Universal Soldier: Regeneration Blu-ray Disc Review

By Howard ⋅ March 8, 2010 ⋅ 2 comments

Out of the fridge and into the fray! Van Damme and Lundgren both return, in this age of recycling, in Universal Soldier: Regeneration to discover that times have changed for the better. Regeneration revisits the franchise without re-hashing. The third official installment of the Universal Soldier films showcases the talents of a father-son team capable of bringing a movie franchise back from the dead. …Continued…

Ong Bak 2: The Beginning Blu-ray Disc Review

By brenden ⋅ March 8, 2010 ⋅ One comment

I’m fairly certain that Tony Jaa is not a real human being. If he were flesh and blood, there’s no way he would be able to perform the stunts, the martial-arts mash-ups and acrobatics on display in the spectacle that is Ong Bak 2. For gods sake, the man surfs a herd of elephants here! Who can do that?! …Continued…

Wrong Side of Town Blu-ray Disc Review

By Howard ⋅ March 7, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment

The worlds of wrestling and hip-hop collide on and in the Wrong Side of Town. WWE’s Rob Van Dam (RVD) and David Bautista are matched up with Ja Rule and Omarion in this action offering of a night-gone-wrong tale of criminal club-owners, dirty cops and some of the ugliest thugs-for-hire you’ll ever see. …Continued…

Clash of the Titans Blu-ray Disc Review

By brenden ⋅ March 6, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment

I have such a soft spot for fantasy and sci-fi films of the late 70s/early 80s. I don’t doubt that they are responsible for my fascination with the trappings of nerd-dom, from gallivanting space adventures to heroic tales of flying men in capes. I count Clash of the Titans amongst the most influential of those films on my young mind. And I’m so excited to finally have it in my Blu-ray collection, warts and all. …Continued…

The Informant! Blu-ray Disc Review

By brenden ⋅ March 3, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment

The Informant! isn’t your everyday, run of the mill whistle-blower film. Oh no. Director Steven Soderbergh and screenwriter Scott Burns have crafted a masterful, dark comedy from the real-life drama surrounding an insiders attempt to bring down big-business Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) and the ensuing fallout of the investigations and trials. No, really, it’s a comedy. It’s funny! That’s why there’s an exclamation mark! …Continued…

The Godfather: Part II Blu-ray Disc Review

By karl ⋅ March 2, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment

I have strong feelings about The Godfather: Part II and I’m not sure where to start talking about them.

First, I guess I want to address the popular opinion that it’s a better film than its predecessor. It is not. It is inferior in many ways; the story is at times confusing and unnecessarily convoluted for the sake of adding ‘intrigue’; the characters behave insincerely, their actions often in service to the movement of the plot rather than their own hearts, and the ending is weak and unsatisfying. …Continued…

Ponyo Blu-ray Disc Review

By brenden ⋅ February 28, 2010 ⋅ One comment

Stunning. Absolutely stunning. Yeah, I’m a a bit of an unabashed Miyazaki fan but the Blu-ray disc of his latest film, Ponyo has completely blown me away! I didn’t think 2-D, hand-drawn animation could look this good in my home!! …Continued…

The House of the Devil Blu-ray Disc Review

By brenden ⋅ February 27, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment

It’s rare to see a modern film that so completely encompasses everything wonderful about a genre and style of another era without feeling like a send up or flimsy copy. The House of the Devil is that rare cinematic indulgence that manages to be a perfect tribute to the horror films of the early 80s while maintaining a sense of sincerity and originality. I loved it! …Continued…

The Damned United Blu-ray Disc Review

By brenden ⋅ February 22, 2010 ⋅ 2 comments

I’m not into sports. And I generally don’t really care for sports movies. But for some reason, I really found myself loving every moment of The Damned United, a little British film about the downfall of a popular football team and their new manager. …Continued…

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths Blu-ray Disc Review

By brenden ⋅ February 21, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, an intelligent, well performed, well animated direct-to-video feature, is perhaps the crown jewel in the library of DC Comics’ cartoon movies. It manages to tell a fun little superhero tale packed with action and character in an all-too-brief seventy-five minutes. Yet, as wonderful as it is, it’s almost overshadowed by the sheer bounty of compelling bonus features on the extra-packed Blu-ray disc! …Continued…

Goodfellas (20th Anniversary Edition) Blu-ray Disc Review

By brenden ⋅ February 20, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment

Goodfellas is twenty years old? Get the f*$& outta here! There’s no denying that this is one of the finest mob movies, if not one of the finest films that has ever been made. And the new Blu-ray from Warner, celebrates the anniversary with a new silk suit and haircut but, sadly the mobster inside remains the same. Um…by that, I mean that this is the same disc they released three years ago in a new package. …Continued…

Halo Legends Blu-ray Disc Review

By brenden ⋅ February 20, 2010 ⋅ One comment

I’ve never played Halo. Hell, I don’t even own an XBOX 360 (I’m sure you all know by now that I’m strictly a PS3 guy!) So I entered into my viewing of the new Halo Legends Blu-ray as a blank slate, having no preconceived notions about the franchise. It’s an anthology of short animated tales based on the universe of the game and as such, it has it’s share of hits and misses. …Continued…

Zombieland Blu-ray Disc Review

By brenden ⋅ February 15, 2010 ⋅ 3 comments

If you don’t like a zombie movie, we can’t be friends. Slap an “…of the Dead” suffix on just about any film title and I’m there! Whether it’s high-grade Hollywood fare or low-rent, B-movie imports made on a shoestring and shipped over from Italy, I’ll watch just about anything with a staggering, lurching undead brain-eater in it. Joining the ranks of the best zombie action captured on celluloid is Sony’s recent Zombieland, a truly excellent adventure/teen-romance/zombie film captured on a truly excellent, feature packed Blu-ray! …Continued…

Whiteout Blu-ray Disc Review

By brenden ⋅ February 14, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment

Whiteout is the punching bag of 2009. Very few critics were able to find a kind word or two to write about the film. It sits at the bottom of the list of Rotten Tomatoes 100 worst-reviewed films of the decade after lingering in development hell since 1999 and being buried in the Warner vaults since 2007. But is it really that bad? …Continued…

The Godfather Blu-ray Disc Review

By karl ⋅ February 8, 2010 ⋅ One comment

You don’t need me to review the story of The Godfather for you. Chances are, you’ve seen it and you already know that it’s Francis Ford Coppola’s masterpiece and arguably one of the best films ever made. The last scene of the film is one of my favourite movie endings of all time, and it still gives me chills after countless viewings. …Continued…

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Blu-ray Disc Review

By brenden ⋅ February 4, 2010 ⋅ 3 comments

I took one look at the lack-luster design work of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and wrote it off as uninspired pablum. Boy, was I wrong! This is one of the most genuinely entertaining animated films of 2009! And my niece and nephew are here in another video review to tell you all about it! …Continued…

Surrogates Blu-ray Disc Review

By brenden ⋅ February 3, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment

I had no expectations of Surrogates. I mean, I didn’t really care for the blown-out, hot-colour look of it, from what little I witnessed in the trailers but I was willing to give it a shot. And you know what? It’s not half bad if you’re in the mood for a simple, fast-paced sci-fi/action thriller. …Continued…

Che - Collector’s Edition Blu-ray Disc Review

By brenden ⋅ February 1, 2010 ⋅ 2 comments

I wasn’t prepared for the sheer awesomeness of Che. I honestly didn’t think Steven Soderbergh had it in him. But by the time I had finished viewing Part 1 of the film, I was convinced. This is some of his best work and some of the best cinema of 2009! …Continued…

Billy Jack Blu-ray Disc Review

By brenden ⋅ January 31, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment

I watched Billy Jack for the first time a couple of days ago. It’s one of the strangest film experiences I’ve ever had. …Continued…

The Simpsons: The Complete Twentieth Season Blu-ray Disc Review

By brenden ⋅ January 29, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment

While never being a rabid fan of The Simpsons, I’ve always enjoyed the show and try my best to catch new episodes when I can. More often than not I’m stuck with the syndicated reruns which seem to play non-stop on some channel, somewhere along the digital dial. I was delighted to get my hands on this Simpsons: The Complete Twentieth Season Blu-ray set, as I had only managed to see around half the episodes last year. What a treat! …Continued…