Blu-ray Movie Reviews

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Suspiria
Al Griffin  |  Apr 01, 2019  | 
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It was a bold move for Luca Guadagnino, director of the 2018 Academy Award-nominated, Call Me by Your Name, to undertake a remake of Suspiria, the 1977 film from Italian horror auteur Dario Argento, as his next project. Buoyed no doubt by the critical acclaim Call Me by Your Name had received, Guadagnino, an avowed Argento fan, likely felt he could do Argento's cult classic justice.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Michael Gaughn  |  May 31, 2008  | 
DreamWorks
Movie ••• Picture •••• Sound •••• Extras ••

With serial killers all the rage (in both fiction and reali

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Swing Vote
David Vaughn  |  Jan 21, 2009  | 

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/swingvote.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Bud Johnson (Kevin Costner) is a regular guy with a dead-end job content with coasting his way through life until his daughter, Molly (Madeline Carroll), sets off a chain of events that results in a presidential election coming down to a single vote&#151;Bud's. All hell breaks loose when political operatives from both parties, including the incumbent president (Kelsey Grammar) and the Democrat challenger (Dennis Hopper), swarm his hometown to vie for the winning vote.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Taken (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  May 20, 2009  | 

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/taken.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) is an ex-CIA agent trying to reestablish a relationship with his 17-year-old daughter Kim (Maggie Grace). Against his better judgment, he bows to pressure from his ex-wife (Famke Janssen) and signs a release enabling her to spend the summer in France. She's not even in country for 24 hours when she's kidnapped and sold into a slavery/prostitution ring. Utilizing his special skills, he tracks down her kidnappers and metes out justice in order to rescue his daughter.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Ted
Corey Gunnestad  |  May 14, 2013  | 
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One magical night, a lonely young boy named John makes a special wish that his teddy bear will come to life and be his best friend. And on that special night, the fates decide to grant him his wish. The next morning, John introduces Teddy to his absolutely freaked-out parents. Flash-forward 25 years, and John has grown up into a strapping young man who looks astonishingly like Mark Wahlberg. Best friend, Teddy, now just called plain Ted, has grown up, too, but only in maturity…or lack thereof. John and Ted now spend their afternoons getting high in front of the tube and talking trash about women.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Ted 2
Corey Gunnestad  |  Apr 08, 2016  | 
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Ted, the foul-mouthed, pot-smoking teddy bear, has married his longtime human girlfriend, Tami-Lynn, and a beautiful wedding it was. But as with most marriages between stuffed animals and human beings, the honeymoon ends all too soon, and after only a year, the newlyweds are already fighting. Naturally, the best remedy to soothe a decaying marriage and revitalize the spark is to bring a baby into the equation. But since Ted is lacking in the genitalia department, their choices are reduced to either adoption or artificial insemination.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Film Collection (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Aug 15, 2009  | 

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/tmnt.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>The quartet of Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael emerge from the New York City sewers to rescue their ninja mentor Splinter. The live-action characters go on to deal with their evil nemesis, Shredder, in the second film and time travel in the third. The last film in the series, <i>TMNT</i>, is an animated affair with our heroes dispensing justice to an army of monsters.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Season 1
Mike Mettler  |  Oct 02, 2008  | 
Warner
Movie •••½ Picture •••• Sound •••• Extras •••½
Can a great TV drama have an endoskeleton
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Texas Rising
Anthony Chiarella  |  Dec 11, 2015  | 
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A lofty undertaking of the History Channel, Texas Rising chronicles the one-time republic’s struggle for independence from Mexico. Lavishly produced, this miniseries features an all-star cast anchored by Emmy-winner Bill Paxton. Fleeting cameos by marquis actors exemplify the meticulous detail and massive budget that attended this production. Unfortunately, this great American saga and the men who empowered it are poorly served here. The acting is stiff and fails to evoke empathy or interest, due largely to scripting choices and mundane dialogue.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
That Thing You Do!
David Vaughn  |  Feb 20, 2014  | 
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It’s the summer of 1964 and Guy Patterson is back from the Army and working in his parents’ appliance store in downtown Erie, Pennsylvania. When the shop closes down for the night, Guy puts on his favorite jazz album and plays the drums to his heart’s content. Some old friends have started a band, and when their regular drummer breaks his arm, they come looking to Guy to fill in for a college talent show—which they win thanks to Guy’s decision to pick up the tempo in their breakout song. They end up getting a gig at a local pizza parlor and eventually catch the eye of a roving talent scout. Before they know it, their song is on the radio, they’re signed by Play-Tone records, and they’re off to California.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
David Vaughn  |  Sep 29, 2008  |  First Published: Sep 30, 2008  | 

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/40yearoldvirgin.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Forty-year-old Andy Stitzer (Steve Carell) works at a big-box electronics retailer, lives in a nice apartment with an extensive action-figure collection, and rides his bike to work every day. No wonder he's a virgin. His friends take his virginity personally and vow to do whatever it takes to get him laid.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The 5th Wave
David Vaughn  |  Aug 26, 2016  | 
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Earth is being reshaped by mysterious alien invaders. Their first wave took out electricity, the second caused earthquakes and tsunamis, the third was a virus leading to mass death, the fourth is the invasion of the planet, and the fifth…you’ll have to see the movie—no spoilers from me!
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The A-Team (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Dec 17, 2010  | 
Convicted by a military court for a crime they didn't commit, a daring team of former Special Forces soldiers must utilize their unique talents to break out of prison and tackle their toughest mission yet—clearing their name.

Oh the 1980s and its wonderful TV shows. The A-Team was one of the more popular of the decade and I have to admit I was a fan and watched it weekly as a teenager. The story in this modern remake explores how the men got together and how they ended up before a military court for the crime they didn't commit. The acting is passable and there's tons of action, but the story is weak with cringe-inducing dialog.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Adjustment Bureau
David Vaughn  |  Sep 20, 2011  | 
Philip K. Dick struggled to make a living as a science fiction writer through the majority of his life. It wasn’t until shortly before his death that Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? was adapted to the screen and became the classic Blade Runner. After his death in 1982, nine additional Dick stories have turned into feature films, including box-office successes Total Recall and Minority Report. His latest adaptation is from his short story The Adjustment Team, in which humanoid creatures can influence people’s lives without them knowing in order to ensure that they comply with a mysterious Plan orchestrated by the Chairman.

Matt Damon stars as David Norris, a popular New York congressman who’s a shoo-in to win a U.S. Senate seat in 2006 until a political scandal derails his campaign. Before he gives his concession speech, he ventures into a hotel bathroom and is interrupted when Elise (Emily Blunt) emerges from a stall and encourages him to be more honest. Her advice inspires David to drop the political speech and instead ad-lib from the heart. Thanks to this honesty, he becomes the front runner for the 2010 election. According to the Plan, David and Elise are never to meet again, but when a worker at the Adjustment Bureau screws up, the two run into each other on a city bus, and the Bureau will do whatever it takes to ensure that the Plan gets back on track.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Adventures of Robin Hood
David Vaughn  |  Aug 29, 2008  | 

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/robinhood.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Hollywood legend Errol Flynn stars as Robin of Locksley, better known as Robin Hood. He and his band of Merry Men rob from the rich and give to the poor to offset the heavy taxation imposed by the Sheriff of Nottingham (Melville Cooper). He also woos and wins the heart of the lovely Lady Marion (Olivia de Havilland), who in turn spies for Robin on the goings on of Price John (Claude Rains), usurper of the throne.

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