Happy Halloween Everyone

It has been a busy weekend with not much time for me to blog :). Recently, I brought my nephew to see the new Goosebumps movie with Jack Black. Surprisingly, the movie was much more entertaining than some purportedly big budget movies aimed at kids and teens. This charming movie is based on the famous 90s Goosebumps novels for kids by R.L.Stine who coincidentally makes a special cameo at the end of the movie. Personally, I never read the books as a kid and neither has my nephew. However, he has better knowledge on the books than me :). Basically, the books are about monsters and other creepy things/places. In the movie, Jack Black plays R.L. Stine who fights off the monsters with the help of some teenagers. Most of the famous (often unique) monsters featured in the books makes an appearance in the movie. My nephew enjoyed telling me the titles of each book in which each of the monsters first showed up in. Although the movie is slow in the beginning, it offers good rollicking fun once the monsters show up. Thanks to the non-stop mayhem that ensues and the comedic talents of Jack Black, the movie is a decent movie for families looking for some light and clean entertainment this Halloween (if you don't mind CGI monsters). The movie is also a  must for those who grew up with the books and the new generation of kids who like the enduring appeal of the books. As Mr Black (or should I say Mr Stine) would say, all his stories has a beginning, a middle and a twist.

           

(Trailer from Sony Pictures Entertainment)

Another thing which I think is worth mentioning is an upcoming documentary "A LEGO Brickumentary". I rarely watch documentaries unless they are really interesting. This documentary is actually a film by Oscar winning/nominated directors Daniel Junge & Kief Davidson and is narrated by Jason Bateman. The film actually examines the humble origins and evolution of LEGO, the global phenomenon surrounding it and its timeless appeal. Most of the footage shows real life fans of LEGO from different walks of life and ages using those famous little bricks in architecture, art and various other ways. Interesting and worth checking out. The blu-ray will be out early next month.  

             

(Trailer Courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes Trailers)

If you are interested in viewing Goosebumps (or its 2018 sequel Goosebumps 2 : Haunted Halloween) and 'A LEGO Brickumentary', both are available on DVDs/Blu-Rays from Amazon or via streaming on Amazon Prime. Links below. 

Goosebumps Amazon Prime (paid link)

 

Goosebumps 2 Amazon Prime (paid link)  

 Goosebumps 1 & 2 Blu-Ray Amazon US (paid link)

LEGO Brickumentary Amazon Prime (paid link)

   LEGO Brickumentary Blu-Ray Amazon US (paid link)

Upcoming Movies & Blu-Ray Releases

Haven't made an entry for a long while and I'm sure those occasional visitors to my humble blog were not sure whether I was still alive :). In fact, it was so long ago, that the fonts on my blog actually stopped working! Yes, the fonts actually changed from 'Pacifico' (the font type that I'm using for titles, headings etc) to some ugly font.This is very annoying as I like everything on my blog to remain beautiful and curvy :). Anybody experienced this before on their blog? Since I'm not much of a 'techie', I will be very interested to know the reason for this glitch and appreciate any comments/feedback/solution on this problem.

Anyway, back to the topic dearest to my heart, films. As some might recall from my previous posts, I'm very fond of gothic horror movies from the 90s. Among them is Francis Ford Coppola's version of Bram Stoker's Dracula from 1992. Sony has chosen to re-release this movie as the first in its new Supreme Cinema Series with tons of lost, existing and new commentaries, extras and featurettes in one blu-ray disc. The blu-ray disc itself is packaged in a beautiful digibook in a unique clear plastic. I won't go much into the details as you can visit DVDTalk yourselves for a comprehensive review of the release by Francis Rizzo.

 Review by Francis Rizzo (DVD Talk)

However, I just wanted to say that I have been waiting for so long for this movie to be released again properly because it is such a beautiful and well crafted  movie which I truly believe was a labor of love from Mr Coppola. I always thought the movie would get a Criterion release eventually but the fact that Sony chose it as the first movie to be released in its new Supreme Cinema Series does it justice enough. The only gripe I have about this movie is that despite Gary Oldman is an excellent actor, I wish Coppola had chosen a 'hotter' actor for the Count :). Check out the video below for the unboxing of the beautiful set.        

             

Video courtesy of Francis Rizzo (DVD Talk)

Another news that got me excited was an early trailer of 'Pride & Prejudice and Zombies' based on the book by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith which combines two of my favorite things, British Classics and movies/TV series based on books. The movie (think Jane Austen meets The Walking Dead) which stars Lily James, Lena Headey and Matt Smith is set to open in UK on February 2016.

              

(Trailer Courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes Trailers)

Heard some good news that one of my favorite TV series from the 90's (loved watching the adventures of this dynamic duo and I don't mean Batman and Robin) is going to be re-released on high definition/ blu-ray. Yes folks, the truth is still out there. All 9 seasons of X-Files will finally be released on blu-ray in a Collector's Box Set on 8th December 2015 (just in time for Christmas, very smart marketing strategy). Since the release is an early announcement  from Fox, it is still unclear whether there will be new bonus materials or individual seasons released. By the way,  X-Files will be returning to Fox TV on January 2016 in a six episode event helmed once again by Chris Carter. David Duchovny (Aquarius) and Gilian Anderson (Hannibal/The Fall) will also reprise the roles of Mulder and Scully. Fox has also released a short trailer for the upcoming six episode miniseries. So I guess the release of the blu-ray box set is not really a coincidence.

In the 90s, X Files was a ground breaking TV show thanks to the creative mind of Chris Carter who tried to replicate his sucess on TV with other series like Millennium and the short lived Harsh Realm . However his other series never garnered the same success and recognition of X Files which even spawned a few movies. Will the new X Files appeal to a newer and more sophisticated audience? Well, that remains to be seen. I guess Fox is willing to take on the gamble since there will only be six episodes and not a full length season. 

             

(Video Courtesy of moviemaniacsDE)

Below are the links if anyone is interested in getting the above blu-rays or book. However, the X-Files Collector's Box is pretty pricey (only for serious collectors).  

Dracula Supreme Cinema Series Amazon US  (paid link)

 

   X-Files Collector's Blu-Ray Boxset Amazon US (paid link)

Pride+Prejudice+Zombies Blu-Ray Amazon US (paid link)

Pride+Prejudice+Zombies Amazon Prime (paid link)

Pride+Prejudice+Zombies Book Amazon US (paid link)    

  Pride+Prejudice+Zombies Graphic Novel Amazon US (paid link) 

TV Series Adapted From Books/Novels

Lately, I have noticed that there has been a slew of TV series adapted from famous novels/books. Books that might have never been read (or forgotten) by many are now suddenly known to millions. Perhaps the most famous is A Game of Thrones by George RR Martin. I don't want to offend the legion of fans for the books and TV series but Game of Thrones is not really my cup of tea but I did like True Blood which is another TV series adapted by HBO from the books by Charlaine Harris. I guess these series started the ball rolling for other books (sometimes older titles) to be adapted into TV series. TV is actually a medium tailor made for books especially ones that come in a series of novels with long story arcs. However, there are exceptions notably the Harry Potter movies. Cable networks have especially taken a keen interest in popular books which are sometimes older books that have an enduring appeal or loyal fan base. Spurred on to be bolder by the success of these earlier shows, these networks have taken a gamble on older books and invested a lot of money adapting these books for the small screen which have paid off dividends for them. Besides hiring top notch writers to adapt the books for the small screen, they have even invited the original authors of the books as consultants for the TV series. No cost was also sparred in the production and promotion of  these shows. Casting is usually done after an extensive search (no big names here but mostly unknowns)  and usually with the approval of the original authors. As a result, we have great TV shows like AMC's The Walking Dead adapted from Robert Kirkman's cult graphic novel series. Currently, Starz has successfully adapted the Outlander book series by Diana Gabaldon which is over 2 decades old. Thanks to the talents of Ronald D. Moore, great casting and Starz's high production standards, this highly anticipated series is now riding high with TV viewers. Not to be missed out, BBC (on the other side of the pond) has also decided to revive Winston Graham's historical Poldark novels which has been adapted for TV earlier in the 1970s. The series, just ended in Britain, is adapted by Debbie Horsfield and stars Irish actor, Aidan Turner (Being Human - UK Version), as the new Ross Poldark. The series which consist of only 8 episodes is causing quite a stir in Britain. Due to the high ratings and overwhelming response for the show (the 1970s series was also highly successful) BBC has commissioned a second series for the show. Now, I'm looking forward to BBC releasing another 7 part TV series based on a novel by Susanna Clarke entitled Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell which concerns 2 magicians who live in an alternate 19th century England where magic is a lost art. Another series worth mentioning is  the second season of The Strain based on the novels by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan which will be aired on FX soon. All I can do to describe this series is that it brings back the fun in horror and is very addictive. If this wave continues, we can all hope to see maybe some of our favorite books being brought to life on the small screen (at least). My silent plea to the networks, continue this trend and please no more reality or game shows. I know these shows are cheaper and easier to produce, but we don't really need to be bombarded by them. Since I grew up in 1980s and 1990s, mini-series based on famous books like Shogun, Thorn Birds and various books by Sidney Sheldon were a norm. I guess networks today are just re-discovering the fact that books are the greatest source of stories for TV. Just my 2 cents.

Interesting Trailers & New Blu-Ray/DVD Titles

Sorry, I have been very busy lately with no time to blog but still there a few interesting trailers that caught my attention mainly Crimson Peak from director Guillermo del Toro which will be shown somewhere around Halloween this year. I am really fond of gothic horror movies especially well made ones and those produced on a grand scale but lately there has been a drought for these type of movies. With Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain and Charlie Hunnam on board and Guillermo del Toro at the helm, I have high hopes for this movie (the trailer doesn't disappoint too).

            

(Trailer Courtesy of Legendary)

Another trailer that merits a mention in my blog is the new trailer from Disney Tomorrowland which is directed by Brad Bird and stars George Clooney. I'm not really a big fan of movies from Disney or Clooney in particular but I have to say the trailer is intriguing. Worth checking it out in May this year.

           

(Trailer Courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes Trailers)

Besides these movies, I'm also looking forward to the return of some of my favourite TV shows in April 2015 mainly Season 2 of Hallmark's When Calls The Heart and the second part of Season 1 of Starz's Outlander. Both series are based on famous books, Janette Oke's Canadian West and Diana Gabaldon's Outlander book series. In anticipation of the second season TV premiere of WCTH, Shout Factory has already announced the release of the dvds for the second season of WCTH in May 2015. Further details can be found through this link (courtesy of Shout Factory):

When Calls The Heart S2 DVD (Shout! Factory)

                                                  

           

(Video Courtesy of GeckoUnboxing)

Lastly, I caught a glimpse of Chris Columbus' latest film, Pixels, which stars Adam Sandler and Kevin James. This movie has got to have the craziest plot ever but if Chris Columbus manages to pull it off, the movie could end up being among this year's surprise (popcorn) summer movie hits. Not to be taken too seriously, the movie deals with aliens who misinterpret video feeds of classic arcade games as a declaration of war against them. Later, they launch an attack on Earth using models from these games. The President then enlists the help of some old school arcaders to save the planet. Yeah, sounds crazy right? Well, check out the trailer below if you were intrigued like me. The next Ghostbusters?

        

(Trailer Courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment)

Addendum (4th May 2024) : For fans of Crimson Peak, who are collectors, Arrow Video will be releasing a Limited Edition 4K Blu-Ray with loads of extras this month (21st May 2024). I have appended a link below for those interested in pre-ordering it from Amazon. The full list of extras is also listed there but the set is a little pricey. 

Crimson Peak 4K Ultra HD Amazon US (paid link)

TV Series on Steelbooks

I have been watching a lot of blu-ray/dvd unboxing videos on YouTube lately which is kinda fun especially some from those Black Friday buys and noticed a lot of gorgeous steelbooks being unwrapped/unboxed. I don't own any steelbooks since I have always felt that the extras/bonus features on the disc and the film itself were more important than the outer package. However, I must admit that I'm partial to slipcovers and digibooks since they provide additional information on the film. Most of the people who posted these videos are themselves collectors and the (mostly) blu-ray steelbooks mainly come from Zavvi. Steelbooks usually feature gorgeous artwork and are limited editions that quickly run out of stock and appreciate in value. Often, they come from UK/Europe, are region free and can be pretty expensive. While watching these videos, I noticed that all the steelbooks featured were movies and none were TV shows. Studios are usually reluctant to release TV shows on blu-ray unless there is a demand for them. Most older and lesser known TV shows are released on dvd only. So it might be understandable that TV shows on steelbooks are a rarity. Sometimes, the studios/retailers might release exclusive/limited editons of season boxsets of certain TV shows for fans/collectors. These editions usually come with digipaks/slipcovers featuring different artwork, trading cards or bonus discs (e.g Grimm, Sleepy Hollow, True Blood) but as I mentioned earlier, TV shows on steelbooks are almost non-existent. Since I consider myself more of a TV addict than a movie fan, I decided to check out forums of TV fans asking for steelbook releases of their favourite TV shows. Most of them wanted Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead to be released in steelbooks. Although I'm not a fan of these shows ( I have not seen Breaking Bad before (?)  and I got bored quickly after the first seasons of GOT & TWD), I must admit that any artwork on steelbooks for these shows would be awesome. However, upon checking further online, I discovered that there are indeed a few TV shows being released in limited edition steelbooks including Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead. In fact, the steelbooks for all 5 seasons of Breaking Bad are available for pre-order from Zavvi and features illustrations from renowned cartoonist Ralph Steadman. Individual seasons of The Walking Dead has also been released on limited edition steelbooks which features pretty much the same artwork found on the series standard blu-ray release. Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek TNG and Dr Who has also been released on limited edition steelbooks which are unfortunately either low in stock/out of stock. But the most surprising discovery is the limited edition steelbook release of the TV series 'Firefly' by Joss Whedon (which is amongst my all time favourite TV series). I never knew that the series was released on steelbook but I don't think that I will be double dipping unless the set comes with some extras on the disc that are not found on the standard blu-ray edition. As I said earlier, packaging is just not that important to me so the standard blu-ray edition of this series (which I bought at an unbeatable price) is just fine by me. So unless steelbooks comes with bonus content or extra discs, I'll stick to standard blu-ray editions of my favourite TV shows.

For steelbook enthusiasts, I have provided links below to Zavvi US and Zavvi UK (they have the greatest selection of steelbooks). Hope you find them helpful.

 

Zavvi US 

  

Zavvi UK

Tootsie (1982) Film

I'm not really a fan of art house/foreign/vintage films and because of this I have never owned a Criterion blu-ray before. However, I was surprised that Criterion had just released a more modern and commercial film 'Tootsie' on blu-ray which coincidentally was revisited by me recently. Sometimes, I like to revisit old films that I had watched in my youth during the 80s and 90s that I have forgotten or because I think that I might enjoy the film more as an adult rather than a kid/teen back then. I must admit that after watching 'Tootsie' again, I still found it to be entertaining, funny and relevant to modern times (the same cannot be said for Dorothy's hair, glasses or wardrobe). I'm not going to discuss the Criterion release here but for those interested in a review of Criterion's blu-ray release of this film, you can always check out the link below. The review is courtesy of DVD Talk. 

DVDTalk Review

What did I like most about the film, Dustin Hoffman of course. As you know, Dustin Hoffman is not the most attractive man but he is a very talented actor. While watching the film, I truly believed that it was the 'real' Mr Hoffman (as Michael Dorsey) who was coaching the novices in the actors studio. Which makes the role of  'Dorothy' a big risk for him (not unlike the risk Michael Dorsey took) since transforming him into a decent looking woman would be an insurmountable task. Besides, he had a reputation of being a 'serious' actor and this movie was part comedy. In 1982, we didn't yet have movies like Mrs Doubtfire or Priscilla Queen of the Desert so this movie was pretty much a leap into the unknown. But the role paid dividends because his portrayal of Dorothy is so spot-on that you can't imagine another actor playing her except Mr Hoffman. Dorothy's mannerism and speech (no false falsetto here) is all unique and yet natural to the character (imagine a rather spunky motherly figure). After watching the film, there was a short but illuminating interview with Dustin Hoffman which was included in the bonus features of  the dvd  (since I have not seen the Criterion edition  I can't say whether this particular interview is included in it). Here, he talks about the different ways men and women communicate. Apparently, women always ended their sentences with a question mark to appear less confrontational (hmm...). He also talks about improvising on some scenes in the movie (sometimes without director Sydney Pollack's knowledge). But the most touching part of the interview would be when he mentions how he would sometimes dress as Dorothy with the cast and crew when they were not filming scenes and (oblivious) people would sometimes ignore him in conversation due to the fact that he did not look 'attractive' as a woman. At this point, he almost breaks down crying and mentions his regret that as a 'bloke' he was also guilty of ignoring interesting women who were short on looks. In fact, he was so disturbed by this revelation that he ended up apologizing to his wife and having a heart felt conversation with her later. 

Other high points of the films is of course Bill Murray, as Michael Dorsey's laid back but hilarious room mate Jeff and Sydney Pollack, who directs and stars in the film. I truly believe that without Mr Pollack's unique vision (during an interview he mentions that he only makes serious films and never before comedy), this truly intelligent and sensitive film would not materialize. You have to admit that a comedy about a man who cross dresses could easily turn tacky if it was not handled by a talented director such as Mr Pollack. Lastly, those who loved the 80s would also immediately recognize Steven Bishop's iconic song at the end of the movie.

    

So anyone looking for some 80s nostalgia or an intelligent, funny and insightful film, why not give the Criterion release of this film a try. I'm sure Criterion's re-mastered version of the film and (usually) comprehensive release loaded with plenty of extras will certainly do justice to a film of this caliber.  

For those looking to add this great movie to their Criterion Collection, I have provided the link below to the blu-ray in Amazon (US),  

Tootsie Criterion Blu-Ray Amazon US (paid link)

The Bridge (FX TV Series)

Finished watching the first season of the FX TV series 'The Bridge' which is based on the Danish-Swedish TVseries 'Bron'. I'm not going to comment on the Danish-Swedish version since I haven't seen it before and neither do I plan to do so in the near future but I found the American version to be quite good. The series is about an American police detective, Sonya Cross, who is forced to collaborate with her Mexican counterpart, Marco Ruiz, to solve a homicide on a bridge that serves as a border between El-Paso Texas and Juarez Chihuahua. Their attempts to solve the case is complicated by the shady dealings that happen around the border which include corruption, drug cartels, illegal immigrants/ human trafficking etc.  What I find most interesting about the series is that along the way, the duo is introduced to many characters on both sides of the law that may at first seem stereotypical but later revealed to have hidden agendas/secrets and idiosyncrasies. The twist and turns in the plot are many but the second interesting thing that attracts me to the series is the relationship between the two detectives which are excellently played by German actress, Diane Kruger and Mexican actor, Demian Bichir. Unlike other detective series, where the main protagonists of different sexes get romantically involved, both detectives in this series seem to exemplify a real working relationship which, as the series progresses, grows into something akin to comradeship (anyone remember Cagney & Lacey/Starsky & Hutch?). Besides this, Detective Sonya Cross (Diane Kruger) suffers from Asperger (which is not mentioned but only hinted at in the series) and this makes the interactions and dynamics of the relationship between the two detectives an even more interesting watch. Last TV series that had a character (suspected) with Asperger was the BBC series Sherlock and even then it was never mentioned that the great detective himself (potrayed by the excellent Benedict Cumberbatch) suffers from it. In contrast to the the straight and narrow Detective Cross, we have Detective Marco Ruiz (Demian Bichir) on the other side of the border. He is a deeply flawed character but someone who is able to adapt and eventually work with her despite her lack of social skills. Recently, the series was canceled by FX after the second season, which is a shame but you can always catch up on this series on dvd/blu-ray. An interesting watch due to the high production quality, great writing and cast. Will wait for the second season to be released on dvd/blu-ray.

Available on DVD 6th Jan 2015

The Bridge Official Series Trailer FX

(courtesy of FX Networks on YouTube)

Addendum (30th April 2024) : If you are interested in viewing this series for the first time or wish to revisit it, both seasons of this series are now available on Amazon Prime. Unfortunately, the DVD for the second season (there was a Blu-Ray release only for the first season) are not widely available anymore. 

 FX The Bridge Amazon Prime (paid link)

        FX The Bridge Season 1 Blu-Ray Amazon US (paid link)    

   FX The Bridge Season 2 DVD Amazon US (paid link)