Blu-ray thumbs

[Johann]

Part 2 wasn't as good as part 1, but still riveting.
We see the Fab Four rehearsing more, this time with Billy Preston.
George quit the band for a few days over Paul's domineering ways.
We don't get complete versions of songs here, they're all works in progress.
Peter Jackson chose to have a calendar onscreen, to show each day crossed off.
I have a musician friend who said it would be hard to work with Lennon, that his constant interrupting and little voices would annoy to no end. And John does seem frustrating/frustrated here. But it's not explained.
Yoko didn't break up the Beatles in my opinion. If any one person is responsible, it's Paul.
I think they were fracturing anyway; the break-up was going to happen no matter what.


Part 3 is the final rooftop concert on Savile row in it's entirety.
If you love the Beatles then this 3-disc blu-ray set is a must buy.

[Johann]

It was interesting to see what takes of songs made it onto the Let It Be album.
It was also interesting to observe George Martin, who seemed unimpressed with the work, yet had zero control.
The "boys" were by then an untamed beast..

I loved the street-level interviews/capturings. One old man is asked if he'd let his daughter date a Beatle. "YES! They have money!" was the reply.
The editing of this film deserves an Oscar, no joke. And not just for the video- for the audio too. There was over 150 hours of audio to sift through.
A herculean task to whittle it down..
Peter Jackson and crew have done the world a great service.
A heartfelt thank you from this fan.

[Johann]

HELL (2011)


This is a German/Swiss production directed by Tim Fehlbaum.
It's a post-apocalyptic horror flick, with the actual title of APOCALYPSE.
It's a fast watch, at 90 minutes.
The actors are all dubbed into English, and that feels weird, adding to the uncomfort of actually watching the movie.
The sun has increased the temperature on Earth by over ten degrees, scorching everything, laying waste to social structure, food and gas supplies.
We follow 3 characters who are doing their utmost to survive, trying to drive their beat-up Volvo to the mountains of Germany for water.
They get ambushed and taken to a farm where cannibals hunt humans for food.
You can guess the rest. haha
Disturbing movie but not that bad. I would recommend seeing it for something different.

[Chris Knipp]

I missed this one. Don't think I ever heard of it.

[Johann]

ANCHORMAN (2004)


Directed by Adam MacKay, this was a deceptive comedy.
I thought it was gonna suck really bad when it started, but then it became hilarious.
Will Ferrell stars as Ron Burgundy, a newsman in 1974 San Diego.
His goal is to be the main journalist/anchorman at his station.
Enter Christina Applegate, a savvy woman who has the exact same goal.
The laughs came quick after Will & Christina hook up (the "Take me to Pleasure Town" sequence was a riot).
Ron's pals are a hoot (Steve Carrell & Paul Rudd) and I loved it when they all sang "Afternoon Delight" a-capella.
Jack Black has a funny cameo- he gets hit by a flying burrito from Ron's car, crashing his motorcycle on a bridge,
then proceeding to kick Ron's dog over the bridge.
The gang fight between all the competing stations was outrageous and hilarious too.
The plot is the silliest thing ever, but you know that going in. Thumbs up for Anchorman. It had me laughing.

[Johann]

ANCHORMAN 2: THE LEGEND CONTINUES (2013)


The cast and director are back, and so are the laughs.
However the jokes are more crude, more offensive and edgy than the first film.
Ron and his pals are back, this time going National in New York City.
They get back together to work at GNN, a 24-hour news station.
There are funny moments, but they're fewer than before.
I liked when Ron's Winnebago rolled on the highway and love the banter between all characters.
Sexual humour again too- the sequence of interracial sex was a howl.
The cameos are plentiful this time around: Sacha Baron Cohen, Will Smith, Jim Carrey, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Liam Neeson and Vince Vaughn again.

[Johann]

THE TOURNAMENT (2009)



This was one of the best action movies I've ever seen.
Super-rich elites have a gambling game they like to play: watching hired killers and super-assassins kill each other systematically until there's only one left alive. "The Tournament"
takes place every seven years, with contestants volunteering to be tracked and be lethal to the extreme. There's big money involved- the winner takes home ten million and the title of "World's Deadliest".
Starring Ving Rhames, Kelly Hu and Robert Carlyle, this was literally non-stop action.
And it looks like they did it with very little money!
Tarantino would love it.
Big thumbs up. Directed by Scott Mann

[Johann]

ALLIED (2016)


I really enjoyed Allied, a Robert Zemeckis war thriller.
Brad Pitt is Max, a member of the Royal Canadian Air Force with intelligence assignments.
He is paired up with Marion Cotillard to assassinate a German Ambassador in Casablanca.
She is a French Resistance fighter, and Max falls for her. And that is dangerous in their line of work...
They get married and have a daughter, Anna, who was born during a bombing raid on London.
Long story short, the authorites suspect Marion is a German spy, who adopted the persona of a French resistance fighter. They inform Max he will have to leave some intelligence for her to find, and see if she uses it. If she does, she will be executed. He is ordered not to conduct his own investigation, which he ignores...
Great movie.
I was wondering how it was gonna end and I was very happy. It was an ending with closure.

[Johann]

THE CIRCLE (2017)


This was a lukewarm thriller.
Emma Watson stars as Mae Holland, a call center worker who lands a job at tech giant THE CIRCLE, a clear imitation of Facebook. Tom Hanks is the CEO, and he introduces camera tech called "SeeChange"- whereby people wear a small camera 24/7, broadcasting their entire lives in real time. This is welcomed and scorned.
After Mae steals a kayak and is caught on camera, she volunteers to be the first employee at the Circle to wear the camera. She is credited with changing the world, even tho she has zero privacy. The Circle is progressive, they want 100% of the people to vote in America and are working to facilitate that. They also want to find lost or obscure people, criminals or family members alike. This is where the drama comes in, as Mae's reclusive friend Mercer is traced and tracked to his home via drones, and he flees, being chased all the way to his death on a bridge when he crashes.
This movie makes you think about privacy and how "on camera" we all are.
I don't think I'd watch it again.

[Johann]

SUPERFLY (2018)


This was a modern "remix" of the blaxploitation classic, directed by Director X.
We are taken to cocaine town, drug dealing at all levels in Atlanta, Georgia.
The main character is dealer "Priest", a young black man with a wild hairdo.
Priest wants one final huge score, to be set for life, to not deal with rivals and two-timers anymore. He gets it, in the form of a Mexican cartel.
There's guns, nudity, violence and drugs drugs drugs...We are witnesses to dirty cops, backroom deals, murders and all around unsavoury shit. There is no one to root for, no one to care about. They are all involved in high stakes crimes and misdemeanors.
Good rap soundtrack, but hollow movie overall.

[Johann]

More blu ray thumbnails to come…

[Johann]

THE HOBBIT: An Unexpected Journey (2012)



Peter Jackson returned to the world of LORD OF THE RINGS with the Hobbit trilogy, and the first part is fine fantasy filmmaking. This time the focus is on Bilbo Baggins, 60 years previous to the Fellowship of the Ring.
He’s writing his memoirs for Frodo, and his adventures are just as harrowing as Frodo’s.
CGI aplenty here, and Gandalf returns and figures prominently.
There are other familiar faces: Hugo Weaving and Cate Blanchett and the animated Gollum. (Andy Serkis).
I enjoyed this movie.
It’s long but doesn’t overstay it’s welcome.

[Johann]

THE HOBBIT: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)


I have to admit, Tolkien's story and characters bamboozle me. So many wild names and places...
That said, this part of THE HOBBIT was way better than the first.
This was an amazing entertainment. If the giant spiders sequence doesn't impress you, then the dragon Smaug will. That dragon really steals the show. Smaug speaks english (?) and is rendered better than the dragons in Harry Potter.
Orlando Bloom reprises his role as Legolas, and the elves figure prominently.
Gandalf still has his role, as do all the dwarves accompanying Bilbo.
This film looks so magnificent on blu-ray it's crazy. It was filmed in 3-D, and I'm sure seeing it that way would be optimal.
I have nothing but praise. I was wowed. Peter Jackson's passion is clearly evident.

[Johann]

THE HOBBIT: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)



The final part of The Hobbit is epic indeed.
The opening sequence is spectacular, involving Smaug wreaking havoc and being killed.
Bravo to Peter Jackson and his creative teams for having the vision and wherewithal to actually make these amazing films. He really achieved greatness here, as he did with the LOTR trilogy.
For all the swordplay, war and violence onscreen there is very little blood.
The good guys win in the end, but not before facing formidible enemies and taking heavy losses.
Legolas really gets to do some Heroic stuff, and the dwarves prove their mettle...
Hugo Weaving and Cate Blanchett are back, and so is a great Christopher Lee.
Excellent movie.
I get my fantasy fix from Harry Potter, so I won't be buying these on blu-ray but they come highly recommended.

[Johann]

A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)



I could see how someone could make the case that this is a bad movie, even a bad fairy tale.
I personally think it's a masterpiece. I should already own this on blu-ray but I don't.
I'm waiting for the Criterion version.
Steven Spielberg (saviour of cinema that he is) thankfully made this in tribute to his friend Stanley Kubrick.
It tells us the odyssey of a robot child, in a world where humans and machines are on the brink of civil war.
It looks gorgeous on blu-ray and it's my favorite Spielberg.
Dazzling vision, unique sfx and sets, and solid acting from all involved.
I think Stanley would have been pleased, as Steven used the bulk of his original screenplay and added hundreds of accentuations.
Odd film in Spielberg's canon, a one-off, like Minority Report. I love it and always will.
There's enough Kubrick in it to feel the Master.