Adventureland Blu Ray Review

Adventureland is Greg Mottola’s follow up to successful Superbad. The trailer and small previews all point out that fact very proudly. The marketers also touted it as similar movie. That would have been except Adventureland is a very different movie. It is not a teenage sex adventure film like Superbad. Instead, Adventureland is a coming of age romance film that is vastly different from Superbad. The movie does have some funny scenes and moments. However, it is more drama than comedy.

The movie is about a recent college graduate who has to move back home to earn some money before heading to New York to attend graduate school. He initially planned to travel the Europe after the graduation. However, his parents encounter financial difficulty when his father is demoted. Forced earn his own money, he moves back home and takes job at local amusement park called Adventureland. The job is terrible and funny at same time. We meet various funny characters. But, he falls hard for an employee named Em. She is a college student who is taking a break and working at the amusement park. The overall story revolves around this couple.

The story is a fairly entertaining. The setting of 1980s is clearly aimed at the older generation who might feel nostalgic about their time in the 80s. However, it’s a film a Superbad fan will also be able to appreciate. The movie has right balance of drama mixed in with some comedic moments. Overall, it is a very enjoyable film with broad appeals.

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The Usual Suspects Blu Ray

The Usual Suspects Blu Ray Review

In the annals of “A HA!” moments in the movie history, The Usual Suspects rank near the top of the list. The movie put Bryan Singer on the map as one of the hottest director in the Hollywood as well. The movie is not flashy with lots of action and heavy effects. Instead, it is mostly subtle and somewhat slow moving movie done in flashback. The script, written by Christopher McQuarrie, is one of the best crime/thriller story written for the movie. Couple this with great acting and you have one of the most entertaining movies from any era.

The story starts out as simple heist/crime movie told from a felon brought in by a police for a line up to identify the criminals who ended up working for Keyser Soze. Kevin Spacey plays the felon named Roger Kint who recalls the details of the crime and how they all came to be involved with such a dangerous man. The audiences are taken for a ride from the start. He tells a very plausible and complicated story of everyone involved. The ending will leave you speechless and in awe of the execution.

Kevin Spacey and the entire ensemble cast including Gabriel Byrne and Stephen Baldwin did an excellent job. Also, Chazz Palminteri played the duped detective fairly well. The ending of this movie is considered to be one of the best ending with a twist. When the entire movie goes in one direction and it suddenly flip flops, the audiences might get little angry. Not so with this movie. It just makes you want to watch the whole thing over and see the little things you might have missed. This movie is definitely worth second and third viewing.

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Apocalypto Blu Ray Review

Mel Gibson’s follow up to the box office hit The Passion of the Christ was not as profitable. Apocalypto was fairly well received by the critics. However, the subject matter and some of the violent scenes might have rendered it family unfriendly. While the subject matter of ancient Mayan kingdom might have been fine, the very violent sequences were lambasted by some viewers. While the movie is violent, the reality of human sacrifice is well documented and even more horrific than the movie’s portrayal.

The movie opens with a group of hunters taking down a big game animal. While cleaning the animal, they encounter refugees fleeing from some unknown force. This puts the entire hunters at unease, especially Jaguar Paw. The day after, Mayan warriors invade the village and capture most of the man and woman. The villagers fights back but are quickly overwhelmed. They are marched to the temple where they are to be sacrificed. The sacrificial scenes are very violent and gruesome. However, I believe them to be fairly accurate portrayal. Jaguar Paw is spared the gruesome fate when the executioner thinks the god has had enough sacrifice. Jaguar Paw escapes the clutch of the capturers and leads them on a hunt.

This movie is much more than simple adventure/action movie. It shows the ultimate decline of the once mighty Mayan civilization. The brutal sacrifice and the building of temples highlight the eventual down fall of the kingdom. This is especially true when we see the landing of European people toward the end of the movie. We see the inevitable doom of Mayans and their unsuccessful attempt at survival. This was one of the better film of 2006 and probably deserved better box office treatment.

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Pride and Glory Blu Ray

Pride and Glory Blu Ray Review

Any fan of cop drama or gangster film will immediately recognize the overall plot and tone of Pride and Glory. Regardless, Pride and Glory is well acted urban police drama with very good moral dilemma. Like any good movie, Pride and Glory does not define good and evil in simple terms. There is vast gray area where the main characters inhibit. If nothing else, the acting of Edward Norton and Colin Farrell makes the movie a very enjoyable affair.

The plot is fairly straight forward. It’s the tried and true formula of corrupt cop vs. good cop. Except, the corrupt cop and the good cop are from same family. Jimmy, played by Colin Farrell, is tough cop who works murder, drugs, and prostitution. He works the most dirty and hard cases. Ray, played by Edward Norton, is the brother in law who comes from a family with a big tradition of serving in the police department. One day, four cops die in a shootout at drug dealer’s apartment. Ray digs deep and starts to find out about the truth behind the shooting and Jimmy’s involvement.

The movie works because of the cast and the fine acting job. Colin Farrell, Edward Norton, and Jon Voight form the core of the excellent cast. Edward Norton and Colin Farrell are nothing short of amazing. They are two of the best actors Hollywood has to offer. The extended cast are also very good. Everyone from family to the police department are excellent. While the story is not something that will leave you guessing, the overall movie will leave you satisfied.

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Race to Witch Mountain Blu Ray Review

Race to Witch Mountain is your typical family friendly Hollywood movie. You have your underdog, your evil villain, and not so evil villain all chasing your group. Dwayn Johnson has always made kid friendly films. However, he has not starred in a true family friendly film until Race to Witch Mountain. While Dwayne Johnson is great at action flicks, he has shown his sense of humor and comedic chops in various movies. Race to Witch Mountain blends both comedy and action along with family friendly plot.

The movie does not contain the most original plot. Johnson plays a Las Vegas cab driver named Jack Bruno who had some problem with the law in the past. He is trying to turn things around and go straight. On a day when there is a Comic Con type of event in Las Vegas, he picks up a scientist named Alex Friedman. Afterwards, a sibling of alien jumps into his cab and pleads him to help them reach their destination. With this, he enlists help of Alex to help the pair of aliens find their ship. The sibling, are on a mission to find the data that proves the possibility of their planet being rehabilitated. For once, it is the aliens and not the humans who have destroyed their environment. This leads the military faction of the alien race to plan invasion of Earth while the scientific community wants to rehabilitate their planet.

in a chase team from American government and an alien assassin hired by the alien military faction and the mission becomes harder. They will ultimately reach the ship and have happy ending as this is a family friendly film. The two stars that play the alien sibling are fairly good. But, it’s Dwayn Johnson’s movie from start to finish. The overall acting is fairly good and the action and humor and pretty good. While I wouldn’t recommend this to hardcore Scifi fans, it is pretty good movie for people looking for a lighthearted romp.

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Lord of War Blu Ray Review

Lord of War is your typical thriller movie. At the end of the movie, you might not feel like you’ve been entertained like a typical summer blockbuster. This is no James Bond or Mission Impossible flick. Instead, it delves into the business and politics behind war and who it benefits. While we have all seen the caricature of “gun runners” in prime time television or one of many action/thriller films, this movie accurately portrays the gun running business. According to director, the events in the movie are actually based on real events. This makes it even more eye opening and disturbing at the same time.

The movie is about a man named Yuri who rises from nobody to become one of the biggest arms dealer in the world. In pursuit of more and more money, he gets knee deep in the arms dealing business. He does not see himself as evil or good. Instead, he simply views himself as businessman. One day, Interpol agent gets information on Yuri. This leads to cat and mouse chase. Over the course of the movie, we see Yuri question himself on the morality of arms dealing. It isn’t some revelation or midlife crisis. Instead, we see realistic struggle of Yuri. When all is said and done, the perfect ending makes a powerful statement.

Nicholas Cage is always masterful in any role he plays even in bad movies. The portrayal of Yuri is downright perfect. He does perfect job conveying multiple side of Yuri. Bridget Moynahan was as good as Cage as Ava as loving but someone who chooses to avoid the reality of Yuri’s real job. And, Ethan Hawke as the righteous Interpol agent adds perfect foil to Nicholas Cage’s gray character. This is one of the best film of 2005 and nobody should miss it.

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Blu ray disc movie review of Big Trouble in Little China

John Carpenter has produced some of the most beloved cult classics in his career. Big Trouble in Little China has to be one of them. The Halloween and Prince of Darkness established Carpenter as a great director. However, Big Trouble in Little China trumps them all as one of his best movie. It’s little hard to place the movie in any one genre. Instead, it has little bit of action, fantasy, comedy, and little bit of romance all rolled up in one film.

The story is about a truck driver named Jack Burton, played by Kurt Russell who is roped into helping out his old friend Wang. He has to drive him to airport to pick up his future wife. However, some hoodlums kidnap her which forces Jack and Wang to chase and rescue her. This drops them in the middle of gang war with some odd opposing sides and threats. There are some supernatural and fantasy element mixed in with constant action. The overall plot is odd but the pace and action of the movie makes it a very satisfying experience.

Kurt Russell plays the perfect wise cracking hero that reluctantly encounters trouble after trouble. Denis Dun works very nicely as the sidekick or sorts. Kim Cattrall was funny and refreshing as Gracie Law, the lawyer who is also swept up in the overall plot of the movie. The movie didn’t succeed when it was released back in 1986. But, it has found enduring cult following for its lively and fun ride. This movie definitely deserves a Blu-ray release.

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Universal Soldiers Blu Ray Review

The 80s and 90s produced some of the most entertaining action flicks from the likes of Jean Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal. Under Siege, Bloodsports, and Out for Justice were few of the most entertaining action film of their times. Universal Soldier has to be top 5 Jean Claude Van Damme film. If were male aged between 10 to 18 in 1992, you will most likely have some fond memory of this movie. This movie is always worth a watch whenever it is on a cable television on Saturday afternoon. While not Oscar worthy, the movie is a fun watch for its silly plot and lots of action.

Van Damme plays Luc Deveraux under the command of Sergeant Andrew, Dolph Lundgren. They are both in Vietnam when Deveraux refuses to become a butcher under Andrew. Andrew has gone crazy and sadistic during the war. During the one conflict where Deveraux refuses to kill innocent people, they kill each other in a confrontation. Their bodies were recovered and used as a secret program known as Universal Soldier. The program is used to create ultimate soldiers using the bodies of deceased soldiers. They are not supposed to have any past memories. When a reporter finds out about the program, the soldiers are sent to kill her. With a sudden memory recovery, Deveraux helps the reporter evade the other universal soldiers.

This movie is just wall to wall action. The plot is nothing special and we are aware of what the movie is trying to achieve. There are car chases and great hand to hand combat. Also, the interaction and contrast between Dolph Lundgren and Van Damme is great throughout the movie. This is one of all time great action B-movie Hollywood has produced. If it were released today, it would be straight to video affair compared to great Batman and other effect heavy films. However, the movie was pretty fantastic when it was released in 1992. It’s cheesy classic you should not miss.

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