Into the Blu

The Truman Show

Posted on 06. Jan, 2009 by Gino Sassani.

“We’ve become bored with watching actors give us phony emotions. We’re tired of pyrotechnics and special effects. While the world he inhabits is, in some respects, counterfeit, there’s nothing fake about Truman himself. No scripts, no cue cards. It isn’t always Shakespeare, but it’s genuine. It’s life.”

No, these words didn’t come from Mark Burnett talking about his latest reality series. These words open the film, The Truman Show, and were spoken two years before Survivor came along and changed the definition of the word reality. [...]

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Hot Rod

Posted on 06. Jan, 2009 by Kristina Kehler.

Hoping to make the jump from Saturday Night Live to the big screen Andy Samberg stars in Hot Rod, yet another film about an immature young adult following his heart without using his head. While for some of you these movies are wearing thin, they always seem to strike a chord with certain audiences, which usually include me. With all the talks of recession, bail outs and unemployment maybe we could use a stupid movie for some stupid laughs. My only concern is the ability of Samberg to keep me entertained for more than a three minute skit on Saturday nights. Those that have made the jump from SNL to the big screen have done it convincingly, but let us not forget the failures of Chris Kattan, Jimmy Fallon, and… well many others. So is this comedy going to be another run of the mill failure or supply some good laughs and physical comedy? [...]

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Last Holiday

Posted on 06. Jan, 2009 by Kristina Kehler.

For those of you old timers, you might recognize the title from the 1950 film of the same name, which ultimately has the same plot with a female taking the leading role. That female being the respectable Queen Latifah along with a supporting cast including LL Cool J and Timothy Hutton. I must admit, initially I am quite sceptical about Latifah carrying a comedy film on her own, she doesn’t have the best track record in comedies (Taxi, Beauty Shop, Barbershop 2). However Last Holiday does have a morbid angle and the Queen has belted some great dramatic performances in her day (Chicago, Stranger Than Fiction, The Secret Life of Bees) so I’m going to head into this one with some half decent expectations. [...]

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The Heartbreak Kid

Posted on 03. Jan, 2009 by Kristina Kehler.

It doesn’t seem like all that long ago that two little known brothers from Rhode Island decided to put a spin on the typical and arguably tired romantic comedy genre. That was nearly fifteen years ago, and the launching movie was Dumb and Dumber, which has since etched the Farrelly Brothers into the upper echelons of comedy screenwriters and directors. Over the years their slapstick antics and gross out humor has been a staple in the comedy corner of Hollywood. With classics like There’s Something About Mary, Kingpin, Shallow Hal, Me Myself and Irene, and many others, I eagerly anticipate their latest films. But it hasn’t always been laughs, and like with all things good come the well, not so good. With flops like Say It Isn’t So and the short running TV show Unhitched, the Farrelly Brother’s reputation isn’t completely unscathed. Is this film going to break out hearts, or captivate our minds like kids? [...]

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Good Luck Chuck

Posted on 28. Dec, 2008 by Brian White.

Given my love for actress Jessica Alba it only make sense that I take a few minutes to write about a delight in my life, entitled Good Luck Chuck.  This film has been out for almost a year now on the Blu-ray format and I am sure all my educated readers have already read their fair share of reviews on this title.  If you are in the majority right now you are probably already scratching your head at the high scores I have given to Good Luck Chuck.  If you have not seen this movie, then you are probably pondering is it really as good as he says it is?  Or you may be thinking is this reviewer so infatuated with the looks of Jessica Alba that he has completely gone against the grain of society in popular opinion?  Let me be the first to tell you there is more than meets the eye in this film, a phrase I am sure all you fan boys are quite familiar with.  I have to compare this movie directly with the likes of Bad Santa.  Here you have two very raunchy films at times, but strip away the exterior and devote yourself to the feature, and what you really have on the interior is a film warm in heart.  [...]

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Meet Dave

Posted on 21. Dec, 2008 by Kristina Kehler.

It doesn’t seem like all that long ago that when Eddie Murphy released a movie people actually anticipated it eagerly. With a string of hits extending from the late 80’s well into the 90’s, there was a time that we couldn’t get enough of his antics. But in the last decade Murphy has been met with lukewarm reception at best, with every second movie almost making the grade, it just hasn’t been enough. But the potential is still there and not all of his outings as of late of been complete write offs. Here’s to hoping that Meet Dave is more like Nutty Professor than Norbit. [...]

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Stranger Than Fiction (Special Edition)

Posted on 21. Dec, 2008 by Kristina Kehler.

Like most of you, I have come to expect Will Ferrell in stupid comedy movies that no matter how ridiculous, will always be a guilty pleasure to watch. With Stranger than Fiction Marc Foster (Monsters Ball) broadens the horizon a bit, with a sweet and innocent take on a rather grim premise. The real question is can Will Ferrell escape the shackles of type casting and deliver a movie with feeling? [...]

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Burn After Reading

Posted on 14. Dec, 2008 by Brian White.

Burn After Reading was written and directed by the Coen Brothers, Joel and Ethan. Do their names sound familiar to you? They should! The Coen Brothers walked away with the Oscar last year for No Country For Old Men. Burn After Reading features an all-star cast with such names as Brad Pitt, George Clooney, John Malkovich, J.K. Simmons, Frances McDormand and Tilda Swinton. The film opened up in the United States on September 12, 2008 to generally positive user reviews, but it received mixed critical reviews. [...]

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Get Smart

Posted on 03. Dec, 2008 by Kristina Kehler.

Nearly forty five years ago Mel Brooks and Buck Henry first aired a unique spin on the increasingly popular secret agent genre. Sure this was decades before my time, but I’ve heard all about the show and the 138 episodes it aired over five years, satirizing then popular programs like Mission Impossible and the budding James Bond franchise. Sure some years have gone by, technology has changed and some then popular gadgets have become common place, but one thing never grows old, laughter. With a sequel already planned and an impressive box office run I expect some great things out of Get Smart, will Steve Carell fit into the phone shoes of Agent 86? [...]

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Tropic Thunder

Posted on 21. Nov, 2008 by Gino Sassani.

In the Winter of 1969 an elite force of the U.S. Army was sent on a top secret assignment in South East Vietnam. The objective: rescue Sgt. Four Leaf Tayback from a heavily guarded NVA Prison Camp. The mission was considered near suicide. Of the 10 men sent, 4 returned. Of those 4, 3 wrote books about what happened. Of those 3, 2 were published. Of those 2, just one got a movie deal. This is the story of the men who attempted to make that movie: [...]

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The Love Guru

Posted on 12. Nov, 2008 by Brian White.

OK…so yes…the premise of The Love Guru is about as ridiculous as the name of the movie sounds. Couldn’t you tell just by looking at the diverse characters on the Blu-ray Disc cover art? But there is just something about the movie that I find charming and it has become quite a guilty pleasure of mine. I can almost guarantee, out of all the reviews you will read on The Love Guru, mine will probably be the most kind. Many critics and reviewers will claim this movie is devoid of any laughs but I humbly disagree. [...]

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Zombie Strippers

Posted on 02. Nov, 2008 by Brian White.

As the title implies, this really is a movie about zombie strippers. With that being the case, the movie really is as absurd as the title sounds. And yes…I love it! I have not been this excited to watch a Blu-ray again since my initial viewing of another future cult classic film, in my opinion, Doomsday. Zombie Strippers is a 2008 comedy horror film, written and directed by Jay Lee. The movie features legendary horror star Robert Englund and ex-porn star, the Heartbreaker, Jenna Jameson. These two really need no further introductions. Ultimate Fighting Champion Tito Ortiz also stars as a bouncer in the film. If you can lower your standards a bit by making it past the first fifteen minutes of this film and don’t mind excessive gratuitous nudity, then you will be in store for a very fun and titillating time. After awhile you just become so numb from the nudity that it feels alien when the girls are clothed. We had some great conversations about this film today around the office water cooler. [...]

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Young Frankenstein

Posted on 30. Oct, 2008 by Gino Sassani.

As a fan of the Universal horror films from the 1930’s and 1940’s I have a deeper appreciation for Mel Brooks and his rather silly Young Frankenstein than most. If you watch the film without the references, I don’t think it holds up very well at all. The jokes are often repeated enough times that they lose any effectiveness they might have had. Just about all of the performances are over the top. From that quick look one might dismiss Young Frankenstein as a minor effort that was mildly amusing in its day, but without any real staying power. So, what is it that has made this not only the best film from the mind of Mel Brooks, but a perennial classic 30 years later? For the answer to that question you must return to that golden age of horror. [...]

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RV

Posted on 17. Oct, 2008 by Gino Sassani.

A family travels across the United States in an RV. Along the way they encounter all sorts of mishaps and adventures. From that short synopsis you might think I was describing the hilarious National Lampoon’s Vacation film with Chevy Chase. Unfortunately I’m not. Robin Williams, who is arguably one of the funniest comedic actors of all time, isn’t being very particular where he gets his film material from these days. In fact, I expected more out of Barry Sonnenfeld as well. When you team creative people of that caliber, you just have a right to expect more than a decidedly unfunny ripoff of a classic comedy film. Williams is certainly capable of better humor than Chevy Chase. He’s got so much more energy and delivery. Sonnenfeld is the genius who gave us things like Men In Black and the recent wickedly funny series, Pushing Daisies. Of course, he also brought us the disaster that was the Will Smith Wild Wild West film in the 90’s, so maybe we don’t have so much of a right to expect more after all. [...]

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Running with Scissors

Posted on 22. Sep, 2008 by Bill Geiger.

Several weeks ago, I was given a number of Sony titles to review that were never sent to us for review. I made my choices and they were on their way to me. One of those Blu-rays was Running with Scissors. I chose it because I knew nothing about it and figured I would, without any kind of research, give it a shot. Once I got around to reviewing it, I truly wish I had chosen something else. [...]

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Catch and Release

Posted on 07. Sep, 2008 by Bill Geiger.

Call me girly but as I get older, I am starting to appreciate romantic films and love stories. I don’t know what it is but I am willing to deal with it as long as I continue to like mindless action films as well. Released back in 2007, Catch and Release is a film that just may surprise you in that along with romance, there is some light comedy and even has Kevin Smith in the film too. Yes, that Kevin Smith. [...]

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50 First Dates

Posted on 30. Aug, 2008 by Bill Geiger.

Since he got his big start on Saturday Night Live, Adam Sandler has had quite a bit of success. Films such as Big Daddy & The Longest Yard, among others, more than three quarters of the time, are a hit movie. It doesn’t matter that some of his films are completely, and utterly stupid, people just love his movies. In this film, 50 First Dates, Sandler teams up once again with Drew Barrymore in hope of finding that same chemistry they had in The Wedding Singer. [...]

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