of the most storied franchises in Major League Baseball history. They also play their home games in one of the world's most famous ballparks.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on August 10th, 2012
A group of teenage faeries are graduating from their Faerie academy, and set off on a grand adventure to stop an evil force from...doing evil in general. Meanwhile, one of the faeries is searching for her birth parents, while the rest are giggling about boy faeries and various colouful, giggle-inducing cute items.
The plot wavers between flighty (pun sort of intended) teen romance, where the faeries focus their magical powers on obtaining cute-boys and cute-animal companions, and a action-fantasy filled with large scale battles with nightmarish monsters, complete with mass destruction of buildings, swordplay and vicious exchanges of energy blasts.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 9th, 2012
"A high-octane, globe-spanning thriller with storylines ripped from today's headlines, Strike Back, Cinemax's first scripted prime-time original drama series, focuses on two members of a top-secret intelligence agency known as Section 20."
Cinemax has finally joined the world of original cable television programming. It's not really a first step since the powers that be at Cinemax are part of the HBO family of premium cable channels, and HBO's been in this game for a long time. They pretty much started the whole thing over 20 years ago. HBO is also distributing this home video version of Cinemax's first series, and it's an explosive series, to be sure.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on August 7th, 2012
"Life is like jazz, son; never resolves."
Small-scale Christian (or faith-based) films have found modest-yet-passionate audiences in recent years. They also have a reputation among mainstream moviegoers for being overly earnest. Blue Like Jazz — based on the popular 2003 crisis-of-faith best seller by Donald Miller — curiously circumvents that criticism by employing an overly stylish approach and, more importantly, by not billing itself as a "Christian movie."
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on August 6th, 2012
While I have watched a ton of cartoons, the same really can not be said of anime. Sure, I know my classics like Akira, Ghost in the Shell, or Vampire Hunter D but by and large I am not up on my anime. I certainly like it but when I look the shelves and shelves of television episodes or movies, I’m mostly overwhelmed. However, a little bit ago I saw a commercial for some Marvel Anime on G4, I was instantly interested. Little did I know that a couple of the series would end up on my doorstep.
Wolverine and Mariko overlook the city out on a boat. They are arm and arm and enjoying a peaceful life together. That is until three flying henchmen shoot out of the water and rain gunfire upon them. Wolverine is able to get Mariko out of the way and takes the brunt of the hit. His body is torn up but he is not out of the fight. Wolverine’s healing factor takes over and absorbs the bullets. His claws come out and he screams as we go straight into the opening theme song.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 6th, 2012
Earth From Above is a French nature documentary series dubbed into English for its American and British Blu-ray release. The host, Yann Arthus-Bertrand, garnered international attention with his renowned photography. He’s best known for his best selling coffee table book, Earth From Above, chronicling his world travels with stunning photos from a bird’s eye view. He then branched into filmmaking, using his unique aerial photographer’s eye to draw attention to world’s conservation and preservation needs. This resulted in an Earth From Above full length feature and eventually this running French series of the same name.
As a staunch environmental activist, Arthus-Bertrand formed a partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and now travels the globe documenting extreme ecological changes, most of which not attributed to the now controversial subject of "climate change" and/or "global warming." This Blu-ray release covers two discs and four programs in the series including So the Great Rivers May Live, Of Forests and Man, 6 Billion People to Feed and Do Wild Animals Still Exist? Each segment is broken into two parts and was aired as two separate episodes in the series.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on August 4th, 2012
- "It's our duty, this is war."
- "Agreed, but even so let's remember our manners."
You know how Citizen Kane is considered by some to be the greatest film of all time? Well, I'm the kind of curious movie nerd who subsequently wonders which film was atop Kane auteur Orson Welles' personal list. Unfortunately, I can't ask him, but there's evidence suggesting the answer was Jean Renoir's La Grande Illusion/Grand Illusion.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 2nd, 2012
"It's one thing to see a great white shark on television or from the safe confines of a boat. It's another experience entirely to see the animals in their natural element. There simply is not a single creature on Earth that we're more afraid of."
Man’s always had a rather natural, and healthy, fear of sharks, but it was perhaps the 1975 film Jaws that brought all of those primordial fears bubbling to the surface of our pop culture. Since then sharks have taken an almost mythic position in our culture. They invade our fears, but more importantly they fascinate the heck out of us. Young or old, it doesn’t matter. Sharks are the new dinosaurs, and they aren’t going anywhere any time soon. Come face to face with some of the most dangerous creatures on the planet, with a level of clarity and detail that was once reserved only for those who shared their waters.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 2nd, 2012
"You have been summoned to a place beyond this Earth, a place beyond your understanding. A place with laughter and love, safety and happiness for all eternity. A trusted friend will accompany you to this other plain of existence. And your journey will begin. Watch for the signs, my friend. Godspeed and good luck."
The place you are being summoned to is that wacky film study group that is MST3K. Classes are about to begin again thanks to Shout Factory and their continuing release of these classic films and the men who hate them.
