Just getting caught up on a few DVDs that have been stacked in my office waiting for a review. ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ was released in several versions last year: Two-Disc Blu-ray with Digital Copy, Single Disc DVD, and Two-Disc Special Edition DVD with Digital Copy. The people who put these out must go nuts trying to keep up with all the new technologies. Glad I’m not them.
Let’s talk about the Two-Disc Special Edition DVD. This has a bunch of bonus features: 

Trailers: Night At The Museum 2, The Marine 2, Family Guy Presents: Something Something Something Dark Side, …read more

They’ve really mined everything they can out of these "Ice Age" movies, haven’t they? That’s not to say they’re not cute and fun and all that stuff. Just that maybe they’ve come to the end of the line on these particular characters and stories. Then again, they’ve added a few new characters in this movie, and let’s face it, they’re just at the dawn of the dinosaurs, which means this franchise could go on into infinity.
The first movie, 2002’s "Ice Age," was definitely the best. The second, 2006’s "Ice Age: The Meltdown," was cute, and this one is …read more

Have you seen “The Hangover” yet? And if not, why not? Ok, I admit it’s a little raunchy in spots. Ok, let’s not mince words – it’s a crude buddy movie with lots of sex and drugs. But it’s also smart and funny. A smart, funny, adult comedy with great writing and real characters.
And anyone who knows me knows I usually don’t go for raunchy movies, but “The Hangover” gets a big pass. No kids allowed, though. Remember, it’s an adult comedy.
Apparently, everyone else loves it, too! “The Hangover” is now the #1 comedy of all time …read more

“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” hits DVD and Blu-ray on Oct. 20, 2009, and I’ve got some fun stuff to give away on behalf of Paramount Home Entertainment:

Two-disc Special Edition DVD (read my review here)
Poster
T-shirt

THE GIVEAWAY: Two (2) Prize Packs that include the above DVD, poster and T-shirt.
HOW TO ENTER: To enter the contest, simply leave a comment on this post by midnight on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009. Be sure to include a valid email address. Winners will be drawn randomly. I’ll email the winners for their snail-mail address after the contest ends. Good luck!
Check out …read more

Movie: Fame * Trailer * Official Site
In Theaters: Sept. 25, 2009

Runtime: 107 minutes
Directed by: Kevin Tancharoen

MPAA Rating: PG for thematic material, including teen drinking, a sexual situation, and language
Gecko Rating:

The original 1980 movie “Fame” was rated R, and while I understand the desire to make this one PG (to appeal to the “High School Musical” crowd), it loses a lot in translation.
This modern version could have benefitted from a PG-13 rating; then they could have included more intense material, without trying to dilute it for the younger crowd. As it is, the movie is a little …read more

Movie: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs * Trailer * Official Site
In Theaters: Sept. 18, 2009

Runtime: 90 minutes
Directed by: Phil Lord

MPAA Rating: PG for brief mild language
Gecko Rating:

 
 
Based on the popular children’s book by Ron and Judy Barrett, “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs” is a cute movie, but rather forgettable in the big scheme of things.  The graphics and animation are interesting, not to mention the idea of being able to order up whatever food you want and have giant amounts of it fall from the sky. So there’s that. But truth be told, it was more boring …read more

That fabulously fun food film (like that alliteration?) “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs” cooks into theaters this Friday, Sept. 18, 2009, and the stars hit the red carpet to talk up the movie.
The big screen version of Ron and Judi Barrett’s classic children’s book features the voices of Anna Faris, Bruce Campbell, Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, James Caan, Tracy Morgan, and Mr. T. Looks like good fun! Check out the trailer here, and watch the stars on the red carpet. 

Here’s the trailer for Summit Entertainment’s “Astro Boy,” due in theaters Oct. 23, 2009. Sometimes these animated movies don’t quite reach the “summit” of what they could be (sorry, couldn’t resist), but this one looks like a winner.
The movie is set in futuristic Metro City, where Astro Boy (voiced by Freddie Highmore) is a young robot created by a brilliant scientist named Tenma (Nicolas Cage). Powered by positive “blue” energy, Astro Boy has super strength, x-ray vision, unbelievable speed, and the ability to fly.
The young robot goes on a search which eventually leads him back to Metro City to …read more

The popular “Bring It On” series is back with an all-new movie! Christina Milian stars in “Bring It On: Fight to the Finish,” available on Blu-Ray, DVD, and Download to Own on Sept. 1, 2009. Yep, that’s today!
The story follows sassy cheer captain Lina Cruz (Milian), whose world goes all topsy-turvy when she moves with her family from the urban streets of East L.A. to the sunny beaches of Malibu. At her new school, Lina clashes with Avery (Rachele Brooke Smith), the competitive all-star cheer captain, while also falling for Avery’s cute brother, Evan (Cody Longo).
Plenty of …read more

You can tell that people have this abiding love for Sandra Bullock, and that she can take it as well as dish it out. She just seems like she’d be a lot of fun, whether you’re working on a film or having a beer with her. And yeah, she definitely seems like a beer drinker rather than a frou-frou alcoholic beverage drinker. 
Here, Bradley Cooper, her co-star in the upcoming “All About Steve,” talks about how tyrannical she is to work with, while Sandra explains that it’s impossible to explain the movie in 10 seconds. Makes sense to me. Go …read more