Read my original review, circa April of this year, here.
Of all the films of 2010 (so far), I’ve probably debated the remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street the most. Not because the films is unusually controversial or boundary-pushing, but because I seem to be in the minority. I really liked it.
As with any horror remake, the deck was stacked against this one from the beginning, especially considering the cultural impact Wes Craven’s film had on us and the horror genre. The original – and to a lesser degree its long, bumpy franchise – is considered a classic. And rightfully so; even though revisiting Craven’s 1984 film might show more cheese than you remembered, the Freddy character – his means, his methods and his mouth – is indelible. Did the remake even have a chance?
Hardly.
To me, Samuel Bayer’s re-imagination of the Springwood slasher does what every successful horror remake, as few as they are, strives to do: twist the film to be its own, in some way. Gone are the quips, the one-liners and the PG-13 cursing, and are instead replaced with a vile child-molester. Jackie Earle Haley’s Krueger plays out like the Freddy we all love, mixed in with a little To Catch A Predator.
The story is pretty much the same this time around, with exception to an added sub-plot questioning the validity of Freddy’s guilt; the film goes where the original only hinted, confirming Krueger to have dabbled in the diddling. The origin of the character, and the way he dispenses of the children of Elm St. is intact. Many of the scenes, like the bedroom murder of the post-coital blonde girl, are still in the film, albeit with a slick polish and modern teens (complete with dialogue that no youth would ever really spout). The film has been under plenty of fire for being saturated with unlikeable characters with no depth (or, in this case, Depp… har har). Not to defend this claim, but I ask, did the original? Has any big franchise slasher or remake (the original Halloween excluded) really shown any character development?
Whether you liked the film or not, you can’t refute the film has balls for taking such an iconic character and portraying him in a different way. Whether that’s the right way or not, this is a very different Freddy, both tonally and physically (though the trademark sweater, fedora and glove remains). The film is dark and gritty, with a layer of filth you’ll have to wash off afterwards. But it is also quite predictable and suffers from a rushed and anticlimactic third act. Jackie Earle’s Freddy is worth the watch alone though, if only to see how different the portrayal of one of the most iconic characters in pop-culture.
The Blu-Ray – complete with DVD and digital copy – features a fantastic video transfer with acceptable audio quality. If you enjoyed the film, it’s well worth the extra dollars to pick up in hi-def.
Available NOW on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD, On Demand and for Download! http://bit.ly/nightfb
Invictus Directed by Clint Eastwood Starring Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon Available on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD, On Demand and for Download
On the surface, Invictus seems to carry the stigma of the daunting biopic, especially challenging the collective audience posterior as its main subject is Nelson Mandela, the former President of South Africa and one of the most important political figures in the history of the world. While Mandela’s story is most certainly one worth being told on the big-screen, and has the utmost potential to be fascinating and inspiring, I think viewers will be pleasantly surprised to find that Invictus is far less heavy on the lifetime biography of Mandela, and focuses entirely on one snippet of the man’s, and the country’s, legacy.
Taking place from 1994 to 1995, Invictus follows Nelson Mandela from his first day on the job as the elected President of South Africa, to the World Cup final rugby game. Although apartheid had been dismantled, Mandela noticed the vast majority of South Africa’s non-white population always rooted against their national rugby team, the Springboks (comprised almost entirely of white South Africans). Mandela sees the World Cup as a way to unite white and black South Africans and concentrates his efforts on inspiring the team’s captain, Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon) to lead the Springboks into the tournament.
I was very impressed with Invictus. I walked in expecting a dry biopic, like I mentioned above, but the film is entirely and consistently engrossing. It has none of the factors that bog down a heavy biopic, and all of the beats of an inspiring narrative, with the tension of the best sports action thrown in for good measure. Not a fan of rugby? Don’t worry, just like the Friday Night Lights television series, you need not be a fan of sports at all to be sucked right into the drama and excitement of the game. Invictus works on a much higher level though, as there is so much riding on a single game – to Nelson Mandela, it just happens to be something he believes could unite his country. In the truest way, the film captures the history and spirit of not just one man, but a team of athletes, a turning point for a country, and an important moment in time for the world. Not only is Invictus completely touching and inspiring, it’s simply entertaining – a fun, thrilling narrative fueled by an important historical event.
The film is shared by two phenomenal performances from Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. Mandela is one of the actor’s most immersed roles, with Freeman transforming into the President with an impressive portrayal right down to the way he carries himself when he walks and obviously his accent. Matt Damon’s Francois Peinaar is more subtle, but entirely believable and I would assume true to the real man. It should also be noted that Damon pulls off a flawless South African accent, which is no easy feat for an American actor, given the complexity of the accent. Any other actor could have easily made a train wreck of the script. I see performances like this and immediately realize just how bad an actor Sam Worthington really is when he butchers a very plain American accent. Language aside, Damon carries his side of the film with massive chops of legitimacy.
Written by Anthony Peckham and based on the book Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game that Changed a Nation by author John Carlin, Invictus is one of director Clint Eastwood’s more brighter films. Definitely worth the invested time. If you’re like me, you may want to keep a tissue close by. I haven’t choked back tears like that since that Hobbit played for Notre Dame.
Edge of Darkness Directed by Martin Campbell Starring Mel Gibson, Ray Winstone, Danny Houston, Bojana Novakovic and Shawn Roberts Available on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD, On Demand and for Download 5/11!
After a reasonable hiatus from acting, Mel Gibson returns to the screen in Edge of Darkness. I missed this little crime-mystery flick back when it was in theatres, so I was quite chuffed when the fine folks at Warner Bros. sent a copy my way to let you all know what the good bird on the movie is.
Edge of Darkness fits right in with the gritty, realistic revenge sub-genre alongside films like Man on Fire and Taken. In the film, Gibson plays Thomas Craven, a real man’s man detective from Boston. When his daughter is murdered in front of him, it’s assumed that he was the target and she was in in the way – but as any thriller dictates, that is far from the case, and the film takes Craven through twists and turns as he emotionally, and violently, puts the pieces of a grander conspiracy together.
The film is actually based on a BBC mini-series which was directed by Martin Campbell (Casino Royale, Green Lantern) who also returns to helm the big-screen adaptation. The film version sees the story moved from England, this time taking place in beautiful Massachusetts. Where the film departs from films such as Taken, is that the story is far more intimate and emotionally driven; the action does not drive the film, though it is a very well-executed part, but the developments of the narrative serve as a slow-burn.
This is no doubt Mel Gibson’s picture, and his performance makes it worth viewing alone. The years off have been good to Gibson, as his portrayal of Tom Craven brings us back to some of his younger roles like in Mad Max and Lethal Weapon, albeit he’s older and completely serious. Gibson is entirely believable as a grieving father and a cop with nothing to lose. It’s almost unfair to refer to Edge of Darkness as a “cop movie”, as everything Craven does, the lengths he goes to obtain solace, is done as a man first and as a father. The film explores the mythos behind vigilante films like Death Wish or archetypes like The Punisher, but with an entirely realistic approach. This isn’t fantasy and it isn’t farfetched, which separates it from films like Taken, which it is, in my opinion unfairly, compared to. Edge of Darkness is heavy and real, and Gibson makes his pain felt. It’s also interesting to see him work with a Bostonian accent, which if done poorly can completely remove me from a film, but I’m happy to report that after being initially jarring, feels totally natural and adds to his character. There’s something about Massachusetts, and it becomes almost its own character in the film. Craven and his environment are one, lending to a more seamless experience than a smokey, city that never sleeps like New York or Chicago, the apparent templates for hard-boiled copper revenge flicks.
Gibson is flanked by two other noteworthy performances from actors Ray Winstone and Danny Huston, who play a mysterious CIA “consultant” and the head of a nuclear research facility, respectfully. Winstone in particular shines with intrigue as the raspy-voiced tough-guy, while Huston is perfect as the almost-over-the-top smarmy rich businessman who’s kind on the outside but you can just feel the malevolence leaking from his pours. The film revolves around Gibson and these two, and together you’ve got a dynamic cast that works well within the close confines of the script.
Director Martin Campbell made huge waves and gained mainstream recognition for revitalizing the James Bond franchise with Casino Royale, his film prior to Edge of Darkness. I was surprised to see such a different style used here, as Casino Royale was so slick and distinct. Darkness is definitely far more subdued that Royale, or even Campbell’s previous efforts with Goldeneye or The Legend of Zorro. This goes to show how broad a director Campbell is and though he has his own signature on his films, he doesn’t rely on his style for every film. He chooses the approach that will best serve the story. Edge of Darkness definitely has that “British feeling” to it with a touch of Michael Mann realism, though far from shaky-cam distracting. I do think the film suffers from pacing issues in the late second act, early third act, as much of the plot development is brought on via dialogue as opposed to literal events. There were moments where I wanted to see Gibson go all out and become physical but he didn’t. Again, I credit this to the film’s respect for realism, and it makes it all the more impactful when those scenes actually happen. The violent-action scenes in the film are indeed quite profound.
Overall Edge of Darkness is a tightly made thriller best served for the more mature audience, while something like Taken is in the same league but for a more younger audience with a shorter attention span. Darkness manages to embrace so many interesting elements, action, crime, mystery and conspiracy, and it balances them all nicely. The film even works as a performance piece alone, and a welcome reminder that Mel Gibson still has it.
Do check out the film, which is available on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD, On Demand or Download this upcoming Tuesday, May 11th. I gotta add that the Blu-Ray looks spectacular, the beautiful landscapes of Massachusetts are breathtaking in 1080p.
One of the most anticipated film series to receive the hi-def Blu-Ray treatment is Star Wars. The prequels notwithstanding, it took ages for the original trilogy to even hit DVD (and even longer for the non-special edition theatrical cuts). While Star Wars fans dreaded the worst in terms of waiting times for “the trilogy” to hit Blu-Ray, Steve Sansweet, Director of Fan Relations, brought some good news at last weekends Chicago Comics and Entertainment Expo (C2E2).
That news – we will see all six Star Wars films on Blu-Ray soon. How soon, we don’t know, but to quote Sansweet, “it won’t be in the too distant future”.
Check out the article over at IGN, where they mention just what kinds of extras we can expect with Star Wars on Blu.
Sadly, that’s all we know for know… which is really not much more than we knew before. While no release date has been set, many sites are speculating an October release; I’d put my money on sometime before Christmas.
Duncan Jones loves and understands good science fiction. This is apparent almost immediately with Moon, Jones’ original and unique love-letter to classic sci-fi genre films. Moon is most definitely this year’s “little film that could”, though it pains me that this film will almost certainly never receive its proper accolades. Quite frankly, this is sci-fi story-telling at its best in a long, long time.
I’ll keep this review spoiler-free, as the film does present a rather high-concept reveal midway through the film that defines where it goes from there to its thrilling conclusion. In the future, 70% of the Earth’s energy comes from helium-3, extracted from lunar soil affected by solar rays. Sam Bell, assisted by his robotic aid GERTY, is the sole engineer on the lunar base handling the helium-3 extraction. Sam has been stationed there for three years in solitude and nearing the end of his contract. But then, something bug-nuts crazy happens – and there’s that big reveal I was telling you about – and Sam is not only fighting his sanity, but fighting to get back to Earth, a seemingly impossible task.
Moon is proof that budget is an afterthought. For a mere $5 million, Duncan Jones and crew have created a film with equal parts flawless narrative, gorgeous visuals and an Oscar worthy performance from actor Sam Rockwell. A far more accessible science-fiction tale than 2001: A Space Odyssey, Moon is not of aliens and fantasy, but of character and atmosphere. Stanley Kubrick would surely be proud of his lasting inspiration on Jones and perhaps a little jealous. I almost regret labelling it as sci-fi, as the film is infinitely more emotional and human than most romantic comedies.
Moon is the complete package for any level of cinephile; there’s just too much good to sell one factor of the film alone. Granted, Sam Rockwell’s performance(s) is worth a viewing on its own, the entire film is a feast to be consumed, from the set-design through to Clint Mansell’s inspired score.
The blu-ray, just released by Sony Pictures Classics, is a release worthy of any film geek’s shelf. The picture quality is of demonstration calibre in 1080p, and even looks naturally crisp with 120Hz turned on (which a lot of people still can’t get used to with non-sports viewing). The colors pop and the blacks are sharp, even in those very few scenes with an intentional film-grain (though there aren’t many). The audio quality is fantastic; even with a very basic sound setup, you’re sure to get solid, beautiful audio. The sound design in the film, and again the film’s score, is amazing.
While the blu-ray itself isn’t overflowing with special features, this is a decent release far from “bare bones”. Notable are two commentary tracks featuring director and co-writer Duncan Jones, a behind-the-scenes featurette, and two Q&A’s with Jones – one at a science centre, one at the Sundance Film Festival 2009 where the film premiered. This blu is definitely worth a blind-buy if sci-fi and stellar storytelling is your thing.
All this praise is still bittersweet however, as Sony continues to give Moon the shaft. The studio has done little to nothing to promote the film, regardless of its absurdly positive word of mouth (the film currently sits at an impressive 89% at Rotten Tomatoes). Many online movements have started in order to get the film some much needed recognition, and even lobbying for an Oscar nomination for Sam Rockwell (deservedly so). On that note, get out there and see the flick, buy the blu and tell your friends.
I don’t care if you hate cartoons, hate Pixar (how could you?), are young, old, or miserable… UP is one of the best films of this year as well as one of the best animated films ever made.
Pixar has done it again and gone and created a film which sets the bar for story-telling to a new height. Granted Cars was kind of lame, Pixar has never failed to deliver a film with heart, excitement and character, and UP is a marvelous entry into the company’s near-pristine track-record.
UP is an adventure film, it is a coming of age film, but most importantly it’s a film about love and relationships. Unlike most animated films, UP doesn’t feature a bubbly young kid or wacky animal as the main character, but rather an old, curmudgeonly senior citizen, Carl Fredricksen. After the death of his wife and the loss of his house, Carl uproots his home (literally, with balloons) and floats off to South America to fulfill his wife’s dream of adventuring the amazonian Paradise Falls. When Russell, a young, high-strung boy from a wilderness troop, stows away on the airborne house, the adventure just begins as the two of them (and a talking dog named Dug) find themselves in a race to save a rare and magnificent bird from a twisted explorer.
The film is as bold visually as it is as a narrative; it is definitely Pixar’s most adult film – no, not that kind of adult, ya perv – touching on themes of death and loss. Dare I say UP might go slightly over the heads of the really young crowd that got into Cars and Toy Story. That being said, it most definitely is a family film, and an important one at that: it’s damn near impossible to not want to hug those closes to you after the film. The opening scene in UP could be one of the most emotional expositions put to film; I’m not going to lie, the first ten minutes had me in tears. It’s that reason that Pixar is so good at what they do, and so important for film right now. Don’t think that UP is all emotion and no action though, the film definitely delivers on the adventure theme in a very big way. It rivals the excitement of any previous Pixar romp, even out-actioning Finding Nemo or Wall-E.
So the blu-ray came out this Tuesday and I eagerly picked this up and watched it. Here in Canada the big electronics store Futureshop has a steel-book exclusive (which I doubt is either exclusive or steel, really). My first thought upon picking up the product is how ridiculously large the package is. If you’ve seen these steel-book cases before, imagine four of those stacked together, and that’s just how wide the UP steel-book blu-ray is. I figured there wold be a collectible book inside, necessitating such a wide case, but no, it was merely to accommodate the blu-ray copy of the film, the DVD copy of the film, the digital copy of the film and the disc of bonus features. While I understand Disney’s need to saturate a single household with multiple copies of their product, it looks quite ridiculous (see pic below).
Awkward packaging aside however, Disney/Pixar really pulled the stops for this release and put out a phenomenal product once more. The film is jaw-dropping in 1080p hi-definition – this is a must-own if you’re a blu-ray enthusiast like myself. The audio on the disc is breath-taking; I don’t even have a decent surround-sound setup, and I could still tell that the sound engineering on this is of the highest calibre.
The bonus disc that comes with the film is stuffed to the gills with goodies including:
Commentary by director Pete Doctor and co-director Bob Peterson
Dug’s Special Mission – An all new original short film that follows the misadventures of Dug as he attempts to complete his “special mission.” The short is directed by Up Story Supervisor, Ronnie Del Carmen.
The Many Endings of Muntz – Many ideas were hatched about how to dispose of the film’s arch villain, Muntz, and now viewers can see the many alternate endings proposed during story development.
Partly Cloudy – The hilarious short film that preceded screenings of Up. Everyone knows that the stork delivers babies, but where do the storks get the babies? The answer lies up in the stratosphere where the cloud Gus is a master at creating “dangerous” babies, which prove to be more than a handful for his loval delivery stork Peck. Directed by Pixar story artist, animator and voice actor Peter Sohn.
Adventure is Out There – This action-packed documentary tells the story of the filmmakers’ own trek to the tepuis mountains of South America to research the design and story of the film.
Cine-Explore – A visual montage of concept art, clips and documentary coverage that illustrates the directors’ commentary.
Geriatric Hero – A character study of Carl, from research to realization including art and design, rigging, animation and story. It focuses on the issues of aging, “simplexity”, shape-language and compelling character arcs.
Canine Companions – For anyone who ever wondered where CG puppies come from, an introduction to the design, behavior and language of dogs.
Russell: Wilderness Explorer – A character study of Russell from inspiration and design to finding the character arc and authentic voice for this wilderness ranger.
Our Giant Flightless Friend, Kevin – Find out how avian research and development at Pixar helped bring a mythical, 13-foot tall iridescent bird to life.
Homemakers of Pixar – Carl and Ellie’s house is an important “character” in the film. Fans follow the development of the house from story to art to its ultimate realization in the computer.
Balloons and Flight – Carl’s house and Muntz’s dirigible presented the filmmakers with two different problems—how could they make a physical impossibility possible? And, in the case of the dirigible, how would they unearth a fallen giant and let it soar?
Composing for Characters – Composer Michael Giacchino returns to score his third Disney•Pixar feature film. See how the Up filmmakers collaborated with Giacchino to create the memorable score and compelling musical themes.
Married Life – The original story concept that became the powerful “Married Life” scene, showing Carl and Ellie’s love story.
Global Guardian Badge Game – Players try to locate countries, states and capitals around the globe in a multi-layered BD-Exclusive geography game enhanced by BD-Live.
It will take you hours upon hours to get through all that, and Disney really knows how to make this extra content entertaining and something that will enrich the experience of the film.
This could be one of the blu-ray purchases of the year, kids, so head out and buy it for yourself and all your friends. And for those of you still living in the stone age, UP is available on single or two-disc DVD.
You read that right, Tarantino’s latest opus, the hard-hitting, nazi-killing romp Inglourious Basterds, is indeed hitting DVD and Blu-Ray before year’s end.
Why so early you ask? Who the fuck cares, that’s awesome! But if you must know, the Weinstein company sent out plenty of screeners of the film to critics in order to fuel the Oscar buzz, so releasing the film to the market on home video will accommodate that and fuel the award-fire even more. I can get behind this, as I’m jonesin’ to watch this flick in glourious 1080p over and over and show it to all those chumps who missed out in the theater.
Inglourious Basterds will be available this December 15th on one-disc, two-disc and Blu-Ray versions with a bunch of extra content including:
Alternate & extended scenes
The complete film-within-the-film Nation’s Pride (directed by the Bear Jew himself, Eli Roth)
Domestic & international trailers
The two-disc, extra-special, Blu-Ray will include all of the above plus:
A roundtable conversation with Quentin Tarantino, Brad Pitt and film historian Elvis Mitchell
A making-of for Nation’s Pride
The Original Bastards – A retrospective of the original film from 1978
Gag Reel
Film poster tour with Elvis Mitchell
Digital Copy of the film
and a bunch more…
No word on any future re-releases of Basterds, but it’s probably safe to assume that there won’t be a double-dip on this for quite some time. We’re still waiting on Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair and the full theatrical cut of Grindhouse, so you’re gonna want to pick this up or you’ll no doubt be waiting indefinitely.
Ahoy, consumers. It’s Tuesday so you know what that means – new release day. This week is kind of all over the place, but there’s one big release, featuring a certain emerald-clad guardian, that I’m looking forward to and will review soon.
Here’s the notable releases for Tuesday, July 28th, and remember, any purchases made via Amazon through the links on this page will save a person’s life. Or at least line my pockets and give me more drive to keep the content coming… you cheap bastards.
- The aptly-titled fourth film in the highly-successful brought back the original cast for another testosterone-filled, two hour rap music video in which Paul Walker talks in a voice that’s actually lower than his natural speaking tone. If you like suped-up cars and ridiculous cliches then you’ll love this one.
- The wildly successful reimagining of Battlestar Galactica gets the full-series treatment on Blu-Ray. This 25 disc set will put you back at least $200 and features every season of the show, the original mini-series and the Razor feature. All that in a super cool Cylon package.
- Yes, some folks made a Dragonball movie. Yes, apparently it licks donkey dink. No, I won’t be buying it. No, you probably shouldn’t. Save your money for a full-print button-up Dragonball shirt.
- Now this is the title of the week, DC’s new full-length feature telling the origin of Green Lantern Hal Jordan. DC is on a roll with these animated films, I tell ya. Reviews so far have been really positive for this particular title, and I myself can’t wait to pop the Blu-Ray in.
Come back next week, same bat time, for the scoop on the new releases.
The wait is almost over for Zach Snyder’s incredible film adaptation of Watchmen to hit DVD and Blu-Ray. The film will be released to retailers this July 21st and this one is a must-own for fans, Blu-Ray-philes and Watchmen fiends alike. As with most comic-book-super-fan-summer films, this movie will no doubt see an endless amount of releases and re-releases each with the most superficial of differences. But to us mega-fans, does it really even matter.
The film will initially be released in a two-disc Director’s Cut – a theatrical version is available on DVD only – with a third, coaster-worthy digital copy disc. This Director’s Cut has a run-time of over 3 hours; that’s approximately 30 mins of more footage than was shown in the theatrical version. Full details on what these scenes will include are still pretty unknown with the exception being the well-known-filmed on-screen death of the original Nite Owl, Hollis Mason.
Full Disc Specs:
Disc 1 (BD-50):
Director’s cut of the film (186 minutes)
Interactive “Ultimate Watchmen Experience”
BD-Live
Disc 2 (BD-25):
The Phenomenon: The Comic that Changed Comics (30 min.)
Real Super Heroes, Real Vigilantes (27 min.)
Mechanics: Technologies of a Fantastic World (27 min.)
Webisodes (38 min.)
Music Video: My Chemical Romance Desolation Row (3 min.)
Disc 3 (DVD):
Digital Copy – Theatrical version
If you’re more of a collector, there are some special-er editions of this release. Blu-Ray owners can pick up Amazon.com’s exclusive Nite Owl Ship collector’s set which features the three Director’s Cut discs hidden inside a pretty cool looking statuette of Nite Owl’s ship, Archie. Apparently this beaut has lights and sounds. Again, it’s only exclusive to those shopping online at Amazon.com, and has a fairly hefty price tag of $79.99.
My local Best Buy is also advertising this hideous Rorschach mask packaging for both DVD and Blu-Ray,while HMV UK is offering a similar package with the lifeless face of Dr. Manhattan. Creepy.
Zach Snyder has also been dropping hints for a “Black Freighter” cut of the film, essentially the Director’s Cut with the previously released animated story-within-a-story, The Black Freighter, cut into the film throughout the full run-time. This edition, which really only has appeal to hardcore fans, would run approximately 3 hours and 45 minutes. No release date or further details have been released.
I know I will be having one hell of a Watchmen party on July 21st, and you’re all welcome to come over and enjoy Watchmen on Blu-Ray in all it’s glory.
Ahoy sea men and women, welcome to this week’s DVD FIX, your source for what’s new in DVD/Blu-Ray land.
To say this week’s releases are weak is an understatement. Here’s the major titles hitting retail and rental shelves this week – and hey, if you buy any of these items through the Amazon.com links in this here post, you’re helping Giant Killer Squid save up for that shiny new bike we’ve been wanting. So thanks.
NEW RELEASES FOR JUNE 30th
Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li Smallville’s Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk) stars in this unfathomable movie based on the super successful arcade/console video game. Kreuk plays the deadly Chun Li, who must resist the evil forces of Father’s telling their kids to “play that game on mute”. I can’t believe someone made another Street Fighter movie.
12 Rounds (Rated + Unrated) WWE superstar John Cena comes to home video in his second “major” starring role. I’m sure this film is just “great”.
Eastbound & Down: The Complete First Season
I myself haven’t seen any of this little show, but it stars Danny McBride who just so happens to steal every movie he’s in. Featuring creative talent from Will Ferrel, Jody Hill and Adam McKay, how can you go wrong? Bonus: If you haven’t yet seen The Foot Fist Way also starring Danny McBride, you are missing out.
That’s really all I even want to mention this week. Next week ain’t much better we’ll see new releases featuring Nic Cage, some wannabe superheroes, and a frightening fetus?
Finally, good news for fans of the X-Men animated series from the 90’s Fox Kids programming – the final two volumes of the show, 3 & 4 respectively, are set for release on September15th. Just like the first two volumes (which are really, really good) each volume features two discs of 15 episodes. I recently watched volumes 1 & 2, and this show is one of the very few that holds up since my childhood, and dare I say, the best comic-book cartoon in terms of faithfulness of tone to the source material.
Alright kids, it’s been a couple months and I’ve amassed a whole bunch of consumerables for the second edition of STIW. Here’s the best of the best, in quick and dirty rawdog style:
Nerf N-Strike Vulcan EBF-25 Blaster
Jesus H. Christ, look at that thing. Nerf really hasn’t been cool since the crotch-bat really… until I came across this beast (almost quite literally), the N-Strike Vulcan EBF-25 Blaster. The EBF stands for Everyone’s Balls Fucked. I dunno. This is the T-101 of air powered sponge artillery. Some of its features: ammo box, folding tripod, 25-dart belt and 25 SONIC MICRO DARTS. What the hell is a sonic micro dart? I have no clue, but I need to find out. Retails for around $40.
And, according to the image below, you can fire it into another dude’s ass!
It is scientific fact that footwear could not be any more bad-ass than this. Unless you strapped hatchet-laden corpses to your feet, but that’s illegal and morally deplorable. So instead, Vans – the creators of the equally awesome Iron Maiden shoes (which I own) – stepped up and gave us the next best thing: shoes inspired by artwork from Mastodon’s Blood Mountain record. Though it would’ve been a wet dream to have shoes from Leviathan or even Crack The Skye, I can’t complain, these are fucking epic. Both version come in hi-top or low-top and I have no clue how much they retail for. I paid $30 for the Iron Maiden ones.
I’ve been on the market for one of these sexy little pocket cams for a while now, and it seems that pretty much across the board the Creative Vado HD delivers boners to even the most fickle of tech-wieners. This palm-sized camera boasts an impressive 2 hours of recording/playback at 720p, a hefty 8GB of internal memory, a decent 2″ screen and a slide-out USB for pulling out, stuffing in, and unloading all the stuff you’ve just accumulated. That’s what she said.
It doesn’t hurt that the footage this baby captures is really damn amazing from such a compact machine. Better yet is that it retails for less than $230. Check out the official site.
Watchmen Blu-Ray ‘Owlship’ Collector’s Edition
It’s exciting enough just having Watchmen on DVD and Blu-Ray so soon (July 21), but this gave me a big nerdy one… the Amazon.com exclusive Owlship collector’s set. This bad boy can only be purchased online. Just look at that. What a beaut. The set includes the special edition 2-disc blu-ray of the film, lame-ass digital copy which no one will use, and a ridiculously awesome miniature Owlship replica that holds the discs and has lights and sounds. The only thing that would make this better is if it had the technology to blow me while I watch the film. But then again, that could be distracting.
This is one of those things that I really want, but will never, ever own. It’s fairly simple in technology, a juke-box for the future, if you will, that stores all of your DVD discs and then you use the remote in your 500 pound, Cheeto-dust smothered hand, to select the movie you want and it cues it up for you. Because five feet really is that far. Regardless of its complete lack of practicality, it is pretty damn cool. And Sony’s gearing up to launch this mega changer that will hold 400 Blu-Ray discs. Are there even 400 Blu-Ray’s available? Oof. I’m so balls deep in Blu-Ray right now. I want this. It will no doubt retail for $1,000,000 and the only people who will have it are Larry Flynt looking oil tycoons obsessed with Indecent Proposal and Dirty Dancing in 1080p.
Check out Engadget’s piece on the 400 disc calorie saver here.
Well that wraps up another volume of SH*T THAT I WANT. If you have any ideas for items for future volumes, or just foudn some really bad-ass stuff that you want, let us know.
It’s early November, and the Christmas trees have been up in malls for three months already. This can only mean one thing: shopping malls start peddling the holidays on us too fucking early. But with the gift giving now only six weeks away, its time to suck it up and venture out beyond your parents basement to the most glorious, stress-free place on the planet… the mall. Fret not though, for GKS is here to help. In this lenghtly guide, we give you plenty of gift ideas for your favorite film/comic geek.
This guide covers everything from books to select electronics, for the dirt-poor to the filthy-rich.
Happy shopping!
COMICS
Watchmen: Absolute Edition
By Alan Moore w/ art by Dave Gibbons
Originally published in 2005 but until now hard to find, this beatuful canvas slip-case edition features brand-spanking new coloring by John Higgins. This large hardcover edition also includes script-samples, concept art, and plenty of extra content to drool over. The must own edition of one of the greatest stories ever told.
This is the ultimate Watchmen companion, a huge, monstroulsy dense retrospective of Watchmen from the perspective of Dave Gibbons, the books artist. A true fan of the comic can’t be without this collection of storyboards, concept art and page after page of beautiful sketches and making-of notes. Just awesome.
Hellboy: Library Editions Vol. 1 & 2
By Mike Mignola
Collecting two stories each, these oversized canvas bound hardcovers are just beautiful collector’s pieces. With a ridiculously low price tag of around $30 each. Each page is big, bold and beautiful. A must for the hardcore fan, or the casual reader looking for that gateway comic book.
Captain America: Ed Brubaker Omnibus Vol. 1
Written By Ed Brubaker
This hardcover book collects the first 25 issues (starting from 2006) of Ed Brubaker’s phenominal run of one of comics most prolific characters, culminating with the most talked about event in recent comics history, the death of Captain America. Easily some of the best written comics in the last decade.
Daredevil: Frank Miller & Klaus Janson Vol. 1
Written By Frank Miller
There’s no doubt that everyone loves some Frank Miller as of late. This nice little paperback collects Frank Miller’s unbelievable run on Daredevil, featuring the best stories with Bullseye, Elektra, Kingpin and the man without fear himself.
Guitar Hero: World Tour / Rock Band 2
Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Wii
Who hasn’t sweat their ass of with their friends to Rock Band since last year? Well, in keeping with tradition, this holiday season sees the sequel, Rock Band 2, and its competition, Guitar Hero: World Tour, the hot items on everyone’s wish list. Its business as ussal with both sets, complete with game, guitar controller, drum kit controller and microphone. Red snapper and rolled up dollar bills not included.
Gears of War 2
Xbox 360 only
If the person you give this to appreciated games at all, then they will love you for this. Then you won’t see them for three days.
Dead Space
Xbox 360, Playstion 3, PC
It’s a video game. It’s in space. It’s scary.
Little Big Planet
Playstation 3 only
This highly anticipated, fully customizable puzzle platformer will eat up hours and hours of your holiday season, and put a smile on any Playstation 3 owner not obsessed with hockey or basketball games.
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
Xbox 360, Playstation 3
Could the Mortal Kombat franchise get any better? Well, add Batman and the answer is yes. This latest installment in the classic fighting game features your favorite Kombatants taking on the likes of Superman, Batman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and more. Hummina, hummina.
DVD/BLU-RAY
I’ve only recently climbed aboard the blu-ray train, having received a player as a wedding gift. If you haven’t seen a blu-ray movie yet let me tell you, your first time watching one will be a breath-taking experience. And every subsequent viewing of one will be saturated with moments of amazement of how something can be so crisp, clear and vibrant. This makes giving blu-ray discs the perfect stocking-stuffer, or just a small, relatively cheap yet much appreciated gift.
In terms of single-disc or two-disc special editions, you cannot go wrong with effects-laden action movies like The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Wall-E and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Now, speaking of Indiana Jones, in my opinion, this is the best looking blu-ray to date. Contrary to my original review of the film, I had a blast watching this blu-ray and it just looks terrific in 1080p. All of the above titles are more than acceptable DVD purchases for those geeks without blu-ray players.
Planet of the Apes: 40th Anniversary Collection
Forty years and we still can’t get enough of those damned dirty apes! This 5 disc blu-ray set includes the original classic and its four sequels (an interesting lack of the Tim Burton remake) and a hardcover book, all in a pretty snazzy looking slipcase packaging. The first film is no doubt the anchor to the series, but Iv’e heard some pretty great things about the unrated version of Conquest of the Planet of the Apes. Who knew?
Hellboy 2 Gift Set
If blu-ray was meant for anything, it was for watching giant devil-men with conrete fists punching sword-weilding elves. I can’t believe that wasn’t the tag-line. This snazzy gift set comes with the blu-ray movie, a digital copy of the film, mini poster, an exclusive book and a kickass minature bust of one of the golden army. For a fan of the film or of the comic, this is the monkey’s tits.
The Sopranos: The Complete Series
In my opinion, the greatest television show ever made, is packaged in its entirety – 33 discs (86 episodes), 3 soundtrack CD’s, episode guide, and a 56 page collector’s album. I’ve seen this amazing set in the flesh, it is massive, weighing in at around 8 pounds, and it is very nicely crafted. A little more on the expensive side, coming in at around $250-$300, but definitely worth every penny.
The Dark Knight: Limited Batpod Edition
You know… because the regular editionn isn’t enough, you need this set that comes with a special display case and batpod miniature replica. Hell, I would buy The Notebook on blu-ray if it came with a batpod. Woops… I hope no marketers are reading this…
TOYS
No gift-giving holiday is complete without toys. These pieces of posable plastic are not just for kids anymore though; it seems that most modern-day toy companies are cranking out the action figures targeted directly at the geek demographic. Flawless paint jobs, correct sculpts and points of articulation are still key, but nothing is more important than the toys figures ability to withstand a good ol’ fashioned barrage of pew-pews. That’s onomatopeia, folks. Here’s some great stocking stuffers, in toy form.
DC Universe Classics
For a toy-collector like me, these are the best figures on the market right now. DCUC is a line focused soley on DC characters, stand 6” – 6.5” and each wave of 5 figures comes with a seperate piece to connect to form a 6th figure. The sculpts, paints and character selection are just awesome, but there’s one problem with this lineup… they are damn near impossible to find. Mattel has had shipment and stock issues since the first wave, leaving collectors foaming at the mouths for these pieces. Your only realy sure-bet is eBay, but be prepared to pay a hefty premium. That being said though, if you do come across any figures in this line, grab ‘em and head for the checkout stand, as they are gorgeous.
Some of the great figures include Batman, Aquaman, Black Manta, Harley Quinn, Green Lantern, Sinestro, Nightwing, Deathstroke, Wonder Woman, Black Lightning and Eradicator.
Marvel Legends Two-Packs
The popular Marvel Legends line has certainly slowed down over the last year, but the recent release of select two-packs still has collectors shilling out their bucks. The first wave of 6” sets includes Ultimate Captain America & Ultimate Nick Fury, Mr. Fantastic & The Thing, Wolverine & Forge and Ronin & Elektra. Keep your eyes peeled for the rare and ultra-cool Skrull Elektra/Ronin variant set.
The Dark Knight – Movie Masters Figures
There’s the regular Dark Knight figure line, then there’s the Movie Masters sub-line. You can tell the Movie Masters ones, because they don’t look like shitty little kiddy toys. These 6” figures come with some immaculate sculpt and paint apps and multiple points of articulation. Much like the DCUC toys, these figures can be a little harder to find – especially the Heath Ledger based Joker figure. The first wave of MM figures includes, Batman, Joker, Scarecrow, and Gotham City Thug. If you’re one of those lucky sonsabitches with a Target store in your area, look out for the exclusive Movie Masters Batpod vehicle – it looks the tits.
So there you have just a fraction of some of the extremely cool gifts you could get for your geeky loved one this year; it certainly is easy to shop for the likes of us.
If you have any additions to this geek gift guide, drop a line below.
Read my original review, circa April of this year, here.
After a reasonable hiatus from acting, Mel Gibson returns to the screen in Edge of Darkness. I missed this little crime-mystery flick back when it was in theatres, so I was quite chuffed when the fine folks at Warner Bros. sent a copy my way to let you all know what the good bird on the movie is.
One of the most anticipated film series to receive the hi-def Blu-Ray treatment is Star Wars. The prequels notwithstanding, it took ages for the original trilogy to even hit DVD (and even longer for the non-special edition theatrical cuts). While Star Wars fans dreaded the worst in terms of waiting times for “the trilogy” to hit Blu-Ray, Steve Sansweet, Director of Fan Relations, brought some good news at last weekends Chicago Comics and Entertainment Expo (C2E2).
I don’t care if you hate cartoons, hate Pixar (how could you?), are young, old, or miserable… UP is one of the best films of this year as well as one of the best animated films ever made.
The wait is almost over for Zach Snyder’s incredible film adaptation of Watchmen to hit DVD and Blu-Ray. The film will be released to retailers this July 21st and this one is a must-own for fans, Blu-Ray-philes and Watchmen fiends alike. As with most comic-book-super-fan-summer films, this movie will no doubt see an endless amount of releases and re-releases each with the most superficial of differences. But to us mega-fans, does it really even matter.
– a theatrical version is available on DVD only – with a third, coaster-worthy digital copy disc. This Director’s Cut has a run-time of over 3 hours; that’s approximately 30 mins of more footage than was shown in the theatrical version. Full details on what these scenes will include are still pretty unknown with the exception being the well-known-filmed on-screen death of the original Nite Owl, Hollis Mason.
which features the three Director’s Cut discs hidden inside a pretty cool looking statuette of Nite Owl’s ship, Archie. Apparently this beaut has lights and sounds. Again, it’s only exclusive to those shopping online at Amazon.com, and has a fairly hefty price tag of $79.99.
also starring Danny McBride, you are missing out.
