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Kung Fu Panda 2 / Secrets of the Masters (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 14th, 2011

“Long ago in ancient China, the peacocks ruled over Gongmen City. They brought great joy and prosperity to the city, for they had invented fireworks. But their son, Lord Shen, saw darker power in the fireworks. What had brought color and joy could also bring darkness and destruction. Shen’s troubled parents consulted a soothsayer. She foretold that if he continued down this dark path, he would be defeated by a warrior of black and white.”

We all know who that warrior is, don’t we?
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Fright Night (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 14th, 2011

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“He’s a real monster. And he’s not brooding or lovesick or noble. He’s the shark from Jaws. He kills. He feeds. And he doesn’t stop until everybody around him is dead.”

Okay, there’s going to be two schools of thought going on when it comes to this movie. There are going to be plenty of fans who, like myself, absolutely loved the original tongue-in-cheek 1980’s film. It has endured over the years, and I have found it to be just as charming and chilling now as I did when I first saw it back in 1985.
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Another Earth (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 14th, 2011

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“Within our lifetimes, we’ve marveled as biologists have managed to look at ever smaller and smaller things. And astronomers have looked further and further into the dark night sky, back in time and out in space. But maybe the most mysterious of all is neither the small nor the large: it’s us, up close.”

Another Earth has all the earmarks of a first feature film for director Mike Cahill. It’s also quite obvious that the director is far more comfortable in the documentary style of filmmaking.
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Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by M. W. Phillips on December 13th, 2011

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“Oh hidy ho officer, we’ve had a doozy of a day. There we were minding our own business, just doing chores around the house, when kids started killing themselves all over my property.”

A carload of preppie college kids set off for a Memorial Day weekend of partying deep in the backwoods of West Virginia. They encounter a couple creepy looking hillbillies leering at them on the highway. Stopping to gas up they encounter the two rednecks again, but this time one of the two approaches the girls holding a scythe over his head and laughing like a madman.
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Chillerama (Unrated) (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by M. W. Phillips on December 13th, 2011

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“It’s impossible, but it would appear that the Spermupermine has had an adverse effect on your system. It’s not only strengthening your spermatozoa, but it’s causing it to grow to gargantuan proportions.”

I definitely have a soft spot for the horror anthologies; they’re the equivalent of cinema short stories. Some of the best horror anthology movies were Creepshow, Tales from the Crypt, Tales from the Darkside: The Movie, The House That Dripped Blood, Trick ‘R Treat, Asylum, Body Bags, Dead of Night and Black Sabbath.
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‘Twas the Night Before Christmas (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 13th, 2011

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“‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring…not even a mouse…”

The poem is a popular one. It was originally titled A Visit From St. Nick and has been a holiday staple since the 1820’s. No one knows for sure who wrote it, and there are several schools of thought on its authorship. What is not in doubt is that the lines are about as familiar as Christmas itself. Over the years it has been lampooned and used as an inspiration for many films, plays and songs. In 1974 Rankin & Bass tackled the title, and it has since become a holiday staple.
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Smallville: The Complete Tenth Season (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 12th, 2011

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Look up in the sky. It’s a bird. It’s a plane. No, it’s…. well, Clark Kent. And we finally have to say goodbye to the wonderful universe that this show has brought to the Superman mythology. With the show ending on its own terms we expected a lot from this season, and it was something just short of impossible for the cast and crew to deliver on those fans expectations. The season wasn’t perfect, and I’m sure that each fan walked away disappointed in something that happened, or more likely didn’t happen.
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Tanner Hall (Blu-Ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on December 10th, 2011

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As one could probably surmise from reading many of my reviews, I don’t know a thing about women. I am after all a man, that is really the only reason I need. But then again, we are slow witted creatures. But I do know I like watching women (that does not sound too perverted does it?). So perhaps when I saw a list of titles to review, I gravitated towards one called Tanner Hall which follows the story of four teenage girls becoming women. I probably still will not learn a thing.
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Blood Simple (Blu Ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on December 9th, 2011

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A bar owner hires a hitman to assassinate his wife and her lover upon discovering their affair. What proceeds is a neo-noir packed with ample murder, betrayal and suspicions throughout.

This film is the directorial debut of Joel Cohen, thus making it the first in the line of “Coen Bros.” productions (Joel’s brother Ethan naturally contributing as co-writer and co-editor). As well, Barry Sonnenfield is the Director of Photography, which helps to explain the outstanding visual composition of this film.
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Doctor Who: The Complete Sixth Series (Blu-ray)

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

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“On every world wherever people are, in the deepest part of the winter, at the exact midpoint, everybody stops and turns and hugs. As if to say, “Well done! Well done, everyone! We’re halfway out of the dark.” Back on Earth, we call this Christmas, or the Winter Solstice. On this world, the first settlers called it the Crystal Feast. You know what I call it? I call it expecting something for nothing!”

In 2005 the BBC decided to bring back the gone-but-never-forgotten character.
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The Devil’s Double (Blu-ray)

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

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There have been a lot of films out that deal with the Iraq war and the various political situations that region of the world has had to deal with since that time. Most of these efforts are trying so hard to make some radical political point that they tend to serve their audiences poorly as entertaining films. Happily, that’s not the case with Lee Tamahori’s The Devil’s Double. The film cuts through the polarizing political elements and provides a brutal view of the Hussein regime through the actions of one of Saddam’s sons, Uday. Tamahori has created a modern Scarface
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5 Days of War (Blu-Ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on December 5th, 2011

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As some might be able to figure out from my personality, I tend to stay away from political and war type movies. Political movies (except for the special ones) tend to confuse the viewer until the final curtain is drawn. War movies on the other hand tend to be more about explosions and male bonding which is usually enough to put me to sleep. What happens when you combine the two of them? Well then you might get a movie like 5 Days of War directed by the one and only Renny Harlin .
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Attack On Leningrad (Blu Ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on December 4th, 2011

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This historical film looks at the three-year siege of Leningrad during World War 2. The film follows a Russian, female police officer who aids a stranded, English news reporter as they try to survive the siege.
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Evil Dead 2 (25th Anniversary Edition) (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by M. W. Phillips on December 4th, 2011

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“Someone’s in my fruit cellar! Someone with a fresh soooul!”

Sam Raimi wasn’t really interested in making a horror movie. Weaned on The Three Stooges, comedy was really more his style, but he could only find interested investors if he made a horror movie. So he and his filmmaking partner, Bruce Campbell, made the short film Within the Woods and with it secured funding for their first feature length movie, The Book of the Dead. When it was pointed out kids might not see a movie with book in the title, the name was changed to Evil Dead.
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Spy Kids 4: All The Time In The World (3D Blu-ray / Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 1st, 2011

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“You have been activated.”

You’ve got to hand it to Robert Rodriguez. Since he came onto the film scene in 1992 he has earned a reputation for delivering some very innovative films. His specialty appears to run toward more adult fare with such cult hits as Dusk To Dawn, Sin City, and his recent splashes into grindhouse territory. Anyone who has seen those films might find it strange that the writer/director is also responsible for a somewhat beloved children’s franchise with the Spy Kids films.
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Carjacked (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 1st, 2011

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John Bonito has had very little experience in filmmaking. He’s done a few wrestling tidbits and one earlier film called The Marine, and that was nearly six years ago. Chances are you haven’t heard of either. If Carjack is any indication of his limited ability, the new film out on Blu-ray isn’t going to help with that name recognition. So, with a no-name director and a direct-to-video release, the film really left small expectations. We might go into a film like this expecting a rather dull, “been there, done that” feel to it. In that sense Bonito doesn’t disappoint at all. But take a closer look at the cast and hope emerges for something perhaps a little better than that.
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Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas Special Edition (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 30th, 2011

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The Disney magic faded for a little while during the 1980s. There were still animated features, but they weren’t the groundbreaking triumphs of the studio’s golden age. All of that changed as we entered the 1990s. The Little Mermaid is considered the first of the new wave of Disney classics. It certainly signaled a change in the direction of animation at Disney. While the change may have begun there, I believe it was Beauty And The Beast that started a wave
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Peter Gabriel: New Blood – Live in London (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by M. W. Phillips on November 23rd, 2011

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“You can blow out a candle, but you can’t blow out a fire. Once the flames begin to catch, the wind will blow it higher”

Peter Gabriel, the flamboyant original front man for Genesis from 1967 to 1977, left that band to pursue recording his own solo albums. Although none of his early albums scored a top 40 hit, they were deeply loved by the art house music crowd. Gabriel’s penchant for exotic world musical instruments, dark moving lyrics, and complicated arrangements built on his fiercely loyal following.
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Placebo: We Come In Pieces (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by M. W. Phillips on November 23rd, 2011

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Let me get this out of the way first off: I am not a big fan of emo-pop, so maybe I’m not the best person to review Placebo. The whiny nasal vocals and amazingly repetitive hooks tend to drag, and I find myself just wanting to slap the band and tell them to man up. That said, I should think if you are a fan of the band, you will love this nearly three hour concert disc filmed at London’s Brixton Academy in September 2010 during the band’s tour for their album Battle for the Sun.
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Farscape: The Complete Series (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 22nd, 2011

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“My name is John Crichton…an astronaut. Four years ago, I got…shot through a wormhole to a distant part of the galaxy. I ending up on this ship…this living ship, populated by escaping prisoners…who became my friends. I made enemies…”

Take a magical journey with me now. I don’t mean into outer space. It’s a journey back in time to a day when the SyFy Channel was called the Sci-Fi Channel. A day when it was an exciting and promising place on the cable dial.
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West Side Story: 50th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by M. W. Phillips on November 22nd, 2011

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“When you’re a Jet, you’re a Jet all the way! From your first cigarette to your last dyin’ days.”

West Side Story is a masterpiece in film making. Its DNA comes from the greatest entertainers in the business. The great Robert Wise (The Sound of Music, The Day the Earth Stood Still) shares directing credit with one of the world’s greatest choreographers, Jerome Robbins. The music was composed by Leonard Bernstein with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Daniel Fapp’s cinematography is epic and evocative. The movie was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won 10, a record at the time, including Best Picture and Best Director.
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Sarah’s Key

Posted in Disc Reviews by M. W. Phillips on November 21st, 2011

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“10,000 people crammed… no bed, no toilets and little water.”

Julia Jarmond (Kristin Scott Thomas) is an American journalist living in Paris covering the anniversary of the 1942 Vel’ d’Hiv Roundup, a horrific atrocity when occupied France bowed to the will of the Nazis and rounded up over 13,000 Jews to ship them off to concentration camps. As she investigates the story she discovers a dark secret in her French husband’s family directly connecting them to the event.
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Blue Velvet (Blu-Ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on November 20th, 2011

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Deep inside most people’s hearts lies a layer of curiosity. Many of us could go that one step farther and say it boils down to perversion. Whether it involves a spectacular car crash or two lovers in the throws of passion, there are uninhibited moments that we want to see. But what happens when those moments go beyond curiosity and straight into voyeurism? Worse yet, perhaps straight into a very dangerous situation? Well then one might be feeling much like Jeffery Beaumont in Blue Velvet, one of David Lynch’s best movies.
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WWII in HD (Collector’s Edition) (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 17th, 2011

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“There are many among us who in the past closed their eyes to the events of war, because they believed that what was taking place in Europe was none of our business. That we could maintain our physical safety by retiring within our continental boundaries. Obviously, a defense policy based on that is merely to invite future attacks. For those who would not admit the possibility of the approaching storm, the past weeks have meant a shattering of past illusions.”

No, that quote wasn’t George W. Bush. It was Franklin D. Roosevelt on May 26th, 1941.
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Helldriver (Blu-Ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on November 16th, 2011

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Over-the-top movies can be enjoyable vehicles to invest ninety minutes into. Movies like Planet Terror where somewhere behind the blood splatter and the lovely Rose McGowan who had a machine gun leg was an actual enjoyable story. But these movies do not just exist in America. Abroad, over in Japan, this type of film has been taken up to the Nth degree by the company Sushi Typhoon. This review covers their newest flic, Helldriver. Let’s see what we got.
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