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BEING HUMAN: THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON

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THE PLOT THUS FAR

BEING HUMAN is not getting any easier for four twenty-something, supernatural roommates vampire Aidan,(Sam Witwer), ghost Sally,(Meaghan Rath)and werewolves Josh (Sam Huntington) and Nora (Kristen Hager). Together, they struggle to keep their dark secrets hidden from the world, while helping each other navigate the complexities of their double lives.

WHAT WE THOUGHT

“Being Human” enters its third season with the desire to tackle heavy issues. But, they do it in a way that feels like bored teenage nerds trying to hatch weird ideas. The Josh and Nora pregnancy during the full moon thing comes to mind. If you already know and love the characters, you’ll look past it. However, the series has started this weird incline towards fanbase appeal that it will scare off any new viewers. Take that for what you will.

There is something about making monsters sympathetic that I never quite understood. The double life angle is on full display this season and it highlights everything that doesn’t work about the show for me. If I don’t care about the characters before the monster angle, then you’re just putting a cherry on a shit sundae. Monsters work from a place of fear. If we approach them from a place of misunderstanding, then we shift their purpose. That doesn’t quite work for me.

The Blu-Ray comes with featurettes and bloopers. The DTS-HD master audio track is supportive and create a sound stage. The 1080p transfer is on par with the past releases. It works for what it is. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase to fans.

RELEASE DATE: 01/07/2014

FOLLOWING, THE: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON

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THE PLOT THUS FAR

Golden Globe winner and Emmy nominee Kevin Bacon and UK’s James Purefoy (Rome) star in this terrifying new thriller from Kevin Williamson (The Vampire Diaries, Scream). When notorious serial killer Joe Carroll (Purefoy) escapes from death row and embarks on a new killing spree, the FBI calls former agent Ryan Hardy (Bacon), a psychologically scarred veteran who captured Carroll nine years earlier, after Carroll murdered 14 female students on a college campus where he taught literature. Knowing Carroll better than anyone and close with Carroll’s ex-wife, Claire, Hardy works closely with an FBI team, which includes no-nonsense agent Jennifer Mason and sharp upstart Mike Weston, and soon discovers that Carroll was not only communicating with a network of killers in the outside world, but has much more planned than just a prison escape-and there’s no telling how many additional killers are out there.

WHAT WE THOUGHT

“The Following” was a show that I didn’t expect to impress me. That’s not saying that it did impress me. Honestly, there were a dozen other shows this year that won that honor. However, I kept seeing elements of greatness hiding behind techno babble and the desire to turn Purefoy into an Anthony Hopkins knock-off. This show was also part of the new wave of FOX taking a chance on high concept dramas that pushed heavy genre elements. I just wish that the show was smarter.

There is something to be said for what Kevin Bacon brings to the role. He plays the role like a 70s cop trying to make sense of a world out of his pay grade. By having a slightly dumb anchor, it almost makes the material that much easier to digest. The average viewer doesn’t know what’s going on and Bacon seems to be operating from the mentality. When we do have a heavy moment, it’s a shock without any real progression leading to that point. Plus, we do get a few moments of really creepy tension.

The Blu-Ray comes with a Digital HD copy, DVD copy, featurettes, commentary, deleted scenes and Maximum Episode mode. WB is really pushing that in-depth commentary PiP stuff for its wares. The A/V Quality is strong with a reference quality 1080p transfer for a TV show. The DTS-HD 5.1 master audio track is really strong for a show like this. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase.

RELEASE DATE: 01/07/2014

REWIND THIS!

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THE PLOT THUS FAR

An exploding industry without rules! Direct to-video madness! VHS vs. Beta! In the 1980s, videotape changed the world and laid the foundation for modern media culture. REWIND THIS! traces the rise and fall of VHS from its heyday as the mainstream home video format to its current status as a nostalgic relic and prize to collectors who still cherish it. Featuring interviews with both filmmakers and enthusiasts from the VHS era, including Troma legend Lloyd Kaufman, indie auteur Atom Egoyan, and Hobo with a Shotgun filmmaker Jason Eisener, REWIND THIS! is the definitive story of the format that came to be synonymous with the home video revolution. So gather up your friends and start the pizza party just make sure to have your tapes back on time.

WHAT WE THOUGHT

“Rewind This” is a short look at the rise and fall of VHS. Honestly, I can’t believe the level of talent they got to discuss the matter. It shouldn’t be a surprise, as VHS was what broke the Western World into media culture. It was the first real shot across the bow that allowed the world to rediscover cinematic history and cult gems hidden in the murky underworld. There’s so much to do with the material and there’s such a bizarre series of protocol attached to it. It almost feels painfully criminal that we only got a 90 minute documentary.

VHS will always hold a special place in my heart. I can’t remember a time before it, but I remember it being the first tool I ever used to reach out and discover the world of film. I caught crap in college because I kept using it to discover random movies while not falling back on DVD for the far more popular films. That was OK, as I knew what I wanted. That kind of discovery is on full display in this documentary and it’s a touchstone for all of those that learned about cinema through this format.

The DVD comes with commentary, original animations, music video, interviews and more! The A/V Quality is pretty solid for a documentary celebrating VHS’s heyday. However, the Dolby track seemed to be thin. It wasn’t terrible, as it added to the overall aesthetic. In the end, I think it might be one of the best documentaries of 2013.

RELEASE DATE: 01/14/2014

MY LITTLE PONY: CLASSIC MOVIE COLLECTION

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THE PLOT THUS FAR

Princess Promenade: Wysteria is beaming with pride! Her gardens are in bloom*her little Breezie friends are in town*and it’s time for Ponyville’s fanciest spring parade*the ultimate celebration of flowers! But things don’t go according to plan when Wysteria accidentally awakens Spike the Dragon*a sleepy*silly*1*000-year-old dragon! For you see*legend holds that when a dragon is awakened*a new princess is about to be crowned! But who is the Princess of Ponyville? Runaway Rainbow: If it’s all about rainbows it must be about Rainbow Dash. And it is. She loves this time of year when Ponyville and Breezie Blossom are all about celebrating rainbows. Meanwhile in a new magical place called Unicornia*Rarity is being taught how to be a Unicorn Princess and the importance of making the first rainbow of the season. But Rarity embarks on an incredible ride that includes a magic wand*falling through the clouds right into the middle of Breezie Blossom*a visit to Ponyville*meeting Spike the Dragon and a huge adventure as she tries to get back to Unicornia. She soon realizes that getting home in time to create the first rainbow of season is not an easy thing to do — but it is fun!

WHAT WE THOUGHT

“My Little Pony” returns with a collection of movies that you’ve previously seen. “The Princess Promenade”, “Dancing in the Clouds”, “The Runaway Rainbow” and “Friends are Never Far Away” are here to teach you about teamwork. There’s also some nonsense about the true value of friendship, but it’s pretty blah. To call the material formulaic would be redundant. Everyone but the Pre-K set knows what they’re getting out of these shows.

The movies presented here are pretty standard DTV fare. They lack the postmodern humor that comes from the recent season. Still, there’s a reason why they’re called classic movies. They provide a proper historical context for Pony fans. Listen to me, talking about this franchise. It’s almost like I paid attention during the last 90 reviews of this stuff.

The DVD comes with sing-alongs as the sole special feature. The A/V Quality is pretty adequate for standard definition. The Dolby track doesn’t really create an elaborate sound stage. Ultimately, it won’t matter to little kids or Bronies. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase to fans.

RELEASE DATE: 01/21/2014

COMEDY BANG! BANG! THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON

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THE PLOT THUS FAR

Created, written by and starring Scott Aukerman (co-creator/director/producer, Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis; writer/performer, Mr. Show) and based on Scott’s popular podcast of the same name, Comedy Bang! Bang! infuses celebrity appearances and comedy sketches with a tinge of the surreal. In each episode, Aukerman engages his guests with unfiltered and improvisational lines of questioning, punctuated by banter and beats provided by his bandleader, one-man musical mastermind Reggie Watts (Conan). Packed with character cameos, filmic shorts, sketches and games set amongst an off-beat world, Comedy Bang! Bang! delivers thirty minutes of absurd laugh-loaded fun.

WHAT WE THOUGHT

“Comedy Bang! Bang!” isn’t my cup of tea. I find the comedy to be forced and the strength of the show is dependent on its guests. I’m familiar with Aukerman’s past work, but it appears that the guy works better in an ensemble. Then, there’s Reggie Watts. The guy who butchered what should’ve been an easy cover of “Panama” for the Onion’s AV Club. This show plays like the host’s friends and contemporaries showing up to entertain him while Reggie Watts provides a lame soundtrack.

IFC is trying to play to the comedy of the weird. It works at times and other times it creates things like “Portlandia”. While I’ve always enjoyed and embraced art that lives on the side of the street where people dig Jackson Pollack, there’s something to be said for restraint. If comedy is forced to be weird without any real reason to develop, then a comedian is creating something as empty and vapid as what exists on the major networks. The act of which is fascinating and almost deserves to be observed on its own merits.

The DVD comes with commentaries, deleted scenes, interviews, featurettes and promos. The A/V Quality is pretty strong for standard definition. There is a minimal amount of digital noise on the transfer. The Dolby track lacks any substantial back channel support. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase to fans.

RELEASE DATE: 01/21/2014

HAIL MARY

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THE PLOT THUS FAR

One of the most controversial films of all time by one of the world’s most provocative directors. Hail Mary is Jean-Luc Godard’s retelling of the story of the virgin birth, transposed to modern day and filled with the mundane aspects of any teenage girl’s life. Punctuated by beautiful cinematography and a lush score, it is a surprisingly heartfelt and reverential film by a master filmmaker. The short; The Book of Mary was originally released with the feature as a companion piece. Directed by long-time Godard collaborator Anne-Marie Miéville, it tells the story of the break-up of a marriage as seen through the eyes of the couples young daughter.

WHAT WE THOUGHT

“Hail Mary” is a film that was talked up a great deal before I got to see it. What I ended up seeing was one of Godard’s crudest film with over-acting on par with a Charles Band production. The fact that the Pope got involved in the ballyhoo around the movie feels pretty undeserved. Taking the gospel and placing it in the context of the modern poor shouldn’t be offensive. Some say that it was placing this new virgin Mary in so many full frontal nudity shots. I just feel that it’s a different breed of literary canon nerds arguing over contextual changes.

Godard rumbles through this movie like a badger on speed. It’s ugly at points, while reveling in the vulgarity of what’s being presented. Vulgarity in the common sense, not in the popping boners sense. If you can pop a boner while watching this, then I’ve got a few inkblots for you to examine. The score is almost too majestic and orchestral at times. It throws off the general aesthetic and turns this film into another schizo example of Godard’s 1980s output.

The Blu-Ray comes with a short film, featurettes that were previously unavailable in the United States, trailers, commentary and much more! The A/V Quality is pretty sharp for a foreign independent movie. The 1080p transfer is the best that I’ve seen the film look. The LPCM 2.0 track is slightly lossy, but it almost benefits a film like this. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase to serious film fans.

RELEASE DATE: 01/07/2014