The film is about one of the CIA’s most wanted men, Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington), he seems to have acquired something that some very bad men want. Being on the run and seeing he has no other choice, he walks into the South African US embassy. The CIA aren’t taking this lightly, and send him off for interrogation at a ‘safe house’, one looked after by Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds). Before long, the place gets raided and Weston steps up to the plate in order to do the right thing and get Frost out of there. The pair are on the run, there is no trust between the men and what Frost is holding is of high value. A cat and mouse game follows …

Safe House is an action/thriller, it is fast paced for the most part and it certainly contains a level of seriousness that I didn’t expect. It has some crazy action but they definitely tried something different with it, and instead of having people be invincible to bullets and punches, people got hurt and the action was delivered in a little more of a realistic way than we’re used to. While some of the twists you might see coming, the action aspect isn’t at all predictable and some of it is a little shocking. Some if the set pieces are really well handled, and the chase scenes are nicely done.

On the other side of the fence, this was a pretty decently acted film. Denzel always delivers, he is great here, he’s a mysterious character and he never over sells it. Everything we need to know about him is established, and he plays it spot on. The biggest surprise though was Ryan Reynolds, he’s always been an actor that I do like but I can’t take him seriously. He’s usually the comedic guy, and even in something a little serious, there is always some kind of humor there. But this was all gone in Safe House, this was serious Reynolds and I gotta say the dude has the chops! He was really good, he played it straight, and he gave us a sympathetic and engrossing character. Side plays like Vera Farmiga and Brendan Gleeson are fine, they come in and do their thing. Run of the mill roles, but they filled them just fine.

Safe House on paper isn’t really anything new, the story has been told before. But it has been told in a solid and fresh way here, it is an enjoyable and entertaining film, and much better than I had expected. It strengths shine through, and its weaker parts are apparent but they don’t ruin anything. It perhaps could have been a little tighter with pacing, but they got it right where it counted. A solid directorial effort by Daniel Espinosa, and a decent script by David Guggenheim.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The Series:

Rosario + Vampire is based off the manga series of the same name which was written and illustrated by Akihisa Ikeda. A 13-episode anime adaptation produced by Gonzo and directed by Takayuki Inagaki aired in Japan in 2008. The anime quickly became notorious for its excessive use of fan service in the form of panty shots, leading the series to be censored on certain channels during its TV broadcast. The series is licensed by Funamation, who released seasons one and two on December 20, 2011.

Tsukune Aono’s low grades keep him from attending a private high school and due to some hilarious set of events he ends up attending the only school that will take him, the Yokai Academy. To his mortification, all his classmates are monsters and if they figure out his human status, he’s fresh meat! But when his scent attracts the hungry lips of a gorgeous vampire named Moka, it turns out he’s a sucker for supernatural chicks. Despite her thirst for blood Moka is a sweet girl who falls for Tsukune right away. Before long, Tsukune is being seduced by a bouncy succubus, tormented by a witch who swings both ways and he also is felt-up by a stalker snow fairy. All of these women join Tsukune in the Newspaper club, which quickly gains the attention of the Security Council. Moka doesn’t mind sharing with her new friends, but her panties get in a twist when real danger threatens her boy-toy. Beastly bullies of Yokai Academy beware, because when Tsukune unlocks Moka’s “Super S Class” monster seal, a ravaging beauty with a dropkick from hell is revealed! The series concluded with a few climatic battles between the Newspaper club and Security Council.

Right off the bat, no pun intended, this series has gratuitous amounts of fan service. Seriously, they open the first episode with a panty shot! So, if you don’t like a lot of up skirt fan service, just skip over this series. There’s even a monster that rubs her breasts on a guy to control him but, there is no nudity in this series. Not to mention, tit size becomes a running gag throughout this whole series.

This series has many differ cliches going on at the same time. The biggest one being the “Tenchi Muyo” cliche. Which is having one girl who falls for the main character, then due to the main character being a generally nice guy, attracts even more females to him who are all rivals for the guys attention. However, the main character only really has feelings for the first girl he met. The other big cliche is the “oh look how I conveniently activated your super power.” In every episode, somehow Tsukune finds some way to pull the Rosario off Moka’s neck, activating super vampire mode. It’s like, why was there a fight sequence? On the hilarious side, when the fight is over a little bat pops on the screen to tell you how long the fight took.

In the end I enjoyed this series. I had done some research on it before watching so I knew what I was getting into, tons of fan service, not much in the way of plot. This series is cliched but funny at the same time, I found myself laughing pretty much the whole time. An interesting thing is the different personalities of girls that become regular characters; they are so diverse that anyone might go, if she were real, she would so be my type. My personal favorite is Mizore, a snow fairy, quiet and reserved. Plus, I liked her outfit! So if you want a ton of fan service and a good laugh check this out. Also stay tuned for my review of Rosario + Vampire Season 2 coming soon!

The DVD:

Audio/Video

The sound is clean and the animation is great. The language options include English or Japanese with English subtitles.

Special Features

Include some textless songs of the opening theme, Cosmic Love and the ending theme, Dancing in the Velvet Moon. All songs in the series are performed by Nana Mizuki, the voice actress for Moka Akashiya in the series.

The Series Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The DVD Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

The Film:

After the box office success of the first two films, Blumhouse Productions & Paramount Pictures gave the go ahead for Paranormal Activity 3. The film serves as a prequel to its predecessors, taking place eighteen years before the events in Paranormal Activity 2. The story follows sisters Katie & Kristie, two of the main characters from the previous film, as children, as well as their mother, Julie, and her boyfriend, Dennis. After an earthquake that interrupts Dennis & Julie’s apparent sex tape occurs, Dennis discovers a mysterious figure captured on his camera. The investigation ensues with Dennis posting cameras throughout the house and taking an interest in the identity of Kristie’s supposedly imaginary friend, Toby. As the strange incidents continue, Dennis, along with his assistant, Randy, research demonology, and finally ties the events to an old witches’ coven. The family takes refuge at Julie’s mother’s house, where the film reaches it dramatic conclusion.

Like all the films in this franchise, the cast is composed of relative unknowns, in what I believe to be an attempt at the film’s “found footage” gimmick, because having recognizable faces in the cast would shatter the “illusion.” The film is helmed by directors Henry Joost & Ariel Schulman, produced by Oren Peli, Jason Blum, Steven Schneider, & Akiva Goldsman, and written by Christopher B. Landon.

Now that I’ve gotten the story, cast, & crew out of the way, I’d like to address what works and what doesn’t work in this film. The strongest component to this movie is the story. Being a prequel, this movie gives more depth to the overarching plot of the franchise. The story is better developed and much more cohesive than in Paranormal Activity, making it decent enough as a stand-alone film. However, the story is plagued with clichés, ranging from “the man who has to record everything,” to the “woman who doesn’t believe him,” to the “bumbling, always late assistant,” to the “dumb blonde babysitter,” to the “creepy little girl with the imaginary friend,” etc. All of the above are classic horror movie clichés that in all honesty, should be avoided. If not, you can expect your film to be average and mediocre at best, which unfortunately, is where this film lies. These clichés also lead to the film’s conclusion being excruciatingly predictable. The second the family goes to the grandmother’s house, I knew exactly how the film was going to end. And I was right.

Another problem the movie has is its use of “jump scares.” Jump scares are implemented just to get an initial reaction from the audience, without ever really establishing a lasting sense of fear or terror. This film, like its predecessors, and almost every American horror movie nowadays, uses this cheap tactic in order to claim that it is a horror film, when it fact, it isn’t. It’s a comedy at best.

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video The video is fine, but the dialogue is much too low, and the sound effects are too loud. I typically keep my TV volume between 10 & 20, but when watching this film, I had to increase the volume to between 60 & 70.

Special Features

Lost Tapes – includes a scare montage and one deleted scene.

The Film Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

The Blu-ray Rating: 1 out of 5 stars

Daniel Radcliff plays Arthur Kipps, a lawyer that has to go to a remote village and has to get together paperwork on a house where the final inhabitant, Alice Drablow, has passed away. What he doesn’t know is that the house carries with it a dark curse. Once he gets to the village, Kipps finds out that he is not wanted there. People seem to be very worried about his presence, but no one will tell him why. After meeting up with someone villagers to get some paperwork, he is told to go back to his home in London. Kipps does the opposite and heads to Drablow’s home at a nearby marsh. Once there he hears footsteps, seeing shadows moving and seeing people that aren’t there.

Once he goes back to the village, Kipps notices that the children are killing themselves, but no one will tell him why. They just want him gone. The next day Arthur goes back to the house and the longer he stays there, the more he learns about the history of the house and the history of the woman in black.

This feature was the first for Radcliff outside of the Harry Potter series for the young actor. He does a really good job in the lead here as this was a total departure from the boy wizard. You really feel for Kipps, who 4 years earlier lost his wife during child birth and hasn’t recovered from that experience. The rest of the cast was made up of British actors with the stand out being Ciarán Hinds who plays Sam Daily, the only person in the village to befriend Kipps and the only one who might be able to tell him what is going on.

James Watkins, who’s directorial debut was the horror film Eden Lake, did a wonderful job here. The look of the movie is really a throwback to the old school gothic horror films of the 1940s and 1950s. There are many elements of the classic haunted house feature The Haunting. Even though you do see the ghost here, sounds and angles are used to perfection like the 1950s film. The acting was great, the look was wonderful and the score by Marco Beltrami was a joy. It was perfectly placed in the film as it was subtle but showed up when needed.

If there are any complaints about the movie it’s that the ending was telegraphed from the start. Stevie Wonder could see what was going to happen. In the case for this movie, that didn’t take away from the movie, however, as the set up was worth going through to get to that ending. The film also seemed to be a bit short. It had a running time of 90 minutes, but the ending felt a bit rushed as the movie seemed like it wanted to keep going a bit longer. There were also too many jump scares. In a film that uses subtlety to get it’s point across, using jump scares takes a bit away from the chills you get.

A good horror movie will stick with you once the final frame is over and this is one that certainly does that. It’s one of those movies that when you are home alone and hear a creek or a drip, you might think twice about what you really hear.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Chronicle

I am not a huge fan of ‘found footage’ films, sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t. It is particularly hard for me to swallow the reasons why someone would keep filming in the situations they are in, and Chronicle managed to deal with this issue perfectly and it made sense. The real draw here besides that, was that this film showed that a group of teenage boys get super powers. But is this a super hero flick? Nope, it really isn’t, however it does have similar themes and they are shown in a much different light.

The film begins with Andrew (Dane DeHaan) who one day decides he wants to record everything, perhaps this has to do with the fact he has an abusive father, a mother who is dying and he is an outcast and a constant target for attacks from school bullies. His only friend is his cousin Matt (Alex Russell), and even then he doesn’t show too much affection for Andrew out in public. This changes when the pair attend a rave, and after an encounter with a guy, Andrew stays outside alone until Mr. Popular Steve (Michael B. Jordan) finds him and insists he come along with him with the camera to film something that a group found. When they get there only Matt is there, and we see a hole in the ground. Naturally the boys investigate (what happens you will just have to see), and after they do, they each have superpowers, mainly telekinesis. Using their new found powers causes nose bleeds, but the more they use it and harness it, the strong they become. The trio form a strong bond, sharing something that no one else does, but with these powers comes consequences and as life doesn’t always go the way you plan it, there are dire times ahead for the boys.

I didn’t intend for a long synopsis there, but I think it is important to get it out there, so for those who haven’t seen it, can really grasp the concept and not actually be spoiled. What makes this work is our three leads, the direction by Josh Trank and the script by Max Landis (son of John). The actors form a natural bond, it felt real and as a result the investment was there for these characters, in a way I related to them all (more so Andrew) but I really liked them all and I had a blast hanging with them as they discover their powers and bond over it. The script itself is very natural, and it takes us to places that yes aren’t entirely original but its execution is. The direction is great, the fact that this man managed to pull all of this off and using the concept that he did was great. This isn’t a shaky cam film, it has some of that but only when you might expect it. Once Andrew gets a better camera he begins to use his powers to control it, so we aren’t left with a character we never see, and it makes sense that it would be filming when it is.

This could easily become my favourite film of the ‘found footage’ genre, as I like the way it was handled, and when things really got crazy there were ways around it that worked. It was different and fresh; it isn’t a super hero story, because these characters don’t want to be heroes with their abilities. One of them even states he doesn’t want to do anything with it, and the other two use their abilities to help another gain confidence and impress people. These guys don’t go out in costume to rescue people; they aren’t in an environment where they have some wise elder to help them on their path. This has common elements with the likes of Unbreakable, and I just love that different approach. As the boys get stronger with their powers, the limits of what is right to use them for is pushed. Andrew in particular because of his situation has the tougher time dealing with it, and it wasn’t anything that didn’t seem like a natural progression, it really was and I am not sure if I’d have handled myself any different in his shoes.

The film manages to establish an origin for these boys, and it wraps up the story in a satisfactory way. I enjoyed this film a lot, and by the end you’ll be left wondering ‘if I had those powers, how would I use them?’

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Now that I have gotten that out of the way, I am sure you have heard of this film by now. The trailers and clips have been impressive and the word of mouth from Sundance was raving. I am happy to report that the film deserves all the positive buzz, it is that good. Now going into this film for the screening, my expectations were so high; I don’t think I had gotten myself so excited for something since The Dark Knight. I was sure I might regret hyping myself up, but you know what? This blew those expectations out of the water! It was everything I wanted it to be, and more!

This wont be for everyone, it is extremely violent, and the violence is very in your face. Having recently seen The Protector, the violence is quite similar to that, but a lot more extreme. So what exactly is The Raid about? A group of cops in their SWAT gear have an assignment to raid an apartment complex run by one of the biggest crime bosses in the area. We do know that one member of the team Rama (Iko Uwais) appears to have an ulterior motive for going on this mission, and the mission itself doesn’t feel quite right. Sure enough as the cops begin to invade the complex, everything they expected is thrown out the window and they have a real fight on their hands.

Sounds pretty sweet right? And it is, the film has action, it has action in spades, nothing PG-13 about this! It has a strong lead character, one we can get behind and sympathise with. The script is well written (by Gareth Evans who also directed) and so strong, it isn’t dialogue driven but when people talk it hits hard and it means something. The direction is kind of flawless; everything is shaped and formed with such precision and care. The choreography is amazing; every little piece of action and movement has been structured to work in such a way that you believe it. It reminded me of how Bruce Lee would structure his fights, or the films of Jackie Chan before he reached Hollywood, and yes more recently with Tony Jaa’s work. Seriously this film is so badass that it leaves The Expendables for dead!

The performances are outstanding, the team here are simply fantastic, able to act and perform feats of pure amazement, and it is a great combo. Iko Uwais really needs to be the next big thing, he is phenomenal here, and he is charismatic and able to bring in the audience. I was also quite taken with Yayan Ruhian as Mad Dog, the big henchman for the crime boss. He is threatening and yet there is a kind of grace about him, a man who prefers to use his body as the weapon over a gun.

I can’t say enough about the awesomeness of this film; you really need to experience it for yourself. I wouldn’t be surprised if this brings in a new wave of films, much like The Matrix did back some 13 years ago. I am so happy to have discovered The Raid and I owe my good friend Sean for first telling me about it. I also want to thank MadMan Films for the opportunity to see the film early.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The Film:

I bet you never thought you would live to see the day when Hollywood would create Rock ‘Em, Sock ‘Em Robots the movie did you? Okay, so Shawn Levy’s Real Steel isn’t based upon the property, but that’s how the trailers have made the film look. Well, Real Steel is soo much more than just two robots beating each other to scrap  in a boxing ring, its got heart.

The film takes place in the future where robots have replaced humans in the boxing ring. Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman) is a former boxer that now works to try and make a living in robot boxing. He finds out he’s got a son Max Kenton (Dakota Goyo) that he doesn’t want. After loosing a match with his latest robot, Charlie and Max head to the junk yard, and find an old robot, Atom. After fixing “him” up, Max and Charlie then find out there’s more to Atom than meets the eye.

So, despite a little wink to the Transformers series, there’s so much more to Real Steel than just shiny robots. In fact, unlike Michael Bay’s Transformers films, this film is filled with emotional moments. When we’re first introduced to Charlie Kenton, he’s desperate to make money off robot boxing, and wants nothing to do with Max. The same can be said for Max as well. However, the two learn to love each other and are brought together by Atom. Of course, this may have been expected from the same guy who madeNight At the Museum not long ago.

While the film’s strength is mainly in its story, the action is another draw. For the most part, the action in Real Steel is rather standard to most boxing films, such as Rocky. However, they’re far from boring. Being a fan of Bay’s Transformers films, I’m no doubtedly interested in seeing two bots slug it out in a boxing ring. But Charlie, Max, and Atom use strategy during their fights, and make it a team effort. Even in a fight that was almost literally described as David vs. Goliath in the film. It doesn’t fall victim to most big problems with VFX films, and doesn’t just make the fights a mess where it’s difficult to tell what’s going on.

Overall, Real Steel does come off as cliched at times, but its heart and soul make it a contender. Its Rocky, but with robots.

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Visual

The DTS-HD MA 7.1 lossless soundtrack is simply amazing, and the video quality is great as well.

Special Features

Making of Metal Valley: A cool feature that chronicles the creation of the junk yard of old robots used in the film.

Building the Bots:  A look at what goes into creating the bots.

There are also three more features, deleted scenes, bloopers, a DVD copy, and Digital copy of the film in this packed set.

The Film Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The Blu-ray Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The Film:

Despite the overly graphic DVD cover to your left, Eyes of the Chameleon will test many good fans of schlock cinema. No matter how much blood is shed or how many natural boobies these lower than low budget films throw at us, it’ll always come down to story. Now, with a slasher, we really don’t need much of a story, just something to hinge the over-the-top murders on, and not surprisingly, we really don’t get that here. There’s promise early on, if you’re open to the DYI look of the film, as it starts off kind of interesting with some creative coloring and camera work. But director Ron Adkins loses it all shortly there after.

Mixing Maniac with the aura of Black Swan, but not as good as either title, Eyes of the Chameleon wants to add atmosphere and dementia to the slow-as-snails paced film, and while it tries, it fails. Sara is trying to cope with the recent deaths of her friends, all the while hiding a blossoming madness within, yet so much goes unexplained, we really don’t care.

White trash moodiness aside, what’s really left to enjoy in Eyes of the Chameleon? The gore is minimal, sans one really good bloodbath, and what’s left of interest? The stuff of good movies; proper pacing, decent acting, story is nowhere to be found. I dig the mentality of Troma Entertainment in their support of micro-budgeted horror films, but director Ron Adkins’ idea for this feature would have served him better as a short film. There’s nothing to fill the 80 minute running time outside of filler, and we just don’t have time in our lives for that.

The DVD:

Audio/Video: Given its micro-budget, I’m sure Troma did as best as they could, but when seen on a nice HDTV, the film looks like crap. Overly dark in the night sequences, muddled colors, no real definition, the picture quality is barely passable. The audio is shrill and harsh, but it aids whatever joy one has in the film.

Commentary: Ron Adkins apparently talks about the film, but when one searches for this extra it is no where to be found. Odd, since it’s advertised on the back cover.

We get all of the typical Troma extras, along with some pointless Deleted Scenes and a Slideshow.

The Film Rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars

The DVD Rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars

The Series:

Marvel has been a Hollywood juggernaut (pun intended) in recent years with box office successes such as Iron Man, Iron Man 2, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, X-Men: First Class, & Captain America: The First Avenger. However, that success hasn’t transferred well to the small screen. Marvel has had quite a difficulty in the animation field, what with a small line of animated films, short-lived cartoons series, and stiff competition from rival comic book company, DC. Though, that’s not from lack of material. Marvel produced series like The Spectacular Spider-Man & Wolverine & the X-Men. Both of which were promising shows and personal favorites of mine. However, their production was shut down prematurely, before ever really being able to develop a fan base or following.

So then why bring up such negative history before reviewing a Marvel animated product? The answer is quite simple, because Marvel has managed to turned things around with The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. The series premiered on October 20, 2010 on Disney XD, and has since sparked the fan base and following that Marvel has been searching for. The series features the original team conceived by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby in 1963, which includes Iron Man, Giant Man, the Hulk, Thor, & the Wasp, and later introduces Captain America, Black Panther, & Hawkeye into the mix. The story centers on the team, who have banded together to fight the world’s most dangerous super villains, all of whom have escaped from Shield’s containment prisons, the Vault, the Cube, the Big House, & the Raft all in the first episode. The story also focuses on the characters individually, giving much insight into their origins & history. Volumes 3 & 4 offer the last 13 episodes of the first season, in which the heroes uncover the truth behind the breakout and engage in an epic battle to save not only the earth, but all the worlds in the Marvel Universe.

Much credit goes to the cast and crew for their part in creating this series. The voice cast is excellently assembled (another pun intended), all of which deliver believable performances of their respective characters. Christopher Yost leads the writing team, who has done a terrific job in adapting and constructing the material. The characters and their development are handled particularly well. Each is given a back-story, motives, reasoning, etc. But it’s the details in the relationships that make the show stand out. Creating a star studded team and the players learning to accept each other and work together is at the heart of the series, and it’s where the show is at it’s best. The story is also expertly crafted. Yost and the team pay homage to Lee and Kirby, inheriting many of the comic books’ original stories. Yet, they also incorporating elements found in more recent comics, as well as the Marvel films. Their melding and blending of the material is done surprisingly well, especially when you take in consideration how much story they manage to cover in just 26 episodes.

Finally, what I find most appealing to this show is that it feels like a throwback to the Marvel animated series of the 1990s. Whether that’s intentional or not, fans of the older series will find themselves swept away into this show’s universe. I find this to be a feature, not a flaw. Because many of us who grew up with those series are adults now, and whose most likely to buy this series on DVD? We are, if not for ourselves, then for our children, which I think is Marvel’s overall goal. There’s something quite powerful about sharing these characters with other generations, that’s why they have lasted as long as they have. This is what has kept the comic book industry alive, and Marvel has managed to achieve that with this series. The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes is a fun viewing experience for comic book and cartoon fans young and old, and quite possibly, the best Marvel cartoon since Spider-Man: The Animated Series. Now that’s saying something.

The DVDs:

Audio/ Video: Both are top notch for a DVD release.

Special Features: Avengers Unmasked – An in episode feature loaded with fun facts about the superhero team and their most formidable villains.

The Series Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The DVDs Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

The entire film takes place in the Longstreet’s apartment as the two couples try to smooth out their children’s situation. The film which was adapted from a play entitled Le Dieu du carnage was written by Yasmina Reza, who along with Roman Polanski co-wrote the screenplay. The center of the story would be how these couples act even more childish than their children. The Longstreet’s try to play the normal, conservative family but we soon come to realise that Penelope is an ultra P.C, know-it-all, yuppie who feels she can tell other people how to raise their children. Michael is a quiet, subservient husband who goes with the flow; that’s until we find out it’s just an act and inside he’s a miserable wreck who pretty much hates everything or as he puts it “You’re born alone then you die alone”. Nancy is playing off the whole encounter as a one and done while Alan, when he isn’t talking with colleagues on his blackberry, can really give a shit about the whole situation.

The bickering revolves around getting the final word in. The Cowen’s leave the apartment three times only to be roped back in by the Longstreet’s to not disturb  the neighbors, or in hindsight give them something to gossip about. Penelope is obsessed with throwing out small jabs as to how Zachary should act and how he should feel about “disfiguring” a fellow classmate. Nancy can’t stand her side of the story and knows she is being talked down to about her child which in response only makes her point to the finger at Ethan and his actions in the altercation. Amongst all this back and forth between the wives is the same time that Michael and Alan bond with each other over a glass of scotch, aged 18 years. As soon as the wives see that their response naturally is “Why can’t the women drink?”

Now we have four grown adults sloshed on expensive scotch who were first discussing their children’s problems now talking about their own marriages and life dilemmas. Penelope can’t stand Michael’s negative outlook, Michael can’t stand Penelope’s high & mighty fram of mind, Nancy hates Allan’s throw away attitude about their marriage & child, and Allan can’t stand….well pretty much anything because he’s too involved with his job. Actually Alan seems to be the only comfortable in the whole situation because as he mentions to Penelope early in the film, he embraces the idea of “God of Carnage” the way God treats/handles miserable human beings. Nothing seems to derail these four at all of their petty arguments, that is until Nancy projectile vomits all over the Longstreet’s coffee table; even that though did nothing but give a small recess to their bickering.

Watching this film I’ve never felt so uncomfortable and laughed so hard at the same time. As soon as one makes a remark then it just begins an unholy tennis match of insults and barbs at each others life styles and ways of thinking. All four actors were great in their performances and the film flows so smooth that when the end credits hit I thought only an hour or less had passed.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Toho’s Godzilla franchise has become the longest running franchise since debuting in 1954 with Ishiro Honda’s masterpiece Gojira. Since then, 29 films (including Roland Emmerich’s remake, and Legendary Pictures attempting to bring the King of the Monsters back to the big screen), comic books, novels, video-games, trading cards, and of course, toys. The franchise has become looked down upon as campy, cheesy monster films by the majority of people as the film came to the States, and was heavily edited down. However, many are unaware of how dark and serious Honda’s original film has always been.

Gojira starts out with a series of mysteries shipping incidents that has left many puzzled as to what could be causing these disasters. Villagers of Odo Island, near where the disasters took place, believe a sea-god known as Gojira (or Godzilla as it was came to be known in the States) is behind everything. Professor Yamane, his daughter Emiko Yamane, and Hideto Ogata take a research team to survey the island. It is there the mighty monster makes his first appearance to the world. Godzilla then finds his way to Japan, and the JSDF is struggling to find a way to destroy the beast. However, all their hope lay with Dr. Serizawa’s new mysterious invention.

After reading a premise like that, you could probably assume that Gojira is just you standard “monster on the loose” flick. However, unlike soo many of the Godzilla films in the late ’60s throught the Heisei and Millineum series, there is soo much more to the film’s story. Actually, I would even go on to say the strongest selling point about this movie is the incredible story. The main focus of Gojira was to give a strong anti-nuclear message, and that’s exactly what Ishiro Honda delivers. From start to finish, the film never loses its dark tone. Many times directors put some comedic relief in a film to shed a little bit of light on a dark film, but Honda never loses focus about what message he’s trying to express. Honda even makes references to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as a means to propel the story forward. Unfortunately, alot of that was lost when the film came over to the States edited down, and was turned into your standard “monster on the loose” film.

“I can’t believe that Godzilla was the only surviving member of its species… But if we continue conducting nuclear tests… it’s possible that another Godzilla might appear somewhere in the world again.” - Professor Yamane

The human  characters in Gojira also have a big influence on the film’s story as well. You have Professor Yamane who is fascinated at the emergence of Godzilla and how a creature like that can survive with all the radioactivity it had absorbed. And despite how much the beast destroys Japan, he wants to study it as opposed to destroying like the military is adamant about doing. Then you have Ogata who feels Godzilla should be destroyed for the very reason Yamane is fascinated it. But if there’s any character that is the most interested and conflicted, then it would be Dr. Serizawa, a scientist who was left scarred during WWII. He has the only means to defeat Godzilla as the military hopelessly tries to stop it. However, his fear of his new invention is what prevents him from revealing his research. But he’s also sitting by while Godzilla ravages the country.

But the main driving force behind of Gojira is obviously the creature itself. Even before the beast makes his presence known, it is able to fill everyone with fear. When Godzilla finally does appear, it throws the whole world into a stake of fear. Japan is no stranger to nuclear devastation, and now there’s something even worse, a living nuclear weapon. And like any nuclear weapon, Godzilla doesn’t let its destructive power go unnoticed. Honda was able to potray the Godzilla’s devastation of Tokyo as an allusion to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It is that face which puts the entire country into a state of fear. Unfortunatley, much of this is lost in the later films as Godzilla became less and less of an allegory, and more and more of a superhero bent on protecting Japan.

Gojira also makes great use of suitmation and miniatures. That’s become of style that many fans would get accustomed to throughout the frachise. It wasn’t until Roland Emmerich’s remake and the films of the early-2000s that Godzilla was portrayed with CGI. However, that only used in certain scenes for the latter. But this is also a style the films have become somewhat notorious for outside the fanbase.

Speaking as a life-long fan of this franchise,  Gojira is easily the best of them all. Not just of this franchise, but of the Kaiju genre. However, it’s unfortunate that soo many are unaware of how dark and serious this film is compared to the many later entries.

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video: One of the biggest complaints about Classic Media’s Blu-ray release of the film was that it wasn’t restored or upgraded to HD quality. Of course, there’s only soo much you can do to restore a film that was released in 1954, but CM put no effort into it. Well, that’s not the case with Criterion’s release. Some of the darker scenes from CM’s release have been made clearer and we’re given a great, sharp transfer of the film. Gojira never looked soo good.

Criterion also fixed a couple of the audio problems that were present in CM’s release. The film sounds just wonderul. All the way from Godzilla’s monstrous roar to Ikira Ifukube’s amazing score.

Photographic Effects: This features focuses on some of the tricks the VFX artists used to make certain scenes from the film.

Tadao Sato: This is perhaps my favorite featurette of them all. Japanese film critic Tadao Sato gives his thoughts about Gojira, and its impact on culture.

The Unluckiest Dragon: This is an interesting featurette about the crew of the Daigo Fukuryu Maru (Luky Dragon No. 5) that were affected with radiation from an H-bomb test near the Bikini Atoll. The incident was the inspiration for Gojira.

Other special features include the American edit of the film Godzilla, King of the Monsters, information on the cast and crew, and the theatrical trailer for the film.

In conclusion, THIS is the release that we should have gotten from Classic Media.

The Film Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The Blu-ray Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The Flick:

Steven Soderbergh is a director that isn’t afraid to take chances. Sometimes those chances pay off, and sometimes they don’t. With Traffic his ability to follow his gut no matter what the box office outcome definitely payed off. Traffic won four Academy Awards, including Best Director.

The film follows multiple cast members in a captivating and complex interwoven storyline. There is a Mexican cop (Benicio del Toro) tackling the drug trade, a judge (Michael Douglas) moving up in the political arena waging a war on drugs, two cops (Don Cheadle and Luis Guzman) working to take down one of Los Angeles’ larges suppliers, said supplier’s wife (the yummy Catherine Zeta-Jones), and the drug addicted daughter of the judge (Erika Christensen). Don’t worry, it sounds confusing, but Soderbergh is a master storyteller, and the plot-lines flow together with grace.

Traffic is one of those films that sticks with you long after it’s over. It grabs hold of your gut and doesn’t let go even after repeated viewings. It’s beautiful and for its time, quite experimental. Its look is nothing short of breathtaking. The grainy colored haze that bleaches each scene serves the plot perfectly by separating each storyline. It contains some of the most impressive cinematography I’ve ever seen, and a cast that is impossible to forget.

Based on the British series Traffik, Soderbergh took the material and transformed it into a brilliantly executed story about a time in our nations history that changed the American landscape forever. This is a killer film should be mandatory viewing for everyone over the age of 17.

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video

Presented in a director approved aspect ratio of 1.78:1 with a DTS-HD 5.1 audio, and a beautiful 1080p transfer Criterion has exceeded expectations and created a viewing experience that is nearly flawless. It looked and sounded so beautiful on my home theatre I watched it two days in a row. Simply stunning.

Special Features

Commentary: There are multiple tracks on here including, Steven Soderbergh, Steven Gaghan, Cliff Martinez, Laura Bickford, Marshall Herskovitz, Edward Zwick, Tim Golden, and former DEA chief of Intelligence Craig Chretuen. Most of these are standard issue, but listening to Soderbergh talk is always a treat.

Deleted Scenes: There are a ton of deleted scenes on this disc. Some are worth watching, and some are just filler. Either way, if your a fan of Soderbergh’s work I’d recommend checking them all out.

There are a number of features that cover the look of the film, the editing process, and more. It’s pretty extensive stuff and worth checking out.

Additional Footage: There are four uncut scenes presented in raw form that are pretty great. Well worth watching.

Trailers: Believe it or not there are seven trailers and TV spots included on this disc.

Booklet: There is a small booklet that lists the cast and crew and contains an essay from film critic Manohla Dargis called Border Wars.

The Flick Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The Blu-ray Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The film starts off, really setting the scene for where we are and whom we are with. The strange monologue from Neeson is haunting and it doesn’t quite make sense until the very end, but you’ll understand that when you see it. His character from the get go is sad and we know he is suffering, you can see it in his eyes and feel it in his voice. This is all shot in a very artistic and elegant way, it is beautiful. We really begin to understand exactly where we are, which rolls over to the eventual flight a bunch of men need to take, as they work in Alaska at an oil drilling plant. Their plane crashes and this group of men have to survive the wilderness as well as the wolves that live in the area.

Now straight up, this might seem it is just about Neeson vs. wolves, and it really isn’t. This film is all about survival, the will to survive, why you want to survive, what lengths will you go to to make it, what are your limits? This explores all of these elements and even more, because not only do you have to survive nature you have to survive the people you are with. This is as gritty as they come, this was shot on location and the actors went through all sorts of things to shoot this and make it look authentic, it pays off. It really places you out there with these characters and all you can think about is ‘what would I do?’

The Grey is intense, this is one of the most intense experiences I’ve had with a film since The Hurt Locker, there were moments I couldn’t breathe and I jumped and panted over certain events that transpired. I was engaged with this film, it really grabbed me and it never let me go. I am still thinking about it, and I probably will be for a while longer. The wolves aspect is actually quite interesting, they are an added danger and these animals see these men as intruders. Their look was frightening, and as I understand it they used real wolves and animatronics with post CG just to fix a few things.

Acting wise this is a real winner, of course the star here is Liam Neeson, one of the best performances he has given. He becomes the character, he embodies everything, there is no seeing the actor, he is the character. I was particularly impressed with Frank Grillo, Dallas Roberts and Dermot Mulroney (also in Survival Quest), each had a different role and they played it perfectly. I was scared for these men and they were put in impossible situations which made it all the more difficult to watch. I am positive there were scenes where these guys weren’t acting because where they were was that intense and crazy, it was real!

Joe Carnahan is an interesting director, this is nothing like he has done, and he continues to grow and change. He’s crafted such a stunning and beautiful film, it is harsh, and it will really reach into you. I had no issues at all with this film; I’ll be surprised if it isn’t in my Top 10 of 2012. I can’t recommend this highly enough, see it in the theatre because this is a true cinematic experience.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The plot fits into the common genre that would include a kick-ass highly trained protagonist, black ops missions, and some variation of a frame job. The difference is that your typical male bad ass is replaced with a sexy, super talented Gina Carano who plays Malory. This is Gina Carano’s first major showcase on the big screen after her career as a dominating Mixed Martial Arts fighter, and she leaves a solid impression. One could easily say that she did not deliver the best acting performance, but Gina easily overcompensates with wonderfully choreographed fight scenes. I might even go as far as saying that a particular fight scene portrays the pacing, passion, and climax of good sex.

Speaking of good chemistry, Soderbergh has managed to put together a great cast as usual. With Channing Tatum, Ewan McGregor, Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas, Michael Fassbender, Bill Paxton, and a fair amount of other recognizable faces, it would be hard to make a really bad movie.

In terms of familiarity, the first thing that strikes the senses is the original music by David Holmes. Once the up-beat jazzy drum and bass kicks in, you find yourself wishing the camera might pan across a casual Brad Pitt leaning against a wall and eating a taco, as Matt Damon goes up an escalator somewhere.

It wasn’t a perfect movie, however. There were some dry moments, especially during an exceptionally long chase scene. And there are moments when the dialogue comes through a little awkwardly. This is a movie that could easily lead to sequels. There would definitely have to be some recasting thanks to Gina’s natural tendency to subdue her foes, but it would be fun to see where writers might take the remaining characters.

Haywire isn’t awesome, but it doesn’t suck either. It’s not the serious, adrenaline rush of Bourne Ultimatum and its not the fantastical world of Mission Impossible, but it is something subtle, and fun that leaves you wanting to see a few more leg-locking choke holds with Gina Carano. Many people may find it a bit dry, but if your looking for a good movie to help kick off the 2012 releases, then Haywire is worth your ticket.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Underworld Awakening opens sometime after Evolution, and the war has now spilled into the public eye. People are now aware of the existence of Vampires and Lycans, and the government decides to terminate both species in an event called “The Purge”. Selene (Kate Beckinsale) and Michael (not portrayed by Scott Speedman) have been locked up in a facility called Antigen, and awakens in a world where both species are endangered. Selene meets up with her daughter Eve (India Eisley), who is the first hybrid child. Along with a vampire named David (Theo James), Selene and Eve outrun Dr. Jacobs (Stephen Rea) and Antigen, who want to use Eve for a mysterious plot.

The first noticable aspect of Awakening is that the plot is rather thin. In fact, you could even argue that it’s as complex as the plot for a thirty-minute episode of a TV series. The 0nly difference being that it’s stretched out to be a feature length film. It should even be noted that Directors Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein only have experience in making TV epsiodes. The part that separtate this instalment from the rest is that humans are now aware of the war, and that makes for an interesting plot device. However, only the first 10 minutes of the film makes use of that. Honestly, the story seemed to remind me of David Goyer’s Blade: Trinity and Guillermo Del Toro’s Blade II, but that was only in certain ways. The writers try to throw in a twist near the end of the film, but it’s rather predictable.

Even the characters aren’t that interesting. The whole film Selene is on a bloody rampage to find Michael, and she’s willing to kill anyone who gets in her way. Even we she first meets her daughter, Selene shows no emotion. However, if you’re looking to see Kate Beckinsale kick some major butt, then this is the film for you. Eve was a rather interesting character. We are able to feel some sympathy for her as she’s never been outside the facilities at Antigen, and is dealing with the problem of having a monster inside of her. This does leave potential for future instalments. Detective Sebastian (Michael Ealy) is given an emotional past, but that’s never expanded on, and Ealy is given little to work with in the film. But of the characters in Awakening as interesting as the likes of Viktor (Billy Nighy) or Lucian (Michael Sheen) are nowhere to be found in this film.

The VFX in Underworld Awakening aren’t anything special, and fans can expect the same as seen in the previous film. However, one that really stands out was the Super Lycan. Yeah, it’s nothing more than double the size of a normal Lycan, but seeing Selene fight it is definitely a treat. Although, it does look rather silly when you see Kris Holden-Ried change into the beast. The most disappointing aspect of the film has to be the 3D. Honestly, there are very few scenes in Underworld Awakening that benefit from 3D. In fact, some of the fights are hard to make out because the glasses make the scene too dark. I usually don’t complain about 3D, but if you’re going to force it on the audience, then at least make it worth the experience.

Overall, Underworld Awakening is just a bloody, mindless time at the theater. Fans of the franchise, like myself, will likely enjoy it.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars