sandwichjohnfilms

Defiance: Season One Blu-ray Review By: MattInRC Here's why SyFy's Defiance won't be the next Battlestar Galactica . As a person who grew up during the syndicated run of Star Trek: TOS , the theatrical run of Alien and Blade Runner , and the premiere run of Babylon 5 , I'm used to Science Fiction that does more than kill hundreds of alien creatures ala Starship Troopers . I loved SyFy's Stargate Atlantis , but was saddened to see its untimely cancellation in 2009. What we didn't know at the time was that the network was going through major changes in its financial plan, happier to throw slop up on the wall than commit itself to quality television. And while Battlestar Galactica was a stunning success for the network, its accidental popularity never translated to a change in course for a network known more these days for Sharknado . The recent release of Defiance sadly demonstrates that SyFy's priorities are still unchanged. The Movie - 3/5 It

Curse of Chucky Blu-ray Review By: MattInRC Curse of Chucky has arrived onto Blu-ray, filled with good extras and superb video. But should we care? The Movie - 4/5 As a reviewer who's made my disdain for torture porn and poorly-written horror abundantly clear, it's hard to recommend anything that finds itself prattling about in these gutters. Hollywood has finally gotten the message: 2013 saw the arrival of the instant classics The Conjuring, Insidious: Chapter 2, and Mama, revitalizing a genre that seriously needed it. We still get ugly reminders of what horror looked like (Paranormal Activity, are you hearing me???), but luckily the straight-to-video Curse of Chucky isn't one of those films. Your appreciation of Curse will depend entirely on what version of Chucky you prefer. Love the camp and cheese of Bride of Chucky? You'll walk away from this one with sourpuss on your face. Like the original Child's Play, and you'll find Curse to be a

THE CROODS Blu-ray & DVD Review By: MattInRC Although it's early to start handing out awards for best animated, consider this week's Blu-ray release of  THE CROODS  as a strong candidate. As we mentioned in our year-end article, 2012 brought us several terrific films throughout the year , including several; animated ones that made it to this year's Oscars. Bolstered by long lines and positive reviews, animated films are enjoying a resurgence among filmgoers. Dreamworks'  THE CROODS  is an impressive adventure about cavemen and the coming of the New World. Its arrival onto Blu-ray this week looks and sounds amazing, with only a decent supply of supplements. The Movie - 4/5 Eep Crood (voiced by Emma Stone ) is a prehistoric cavewoman who wants more than the dull and defensive existence she and her family have been provided by her father Grug (voiced by Nicholas Cage ). According to him, cave people should hide from larger animals, stay indoors at ni

VH-1 Documentary 'Downloaded" Review By: MattInRC Is the downloading of music illegal, or the " foundation of the future " as Internet activist John Perry Barlow postulates in the VH-1 documentary Downloaded ? Either way, you'll like this fascinating backstory about Napster, the company in 2000 that brought users and their music libraries together, while scaring the bejesus out of the Recording Industry Association of America. Director Alex Winter mines opinions from both sides, including Napster founders Shawn Fanning and Sean Parker , who as college students introduced all of us to downloadable music. Their simple but ingenious program did nothing short of blindside a music industry that was too comfortable with its profits, proved the power of a burgeoning Internet, and showed the steps investors were willing to take to keep the company afloat. Their unceremonious end in 2002 by a federal judge is harped upon by plenty of Napster supporters, which Wint

Hansel & Gretel Blu-ray Review By: MattInRC Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters arrives on Blu-ray with excellent video and audio, but is short on supplements. The beginning of the film year is usually filled with driftwood designed to push moviegoers to see Oscar contenders: 2013 bucked that trend in a big way by delivering us excellent fare such as Gangster Squad, Mama, and Warm Bodies. While none turned in exceptional numbers - sending the industry into a tailspin that took until May to overcome - that didn't mean quality was left at the door. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters was another example, delivering wickedly delicious fun, great action, a tight (albeit short) story, and solid acting by its stars. Its arrival this week onto Blu-ray is a mixed bag but not in the places you'd expect. The Movie - 4/5 Based on the Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm fairy tale of the same name, HG:WH is basically Part 2 of the story, following the adventures of siblings Hansel ( Jerem

Identity Thief  Blu-ray Review By: MattInRC Does the road trip Blu-ray comedy Identity Thief on Blu-ray inspire us to do the same, or punch us in the throat like many of McCarthy's victims? The disappointing Identity Thief arrives onto Blu-ray with more of a thud and in need of a rest stop The Movie - 2.5/5 The new Jason Bateman/Melissa McCarthy comedy Identity Thief is something close to a sandwich that one loses a taste for soon after ordering it. Stacked high with well-intentioned comedic zaniness and surrounded by freshly-baked acting goodness, the film follows the straight-laced Colorado father Sandy ( Jason Bateman , Arrested Development) as he loses - then gains back - his identity from Florida grifter Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids). McCarthy plays Diana, an overweight (big surprise) compulsive liar who's made a living by ruining the credit of others. She steals identities, then spends the victim into prison, all because her family abandoned her at an

Mama Blu-ray Review By: MattInRC Universal's Mama brings home good video and exceptional audio, even though it's got flaws.   Warning: major spoilers ahead. As I emerged from the press screening of a film back in late March, theater employees were handing out related posters. As I flipped the poster over, I learned that the studio was already planning its home release by encouraging audiences to pre-order it. At the time, I thought this was a marketing ploy based on the long delay which the film faced (I'm totally giving the name of this title away). But as the Summer 2013 season got underway, more and more titles suddenly became available for pre-release, representing an interesting trend - the idea that studios want to cash in on their marketing more effectively by quickly get their products into consumers' hands. As soon as Star Trek: Into Darkness and Fast Six were released in theaters, their pre-orders became almost instantly available. In sh

 A Haunted House Blu-ray Review By: MattInRC The Wayans Brothers's A Haunted House Blu-ray release is one of the worst of the year, sporting a below-average video transfer, an average DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, and a single supplement that shouldn't have been a candidate in the first place. But it's the completely unoriginal film that suffers here, reducing the experience to nothing more than mind-numbing fare and making this release a definite skip. A parody of the found-footage horror films, A Haunted House is neither funny nor redeeming as even a rental. I won't belabor the point much longer, but disappointments from 2012 such as Battleship, Cloud Atlas, and John Carter look like amazing cinematic efforts as compared to A Haunted House. At least those films attempted to pair stories with good actors before being shunned by the general public. It's becoming a sad commentary to skip anything by the once great Wayans Brothers, as their k

CHEECH & CHONG’S ANIMATED MOVIE Blu-Ray Review By: MattInRC Here's why Cheech & Chong were funny 30 years ago, but not today. In every way possible, Cheech & Chong's Animated Movie feels more like a rehash of old shtick than a solidified comeback. In fact, that's all it really is, matched up with some simply-drawn cartoon characters who talk about getting stoned at a drive-in movie theater. That already dates the material to those of us who can remember when three channels ruled the airwaves. I've never heard of an act using their old recordings to freshen up their classic material, but we see it here, and it doesn't seem to work.. And while it looks pretty good - thanks to a clean 1080p MPEG/AVC transfer - and sounds ok courtesy of a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, there's just nothing that's funny about it. Had we seen this 30 years ago, before Jay and Silent Bob owned that piece of stoner territory, we might have laughed a lot

Top Gun 3D Blu-ray Review By: MattIn RC Top Gun 3D   is impressive, even if the film itself has its issues. As a moviegoer who refuses to accept failure from Hollywood,  Top Gun  has remained on my shelf, signifying nothing less than total respect for it.  In my opinion,  Top Gun represented the beginning of modern action/war cinema, setting the standards for authenticity and cooperation by our armed forces to give us a glimpse inside their world.  It was a ridiculously simple formula: add great one-liners, mix in some top-shelf action sequences and a rock-themed soundtrack, with a dark and elusive central character, and you have the long-time standard for the Military-Themed-DramAction.  The film launched 80's heartthrob Tom Cruise ( Mission Impossible  series) into the stratosphere, making him one of the biggest box office draws during that time.   Top Gun  solidified a career that's now spanned three decades, outdistancing competitors Schwarzenegger and Stallo