Netflix is Go!

As most everyone that read's The B Reel knows, Im a huge fan of Netflix and their Watch it Now feature. Earlier this summer they had announced the app would be coming for the iPhone and Ipod touch, Finally that day has come.

Yesterday Netflix mobile app for iOS hit the market place, I instantly downloaded it. Its pretty slim down easy to work app, I could see some upgrades down the line that include your DVD Q as well. But as it is right now, its all about the instant streaming baby!

It works over wifi of course but as some what as a surprise to me it does allow 3G streaming. Sadly AT&T is very poor in my area so trying to stream over 3G will hardly ever happen. But even so I'm glad to finally have my Netflix instant in my pocket.

If you have an iPhone(or a Ipod Touch) and happen to be a member of netflix, I say why not have this app?

Sean @ the Movies: Piranha 3D

So if you have been following my reviews/posts and Twitter feed, you know that I have been really looking forward to see this movie. Just to give you a little back story about my love for the Piranha series, yes you heard me right series. There are two previous Piranha movies, one that was released in 1978 (directed by Joe Dante) and the other in 1981 (directed by James Cameron). And I am a huge fan of these movies, they are campy as hell, but they are ones that I have been known to re-watch, just to sit back and enjoy the ride, and laugh of course. So when I heard they were going to make a new one and make it in 3D, I was hooked, sorry for the pun.

So this installment is directed by Alexandre Aja, and stars Elizabeth Shue (the town sherrif), Jerry O'Connel (as a Girls Gone Wild Type director) and the very lovely Kelly Brook and Riley Steele (and if you know who she is, you may also recognize a few of the other ladies in this film) as his Wild Wild Girls, and a few cameos by Richard Dreyfuss,Eli Roth, Ving Rhames, and Christopher Lloyd. The story revolves around what happens when an earthquake causes an underwater cave to open up and release a large swarm of prehistoric piranha to reek havoc on spring breakers. And with that the fun begins. And this movie is yet another movie that was up converted to 3D after the fact, so how would the 3D aspect of it hold up.

So I have to say that I really enjoyed this movie, it made me remember how much I loved the two previous films, and it seemed like it was just a great movie to continue the series. There is a great mixture of campy fun, some decent gore, boobs, blood, a few OMG scenes, more boobs, and even a detachable penis, sort of, all of this in 3D. Now the 3D isn't the greatest, but I think it did add a little to the movie, but I feel they could have really utilized the 3D a bit more, I mean c'mon with the creatures being fish, it makes sense that they should be jump out of the water at you, making you move in your seats. I have to say the big set piece during the big attack was awesome, with some great deaths and some decent special effects. If you go into the movie expecting a serious horror movie, you are going to be greatly disappointed, you really need to go in and just sit back and enjoy the ride. There is a little something for everyone in this film.

I have a feeling that this movie is going to be the #10 movie on my top ten movies of the year, just for the simple fact that I had a great time watching it.

Is this movie for everyone, I would like to say yes, but in reality I know it's not. But if you are a fan of the old campy horror movies, this movie is for you. Get a big group of friends together and go out and enjoy the ride.

Official IMDB page:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0464154/

and Official page:

http://piranha-3d.com/

Spartacus: Blood and Sand(S1) Review

 

Some legends are written in blood.

Release Date: September 21, 2010 (DVD/Blu Ray)
Rated: Not Rated
Run Time: 692 minutes
Episodes: 13
Gene: Action/Drama/Fantasy

I love blood and guts like most male movie goers are, But when it comes to TV series some times you just dont get the right amount of it, well thats when Spartacus: Blood and Sand, Steps in and kicks you into the dirt.

This series from the get go is covered in blood, as you can tell from the name of the series it hides nothing from its viewers, which it has no real need to keep the rating down or anything of the such as it is a show on Starz(a Premium movie channel)

Before the series aired people wondered if it could be worth the time to even give it a shot, as who really watches series on starz when you still have HBO and Showtime giving us great series every season. This is when Spartacus came into view, It was that must watch event for starz, they hoped it would catch on like Weeds or Dexter and so on.

When the series finally made its debut it came with mix reactions for most, which I must agree after watching the first episode I couldn't even understand why anyone would watch this series let alone say it was so worth while.

That is the thing, the first episode is pure trash in my opinion as well as others, but I did not give up on the series after only one episode, i kept at it. I must admit it didn't take long at all for this to catch my attention. Episode two the story easily starts to grab me.

As the series goes on you quickly fall in love or find pure hate for characters, This show is all about the story which most people may find odd as it has so much blood, sex and straight up violence in it at all times. That just might be something to help the not so Story loving folks, stay viewers.

As for myself, I found love with characters. Varro played by Jai Courtney became an instant favorite of mine, As he had the good guy role placed out before him but easily showed some what of a darker side as things go on. But he was no match against Ashur(played by Nick Tarabay) as far as dark side goes. Then again this series show plenty of evil from multiple people, some are given reason pushed by good intention but others....Just for blood.

The acting is top notch surprisingly from everyone, not a single character brought me out of this series, Lucy Lawless has his best roles in years(not that it was very hard to do so) and Andy Whitfield became a star.

I Dont feel as if i should go more into the story other than what starz has already told you in the info guide, which is Spartacus is screwed over by a Roman general and then sold as a slave to Batiatus (played by a pure genius in John Hannah) to train to become a Gladiator, The basic story shows his rise to glory but we also have side stories that bleed into the over all arch, which is very well done.

I must give some bad thoughts on the series, which as i have already mentioned before hand, I personally think the first episode was bad. I do look back on it now and know it was setting things up but I just found it boring and i had no feeling for anyone, but that quickly changed as i kept watching.

Plenty of people will give hate for the blood and gore that is in this series, Its green screen CGI stuff somewhat like the scenes from the movie "300" but some of the blood defiantly feels a bit out of place or overly spilled. Some of the blood is done very well and done more from a make up point of view than that of CGI(Make up always wins over CGI for me) but I grew to not be bothered by the poor CGI. Which is also seen when they show us the stadium or selected areas of the world, That CGI is poor at all times.

On to the nudity, Some may be turned off by nudity on television, I'm not on of them as i really dont care either way but trust me if you dont find your self enjoying a Boob once in awhile, You will find hatred for this series, Boobs are not the only thing you will lay eyes upon.
A slight spoiler that must be mentioned, Penis does find plenty of time on screen, especially in one bloody scene....I guess this isnt much of a spoiler but still. That was horrific and awesome but not for the weak at heart.

I watched all 13 episodes thanks to netflix but sadly it apparently ends its streaming status come 8-20-10.

Without any doubt I think this show is a must watch for story lovers, Blood lovers, nudity freaks and anyone that just wants to watch something a bit different than some of the other stuff we find on your TV sets.

The DVD comes out next month, I hope to add it to my collection as this is a champion among Series.

Zombiemania Review

 "............."

Director: Donna Davies
Release Date: January 3, 2008
Rated: Not Rated
Runtime: 57 min


Some of my favorite movies of all time fall under the horror realm of film, Most of which happen to be Zombie features. Such as Night of the living dead and Shaun of the dead(among plenty of others)

One reason for my enjoyment of the zombie movies has to be the look and feel that they swarm you with, The art that goes into what the undead looks like, how they change with time or how everyone looks different. Always amazing and normally that could be a reason to enjoy a zombie film all in its own.

A nice example would be the work done by Tom Savini in Dawn of the dead 1978. He does some amazing work as do other folks that find a living working on the living dead.

Besides having the art feel to a zombie movie most of the time you can find some underlying message in the film which can jump from racial to government power or greed(falling in line with the works from George Romero) You have the option to take your own view on a zombie film, Blood thirsty monsters or are we the monsters?

The little rant that i have been typing is coming from a movie i just watched that is entitled "Zombiemania" it is a documentary from Donna Davies about the impact that zombies have had on hollywood or how hollywood has impacted zombies.

Its very well made talking about Early age zombies to the ones Romero made famous in his films to the new age runners that Snyder has made famous this decade. But the film doesnt focus just no the movies, We actually find some undead in books and video games.

The dead have infected our entertainment.

No doubt about that, I very much enjoy the dead in most every occasion that i find them in(Porn being the odd man out here, Looking at you Porn of the dead)
What really stood out for me was seeing my Favorite Author and one of my Favorite directors both in the same movie, Something that I never really thought i would see. Given my favorite author is famous for his Zombie novels but he still doesn't have the fame i think he deserves. The man being Brian Keene, Author of the book "The Rising"

George A Romero has plenty of screen time in this film to tell his story of how he didnt mean to make the Zombies that are now called "Romero Zombies" and his thoughts on copyrighting material and just some nice little tidbits from the man behind the undead.

Max Brooks of World War Z fame also has plenty of time to talk and i must say he is a funny guy and knows how to speak to the camera when he is given the time. If you dont own World War Z or The Zombie Survival Guide, Please go and pick them up now.

This documentary has plenty of people giving their thoughts on the transformation of the undead in hollywood and just in general. It does run fairly short in my mind but gives plenty in that time. A very cool movie I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys Zombies.

Really this wasn't a review, I dont see much of a negative in a documentary about zombies.
This is one of the best movies that i have seen on Netflix in awhile, I say go and eat this one alive.

Sean @ the Movies: Scott Pilgrim vs the World

So one of my most anticipated movies of the summer has been finally released, Scott Pilgrim vs the World. I have been waiting for this movie ever since I saw the first trailer. This movie has numerous people who are involved and that I enjoy, Edgar Wright (the director of Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead and Spaced), Michael Cera and Anna Kendrick, so that helped fuel my excitement for this movie. I recently started reading the comic books (written by Bryan Lee O'Malley) it was based on, I am on book 2 of 6, so I still have a little ways to go. But the basic premise is Scott Pilgrim (Cera) lives in Canada and is in a local garage band called Sex Bob-omb, and like most guys, has some major relationship issues, including a very bad break up which seems to always come back and haunt him.He starts off dating a 17 year old high school, but quickly falls in the love with the girl of his dreams, who has some major baggage in the form of 7 evil exes that he must defeat in order to continue to date her.

So with the hype meter being very high going in, would the movie meet those expectations... let's just say that was answered with the opening Universal logo and music that were right out of an 8-bit gaming system. This movie was amazing, it was a great mix of comedy, music, fighting and numerous video games. It was basically a lot like watching a motion comic book with sound words popping up and then every once in awhile they throw in a Street Fighter match in, with some great fight sequences (the Ramona vs Roxy and the final battle of course). Edgar Wright once again blows us away with the great visual style and overall feel of this movie, and it literally looked like the comic book was brought to life, so major kudos to you. I also need to point out that there is also a great supporting class including, Alison Pill as Kim Pine (the band's drummer), Kieran Culkin as Wallace Wells (Scott's gay roomate), Chris Evans as Lucas Lee (one of Ramona's evil exes) and of course I cannot forget about Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Ramona Flowers (Scott and pretty much every geek's new dream girl). And of course considering there is a band involved in the story, also have to point out the great soundtrack and score (by Nigel Godrich) to this movie. Beck supplies most of Scott's band and the band Metric supplies the music for Clash at Demonhead. I honestly think I could go on and on about how much I liked this movie, and it will be somewhere near the top of my favorite movies at the end of the year.

But having said that I would say that this movie is not for everyone and I think there is a pretty simple way to figure out if you will like this movie.

Do you like comic books?

Do you like playing video games, especially fighting games?

Does the sound of 8-bit music bring joy to you?

If you said yes to any of these, I have a feeling you are going to like this movie. I work at a theater and when I was in the theater during the beginning of the movie when the 8-bit Universal logo came up and a few people started cheering, those are people that this movie was made for. But I also wouldn't be surprised if a few people who said no to all of those questions, end up liking the movie. All I know is that I will see this movie a few times, and I will be waiting to watch this on Blu-ray when it comes out.

Official IMDB page:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0446029/

Official page:

http://www.scottpilgrimthemovie.com/

I think that is all for this review, can't really think of any trailers that I need to point out at this time. Hopefully the next movie I will be reviewing will be Piranha 3D.Speaking of 3D, I may try and catch a screening of Step Up 3D, just for the simple fact that it's one of the few movies that uses 3D in the right way and from the various scenes I have scene while at work, it looked pretty cool.

So until next time, go out and see a movie

Netflix Reels a Deal

I love movies, I also love Television shows when i find the time to watch them, But some times i just hate going to the movies as its pricey and you never know when you'll have a good group of people in the room with you, Plus whats really worth seeing on the big screen as of late? (The answer would be Inception for anyone wondering). I could always wait awhile and download whatever it is i wanted as well but at times I'd rather just sit back and watch maybe a TV show, But i seem to always fall behind on seasons even with my Tivo.

With Netflix I always have that option to find some classic movie and push play or maybe find a show i never finished or missed a season because cable bills are just way too high, Possible that my Tivo also forgot to record something here or there.


I alway notice how people complain that the selection is "poor" on netlix watch instant. I would always disagree as i have plenty on my Q that i havnt made it to and I always seem to be adding more to it. So running low on content has never been an Issue for me. (As of this article i have 75 items on my instant Q)
Come September 1st it really shouldn't be a big issue with other people either as Netflix has just announced a joint deal with the subscription based service Epix that will load the netflix servers with movies from Paramount Pictures to Lionsgate and MGM. The slight downfall people will point out is we still will have a 90 day wait between the release on DVD and the upload on Netflix.


This deal which cost netflix in the ball park of One Billion dollars in all the crazy fees and such will bring a bigger and better selection to something i already find purely amazing and robust.

What does Netflix cost now adays anyways? I've been a member for years paying around 17 bucks for two Blu rays at a time and the amazing watch now library. Very much worth whatever amount i pay right now. I suggest anyone without a netflix account to check it out.

Come September 1st you will notice more and more Big budget films coming to your watch now list. The deal with Netflix and Epix will last for around five years, I'm sure they will notice a nice surge of new members with this nice announcement as well.

Look at 8-10-10 Releases

Tuesday has come once again, faster than normal for me as today was also "Madden day" so I had to head out and pick up my beloved sports game, But that wasn't the only thing to be purchased today.

Date Night

Two of the most funny TV(some would say Movie) Stars of our time right now are Tina Fet and Steve Carell, With Date Night we finally see the two become a couple in a more for Adults kinda comedy. This was on my Buy list for the cast alone.

Death at a Funeral

Chris rock stars in this American remake for the British comedy of the same name(from 2007) The beautiful Zoe Saldana makes the movie worth a view. The rest of the cast are solid names as well. But this wasnt a must buy for me but being a comedy remake I will have to check it out down the line, I've heard mostly Negative on the film sadly.

The Joneses

David Duchovny and Demi Moore star in this comedy drama about a "perfect family" I always seem to enjoy the little Envy films, Looking forward to viewing this one.

National Lampoon's Vacation on Blu Ray

Cult classic comedy staring Comedy icon Chevy Chase is now out on Blu ray for the first time. This falls under one of the movies that i wonder what if anything is really worth being transfered to a Blu Ray disk in the first place, As much as I love the film, it just seems a bit odd.

European Vacation on Blu Ray
Chevy Chase made a few good and funny films under the National Lampoons name, This one also finds it way out on Blu ray today.

Numb3rs: The Complete Series on DVD
Actually one of the few crime series shows that i found some enjoyment out of but i did find myself forgetting to tune in and watch it week after week. The series is now finished after its 6th season and I might look into catch up with it now that its on DVD.

The Killing Room on Blu Ray
I remember the first time I found this movie at the red box, my friends insisted that it was just going to be a horrible version of SAW, After we sat down and watched it as a group everyone changed their minds as this movie is its own deal and has nearly nothing in common with the splat pack film series "SAW" Its finally out on Blu Ray, I would recommend anyone who enjoys a little bit of suspense and mystery to give this room a chance.

Over all it seemed to be a pretty lack luster week for releases, but maybe thats for the best as next week is always coming up faster then i expect. Until next week  keep the collection coming Keep the Reel moving.

Sean @ the Movies: The Other Guys and some trailers

So another week passed, and the new releases for this week are slim. At work I had a choice between seeing The Other Guys or Step Up in 3D. And so I decided to watch The Other Guys.

The Other Guys was written and directed by Adam Mckay, who gave us Step Brothers and Talladega Nights. I haven't seen either of them, and that reason is that I am not a fan of Will Ferrell. After seeing him in Old School, I quickly realized that he pretty much plays the same character in each movie. So I was over him pretty quick, but I did enjoy him in Stranger than Fiction, but he was playing a somewhat serious character then.

So enough with the sidetrack, the story is about two cops, Ferrell ( a behind the desk cop) and Mark Wahlberg ( cop who got demoted after a shooting incident at a baseball game), who get involved in a big case when just trying to go after a guy for some building permit issues. Wahlberg wants to get back out on the streets and Ferrell seems happy behind the desk. Wahlberg is the angry guy (and pretty much that is his whole attitude in the movie) and Ferrell is always happy (and guess what he also plays the dumb guy), so you know these two are going to get along. Some of the supporting cast includes Samuel Jackson and the Rock (the two hot shot cops), Michael Keaton (looking very old as the captain) and Eva Mendes (as Ferrell's wife, and part of a running joke throughout the whole movie). So the cast is good, and I figured it would be a good buddy cop movie, but within the first half hour a few things happen that pretty much give an idea of what you are going to see. The first involves a very long conversation about a lion fighting a tuna in the ocean, and the other a crazy leap of faith. I also want to say that there was some similarities in this movie and Dinner for Schmucks, which is not a good thing. But there were some good things to this movie, Eva Mendes (never a bad thing when she is in a movie), the soundtrack (it ranged from White Stripes to Rage Against the Machine), but I do have to admit that I did laugh a few times during the movie. One being the whole running joke about TLC, and the other was the conversation Ferrell has with Mendes through her mom. So that should count for something at least. So this has some good and bad, but I have to say that if you are going to see a movie this week, and you already seen Inception a few times or you've seen Salt, this is a movie I think will be worth your time, a phrase I didn't think I would ever say about a movie with Ferrell in it. Also one thing I want to add, the whole movie takes a weird turn during the credits, they get all serious with facts during the credits. And you know what I just remembered another good thing about this movie, you should have seen the first trailer for Jackass 3D before it, and I cannot wait to see that movie.

Official IMDB page:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1386588/

and Official Page:

http://www.theotherguys-movie.com/

And speaking of trailers, here a few trailers for upcoming movies, that I think you should check out.

Burlesque: Yes I know this could be as bad as Glitter, but some of you know of my love for Christina, plus Kristen Bell is in it too, plus the music could be good. We shall see.

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2330134041/

Catfish: You may have heard me talk about this movie a lot lately and I hope after you watch the trailer, you will understand and join me in being excited about seeing this movie.

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi769787417/

Sucker Punch: I don't know a lot about this movie, but I just want to see more of the school girl fighting the giant robot type thing (:55 mark). This is going to be an insane movie, can't wait to go on that ride.

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3707110937/

So that is enough with trailers this week, I am counting down the days until Scott Pilgrim vs the World, and I am also looking forward to checking out Piranha 3D (Aug 20th), and The Last Exorcism (Aug 27th). So that is all for me, so until next time...

..go see a movie!!

Look at 8-3-10 Releases

With the end of summer closing in on us we will start to see some of the movies that kicked off the summer event come out on DVD and Blu Ray. With this little area I would like to list some of the movies you can now find on DVD and Blu Ray. What is on your must buy list this week?

Kick-Ass On DVD and Blu-Ray
One of the most geek loved films of the year is now out in stores, I've already picked up my Blu Ray copy. Have you?

The Ghost Writer On DVD and Blu-Ray
Ewan McGregor and PierceBrosnan team up for some political and sexy fun in this Thriller.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid On DVD and Blu-Ray
Started out as a book series its time to see how it does in the movie world. Steve Zahn is a plus.

Heroes Season 4 On DVD and Blu-Ray
Does anyone really care if this is out? I would like to lay the series to rest but I'll give it some time.

James and the Giant Peach On DVD and Blu-Ray

I really think I will be picking this up on Blu-Ray as i only have a very old VHS copy some place in the garage. Great film.

After.Life On DVD and Blu-Ray
A movie I'm looking forward to viewing down the line, Staring Liam Neeson, Justin long and Christina Ricci.

Movies now on Blu-Ray

The Breakfast club

A classic gets a bit of a touch up. Do you already on it on multiple formats? should you really buy it on Blu-Ray. You must if your a true fan. (Thats what i've been told)

Escape from New York

One of the coolest Dude films from the early 80's Does it hold up on Blu ray? I would like to see the first and second both bundled together in an awesome Blu-Ray double feature. Doesn't look that that is really going to happen right now.

Piranha

A cult classic film from the late 70's is brought back into the light with a blu ray release, This will be a test of how cult classics/older footage does on blu ray, Will it really be worth buying? Lets hope the new movie is at least fun and cheesy. (Piranha 3D)

Plenty of other movies and shows are out today, but was anything a must buy? How does next week look? Till next week, Keep the collection coming. Keep the Reel moving.

Sean @ the Movies: Dinner for Schmucks, Best Worst Movie and Troll 2

So another week has passed, and the big release for last week, was the new film from Jay Roach, Dinner for Schmucks. The movie stars Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, Zach Galifianakis and Jermaine Clement. Rudd plays a guy who has been trying to move up at his job, and one day he takes a risk at a meeting and he gets his shot at moving up. But before he can do that, me must go to a dinner, where each person brings the biggest loser they can find, and for Rudd, that person is Carell. You can guess how this is going to end, but basically Rudd must learn a life lesson and realize what it means to be a good friend and a boyfriend. I have to say that I am not a huge fan or Carell, but I thought I would at least give this movie a shot. Jay Roach is the guy who gave us the Austin Powers movies, and maybe with Galifianakis in it, I would enjoy this movie. Well I hate to say it, but I didn't. Carell playing the dumb guy was funny for a few minutes, after that it lost it's humor fast. And Galifianakis was also a disappointment, I think I prefer him when he plays the kind of dry humor that his stand up is based on. I did laugh a few times, so I guess that means something. I am going to say that this is a movie I would suggest waiting to see on DVD, not sure if it's worth seeing in the theaters. And I think I feel the same, if you are a fan of Carell. And please for the love of God, please someone cast Paul Rudd in a movie, where he is not the main guy who learns a lesson cause he is a jerk to people, I think it's been done enough, find someone else to play that part. I do have to say that the little mouse dioramas that Carell supposedly makes are pretty cool.

Next up, I went down to Chicago with my friend Brian, to go see a double feature of Best Worst Movie and Troll 2 at the Music Box Theatre. Best Worst Movie is a documentary directed by Michael Stephenson,  and it follows George Hardy and some of the other cast of the movie Troll 2, which has been hailed the worst movie ever made, yet it has become a cult classic. Hardy is a dentist in a small town and tries not to bring up the movie he was in too much. Which most of the cast also do, one even omits it from her resume. But anyways, you get a great picture of what being in a bad movie can do for a person, some go with the popularity and some do what they can to move on with their life. There are some funny stories about the making of the film, and there is also some touching moments as some of the people lives have gone off into a weird direction. And speaking of weird, you find out that one of the cast members, was in a mental institute and one his day off went and auditioned for a role in the movie. Most of the people at the screening had already seen Troll 2, but I hadn't, and I still really enjoyed the movie. The movie is making the rounds across the US, and if you get a chance to see it, it's worth your time. And if you're lucky enough to make it a double feature with Troll 2, don't pass it up.

So after the movie and a interesting Q & A, I finally got to watch Troll 2, and my god it was bad, but you know what, when you see a very bad movie with a crowd of people at a midnight screening, it makes it a great time. The story revolves around a family who switches with a family and comes to find out that the town is full of goblins, we are trying to get people to eat so they can turn into plants, so they can be food. There is a boy who sees his dead grandpa, a crazy witch, lots of green food, and a town called Nilbog. And of course there is some great quotes from this movie, the most popular one being, " you can't piss on hospitality". So this movie is a great watch with some friends around, you will laugh at how bad it is, but it's not a movie you are going to watch by yourself, I don't think it will be as funny.

So that ends the reviews for this week, not really what I am going to review next, but I can say that the next film I am really looking forward to is Scott Pilgrim vs the World. But actually this month should be a decent month for movies.

So until next time, go out and see a movie....