The Blu-ray/DVD combo pack breakdown is as follows:

Blu-ray:
o Original Theatrical Version of the Film
o Unrated Version of the Film
o Lost Tapes

DVD:
o Unrated Version of the Film
o Digital Copy of Unrated Version—Compatible with iTunes® and Windows Media

On February 14, single disc DVD versions of both the unrated and the theatrical versions will be available at Wal-Mart, as well.

Technorati Tags: Paranormal Activity 3, Movie, Horror, Ghosts, Haunting, Paramount Home Video

I have to say, considering the entire premise of Saw I was hoping for something a little more exciting in a poster. It looks nice, but I am not sure how enticing it is when it comes to making me want to see the final movie. Let us know what you think and if you’re going to see the final installment in the Saw series.

Technorati Tags: Saw, Franchise, Series, Tobin Bell, Motion Picture, Motion Poster, 3D

Release Info:
Theatrical Release: August 26, 2009
DVD Release Date: August 3, 2010
Online Availability: Amazon for $24.99

Is she alive or dead? This question is raised in After.Life, a question that should be surprisingly easy to answer, but it’s not. Even when those of us who paid close attention to the film “get” the right answer to this question, the web remains aflutter with buzz of is she or isn’t she? That’s part of what makes After.Life somewhat successful as a thriller. Even when you know the right answer, there are nagging suggestions that this answer might not be correct, though these are never quite concrete enough to make total sense.

The acting is stellar from Liam Neeson. Is he calm and caring or a complete psychopath? Either way, Neeson’s Eliot completely embraces his macabre nature. Ricci’s performance as the protagonist, Anna Taylor is underwhelming, which actually seems to kind of work for her role. The only other actors to get any type of screen time are Justin Long, who plays Ricci’s mess of a boyfriend, who is flabbergasted by her death, and the token creepy child, Chandler Canterbury, who fits the part.

For a debut film by Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo, this isn’t too bad. There are some flaws that take the form of minor plotholes, but if you follow the clues left by the Vosloos, who wrote this together, you should come to the right conclusion, and know what the heck is going on. From the message boards and comments I’ve seen online, apparently this is easier said than done, but….really. I promise. The clues are there you just have to listen to the dialogue (use subtitles so you don’t miss a thing) and watch carefully. It’s all laid out.

After.Life is a nifty little flick. It’s not going to be winning an Oscar, no doubt, but it is a decent way to spend a weekend day, wasting a few hours. It entertains without vegitizing its audience. It also doesn’t talk down to you either. It’s quiet, a bit slow in places, but there is plenty of creepiness to keep those who like death appeased.

The After.Life Plot
Anna Taylor (Ricci), an elementary school teacher, seems to just be moving through the motions of her every day life. She doesn’t seem to enjoy much of anything, not even time spent with her long term boyfriend, Paul (Long). Paul is in love with Anna and wants to marry her, but her melancholy attitude ensures they spend most of their time together, fighting. It does not help that Anna’s disabled mother, Beatrice (Watson) feels that Paul has taken her daughter away from her. Despite this sadness, Anna is still a dedicated teacher, who defends her young student, Jack (Canterbury) against bullies and seems to show extra effort when dealing with the troubled boy.

Anna first encounters Eliot Deacon (Neeson), a macabre mortician and funeral director in their town, at the funeral of her former piano teacher. She encounters him a second time after her car crashes, following a botched attempt by Paul to propose to Anna, who mistakes the gesture as a means of getting rid of her. Eliot explains to Anna that she is dead and he can speak to dead people. He is there to prepare her for her funeral and burial. He is helping her to make a transition from the world of the living to being dead. Anna, however, does not believe she is dead, even when signs (like being unable to move her body or feel pain) imply she is dead.

When Paul is kept in the dark about her death and discovers that Eliot has been given Anna’s body without any autopsy, he begins to suspect Anna might still be alive. When Jack sees Anna through a window at the funeral home, this reaffirms Paul’s belief that Anna isn’t dead. Eliot assures Jack he is like him and makes the young boy his protégé, since he too can “speak to the dead.” As Paul attempts to convince others that Anna is indeed alive, Eliot helps her to accept her death as he prepares her to move on from this life.

Storyline/Plot: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Replayability: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Acting: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Directing: 4 out of 5 stars

Audio/Visual:
The visual quality for After.Life is great. Anchor Bay presents an attractive MPEG-4 AVC, 1080p transfer in anamorphic widescreen, with a 2.40:1 aspect ratio. The black levels, which are used heavily, and set the tone for this morbid film, are rich and fully embody the deathly feel. Set primarily in a funeral home, this transfer makes good use of shadows, darkness and darker color palettes. What color does appear stands out against the depth of the darkness, but it isn’t glowing nor obnoxious. The stark whiteness of the room where Anna’s body is kept is visually brilliant. This transfer isn’t perfect, but for what it is, the Blu-Ray treatment of this film is fairly impressive.

I was disappointed with the primary, English audio track offered on this Blu-Ray. The only thing I hate more than crappy sounding audio is audio I consistently have to toggle. I had to turn the volume up and down throughout the entire movie. The English PCM 5.1 track was horrendous as far as sound levels went. When sound effects take center stage, the sound is full-bodied, making full use of surround capabilities, but it blasts through the speakers, thanks to the need to turn the volume way up in order to hear the dialogue that is spoken. This release also contains an English 5.1 surround track and subtitles in English and Spanish. I found the subtitles necessary so I wouldn’t go deaf during moments of action.

Visual: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Audio: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Bonus Features:
There are slim pickins in the way of bonuses on the After.Life Blu-Ray. There is an audio commentary by Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo, who directed and co-wrote the film. This is kind of a bore, as far as commentaries go. It was rather dry. With this being Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo’s debut into mainstream film, it isn’t surprising that her audio commentary lacks depth and direction. There are a few okay moments during the commentary, but it is hardly worth a listen.

Fans of the film can learn more from the “Making Of” feature. Coming in at just under 8 minutes, this featurette has Wojtowicz-Vosloo explaining what really is supposed to be happening in After.Life. Though I felt there was no question of what was happening, apparently I am in the minority. So, for those clueless to Wojtowicz-Vosloo’s intentions when making the film, how the film came to be and her initial ideas that spurned the film, all of your questions will be answered in this featurette.

Finally, there is a theatrical trailer for After.Life and other films from Anchor Bay. There could have been so much more included in this bonus section. Unfortunately, what is here isn’t all that great.

Bonus Features: 2 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
After.Life looks good in Blu-Ray, it sounds okay, but has more audio issues than a Blu-Ray should. With solid acting and a story that has a lot of potential, this is a nifty little flick that will help you to pass a few hours. The film had the potential to go even further than it does, and for that reason alone, it is slightly disappointing. However, if you aren’t the type that has to over-analyze every little aspect of the movies you watch, you will enjoy what After.Life has to offer. I recommend you rent before you buy, just to make sure this is your kind of flick.

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: After.Life, Blu-Ray, BD Review, Blu-Ray Review, Film, Liam Neeson, Christina Ricci, Justin Long, Horror, Thriller

Check the poster out for yourself:

If that is not enough to make you wonder if this film is going to be any good, check out the trailer.

So, what do you think? Have you followed the series from the beginning? Did you give up somewhere in the middle, like me, or did you never bother with the series and couldn’t care less?

Leave us a comment letting us know!

Saw 3D hits theaters on October 29, 2010. Will you be there?

Technorati Tags: Saw 3D, Saw, Movie, Horror, Jigsaw, Final Installment, Ending, Murder, Puzzle, Theater, October, Horror Film

Release Info:
Theatrical Release: November 9, 2005 and June 14, 2007
DVD Release Date: May 4, 2010
Online Availability: Amazon for $15.49

Foreign horror movies are often nothing like the American remakes that often occur as a result of there success. Often, the American movie is so diluted that it ruins the meaning of the foreign film. In fact, I’ve heard that it’s so bad that if you see the American remake first you often do not wish to see the foreign film at all. I know more than one person that felt this way about Pulse. This double feature contains to foreign films. One (Pulse) has been Americanized and received at least two sequels soon after. The other (Sick Nurses) does not have an American remake. Of course, some might say it doesn’t even really have a plot.

Still, as a horror movie buff that has not delved nearly enough into foreign horror, I felt it my duty to watch these films. Funnily enough, they are truly as different as nigh and day could be. Pulse has a higher budget, offers better writing, and relies on the story to scare you. Sick Nurses is lower budget and attempts to rely on gore. However, gore with no semblance of a workable, sensible plot does little for me at the end of the day. While Pulse has a strong base to build on, Nurses could have easily been made a short film that was better off for it in the end.

I didn’t hate Nurses. I was just disappointed by it. It felt like one of those thrown together on a whim films. The follow through was poor and it just never ends up delivering in the way that you want it to. It’s unfortunate, but it’s a good thing that it is paired with Pulse because otherwise you might feel cheated out of your money. Luckily, Pulse is good enough to float the cost of both films in this Double Feature.

As you can tell, this is kind of a mixed bag. If you’ve never seen Pulse and they have this Double Feature then it makes sense to pick this up. If you’re hoping to find a Double Feature where both the films are strong and entertaining then you might want to seek out another Double Feature.

The Pulse/Sick Nurses Plot
Sick Nurses Plot
This film originates from Thailand. It promises a lot but delivers little. In Nurses, a young doctor, Dr. Tar (Wichan Jarujinda) and seven nurses work up a scheme in a Bangkok hospital. The plan is to sell dead bodies on the black market. The nurses are all supposed to be sexy and flirty, but for as naughty as they appear to be, nothing comes of them on the surface. One of the nurses is dating Tar, but there proves to be some trouble when he begins messing around with her sister. Unfortunately, her plan to call the police concerning the dead bodies doesn’t work out the way she plans and she ends up on the operating table.

Each body is placed on ice until it can be sold and in true horror movie fashion, having these bodies around proves to be pretty dangerous for the doctor and his remaining nurses. All of the nurses are rather one dimensional, but their weaknesses and obsessions are shown so that it makes sense when they are eventually used against them. There are some gore shots and some twists, but in the end it never feels like it’s enough to sustain a full-length film.

Pulse Plot
I like to think of Pulse as an online ghost story. A virus invades technology and it hits home when a group of friends experience what they believe is the suicide of one of the friends in their circle. Everything seems to be fine, but when backs are turned, a hanging occurs that leaves everyone befuddled as to why their friend would commit suicide.

It is unclear why Taguchi would commit suicide but as the friends look for clues they are drawn to the computer disk that Taguchi seemed to be working on. The picture on the disk is of the apartment where Taguchi lived and a ghostly image that shows in the monitor. When one of the friends, Yabe, receives a call from his deceased friend, it becomes obvious that the ghost wants more and will use whatever means of technology that it has to in order to get what it wants.

Themes of isolation and suicide take center stage here. Pulse isn’t going to be a movie for everyone, but if you’re into psychological, technological ghost stories, this definitely has something that will suit you in all the best ways.

Storyline/Plot: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Replayability: 4 out of 5 stars
Acting: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Directing: 3 out of 5 stars

Audio/Visual:
Both movies are presented with an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 in widescreen. Pulse is the superior film in terms of visual quality, but that is to be expected since Nurses appears to have a significantly lower budget. I did not notice any major problems with Pulse. The detail was fair for a DVD and the coloring was acceptable. It would have been nice to see this on Blu-ray, but currently it is not available. Nurses doesn’t suffer from truly poor quality, it just doesn’t look as good as Pulse does.

Pulse is featured with a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack and Nurses offers a higher quality Dolby 5.1 offering. Both films are foreign so you get to make use of subtitles unless you enjoy really bad quality English dubbing. If that’s the case, you can watch Nurses in “English”. Both films offer a fair audio presentation. Dialogue is easy to hear, subtitles work fine, and there are really no complaints to point out.

Visual: 3 out of 5 stars
Audio: 3 out of 5 stars

Bonus Features:
Not too surprisingly, no special features were included here for either movie.

Bonus Features: 0 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
If this Double Feature was just Sick Nurses I would tell you not to bother buying it. However, it includes Pulse and that makes it worth the purchase. If you can find Pulse on its own, I highly recommend picking it up. However, if this is all you can find buy this instead. Sick Nurses should have been placed with another, lesser quality film and something else should have been added here instead. However, since this is what you’re working with it’s still worth the purchase because the price is low and at least one of the movies comes highly recommended.

Overall Rating: 2.86 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Pulse, Sick Nurses, Horror, Blood, Gore, DVD Review, Technology, Dead Bodies

Throughout the week, we’ve watched quite a few movies and shows. For the week of March 8 through March 14, here is a list of what we’ve watched, and what we thought of each Netflix selection!

Camelot: This film adaptation of the Lerner & Loewe musical of the same name stars Vanessa Redgrave and Richard Harris. Dominick had seen this before (he’d also been in the musical at his high school many years ago). Ash had not. This is a classic film that follows the story of King Arthur, the king of England who created the round table and who was betrayed when his wife Guenevere fell in love/had an affair with his top knight, Lancelot. Dom loves musicals, and this is no exception. Ashtyn enjoyed it as well, though she didn’t feel she connected emotionally with all of the songs, and had a hard time watching Vanessa Redgrave, at times, due to the remarkable resemblance to her daughter, Natasha Richardson, who tragically passed away last year.

Coral Reef Adventure: Originally presented in IMAX and narrated by Liam Neeson, this stunning documentary looks at various coral reefs located around the world. Underwater explorers/filmmakers Howard and Michele Hall are invited to a Pacific island nation (Fiji, we think?) where a reef off the coast is dying. They explore the Pacific’s various reef systems to try to discover the reason for why this and other coral reefs are dying. We thought this film was absolutely stunning. This documentary raises many questions that are important, especially those concerned with human impact on the underwater world. We only wish we could have seen what efforts were made to try to save this reef.

Whale Wars: A group of self-proclaimed ‘pirates’ that are captained by the founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Paul Watson, sail the seas near Antarctica attempting to deter the Japanese from hunting whales in the area. Sailing on their boat the MV Steve Irwin, the antics of the crew include throwing ‘stinky stuff’ on Japanese boats (labeled research boats) and trying to stuff up their rudders with balloon type objects. Dom thinks the entire crew is made up of douche bags. While the intent is nice, there has to be a better way to stop the hunting and killing of whales. Ashtyn found the show hilarious because the crew is so dumb.

Civil War Journal: The Conflict Begins: Four episodes about various elements of the Civil War present themselves in this documentary style, PBS-presented, television experience. Narrated by Danny Glover, the episodes feature historians, present reenactments of battles and show real life, historical documentation that helps explain what life was like leading up to and during the beginning of our nation’s bloodiest war. Dom didn’t get a chance to see this. Ashtyn thought the music was incredibly cheesy, especially during the beginning and ending sequences. However, if you can ignore this, the entire series is incredibly interesting. She especially enjoyed learning more about John Brown in episode one.

Ink: Jamin Winans developed this fantasy film, which explores what happens when we fall asleep. An independent film that could not find a distributor, when Ink hit pirating programs like Limewire and BitTorrent sites the download rate in one week was so high, 400,000, it led to better DVD and Blu-Ray sales. When Emma, a little girl living with her grandparents after the death of her mother, falls asleep, a Storyteller gives her good dreams. However, when Ink, disfigured and desperate to become an Incubus, enters her dream world and kidnaps Emma, putting her in a coma outside her dreams, the Storytellers and a blind pathfinder must team up to find her before the Incubi sacrifice and kill her. Outside dreamland, Emma’s father, John, who lost custody of the girl and has poured himself fully into his work, as a result, must decide whether to visit her and reopen the wounds caused by losing her the first time. Ink’s concept is very intriguing. This film suffered a little because of the low budget visually, but with such a great plot, and decent acting especially by independent actors, this can easily be overlooked. This was the best fictional film we saw, this week.

Hurt: Melora Walters and William Mapother star in a movie that could possibly air on the Lifetime Network. Walters is Helen, a woman who is accustomed to her privileged life, with her husband and two children, Lenore and Conrad (Jackson Rathbone). Mapother plays Helen’s brother in law, Daryl. When Helen’s husband dies in an accident and they lose their house, they go to live in what looks like a junkyard, but is really a car recycling center, with Daryl. When Helen (a former foster child) finds out her husband was going to take in a girl named Sarah, she decides to open her home to the girl, but when bad things start happening, a terrible family secret is exposed. Dominick thought this story could have been interesting and the actors were all pretty decent, but the plot was so predictable it ruined the movie. Ashtyn also felt it was very predictable, so it was hard to view this movie as a horror flick. You know what’s going to happen, which ruins the elements of scariness and surprise. The key problem was the plot.

CSA: Confederate States of America: A mockumentary exploring what would happen if the Southern states/Confederacy won the war, this is supposed to be a funny piece. When the Confederates win, an entirely new history is written for this country. That country is revealed in CSA. Initially, we felt this sounded pretty funny. The commercials littered through the mockumentary were laugh worthy, but at some point, this film takes itself way too seriously. Presented as a dry as turkey, fact filled ‘documentary’ we would have much preferred if this film kept that lighthearted, silly feel most mockumentaries have. This wasn’t even absurd enough to be absurd. In the end, it was kind of boring.

Witch Hunt: The most riveting film we watched this week, every person needs to see Witch Hunt. In the 80s, when us kids were growing up, thousands of miles away, kids only a few years older than us were being shuffled around foster homes and forced to testify against their parents in a series of infamous, child molestation trials. This documentary explores how these false charges not only ruined the lives of the many Bakersfield residents who were convicted and served time in jail for crimes they did not commit, but also how it has ruined the lives of the children who were coerced into lying about these adults. We were shocked and disheartened by this documentary. We were disgusted juries could convict these people, that the authorities who did this are still in control and that the media didn’t investigate these false accusations. Most heartbreaking is the story of John Stoll, who lost 20 years of his life to prison and the only son he had, as an effect of his false conviction.

Nine Dead: Melissa Joan Hart returns to acting in this horror/thriller film. We were interested because this received pretty good ratings on Netflix. Hart is one of nine random people who are kidnapped and end up being chained in a room together. A masked man explains that they are all here for a specific reason. They have ten minutes to figure out what that reason is. Every ten minutes, the man will come in and kill one of them. If they discover the reason every single person is there (even the dead ones) the masked man will call the police, turn himself in, and let them all go. For the most part this film is pretty good, but it is ruined by a letdown of an ending that makes the whole movie feel like a drastic waste of time. We have a much better idea for the ending of this movie, but sadly, we weren’t the filmmakers, so we have to live with what is available in this film.

Crips and Bloods: Made in America: In California, segregated housing during the civil rights era meant that racial minorities kept to themselves and formed their own social groups within their communities. To an extent, this led to the inception to America’s two most powerful gangs, the Crips and the Bloods. While other documentaries have focused specifically on how these gangs form, this documentary looks into life prior to the gangs, the race riots, and how these kids could have come to form such gangs. From there, it explores the lives of gang members and looks at those who have died from gang violence.

Stacy Peralta takes viewers into south-Central L.A. and shows how such violence spiraled out of control so quickly, turning into over 40 years of bloodshed. We found this documentary to be informative, interesting to watch and unlike others on the subject matter. Looking back at the 50s and 60s to see what these segregated black communities were like helps to shed light on how a generation of kids felt they had to turn to gangs and why kids in these areas still choose to do so today.

Technorati Tags: Documentary, Horror, Classic Film, Thriller, History, Films, Watch, Netflix, True Crime, IMAX, nature, mockumentary

Release Info:
Theatrical Release Date: August 27, 2009
DVD Release Date: February 2, 2010
Online Availability: Amazon for $14.99

Some movies are like a puzzle. You have to put all of the pieces of the puzzle together in the right order to figure out the meaning behind it. That’s exactly the kind of movie that Triangle is. The plot doesn’t really make sense until the entire picture is revealed. This makes the movie confusing and thrilling until the end when all the pieces fall into place.

The acting for Triangle, which is done by a selection of virtual unknowns, excluding Melissa George, is actually pretty good. This helped because the plot depended on decent acting. There are a few, cringe-worthy moments, but overall, the actors are great. They really play off the excellent plot that is woven by the writer of this film, Christopher Smith. Smith also directs the film, so he deserves some credit for that.

I don’t find many movies these days thrilling. I almost felt like I was on the edge of my seat while watching Triangle. There was a lot of suspense that kept me guessing the entire movie. I wanted to know what would happen after the storm. I wanted to know why the ocean liner seemed like it was empty and was so creepy. I wanted to know whether anyone got off the ocean liner and whether anyone even survives the movie. From the moment they get on the ocean liner, it’s non-stop questioning of what’s going to happen from start to finish.

Triangle is a surprise gem in a genre that has suffered through many, lackluster films. Most of these movies had higher budgets and no excuse for being trite. I was thinking this would be like the same old crap, but was pleasantly surprised to find out this was different. I was glad to find that this was a much better movie than I was expecting.

The Triangle Plot
Jess (George) is stressed out. She spends nearly all of her time taking care of her young, autistic son, Tommy (McIvor). Jess is invited by her friend, Greg (Dorman), to take a break from her stressful life and go out with him and his friends, on his boat. The group includes his married friends Sally (Carpani) and Victor (Hemsworth) and Sally’s friend, Heather (Lung), who Sally wants to set up with Greg.

As they are sailing, they encounter a storm that comes virtually out of nowhere. With their boat capsized and one of them presumed lost, their only hope is to board a passing ocean liner. The freaky thing is that the boat appears to be a ghost ship. It seems to be moving on its own with absolutely no crew and it came out of nowhere, much like the storm did, providing the only refuge for them, as they are stranded in the middle of the ocean.

It isn’t long before they realize that they are, in fact, not alone on the ocean liner. In truth, all of their lives are in terrible danger. They are actually stuck in a horrible nightmare that seems never ending with no way out. In order to make it out alive, Jess is going to have to figure out what is going on and if there is any way off of this ship of doom.

Storyline/Plot: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Replayability: 4 out of 5 stars
Acting: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Directing: 4 out of 5 stars

Audio/Visual:
Triangle is one of those movies that offers a range of settings to play off of and to offer different visual settings. The 1080p, AVC MPEG-4 encode offers a stable, if not stellar quality throughout the film. You cannot fault drab coloring on the movie quality, in this case, because there are limited colors on the ship that the characters go on and this area is meant to be somewhat dark and dank. It’s not a happy place and it’s easy to see that as soon as they step on board. The long shots of the violent waves and the bursts of water rising up from the edge of the boat make for a beautiful picture. In fact, in most cases it is the exterior shots that are going to impress the most. There are some nicely detailed kill shots, but those never quite seem to be the focus. If they were, it would change the movie dramatically. In the end, you receive a nicely detailed visual quality with strong blacks, basic colors, and very few visual deformities.

The audio quality for Triangle is presented in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound. In order to meet the themes of the movie, the soundtrack offers some chilling thriller type music and thrill sounds. Occasionally, the music is a little more action-oriented than the shot it is in, but for the most part things match up relatively well. When you consider the independent nature of the film, the sound is even more impressive. The crashing waves and ocean environment come through loud and clear without a hitch. The dialogue is always nicely represented, as well. No other languages or sound options are available on this Blu-ray. However, subtitles are available in both English and Spanish.

Visual: 4 out of 5 stars
Audio: 4 out of 5 stars

Bonus Features:
This is the area where fans of the movie will really feel let down. There is only one bonus feature and it is about as standard as it comes. I know that many independent films just can’t spend the time or money making additional bonuses, but for a movie that was actually worth watching again it was disappointing to see only one, basic special feature.

“Cast & Crew Interviews” lasts for about six minutes and it is your typical interview session with the cast and crew. You get the basic questions about what it was like doing the film, working with the other actors, and you get to hear everyone’s thoughts and opinions on the final product.

Bonus Features: 1 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
Triangle was surprisingly good for a thriller/horror-esque film. The lack of advertising on the part of the team behind this movie nearly made this excellent thriller go under my radar. Luckily, I was offered the chance to review it. If you like these kinds of movies, you need to check Triangle out. In a genre full of crappy movies, this one actually stands out. Of course, I only recommend this if you want the movie, because this DVD offers not much more than that.

Overall Rating: 3.57 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Triangle, Blu-Ray, Movie Review, First Look Pictures, Melissa George, Joshua McIvor, Horror, Thriller, Drama, Mystery, Storm

Release Info:
Original Theatrical Release Date: August 28, 2009
DVD Release Date: January 12, 2010
Online Availability: Amazon for $24.99

Donald Pleasence is rolling over in his grave. Dr. Loomis has become a substandard, loser and Malcolm McDowell ruins the vision Pleasence created for the character. Loomis is an important part of the original Halloween franchise. This new Loomis is a big joke. I wasn’t fond of McDowell’s portrayal of Loomis in the Halloween remake, though I will admit I respect the differences in Rob Zombie’s overall vision and new take on his remake of the original. However, McDowell becomes even more intolerable in Halloween II as the sellout, writing books about his experience with Michael and only caring enough to profit off of it, which already adds to a train wreck of a movie that derails any potential Zombie’s vision had.

Pleasence’s Loomis was the audience’s true connection to Michael. He studied this child for so many years and knew what he was capable of. His only goal was to keep the world safe from Michael, whom he knew was filled with pure evil. Nothing could have kept Loomis from doing what he believed was the right thing and that would not involve selling out. The new Loomis is so pathetic nobody in the film even likes him. Zombie said he wanted Loomis to change, but the changes he made ruined the character.

The one thing that makes sense concerning Halloween II is the role reversal between Annie and Laurie. In Zombie’s part one, Laurie is very much like Jamie Lee Curtis’ Laurie (though no one can top Curtis in the role). This Laurie is a bit prudish, a bookworm, and perhaps even a bit shy. Annie, on the other hand, is a party girl who is somewhat of a slut. In part two, after dealing with their own perspective ordeals (Laurie escapes and believes she murdered Michael Myers and Annie survives the mutilation and attempted murder by Michael Myers), Annie has become the homebody. She is responsible for Laurie and her father, the Sheriff, and she also dresses much more conservatively. Laurie lashes out, has constant nightmares, pushes Annie away, and has become a party animal with her new slutty friends. This makes sense based on what the girls have gone through.

The rest of the story makes no sense. Zombie, apparently, wanted a way to include his wife, Sheri Moon Zombie, in this second installment, so he provides the audience with an outlandish story that has nothing to do with the original films and is filled with ghostly encounters and white horses. Young Michael becomes a parody of the egocentric, unfeeling shell of pure evil incarnate Daeg Faerch created in Zombie’s new vision. Replacing Faerch with the whiny, unconvincing Chase Wright Vanek just added to my displeasure with this film. While Faerch captured the creepiness needed to make Michael a believable psycho-serial killer, Vanek acts the part of the dependent, mama’s boy who is only killing to bring his family back together.

Speaking of killing, despite the mama’s boy attitude of the young Michael, Tyler Mane’s Michael is a ruthless, brutal murderer. Part of what made the original Michael Myers so scary and successful as a horror villain was his matter of fact attitude when killing. Mane’s Michael is brutal and he puts his entire body into it. He is a frenzied killer who will stab someone 137 times in a flurry. The original Michael is methodical and demented, but there is no overkill. His deaths are gross, but he is not frenzied in the process. He knows he’s going to kill you so he just does it. He also uses a knife, while Mane’s Michael will use an axe, a gun, or he’ll choke his victims just for the fun of it. Isn’t Michael more fun when he’s knifing a victim to a door? I think so.

The change in Michael’s M.O. is a minor thing, but all of these bad changes add up to provide for a terrible story. I just want to add that Dominick, the king of all pottymouth’s, was not very happy with all the swearing. In some cases, it made sense, but his argument is that Zombie put in so many swear words it distracts from the story. The swearing is done to the point of overkill and some of the dialogue doesn’t need it. If Dom thinks there is too much swearing, there probably is Speaking of the dialogue, that was our biggest issue with Zombie’s Halloween. I can’t say much has changed. A lot of it sounds incredibly awkward, unrealistic and corny. Maybe teenagers talk like Laurie and Annie do, but it makes them sound stupid.

Overall, as you can tell, I wasn’t fond of what Zombie did with his second go-around in the Halloween franchise. While Zombie mainly wrote and directed Halloween II since the studio had decided to make the film and he didn’t want his new vision messed with, the way he sought to expand the franchise makes me wish they’d stopped with the original remake. I’m already dreading Halloween III.

The Halloween II Plot
The movie begins of a flashback in the Sanitarium where Michael Myers (Chase Wright Vanek) is being visited by his mother, Deborah Myers (Sheri Moon Zombie). Michael is given a white horse statue by her. Michael is reminded of a dream he had, a dream of his mother’s spirit walking a white horse and in it she tells Michael she’ll be bringing him home.

Fifteen years later, Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor-Compton) has just killed Michael Myers (Tyler Mane). Covered in blood, shocked and disoriented, she’s found by Sheriff Lee Brackett (Brad Dourif) and is taken to the hospital. Both Annie Brackett (Danielle Harris) and Dr. Loomis (Malcolm McDowell) have survived the attacks by Michael and they are also taken by the paramedics to the hospital.

The coroner believes Michael is dead. His crew loads Michael up into an ambulance to take him to the morgue, but when the ambulance hits a cow, Michael, who is not dead, escapes and kills the surviving paramedic who is trapped in the ambulance. Michael then sees his mother’s spirit with the white horse again. Walking in that direction, he heads down the street to the hospital where he begins a new killing rampage. Laurie has hurt her foot and has to escape with an injured leg. Just as Michael is about to find her, Laurie wakes up and realizes it was all a nightmare. Michael is dead, so they all believe.

It is two years proceeding the events of Halloween. Laurie lives with Sheriff Brackett and Annie, who has recovered physically, but still has scars from her attack with Michael. She has calmed considerably and is a bit of a homebody who takes care of Laurie and her father. Laurie is out of control, mean and unpredictable. She is going to therapy with Barbara (Margot Kidder), but she doesn’t want to be there, has become addicted to the meds proscribed to her and she isn’t getting the obvious help she needs.

Dr. Loomis (Malcolm McDowell) has decided to reflect on the tragedy in another way. He’s making a profit on his relationship with Michael and the book he’s written about it. A book tour that includes television appearances and seminars show the media isn’t exactly friendly to Loomis, who they believe is a sellout. Loomis insists Michael is dead, but the media speculates that he is alive, further harming his cause.

The media, of course, is right. Michael is alive and he’s living in the past. Urged on by visions of his mama, Michael heads back to Haddonfield, to claim the sister he never got the chance to take. Of course, Laurie is too busy partying with her new, wild friends and getting drunk to realize her life is still in danger and Loomis is too pompous to consider he is wrong.

Storyline/Plot: 1 out of 5 stars
Replayability: 1 out of 5 stars
Acting: 2 out of 5 stars
Directing: 2 out of 5 stars

Audio/Visual:
When assessing how good or bad a films visual qualities are, one of the things you need to ask yourself is if the filmmakers image is how they wanted it to be. Halloween II is a prime example of what I am talking about. You see, the film image here is not always pretty. At times, the 1080p, 1.85:1 transfer is muddy, gritty, and altogether darker than it needs to be. It is a movie that shies away from the clear picture you expect from Blu-ray and instead offers something disturbingly grungy. The dark scenes are incredibly dark, leaving something to be desired at times. However, Zombie has a way of making grunge look good. This type of grainy, washed out cinematography works for a horror movie like this one. It wouldn’t suit all films and it’s not going to offer the clarity you expect in a Blu-ray, but it’s not worth complaining about because it does work on many important levels.

While some people might think that the video for Halloween II fails as much as the plot, they will not be able to say the same thing about the audio. This DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack offers the best that Blu-Ray offers without a doubt. Everything from the soft subtle background noises to the forceful stabbings and the powerful supporting music is delivered with relative ease. Sounds come through as real as possible. The thunder and rain sound as if they are coming from outside your window. Try as I might I cannot think of any complaints where this audio is concerned. The surround sound was robust, the music sounds excellent, and the dialogue remains clear throughout. Subtitles are available in English and Spanish.

Visual: 3 out of 5 stars
Audio: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Bonus Features:
There are a few special features that accompany Halloween II, though much like the movie there isn’t a whole lot here to be interested in. Things get rolling with a commentary track courtesy of Rob Zombie. This is one of the best offerings in the special features. Zombie is well spoken and entertaining throughout. He occasionally has some dead air, but he is passionate about his movie and it’s obvious that he is a talented, dedicated filmmaker. He is candid about things like the white horse, problems that occurred on the set, and the connection between the films.

After the commentary, fans of Halloween II can enjoy 23 deleted and alternative scenes. I personally didn’t care much for the movie, so it’s hard to find the value in some of these. Some are better than others, but you would need to really care for the movie to find excitement in this area. A smaller blooper reel is also available that lasts for around five minutes.

Ten minutes of audition footage is available for many of the actors including Jeffrey Daniel Phillips, Mary Birdsong, Octavia Spencer, Richard Brake, Chase Wright Vanek, Chris Hardwick, and Angela Trimbur. There is also a few minutes worth of make-up test footage that is available. A collection of routines entitled Uncle Seymour Coffin’s is also included. Six music videos wraps things up. The videos include Honky Tonk Halloween, Macon County Morgue, Dr. Demon & the Robot Girl, Zombie A Go Go, and Redneck Vixen from Outer Space.

Trailers for a variety of movies are also included in the previews section. The previews all appear to be in high definition. They include District 9, Zombieland, Black Dynamite, Universal Soldier, Blood: The Last Vampire, Moon, The Boondock Saints II, Michael Jackson’s This is It, 2012, and The Stepfather.

Bonus Features: 2 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
Halloween II is a terrible film. While the action looks good because this is Blu-Ray, I still wouldn’t recommend this film, in any form, to any one. If you like the direction the first Halloween remake went in, there is no guarantee you will like this film. It strays from that vision and becomes more absurd than a horror movie should become. If you hated the first remake, you will hate this remake even more. I wouldn’t recommend you even bother renting Halloween II. This is just one of those releases you need to ignore and move on without checking it out.

Overall Rating: 2.21 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Halloween II, Rob Zombie, remake, horror, Blu-Ray, Review, Michael Myers, Sheri Moon Zombie, Scout Taylor-Compton

Release Info:
Original Theatrical Release Date: September 18, 2009
DVD Release Date: December 29, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $22.99

I’m just going to get this right out of the way before delving into this review. I thought that Jennifer’s Body was going to absolutely suck. I had extremely low expectations for this film. The people I knew who had seen it in the theater had said it was pretty stupid. Sure, I’m fond of the work I’ve seen of Diablo Cody in the past, but perhaps this was her “Baby’s Day Out” and like the late, great John Hughes, she ran out of good ideas, only to disappear into past Hollywood fame obscurity long before her time was up.

In this mindset, I was disappointed Amanda Seyfried, a young, talented, budding actress, wasted her time on Jennifer’s Body. Still, I thought I’d give the movie a chance for her sake and what a surprise. I actually liked Jennifer’s Body. I didn’t just like it, I thought it was a quirky, fun, dark comedy that had some rather brilliant moments amidst the high school lame-o speak the actors indulge in throughout the film. Cody redeemed herself after my unfounded doubts, and I have newfound appreciation for her warped sense of humor.

Jennifer’s Body is a dark comedy. This means it really is not meant to be scary like a traditional horror flick. As any good comedy should, Jennifer’s Body made me laugh. Some of it was at the ridiculousness of the characters, their speech and the situations they are placed in, but that is the ENTIRE POINT of Jennifer’s Body. It is supposed to be ridiculous. The teenagers use stupid slang, which makes those of us over the age of 21 cringe. That’s the way kids sound to us old folks, so no big deal there.

Megan Fox is given some meaty material she can actually sink her teeth into. Fox admits she’s not used to this kind of acting, and she tried to have fun with it. Well, it seems the girl has a bit of natural talent. Sure, she’s no Robert DeNiro, but he wouldn’t have made a very good Jennifer now would he? Fox was the eye candy in Transformers, but in Jennifer’s Body she has to rely on more than just her svelte figure (though it does play a prominent role in this film, as well) to entertain the audience. I already knew Seyfried could act, so it was no big surprise to see her perform well. Fox and Seyfried had nice chemistry and that is what really helped to make this film work.

Jennifer’s Body isn’t going to appeal to everyone. Some won’t enjoy the comedy in this flick, insisting it should have been a straight horror affair. Others will hate the horror aspect and wish it was strictly a comedy. I like this kind of humor and I especially appreciate a horror film that can make fun of itself and the entire genre at the same time. All in all, whether you will like Jennifer’s Body will depend on whether you like Diablo Cody’s sense of humor already or not.

Jennifer’s Body Plot
It’s quite a surprise that Jennifer (Fox) and Anita “Needy” (Seyfried) are best friends. The two have absolutely nothing in common, but they have been close since they were little kids. Jennifer is a sexy, flag waver in the school’s colorguard/cheer team/band (depending on the school), while Needy appears to be a book loving, not so fashionable, dork. Jennifer is in control of the friendship, dragging Needy off wherever they go, under the guise of friendship.

Jennifer informs Needy they will be going to the local bar where Low Shoulder, an indie rock band, is playing. The lead singer, Nikolai (Adam Brody), looks hot and Jennifer hopes to conquer him. Needy’s boyfriend, Chip (Johnny Simmons), is not fond of her relationship with Jennifer, but he goes along with it because it seems to make her happy.

At the bar, Needy soon realizes Nikolai and his band are sleazy. She thinks they only want to use Jennifer for sex and tries to warn her friend of this. Needy tells Jennifer what the band said about her, but before anything can be done about it, a mysterious fire breaks out in the bar, killing several patrons. Both Needy and Jennifer escape, but Jennifer is in shock and ends up going off with the band, who take her into the woods.

Needy spends most of the night worrying about Jennifer, but when Jennifer finally shows up in her house something has changed. Jennifer is covered in blood, and though starving, she ends up puking up all of the food she eats from Needy’s refrigerator in a black, oozing substance. Unsure what has gone on, Needy is left to clean up the mess and figure out why Jennifer is acting so weird.

When teenage boys in town start showing up dead, this small town already suffering from the bar tragedy, must face the fact that a killer, who is ripping their boys apart, is on the loose. Furthering Needy’s own personal plight is the knowledge that something happened in the woods to Jennifer, and Low Shoulder, the band behind whatever went on, is taking credit for saving all the people who survived the bar incident, making them national heroes and furthering their careers, in the process.

Storyline/Plot: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Replayability: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Acting: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Directing: 4 out of 5 stars

Audio/Visual:
Jennifer’s Body looks as good as one could hope. The 1080p, AVC MPEG-4 transfer offers an aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Overall this is quite an impressive transfer. The skin tones look great, the coloring is vivid and the black levels are strong. You especially notice this with Jennifer because her skin tone and general appearance change greatly whenever she needs to eat. The black sludge and the flying blood also comes through vividly, causing no reason for complaint. The graphics are crisp and clean. Everything is highly detailed without offering too much sharpness. It’s hard to continue talking about the graphics because there really isn’t anything bad to say about them.

Like the video for Jennifer’s Body, the audio leaves nothing to complain about. The dialogue sounds clear and is always easy to hear, but much of the important audio in this film comes from music, sound effects, and background noise. All of that passes with flying colors. The music in the bar and in other scenes offers a highly supported audio track. It is strong without being overpowering. All of the audio aspects blend perfectly, allowing you to hear each one without hearing too much or too little of any of them. The audio becomes stronger or more subtle based on the needs of each scene. Like I said, everything really sounds as perfect as it can sound. Portuguese, Spanish and French Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks have also been included. There are also subtitles in English, Chinese, Thai, Portuguese, French, and Spanish.

Visual: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Audio: 5 out of 5 stars

Bonus Features:
Before beginning with special features you get the chance to watch some trailers. The trailers included are for Gentlemen Broncos, All About Steve, Whip It, and Fame. After you’ve watched the trailers you have the option of choosing the theatrical or extended cut for Jennifer’s Body. The running times show about five additional minutes of film for the extended cut. However, I can’t state how many differences there are because I only watched the extended cut. A digital copy is also included.

Like most movies, Jennifer’s Body offers a commentary track. In fact, there are two here. There is a commentary for each version of the film. The theatrical film’s commentary includes Diablo Cody and Kathryn Kusama. Things are informal for the most part. They mention differences between the two film versions. It’s a very fun, giggle-track of a commentary. It reminds you of a girl talk kind of thing. The second track is just with the director. This is similar to the first track in the fact that the main point of this is just to point out the differences in the two tracks. It’s not really a full commentary in that sense, but it is included and it’s a vocal feature, so we’re going to call it that.

The rest of the special features are in HD so I am going to assume that most, if not all, are exclusive to the Blu-ray. This includes over thirteen minutes of deleted scenes (six in all), a five minute gag reel, and a number of featurettes which are discussed in detail below.

“Jennifer’s Body: The Dead Pool” – Here you have a fourteen minute making of featurette that talks about things like shooting, production, and the indoor pool scene. It’s an interesting feature, especially when they show the various designs that didn’t make the cut.

“Video Diaries” – You get twelve or so minutes of various cast and crew diaries. I wasn’t really into the diaries myself, but some fans might enjoy them. I found them to be a little fluffy for my personal taste.

“Megan Fox is Hot” – I know, shocking title, isn’t it? This is less than a minute in length and it’s just a bunch of shots of Fox at her best. Depending on who you are and what you like, you may or may not like this.

“Megan Fox Peer Pressure PSA” – This is another less than a minute feature. It’s reminiscent of the fake PSA’s on other movies. You will have to watch it to find out the joke.

“Fox Movie Channel Presents: Life After Film School with Diablo Cody” – Here you have a 30 minute featurette. It includes various film school students interviewing Cody, asking for advice for film school graduates. It’s pretty decent overall. Fans of Cody will find it highly entertaining.

Bonus Features: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
Jennifer’s Body is a lot better than I thought it would be. Diablo Cody’s story is clever, entertaining and engaging. The acting is actually pretty good. The story is funny, as it should be, for a dark comedy, and the performances by the actors seem to be fun, not forced. In the Blu-Ray, you can expect excellent audio and visual qualities and a host of fun BD exclusive features. While you may want to rent Jennifer’s Body before purchasing it, when you decide it is worth your money, you’ll want to go Blu-Ray. It’s worth the extra money for the quality you’ll receive.

Overall Rating: 4.07 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Blu-Ray Review, Jennifer’s Body, Horror, Dark Comedy, Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Diablo Cody, Film, 20th Century Fox

Release Info:
DVD Release Date: October 20, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $19.99

They just keep getting dumber and dumber. When Wrong Turn was released, I saw it because I think Eliza Dushku is hot. It wasn’t bad as far as horror goes. However, there is a long standing problem with horror movies. The creators think they have a hit on their hands and develop 800 sequels! That would be great if the sequels were any good. I find most sequels are miss with the occasional hit.

For example, Halloween and Halloween 2 are both pretty good, but 2 is a continuation of the story in the original, so it works out. The third film was a bust. Four and five were okay, only because they played off the story in 1 and 2, but the rest of the sequels sucked. I feel the same way with A Nightmare on Elm Street (1 & 3 are good, the rest suck), Friday the 13th (1, 2, and 5 are good, the rest suck), Saw (anything after 3 sucks), The Evil Dead (1 was the best), and pretty much every other horror movie with sequels out there. Wrong Turn is no different.

This series follows the same path the Pulse movies follow. The first one was okay, but making sequels never should have happened. Wrong Turn 2 was bad enough, but taking this pathetic movie series to a third film was just too much. I was done after the first film. Seriously, when your horror movie is going direct to DVD, it is a sign that it is time to quit.

In all honesty, I’m not sure why this series has continued on. The original premise was freaky, but how many ways can you truly do hillbilly cannibals? Three Finger has more lives than Garfield. I thought he was kind of annoying in film one, but by three, I could hardly stand to watch him on screen.

Wrong Turn 3: Left for Dead Plot
Well, as you might have guessed, this movie takes place in the backwoods, just like the past two movies. Some stupid people end up in the woods, and they get killed. The end. Well, that’s pretty much the story for Wrong Turn 3. The movie has the sub-tag, Left for Dead for a reason. This series truly should have been left for dead.

A college student, named Alex, decides to go rafting in the middle of nowhere. Alex and her friends head into the backwoods domain of the cannibals, and guess what kids? Three Finger is back. This means that Alex and her group must fight to survive the terror of the backwoods. Of course, the cannibal knows the woods better than those who show up in them either on purpose or by accident. That’s just how these movies roll.

Speaking of accidents, a prison vehicle, transporting very dangerous criminals just happens to be traveling through the middle of nowhere, because that makes so much sense. Their prison guard, Nate, is on his last day of the job and possibly of his life. The crazy cannibal attacks the vehicle and the criminals get away, as does Nate. They just so happen to run into Alex in the woods, which is convenient for them, not her.

Of course, that’s not all. The criminals find a bunch of money in the middle of these nowhere woods and decide to keep it and survive. The money is their only reason for wanting to live. Of course, Three Finger is on the loose/on the hunt, so that is easier said than done.

Storyline/Plot: 0 out of 5 stars
Replayability: 0 out of 5 stars
Acting: 0.5 out of 5 stars
Directing: 0 out of 5 stars

Audio/Visual:
Inconsistent is the best way to describe the visual quality of Wrong Turn 3. The 1080p AVC encode looks good in the lighter scenes, but the darker ones fail more than I can explain. The light scenes tend to lean towards brighter colors and a basically vivid imagery. The darker scenes though are filled with grain, noise, and completely poor black levels. Much of the picture lacks detail and instead appears rather soft. If you want what looks like a television movie (nothing like Lost, but something more like what appeared on Lifetime in the 80s) then this is for you. Otherwise, I am pretty sure that this quality is not going to impress you in the least.

With a low budget feel for the visual quality, you shouldn’t expect too much when it comes to the sound. The DTS-HD MA 5.1 could sound much worse, but it’s not anything you’d hear on a high budget flick. The sound won’t wow you, but it’s much better than the visual quality. You will hear a bit of background noise when it comes to the wilderness (branches rustling and snapping, for example) and that does add something to the film, as little as it may seem. Some of the effects are unnecessary or they sound inaccurate with their placement in the movie. The music and the dialogue both get the job done fairly well. Spanish and French Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks are also included for Wrong Turn 3, as well as subtitles in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, Korean, and Cantonese.

Visual: 2 out of 5 stars
Audio: 3 out of 5 stars

Bonus Features:
Ah, special features. In some movies they are a blessing. They tell you things that you could only imagine and they keep a cast you love together for just a few additional minutes. There are other movies though that you hope do not include special features. Wrong Turn 3 is one of those movies. Hell, most of this franchise is one of those movies. Luckily, there are not too many special features packaged here with this movie. There are only three featurettes (none longer than 10 minutes in length) and a couple of deleted scenes.

The featurettes include “Action, Gore, and Chaos,” “Brothers in Blood,” and “Three Finger’s Fright Night.” None of them are particularly necessary or even important. “Action Gore and Chaos” is by far the longest featurette at nine minutes. O’Brien uses this time to talk about the stunts in the film and how they were performed. “Brothers in Blood” deals more with actor interviews and “Three Finger’s” is the shortest featurette in the bunch dealing with the choreography in the fight sequences. I found this one to be the most amusing, considering how inept those sequences seemed to be in the first place.

The only other offerings available is less than two minutes worth of deleted scenes. Two scenes were cut and neither were even a minute in length. As you can imagine there isn’t much to see or care about in either of these scenes. As it is, you should be commended if you managed to sit through the entire movie. Expecting you to sit through these special features would be asking far too much.

Bonus Features: 1 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
Everything about Wrong Turn 3 sucks. The story has been done twice before. This is the same movie as its predecessors only the third time is definitely not the charm. For Blu Ray, the audio and visual qualities leave much to be desired and even the bonuses stink. I would usually say rent a film to see if you like it, but I don’t even recommend renting this movie. Avoid Wrong Turn 3 like the plague. Trust me! You won’t be sorry!

Overall Rating: 0.93 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Fox Home Entertainment, Wrong Turn 3, Left for Dead, Horror Franchise, Bad Film, Inbred, Wrong Turn, Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray Review, Movie Review, Horror