Girls: The Complete Second Season (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on August 13th, 2013
“Well, when you love someone you don’t have to be nice all the time.”
In this current age of message boards and morning-after recaps, the pressure is on to make your voice the loudest if you want to be heard in the wilderness of the Internet. For snarky TV critics, that often means declaring something is either the “Best ____ Ever” or the “Worst ____ Ever”, with little room for anything in-between. But even within these sharply-divided times, I believe HBO’s Girls — which is brilliant just as often as it is maddening — stands out as the most polarizing show on TV.
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Killing Season (Blu-Ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on August 12th, 2013
Let’s face facts. War is heck. Sure, we can go back to ancient times with the Romans or more modern offerings such as the World Wars or even Vietnam, but perhaps more recent offerings between smaller countries and territories can be just as brutal. But what can be surprising is the emotional and physical toll it takes on those soldiers even years after it happens. Our film today, Killing Season takes us into two different sides in the aftermath of a very brutal altercation, the Serbs and the Bosnians.
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Body Double (Blu-Ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on August 10th, 2013
Plenty of movie critics out there like to praise the artsy movies like they are the second coming. We see it all too often. Critically acclaimed, revolutionary, captivating, all over used words to described the latest movie that often is nothing more than a good reason to sleep for two hours. For me, I love a different type of movie, in a generic term, the cult classic. A movie that is so awful, it is often fantastic in its own way. A frequent subsection of this is the campy erotic thriller. One of those films is on the docket today, and that film is the DePalma classic: Body Double.
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Elysium
Posted in The Reel World by Brent Lorentson on August 9th, 2013
Walking out of District 9 I knew I had just watched something special; it was more than a simple sci-fi film, it was a technical achievement that would make writer/director Neill Blomkamp a guy to look out for. It’s been four years since District 9’s release and Blomkamp steps up to the plate with an even more ambitious project with Elysium. For those who have seen the trailers, I’m sure like myself you were chomping at the bit as the visuals gave us hope for a film that would not only equal what District 9 did but surpass it in quality and scope.
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Strike Back: The Complete Second Season (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 9th, 2013
“If you want to achieve something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse. And we’re all utterly sick of hearing excuses.”
There are no excuses when it comes to Cinemax’s Strike Back. Finding a way is exactly what this team does and what this series is about. These guys can shoot it out with about 200 terrorists and come out with barely a scratch. We’re talking action of the highest order. And that was just season 1. Wait until you find out what these guys are up to in season 2. Regulars won’t survive, and a lot of bad guys are going to get killed
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Planes
Posted in The Reel World by Archive Authors on August 9th, 2013
For adults with kids, there is a great need for animated films to make the family happy. For movie studios, there is a great need for films that the entire family can go to that are not slapped with an R-rating which cuts down on profits. Two recent films recently made films about races, Planes and Turbo, showed a need for speed. More and more, the glut of these movies shows the need for greed. Greed is what makes studios only think about making money and not good movies. I actually did like both Planes and Turbo, which is strange because I absolutely hated Cars 2, which was also a race movie.
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We’re the Millers
Posted in The Reel World by Jeremy Butler on August 8th, 2013
The line between hilarious raunchy comedy and over-the-top raunchy comedy is very fine, and We’re the Millers tends to dance on both sides of it. In time such action will be revealed to be both a blessing and a curse, I suspect. With the young crowd, I believe the film will fall right into place with such movies as Horrible Bosses (a comedy which coincidently starred Aniston and Sudeikis) and to be more recent, This is the End. With more mature audiences, the raunchiness may prove to be slightly more than they were expecting to see. With me, I find myself on the side of the young.
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Percy Jackson Sea Of Monsters
Posted in The Reel World by Archive Authors on August 8th, 2013
Where do I begin? The first Harry Potter movie and the first Percy Jackson movie were both directed by Chris Columbus, but he moved on in both cases. The other similarities are substantial, and the studio producing the new Percy Jackson movie certainly hopes it can produce a similar success that Harry Potter did for its studio. There are a whole lot of books that are part of an ongoing story. In fact, there is a new series that moves on from Greek gods to Egyptians. That’s right, Greek gods, but not like in Clash of the Titans which takes place so many years ago in olden days.
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Banshee: Season One (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 8th, 2013
“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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What Maisie Knew (Blu-Ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on August 7th, 2013
For those who don’t know, I have been married twice in my life. I am currently going through my second divorce. At nearly thirty eight years old, I have lived the relationship life of arguably several lifetimes but something usually keeps me coming back. Am I done with love? Only time will tell. Today’s blu-ray review is about a six year old girl who sees life through the divorce of her mother and father. Something tells me we are in for a very long and bumpy ride.
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The Sword in the Stone (50th Anniversary Edition) (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 7th, 2013
The time was that following the death of a good king, England was left without a clear heir to the throne. During the time without a king, England had descended into dark times. Suddenly as if through divine intervention a sword appeared in an anvil of stone. An inscription decreed that whosoever could remove the sword would become king. Think you’ve heard the story before? Well, of course you have. It is none other than the story of King Arthur
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Oliver & Company: 25th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 7th, 2013
“Once upon a time in New York City…”
Walt Disney might well have been the storyteller of more than one generation of kids. Is it any wonder that when we think of such characters as Winnie The Pooh or Peter Pan our minds conjure the images wrought by Disney animators and not necessarily the classic literature descriptions? That might not be the case with this Charles Dickens story, retold through Disney’s trademark animal point of view
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Star Trek: The Next Generation – Redemption (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 7th, 2013
“Space… the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission, to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no one has gone before.”
With the success of Best Of Both Worlds, Star Trek: The Next Generation would make frequent use of the season-ending cliffhanger. Believe it or not, that wasn’t so common in those days. The fourth season ended with part one of Redemption.
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Rock For The Rising Sun (Blu-ray)
Posted in No Huddle by Brent Lorentson on August 7th, 2013
For over 40 years Aerosmith has been rocking the airwaves, and with over a 100 million albums sold, it is safe to say they are one of America’s greatest rock bands. It had been seven years before that the band previously performed in Japan, and after the devastation the country endured during the earthquake and tsunami in early 2011, the band was inspired to return to Japan and perform. Rock For The Rising Sun is more than simply a documentary of a concert in Japan; instead it is the documentation of the band’s journey that follows them along their stops throughout their tour and their interaction with the fans.
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Kumail Nanjiani: Beta Male
Posted in No Huddle by J C on August 5th, 2013
The fact that Kumail Nanjiani decided to call his first Comedy Central special Beta Male immediately gives you a sense of his self-deprecating style. Fortunately, the ability to laugh at himself is merely one of many comedic gifts this on-the-rise comic possesses. This consistently funny, frequently hilarious hour-long set — filmed in Austin’s Moody Theater — touches on a wide range of topics, including his Muslim upbringing, cats disguised as pizza delivery men, and outdated rollercoasters.
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2 Guns
Posted in The Reel World by Jeremy Butler on August 2nd, 2013
Who said inter-agency cooperation wasn’t possible? Well, maybe cooperation is a bit of stretch for the relationship between Washington and Wahlberg in 2 Guns, the Rated R comedy from director Baltasar Kormakur (Contraband). A buddy-cop film by definition, but a refreshing one that is sure to be a welcomed addition to the subcategory right alongside Lethal Weapon, Bad Boys, and Rush Hour.
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Under the Bed
Posted in No Huddle by Brent Lorentson on August 2nd, 2013
At some point or another as kids we’ve experienced either the fear of the dark, what lurks in the closet, or perhaps the dread of what awaits under the bed. As adults most view these fears we had as children as impractical, but for those of us who remember these fears, the possibility of what terrors awaited us come nightfall was something very real. Sure, mom or dad would check the room to assure us there was nothing there, but we knew better. We knew the moment the parents left the room the dreaded terrors would crawl out from there dark hideouts and come for us in our sleep. It’s this childhood terror that director Steven C. Miller (director of the Silent Night remake) attempts to bring to the screen.
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Gunsmoke – The Ninth Season Volumes 1 & 2
Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on August 2nd, 2013
I’ll say this about a program that has remained consistent in quality for twenty seasons…it makes for challenging reviews. Talking about each season of Gunsmoke is difficult in that you either write briefly to try to avoid redundancies, but might seem too hasty, or you have to labour over each episode, in which case, you’re only going to have hardcore fans paying attention. Since this website has touched on previous seasons: ( http://upcomingdiscs.com/?s=gunsmoke ) I shall opt for the former option, and hope y’all out there catch that I’m not being hasty…but respect a show that warrants no fresh complaints after 9 years a-runnin’ thus far.
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Dragons: Riders of Berk – Parts 1 & 2
Posted in No Huddle by Brent Lorentson on August 1st, 2013
The cartoons I’m most fond of from my childhood are all cell-animated, simply because I grew up in a time before computer generation effects and animation had been fully realized. Now when you flip on the TV it’s hard to find any true animation; everything has moved on and evolved to CGI. When the studios have the time and money, they can release some breathtaking features like Finding Nemo and The Croods. But when it comes to television the CGI never seemed to match the quality of the features. That is until Dreamworks released Dragons: Riders of Berk.
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Rushlights
Posted in No Huddle by Archive Authors on August 1st, 2013
“Treading through the dreadful darkness of the land, I dipped the pith of a rush into the tallow, and soon the rushlights guided me down the somberness, the gloomy flames unveiling this unfamiliar soil.”
B.J. Smith 1714-1775
These words preface the movie Rushlights, giving it an aura of mystery, history and literary pedigree. What is delivered is a modern film noir that stretches from Los Angeles to Tremo, Texas.
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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Enter Shredder
Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on August 1st, 2013
This is the third stab at making an animated series about these radical reptiles. This lone DVD acts as a sampler of seven episodes taken from the middle of its first season, instead of the complete season set. (A common move from Nickelodeon.) These episodes introduce the characters well enough that it will make you curious to see more of what this series has to offer.
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Bus Stop (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on July 31st, 2013
For most modern moviegoers, Marilyn Monroe is probably more “famous for being famous” than she is for her cinematic body of work. (Of course, she’s also infinitely better known for an entirely different “body of work.”) That’s not totally fair because Monroe has at least one bona fide classic (Some Like It Hot) and a handful of indisputably indelible images among her movie credits. Those of you interested in exploring her filmography are in luck: Fox has just released two titles from her mid-1950s superstar peak on Blu-ray, including her turn as an ambitious showgirl in Bus Stop.
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Star Trek: The Next Generation – Season Four (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 31st, 2013
“Space… the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission, to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no one has gone before.”
The fourth Season of Star Trek: The Next Generation erased any doubts that the show could stand on its own. The series had developed its own characters and situations that allowed the show to somewhat separate itself from the confines of the original series
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Hands Of The Ripper (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 31st, 2013
In the 1950’s and 1960’s Hammer picked up where Universal had left off. They became the studio for the very best in horror films. With names like Lugosi, Karloff and Chaney finally reaching the end of their reign, Hammer offered up the likes of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. They resurrected all of the famous Universal monsters in their own image. Now we had a new cycle of Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man and The Mummy. While the films were somewhat low-budget and released mostly through the drive-in circuit, these films made a bloody splash with horror fans all over the world.
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Femme Fatales: The Complete Second Season
Posted in No Huddle by Brent Lorentson on July 31st, 2013
The Cinemax anthology series continues to be my guilty pleasure that when it’s over I simply want just a little bit more. The show takes sleaze and debauchery to a whole new level, and I mean that in the best way possible. At first glance and even if catching an episode out of context, for some the show may resemble some B-grade skin flick, but for those who sit back and give it a chance, you’ll discover it is so much more. But for those who may find beautiful women randomly discarding their clothes mixed with random acts of violence offensive, well, here is your chance to run away and never look back, because this show takes pleasure in pushing the limits of decency and good taste. And that is what makes it fun.
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