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After successfully bringing Star Trek to the mainstream, director J.J. Abrams teamed up with legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg to create this generation's E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. While the story behind Super 8 surrounds the aftermath of a train wreck, the film itself couldn't be anything further from it – one of the most balanced films the genre has seen in quite a long time. A sci-fi film where the "sci" and the "fi" take a back seat to "heart" and "feeling" is not unheard of, but this is a refreshing film, none-the-least.
For the Super 8 Blu-ray review , staff reviewer Martin Liebman commented, "Super 8 shows just how simple a formula it really is to make a good movie. It's all about heart, plot, and characters, with its supporting elements just that, supporting the bigger picture that's superficially dominated by the film's scope and special effects but thematically overwhelmed by the core story." He continues, "Paramount's Blu-ray release of Super 8 is every bit as excellent as the movie. Perfect video, perfect audio, and a nice assortment of extras round this into one of the year's finest must-own releases."
Nothing can stop the "remake train", and not even Schwarzenegger's classic films are spared the indecency. The remake of Conan the Barbarian falls well short of the original, with performances that are forgettable and a 3D presentation – the main drawing point for any new film these days – equally disappointing. But for those looking for a pure action film with little in the way of depth, this film might be right up your alley.
Staff reviewer Kenneth Brown commented in his Conan the Barbarian 3D Blu-ray review , "Nispel's Conan the Barbarian falls flat, as does its 3D presentation. Though backed by a technically proficient video transfer, the 3D experience itself doesn't justify its own existence, sitting on the screen rather than leaping off it. Thankfully, the Blu-ray release at least justifies its cost with an excellent encode, a chest-thumping DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround track and a decent assortment of special features."
The production values are subpar and the story is a little shaky, but to call Three Amigos! anything less than a classic would be an insult to all those involved. Not unlike other comedy classics, it's difficult to go a week without randomly quoting "You son of a motherless goat!" or "It's a sweater!". Much like others of its caliber, the film is timeless and can entertain the very young as easily as the very not-so-young equally. It is, in a word, hilarious.
For the Three Amigos! Blu-ray review , staff reviewer Michael Reuben commented, "It would be tempting to call ¡Three Amigos! a cult classic, but as the Empire interview points out, the film has become more than that." He continued, "At long last, there's a watchable (and affordable) version of the film that everyone can watch."
Uh, sorry folks, but I found SUPER 8 to be pretty bad. It started out very solid, but once it tries to develop an actual story it veers wildly into only general weirdness, with very little of the alien "science" making any sense whatsoever.
The big title for me this week is my preorder of 12 Angry Men.
I'm considering buying Super 8 with the Amazon coupon. I liked the film and thought it was generally well done, though I'm not as ecstatic about it as Martin Liebman apparently is.
Other of this week's titles that I'll probably eventually buy include Conan the Barbarian (2011; 2D), Rushmore, Birth of a Nation and Way Down East. I'd still like to check out The Devil's Double.
I thought super was going to be a movie about and alien crash with some kids in it. But the movie ended up being a film about kids with and alien crash.
Just picked up Super 8. Probably the last movie I will buy this year, but MIGHT make an exception for Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Anyways, Super 8 is a fun film, esp if you liked those old Spielberg movies, since it has that same feel. $15 was a great deal!
Super 8 is one the way, and I'll get "Three Amigos!" and "Rushmore", and perhaps "The Fabric Of The Cosmos" when the price is right for me.
By the way, is "The Fabric Of The Cosmos" somewhat similar to the amazing "Down The Rabbit Hole! What The Bleep??
I just got my rented copy of Super 8 from RedBox. If it is what the reviewer says it is, I'll add it to my wishlist and buy one when the price goes below $8. But for now, it will be a rental.
