Month: June 2020

Articles, Review

Blu-Buried: Jaws: The Revenge

Being a movie collector is lots of fun. You go to the store or the online site and shop for hours looking for deals on your favorite movies. But, a problem for me is I go to secondhand stores and will sometimes buy movies that maybe I wasn’t crazy about when I saw them but now it’s only $6, so I figure “Why not?” Or, I buy a movie I’ve seen and I forget to watch it.

I have mentioned before that my wife is supportive of my collecting, but she also gets annoyed because I buy movies and they sit on my shelf, never seeing the inside of my blu-ray player.

At first, I told my wife “I’ve watched most of them!” But recently I decided to separate the films that I have not watched. And darn it, my wife is right!

So, I took all those discs and placed them on the bottom of my shelf. My movies are organized alphabetically, so I thought for fun I would mix them up, place them back on the bottom of the shelf and watch whatever movie is next.

I will review the discs as it will help keep me focused on completing my task of finally being able to tell my wife, “I have watched them all!”

Welcome to Blu-Buried!

Ellen Brody, the wife of Chief Brody from the original Jaws, is still living in Amity after the death of her husband. Her son, Sean is now an Officer for Amity. On Christmas Eve, Sean sets out on a boat to fix a buoy. As Sean reaches down to grab a log caught in the buoy, he is attacked and killed by a Great White Shark. Ellen now thinks that the shark is purposely attacking her family (yes this is really the plot). Ellen goes to the Bahamas where her other son, Mike is a researcher. There the shark follows her and she seems to have a supernatural link to the shark.

Where to begin with Jaws: The Revenge? I guess Universal was trying to be a little creative with the franchise (you can check it out in this post to know more about it). But the film comes across lazy and uninspired. The shark looks horrendous. The attacks are staged without any suspense. In Jaws 2, the shark was shown more and while that film also lost what made the first an all time great, it was at least fun. Jaws: The Revenge is a chore to get through.

The best thing about the film is Lorraine Gary returns as Ellen Brody. The script lets her down when she can “feel” when the shark attacks members of her family, but she commands the screen with a very heartfelt performance. Michael Caine famously could not accept his Oscar due to filming Jaws, but he too is good as the love interest for Ellen, the pilot Hoagie. Not fairing as well is Jake, played by Mario Van Peebles. His Jamaican accent wavers throughout the film. It also makes him give a very unconvincing performance as it feels he is focusing so hard on the accent it distracts him.

The film does not build any credible suspense because director Joseph Sargent seems way out of his league. The shark is shown to stick its head out of water and just stay there. Like it’s floating in the water. Another scene sees the shark chasing Michael through a sunken ship. How the shark navigates and gets into areas of the ships is so implausible that you roll you eyes. Add to the fact that you can see the sled pulling the shark in multiple scenes, for an A+ release this film is considerably low-rent. I am not sure if Sargent is 100% to blame as in doing research for this review, I stumbled across an interview with Sargent where he says that he had basically 9 months to write a script, shoot the picture, edit the picture and deliver the picture. Maybe there wasn’t enough time to fix the glaring technical issues on this film. A making-of documentary for Jaws: The Revenge would be epic.

Another interesting fact; Jaws: The Revenge cost over $23 million dollars to produce, Star Trek IV cost $25 million to produce, but they could not be more different as far as look and overall competence in making of the pictures. Jaws looks like a shark movie that was made on a shoestring budget. The shark doesn’t look awful, but his movements look so fake it distracts for the overall aesthetic of the effect.

And the shark roars at the end. It’s weird.

For an underwhelming movie Jaws: The Revenge looks pretty great in high definition. The scenery is crystal clear, the water is a striking blue. Flesh tones look stunning, and the clothing pops. Some scenes to not look as sharp, especially the green screen behind the actors in the airplane scenes and the final scenes which you can tell were filmed on Universal’s Jaws ride as the backdrop looks fake.

Jaws: The Revenge takes a bite out of your system with solid update of DTS-HD Master Audio. The movie isn’t good but the sound is really substantial and that is another positive for this disaster.

Jaws: The Revenge actually comes with two bonus features!

Alternate Ending: This ending is gorier and makes more sense. In the reshot ending that appears on the disc, Ellen rams the shark with the front of the a broken boom on the ship, which coupled with the thing that Michael uses to cause the shark to roar in pain (yep, that happens) makes the shark explode. And Mario Van Peebles is miraculously alive after being eaten and dragged underwater about 5 minutes prior. In the alternate ending the shark is stabbed, spews blood from its mouth and dies, sinking to the bottom of the ocean with the front of the boat stuck in its side. Mario Van Peebles stays dead. Plus, it’s in HD so there’s that.

Also included is the teaser trailer, which is better than the movie.

Jaws: The Revenge is a mess. I wouldn’t buy it, unless you want to waste $10.

Film: D-

Video: B

Audio: B

Extras: C-

Overall: D

Articles, Review

Blu-Buried: Godzilla: King of the Monsters-Best Buy Exclusive Steelbook

Being a movie collector is lots of fun. You go to the store or the online site and shop for hours looking for deals on your favorite movies. But, a problem for me is I go to secondhand stores and will sometimes buy movies that maybe I wasn’t crazy about when I saw them but now it’s only $6, so I figure “Why not?”

I have mentioned before that my wife is supportive of my collecting, but she also gets annoyed because I buy movies and they sit on my shelf, never seeing the inside of my blu-ray player.

At first, I told my wife “I’ve watched most of them!” But recently I decided to separate the films that I have not watched. And darn it, my wife is right!

So, I took all those discs and placed them on the bottom of my shelf. My movies are organized alphabetically, so I thought for fun I would mix them up, place them back on the bottom of the shelf and watch whatever movie is next.

I will review the discs as it will keep my focused on completing my task of finally being able to tell my wife, “I have watched them all!”

Welcome to Blu-Buried!

Godzilla: King of the Monsters-Best Buy Exclusive Steelbook

Set after the event of 2014’s Godzilla, the giant lizard returns to vanquish more Titans. Dr. Emma Russell (Vera Farmiga) is a scientist who, after the loss of her son at the hands of Godzilla’s destruction in San Francisco develops a device called Orca, that can mimic the sounds the Titans (monsters) make. Emma also believes she can control the titans and stop them from destroying more of the Earth.

Emma and her daughter, Madison (Millie Bobby Brown) live at a Monarch research facility. Her father, Dr. Mark Russell (Kyle Chandler) is no longer with them. He is in Colorado studying wolves.

Mark is brought back to Monarch after his wife and daughter are kidnapped by an eco-terrorist named Alan Jonah (Charles Dance) who forces Emma to use Orca to revive the Titans to eliminate the harmful effects man has had on the Earth. Basically, having the Titans course correct man’s mistakes.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters, is a fun, somewhat dumb sequel to Godzilla. The action and the monsters look incredible. The sound design is top notch. The score by Bear McCreary is loads of fun. But the biggest weakness in Godzilla: King of the Monsters is the human element. The plot feels overstuffed and at the same time doesn’t flesh out its characters well. I will not spoil the film but there is a twist involving a character that comes across as shallow and unnecessary and goes against what we are told this character believes.

There are moments that are well done, Kyle Chandler always delivers. His struggle with saving his daughter and trying to save the world is handled by the actor with the right amount of weight. The humor is hit and miss, maybe the best of the “comedic” side kicks is Bradley Whitford’s Dr. Stanton.

As for the CGI stars, Godzilla: King of the Monsters delivers. Godzilla looks amazing. You get a good sense of his power throughout the film as director Michael Dougherty tends to keep the camera at human level, giving these Titans an incredible feeling of height and strength. A cool element has each Titan represented by a distinct color palette. Godzilla is an electric blue, Ghidorah is a yellow and Rodan is a redish-orange. The fights are epic, and Dougherty never over crowds the screen so much that you don’t know what is going on, they are all well thought out and choreographed.

The UHD release of Godzilla: King of the Monsters crushes the format with an absolute stunning release. When a movie like Godzilla relies on darkness the 4K format is a blessing. Gone are the crushing, pixelated black levels of the DVD and in some cases blu-ray discs. Here we are treated to silky smooth blacks and incredibly detailed monsters and scenery. This is one sharp looking film.

Being a monster movie, Godzilla: King of the Monsters tears into your audio system. The roars have never sounded better and with more weight. The destruction of cities, the eruption of volcanoes is truly epic. This is the kind of movie that you can show off to your friends to convince them to upgrade to UHD.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters Best Buy exclusive Steelbook comes with both the UHD and the standard blu-ray. The UHD does contain one feature, a fun commentary with director Michael Dougherty, producer Zack Shields and actor O’Shea Jackson Jr. It is a fun track and you should listen to it as they reveal the Easter Eggs and other fun tidbits about the shoot.

The blu-ray comes packed with extras, which is really nice as most films today have extras that really just amount to fluff, Godzilla: King of the Monsters delivers a titan sized potion of extras.

Monsters 101: You will learn about the monsters of the film.

Evolution of the Titans: a pretty decent run time for this bonus feature, clocking in at about 30 minutes that explores the visual effects.

Monarch in Action: Another 30 minute bonus feature that explores the locations.

Millie Bobby Brown: Force of Nature: I guess if there was one fluff piece it would be this brief talk with the actress.

Monster Tech: Monarch Joins the Fight: Looking at the real life military tech used in the film.

Monsters are Real: This reminds me a lot of the Tales From Camp blood on the Friday the 13th blu-rays. A hokey, fun mix of fantasy and real life.

Welcome to the Monsterverse: Hey! There’s two other films you can check out, Godzilla (2014) and Kong: Skull Island.

Deleted and Extended Scenes: Cool but nothing stands out.

The Best Buy exclusive Steelbook is awesome. Godzilla is the lone Titan on the front, Ghidorah on the back. On the inside you will find Rodan and Mothra. Incorparting the color scheme for each creature in the film, this is what a special edition Steelbook is all about, giving collectors a reason to spend $5 more. It stands out amongst some of the duller cover art that is on the shelves.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters might not be the lizard’s best film; it is nonetheless a really fun monster movie. At times when the humans bring the film to a halt with their petty troubles, just keep telling yourself that soon monsters will be fighting, and it will be awesome. The Best Buy exclusive Steelbook is the way to go if you are buying the film. The Steelbook looks incredible and the on-disc content is stellar, highly recommended for fans of Godzilla, recommended for everyone else.

Film: C+

Video: A+

Audio: A+

Extras: A

Steelbook: A+

Overall: A

Articles, Review

Blu-Buried: Wonder Woman: Commemorative Edition (2009)

Being a movie collector is lots of fun. You go to the store or the online site and shop for hours looking for deals on your favorite movies. But, a problem for me is I go to secondhand stores and will sometimes buy movies that maybe I wasn’t crazy about when I saw them but now it’s only $6, so I figure “Why not?”

I have mentioned before that my wife is supportive of my collecting, but she also gets annoyed because I buy movies and they sit on my shelf, never seeing the inside of my blu-ray player.

At first, I told my wife “I’ve watched most of them!” But recently I decided to separate the films that I have not watched. And darn it, my wife is right!

So, I took all those discs and placed them on the bottom of my shelf. My movies are organized alphabetically, so I thought for fun I would mix them up, place them back on the bottom of the shelf and watch whatever movie is next.

I will review the discs as it will keep my focused on completing my task of finally being able to tell my wife, “I have watched them all!”

Welcome to Blu-Buried!

Wonder Woman (2009)

After a battle with the God of War Ares (Alfred Molina), the Amazonian’s led by their Queen Hippolyta (Virginia Madsen) are victorious, Ares is defeated and Hippolyta decides to strike a fatal blow. Zeus and Hera intervene, sparring Ares’ life but binding him with bracelets, and imprison him on an island paradise that Hippolyta hides from man.

After several centuries, Hippolyta is blessed with a daughter, the princess Diana (Keri Russell). Fiercely independent and head strong Diana is looking for more than an island paradise.

Fate literally crashes on their paradise as Steve Trevor (Nathan Fillion) is shot down in an aerial battle. A tournament is held for the Amazon who will take Trevor back to his “world”. Diana, sneaks into the tournament and wins, thus she brings Trevor back to his world.

While the tournament is taking place, Ares escapes with the help of a traitor among the Amazons.  He makes his way to Hades (Oliver Platt) who removes the bracelets that shackled him. Soon, Ares brings the war to the humans, and it is up to Diana and Trevor to work together and defeat Ares.

I was blown away with how much I liked this film. It is lots of fun, with some thrilling action and some pretty hardcore violence for a PG-13 animated film. Russell is great as Diana as she embodies her strength and determination needed to bring her to life. Fillion also brings the right amount of swagger to the role of Steve Trevor. But perhaps his greatest moment comes near the films end. Throughout the film, Steve Trevor is portrayed as a womanizer and somewhat of a scoundrel. However, on the way to battle Ares in Washington D.C., Trevor has a moment of truth and venerability. It’s delivered with sincerity and when he realized that his foot in caught in the Lasso of Truth. It also gets a chuckle.

Molina as Ares is a standout. He owns every scene he is in, and his bargaining with Platt’s Hades is a delicious blend of villainy.

The action is top notch. Each battle delivers on power and violence. You can actually feel each punch when Diana takes on a minion from Ares in a mall. It is grand.

Wonder Woman is a can’t miss entry into DC’s animated universe.

It seems that a problem with the early DC animated films is that the video quality on the blu-ray always seems to be just ok. Wonder Woman looks better than the last film I reviewed, Batman: Year One but the same issues continue to pop up. Washed out colors and banding rears its head throughout the picture, but the action looks sharp and is fluid.

On the audio side Wonder Woman is fantastic. Music comes through clear as does the dialogue. No need to constantly mess with your balance, it is mixed well and sounds great.

As this is the Commemorative Edition that was released in conjunction with the live action Wonder Woman film, Warner Brothers has added a new extra. I read that some have been omitted but since I have not seen that version, I am not sure what was removed other than a Green Lantern short.

But what you do get is pretty good.

The new feature is What Makes a Wonder Woman, which is a nice if unfortunately, too short 10-minute look at the history of Wonder Woman, featuring Patty Jenkins, the director of the live action film, Lauren Montgomery, the director of the animated film and of course Gal Gadot, Wonder Woman herself.

There’s also a commentary with the makers of the film, which is a pretty solid track. I do like the commentaries on DC’s animated films as the filmmakers are fans as well which makes the journey through the film with them lots of fun.

While the new feature I wished had a longer and more substantial runtime the two documentaries that were ported over from the previous release are excellent.

A Subversive Dream: Really digs into Wonder Woman’s history. Peppered with great interviews this is a truly informative feature.

The Daughters of Myth: This documentary explores Wonder Woman’s origin and her mythological roots.

Also included is a sneak peek at Batman and Harley Quinn and some trailers.

Overall, this is a solid and entertaining entry into DC’s animated universe. The story is well known but the action and voice talent is top notch. The video continues to be the biggest hiccup on these releases as being just good not great. The audio is fantastic. The extras are quite good and add to the overall enjoyment of the disc. Highly Recommended.

Film: A

Video: B

Audio: A

Extras: B+

Overall: B+

Articles, Review

Blu-Buried: Batman: Year One

Being a movie collector is lots of fun. You go to the store or the online site and shop for hours looking for deals on your favorite movies. But, a problem for me is I go to secondhand stores and will sometimes buy movies that maybe I wasn’t crazy about when I saw them but now it’s only $6, so I figure “Why not?”

I have mentioned before that my wife is supportive of my collecting, but she also gets annoyed because I buy movies and they sit on my shelf, never seeing the inside of my blu-ray player.

At first, I told my wife “I’ve watched most of them!” But recently I decided to separate the films that I have not watched. And darn it, my wife is right!

So, I took all those discs and placed them on the bottom of my shelf. My movies are organized alphabetically, so I thought for fun I would mix them up, place them back on the bottom of the shelf and watch whatever movie is next.

I will review the discs as it will keep my focused on completing my task of finally being able to tell my wife, “I have watched them all!”

Welcome to Blu-Buried!

Batman: Year One (2011)

Batman: Year One is the 12th film in the DC Universe Original Movies label. Based on the 1987 4 issue story that appeared in Batman comics written by Frank Miller and drawn by David Mazzucchelli.

Batman: Year One takes us to the beginning of Bruce Wayne’s crime fighting career. After being in exile for numerous years, Wayne returns to Gotham after the murder of his parents. Wayne gives the media a persona of an aloof billionaire. He has women fawning over him and he also appears to be uninterested in being a model citizen.

What the public doesn’t know is Bruce Wayne has been training abroad to become a masked vigilante and take down the mob bosses and villains of Gotham.

Also arriving in Gotham is newly appointed Lieutenant James Gordon. Gordon soon learns that the police in Gotham are as corrupt as the mob. Gordon soon becomes involved in a one-man war against the mob and Police Commissioner Gillian Loeb.

We also meet Selina Kyle, a dominatrix and soon to be cat burglar.

Truth be told I have never been a big Frank Miller fan. Miller is so important in the comic industry, as he pushed Batman and Daredevil to places, they have never gone. With Batman: Year One Miller stripped Bruce Wayne to his core and delivered one of the most celebrated stories in Batman history.

And yes, Bruce Wayne’s journey to becoming Batman is stuff of legend (I mean, seriously I might go through and see how many movies and cartoons retell Batman’s origin. It feels like everyone touches on it). But, Batman: Year One is much more a Jim Gordon story. In the film played expertly by Bryan Cranston, Gordon goes from just being a policeman and Batman ally to a multi-layered character. And here might be my biggest issue with the story. Throughout the history of Batman Gordon is portrayed as a righteous man, always making the tough and right decision. In this film and in the comic, Gordon cheats on his pregnant wife with a co-worker named Detective Sarah Essen.

I am sure that Miller was trying to give Gordon a little more humanity by making him have faults but this one just rubbed me the wrong way. Gordon’s wife is portrayed as caring and loving. His decision to stray from her doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.

Also, the idea of Selina Kyle being a dominatrix at a strip club with a teenage proustite is another just unnecessary retcon. Miller is known for pushing the envelope and Batman: Year One does that, but the extra “dark, adult” elements have never appealed to me. It might be the Spider-Man fan in me, but not everything has to be doom and gloom.

The action is solid and choreographed well. Most of the cast is pretty great. Ben McKenzie steps into the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman and he is good, but my years of Kevin Conroy have spoiled me and made me judge every Batman actor since so McKenzie maybe unfairly doesn’t quite nail Batman to me. Eliza Dushku delivers a solid turn as Selina Kyle/Catwoman.

The action flows well, I do wish the animation had a little more detail to it and did not appear so washed out and bland. The characters look like animated versions of Mazzucchelli’s work which is commendable, but the skylines and vehicles just look blah.

Overall, Batman: Year One is a solid adaptation deserving a place on your shelf if you are a Batman fan.

The video presentation on Batman: Year One is just ok. Animation is fluid and the characters look striking. The backgrounds and vehicles are just not interesting and give the film a washed, no detail look. Not the best-looking animated film in DC’s arsenal.

The sound however delivers quite a punch. Dialogue, which is so important in more character driven animation films must be top notch. Batman: Year One has a lot going for it, from punches to sound effects, the blu-ray delivers an incredibly immersive experience.

Batman: Year One is loaded with extras. All are worth your time.

First in a commentary by several crew members, including voice director Andrea Romano and director Sam Liu. The commentary is great breaking down the production and the process of bringing Batman: Year One to life.

There are also two lengthy featurettes, the first Heart of Vengeance: Returning Batman to His Roots, explores the history of Batman and why Frank Miller’s Year One got Batman back on track. The second is Conversations with DC Comics: Featuring the 2011 Batman Creative Team, is my favorite feature on the disc. It’s a great, open and honest discussion on all things Batman.

Next up is a fun animated short (15 minutes) called simple Catwoman. It is really dark and somewhat dirty (strip show is shown, no nudity but really provocative) so you might want to screen it before you show it young ones. But older and mature audiences will get a kick out of the heist and action packed short.

A digital comic is included, as well as trailers for other DC Animated films.

Finally a couple of cartoons picked by Bruce Timm from The Animated Series, “Catwalk” and “Cult of the Cat”

Batman: Year One is a solid entry into DC’s Animated universe. Bat-Fans will not be disappointed with the film and should be excited to check out a bounty of extras. Recommended.

Movie: B

Video: B-

Audio: A

Extras: A

Overall: B+

Articles, Review

Blu-Buried: House of Wax (2005)

Being a movie collector is lots of fun. You go to the store or the online site and shop for hours looking for deals on your favorite movies. But, a problem for me is I go to secondhand stores and will sometimes buy movies that maybe I wasn’t crazy about when I saw them but now it’s only $6, so I figure “Why not?”

I have mentioned before that my wife is supportive of my collecting, but she also gets annoyed because I buy movies and they sit on my shelf, never seeing the inside of my blu-ray player.

At first, I told my wife “I’ve watched most of them!” But recently I decided to separate the films that I have not watched. And darn it, my wife is right!

So, I took all those discs and placed them on the bottom of my shelf. My movies are organized alphabetically, so I thought for fun I would mix them up, place them back on the bottom of the shelf and watch whatever movie is next.

I will review the discs as it will keep my focused on completing my task of finally being able to tell my wife, “I have watched them all!”

Welcome to Blu-Buried!

House of Wax (2005)

On a trip to see a football game, Carly (Elisha Cuthbert) Paige (Paris Hilton) Wade (Jared Padaleki) Nick (Chad Michael Murray) Dalton (Jon Abrahams) and Blake (Robert Richard) decided to camp out before heading to Baton Rouge.

While they are partying and having sex, you know punk kid stuff, a truck shines its lights on them. Nick is a bad-boy and he throws a bottle of beer at the truck! The truck drives away in shame!

The next morning Wade’s totally awesome car will not start. So, Carly and Wade go to the next town to get a part. The town is empty except for a funeral service that they totally interrupt!

The meet the nice but somewhat strange mechanic in town, Bo (Brian Van Holt). Who tells them he will meet them at his garage in town after the funeral.

Wade and Carly explore the town and find a literal house of wax, (see what they did there?) exploring it they find it upsetting and scary.

The other cool cats attempt to go to the football game but too much traffic ruins their buzz and they return to their camp spot.

Carly and Wade learn that Bo does not have the right size of fan belt for his car. He tells the couple that he has one at his house. They reluctantly go there.

At the house Wade is attacked by Bo’s killer brother who kills people and turns them into wax figures!

How will these youngsters survive the night?                      

House of Wax is a remake of a classic film starring Vincent Price and like most Dark Castle films it completely ignores what has come before and turns it into a gory, somewhat uneven good time.

The cast is solid, yes even Paris Hilton. The only cast member that really got on my nerve was Chad Michael Murray’s Nick. He’s supposed to be this bad boy with a heart of gold and instead he is just douchy. The script however lets almost all of them down. The dialogue is sometimes groan-worthy, and the characters make some pretty bone-headed decisions.

The runtime is a little bloated too as House of Wax is a slasher film that runs nearly 2 hours.

I will commend director Jaume Collet-Serra though for letting the film breathe and at least giving us some character development, even if it’s not always good.

The films atmosphere is also great. From the somewhat 1950’s aesthetic to the town to the grimy and dark underbelly of the House of Wax the film looks great.

The gore effects are also awesome. House of Wax earns its R-rating with lots of blood and violence.

The video presentation on the blu-ray is really uneven and at times distracting. During the daytime everything looks sharp, from skin tones and clothes to the colors on the buildings. At night and in darker scenes is where this high definition really drops the ball. Crushed colors and lots of noise, it becomes distracting. Especially when the scene changes from more brightly lit areas to darker scenes.

The audio fares a little better as everything sounds pretty tight. The music gets loud anytime an attack takes place and the gory bits are appropriately squishy.

As far as the extras go, they are about as empty as Paige’s head after she takes a metal pole through it.

A weird one with the cast as they “comment” on B-Roll and Bloopers? It was awful. I really disliked Chad Michael Murray’s character in the movie, but he is worse on this feature. I should probably cut him some slack though as I am sure he thought like I did, what the hell is the point of this feature?

Also included is a couple of featurettes detailing the production, From Location: Joel Silver Reveals the House of Wax, in which he gets ran over while on the set of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang(seriously what is up with these features?) Wax On, which details the making of the House of Wax. The House Built on Wax, that spotlights the visual effects, An Alternate Opening called, Jennifer Killed. Another gag reel and a trailer. Not much here and half of it is really weird.

Skip the extras, they are lame.

House of Wax has a bloated runtime that only serves as a reason to cheer on the bad guys when they start killing the obnoxious characters. But I must admit I also had fun watching this film again. Pick it up if you like gory, violent slasher films, skip it if you like good movies.

Film: C+

Video: C-

Audio: B-

Extras: D-

Overall: C-

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