Into the Blu

The past several weeks have seen some very significant Blu-ray releases, with some long awaited films such as the Alien films and the Back to the Future trilogy making their ways into the hands of some very happy collectors. We have also seen some great films restored to their original glory and brought to Blu-ray for the first time, with The Sound of Music and Bridge On The River Kwai coming immediately to mind. However, truly great films are hard to come by. Pure dreck is much more prevalent at the cineplex and is well represented in some of the newer releases on Blu. Most films, however, lie in between the dreck and the great. Most of these are just fun films. Not great but often times filled with plenty of action and stellar special effects and just enough of a plot to keep you mildly interested. One such film is the subject of this review. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.

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When I looked at the cover of Altitude and immediately laughed at all the little details in the cover, not only is the plane seem out of control but some sort of Lost-esque smoke monster is reaching for the plane… and on closer inspection someone is dangling from a door on the plane. It’s clear that even though I’ve never heard of this movie before I had a very good idea as to what I was in store for… Was I right?

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Too much of the faire coming out of Hollywood these days is either low brow dreck or material that has been done before (and often better) that has been recycled yet again. That doesn’t even include the ever growing number of sequels. Even films that don’t exactly do well at the box office seem to get sequels, due in part to the dearth of new ideas floating around Hollywood. It is rare that a film is released that is so original and so compelling that is stands uniquely alone. Such a film is Christopher Nolan’s Inception, which is making its Blu-ray debut on December 7th. Continue Reading

 In a time where M. Night Shymalan has been hit with some pretty negative criticisms with his past few original ideas, this marks the first real adaption (minus Lady in the Water) that the director has undertaken. Does a movie directed by M. Night that isn’t written by him any better?

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Most men love their Westerns. On the other hand, most women tend to get upset when they lose the bet and as a result are stuck watching a Western. That being said, I fall into the later group, so the thought of watching Jonah Hex was a little daunting. I have however in the past liked comic adaptations such as Superman, The Hulk and Iron Man and I am happy to report that this comic book turned movie was also very entertaining.

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With a recent remake or sequel depending on how you look at it, it’s interesting to go back and watch the original Bad Lieutenant. The movie came out at one of Keitel’s high points and is one of his most infamous roles. Will this catalogue release be an essential for the fans?

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Arguably one of the most iconic films in the horror genre, Poltergeist now nearly 30 years old, is filled with numerous recognizable and often parodied scenes. Poltergeist has since been made into a trilogy of films and a remake is currently in talks; but let’s face it nothing has or will come close to competing with the original. Directed by Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and produced by Steven Spielberg, Poltergeist was nominated for 3 Academy Awards in 1982; a rare feat for a horror film. But not all good has come from this film, as much of the current day press around the film comes in form of The “Poltergeist Curse.” The curse surrounding the film has supposedly taken the lives of four cast members; aged as young as 12 years old. One murdered, the rest taken by illness it is unclear to me the reality of this curse but one thing is for sure; it surely has added to the already spooky aura around the film. Continue Reading

Remember Lost Boys? The cult teen horror film directed by Joel Shumacher… Of course it’s a seminal work that is a staple of the 80’s teen horror genre. How about the sequel, Lost Boys: The Tribe? If you haven’t then it may be a surprise to you that there’s a third film, The Lost Boys: The Thirst filling in the trilogy. How does it hold up against the classic?  Continue Reading

King Kong was a groundbreaking achievement in special effects using stop motion and animatronics and it captured audiences’ attention around the world for its unique filmmaking techniques and thus held records for selling out for four days in a row. For the time King Kong was piquing peoples’ interests, but in a world where we have a truck turn into a robot and dinosaurs roam our streets; how well does a film which based a lot of its appeal on its special effects hold up?  Continue Reading

In this day and age remakes are common place; with original thoughts receding from our imaginations like a glacier. Most of the time these remakes do little to no justice in regards to the original, especially to classics. Well sometimes re-imaginations give us an opportunity to enjoy characters in a whole new light (i.e. The Dark Knight or Casino Royale), so while the characters are the same it’s a whole new plot and direction. Then there are remakes like The Amityville Horror that initially have me feeling sceptical. I ask myself how can you take a plot that simply revolves around a house and its horrific effects on a family, and keep its original intensity while offering something new to bring viewers in.    Continue Reading

Yet another remake hits the shelves, based upon the 1964 movie titled 2000 Maniacs! This doesn’t quite seem like the type of movie worth replicating, but I’ve been surprised before and I’m hoping to be surprised again. Really the only recognizable name in the cast is Robert Englund of A Nightmare on Elm Street fame, but includes a couple recognizable faces in Lin Shaye and Giuseppe Andrews.  Continue Reading

With apologies in advance to William Shakespeare, to 3D or not to 3D, that is the question. As I do not have a 3D set, the answer is no to 3D. It is 2D all the way and will continue to be until there is 3D without glasses, a flat panel display that can best a Kuro and some studies on the long terms effects on 3D shutter glass technology. Until then, I will pass. So why should I bring up that issue now? Well the whole 3D debate came to mind while watching Disney’s A Christmas Carol. The film was created for 3D and is a wholly computer generated project. The film, in 2D, has such depth and clarity that the 2D presentation was more than adequate and at times, much as in the case with Avatar, simply stunning. Now, time to get off the soapbox and on to the review. Continue Reading