Into the Blu

Being a very big Bill Nighy fan I was excited to see Wild Target in my review discs. Albeit I’d never heard of this flick, which is always a bit disconcerting because there could be a reason for this, however there are quite a few talented people involved so I decided to keep my expectations up. How’d the film fare?

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Some films are so bloated with an undeserving budget it’s sickening. Such is the case with Taxi, a loose remake of a French film of the same name. Somewhere amidst the many exploding cars, flying bullets and random bikini shots is a lifeless script trying to be resuscitated by a feeble cast. Abandon all hope… Continue Reading

There was a time where spoofs were memorable and engaging films. Classics like Naked Gun, Hot Shots, and Scary Movie come to mind but nowadays the market is flooded with all too many of these films with all too little laughs. About every movie and genre gets its own spoof but this movie pretty much puts all its eggs in one basket, a very popular basket; the Twilight franchise. Vampires Suck is directed by the same guys who brought us Date Movie, Epic Movie, Meet the Spartans, and Disaster Movie. I’ll let you decide if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. Continue Reading

Knight and Day came out amidst action films such as The Last Airbender and Jonah Hex in the summer of 2010, with company like that my expectations were pretty low for the film and when I originally saw the trailer prior to its theatrical release it didn’t excite me even though I have enjoyed Tom Cruise’s other recent efforts with J.J. Abram’s MI:3. Were my initial expectations right or did I judge unfairly?

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I love catalog releases especially of old films, after reviewing North by Northwest months ago and seeing how meticulous the restoration process can be when done properly. Although I’m not a fan of musicals I was anxious to see how this classic film was treated when put onto Blu-ray. How’d it hold up? Continue Reading

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

Every decade or so a sitcom comes along that is so turned in to the modern American family, that it is an instant classic and wildly popular. Shows like Ozzie & Harriet, Happy Days, The Cosby Show and Everyone Loves Raymond come to mind. Yes, they are all very different in terms of style, given that they occurred in very different eras, where the idea of just what an American family consisted of came to evolve. Also subject to the same type of evolutionary process is the type of material and issues that could be the subject matter of a prime time TV show. Continue Reading

Although I have developed a greater appreciation of Mel Brooks’ work through my reviews of The Mel Brooks Collection, I am also suffering from a bit of Mel Brooks fatigue.  I have also seen all three remaining movies I need to review, and am now deprived of the joy of discovery I had with films like To Be Or Not To Be and Silent Movie.

Next up was Robin Hood: Men in Tights, chronologically the last of the films included in the collection.  I had seen this shortly after its release on VHS (yes, you read that correctly), but had little remembrance of it.  I did remember that Cary Elwes’ referred to Kevin Costner losing his English accent shortly into his Robin Hood epic, but that was about it.  Was this a forgotten gem? Continue Reading

I must say that I find it amazing that a modest sci-fi movie hit from 1994 has spawned now three television series, from the original Stargate SG-1 to Stargate Atlantis to the subject of today’s review Stargate Universe. While I enjoyed the original film, I can’t say that I was a huge fan of SG-1 and have not liked Stargate Atlantis at all. How will Stargate Universe stack up against the prior two series? For yours truly, it is easily the best of the bunch and well worth a look. Continue Reading

With the new Predators film in theatres now trying to reboot the franchise and bring the series into a more respectable light after the AVP failure, we are given the film that started it all on Blu-ray. Does it hold up well after all these years or do we need to wait for Predators to come out in order to see our favorite Stan Winston monster in all its Blu-ray glory? 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