Looper (2012)

Loved this flick, easily a 5 out of 5 stars. It currently sits at a 93% certified fresh staus on Rotten Tomatoes.

 

 

 

 Whoa man, Looper was pretty amazing! Easily the best Sci-Fi movie I have seen in 13 years, and possibly the best ever in the genre. The story is smart, the action is sleek, the actors are on point, the film is beautifully shot in a distopian world and that is no easy feat, It has a bit more than a touch of a Noir feel to it as well. Looper is solid and incredible from top to bottom. It also requires the audience to think and pay attention, which is a nice change from all of the mindless action films out there. Which is fine but this is first time I have had to pay attention and think about what I was watching since Inception. It's no wonder is certified fresh at a 93%, one of the higest rated movies of the year and also one of the very best. 5 out of 5 here, My Highest Recomendation! Pull the trigger on this one and catch it in theatres.

Marvel's The Avengers Blu-Ray

I rate this film a 5 out of 5 Stars and this Blu-Ray a 4.95 out of 5

I purchased my 4 disc 3D Blu Ray combo pack with bonus soundtrack download at as soon as I could get my hands on it at midnight and have already watched it twice so far. I have made it no secret that this movie was/is my favorite film of the year thus far. I love love love it for multiple reasons and the blu ray does not disappoint. It’s framed in a 1.79 aspect ratio that fills up every inch of your television no matter the size and it looks pristine. My only nitpick and it really is a nitpick is that I found some scenes to be a bit dark and some of the detail is lost but that’s about it. It also looks really really clean, and in a couple of instances Thor’s costume looked plastic and you felt like it was a movie costume as opposed to a super hero costume. Again though these are small complaints, other than that it is flawless. It also manages to really bring the thunder when it comes to the discs 7.1 DTS MA track. It literally will shake your house. Heavy on the bass and crystal clear dialogue that never gets lost in the action. Totally immersive sound. The only real disappointment was the special features or lack thereof. I tore through them in an hour and that’s being generous. Only 15 min of deleted scenes and some of them were not even finished. Still enjoyable though and two featurettes, also enjoyable but very brief. I smell the eventual double dip super special directors cut edition to come out in about six months or so. But hands down this is a must own disc and one THE must own discs of the year to go with its stance as one of if not the best movie event of the year. Summer popcorn blockbuster and genuine good flick. As stated earlier it is still my favorite movie I have seen all year. I have seen it 7 times total so far and could just as easily watch it again right now. I look forward to watching all of the phase one films in order of release here very soon. Marvels movie integration is truly revolutionary in feeding the fans frenzy for more superhero goodness and their credits snippets are always a fun edition. This Blu-ray is worth every penny and will be watched many, many times!   

Titanic (1997) Blu-Ray

Though it is a film plagued with Cliche's and saddled with a corny love story, people often forget how much of a technical marvel and an achievement in film making on the grandest scale the film Titanic is and is filmed with masterful execution. I am a fan of historical events like this, Hindenberg etc etc. So I have always enjoyed this movie, not so much the love story (which is a bit corny) but the historical aspects of the film fasinate me. And as acclaimed as the film was with its 13 Ocsar nominations (most ever) and 11 wins (tied for most ever with 2 ither film) The Blu Ray is just as much of a technical marvel. This goes into the Top 3 discs I have ever seen for video quality, love him or hate him Jim Cameron knows how to make epic grand scale films and he certainly knows how to make his movies look positivly stunning on Blu-Ray. The Blu-Ray earns my highest recomendation and a no brainer for fans of the film or the event, but I urge even the most casual of viewers to check this disc out even if no interest is had for the love story skip it forward to the second half and Hold onto your butts, because it will blow you away and leave tour jaw on the ground with them visuals.I can see how the film might not be for everybody but the Blu-Ray really is a techniacal Marvel and is not to be missed. In a word Breathtaking could be used to describe the picture quality on this 4-disc Blu-Ray set. Then add in the 5.1 DTS MA and this disc is real winner. That dow not even include the bonus content. In this set there is over 2 and hald hours of mew documentaries commentaries and featuresttes and over 6 hours of total bonus features. It's a fully loaded disc of suppliments to go along with the completely restored film. This here is what Blu-Ray is all about taking something one has already experienced and turn it into a completely new experience. You have never witnessed this film like this and its hard to imagine one will ever see it look or sound any better and at for roughly 20-22 dollars, its a steal.

Dredd 3-D

I give this movie 4.5 out of 5 Stars and was really quite taken with this film!

OK, SO Dredd is F'N Awesome! Violent to the extreme and gritty, Now that is the proper way to do a Judge Dredd reboot. A beautifully shot film with elements of Noir, while managing to feel like an art-house indy. My jaw was left a gape in more than a few scenes. Dredd is also rich in comic lore of the unstoppable Judges, features a Good villain and Bad Ass performace from Carl Urban, and is pure amped up fun. Visual effects were off the charts cool, it's rare when I try to make it point to tell people to see movies in 3-D but Dredd is worth it. ITs one of the best 3-D films I have ever seen and it creeped up and took over the spot for my 3rd favorite movie I have seen this year. Fantastic film and a damn good, rip roaring fun trip to the theatres for this one. A small warning though do not mistake this for the friendly Stalone version, when I say violent and Gritty, I mean it, this film is VIOLENT like a Dredd comic would be, younglings need to stay away from this. Very Highly recomended!

Hugo Blu-Ray 2012

I give this movie 5 out of 5 stars, I give this Blu-Ray 5 out of 5 Stars, and I rate this movie at 100% on Rotton Tomatoes.

"My friends, I address you all tonight as you truly are; wizards, mermaids, travelers, adventurers, magicians... Come and dream with me." - Georges Méliès

I should start by stating that this was my favorite movie of 2011, my personal pick for best picture If I had anything to say about it and I consider this film to be my third favorite film of all time for me personally. I can’t say that you will enjoy it as much as I did but this movie spoke volumes to me when I saw it in the theatre. I sat there with my jaw gaped and my mind completely lost in the magical yarn that Martin Scorsese was weaving out of Brian Selznick’s book The Invention of Hugo Cabret. I am a lover of film, I have a minor in it on my Bachelor’s degree from Illinois State University so I know a thing or two about film as well and this movie is a love letter to film, the history of film or anyone who loves movies on a level that is more than just watching to watch but watching for the art form of great movie making and it is widely regarded that there is no film maker working today that has and uses more knowledge of film history than Scorsese and boy does it show. This movie will take you to the very roots of cinema and it is a phenomenal treat to watch. It is no coincidence that this film was nominated for 11 Oscars (more than any other film in 2011 including The Artist's 10) and once you watch the Blu-ray disc you will be able to tell why it won 5 of those Oscar's. I personally believed Martin Scorsese was robbed of a second best director statue this year, but I digress.

I don’t like to re hash the plots of movies because I like the viewer to go in with minimal information as to get into the movie more, I’m not against it either really but for Hugo its best to go in with no idea what you’re in for or some idea of what you’re in for but not much, if that is the case I believe that most people will get totally immersed in the tale being told. I will say though if you let your imagination go and kick back and take it all in, you are in for a real treat.

 That brings us to the Blu Ray disc itself and it is stunning! The Hugo Blu-ray is the finest BD Disc I have ever had the pleasure of watching. It took over the spot of the number 1 disc that I and many others have had for a couple years now (Avatar). Whether you even like the movie or not you will be mesmerized by the quality of the picture and the rich fullness of the 7.1 DTS MA track. This disc is so good that newcomers and even the most hardened and stubborn Blu-ray veterans will be dazzled and delighted by its pristine and has absolutely perfect picture. I dare say Flawless even. There is never a soft shot, the details are so clear it’s almost like there is not even a screen in front of you, and you can see the specs of dust floating around to the twill on the costumes. Colors manage to fly off the screen even though the setting is not the brightest of places it somehow doesn’t matter as it also manages to astonish viewers with just how colorful darkened places can be. I urge you if you have a Blu-ray player regardless of your feelings toward this film to watch it, this BD disc is screaming to be watched by everyone and is the finest example of home theatre entertainment and quality that me or anyone else could experience. Hugo as a film, that is a tribute to film deserves nothing less than perfection and that is what it got. My absolute highest Recommendation!

Jurassic Park: The Ultimate Trilogy (1993-2001) Blu-Ray

"Welcome to Jurassic Park" They have spared no expense with this 3 disc set.

I don’t know if everyone is like me but these movies hold a special place in my heart. The first Jurassic Park reminds me of my childhood as I was only 12 when it was released and to this day it is one of if not the best theatrical experience I have ever had. When I left that theatre I could not stop talking about it with my friends and ended up seeing it 5 times in the theatre. I loved it. As an adult I can say the same. It is an extremely well-crafted movie; ihowever it’s not a perfect movie. As an adult I can now spot the flaws of the films (which are not many) but it didn’t matter due to my love for the film. I can’t say my love for the other two are the same. I enjoy them very much; however they just don’t hold that special place in my heart like the first one. That aside this is still a phenomenal set of legendary movies (at least the first two) and the Blu-rays look great!

Universal does not always deliver the goods when it comes to putting out some of their older catalog films, but this one just as with Back to the Future they really brought the goods. From a technical standpoint it uses a VC-1 encode which is not used as much anymore but that does not mean it looks any worse. Quite frankly I don’t see how any of these films could possibly look any better than they do with this release. They come with a thunderous 7.1 DTS MA track and those dinosaur roars will be felt, literally felt through the blast of the sub-woofer and sounds of the jungle will surround your entire living room and you feel like you’re in the jungle. They sound phenomenal! One of the best home theatre audio experiences one could ever get. The picture was really great too. When watching older films restored to Blu-ray the viewer has to understand it’s not going to able to look as good as the modern new releases such as Captain America, it’s just not possible. However you can rest easy, because the transfers for these films look great. It’s going to be pretty hard to beat the technical presentation of this set. It really is marvelous.

On top of a top notch tech presentation there are a new set of special features to go along with all of the old special features from the original trilogy DVD release. The new special features are very similar to the ones done for the Back to the Future trilogy set Universal released last year at this time. The best of the set is the new 6 part documentary that spans all three movies with all new interviews from cast and crew and Spielberg himself and is just as fascinating as the movies themselves. ITs called Return to Jurassic Park and it answers all of those questions I had a kid in this very informative and interesting set of feautrettes. Simply put this set is a must own for any fan of the series of film and also for just about anyone. They are great films for families and film buffs a like. Plus there are even some real thrills in there also. Watching these films on Blu-Ray is like experiencing them for the first time again. Spielberg blu-rays have always been a real treat to watch on Blu-Ray. The man puts out exceptional discs on everything he has ever put out in the Blu-ray market. Even the last film that was directed by Captain America Director Joe Johnston got the royal treatment. This set come highly, very highly recommended! Run don’t walk to the store to pick this set up, it’s that good.

Moneyball (2011)

"It's hard not to get romantic about baseball"

I give this movie a 4.8 out of 5 stars and a 90% on RT although if I could I would give it a 98%

I should start by saying that not only is one the best sports movies I have ever seen this was one of the best movies I have seen. I don’t throw those words around lightly, I loved this film! I guess I should start by saying that I am a huge fan of the game of baseball. I am an even bigger fan of movies based on what can lovingly be referred to as "our fathers game" This movie not only will manage to please the die-hard baseball fans out there but just about anybody who watches this compelling and true story. They have managed to do something very difficult and that is make a movie about baseball statistics interesting. Billy Beane is a fascinating individual and going into this film I did not know much about him other than what I knew from the press and that was he was shaking things up a bit in the baseball world and this movie is his story. He managed to do something in baseball that nobody has ever done and I’ll tell you folks it’s fascinating to watch. I knew I was excited to see this and I had high expectations and when this happens I am usually very leery. This film however remarkably managed to surpass them. This movie is early in the Oscar race but it won’t be forgotten come February. I don’t know if it will get a best picture or best director nom, even though it is easily worthy of it, however I do feel that Brad Pitt will get a nomination for sure. Jonah Hill was excellent playing a role like you have never seen him play before. He is not focusing on the funny and really for the first time I have got a chance to see him as a serious actor and I liked what I saw. He was very good but in this film Brad Pitt steals the show. If that weren’t enough, the old Oscar veteran Philip Seymour Hoffman is there for support as well. He is just as good as always in what seems like flawlessly finding his character and fleshing it out on screen. The acting was great but so was the overall structure of the movie. I won’t go into detail but I will say the way this movie is edited and put together really looks great and tells a great story. I was also really impressed with the director’s choice in the use of sound or lack thereof. Nothing can set a lonely tone or can allow the user to feel isolation than dead silence and while the entire movie is obviously not silent, there are scenes where that silence is used and boy it is certainly very effective. Everyone involved with this film simply hit a home run here. The movie fires on every level and keeps the audience engaged from start to finish. There is a reason this was my favorite movie of the year so far and in my opinion it’s also the best so far, weather that remains top be seen with all of the Oscar bait coming out we shall see, but this is the first truly impressive film I have seen on every aspect this year. Well I could probably include The Help with that sentence as well but Moneyball is a sure fire hit for baseball fans and a great movie for those who don’t even like the game. I can’t recommend this movie enough and I highly, highly recommend this film to everyone! You don’t have to take my word for it though it is easily certified fresh on RT and sitting at a 94% on the tomatometer, the numbers don’t lie, you know what to do just go see it and enjoy.