Archives for November, 2009
Directed by Pete Docter and Bob Peterson
Featuring Voices by Ed Asner, Bob Peterson, Delroy Lindo, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai
When I saw this Blu Ray reach my doorstep, I couldn’t wait to give it a spin. I loved it when I saw it in the theater, but would I love it as much the second time around? Up is now available on Blu Ray from Disney/Pixar.
The Movie
The film opens as we are introduced to a young Carl Fredricksen, a shy and quiet young boy, meeting an energetic and outgoing tomboy named Ellie The soon discover that they share the same interest in exploration as their hero, the famed explorer Charles F. Muntz (Christopher Plummer).
Ellie expresses her desire to move her clubhouse to Paradise Falls in South America, a promise she makes Carl keep. Carl (Ed Asner) and Ellie fall in love, wed and grow old together in the old house where they first met while Carl makes a living as a toy balloon vendor and Ellie works as a zookeeper. …continue reading
![Super 8 (Single-Disc Blu-ray Edition) [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51JFt1LlPoL._SL75_.jpg "Super 8 (Single-Disc Blu-ray Edition) [Blu-ray]")
![Band Of Brothers [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31Wb5TwvL1L._SL75_.jpg "Band Of Brothers [Blu-ray]")
Directed By Kevin Smith
Starring Brian O’Halloran, Jason Mews, Kevin Smith, Joey Lauren Adams, Ben Affleck, Shannon Elizabeth, Eliza Dushku
Kevin Smith has become as important in the pop culture history books as all of his movies all together. I have to admit I actually appreciate him and his commentary on the world in general more than his films. His A Night with Kevin Smith is one of the most entertaining DVD’s in my collection and his podcast titled Smodcast is one of my favorites. So I’m an unabashed Smith fan even if I haven’t always cared for his films. What’s so fantastic about this collection is that if you’re a fan of his career then these three films are a strong representation of his evolution as a filmmaker and if you’re like me and are more of just a Smith fan then all of the bonus features on these discs will satisfy too. I was curious to sit down with these films and see how they’ve held up since they were first released. Will I like them better this go around?
The Movie(s)
Clerks
Clerks was Smith’s first feature film and it was an unabashed success, at least in terms of an indie film. This little black and white film was simply about a couple of guys that work in adjoining shops, a Quickstop market and a video rental store. The majority of the film is focused on these two guys hanging out in the market commenting on pop culture subjects that are obviously close to Smith’s heart such as Star wars. Smith even put himself in the film as “Silent Bob” a character that hung out on the sidewalk with his stoner buddy Jay. Jay, played by Jason Mews was a standout in the film stealing virtually every scene he was in. …continue reading
Directed By: David Mackenzie
Starring: Ashton Kutcher, Anne Heche, Margarita Levieva
Apparently this movie was originally called American Playboy which draws a comparison to the superb American Gigolo. This is no American Gigolo.
The Movie
Usually I can write these reviews with no problems. It’s easy really I just watch the movie and write how I feel about it. But Spread has me baffled. After I watched the movie I had no idea how I felt about the film so I sat on it for a couple days. I thought about the story (which isn’t very good), the acting (that’s marginal at best) and the nudity (oh, there’s a lot) but none of it gave me anything to write about. …continue reading
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (26.5MB) | Embed
There’s five of us this week as Tom joins us again to talk “unfriend” in the dictionary, Thor casting, the budget for James Cameron’s Avatar film and much more!
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Directed By J.J. Abrams
Starring Chris Pine, Zachery Quinto, Simon Pegg, Carl Urban, Eric Bana
I’m an unabashed Trek fan, so much so that I actually like Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan more than the Star Wars films. With that said Empire Strikes Back is better than the rest of the Trek films. I wouldn’t consider myself a “rivet counter” of the Trek series though. For example it makes no difference to me whether a new movie brings Checkov on the bridge at the same time as Sulu or if he comes along later like in the original series. The only reason I know that’s the case is because I have a friend who follows the mythology of the series to the finest detail.
I do however believe that there are certain parts of the Trek universe that are required to create a Trek film. There’s of course a look to the ships and uniforms, but even more important there are thematic elements and philosophy that make Trek what it is and not a Star Wars film. …continue reading
Written by Zack Whedon
Art by Joëlle Jones
Can Dr. Horrible still hold up without the singing (or the blogging)?
The Story
This one-shot is a heartwarming tale where a boy becomes a mad scientist. It covers the beginnings of our intrepid super villain, from young Billy’s inspiration for villainy to legendary first battles with Captain Hammer.
This book feels close to home with the plot and dialog. Of course, that should come to no surprise. The writer is Zach Whedon, co-creator and co-writer to the original Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog (along with brothers Jeb and Joss). …continue reading
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Developed by Scope Seven, Inc.
Produced by Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
The Game
This game is based on movies 4-6 of the Harry Potter franchise (Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix and the Half-Blood Prince). That doesn’t really matter though. Most of the games are directional challenges and simple puzzles. Only a couple of challenges require previously watching the movies, although you can fake it if you’re good at guessing ages or voices.
The game starts out with choosing 1-4 players, followed by choosing difficulties and houses from the franchise to play under. Then comes the gameplay menu, choosing between a crystal ball for a tutorial, document. …continue reading
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To celebrate the WWE Survivor Series on Pay Per View we have a fantastic prize pack to give away! Head on over to the official site ( http://bit.ly/4b9IRB) for for all Triple Threat match details!
The prizes:
- 1 Survivor Series anthology DVD - http://www.wweshop.com/item/survivor-series-anthology-vol-1-and-vol-2/search/50-05667
- 1 Survivor Series 2009 t-shirt – No Image Available Yet
- 1 DX Army Baseball Cap – http://www.wweshop.com/item/d-generation-x-army-baseball-cap/DX/02-00649
To be entered to win just submit your name and mailing adress and on Monday November 29th the writers here at CineGeek will wrestle to see who draws the name of the lucky winner!
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Directed by Pete Docter, David Silverman, Lee Unkrich
Featuring Voices by John Goodman, Billy Crystal, Mary Gibbs, Steve Buscemi
Oh, how do I love the Pixar? Let me count the ways….Finding Nemo, Toy Story 1 and 2, Up, The Incredibles, and Wall-e. Does Monsters Inc make that list? Monsters Inc was recently released on Blu Ray by Disney/Pixar.
The Movie
In the world behind our closet doors, monsters like Mike (Billy Crystal) and Sulley( John Goodman) work hard at their jobs, just like any of us. They pack lunches, punch a clock, and have idle chit chat next to the water cooler. The difference in their day jobs and ours is that it is Mike and Sulley’s responsibility to scare kids. …continue reading
Directed By: Afredo De Villa
Starring: Luis Guzman, John Leguizamo, Debra Messing, Alfred Molina, Freddy Rodriguez
As a family ages the members get pulled in different directions. Every year it gets harder and harder to get everybody together. That’s what makes it so magical when everybody can make it back home for Christmas.
The Movie
Edy and Anna Rodriguez, played by Alfred Molina and Elizabeth Pena, are preparing for the return of their youngest child from Iraq, what makes his return even more special is the that this will be the first time in a number of years that all of their children will be home for Christmas. Jesse is the first to arrive in town, his cousin Johnny, Luis Guzman, and Ozzy, a family friend that helps Edy at the bodega the family owns, pick him up at O’Hare but before they make it to the house they get distracted with an impromptu game of three man baseball game on a snow covered ball field. …continue reading
Written by Andy Diggle
Art by Roberto De La Torre
The Story
Daredevil is now the leader of the Hand, the mysterious group of ninja assassins he has been battling for a large part of his heroic career. The Hand has embraced change with open arms, adopting new uniforms with the motif of their newly crowned leader.
Putting Matt Murdock in charge of the Hand is an intriguing story development. On one hand, he now has access to an army of essentially mass-produced Daredevils at his bidding to help in his fight for justice. …continue reading
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This week’s episode of Stargate Universe is titled “Life”. The episode airs Friday night. Here’s a first look:
Sanctuary’s Friday installment is titled Veritas”. Here’s a first look at that episode:
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (33.0MB) | Embed
This week we get more details about the 2012 TV series, Dollhouse, a new comicbook film, and we discuss what we’d like to see Whedon do next!
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Directed by Shohei Imamura
Starring: Yoshiko Tanaka, Kazuo Kitamura, Etsuko Ichihara,
“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.” Mahatma Gandhi
Shohei Imamura is considered one of the creators of the Japanese New Wave movement in cinema. After directing such striking films such as Pigs and Battleships (1961), Insect Woman (1963) and Vengeance is Mine (1979) and many others, Imamura explored the aftermath of the Hiroshima bombings in the 1989 film Black Rain, recently released by Animeigo.
The Movie
As young Yasuko (Yoshiko Tanaka) returns to Hiroshima, she is caught in “black rain”, which is precipitation that has mixed with radioactive soot. She joins her Uncle Shigematsu (Kazuo Kitamura) and Aunt Shigeko (Etsuko Ichihara) and they try to get to the Buddhist monastery that Shigematsu has been sent to for conducting emergency “last rites” rituals. …continue reading
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WWII in HD premieres Sunday November 15th at 9/8c on HISTORY!
The ten-part series narrated by Gary Sinise draws upon more than 3,000 hours of WWII footage culled from archives and private collections around the world. Restored and enhanced through HD technology, the series brings to light riveting footage from sources that range from the National Archives and the Army Heritage and and Education Center in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, to Homer Helter’s Military Mall in Naples, Florida. The series follows a handful of people as their personal journeys intersect with one another throughout the war. Their stories, culled from diaries, journals, and new interviews, will be delivered with emotional impact by some of Hollywood’s top talents, helping to recreate the war’s events not as detached historical facts, but rather as profound experiences on the level of a great Hollywood epic. The veterans themselves also appear, recounting their experiences first hand. Join us online: Official Site, History’s Facebook Fan Page, and Twitter.
Enter to win a HISTORY prize pack!
- Umbrella
- Coffee Mug
- Pen
- Golf balls
- Tote bag
To be entered to win simply click “Submit” and provide your name, mailing address and put WWII in HD Contest in teh subject line. One lucky winner will be drawn at random on November 20th!
Submit
Prizes courtesy of HISTORY
