WOW, it’s been a very long time since I have even visited this blog let alone posted anything. So, I think I’ll take it slow by doing a CODE: BLU update. I couldn’t have picked a better time to come back either as this coming Tuesday’s releases features a great variety, sure to satisfy every taste out there.

Sherlock Holmes is up first. I LOVED this movie. I know, it probably seems like I say that about every movie I see.

Sherlock Holmes on Blu-Ray Tuesday, March 30th

Even those movies I’ve purchased before even seeing them and then after watching it I really deep down only half like it, but I say I LOVE it in order to justify the purchase. Just don’t tell my wife that. So, on to Mr. Holmes. The film itself is great. It’s funny, has action. It’s got Robert Downey Jr. doing a better British accent than Jude Law. I also love the opening and closing titles, which were created by a great company known as PROLOGUE. Sherlock Holmes is directed by Guy Ritchie(SNATCH, the former Mr. Madonna) and stars Jude Law(REPO MEN), Rachel McAdams(THE NOTEBOOK), and Robert Downey Jr.(IRON MAN I & II) as the legendary Holmes. Time for some techie talk. The Blu-ray will be in full 1080p resolution using a VC-1 codec. For your surround sound you get a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. If you want to watch it in French, Spanish or Portuguese than you’re SOL with just Dolby Digital. This Blu-ray also comes with DVD and digital copies of the film. Overall, this movie will definitely do your HDTV some justice.

Also releasing this coming Tuesday is the Oscar nominated film, AN EDUCATION starring Peter Sarsgaard(JARHEAD), Carey Mulligan(PUBLIC ENEMIES), and Alfred Molina(SPIDER-MAN 2).

The Oscar nominated film, AN EDUCATION

This movie received three Oscar nods at this years Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Picture, and Best Actress for Carey Mulligan. AN EDUCATION is drama with romantic elements set during the early 1960′s in London. It has been called a “coming-of-age” story about a young girl(Mulligan) who is torn between fulfilling her educational and parental goals of attending Oxford or choosing a more exciting, spontaneous path with an older gentleman(Sarsgaard). The blu-ray release of this movie features a 1080p resolution, although, according to blu-ray.com, the HD transfer is not the best and may not perform to your standards. There is only and English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track and is a single disc.

My final film to mention is not a new film, but it IS new to the blu-ray format.

Michael Mann's LA crime drama, COLLATERAL

It is one of Michael Mann’s great Los Angeles based crime dramas, COLLATERAL starring Jamie Foxx(LAW ABIDING CITIZENS) and Tom Cruise(KNIGHT AND DAY). This is one of my favorite Mann films and is written by one of my favorite screenwriters, Stuart Beattie(DERAILED, AUSTRALIA). This is some what of a departure for Tom Cruise, which is another reason I enjoyed this film. He doesn’t walk around with a shit eating grin on his face the whole time. He is a cool, collected, cold blooded killer. WATCH THIS to see one of the best scenes in the movie. Jamie Foxx doesn’t see anything coming. The blu-ray will be in 1080p, of course, with a MPEG-4 AVC codec. There aren’t any audio details at this time, but I’m sure it will feature, at the very least, a Dolby HD track in 5.1.

Well, there you have it, my long awaited return to the blog. Feel free to leave any feedback, good, bad and ugly. Hopefully I’ll return with another post soon.

Last night I caught a glimpse of the… well, there really aren’t any words for it. I was pretty much speechless when I saw the footage. I mentioned it last night on Facebook, but thought I should send everyone a glimpse of the beautiful new TRON LEGACY footage. Anyone my age an older knows what TRON is. I take that back, my lovely wife does NOT know what TRON is. I know, sad but true. It is taking time to train her in the ways of geek, but she is coming along. She knows much more about Batman and Superman than she ever cared to know. In the clip we see an aged Jeff Bridges, who starred in the original TRON back in 1982, reprising his roll as Kevin Flynn. Enough of my useless chatter, just take a gander for yourself over at Latino Review and try not to drool.
TRON LEGACY FOOTAGE

Who the HELL is JONAH HEX, you ask? Oh… no… you didn’t ask. Well, I’m going to tell you anyway. For those who do not know, JONAH HEX is one of DC Comics/Warner Bros’ properties. Yes, I know, yet another comic book adaptation coming to a theater near you. Except this one I feel the film makers have a little more breathing room to play with. HEX isn’t too well known, except by the geek elite(I’m not there yet, I still have the initiation to go through). HEX is also one of the few, if only, western based comic book characters around. The film, which I’m sure will be a summer or near summer release, stars Josh Brolin(W.) as JONAH himself and Megan Fox(Robot Movies) as, what else, a whore. So click on over here – JONAH HEX & WHORE to see the first poster. And if you would like to find out more about this comic character just click this – JONAH INFO .

NO NO NO, not that box, you dirty minded readers of mine. The box I am referring to is her new movie called THE BOX also starring James Marsden(SUPERMAN RETURNS) and the awesome Frank Langella(SUPERMAN RETURNS). This Richard Kelly directed thriller tells the story of an average everyday couple who live relatively average lives until one day a mysterious older gentleman comes knocking on their door with a lucrative but dangerous proposition. He presents them with The Box. The box features a red button. If pushed, the couple will receive a million dollars, but will also simultaneously take the life of a stranger some where in the world. Check out the trailer for THE BOX. Release date is set for HALLOWEEN.

THE BOX TRAILER

It is Tuesday, July 21st, 2009. Time for another rundown of some of the newly released blu-rays to hit stores today. Not much worth running out and grabbing today, but there are two notable blu-rays, one of which I highlighted in an earlier article. If you missed it CHECK IT OUT HERE .

Our first blu-ray to cover is the moderately successful CORALINE, directed by the visionary Henry Selick. Yes, this is the same guy that made NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, JAMES & THE GIANT PEACH and MONKEYBONE. Currently under development, his next project is called HERE BE MONSTERS. The CORALINE blu-ray features a DTS-HD 5.1 audio track. This release also features the growing popularity of the 3 disc blu-ray/DVD/Digital copy set and is available on AMAZON for $25.99.

Our next blu-ray release is the very popular, ultra visual, epically long adaptation WATCHMEN(director’s cut). I, sadly will NOT be purchasing this blu-ray today as the release of a collector’s set is due to hit shelves later this year. It is on the way from Netflix however. So, if you can’t wait you can pick up WATCHMEN at AMAZON for a mere $20.49. This blu-ray features the DTS-HD 5.1 track as well. I’m hoping there will be a 7.1 version on the collector’s edition. As with CORALINE, there is a digital copy bundled within so the WATCHMEN can be with you where ever your travels may take you.

There you have it, another Tuesday down, another couple of blu-rays that I recommend watching, if not purchasing. Remember, if you have any comments about either of these films or anything in this post, do NOT hesitate to comment and maybe pass on this blog to your friends. Thanks.

Robin Williams is 58 today

YES, today I have your celebrity birthday fix, so you can all calm down and quit harassing me. Today’s is a good one too. If you don’t know who this man is than you were either just born, and therefore can’t even read this, or you are not of this Earth and still may not be able to translate these words. He is one of the funniest guys around and is also quite an accomplished actor in his own right. Turning 58 today is the great Robin Williams. Mork of Ork is gettin’ close to 60, wow. Currently you can catch Mr. Williams in another round as Teddy Roosevelt in the family museum adventure NIGHT at the MUSEUM: BATTLE of the SMITHSONIAN. Coming soon for Robin Williams is the comedy, OLD DOGS, starring along side John Travolta. NANOO NANOO(don’t know if that is correct, my ORK is a little rusty).

$160 million in 5 days

Another weekend complete, another truck load of money raked in by at least one film. I’m sure everyone is aware of the huge release of HARRY POTTER and the HALF BLOOD PRINCE. It opened Wednesday and took in a fairly sizable amount for a Wednesday opening. Now, the final numbers won’t be in until tomorrow, but tonight’s estimates are usually very close. And of course, it doesn’t take an ingenious box office analyst to tell you that HARRY POTTER would be the victor of this weekend’s take. Here is the rundown…

HARRY POTTER and the HALF BLOOD PRINCE – $79.5M(weekend) – $160M(gross)

ICE AGE: DAWN of the DINOSAURS –                        $17.7M(weekend) – $152M(gross)

TRANSFORMERS: ROTF –                                            $13.8M(weekend) – $364M(gross)

BRUNO –                                                                            $8.37M(weekend) – $49.6M(gross)

THE HANGOVER –                                                           $8.31M(weekend) – $236M(gross)

I’ve started a new category to share with the world. By world I mean the 20 or so of you that actually take time to read my inane babble and for that I thank you. I call this one TRAILER TRASH. As I’m sure you have guessed already, this is all about some of the newest movie trailers out there. Some make the film look less than desirable and others may make you want to buy the movie ticket already. Summer is almost over, with August just around the corner, and a lot movie trailers you will see are most likely set for release in the fall. There are A LOT of trailers out there already, so I won’t be highlighting every single one, but thought it best to break them down into further categories. Let’s start with animated features. There are a few animated films coming soon, but not too soon. One animated trailer is about a meaty weather phenomenon, another is about what happens when a human is the alien (both of which will be released this fall) and our third trailer is about a sneaky despicable person (this one won’t be released for another year). So without further delay, enjoy these three animated films, two of them are coming soon at least.

CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS – September 18th, 2009  

Voice Talents:  Bill Hader(SNL) – Anna Faris(SCARY MOVIE, JUST FRIENDS) – James Caan(ELF, VEGAS) – Bruce Campbell(ARMY OF DARKNESS) – Andy Samberg(SNL)

Columbia Pictures’ and Sony Pictures Animation’s Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs will be the most delicious event since macaroni met cheese. Inspired by the beloved children’s book, the film focuses on a town where food falls from the sky like rain.

WATCH THIS QUIRKY TRAILER

PLANET 51 – November 20th, 2009

Voice Talents:  Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson(DOOM) – Jessica Biel(BLADE TRINITY) – Justin Long(DODGE BALL) – Gary Oldman(THE DARK KNIGHT) – Seann William Scott(AMERICAN PIE)

Planet 51 is a galactic sized animated alien adventure comedy revolving around American astronaut Captain Charles “Chuck” Baker, who lands on Planet 51 thinking he’s the first person to step foot on it. To his surprise, he finds that this planet is inhabited by little green people who are happily living in a white picket fence world reminiscent of a cheerfully innocent 1950s America, and whose only fear is that it will be overrun by alien invaders…like Chuck! With the help of his robot companion “Rover” and his new friend Lem, Chuck must navigate his way through the dazzling, but bewildering, landscape of Planet 51 in order to escape becoming a permanent part of the Planet 51 Alien Invaders Space Museum.

OUT OF THIS WORLD TRAILER

DESPICABLE ME – July 9th, 2010

Voice talents:  Steve Carell(THE OFFICE) – Jason Segel(I LOVE YOU MAN) – Russell Brand(BED TIME STORIES) – Will Arnet(ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT) – Kristen Wiig(SNL) – Danny Mcbride(LAND OF THE LOST)

In a happy suburban neighborhood surrounded by white picket fences with flowering rose bushes, sits a black house with a dead lawn. Unbeknownst to the neighbors, hidden beneath this home is a vast secret hideout. Surrounded by a small army of minions, we discover Gru (voiced by Steve Carell), planning the biggest heist in the history of the world. He is going to steal the moon (Yes, the moon!) in Universal’s new 3-D CGI feature, Despicable Me. Gru delights in all things wicked. Armed with his arsenal of shrink rays, freeze rays, and battle-ready vehicles for land and air, he vanquishes all who stand in his way. Until the day he encounters the immense will of three little orphaned girls who look at him and see something that no one else has ever seen: a potential Dad. The world’s greatest villain has just met his greatest challenge: three little girls named Margo, Edith and Agnes.

DESPICABLE TRAILER

See, even GREEN LANTERN himself likes the clip...

Nope, not about the Ryan Reynolds GREEN LANTERN, sorry. MTV has posted the first 4 minutes of the soon to be blu-ray release of GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT, Warner Bros. animated film. If you don’t know much about it you can read my recent post about the blu-ray release HERE NOW .  If you’ve already experience my high class article then just watch the clip and enjoy.

FIRST 4 MIN OF GREEN LANTERN

So, it is safe to say that this summer’s run of films hasn’t been as explosive and epic as say 2008′s. This has probably been one of the more disappointing summers to come in a long time. With TRANFORMERS: ROTF being a less than satisfying sequel, but still able to rake in over $300 million, STAR TREK being very enjoyable, but considered by many to be a slap in the face, and the coming of GI:JOE already being called the worst movie of the summer. It can be easy for someone to just write off the rest of the summer. As you may have observed over the years, the month of August is not the best month of the summer for Hollywood. Generally this month is reserved for comedies, which actually do relatively well, and maybe some action films that probably wouldn’t have held up against the more anticipated films released earlier in the summer.

What is there to look forward to coming this August then? I’m glad you asked. If you don’t want to see the NOT so anticipated GI:JOE film, accelerator suits and all, there is one film I can’t wait to see in August. It is directed by Neill Blomkamp. Yeah, I know, who the “F” is this guy? Well, he is some what of a protege to Peter Jackson(LOTR trilogy, KING KONG). Mr. Blomkamp, made an AMAZING short film years ago as somewhat of a calling card or demo reel to Hollywood in the hope that one day his short film would be made into a feature. The short film is called ALIVE IN JOBURG. Before you move on, you HAVE to see it if you haven’t already. SEE THIS NOW!

Yes, I know, very cool right? With this film, Blomkamp finally got his shot with the help of Peter Jackson. On August 14th, you will get to see the feature length version entitled DISTRICT 9. The marketing behind this film has been great as well. There are multiple websites out there that are associated with the marketing of DISTRICT 9. Some are websites that “act” like a legit website for what is known as the MNU in the film. There is even a REAL phone number you can call to leave your “eye witness account” of a “non-human” siting.

The latest trailer features much more action and I think is what Blomkamp would have loved to show in his short film. Sadly, however, I have a feeling this beautiful looking film won’t be a huge box office success, but there is a following and I recommend going to see it in a few weeks.

If you haven’t witnessed the trailer, now is your chance. DISTRICT 9 TRAILER