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I do remember that brief period in the '80s when there was an attempt to push Fred "Remo Williams" Ward as the next big action hero, and am still saddened that it never came to fruition.
Non-comprehensively highlighting the week's top picks in Blu-ray...
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - They haven't figured out a way to do 48 FPS on your TV yet, but that isn't a prerequisite for enjoying the first part of Peter Jackson's new Middle-earth trilogy, which introduces more backstory based on Tolkien's own retconning, and refreshingly adds a sense of humor to the proceedings, with Bilbo the complaining, reluctant hero being a lot more palatable to my tastes than earnest, anime-eyed Frodo. With Sylvester McCoy as a hippie wizard who gets crapped on by birds, Benedict Cumberbatch as a shadow and a CGI Kratos as this level's mini-boss. Bonuses include trailers and all of the production diaries, but if the movie isn't already long enough for you, there'll be an extended edition down the road and you might want to wait.
Zero Dark Thirty - The director of Point Break and Near Dark has a new action movie out. I hope it's not as torturous a sit as Strange Days.
(No, I'm not stupid. Joke, people. I interviewed the stuntwoman and you should read that.)
Timerider - Remember that brief period in the '80s when there was an attempt to push Fred "Remo Williams" Ward as the next big action hero? Yeah, me neither. But that's what Blu-ray is for; so we can see Ward play a champion off-road cyclist who travels back in time to the old West. Produced by Monkee Michael Nesmith, who also wrote the music. The disc includes a 20-minute making-of documentary, and a commentary track by director William Dear (Harry and the Hendersons).
Gorgo - No, not a 300 prequel about Lena Headey's origin, but a successful 1961 UK attempt to cash in on the success of Godzilla, with a twist - the initial monster, like Beowulf's foe Grendel, is only the offspring of a larger, meaner mama. The VCI DVD was considered better than previous editions but still lacking, so the hope is that this will be a marked improvement in audio quality. New extras include a French-language comic book (huh?) and a gallery of Gorgo toys and collectibles.
Zeta One (The Love Factor) - Something like the British version of Heavy Metal for 1969, only not animated, and by most accounts, completely stupid and the sort of thing Rifftrax exists for. I think this just-barely NSFW clip probably sums it up:
Kozmik and anyone else may feel free to sum up the remaining releases in comments below.
More links from around the web!
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Middle-aged British men in tweed hunted by their natural predators, telekinetic dominatrices wearing purple rope and pasties...truly, the battle of the ages commences.
What the hell did I just watch?
It was like a deleted scene from The Monkees' "Head"
@Ford_Thundercougarfalconbird The guy who wrote the pilot for that died just a few days ago.
We had a humdinger of a thunderstorm last night, a local business roof was struck by a mini tornado, and the power just cameon about half an hour ago, so it's a little alte!
Here goes some extras:
Neo-Les Mis, 0D30, This is 40, 10th Kingdom, Criterion: Life & Death of Col. Blimp and Badlands, One Piece s.4, Shin Getter Robo vs. Neo Getter Robo (I dig SGR myself), some re-releases of What's New Scooby Doo, If you're into blu ray Digibooks, Wal-Mart has the Hobbit (the pages are just hobbit junk we already know, but hey! It's a book!). Best Buy's Hobbit has a lenticular motion cover, but I got the WM book because I dig those and it's 22 bucks or so.
@Kozmik_Pariah Exclusive bonuses get kind of stupid. Best Buy tends to be the only one I pay attention to but I haven't set foot into one of those stores in years. I got really angry finding out about their exclusive for Hellboy. I still bought the damn thing twice but didn't get the Right Hand of Doom. And don't get me started on All-Star Superman. I HAD to have the DVD the second it came out, so much so going to Best Buy for the action figure didn't occur to me until a week later. And I still say the movie didn't do the book justice.
I have the extended editions of Lord of the Rings, the ones that came with statues. I honestly cannot pay attention to the shorter versions anymore. When the Mouth of Sauron pops up in Return of the King, everyone in the house must immediately stop what they're doing and not make a peep or I will leer at them to death. My favorite scene in anything ever.
@EliasAlgorithm Yeah, I am not a fan of exclusives, but I'll sometimes try to get Steelbooks, and FutureShop (Canada)'s Drive exclusive was the best slipcase cover ever.
I don't see how McDuffie did such a crap job at adapting All-Star, it really made me angry watching it.
Mouth of Sauron scene is pretty boss.
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Gorgo. I remember seeing it on youtube. It has an un-credited young Desmond Llewelyn (original Q from James Bond in it.) I believe this is his part.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=UcL1SZz7XhE#t=4223s
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@Gallen_Dugall @Someguy Apparently one of the few MST's that can't be released on DVD for some ungodly reason.
@donnaryoko @Gallen_Dugall @Someguy MST3K really lead the reawareness and appreciation of classic "bad" cinema and one of the key reasons the show had to end was because the people who held the rights to these films started demanding big money for them, and you mainly have Sandy Frank to gleefully accept the blame since he made it a personal mission (after getting really publicly pissed off about their mentioning of him in the shows) to get everyone to price their properties out of the range of MST
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Just looking at that screen cap before the clip, I think that is NSFW...thank god I have an office to myself.
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Meh I'll just wait for the inevitable "Extended editions" fro the hobbit. Decent movie but considering they covered something like 40% of the main story in the first movie, I imagine the next two are going to be a bit thin. And hell yeah @ Remo Williams on blu-ray!
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@FreeHat The extended addition is indeed confirmed; that'll be out later this year.
I don't get why they can't do a 48fps disc though - the TVs can clearly handle it as video games regularly go higher than 30. I mean, the Bluray spec might not be set up for it, sure, but they could always try and see about patching in the functionality.
I would MUCH rather have a 48fps release than a 3D release, I gotta say.
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@GeneralTekno @FreeHat Doesn't one mandate the other, in PJ's mind if nothing else? The HFR version was only in 3D in theaters.
@rabidronnie for the record I seriously doubt there will be an extended edition !) because they're already having to make it into three films and 2) because, as much as I enjoyed the film, it already has piles of stuff in it that were completely cutable so I find it hard to imagine they could cram in any more without making it unwatchable
That said give it a watch in the best resolution available to you - I'll be rewatching it on my neighbor's massive 3D TV
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@DrAbraxas @rabidronnie Yeah, but it's not like we can put you into the Box of Shame...I mean, aside from not knowing what shame is to begin with, you're pretty much used to cramming anyway, so it'd be far from a punishment.
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@rabidronnie As your punishment you have to get the movie and invite us all for a viewing party. Those are the rules.
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@Someguy @TheConjurerOfCheapTricks I say instead of a viewing party, we form a viewing fellowship. Then we have a party.
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@TheConjurerOfCheapTricks Oh yea, but we will have to help clean up though.
http://25.media.tumblr.com/8e44267d6b2da2882b8b4271194874bc/tumblr_mjge5bvSHc1s5adsmo1_500.gif
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@Someguy Almost as crazy--we'll be having the entire youth group over to watch this within the next few weeks. 20 or so teenagers invited (no idea how many will actually attend) in our tiny, tiny living room. With a sleeping child. I figure that's punishment enough ^^;;
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@rabidronnie I have not gotten the chance yet either. I join in your shame!
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@Gallen_Dugall @Timely-Tardis-Lego @TheConjurerOfCheapTricks @rabidronnie Thanks. Found it on an image site. I figured might as well since I just got into Touhou.
http://snus-kun.deviantart.com/art/Yukari-Pie-286752084
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@Timely-Tardis-Lego @TheConjurerOfCheapTricks @rabidronnie hey - like your new look
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@Canadian.Scott @rabidronnie I'll volunteer for the Box of Shame myself on account of not having seen Remo Williams yet...but I also demand the rest of you to get in the box as well for not also recognizing Fred Ward as Earl from Tremors! How dare you fail to make a Tremors reference when necessary! SHAME ON ALL!!!
(Also, note to self: Watch Tremors for 67th time tonight.)
@Gallen_Dugall @SlyDante777 @Canadian.Scott @rabidronnie Sorry to be a jerk, but really, get new friends. I had an easier time getting people to watch Tremors than Doctor Who.
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@SlyDante777 @Canadian.Scott @rabidronnie Had movie/netflix night with some friends last week and could not convince them to watch Tremors because it was tagged "horror" and I could not convince them it was more of an adventure film with a lot of humor
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@SomeguyI figured Fred was fighting this thing and was to busy to film a movie.
http://www.uproxx.com/tv/2013/02/holy-crap-look-at-this-giant-monster-eel-someone-caught-in-jersey/
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@SlyDante777 @Canadian.Scott @rabidronnie It's funny you should mention that. My father use to call him, "the guy who played Gus Grissom." Then a few years later I would call him, "you know Remo Williams guy." Now mu father calls him, "The guy from Tremors (one of my fathers favorite movies)." I don't think we have called him, Fred Ward" in our lives.
