Into the Blu

When it comes to films produced by Michael Bay, I can’t say that I really expect all that much in the terms of quality. You know, a quality screenplay, quality dialogue and character development. There are plenty of quality special effects, CGI and wiz bang sound effects, but not that much else. If you have seen Transformers or even worse, Transformers 2, you know the score. I was therefore expecting more of the same when the subject of this review, I Am Number Four, showed up on my doorstep. While not directed by Michael Bay, would I Am Number Four follow the Michael Bay playbook? Continue Reading

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

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

Warner Home Video in Canada is releasing Wave II of their Limited Edition Steelbooks (available exclusively through Futureshop).  The first of five releases is Batman Begins (also being released are Goodfellas, Heat, 2001 & The Matrix).  While the differences between this release and the previously released version are slight (same A/V specs with only three new “additional footage” special features), it is the Steelbook packaging (with slick cover art) that makes this release stand out.   Most of this review will be ported over from our original review of Batman Begins (written by Brian White), with the new features highlighted for easy finding. Continue Reading

If you’ve seen Talladega Nights with Will Ferrell you may recall a scene in which Ricky Bobby (Ferrell) makes reference to Highlander and talks about it winning the academy award for “The Best Movie Ever”.  Also having a brother whom is a huge fan of the films, I was excited to sit down and watch this movie with him and see Sean Connery in his hay day. Does the film hold up to time and does it deserve that fictional Oscar?

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Loyal readers know that I am a big fan of family movies that step outside typical formula, especially those that are whimsical, well-written, and well-acted.  The film Stardust looked as if it would fit this bill exquisitely.  Although I had not read the book on which it was based, it was reported to have been written in a traditional English Fantasy tradition, something I do enjoy.

Starring a stellar cast such as Michelle Pfeiffer, Claire Daines, and the unheralded Charlie Cox, and with a supporting role for Robert DeNiro, I was quite excited.  That Gene Shalit, Richard Roeper, and Dave Karger all enthused about the film also gave it great promise.  Would it live up to this heady billing? Continue Reading

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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 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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As anyone who has been following this website or Blu-ray in general knows that 2010 has been quite a year for releases on Blu-ray. There have been several highly anticipated catalogue releases this year (Including the recently released Alien Anthology and Toy Story 3). One of the releases that has been at the top of many film fans’ wish list has been Back to the Future, which has undergone a restoration and new transfer for its debut release on Blu-ray. Was it worth the wait? Continue Reading

It’s no surprise that the Matrix sequels took so long to get individually released on Blu-ray, with the box set selling well on the strength of the first film and the Animatrix and those who felt the sequels were under-performers who refuse to own the sequels taking advantage of the first Matrix’s individual release, we are now given the option to own the second of the trilogy. Is it worth it?

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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

Tim Burton’s the mind behind some of the most visually interesting films of our time and is synonymous with eccentric abstract designs. His take on the popular Martian trading card game to pay homage to the cheesy B-Sci-fi films that he grew up on. Does his satire stand the test of time?

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