Category: Action Movies (Page 129 of 165)

Blu Tuesday: Twilight, Bolt and Bond

March 24, 2009 /

Get ready to clean out your bank account, because there are plenty of great high-def titles hitting stores this week. So many, in fact, that I don’t have the space (or time) to talk about every one. James Bond fans will probably see the biggest dent in their savings, however, as five different titles have received the Blu-ray treatment. Let’s go ahead and jump right in with arguably the biggest title of the week.

“Twilight” (Summit Entertainment)

It’s not very often that a film adaptation is better than the source material, but then again, Stephanie Meyer’s novel really isn’t as good as its rabid fanbase would lead you to believe. Female moviegoers may have made “Twilight” a pop culture phenomenon, but that doesn’t mean guys won’t enjoy it too. It’s no “Lost Boys,” but it’s still worth seeing once. For some strange reason, however, the Blu-ray edition is exclusive to Best Buy and Target until May 5th, when Amazon unleashes their ultimate collector’s edition. Diehard fans looking to get their HD fix would be better of just waiting for that version, because despite the fact that it contains the exact same bonus material (audio commentary, deleted/extended scenes, making-of featurette), it also contains a sneak peak at the upcoming sequel, “New Moon.”

“Bolt” (Walt Disney)

Credit Disney for one thing: they understand the needs of their consumers. While many studios have adopted the idea of including digital copies, Disney has taken it one step further by packing every major Blu-ray title with a digital copy and a DVD version of the film. After all, kids tend to watch movies on the go, and since there currently aren’t any portable Blu-ray players on the market, it encourages parents to purchase the hi-def version without having to buy a DVD version for the road. Unfortunately, the extras aren’t quite as revolutionary, though there are a few cool art galleries that make me wish I could buy some of the prints for my home. Plus, kids and parents will both get a kick out of the “Super Rhino” short. It’s a great complement to what is easily Disney’s best CG film to date.

Continue reading »

Action Movies, External Movie DVDs, Horror Movies, Movie Comedies, Movie Dramas, Movie DVDs, Movies

Welcome to the Concession Stand

March 17, 2009 /

Welcome to a new feature here on Premium Hollywood…and, believe me, it’s one I’ve been wanting to premiere for quite some time. I’m someone who enjoys trying new foods and new beverages, and I’ve often thought it would be fun to write a column which gave me the opportunity to write about the experience. Unfortunately, I’m forever buried in DVDs that need to be reviewed. Finally, I had an epiphany: why don’t I figure out a way to combine the two?

And, thus, “Concession Stand” was born.

The beverage: Mountain Dew Voltage.

Last year, over a quarter million votes helped Voltage win the so-called “DEWmocracy” election, with the taste, name and color of the product all developed by the customers themselves…well, y’know, with a little help from the folks at PepsiCo. (What, like they’re gonna give the yokels all the power?) As the bottle proudly trumpets, it’s your standard Dew brew, but charged with raspberry citrus flavor and ginseng. The color of the beverage is a slightly disconcerting shade of blue, but the raspberry mixes with the traditional Dew flavor rather well, making the taste not so far removed from a Sweet Tart. If it’s icy cold, it goes down fast and smooth…which is good, since it’s so sweet that drinking it slowly may result in you taking awhile to finish the bottle, but caffeine fiends with a sweet tooth will have no problem chugging it down to score the inevitable rush.

When I was pitched the opportunity to check out Voltage, they sent me three bottles of the stuff, so I scoured my to-be-reviewed pile to see if I had three DVDs featuring the same person in some role or other. Lo and behold, I did…and that person’s name was Lea Thompson.

Continue reading »

Action Movies, Actors, Actresses, Celebrities, External Entertainment, External Movie DVDs, External Movies, External TV, Movie Comedies, Movie Dramas, Movie DVDs, Movies, Reviews, TV, TV Comedies, TV DVDs, Video

Blu Tuesday: Punisher: War Zone and More

March 17, 2009 /

This week’s high-def offerings are pretty slim due to some unconventional marketing decisions. Though DVDs and Blu-rays are typically released on Tuesdays (hence the title of the column), there are only a few movies actually being released today. Summit Entertainment hopes to maximize Day One sales of “Twilight” by holding a midnight sale of the film on March 21st, while Walt Disney’s “Bolt” races into stores a day later. (Curiously, the DVD edition is still scheduled for the following Tuesday). Because it makes more sense to talk about those titles when they’re actually available in stores, however, I’ll save both “Twilight” and “Bolt” for next week’s column. Which leaves us with just one major release for the week…

“Punisher: War Zone” (Lionsgate)

Lexi Alexander’s “Punisher” reboot had all the makings of a box office disaster, so it shouldn’t come as any surprise that it performed terribly in theaters. Still, for all the drama plaguing production (from recasting Thomas Jane with Ray Stevenson to Alexander’s falling out with the studio), “War Zone” is a pretty entertaining flick. Fans of the comic will absolutely love all of the graphic violence, and though it can be a bit cheesy at times, it’s still better than some of the other Marvel films. The Blu-ray definitely does the movie justice (especially Steve Gainer’s excellent cinematography), but in the end, there just aren’t enough extras to make it worth owning.

The only other major releases this week are two catalog titles from Fox: “The Princess Bride” and “The Robe.” The former looks to be identical to the 20th Anniversary DVD (with the exception of a high-def transfer), while the biblical epic touts a digital restoration and all-new bonus features. Hopefully, I’ll get the chance to check out both discs and report back next week. Until then, be sure to save up some extra cash, because next week’s impressive Blu-ray schedule could set you back a hefty sum.

Action Movies, External Movie DVDs, Movie DVDs, Movies

Blu Tuesday: Pinocchio, Let the Right One In and The French Connection

March 10, 2009 /

Welcome to the latest column on Premium Hollywood, Blu Tuesday, where I’ll be covering some of the best and biggest high-def titles of the week. For those hoping this was a post about a New Order/Rolling Stones tribute band, I apologize, but you’ll have to keep holding your breath for that one, whoever you may be.

You see, when Blu-ray first hit the market, there weren’t very many titles to talk about other than the new releases that were already coming out on DVD. Now that the format is more popular with studios, however, my office has become overrun with high-def titles, and well, I just don’t have the time to cover every one in as much detail as I’d like. That doesn’t mean they don’t deserve to be covered at all, however, and so I’ve created this column to help cleanse my conscience (and some office space) and keep you all in the know on some Blu-rays you might be looking forward to, as well as a few others you should add to your shopping list.

“Pinocchio” (Walt Disney)

One of my least favorite Disney classics after “Dumbo” and “Bambi,” “Pinocchio” is still a no-brainer when it comes to diehard collectors and fans of animated films. It’s been years since Disney last released this from their ominous vault and so they’ve not only put out a new DVD edition to celebrate the occassion, but a high-def version as well. As expected, the new digital restoration is incredible. The colors pop off the screen like they were freshly painted, and were it not for the fact that hand-drawn animation is virtually extinct, you’d swear this was made yesterday. The best part about the three-disc set, though, isn’t the new transfer or the fact that you get three different versions of the movie (Blu-ray, DVD and a digital copy), but the hours of bonus material that have been lovingly crammed onto the disc. You get all the usual stuff that you’d expect from a typical new release (audio commentary, making-of, deleted scenes), but somehow they just feel more special on a movie this old.

Continue reading »

Action Movies, External Movie DVDs, Horror Movies, Movie Comedies, Movie Dramas, Movie DVDs, Movies

Chocolate

March 6, 2009 /

Following the unprecedented success of “Ong-Bak” and “The Protector,” director Prachya Pinkaew was probably looking to get away from working with Tony Jaa on his next feature. Dropping one martial artist for another may not sound like much of a difference, but while new leading lady JeeJa Yanin doesn’t have the talent to match Jaa’s acrobatic fighting style, she’s a far better actor. It’s a trade-off that serves the movie well, because even though “Chocolate” is 90% action, the dramatic scenes that do exist work better as a result of her involvement. Yanin stars as Zen, an autistic girl who has learned to fight exclusively from watching martial arts movies. When her mother gets sick and can’t afford treatment, however, Zen sets out to collect payment from the various gangsters that owe her money. Desperate as it may be to inject some hint of character development into the proceedings, “Chocolate” is little more than a demo reel of some of the best action sequences that Asian cinema has to offer. Yanin may not be able to pull off some of the more impressive moves in Jaa’s arsenal, but she’s still a surprisingly capable fighter whose finest moment comes during a fight where she mimics Bruce Lee. It’s not the best action scene in the movie, but it’s exactly what makes “Chocolate” so much fun to watch.

Click to buy “Chocolate”

Action Movies, External Movie DVDs, Movie DVD Quicktakes, Movie DVDs, Movies

« Older posts Newer posts »

© 2026 Premium Hollywood

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑