Into the Blu

Every now and again, a real gem of a film is overlooked by the critics and the general public as well. These films feature a fine cast, fine performances and a very creatively presented story. Perhaps it is the creativity of the storytelling that is the problem or the subject matter, which may put off off too many. Whatever the case may be, these little gems deserve a wider audience. Just such a film is the subject of today’s review, De-Lovely. Continue Reading

There is no question that animated films have universally looked great on Blu-ray, whether they be computer based animation such as the Pixar films, hand drawn films or stop action animation. Unfortunately, the subject of this review, James and the Giant Peach is an exception to this general rule. Continue Reading

Showgirls will always be a cult classic favorite of mine.  I have owned this film on all available video formats as they have been released.  I imagine when holographic movies are released; I will be the first person standing in line eagerly awaiting this title.  I remember having to sneak this VHS rental home from Blockbuster back in late 1995.  I gave it a very quiet basement viewing after my parents went to sleep one night. I just had to see what was so controversial about the performance of Saved By The Bell’s sweetheart teen actress Elizabeth Berkley.  And wow, was I ever surprised at what I saw.  That wasn’t the Jessie Spano I knew and loved all these years.  My girl had grown up fast and oh, what moves she has learned.  And that word “moves,” can take on many different contextual meanings here. Continue Reading

Toy Story 2 was an eagerly awaited sequel prior to its first theatrical run in 1999, in part because of the success of Toy Story and in part, by the incredible success of Pixar’s second full length feature, A Bug’s Life. After A Bug’s Life, it was apparent that Pixar, in addition to being technical wizards, were master story tellers as well in the tradition of the old Disney masters. There were clear advances made in the Pixar CGI effects in A Bug’s Life, and it would be interesting to see how those improved techniques would be employed in Toy Story 2, to improve on what were already considered to be stellar images in the original. It would also be interesting to see how they could possibly improve on the original in terms of the actual story. Needless to say, Pixar outdid themselves in both areas on Toy Story 2, which has now finally made its way to Blu-ray, and it the subject of today’s review. Continue Reading

For most of the us, the movie that ushered in the world of computer animation is Toy Story, originally released in theaters in 1995. Has it really been 15 years? My kids were a bit too young at the time to see it in theaters and they didn’t get to see the original until its release on DVD. For me, the Pixar films I couldn’t wait to see on Blu-ray, were the two Toy Story films along with The Incredibles. Well, at least as far as the Toy Story films are concerned, the wait is over, as both are being released on Blu-ray. Was it worth the wait? Yes, as all I can say is WOW! Continue Reading

Tarantino’s epic spaghetti western set within World War II has been in pre-production since before the Kill Bill movies, due to the fact Tarantino wanted to make sure the script was perfect. He considered it his masterpiece and reworked the story over the course of over a decade. Through many rewrites and various casting changes the film was released in 2009.

Did it live up to the hype? Continue Reading

There is something strangely appealing about teen horror movies, though I am unsure if this appeal is from nostalgia for my teen years, or an admiration for the humorous and creative ways the movie characters die.

Regardless, when watching a teen horror movie, I expect to laugh out loud, remark on the stupidity of at least one of the lead characters, be disgusted by at least one “gut explosion”, and enjoy the requisite topless scene.  On all counts, “The Final Destination” did not disappoint. Continue Reading

I will have to admit that I hadn’t really heard of this film before it arrived on my doorstep. It has been my general experience since I began to do these reviews that when I normally haven’t heard of a film, there is a very good reason for that, namely, it is a bad film. While not completely awful, The Invention of Lying is another film that proves the general rule. And that is too bad as the premise for the film was actually rather promising. Continue Reading

What were they thinking? That was the phrase that was running through my head as I was watching the subject of today’s review, Four Christmases. Every now and then a film comes out that has a great cast but is so bad that you have to wonder why the cast members and in particular, the stars, didn’t walk away as soon as they read the script. Four Christmases is just one of those films. Continue Reading

There are times when a concept that sounds good on paper fails to live up to expectations once it appears on the big screen. Aliens in the Attic is just such one of those concepts. Looked cute on the trailer but as a film… Here is the full review. Continue Reading

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. That may be the case but it sure doesn’t usually lead to good films. Hollywood has a tendency to copy films that are successful at the box office in the hope that something similar will have to do well, right? That leads them to copy both good and bad films with predictable results. This year it was the mall cop genre that received the copying treatment. With Paul Blart Mall Cop doing so well at the box office, you just knew that another film featuring an overweight and intellectually challenged mall cop would be following and it did, namely Observe and Report, which is the subject matter of today’s review. Continue Reading

What to you get when you cross Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol with a chic flick? If you throw in a lot of Matthew McConaughey, a bit of Elizabeth Garner and a pinch of Michael Douglas, you have today’s reviewed film, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. Frankly, I was not expecting much when I read over the press release which accompanied the review copy. Would the film itself prove to be a diamond in the rough? Continue Reading