Blu-ray Movie Reviews

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Anthony Chiarella  |  Mar 04, 2015  |  0 comments
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In 1999, Sports Illustrated voted Muhammad Ali its “Sportsman of the Century.” Ali unquestionably deserves this honor, but it doesn’t begin to convey his importance. Political martyr, civil rights activist, religious zealot, and all-around hero, Ali was one of the 20th century’s greatest figures and, during the ’70s, the most recognizable person on earth. Ali has been the subject of countless films including the brilliant When We Were Kings, 1997 Oscar-winner for Best Documentary.
David Vaughn  |  Mar 15, 2008  |  0 comments

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/403legend.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>In the year 2012, virologist Robert Neville (Will Smith) is the last human survivor in New York City. An outbreak of a lethal virus in 2009 wipes out 99% of the human population, leaving most of the remaining 1% as mutants, with the exception of Neville, who is immune to the virus. Along with his loyal canine, Samantha, Neville hunts for other survivors by day, and in his spare time&mdash;which he has lots of&mdash;he works on an antidote for the virus utilizing his own blood as the source.

David Vaughn  |  Dec 07, 2008  |  0 comments

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/iamlegend.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>In the year 2012, virologist Robert Neville (Will Smith) is the last human survivor in New York City. An outbreak of a lethal virus in 2009 wipes out 99% of the human population, leaving most of the remaining 1% as mutants, with the exception of Neville, who is immune. Along with his loyal canine, Samantha, Neville hunts for food and other survivors by day, and in his spare time&#151;which he has a lot of&#151;he works on an antidote for the virus utilizing his own blood as the source.

David Vaughn  |  May 25, 2011  |  0 comments
John Smith (Alex Pettyfer) is an extraordinary teen masking his true identify to elude a deadly enemy sent to destroy him. Living with his guardian (Timothy Olyphant) in a small town, John encounters life-changing events such as his first love (Dianna Agron), powerful new abilities, and a secret connection to the others who share his destiny.

With a decent premise to build upon I thought Disney/Dreamworks had the possibility of a new teen franchise on their hands, but boy was I wrong. The paper-thin plot is predictable and bland, the acting is atrocious (especially the two teen leads), and I couldn't help feeling that I was watching the movie of the week versus a feature film.

David Vaughn  |  Aug 15, 2009  |  0 comments

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/loveyou.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd), a successful Los Angeles real-estate agent, is engaged to the girl of his dreams (Rashida Jones). When he overhears her talking with some friends about his lack of any male friends to be his best man, Peter goes in search of a "bromance" in order to alleviate his fianc's concerns.

David Vaughn  |  Jul 17, 2009  |  0 comments

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/candl.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Chuck (Adam Sandler) and Larry (Kevin James) are best friends who work for the same fire department in Brooklyn, NY. Larry finds himself in a legal pickle with his life insurance and must enlist Chuck as his "domestic partner" in order to ensure his kids will be taken care of in case he bites the dust. What was supposed to be a quick and easy scam of the system turns out to be much more complicated when a fact-checker (Steve Buscemi) from the insurance company becomes suspicious of their relationship.

Ken Korman  |  Jul 13, 2008  |  0 comments
The Weinstein Company
Movie •••½ Picture •••• Sound •••• Extras •••½

You've got to hand

Corey Gunnestad  |  Aug 21, 2014  |  1 comments
Picture
3D-ness
Sound
Extras
It’s been nearly 200 years since Mary Shelley and her poet friends got together in a mansion in Lake Geneva and challenged each other to write the best ghost story. The fruits of those labors wrought a significantly chilling parable about a mad scientist who foolishly reanimates a deceased man stitched together with spare body parts from other corpses. At a time when science was exploring new territories and pushing boundaries, Frankenstein was conceived as a terrifying morality tale about the dangers of playing God. Rumor has it Shelley dreamt up her classic gothic horror tale in the midst of a whirlwind binge of hedonistic orgies and hallucinogenic substances. Think Jane Austen meets The Wolf of Wall Street.
David Vaughn  |  Apr 03, 2008  |  0 comments

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/403irobot.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Based on the classic short stories of Isaac Asimov, <i>I, Robot</i> takes us to Chicago in the year 2035. Will Smith stars as detective Del Spooner, a technophobic cop who is called upon to investigate the mysterious suicide of Dr. Alfred Lanning (James Cromwell), the head of robot and cybernetic research for US Robotics. When Spooner starts to believe the cause of death is not a suicide, his prime suspect is Sonny (Alan Tudyk), a robot who might have found a way around the Three Laws of Robotics.

David Vaughn  |  Mar 10, 2008  |  5 comments

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/403iceage.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Unlikely heroes Manfred, Sid, Diego, and Scrat join together to return an infant boy to his father before the coming ice age dooms them all. These brave souls, however, are not human. Manny is a wooly mammoth, Sid is a sloth, Diego is a saber-toothed tiger, and Scrat&mdash;one of the funniest creatures ever created&mdash;is a tiny saber-toothed squirrel who just wants to protect his precious acorn.

 |  Mar 10, 2008  |  0 comments

Unlikely heroes Manfred, Sid, Diego, and Scrat join together to return an infant boy to his father before the coming ice age dooms them all. These brave souls, however, are not human. Manny is a wooly mammoth, Sid is a sloth, Diego is a saber-toothed tiger, and Scrat&mdash;one of the funniest creatures ever created&mdash;is a tiny saber-toothed squirrel who just wants to protect his precious acorn.

David Vaughn  |  Nov 02, 2009  |  First Published: Nov 03, 2009  |  0 comments

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/ia3.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Manfred (voiced by Ray Romano) is a nervous wreck eagerly awaiting the birth of his first child, but a new distraction comes along when Sid (John Leguizamo) disappears into a lost world of ferocious dinosaurs, and Manfred and his pack must do whatever they can to save their friend. Meanwhile, Scrat (Chris Wedge) goes nuts over the beautiful Scratte (Karen Disher), but is the attractive saber-toothed squirrel trying to win his heart or steal his precious acorn?

Thomas J. Norton  |  Jul 26, 2010  |  0 comments
1010sdsoft.iceage.jpgAs the third installment of the Ice Age franchise, you’d expect the latest adventures of our odd herd of prehistoric mammal friends—Sid the sloth, Manny and Ellie the wooly mammoths, Diego the saber-toothed tiger, Crash and Eddie the possums, and (off on his own as usual) everyone’s favorite latter-day Coyote, Scrat, the squirrel-rat. Scrat’s role has grown with each entry in the series, and here he gets a love (or rather love-hate) interest in Scrattle, a challenge to his acorn obsession.

The main attraction, and what makes this film the best of the three Ice Age movies, is clear from the title. It’s hard to make a bad movie featuring dinosaurs (although the recent remake of Land of the Lost took its best shot). Dinosaurs disappeared long before wooly mammoths walked the glaciers, but as they appear here in a sort of lost-world environment, we can forgive this bit of creative license.

Thomas J. Norton  |  Dec 28, 2006  |  First Published: Dec 29, 2006  |  0 comments

Animated features are well represented in these early days of HD DVD and Blu-ray discs (though nothing yet from Pixar). This CGI –animated sequel to Ice Age may not have quite the audience appeal of that first adventure with Manny the Mammoth, Sid the Sloth, Diego the sabre-toothed tiger, and, not to forget, Scrat, the acorn-obsessed squirrel-rat, but it's still appealing, funny, and beautifully animated.

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