One of my favorite Johnny Depp movies, the little seen Blow is coming to Blu-ray. There’s no money in a “real job.” So George Jung deals pot. Lots of it. The blue-collar kid dubbed Boston George spirals up from there, into the riches and excesses of the huge cocaine cartels. And crashes hard. Johnny Depp […]
BLU-RAY PREVIEW: La Confidential Goes Blu-ray
Everything is suspect, everyone is for sale and nothing is what it seems. Word on the street is on September 23, Warner Home Video will revisit 1950s Hollywood with the digitally remastered film noir L.A. Confidential, as a Two-Disc Special Edition (Standard Definition) DVD and single disc Blu-ray™ Hi-Def. The Standard Definition will be available […]
TELEVISION PREVIEW: The Closer, Michael Paul Chan Gives Us the 911
One of my favorite summer series, The Closer is returning to Television this week, Mondays at 9pm on TNT to be exact. I spoke with Michael Paul Chan who plays Det. Lt. Mike Tao. I joked that he’s the show’s “exposition” guy. Whenever we need background on a suspect, Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson (Kyra Sedgwick) […]
GAME REVIEW: Battlefield Bad Company
I always like to say that I’m not much of a fan of shooters, but that really isn’t true. I do find that I’m more likely to get addicted to a good shooter than any other genre of game. Maybe it’s the nature of it’s straightforward, quick, get in and get out game play. I […]
MOVIE REVIEW: Hellboy II: The Golden Army Is Glorious Fun!
Although technically not a superhero movie, Hellboy II: The Golden Army is one of the most beautifully visual films of this or any other year. It’s also a combination of a lot of genres: comic book movie, action flick, fairytale, horror story, eco-fable, romantic drama, pulpy noir, FX flick. The thing is, because of writer/director […]
PREVIEWS: Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe Screenshots and Trailer Debut
For the first time ever Scorpion, Sub-Zero and the Mortal Kombat warriors battle with Batman, Superman and other popular DC Universe Super Heroes. Choose your side and challenge your opponents with a new fighting system including Freefall Kombat and Klose Kombat along with dynamic multi-tiered environments. Plus, pick your favorite character from MK or DCU […]
MOVIE REVIEW: Journey to the Center of the Earth in 3D: More Fun Than It Has Any Right To Be!
New Line’s Journey to the Center of the Earth is a flimsy plot – loosely based on Jules Verne’s novel of the same name – used to set up a string of wild [and at times gross and/or grotesque] 3D effects. The good news is that the combination of cast and CG effects make it […]
MOVIE NEWS: MGM Announces New ‘Red Dawn’ Project in the Works
In 1984 MGM released the original movie action movie RED DAWN, which has since become a cult classic and starred a veritable ‘who’s who’ among young Hollywood including Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell and Jennifer Grey, was a dramatic depiction of teenagers forced to defend their home against foreign invaders. Now, Mary Parent, Chairman of […]
TELEVISION: Stargate Atlantis: Fifth Season Premiere Surprises!
Even more than its parent series, Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis has embraced the fluidity of life. Every season has had some kind of major change. By now, most Atlantis fans know of the change in command that’s coming to the returning series [Fridays, Sci Fi, 10/C], in tomorrow’s season premiere – which kind of spoils […]
TELEVISION: Flashpoint: A Cop Show With a Real Difference!
Flashpoint [CBS, Fridays, 10/9C] looks like a lot like an updating of SWAT – for most of the first two acts. The members of Toronto’s Strategic Response Unit [based on the real Emergency Task Force], Team One, are called in to deal with a hostage situation – which is resolved, uncharacteristically, before the end of […]
EM EXCLUSIVE: Superpowers: Saving the World? Not As Easy As It Looks!
Now that superhero movies are practically a genre unto themselves, maybe it’s time to look at novels that deal with super characters – after all, they’ve been around for decades! One [The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay, by Michael Chabon] even won a Pulitzer Prize. Superpowers, A Novel, by David J. Scwartz, looks at […]