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Posts tagged “DVD

‘Junkie’ comes up short on DVD

Junkie_Payoff_Horizontal_LoRes“Junkie” is a pitch black comedy about two heavily addicted, drug addled brothers, Danny (Daniel Louis Rivas) and Nicky (Robert LaSardo). When Danny decides he’s going clean, Nicky reacts aggressively, driving Danny from one insane experience to another. As Danny’s life spirals out of control he must fight tooth and nail to kick the habit and rescue himself from the personal hell Nicky has consigned him to, whilst simultaneously attempting to repair the deeply damaged relationships with his bizarre set of friends and family.

Junkie is a bit of a mess of a film doesn’t quite get cleaned up by the end. The film starts with a very inventive title sequence that is immediately negated by a story that plays like a very poor man’s take on David Fincher’s Fight Club. In fact the entire first half of the just over 80  (more…)


‘Playing for Keeps’ has Gerard Butler grin and bear it

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Playing for Keeps DVD

Starring: Gerard Butler, Jessica Beil, Noah Lomax, Uma Thurman, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Judy Greer

Written by Robbie Fox

Directed by Gabriele Muccino

New this week from VVS Entertainment is the new Gerard Butler vehicle, playing for Keeps. Butler continues his string of romantic comedies with this tale of a down on his luck former athlete’s attempts to reconnect with his son and former flame. Most of Butler`s romantic comedy fare has been dull and unoriginal to date, will Playing for Keeps fare any better?

ptf day 30 _53.NEF (more…)


Explore the ‘Method to the Madness of Jerry Lewis’ on DVD today (review)

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New to DVD on Jan 22, from Anchor Bay Entertainment, is the Starz Encore Originals presentation of “Method to the Madness of Jerry Lewis”. The documentary features interviews with a multitude of famous actors and directors who all talk about Jerry’s influence in their careers and on show business in general. Director Barson covers the entire gamut of Lewis’ career, interspersing classic footage from Jerry’s past with the interviews and new footage of Jerry on the road still touring in his 80’s. Whether you know Jerry as the ‘muscular dystrophy’ guy, one half of Martin and Lewis or for his own multitude of films, “Method to the Madness” provides a fascinating portrait of the man known worldwide for his comedy.

Method to the Madness of Jerry Lewis DVD Review

Starring Jerry Lewis

Directed by Gregg Barson

The son of a famous Vaudeville performer, Jerry’s first exposure to the spotlight came as an 8 year (more…)


Are the “Simpsons” still relevant with the “15th Season DVD”

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Simpsons Season 15 DVD Review

With the voices of Dan CastellanetaJulie Kavner, Nancy CartwrightYeardley SmithHarry Shearer and Hank Azaria

Created by Matt Groening

The longest running primetime show in American television history, the Simpsons, is world renowned and beloved. They also produce some of the most influential and feature packed DVD sets on the market place. New to DVD from Fox Home Entertainment comes the 15th season of the series. So how does season 15 stack up with their already impressive library?

In Season 15 the show welcomes guest voice performances from Jerry Lewis, Jennifer Garner, and Oscar De La Hoya in this season’s hilarious (more…)


ParaNorman DVD Review

 

ParaNorman DVD

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

New this week on DVD and Blu-Ray from Alliance Films is the stop motion animated wonder, from the same studio that brought us Henry Selick’s Coraline, which scared up some decent box office this summer, ParaNorman. Directors Chris Butler and Sam Fell bring us the story of a boy with the gift to talk to the deceased and a mission to fulfill. So what does the DVD have in store for us?

Norman Babcock (Smit-McPhee) is an awkward child with an extraordinary (more…)


Ruby Sparks Blu-Ray Review

 

Ruby Sparks Blu-Ray

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

Now available on Blu-Ray and DVD from 20th Century Fox is the quirky comedy from writer/star Zoe Kazan, Ruby Sparks. Zoe, granddaughter of prolific director Elia Kazan, is following in the footsteps of her parents by writing Ruby Sparks.  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 six years since Dayton and Faris stormed the indie scene with the runaway sensation of Sunshine, will Ruby Sparks make that six year span without a follow-up worth the wait?

29 year old high school dropout Calvin, who at 19 wrote a ground-breaking novel (more…)


Chained DVD Review

Entertainment Maven

Chained DVD

Starring Vincent D’Onofrio, Julia Ormond, Eamon Farren, Gina Phillips, Evan Bird and Jake Weber

Written by Damian O’Donnell and Jennifer Lynch

Directed by Jennifer Lynch

After her trials and tribulations in India directing the film Hisss, documented in the excellent feature documentary Despite the Gods, with her next effort Jennifer Lynch wanted to get back to the friendly confines of small indie horror that spawned her, the result is Chained. Armed with a script she adapted herself and a stellar lead actor in D’Onofrio, Lynch set out to once again carve out her unique vision with the level of creative control only an indie film can provide, although it should be mentioned that the title was changed from Rabbit to Chained.

Coming home from a routine trip to the movies, eight-year-old Tim (Bird) and his mother, Sarah (Ormond), are picked up by a psychopathic cab driver named…

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Brawler DVD Review

Entertainment Maven

Brawler DVD 

Starring Nathan Grubbs, Marc Senter, Pell James and Michael Bowen

Written by Chris Sivertson and Nathan Grubbs

Directed by Chris Sivertson

New on DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment Canada, is an MMA inspired fight film that explores the seedy side of underground fight clubs, Brawler. Based on a true story, the familiar tale of brother versus brother, realized most recently onscreen in last year’s Warrior, is familiar ground. The real test of the film will be if it can deliver a realistic product inside the cage.

Brawler is the tale of two brothers, Charlie (Grubbs) and Bobby (Senter) Fontaine, who find themselves in a vicious, bone-breaking, jaw-smashing underground “fight club” circuit under Mafia control set on the riverboats of New Orleans. Sidelined by an injury incurred while protecting his young brother, Charlie is blindsided after a devastating betrayal by Bobby and his new wife Kat (James). The two…

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Bait 3D DVD Review

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Entertainment Maven

Bait 3D DVD 

Starring Xavier Samuel, Sharni Vinson, Alex Russell, Phoebe Tonkin and Julian McMahon

Written by Russell Mulcahy and John Kim (with additional writing by Shayne Armstrong, Duncan Kennedy, Shane Krause and Justin Monjo).

Directed by Kimble Rendall

From the Gold Coast of Australia Anchor Bay Entertainment brings us Bait 3D on DVD and Blu-Ray. The film stars a cast of rising stars from Australia including Xavier Samuel (Loved Ones, Twilight Saga: Eclipse), Sharni Vinson (Step Up 3D, You’re Next), Alex Russell (Chronicle) and Phoebe Tonkin (TV’s The Secret Circle, Tomorrow, When the War Began). The cast is further rounded out with some veteran presence in the form of Julian McMahon. The question remains with the overabundance of Shark based thrillers out there is Bait more part Jaws or Sharktopus?

After a gargantuan freak tsunami hits a sleepy beach community in Australia a group…

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