Weekly Release Rundown (10-2-12) - Denver News, Weather ...

Posted on: 10:55 am, November 3, 2012, by oursayonbluray, updated on: 11:15am, November 3, 2012

Dark Shadows??? Warner Brothers / 2012 / 113 Minutes / Unrated???? ?

Warner Brothers marketing department worked overtime last year trying to spray enough air freshener over Tim Burton?s horrid ?reinvention? of 60s horror soap classic, ?Dark Shadows?.? With a top-notch cast including Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green and Michelle Pfeiffer, this midland effort got lost between a bad script, poor story and laughs that were far to short to sustain audiences to keep this vampire opus afloat.? But with enough marquis value, Depp obviously depended upon his fan base to keep this stinker sinking to the bottom depths.? If the premise still intrigues you, do yourself a favor and tune into the original.

Once again leaning heavily on all-style, no substance, the visual director immediately transcends audiences into the Gothic period when Barnabas Collins, then a mere mortal, was cursed upon and was forced to spend eternity as a vampire.? Trapped for centuries in his casket, bound in chains, the wily vampire finally makes a comeback in the 1970s of all times?to pursue revenge upon the evil witch who put him there.? Unfortunately, this sounds a lot more intriguing and exciting than it really is?instead Burton spends most of the film?s 113-minute length involving a subplot about Collin?s centuries old cannery that is threatened by the same witch who cursed him so long ago.? Depp does what he can with the material, as does a brooding Pfeiffer (acting as if she just read the script) but all of this adds up to nothing more than an hour-long episode of ?Scooby Doo?. ?

Extras include a wealth of featurettes far more interesting than the film itself including Becoming Barnabus, Welcome To Collinsport!
The Collins?s: Every Family Has Its Demons, Reliving a Decade
Angelique: A Witch Scorned, Alice Cooper Rocks Collinsport! Dark Shadowy Secrets, A Melee of Monstrous Proportions, Dark Shadows: The Legend Bites Back, as well as deleted scenes.

Cinderella: Diamond Edition?? Disney/Buena Vista / 1950 / 74 Minutes / Rated PG?? ?

Leave it to Disney to dig into their fertile vaults once again to re-release yet another classic, this time, ?Cinderella? from 1950.? Dubbed ?Diamond Edition?, this sixty-two year old fairly tale shows no wear despite the contemporary age of CGI visuals kids have grown to expect.? But with a solid story, characters you can relate to, and a lively soundtrack, this Cinderella keeps dancing along showing no signs of the clock striking midnight any time soon.? And with a plethora of extras, what?s not to fall in love with again with one of the most celebrated Princess tales of all time.

Featuring the voices of Ilene Woods, James MacDonald and Eleanor Audley, this classic Disney perennial features the plight of young Cinderella, who?s cruel stepmother favors her ugly step sisters to the point of abuse ? leaving her home to clean rather than let her attend the Royal Ball.? Enter Cinderella?s Fairy Godmother, then, with a little Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo, she is transformed into the belle of the ball.? With scene stealing appearances of two lovable mice Gus and Jaq, this enchanted tale of love and believing in ?happily ever after? is impossible to resist.? Fully restored, this Diamond Edition lives up to its name right down to Cinderella?s glass slipper (which I always thought must have been really uncomfortable).

Extras include ?Tangled Ever After? Animated Short, Behind the Magic: A New Disney Princess Fantasyland, Diane Disney Miller Intro, Personalized Digital Storybook: Bibbidi-Bobbidi-You (Disney Second Screen Experience), The Magic of the Glass Slipper: A Cinderella Story as well as the film?s original trailer.

People Like Us?? Disney/Buena Vista / 2012 / Rated PG-13

Chris Pine, budding film star who?s biggest ticket to the box office explosion has been with Paramount?s Star Trek reboot must learn to pick his film roles more carefully or he?ll quickly become a one-hit-wonder.? After last year?s dismal ?This Means War? comedy-action-fiasco, Pine tried tugging the heartstrings with the overwrought melodrama ?People Like Us?.? Straining to the point of feeling maudlin and saccharine, Pine costars with Elizabeth Banks in Alex Kutzman?s answer to twenty-something angst.

Pine plays Sam, a fast-talking salesman who?s career falls apart the same day he learns his father has suddenly died.? Against his wishes, Sam is called home to put his father?s estate in order and along the way, try to reconnect with his estranged family. In the course of fulfilling his father?s last wishes Sam discovers the unsettling revelation that he has a thirty-year-old sister (Banks) he never knew about.? As these strangers connect, Sam is forced to confront his past and his future in this heartstring tugging character drama.? Unfortunately, neither the material nor Pine?s stage presence is enough to keep you engaged with a story that seemed better left for Lifetime or a Hallmark movie.

Extras include featurettes, Number One With A Bullet: The Story Behind People Like Us, Taco Talk, Audio Commentaries with Director Alex Kurtzman And Writer Jody Lambert & Director Alex Kurtzman And Actors Chris Pine And Elizabeth Banks, Select Scene Commentary with Alex Kurtzman And Actress Michelle Pfeiffer, as well as the requisite deleted scenes and bloopers.

Universal Classic Monsters: Essential Collection?? Universal Studios / 1931 / Unrated??? ?

Just in time for Halloween, Universal has wisely combined some of their greatest cinematic horror classics of all time into an all-new collector?s set.? Dubbed ?The Essential Collection?, Universal (who had the corner of the Hollywood market on horror during the 30?s and 40?s has cobbled together in one cohesive set. ?Universal Classic Monsters? features the best of the best, with unforgettable performances by stars like Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff and Lon Chaney.? If you haven?t seen them in awhile (or ever before), tis the season to have the hair on your neck standing on edge.

Considering the eight or so decades that have passed since they first frightened audiences, you?ll be amazed on how well most of these classics hold up.? Staring with ?Dracula (1931),? ?Dr?cula [Spanish-language version] (1931),? ?Frankenstein (1931),? ?The Mummy (1932),? ?The Invisible Man (1933),? ?Bride of Frankenstein (1935),? ?The Wolf Man (1941),?Phantom of the Opera (1943),? and rounding out with ?Creature from the Black Lagoon ? 3D (1954).? these classics are a testament to not only the actors but the filmmakers of the time who managed to create frightening tales without the benefits of any of the cinematic tricks of today. ?

Extras are thankfully plentiful and compliment this celebrated collection including audio Commentaries, Featurettes, and Trailer Galleries.? My only wish would to include the 50?s comedy classic, ?Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein? which reunites many of Universal?s classic players including Lugosi and Chaney for the first time.

Iron Sky?? Entertainment One / 2012 / 93 Minutes / Rated R????????? ?

World War II and sci-fi collide in the odd Entertainment One entry, ?Iron Sky?.? With a virtual cast of unknowns including Udo Kier, Julia Dietze, and Peta Sergeant this trying-to-be provocative mess seems almost as if the producers were setting out to make a movie the guys from Mystery Science Theater would make fun of.? They weren?t.? A mish mosh of odd visuals and strange performances, ?Iron Sky? should probably have been left for fringe audiences to appreciate, as the rest of us will undoubtedly be left scratching our heads.

Here?s the pitch in a nutshell:? It?s 1945 and a top secret Nazi space program fled to the Dark Side of the Moon where they constructed a giant fortress and a massive armada of flying saucers. Their mission?? To travel back to Earth and re-colonize.? Inspired, I assume, by B-movies of the 50?s, this uneven pastiche plays out less like an homage and more like a train wreck.? Even the visuals and production values don?t have at least a campish quality to keep this turkey afloat.

Extras are nonexistent, almost as if the producers knew they weren?t making anything to lend commentary or behind-the-scenes featurette worthy.

Nikita: Complete Second Season?? Warner Brothers / 2011 / 1012 Minutes / Unrated??????? ?

Maggie Q, Lyndsy Fonseca, and Shane West in the popular female driven action series, ?Nikita?.? Warner Brothers is releasing the Second Season with a plethora of extras, including all twenty-two episodes in the hopes to satiating fans and hoping to find a few new ones.? Although the premise has been done before, this slick looking reboot is well worth revisiting delivering top-notch action, terrific scripts and strong performances by its youthful cast.

We pick up season two as Nikita continues to go rogue. Division is an ultra-secret government agency whose operatives are recruited young people with severed ties to family, friends and society. Trained to be invisible assassins, no one ever leaves Division outside of a body bag? until now.? Determined to undermine the now-corrupt organization, Nikita remains a thorn in their side.? This cat-and-mouse game of survival remains steady, as it is deadly. Don?t let her good looks fool you; Nikita is one secret agent you don?t want to cross.

Extras include featurettes that delve inside the Division, some behind-the-scenes footage, episode commentary, deleted scenes and a gag reel.

Princess Bride: 25th Anniversary Edition ? MGM/UA / 1987 / 98 Minutes / Rated PG ?

Rob Reiner?s seminal fantasy, ?Princess Bride? returns to blu-ray in an all-new 25th Anniversary Edition.? This ?Wizard of Oz? of its time stars Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, Andre the Giant, and features some scene stealing moments by supporting cast Billy Crystal and Carol Kane.? Definitely one of Reiner?s finest, this ageless tale remains a stalwart effort that will undoubtedly entertain for generations to come.? One of the few films that can be enjoyed at any age, though most of the humor is geared toward adults while children will simply enjoy the fairy tale elements.

Featuring an all-star cast of cameos, the enchanted fantasy starts with Peter Falk playing a kindly old grandfather reading a story to his grandson (Fred Savage) one night.? The story features the plight of beautiful young Buttercup, engaged to the odious Prince Humperdinck, who is kidnapped and held against her will in order to start a war. It?s up to her childhood boyfriend Westley to save her from her wretched fate.? Engaging from the first frame, Reiner knows full well how to weave this little tale with enough whimsy and tongue-in-cheek humor to keep audiences enchanted until the very last ?happily ever after? moment.

Extras include audio commentaries with Director Rob Reiner & Screenwriter William Goldman, Original theatrical trailer, featurettes, As You Wish: The Story of The Princess Bride, The Princess Bride: The Untold Tales, The Art of Fencing, Fairy Tales and Folklore,
Miraculous Makeup, Cary Elwes? video diary, The Dread Pirate Roberts: Greatest Pirate of the Seven Seas and Love is Like a Storybook.

Masters of the Universe?? Warner Brothers / 1987 / 106 Minutes / Rated PG???? ?

If you can?t get enough superhero?and it seems the world has an insatiable thirst for big screen and TV screen incarnations, Warner Brothers is rolling out their 1987 animated feature ?Masters of the Universe? in the hopes of capitalizing on the phenomena as well as hoping for some nostalgia. Featuring the voice talents of Dolph Lundgren, Christina Pickles, Billy Barty, Chelsea Field, Courteney Cox Arquette, Frank Langella, Meg Foster, and Tolkan James, director Gary Goddard does what he can to keep things on track with the limited animation but makes up for the lack of visuals with some kitschy dialogue and high flying plot antics.

The story features the plight of Planet Eternia and the Castle of Greyskull, who are under threat from the evil Skeletor.? Skeletor, like any good villain, wants to take over the planet. Standing in his way, however, are a? group of freedom fighters, led by the heroic He-Man? who are accidentally transported to Earth by a mysterious Cosmic Key.? This key holds the power to make Skeletor all-powerful. Once on Earth, He-Man joins forces with the teens as they attempt to find the key and return home.? If you?re a fan of the genre, you might find this midland attempt mildly amusing, if not, you will certainly be bored, if not for the vocal talents of the actors of the time.

Extras are limited to a plethora of other Warner Brothers properties the studio is eager to hawk.

Double Impact?? 20th Century Fox / 1991 / 110 Minutes / Rated R??? ?

Jean-Claude Van Damme stars against himself in the explosive action packed ?Double Impact?.? Released in 1991, Van Damme?s box-office star was already beginning to wane as he works overtime (literally, playing dual roles) in this high-octane action picture directed by Sheldon Lettich.? Given his international appeal, ?Double Impact? aims to please his quite large fan base.? This high concept thriller may pleasantly surprise anyone unfamiliar with the martial arts hero?s earlier work beyond the Expendables franchise.

Van Damme times two plays twin brothers Chad and Alex Wagner, twin brothers who were separated after their parents? brutal murder. Years later, the two reunite and quickly discover their less alike than they could possibly imagine.? Chad is a slick Beverly Hills fitness instructor while Alex is a rough-and-tumble smuggler on the gritty streets of Hong Kong. But when fate throws them a curve, the brothers must rise to the occasion and realize that blood is thicker than water.? Banding together, these fighting machines begin to enact revenge on their parents? killers that leads them both to an electrifying final showdown aboard a gargantuan freighter in Hong Kong Harbor.

Extras are sadly lackluster considering this is one of the action star?s more memorable performances.

Red Lights?? Millennium Media / 2012 / 113 Minutes / Rated R?? ?

?Red Lights? is an all-star thriller that seemed to be released in a Witness Protection Program.? Despite the fact that you?ve never heard of it, this character driven drama might just pleasantly surprise fans of the genre.? Starring Cillian Murphy, Sigourney Weaver, Toby Jones, Elizabeth Olsen, and Robert De Niro, ?Red Lights? will undoubtedly find a whole new audience of curious video seekers looking for something out of the ordinary on a Saturday night.

Directed by Rodrigo Cort?s, this spooky thriller surrounds the plight of veteran paranormal researchers Dr. Margaret Matheson (Weaver) and Tom Buckley (Murphy) whose job it is to debunk fraudulent claims of ghost whispering, faith healing and other psychic phenomena by detecting ?red lights?, a subtle tricks behind every staged supernatural occurrence. But when the legendary blind psychic Simon Silver (De Niro) steps into the fray after retirement the fur quickly begins to fly as the two try their best to debunk the master.? Although not completely successful, this uneven drama does have its moments, elevated by the caliber of talent both in front of and behind the scenes.

Extras include cast and crew Interviews, Making of Red Lights, Behind the Scenes, as well as the International Trailer. ?

Pet Sematary ? Paramount / 1989 / 102 Minutes / Rated R? ?

Horror fiction writer Stephen King has had a mixed, albeit prolific run at the box office starting with his classic ?Carrie? back in 1976.? One of his better adaptations came in 1989 with the Mary Lambert directed ?Pet Sematary?.? Starring Dale Midkiff, Fred Gwynne (aka Herman Munster) and Denise Crosby, this nail-biting chiller is a true King classic in both story and execution.? Nearly a quarter century since its release, ?Pet Sematary? still packs a chilling punch.

As expected, ?Pet Sematary? is set in a small Maine town as the Creeds move in; a nice young couple with an adorable son and Maine coon cat.? When the family pet is unexpectedly killed, the father learns about the town legend where you can go and bury your pet at an old Indian burial ground and your pet will come back to life the next day.? Intrigued at the possibility and not wanting his son to mourn the loss, he buries the cat only to have it return the next day.? The thing is, pets that are revived are never quite the same.? When the unthinkable happens and the Creeds lose their son in a horrible freak truck accident, it doesn?t take long for the grieving parents to consider what lengths they would go to bring their child back.? Suspenseful to the bitter end, ?Pet Sematary? is one of those King tales ripe to be remade for a whole new generation.

Extras include commentary by director Mary Lambert as well as featurettes Stephen King Territory, The Characters, Filming the Horror, as well as the film?s original theatrical trailer.

Sound of My Voice?? 20th Century Fox / 2011 / 85 Minutes / Unrated? ?

Critical darling ?Sound of My Voice? may not have been a hit with audiences upon its limited release, however, this provocative psychological thriller will undoubtedly stir up some interest on video when it picks up a little good word of mouth.? At a taut eighty-five minutes, this intricate thriller will have you on the edge of your seat until the surprising ending.? Starring Christopher Denham, Nicole Vicius, Brit Marling, Davenia McFadden, and Kandice Stroh, this
Zal Batmanglij directed character drama features some standout performances by the entire cast, most notably Denham and Marling.

This movie-within-a-movie premise features the plight of an independent filmmaker (Denham) and his girlfriend (Vicius) set out to expose the beautiful leader of a cult (Marling), who claims to be from the future. But things are not what they appear and as the filmmaker slowly starts to pull back the layers of intrigue the deeper danger they both face.? Brilliantly acted, ?Sound of My Voice? is a rich pastiche of rich performances, taut direction and strong story telling.

Extras include: The Making of The Sound of My Voice featurette, Maggie featurettes, Direct Effect: Director Zal Batmanglij, Writer?s Draft: Writer/Actress Brit Marling, as well as the film?s theatrical trailer.

Source: http://kdvr.com/2012/11/03/weekly-release-rundown-10-2-12/

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