Readers of this blog will remember that I was not a fan of The Muppets when it came out in movie theaters. It was a minority view, I know. But my viewing of the movie on DVD has not changed my opinion. If anything the… Read More »The Muppets on DVD – And A Giveaway
The Muppets is heading to DVD in just a few days domestically, plus it’s still in theaters around the word. You know that that means… more Muppets Spoof Trailers from Disney. This time they’re skewering “The Hunger Games” The Muppets is available for pre-order now… Read More »Hungry for More Muppets – Get Ready for the Muppets Hunger Games Spoof
When I first heard of the movie Real Steel, I wondered why anybody would want to watch a movie based of that robot boxing kids game. The movie Real Steal is set around the sport of robot boxing, but it’s not about robot boxing. Instead it’s another heart-warming down on his luck sports star meets young kid and together they climb their way back to the top of the sport story.
That story has been made dozen times over and Real Steel is actually as good, if not better, than most of them. I know that’s saying a lot, but I gave the movie a shot expecting just a special effects extravaganza, but it was the story that won me over.
In the movie Hugh Jackman plays Charlie Kenton a down on his luck former boxer who gets stuck with his son Max, played with out too much of the cute-kid syndrome, by young Dakota Goyo. When Max discovers an old Robot Boxer with some unique abilities, the pair start off on a journey to repair their personal bonds and fight their way to the top of the sport. Here’s a clip about Atom the robot found by Max.
While you may not have seen Real Steel in the theaters, it was the #1 movie in the country for two consecutive weeks during its theatrical run. Real Steel was directed by Shawn Levy (Night At the Museum franchise, Date Night and What Happens in Vegas) and produced by Steven Spielberg (Saving Private Ryan, Schindler’s List) and they kept it right on course, full of heart, and beautifully filmed.
Additionally, I found the special effects to be quite good in the film. They seamlessly integrate real robot puppets with digital versions and used motion capture technology to film the fights. So there is some real emotion up there on the screen, even though the cast is sometimes playing to a green screen.
I received the The Blu-ray Combo Pack to review. It offers a variety of supplemental bonus features that take you ringside with Director Shawn Levy on the making of the film. Exclusive features include a bare-knuckled exposé of the life story of Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman), deleted and extended scenes that go deeper into the film and storylines, and a riveting profile with legendary boxing champion Sugar Ray Leonard. Plus, the revolutionary Real Steel Second Screen app lets viewers sync their iPad or computer with the Blu-ray movie to peel back layers of effects with progression reels, check out 360-degree turnarounds of the robots, explore seamless branching pods that delve into the cutting-edge technology used to create the fights, and much more.
I also liked that the DVD copy of the film comes with a good number of special features of its own, including the directors commentary. That means you can buy the combo-pack even if you only had the DVD today and plan to get a blu-ray player in the future.
Real Steal is a Dreamworks film and was distributed by Disney’s Touchstone Pictures division. You can pre-order the DVD or Blu-ray on Amazon today.
Read More »Real Steel Rock’em Sock’em’s its way on to Blu-Ray and DVD
The 20th Anniversary Edition of The Rocketeer
“I Like It” – Peevy chases an out-of-control Cliff.
I am loathe to recommend any home video, dvd, or blu-ray release without at least a few decent special features. The 20th Anniversary Edition of The Rocketeer just barely qualifies as it has only one special feature, a not very good copy of the original… Read More »The Rocketeer – Blu-ray DVD Review
The Pirates of the Caribbean attraction at Disneyland has spawned one of the most successful movie franchises of all time. That’s quite a tribute to Walt Disney and the Imagineer team that created the ride. So, how does the fourth movie in the the set measure up? Pretty well, I thought.
A new Director, Rob Marshall, set much of the cast from the first three films on the sidelines and instead focused on Johnny Depp’s character of Captain Jack Sparrow by taking him out of his element for much of the film. That creates much of the films tension while the other characters went around in their sub-plots without many surprises. That’s not to say the performances were bad, they were great, or the writing was stiff, it moved the pace along quite nicely. But it was a different film than the first three. Which, for many, was a good thing.
The best Blu-Ray extra was the commentary from director Rob Marshall and executive producer John DeLuca. I also liked the deleted scenes. If you’re lucky enough to own a 3D TV, then you’ll want to make sure to pick up the Limited Edition version with the 3D.
Read More »Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Blu-Ray/DVD Review
If you say Winnie The Pooh in theaters then you’ll know how well this film captured the spirit of the original Winnie The Pooh movies, while still providing the pace and characters that entertain today’s savvier youth. Families and audiences of all ages can soon return to the Hundred Acre Wood with the world’s most beloved characters, as “Winnie the Pooh,” comes home to Blu-ray Combo Pack for the very first time, as well as DVD and Movie Download on October 25, 2011.
Reuniting audiences with Pooh, Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Owl, Kanga, Roo and last, but certainly not least, Eeyore (who has lost his tail), “Winnie the Pooh” is a honey of an in-home release containing hours of immersive bonus features, including exclusive animated shorts
“The Ballad of Nessie” and “Mini-Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: The Balloon;” a sing-along viewing option; an informative behind-the-scenes featurette for the whole family and deleted scenes with director commentary – all available on Blu-ray Combo Pack.
The fourth film in the Pirates Of The Caribbean saga may have been missing a few key elements of the original films, but it did the legacy of the attraction it was based on proud. In Pirates 4, we dive deeper into the epic quest to find the fountain of youth. Of course, Johnny Depp returned as Captain Jack Sparrow and helped score over $1 billion in Box Office loot. Now, it can be yours on Blu-ray or DVD, including a special 3D version and digital download starting October 18th.
The full announcement is below the jump:
Read More »Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides hits DVD shelves on Oct 18th