Mysterious Island (1961) Blu-ray Review: Herbert Lom as Captain Nemo? Sold!

Posted: 26 January, 2012 in Movies/TV
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Mysterious Island (1961) Blu-ray Review: Herbert Lom as Captain Nemo? Sold!

During the ‘50s and ‘60s, Hollywood was experimenting with one crazy newfangled idea after another: CinemaScope, surround sound, Jerry Lewis films, etc. Special effects, too, were breaking new grounds during this Atomic Age of filmmaking, and one young lad in particular — a feller by the name of Ray Harryhausen — quickly rose to become one of the most popular FX gurus in film history. Another lad — one who had ceased to be amongst the living quite some time before — was also a hot item: Jules Verne, the famous French science-fiction pioneer who had passed away in 1905. [Read the rest at Cinema Sentries.]

*Blu-ray Review* Shark Night

Posted: 25 January, 2012 in Movies/TV
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Blu-ray Review: Shark Night

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: Shark Night on Blogcritics.

Anyone who willingly walks into Shark Night expecting to see something serious is bound to be disappointed. Fortunately, I knew full well what I was going to see: cheese. In 3D, to boot. For my birthday last year in 2011, we attended a late night feature in Reno, NV as part of the evening’s drunken festivities (the night ended with karaoke, if that gives you a fair inkling of how exciting my birthdays are). The movie of choice that year was Shark Night 3D, presented to a near-empty house on opening night, and in three very blurry dimensions thanks to the dimwitted kids that theaters like Century Park Lane 16 seem strangely content with hiring on a weekly basis (fortunately, they finally fixed the focus about five minutes in, the morons).
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*PlayStation 3 Review* Call of Duty – Modern Warfare 3

Posted: 25 January, 2012 in Game
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PlayStation 3 Review: Call of Duty – Modern Warfare 3

Article first published as PlayStation 3 Review: Call of Duty – Modern Warfare 3 on Blogcritics.

There are some truly bad people out there — and, as is customary for these kind of games, the world is stuck in a fighting funk: a global act of conflict that once again plunges videogame players into the hazardous terrain of war. But then, just stop and imagine what a game like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 would consist of were developers to omit the whole “combat” thing. And so, we dive into this monumental Activision title, co-written by award-winning film and television writer Paul Haggis (Million Dollar Baby, Casino Royale), with the full anticipation of developing blisters on our thumbs.
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*Blu-ray Review* Paranormal Activity 3

Posted: 24 January, 2012 in Movies/TV
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Blu-ray Review: Paranormal Activity 3

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: Paranormal Activity 3 on Blogcritics.

It’s amazing how much you can get away with when you shoot for the whole “faux found footage” style of filmmaking. The people behind the original Paranormal Activity invested a mere $15,000 (which wouldn’t even cover the catering bill on a low-budget Hollywood flick) into their 2007 shocker and wound up with a gold mine. Some of you may recall another no-budget horror flick from 1999 called The Blair Witch Project that also relayed its tale via “faux found footage” — a gimmick inspired (and sometimes stolen) from cult classics such as The Last Broadcast and Ruggero Deodato’s infamous Cannibal Holocaust.
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*Blu-ray Review* Blackthorn

Posted: 24 January, 2012 in Movies/TV
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Blu-ray Review: Blackthorn

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: Blackthorn on Blogcritics.

One of the reasons Euro-westerns proved to be so successful with audiences around the world in the ‘60s was that they took a drastic departure from the all-too-typical American versions of the genre. This in itself is a bit ironic, considering the western was an American thing to begin with. Sometimes, you just need to step outside of the box — or, as the case were, have someone else take a look at the box from the outside and show you what the hell you’re doing wrong. In recent years, several attempts at reviving the slumbering American western genre have been somewhat ineffective. And now, just like they did back in the ‘60s, our European cousins have banded together to show us how we could improve things.
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Full Moon Announces “Bombshell,” plus Killer RedBox News

Posted: 23 January, 2012 in Event, Movies/TV
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Full Moon Announces “Bombshell,” plus Killer RedBox News

Article first published as Full Moon Announces “Bombshell,” plus Killer Eye Rental News on Blogcritics.

It doesn’t have to be All Hallows’ Eve to warrant a viewing of a “seasonal” horror flick like Full Moon’s Killer Eye: Halloween Haunt. And the proof—like many national grocery advertisements suggest on a weekly basis—is in the savings. A jaunt to your local RedBox (those things that are giving video rental stores a run for their money) may prove just that, as Killer Eye: Halloween Haunt is now available—along with several other campy Full Moon features—for you to enjoy (providing you have the right sense of humor, that is) for a buck from those big red kiosks housed within those very grocery stores that promise you proof in the savings.
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Catching Up at the Video Store: From Hairstylists to Hippies, Musicians to 9/11

Posted: 21 January, 2012 in Movies/TV
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Catching Up at the Video Store: From Hairstylists to Hippies, Musicians to 9/11

Article first published as From Hairstylists to Hippies, Musicians to 9/11 on Blogcritics.

For this edition of “Catching Up at the Video Store,” I have dived deep into the more “serious” pool of filmmaking. You know, biographies, documentaries: the kind of stuff we normally turn away from for fear of being enlightened and/or educated (as my liberal colleagues in everyday life would say), or, as my conservative friends would be likely to call it, brainwashed by some hippie agenda. But, no matter which side of the political fence you happen to live on — be it the “bring on the tears like Sally Struthers in a ‘Feed the Children’ commercial” left or the “let’s just nuke the sons of bitches and have done with” right, there’s no denying that a few of these items might just touch your soft spots. No, not down there — a little higher up, you perv. Of course, our first entry in “From Hairstylists to Hippies, Musicians to 9/11” isn’t likely to touch you in either place.
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Gus Van Sant shows us what it’s like to be Restless January 24

Posted: 19 January, 2012 in Movies/TV
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“Achingly tender and unflinching.” – Mark Holcomb, THE VILLAGE VOICE
“Mia Wasikowska is captivating. Henry Hopper makes an impressive debut.” – A.M. Homes, VANITY FAIR
 
From Gus Van Sant, Oscar®-Nominated Director of Milk and Good Will Hunting,Comes the Acclaimed Love Story Starring Henry Hopper and Mia Wasikowska


RESTLESS

Available January 24, 2012, on Blu-ray™/DVD Combo Pack and Digital
 - Special Features Include Gus Van Sant’s Silent Film Version of Restless and More! -
 

Culver City, CA (11/14/11) – From Gus Van Sant, Oscar®-nominated director of Milk (Nominated for Best Achievement in Directing, 2009) and Good Will Hunting (Nominated for Best Director, 1998), comes the acclaimed love story RESTLESS, available January 24, 2012, on Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack and Digital from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Mia Wasikowska (Jane Eyre, Alice in Wonderland) and newcomer Henry Hopper shine in this humorous and touching tale of romance between a young man (Hopper) who has given up on life and a young girl (Wasikowska) on the verge of losing hers. Produced by the Oscar®-winning team of Brian Grazer and Ron Howard (Best Picture for A Beautiful Mind, 2009), actress Bryce Dallas Howard (50/50, The Help) and director Van Sant, and co-starring Jane Adams (TV’s “Hung”) and Ryo Kase (Letters From Iwo Jima), RESTLESS has charmed and moved audiences since its debut at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. Now, film lovers can discover this “uncommonly touching romance” (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times) on Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack, featuring hours of unique and provocative special features, including Gus Van Sant’s Silent Film version of the movie.

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“No Neighbors. No Help. No Escape.” Retreat comes to DVD February 21

Posted: 19 January, 2012 in Movies/TV
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“Incredible performances. It gets your heart racing and your brain spinning.” – Muldoon, Ain’t It Cool News

“Jamie Bell is scary as hell.” – William Bibbiani, Crave Online

No Neighbors. No Help. No Escape.

RETREAT

Critically-Acclaimed Thriller Features an All-Star Cast Including Thandie Newton, Golden Globe® Nominee Cillian Murphy and Jamie Bell

Bonus Features Include a Behind-the-Scenes Featurette and Photo Gallery

Debuting on DVD and Digital February 21st  

CULVER CITY, CALIF. (December 20, 2011) – In the tradition of Dead Calm and A Perfect Getaway comes the terrifying psychological thriller Retreat, debuting on DVD and Digital February 21st from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Golden Globe® nominee Cillian Murphy (Inception, The Dark Knight), Thandie Newton (2012, RocknRolla, upcoming Tyler Perry’s Good Deeds) and Jamie Bell (The Adventures of Tintin, The Eagle) are the only inhabitants of a remote island off the coast of Scotland when a deadly virus infects Europe and cuts them off from civilization. As they fight for survival, it becomes clear the virus is not the only thing they need to be concerned about. Bonus materials include the behind-the-scenes featurette “The Making of Retreat” and a photo gallery. The DVD will be available for $30.99 SRP.

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Colin Farrell and Keira Knightley take a trip to London Boulevard February 21

Posted: 19 January, 2012 in Movies/TV
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“Hard-boiled crime yarn with colorful characters and considerable style.” – Ray Bennett / HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

“Tense from beginning to end, Colin Farrell is electric.” –  Jarett Wieselman / ETonline

Golden Globe® winner Colin Farrell and Academy Award® nominee
Keira Knightley Star in the Action-Packed Crime Drama from the Academy Award® Winning Writer of The Departed

LONDON BOULEVARD

“Not Every Criminal Wants To Be One”

Exploding February 21, 2012, on Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital

 - Includes The Making of ‘London Boulevard’ Featurette! -

Culver City, CA (12/20/11) – Golden Globe® winner Colin Farrell (2009, Best Actor, In Bruges) and Academy Award® nominee Keira Knightley (2006, Best Actress, Pride and Prejudice) star in the action-packed crime drama LONDON BOULEVARD, available February 21, 2012, on Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Academy Award® winning screenwriter William Monahan (2007, Best Adapted Screenplay, The Departed) makes his directorial debut with this stylish and action-packed tale of an ex-con (Farrell) and a reclusive actress (Knightley) who run afoul of one of London’s most vicious crime bosses (Ray Winstone, The Departed). Kyle Smith of “The New York Post” raves, “Monahan…draws superb performances from his cast,” which also includes David Thewlis (War Horse), Anna Friel (Limitless) and Ben Chaplin (Me and Orson Welles). Movie fans craving killer action and crackling suspense will want to own LONDON BOULEVARD on Blu-ray™ and DVD, which include the exciting behind-the-scenes bonus feature “The Making of London Boulevard.”

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