"Bored to Death - Season 1" Blu-ray Review

September 02, 2010, 12:49:24 PM by Zach Demeter in Reviews.

A year after it first premiered on HBO, fans will finally be able to grab Bored to Death on DVD and Blu-ray, something that seemed like it may never happen. Despite having some of some of the best talent in Hollywood, the show never seemed to find that many viewers—probably because the series doesn’t actually sound all that entertaining. In fact, until you get past the first few episodes you begin to think that the series really was made to bore you to death as it is terribly uninteresting at first glance. But like most things Jason Schwartzman is involved with, things eventually turn interesting and hilarious, which brings about an incredible feeling of relief as something with Schwartzman, Ted Danson and Zach Galifianakis should be nothing short of incredibly entertaining.

Synopsis
Meet Jonathan Ames: writer, romantic, unlicensed private detective. Moonlighting from his job as a novelist and writer for a New York magazine, Jonathan is looking to jettison some heavy emotional baggage (his girlfriend just dumped him, okay?) through an unusual second career of cracking cases of missing persons, espionage and infidelity in the Big Apple.

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"Black Label Society - Doom Troopin'" Blu-ray Review

September 02, 2010, 12:42:54 PM by Zach Demeter in Reviews.

Continuing the summer Blu-ray bonanza, Eagle Rock Entertainment, having recently released high-def DVDs from Black Sabbath, The Doors, The Moody Blues, and Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, will release titles from two very different spectrums of the rock universe. On August 24, new concert Blu-rays will be released featuring heavy-metal brawlers Black Label Society in “The European Invasion: Doom Troopin’” and original alt-rock pioneers Pixies in “Live: Acoustic and Electric”.

Synopsis
For twenty years, guitarist Zakk Wylde has been bashing skulls and bringing the brutality, both as Ozzy Osbourne’s right hand man and fronting his own band, Black Label Society. Doom Troopin’ Live – The European Invasion, features the band performing before a Paris crowd in the midst of a sold out 2005 tour, in support of the Mafia album. Extensive bonus features include four tracks from the Astoria show in London, the 50-minute “Backstage Pass” on-the-road documentary, music videos for “Suicide Messiah,” “In This River,” and “Fire It Up,” and a making-of video of “Suicide Messiah.” Originally released as a standard DVD in August 2006, this Blu-ray, with pumped up picture and sound quality, showcases the mighty molten prowess of BLS.

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"Yoo Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg" DVD Review

September 01, 2010, 12:35:19 PM by Zach Demeter in Reviews.

Before Oprah, and before Lucy, there was the beloved Gertrude Berg, the entertainment genius who wrote, starred in and produced the first successful American sitcom and charmed a beleaguered nation. Aviva Kempner’s critically acclaimed YOO-HOO, MRS. GOLDBERG offers a humorous, captivating tribute to one of the most successful and innovative women in American broadcasting history.

Synopsis
Animated through a dazzling collage of vintage clips and interviews, behind-the-scenes footage and intimate conversations with friends, colleagues and family members, the box-office smash-hit YOO-HOO, MRS. GOLDBERG traces Berg’s rise to stardom from her childhood in New York to her early radio days in “The Rise of the Goldbergs” (1929-46) to her enormously influential sitcom, The Goldbergs (1949-56), which brought Berg the first Best Actress Emmy® in history. Berg’s passion and incredible productivity paved the way for a wide variety of causes—women in entertainment, Jewish-American identity and actors’ rights, to name a few—but she is most celebrated for singlehandedly proving that the American family transcends social, religious and economic divisions.

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"Jane's Addiction: Live Voodoo" Blu-ray Review

September 01, 2010, 12:34:02 PM by Zach Demeter in Reviews.

In 2009, Jane’s Addiction spooked up a musical celebration on Halloween Night at the Voodoo Experience in New Orleans. On August 31, Eagle Rock will capture their one-of-a-kind concert experience on their first ever live DVD and Blu-ray: Live Voodoo. Conquering the hard rock world in the late eighties / early nineties, Jane’s Addiction created a landscape that many alternative rock bands would follow, such as Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails and Rage Against the Machine. Formed after a meeting of the minds between Farrell and Avery, the band started a buzz in LA after the addition of Navarro and Perkins. In 2010, with over 7 million albums sold in the US alone, Jane’s Addiction is still regarded as a pop culture tour-de-force. Live Voodoo brings their supreme and inimitable live experience home.

Synopsis
Live Voodoo features the original Jane’s Addiction line-up – guitarist Dave Navarro, bassist Eric Avery, drummer Stephen Perkins, and enigmatic frontman Perry Farrell - enjoying a glorious reunification. They carry the crowd through 13 cuts, predominantly culled from their first two albums. The band stirs up some voodoo of their own, buoyed by the mesmerizing magic of Farrell’s unmatched stage presence, and Navarro’s hyper-charged and heavy riffage. Roused to a riotous climax, the stage is invaded by a singing, dancing and costumed mass of fans in pure punk rock fashion. In addition to the New Orleans show, the DVD and Blu-ray feature bonus footage from LA gigs in 2008, a photo gallery, and a featurette from NME.

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"Batman: The Brave and The Bold - Season One, Part One" DVD Review

August 31, 2010, 11:50:45 AM by James Harvey in Reviews.

Within the first few moments of this animated series, you should have a pretty good idea of what you're in for with the 13 episodes included in Batman: The Brave and The Bold - Season One, Part One. The first episode opens with Batman and Green Arrow tied death trap straight out of an old Silver Age comic, dangling over a vat of acid while The Clock King gloats about his superiority. The two heroes banter back and forth before managing to free themselves and heading off to battle The Clock King! We're then whipped into a colorful and bright opening sequence, a fun, zippy opening which teases what’s to come.

Synopsis:
Batman wings into an exciting new era, teaming with a mighty honor roll of DC Comics Super Heroes in the action-packed series Batman: The Brave and The Bold. Through the show’s first 13 animated adventures in this 2-Disc Collection, the Dark Knight allies with Aquaman, Plastic Man, Blue Beetle, Red Tornado, Green Arrow, Wildcat, Deadman, Bronze Tiger and The Atom to take on an array of evildoers ranging from mad scientists to intergalactic crooks from power-mad dictators to out-of-control teenagers. He even travels to a parallel world and battles the villainous Owlman! In this cool, cutting-edge and often funny series, bring back old-school comic book styling and dry wit to crimefighting, Batman faces and peril - including other heroes stealing the show – in his relentless pursuit of justice.

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"The Back-Up Plan" Blu-ray Review

August 30, 2010, 03:25:00 PM by Zach Demeter in Reviews.

No matter how many times you watch a romantic comedy, the chances of it not ending up with the two leads being together in the end is slim to none. There are a few out there that buck the trend, but the vast majority knows what the audiences want and in a bid not to disappoint them or stress them out, we get delivered another syrupy romantic comedy that plays by all the rules and never steps out of bounds. Such is the case with Jennifer Lopez’s latest foray into the genre with The Back-Up Plan, another very poorly received but financially successful film to add to her resume. With Lopez being pretty much the only big-name actor in the entire production, the film kind of came and went after its April debut with little fanfare during its thirteen week run. Still, the $35 million budget was more than doubled with worldwide tickets sales taken into account, so I’m sure this won’t be the last we see of Lopez in this genre.

Synopsis
Jennifer Lopez stars as Zoe, a single New Yorker who dreams about meeting Mr. Right, having a baby and living happily ever after. But after a string of Mr. Wrongs, Zoe commits to her back-up plan: to take on motherhood alone. Zoe's plan proves far from foolproof when moments after her procedure she's swept up into a whirlwind romance with Stan (Alex O'Loughlin), the man of her dreams. Can Zoe hide her pregnancy until Stan is ready for the truth? Or will the truth send him packing? The Back-Up Plan is a hilarious romantic comedy about courtship, love, marriage and parenthood - but not necessarily in that order!

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"Private" DVD Review

August 30, 2010, 03:24:16 PM by Zach Demeter in Reviews.

With the uptick in web-series being a potential source of real income, it’s no surprise that we’re seeing more and more adaptations being put into the medium. While some web-series are so successful they later make it onto air on TV in some cases, the vast majority just fade away into oblivion…until they get a DVD release for some inexplicable reason. Imagine my utter surprise and excitement when Private, a series from the executive producers of Gossip Girl and The Vampire Diaries, arrived at my doorstep. That’s a lie of course—I was neither surprised nor excited…more just confused and angry I’d have to spend over two hours watching this.

Synopsis
From the executive producers of Gossip Girl and The Vampire Diaries comes PRIVATE, a thrilling mystery based on the New York Times best-selling novels by Kate Brian. Reed Brennan can’t believe her good luck when she’s accepted to exclusive Easton Academy. Life on campus is an endless parade of cute boys, parties, and special privileges—but nothing at Easton is quite what it seems. With a dangerous romance, shocking discoveries and dark secrets ahead of her, Reed will be lucky if she survives her first semester.

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"House, M.D. - The Sixth Season" DVD Review

August 27, 2010, 12:47:36 PM by Zach Demeter in Reviews.

After somehow managing to include new actors in the show as well as retain its original cast, House M.D. once again attempted to mix things up this season sobering House up to the point where he would no longer pick at people the way he had in the past. While there was definitely still some of that, the overwhelming tone of the season was that of redemption—something that is painfully reflected in the season finale, which still doesn’t sit well with me. Skirting that issue though, this was yet another season of a brilliantly written, acted, and directed show that seems to not obey the rule that shows must decline in quality as they progress through seasons.

Synopsis
Get ready for a full dose of medical mystery with 21 episodes of the riveting drama series, House. Hugh Laurie is joined by James Earl Jones (Star Wars), Laura Prepon (“That 70’s Show”) and David Strathairn (The Bourne Ultimatum) in guest appearances as he returns to his Golden Globe®-winning and Primetime Emmy® Award-nominated role as Dr. Gregory House. In this brilliant sixth season, House finds himself in an uncomfortable position – away from the examination room. As he works to regain his license and his life, his coworkers deal with staff shakeups, moral dilemmas and their own tricky relationships with House. Featuring an outstanding supporting cast including Omar Epps (“ER”), Olivia Wilde (Tron), Lisa Edelstein (“The West Wing”), Jesse Spencer (Uptown Girls), Peter Jacobson (Transformers), Jennifer Morrison (Star Trek), and Robert Sean Leonard, this must-own, five-disc collection includes all 21 Season Six episodes complete with hours of riveting bonus features, including an exclusive original short, behind-the-scenes interviews, episode commentaries and more!

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