Theatrical Review: 21 JUMP STREET

I don’t know about you guys, but all these countless remakes, re-imaginings, and rehashes have gotten on my last nerve. You’d think that in a world where extremely creative, non-derivitive films like INCEPTION and HUGO (although based on a book) are released, we would get less films based off past movies and TV shows. That’s why when a 21 JUMP STREET film was announced, everyone was so apprehensive. I mean, the original show, which starred a young Johnny Depp, isn’t even looked at with all that much reverence these days. Until the people behind this version were announced, there was little reason to get excited.

The film takes the basic concept of the show, young cops going undercover in a high school to bust drug dealers, and flips it completely on its head. Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) were never really friends in high school. Jenko, being the most popular guy in the school, could never have been friends with Schmidt – he was just too nerdy. That is, until they meet again years later in Police Academy. They realize that if they join forces they could help each other make it through the academy. This leads to them becoming best friends who are terrible at their job. Ultimately, their naïveté and youthful looks lead them to the precinct on 21 Jump Street, where they are sent back to High School to infiltrate a drug ring.

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Theatrical Review: JOHN CARTER

Although sometimes we might take it for granted, we are very lucky to live in the time that we do. Everyone carries computer-phones in their pockets that rival the technology found in science fiction novels, we are all connected together via a web of information that we call the Internet, and production value of cinema can be so impressive that we might question which parts of it are real or fake.

Enter Disney’s JOHN CARTER. The story is based off the character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, you guessed it, named John Carter. The film is directly inspired by Burroughs’ novel The Princess of Mars, and follows Carter, who is played by Taylor Kitsch. Carter is an American Civil War veteran who is mysteriously transported to the planet Mars. On Mars, his Earth muscles give him the impressive ability to jump extremely long distances in a single bound, which causes him to stand out to the local inhabitants. He ultimately finds himself in the middle of a war between two cities of seemingly-human beings, and one more traditional alien race. I know, it sounds like a delicious entree of sci-fi goodness, but does it deliver? Continue reading “Theatrical Review: JOHN CARTER” →

DIFF 2011 Review: GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD

Rating: 4.5/5

Writers: Jack Zagha Kababie, Enrique Chmelnik
Director: Jack Zagha Kababie
Cast: Carlos Alberto Orozco, Monica Bejarano, Justo Martinez

Sometimes going into a movie not knowing what to expect can be the best way to do it. Even going in with a basic idea of the plot but no clue as to what the film will be like tonally can intensify your overall opinion about the film. That was certainly the case for the Mexican film GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD, a film about a man whose terrible outcomes turn into our comedic pleasures.

Angel (Carlos Alberto Orozco) can’t catch a break. It all starts when he loses his job, in this economic climate many business are suffering cutbacks and, according to his boss, they should blame the Chinese. As if things couldn’t get any worse, his personal life is also falling apart. He can’t even free his pet hamster to the wild, as when he does a cat comes and snatches it up. All he wants is to find a new career, and a place where he feels comfortable. Then, when he least expects it, he finds that place of belonging – after he accidentally mugs a man. He had inadvertently joined a small crime ring, one with a heart. While robbing a bus that they didn’t realize had already been robbed that day, they leave the money with a young boy on the bus whose school supplies had been stolen. Together they try to find their ticket to riches, and maybe have a good time while doing it. Continue reading “DIFF 2011 Review: GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD” →

DIFF 2011 Review: A KISS AND A PROMISE

Rating: 4/5

Writers: Mick Rossi and Phillip Guzman (screenplay)
Director: Phillip Guzman
Cast: Mick Rossi, Natasha Gregson Wagner, Sean Power

We all have parts of ourselves that we don’t care to share with the rest of the world, especially those close to us. What would happen if they didn’t understand, or if they found our darker side to be horrifying? The duality can oftentimes be too much to handle, and eventually the two worlds begin to blend together. This brings us to Phillip Guzman’s A KISS AND A PROMISE, where we explore the duality of a very sick individual.

The film follows the story of David Beck (Mick Rossi) who owns and operates a bed and breakfast in Ontario with his wife. Their luck is about to change, as they recently bought a vacancy sign for their business. This is likely to bring them plenty of new customers. But of course, as things start to fall in place, it causes problems for the family. See, David has a very dark secret. He is a serial killer, who finds solace in raping women and choking them to death with a belt. After he kills a young girl who ran away from home, two detectives take on the case and begin the search for the killer. Continue reading “DIFF 2011 Review: A KISS AND A PROMISE” →

Blu-ray Review: "Heroes," season four

Rating: 6/10
Creator:: Tim Kring
Cast: Milo Ventimiglia, Hayden Panettiere, Zachary Quinto, Jack Coleman, Masi Oka

It’s amazing to look back on NBC’s Heroes now that it is completely over and ended, and realize the ups and downs that it went through. Over its four year run, it went from being one of the highest-rated and most popular shows on television, to a passé thing that was easy to make fun of. This didn’t stop it from being a weekly tent-pole show for me throughout the entirety of its run. Continue reading “Blu-ray Review: "Heroes," season four” →

Blu-ray Review: INVICTUS

Blu-ray Rating: 4/5

This review will only cover the Blu-ray and its features, and not the actual film. You can check out Wilhem’s review of the film HERE.

Clint Eastwood started off his career as an actor who became one of the biggest and most prolific movie stars of all-time. Along the way he found another place that was very comfortable for him, and that was the director’s chair. Once again he proved himself to be a driving force in Hollywood, and built up his reputation as one of the most respected directors of all time. He has proven time and time again that he must have the Midas Touch, because it seems that any film he touches turns to gold. INVICTUS certainly made that same impact when it was released, and brings that same sentiment to the Blu-ray release. Continue reading “Blu-ray Review: INVICTUS” →

Blu-ray Review: DR. HORRIBLE'S SING ALONG BLOG

Blu-ray Rating: 5/5

If there was anyway that I could have done “Review! The Musical” for this review, I certainly would have. It would have been a very fitting way to pass on my thoughts about this Blu-ray set that is filled to the brim with the care and love of cast and crew. Sadly, I don’t have the resources to make this happen, so you’ll have to settle for the regular ol’ text version. Continue reading “Blu-ray Review: DR. HORRIBLE'S SING ALONG BLOG” →

Blu-ray Review: DUNE

Blu-ray Rating: 3/5

Since DUNE is an older film and everyone probably already has their mind made up about it, I will just be reviewing the Blu-ray set as a whole and not the film itself.

DUNE is a really fun film to talk about because people’s views on it are so incredibly polarizing. Despite this, a large cult following for David Lynch’s adaptation has grown in the past two decades since the film’s been released. Now the sci-fi classic is hitting on Blu-ray, and Kyle Maclachlan’s crazy haircut has never looked better. Continue reading “Blu-ray Review: DUNE” →

Blu-ray Review: IT'S COMPLICATED

Blu-ray Rating: 2.5/5

This review will only cover the Blu-ray and it’s features, not the actual film itself. If you want to check out our review of the film, you can read Ronnie’s HERE.

This past Christmas was a very odd time for movies. Around that time this little independent movie called AVATAR took the world by storm, you may have heard of it. Despite the fact that AVATAR reigned supreme, many of the other films released still did extremely well. This was certainly the case for IT’S COMPLICATED, which competed against AVATAR starting on Christmas Day. Despite opening at #4, the film went on to be a major financial success, and earned over $200 million theatrically. A large part of its success may be because it is the more sensible choice for a date, which also rings true for the Blu-ray. Continue reading “Blu-ray Review: IT'S COMPLICATED” →

Blu-ray Review: TRAFFIC

Blu-ray Rating: 2.5/5

Since this is an older film and most people probably already have their opinions on it, I will not be reviewing the actual film itself and instead review the Blu-ray set as a whole.

If anyone remembers the 2000 Academy Awards, they might remember a little film by Steven Soderbergh called TRAFFIC that took the ceremony by storm. Although the film didn’t end up winning Best Picture (neither did Soderbergh’s other film of 2000, ERIN BROCKOVICH), it did end up winning Best Director, Best Supporting Actor for Benicio Del Toro, Best Film Editing, and Best Adapted Screenplay. But can a film that brought magic in 2000 do the same ten years later on its Blu-ray release? Continue reading “Blu-ray Review: TRAFFIC” →