Directed By: David M. Evans
Starring: Tom Guiry, Mike Vitar, Denis Leary, Karen Allen, James Earl Jones
“They’re more than a team. They’re the best buddies in the entire history of the world.” Great tagline.
The Movie
It’s the summer of 1962 and Scotty Smalls (Tom Guiry) has just moved to a new town with his mother (Karen Allen) and step-father Bill (Denis Leary) He hasn’t made any new friends but after Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez (Mike Vitar) stops by his house and asks if he would like to play baseball he is introduced to a new group of friends. Even though Smalls doesn’t know much about baseball but he goes to the sandlot every day to play ball and Benny takes him under his wing, teaching him the game. As the summer progresses the group of young friends find many adventures but none as perilous as facing Mr. Mertle’s (James Earl Jones) dog The Beast to retrieve Bill’s baseball that is signed by Babe Ruth.
The Sandlot can be compared to other movies such as Little Giants or The Mighty Ducks simply because it is a kid’s sports movie. And this is a movie that features sports but isn’t a “sports movie.” I think the best comparison may be Stand By Me. And there are many similarities. Both have voice over storytelling from an older version of one of the characters, a quest to find a missing object and a confrontation with a epically vicious dog. But where Stand By Me highlights the agony and uncertainty of growing up The Sandlot plays with comedic cues to pull at the heartstrings and tell a story about childhood and the friends that you’ll never forget.
I love this movie. I have since the first time I saw it back in 1993. It reminds me of a time in my life when there was nothing more important in life than playing with your friends and having fun. Baseball is used as a placeholder for whatever it is that you love and the friendships that spring from finding like minded people that share your passion. I know I did spend many summer days playing baseball with my friends and The Sandlot is a pretty good representation of that time in life before mortgages, bills and deadlines.
9/10
The Video
1080p, aspect ratio: 2.35:1. This transfer is really spectacular, especially the night game under the fireworks. God I love blu-ray!!
9/10
The Audio
DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Very crisp and clear dialogue clips as well as ancillary and ambient sound.
9/10
The Packaging and Bonus Features
I’m a little disappointed with the bonus features on this disc. All that is available is a featurette about the making of and a theatrical trailer. Maybe I’ve come to expect too much from blu-ray releases but you’d think that being a 20th Anniversary Edition would merit more.
The packaging itself is a typical release with a blue clamshell and an embossed slip cover but what was unexpected is a set of trading cards featuring each of the kids. That was a nice touch.
5/10
As I’ve said before I really love this movie. It speaks to the little leaguer inside me and the friendships that bond through sports.
Overall (Not an Average) 9/10
The Review
The Movie 9/10
The Video 9/10
The Audio 9/10
The Packaging and Bonus Features 5/10
Overall (Not an Average) 9/10
Directed By: Ron Howard
Starring: Val Kilmer, Warwick Davis, Joanne Whalley
Did you ever wonder how good a live action version of The Hobbit would look if it were produced by George Lucas and directed by Ron Howard? Well look no further.
The Movie
Willow (Warwick Davis) is an unlikely hero who must rescue an infant destined to overthrow the evil Queen Bavmorda (Jean Marsh) before she can sacrifice the child. Assisting him in his quest is Madmartigan (Val Kilmer), the opossum turned sorceress Fin Raziel (Patricia Hayes) and two comical creatures known as Brownies (Rick Overton, Kevin Pollak). Also along for the ride is Sorsha (Joanne Whalley) who is the daughter of Bavmorda and burgeoning love interest for Madmartigan. Much adventure is had.
Willow started as a story idea by George Lucas who brought the project to Ron Howard during his post-production of Coccoon. Bob Dolman wrote the script. I had fond memories of this film but it has been many years since I last watched it. Sadly it doesn’t hold up as well as I had hoped. I have come to expect this from most of the television and movies from my youth but I always hold out hope. But the epic feel of Willow does remain. There is grandeur and Biblical imagery (Moses in the bull rushes anyone?) that is augmented by the practical effects and actual sets instead of CGI and green screens that proliferate today’s films. Peter Jackson could learn a thing or two from this film.
I remember Willow being considered a bit of a flop back in 1988 and its legacy has been one of silence for the last decade. While other lesser films from the era (I have a list that I’m not going to share) have gone into the pop culture pantheon this charming little film has faded into the background. Maybe this blu-ray release will help to raise Willow’s profile a bit and let it take its rightful place among other great movies from the 80’s.
7/10
The Video
Presented in Widescreen 2:39:1 and I must say that I am still amazed at how good a lot of these older movies look on blu-ray.
9/10
The Audio
Presented in DTS-HD Surround Dolby Digital. I really need to invest in a surround sound system for my living room. The standard speakers on my television just do not cut it. But everything did sound crisp and clear.
9/10
The Packaging and Bonus Features
This release does have a moderate amount of bonus features but the packaging is a bit disappointing. Granted most blu-ray/dvd releases these days simply come in a standard blue clamshell case but the lack of a digital copy is surprising. It can’t be that expensive or difficult to package along with the blu-ray and dvd.
As far as the bonus features nothing really jumps out. Sure we get a making of, a video diary, deleted scenes and some special effects behind the scenes but this is all standard stuff nowadays. Strangely there is not a feature commentary. I was hoping for more from Lucas Film and Disney.
6/10
As I stated before I hadn’t watched Willow in a very long time and it was fun to revisit a this family-friendly fantasy film from the 80’s (say that ten times fast). In so many ways I enjoyed this more than any of Peter Jackson’s takes on Tolkien even if some of the effects were a bit dated. Maybe now that Disney has acquired LucasFilm we’ll see some more tales from this world. Or more preferably a themed ride.
Overall (Not an Average) 8/10
The Review
The Movie 7/10
The Video 9/10
The Audio 9/10
The Packaging and Bonus Features 6/10
Overall (Not an Average) 8/10
Directed by Sam Raimi
Written by David Lindsay-Abaire and Mitchell Kapner
Starring: James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachael Weisz, Michelle Williams
Somewhere, over the rainb…oh wait, this isn’t that movie.
The Movie
Oscar Diggs (James Franco) is a two-bit hustler in a traveling circus who finds himself in a mess when the circus strong man finds out Oz has been sweet talking his lady. So Oz jumps in a hot air balloon to fly away from his trouble only to wind up in a bigger mess when he is swept into a tornado and whisked away to the Land of Oz. There he meets Theodora (Mila Kunis) who promptly tells him he is the great wizard that was prophesied to be king. She takes him to the Emerald City to meet her sister Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Oz finds out that the wicked witch Glinda (Michelle Williams) killed the king and he must destroy her wand. And without getting too spoilery I’ll leave the story at that. But needless to say there isn’t much to spoil because we’ve all seen The Wizard of Oz.
Where to begin? I was a bit hesitant to accept James Franco in the leading role when I first saw the trailers for this film. I really liked him in Freaks and Geeks as well as Pineapple Express (I’m also looking forward to Spring Breakers later this month) but those roles have never let him stretch as an actor. Accepting him as the future wonderful wizard of Oz was going to be a hard sell. But he did it, and in spectacular fashion. Also of note is Mila Kunis’ Theodora. I have liked her since her turn as Jackie on That 70’s Show and she has truly grown as an actor in the last fifteen years. I was looking forward to seeing her as a villain and she delivers. Damn, does she deliver! Her transformation from wide eyed and hopeful proponent of Oz to the angry and wicked witch is spectacular and she could have easily made this turn without the make up. But by far the best casting was Michelle Williams as Glinda the good witch. She is perfect to reprise the role that Billie Burke made famous without being quite so sugary. No, Williams is channeling a bit of her Marilyn Monroe from 2011’s My Week with Marilyn and turns Glinda into a real character not just a plot device to move the story along.
This Land of Oz doesn’t have musical numbers and elaborately choreographed dances but it does have Munchkins and flying monkeys (as well as baboons). Zach Braff plays the role he was born to play by voicing Finley the flying monkey whom Oz saves from a lion. But Rachel Weisz gets the short end of the stick with her remarkable but underused antagonist Evanora. When she is on screen she shines but that screen time is limited by a script that is trying to get in a lot of material. And this is where the Disney influence shines through. Taking a cue from their previous Alice in Wonderland the Land of Oz becomes a hyper colored CGI-fest that is more than a little distracting. Sam Raimi does what he does best by directing around action rather than through scenery and he helps to turn down the acid trip a little but gone are the days of the MGM spectacle and Disney isn’t in the live action musical business these days (no, I do not count High School Musical).
Oz the Great and Powerful opens the way any good MGM musical opens in 1939. Only this isn’t 1939. Nor a musical. And MGM lost the rights to The Wizard of Oz a long time ago. And in part these three elements are very evident from the beginning. I did like the retro opening credits and the way Kansas is once again depicted in black and white (although the original 1939 release did see Kansas in sepia rather than black and white). Once we get to Oz the brilliant colors come to life, sorta. This was probably the biggest discrepancy from the Oz we all grew up seeing. In 1939 Oz was a Technicolor wonderland filled with spectacle. Much of today’s Oz seems like a green screen rather than an actual place, most noticeably when Theodora and Oz are walking through a field of flowers on their way to the Emerald City. I started getting shades of The Phantom Menace with the video game like backgrounds and more than once the actor’s voices felt like overdubs rather than true line readings. Don’t get me wrong this movie is not any of the Star Wars prequels. It is a very good base for a future franchise even if it is a bit too on the nose at times. Where it does veer into “prequel” territory is the obvious references to what we already know. Oz calling the lion a coward when he saves Finley, the pause on the face of the scarecrow the villagers are making, and the reference to “John Gale” by Annie in the beginning. All of this stuff could be a wink at the audience but it feels more like Raimi saying, “Hey, look how clever I am.”
One thing I did find kind of funny and a bit intriguing was the video game feel of Oz. Not just because of the obvious 3D cues (and they are obvious if you watch this in 2D) or the unfortunately bad green screen but more because of the RPG elements of the story. Oz crashes down in the Land of Oz and immediately meets a stranger that tells him his coming was prophesied and he starts a journey to become a king but along the way has to find his allies. Once he starts on the path to destroy the Wicked Witch he takes a side mission to prove he is “magic.” Then after meeting Glinda in the Dark Forest he discovers it was all a lie and he must now sneak back into the castle with his new allies and vanquish the evil witches. And after the evil is driven out it is set up that they will one day try to stop him again. Hell, throw in an anthropomorphic animal and a beautiful woman wearing a corset and it could be the next Final Fantasy game. Oh, wait….
I don’t mean to sound like I’m complaining about this movie because I really did love it. The only thing that bothered me was the transformation Mila Kunis goes through to become the Wicked Witch of the East. The green paint and facial prosthetics just cannot make her ugly. Or maybe I’ve just always had a thing for green women (DAMN YOU, Star Trek!!). I walked away from this movie loving it and looking forward to the future. Just don’t make it a musical.
8/10
Related Reading:
Written by Brian Clevinger
Drawn by Scott Wegener
Publisher: comiXology
The Story
It’s the future year of 2010 and Dr. Atomic Robo Tesla, PhD is looking to buy an old sugar factory to open a research facility when he is suddenly attacked by a villain from his past. The evil-doer is revealed to be Tyrantula, a crazy ex-girlfriend of Robo’s who has built cybernetic legs and is trying to prove how not crazy she is. The battle ensues and Atomic Robo soon realizes he is outmatched. But that does not mean he is giving up the fight.
I love a comic that doesn’t need a lot of back story to understand. Here we get a full story that is self contained and has a satisfactory resolution. We don’t need to know where Atomic Robo came from or where he is going. Tyrantula tells us everything we need to know with her crazy evil monologues. And Robo fills in with some great one-liners about superheroes and the tropes we have come to associate with them.
8/10
The Art
I like art that has its own look. Too many times in the comic book world art either gets pushed into the background or looks generic and bland. Here Scott Wegener draws very crisp and clean lines that do not make the reader have to guess what is going on in the panel.
Speaking of panels, that brings me to the use of the comiXology app to tell this story. Each panel appears with dialogue as you click through so no more spoiling big reveals or accidentally reading the wrong panels. I really like this approach and can’t wait to see how
9/10
Overall I had a good time reading this book. If you want to read a fun and fast paced book go to comiXology and buy Atomic Robo: Two-Fisted Tales: Along Came a Tyrantula.
8.5/10
The Review
The Story 8/10
The Art 9/10
Overall (Not an Average) 8.5/10
In the last couple years several high profile video game developers have gone bankrupt and closed their doors, as well as one pretty large lawsuit between former employees of Infinity Ward and Activision. Plus there is rampant speculation about the next generation of home consoles and the growing claim that PC gaming has on the consumer market. With all of this chaos in the air how can home video gaming consoles ever survive? All you have to do is look back thirty years.
In 1983 the Atari 2600 had such a stranglehold on the video game market that there was no doubt everyone else was playing for second place. But the cracks where already starting to show. In 1980 Atari sued Activision (which was made up of former Atari employees) to stop them from developing games for their system. After Atari lost the suit a tidal wave of developers flooded the market with sub-par games. It wasn’t bad enough that the market was flooded but a few high profile properties hit the system with less than stellar results.
![01a[4]](http://cinegeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/01a4.gif)
The game E.T. is generally blamed for bringing down Atari and the whole home console market but there are other factors involved as well. Atari’s port of Pac-Man was a huge failure as well as the Swordquest franchise never reaching completion due to low sells. Add into this the over saturation of product and stiff competition from upstart consoles (Colecovision, Intellivision) and the stage was set for a bubble to burst. I remember going into the local department stores and seeing bins of 2600 games marked down to $5 and loving it. I could now buy a bunch of games for the same price one used to cost me. But most of those games were crap and ever inexpensive crap is still crap.
Probably the final nail in the coffin of this first wave of home consoles was the Commodore 64. During its lifetime the Commodore 64 sold more than twelve million units and its graphics far outpaced anything available from the “big three.” And the Commodore 64 was an easier sell to parents because it was considered a computer and could be used for educational purposes. But in the early days of home computing the gaming aspect was what sold the kids. By 1984 Atari and Intellivision had been sold and Odyssey had closed its doors. It would take Nintendo releasing the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1985 to kick start the market but even they faced a slow start in the beginning.
All of this doom and gloom back in 1983 led many to speculate that the Atari 2600 was just a fad and that video games would fade into history along with the Pet Rock and Mood Rings. But here we are thirty years later and the video game industry is just as bloated and tumultuous as it was back then. I doubt we’ll ever see the home console go away but the industry needs to look back at its own history and learn from its mistakes. But if we see games for $5 again I wouldn’t complain too much.
Related Reading:
Directed by John Hillcoat
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Guy Pierce, Gary Oldman
Gangsters and bootleggers are all the rage in Hollywood right now. But even a cool subject matter can’t make some people better actors.
The Movie
Lawless is the story of the Bondurant family and their moonshining operation. Jack (Shia LaBeouf), Howard (Jason Clarke) and Forrest (Tom Hardy) live in Franklin County, Virginia and business is good. But once special deputy Charlie Rakes (Guy Pierce) comes to town and tries to horn in on the Bondurant’s business things quickly go to hell. All of this culminates in a bloody shootout on a bridge that is a matter of the historical record.
Where to begin with this one? First off, Tom Hardy and Guy Pierce are magnificent in this movie, as is Gary Oldman (who is grossly under used). The problem comes in with Shai LaBeouf. Maybe it is being from the south that I have a tendency to judge other people’s interpretations for our speech patterns more harshly. Or it could be that LaBeouf is just not a very good actor and his hackneyed southern accent is cringe worthy. If he had a lesser role in this movie it might not be so bad but his character of Jack is the focus of this film and the longer he is on screen the more holes appear in his performance; which brings me to the next problem.
This movie is based on the novel The Wettest County in the World which is written from historical fact but for this movie the story follows the wrong brother. Forrest is the most compelling and interesting character on screen at any given time and Tom Hardy delivers yet another memorable performance. As does Jason Clarke in the role of Howard and he gets the least amount of screen time. If this movie had been written from either of these character’s perspective there might not have been as many wasted scenes or pacing issues. And Lawless has a lot of both. Anything that is lighthearted or slightly whimsical just falls flat. A good editor was needed as this movie is one hundred and sixteen minutes long but I swear I sat here for three hours waiting for it to end.
Also seemly wedged in are a couple of love stories. The outlaw with the heart of gold is a highly over used movie trope and one I would personally like to see die in a hail of gunfire. The best parts of this movie have nothing to do with showing a sensitive side to Forrest. When he is all business everything clicks. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Jessica Chastain and Mia Wasikowska. At times I felt sorry for both ladies because they were doing the best they could with absolutely nothing given to them. Chastain is especially misused as she deserved more than to just be shoved into the background as “love interest number one.” And as if Shia LaBeouf wasn’t outshined enough, the scenes with him and Mia Wasikowska highlight just how bad he is when paired with a real actor. He really should stick to Michael Bay movies.
5/10
The Video
Presented in Widescreen 2.35:1
The video is pretty good for the most part but there are several scenes that are exceptionally dark and it is hard to see what is happening.
7/10
The Audio
Blu-Ray: 5.1 DTSHD-MA
DVD: Dolby Digital 5.1
I have to say that I was disappointed with the audio. There are several scenes where the audio mix is really low and it is hard to understand what is being said. I expect more from a blu-ray presentation.
5/10
The Packaging and Bonus Features
This is a blu-ray+dvd+digital copy combo pack in a standard clamshell case. But the special features are plentiful if not unwarranted at times. Of course there is an audio commentary and deleted scenes as is usual with the vast majority of releases these days as well as behind the scenes featurettes. The True Story of the Wettest County in the World, Franklin County, VA: Then and Now and The Story of the Bondurant Family could have easily been combined into one feature and the Willie Nelson music video for “Midnight Run” could have been left off completely. For having so much these special features deliver very little.
5/10
I was hoping for more from this movie but despite great actors giving great performances the bad pacing and miscast lead drag Lawless down into a bottomless quagmire of mediocrity.
Overall (Not an Average) 5/10
The Review
The Movie 5/10
The Video 5/10
The Audio 5/10
The Packaging and Bonus Features 5/10
Overall (Not an Average) 5/10
Related Reading:
![The Wettest County in the World: A Novel Based on a True Story by Bondurant, Matt Reprint Edition [Paperback(2009)]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51W%2BkI%2Bx0NL._SL75_.jpg "The Wettest County in the World: A Novel Based on a True Story by Bondurant, Matt Reprint Edition [Paperback(2009)]")
Written by John Kenneth Muir
Published by Applause Theatre Camp; Cinema Books
I remember reading An Askew View back in 2002 and loving the insight shown through the interviews with Kevin Smith’s friends and family. The big thing I remember about that book was the early information on Smith’s forthcoming movie Jersey Girl. A lot has changed since then.
The Book
It’s been ten years, time to look at the second half of Kevin Smith’s film work. And what a mixed bag of work that is. The PR and production problems on Cop Out have been well documented and the box office failure of Jersey Girl and Zack and Miri Make a Porno nearly sent Smith into early retirement. In An Askew View 2 we learn how Smith climbed his way out of the doldrums and created the masterful Clerks II and went on to create the underrated Red State.
Actually, I would be remiss to not mention everything before Jersey Girl. As a fan of Kevin Smith’s work I sometimes forget that there are people out there who do not know about his rise to fame in the mid-90’s by self-financing the movie Clerks. That story is a well known tale in Hollywood and one many a would-be filmmaker tried to immolate. Where An Askew View 2 stands out is in its telling of the View Askewniverse through a third party lens rather than through Kevin Smith’s nostalgic and in-joke heavy SModcastian lore this is his story as told by his friends and family as well as cast members and critics. It is all pieced together with love and respect and if you have never heard the story behind Kevin Smith’s movies this is a good place to start.
If there is a slight on An Askew View 2 it’s that Muir seems to be in love with the subject matter. And that isn’t such a bad thing. Why write about a subject that you care very little for? But still there are a few obvious omissions about Cop Out and the friction with Bruce Willis on set. Granted a quick Google search will give you all the anecdotes associated with that production and this book isn’t about the interpersonal relations on a movie set. It is about the inner workings of the man Kevin Smith.
Now I know that Kevin Smith is a polarizing character. Gen Xers like myself like his crude humor and sense of geek where-with-all but a lot of hardcore film fans think he is a hack director who keeps “going back to the well” of Jay and Silent Bob. Whether you love him or hate him Kevin Smith is a true Hollywood survivor and his body of work stands as a testament to the indie film boom of the 90’s. An Askew View 2 is a nice piece of reference material for both the Kevin Smith fan as well as the casual observer.
8/10
Written by Joss Whedon and Andrew Chambliss
Drawn by Georges Jeanty and Karl Moline
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
So Angel was possessed and became “Twilight” and he and Buffy sexed a new universe into existence. In the process they almost destroyed this universe but not before Buffy destroyed the Seed and in turn destroyed all the magic in the world. Oh, and Angel killed Giles. How could Season 9 top all that?
The Story
In Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight things got a little wonky, especially toward the end. My biggest complaint was the scope of the story. Every over arching story in Buffy has had end of the world connotations but once Joss Whedon took his story to the comics and didn’t have budget constraints he decided to truly go global. It took up until the last story arc to rein everything back in and focus on the villain at hand. In the end we saw something that we thought we’d never see and were left with questions about the future of the franchise.
Now we are in Season Nine and the world has changed quite a bit. Angel and Faith are off fighting the good fight in their own monthly book and Buffy and Co. are trying to be normal humans. But can a slayer really settle down and live a normal life? Because Buffy destroyed the Seed and all magic in the world the consequences are far reaching. The boundaries between dimensions are closed and the army of slayers do not have a direction any longer. One in particular hates Buffy wants her dead. Add on top of that the new “zompires” running around and a police detective who is looking for Buffy so she can answer some questions about a rash of murders and Season Nine is off and running.
Because of these new developments the Scoobies are worried about Buffy. But when Andrew is tasked with keeping Buffy safe he makes a typical Andrew blunder and turns Buffy into a robot. Not the run of the mill Buffybot we have seen before but a robot with Buffy’s consciousness inside. His work is so good that Buffy doesn’t know she’s a robot until she loses an arm in battle. But will finding her “true self” lead to happiness or make her wish for more?
In the process Willow has broken up with Kennedy and stolen the slayer scythe to try and bring magic back to the world, Xander and Dawn are starting to have grown up problems and Spike, well Spike is still hanging out with the bugs. After all this Buffy decides to join Kennedy’s slayer bodyguard group but soon finds she is dealing with Angel’s old foes Wolfram and Hart.
One of the things I really like about this “season” is that it is split between two books, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine and Angel & Faith. Although they are not directly linked the two books do see some crossover with Willow going to England to find Angel and the Wolfram & Hart link in Buffy. This time things feel more like a cohesive story and more centralized to the towns they encompass. This book is about half way through its run and everything is hitting fever pitch just like the best seasons of the television series. I cannot wait to read both these titles every month and I have my fingers crossed that the end result will be great. Joss has not let me down so far.
8/10
The Art
Usually the great thing about comic book art is that no matter how established the character the artist can still take their own license in depicting the character. It becomes a little tricky when the characters are based on real people that are well known to the fan base. If the fans cannot recognize their beloved characters and the actors who portray them then that can pull readers out of the story. Luckily for us Jeanty and Moline’s depictions are easily recognizable. And Jeanty’s cover artwork is gorgeous.
8/10
I love this book. It feels like Buffy and it reads like Buffy. Hopefully this “season” will stay on track and delivery another satisfying and forward moving finale.
Overall (Not an Average) 8/10
The Review
The Story 8/10
The Art 8/10
Overall (Not an Average) 8/10
Written and Directed by: John Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg
Starring: Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Seann William Scott, Eugene Levy
At some point in a movie franchise everything goes sideways and the law of diminishing returns kicks in. Fortunately for American Reunion that didn’t happen.
The Movie
I love the American Pie movies. Well, at least the theatrical movies. Those straight to dvd “sequels” are crap and the producers of American Reunion apparently agree. The last time we saw Jim (Jason Biggs) and Michelle (Alyson Hannigan) they were getting married, fast forward nine years and they have a house and a kid and not enough time to spend with each other. After receiving an invitation to their high school reunion (it’s been more than ten years since they graduated but the script takes care of this plot point with ease) they decide that this weekend will be just what their marriage needs. Of course going back to East Great Falls means seeing the old gang and more awkward but touching moments with Jim’s dad (Eugene Levy), all the stuff we like to see in the American Pie movies.
We learn that life has been a mixed bag for everyone. Oz is a successful sports caster who had a memorable appearance on a “Dancing With the Stars” type show. Kevin is married and a work from home husband while Finch is a world traveler. Then there’s Stifler and things are not going well for him. So naturally he tries to re-live some of those high school good times with his best buds while they’re in town. And hilarity ensues.
The thing about the American Pie movies is that they have a heart. Sure started out being billed as teen sex comedies then just as “gross out” films. But in the end they always come down to friendship and the ties that bind. In this movie we find out that Jim’s mom passed away a few years ago and his dad has had a hard time coping with being single again. Jim wants his dad to be happy and not be alone. The relationship between Jim and his dad (Eugene Levy) has always been the glue that holds these movies together. No matter how awkward the situation or how embarrassing the gaff Jim’s dad has been there for Jim with life advice even if Jim didn’t want it.
At the reunion we also catch up with the other members of the Class of ’99 including Nadia, Jessica and the Milf Guys. It’s fun to see how everyone has changed in the last thirteen years and it’s also fun to see how many actors broke out of the original American Pie. I thoroughly loved this movie and I think that any fan of the original would find American Reunion a pleasant watch.
8/10
The Video and Audio
This is a blu-ray + dvd combo pack. The blu-ray is presented in 1080p HD widescreen in a 1.85.:1 video aspect ratio and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, DVS 2.0. The dvd is presented in Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 and Dolby Digital 5.1. Everything looks and sounds great on blu-ray. As far as the dvd, it’s hard to go back once high definition has entered your life.
7/10
The Packaging and Special Features
Unless you get an ultra special edition of a blu-ray release the packaging is pretty standard with the requisite transparent blue clam shell case and American Reunion is no different. Now, as far as the special features go this thing is packed. Of course the usual commentary tracks, deleted scenes and gag reels are included but we also get extended scenes and alternate takes as well as behind the scene featurettes. The blu-ray has some exclusives like The Best of Biggs: Hanging’ with Jason Biggs and Dancing With The Oz. I’m not a big fan of having exclusive content for a single format but I have to give credit here for giving a lot of content on both releases.
8/10
This is a great way to end this franchise (please, let this be the end!!). Revisiting old friends is always tricky in the film world but the writers gave us a perfect bookend for the East Great Falls class of ’99.
Overall (Not an Average) 8/10
The Review
The Movie 8/10
The Video and Audio 7/10
The Packaging and Special Feature 8/10
Overall (Not an Average) 8/10
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy
All good things must come to an end. And what a hell of a way to go out!
The Movie
In 1989 the world was in for a revolution of cinema. Tim Burton’s Batman changed the way Hollywood would approach the superhero movie (and ultimately cartoons as well) forever. Prior to Batman these movies were not taken seriously and were thought of as “kiddie” or campy; especially Batman. Most people’s idea of Batman came from the 1960’s television series starring Adam West with all its BANGs and POWs and generally corny tone. But Tim Burton changed all that. Gone were the bright colors and cheesy dialogue. This Gotham City was dark and brutal. Organized crime ran the town and one especially sinister gangster rose to the top with a disfigured face and a clown’s eye for fashion. Sure, the movie has its faults (namely Burton’s penchant for style over substance) but this new take on Batman was a game changer for sure. But would it last?
Over the next decade we would get three more live action Batman movies of varying quality and one excellent animated movie. As a bonus Batman: The Animated Series would change the tone of cartoons and prove that cartoons are not just for kids. While this animated Batman thrived the live action movies declined in quality once (and it pains me to say this) Tim Burton left the directing chair. With 1997’s Batman & Robin Joel Shumacher and George Clooney effectively put a stake through the Batman’s heart, seemingly killing any hope for future movies. But then Christopher Nolan stepped in and gave Batman a gritty reboot in 2005. And the rest is history.
I know this is sounding less like a review and more like a Retro Active article but just simply reviewing The Dark Knight Rises without looking at how far the character as well as the attitude surrounding him has come since Adam West cornballed his way through Gotham in the 60’s would really sell this movie short. Christopher Nolan has made a set of movies that perfectly reflect the Gotham City and Batman that so many of us have known from the comics since Frank Miller gave us The Dark Knight Returns. Other than Batman: The Animated Series we had not gotten anything close to that vision of Batman until Batman Begins hit theaters. Not only did Nolan change the attitude toward Batman he changed Batman’s attitude. Batman stopped being about gadgets and over the top villains and started being a detective like he was in the comics. By the time The Dark Knight was released in 2008 the world recognized that Batman wasn’t just a superhero, he was an institution. A tonal shift from Batman Begins being wholly focused on Batman to the circumstances of why Gotham needs Batman in The Dark Knight can draw comparison to the differences between Star Wars’ story of a young man finding his destiny and The Empire Strikes Back’s story of “why we fight.” Luckily The Dark Knight Rises is not Return of the Jedi.
In watching The Dark Knight Rises I realized that I needed to go back and re-watch Batman Begins. So many plot points are revisited from the first movie in this trilogy (and make no mistake, this IS a trilogy) that it is almost mandatory watching beforehand. However, the average person off the street can follow this movie without having seen the first two movies. Nolan does an excellent job of giving us a recap of events without making it feel forced. The introduction of Bane (Tom Hardy) and Catwoman (Anne Hathaway) is very organic and they both feel like a part of this world, especially Catwoman. Anne Hathaway was the perfect choice for this role and at several points she really shows some acting chops. Her Selina Kyle wants to leave the world of crime behind but can’t because of her record. So she winds up an unwitting pawn in Bane’s ultimate plan in order to gain a clean slate. This anti-hero of sorts really has a heart of gold underneath the leather exterior. And once she dons the leather outfit (complete with “ears”) she is very reminiscent of Lee Meriweather in both her look and demeanor. She is the perfect romantic foil for both Bruce Wayne and Batman.
In contrast is Bane. He is death incarnate. He is a force of nature and he has it in for the bat. Granted some liberties have been taken from the comic book version of this character but so much of it is right that I didn’t care about the Venom or the design of his mask. Oh, and we get to see a very iconic moment in Batman’s history actually play out on screen. There is also a third villain that makes an appearance but I will not spoil that excellent plot twist. His voice is a bit hard to understand at times but all in all the audio track is fine.
But the break out character in The Dark Knight Rises is Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s John Blake. He is a Gotham police officer who not only believes in Gotham but also in Batman. We also learn that he is an orphan and was raised in a group home funded by Wayne Enterprises. To tell you anymore would get into spoiler territory but once again Gordon-Levitt shines. Who knew that Tommy from Third Rock From The Sun would grow up to be such a good actor?
I would be remiss if I did not talk about Hans Zimmer’s excellent score. As I write this piece I am listening to the soundtrack and just like the in the movie theater it feels epic here in my office. Zimmer has taken his place in cinema next to Danny Elfman and John Williams as a master in his craft. I highly recommend getting this soundtrack.
If there is one gripe about this movie it is that Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine do not play as prominent roles in this movie as they have in the last two. But the screen time they do have is pitch perfect. Speaking of screen time, one of the big gripes from The Dark Knight was that it wasn’t a “Batman” movie since it elected to spend more time developing Harvey Dent, Jim Gordon and The Joker than showing Batman kicking ass. And The Dark Knight Rises does feature more Bruce Wayne than Batman but this is necessary for the movie to develop properly. Batman has been gone for eight years. He can’t just show up out of nowhere and resume business as usual. We have to know why Bruce Wayne became a recluse and how he has deteriorated in that time period. We have to know what would bring a wanted “murderer” out of hiding after such a long time. But most importantly Batman is best used sparingly. If the cape and cowl have too much screen time it just starts to look silly, no matter how realistic the tone.
And finally, as we say goodbye to the best Batman since Kevin Conway I have to say this, The Dark Knight Rises ends in the only way it can. Much will be said and written about the finale of this movie over the next few years but in my opinion it is very reminiscent of the series finale of Angel and that will leave a lot of fans asking for more. But be careful what you wish for. It is inevitable that we will see new Batman movies, especially now that DC and Warner Brothers have decided to build a movie world the way Disney and Marvel Studios has. This movie is worthy of Oscar consideration and it will be a travesty if at the very least Christopher Nolan does not win for Best Director. The Dark Knight Rises is a masterpiece and my wife bestowed upon it the highest praise when during the credit she looked at me and said, “I want to watch it again.” My thoughts exactly.
10/10
Created by: Hasbro and DiC Enterprises
Starring: Gary Chalk, Kevin Conway, Don Brown
G.I Joe is the codename for America’s…whoa, whoa, whoa. This is not the G.I. Joe I remember. At least not completely.
The Season
Back in 1983 I found a new obsession with the release of the three and three quarter inch G.I. Joe toys but that obsession shot into the atmosphere when the mini-series G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. After that week of television I had to own everything that was G.I. Joe and Cobra. I would rush to get home from school in the afternoons so I could watch the latest episodes. Hell, even the re-runs were a joy to re-watch. And I stuck with the Joes on into my teenaged years (maybe even further into my teens than I should have). But sooner or later it had to end and it did. It wasn’t from lack of love but more from a lack of liking the direction G.I. Joe had gone in.
G.I. Joe: Series 2 was the cartoon that was supposed to bring G.I. Joe to a new audience; an audience that liked things “extreme” and “outrageous.” New characters were created and old ones were given new uniforms with bright colors and too many pouches. Also there were new subcategories created such as the Ninja Force and Eco Warriors. These new and improved toys drove the creation of a new cartoon series in 1990. And don’t fool yourself, from the very beginning these cartoons were designed to sell toys.
In Series 2 we are introduced to new Joes like Grid Iron, Bulletproof and Sub Zero as well as some new Cobra operatives like Metal Head, Cesspool and Overkill. A few of the old characters are still around like Scarlet, Flint, Lady Jaye and Snake Eyes (in a black and silver uniform with a sash and hood) along with Cobra Commander (in battle armor) and Destro but this cartoon is all about the new characters. And what a tangled mess these new characters represent. G.I. Joe was never about character development or complicated plots but this series takes the cake. And it all culminates with the episode “The Legend of Metal Head.”
In both series the Cobra operatives were largely made out as bumbling idiots, especially the Dreadnaughts. But Metal Head is the king of the bumbling idiots. “The Legend of Metal Head” is told in flashback as narrated by Metal Head himself. The episode is fully animated but with the strange choice to barely have the other characters speak their own dialogue but rather to have Metal Head tell what each character said. By season 2 of the series budget cuts had forced the production value to plummet greatly so this probably explains the choice. Still, it is odd to watch and really tough to understand at times as the disjointed storytelling makes it hard to follow.
One of the other big changes in this series is the title song. The familiar song from the original series has been replaced by an unappealing and at times screeching new title track. Like I said in the intro, this is not the G.I. Joe I remember. Much like Transformers: Beast Wars is a far cry from the original series G.I. Joe Series 2 does not live up to its previous incarnation. It’s a shame to see such a great series die a terribly sad death.
2/10
The Video and Audio
The audio and video for this release is lacking. REALLY lacking. The video is presented in fullframe 1.33:1 and the audio is in “original mono.” MONO! It looks pretty bad without any kind of re-mastering and the audio sounds terrible. I mean the voice acting sounds like bad overdubs, like it was just dropped in over the animation without trying to make it sound organic or part of the reel.
2/10
The Packaging and Special Features
Shout Factory is not known for adding a great deal of bonus features to their releases. And with this release they barely gave us anything, only a featurette about nine minutes long with a couple interviews with the Hasbro toy team. We really do not learn anything about how or why these characters were created other than it was “outrageous” that some of the figures had bright colors and riot shields. It isn’t worth watching.
1/10
I know that sometimes the things we loved as children just don’t hold up over time but this is piss poor. True, it isn’t the G.I. Joe I remember but it is an offshoot and the death knell of a once great property.
Overall (Not an Average) 2/10
The Review
The Season 2/10
The Video and Audio 2/10
The Packaging and Special Feature 1/10
Overall (Not an Average) 2/10
In June 1986 my dad owed me some money. I was twelve years old and five months earlier, for my birthday, I had received a substantial amount of money for my age, $300.00. My Dad had borrowed said money for bills and I had never let him forget that I was owed that money. Finally, after school had let out for the summer I had been granted the right to spend said money. Initially I wanted the cash but as the months wore on something else had captured my eye. There was this strange new gaming console that had piqued my interest a few months back. Its name: the Nintendo Entertainment System.
I can still remember the commercials: Two kids sitting in a living room (one of them would later play Scott, the kid who was friends with David Silver until David got cool new friends, on Beverly Hills, 90210) playing various Nintendo games until the sheer power of the NES blasts their suburban home into space. To further emphasize their point the voice over simultaneously announced “Now You’re Playing With Power!” as the slogan flashed across the screen. I HAD TO HAVE ONE!!!
For months I had been obsessing. I needed this new gaming system! My old Atari 2600 was still kind of cool but this new Nintendo system blew that old seventies hold over away. The future was here and its name was NINTENDO!
On a Friday evening in June, 1986 my Dad had to play a make-up softball game due to a rain out. I was still too young to play in the league but was anxious to get started. Still, that night was strange. During batting practice Dad was pitching to our own team and caught a line drive in the forearm. I, being only twelve years old, was less concerned with his condition and more concerned with my video game. I had been promised we would go to Target after the game and purchase my new obsession. I was concerned with Dad’s well being but I HAD to have my new game. Tomorrow was just too far away!
To Dad’s credit he played the entire game and led our team to a victory with a fractured forearm. And, to my eternal gratitude, he passed on the hospital opting for a minor emergency clinic instead. We were there about an hour when they finally told him he had a hairline fracture and a cast would not be necessary. I was glad he wasn’t injured but I had bigger plans for that night. Target was still open and I had a destiny! Luckily the clinic was just down the road from Target and there was still about forty-five minutes before they closed. To me time was running out!
Once there I went straight for the electronics department. I knew where Nintendo lived and I was not about to let it slip through my hands. I rounded the corner, ran full force and stopped dead in my tracks in front of the end cap that housed my destiny. Dad followed slowly behind and eventually found me jumping up and down in place. He lifted the console bundle off the shelf and into the basket. I was set, the bundle included Super Mario Bros., a light gun and two controllers. That’s all I needed! The system was on sale for $149.99 and I figured I would pocket the rest of the money for later. But a monkey wrench was thrown in my plan.
Dad asked me if I wanted any other games. I was not prepared for this. Suddenly a strange euphoria came over my twelve-year-old person. I had more money to spend. This was a development that I could not control. I had to spend more money! And I did. Hogan’s Alley, Pro Wrestling, Gumshoe, Duck Hunt and Excitebike all came home with me that night. Being still young enough to have a bedtime, even during summer months, I only had time to hook-up my new vice and play Super Mario Bros. for about a couple hours.
All night I dreamt of my new acquisition in wanton lust. This was the future of gaming and I had one. I had the power to master all things digital! I would be the best there was at every game put in my path! Saturday morning rolled around and I arose early to face my new temptress. I played every game I bought the night before. I played and played and played until my Dad came into my bedroom with an angry look on his face.
“Do you have any idea what time it is?” he asked with a face of stone. “I don’t know, 10 o’clock?” I replied. “It’s 2:30 in the afternoon,” he said. “Now turn that thing off and come eat some lunch.” I could not believe that I had lost almost 7 hours of the day to video games. I was in heaven but my parents didn’t see it that way. Strict regulations befell my video game playing from there on out.
Over the next few years a lot of video games passed threw my NES. Ghosts n Goblins, Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros. 3, Dragon Warrior, Final Fantasy, Golf, Legend of Zelda, Mike Tyson’s Punch Out, Top Gun, and Double Dribble just to name a few. I lost countless hours and several summers to the Nintendo. I entered a local competition when I was sixteen at a video rental store. The game was Ninja Gaiden. I had only played Ninja Gaiden 2 but still ranked in the top five. That same summer I went to Bush Gardens with my family and happened upon an Excitebike competition. I placed third.
Because of Nintendo I went to the theater and saw the movie The Wizard with Fred Savage and Jenny Lewis just because it was going to preview Super Mario Bros. 3. If you’ve seen that movie you know my shame. Yes, I owned the Power Glove. No, I never learned to use it and if you owned one you probably never learned to use it either. As the years went by other gaming systems came along and on a fateful late spring day in 1993 I discovered a new video game system I couldn’t live without. I sold my Nintendo the next day and bought a Sega Genesis. But that’s a Retro Active for another day….
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Directed By: Anthony Hemingway
Starring: Terrance Howard, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Nate Parker
History remembers the Tuskegee Airmen but George Lucas wants us to know about the Red Tails.
The Movie
During World War II the United States government decided to let African-American pilots fly fighter missions on a very limited basis. But somewhere along the way they overcame racism and ill-conceived notions about their intelligence and became a formidable force in the fight against the Nazis. Unfortunately the producer (one Mr. George Lucas) and director didn’t bother to tell the badass story of these brave men but instead chose to focus on tired old movie tropes and underdeveloped characters. They really missed the point.
Capt. Marty “Easy” Julian (Nate Parker) is a restrained, almost repressed pilot who has a drinking problem while Joe “Lightning” Little (David Oyelowo) is a talented but difficult flyer. The new kid Ray “Junior” Gannon (Tristan Wilds) comes on right as the U.S. military is finally ready to let the “Red Tails” fly escort missions for U.S. bomber groups. The casting is pretty good but none of this really matters as the character development is none existent. It seems that labels like “alcoholic”, “doesn’t follow orders” or “new guy” is all that we are told about these characters. And even those labels aren’t adhered to as the movie progresses. We never see Easy drunk. All we get is a couple scenes of him taking a drink and Lightning lecturing him about his “problem.” There is also a love story of sorts that feels really forced into the script but it ultimately doesn’t matter because the character involved has “flying dead” stamped on him since the beginning. Once again, no development.
The best casting and acting in the movie is Gerald McRaney as Lieutenant General Lutz; the man who finally gives the Red Tails there shot at real combat as well as shiny new planes. But the two biggest names in the movie (Terrance Howard and Cuba Gooding, Jr.) are merely in supporting roles and are greatly under used.
The thing to remember here is that this film takes place in 1944, America was a very different place and race relations were terrible. Yes there are a few scenes depicting racism and the n-word does pop up once but for the most part it seems that this point is glossed over and great pains are taken to show white pilots overcoming their natural tendencies. I’m not saying I want to see a movie where the n-word is used constantly but a little more realism to the timeframe would go a long way to help this movie.
It’s not all bad though. The dogfight scenes are pretty spectacular and on more than one occasion I found myself cheering out loud. I really wanted to like Red Tails both as a good war movie and as a story of overcoming prejudice but it failed to deliver. From all reports Red Tails was caught in development hell (much like this article) and suffered because of it. Lucas tried to put a little Raiders of the Lost Ark into this movie but really all we got was Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. If you want to see a really good movie based on this same subject matter watch The Tuskegee Airmen which happens to also star Cuba Gooding, Jr.
4/10
The Video and Audio
The film is presented in widescreen but there is no ratio aspect given. Neither was any information given on the audio specs.
The Packaging and Bonus Features
I received a promotional copy of the movie that did not have any of the special features.
Overall (Not an Average) 4/10
The Review
The Movie 4/10
Overall (Not an Average) 4/10
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Directed: by Jon Knautz
Starring: Aaron Ashmore, Cindy Sampson, Trevor Matthews
I really wish someone (not named Joss Whedon) would write a good horror movie.
The Movie
The Shrine tells the story of newspaper reporter Carmen (Cindy Sampson). She stumbles across a case where a local backpacker has gone missing in Europe and wants to pursue the lead. So along with her assistant Sara (Meghan Heffern) and her photographer boyfriend Marcus (Aaron Ashmore) she sets off for Poland on an unapproved trip to find the truth. Once there they find a small rustic town with a mysterious fog hanging over a certain part of the forest. Then for the next hour the writer and director rips off The Exorcist, The Village, The Gate, Evil Dead and too many other movies to name here.
There are so many problems with this movie I just don’t know where to start. First off, when they get to the town almost no one speaks English but we never get subtitles for what is being said. In and of itself this isn’t a problem but late in the movie there is a good chunk of the dialogue that is in Polish (I’m assuming) and it is a bit hard to figure out what is going on. Also there is a scene when the three leads walk into the forest and find the fog. The two females both walk into the fog and reemerge with stunned looks. It is eventually revealed that they both saw the same statue and we are to assume that just the sight of this statue leaves them speechless. May be, however both actresses play this as flat as a pancake and their blank stares do not reflect awe as much as dead behind the eyes. The only thing worse is the explanation for the fog covered shrine, “It’s our curse.” The end.
I used to love horror movies. When I was a kid there were plenty of low budget horror movies that held my fascination. Then everyone decided they could write one and many, many small studios popped up allowing said movies to be made. And I’m glad that the technology is available and affordable so that some real innovation can happen outside of the studio system but that also lends to a lot of would be Wes Cravens trying to film their “vision.” Most of these movies are poorly written and acted but somehow they got distribution.
The Shrine falls into this category. But unlike the B-movies from the past this movie just doesn’t have any of the true horror or any other emotion to drive it along. Too often it relies on gore or thread bare horror movie clichés as substitutes for real horror. The Shrine is not alone in this as most of today’s movies depend on the audience to have a memory cache of horror movie tropes already implanted in their minds so that the “homage” or callback to an older movie will justify lazy writing (they didn’t even give the three leads last names). Don’t get me wrong, there are some good horror movies being made these days but by in large most of them fall well short of the mark. The Shrine is no exception.
3/10
The Video
16:9 aspect ratio and standard definition is so so. I’ve seen far worse but in these days of blu-ray and HD televisions watching a standard definition disc is like trying to listen to an old cassette copy of Led Zeppelin IV after the onset of CD.
5/10
The Audio
The Dolby Digital stereo leave a lot to be desired. The sound mixing is low and sometimes the dialogue is almost impossible to understand.
2/10
The Packaging and Special Features
This is really a bare bones release, standard clamshell packaging and no real special features. Commentary, Behind-the scenes footage and the original theatrical trailer are all that is offered here. And none of these are worth the time to view.
2/10
I really do long for some original ideas in the horror genre. If you want to see a fresh take go see Cabin in the Woods. If you want to see a stale, under acted movie that was shelved for two years watch The Shrine. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Overall (Not an Average) 3/10
The Review
The Movie 3/10
The Video 4/10
The Audio 2/10
The Packaging and Special Features 2/10
Overall (Not an Average) 3/10
Directed by Ed Bianchi
Starring: Mireille Enos, Joel Kinnaman, Billy Campbell
I don’t need another television series that is a must see! But it looks like I have a new one….
The Series
The Killing is a bleak little show in the vein of Twin Peaks and Millennium. After the murder of Rosie Larson (Katie Findlay) police detective Sarah Linden (Mireille Enos) is put on the case. But this is Linden’s last day on the force as she is leaving Seattle to get married and start over in California. As the details to the murder start to unravel she is torn between joining her fiancé and solving the case. While investigating along with her replacement on the force Stephen Holder (Joel Kinneman) the case takes a turn for the political when Rosie’s body turns up in the trunk of a car leased to the campaign of mayoral candidate Darren Richmond (Billy Campbell).
I compared The Killing to Twin Peaks and Millennium but of course there are differences. Laura Palmer’s murder took a turn through the supernatural which The Killing stays away from. And whereas Frank Black had a new case every week here we are focused on Rosie’s murder alone and the apparent far reaching implications it may have. Another comparison to Millennium is the setting. Both are set in Seattle and the overcast atmosphere is a character in and of itself.
I also have to mention the excellent portrayals of Rosie’s parents by Brent Sexton and Michelle Forbes. The turmoil and torment that these characters go through during the investigation is heartbreaking to say the least. So many times actors go for the heartstrings in these types of roles where here both Sexton and Forbes play an understated agony that is never over the top but controlled and devastating to watch. I could feel the pain of their loss on every inch of their faces and in every small task they perform to try and get back to some kind of normal while waiting to find out what happened to their little girl.
The Killing is another hit for AMC and they have been on a roll for awhile now. With Mad Men, The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad and now The Killing AMC has cemented its place at the top of television drama.
9/10
The Video
1080p Widescreen with an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The video is pretty flawless here. With such a rainy and overcast feel to the show it wouldn’t take much for the video to look grainy and the darker lit scenes to wash out. But the transfer here is excellent.
9/10
The Audio
DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. The musical score really pops in DTS. As does the dialogue and the simple ambient background noise. A higher end audio system would really sound amazing.
7/10
The Packaging and Special Features
The packaging on most of these sets is pretty standard these days. A simple clamshell case in transparent blue is the norm and here is no exception. But do we really need anything fancy? I think not.
The special features are a bit weak. There is a gag real, deleted scenes, commentaries and a featurette called “An Autopsy of The Killing.” Also included is an extended version of the season finale. I didn’t find that any of this added to what I had already watched but for the completist these might make nice supplementary material.
5/10
The Killing has enough political intrigue, heartbreak and mesmerizing characters to make anyone sit up and take notice. Now that the second season is in full swing I’m going to have to catch up and make space in my already full television watching schedule. AMC has hit another one out of the park.
Overall (Not an Average) 8/10
The Review
The Movie 9/10
The Video 9/10
The Audio 7/10
The Packaging and Special Features 5/10
Overall (Not an Average) 8/10
