January 25, 2013

J.J. Abrams to Direct Star Wars Episode VII





Star Wars Episode VII the first new film in that universe to be released by Disney has found it's director. Uber Star Wars geek J.J. Abrams is a great choice and did a superb job with rebooting the Star Trek franchise. As a fan of the classic trilogy and finding the prequel to be good but not as great this a good start in the right direction to such an acclaimed Director/Producer attached.





J.J. Abrams has also produced or directed for LOST, FRINGE, Felicity, Alias for television and for the big screen Super 8, Star Trek, Star Trek: Into Darkness, Mission Impossible 3. Director Ben Affleck was also considered to helm the movie and it goes to show how sought after this gig is and that Disney wants to do right by the sci-fi saga.

January 24, 2013

Fringe:The Complete Fifth Season and The Complete Series coming to Blu-ray May 7, 2013





Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has officially announced they will be releasing Fringe:The Complete Fifth Season which was the final season of the excellent show. A Fringe: The Complete Series will also be released on the same day May 7,2013. The series starred John Noble, Anna Torv and Joshua Jackson Below are the planned features for the 5th season box set:


SPECIAL FEATURES -

* Producer Commentary
* Featurette: A Farewell to Fringe
* Fringe Panel at Comic-Con 2012
* Gag Reel
* UltraViolet Digital Copy

007's Latest Mission SKYFALL coming to Blu-ray February 12, 2013




20th Century Fox and MGM Home Entertainment have officially announced the Blu-ray debut of the highest grossing James Bond film ever SKYFALL. 007's latest was directed by Oscar winning Director Same Mendes and stars Daniel Craig as James Bond. It will be released on February 12,2013 as a Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy combo pack. Below is the official press release:





Blu-ray Special Features:

Shooting Bond -
* Intro
* Opening Sequence
* The Title Sequence
* 007
* Q
* DB5
* Women
* Villains
* Action
* Locations
* Music
* End Sequence
* M
* The Future
Skyfall Premiere
Commentaries -
* Director Sam Mendes
* Producers Michael G. Wilson & Barbara Broccoli; Production Designer Dennis Gassner Theatrical Trailer


EXPLOSIVE 23RD INSTALLMENT OF THE JAMES BOND FRANCHISE


SKYFALL


The Highest-Grossing Bond Film of All-Time Comes Home In February


007’S Latest Mission Available on Digital HD February 5


Blu-ray and DVD To Follow Beginning February 12


LOS ANGELES, CA (January 24, 2013) – Box-office smash, SKYFALL, will soon be available to own in high-definition, it was announced today by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. SKYFALL will release on Digital HD February 5th across all digital stores including Amazon, CinemaNow, iTunes, PlayStation, VUDU and Xbox Live. The SKYFALL Blu-ray and DVD will follow on February 12th in North America and February 18th in the United Kingdom with additional international markets to follow through March.

Directed by Oscar® winner Sam Mendes and starring Daniel Craig as James Bond, SKYFALL’s high definition home entertainment release follows the phenomenal theatrical success of the 23rd installment of the longest-running franchise in film history. Taking in more than $1 billion (USD), the British secret-service agent dominated the worldwide box-office and has become the highest grossing film ever in the United Kingdom – Bond’s home country.

Accolades continued with the recent announcement of eight BAFTA® [British Academy of Film and Television Arts] nominations including Outstanding British Film; Supporting Actor, Javier Bardem; and Supporting Actress, Judi Dench. Adele’s “Skyfall” was recognized with a Golden Globe® award and an Academy Award® nomination for Original Song, one of the film’s five Oscar® nominations.

The theatrical debut of SKYFALL capped a year-long celebration of James Bond’s golden anniversary. Honoring 50 years since 007 first appeared on-screen, the global campaign was highlighted with the release of BOND 50, a collectible box-set featuring all 22 James Bond films on Blu-ray Disc for the first time in one complete offering. The box-set includes a placeholder for SKYFALL so consumers can complete their 50th anniversary collection.

In SKYFALL Bond’s loyalty to M (Judi Dench) is tested as her past returns to haunt her. With MI6 now compromised from both inside and out, M is left with one ally she can trust: Bond. 007 takes to the shadows – aided only by field agent, Eve (Naomie Harris) – following a trail to the mysterious Silva (Javier Bardem), whose lethal and hidden motives have yet to reveal themselves.

With the Blu-ray, go behind-the-scenes of Bond’s latest mission with more than three hours of in-depth special features. Shooting Bond brings adrenaline-hungry fans closer to the heart-stopping action and 007’s world of worthy villains, glamorous women, exotic locations and the coolest gadgets.

January 22, 2013

LEGO STAR WARS: The Empire Strikes Out coming to DVD March 26, 2013




20th Century Fox Home Entertainment has officially announced they will be releasing more hilarious animated fun from a galaxy far, far away with LEGO STAR WARS: The Empire Strikes Out. It will be released on March 26,2013 as a DVD packed with an exclusive Darth Vader Lego minifigure. Below is the official press release:


LEGO® STAR WARS®: The Empire Strikes Out™

Animated Special Arrives on DVD


Packed with Humor, Action and Fun – and an Exclusive Darth Vader LEGO Minifigure!



SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (January 22, 2013) – After a record breaking debut on Cartoon Network, The LEGO Group and Lucasfilm announced today that LEGO® Star Wars™: The Empire Strikes Out will release on DVD this coming March 26, 2013. The 22-minute original standalone special will bring the same tongue-and-cheek humor fans know and love in a brand new epic adventure featuring everyone’s favorite LEGO Star Wars characters. Distributed by Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, the DVD will include an exclusive collectible Darth Vader LEGO minifigure and is available now for preorder at www.foxconnect.com/awesome.


Filled with charm, action and irreverent humor this original story features characters, locations and vehicles across the entire LEGO Star Wars universe including Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, C-3P0, R2-D2, Darth Maul, and more. When the premiere of LEGO Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out aired on Cartoon Network, it became the number-one telecast of the day with kids ages 6-11 and boys ages 2-17. Written by Emmy Award winner Michael Price (The Simpsons), the show features many of the beloved Star Wars voice-actors fans know and love including Anthony Daniels, Sam Witwer, Ahmed Best and more.


SYNOPSIS:
HOLD ON TO YOUR BRICKS….FOR AN ALL-NEW ANIMATED ADVENTURE!

Your favorite characters are back to save the galaxy in LEGO® Star Wars®: The Empire Strikes Out™. The heroes of the Rebel Alliance including heroic Luke Skywalker, swaggering Han Solo and steadfast Princess Leia have no time to celebrate their victory over the Empire as a new Imperial threat arises. But as Jedi-in training Luke embarks on this next mission, he discovers that his celebrity status as a “Death-Star-Blower-Upper” can be a double-edged lightsaber when he’s constantly mobbed by crazed fans. So much for secret missions! Meanwhile, Darth Vader and Darth Maul are locked in a hilarious “Sith-ling” rivalry as they compete for the Emperor’s approval. It’s an action-packed comic adventure that’s out of this world!

January 21, 2013

Femme Fatales: The Complete First Season - DVD Review




***SHOW REVIEW***



Femme Fatales really came out of left field for me. I was not familiar with the show until the DVD arrived and was pleasantly surprised by it. I have since learned that the show aired originally on Cinemax. Usually a place for late night softcore junk. The writing is smart and never panders to the viewer. There are some genuine and earned laughs. Each episode tells a different tale that really helps with variety.

The cast selected does a solid job bringing the various characters to life. The central narrator of the series is played to great effect by Tanit Phoenix as Lilith. Production values as a whole were above average and created a good sense of environment. It is refreshing to see an anthology series work so well and be so much fun. 8/10


***VIDEO QUALITY***



Femme Fatales arrives on DVD with a 480 transfer in the original aspect ratio of 1.78:1. - This show looks really great with bright and bold colors with zero bleeding. The Blacks were deep and consistent. No distracting compression artifacts or anomalies were found. 8.5/10


***AUDIO QUALITY***



Audio is provided by a Dolby Digital 5.1 track. Dialogue was crisp and clean. Stereo separation and surround use was used to great effect in the mix and the tracks open up a lot more when compared to the broadcast versions. 8/10


***SPECIAL FEATURES***



* Audio Commentaries
* Isolated music track - for “Help Me, Rhonda”
* San Diego Comic-Con 2011 Panel
* Deleted & Alternate Scenes
* Creating Femme Fatales
* Shooting Femme Fatales - The Making of Season 1
* Making Love: Anatomy of A Sex Scene
* The White Flower – Director’s Cut (Black & White) plus audio commentary
* Blooper Reel