Showing posts with label Paramount. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paramount. Show all posts

Monday, December 2, 2013

South Park: The Complete Sixteenth Season [Blu-ray]


OMG, they killed-- oh, wait, never mind
I have watched South Park since its inception. The first two seasons were a hoot-- really, some very funny, original, and creative stuff, which was made all the better by the fact that the drawing was deliberately and self-consciously not at all slick. In later seasons-- and importantly, recent seasons, South Park has become uneven in the quality of the episodes, in terms of humor and creativity. At times, the humor and creativity and originality has been compromised for the sake of preachiness. At other times, the episodes are classics. But even at its worst, an episode of South Park will still contain a gem or two that can't be found anywhere else-- for example, in the most recent episode, where Butters sinks a cruise ship with a golf ball. That's why I continue to watch faithfully.
Been watching this show since around time it first came out
I Bought every season when i was little and sold every season for the next season im building my seasons back up and got about half them back slowly working on completing them with old box look and all. This season i watched tv and was a great season zipline cracked me up cartmen token episode cracked me up And love hearing commentary from matt and trey cant wait hear what got say. All i have to say is southpark is original and hope it keeps airing even after matt and trey die let someone else they know keep show good and keep it going FOREVER! its just that good
Oh Long Johnson
"South Park" has been one of the few animated television series that seems to have only gotten better with age. Every season, the show seems to improve a bit more. The animation of the show, despite being glorified versions of their construction paper cut outs from 15 years ago, has evolved drastically over the years and now features the likes of cel shading, computer animation, and even live-action segments. The writing of the show only gets more imaginative with each season as the show continues to put a viciously comical spin on current events, celebrities, and movies. It's taken 16 seasons to finally check out the show on Blu-ray. Even if you're a massive fan of the show, the mindset is that maybe the show doesn't really require fans to watch the show in high definition. But the show looks and sounds damn good in the format.

"The Complete Sixteen Season" features all 14 episodes from season 16 in a sleek two-disc Blu-ray package (or three-discs for the DVD). While the...
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Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Pain & Gain (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy)


Michael Bay makes a smaller film.
Pain & Gain (2013)- Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, Anthony Mackie, Rebel Wilson, Ed Harris, Tony Shalhoub, Ken Jeong

Premise: Danny Lugo (Wahlberg) is a body builder who is sick of being poor. With his friend, Adrian (Mackie), and an ex-con (Johnson), Danny decides to rob a spoiled and egotistical businessman named Victor Kershaw (Shalhoub). After seemingly succeeding, Kershaw turns to a private investigator (Harris) to recover his finances and deal with the trio...But everything gets out of hand quickly.

Thoughts: This is a Michael Bay film. As such, it matches his general off-kilter aesthetics and love of the "BOOM, BANG, BOOM". That said, this is different from his most recent endeavors (i.e. the Transformers) in that it is exceedingly more violent. However, the cast give morbidly entertaining performances which quickly helped make this a much more enjoyable film. Visually intense, dark and even surprisingly violent at times - the film is an enjoyable dark "R"...
Their Gain was another's Pain
I am really troubled by this Story and Entertained by the way it was presented. The troubling part is that this is said to be a true story.

***Stop reading if you don't like spoilers.***

The story starts with Daniel Lugo (Mark Wahlberg) running from what is an obvious raid on his place of employment, he's hit by a car and then the story flashes back to 6 Months earlier.

Daniel is a personal trainer at a local Miami Gym and he comes in contact with a very well to do Colombian-Jewish Entrepreneur. The Entrepreneur's name is withheld to protect the innocent but, needless to say, this guy hires Daniel as Personal Trainer and begins to tell him all about his success in life.

Now Daniel attends a Johnny Wu (Never actually happened) seminar where he is convinced he is A doer and only needs to come up with a plan then make it happen.

One thing leads to another Daniel recruits his two friends, Paul and Adrian, to come up with a plan of...
Turned It Off
I like both main actors and thought this would be a fun movie to rent. It is one of a handful of movies that was so bad I just turned it off. The action was not well shot and what I am guessing was supposed to be comedy was flat. I was not expecting great cinema but I thought it would at least be fun.
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Captain America: The First Avenger (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy)


Another great Marvel Comics superhero movie from the maker of Ironman
A good bit of this film is a superhero-origins story, in which we follow Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), a plain-featured young man of about 20 years old who is a classic "90-pound weakling," as he tries five times to enlist in the Army during the early part of World War II. He is consistently rated as "4F" because of his size and various health issues, including asthma. Inside that small, frail body, however, resides outsized courage, honor, loyalty and persistence. During Steve's fifth trip to the Army recruiters, those virtues in Steve draw the attention of Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci), a German scientist who escaped the Nazis and is working on a top-secret program to develop super soldiers. Colonel Chester Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones), who is in charge of the program, wants to use a soldier who is bigger, stronger and has more training for the first human experiment with the Dr. Erskine's super-soldier formula, but the doctor strongly disagrees. He says the other soldier is a...
I LOVE this movie
When I was a kid in the 60's, Batman, Spiderman, and Captain America were my 3 favorite superheroes, and remain so to this day.
No need to rehash the other great reviews, but IMO, what they got SO RIGHT here was the CHARACTER of Steve Rogers BEFORE he becomes Captain America.
Just as Batman Begins had us totally invested in Bruce Wayne BEFORE he ever donned the cape and cowl, Marvel works the same type of magic with Steve Rogers & THAT (along with stellar performances by ALL the supporting cast) is what makes this a truly great film.
After suffering through the badly done CA movies of the past, it is a dream fulfilled to see the character brought to life so fantastically By Chris Evans & Joe Johnston.
And the Red Skull--OMG--Incredible makeup & Hugo Weaving shines as always to make the character come across as one of the premiere villains of the Marvel Universe.
Finally--watch the deleted ending scene to see how they really SHOULD have ended the movie--THAT...
The Star-Spangled Avenger Has Arrived...
Well, the summer will soon be nearing its end, although the temperatures outside don't seem to agree. With the changing of the seasons also comes the inevitable conclusion to the summer of superheroes (that's what I dubbed it a few weeks back). And now, with the release of "Captain America: The First Avenger" this year's heroic reign over the box office for beloved comic book icons will soon be coming to a close.

"Captain America: The First Avenger" is the story of Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), a young man who wanted nothing more than to fight alongside the brave soldiers in World War II against the Nazi onslaught. After being rejected repeatedly due to his frail physique, Steve volunteered for an experimental treatment that would transform him into a living, breathing super-soldier. Meanwhile, a Nazi scientist named Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving) is attempting to harness power beyond anything this world has ever seen, and Captain America may be the only one strong enough to...
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Sunday, November 3, 2013

Iron Man [Blu-ray]


The 2-Disc Ultimate Edition Delivers!
The first disc features 11 deleted and extended scenes. There's more of the opening ambush with Tony Stark being more proactive. We also see more footage of Rhodes and it quickly becomes apparent that he was the character with the most scenes cut from the film. We also see Tony and Pepper Potts attend another party.

The second disc starts off with the impressive "I Am Iron Man," a 108 minute making of documentary that can be viewed in seven segments or altogether, taking us through various aspects of the production. For example, we are taken step-by-step through the construction of the Iron Man armor with Robert Downey Jr. cracking jokes while being fitted for it. It's amazing how much of the suit is practical and looks really good in person. This is due in large part to the genius of the late-great Stan Winston and his company. Also included is plenty of soundstage footage of scenes being filmed.

"The Invincible Iron Man" is a six-part documentary on the comic...
Handles like a Dream
This is a great superhero film that the whole family can enjoy.

If you are wondering what the special features on the 2-disc DVD are, here they are:

The IRON MAN Ultimate Edition two-DVD set is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 televisions with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround, French 5.1 Surround and Spanish 5.1 Surround with English, French and Spanish subtitles. Total runtime is 125 minutes. Bonus features include:

Disc 1:

Feature film
Deleted/Extended Scenes

Disc 2:

I Am Iron Man
-- The Journey Begins
-- The Suit that makes the Iron Man
-- The Walk of Destruction
-- Grounded In Reality
-- Beneath the Armor
-- It's All in the Details
-- A Good Story, Well Told

The Invincible Iron Man
-- Origins
-- Friends & Foes
-- The Definitive Iron Man
-- Demon in a Bottle
-- Extremis and Beyond
-- Ultimate Iron Man
Wired: The Visual...
Iron man fires on all thrusters; and does NOT disappoint
There was a big question mark looming over the theatrical adaptation of Marvel's Iron Man property. It was in the guise of director Jon Favreau. Now, don't get me wrong, I love the Favs, but when I heard he was helming a big budget comic book flick...let's just say I was a little worried. Once his cast was set and the fanboys started humming across the internet I started to ease into the decision with high anticipation. Thankfully, after finally seeing the finished product, I was not disappointed in the least. With a great mix of the professionalism and stakes seen in both Spider-Man and X-Men and the comic wit and sheer fun of Fantastic Four, Iron Man shows how a comic can be brought to the screen successfully without all the added drama and weight. We finally have a film with the essence of what makes these picture books so popular, the action and mythology along with a sense of adventure and humor. Favreau never bogs us down with overwrought emotions nor speaks down to us with gags...
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Friday, November 1, 2013

Jack Reacher (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy)


Not what I expected...Cruise nails it.
Wolverine, the most popular of the X-Men and one of the most popular comic book characters in comic book history is also one of the shortest. According to thirty plus years of continuous publication, Logan - AKA wolverine - is 5'2" tall and somewhere around 200 lbs, with metal infused skeleton and claws, and a back as hairy as a Kodiak bear. When X-Men director Bryan Singer cast a slim 6'3" song-and-dance man named Hugh Jackman to play the short stocky Wolverine, comic book geeks everywhere said "What the f***?"

Now anyone familiar with the Jack Reacher novels written by Lee Child knows that main character of the novels is a 6'5" 250 pound blond haired blue eye bruiser with the face of a professional rugby player. And likewise anyone who read the novels must have said "What the f***?" upon learning that the diminutive Tom Cruise was cast to play Jack Reacher. "He's too small. He's too Pretty." My wife, who's a huge fan of Lee Child's novels, was so irritated with the...
Smart, fun, well-paced detective/actioner, but leave expectations at the door.
The main complaint I heard and read before JACK REACHER ever even hit theatres was from fans of Lee Child's series of books about this film's titular character, and it was always the same complaint: "Tom Cruise is too short! Jack Reacher is 6'5" and is built like a brick outhouse!!" And my response to that was always: "Can you think of an actor who's really good, does action well, has a lot of charisma, and IS ACTUALLY built like that?"

Christopher McQuarrie, the Oscar-Winning screenwriter of Bryan Singer's unforgettable THE USUAL SUSPECTS, and the writer/director of the very forgettable THE WAY OF THE GUN, picked up his pen and got back behind the camera for this potential franchise first outing for the cinematic adventures of Jack Reacher (Cruise), former Army military police investigator. He's, as they say in the film, a ghost. He has no fixed address, no credit cards, no phone number. In fact, the only proof of his existence is a bank account, his military record, and...
Surprisingly good action film...
I'm the first to admit that going into this film I had low expectations. Cruise is a decent enough actor and well suited for the genre, but the plot seemed derivative and overly pedantic, just another flick I'd catch because...well...I'm a dude and the preview mentioned something about guns and explosives.

Surprisingly, the plot played out steadily, not needing to be propped up by a few well placed action sequences. While, if you've seen any movie ever in your life, you'll be able to predict what's going to ultimately happen, "Reacher" maintains a consistent level of intrigue and charm through the whole length of the film. I appreciated that the action scenes actually added to the plot. I was expecting some random "Look how awesome I am at fighting" scenes tossed into the mix, and was happy to see that while those scenes are absolutely in there, they also help move the plot forward. Good thinking, action-movie-maker-people (pretty sure that's the correct technical job...
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Thursday, October 31, 2013

Iron Man 2 (Three-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo)


A frank review by an Iron Man Fanboy
I've loved Iron Man ever since my first Tales of Suspense comic, so I might not be the most unbiased person to write a review. Still, I'm going to try and be as honest as I possibly can. In some ways, Iron Man 2 improves on the original. For instance, the brawl between Iron Man and War Machine was perfect, and RDJr was even better this time around. However, there were some weak moments. For example, Pepper Potts is almost absent from the movie, and is shrill and unpleasant during her brief appearances. Whiplash has never been a particularly compelling villain, and the movie doesn't do much to make him any more exciting. Also, they really need to STOP with the "Iron Man fights someone who has the same technology" plots. It's already boring. Plus, I couldn't help but wonder where a drunken hobo managed to get the equipment to build an Arc Reactor. Stark did it in the first movie because he had several billion dollars worth of his own weaponry to cannibalize. How does a homeless...
A SOLID SEQUEL, HEAVY ON STARK AND LIGHT ON IRON!
While Iron Man 2 may not be perfect, it is a very solid and fun sequel. Improvements include better action sequences and some great characters added to the franchise. Unfortunately there is a lot going on here and even though it isn't hard to follow, there isn't enough time to give each sub plot the proper screen time it deserves. Oddly enough for a super hero film, I think they could have edited some of the talky scenes down and added a little more Iron Man action.

A good example of this is when we meet Natasha Romanova she isn't given much to do and I found myself wondering if she was going to be The Black Widow on screen. She is only in one action sequence(a great one with one of the funniest moments in the film)late in the movie and she and Nick Fury are really only there to set up The Avengers movie. I'm not saying it should be edited out, but there is only so much ground you can cover in two hours. Whiplash is played with gusto by Mickey Rourke, but he doesn't have...
A High Tech, Lesser Value Superhero Sequel
At the end of 2008, I made two bold assertions: (1) That "Iron Man" was one of the year's best films; (2) that "Iron Man" was one of the greatest superhero films ever made. I still believe both to be true. Now we have "Iron Man 2." While it is thoroughly entertaining, it's also a bit conventional when compared to its predecessor, having less of a compelling story but more in the ways of action, special effects, gadgets, humor, and stunt work. It's a comic book through and through. That's fine by me - what it lacks in introspection it more than makes up for in sheer fun. We have plenty to cheer for, not the least of which is our hero, billionaire industrialist Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.), who when we last left him had shut down the weapon's division of his company to focus on more humanitarian uses for technology. The result was a high tech metal suit equipped with rocket boosters and missile launchers.

It's now six months after Stark revealed himself as Iron Man at a...
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Tuesday, October 29, 2013

G.I. Joe: Retaliation (Blu-ray / DVD / Digital Copy +UltraViolet)


Don't have high expectations, entertaining
I don't get the low reviews on this, people complaining about the story and the acting...? I saw the first one, so my expectations for this were low. I went into this expecting to see over-the-top action, corny lines, and explosions. The movie delivered. If you want deep storyline and meaningful conversations, then you should go see another flick. If you want to see people get blown up, then watch this.
Just. Plain. Fun...
Let's be clear that "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" is an action movie based on a comic book and a toy action figure. It features virtually non-stop action, some terrific special effects, and a comic book plot. This is not "Patton" or "The Ten Commandments" or even "Die Hard." It is a fun, no-brainer movie in which the good guys eventually win and the bad guys eventually lose, but some of the bad guys escape to set up the next movie.

As the movie opens, the GI Joes, an elite American special operations combat unit, are in action, securing some loose Pakistani nuclear weapons from insurgents in a superb action sequence inside a military facility. However, the Joes are framed by the President, who is really an impersonator planted by the terrorist organization Cobra. The fake President sends a military strike after the Joes, wiping out the unit. The Cobra organization liberates its imprisoned leader and executes its clever plan to take over the world.

Fortunately,...
Gi Joe Retaliation 3D Review
This 3D review is intended for those with 3DTVs and/or fans of 3D.

GI Joe Retaliation was originally meant to be released during summer 2012, but was delayed till March 29, 2013 to be converted into 3D. So did they have enough time to make the 3D worth our time and frustration (of GI Joe fans) having to wait even longer to see the movie in theaters?

Absolutely. The 3D is very powerfully rendered in GI Joe Retaliation. This is not a half baked 3D effort as many of the earlier, hurried 3D conversions of films like Clash of the Titans' poor 3D. The 3D here offers unexpectedly outstanding dimension and depth in many of the cool action scenes, coupled with a generous amount of pop outs. It's been said the Snake Eyes scene was noteworthy (with Snake Eyes portrayed on the Blu Ray 3D cover), and indeed it is as the 3D gives that scene depth the likes of which are rarely seen in conversions. Thankfully the rest of the movie holds up well in 3D.

3D Overall:...
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Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures (Raiders of the Lost Ark / Temple of Doom / Last Crusade / Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) [Blu-ray]


BLU-RAY Comprehensive Review - Well Worth It, With One Great New Extra Feature
Swinging onto Blu-Ray at last, INDIANA JONES: THE COMPLETE ADVENTURES is undoubtedly going to rank as one of the fall's must-have format releases. Paramount's five-disc set includes the HD debuts of "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" on Blu-Ray with a fourth disc of extras and a fifth ("Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull") that some fans likely feel is best left as a beverage coaster. It's a great package that starts with new AVC encoded 1080p transfers and remixed DTS MA soundtracks of each film -- and by this point, is there any reason to re-analyze Steven Spielberg and George Lucas' legendary Saturday Matinee adventures? Each entry in the original Indy trilogy is immeasurably entertaining on its own respective merits, though fans can still quibble about which one is best.

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK thankfully still retains its original on-screen title (despite its packaging as "Indiana...
Blu-ray Review: "Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures"
I am an Indiana Jones fan through and through. I have been since I saw "Raiders of the Lost Ark" as a child in 1981. The Blu-ray release of such a monumental piece of film history merits taking the day off work and viewing all the entries of the series. Yes, that DOES include "The Temple of Doom" and "The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."

"Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures" is what every fan of the archaeologist adventurer has been waiting for since the inception of Blu-ray. It features every film in beautiful high-definition with "Raiders of the Lost Ark" getting the special restoration treatment. The film looks beautiful both at home and on the big-screen. I took my boys to see it in the theater. The film brought tears to my eyes as I thought about the first time I saw it so many years ago and what it meant to me. This was a life-changing event for me much like seeing Star Wars was a few years earlier.

I want to stop and focus on "Raiders" for a moment since...
Great Box-Set
Okay, I believe we all know who Indiana Jones, is, right? I grew up with Indy and my kids will be the same. This new box-set is the definitive Indy box-set. This set features the original classic trilogy plus the newest addition, "The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull". Just like the set that came out in May for the 4th movie, this set comes with the new special editions of the original 3 movies. The best part about this set is that the 4th movie is the 2-Disc special edition and not the lame 1-disc version. My only complaints with this set are 1) that the DVD cases are those really lame slim cases and not regular sized DVD cases and 2) the bonus disc from the original trilogy boxset is missing (although the special features makeup for that is most respects) and 3) while the cover is cool, the order of each movie cover is weird; you start from the top right and work your way around. All in all, this is the best Indy box-set out there and it's worth getting. Here's my ratings for each...
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Monday, October 21, 2013

Star Trek [Blu-ray]


**Blu Ray Specific** Review - Problematic as Trek, but WOW what a BD!
The Blu-Ray:

"Star Trek (2009)" is presented in a 1080p 2.40:1 aspect ratio Blu-Ray. Video quality is terrific. A very light film grain is present which is quite accurate compared to the theatrical presentation. Black levels are inky and deep, colors are vivid but still accurate. Close-ups demonstrate a lot of detail, especially facial close-ups. Space scenes are also swimming with detail, since most every space ship in this film is in various numbers of pieces or states of damage. Noticeable edge-enhancement and digital noise reduction are non-existent.

Simply put, this is five star material all the way. Anyone who enjoys action/sci-fi eye candy for their HD setup would do well to purchase this disc. It is demo-worthy material. This may be the single best Blu-Ray I have seen - it at least ties in visual quality with the excellent Braveheart and Frost/Nixon discs.

Sound is presented in a well-balanced Dolby TrueHD mix, which is notable for not only its...
The Blu should keep everyone happy...great product
The minor disappointments I had with some little items are buried by the amount of great things that is the Star Trek Blu. The packaging is the single hinged chassis with cardboard slip cover, but the info sheet (typical rear cover art) is a hot-glued paper that cannot fit anywhere once it comes off. The resulting Blu art front is a head shot of Pine and the back is Quinto.

The picture is as good as would be expected, with plenty of great space effects, the heavy lens glare that Abrams likes does not bleed too bad but ILM does not disappoint. They went with TrueHD which gives an adequate immersion, some of the best tests were with Spocks ship and that unique sound (but 7.1 DTS would have been nice). Plenty of reference points throughout, but even with that clarity I still couldn't get a read on some of the little things (tried freezing the fence signs in the Corvette scene, freezing some of the panel displays to read what the actors were looking at, etc.). But what takes...
A Big Hand from an Original Trekker
9/8/66. It's a badge that Original Trekkers wear proudly -- the date that the very first Star Trek episode ("The Man Eater") appeared on television. I bear it, and Star Trek hooked me that very Thursday evening, and for the next three years, I sat through all 69 episodes, both the best ("Oh Boy! The Trouble with Tribbles") and the worse ("Oh, no! Not that one!"). When they began to appear in syndication, I watched them over and over until I could repeat the lines with the characters. And, no, I'm not going to tell you who my favorite character was.

It's been 43 years since that first episode. I'm still hooked.

A lot of my compatriots have said that J.J. Adams' "reboot" of the Star Trek franchise went too far -- they weren't ready for some of the things that happened (and, for the sake of those readers who have not seen the movie, I'm not going to reveal what those things are). They didn't like the changes in the mythos that occurred. OK, fine. Different...
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Sunday, October 13, 2013

World War Z (Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy)


DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE UNRATED CUT AND THE THEATRICAL CUT
The Unrated Cut runs about 7 minutes longer than the Theatrical Cut, and primarily contains additional action shots (nothing major). Director Marc Forster has said that the Theatrical Cut IS the Director's Cut, which also unfortunately means that we will not be seeing any footage from the discarded Battle of Moscow (except for a few quick scenes in the closing montage) and the Matthew Fox subplot.

The UNRATED Cut is the one to get! It contains slightly more gore (but not gratuitously so) than the Theatrical Cut, and the action scenes are more fluid and less choppy.

I've listed the primary differences between the Unrated Cut and the Theatrical Cut below. Note, SPOILERS follow below, so read at your own risk.

1) When zombies are shot/stabbed/curb stomped/etc.., they spew CG black blood. When people are bitten, there's more CG red blood.

2) During the opening scene in Philadelphia, there are more scenes of pandemonium and zombies getting...
Thrilling, Intense and A Well-Made Beginning
World War Z is Brad Pitt's zombie epic about the spread of a virus that turns people into the undead, but instead of walking they sprint and create chaos with every step. Pitt plays Gerry Lane, a former UN investigator who is called into action by an old friend when the human race is on the brink of extinction. While he risks his life to look for a cure, his family (with his wife Karin played by the incredible Mireille Enos) is on a US Navy Carrier out at sea. Nations fall, people turn on each other, and it seems all is lost. But, this is not the case as Gerry begins piecing together clues and starts a search that will change everything, leading to the "war."

WWZ is a truly impressive movie, especially considering it's a PG-13 zombie movie. While I do like the gore in a zombie film, this movie proved you don't need it. The zombies were frightening, the realistic science was there, warfare is taken into account, and overall it just felt like what would really happen if the...
This is not the book on film!
I've heard a lot of reviews written by fans of the book by Max Brooks and many of them are negative, because they were expecting to see the book made into a movie. Simply put, this is not the same story from the book, however it's still a great zombie film. In fact, it's easily one of my favorite zombie movies of all time. If you're a fan of zombies, whether you've read the book "World War Z" or not (I recommend reading it btw) you will definitely have a good time watching this film. While there's not a lot of gore as in most zombie films, the zombies are pretty creepy and there's lots of 'em and there's enough tension to keep things interesting throughout. If you're on the fence about seeing this movie, let me give you a small nudge to check it out. You won't be disappointed. Just don't expect to see the book made into a movie.
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Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Star Trek Into Darkness (Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy)


Special features are all split up between vendor exclusive
The official Blu-ray has seven mini-featurettes. If this seems like it is a half-assed release, it's because Paramount has divvied up all the other features, including the commentary tracks with the cast and director J.J. Abrams, and several additional featurettes. The list of missing content on the U.S. wide-release Blu-ray (which is what is being sold on Amazon) includes 5 more featurettes (The Journey Continues... Again, Rebuilding the Enterprise, Full of Wrath, Kirk & Spock and Visual Preferences), plus the commentary with J.J. Abrams and the crew and a theatrical trailer. The featurettes and trailer are likely what's on the Bonus Discs at Target and Best Buy and the CinemaNow downloads (Best Buy U.S. appears to have its content via CinemaNow download while the same content is on a Bonus Disc in Canada), and the commentary is obviously with iTunes. All this means, if you buy the "normal version" here on Amazon, you're getting less than half the special features created for the...
Paramount is ripping YOU off!
I know you want to. I want to. BUT DON'T DO IT!
Don't buy this blu-ray. Paramount markers thought it would be a good idea to make retailers feel special (not amazon though) and split up all the special features, created by the filmmakers, for the fans. So no commentary (even though it exists). And only a small portion of special features.

What does this mean? If you want all the special features created for this release, you have to buy 3 different versions of the blu-ray plus the itunes version (for the director's commentary).

This is not a good practice to support. Don't let these idiots take advantage of you. While it sucks to not be able to own this sci-fi gem, look at the release calendar for paramount following this. Expect similar practices for World War Z.

The best way to show these jerks they're wrong is to not buy this movie.

Live long and prosper
A Must See (from a huge Star Trek fan)
From my wife Sarah: I've been a fan of Star Trek since the first series. This movie was excellent.

Here's why:

- The story was engaging, exciting, and had plenty of edge of your seat moments.

- The way it wove the new story together using prior movie and TV themes to build on was kind of genius. Those who know Star Trek will enjoy that.

- It had humor with a few good laughs and chuckles, but it also brought tears to my eyes.

- I loved the way they developed the relationships between the main characters, especially between Spock and Kirk. I very much disagree with the poster who said there wasn't enough character development. I felt it was quite the opposite.

- There were surprises. Especially one big one, which I won't reveal. I enjoyed that this movie wasn't predictable.

- The casting was spot on. It's so believable that these are the young versions of Spock, Kirk, etc.

- The acting was...
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Sunday, October 6, 2013

World War Z (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy)


DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE UNRATED CUT AND THE THEATRICAL CUT
The Unrated Cut runs about 7 minutes longer than the Theatrical Cut, and primarily contains additional action shots (nothing major). Director Marc Forster has said that the Theatrical Cut IS the Director's Cut, which also unfortunately means that we will not be seeing any footage from the discarded Battle of Moscow (except for a few quick scenes in the closing montage) and the Matthew Fox subplot.

The UNRATED Cut is the one to get! It contains slightly more gore (but not gratuitously so) than the Theatrical Cut, and the action scenes are more fluid and less choppy.

I've listed the primary differences between the Unrated Cut and the Theatrical Cut below. Note, SPOILERS follow below, so read at your own risk.

1) When zombies are shot/stabbed/curb stomped/etc.., they spew CG black blood. When people are bitten, there's more CG red blood.

2) During the opening scene in Philadelphia, there are more scenes of pandemonium and zombies getting...
Thrilling, Intense and A Well-Made Beginning
World War Z is Brad Pitt's zombie epic about the spread of a virus that turns people into the undead, but instead of walking they sprint and create chaos with every step. Pitt plays Gerry Lane, a former UN investigator who is called into action by an old friend when the human race is on the brink of extinction. While he risks his life to look for a cure, his family (with his wife Karin played by the incredible Mireille Enos) is on a US Navy Carrier out at sea. Nations fall, people turn on each other, and it seems all is lost. But, this is not the case as Gerry begins piecing together clues and starts a search that will change everything, leading to the "war."

WWZ is a truly impressive movie, especially considering it's a PG-13 zombie movie. While I do like the gore in a zombie film, this movie proved you don't need it. The zombies were frightening, the realistic science was there, warfare is taken into account, and overall it just felt like what would really happen if the...
This is not the book on film!
I've heard a lot of reviews written by fans of the book by Max Brooks and many of them are negative, because they were expecting to see the book made into a movie. Simply put, this is not the same story from the book, however it's still a great zombie film. In fact, it's easily one of my favorite zombie movies of all time. If you're a fan of zombies, whether you've read the book "World War Z" or not (I recommend reading it btw) you will definitely have a good time watching this film. While there's not a lot of gore as in most zombie films, the zombies are pretty creepy and there's lots of 'em and there's enough tension to keep things interesting throughout. If you're on the fence about seeing this movie, let me give you a small nudge to check it out. You won't be disappointed. Just don't expect to see the book made into a movie.
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Star Trek Into Darkness (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy)


Special features are all split up between vendor exclusive
The official Blu-ray has seven mini-featurettes. If this seems like it is a half-assed release, it's because Paramount has divvied up all the other features, including the commentary tracks with the cast and director J.J. Abrams, and several additional featurettes. The list of missing content on the U.S. wide-release Blu-ray (which is what is being sold on Amazon) includes 5 more featurettes (The Journey Continues... Again, Rebuilding the Enterprise, Full of Wrath, Kirk & Spock and Visual Preferences), plus the commentary with J.J. Abrams and the crew and a theatrical trailer. The featurettes and trailer are likely what's on the Bonus Discs at Target and Best Buy and the CinemaNow downloads (Best Buy U.S. appears to have its content via CinemaNow download while the same content is on a Bonus Disc in Canada), and the commentary is obviously with iTunes. All this means, if you buy the "normal version" here on Amazon, you're getting less than half the special features created for the...
Paramount is ripping YOU off!
I know you want to. I want to. BUT DON'T DO IT!
Don't buy this blu-ray. Paramount markers thought it would be a good idea to make retailers feel special (not amazon though) and split up all the special features, created by the filmmakers, for the fans. So no commentary (even though it exists). And only a small portion of special features.

What does this mean? If you want all the special features created for this release, you have to buy 3 different versions of the blu-ray plus the itunes version (for the director's commentary).

This is not a good practice to support. Don't let these idiots take advantage of you. While it sucks to not be able to own this sci-fi gem, look at the release calendar for paramount following this. Expect similar practices for World War Z.

The best way to show these jerks they're wrong is to not buy this movie.

Live long and prosper
A Must See (from a huge Star Trek fan)
From my wife Sarah: I've been a fan of Star Trek since the first series. This movie was excellent.

Here's why:

- The story was engaging, exciting, and had plenty of edge of your seat moments.

- The way it wove the new story together using prior movie and TV themes to build on was kind of genius. Those who know Star Trek will enjoy that.

- It had humor with a few good laughs and chuckles, but it also brought tears to my eyes.

- I loved the way they developed the relationships between the main characters, especially between Spock and Kirk. I very much disagree with the poster who said there wasn't enough character development. I felt it was quite the opposite.

- There were surprises. Especially one big one, which I won't reveal. I enjoyed that this movie wasn't predictable.

- The casting was spot on. It's so believable that these are the young versions of Spock, Kirk, etc.

- The acting was...
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