High School Blu-Ray Review
High School Blu-Ray Review
Starring Matt Bush, Sean Marquette, Adrien Brody, Colin Hanks, Yeardley Smith, Curtis Armstrong, Mykelti Williamson, Michael Vartan, Adhir Kalyan, Alicia Sixtos and Michael Chiklis
Written by Erik Linthorst, John Stalberg and Stephen Susco
Directed by John Stalberg
The stoner comedy field is a tricky one to master, trying to delicately balance the material for pot smoker and non-pot smoker alike. For every Dazed and Confused and Harold and Kumar there is a plethora of awful attempts to bring “pot culture” to screen through comedy. Out this week from Anchor Bay Entertainment is the Sundance and Toronto After Dark fan favorite from 2010, High School, another film in the same vein, but on which side of the argument will it land?
High School is the story of soon-to-be valedictorian Henry Burke (Bush), who, after taking a hit of the chronic for the first time provided by his…
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Donovan’s Echo DVD Review
Donovan’s Echo DVD Review
Starring Danny Glover, Bruce Greenwood, Natasha Calis, and Sonja Bennett
Written by Jim Cliffe and Melody Krieger
Directed by Jim Cliffe
Out this week, an exclusive release from Anchor Bay Entertainment Canada, is the Canadian production Donovan’s Echo. After a run on the festival circuit that included stops in Calgary and Edmonton, Donovan’s Echo, the Danny Glover semi-supernatural thriller is now available to take home. But is it something you need to buy, rent or pass on?
Set in 1994, Donovan Matheson (Glover) returns home after a 30 year absence to discover events from his past are replaying out with astonishing accuracy. Plagued by the idea of déjà vu, Donovan is convinced his young neighbour Maggie (Calis) and her mother Sarah (Bennett) will be killed on the 30th anniversary of his own wife and daughter’s death. Struggling to unlock the pattern, Donovan tries to convince his…
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For A Good Time, Call… Review
For a Good Time, Call…
Starring Ari Graynor, Lauren Miller, James Wolk, Mark Webber, Justin Long, Sugar Lyn Beard, Don McManus and Mimi Rogers
Written by Lauren Miller and Katie Anne Naylon
Directed by Jamie Travis
Back in 2002 a raunchy comedy came along that was supposed to be the truth about what women were really like when they got together, this movie was called The Sweetest Thing and starred Cameron Diaz. Going almost exclusively for the raunch, The Sweetest Thing failed to hit big with audiences and critics alike and the ‘chick flick’ seemed to retreat back to the sappy predictable mess it was prior almost overnight. That was until last year’s mega smash Bridesmaids. Now the ladies are back with the raunch in a big way, a prime example being this week’s sex phone operator comedy For a Good Time, Call… from Alliance Films.
The reserved Lauren (Miller)…
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The Possession Review
The Possession (2012)
Starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Kyra Sedgwick, Madison Davenport, Natasha Calis, Grant Show, Matisyahu
Written by Juliet Snowden and Stiles White
Directed by Ole Bornedal
Late August has long been a staple for horror film releases, and also a dumping ground for lacklustre fare like last week’s The Apparition. Trying to buck the trend this year is the newest releases from Alliance Films, The Possession. Produced by Sam Raimi’s Ghost House Pictures, The Possession was an idea Raimi had been pursuing for years, now finally coming to realization through director Bornedal. Featuring a fantastic poster and creepy trailer, the question remains, does The Possession deliver on its promise?
Supposedly based on a true story, The Possession is the terrifying story of how one family must unite in order to survive the wrath of an unspeakable evil. Clyde (Dean Morgan) and his recently divorced ex-wife Stephanie (Sedgwick) see little…
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Lawless Review
Lawless (2012)
Starring Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Jason Clarke, Jessica Chastain, Guy Pierce, Mia Wasikowska, Dane DeHaan, Noah Taylor and Gary Oldman
Written by Nick Cave based on the novel by Matt Bondurant
Directed by John Hillcoat
New to theaters this week from Alliance Entertainment Canada is Lawless, a fictionalized accounting of the true story of the Bondurant brothers and their exploits bootlegging moonshine. The star-studded cast under director Hillcoat attempt to provide a prohibition era gangster epic, but do they succeed or go up in flames like a still set to blow?
In the mountains of Franklin County, Virginia, the Bondurant brothers are the stuff of legend: Howard (Clarke), the eldest, survived the war; Forrest (Hardy), the brains of the outfit, nearly died from the Spanish Flu that took his parents but gained a reputation of immortality due to his perseverance; and Jack (LaBeouf), the youngest, is impulsive, impetuous…
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UFC 146: All Heavyweight Card
UFC 146 DVD Review
MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise Nevada
May 26th 2012
Heading into UFC 146, the UFC was presented with one of its biggest scandals in recent years. The original headliner, Alistair Overeem, failed a drug test with severely inflated testosterone levels. Overeem, coming off his dominant victory over former champ Brock Lesnar, was the clear choice for contender for the heavyweight belt. This sent Dana White and the UFC scrambling to final a main event. The result is that the all heavyweight main card was sent into turmoil, as Mir was bumped up from the co-main event against Cain Velasquez, Cain’s opponent was changed to the debuting Antonio Silva, who was originally scheduled to fight Roy Nelson. But perhaps this helped the card in the long run as it led to very aggressive tactics in the ring.
The Undercard fights were as follows:
Mike Brown vs…
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Walking Dead Season 2 DVD Review
The Walking Dead Season 2
Starring Andrew Lincoln, Jon Bernthal, Sarah Wayne Callies, Laurie Holden, Norman Reedus, Steven Yuen, Chandler Riggs, Lauren Cohan, Melissa McBride, Jeffrey DeMunn, IronE Singleton with Pruitt Taylor Vince and Scott Wilson
Created by Robert Kirkman and Frank Darabont
One of the hottest shows on television today, out on DVD and Blu-Ray this week from AMC and Anchor Bay Entertainment is The Walking Dead Season 2. With all the behind the scenes turmoil involving the release of co-creator Frank Darabont mid-season as show runner, many people wondered if the show would suffer in quality because of his departure. Fortunately the second season proves that the dead are still running strong.
Starting perched on a lonely rooftop, walkie talkie in hand, Rick Grimes (Lincoln) recaps briefly the recent events from the final episodes of Season 1 over the device, aimed at reaching the man who helped him…
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Haloween 4 & 5 Blu-Ray Review
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
Starring Donald Pleasence, Danielle Harris, Ellie Cornell, George P. Wilbur, Kathleen Kinmont, Sasha Jenson and Beau Starr
Written by Danny Lipsius, Larry Rattner, Benjamin Ruffner and Alan B. McElroy
Directed by Dwight H. Little
Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
Starring Donald Pleasence, Danielle Harris, Ellie Cornell, Wendy Kaplan, Jeffrey Landman, Donald L. Shanks and Beau Starr
Written by Michael Jacobs, Dominique Othenin-Girard and Shem Bitterman
Directed by Dominique Othenin-Girard
New this week from Anchor Bay Entertainment are the Blu-Ray reissues of Halloween 4 and 5, the re-introduction of serial killer Michael Myers after the Myers-less Halloween 3. Varying in quality the films are eternally linked as they feature almost identical lead characters, are set only one year apart in movie time (and the same in production time) and Halloween 5 actually picks up from the very end of part 4. So…
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A Little Bit Zombie Blu-Ray Review
Starring Kristopher Turner, Crystal Lowe, Shawn Roberts, Kristen Hager, Emilie Ullerup and Stephen McHattie
Written by Christopher Bond and Trevor Martin
Directed by Casey Walker
Hitting store shelves this week from Anchor Bay entertainment, A Little Bit Zombie has taken a different approach to releasing the film to the masses. After a completely self-financed and self-distributed theatrical run, the creators of the film have teamed with Anchor Bay Entertainment Canada to bring the film to home screens. And in the process, deliver the film to a wider audience than the limited engagements at individual theaters across the country would allow. But is the Blu-Ray worth your hard earned dollars?
A Little Bit Zombie starts off with Max (McHattie) and Penelope (Ullerup), a pair of zombie hunters that use a mystical orb to help track their targets, in the middle of a zombie swarm. After the…
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Breathless DVD Review
Breathless DVD Review
Starring Gina Gershon, Kelli Giddish, Val Kilmer, Wayne Duvall and Ray Liotta
Written by Jesse Baget and Stefania Moscato
Directed by Jesse Baget
Arriving in stores this week from Anchor Bay Entertainment is the new comedic thriller Breathless. Starring Gina Gershon and Kelli Giddish and from the director of the upcoming Wild Side with Juno Temple and Nicolas Cage, Breathless is the story of a heist and the wife who finds out about it. But does this direct to video offering pack enough bite to entice you to spend you hard earned dollars on it?
Breathless starts with Tiny (Giddish) arriving at Lorna’s (Gershon) trailer and discovering an unconscious Dale (Kilmer) on the floor of the living room. It appears that on the previous day a bank robbery occurred in the next county and Lorna has deduced that Dale was in on it. Bringing Dale around again…
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ParaNorman Review
Starring the voices of Cody Smit-McPhee, Tucker Albrizzi, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Leslie Mann, Jeff Garlin and John Goodman
Written by Chris Butler
Directed by Chris Butler and Sam Fell
From the same studio that brought us Henry Selick’s Coraline we get a new stop-motion animated film also dealing with the slightly macabre, ParaNorman. From directors Chris Butler, storyboard artist on Coraline, and Sam Fell, director of Tale of Despereaux and Flushed Away, comes the story of a boy with the gift to talk to the deceased and a mission to fulfill. But can these two directors live up to the brilliance that was Coraline?
Norman Babcock (Smit-McPhee) is an awkward child with an extraordinary gift, he can see and converse with ghosts. Norman regularly converses with his dead grandmother, much to the exasperation of his incredulous father (Garlin), mother (Mann) and his sister Courtney (Kendrick)…
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The Expendables 2 Review
Starring – Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Terry Crews, Liam Hemsworth, Nan Yu, and Scott Adkins with Chuck Norris, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Written by Richard Wenk, Sylvester Stallone, Ken Kaufman and David Agosto based on characters created by Dave Callaham and Sylvester Stallone.
Directed by Simon West
Sylvester Stallone returns with his group of fellow action film heroes known as The Expendables for another bombastic cinematic outing in Expendables 2. This time out Sly passes over the directing reigns to Simon West and brings along Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Scott Adkins, Liam Hemsworth and Nan Yu for the ride, with extended contributions from Willis and Schwarzenegger. So is the second time a charm for this action franchise?
We catch up with our gang as they invade a Middle Eastern country stronghold in search of a…
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Killer Joe Review
Starring Matthew McConaughey, Emile Hirsch, Juno Temple, Gina Gershon and Thomas Haden Church
Written by Tracy Letts
Directed by William Friedkin
Iconic director William Friedkin returns to the big screen this week with Killer Joe, his first feature since 2006’s Bug. The director of classic films like The Exorcist and The French Connection this time around brings us an extremely dark comedy of a murderer for hire that goes wrong in almost every way. Killer Joe may also be the film that brings us the most compelling performance in McConaughey’s career as the titular Joe.
After losing two kilos of drugs from a local supplier, Chris Smith (Hirsch) hatches a plan to get the $6,000 he owes to save his life. Enlisting the help of his father, Ansel (Church), mother-in-law, Sharla (Gershon) and sister, Dottie (Temple), Chris lays out the particulars of his nefarious scheme. You see…
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Oslo, August 31st Review
Starring Anders Danielsen Lie, Hans Olav Brenner, Ingrid Olava and Malin Crepin
Written by Pierre Drieu La Rochelle, Joachim Trier and Eskil Vogt
Directed by Joachim Trier
Off an extremely successful, record breaking European theatrical run, The TIFF Bell Lightbox welcomes the Cannes sensation Oslo, August 31st for an exclusive first run starting Friday August 10th. The Norwegian film from director Joachim Trier, a distant cousin of maverick director Lars Von Trier, stars the same actor from his award winning directorial debut Reprise, Anders Danielsen Lie, in a heavily character driven piece about a recovering addict and his return to the titular city.
Anders (Danielsen Lie) is a recovering addict in a rural rehab program. Coming near the end of his program Anders has been feeling more and more disconnected and actually does something drastic just to feel something. Given leave so that…
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Paul Williams: Still Alive Review
Paul Williams: Still Alive (2011)
Starring Paul Williams
Written and Directed by Stephen Kessler
In a year where this critic has personally seen some fantastic music documentaries the likes of Marley, My Father and the Man in Black and Charles Bradley: Soul of America, I was wary that a documentary about singer/songwriter Paul Williams could measure up. Fortunately director Kessler delivers a very personal, funny and engaging film about not only Paul but himself as well. Paul Williams is indeed alive and very feisty in this film, using shot footage mixed with archival footage as we trace the rise, fall and rebirth of the man that wrote the immortal “Rainbow Connection” amongst other classic songs.
Director Kessler starts musing about how he used to admire the 5’2 Williams as a child. Williams had a very storied career in the 70’s, acting in major television shows and movies like Smokey and…
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Moon Point DVD Review
Moon Point
Starring Nick McKinlay, Paula Brancati, Kyle Mac, Kristen Gutoskie and Art Hindle
Written by Robert Lazar, James Luscombe, Tammy Stone and Elke Town
Directed by Sean Cisterna
Arriving in stores on Tuesday Aug 7th from Anchor Bay entertainment is the quirky little Canadian indie comedy that made the rounds on the festival circuit earlier this year, Moon Point. With a cast mainly made up of friends of the production team and director, the micro-budgeted Moon Point sets out to charm us but does it have enough substance above the quirk and randomness to succeed?
We start by meeting Darryl Sytrozka (McKinlay), a slacker supreme still living with and off his mother as his only source of income is a meager paper route he splits with his wheelchair bound friend Femur (Mac). During his cousin Lars’ engagement party, thrown at his house by his mother, Darryl is bombarded…
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Man Nobody Knew Review
The Man Nobody Knew: In Search of My Father, CIA Spymaster William Colby
Directed by Carl Colby
Carl Colby’s father William did not have the average 9-to-5 American job. Part quest to enlighten the masses as to exactly what his father was responsible for and part personal exploration, The Man Nobody Knew uses a multitude of historical footage to tell its story. With Carl narrating we get a series of personalized interviews, many addressing Carl directly instead of just the camera, with many important present and former government personnel and recognized historians to flesh out the history of this man.
Starting with Pearl Harbour and his father’s enlistment into the infantry, Carl describes the ambition his father had and sense of duty. Many years after the family finds out that William is not quite working for the employers they had in mind, when the neighbours he carpooled with noticed him…
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Ruby Sparks Review
Starring Paul Dano, Zoe Kazan, Chris Messina, Annette Bening, Antonio Banderas, Elliot Gould and Steve Coogan
Written by Zoe Kazan
Directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris
Actress Zoe Kazan may become a bit of a renaissance woman because of Ruby Sparks. Not only is she the female lead of the film, she also wrote it. Yet when it came to directing the film she was more than happy to let the tandem of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris of Little Miss Sunshine fame take the lead. It’s been 6 years since Dayton and Faris stormed the indie scene with the runaway sensation of Sunshine, will Ruby Sparks make that six year wait for a follow up worth the time?
Calvin (Dano) is a now 29 year old high school dropout living a solitary existence in a giant house struggling to write his next epic novel. And…
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UFC 145
UFC 145 DVD Review
Jones VS Evans
April 21st 2012 – Philips Arena, Atlanta Georgia
We here at Entertainment Maven, in our attempt to bring you informed reviews of theatrical releases, home entertainment and special events, have decided that it’s time to acknowledge one of the largest growing forms of entertainment in the world. Of course what I am talking about is Mixed Martial Arts, and in particular the UFC. Now we will not be getting into live event coverage, there are plenty of avenues which cover the live events as they happen or shortly after, and while we do cover events we have decided they will be film related only at this time. So why are we going to be reviewing UFC DVDs? Because there are only a handful of sites out there doing reviews of the actual DVD releases from UFC. Many fans can’t afford to pay…
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Midnight Son DVD
Starring – Zak Kilberg, Maya Parish, Jo D. Jonz and Tracey Walter
Written and Directed by Scott Leberecht
Last October heading into the Toronto After Dark Film Festival I remember looking at the lineup and seeing the title Midnight Son slotted into the last slot on Sunday of the fest. Not knowing much about this film I watched the trailer online and was not blown away, in fact it was a little underwhelming. Despite this I decided to take a chance on the film based on the programmer’s recommendations and the film did not disappoint. Mongrel Media’s recent release of the film on DVD allows me to happily revisit what was my most pleasant surprise of TAD 2011.
Jacob (Kilberg) is not your typical 24 year old male. Working as a night security officer in an office building, Jacob has become a creature of the night not…
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The Watch Review
The Watch
Starring: Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, Richard Ayoade, Will Forte and Billy Crudup.
Written by Jared Stern, Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen.
Directed by Akiva Schaffer
The film originally known as Neighbourhood Watch (it was shortened to The Watch after the Trayvon Martin incident earlier this year and had all of its bullet-ridden original advertising pulled) finally arrives in theaters from Fox this week. Perhaps being extra cautious due to the circumstances surrounding the Martin incident back in February, The Watch enters theaters with a lot less advertising and fanfare than you would expect from a film with this kind of star power. But can the combined comedic chops of Stiller, Vaughn, Hill, Ayoade (director of last year’s brilliant Submarine) and Forte along with director, and one-third of the comedy troop of The Lonely Island, Akiva Schaffer, deliver the comedy of the year?
Evan (Stiller) seems…
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Joffrey: Mavericks of AM Dance
Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance
Written and Directed by Bob Hercules
Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino were the two visionaries behind the creation and innovation of the Joffrey Ballet. Narrated by Mandy Patinkin, Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance tells the history behind the Joffrey Ballet and the story of these two men. Through archival footage and interviews (both men have passed on) director Hercules attempts to lay out the history of the influential ballet company.
Co-founded in 1956, the then titled “The Robert Joffrey Ballet” was a touring company of six dancers traversing the US in a borrowed station wagon with Joffey choreographing and Arpino as lead male dancer. Eventually Arpino would move into the choreography role himself as the company grew in size and talent. The to men started a school of dance where they insisted on classical ballet proficiency but would then add many other contemporary styles into…
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Shinsedai Fest Wrap
Shinsedai Cinema Festival 2012
Shinsedai’s fourth year came with a change in venue from the Japan Canadian Cultural Center (JCCC for short) up in the north part of the city down to the heart of Toronto’s west end at the Revue Cinema (just off the Bloor/Danforth subway line at Dundas West station). The move provided record attendance for the fest and a flexibility to program films that previously had been unavailable for Chris Magee and Jasper Sharp, such as the Pink double-bill.
This year’s line-up proved to be strong in diversity, showcasing many different elements of independent Japanese cinema. Opening night gave us the engaging Ringing in their Ears, while the second night brought a couple of bizarre entries in Ghost Cat and the Mysterious Shamisen, and Zero Man vs The Half Virgin. On day three I caught most of the Yubari Fanta shorts with the fascinating Student…
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UFC 143
DVD Review UFC 143
Diaz vs Condit
February 4th, 2012. Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas Nevada
We here at Entertainment Maven, in our attempt to bring you informed reviews of theatrical releases, home entertainment and special events, have decided that it’s time to acknowledge one of the largest growing forms of entertainment in the world. Of course what I am talking about is Mixed Martial Arts, and in particular the UFC. Now we will not be getting into live event coverage, there are plenty of avenues which cover the live events as they happen or shortly after, and while we do cover events we have decided they will be film related only at this time. So why are we going to be reviewing UFC DVDs? Because there are only a handful of sites out there doing reviews of the actual DVD releases from UFC. Many fans can’t afford to…
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MOVIE JUNKIE TO'S Entertainment Fix 