Author: Ian

Max 2: White House Hero – Blu-ray Review

“Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post. The opinions I share are my own.”

There’s a lot going on in Max 2: White House Hero. It’s a dog movie, a precocious kid movie, a political intrigue movie, and a political satire all rolled into one. And it’s family friendly on top of all of that! Max, the star of the film, was first seen in 2015’s Max about a military dog whose adopted by the family of one of the soldiers her assisted in Afghanistan. The sequel finds Max on a new mission as a White House Secret Service dog who quickly becomes the playmate and protector of the First Son.

You see, the Russians are coming to the White House (the movie is rather timely and topical) to discuss a new nuclear arms treaty between the two countries. The Russian President, Vladamir Bragov, brings along his young daughter Alex (Francesca Capaldi) who befriends First Son TJ (Zane Austin).

But something is amiss; in fact, there’s a sinister plot afoot that Alex, TJ, and Max uncover while the adults are completely oblivious to the badness on the horizon. Can Max and the kids prevent an international incident before it’s too late?

I can honestly say that I enjoyed this movie! It had its moments of action and suspense, it was well-acted, and the dog is pretty awesome. Directed by Brian Levant (Jingle All the Way, Beethoven), Max 2: White House Hero is a kid-friendly, family friendly movie that the whole family can enjoy together.

The Blu-ray includes two fast-paced and entertaining featurettes:

Kids on the Case: Making of Max 2

Take a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film with Francesca Capaldi and Zane Austin.

Max 2: A Ruff Life

It took four dogs to bring Max to the screen. See what it takes to train a dog for a movie like Max 2!

As I said above, I had a good time watching this movie. It’s upbeat, fun, and quite entertaining. I highly recommend it for family movie night!

Max 2: White House Hero is a available now on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital Download!

What’s your favorite dog movie? Kid’s movie? Political satire? Leave a comment and let us know!

DC Superhero Girls: Intergalactic Games – DVD Review

“Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the DVD I reviewed in this Blog Post. The opinions I share are my own.”

Supergirl, Batgirl, Bumblebee, Wonder Woman, Harley Quinn and more are back for another girl-powered adventure in DC Superhero Girls: Intergalactic Games! This time, the students of Super Hero High have their hands full when Granny Goodness and the Furies along with some other nefarious ne’er do wells do their best to ruin the fun and spirit of the Games that all the girls have been training for. Will they succeed and take home the gold, or will evil prevail through unscrupulous deeds?

An extension of the TV series of the same name and a sequel to the original DC Superhero Girls movie, Hero of the Year, Intergalactic Games provides plenty of superhero fun centered around a strong female cast of characters that prove that it’s not always male superheroes that can save the day; sometimes a little girl power can do the trick!

DC Superhero Girls: Intergalactic Games is a fun, family-friendly film with plenty of lessons about teamwork, strength of character, and the dangers of cheating. These Super Hero Girls are great role models that have strong senses of self and are confident in who they are and in their abilities not just as superheroes but as young women as well.

DC Superhero Girls: Intergalactic Games Special Features include:

“That’s My Girl” by Fifth Harmony Music Video (DVD only)

Animated Shorts:
– New Beginnings
– Hero of the Month: Supergirl
– Batgirl l vs. Supergirl
– Quinn-tessential Harley
– Doubles Trouble
– Franken-Ivy
– Dude, Where’s My Invisible Jet?

So, get ready to Get You Cape On with DC Superhero Girls: Intergalactic Games! I highly recommend it!

DC Superhero Girls: Intergalactic Games is available now on DVD!

What’s your favorite superhero animated series? Leave a comment and let us know!

Peanuts by Schulz: Go Team Go! – DVD Review

“Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the DVD I reviewed in this Blog Post. The opinions I share are my own.”

Get ready as Snoopy and the gang deliver their patented dry wit and comic strip antics in Peanuts by Schulz: Go Team Go!, the latest incarnation of the beloved comic series. Since 1950, the Peanuts have been delivering laughs via newsprint, animation, and feature films, and Peanuts by Schulz is no exception.

With Peanuts by Schulz: Go Team Go!, Charles Schulz’s comic world is brought to life for a new generation in a fun and energetic style. And like the comics, valuable lessons are learned as Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, Lucy and the rest deal with the trials and tribulations of being a kid, being a friend, being a dog owner, or being a sibling.

What I really liked about the series is the animation design. It looks as if they took Peanuts comic strip panels and animated them, which adds an air of authenticity to the entire series. They even did a fantastic job with the voice casting; every character sounds very similar to the voices featured in the Peanuts specials and films from decades gone by.

Unlike the previous entries into the Peanuts canon, each episode of Peanuts by Schulz: Go Team Go! is split into two different fast-paced stories that will definitely hold your interest since there’s no time wasted over the course of each sequence. Peanuts by Schulz: Go Team Go! is a lot of fun!

No matter your age – if you grew up with them or are just discovering them – the Peanuts gang’s antics can be enjoyed over and over again. These iconic characters have delivered their unique style of comedy and thought-provoking moments for over six decades and there’s no sign of them slowing down.

I highly recommend Peanuts by Schulz: Go Team Go!

Peanuts by Schulz: Go Team Go! is available now on DVD!

Who is your favorite Peanuts character? Leave a comment and let us know!

The Girl with All the Gifts – Blu-ray Review

Zombies. The concept of the flesh-eating undead hunting down and eating the living seems to be everywhere you look. From film to TV, comics to commercials, zombies have taken hold of the public interest and created a pop culture wave much like vampires and zombies did in years past. With every new iteration, these stories range from familiar to quite unique. The Girl with All the Gifts fits the latter category.

While there is plenty of blood, guts, and gore to go around, The Girl with All the Gifts spins a fresh narrative out of old cloth. Here, we have a female-driven zombie flick, with three strong female leads played excellently by Sennia Nanua, Gemma Arterton, and Glenn Close. Nanua steals the show as Melanie, a young girl who possibly hold the cure for the current zombie apocalypse that has befallen the world. She and her classmates all have the potential to save the world from what are described as “hungries” by those around them.

With each passing day, the hungries become more determined, and their desire for flesh grows more rabid. It is Melanie who may hold the key to the cure within her, but is she willing to make the ultimate sacrifice before it’s too late?

The film is engaging for many reasons but primarily due to the way the story is presented and how we experience the world through Melanie’s eyes. It is her story that drives the film, and as she discovers new things about the world and the dangers it involves, we as an audience feel her fear, her curiosity, and her pain. Sennia Nanua delivers a wonderfully depth-filled performance that has her going toe-to-toe with acting heavyweight Glenn Close and keeping up scene after scene.

The Blu-ray includes a great featurette, Unwrap the Secret World of The Girl with All the Gifts, which is gives further insight into the genesis of the film and how it went from short story, to script, to screen.

I really enjoyed The Girl with All the Gifts. I highly recommend it!

The Girl with All the Gifts is available now on DVD, Blu-ray, and Digital Download.

What’s your favorite zombie movie or TV show? Leave a comment and let us know!

Animal Kingdom: The Complete First Season – Blu-ray Review

“Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post. The opinions I share are my own.”

Family. Loyalty. Distrust. Chaos. These are just some of the themes that permeate that world of Animal Kingdom. From the very first moments of the pilot to the final minutes of the season finale, you get a true sense that this working-class crime family is a lot like every other family.

Sure, we don’t all prosper from organized crime schemes, robberies, or physical altercations for the sake of monetary or personal gain, but we all have a circle of people whom we are loyal to. A group of people – whether they are family or close friends – with whom we confide, we commiserate, and we oftentimes collide. But no matter the inner turmoil within the circle, when an outside begins to cause problems, the interpersonal issues fade away; and animal instincts take over.

The first season of Animal Kingdom introduces us to the Cody family, led by matriarch Janine (Ellen Barkin) who doesn’t take crap from anyone – including her sons. She’s a tough-as-nails, strong-willed, yet compassionate heroine who can be your best friend one minute and your worst enemy the next. It is through her motherly manipulation that she’s able to control the criminal enterprise she has built with the help of her sons; a group of men with their own sets of issues and behavioral problems.

We initially see the series through “J” (Finn Cole) who is Janine’s grandson. After his mother passes away, he comes to live with the Codys and boy is he in for a surprise! What he thought would be a refuge from the drug-addled and impoverished world he left behind soon becomes a chaotic circus of criminal antics, wild parties, sex-filled debauchery, and gun, explosions, fist fights, and much more. It’s a lot for a 17-year-old to take in, and taking the journey with him is as much exhilarating as it is exhausting.

As for Janine’s four sons, there’s enough personality to go around with some to spare as the Cody boys ramp up the crimes, the violence, and the paranoia as events go from good, to bad, to worse as the family grapples with the potential of getting busted by the cops, impending arrests, and the fear that their empire could be shut down for good.

Animal Kingdom is great TV. It’s dark, edgy, exciting, amusing, and fast-paced. The blu-ray comes with a number of great special features, which include:

Inside Animal Kingdom

Producers and cast provide an inside look.

Animal Kingdom: Stunts

Exciting sports action from surfing to skydiving.

Meet the Codys

Reach into the heart of the diabolical family.

Getting Into Character

Creating the criminally cool characters.

Setting The Stage

Production designer Nina Ruscio and the team reveal the secrets of Smurf’s domain.

Family Comes First

Cast and producers explore Season One’s family dynamics.

Deleted Scenes

If you’re looking for a new series to begin, I highly recommend Animal Kingdom: The Complete First Season! It truly is the Golden Age of Television Drama!

Animal Kingdom is available now on Blu-ray and DVD!

Lion – Blu-ray Review

So, let’s talk about how awesome Sunny Pawar is who plays Young Saroo in Lion. From his first moments on screen, Pawar owns each scene he’s in; delivering a solid, realistic, and very touching performance that is mesmerizing and captivating to watch. Just from the first ten minutes of the film it’s easy to see why Lion was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Supporting Actor and Actress.

Lion is a powerful and moving film that – as I made clear above – draws you into its world in the first few moments thanks to the great performance of Sunny Pawar as Young Saroo. It is Saroo’s strength of will and his determination as a young child that makes him more than just a run-of-the-mill movie kid. It’s this strong set-up that leads us to Dev Patel’s portrayal of Saroo as an adult, which would not be as impactful if not for the framework created by the acting skill of Sunny Pawar. Pawar is indeed the foundation on which Lion is firmly planted. And this film is very lucky to have him on board.

Lion is first and foremost about a journey of discovery, and Saroo’s journey is one that many who have been adopted have taken. While Saroo knows his family and was torn away from them by accident when his was five, as an adult he yearns to reconnect with them despite being adopted by a loving Australian couple played by Nicole Kidman and David Wenham. His desire to join his family in India once again is a strong and powerful force that once unleashed becomes a unstoppable goal of determination and tenacity. Will he succeed in his efforts to find the family he never meant to leave behind?

I won’t lie to you: this is a very emotional film – yes, I’ll admit I cried several times – and it’s thanks to the amazing performance of Sunny Pawar who captivates from the very beginning. Just stop reading this review now and go and watch it!

The special features include: Deleted Scenes; a Behind the Scenes Gallery; and the “Never Give Up” Performed by Sia – Official Lyric Video.

Rent it. Buy it. Watch it. Love it. Lion is a fantastic film that is an emotional journey from start to finish. I highly, highly recommend it!

Lion is available now of Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD.