Archive for September, 2011

Star Wars on Blu-ray!

Posted by David On September 15, 2011 ADD COMMENTS

September 14 2011 was a special day for nerds everywhere. That’s right, as the title of this post suggests – the release day of Star Wars on Blu-ray! I picked up my copy yesterday and spent last night going through the awesome special features and choice scenes from the films themselves. Soon I’ll gather my friends together for a screening of all 6 films in one day but for now that’ll have to wait.

I wont bore you with too many of the technical specs of the release. You can find that info elsewhere, especially the excellent blu-ray.com. But I will tell you just how cool this item is. Even someone not that obsessed with Star Wars would appreciate the attention to detail that went into making this box set.

The packaging is the similar to the recent Alien box set, with the 9 discs in a book like arrangement, protected by a sturdy slipcase. Both the slipcase and the booklet also feature some really nice artwork.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like I said, I haven’t watched the full movies yet, but what I did see of them were breathtaking, especially Episode 3, but also the original trilogy. They have really gone out of there way to clean them up and they look better than ever, almost like they were filmed in digital. But the true highlight is the sound mix. It is simply amazing.

The menus look very cool,  but have 2 drawbacks. Although I like the idea of grouping by planet/event, it would have been nice to have had a branching option, like MU-TH-UR mode from the Alien set. This way you could watch all of the deleted scenes in one hit, instead of having to go in and out different menus. And most of the special features, including all of the deleted scenes, have an intro screen to give some details about the scene, but unfortunately it is only onscreen for 3 secs before it disappears. This is fine for 2 sentences but not 7-8 like the intro for the Tosche Station scene. You have to be a speed reader to read it all! On the subject of the special features/deleted scenes. Why not include the ones from the prequel film’s DVD releases? With them this would have truly been the Ultimate Collection.

Now, onto the controversial changes. Unlike the Special Edition releases, the changes made to the blu-ray releases are relatively minor. I wont list them all here, but some include a new CGI door for Jabba’s Palace (the painting was fine IMO), the Ewoks now blink (I actually prefer this to the originals, at least they don’t look so creepy now ), and Vader now screams ‘No’ when throwing the Emperor down the shaft, echoing his notorious scream from Episode 3 (this is utter rubbish and more importantly, un-neccessary). It is a hard situation. Do I think the films should have been changed? – No. Do I believe the Saga is so firmly immersed into society that it now ‘belongs to all of us’? – No. Like it or not the Star Wars Saga belongs to George Lucas and he can do whatever he wants to them. I hold out hope that one day he will release the original trilogy in HD, but until that day I will continue to enjoy what I have. (Oh, and Han will always shoot first in my mind!).

Overall, I cannot recommend this box set enough. Of course I’m preaching to the choir here, but this really is a magnificent release and no film saga deserves it more than Star Wars.

Spotlight On….Kevin Smith

Posted by David On September 14, 2011 ADD COMMENTS

I have a lot of respect for Kevin Smith. He is the living embodiment of the Nerd Who Made It. He’s funny (his stage shows and film commentaries are hilarious), influential, and just seems like a nice guy.

Unfortunately I can’t say the same for most of his films (or terrible comics for that matter, but that is for another post).

Clerks

Released: 1994

Written by: Kevin Smith

Starring: Brian O’Hallaran, Jeff Anderson, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith

Plot: A slacker comedy about a day in the lives of two convenience clerks named Dante and Randal as they annoy customers, discuss movies, and play hockey on the store roof.

For: This is practically a documentary for all people who have worked in retail. Drawing on his own experiences, Smith has crafted one of the funniest looks into the seemingly dead end lives of all retails workers everywhere, and also introduces the world to the great comedic duo, Jay & Silent Bob. His finest work.

Against: Gets a little slow in places. Dante’s not a very likeable character.

Favourite Scene: Silent Bob suddenly bursts into dance, 37!, Randal orders a bunch of porn videos for the store while a female customer and her young child are there.

Rating: 4 Lukes

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Podcast – Episode #7

Posted by David On September 13, 2011 ADD COMMENTS

Episode #7 features:

Popcorn Junkie: 2001: A Space Odyssey

From the Racks: DC Comic’s the New 52 part #1

Also featuring Feedback, Coming Soon, and a Competition to win the Killing Joke & Arkham Asylum trades!

 

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Audio Review – The New 52 part #1

Posted by David On September 12, 2011 ADD COMMENTS

Welcome to another Nerd Culture Podcast Audio review!

This time we’re discussing the first batch of releases of the New 52 from DC Comics.

In order to get episode #7 of the Nerd Culture podcast down to a reasonable duration I had to edit quite a bit of quality opinion from the NCP Crew and that made me very sad. But luckily, both Richo and Crystal thought of a plan. Why not post the original edit of the segment as an Audio Review! Think of it as the Director’s Cut  🙂

After listening to the review, how about leaving a Comment or send send us an email at feedback@nerdculturepodcast.com? We would love to read your opinions.

Audio length: 74 mins

 

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Spotlight On…..the Back to the Future trilogy

Posted by David On September 4, 2011 ADD COMMENTS

For my next Spotlight On I’ve decided to do the trilogy that includes my favourite film of all time – Back to the Future. When I first saw the original Back to the Future I was smitten and after many subsequent viewings later (easily over 100!) my love for this film hasn’t lessened.

Back to the Future

Released: 1985

Directed by: Robert Zemekis

Written by: Robert Zemekis & Bob Gale

Starring: Michael J Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover

Plot: 1985 teenager Marty McFly travels back to 1955 and accidentally disrupts the first meeting of his future parents, threatening his own existence.

For: Everything. The perfect family film.

Against: Nothing 🙂

Favourite Scene: As this is my favourite film ever, there are obviously too many great scenes to list just one. But a couple of highlights would be the 1st appearance of the time machine, & George asking Lorraine out in the cafe through to the skateboard chase.

Rating: Does it need to be said? – 5 Lukes

Back to the Future part 2

Released: 1989

Directed by: Robert Zemekis

Written by: Robert Zemekis & Bob Gale

Starring: Michael J Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson

Plot: After visiting 2015, Marty must repeat his visit to 1955 to prevent disastrous changes to 1985… without interfering with his first trip.

For: Inventive interaction with scenes from the first film, with Marty desperately trying to avoid bumping into his other self. More Back to the Future!

Against: A tad too dark and violent.

Favourite Scene: Everything with Marty in 1955.

Rating: 3.5 Lukes

Back to the Future part 3

Released: 1990

Directed by: Robert Zemekis

Written by: Robert Zemekis & Bob Gale

Starring: Michael J Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Mary Steenburgen

Plot: Enjoying a peaceable existence in 1885, Doctor Emmet Brown is about to be killed by Buford “Mad Dog” Tannen. Marty McFly travels back in time to save his friend.

For: A return to the more family friendly entertainment of the first film. Everyone involved clearly having a blast / Time machine train! / Mad Dog Tannen / and Michael J Fox as..Clint Eastwood!

Against: The final film 🙁

Favourite Scene: Marty in his ‘western clothes’ and the train trying to get to 88mph.

Rating: 4 Lukes

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