New on DVD 1/31 - View on Film

Greetings!  Here's what's new this week....at bit of a mixed bag....with one critical darling that I thought was OK.  Looking for to finally seeing George Clooney's "The Descendants" this week.  (It finally open here in SW Washington State)  I'll have my review on it Friday....but first, here's what's new this week.

Drive- 

A very strange, and interesting movie starring rising star Ryan Gosling.  Great performances from him, Albert Brooks and Bryan Cranston.  It's good, but not outstanding.  It is also extremely violent.















Original Review- Need to logged onto Facebook to see.

In Time-

Justin Timberlake stars in a parable for current times, as the wealthy are more or less immortal, and the poor must beg, borrow and steal just to live.  Rotten Tomatoes.com gives it a low 37% Fresh Rating.













The Thing (2011)-

In the "Why did they do a remake" category, we get the third version of "The Thing".  Rotten Tomatoes.com gives it a low 35% Fresh Rating.  Instead of this, rent out 1982's The Thing starring Kurt Russell.  An excellent film.

Have a great week!

Cheers!

Jason

The Iron Lady - View on Film

Good Friday everyone!  Here's a look at Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatched in the Iron Lady.  Streep is nominated for an Oscar for her performance, and has already won the Golden Globe.  Next week, the Descendants.

Have a great weekend!

Cheers,

Jason

Battlestar Galactica Nerd Alert!!!

Too awesome not to post.  Old/New School meet.

-Jason

New on DVD 1/24 - View on Film

Good Tuesday everyone!  A good week for new DVD/Blu Rays.

Just a quick personal viewing I had over the weekend.  Watched Ides of March, Stripes and Aliens.  Ides of March is a very good, adult drama.  I thought it was an insightful look at a big time political campaign.  Highly recommended.  Good to see Stripes and Aliens again.  The Blu Rays for them are fun, and full of goodies!

OK, on to what's new this week.

Real Steel-

I'm a huge fan of Hugh Jackman, but this film worried me.  The combination of an obnoxious kid and Rock'em Sock'em Robots looked like a disaster waiting to happen.  But it turned out OK, with Hugh Jackman's charisma raising the movie on its own.














Reel Steel Original Review- Must be Logged into Facebook to see.

50/50-

Good film with a great performance by Joseph Gordon-Levitt.  This movie is more drama than comedy, but it is an entertaining look at a young man facing a battle with cancer.  One funny thing from the film, it's set in "Seattle", but filmed in Vancouver.  If you're familiar with Seattle at all, you'll see laughable attempts to make you think its in the Emerald City.  Good film overall though.












50/50 Original Review- Must be Logged into Facebook to see.

Paranormal Activity 3-

I truly love this series.  I'm not much of a fan of horror in general, but for some reason, I really dig this series.  The scares are heightened by the 'reality' of the setting.  All 3 are great films.















Paranormal Activity 3 Original Review.

From the Sky Down-

Much like the recent Pearl Jam 20 documentary, this one looks back 20 years to the creation of U2's Achtung Baby album.  A fascinating look at how music is created, and how U2 were struggling to find a voice until one music hook brought them back.  For fans of U2, this is a must see!




Have a great week, I'll have a look at Meryl Streep and The Iron Lady on Friday.

Cheers!

Jason

Haywire - View on Film

Hello from snowy SE Washington State!  Here's my look at Steven Soderbergh's Haywire.

Have a great weekend!

Cheers!

Jason

New on DVD 1/17 - View on Film

Good day everyone.  Still a slow weekend in new DVD's, but January is usually a slow trickle of movies and TV after the Holidays.

By the by, Justified has it's 3rd season premiere on FX tonight.  I really enjoy this series, and am looking forward to more adventures from Marshall Raylan....a flawed hero if there every was one.  Here's a look.

OK then, let's get to what's new this week!

The Ides of March-

One of the more celebrated films of 2011.  George Clooney co-stars and directs a look at corruption in politics.  "It guy" Ryan Gosling stars as a confused campaign press secretary.  Rotten Tomatoes.com has it at an  85% approval rating.

Abduction-

Robert Pattinson has found moderate success outside the world of Twilight....so I guess it was time to see how Taylor Lautner would do.  Unfortunately for Team Jacob, the movie bombed, and got a paltry 4% approval rating.  Luckily for Taylor, Twilight 5 comes out later this year.


Enjoy your week folks!

Cheers!

Jason

Contraband - View on Film

Contraband-

Good Friday everyone.  Wow....this is how an actual 5 day week feels like.  Haven't really had one in a while, and I'm bushed today!

We'll....let's kick off 2012 with our first new big film, Mark Wahlberg and Contraband!

Have a Great Weekend!

Cheers,

Jason

New on DVD 1/10 - View on Film

Good Tuesday to you!  For most, myself included, this is the first full week of work since the Holidays.  Believe me, I enjoy what I do, but I have a powerful need for some sleep soon!  Hope you are adjusting to 2012....and here's what's new on DVD this week.

Moneyball-

I think the state of 2011 movies is exemplified by this film getting Oscar buzz.  Brad Pitt is his usual best, but he does simply play "Brad Pitt" here....and the movie is OK, but anticlimactic at best.













Here's my original review- Must be logged into Facebook to see.

Killer Elite-

Two of my favorites, Jason Statham and Clive Owen face off, with Robert De Niro in for good measure.  This got a 21% on Rottentomatoes.com, but I'll give it a whirl just for the starring cast.


That's it for this week!  Don't expect too many big titles for the next few weeks, as Video needs to reload after the big holiday push.

Cheers!

Jason

Warhorse - View on Film

Good Friday everyone!  Below is my review on Steven Spielberg's Warhorse.  Enjoy!

Cheers!

Jason

10 Most Anticipated Films for 2012 - View on Film

Greetings film fans.  2011 was a bit of a disappointing movie year.  There were highlights, but no outstanding films.  2012 looks to be a BIG improvement.  Here's to hoping for many surprises, but at the start of the year, here's the top 10 films I'm looking forward to!

Hunger Games- March 23rd

The Futuristic Best Selling book comes to life this spring with Jennifer Lawrence playing one of the youths fighting to the death for their region.  The Trailer looks fantastic, and fans of the book are salivating for their heroes to be on screen.  This could be the next Twilight.

American Reunion- April 4th

I am a big fan of the first two American Pie films.  The third, which featured Stiffler a little too much ran a little thin.  The entire cast returns, with most of the original filmmakers.  I always thought the key to these movies is the relationship between Jim and his father (Eugene Levy).  It's a sweet relationship, with the father forever supporting his son no matter the situation.  Let's hope the raunchy/sweet formula works again.

The Avengers- May 4th

Oh my goodness, here we go!  Marvel has been planning this for the last 4 years since Iron Man came out.  They're all here, Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Black Widow, Hawkeye and more.  This blockbuster is being Directed and Written by Joss Whedon, who knows a thing or two about team dynamics from his days guiding Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly.  Will the dream team deliver?  We'll find out in early May.

Prometheus- June 8th

Director Ridley Scott returns with the first serious, big budget Sci Fi film in many a moon.  Is it a prequel to Scott's Alien, or something else?  Time will tell with this shrouded in mystery movie.  Can't wait!

The Amazing Spider Man- July 3rd

The big question is do we need ANOTHER Spiderman origin story?  I think it looks good, and will feature Emma Stone as the love interest.  Oddly enough, the two girls who have played the blonde Gwen Stacy are redheads, and the one who played the redhead Mary Jane Watson, was blonde.  I'm hopeful on this one.

The Dark Knight Rises- July 20th

This and the Hobbit will vie for the box office crown, as director Christopher Nolan bids adieu to the Batman Mythos.  The anticipation is off the charts for Christian Bale's swan song as Batman.  The trailer looks impressive, as does Tom Hardy's bad guy, Bane.

Skyfall- November 7th

Daniel Craig returns as James Bond in his 3rd go around, with this being the 23rd Bond film overall.  Q and Miss Moneypenny will make their first appearance in the Craig era, with director Sam Mendes at the helm.

The Hobbit- December 14th

I know it's a series loved by millions, but I never got into the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.  I did admire the technical genius though, and director Peter Jackson returns to the world he brought to screen with the first part of the Hobbit saga.

World War Z- December 21st

Brad Pitt + Zombies?  Believe it!

The Great Gatsby- December 25th

Baz Luhrman directs the latest version of the F. Scott Fitzgerald classic, with Leonardo DiCaprio in the title role.


Again, hoping for some surprises this year....but 2012 should be a good one!

Cheers!

Jason

New on DVD 1/3 - View on Film

Welcome to 2012!  Wild couple of holiday weeks, that for me seemed like a month!  Glad to be back to work, and of course, let's get to what's new on DVD/Blu Ray this week.

Contagion-

All Star Cast does battle with a deadly airborne virus that could take out the human population.  From Director Steven Soderbergh, it gets a Fresh Rating from rottentomatoes.com, with 84%.

Pearl Jam Twenty-

I had the fortune going to college in Seattle when Pearl Jam, and the Grunge Scene hit the nation.  I was thrilled to see area band literally explode on the nation.  Pearl Jam was always my favorite of the groups, and here's a 20 year retrospective from Director Cameron Crowe.  This Documentary aired on PBS a couple of months ago, and for a fan, it is a fantastic look at the band. Don't remind me though it was 20 years ago that I went to college! I highly recommend it.








 


Don't Be Afraid of the Dark-

Guy Pearce and Katie Holmes star in this horror film, that I wasn't even aware had opened in theaters.  Rottentomatoes.com gives it 59%.



That's it for the first week in 2012.

Cheers!

Jason