Into the Blu

Most of us are probably only aware of Leo Tolstoy as the author of War and Peace. I know I was not aware of the long and at times turbulent 58 year marriage to his wife Sofya and the political intrigue surrounding the last period of his life. Such a rich story line along with the typical Russian intrigue, has the makings of a great film. Does The Last Station deliver on its promise? Continue Reading

As mentioned in my review for Silent Movie it is a formidable task reviewing all nine (yes, nine!) movies in the Mel Brooks Collection box set, so again I beg for the reader’s patience as I soldier through the movies.  For my second review, I continued to focus on the Mel Brooks movies I had missed.

Second up for review was 1974’s Young Frankenstein, a film from which I had seen various scenes, but never sat through the whole film.  Of all the Mel Brooks movies, this one appears to have the most loyal following, and I was intrigued again by Mr. Brooks making an atypical movie (a horror movie throwback in black and white) in the 1970’s. Continue Reading

As a 10-year old boy, I loved Mel Brooks movies.  To this day, I vividly remember seeing History of the World: Part 1 during its release week and thinking it was about the best movie ever made.  However, as we get older, our tastes mature.  And as viewers, North American audiences are now much, much more cynical about comedy than their counterparts were in the 70’s and 80’s.

Therefore, when The Mel Brooks Collection showed up in my docket for review, I was quite intrigued.  Not only did it contain the Mel Brooks movies I had missed, it also contained movies that I had loved when younger.  However, this is also a formidable task reviewing nine (yes, nine!) movies, so I beg the reader’s patience as I wander through this box set.

First up for review was 1976’s Silent Movie, a film I had never seen before, and one that had intrigued me.  As a boy, I loved both Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy silent shorts, and I was curious to see how well Mr. Brooks could deliver a modern version of this art form. Continue Reading

June 29th, 2010 Releases…

• Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
• Hot Tub Time Machine
• The Crazies
• Predator (Ultimate Hunter Edition)
• The Warlords
• The Leopard (Criterion Collection)
• Everlasting Moments (The Criterion Collection)
• Stolen
• Don McKay
• The White Ribbon

June 22nd, 2010 Releases…

• Green Zone
• Remember Me
• Entourage: The Complete Sixth Season
• She’s Out of My League
• Hung: The Complete First Season
• Bruce Springsteen:London Calling – Live in Hyde Park
• Riverworld
• Red Desert (Criterion Collection)
• Close-up (Criterion Collection)
• The Last Station

The packaging for a home video release can often be very telling, especially the movie reviewer quotes that are on the package. Generally, the few the quotes, the worse the film. Another rule of thumb is whether you have ever heard of the reviewers before. When there are only one or two short quotes from reviewers who are not exactly household names, well, look out. Even worse is when one of the actors in the film is not listed in the credits. Well all are in play with the release that is the subject of this review, When in Rome. Would it prove to be an exception to these rules of thumb? Continue Reading

June 15th, 2010 Releases…

• The Book of Eli
• Showgirls (15th Anniversary Sinsational Edition)
• Unthinkable
• Youth in Revolt
• When in Rome
• Supernatural: The Complete First Season
• Vengeance Trilogy
• Mystery Train (Criterion Collection)
• Sanctuary – The Complete First Season
• Sanctuary: The Complete Second Season

Showgirls will always be a cult classic favorite of mine.  I have owned this film on all available video formats as they have been released.  I imagine when holographic movies are released; I will be the first person standing in line eagerly awaiting this title.  I remember having to sneak this VHS rental home from Blockbuster back in late 1995.  I gave it a very quiet basement viewing after my parents went to sleep one night. I just had to see what was so controversial about the performance of Saved By The Bell’s sweetheart teen actress Elizabeth Berkley.  And wow, was I ever surprised at what I saw.  That wasn’t the Jessie Spano I knew and loved all these years.  My girl had grown up fast and oh, what moves she has learned.  And that word “moves,” can take on many different contextual meanings here. Continue Reading

One of the joys of being a movie reviewer is that it forces me to sit down and watch classic films that I just never seem to have the time to watch.  Therefore, I was thrilled when assigned to watch Doctor Zhivago, the legendary Academy award-winning epic from Sir David Lean.  Little did I know that back in the 1960’s an epic meant many things, including an epically long run time (just over 3:15)!

More importantly, how does this film measure up against the “epics” of today, and how well did this translate to Blu-ray?  Although some films receive a loving restoration (The African Queen), how well would Warner Brothers treat this legendary film? Continue Reading

There are some shall I call them “suspense thrillers” that are good for only one viewing. Once you know the ending and how the plot twists are resolved, the film is spoiled for subsequent viewing. There are other suspense thrillers that are great no matter how many times you view them as you are continually pulled into the narrative by superior film making, whether you know the ending or not. One of the latter types of suspense thrillers is the subject of this review, The Illusionist. Continue Reading

When it comes to documentaries, the British Broadcasting Corporation, otherwise known as the BBC, strives to not only to provide a high quality production, but the best that can be offered.  The 2007 release of Planet Earth was truly a sight to behold and up to that point, was arguably the greatest nature documentary of all time.  Not only did the crew manage to capture the beauty of nature, they also managed to grab footage never before seen, ranging from highly endangered creatures to behaviors of desperation. You would think the BBC would be satisfied with such a monumental undertaking, but they decided to follow it up.  Their latest Blu-ray release is an extension of sorts from Planet Earth, simply titled life. Continue Reading

Maybe it is just me but there seems to be a preoccupation with what I will call end of days philosophy in today’s media, whether it be books, TV shows or movies. It seems that every time I turn on the History Channel, there is some sort of show on about the Mayan calendar ending in 2012 or the predictions of Nostradamus about the end of the world or a show about a comet blasting life as we know it on the Earth right out of existence. While some of it can be thought provoking or even entertaining, most of it is hogwash. I bring this up as the film which is the subject of today’s review, The Book of Eli, fits it with the category of end of days media, as it deals with the aftermath of an apocalyptic war that almost destroyed life on Earth. Does the film rate as thought provoking, entertaining or just mere hogwash? Continue Reading