Disney XD will be airing a 15 second teaser video showing fans the look/feel of "Star Wars Rebels" on Monday, October 7 during the premiere of their new series "Mighty Med"(8:30pm-9:00pm, ET/PT).
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Spartacus: War Of The Damned Blu-ray Disc Set Review
The final season of the Starz original series Spartacus was given the subtitle name War Of The Damned for the season. This is a fantastic mix of over the top sword and sandal comic book like violence not unlike the film 300 and a lot of decadent sex and nudity that though is not even softcore by modern standards is the closest I have ever seen in a historical action epic series set during the era when Rome ruled much of Western European civilization and was expanding it's influence as it slowly evolved from a Republic to a monarchy ruled Empire as depicted in the HBO original series Rome. I would say the only thing that goes beyond the mark set by Spartacus is the film Caligula starring Malcolm McDowell and while uncut it does cross the line with unsimulated sex scenes that were intercut into the film after the initial production ceased, much of what would be considered as XXX in the 1970s is now simply marketed as an unrated cult film.
However Spartacus in all of it's four seasons always chose the high road so please do not misunderstand my comparison to Caligula as being the same sort of thing because it is not. While Caligula may have featured Shakespearean trained actors, it never reached the pathos and drama of Spartacus: War Of The Damned. In fact Spartcus' use of the English language dialogue constructed in as close to possible Latin style and sentence structure feels Shakespearean even though it is not.
The casting is terrific as is the portrayal of Crassus (Simon Merrells) that is more three-dimensional as a character than Laurence Olivier's portrayal in the Kubrick directed and Kirk Douglas produced and starring vehicle classic.
While this is not intended to be a historically accurate account of the legend, the complete Spartacus TV series when combined with the complete HBO Rome TV series and the PBS/BBC series I'Claudius make for a compelling triple feature despite the obvious differences between the productions.
The battle scenes are amazing and despite being shot entirely indoors using green screen and practical sets, Spartacus: War Of The Damned suspends one's disbelief and never feels fake.
Anchor Bay Entertainment's Blu-ray Disc edition presents all ten episodes in their original high definition broadcast aspect ratio of (1.78:1) coupled with an aggressive English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Soundtrack and a Spanish Language Monaural Soundtrack is included as an option along with English Subtitles for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired as well as Spanish Language Subtitles.
Extra value features include extended cuts of nearly every episode, which means you see more than was aired on Starz. The premiere episode also features an audio commentary track with Rob Tapert, Mark Beesley and Chloe Smith.
Six behind the scenes featurettes that range from nearly three minutes to nearly ten minutes in length are included also on the third disc. They appear to have been made to air on Starz though since I am not a subscriber I could be wrong.
Spartacus: War Of The Damned is arguably the best season in the entire series that pays respect and tribute to both the Stanley Kubrick feature film as well as the legend while still maintaining it's own original perspective and voice.
Spartacus: War Of The Damned is available on Blu-ray Disc now at retailers on and offline courtesy of Anchor Bay Entertainment.
(C) Copyright 2013 By Mark Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
RIP Author Tom Clancy
Rest In Peace Author Tom Clancy. His works included the Jack Ryan series which served as the basis for the feature films The Hunt For Red October, Patriot Games, Clear And Present Danger as well as The Sum Of All Fears.
An Oath That Just Falls Short Despite A Strong Opening.
The Walking Dead: The Oath is the third series of webisodes produced by AMC for streaming on AMCTV.com. The first and still best of the series told the backstory of Hannah, a mother of two children who sacrifices herself to save her children and later reanimated into the "Bicycle Girl" zombie Rick Grimes encounters in the first season series premiere.
The second series followed a survivor in a storage facility run by a megalomaniacal manager who takes perverse pleasure in the suffering of others in midst of the zombie apocalypse. The second series did not have the emotional resonance of the first one and instead felt like a short from a Creepshow type anthology.
Now makeup effects master Gregory Nicotero returns to direct the third three part web series entitled The Walking Dead: The Oath. All three parts debuted on AMCTV.com on October 1, 2013 and are available to stream now. This is another prequel story with a connection of sorts to the television series, but none of the main characters are regulars on The Walking Dead or at least as far as I know.
This is an improvement over the second series, but the original is still the best despite some confusion some viewers had because the story was told in a nonlinear fashion. The opening is epic with a tent city of refugees overrun by an undead swarm before two young survivors take off and eventually end up at a hospital seeking medical attention from a dedicated practitioner who took an oath to help those in need to the very end.
Nicotero has improved as a director since the original webisode series, but this series ends rather awkwardly with some unanswered questions that fans of the show are sure to be wondering about with the most obsessive probably declaring it to be a plot-hole. Personally I am kind of back and forth on it and feel with a few clarifications and a more definitive ending this series could have been the best one yet instead of just being better than the second, but not as good as the first. The Walking Dead: The Oath can be streamed now for free online at AMCTV.com.
(C) Copyright 2013 By Mark Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Elysium Announced For Blu-ray Release This December!
“Head-spinning action. Matt Damon could not be better.”
- Peter Travers, ROLLING STONE
“One of the most entertaining action films of the year.”
– Richard Roeper, CHICAGO SUN TIMES
Sci-Fi, Action-Thriller from the Director of District 9
ELYSIUM
Starring Academy Award® Winner Matt Damon &
Academy Award® Winner Jodie Foster
Available Dec. 17 on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, DVD & Digital
Combo Pack includes Blu-ray, DVD & Digital HD UltraViolet™
Culver City, CA (10/1/13) – From Academy Award® nominated writer/director Neill Blomkamp (2010, Best Adapted Screenplay,District 9) comes the visionary sci-fi action thriller ELYSIUM, available on Blu-ray™ combo pack, DVD and digital HD UltraViolet on Dec. 17 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The Blu-ray combo pack comes with hours of bonus materials, including an extended scene, and six behind-the-scenes featurettes that give an in-depth look at the making of the film, including the performances, production design, visual effects and the technology of ELYSIUM.
Fans get an inside look at the process of shooting the film’s visual effects scenes, and incorporating CGI environments and vehicles into those scenes in post-production with the featurette “In Support of Story: The Visual Effects of Elysium.” “The Technology of 2154” featurette shows filmmakers discussing the technology ofElysium, from independently functioning Droids to next-generation military technology that gives humans machine-enhanced power. “The Journey to Elysium” explores the pre-production of the film, including the first steps taken to build the “future world” and casting the right actors, followed by a discussion with filmmakers and cast on the journey through production, as well as a post-production diary that gives a look at the editing process, including the challenges of marrying the practical shots with their CGI counterparts. The “Visions of 2154” featurette is an interactive exploration of the art and design of Elysium. Also starring in the film is two-time Academy Award® winner Jodie Foster (1992, Best Actress, TheSilence of the Lambs, 1989, Best Actress, The Accused), alongside a strong international supporting cast, including Sharlto Copley (District 9), Alice Braga (I Am Legend), Diego Luna (Y Tu Mama Tambien), Wagner Moura (Elite Squad) and William Fichtner (The Lone Ranger).
Synopsis: In the year 2154, two classes of people exist: the very wealthy, who live on a pristine man-made space station called Elysium, and the rest who live in an overpopulated, ruined Earth. Secretary Delacourt (Foster) will stop at nothing to preserve the luxurious lifestyle of the citizens of Elysium – but that doesn’t stop the people of Earth from trying to get in by any means they can. Max (Damon) agrees to take on a life threatening mission, one that could bring equality these polarized worlds.
ELYSIUM was produced by Bill Block (District 9, Vanilla Sky), Neill Blomkamp, and Simon Kinberg (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, X-Men: First Class), and executive produced by Sue Baden-Powell (The Box, The Invention of Lying). The film’s run time is about 109 minutes and it has been rated R for strong, bloody violence and language throughout.
Bonus Materials Exclusive to the Blu-ray Include:
· Extended Scene
· Visions of 2154 – An interactive exploration of the art and design of Elysium.
· The Journey to Elysium:
o Envisioning Elysium - This pre-production diary explores all facets of pre-production
o Capturing Elysium - With production in Vancouver, Mexico, and on huge green screen stages, the challenge of filming was nothing short of massive. The filmmakers and cast discuss the journey through the film’s production.
o Enhancing Elysium - This post-production diary explores the editing process
· In Support of Story: The Visual Effects of Elysium - An in-depth look at the process of shooting visual effects scenes and incorporating CGI environments and vehicles into those scenes in post-production.
· The Technology of 2154 - From independently functioning Droids to next-generation military tech that gives humans machine-enhanced power, get insight from the filmmakers on the technology ofElysium.
Bonus Materials Included on Both the Blu-ray and DVD:
· Collaboration: Crafting the Performances in Elysium- Meet the dynamic cast and get insight into how they prepared for their roles.
· Engineering Utopia: Creating a Society in the Sky - A look at designing and creating the utopian space station.
The Walking Dead: The Complete Third Season Blu-ray Disc Set Review.
The third season of the hit AMC original series The Walking Dead, based on the graphic novel series by Robert Kirkman, begins strongly with nearly a year having past and Rick and his survivors now operating with stealth like a professional special ops group while moving from place to place until they come upon a prison and decide to take it in the hope of creating a safe and self sufficient haven for themselves. Not too far away exists a fortified town where the survivors under the guidance of The Governor (David Morrissey) seem to have created an idealized mini "Our Town." Andrea and her savior from the second season finale Michonne (Danai Guira) end up there after being discovered by none other than Merle Dixon (Michael Rooker), who was last seen trapped on a department store roof in an overrun Atlanta. We know he escaped because when the survivors returned for him in the first season they discovered that he sawed off his own hand to escape the roof.
It is not long before we discover that Woodbury is not the perfect friendly society that it appears to be on the outside and Rick, who has been hardened since the events of the second season, and his group discover that they are not alone in the prison. The whole season basically slowly heads toward what is set up as an inevitable confrontation between Rick Grimes and his group and The Governor and his mercenaries over power and survival.
The acting is top notch and besides introducing Michonne to the TV series, the fan favorite character Tyrese (Chad Coleman) from the graphic novel is introduced as well. The third season has more action than the second season, but the character development is lacking. Characters that were important in the graphic novel appear and are killed off so fast that there is no time to have any emotional investment in them. The other big problem with the third season is that it reduces the zombie threat to a point where we have barely armed characters traveling for miles in the woods and picking off the walkers like they were a joke.
Kirkman has stated that the zombie threat would be intensified for the fourth season and a return to character development would be strictly adhered too. From the online trailers it seems as though the zombies will indeed become far more dangerous than before, but as for everything else, we'll have to wait and see.
Anchor Bay Entertainment presents the complete third season of The Walking Dead across five discs in their broadcast high definition AVC encoded widescreen aspect ratio of (1.78:1) with an enveloping English Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Surround Soundtrack. A French Language Dolby Surround 2.0 Soundtrack and English Subtitles for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired as well as Spanish Language Subtitles are encoded across all five discs for all of the episodes.
Extra value features include episode length audio commentaries featuring Iron E. Singleton, Guy Ferland, Gregory Nicotero, Danai Guira, Robert Kirkman, Dave Alpert, Gale Anne Hurd, Michael Rooker and Chad Coleman respectively for episodes that include "Killer Within", "Say The Word", "Made To Suffer", the mid season premiere and "This Sorrowful Life." The commentaries are both retrospective and scene specific.
The majority of the featurettes are on the final disc and they include a reel of deleted scenes (13:20), and behind the scenes shorts detailed as Rising Son (6:46), Guts & Glory (7:31), Moving The Dead (8:04), Safety Behind Bars (9:42), Michonne Vs. The Governor (5:10), Heart of a Warrior (8:24), Gone But Not Forgotten (8:13) and Evil Eye (7:50).
An advertisement for "Before The Farm: The Walking Dead Video Game" (1:08) and a TV spot for Breaking Bad (:33) wrap up the bonus content within this Blu-ray Disc set.
The Walking Dead: The Complete Third Season is available on Blu-ray Disc now at retailers on and offline courtesy of Anchor Bay Entertainment. The fourth season premiere of The Walking Dead will air on Sunday October 18, 2013. For more information visit AMCTV.com.
(C) Copyright 2013 By Mark Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
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