Into the Blu

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

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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You know when you are getting old when you saw a movie celebrating its 45th anniversary during its original theatrical run. Such is the case with The Sound of Music which is the first movie I can really recall seeing as a kid with my parents. I was wowed by the scope and color of the film as a kid but have been disappointed with all of the previous home video releases of this classic. Thankfully, the first Blu-ray release of this film can only be described as spectacular, both visually and sonically. All I can say is that it is about time! Continue Reading

In the sci-fi movie world, outside of Star Wars, I can’t think of any more eagerly anticipated Blu-ray releases that Alien and Aliens. I saw both of these in the theater during their initial runs and loved them both. While they have the alien creature and the character Ripley in common, they are two very different films with Alien, under the direction on Ripley Scott, being a suspense film and one of the scariest films I have seen and Aliens, under James Cameron, an action film. While both very different, both are truly excellent. Unfortunately, the folks at 20th Century Fox have chosen to release all four films as a set so you have to buy all 4 just to get the first two. How do they look and sound? Well, read on. Continue Reading

For the penultimate movie in my review of the Mel Brooks Collection, I selected the classic Spaceballs, Mr. Brooks’ send up of science fiction movies.  Although I thought I had watched this movie previously, I was surprised to discover that I had only watched it in parts and not as a whole.

When viewing the film previously, I had been struck by its obvious wink to Star Wars, emphasized through characters such as Barf, Dot, Yogurt, Pizza the Hutt, and Dark Helmet.  As a long-term lover of science fiction films, Spaceballs was treading dangerous ground.  My question was, was this film sublime satire, or pure farce. Continue Reading

After reviewing the five Mel Brooks films in the collection I had not yet viewed, it was now time to revisit some old friends.  And first up was History of the World – Part I, a movie that I had first seen long before I was old enough to understand most of the jokes.

Before watching the collection, this film fully defined what I thought a Mel Brooks film was.  A musical number, genital-oriented humor, and an overall irrelevance for its subject matter would be what I thought of when I heard the words “Mel Brooks”.  However, after watching such treats as To Be Or Not to Be, Silent Movie, and even High Anxiety, I was curious to see if I remembered the movie correctly, and if it was truly as good as I thought it was. Continue Reading

Movie trailers can be very deceiving. Far too often, you see a trailer at the theater and think, wow, that looks like an interesting film, only to find that the film sucks. Every now and then, a great trailer turns into a great film. The converse is also often true, a bad trailer proceeds a bad film.  Such is the case with the subject of today’s review… Cop Out. Continue Reading

I can’t say that I have ever been a big fan of action films based upon early Greek mythology. Lord knows, I find the mythology fascinating and the sites in antiquity devoted to them incredibly interesting and must sees, belonging on anyone’s bucket list. It is just that the films made on the subject have been totally lame, for want of a better word. Unfortunately, the film that is the subject matter of today’s review, Clash of the Titans, is just another in a long list of weak and mindless films based upon this otherwise interesting subject matter. Continue Reading

For my fourth movie in my review of the Mel Brooks Collection, I selected High Anxiety, Mr. Brooks’ loving spoof of Alfred Hitchcock movies.  Although I admire Mr. Hitchcock’s work, I can honestly admit it has been a few decades since I last saw one of his films (The Birds).

One challenge I anticipated with High Anxiety is that certain subjects like murder and suspense do not work well in comedy (like in Have you Heard About the Morgans).  Truly, the only way to make a thriller work with humour is to go way, way, way over the top, much like in the Police Squad series of movies.

However, my pleasant surprise at the quality of To Be Or Not To Be left me with some anticipation that this movie may also surprise me with its wit and charm. Continue Reading

 After reviewing both Silent Movie and Young Frankenstein, I was extremely curious to see which of the remaining seven discs in the Mel Brooks Collection would fit into the categories of “underrated comedy” or “overhyped disappointment”.  For this third movie, I selected another Mel Brooks film I had not seen before, To Be or Not to Be, Mr. Brooks’ 1983 remake of Ernest Lubitsch’s 1942 original.

Mr. Brooks has never struck me as a subtle humorist, and I had some worry that a comedy-musical-drama about World War II and Nazism could be taken from funny to farcical under his guidance.  Perplexingly, I also had high expectations at the same time – with such rich subject matter, and a stellar cast, this movie had the potential to be really good.  And in short, this movie was really good, the type of comedy I grew up on, and the type that seems to have fallen out of favor with the viewing public. 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

Normally in my opening paragraph, I discuss my impressions of the film, possibly rekindle some old memories, and leave the reader with a question about the worthiness of the movie.  In my review for Shutter Island I am skipping this pretense.  If you like psychological thrillers with a touch of the supernatural, go buy this movie.  If you appreciate a haunting score that is as much a character as the actors, go buy this movie.  If you love to see films that are not made, but instead crafted, go buy this movie. Continue Reading