Into the Blu

I guess you can say that I was pulled into the world of Happy Potter against my will. One of my kids was a fan as was my wife so when the first film was released, I was dragged along. Much to my surprise, I enjoyed the film. I kept hearing how the films were faithful to the books and how detailed the books were and that I should really read the books as well. The books are rather long and for quite awhile, I was very content to just visit the cinema with the family and get the whole gist of the book in a couple of hours. It was not until a trip to of all places, the UK, where I first grabbed a copy of The Half Blood Prince which I was able to finish on a long trip. I enjoyed the book and really found it interesting to see how the book was brought to the screen. Continue Reading

After Dark Horrorfest, commonly known as “8 films to die for” is an annual horror festival that began in 2006 and features eight feature length horror films. Since the initial Horrorfest in 2006 it has become somewhat of a cult hit, each year cranking out more thrills and chills. Unlike a typical film festival, Horrorfest doesn’t take place at just one location; it actually plays in dozens of theatres across the country, with more being added all the time. Continue Reading

March 29th, 2011 Releases…

• Tangled
• Black Swan
• Mad Men: Season Four
• The Ten Commandments
• Treme: The Complete First Season
• The Times of Harvey Milk (The Criterion Collection)
• Evangelion: 2.22 You Can [Not] Advance
• Fair Game
• All Good Things
• Dogtooth

I always wince a bit when I hear that a particular film, TV show or record is a “Cult favorite”. After all, a particular piece of “media” can’t be anywhere near a commercial hit or it wouldn’t have “cult” status. Therefore, for me, cult status and commercial bomb are often times synonymous. Often times there is a very good reason why a particular piece of media is a bomb, and that is because is wasn’t very good in the first place. That isn’t always the case, as certain films and albums are simply ahead of their times and had they been release later in different times, would have struck more of a chord with the mass audience. Continue Reading

It is nice to come across a film about the travails of everyday life, the stresses of raising kids, stress at work and end of life issues surrounding one’s parents, as difficult as they may be. Such films don’t get much notoriety and certainly aren’t blockbusters but can really strike a nerve. Such a film is the subject of this review and aptly entitled, Every Day. Continue Reading

March 22nd, 2011 Releases…

• The Tourist
• Yogi Bear
• Skyline
• How Do You Know
• Robots
• The Venture Bros.: The Complete Season 4
• Stand By Me
• Anastasia
• Riddick Collection
• The Vanquisher

When you look over the mass marketplace of entertainment, it is amazing to see the lack of totally original content that seems to be available these days. From films to TV to music, the mass market seems to regurgitate the same things over and over again, looking to cash in on what they think has been popular in the past or looking to create content on the cheap. You see it in TV with the upsurge in reality TV shows which seem to gather high ratings at low cost. You see it the non reality genre as well. I mean, have many versions of CSI or Law and Order Do you really need? Then there is the recycling of old TV shows that haven’t been on in decades. The same is true for popular music, where act after act does nothing but imitate another. After all, isn’t Lady Gaga nothing but a clone of Madonna? Continue Reading

Usually when you approach the big five-oh, you expect something special, whether it is your 50th birthday or your 50th wedding anniversary. One would therefore have expected something very special from the folks at Disney for their 50th full length animated film. That film, Tangled, is the subject of this review. Would it prove to be just as special as one would have expected for such a milestone film? Continue Reading

There is little doubt that life’s greatest mystery doesn’t involve life at all but what happens when you die, as life’s curtain is drawn to a close. There are those who believe that when the lights go out, that is it. There are others who believe that that is not the end, that there is another side. The problem is that it is really just a matter of faith, as there is no definitive proof one way or the other, despite the claims of those who have had near death experiences. While those with near death experiences may have compelling stories to tell, there are scientists who will tell you that those experiences, i.e. the light at the end of a tunnel pulling you towards it, are simply methods developed by the brain over the years to prepare you for the end and do not portend an afterlife. I for one am hoping that there is. I am sure you are wondering why I am getting so philosophical. Well, that is because this very issue, about whether there is life after death, is the issue that forms the heart of the film that is the subject of this review, Clint Eastwood’s Hereafter. Continue Reading

While new films seem to be what most of the Blu-ray buying public is looking for, I also really enjoy the back catalogs, even the deep back catalogs. It gives me a chance to get a fresh look at films I never had the opportunity to see, didn’t know about or haven’t seen in a long time. One such film is the subject of this review, Moonstruck which I hadn’t seen since its original theatrical run in 1987. I really loved it then. Would I love it just as much now all these years later? The answer is an unqualified yes. Continue Reading

At first glance Paranormal Activity 2 seems like an interesting blu-ray to review… I always tend to try and invest in titles that will flex the muscles of my home theatre and when we’re dealing with a film that is supposed to look like it was shot with a handheld camcorder it may seem like it’s a sure bet this will be getting a skip on the technical aspects, but if a film is valuable enough and caters to the right market it just might surprise us. Lets see how it does.

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March 15th, 2011 Releases…

• The Fighter
• Hereafter
• The Switch
• Au revoir les enfants (Criterion Collection)
• Yi Yi (Criterion Collection)
• Battle of the Warriors