DVD Review: Choke

Choke is weird: a personal quest of self discovery through worlds of sexual addiction and delusion, occasionally hilarious, occasionally heartbreaking, and absurd throughout. It shares several characteristics with Fight Club, most notably the author, Chuck Palahniuk, who wrote the novels that inspired both films. Choke drips with Palahniuk’s style: it has a clever yet mentally deranged protagonist who constantly makes snarky observations about human nature while surrounding himself with other deranged individuals; it examines the ugly underside of human nature; it has a twist, which managed to surprise because it provides a moment of reality in the midst of complete absurdity.

DVD Review: Coming To America (1988)

Paramount brings you another classic movie in their “I Love the 80’s” on DVD series.

Remember back when Eddie Murphy movies were funny? Need a minute? I’ll wait….

Before he started churning out hot crap like “The Adventures of Pluto Nash”, and the celluloid abortion known as “Norbit”, Eddie Murphy had an incredibly successful (and funny) standup and movie career. Toward the end of this great streak, which included such classics as “48 Hours”, “Trading Places”, “Beverly Hills Cop”, and “The Golden Child”, there came along a more family friendly movie called “Coming To America”.

DVD Review: The All New Super Friends Hour Season 1 Vol. 2

Remember a simpler time? A time before Frank Miller made Batman “The Dark Knight”? Before Aquaman lost his hand in a bizarre fishing accident? A time before Wonder woman killed a man, and everyone else has died and been resurrected (mostly)? Welcome to 1977 and The All New Super Friends Hour: Season 1 Vol. 2.

Blu-ray Review: Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist

“Also that mix CD… uh that I left on your doorstep was the last one that I’ll be making for you. More or less… “

The hit 2008 film Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist is now available on Blu-ray! The film is based on the book by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan.

Story

Blu-ray Review: Sideways

Sideways is now available on Blu-ray.

Swirl:
For those of you unfamiliar with this vintage, Sideways is a 2004 comedy/drama from Alexander Payne, the director of Election starring Paul Giamatti (Lady in the Water, The Amazing Screw-On Head) as Miles, a high school teacher/novelist/oenologist (wine enthusiast) who takes his friend Jack, played by Thomas Haden Church (Spider-Man 3), on a pre-nuptual vacation to California’s central coast wine country. Miles just wants a mild retreat, while Jack has a more carnal conception of a bachelor’s trip.

Blu-Ray Review: Zodiac – 2 Disc Directors Cut

In the late 1960s and 1970s there was a series of murders, in San Francisco, by an unknown assailant known only as the Zodiac killer. This man held the city in terror for the better part of a decade, taunted the police and San Francisco Chronicle with letters about the heinous crimes, and he was never brought to justice.

Blu-ray Review: Election

The 1999 film Election is now available on Blu-ray!

Election, based off the book of the same name is about a subject that many of us all know and have grown to love/hate over the years. High School and the many politics that govern it. We are introduced to Matthew Brodrick who sadly is not playing Ferris Buller, but a teacher, Jim McAllister, who fails at life yet takes such joy at working with the school and the students there. Reese Witherspoon plays Tracey, a Senior in High School who has had a secret affair with a member of the teaching staff (her actions led to the staff member getting fired). Reese Witherspoon can definitely play a crazy, vindictive, sex crazed co-ed.

DVD Review: The Secret of the Magic Gourd

The Secret of the Magic Gourd is the English translation of the Chinese remake of Bao hu lu de mi mi (which I understand doesn’t mean “Baby website designed to soften human brains of Songbird”). It’s a beautiful children’s story of an imaginative schoolboy, Raymond, who finds the legendary magic gourd while fishing. The animated gourd is sentient and even more innocently naïve than Raymond himself as it grants him unlimited, but flawed wishes much like the well meaning djinn in I Dream of Jeannie.

NYCC 09: DC Universe Online

DC Universe Online Panel

All weekend long players were allowed to play through a two part mission in the Metropolis area that revolved around working with or against Lex Luthor as he tries to steal DNA for Doomsday that would lead to a secondary mission to find and take Doomsday or as a hero to prevent the villains from doing so. Characters were pre-made to showcase different types of powers and character design types.

The graphics are pretty sweet and the game play looks good.
 

NYCC 09: Robot Chicken Panel

The Panel was made up of Seth Green, Breckin Meyer, Kevin Shinick, and Geoff Johns. There was an audience member is a full Mad Scientist costume with Animated Robot Chicken Puppet that really smoked. Many attendees wanted to take photos with the costumed character. The panel emerged and Seth Green wanted to also get photos of the costume.

The panel was very funny but offered very few details about season four. They did reveal an opening sequence for the Full Assed Christmas Special that was a parody of the opening sequence of Casino Royale. Pretty funny.

They also showed a film of themselves goofing off around the office making a bet with Kevin Shinick that he couldn’t eat 12 donuts in under 30 minutes for $140.

They spent most of the panel speaking with audience members and answering questions.

DVD Review: Alvin & The Chipmunks: The Mystery of the Easter Chipmunk

Well, someone had to ask the question. Was the first Easter Bunny really a bunny or a chipmunk? Alvin is convinced that his grandpa is the original Easter Chipmunk and wants to set the record straight. After talking to Aunt Bunny that the first Easter Bunny was not a Bunny sends Alvin out to prove his grandpa is the one who first to leave Easter Baskets on Easter Sunday. As always he manages to get Simon and Theodore to help. I’m going to tell you the end but this is a cute holiday story for the season.

Blu-ray Review: Office Space (Special Edition)Blu-ray Review: Office Space (Special Edition)

“You took my stapler”.

Everyone has hated their job at one time or another…but what happens when you are pushed too far? Well Peter Gibbons sure knows that feeling in Mike Judge’s cult comedy classic Office Space which has just made its way to Blu-ray! The film is based on Mike Judges cartoon series Milton and features an amazing lineup of acting talent!

Blu-ray Review: Napoleon Dynamite

“Vote for Pedro. He will protect you.”

The hit 2004 comedy Napoleon Dynamite is now available on Blu-ray!

NYCC09: Mattel’s DC Figures

Mattel’s DC Related Offerings look awesome. The DC Universe CRISIS figures look great and there is a wide variety of figures available ranging from Gotham City SWAT Officers to Thanagarian Warriors to many, many ,many DC characters.

They are also still producing plenty of Justice League Unlimited figures too. I am especially liking additions like Amanda Waller and General Eiling and a new Batman taken directly from one of my favorite episodes when Batman busts in on the two at the secret Project Cadmus base.

I was less interested in the figures based upon the Dark Knight film. Not much new and there were some real stretched that just looked silly.

NYCC09: Batman: The Brave & The Bold Panel

Batman Brave & The Bold Panel

The panel was fun and had a decent turnout of about 75-100 people. The creative team discussed the style of the show and said they were influenced by the late 50s and early 60s style and that when they accepted the project they wanted to make sure it was different then earlier incarnations of the character. The crowd generally seemed to like the tongue in cheek humor of the show and Phil Morris who will be voicing Jonah Hex in an upcoming episode was sporting an Alex Ross Martian Manhunter shirt and was enthusiastic about his involvement in the series and in DC Animation in general.