The Interview

Excellent movie! It met most and exceeded many expectations. I'm sure some people will think it's vulgar and crude (because it it). Yes, some of the humor is a little less than mature, but if you've seen Pineapple Express or This is the End, you should not be surprised. I think they accomplished exactly what they wanted to do. More importantly, the way in which Rogan and Franco actually "take [Kim] out," is well done on a number of levels and while I won't speak to the hype or whether or not the film lived up to said hype, I will say that this is possibly the best Rogan/Franco buddy comedy yet. I haven't disliked any Seth Rogan film (except for Knocked Up, which was a nightmare scenario for me when it came out and I haven't been able to bring myself to watch Guilt Trip), so this review is not completely impartial, his comedic ability to handle life's most uncomfortable situations is painfully hilarious. This is also some of Franco's best work, he does meta-theatrical situations well (I also enjoyed Oz the Great and Powerful, again not completely impartial), but the final scene with Park crying, singing Firework is perfect.

Some of the critical response looks disappointing, but I believe they did what they set out to do. I'll pay again to see it in the theater too. Looking forward to the the Blu Ray and deleted scenes.

Jack Reacher

I'm the first to admit that going into this film I had low expectations. Cruise is a decent enough actor and well suited for the genre, but the plot seemed derivative and overly pedantic, just another flick I'd catch because...well...I'm a dude and the preview mentioned something about guns and explosives.

Surprisingly, the plot played out steadily, not needing to be propped up by a few well placed action sequences. While, if you've seen any movie ever in your life, you'll be able to predict what's going to ultimately happen, "Reacher" maintains a consistent level of intrigue and charm through the whole length of the film. I appreciated that the action scenes actually added to the plot. I was expecting some random "Look how awesome I am at fighting" scenes tossed into the mix, and was happy to see that while those scenes are absolutely in there, they also help move the plot forward. Good thinking, action-movie-maker-people (pretty sure that's the correct technical job title, but don't quote me on that...)

In sum, without telling you a thing about the film (because I hate summaries that are just spoilers in disguise), you can feel good about spending your money on this one. You'll enjoy it. Even if you hate Tom Cruise. That's right, I'm talking to you, Katie...

Tromeo & Juliet (Region Free) [PAL] [Blu-ray]

The first film written by James Gunn, who went on to write 2004's Dawn of the Dead and write/direct Slither, Tromeo & Juliet moves Shakespeare's classic tale of star-crossed love from 16th Century Verona to a crumbling modern day New York, where young Tromeo (Will Keenan) and Juliet (Jane Jenson) must defy their families endless feud in order to be together for eternity.

Featuring all the body piercing, kinky sex, car crashes and dismemberment that Shakespeare always wanted but never had, Tromeo & Juilet is the most subversive and original literary adaptation ever put on screen!

Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky [Blu-ray]

You MUST buy/rent/steal the video "the story of Ricki Oh"....An instant classic and quite possibly the most violent, gory, and graphic film ever made. Multiple gorings, eye gougings,stabbings, impalings, and dismemberments. Dudes get buried alive, encased in concrete, flayed, their tongues cut out, crushed under presses, and run through meat grinders. Guys are chopped in the face with swords, boards studded with nails, and have wood planes run up their face. Did I menntion that the prison warden in this movie shoots prisoners with exploding bullets that make them expand like balloons beforee they burst like road kill underneath a car tire?

The hero ricki punched through dudes, decapitates his enemies with oopen fist blows, crushes guys heads like he's popping a zit. There's even a scene where a guy, who is about to die in a fight with Ricki, grabs a knife and stabs himself in the stomach...then he pulls out his intestines and tries to strangle ricki with them....

With memorable lines like:
"They gave me 30 pounds of rice to cut you up, turn you into mince meat, and put you in a pie..."
"Oscar has shown his tatoos...now he must kill!!!!"
"Ricki, I am your uncle. I have known you since your were 7 or 8 years old, when you possessed suoperjuman strength. Do you still possess your super human strength?"
"Chi Cong feeds on strength!!!!!"
"I have hit you in your death spot..soon you will die"
"His style of Kung Fu is unorthodox...I do not think I can defeat him..."

Stephen King's a Good Marriage

Great film! True to form, Stephen King is a great story teller. The tale unfolds slowly. This film is not for those who want car crashes and machine gun killings. When the wife discovers the secrets, her reaction suggests fear, but of what? And the seeming flashbacks - are they flashbacks or dreams, or both? A story of people living lies. Image is everything.

In the end it all comes together, as a good story does. The quality of acting is fantastic as well. I'm always amazed by Joan Allen. I did not even recognize her. The roles she plays are so varied. Amazing! And Anthony LaPaglia was great as well, (spoiler!?) as a man losing ground to "someone else". I have seen him before, but I did not realize that he is Australian, his American accent is so good. These two actors also are not actors playing a role, but become the characters themselves - real quality, not just Hollywood glitz.

I watched it again just to enjoy the quality of acting and the unfolding of the story. Again, the brilliance of Stephen King, a story taking place in Maine, that unfolds quietly with insight. I would like to know, however, who sings "A Tombstone Every Mile" in this film. Great song.

Red Vs Blue: Season 12 [Blu-ray]

If you found your way here on accident and don't really know what you're looking at - go to roosterteeth 's website and watch some of RvB (every episode is available to stream there), each season has a bunch of episodes and their seasons are grouped into series. Seasons 1-5 are a series, then 6-8, then 9-10, season 11 and 12 are part of another series which will conclude with season 13.

You can start each series without needing a whole lot of backstory - but the backstory is awesome, so while the beginning of any particular season might be a logical start-off point to check them out, I still recommend starting from the beginning. Then come back here and buy their DVDs to support the artists so they keep making more!

Banshee: Season 2 SD

From executive producer Alan Ball, creator of True Blood, this Cinemax action drama charts the continuing twists and turns that follow Lucas Hood (Antony Starr), an ex-convict who improbably assumes the identity of sheriff of the rural, Amish-area town of Banshee, where his former lover and partner-in-crime (Ivana Milicevic) lives under her own alias, Carrie Hopewell. Season 2 takes up immediately after the S1 finale, when Carrie’s father, gang kingpin Rabbit (Ben Cross) was left for dead after a climactic warehouse shootout. Carrie, now exposed and estranged from her husband and kids, is torn between her devotion to her family and her connection to Lucas, who had given himself up in order to save her years earlier.

The new season finds Lucas, having escaped detection after being interrogated by FBI agent Jim Racine (guest star Zeljko Ivanek), with his hands fuller than ever as sheriff, dealing with (among other things) the murder of a Kinaho tribe girl, the continuing escalation of tensions between Amish overlord Kai Proctor (Ulrich Thomsen) and Kinaho tribe leader Alex Longshadow (Anthony Ruivivar), and the unwelcome appearance of a surprise visitor: the reprobate son of the real (dead) Lucas Hood.