Into the Blu

I was surprised when I saw Jackass 3 on store shelves when it wasn’t released in 3D, considering the industry is hoisting 3D up as a savior for staggering box office performances I would assume that they would try and take that same approach with home media release. I’m guessing they’re going to wait a while and release the 3D Blu-ray down the road… So is the film worthwhile without the extra dimension?

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I guess you could say that I am not a big fan of video games which is not surprising given my “advanced” age. My teenage sons sure do so I guess it is one of those generational things. I just don’t see the point. I have been even a lesser fan of movies based on video games, not because of the fact that I haven’t played the game the film is based on but because the films tend to be action films with plenty of action but no plot. Would the subject of this review, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, turn out to be different? Continue Reading

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). 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

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!” Continue Reading

A large blockbuster of its time, much like Transformers is today, The Towering Inferno was released to theaters in December of 1974.  The award winning disaster film married large stars of the era and a well-known producer, Irwin Allen.  Disaster movies were becoming very popular in this time-period, especially after Irwin Allen’s own Poseidon Adventure came out in 1972.  The Towering Inferno went on to win Oscars for cinematography, editing, and Best Song in 1974, deservedly so.  And now…it lives on forever on the Blu-ray format! Continue Reading

Hot Fuzz was one of my favorite if not my most favorite release on the late and lamented HD DVD format. Besides being a hilarious film, it featured excellent video and audio presentations. It was one of the films that I looked forward to seeing on Blu-ray to see if the increased storage capacity and higher bit rate of Blu-ray could improve on the already outstanding audio and video presentations on the HD DVD. Well, Hot Fuzz is finally making its debut on Blu-ray and I was anxious to put the disc through its paces. Was it worth the wait? Yes indeed it was. Continue Reading

Big Trouble In Little China is somewhat of a cult classic and frankly, a film that I have always enjoyed. I didn’t see the film in the theater when it was released back in 1986 but did see it when I rented the laserdisc when the film was released on that format in the late 1980′s or early 1990′s. I immediately added the film to my collection on that long dead format ( I still have my copy today). I was not really all that happy with the video quality on the laserdisc but loved the film. When the film was released on DVD many years later, I picked up a copy of that as well. While the DVD offered an improvement over the laserdisc in all respects, I was never really happy with the video quality on the DVD either. Now Big Trouble in Little China has been released on Blu-ray. I happy to report that it offers a significant upgrade over all prior video releases in terms of both picture and sound quality. Continue Reading

Maybe its just me but I just don’t get the appeal of Keanu Reeves. Most of his films are a snoozefest in part because of his lack of any emotional intensity on screen. Deadpan is the expression I would use to describe every one of his performances. Seen one Keanu Reeves performance, seen them all. I was hoping against hope that the remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still would be an exception. Unfortunately, my hopes were “dashed” again. Continue Reading

It seems that when it comes to picture quality for films made in the 1960′s and 1970′s, recent Blu-ray releases have been somewhat of a hit or miss proposition. Films like the early Bond films that have undergone major restorations have looked spectacular while others not having undergone such restorations tend to look soft and hazy, lacking the clarity and detail that one has come to expect from Blu-ray. With the release of The French Connection, the 1971 Oscar winner for Best Picture, I was curious to see how the film would translate to Blu-ray as I was never happy with the appearance of the film on DVD. Well, how does it look? Glad you asked. Continue Reading

“When I raise my flashing sword and my hand takes on judgment, I will take vengeance upon mine enemies and I will repay those who haste me. O Lord, raise me to thy right hand and count me among thy saints.”

The prayer is a fitting prologue to The Boondock Saints. Continue Reading

One of the benefits of being able to review Blu-Ray discs is that you are often exposed to very good films that you not have otherwise been aware of. Getting to the theater with kids can often be difficult, so the ability to view films with high def video and lossless audio at home can be a wonderful experience. However, for every great title you get to enjoy, you have to sit through a few clunkers. I guess you have to take the bad with the good. Vanishing Point is the type of film that I would likely not get the chance to view were it not for the review process. The question is, whether it will prove to be one of those nuggets that I am happy to have come across or one of the clunkers. Continue Reading