To say that I was not looking forward to the April 16^th theatrical release date of Kick-Ass would be like saying that I would rather watch a DVD of my favorite film over its superior Blu-ray counterpart.  It’s just not going to happen.  And now that my number four film of the year is coming out on Blu-ray August 3^rd, I have even more reason to celebrate.  My obsession with this film happened way back on the magical date of July 24, 2009.  It was on that very day, within Hall H at Comic-Con 2009 in San Diego, that I was introduced to the world of Kick-Ass. I never wore a grin so large in life as compared to when we, the captive audience within Hall H, were treated to not only the film’s Red Band trailer, but also exclusive clips highlighting the mayhem and action of the eccentric cast.  Weird thing is, the film had no distribution deal as of yet.  It was shown first at Comic-Con to gauge the public’s interest.  And if memory serves me correct, the panel even got a standing ovation by the end of its time slot.  Not long after, Lionsgate, one of my favorite movie studios sealed the deal to distribute Kick-Ass nationwide.  And that was a great day indeed.  Sadly, Nicolas Cage was absent from the 2009 Comic-Con panel, but this girl (see below), Chloe Moretz (aka Hit-Girl), won the audience over with not only her youth and innocence, but also her, for lack of a better term, “kick-ass” action sequences.  I’m a firm believer that Kick-Ass would not be half the film it is without Hit-Girl.  I think she will be an actress people will need to pay close attention to over the next few years.  Trust me on that (Let Me In). Read the full story

Rambo, Rambo: The Extended Cut, Rambo IV,John Rambo or whatever you want to call it is Sylvester Stallone’s follow-up, some 20 years later, to the successful Rambo franchise of the 80’s.  Unlike its predecessor, this film kicks a$$ in all four of my major action/war critical requirements: realism/believability, brutality, heart pounding action sequences and satisfying necessary emotional ties.  However, this time around, Lionsgate provides us Blu-ray customers with an alternate Director’s Cut version of what many peeps may call Stallone’s best entry into the franchise since the original film. Did we really need another cut of the successful 2008 film or should the question simply be did the fans really want another version?  I can’t speak for everyone, but in the case of the last question my answer would be a loud hell yeah, bring it on!  But perhaps the real question here is whether this new Extended Cut is really better than the theatrical presentation?  That was the firs thing that was on my mind as I sat down to watch/review this Blu-ray disc.  So give me a few minutes of your time and I will give you my two cents on this important issue/debate. Read the full story

When The Relic originally came out in theaters I was too young to go and see it at my local multiplex. I wanted to see it desperately because I had been a very big fan of the book on which it was based.  I don’t remember how, but I eventually ended up getting a VHS copy of it about a year later from a friend. It was obviously poorly copied because the sound was distorted and the picture was wavy. In fact, sometimes the picture was so completely warped at all you couldn`t tell what was happening at all. It was more like listening to an old radio show than watching a movie, but no word of a lie I probably watched that VHS five or six times.  Peter Hyams did the book justice and directs a very exciting contemporary monster movie, and even though I heard more of it than I saw, when I was 14 I though this movie was awesome. After all of these years, getting a chance to go back and review this movie on Blu-ray was a very pleasant surprise.

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Let’s cut straight to the chase here.  I realize that I am probably going to lose credibility points amongst the masses for having nothing but good things to say about this Blu-ray release, but today I became something I never thought I would ever be…a “gamer.”  Yes, that’s right, today I fell in love with the world of gaming, particularly Lionsgate’s upcoming Blu-ray title, Gamer.  It’s ironic how I have heard nothing but negative attributes about this film the past several months, but I seemingly can’t help myself from singing anything but hymns of positive praise.  Whether you love it or you hate it, there’s no denying that this Blu-ray release is the real deal.  Give me a few minutes of your time to tell you why.  Who knows?  Maybe you too, will become a “gamer!” Read the full story

Air America is loosely based on Christopher Robbin’s non-fiction book, by the same name. It follows the CIA financed airline that transported supplies and weapons throughout the Vietnam war. The film detaches from the book and follows more along the lines of political satire and covers subjects such as the drug trade. Read the full story

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is the third film in the Ice Age trilogy and is making its way to Blu-ray this month. While I enjoyed the first film, Ice Age a lot, I found the second installment, Ice Age: The Meltdown, to be a bit of a let down although is sure did well at the box office. Will the third installment continue the downward slid or match the level of the first? Read the full story

The release of just about every Disney animated film on Blu-ray is eagerly anticipated, especially the old classic films. As far as this writer is concerned, the folks at Disney set the bar real high when it comes to their older venerated catalog with the simply stellar release of Pinocchio earlier this year. An even more eagerly awaited release is the classic film Snow White, which underwent a total restoration as did Pinocchio in preparation for its release on Blu-ray. Well, Snow White has finally arrived on Blu-ray. Was it worth the wait? Will it meet or possibly even exceed the quality of the Pinocchio release? Read the full story

As I am sure anyone could glean from my prior review of the Star Trek films on Blu-ray, I am a real Star Trek fan, although I won’t go so far as to consider myself a Trekker or Trekkie or whatever the current nomenclature is these days. However, I am old enough to have watched all 3 seasons of the original series that ran on TV in the 1960′s and then again in syndication and loved when the first few films made it to the big screen. Read the full story

Outrageous, over-the-top, zany, inventive, creative, shocking, action-packed, adrenaline rush, high-octane and electrifying are just some of the descriptive words that come to my mind, without much thought, when describing Crank 2 High Voltage.  Jason Statham and crew once again delivers the goods in another exhilarating and challenging day in the much troubled and misaligned world of Chev Chelios.  I am sure you are all probably wondering how the filmmakers could ever top the crazy and absurd antics of the first Crank film and keep it feeling fresh like month old strawberries zipped airtight in one of those specially designed vacuum bags.  Well wonder no more as you continue to read on.  We are about to get a little bit crazy.  I’m talking about not even slowing down for school zones.  Strap in and let’s get going!  Vroom! Read the full story

My kids don’t really express an interest in watching many of the films that I have the opportunity to review on Bu-ray all that often. My kids rarely ask me when a particular film is coming out on Blu-ray. However, there is a notable exception to this and it involves Hannah Montana: The Movie. My youngest son is a big Hannah Montana fan. I have therefore been exposed to a lot more of her than most people my age as my son at some points in his young life, has had her show on the Disney channel at home for what seems like days at a time. Naturally, when Hannah Montana: The Movie arrived, it made its way into the Blu-ray player very quickly. Read the full story

The history of modern pop music is filled with arrival what have been dubbed boy bands. Most are essentially one hit wonders and are gone quickly, relegated to the dust bin of history. The latest entry in this string of boy bands is the Jonas Brothers, catapulted into stardom through their appearances on The Disney Channel. Much like that other Disney property, Hannah Montana aka Miley Cyrus, The Jonas Brothers have made their live concert debut on Blu-ray, in 3D no less. Is it worth a look? Read the full story

What if one day you were a cop, and you got fatally wounded in a gunfight only to wake up in the hospital suffering from a bout of immortality.  Waking up with that diagnosis does not sound too bad, does it?  Would you waste this gift bestowed upon you by obsessing over finding the man responsible for your present condition, who also just happens to share the same power, or would you live life to the fullest and help out in society whenever or wherever you can?  I know that’s pretty much an easy decision for myself.  So why isn’t it for the Spirit?  One may never know.  But we know this much…the Spirit will never rest until he finally conquers his arch nemesis, the Octopus.  That much is for sure. Read the full story

Since its inception, Disney has been one of the most vocal and eager backers of the Blu-ray disc format. Their releases have been uniformly excellent. That is no surprise as animation, whether of the old school variety of the newer computer animation variety, always seems to look great in high definition. Cases in point are the various Pixar releases which are of reference video quality. Disney really raised the bar last year with its stunning releases of Sleeping Beauty which garnered rave reviews across the board. After that release, film fans have been anxiously awaiting releases of other Disney classics on the Blu-ray format. The first of these releases is the 70th Anniversary edition of the all time classic Pinocchio. Was it worth the wait? To quote Sarah Palin, “You Betcha!” Read the full story

Saw IV initially left a sour taste in my mouth, but nonetheless I drudgingly went out and bought the Blu-ray release of it when it came out that first week.  Of course, I justified that purchase with the notion that I had a $25 Target gift card burning a hole in my pocket.  On a cold October day, with great reluctance, I was dragged to the theatre to check out the latest installment of the Saw horror franchise, Saw V, despite hearing so many friends and co-workers tell me how horrible it was.  Despite my lack of desire to see how the rest of the Saw franchise played out, my wife had scheduled a couple’s night out at the movies with her co-worker.  I kindly asked my wife to pay the price of admission for us, as I was not the one who initiated wanting to see this.  After all, I have strict principles to uphold.  Anyway, every time she does pay for a movie, I end up loving it.  I think I am starting to see a trend here.  Hmm…I wonder if that would have worked on the latest Friday the 13^th movie, if I had let her pay.  Let’s get back on subject, shall we? Read the full story

What do you get when you mix Blade Runner with Rocky Horror Picture Show, throw in a bit of gore and some Marilyn Manson-like inspiration?  Well you get Repo! The Genetic Opera, of course.  Opportune for me, I like the artistic, gothic and occult themes that movies like these present.  The rest of the world’s population is out of luck.  If you are the least bit curious about this title, like I was when I first learned about the film from a press release, then a rental is a must.  Read the full story

I will readily admit it.  I am a comic book geek.  My collection isn’t vast or ancient but oh do I love a good story playing out on the pages of ink and sketch.  However, I did see two of Marvel’s previous animated works, Ultimate Avengers & Ultimate Avengers 2, and I cannot say either really wowed me.  When I attended Comic-Con in San Diego last summer, I caught a glimpse of a particularly interesting Marvel video title…Hulk vs. Wolverine.  Well this just had to be the baddest thing since Spiderman wore black.  Six months later, I have a copy of Hulk vs. in hand, which includes not only Hulk vs. Wolverine, but also Hulk vs. Thor. Got it, bub? Read the full story

Young or old, and anywhere in-between Sleeping Beauty is commonly regarded as a childhood classic, a comfort film if you will. Like many other Disney films we remember the vintage animation, the songs, and the often compelling storylines. When Disney announced it would begin releasing its vaulted classics on Blu-ray fans met the news with an outmost enthusiasm and anticipation. For the first time ever classic films including Sleeping Beauty would be available in hi definition, with high expectations of crisp animation and solidified audio Disney had better dress to impress. So how does the Sleeping Beauty clean up after nearly fifty years of entertaining several generations of Disney fans? Read the full story