Blu-Ray Pickups 16/03/15

Yet again I have been on a trip to HMV. I went for the 5 for £30 deal as I am still trying to build up my Blu-Ray collection.

 The first film I chose was David Fincher's Se7en. If you have not seen this film I will say it is not an easy watch due to some of the disturbing scenes however if you can get past that Se7en is one of the best films ever made.

Next up is a film I have only seen once when I was about 15 and can hardly remember, American Beauty. I love Kevin Spacey so I am definitely looking forward to watching this soon.

The next film I chose to get was Top Gun. this film is NOT a chick flick. I absolutely love Top Gun, it is defiantly one of the most quotable films of all time. Anyone else feel some weird sexual tension between Iceman and Maverick ?

Contrary to popular opinion the Sixth Sense is not my favourite M. Night Shyamalan film. The next film I picked up is my favourite. Unbreakable is not just a great film but it is also an original superhero film. The partnership of Bruce Willis and Samuel L Jackson is brilliant and the ending leaves a lot to the imagination. I cant recommend Unbreakable enough.

The final film I picked up was The Untouchables. It's a film I have never owned on any format so it was definitely time to get it on Blu-Ray. If you have not seen Untouchables, what is wrong with you?

Top 10 Action Films

Here we go with yet another Top 10. This time it’s my favourite action movies of all time. I have a few rules for this top 10 first of which is that I’m only counting pure action movies. That means no superhero movies or fantasy/sci-fi. I will do a Top 10 adventure movies that will include Indiana Jones. Don’t worry! Let’s get into it.

10. 300

We need more movies like this. Possibly one of the most quotable films of all time.

9. Dirty Harry

Speaking of quotable films. “Do I feel lucky? Well do you Punk?” this is by far my favourite Dirty Harry film even though Magnum Force is pretty good as well.

8. Speed

Speed is the definition of a non-stop thriller from the moment the film starts. Yes the bus defies physics when it jumps the gap but who cares? Speed is awesome.

7. John Wick

The most recent film on my list and another Keanu Reeves film. I really enjoy this movie as I just love movie protagonists who are as precise as John Wick. I like to think if someone killed my dog I would go full John Wick on them.

6. The Untouchables

As an overall film this would probably be number 1 on this list but as an action film there are some better options. Sean Connery makes this movie with his dry wit and some brilliant lines.

5. True Lies

This film is so stupid but that’s what makes it great. I’m not sure if Arnold has had so many great one liners in one film. It also contains possibly the best death of a main villain ever.

4. The Raid

This film is has possibly the most basic plot of any action film but then that’s what makes it great as it all takes place in one location and is basically a 90 minute fight.

3. Terminator 2: Judgement Day

This would be many peoples number one and I would not argue that at all however there are two films which I like more and had to put ahead of this. The T-1000 is however possibly the best action movie villain ever.

2. Die Hard

Ok you knew this was coming if you saw the picture at the top of the post. Die Hard is an unbelievable action movie but also a really funny movie because of the brilliant dialogue between John McLane and the villain Hans Gruber.

1. The Rock

“Welcome to the Rock”.  As much as it pains me to have a Michael Bay film at number 1 I just couldn't ignore The Rock. Sean Connery and Nicholas Cage break into Alcatraz to stop a former army general portrayed by Ed Harris from launching deadly missiles at the city of San Francisco. How is that not awesome?

Star Wars episode 8 release date confirmed and standalone title announced

Star Wars episode 7 The Force Awakens is still 8 months away but we already have a release date for episode 8. May 27th 2017 is the confirmed release date for the untitled film.

We also got a title for the first Star Wars standalone film from Godzilla director Gareth Edwards. The standalone will be title Rouge One. The film starring Felicity Jones is said to be “the first film in a unique series of big-screen adventures that explores the characters and events beyond the core Star Wars saga.”

Rouge One is due for release December 16 2016.

The Deal of all Deals. Blu Ray Pick-up

So after the gym today I had time to kill before my next train which left me with two options. FOPP or HMV ? I decided on FOPP and was just going for a twenty minute browse at Blu Rays without any thought of purchasing any.

As I have described in previous posts the Marvel films are some of the most expensive films to try and acquire as they don't depreciate at all, however as I was looking through the westerns section I spotted an out of place film. Somehow a single Blu Ray copy of Iron Man had been slotted next to some of Clint Eastwoods classics. When pulled it out and went to return it to its rightful place I noticed that it was marked at £8. Now this may not seem shocking to anyone one reading this who has never been interested in Blu Rays as £8 seems like a fairly bog standard price for a film which came out in 2008. The thing is though, I have never seen any copy of Iron Man sell for less than £15 at best so as soon as my brain processed this I went to look at the other copies of the film to check what price they were. Every single other copy of the film was £15, as a result I near enough sprinted to the counter and paid for my copy before anyone realised the mistake. This is the second time in four days I have got a great deal in FOPP and they are quickly becoming my go to place for Blu Rays

When leaving FOPP I did a check online to see if I could get this copy of Iron Man for cheaper than £8. there were a few used copies on eBay in the £7 figure and new for about £10. Amazon had it marked at £20.00 with HMV pricing it at £15.

I am pretty chuffed with this deal today however the rest of the Marvel films were very expensive in FOPP so I think I will still have to venture online for them.

Newsbite - Chris Pine to play Green Lantern ?

Of all DC's upcoming movies (not including Shazam) the only character we are unaware who will be portraying them is Green Lantern. There is now news circulating that Green Lantern could very well be Chris Pine. In all honesty I wouldn't have minded Ryan Reynolds returning but as he seems to be content being Deadpool which has me ecstatic.

Pine certainly has the charm for the role and the acting quality to lead a big blockbuster movie as he has done with Star Trek.

Green Lantern is scheduled to appear in Justice League part 1 and 2 with his own solo movie in 2020.
He may also get a cameo in 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Would the casting of Chris Pine be a good one ?

Latest Blu-Ray Pick-ups

If you are up to date with my latest blog posts you will know that I made the decision to get rid of my excessive DVD collection and completely upgrade to Blu-Ray. So far I managed to pick up Super 8 for £2.50 on Amazon of all places and Saving Private Ryan for a fiver. 

Yesterday I went into Glasgow after university and headed for CEX first as I had store credit. my plan was to head there to get some more expensive ones second hand. This didn't happen. The selection of Marvel films they had such as Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy were still fairly expensive and not in great condition so I decided to pass on them.What I did manage to pick up were some great deals. Godfather for £3.50, The Rock at £2.50, UP for £3 which was a fantastic deal for the Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack and considering how expensive Disney films are ! I also managed to get one of my favourite films the Presteige along with Hellboy for £2.50 each.

I then went across the road to Fopp. They didn't really have much I was interested in but I did see The Social Network for £3 and when I went to pay it turned out to only be £2. Not bad at all. Fopp actually is quite good for Blu Rays if it is just an individual you are looking for but they don't offer as many deals as HMV which was my next stop. This is where I picked up the vast majority of my Blu-Rays. Firstly I grabbed a copy of the Imitation Game which only came out yesterday and I couldn't wait to watch it again. I then utilised the 5 for £30 deal and chose Looper,The Big Lebowski, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Last Samurai and Catch me if you can. I also picked up the Oceans Trilogy for £9. Finally I used the buy 1 get 1 free offer on Disney Blu Rays to get Lion King and Aladdin. the worryingly didn't have Robin Hood, Hercules or Tarzan which may be out of cycle at the moment. 

Today I popped into HMV before the gym to have a look and see if I could get yet another 5 for £30 deal. this is what I got excluding Saving Private Ryan and Super 8 the other film was Sound of Music for mothers day. I swear !

If you would like me to do this kind of post more regularly it would be awesome if you liked this post and commented. Thanks

Tomorrowland trailer review

So the first full trailer for Tomorrowland has just dropped and it's awesome. The first trailer already had my curiosity but now it has my attention  (Django Unchained reference).

The trailer is keeping the plot points close to the chest which is nice to see for a change and this looks like a Sci-fi film unlike the recent Chappie that is brimming with new ideas. I can't wait to see this film.

Who will die in Avengers Age of Ultron ?

A question that has been playing on many minds in the lead up to Aprils Avengers Age of Ultron is who is going to kick the bucket.

• Originally the easy money was on Tony Stark however as he is now confirmed for Captain America Civil War so that pretty much rules him out unless that announcement is the biggest twist ever.
• Then we come to Cap himself. The still at the top of the post from the trailer would like to make you think that he may be the one to go especially the broken shield being used as a symbol. However as he is also going to be in at least Civil War I don't see him going either.
• So how about Thor ? This is one option that I think is a possibility. Yes Thor Ragnarok is confirmed but as we all know "whoever holds this hammer will possess the power of Thor" therefore it doesn't need to be Thor. 
• Hulk ? No chance
• Black Widow is an unlikely option as there are too few women in the MCU as it is.
• Nick Fury is another I don't think they will attempt to kill as they have already done it once.
• Hawkeye  is a character who could go even though he is confirmed to be in Civil War. That might just be a stunt.
• There is no way they will kill Vision in his first appearance.
• Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver? Here we have I believe the most likely candidate. If I had to put money on someone I would go with Quicksilver as there has to be something to push Scarlet Witch to become an Avenger. Ultron slaughtering her brother would do that nicely.
• Iron Patriot -  I only have this as an option as if there was something that would motivate Tony Stark it would be his creation killing his best friend. Possibility ?

Chappie Review

Chappie is the latest sci-fi movie from director Neil Blomkamp who has already given us District 9 and Elysium. First of all Chappie has a fantastic cast with great actors such Dev Patel, Sigourney Weaver, Hugh Jackman and Sharlto Copley as Chappie. Arguably the main characters in the movie are the band Die Antwoord who play a gangster version of themselves.

To be clear going into this film I was not a big fan of Neil Blomkamp.  I though Disrict 9 was an interesting movie but the characters lacked personality and Elysium was great visually with a rather boring plot. The character development in District 9 and Elysium was near enough non-existent and sadly it’s the same in Chappie. This is a film I was initially interested in from the trailer as it looked like a kind of Robocop/Iron Giant crossover however unlike those films you don’t care about anyone in it especially due to the fact the film focusses mainly on these band members who are two of the most unlikeable “actors” I have ever seen in a film. Worryingly the character I found myself siding with was the villain played by Hugh Jackman as I just wanted him to kill this band Die Antwoord. Chappie himself is likeable enough but spends a long part of the film as part of the gang’s plans which is such a waste.

What frustrated me most about Chappie is that Blomkamp always talks about how he creates original movie universes however Chappie is anything but original. It doesn’t only borrow the basic plot of the Robocop reboot but it also uses its villain robot. Even though the director has said that the Moose is inspired by Robocop’s ED-209 I think the resemblance is a bit too close. Take a look for yourself.

Moose 

Ed-209

Yeah tell me they are not the same 

Overall Chappie is just lacklustre. The only positive thing I have to say is that as always with Blomkamp it is beautifully directed and the final action scene was fairly entertaining. Neil Blomkamp better pull his socks up for his next Alien project which I am now really worried about.

Score : 4.5/10

My decision

If you have read my latest blog post you will know about the dilemma I had regarding my dvd collection and upgrading to Blu Ray. Well last night I sold my dvds to Music Magpie and they are being collected on Wednesday. This leaves me with a list of films from my dvd collection that need replaced with Blu Ray. Some of these include Saving Private Ryan, Lion king, The Rock, The Big Lebowski and one of my favourite films, The Prestige.

I would like to make it clear I am not entirly replacing my entire collection. I am only replacing the films that I really want so films I have and dont watch such as Hancock, Death Race and the Matrix sequels will not make the upgrade.

While this process to get my collection back to where it was might take a while and some investment I believe in the long run it will be beneficial as now I can experience my favourite films in the best possible quality.

I'm going to try and pick some of them up at bargain prices and using HMV'S 5 for £30 deal. I'm going to raid CEX in Glasgow for as many as I can, especially the more expensive ones like Guardians of the Galaxy and Edge of Tomorrow *Live Die Repeat * All you need is Kill. What's that film called again ?

I've already managed to pick up a few online such as Super 8 for £2.50 and Captain America Winter Soldier for £6. The main problem area is going to be with Disney films as they seem invulnerable from price depreciation. Luckily HMV and I believe Zavvi have 2 for 1 on Disney Blu Rays at the moment so I will try to get the ones I need such as Lion King, Aladdin, Up and the Incredibles.

This process has made my slight OCD a bit more clear :/

Should I upgrade my DVDs to Blu-Ray ?

I own approximately somewhere around 500-600 films on DVDs. A collection I have built up since 2004. I also own around 30 Blu-Rays. My Blurays tend to be my favourite films or films that I think could benefit from bluray e.g. Godzilla (2014) however tonight when watching DVDs on my living room tv a 42 inch Panasonic, the difference between DVDs and Bluray struck home. I've never been one to complain about picture quality but tonight when watching the Social Network with my dad I couldn't help but notice the lack of quality in the picture. Something which emphasised this was that this afternoon when I got home from the gym I stuck on my bluray of the film Fight Club. These films were made more than 10 years apart and to be honest you would never guess which one was older by looking at the picture quality.

This has led me to a dilemma. Do I sell my dvd collection and purchase the majority on Blu Ray or do I continue to do what I've always done which is by the majority of titles on dvd and save Blu Ray for those special films to me ?

If you have came to this post looking for an answer to that very question I'm sorry but you won't find one here. I'll write a post about my decision when the time comes.

On a separate note. I understand that there are people out there who think the notion of even buying a dvd is idiotic as its all online but that just isn't me. I love having a physical copy of a film and I hope that when I'm older I'll have a libary of all the films I love where I can watch them whenever I want.

Newsbite

Freddy Highmore has stated his interest in becoming the next Spiderman saying "obviously I would love to be considered that would be fantastic" 

Highmore is best known for portraying young Norman Bates on the tv show Bates Motel and Charlie Buckett in Tim Burtons Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He certainly suits the role in the looks department but whether he has the charisma required I'm not sure. 

I presume we will get a casting announcement soon with Captain America Civil War releasing next year.

Top 10 most anticipated Movies of 2015

Here is yet another top 10. This time my most anticipated filmof what is remaining of 2015 bearing in mind I have already seen Birdman, John Wick, Kingsmen, Big Hero 6 and sadly Fifty Shades of Grey.

10. Terminator Genesis – I am equally looking forward to this as I am apprehensive. We haven’t been treated to a good terminator film since T2: Judgement Day which in my opinion is the bar which has been set for the franchise. I'm not sure coaxing Arnie back is the best direction to go in but on the other hand our favourite girl from Game of Thrones Emilia Clarke is Sarah Connor so it isn't

all bad.

9. Mad Max Fury Road – I’m not going to lie. I have not seen any of the previous Mad Max films nor do I know much about the franchise, however I have seen the trailer for this and it looks awesome. IMAX may be required!

8. Mission Impossible 5 – Less is known about this film than I know about Mad Max. The cast of Ghost Protocol is back so that’s all I need. When we eventually get a trailer this may move further down my list.

7.Ant Man – let’s be honest Ant Man is nobody’s favourite superhero but Marvel have yet to fail us so I'm definitely going day one to see this. On a side note is the poster not one of the funniest posters ever.

6. Furious 7 – I love the fast and the Furious franchise and even though it will be sad to see Paul Walkers last time as Brian I have no doubt it will be awesome. The Rock vs Jason Statham fight could be an all-time classic fight.

5. In the Heart of the Sea – this may come as a surprise for some. I was sold as soon as I saw the poster. Ron Howard has directed some of my favourite films (Rush, Apollo 13, Da Vinci Code and Backdraft) so when I heard he was the director of this it immediately became a must see. It’s basically Jaws with a whale.

4. Spectre – I’m a huge James Bond fan so obviously Spectre has me really excited. While I’m not a huge fan of Casino Royal I did enjoy Skyfall (let’s not mention the one in-between) however I do prefer the classic Bond films more with Thunderball being my unprecedented favourite. Hopefully Spectre continues the trend of Skyfall where it was a darker Bond but still had the great Bond appeal.

3. Jurassic World – As soon as I saw the first trailer for this and witnessed those gates open and the score play I was giddy. I’m not sure on the whole raptor training thing at the moment but we will have to wait and see how that turns out.

2. Avengers Age of Ultron – What have I not said about this movie in previous posts. It looks darker than the first but in an Empire Strikes back kind of way. I’ve been praying for Marvel to introduce some memorable villains bar Loki and Winter Soldier and that looks like exactly what we are getting.

1. Star Wars Episode 7: The Force Awakens – I have probably watched the 1 minute 33 second teaser to this film over one hundred times. That pretty much says it. If you needed further evidence of my excitement look at the background of my blog. Yeah its STAR WARS !

Newsbite

Star of the Hobbit films and last years Dracula Untold is being eyed for the role of Gaston in Disney's live action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast. The film is already starring Emma Watson as Belle and Dan Stevens is roumered to be playing the Beast. The film is the most recently announced live action Disney classic after next months Cinderella.

Cast announced for Independence day 2. Liam Hemsworth has been cast in a leading role along with the relatively unknown Jessie Usher who will be playing Will Smiths son from the first movie. Jeff Goldblum will reprise his role from the original film, while Independence Day director-producer Roland Emmerich and producer Dean Devlin will also return.

Avengers Age of Ultron trailer 3 Review

Yeah so that happened. Marvel just dropped the 3^rd and presumably final trailer for Avengers Age of Ultron.

For those who like me complained about the second trailer being too similar to the first you will find almost all new footage here and some epic moments. The trailer is narrated mostly by Ultron explaining how he was created to be a saviour for mankind and he believes to bring peace to the world he must destroy the virus that is mankind. It's basically extreme SKYNET. On the topic of Ultron we get to see much more of him in his final form in this trailer as he fights with Captain America and then summons his army for what looks like the final showdown. 

There is also this moment. Worth the price of a ticket alone?

This is the first trailer with a slightly more light hearted tone however that's not saying much as the previous trailers were about as uplifting as Schindler’s List and ruined a beloved Disney classic song for everyone.There is a bit more action from Scarlet witch and Quicksilver showcasing their powers and yet more of the Hulk vs Hulkbuster fight.

As the title closes we get our first peak at the Vision played by Paul Bettany who is curiously also the voice of Jarvis so the Vision may be Jarvis in a physical form.

I loved this trailer and it got me even more pumped for the movie. Roll on April 23^rd.

Incase you haven't seen this trailer yet here you go.

                                                                                                                                           

Top 10 Greatest Movie Villians

A film is only as good as its villain. The gift of an iconic villain is the gift that keeps on giving, elevating even the most mediocre of films to cult status, and transforming good movies into truly great ones. This top ten was hard to create as I have to leave out many iconic villains such as Voldemort, Gollum, Jack Torrance, Roy Batty and Freddy Krueger. These picks are my personal preferences and some are simply nostalgic for me so let’s get started.

10. Judge Doom – Who framed Rodger Rabbit?

Judge Doom is on this list for the simple reason that no villain has cost me as much nights of lost sleep as him. As a child he terrified me and to honest he still does. THOSE EYES !!

9. Scar – Lion King

The most evil Disney villain deserved a place on my list. Scar kills his own brother and then blames his nephew. Need more reason to hate him? He then turns the pride lands into a wasteland. he gets his comeuppance in the end though with one of the most brutal deaths in a Disney movie.

8. Howard Payne – Speed

Probably one of the more personal choices on my list is Howard Payne. The main antagonist of Speed who is constantly on top of Keanu Reeves until he loses his head. Literally. A truly menacing villain who has everything so prepared at some points you do question if the good guys can win.

7. Smaug – The Hobbit Trilogy

Yes I chose him over Gollum. Sure Gollum is a great villain but he is nowhere near as menacing and articulate as Smaug. His sheer size is scary enough but it’s his booming voice from Benedict Cumberbatch that truly make him the greatest movie dragon ever and a great villain.

6. Xenomorphs  –  Alien franchise

In space no one can hear you scream. The xenomorphs are the deadliest aliens in cinema history. They are relentless and infect you with their young. Yeah you’re screwed.

5. Hannibal Lecter  - Hannibal franchise

The quintessential psychopath. Hannibal Lecter is brilliantly portrayed by Anthony Hopkins and is one of the most uncomfortable movie characters to watch as you never know what he is up to. That scene with the man’s brain. Yeah that’s what I mean.

4. T1000 – Terminator 2: Judgement Day

Hardly speaks a word but is equally as terrifying as Hannibal. The T1000 is relentless in his pursuit of young John Connor and it takes everything from Arnold to bring him down. After seemingly killing him two or three times he returns and is eventually melted in a furnace.

3. The shark – Jaws

If you have seen my top ten films of all time post this may not surprise you. The villain that kept people out of the sea and I believe is the main cause of my fear of open water.”3 tons of him”

2. The Joker – Dark Knight

I can appreciate how good Jack Nicholson is in the original Batman movie however the definitive Joker to me is Heath Ledger and even though the Dark Knight is not my favourite superhero film he is by far my favourite super villain on screen to date.

1. Darth Vader – Star Wars original trilogy   

It’s Darth Vader. Do I need to explain?

I would love to hear everyone else’s top 10 villains so leave your list in the comments section.