The Film Cynics » blu-ray

Withnail & I hit The Social Network like Piranhas

eastmav — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 16:08:32 +0000

We’ve got our first DVD review upset on the show this week as The Social Network squares off against Piranha. Plus we’ve got a special Super Vault review, a pair of cool trailers for middling movies and plenty to gush about with the announcement of Star Wars coming to blu-ray.

It’s the elephant in the room and you better believe we’re talking about it. Star Wars has finally been announced for release on blu-ray in September of 2012. As if we’ve been holding our breath since 1977, we finally let all that pent up anticipation come bursting out all over the radio.
The Social Network made a lot of “best of 2010″ lists, but Steve was never sold on it. Can the DVD deliver the goods to turn him around on the issue and click “Like”?
It’s the unlikeliest of contenders, but Piranha could be the best reviewed film so far this year – regardless of whether this is our second show of the year, that’s a big deal.
We’ve got a Super Vault title this week in the form of the cult classic Withnail & I. Can the DVD rerelease convert us, or is this a classic best left on someone else’s shelf?
For our selection of trailers this week we have two films unlikely to make any best of lists, but should make for good watching anyway. Brian’s found something to soothe his Portman addiction with No Strings Attached and Steve thinks Ben Foster could teach Jason Statham a thing or two in The Mechanic.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

eastmav — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 16:08:29 +0000

This is our last bite at the apple reviewing Edgar Wright’s kung fu musical romance, and we try to do right by it by highlighting all the reasons new and old you should see this disappointingly under-watched film.

Battle of the Box Sets!

eastmav — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 16:08:51 +0000

This week we cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war with a battle of the box sets, Oliver Stone vs. The Coen Brothers vs. Terry Gilliam vs. er… Buddy the Elf. Christmas season brings all kinds of treats to entice the compulsive collector – and we’ve got 2 more of our cents to offer about four of them. All this, plus The Fisher King and The Devil & Daniel Johnston from the Vault, and the trailers for Hall Pass and Sucker Punch too. Dig in!

First up is the Oliver Stone collection on Blu-ray. There’s only 3 flicks in this set, but they’re all director’s cuts. Does it have the chops to take on the competition?
The Coen Brothers collection’s got 6 editions from their repertoire, but they’re not all exactly what we would deem classics. Can the one-two punch of Joel and Ethan win the top spot?
6 of Terry Gilliam’s films have been collected to form his set, but there are a couple glaring omissions as far as Steve’s concerned. Is this fractured set still worthy of winning this battle?
For a special Christmas treat Jon Favreau’s Elf has been released in a special tin case with all kinds of festive accouterments. Can a solo film rise above the other sets?
Finally Brian offers up The Devil & Daniel Johnston and Steve moons over The Fisher King for their Vault picks, and we discuss the trailers for Hall Pass & Sucker Punch.

The Martin Scorsese Collection

eastmav — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 15:08:23 +0000

While nobody can argue with Scorsese’s craft as a filmmaker, Steve, Brian and The Mad Hatter just can’t bring themselves to endorse this latest collection of 3 Scorsese films.

American Beauty: Sapphire Series

eastmav — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 15:08:23 +0000

Sam Mendes’ and Conrad Hall’s venture into the suburbs was itself a work of American beauty, a film that deserves the high definitetion treatment. With Paramount’s Sapphire Series release, there are plenty of features to be found, but is it anything we haven’t seen before?

Stardust

eastmav — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:13:33 +0000

We celebrate Stardust liberation from HD-DVD purgatory and welcome its long-awaited release on blu-ray!

Doctor Zhivago

eastmav — Thu, 27 May 2010 16:08:37 +0000

Steve tried to warn him, but Brian wouldn’t listen – having sat and watched all 3 and a half hours of this classic on bluray. What’s the final verdict?

Earth Day’s DVD release was the Avatar of improvidence

eastmav — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 16:08:22 +0000

This week we prove that being the biggest grossing movie of all time is no guarantee of a good review from The Film Cynics. Steve and Brian devote their time to explaining why the Earth Day release of Avatar was the height of studio arrogance. Just sit back and hear the sparks fly. There’s also time for Brian to offer up his thoughs on The Losers and how it stacks up against Kick-Ass. We also geek out over handheld camcorders, run down a few television tidbits including Happy Town, break The Abyss and Midnight Run out of the Vault, and then cast a light on the trailers for Paper Man and Get Low.

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The Lord of the Rings Trilogy :: Bite Sized

eastmav — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 01:12:18 +0000

The Lord of the Rings trilogy has finally been released on blu-ray this week, so why aren’t we super excited about it?

The 9 have left Minas Morgul disguised as the discs of the LOTR trilogy on blu-ray

eastmav — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 16:08:48 +0000

The Lord of the Rings is finally available on blu-ray and Steve’s got a copy to review, so why isn’t he happy? Well, it’s complicated. And did you know that 24 and Lost are coming to an end this year? What the heck are we going to do to fill the void? Brian’s gotten pretty tired of camera clerks shoving megapixels in his face, he knows there’s better ways to measure a camera’s greatness, and he tells us about them while we’re Geeking Out. All this, plus Steve’s top 5 masters, The Untouchables and Ralph Bakshi’s The Lord of the Rings from the Vault and the trailers for The Expendables and The A-Team.

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