Blu-ray Review: Chucky: The Complete Collection

Sit down, get comfy, and get ready for Chucky.  All six films, including the all-new Curse of Chucky, together at last in one complete set.

Is it worth your money?  It damn well is.

Click the RAWR and I'll tell you more!

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More Last Minute Must Have Holiday Gifts!

Christmas is right around the corner so I thought why not give a few suggestions to get that Movie/TV nerd that you love so much.   The items on this list are definite must haves and are among the best releases of 2012.  Consider this in addition to Kyle's earlier post!

The Twilight Zone Complete Series on Blu-ray

One of the greatest televisions series of all time is now available in an incredible complete series collection in beautiful high definition.  Every classic episode from the series' five season run, including a never before seen pilot, all gorgeously presented on blu-ray.  The set is jam packed with features sure to satisfy even the most hard core Twilight Zone fan.   I can't think of a single negative for this set.  The picture and sounds are amazing considering the age of the show.  This collection is worthy of the legacy and importance of The Twilight Zone.  It truly is a must own set.  Keep an ear on Pop Culture Beast presents SHOW to win a copy of the Fan Favorites blu-ray set!

Bond 50

Fifty years of the world's best secret agent, James Bond 007.  One complete set with every (official) Bond film from Dr. No to Quantum of Solace (oh and there is a reserved space for Skyfall!).  I've already started watching this set and let me tell you, they did a marvelous job with these blu-rays.  The picture is spectacular.   The special features are sure to get any Bond fan excited.  Every Bond film collected together in one beautiful box set is a sure fire hit with any movie fan in your home!

Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection - Blu-ray

The master of suspense cinema and one of the most beloved and well respected directors of all time gets the  royal treatment with this excellent limited edition set of 15 films including Psycho, The Birds, and many more.  The only draw back on this one is the price.  Check out amazon.co.uk for a MUCH better deal (including a lovely alternate package minus North by Northwest unfortunately).  If anyone wants to get this for me I'll love you forever.

Universal Classic Monsters

Dracula.  Frankenstein.  Wolfman.  Creature from the Black Lagoon.  Bride of Frankenstein.  Invisible Man.  Phantom.  Mummy.  Blu-ray.  One set.  This is a no-brainer.  A must have.  Gorgeous restorations.  Stellar features.  

Scream Factory

I've been sending tweets and Facebook posts to Criterion suggesting they create a horror line.  Well, Shout Factory went ahead and did it with their amazing Scream Factory label.  2012 has had some fantastic titles including Halloween 3:  Season of the Witch, They Live, The Funhouse, Terror Train, Halloween 2, and the most recent releases The Island and Death Valley.  2013 is looking to be even better with fan favorites like Phantasm 2 coming.   These titles look fantastic and have great features.  Sorry, Criterion, Scream factory beat you to the punch and in doing so created the best releases of the year and one of the best new horror lines in recent memory.  Scream Factory titles are MUST OWNS for horror fans.

Dr. Who Sonic Screwdriver Remote Control

Okay nerds, get ready for this one.  It's a motion controlled universal remote control.  Program your TV and other components with this nice replica and use your very own sonic screwdriver to control them!  If you're Whovian head hasn't exploded at the thought of this then maybe this excellent limited edition set of Dr. Who seasons will?  Oh look, all current seasons AND the Sonic Screwdriver.  How haven't you bought it yet?

Happy Holidays everyone!  Spend money on the people you love! :)

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“Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World” Movie Review

It's the classic story of "Boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, boy has to fight girl's seven evil exes and then boy and girl live happily ever after.  What?  You've never hear that one?  Geez, you're behind on the times.

The way this story is told is with frames from a comic book, at times even including sound effects as words on the screen ala "Batman" (The Original TV Series). Also gamers will recognize the familiarly beautiful sound effects of many beloved games and even treated to anime references throughout the movie.  For people that don't know Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is an adaptation of the much celebrated graphic novel series about the hero, Scott Pilgrim.

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Blu-ray Review: Away We Go

Away We Go
Written by: Dave Eggers & Vendela Vida
Directed by: Sam Mendes
Starring: John Krasinski, Maya Rudolph, Catherine O'Hara, Jeff Daniels, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Allison Janney, Chris Messina, Paul Schnieder, and Jim Gaffigan

Bonus Features: The Making of Away We Go, Green Filmmaking, Commentary with Sam Mendes, Dave Eggers, and Vendela Vida, BD Live

From the box: John Krasinksi (The Office) and Maya Rudolph (Saturday Night Live) star in the heartfelt film that explores the comedic twists and turns in one couple's journey across contemporary America. Anticipating the birth of their first child, longtime couple Burt (Krasinski) and Verona (Rudolph) embark on an ambitious itinerary to visit friends and family in order to find their perfect home. Featuring a remarkable soundtrack and an incredible ensemble cast - including Jeff Daniels, Allison Janney, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Catherine O'Hara and Jim Gaffigan. It's the hilarious , witty film that critics are hailing as "absolutely extraordinary!" (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone)

Following the disastrous Revolutionary Road, I was apprehensive of even seeing this movie. Honestly, my faith in Mendes was that shaken after I saw that movie.

Were my fears realized? Was this just as bad as Revolutionary Road?

Click the Rawr! to find out.

In a word? No. In a few? Away We Go is delightful. It's on an entirely different level from Road and has taken its place as my favorite Sam Mendes movie.

The story follows a couple expecting their first child who travel the country visiting family and friends searching for the perfect place to settle down and begin their family. These friends and family are made up by some crazy characters and absolutely hilarious situations (especially those involving Maggie Gyllenhaal and Allison Janney).

These visits are not only funny but deeply touching and human. Some of the best aspects of the film are the reactions, often times purely expressed with a facial expression, of our two heroes as they're faced with the situations before them.

Even as odd as these characters can get, it never seems over the top. The performances from everyone are natural and completely believable. This is especially true of Maya Rudolph who is stunning in her restraint and delivers her best performance yet. What we have here is one of the best ensemble casts this year.

Of course the cast would be nowhere if it weren't for the brilliant script from Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida. There isn't a flaw to be found. Their dialogue is witty and their story is one that is so real that it could happen to anyone. Beautiful work.

The film is made even better by it's fantastic soundtrack featuring artists like Bob Dylan, The Velvet Underground, and more. The music compliments the film perfectly.

Away We Go has a sure fire shot at numerous Oscar nods, including Best Picture and it is well deserving of any and all of them.

I'll go on record and say that Sam Mendes has completely 100% redeemed himself with his work here. It's flawless.

As for the Blu-ray, well, that's where the disappointment comes in. It's not in the picture, it looks perfect. Of course it's nothing groundbreaking in terms of clarity and color, but is it supposed to be?

The real problem is with the extras. There's really nothing here. No deleted scenes, no bloopers, nothing but a couple of featurettes and a commentary. Major disappointment for a movie that is certain to be so rich with supplements.

Aside from that, Away We Go is a must see and a welcome addition to any film lover. It's one of the best films of the year and one I am extrenmely glad to have finally seen (despite my reservations).

Away We Go is in stores now.

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The Vampire Chronicles return!

Hats off to Bloody-Disgusting for scoring this information. It looks like Universal is planning to reboot the Vampire Chronicles franchise, based on the novels by Anne Rice, and are even talking to a very interesting actor to take over the role of Lestat Du Lioncort, formerly played by Tom Cruise in the brilliant Interview With The Vampire and Stuart Townsend in the atrocious Queen of the Damned.

Want to know who Universal is talking to for this part?

You just may be surprised. Click the Rawr to find out.





It's Robert Downey Jr!!! If this comes to fruition it could make for some pretty interesting films.

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