Backporch Beer - WE'VE CLOSED! THANKS FOR YOUR PATRONAGE!

Archive for 'Reviews' Category

Disc New Releases – 3/29/2011

Top of the Pops: Black Swan – 5 Academy Award nominations, including a win for Natalie Portman’s Best Actress performance, leaves little room to doubt the quality of this masterpiece. I consider this Aronofsky’s most accessible movie and he did…

DVD New Releases – 10/5/2010

These are my DVD and Blu-Ray picks that are getting released this week…plus a couple from last week when I was too busy with Fantastic Fest to go DVD shopping. (It is a BIG BIG week for new releases, btw.)
Beauty and the Beast (Three-Disc Diamond Edi…

DVD New Releases – 9/14/2010

These are my DVD and Blu-Ray picks that are getting released this week.

• Glee: The Complete First Season – I’m not buying as many TV shows on disc lately, but I enjoyed so many moments of this ridiculous show that I have to physically possess it.
• The Twilight Zone: Season 1 – Rod Serling was a genius, bringing genre fiction to popular television in a magical way.
• Jacob’s Ladder – I remember how much this creeped me out and solidified Tim Robbins as one of the most talented actors of his generation. I hear the transfer is not good but I may buy it anyway.
• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring; The Two Towers ; and The Return of the King – DO NOT BUY THESE DISCS! New Line is pulling more Lucas-esque bullshit by releasing the inferior individual Theatrical Editions which were already available in a multi-disc pack. They will be releasing the Extended Editions in mid-November.
• Monster House [3D Version] – It’s wonderful that the second “BluRay 3D” (where the 3D is built-into the data, not just a red/blue 3D movie) is this great kid’s movie. Unfortunately I won’t be going 3D until I can afford passive 3D (like RealD) at home.
• Raging Phoenix – This is not a perfect movie, but the lead actress Jija Yanin is the greatest embodiment of girls kicking ass since Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The plot is as silly as DRUNKEN MASTER but it’s a fun ride.
• Return of the Living Dead – The broken off comedy arm of The Living Dead movies started with this timeless zombie flick.
• Seven – One of the most memorable serial killer movies of all time.
• Letters to Juliet – I missed seeing this in the theater and the reviews say it is completely unimpressive, but I love Amanda Seyfried so I’ll catch in on Netflix.
• My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done? – I didn’t make it out to the screening of this Lynch-produced/Herzog-directed nightmare, but the people I trust about this kind of bizarre arthouse fare tell me it’s something I should see.
• Return of 5 Deadly Venoms – I saw this at BNAT 4 (2002) for the first time, and it is a glorious Shaw Brothers movie — think USA’s Kung Fu Theater — that is better understood under its original title CRIPPLED AVENGERS.
• Where the Red Fern Grows – Now that Disney is either animated or HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL we don’t get many good live action family films anymore. Even the hardest of souls will have a soft spot for this true classic directed by Norman Tokar. This was Tokar’s only non-Disney film, but in film he was almost always a Disney man, and in TV he directed the bulk of LEAVE IT TO BEAVER.

DVD New Releases – 8/31/2010

These are my DVD and Blu-Ray picks that are getting released this week.

• Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy – The Rich Mahogany Edition – One of the most quotable of Will Ferrell’s movies is being offered in this Best Buy exclusive featuring a 12 pack of trading cards and “The Many Months of Burgundy” journal.


• The Evil Dead (Limited Edition) – The classic Sam Rimi and Bruce Campbell debut gets a high def release. (It’s Evil Dead…what else can you say?)


• The Best Of Soul Train (3 DVD) – Just a glance of the description makes this purchase irresistible: “…exclusive performances by The Jackson Five, Marvin Gaye, The O’Jays, Smokey Robinson, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Sly & The Family Stone…the original dance styles and scene-stealing fashions…the Soul Train Dance Line and the Soul Train Scramble Board….Barry White on stage performing with a full orchestra…Marvin Gaye and Don Cornelius playing one-on-one basketball with Smokey Robinson refereeing…”


• I Think We’re Alone Now – A documentary about Tiffany fans doesn’t seem that big a deal. Except she was a pop singer in the 80’s and this film was made in 2008 about two people who are her biggest fans. It gets weird. This was a hit at Fantastic Fest that year. (Technically this came out last week, but it hit my radar today.)


• FlashForward: The Complete Series – I had several episodes of this show on my DVR when in got canceled. I’m afraid to watch the “complete” series lest it leave me thinking they never had a chance to actually complete it. Did anyone watch it to the end?


• Expendables 2: Zero Heroes – What a coincidence that a few weeks after a movie called The Expendables slams the international box office that this DVD collection of four low budget 80’s movies (including a 1989 movie called The Expendables) — none of which has more than 100 votes on IMDb — finds its way to the release lists. It does include Cobra Mission which starred John Wayne’s son Ethan Wayne.

If you’re looking for cheap Blu-Ray discs, Warner Brothers has a sale this week.

DVD New Releases – 8/17/2010

These are my DVD and Blu-Ray picks that are getting released this week.

• The Good, the Bad, the Weird – Everyone should see this movie. It is an amazing homage to classic spaghetti westerns, yet it is complete as a stand-alone action/western. This is why Koreans may soon rule international cinema.
• Red Riding Trilogy – Wide critical acclaim and a Rotten Tomatoes freshness rating of 85%, but I have avoided seeing this in the theater. I’m glad it got a disc release before Oscar season (though I’m not sure how it would fit the Academy’s category restrictions.)
• Skellig: The Owl Man – Since this has pretty much only aired on European TV, I haven’t seen it; but I Iike Tim Roth, LOVE Kelly McDonald, and I’m partial to movie adaptations of children’s books. It’s going in the queue.
• Cougar Town: The Complete First Season – Whatever reason you have for not watching this TV show doesn’t change the fact that it’s hilarious. Featuring the lady power trio of Courteney Cox, Christa Miller and Busy Phillips, it brings the funny that’s been missing from sitcoms.
• DOA: Dead or Alive – This is one of Becky’s favorite bad movies. It has a lot of girls kicking ass in absurd ways, but I’m guessing she won’t push for a Blu-Ray upgrade.
• Furry Vengeance – I know Becky wants me to buy this one, but I think we’ll wait for the deluxe edition.

DVD New Releases – 8/10/2010

These are my DVD and Blu-Ray picks that are getting released this week.

• Date Night – Carell and Fey show their obvious talent by covering up for the Hollywood summer cliche of mega-comedy-stars as a couple who need a wild night to become closer. It has some real laughs, but it’s a rental at best.
• Crumb (The Criterion Collection) – I’ve been struggling to define what makes a good documentary, and this one is one of the best. I’m still not sure why this wasn’t nominated for an Academy Award because it is equal part beautiful and melancholy, while always being compelling. (p.s. Has Criterion always priced Blu-Ray discs at the same MSRP as DVDs?)
• In the Shadow of the Moon – After Life and Planet Earth you thought all the good documentaries would be narrated by David Attenborough, but the voices here are 100% all-American. All the men who’ve been to the moon reminisce along with some rare NASA footage.
• Under the Mountain – We saw this at Fantastic Fest last year. Sam Neill is the father of twins down under who find scary creepy things going on underneath a house in the town they just moved to. It’s not perfect, but it’s entertaining and I think tweens would like it a lot.
• National Lampoon’s Vacation; National Lampoon’s European Vacation – Summer is almost over, but squeeze the last drops by spending time watching the Griswolds in HD. I’m not sure we needed an upgrade for these, but they are some of the most-quoted films.
• Scream Franchise Collection – It’s only available as a Canadian import, and you get stuck with Scream 3 (which has a 38% freshness rating), but Scream and Scream 2 (both with 80% freshness ratings) did a great job riding the line of homage and parody. (Canada is in our region for Blu-Rays so the discs will play in any U.S., Canada, or East/Southeast Asia Blu-Ray player.)

DVD New Releases – 8/3/2010

These are my DVD and Blu-Ray picks that are getting released this week. (Last week was so barren for new releases, so of course this week overflows.)

• Kick-Ass – I loved this movie both times I saw it in the theater. I can’t wait to see it again (and again) at home.
• James and the Giant Peach – This is my least favorite of Selnick’s animated movies (behind The Nightmare Before Christmas and Coraline…I pretend to forget he did Monkeybone), but it is absolutely so gorgeous that I can’t wait to see it on Blu-ray.
• The Ghost Writer – Polanski’s crimes are impossible to overlook, but he makes phenomenal movies and this is no exception. Even with the modern film techniques, this has the classic feeling of old-school thrillers like To Catch a Thief. (Yes, I put this movie up against classic Hitchcock.)
• Blood Simple – A high def version of the Coen brothers’ debut movie is released in time to test the comparisons of Terribly Happy (that was released just three weeks ago.)
• Elvis: Blu-ray Collection (Jailhouse Rock / Viva Las Vegas / Elvis on Tour) – For my former boss, this transfer of the best of America’s greatest rock-and-roll star.
• The Breakfast Club (25th Anniversary Edition) – I’m always happy about new Blu-ray conversions, and I love this movie, but will this HD version offer anything my DVD doesn’t have?
• Bull Durham – Smart move to release on Blu-ray the third biggest baseball movie of all time in the midst of baseball season. (Field of Dreams and The Natural are #1 and #2, of course.)
• Road to Perdition – There was a UK cheaply-made version of this stunningly beautiful movie released previously on Blu-Ray, but this is the first official version for the US and it’s got some great extra content.
• A Prophet – I missed this Best Foreign Film Oscar Nominee, so I’m glad to see it get a high def release.
• Piranha (1978) – It’s not happenstance that Roger Corman Classics is releasing the original just two weeks before the 2010 3D remake is released.
• Heroes: Season Four – “The fourth and [thank god it’s the] final season heads to the carnival.”
• Charlie’s Angels [Blu-ray] – I didn’t think this movie was that good (although Crispin Glover is awesome) and wouldn’t even consider the high def upgrade, but it is cheap.
• Max Headroom: The Complete Series – For some reason, seeing this released on anything other than VHS feels…impure, but it was a staple of my high school years.
• Spike – The reviews for this independent horror film (that I had not heard of previously) throw out words like “instant cult classic” and describe it as a “modern Beauty and the Beast”, but they all seem to be positive reviews.
• Open House – I am fascinated when a movie co-starring happening actors goes straight to disc without reviews. “True Blood” is riding another peak of fandom, and it’s female lead, Anna Paquin, co-stars in this horror movie alongside the “True Blood” male lead, Stephen Moyer, PLUS Tricia Helfer from “Battlestar Gallactica”. This can’t be good. (p.s. One of you “True Blood” fans should buy this and let me borrow it.) (p.p.s. The writer/director is Anna Paquin’s older brother, Andrew. Factor that in.)

DVD New Releases – 7/13/2010

These are my DVD and Blu-Ray picks that are getting released this week.

• Terribly Happy – This Danish movie is commonly and understandably compared to Blood Simple, and it is truly just as disturbingly well-crafted. I bet I buy it again someday on Blu-Ray, hopefully from Criterion.
• Insomnia – It’s embarrassing that I haven’t seen this, but I’m intrigued that they changed the packaging to feature Al Pacino instead of Robin Williams. Added to queue.
• Greenberg – Will the cover — specially designed to counter the downer-buzz of the theatrical release — with the EXTREMELY LARGE font saying “EXTREMELY ENTERTAINING” cause people to forget this is a Baumbach movie? (I’m not being fair. I haven’t seen it because I’m not ready for another soul-crushing Baumbach movie.)
• Chloe – This weekly post is turning into “here are the movies I missed”. Some people loved this movie, most hated it, but a naked Amanda Seyfried is all I need to know to buy it.
• Greatest – I have no memory of this movie ever coming out, but I have such a crush on Carey Mulligan’s talent that I will have to see this.
• In Bruges – A great movie, but I don’t know why it needed the upgrade to HD.
• Assault on Precinct 13 – This is the 2005 version (with Ethan Hawke and Laurence Fishburne) which got 60% on Rotten Tomatoes. I liked it ok, but I hear it’s not as good as the original 1976 version directed by John Carpenter, which has a 75% on RT.
• America the Beautiful – I’ve been in a lot of conversations about body image and the media lately — mainly because of feministfrequency’s latest video, with which I take some issue — so I’m intrigued by this “acclaimed” documentary.
• Artois the Goat – Nerd/internet fan favorite Stephen Fry co-stars in this comedy which had a lot of good festival buzz, so I’ll add it to my queue.
• Don’t You Forget About Me – (No, really, I should call this post “so many movies I never got around to seeing.”) Is it a recent fad of documentaries to turn from a popular subject — John Hughes, in this case — to the obsessive fans of the implied title? Queue, added.
• The Girl By the Lake – The Amazon description says “… swept Italy’s Academy Awards, won the Venice Film Festival s top acting prize…” so I’m intrigued.
• The Scarf – Should I feel bad making light of what I see as overt ridicule-attracting Christianity? (Particularly when I consider myself to be a Christian?)  Check out this synopsis: Produced in 2009, this new feature length film is a Faith [note their capitalization of the word] based sci-fi drama is about two high school friends Daniella and Krista who are assigned to a science project on UFO’s. While working together on research, their minds and imagination are stretched farther than their teacher could have ever foreseen. With an over-obsessive drive to gain attention and a good grade, Daniella starts to believe she is connected with a UFO and the spirited powers of her aunt. This project soon threatens to tear apart her friendships, family and even her own life. But in the end it is the power of prayer and the lesson that God never leaves you that saves her from the unknown. Wha?!?

DVD New Releases – 7/6/2010

These are my DVD and Blu-Ray picks that are getting released this week.

• A Single Man – This is why I sort of dread “Oscar season”. The trailer for this movie and all of the buzz spoke to me in a very deep fashion, yet I never found the time to see it then.
• The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo – I also neglected to catch this in the theater. I heard it was beautiful, but hard and tragic. I’m a bad movie consumer.
• Battle League Horumo – One of my favorite films at Fantastic Fest last year. It’s silly and romantic, and all the fun you can imagine.
• Ladybugs – What?!? The list of movies that need be converted to High Def before this one approaches infinity.
• Bitten – I’m so angry about the last time I bought a movie because it said “Jason Mewes” on the cover that I refuse to believe it this time. Unless they also green screened him into this.

DVD New Releases – 6/1/2010

These are my DVD and Blu-Ray picks that are getting released this week.

• Undisputed III: Redemption – This movie has the best non-Asian fight choreography that can be arranged today. The story is sometimes not right but OMG the fighting is amazing, and Marko Zorar (the villain) will be a big star someday soon.
• Rampage – When an Uwe Boll movie gets 3 of 5 stars at Fantastic Fest then something is going on, because most genre fans hate Uwe just for being Uwe.  I couldn’t fit this into my schedule last year, but I’ll be seeing it now.
• Alice in Wonderland -The build-up and culmination of a particular Mad Hatter scene aside, this was a good movie with some discussion-able themes.  Although, releasing it in 3D was pointless.
• The Wolfman – There were a few CGI moments that spoiled this movie, but the homage to classic monster films almost worked.
• The Man with No Name Trilogy [Blu-ray]- This is spaghetti western at its finest.  Yes, it sucks that I just recently had to buy TGTB&TU but it’s great to get the Fistful pair added to my collection.
• Bad Boys – Classic Michael Bay movie just before he became his own cliche.
• Barton Fink/Miller’s Crossing/Raising Arizona – I usually don’t comment on these redundant-release bundle sets, but you gotta admit that is one compelling triple feature.
• Life (with Oprah) or Life (with David Attenborough) – Since (most) Americans won’t watch a BBC documentary, they re-edited this UK release with Oprah on the voice-over. This is the same team that did Planet Earth, so you know it’s amazing, but which should I choose?!?
• Live Nude Comedy – I’m not gonna buy this, but Shannon Elizabeth doing sikmpy stretches before Andy Dick does stand-up intrigues me.

DVD New Releases – 5/18/2010

Every week I make a list of notable discs being released so I can figure out what I “need” to buy. ;)

DVD New Releases – 5/11/2010

Every week I make a list of notable discs being released so I can figure out what I “need” to buy. ;)

DVD New Release – 5/4/2010

Every week I make a list of notable discs being released so I can figure out what I “need” to buy. ;)

DVD New Releases – 4/27/2010

Every week I make a list of notable discs being released so I can figure out what I “need” to buy. ;)

DVD New Releases – 4/20/2010

I haven’t been slacking. I promise. There just hasn’t been anything released that caught my eye these past few weeks. There is one shining star on tomorrow’s horizon. K-20: Fiend With Twenty Faces (Ws Sub Ac3 Dol) – I saw this at Fantastic Fest 2010, and loved it. It takes so long for these to […]