‘Tomorrowland’ loses steam crossing the finish line
The newest project based on a Disney Theme Park attraction to be turned into a film, after the Pirates of the Caribbean films and others like The Country Bears and and The Haunted Mansion, Tomorrowland comes from the mind of one of Disney’s most reliable director’s Brad Bird. After taking on the last Mission Impossible film, Ghost Protocol, Bird returns to the house of mouse to direct George Clooney, Hugh Laurie and others in his attempt to make the once fantastical Tomorrowland into a summer blockbuster.
Casey Newton (Britt Robertson) is a dreamer that will not stop fighting. When her beloved NASA is set to tear down the Cape Canaveral launch site, and also put her father out of work, Casey sabotages the demolition equipment to slow the process. Eventually Casey is caught, but her actions catch the eye of Tomorrowland recruiter Athena (Raffey Cassidy) who sets her on a collision course with another former Tomorrowland recruit of her’s, Frank Walker (George Clooney). But Athena’s mission is no longer just recruitment as the Tomorrowland of old no longer exists and is struggling under the leadership of Nix (Hugh Laurie). But can Athena’s recruits save the day, and the land of tomorrow? (more…)
Muppets Most Wanted plays better at home
Now on Blu ray and DVD, Disney’s “Muppets Most Wanted” sees the entire Muppets gang embarking on a global tour that includes Berlin, Madrid, Dublin and London. But, as usual, mayhem follows the Muppets as they find themselves unwittingly entangled in an international crime caper to stela the crown jewels. This nefarious plot is headed by Constantine—the World’s Number One Criminal and a dead ringer for Kermit—and his dastardly sidekick Dominic (Ricky Gervais). Meanwhile, Kermit is detained behind bars by Nadya (Tina Fey), as Ty Burrell tracks all the shenanigans as Interpol agent Jean Pierre Napoleon.
Back in 2011, Jason Segel teamed up with writer Nicolas Stoller, songwriter Bret McKenzie and director James Bobin to reintroduce the Muppets to a new generation, while showing audiences who grew up on them exactly why they loved them as much as they had as children. The sequel brings back everyone minus Segel, which sadly leaves Muppets Most Wanted without a heart to its story, reducing the follow up to a series of sketches and cameos strung together with a threadbare plot that feels like The Muppets reimagined with a Family Guy mentality. To top it off the lovable Walter who was at the center of the previous film has been relegated to a ‘barely existing’ supporting role, something the film itself actually calls out.
Need for Speed races to Blu ray.
After being set up as the cause of a terrible accident in a street race driver, causing the death of his friend after a fiery crash on a bridge, Tobey Marshall (Aaron Paul), a financially struggling custom-car builder and street-racer, spends two years in jail obsessed with gaining justice and revenge. Upon his release he borrows the fastest car his workshop ever built and sold, with a passenger Julia (Imogen Poots) in tow, and sets out to enter a secretive and extremely high-stakes race known as The DeLeon. As it just so happens the reigning and defending champion of the Deleon, Dino Brewster (Dominic Cooper), is also the other racer who was on that bridge that fateful day.
Straight off the final season of the hugely successful series “Breaking Bad” Aaron Paul lands his biggest leading man role to date with “Need for Speed”, and he certainly seems to be the man for the job. Need for Speed looks to win over the ‘gearhead’ crowd, an audience that has been dissatisfied with the new caper style film that the “Fast and Furious” franchise has leaned towards, by filling Need for Speed with some of the fastest and insanely expensive cars available. Furthermore, as a stark contrast to the Fast films all of the driving and crashes are shot practically, without the aid of digital effects, as director Scott Waugh has assembled perhaps one of the greatest stunt driving teams ever. The work pays off on screen as the stunt work looks fantastic and the film carries a throwback feel that harkens back to the work of legendary stunt co-ordinator/director Hal Needham.
Million Dollar Arm is not really worth the money
After losing his last chance at a his only major client, JB Bernstein (Jon Hamm) concocts a scheme to find baseball’s next great pitching ace as a last ditch effort to save his career. Hoping to tap into the last untouched market for baseball, India, JB hopes to find a young cricket pitcher that he can turn into a major league star. JB concocts a reality show competition called “Million Dollar Arm”, that with the help of investors he travels to India to launch with the help of a cantankerous but eagle-eyed retired baseball scout (Alan Arkin). The competition produces Dinesh (Madhur Mittal) and Rinku (Suraj Sharma), two 18 year old boys who have no idea about playing baseball, yet possess a raw talent for throwing a fastball. As the boys learn the finer points of baseball, JB, with the help of his pool house tenant Brenda (Lake Bell), starts to learn valuable lessons about teamwork, commitment and what it means to be a family.
Million Dollar Arm is a predictable and formulaic sports tale that happens to be based on a true story. A harmless tale that lacks any staying power, the film is almost forgettable immediately after exiting the theater, Million Dollar Arm wastes the talents of many talented people involved while producing the most plain and dull product it can. Most of the cast seem to be slumming here; Hamm tries his best despite the cookie cutter script but really has nothing to deliver. The normally reliable and talented Arkin, Bill Paxton and Lake Bell seem to be barely even attempting to produce anything, partially due to the script but also because they all look bored and uninterested for the duration of the film.
Marvel delivers one of their best yet with the new Captain America
After the cataclysmic events in New York that occurred in “The Avengers” we find Steve Rogers, aka Captain America (Chris Evans), living a relatively quiet life in Washington, D.C. Cap is still working with Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) and S.H.I.E.L.D. but is quickly becoming very disillusioned at the politics behind doing so. But when a S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague comes under attack, Steve becomes a central figure in unravelling a web of lies, deceit and intrigue that threatens to put the world at risk that leaves the Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) as the only S.H.E.I.L.D. ally he can trust. When the full scope of the villainous plot is revealed, Captain America and the Black Widow must enlist the help of a new hero, the Falcon (Anthony Mackie) to help take down a menacing force that is much grander in scope than even Cap could have predicted.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is easily one of the best films that the current Marvel universe has produced. With ramifications and repercussions that will play out over many Marvel movies to come, Winter Soldier features a brilliant script that incorporates many nods towards the comic crowd while remaining easily accessible to regular audiences as well. The film takes a more espionage/thriller slant this time around, but with some extremely successful and impressive fight sequences, think “Manchurian Candidate” meets “The Raid”. This time around Cap’s fighting style has emerged as a fusion of MMA and Parkour that is highly effective and dangerous looking at the same time. This is a particularly more lethal looking Captain America this time around, which is reflective of Cap living in the modern world and perhaps hanging/working around Black Widow more often.
‘Muppets Most Wanted’ fails to deliver on its name
Disney’s “Muppets Most Wanted” sees the entire Muppets gang embarking on a global tour, selling out grand theaters in some of Europe’s most exciting destinations, including Berlin, Madrid, Dublin and London. But mayhem follows the Muppets as they find themselves unwittingly entangled in an international crime caper. This nefarious plot is headed by Constantine—the World’s Number One Criminal and a dead ringer for Kermit—and his dastardly sidekick Dominic, aka Number Two, portrayed by Ricky Gervais. Meanwhile, Kermit is detained behind bars by Nadya, a feisty prison guard played by Tina Fey, and Ty Burrell tracks all the shenanigans as Interpol agent Jean Pierre Napoleon.
Back in 2011, Jason Segel teamed up with writer Nicolas Stoller, songwriter Bret McKenzie and director James Bobin to reintroduce the Muppets to a new generation, while showing audiences who grew up on them exactly why they loved them as much as they had as children. The sequel brings back everyone minus Segel, which sadly leaves Muppets Most Wanted without a heart to its story, reducing the follow up to the equivalent of a rudderless ship. Without a viable human aspect to relate to this time around we are left with the random ramblings of the Muppets themselves, and while some of the gags work, others fall very flat.
CONTEST!! Win a copy of ‘Scandal Season 2’
Hello All! Its contest time again, this time around the fantastic people at Disney Home Entertainment have provided us with 5 copies of Scandal Season 2 to giveaway!
“Experience every breathless, jaw-dropping moment as Olivia Pope and her team of “gladiators in suits” turn up the heat and raise the stakes in “Scandal: The Complete Second Season.”
For Olivia Pope and Associates, cleaning up other people’s messes takes a shattering personal toll. Season Two blows the lid off Quinn’s identity, exposes Huck’s dark past, and uncovers Olivia’s darkest secret – something so shocking and enormous that it threatens the entire nation. From boardrooms to bedrooms, relive all 22 episodes of the explosive second season of “Scandal” including exclusive, never-before-seen bonus features with this riveting 5-disc set.
Bonus Features: A Closer Look: President Grant’s Assassination Attempt – Get an inside peek at how one of Season Two’s most pivotal scenes was shot (pun intended); Hanging with Huck – Spend the day with actor Guillermo Diaz and get to know the man behind the eclectic yet oddball character “Huck”; Extended Episode – Delve deeper into the drama with an episode featuring additional moments too revealing for broadcast television; Deleted Scenes – Discover more scandalous secrets through several never-before-seen moments from the hit series; Outtakes – Fans will laugh out loud at these funny, unseen moments from the set of “Scandal.”
We have 5 copies to give away this time around, so this is how to enter folks. Let all your friends know 🙂
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‘Iron Man 3’ starts the summer box office off on the right foot
On the heels of last year’s mega smash hit “The Avengers” Marvel Studios and Disney, in partnership with Paramount Pictures, brings us the newest installment of one of the Avenger’s key players, Iron Man 3. With this film, Robert Downey Jr. fulfills his Tony Stark contract quota and has fuelled speculation that he may be done donning the iron suit for good. Whether this is the case or not, it would be hard to argue that he has not left the character in a far better place than he started with it.
Iron Man 3
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Ben Kingsley, Rebecca Hall, James Badge Dale, William Sadler and Jon Favreau
Written by Drew Pearce and Shane Black
Directed by Shane Black
‘Wreck-It Ralph’ blasts its way onto home screens
Wreck-It Ralph Blu-Ray Review
Starring the voices of John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch, Alan Tudyk, Mindy Kaling, Denis Haysbert, Skylar Astin and Ed O`Niell
Written by Phil Johnston and Jennifer Lee based on a story by Rich Moore, Phil Johnston and Jim Reardon
Directed by Rich Moore
New to DVD and Blu-Ray from Disney Home Entertainment is the Oscar nominatedanimated feature film Wreck-It Ralph. The classic 8-bit video game inspired film was a smash hit when it was released in theaters last year and proved to be one of the front runners in one of the best years for animated feature films in a long time. Featuring a smorgasbord of cameos from famous classic video game characters and the newest and possibly most adorable ‘Disney Princess’ to date, the only question that remains is how awesome will the film transfer to home video.
For decades, Ralph (Reilly) has played the bad guy in his popular video game. The main villain in the game ‘Fix-It Felix’, Ralph has been thrown off the top of a building (more…)
Disney’s ‘Brother Bear’ hits Blu-Ray with a new dual pack
Brother Bear Double Feature Blu-ray
Brother Bear and Brother Bear 2
Starring the voices of: Joaquin Phoenix, Jeremy Suarez, Jason Raize, Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas, Micheal Clarke Duncan, D.B. Sweeny, Patrick Dempsey and Mandy Moore
Brother Bear directed by Aaron Blaise and Robert Walker
Brother Bear 2 directed by Ben Gluck
New this week from Disney is a handful of 3 disc Blu-ray Double Features, one of which is for the Disney animated film Brother Bear and its direct to video sequel Brother Bear 2. When Brother Bear came out in 2003, during what some regard as the ‘lean years ‘of Disney animation when Pixar dominated everything they produced, it was bumped from the traditional Disney summer release slot in favor of the immensely popular Finding Nemo. Making its way to a double feature Blu-ray with its sequel for the first time, the question remains is it worth the purchase price?
Disney’s ‘Hunchback’ hits Blu-ray with new dual pack set
The Hunchback of Notre Dame Double Feature Blu-ray
Hunchback of Notre Dame and Hunchback of Notre Dame 2
Starring the voices of: Tom Hulce, Kevin Kline, Demi Moore, Tony Jay, Jason Alexander, Charles Kimbrough, Mary Wickes, David Ogden Stiers, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Haley Joel Osment and Micheal McKean
Hunchback of Notre Dame directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise
Hunchback of Notre Dame 2 directed by Bradley Raymond
New this week from Disney is a handful of 3 disc Blu-ray Double Features, one of which is for the Disney classic Hunchback of Notre Dame and its direct to video sequel Hunchback of Notre Dame 2. The re-interpretation of the classic Victor Hugo novel ‘Notre Dame de Paris’, Disney’s Hunchback manages to make the sad and misshapen Quasimodo into a loveable hero. But will the double feature pack be worth a purchase when you include part 2?
Disney’s ‘Mulan 1&2’ hits Blu-ray with a new dual pack set
Mulan Double Feature Blu-ray
Mulan 1 and 2
Starring the voices of: Ming Na, B.D. Wong, Eddie Murphy, Pat Morita, Harvey Fierstein, James Hong, Lucy Liu, Sandra Oh and Lauren Tom
Mulan directed by Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook
Mulan 2 directed by Darrell Rooney and Lynne Southerland
New this week from Disney is a handful of 3 disc Blu-ray Double Features, one of which is for the Disney classic Mulan and its direct to video sequel Mulan 2. Mulan is the classic story of a girl risking it all, her life and family honor, because she wants to protect her father. For the first time available as a double Blu-ray set, the question remains is the set worth your hard earned dollars?
Walt Disney’s ‘Peter Pan’ goes diamond with a blu-ray special edition
Peter Pan Diamond Collection Blu-Ray
With the voices of Bobby Driscoll, Kathryn Beaumont, Hans Conried, Paul Collins and Tommy Luske
Written by Ted Sears, Erdman Penner, Bill Peet, Winston Hibler, Joe Rinaldi, Milt Banta, Ralph Wright and Bill Cottrell based on the play by Sir J.M. Barrie
Directed by Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske and Jack Kinney
The classic animated feature film from Disney, Peter Pan, hits its 60th ‘Diamond’ anniversary this year and celebrates with a brand new, fully loaded Blu-ray release in stores this week. The timeless tale of Peter and his ‘lost boys’ in considered one of the greats from Disney’s golden age of hand drawn animation and is based on the 100 year old stage play from Sir J.M. Barrie. As a young child, Walt Disney saw a travelling production of the play and it stayed with him for decades until he was finally able to produce his own version.
The story has been told many times. (more…)
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