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Monday, April 29, 2013

New 'Pacific Rim' Footage Shows A Giant Robot Playing Baseball With A Ship



There are few words to desribe how much I love this new trailer for Guillermo del Toro’s upcoming giant monsters versus giant robots adventure “Pacific Rim.” When I first laid eyes on this new footage from WonderCon, I started giggling and clapping. The people sitting around cast awkward glances at the grown ass man burbling in the corner like an idiot. But you know what? Totally worth it.

Friday, April 26, 2013

DVD Review: 'Cold Prey 2'



After battling a crazed backwoods hillbilly, or at least their Norwegian equivalent, and barely escaping with your life, most of us want to take a nice, long break. Maybe a relaxing vacation where we can sit back and get our nerves together before we have to go through it again. Unfortunately for Jannicke (Ingrid Bolso Berdal), she doesn’t have that option. As soon as her harrowing adventure ends in “Cold Prey,” it picks up right away in Mats Sternberg’s sequel, “Cold Prey 2,” now out on Blu-ray and DVD from the fine folks at Shout! Factory. No lie, they’ve been on something of a hot streak lately, which continues with this release. “Cold Prey 2” is nothing startling, but it’s a solid example of a slasher, one that stands along with the first film.

Thursday, April 25, 2013

'Pain & Gain' Movie Review



“Pain & Gain” is like watching a Day-Glo roid-rage explosion that will pump your pecks at the same time it shrivels your nards. This is what happens when you incorporate the phrases “Michael Bay” and “fact based” into the same movie. The film is a continual series of absurd events and poor decisions, each one more insane than the last. At one point the film pauses, and—over a freeze frame of a coked-out, jacked up Dwayne Johnson grilling human hands—it reminds you that this is still based on a true story. All I can say is that Bay’s reality must be a sight to behold. Oh to see the world through his gilded eyes.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

'Oblivion' Movie Review



All style, no substance is the refrain that ran through my head watching writer/director Joseph Kosinski’s latest film, Oblivion. This is also the precise sentiment created by his previous film, Tron: Legacy. Though the Tom Cruise-starring science fiction adventure is breathtaking to look at, there is nothing to the film aside from the visuals. Bland, predictable, and frankly boring, Oblivion is an empty stylistic exercise, and feels like a slick bit of advertising, not a movie.

Blu-Ray Review: 'Battlestar Galactica: Blood And Chrome'



Because every beloved franchise, film, or television show apparently needs an update, a reboot, a reimagining, or another version of a fresh start, we give you Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome. A prequel to Syfy’s BSG remake, Blood and Chrome began life as a concept for a videogame. The idea was deemed too good for a game, and a series was commissioned. Originally premiering as webisodes, the ten original episodes have now been strung together into a single feature on the unrated Blu-ray spectacular. While it doesn’t break any new ground, Blood and Chrome makes for a decently entertaining watch.

Monday, April 15, 2013

'Upstream Color' Movie Review



We’ve been waiting almost a decade for Shane Carruth’s follow-up to his 2004 time travel mindfuck, Primer. Filmed for like fifty bucks and some personal favors, and largely inside a storage locker, Primer is a layered, intricate portrait of a character going back in time over and over again in an attempt to right the wrongs of his past, only to make things worse with each subsequent trip.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

'Trance' Movie Review



Dark, brutal, hypnotic; these are a few choice adjectives you could use to describe Danny Boyle’s latest psychological thriller, “Trance.” The “Trainspotting” director is no stranger to this shadowy territory—remember the arm-cutting scene in “127 Hours”—but we’re talking an entirely different level here. At one point the top of a man’s head is blown clean off, yet his mouth keeps talking, and there’s a rotting corpse that’s as horrific as anything you’ll see in the most gruesome horror film. And let us not forget to mention the fingernail pulling and the dick shooting, which are both not to be missed. Not for the squeamish, there’s a gleeful layer of the macabre to this noir tale.

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

'Elysium' Trailer Is Coming After Your Ivory Tower



Are you ready for some heavy, thematically dense science fiction in the guise of a kick ass action vehicle? So are we. Now we have the first trailer “District 9” director Neill Blomkamp’s upcoming “Elysium” to gawk at. And it is good. 

Check it out for yourself after the break.

Monday, April 8, 2013

Blu-Ray Review: 'Woochi: The Demon Slayer



Based on popular Korean folk tales, 2009’s “Woochi: the Demon Slayer (AKA “Jean Woo-chi: The Taoist Wizard”) finally has a domestic Blu-ray release, courtesy of the fine folks at Shout! Factory. And who doesn’t want to sit in the comfort of their own home and watch giant rat monsters scurry up walls and do battle with a scatterbrained wizard and his sidekick that used to be a dog? If that doesn’t sound like a good time to you, then this probably isn’t the movie for you. However, if that sounds like a total blast, then by all means, give “Woochi: the Demon Slayer” a shot.

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Blu-Ray Review: 'Zulu Dawn'



Watching “Zulu Dawn,” now out on Blu-ray, you get the distinct impression that this is a British version of frontier mythology. Instead of the wide, wild American west, you’re given Britain’s colonialism in Africa. Even the music feels like a sweeping western score. The 1979 prequel to “Zulu” rides the line between being a pure artifact of a bygone era—one that depicts a romanticized, unrealistic version of the time—and a modern, revisionist take that strives for a more accurate portrayal of historical reality.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

'Evil Dead' Movie Review



When we learned that there was going to be an “Evil Dead” remake, or reboot, or whatever it’s supposed to be, most of us groaned and chalked it up to another unnecessary rehash of a beloved movie from our past. While I still don’t see the need for the new “Evil Dead,” over the intervening months the production has done something none of us thought possible, they made their movie look really, really good. That was unexpected. Whether or not “Evil Dead” lives up to this newfound potential is another thing.

Monday, April 1, 2013

TV Review: 'The Walking Dead'-3.16-"Welcome To The Tombs"



Season three of AMC’s hit zombie drama The Walking Dead has been a bumpy ride. It started off strong, introducing new characters, new arenas, pushing together groups of survivors, and generally establishing other humans as the most dangerous enemy of all. The first half of the season pushed the pace, the show was more consistent week to week, and things actually happened, which addressed one of the biggest complaints about the series: that you could skip an entire episode and not miss anything important. Up to the midway point, season three wasn’t great, but it was moving in the right direction, and things were looking up.