
The Netflix Streaming Report for March 10, 2016 includes new titles such as Louie Season 5, House of Cards Season 4, Victoria, and more. Continue reading
The Netflix Streaming Report for March 10, 2016 includes new titles such as Louie Season 5, House of Cards Season 4, Victoria, and more. Continue reading
After last week’s nominations were revealed for the 22nd Annual SAG Awards and 73rd Golden Globes, it feels like it could be anyone’s game at this point. This morning the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) and Broadcast Television Journalists Association (BTJA) announced their 21st Critics’ Choice Awards nominees with George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road leading the charge with 13 nods. Hosted by T.J. Miller, the winners will be revealed during a live broadcast from the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica on A&E, Lifetime, and LMN on Sunday, January 17, 2016 at 8:00 p.m. EST/5:00 p.m. PST.
Mad Max: Fury Road has undoubtedly become the underdog favorite of this awards season, as it has become one of the most revered features of the year by critics, myself included – my review. The big topic of conversation, aside from gaining Best Picture recognition, is Charlize Theron’s nods for both Best Actress and Best Actress In An Action Movie. Tom Hardy, of course, is nominated for Best Actor In An Action Movie, but it’s George Miller for Best Director that has really invested my interest into whether he could be a contender come Oscars. The film has also garnered nominations for Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Hair and Makeup, Best Visual Effects, Best Action Movie, and Best Sci-Fi/Horror Movie.
Trailing behind the whirlwind, critically acclaimed hit is Carol, The Martian, and The Revenant with nine nominations each. While this year’s big favorite, Spotlight, has earned itself eight nominations from critics, followed by The Big Short and The Hateful Eight with six each. Bridge of Spies, Brooklyn, The Danish Girl, Jurassic World, and Sicario each earned five nominations and Room obtained four. Charlize Theron isn’t the only actress up for multiple Best Actress categories, as Jennifer Lawrence is up for three for her work in Joy and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, while Rachel McAdams is up for two awards for Spotlight and True Detective.
And while the film categories are all up in the air, the television categories prove that the increasing output of excellent programming continued this year with FX, ABC, and HBO both gaining 14 nominations each; FOX is close on their heels with 12 nods. The big standout series this year, as determined by critics, is FX’s Fargo with eight nominations. The Leftovers (HBO) and Transparent (Amazon) are not far behind with five nominations each; Black-ish (ABC), Mr. Robot (USA), and Penny Dreadful (Showtime) each earned four.
So what can we takeaway from this year’s 21st Critics’ Choice Awards nominees? For starters, no other awards group has seen more movies this year than the critics, assumably. It’s their jobs to assess the year in film. Who better has a sound voice of reasoning than those who sit in dark rooms and watch movies multiple times per week? In the long run, sure, all awards are practically meaningless gold statues, and the varying award categories the BFCA and BTJA have set have little influence when it comes to the Oscars, but if these voices of reason can help sway voters to at least make an earnest decision at the polls we can be safe in knowing we won’t have another year where a Shakespeare in Love wins against a Saving Private Ryan.
BEST PICTURE
BEST ACTOR
BEST ACTRESS
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS
BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
BEST DIRECTOR
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
BEST EDITING
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
BEST HAIR & MAKEUP
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
BEST ACTION MOVIE
BEST ACTOR IN AN ACTION MOVIE
BEST ACTRESS IN AN ACTION MOVIE
BEST COMEDY
BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY
BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
BEST SCI-FI/HORROR MOVIE
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
BEST SONG
BEST SCORE
Brace your bank accounts, it’s time to see what’s Now Available to Own for the week of December 8, 2015. Every Tuesday we run down new movie and television releases that you can enjoy in the comfort of your own home, as well as some slick deals that can help save you some coin. New on shelves this week are Ant-Man, Minions, Under the Dome, Knock Knock, The X-Files, and more.
Ant-Man (Peyton Reed) Rated PG-13 [117 min] – Armed with a super-suit with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, con-man Scott Lang must embrace his inner hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, plan and pull off a heist that will save the world. Starring Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Corey Stoll, Evangeline Lilly, and Michael Peña [Watch the trailer]
Ant-Man should have joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe sandbox sooner. It’s a breath of fresh air compared to a lot of the weighty sequels where the Earth always seems to be in danger for some reason. And the fact that Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne, two of the founding members of the Avengers in the comics, didn’t get their moment to shine until now is unfortunate. Despite all the ugly behind the scenes debacles and the prolonged production history, Ant-Man turned out to be a very fun entry into the MCU that proves it can hang with the big boys.
Special features include:
Knock Knock (Eli Roth) Rated R [99 min] – When a devoted husband and father is left home alone for the weekend, two stranded young women unexpectedly knock on his door for help. What starts out as a kind gesture results in a dangerous seduction and a deadly game of cat and mouse. Starring Keanu Reeves, Lorenza Izzo, and Ana de Armas [Watch the Trailer]
A remake of the 1977 thriller, Death Game, Eli Roth’s Knock Knock doesn’t quite have the oomph I was expecting or hoping for. Premiering at this year’s Sundance Film Festival it sounded like there was some decent buzz for the film, so I was intrigued. Having the chance to see it now, I have to say I’m not very impressed. It’s beautifully shot in the closed quarters of the ritzy LA home, but the plot is rather thin and the characters are very weak. The cast come off cartoonish, playing to their characters extremes, which skews the dark tone of the film. Knock Knock wants to be this disturbing thriller with a hard message and yet it borders on parody because it doesn’t take itself that seriously. Not even the audio commentary helps put perspective on where Roth was going with it.
Special features include:
The Transporter Refueled (Camille Delamarre) Rated PG-13 [96 min] – In the south of France, former special-ops mercenary Frank Martin enters into a game of chess with a femme-fatale and her three sidekicks who are looking for revenge against a sinister Russian kingpin. Starring Ed Skrein, Loan Chabanol, Ray Stevenson, and Lenn Kudrjawizki
It’s not going to refuel The Transporter franchise if that’s what you’re thinking. There are some decent action set pieces, but everything else is pretty much a complete embarrassment. From the dialogue to the acting to the plot, nothing about this reboot justifies its existence. The charisma of the Statham Transporters is lost in translation.
Special features include:
One Eyed Girl (Nick Matthews) Unrated [102 min] – Travis, is a thirty-something psychiatrist haunted by the death of a former patient. On the brink of a nervous breakdown he stumbles across a group run by a charismatic leader, Father Jay. In search of answers, Travis is led deeper and deeper into the underworld of a Doom’s Day cult where he meets Grace, a mysterious teenage girl. When the cult comes under attack from the outside world, Travis must risk his life to free a girl, and save his soul. Starring Sara West, Steve Le Marquand, and Tilda Cobham-Hervey
I didn’t really know what to expect when I popped One Eyed Girl into my over-priced Blu-ray machine that I haven’t even used to play games on yet PS4. I hadn’t watched the trailer nor did I pay any attention to the synopsis. I just dove right in. What it lacks in energy, personality, and good pacing, One Eyed Girl makes up for in thought proving melodrama and layered characters. It’s a slow burn that doesn’t quite bring a return on your time investment, but it shows a lot of promise for the first time director, Nick Matthews.
The Unauthorized Full House Story (Brian K. Roberts) Rated TV-PG [88 min] – From its start as an unassuming family comedy in 1987 to its eventual wildly popular 192-episode run, the film centers on the rise of the cast of one of America’s most beloved family sitcoms and the pressures they faced in balancing their television personas with their real lives. Starring Garrett Brawith, Justin Mader, and Justin Gaston
This unauthorized Lifetime dramatization of the behind the scenes of Full House is absolutely bizarre. I’m not quite sure those involved were thinking clearly enough to realize how bad it would turn out. It’s a trainwreck. The dialogue is beyond comprehension while the cast delivers enough cheese to kill the lovable pizza rat.
Under the Dome: Season 3 (Brian K. Vaughan) Rated TV-14 [43 min] – An invisible and mysterious force field descends upon a small fictional town of Chester’s Mill, Maine, USA, trapping residents inside, cut off from the rest of civilization. The trapped townsfolk must discover the secrets and purpose of the “dome” and its origins, while coming to learn more than they ever knew about each other. Starring Mike Vogel, Rachelle Lefevre, Alexander Koch
Under the Dome is what Lost would have be if audiences actually didn’t care about the many unanswered questions it decided to carry on its shoulders throughout the show’s lifespan. The third and final season of Under the Dome isn’t the ending we needed, but the one we deserve because who thought a plot point from The Simpsons Movie could be dragged out for 39-episodes? Stephen King obviously did, and it worked in his favor since it became a TV show. The best thing that we can say Under the Dome helped accomplish is provide people work to help feed their families.
Special features include:
The X-Files: The Complete Series (Chris Carter) Rated TV-MA [44 min] – Two FBI agents, Fox Mulder the believer and Dana Scully the skeptic, investigate the strange and unexplained while hidden forces work to impede their efforts. Starring David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, and Mitch Pileggi
I didn’t get this sent to me to review, but I’d love to revisit this show one of these days. This box set has EVERYTHING.
Special features include:
Family Guy Season 13 [DVD Only] (Seth MacFarlane) Rated TV-14 [22 min] – In a wacky Rhode Island town, a dysfunctional family strive to cope with everyday life as they are thrown from one crazy scenario to another. Starring Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Seth Green, Mila Kunis, and Mike Henry
When will this show die? Sure, Family Guy had an amazing come back after it was cancelled and then brought back, but it’s witticisms and immaturely crude humor has become stale. And the 13th season of this series proves it. There’s nothing about Family Guy that makes me want to return to the Griffins, they have no redeeming qualities and the rest of the town of Quahog is incomparable to South Park or Springfield.
Special features include:
All prices from Amazon.com. Best Buy, Frys, and Target all price match online prices.
What will you be taking home this week? Tell us in the comments section below!
All plot synopses come courtesy of IMDb.com
While we provide you with a list of available new releases Now Available to Own every Tuesday, Coming Soon to Blu-ray and DVD looks at all of the recent home video announcements. For the week of October 3, 2015 we have Aladdin: Diamond Edition, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, and Hannibal (Season 3). Find out when they’ll be out and what special features movie fans can expect below.
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (Christopher McQuarrie) Rated PG-13 [131 min] – Ethan and team take on their most impossible mission yet, eradicating the Syndicate – an International rogue organization as highly skilled as they are, committed to destroying the IMF. Starring Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, Jeremy Renner, and Simon Pegg
Special features include:
Aladdin (Ron Clements and John Musker) Rated G [90 min] – When a street urchin vies for the love of a beautiful princess, he uses a genie’s magic power to make himself off as a prince in order to marry her. Starring Scott Weinger, Robin Williams, Linda Larkin
Special features include:
American Ultra (Nima Nourizadeh) Rated R [95 min] – A stoner – who is in fact a government agent – is marked as a liability and targeted for extermination. But he’s too well-trained and too high for them to handle. Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Connie Britton, Topher Grace and John Leguizamo
Special features include:
Ricki and the Flash (Jonathan Demme) Rated PG-13 [101 min] – A musician who gave up everything for her dream of rock-and-roll stardom returns home, looking to make things right with her family. Starring Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Mamie Gummer, and Sebastian Stan
Special features include:
Cooties (Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion4) Rated R [88 min] – A mysterious virus hits an isolated elementary school, transforming the kids into a feral swarm of mass savages. An unlikely hero must lead a motley band of teachers in the fight of their lives. Starring Elijah Wood, Rainn Wilson, and Alison Pill
Special features include:
Hannibal: The Complete Third Season (Bryan Fuller) Explores the early relationship between the renowned psychiatrist and his patient, a young FBI criminal profiler, who is haunted by his ability to empathize with serial killers. Starring Hugh Dancy, Mads Mikkelsen, and Caroline Dhavernas
Special features include:
Family Guy (Seth MacFarlane) Rated TV-14 [22 min] – In a wacky Rhode Island town, a dysfunctional family strive to cope with everyday life as they are thrown from one crazy scenario to another. Starring Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Seth Green, Mila Kunis, and Mike Henry
Special features include:
And that’s it for this week. What are you looking forward to picking up when they release?
Stay tuned for more Blu-Ray and DVD announcements every Saturday.
All plot synopses courtesy of IMDb.com
Most would say we are in the Golden Age of television. Everywhere you look there’s a new superhero show emerging or a fun genre bending procedural popping up. There are a smorgasbord of TV series on every channel for everyone, and fortunately for Comic-Con 2015 attendees there will be a bounty of panels to attend. The Comic-Con 2015 television panels include the likes of HBO’s Game of Thrones, AMC’s The Walking Dead, ABC’s Once Upon a Time, TNT’s The Last Ship, Fox’s Gotham, The CW’s Arrow, MTV’s Scream, and the highly anticipated Supergirl from CBS. And don’t forget the popular animated series such as Archer, Bob’s Burgers, Rick and Morty, Adventure Time, and more. Check out the full list of panels below:
6:00pm – 10:00pm Special Sneak Peek Pilot Screenings – Comic-Con and Warner Bros. Television proudly continue their annual Preview Night tradition, with exclusive world premiere screenings of the pilot episodes of four of the most highly anticipated series of the 2015-16 television season. Ballroom 20
Prepare your bank accounts, it’s time to see what’s Now Available to Own for the week of September 16, 2014. Each week we run down new releases in movies, television series, and video games that you can enjoy in the comfort of your own home. On shelves this week, you can find titles such as Godzilla, The Fault in Our Stars, Arrow, The Big Bang Theory, and more. Check out the complete list of new releases after the jump. Continue reading
NBC and Universal Television are coming into San Diego Comic-Con fully loaded this year. Fans can expect panels from their favorite series: Hannibal, The Blacklist, Grimm, and Bates Motel. Triumph Insult Comic Dog and Jack McBrayer (30 Rock) will discuss their new untitled series, while Warner Bros. Television will present multiple screenings and a panel for their new NBC series Constantine. See the full details after the break. Continue reading
Not only has Comic-Con International released the schedule for Preview Night, but they have also unveiled the full panel schedule for Thursday, July 24; the official first day of San Diego Comic-Con. Everything kicks off with 24 in Ballroom 20 and DreamWorks Animation christens Hall H with their presentation of upcoming animated feature. Other big panels for the day includes The Giver, Paramount Pictures‘ presentation, Community, and much more! Check out the full schedule after the break. Continue reading
Empty your wallets and check your bank accounts, it’s time to see what’s Now Available To Own for the week of September 24, 2013. Each week we run down new releases in movies, television series, and video games that you can enjoy in the comfort of your own home. On shelves this week, you can find titles such as Iron Man 3, The Kings of Summer, V/H/S/2, Hannibal Season 1, Modern Family Season 4, FIFA 14, and More. Check out the complete list of new releases after the jump. Continue reading
Day 2 of WonderCon goes bigger with panels on Evil Dead, Pacific Rim, and This is the End. There’s a great panel on horror movie music, which includes discussion from composer Tyler Bates. Capcom is also hosting their own panel to talk about Remember Me, Lost Planet 3, Resident Evil: Revelations, Darkstalkers Resurrection, and more. And a fun 20th anniversary panel for the loveable Animaniacs will be in full force. See the complete schedule of panels and events for Saturday at WonderCon 2013 after the break. Continue reading