http://geeksofdoom.com Stuff by geeks, about geeks, for geeks. Sun, 14 Mar 2010 22:12:27 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 en hourly 1 http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/03/13/blu-ray-review-clash-of-the-titans-1981/ http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/03/13/blu-ray-review-clash-of-the-titans-1981/#comments Sat, 13 Mar 2010 21:50:03 +0000 Empress Eve Burgess MeredithClash of the TitansDesmond DavisHarry HamlinJudi BowkerLaurence OlivierMaggie SmithNeil McCarthyRay Harryhausen http://geeksofdoom.com/?p=43733 Clash Of The Titans (1981)
Blu-ray Book Edition
Directed by Desmond Davis
Starring Harry Hamlin, Judi Bowker, Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, Burgess Meredith, Neil McCarthy
Warner Bros Home Entertainment
Release date: March 2, 2010

Perseus (Harry Hamlin), the half-human mortal son of the god Zeus (Laurence Olivier), lives a contented, sheltered life on the island of Seriphos, as his father watches over him from Mount Olympus. While his father shows favoritism towards him from on high, we learn right away that the god of thunder has no tolerance for wicked deeds when he severely punishes Calibos (Neil McCarthy), son of the goddess Thetis (Maggie Smith). He transforms the handsome Calibos, who's betrothed to the Princess Andromeda (Judi Bowker) of the city of Joppa, into a hideous creature condemned to live in the swamps and marshes.

Angered by the fate of her son, Thetis vows that if her son can't have Andromeda, then no man can, thereby putting a curse on the city and any suitor that comes to court the princess. To spite Zeus, she also transports Perseus out of his safe haven and into the city of Joppa where he'll get a major dose of reality and face mortal danger.

While Perseus is confused upon arrival in a new strange place, his adventurous spirit prompts him to go explore the city of Joppa. With the help of some powerful gifts from the gods, as well as guided wisdom from an old playwright Ammon (Burgess Meredith), Perseus sets out to win the hand of Andromeda and break Thetis's curse over the city [...]]]> http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/03/13/blu-ray-review-clash-of-the-titans-1981/feed/ 2 http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/03/09/dvd-review-open-graves/ http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/03/09/dvd-review-open-graves/#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:21:46 +0000 Obi-Dan Alvaro de ArminanEliza DushkuEthan RainesGary PiquerMike VogelOpen Graves http://geeksofdoom.com/?p=44585 Open Graves
DVD
Directed by Álvaro de Armiñán
Starring Eliza Dushku, Mike Vogel, Ethan Raines, Gary Piquer
Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Release date: February 23, 2010

After a storm washes off a beach party, a group of friends retreat indoors to play a board game with a mysterious past. Those brave enough to play just might be putting their lives at risk; those who lose definitely are. Roll the dice.

Erica (Eliza Dushku) is trying to ‘find herself’ by surfing and living in a cool lighthouse in Spain where she meets glamour photographer Tomas (Ethan Raines) and ‘bum’ Jason (Mike Vogel). Much to Jason’s delight, Erica comes to the party and she joins them to play Mamba. The party soon takes a tragic turn when one of their friends is killed on his way to town and the circumstances of his death sound just like the game promised. Erica and Mike must find a way to stop the game’s curse and keep it from the clutches of Detective Izar.

Open Graves was written by the father/son team of Bruce A. Taylor and Roderick Taylor, whose most recent screen work was the Jodie Foster-starring The Brave One, directed by the excellent Neil Jordan. First-time director Álvaro de Armiñán has set and filmed much of the movie on location in Spain having picked some gorgeous locations, lots of old decrepit buildings, and in that respect it looks like a European horror movie which added to the overall eerie feel [...]]]> http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/03/09/dvd-review-open-graves/feed/ 0 http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/03/06/dvd-review-dead-snow/ http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/03/06/dvd-review-dead-snow/#comments Sat, 06 Mar 2010 17:18:05 +0000 Obi-Dan Bjorn SundquistDead SnowStig Frode HenriksenTommy WirkolaVegar Hoel http://geeksofdoom.com/?p=44547 Dead Snow
DVD | Blu-ray
Directed by Tommy Wirkola
Starring Stig Frode Henriksen, Vegar Hoel, Bjorn Sundquist
MPI Home Video
Release date: February 23, 2010

A group of medical students take an Easter vacation to a cabin in the woods near the small Norwegian village of Oksfjord. Because of the heavy snow their only way to get there -- and back -- is a single snowmobile or a 45-minute walk. And no, there is no phone reception up here. Happily, they play in the snow; having snowball fights and sledging down the hills. In the cabin they drink beer, play twister, and enjoy themselves. But they are not alone. During World War 2, German soldiers terrorised Oksfjord subjecting its people to three years of barbarity as they looted any valuables they could find. Having finally had enough, the villagers rallied together and hounded the soldiers out of their homes and into the mountains. Something evil is stalking the students -- zombie Nazis.

Let me get this out of the way early: I loved this movie. I thought it was a great genre piece made by an obvious horror movie nut and brought a fresh angle to an already gorged genre. Like the child vampires in Let The Right One In it seems the snow in Scandinavia has forced a genuinely fresh take on another of my favourite horror creations and Dead Snow, directed and co-written by Tommy Wirkola, steps into those bloody-footprints with gory glee [...]]]> http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/03/06/dvd-review-dead-snow/feed/ 2 http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/03/05/blu-ray-review-the-neverending-story/ http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/03/05/blu-ray-review-the-neverending-story/#comments Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:45:23 +0000 Vactor Barret OliverMoses GunnNoah HathawayTami StronachThe Neverending StoryThomas HillWolfgang Petersen http://geeksofdoom.com/?p=44313 The Neverending Story
Blu-ray Edition
Directed by Wolfgang Petersen
Starring Noah Hathaway, Barret Oliver, Tami Stronach, Moses Gunn, Thomas Hill
Warner Bros Home Entertainment
Release date: March 2, 2010

The Neverending Story was one of the movies that was constantly playing in the background of my childhood. I was 2-years-old when it was released in 1984 and I had no idea I would be referencing it way off into the year 2000 and beyond. Something about the film has always been magical to me and appealed to my inner child ever since my initial viewing.

Based on the German novel of the same name by Michael Ende, the film was directed by Wolfgang Petersen and centers around a boy named Bastian (Barret Oliver) from our world and a boy named Atreyu (Noah Hathaway) from the fantasy world of Fantasia. Bastian is a troubled young boy who is reeling from the recent loss of his mother. He’s not like the other kids who are more likely to frequent the local video arcade than the library. Bastian is a bookworm who often uses literature to escape his real life sorrows. One day while being accosted by bullies on his way to school, he hides in a bookstore, where he finds Mr. Koreander (Thomas Hill), a grumpy bookseller. Bastian is curious about one of the books he sees, but Mr. Koreander warns him it’s "not safe.” Unafraid, Bastian steals the book and races towards school where he proceeds to hide in the school's attic and begins his journey into "The Neverending Story." [...]]]> http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/03/05/blu-ray-review-the-neverending-story/feed/ 1 http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/03/02/blu-ray-review-whiteout/ http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/03/02/blu-ray-review-whiteout/#comments Tue, 02 Mar 2010 22:57:28 +0000 Empress Eve Dominic SenaGabriel MachtGreg RuckaKate BeckinsaleSteve LieberTom SkerrittWhiteout http://geeksofdoom.com/?p=39002 Whiteout
DVD | Blu-ray | Video On Demand
Directed by Dominic Sena
Starring Kate Beckinsale, Tom Skerritt, Gabriel Macht
Warner Bros Home Entertainment
Release date: January 19, 2010

In the frozen wasteland of the South Pole a serve storm, known as a 'whiteout', is rapidly making its way to the across Antarctica, prompting an early winter evacuation of a geological encampment. All non-evaculating personal will stay behind for the winter with no flights in or out for six months, so those scheduled for winter leave have get out now. Agent Carrie Stetko (Kate Beckinsale) is one of the people on their way out. After a two-year stint in Antarctica, the agent is ready to leave her sub-zero beat and resign from her position as a U.S. Marshal all together. Unfortunately, just as she's about to finally leave, a body is found on the ice, with evidence of foul play. While her friend, Dr. Fury (Tom Skerritt) offers to ship the body elsewhere to absolve Carrie of her duties, the Agent decides to continue the investigation herself with only days left to solve the case before she's stuck there for the winter.

Based on the graphic novel by Greg Rucka and Steve Lieber, Whiteout takes quite a few liberties from its source material, the major one being how Agent Stetko is presented. In the film, Beckinsale plays Agent Stetko as a beautiful, yet withdrawn woman married to the job which she seemingly once loved, but is now conflicted about after a pre-Antarctica drug bust gone array left her traumatized. In the comic, Agent Stetko's reasons for taking an assignment in Antarctica remain the same -- to run away from the trauma from her previous assignment -- but how others treat her is entirely different [...]]]> http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/03/02/blu-ray-review-whiteout/feed/ 0 http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/03/01/dvd-review-justice-league-crisis-on-two-earths/ http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/03/01/dvd-review-justice-league-crisis-on-two-earths/#comments Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:21:02 +0000 Vactor and Chris NothDC AnimatedGina TorresJames WoodsJustice LeagueJustice League Crisis On Two EarthsLauren MontgomeryMark HarmonSam LiuWilliam Baldwin http://geeksofdoom.com/?p=43709 Justice League: Crisis On Two Earths
2-Disc DVD | Blu-ray
Directed by Lauren Montgomery & Sam Liu
Starring Mark Harmon, Gina Torres, William Baldwin, James Woods, and Chris Noth
Warner Home Video
Release Date: February 23, 2010

Justice League: Crisis On Two Earths is the seventh direct-to-video animated film of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies line released by Warner Premiere and Warner Bros. Animation and it might just be the best yet.

The story begins in a parallel universe, where the lone survivor of Earth’s Justice League, Lex Luthor, travels through other world dimensions to join forces with Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, and J’onn J’onzz in a desperate attempt to save his world and its people. But the villainous Crime Syndicate controlled by Ultraman, Owlman, and Superwoman will stop at nothing to maintain their domination.

The stellar voice cast includes Mark Harmon as Superman, James Woods as Owlman, Chris Noth as Lex Luthor, Gina Torres as Superwoman, William Baldwin as Batman, Bruce Davison as President Slade Wilson, Nolan North as Green Lantern, and Josh Keaton as The Flash [...]]]> http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/03/01/dvd-review-justice-league-crisis-on-two-earths/feed/ 0 http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/02/25/dvd-review-the-house-of-the-devil/ http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/02/25/dvd-review-the-house-of-the-devil/#comments Fri, 26 Feb 2010 01:43:44 +0000 The Movie God AJ BowenDee WallaceGreta GerwigHouse Of The DevilJocelin DonahueMary WoronovThe House Of The DevilTi WestTom Noonan http://geeksofdoom.com/?p=41632 The House of the Devil
Directed by Ti West
Starring Jocelin Donahue, Greta Gerwig, Tom Noonan, Mary Woronov, AJ Bowen, Dee Wallace
Dark Sky Films
Release Date: February 2, 2010

When entering into The House of the Devil, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I had heard some good things about it in passing, but it was one of those movies where I didn't read one review. Even more rare an occurrence for me personally, I hadn't even seen one single trailer for the film, making it an almost completely natural movie-watching experience. And when it was all said and done, I must admit: I might just start approaching all movies with this complete lack of prior knowledge, because it paid off big time.

The House of the Devil tells the story of an average young college girl named Sam (Jocelin Donahue) who's in an average college girl section of her life. When she lands a new place to live and get her out of her terrible dorm living situation, it's great news for her; but it also creates bills that she doesn't exactly have the money for.

When she notices a job posted on a bulletin board looking for babysitters, it's the perfect answer to some immediate income, and the cushion of a couple of months to get situated and find a much better income solution. Sadly, the job doesn't appear to play out as she had hoped, and the stress begins to really set in [...]]]> http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/02/25/dvd-review-the-house-of-the-devil/feed/ 1 http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/02/21/dvd-review-the-box/ http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/02/21/dvd-review-the-box/#comments Sun, 21 Feb 2010 18:59:59 +0000 The Movie God Cameron DiazJames MarsdenJames RebhornRichard KellyRichard MathesonSam Oz StoneThe Box http://geeksofdoom.com/?p=42619 The Box
DVD | Blu-ray
Directed by Richard Kelly
Starring Cameron Diaz, James Marsden, Frank Langella, Sam Oz Stone, James Rebhorn Warner Home Video
Release Date: February 23, 2010

Your home is a box. Your car is a box on wheels. You drive to work in it. You drive home in it. You sit in your home, staring into a box. It erodes your soul, while the box that is your body inevitably withers... then dies. Where upon it is placed in the ultimate box, to slowly decompose.

Place yourself in this situation for just a moment: a mysterious man with a disfigured face and friendly demeanor shows up at your doorstep. The man has but a very simple offer for you: there's a box with a button on it; push the button once, and you will receive one million dollars in cash and tax-free. The only trade-off is that if you accept this offer, someone somewhere on the planet that you do not know will somehow die. It could be a child; it could be a serial killer.

Do you push the button?

Before even beginning The Box, I pondered this question many times over. It could perhaps be the perfect psychological question to ask, and I doubt anyone could truthfully answer it unless the choice was sitting in front of their eyes, waiting for a decision to be made. It seems to me that simply too much is on the line to make that kind of choice, but when certain people are in certain situations in life... consciences can vary greatly [...]]]> http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/02/21/dvd-review-the-box/feed/ 5 http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/02/18/dvd-review-blood-creek/ http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/02/18/dvd-review-blood-creek/#comments Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:47:25 +0000 WordSlinger Blood CreekDominic PurcellEmma BoothHenry CavillJoel SchumacherMichael Fassbender http://geeksofdoom.com/?p=41348 Blood Creek
Directed by Joel Schumacher
Starring Dominic Purcell, Henry Cavill, Michael Fassbender, Emma Booth
Lionsgate and Gold Circle Films
Release Date: January 19, 2010

Those Nazis were into some weird stuff, and despite being defeated 65 years ago, filmmakers are still finding ways to make them the villains. In the case of Blood Creek, the villain is a single Nazi, Professor Richard Wirth (Michael Fassbender), who travels to America prior to WWII in search of mysterious runestones. His search brings him to the farm of a German family in Town Creek, West Viriginia. Wirth, a student of the occult, finds what he's looking for -- an ancient runestone he believes holds the secret to immortality -- but not before war breaks out.

Seventy years later, Victor Marshall (Dominic Purcell) disappears for nearly two years in the same town. When he reemerges in the middle of the night looking like a tortured caveman, he refuses to explain his absence to his brother Evan (Henry Cavill) and demands his help. Evan does as he is asked without getting the details. Personally, if my feared-dead brother suddenly reappeared after two years looking like he had been through hell and demanded I grab as much ammo as possible and follow him, I would probably ask a question or two [...]]]> http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/02/18/dvd-review-blood-creek/feed/ 0 http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/02/13/dvd-review-born/ http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/02/13/dvd-review-born/#comments Sat, 13 Feb 2010 13:58:31 +0000 Jack Bauerstein83 Alison BrieDenise CrosbyKane HodderLionsgate FilmsRichard Friedman http://geeksofdoom.com/?p=40122 Born
Directed by Richard Friedman
Starring Alison Brie, Denise Crosby, Kane Hodder
Lionsgate Films

When I was a very young lad, a very wise cartoon rabbit once said “if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” Now, perhaps it was because I was at an impressionable age or maybe it was because it came from the mouth of a talking rabbit, but I have taken this little piece of advice to heart. However, after watching Born, I think I might have to break this rule just one time.

Born is a horror-comedy film about virginal Sally who, after attending the funeral of her mother, is mysteriously pulled into the ground at the cemetery. When she comes out of the ground, she is suddenly pregnant. The unexpected little bundle of joy turns out to be a demon that is hell-bent on entering our realm and wrecking her life in the process.

There are many things wrong with this film. For one thing, while it is suppose to be a horror/comedy, it is neither very scary nor is it very funny. It tries too hard to be both and ends up, more often than not, striking out. I just sat there for an hour and a half just bored. Very bored. You know a movie is just really bad when two straight female characters hook up right in the middle of the movie for no apparent reason. Then one of the women’s unborn fetus kills the other woman (Don’t ask) [...]]]> http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/02/13/dvd-review-born/feed/ 0 http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/02/12/dvd-review-bad-lieutenant-special-edition/ http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/02/12/dvd-review-bad-lieutenant-special-edition/#comments Sat, 13 Feb 2010 01:36:20 +0000 BAADASSSSS! Abel FerraraBad LieutenantHarvey KeitelPaul CalderonVictor Argo http://geeksofdoom.com/?p=41295 Bad Lieutenant Directed by Abel Ferrara Starring Harvey Keitel, Victor Argo, Paul Calderon Lionsgate Home Entertainment Release Date: July 28, 2009 When it was first released in 1992 Bad Lieutenant was greeted with praise and revulsion, accolades, and protest, nearly everywhere it played. The NC-17 rating bestowed upon it by the Motion Picture Association of America signified that this movie would not be holding anything back and whoever dared to venture into cinemas or into the local video stores (except Blockbuster, which no doubt probably carried a cut down R-rated version) would be in for a soul and brain-scarring experience few films can deliver. To this day it remains one of the seminal films in the independent film revolution of the 1990’s and the high water mark in the careers of director Abel Ferrera and star Harvey Keitel. It defied every conceivable notion of crime drama and character study and gave us a front row seat. For me it’s difficult to put my feelings about the movie into words. A description of the plot of Bad Lieutenant would be moot because this film is not about its plot. We’re treated to a relentless look into the festering wound of a soul that is its title character, and much like an auto accident it’s difficult to look away even when we want to, or think we should [...]]]> http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/02/12/dvd-review-bad-lieutenant-special-edition/feed/ 1 http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/02/10/dvd-review-smokin-aces-2-assassins-ball/ http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/02/10/dvd-review-smokin-aces-2-assassins-ball/#comments Wed, 10 Feb 2010 12:11:50 +0000 BAADASSSSS! Clayne CrawfordJoe CarnahanMartha HigaredaMaury SterlingP.J. PesceSmokin AcesTom BerengerTommy Flanagan http://geeksofdoom.com/?p=41292 Smokin' Aces 2: Assassins' Ball
Unrated DVD
Directed by P.J. Pesce
Starring Tom Berenger, Clayne Crawford, Tommy Flanagan, Maury Sterling, Martha Higareda
Universal Home Entertainment
Release Date: January 19, 2010

Direct-to-video sequels tend to put me ill at ease, and with good reason. More often than not these movies are cynical, cheapjack attempts by cash-strapped studios to squeeze every possible nickel out of even their most modest theatrical successes. Next to Walt Disney Pictures no other studio has been to the DTV sequel well more times than Universal Pictures, as their numerous quickie follow-ups to The Land Before Time, Darkman, Tremors, and American Pie have shown. I have nothing against movies bypassing cinemas and going direct to video store shelves; in the past many fine films, some much better than anything Hollywood has forced upon us, have made their premiere exclusively at our local Blockbuster Video or in the Redbox kiosk in front of the neighborhood Wal-Mart often because they‘re the kind of movies that cannot be easily marketed into the moviegoer conscience like the cookie cutter fare that clogs the multiplex screens week in and week out. Plus every so often a rare sequel comes along that proves to be a cut above to the original (see The Empire Strikes Back, Aliens, and Hostel Part II). But sequels to moderately profitable theatrical releases are as a rule made on budgets a fraction of what the originals were made for, and customarily they’re made without the participation of the filmmakers and cast that made the originals great (because they can‘t be afforded). Leave it to Joe Carnahan, a firebrand filmmaking talent who makes his best movies outside the creative dead zone of Tinseltown, to accept the challenge of making a direct-to-video sequel the right way [...]]]> http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/02/10/dvd-review-smokin-aces-2-assassins-ball/feed/ 4 http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/02/09/dvd-review-gamer/ http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/02/09/dvd-review-gamer/#comments Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:19:18 +0000 WordSlinger Amber VallettaChris Ludacris BridgesGamerGerard ButlerKyra SedgwickMichael C. Hall http://geeksofdoom.com/?p=40986 Gamer
Directed by Neveldine/Taylor
Starring Gerard Butler, Michael C. Hall, Amber Valletta, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Kyra Sedgwick
Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Release Date: January, 19, 2010

You know things are bad when the best part of a film based on ultra-violent video games is the dance sequence. However, such is the case with Gamer, which really only gives the viewer what they should expect from a Grand Theft Auto game: an unbelievable plot, half-naked women, and lots of people getting shot. It's all very generic and blurs together, which is probably why villain Ken Castle (Michael C. Hall) lip-syncing and dancing with soldiers he has under mind control is the only scene that stands out in any significant way.

What passes for the plot of Gamer is simple: In the near future, computer genius Castle creates a type of nanomachine that allows someone to remotely control another human being. Why not just use it to take over world? Well, he's working on it, but first he decides to use his invention to create a real life version of Second Life, when people can pay to control other real humans, who ar in turn paid to be “actors” in the game environment. After amassing the largest fortune in the world, Castle creates a second game, “Slayers,” where the players control death row inmates in a Call of Duty-like shooter. The inmates sign up with the promise of freedom... if they win 30 games [...]]]> http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/02/09/dvd-review-gamer/feed/ 0 http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/02/08/dvd-review-planet-hulk/ http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/02/08/dvd-review-planet-hulk/#comments Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:45:24 +0000 Vactor Advah SoudackHulkKevin Michael RichardsonLiam O039BrienLisa Ann BeleyMarc WordenMark HildrethMarvel AnimatedMichael KopsaPlanet HulkRick D. WassermanSam LiuSamuel Vincent http://geeksofdoom.com/?p=40752 Planet Hulk
2-Disc Special Edition DVD
Directed by Sam Liu
Starring Rick D. Wasserman, Lisa Ann Beley, Mark Hildreth, Liam O'Brien, Kevin Michael Richardson, Samuel Vincent, Advah Soudack, Michael Kopsa, Marc Worden
Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Release Date: February 2, 2010

Planet Hulk is the latest direct-to-DVD film from Marvel's Animation Studio and it's got a lot going for it. Director Sam Liu has previously worked on Superman/Batman: Public Enemies and screenwriter Greg Johnson worked on one of my personal favorites, Doctor Strange. The film is also based on one of the best Hulk stories of all time (written by the awesome Greg Pak) in which the Green Goliath is deemed too dangerous for Earth and exiled to another planet free of any intelligent life. Unfortunately something goes wrong and the Hulk's ship crash lands on a war world where he's immediately forced into slavery and forced to fight Gladiator-style for his freedom. All of these factors contributed to my Hulk-size anticipation of the film and I can thankfully say I was not disappointed.

Every aspect of Planet Hulk is solid, from the voice acting and animation to the character development and story. The film is a direct adaptation of the previously mentioned Greg Pak epic storyline, which is a different approach in contrast with the recent Marvel animated films which created their own stories and weren't directly adapted from any one arc [...]]]> http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/02/08/dvd-review-planet-hulk/feed/ 1 http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/02/07/blu-ray-review-paris-texas/ http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/02/07/blu-ray-review-paris-texas/#comments Sun, 07 Feb 2010 22:45:57 +0000 Three-D Aurore ClementDean StockwellHarry Dean StantonHunter CarsonNastassja KinskiParis TexasWim Wenders http://geeksofdoom.com/?p=39988 Paris, Texas ***1/2
Criterion Collection - Blu-ray
Directed by Wim Wenders
Starring Harry Dean Stanton, Nastassja Kinski, Dean Stockwell, Aurore Clement, Hunter Carson
Release date: January 26, 2010

What a way to open a film. The image first seen conjures up a mood that is sustained throughout the entire picture. It is of a splendidly eerie sight, showing a lonely man strolling aimlessly amidst towering mountains that resemble Monument Valley in which John Ford filmed The Searchers - in which Paris, Texas resembles in a way - with a rugged, dirty suit on, wearing a tattered red baseball cap and clutching an empty jug of water as if his life is depending on it. He has been roaming for days it seems. Just glance down at his shoes, or at least what is left of them, for further evidence of the many miles of terrain this man must have journeyed over. Four years he has appeared this way. Probably shunning reality away every time it manages to creep close to him and running from inner fears that bind him to his past life. There is no doubt he is searching for something. Something that is fearful and passionate only to him. But why? For what? Paris, Texas will slowly expand its straight-edged narrative to expound upon these questions. While all the while doom is looming in the air and the ghastly guitar music is alluding to an act of terror that may have already happened or has yet to have occurred. German director Wim Wenders is able to pierce the heart and confound the mind within the very first sequence of his film: A work of a European in a manner that is so Americana [...]]]> http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/02/07/blu-ray-review-paris-texas/feed/ 1 http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/01/31/blu-ray-review-the-final-destination-3d/ http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/01/31/blu-ray-review-the-final-destination-3d/#comments Sun, 31 Jan 2010 14:20:43 +0000 The Movie God 3-D3DBlu-RayBobby CampoDavid R. WillisFinal DestinationFinal Destination 3Haley WebbMykelti WilliamsonNick ZanoShantel VanSantenThe Final Destination http://geeksofdoom.com/?p=40034 The Final Destination
3D Blu-ray Edition
Directed by David R. Ellis
Starring Bobby Campo, Shantel VanSanten, Mykelti Williamson, Nick Zano, Haley Webb
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
Release Date: January 5, 2010

Much like the Saw franchise, the Final Destination franchise has become a horror standard. And though they don't release a Final Destination film every single year like their counterparts do, the movies have always had a great sense of terrifying fun about them. Up to Final Destination 3, these movies were still silly and lacking plots and story, but there was plenty of gruesome fun to be had where Saw got very old very fast after their second installment. So how would The Final Destination, the fourth film in the franchise, hold up? Let's find out!

This time around, we begin at a suspicious racetrack where NASCAR-quality vehicles race at some small town track where rednecks and apparently good looking college-aged kids like to enjoy the races. As with the previous films, disaster strikes when an unfortunate string of events leads to a massive crash that sends metal and fire shooting into the crowd and causing the aging building to begin collapsing everywhere, killing many, many people. [...]]]> http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/01/31/blu-ray-review-the-final-destination-3d/feed/ 0 http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/01/30/dvd-review-more-than-a-game/ http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/01/30/dvd-review-more-than-a-game/#comments Sat, 30 Jan 2010 19:46:55 +0000 Vactor DocumentaryKristopher BelmanLaBron JamesMore Than A Game http://geeksofdoom.com/?p=39884 More Than a Game
Directed by Kristopher Belman
Lions Gate Home Entertainment
Release date: February 2, 2010

They may be the best high school basketball team ever. He may have had the best high school basketball player ever. Akron, Ohio's St. Vincent-St. Mary won the proverbial basketball lottery when they got LeBron James and his boyhood friends to attend their school. From humble beginnings, future NBA superstar James, along with childhood friends Dru Joyce, Sian Cotton, and Willie McGee, all began a journey that would take them from local fame to national acclaim. The "fab four" were later joined by Romeo Travis in their sophomore year and the five fused their talents and, with the help of a dedicated coach, rewrote Ohio basketball history.

More Than a Game is a very well made documentary that keeps the viewer's interest throughout with a sly use of visual effects, editing, and original music. Director Kristopher Belman was able to capture some amazingly candid footage by following the St. V basketball team during James' senior season and with the aid of first-hand accounts by the players themselves, photographs, and home videos, the viewer follows these young men from middle school all the way up until the last days of high school and it's a remarkable journey [...]]]> http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/01/30/dvd-review-more-than-a-game/feed/ 0 http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/01/26/blu-ray-review-surrogates/ http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/01/26/blu-ray-review-surrogates/#comments Tue, 26 Jan 2010 19:02:13 +0000 Obi-Dan Bruce WillisJames CromwellJonathan MostowRadha MitchellRobert VendittiThe SurrogatesVing Rhames http://geeksofdoom.com/?p=38898 Surrogates
Blu-ray Edition
Directed by Jonathan Mostow
Starring Bruce Willis, Radha Mitchell, James Cromwell, Ving Rhames, Rosamund Pike
Disney Pictures Home Entertainment
Release date: January 26, 2010

Stick a movie in front of me that features Bruce Willis as a member of Law Enforcement and so help me I’ll watch it. From Die Hard to, um, Live Free Or Die Hard -- via The Last Boy Scout and Sin City, among many others -- Willis has defined the straight-talking no-nonsense no-shaving vest-wearing law-ignoring cop. Surrogates is the latest Willis movie to hit DVD/Blu-ray -- a sci-fi action thriller based on the graphic novel of the same name -- and this time he’s a robocop.

In the not-too-distant future most of the world’s population rarely venture outside their own homes. Instead they spend their lives as operators, connected to their stem chairs seeing life through robot surrogates. Thanks to a Supreme Court ruling more than 10 years ago, over 98% of the population use surrogates in daily life; they go to work, they do the shopping. Thanks to this statistic, crime in the U.S. is down 99% and all other bad things like racism and sexism have seen a huge decline. Surrogates were initially developed to help disabled people, used only in a medical context. Then costs came down and eventually these robots became affordable to regular people and private use of surrogates became popular.

Surrogates are you, but much better in every way: flawless skin, perfect hair, they cannot be hurt, and should they be destroyed, you can just buy a new one. This is a world populated by only beautiful people. This is life… only better [...]]]> http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/01/26/blu-ray-review-surrogates/feed/ 0 http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/01/14/blu-ray-review-family-guy-presents-something-something-something-dark-side/ http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/01/14/blu-ray-review-family-guy-presents-something-something-something-dark-side/#comments Thu, 14 Jan 2010 20:20:35 +0000 The Movie God Cartoon NetworkDarth VaderDeath StarDolph LundgrenEwokFamily GuyGeorge LucasHan SoloLuke SkywalkerMila KunisObi-Wan KenobiPatrick WarburtonPrincess LeiaR2-D2Seth GreenSeth MacFarlaneSomething Something Something Dark SideStar WarsTauntaunThe Cleveland ShowThe Empire Strikes BackTom SelleckYoda http://geeksofdoom.com/?p=36886 Family Guy Presents: Something Something Something Dark Side
DVD | Blu-ray
Directed by Dominic Polcino
Starring Seth MacFarlane, Seth Green, Alex Borstein, Mila Kunis, Patrick Warburton, Mike Green
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Release Date: December 22, 2009

Family Guy is at it again with their second visit to the Star Wars universe in Something Something Something Dark Side. After they successfully spoofed Star Wars: A New Hope in humorous but faithful fashion with Blue Harvest, we could hardly wait for more to come around. Now that we have this cartoon version of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back available to us, the trilogy spoof is almost complete!

The best thing about these movies is that everyone can enjoy them. Not everyone is a Star Wars fanatic, so this is a hilarious way for them to see the world and the characters, even if it's absurdly different from the way that George Lucas created them to be. For those of you non-Star Wars fans, this second film in the series takes place a few years after the Rebel Alliance blew the hell out of the Emperor and Darth Vader's precious Death Star. Now the Empire is hot on their tail with plans for revenge. After Luke Skywalker comes into his own as a Jedi with intense training by Jedi Master Yoda, he hurries to a showdown with Vader after the evil Sith springs a trap on Han Solo, Princess Leia, and his other companions. Returning for the second adventure is Peter Griffin as Han Solo, Stewie Griffin as Darth Vader, Brian Griffin as Chewbacca, Carter Pewterschmidt as the Emperor, and Glenn Quagmire as C-3PO [...]]]> http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/01/14/blu-ray-review-family-guy-presents-something-something-something-dark-side/feed/ 0 http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/01/08/blu-ray-review-500-days-of-summer/ http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/01/08/blu-ray-review-500-days-of-summer/#comments Fri, 08 Jan 2010 22:47:55 +0000 Three-D 500 Days of SummerChloe Grace MoretzGeoffrey ArendJoseph Gordon-LevittMarc WebbMatthew Gray GublerZooey Deschanel http://geeksofdoom.com/?p=37494 (500) Days of Summer
Blu-ray Edition
Directed by Marc Webb
Starring Zooey Deschanel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Fox Home Entertainment
Release Date: December 22, 2009

The omniscient narrator declares that what we are watching is not a love story, but a story about love. An odd little twist that brings a kind of assurance and authenticity to (500) Days Summer. Once this statement is solidified early on in the film it makes us view the movie in a slightly different way and rightfully so. An original narrative technique is what the film has going for it. It disregards a linear story line but never capitalizes on the true potential the script really has. Many films use discombobulated narratives that are fragmented and dislocated to resemble the emotions its characters are feeling. The split screens and split narratives are too much imbued within stylistic ploys, making each scene that carries these fashionable devices incompetent and never availing.

Screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, along with the innovative mind of director Marc Webb, may have dislocate the narrative a tad too much and haven’t peered thoroughly enough into the emotional angst of Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a greeting card writer, who is in love with Summer (Zooey Deschanel), his coworker. This is Tom’s story he tells to his two friends and little sister, in a way that isn’t chronological, his mishaps and successes he has experienced with Summer throughout the 500 days he believed he loved her [...]]]> http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/01/08/blu-ray-review-500-days-of-summer/feed/ 2