Reviewed by Johnny McNair

Sony Pictures – 103 minutes – 2011 – Rated PG-13 – 1080p Widescreen 2.40:1 – DTS 5.1 Audio Mix

Like most I am a huge fan of horror movies, but it is the hardest genre to please me because The Exorcist is still in my opinion the best horror/supernatural film ever made, and everything else is far down on the list. So when I see any film being compared to the mighty Exorcist I will proceed with caution, because that’s an impossible mission to accomplish. The latest horror movie trying to take out the king is Insidious made by the creators of the Saw series, and now available on Blu-ray from Sony.

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Reviewed by Johnny McNair

Sony Pictures – 116 minutes – 2011 – Rated PG-13 – 1080p Widescreen 2.40:1 – DTS 5.1 Audio Mix – DVD Copy

There are quite a few movies about alien invasions coming out of Hollywood lately. Are they trying to tell us something? Or just cash in on a trend? And why is Los Angeles a prime target? First there was Skyline, which had extraterrestrials attacking the City of Angles, and barely a few months later a new crop of aliens from another world have put LA in their death target in Battle Los Angeles. It must suck to be in a city with a fault line that can collapse at any minute being hit with constant explosions, but California is tougher than it looks. Battle Los Angeles hits Blu-ray courtesy of Sony Pictures, and though it may sound like a B-Movie, this one is actually works better than most.

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Reviewed by Johnny McNair

Starz/Anchor Bay – 104 minutes – 2010 – Rated R – 1080p Widescreen 1.78:1 – DTS 5.1 Audio Mix

The American economy is suffering, and at this time there is no relief in sight. Everyday we see stories in the news about families losing their homes because people have loss their jobs and can’t get themselves back on track because companies have downsized. The stories usually focus on the lower and middle classes of America, but even the households making over $150,000 a year have also taken a hit. This is the topic that the movie The Company Men focuses on. If you’re a person who only made $30,000 a year and lost your job, you probably could care less if some Jr. CEO making four-times more lost his gig, but the film tries to show how both ends are effected. The Company Men comes to Blu-ray from Starz/Anchor Bay attempting to give a look at the sign of the times.

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Reviewed by Johnny McNair

Summit Entertainment  – 104 minutes – 2011 – Rated R – 1080p Widescreen 1.78:1 – Dolby DTS HD 5.1 Audio Mix – 2D and 3D versions

What the hell happened to Nicolas Cage’s career? I used to love this guy because he could pull off action, comedy, and drama, play the good guy or the bad guy and you still root for him. Sure he’s having some financial troubles and his most recent batch of films haven’t exactly had folks lining up at the box office, (though he was awesome in Kick Ass). His latest film, Drive Angry, is a spin on the gritty Grindhouse style 70’s films, with the added feature of being shot in 3D. Drive Angry comes to Blu-ray 3D from Summit Entertainment, but viewers beware, this is one bumpy and ugly ride.

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From Dusk Till Dawn / From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money

Reviewed by Johnny McNair

Echo Bridge Entertainment – 195 minutes – 1996-1999 – Rated R – 1080p Widescreen 1.78:1 – DTS 5.1 / DTS-HD 2.0 Audio Mix

There are two types of people; those who think the Robert Rodriguez / Quentin Tarantino team up From Dusk Till Dawn is complete crap, and then there are those who think the film is brilliant. Which side of the fence you stand on can either win you friends or enemies, but the fight will be interesting. The 1996 cult film From Dusk Till Dawn has been released as a solo Blu-ray, as well as being lumped together in a combo pack with the awful straight to video sequel From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money, distributed by a company called Echo Bridge Entertainment. Up front you should know that if you love From Dusk Till Dawn, you are going to hate this Blu-ray.

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Reviewed by Johnny McNair

Disney – 109 minutes – 2011 – Rated PG-13 – 1080p Widescreen 1.85:1 – Dolby DTS 5.1 Audio Mix – DVD – Digital Copy

Because of the success of I Am Legend, the wave of “I Am…” movies was inevitable. Though the premise is miles away from Mr. Smith’s blockbuster hit, the mouse house goes for a younger audience with I Am Number Four, which is basically the TV show Smallville meets Twilight meets Harry Potter. There was plenty of hype surrounding this film when it hit theaters earlier this year, but it came and went so fast that it may not have found its target audience. I Am Number Four is now available on Blu-ray from Disney, and though it’s not the start of an epic that it’s hoping to be, it does offer some entertaining thrills.

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Reviewed by Johnny McNair

Starz/Anchor Bay – 118 minutes – 2010 – Rated R – 1080p Widescreen 1.85:1 – DTS 5.1 Audio Mix

If just a year ago you were told that a movie about a King with a stuttering problem would capture audiences and win the Academy Award for best picture, you would have probably laughed it off. Well when the credits rolled for this year’s Oscars, and the cast of The King’s Speech stood proudly on the stage, all disbelief was shredded. Now available on Blu-ray from Starz/Anchor Bay, The King’s Speech was the little film that came out of nowhere and shined big.

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Reviewed by Johnny McNair

Warner Brothers – 101 minutes – 1995 – Rated PG-13 – 1080p Widescreen 1.78:1 – DTS 5.1 Audio Mix – Digital Copy

The original Mortal Kombat game released in 1992 captured gamers in a big way and became one of the most controversial games of all time. Hollywood saw how the kids were eating it up and decided they could catch the videogame-to-big-screen-movie wave, which was beginning to brew. After the release and failure of another fighting game turned movie, 1994’s Street Fighter, which crashed and burned at the box office, folks were hesitant when they saw that a Mortal Kombat flick was coming out a year later. But where Street Fighter failed, the Mortal Kombat movie pulled the ultimate finishing move to become a success, even spawning a sequel. Mortal Kombat finally hits Blu-ray courtesy of Warner. Now “Finish him!” [Read the rest of this entry…]

Reviewed by Johnny McNair

Warner Brothers – 95 minutes – 1997 – Rated PG-13 – 1080p Widescreen 1.78:1 – DTS 5.1 Audio Mix – Digital Copy

The first Mortal Kombat film made a lot of loot, more than was probably actually expected. And in Hollywood you know what that means, there will be a sequel…whether you want it or not. In the case of Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, they should have stopped when they were ahead. The first film was in no way a work of art, but the second film makes it look like Gone With The Wind. For those of you who are curious, because it’s doubtful that there are any fans for this one, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation comes to Blu-ray from Warner, but someone should have put a finishing move on this one to end the pain.

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Reviewed by Johnny McNair

Fox Home Entertainment – 117 minutes – 2010 – Rated PG-13/Unrated – 1080p Widescreen 2.35:1 – DTS Lossless 5.1 Audio Mix – Digital Copy

Back in the mid-80’s NBC had a hit show that starred a big black guy with a Mohawk and the lovable actor from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and it was a mega hit. Who would have thought we’d still be talking about that show today, let alone it being turned into a big budget Hollywood summer flick. That show (and now movie) is The A-Team. If you love seeing things constantly blow up, The A-Team comes to Blu-ray courtesy of 20^th Century Fox, so check your brain at the door, press play and enjoy the show.

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