*Blu-ray Review* The Moon in the Gutter

Posted: 31 January, 2012 in Movies/TV
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Blu-ray Review: The Moon in the Gutter

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: The Moon in the Gutter on Blogcritics.

During my teenage years, I dived into every foreign flick I could get my hands on just to bask in the artistic pretentiousness sometimes inherent within them. Well, that and to see a lot of sex and full frontal nudity, but that’s beside the point: I was something of a poseur. Nowadays, as I go from day to day as a barely-functioning and cranky adult, I see art as something of an obstacle in my path. It stares at me like a starving, rabid Chihuahua — wanting to consume me and turn me into another drooling connoisseur that probably wouldn’t know shit from Shinola. Read the rest of this entry »

The Big Year Blu-ray Review: One of the Best Family-Friendly Comedies of 2011. Seriously!

Posted: 31 January, 2012 in Movies/TV
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The Big Year Blu-ray Review: One of the Best Family-Friendly Comedies of 2011. Seriously!

As Adolfo Celi’s Emile Largo once said to Sean Connery’s James Bond in Thunderball, “Every man has his passion.” Now, why did I just reference my all-time favorite 007 flick in a review for an unsuccessful comedy starring Steve Martin, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson? Actually — and this is going to sound weird given the films some of the three headlining comedians of this feature have produced as of late — I found The Big Year to be one of the best comedies 2011, and one that the entire family can safely enjoy. In fact, as I look at the downright appalling revenue this film pulled in, I dare say it’s a darn shame this one didn’t reach more audiences in the theaters. [Read the rest at Cinema Sentries.]

*Blu-ray Review* The Double (2011)

Posted: 29 January, 2012 in Movies/TV
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Blu-ray Review: The Double (2011)

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: The Double (2011) on Blogcritics.

If you’ve ever seen an episode of the classic American television series Columbo, you know how atypical its formula was. Whereas most murder mystery programs leave you guessing as to who the killer is until the end, Columbo showed you flat out whodunit from the very beginning — and we had to ride along with Peter Falk to see how he pieces it all together. When I first started watching The Double — a film I had absolutely no knowledge of prior to my viewing, and opted to observe only due to my bizarre affinity for stars Richard Gere and Topher Grace — I thought for sure the story was going to be very Columbo-like, in as much as a big twist is revealed early on in the film. Read the rest of this entry »

Catching Up at the Video Store: Made in Italy

Posted: 29 January, 2012 in Movies/TV
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Catching Up at the Video Store: Made in Italy

Article first published as Made in Italy on Blogcritics.

Our brothers and sisters in Italy have always had a certain élan when it comes to filmmaking. Indeed, I expect nothing less from the country that not only created a entire subgenre of violent murder mysteries that paved the way for the America slasher flick in the late ‘70s (the “giallo”), but also added their own spin to the tired ol’ western, making way for what would we call the “spaghetti western” today. Yet, for all their efforts — good or bad — many of their works remain low-key to the American public to this day. It’s a real pity, too, since there are some truly exceptional contributions to cinema, such as dramas and documentaries (no, I’m not talking about Mondo Cane, kids), that go widely unnoticed by all. Read the rest of this entry »

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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