Posts Tagged ‘review’

Catching Up At The Video Store: RiffTrax Presents Low Blows in High-Def

Posted: 18 September, 2011 in Event, Movies/TV, TV
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Catching Up At The Video Store: RiffTrax Presents Low Blows in High-Def

Article first published as RiffTrax Presents Low Blows in High-Def on Blogcritics.

While truly memorable (or at least halfway entertaining) comedies are few and far in-between on big and small screens alike, it’s nice to know that the lads at RiffTrax are able to keep on-a-truckin’ by tearing into some of the strangest and sorriest works of “art” ever produced by man. Of course, the whole “made by man” thing is debatable, as master riffers Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett occasionally attribute some of the shockingly-bad movies and shorts they bear witness to as works of Satan.
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*Blu-ray Review* The Perfect Host (2010)

Posted: 14 September, 2011 in Movies/TV
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Blu-ray Review: The Perfect Host (2010)

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: The Perfect Host (2010) on Blogcritics.

While watching The Perfect Host, one gets the impression that it had two writers. Some scenes simply don’t appear to be on the same level as the others. It was only after I checked out the special features on this Blu-ray release that I discovered why. The Perfect Host was originally a short film, first shot in 2001 by newbie Nick Tomnay and written by Tomnay and Krishna Jones. In 2010, Tomnay finally gave in to temptation and expanded the story into a feature-length film, thus writing new scenes (though this time, solo). Mystery solved. However, whether you’re examining individual scenes or looking at it as a whole, there’s no denying that The Perfect Host is a delightfully-offbeat black comedy.
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*Blu-ray Review* Priest (2011)

Posted: 12 September, 2011 in Movies/TV
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Blu-ray Review: Priest (2011)

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

Sometimes, I get the feeling Paul Bettany is determined to go down in the annals of moving picture history as the next Bela Lugosi. While such a goal is admirable to say the least, it sets him up for actually becoming the next Bela Lugosi in the process: a wonderful character actor that ultimately wasted his career by accepting any and every part offered to him. The Da Vinci Code, Legion, Firewall: they all sucked — and helped to paint an imperfect picture of the actor in the minds of moviegoers in the process.

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Catching Up At The Video Store: High-Def Hijinks!

Posted: 28 August, 2011 in Movies/TV, TV
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Catching Up At The Video Store: High-Def Hijinks!

Article first published as High-Def Hijinks! on Blogcritics.

Sometimes, you don’t have anything unreservedly special in mind when it comes to sitting back and watching a little leisurely television viewing: you simply want to be entertained. As it stands, there are about a bazillion Standard-Definition out there — whereas the illustrious world of High-Def offers decidedly less options to choose from. At this particular instant in time, Blu-rays are usually not grouped categorically or by genres as their regular DVD counterparts are. And so, here are six completely random titles now available on Blu-ray from video stores near and far.

Enjoy.
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Catching Up At The Video Store: More Drama Than a High School Homeroom Class

Posted: 14 August, 2011 in Movies/TV
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Catching Up At The Video Store: More Drama Than a High School Homeroom Class

Article first published as More Drama Than a High School Homeroom Class on Blogcritics.

Drama. The stuff that millions of sonnets, songs and stories are made of. While some of them can turn out to be quite fetching, there are others that don’t seem to possess that necessary element of allurement. Of course, it’s all in the execution: a competent poet, songwriter or filmmaker can deliver the goods — whereas pompous, pretentious parables performed by the world’s less-talented artistes (the poseurs, if you will) often inadvertently deliver the completely wrong kind of execution to viewers and listeners. Assembled here for your own pleasure and/or agony are several recent home video releases, all of which are positively bursting at the seams with drama.

Enjoy.
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Be Cool Blu-ray Review: The Filmmakers Should Have Followed That Advice

Posted: 6 August, 2011 in Movies/TV
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Be Cool Blu-ray Review: The Filmmakers Should Have Followed That Advice

We’ve all heard of the wonders of “Movie Magic.” No, I’m not referring to the screenwriting software, but rather to that thrilling enchantment of wondrousness that goes into every aspect of filmmaking. It’s something that simply fascinates the general public, unless they have been involved in making a movie, that is, in which case, they can become either disenchanted, bored, bitter, bloated, or — in the worst case scenario — a Scientologist. The plus side of the latter fate is that its believers seem to be very happy — in a “Look, pal, I don’t care what you do, but stay the hell away from me and my family” kind of way, mind you — whereas the negative side is that said advocates tend to live the rest of their life in some bad B-movie. [Read the rest at Cinema Sentries.]

Catching Up At The Video Store: Mysteries From The Other Side Of The Pond

Posted: 18 July, 2011 in Movies/TV, TV
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Catching Up At The Video Store: Mysteries From The Other Side Of The Pond

Article first published as Mysteries From The Other Side Of The Pond on Blogcritics.

Everyone loves a good mystery. Many people like to bury their noses into a classic or contemporary novel about conspiracies, murder and missing people. Others tend to wildly speculate that the Sudoku puzzles in the newspaper that they can’t seem to solve are they themselves the act of a conspiracy, feel like murdering its creator, et voila: that darn puzzle goes missing! Now, for those of you who can’t be bothered to read an entire book (whether you don’t have the time in your busy schedules, suffer from the same form of Literary ADD like myself, or you’re just plain lazy) and are unable to finish a Sudoku puzzle for one reason or another, we have a plethora of mysteries that are produced on a regular basis for British television.
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Catching Up At The Video Store: From the Best Brains Mystery Science Theater 3000 Had to Offer

Posted: 12 July, 2011 in Event, Movies/TV, TV
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Catching Up At The Video Store: From the Best Brains Mystery Science Theater 3000 Had to Offer

Article first published as From the Best Brains Mystery Science Theater 3000 Had to Offer on Blogcritics.

Look, I don’t care how much you may debate it: Mystery Science Theater 3000 changed how we looked — or rather, talked — at movies. Growing up, I was something of a B-Movie Puritan. While I preferred to revel in vintage z-grade science fiction and horror films, I more than occasionally lambasted the few friends I actually had who insisted on making fun of them. There was something about the naïve and hokey onscreen antics that I found soothing. As I matured ever-so-slightly (I’m still not done; not according to my many exes, at least), however, I finally “mellowed” out enough to the point where humor had at long last found its place in my ritualistic form of therapeutic cinemasochism.
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*Blu-ray Review* The Dorm That Dripped Blood

Posted: 11 July, 2011 in Movies/TV
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Blu-ray Review: The Dorm That Dripped Blood

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: The Dorm That Dripped Blood on Blogcritics.

Although John Carpenter really didn’t “invent” the subgenre of horror films known as “slashers,” he certainly couldn’t have imagined the path the bloody take on murder mysteries would have pursued after his surprise smash hit, Halloween proved to be a sensation worldwide. Based off of those oh-so-delectable Italian giallo movies, the slasher film movement in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s usually consisted of nothing more than coeds running around getting butchered in all sorts of grisly and unusual ways.
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*TV Review* Lie To Me – “Beyond Belief”

Posted: 5 July, 2011 in TV
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TV Review: Lie To Me – “Beyond Belief”

After the conventional help-the-FBI-solve-cases formula was tossed out the window after the finale of the show’s second season, the writers of Lie To Me started taking chances. While they occasionally — not to mention blatantly — ripped-off other (more successful) shows (such as the episode “Double Blind”), they also stretched their imaginations a bit in order to do what David E. Kelley did for several years on Boston Legal: take a stand on certain real-life issues. [Read the rest at The TVKing.com.]

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