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Bonus View Digest - May 25, 2012

Fri May 25, 2012 at 01:30 PM ET
Tags: Bonus View Digest, Aaron Peck, The Bonus View, Fun Stuff (all tags)

May is coming to a close and ushering in the heart of the summer movie season. Many of you might be outside enjoying the nice weather, but we here at The Bonus View are huddled over our computers, working to bring you the latest and greatest in all things high-def. Let's see what happened this week.

Josh's Week of Audio

Josh Zyber took a trip to California, and while he was there he took in a few different audio presentations from companies like Dolby and DTS. There are four articles up right now that discuss, in extreme detail, what it was like listening to the demonstrations of audio that a few of these companies are coming out with in the near future.

In Part 1, Josh visits Dolby and learns about 96k upsampling. Part 2 he visits Dolby to find out what Dolby Atmos sounds like. In Part 3 Josh heads on over the DTS and experiences what he calls a "game-changer in home theater audio." In Part 4 he visits the SRS Labs and gets to listen to what they call Multi-Dimensional Audio.

If you're at all interested in the ins and outs of home theater audio then you'll want to read each of these entries to find out exactly what you can expect from these companies in the near future.

TV Madness

This week in the tournament Jack Bauer took on Echo from 'Dollhouse' while Fox Mulder fought Seven of Nine. Check out the results and stay tuned for our Friday matchup, Raylan Givens versus Spartacus.

Blu-ray News

Check out what movies hit Blu-ray this week in our Blu-ray Highlights post. Tom Landy gives us the rundown on the new 'Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows' steelbook that we can expect upon its Blu-ray release.

Theatrical News

This week sees the opening of another hopeful summer blockbuster, 'Men in Black 3.' Luke has seen it. Find out whether or not it was worth rehashing this old idea.

Aaron Peck discusses the latest movie posters that are hitting theaters near you in his latest edition of Posterizing.

TV Recaps

In case you've been missing out, you really should be reading our recaps of 'The Killing.' They're enjoyable, even if you haven't watched the show.

We also have recaps for shows like 'Game of Thrones,' 'Grimm,' and 'Fringe.'

Special Features

In our Weekend Roundtable we asked which board games should be made into movies next since we already have 'Battleship.' In the Mid-Week Poll we asked a very important question, "Do Spoilers Ruin Movies For You?" Let us know.

That's it for this week. We'll be back here next week. Same time. Same place. Until then, be safe and watch good movies.


Bonus View Digest - May 18, 2012

Fri May 18, 2012 at 02:35 PM ET
Tags: Bonus View Digest, Aaron Peck, Fun Stuff (all tags)

What? You've been missing out on The Bonus View this week? If you have that means you've been missing our Hitchcock Blogathon that we started in hopes of raising some money for a new musical score and online streaming distribution for 'The White Shadow', an early silent film that young Mr. Hitchcock (then officially a writer and Assistant Director) used as a stepping stone to launch his own directorial career (you can donate here).

Hitchcock Blogathon

We have a ton of entries in the Blogathon, many of which will please even the most avid Hitchcock fans. Guest blogger John Carvill, from the UK-based pop culture web site Oomska.co.uk, wrote a great piece which he described as, "an unscientific analysis of the Blu-ray editions of Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘The 39 Steps’ & ‘North by Northwest’."

Other Hitchcock entries include a column about 'The Birds' by Steven Cohen, a look back at 'Topaz' by Adam Tyner, a 'Vertigo' walking tour by Josh Zyber, the story behind Hitchcock's blonde bombshells as well as his one-word titles, both by David Krauss, and a special edition of Posterizing by Aaron Peck where he lists his top ten favorite Hitchcock movie posters.

If you're a fan of the immortal director then you'll really want to take a gander at some of these articles. We're really proud here at The Bonus View to be honoring such a cinematic legend. We hope you enjoy.

TV Madness

We've entered the round of the final sixteen characters. The last matchup we did, before the Madness tournament took a little hiatus for Hitchcock Blogathon, was a fight between super-spy Michael Westen and vampire slayer extraordinaire, Buffy. Who do you think would win?

Theatrical News

Luke saw this weekend's movies so you don't have to. In case you wanted to know how bad 'What to Expect When You're Expecting,' and 'Battleship' are, you can read his reviews. He also reviewed 'The Dictator' in case you wanted to know the latest about Sacha Baron Cohen's scripted comedy future.

TV Recaps

We haven't had much time to get to television with our Hitchcock Blogathon taking over, but there was one recap posted this week by Aaron Peck about the latest episode of 'The Killing.' Even if you're not watching the show, keep up with the recaps. They're fun.

Special Features

Tom Landy went off to the Calgary Expo (a.k.a. Geek Paradise in Canada) this past week. He's posted a few Captain's Blog updates of his time at the Expo. Take a look at posts for Day 1 and Day 2 along with a post about Tom's emergency that had him heading to the hospital instead of back to the Expo.

Finally, we have the trusty weekly posts like the Weekend Roundtable where we asked what remake or reimagining should Tim Burton take on next and our Mid-Week Poll that focused on what you may think about gesture-controlled television sets.

That's it for this week. Stay tuned though. As always, we have a bunch of great stuff coming your way next week.


Top 5 / Bottom 5: Richard Linklater

Fri Apr 27, 2012 at 02:05 PM ET
Tags: Top 5/Bottom 5, Aaron Peck, Fun Stuff (all tags)

by Aaron Peck

Richard Linklater's 'Bernie' starring Jack Black has made the festival rounds and is about to expand to a wide opening. It'll be competing with 'The Avengers' which won't be easy, but early reviews for 'Bernie' are good.

With 'Bernie' opening, we thought it would be a good time to take a look back at Richard Linklater's illustrious career to chronicle his best and worst films.

Personally, I found it hard fitting his movies into best and worst categories, because many of the movies in the worst section are still fairly well done. Especially, 'A Scanner Darkly' which I both enjoyed and was frustrated by.

With that said, let's take a look at the list and see if you agree.

The Best

'Before Sunrise'


'Before Sunrise' remains as one of the few movies with a perfect 100 percent rating on RottenTomatoes.com. There's something to be said for a movie that relies completely on the art of conversation and little else. 'Before Sunrise' has no contrived ideas or clichéd storytelling devices. That's what felt so refreshing about the movie. Now, I've heard some people describe it as "boring." True, for some viewers it can be a little difficult to watch two people converse for over an hour and a half. I think the key is knowing what you're getting into when you sit down to watch it. If you're hoping for a sappy love story then you've come to the wrong place, if you're in a philosophical mood, this is just the film for you.

'Before Sunset'


Truthfully, I don't think it should've worked. 'Before Sunrise' seemed like a one-off. Even though it didn't feature any of the normal gimmicks we've become used to in movies, having two people talk to each other for the entire movie is certainly a gimmick in itself. Maybe it was because he waited nine years to do the sequel (which is the exact amount of time that has passed in the movie since Jesse and Celine last saw each other). Or maybe it's because 'Before Sunset' returns with the same wonderful spirit and art of conversation that made 'Before Sunrise' so good. Either way, this film is a Linklater classic, and the ending, it's simple perfection.

'Dazed and Confused'

If only the high school comedies of today could be as witty and as loveable as 'Dazed and Confused.' Sure, we have movies like 'Mean Girls' and 'Easy A' which seemed to buck the trend of thoughtless, soulless high school comedies, but I think we're all still waiting for something like 'Dazed and Confused' to rise once again. Maybe Linklater is the guy to make it.

'School of Rock'


'School of Rock' is just a whole lot of fun. A movie that perfectly understands what makes Jack Black loveable. If he's given the right material and the right character he can be as charming as anyone else. Playing a music teacher to an eclectic bunch of kids was the role he was born to play. It may not be as classic as 'Dazed and Confused' or as cerebral as the 'Before' films, but there's something to be said for a movie that inspires genuine laughter no matter how many times you watch it.

'Tape'


Like the 'Before' movies, 'Tape' has a simple premise: three people in a motel room and all they do is talk. This would be excruciatingly if it wasn't for Linklater's masterful direction and a sharp screenplay written by Stephen Belber. You could certainly group 'Tape' together with 'Sunset' and 'Sunrise' in Linklater's All-Dialogue All the Time Trilogy.

The Worst

'A Scanner Darkly'

I really admired all the work that went into this movie. First they had to shoot the movie. then they had to rotoscope over every single frame in order to achieve the desired look and effect. It's an astounding amount of work, but in the end I had to ask myself was it all worth it? Did the animation really add all that much to the story as a whole? For long stretches of the movie I felt bored and unengaged. I marveled at the animation, but that's about it. Even with the talent that was involved.

'Bad News Bears' (2005)


The original 'Bad News Bears' had the same kind of kid spirit that films like 'The Sandlot' have. The remake? Not so much. It's basically "Bad Santa and the Bad News Bears,' a tepid comedy at best. Most of the film contained lowest-common-denominator humor. It simply came across as a remake that never needed to be made in the first place.

'Fast Food Nation'


Despite its star-studded cast I could never get into Linklater's fictional version of Eric Schlosser's non-fiction best-seller. I don't know. It felt too crowded, like it was trying too hard. Instead of taking you along for a simple journey like 'Tape,' it thrust you into the middle of the action. Still, there are a few very memorable moments in this movie, including a tragic accident at a meat packing facility, a look inside a working slaughterhouse, and Bruce Willis eating a burger we only wish had pink slime in it...

'The Newton Boys'


There's actually a lot to like about 'The Newton Boys.' I enjoyed Linklater departing from his norm and taking on a big-budget heist movie. But, Matthew McConaughey gives a grating performance. So much so that it cause me to end up disliking the movie by the end.

'Suburbia'


Another one of Linklater's movies that I didn't really enjoy putting in the Bottom 5, but when compared to the movies above I didn't like 'Suburbia' as much. Still, it's an enjoyable , clever tale about a group of kids coming of age. There are some great performances from Steve Zahn and Parker Posey too. Eh, maybe we should've made this one Top 6 / Bottom 4.

What do you think? Where would you rank Linklater's filmography regarding your personal tastes? Do you think 'A Scanner Darkly' is great science fiction? Head on over to the forums by clicking on the link below and let us know how you feel about his films.

I think that we can all agree on one thing though.: Not nearly enough Linklater movies have found their way to Blu-ray!

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Aaron's All-Night Movie Marathon: Part 2

Wed Apr 25, 2012 at 08:00 PM ET
Tags: Aaron Peck, Fun Stuff (all tags)

The wild journey continues...

Last weekend, like any rational movie critic, Aaron Peck said to himself, "Hey, how cool would it be to do a 24-hour movie marathon?" This wasn't one of his better life decisions...

In case you missed the first part of Aaron's All-Night Movie Marathon you can read it right here.

It's now past midnight and Aaron is getting tired and fears hallucinations of a giant pink octopus. Oh, wait, that thing was real?

#8 'Inglourious Basterds ': 153 min.

Time 12:40 am

Starting a movie after midnight is a surreal moment. Midnight is usually when I call it quits and head to bed. Starting a movie closer to 1:00 am is lunacy as far as I'm concerned.

I'm starting to feel tired now and don't know if I can take in another 2-hour plus movie, but I've started this madness, there's no way I'm going to quit now.

I tear off the shrink-wrap wondering why I haven't watched this Blu-ray until now. No matter, because as soon as the movie starts I'm sucked in. I forget that I'm slowly entering the early morning and instead I'm mesmerized by Christoph Waltz drinking milk in the most malicious way possible. I can't think of another opening scene in a movie that made me feel more unease than that of 'Inglourious Basterds.'

By this time my notes have gotten sparse. Earlier on I was jotting down everything that happened to me, but now my brain is starting to give up just a bit. It sure isn't with me when it comes to completing my task. It wants to go to bed desperately, but I told it to shut up by chugging another Redbull slushie.

The Numbers

15 hours and 23 minutes watched

#9 'Thor': 114 min.

Time 3:15 am

My head is swimming by this time. I realize that my previous statement about starting a movie after midnight seems silly, since starting a movie after 3:00 am is when it really gets weird.

I'm seeing 'The Avengers' next week for a press screening so I thought 'Thor' would be a good refresher. I would've probably watched 'Iron Man' too, but it's buried somewhere in our mountain of moving boxes.

My notes have become pretty incoherent by now. I'm checking them now and I can barely make out something that says, "Imagining Kat Denning having something to do with science is just as hard as imagining that Blake Lively could be a fighter pilot." I also wrote, "Loki looks like a deranged beetle with that helmet." The funny thing is, I don't remember writing these things at all.

I did, however, make it all the way through 'Thor' without dozing off. Although, it's apparent that my brain wasn't really cooperating.

The Numbers

17 hours and 17 minutes watched

#10 'No Strings Attached': 107 min.

Time: 5:07 am

I finished up with my shrink-wrapped pile with 'Thor.' It felt good to finally watch those movies that had been sitting on my shelves for months.

The sun was just peeking over the mountains outside, and that weirded me out a bit. I sat and stared out the window wondering where the darkness had gone. I can't remember the last time I was awake when the sun started rising.

With little left in the brain tank, only a will to keep on going, I dug my hand around in the box of movies and pulled out the Blu-ray of 'No Strings Attached.' The third movie starring Natalie Portman that I watched during my 24-hour movie marathon. I was too tired to think it was strangely coincidental.

The birds are starting to chirp outside my window now. Every movie after midnight is starting to blend together. Ashton Kutcher getting shot in a bank robbery. Al Pacino playing Hitler. Natalie Portman burning down a theater full of Nazis. It's all just a big bowl of movie soup in my head and it's about to spill out, all over the place.

Still, it was nice to take my mind off gunshots and explosions and take in a breezy comedy. It isn't a perfect movie but 'No Strings Attached' does have its moments and I laughed along with it. At least I thought I laughed. I also could've been having an out-of body experience. Even my big bowl of Malt-O-Meal Blueberry Mini-Spooners isn't enough to wrestle me from my tired funk.

The Numbers

19 hours and 4 minutes watched

#11 'Serenity': 119 min.

Time: 6:57 am

Honestly, who watches movies before 7:00 am? That just doesn't make any sense.

My personal screening of 'Serenity' was brought to you by a delusion-fueled grab into the mighty moving box of movies. At least Nathan Fillion was able to keep me semi-lucid during the movie, although I did doze off a couple times. However, it was because of Ponyo that I was able to achieve my goal of getting through a full 24-hour cycle. Ponyo, sitting at my feet, licked my toes whenever I fell asleep, which jolted me back awake.

Another lesson I learned while watching 'Serenity' on 20 some odd hours of no sleep, don't watch science fiction when you're dead tired. You won't understand a thing. It's a good thing I've seen 'Serenity' or I wouldn't have known what was happening. Also, the giant pink octopus cartoon isn't conducive to a person who thinks he's hallucinating anyway.

The Numbers

21 hours and 3 minutes watched

Eight o'clock was rolling around. At least I think that's what time it was, until my body literally couldn’t take any more. My butt had been numbed out of existence from sitting on my couch for that long. I tried to muster the strength to watch at least one more movie, but I couldn't. The marathon was over.

To quote Al Pacino from 'Heat,' "Because she's got a GREAT ASS!!!" wait, no. "I'm going to sleep for a month!"

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Aaron's All-Night Movie Marathon: Part 1

Wed Apr 25, 2012 at 04:00 PM ET
Tags: Aaron Peck, Fun Stuff (all tags)

The weekend was approaching and my wife had informed me she was taking off to go to her mother's house for the weekend. She was taking our young son with her. I was going to be all alone. So... Last weekend, like any rational movie critic, I said to myself, "Hey, how cool would it be to do a 24-hour movie marathon?" This wasn't one of my better life decisions.

Before sitting down to watch a stack of movies, one after the other, I took my dog Ponyo out for her morning walk. When my chain-smoking neighbor's dogs tried to attack poor little Ponyo I should've recognized it as a bad omen and quit right there. It was too late though. I'd told everyone I knew. I'd even announced it on the High-Def Digest Facebook page. There was no turning back.

I tried to allay my fears about how grueling a task this was going to be by remembering back to a time where I, along with a group of my friends, spent all night at the local bowling alley during a specially planned all-nighter. What I failed to realize is that it's easier to stay awake when you have people to talk to.

I had made a run to the store and gotten all the essentials for my 24-hour movie binge. Atop the list I had written in big bold letters, "CAFFEINE!" I know people say to stay away from caffeine if you're trying to stay awake for long periods of time because of the inherent crash that comes afterward, but that only happens if you stop drinking it. Advantage, me! I stocked up on other movie-watching necessities, like microwave popcorn and Cheetos. So I could feel good about myself I did buy a bag of carrots to munch on, but I only touched them once.

My top choice for a caffeine drink is Total Zero Redbull, but drinking it over and over can get pretty old. So, if any of you are planning on an all-nighter and need something yummy to drink/wake you up, here's a little recipe for you.

Rasberry Redbull Wake-up Juice Slushie

1 can Redbull (8.4 oz. can)
1 cup Simply Raspberry Lemonade
3 – 5 good-sized ice cubes

Combine ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Add a quarter of lime after blending if desired.

Now you have a wonderful slushie full of all the caffeine you'll need to take in countless numbers of movies. Plus, it tastes like raspberries, but with a kick.

With my caffeine blended and my munchies readied, I sat down on my couch and prepared myself for an entire day of movies.

#1 'Shame': 101 min.

Time: 10:15 am

My first movie was 'Shame,' which seemed very strange watching it at 10:00 am. I don't know why. This seems like a movie that you should be watching in a darkened basement at 2:00 am somewhere.

I could hear the kids next door playing in their backyard while I watched Michael Fassbender navigate a life of emotionless sexual conquests and a steady stream of hookers filling up his lonely nights. It was all just too weird.

The movie, however, is a fascinating study of sex addiction and what it could/does do to a person. I've seen 'Shame' twice now and both times I've come away with the same conflicted thought, "I never want to see that movie again, but I really need to watch it again to make sure I understood everything that happened."

Fassbender got a ton of praise for his part (heh), and rightly so. Carey Mulligan on the other hand didn't get nearly as much talk about her performance which in my opinion is as good as, or better than, Fassbender's. Her musical solo in the middle of the film is heart-breaking and hauntingly effective in providing insight into the broken characters of Brandon and Sissy.

Seriously, see 'Shame' if you can. It's tough to stomach at first, but you may find yourself wanting to watch it again right after you've finished. Do I want to watch it again? Not really. Will I watch it again? Almost definitely.

The Numbers

1 hour 41 minutes watched

#2 'Splintered': 88 min.

Time: 11:54 am

Okay, truth be told, I don't do well with horror movies, especially when I'm alone. That's why I decided to watch 'Splintered,' a low-budget horror movie from across the pond, early in the day. That way the light streaming in through the windows would relieve many of the fears I'd undoubtedly have during the movie.

I have another confession to make. I judge horror movies by their covers more than any other genre. I can feel my brain tensing up whenever I see an overly bloody, or scary-looking movie cover. That's why the cover of 'Splintered' (see above) made me think it was scarier than it really was. It looked like a torture porn title. A sub-section of films that I never seek out because I simply don't like them.

My fears were soon put to rest when I stuck in 'Splintered' and found a cliché-ridden mess of a movie. Almost like the filmmakers wrote as many horror movie clichés as they could on a piece of paper, tore it up, and picked the remnants, one-by-one from a bowl deciding which cliché to use next.

A group of teenagers head into the woods (sound familiar?) to track down a mysterious thing that has been killing animals (these kids are smart I tell ya). They spend the next 80 minutes wandering off on their own even after wondering if splitting up is the best idea (idiots). They decide calling the cops would be completely silly, even after they find dead people (oh dear). And the worst part of it is that they play it all straight-faced like this is the scariest movie that has ever been made. These guys needed to watch 'Tucker and Dale vs. Evil' before they made their movie. That would've solved so many problems.

The Numbers

3 hours and 9 minutes watched

#3 'Beautiful Wave': 96 min.

Time: 1:50 pm

A new restaurant just opened a couple blocks from my house. It's tucked away in the middle of a neighborhood. If someone didn’t tell you that it was there you'd never know it existed. It's called Herm's Inn. A breakfast and lunch place that serves pancakes the size of manhole covers. I ordered some takeout from them for lunch. A tasty tuna melt smothered with jalapenos and served with a side of spicy potatoes.

As I chowed down on my tuna melt I stuck in the third movie of the day. Another screener which I had to watch in order to review. The cover of 'Beautiful Wave' shows a spunky teenage girl hoisting up her surfboard in triumph. My feeling when I saw this was, "Ugh. How many coming-of-age surfer movies can realistically be made?"

This is one of those movies that is so proud of its title that it repeats it at least 42 times during the movie, each time with even more emphasis than the last. It's the story of a young girl trying to find herself as she learns to surf. It wasn't fair that I watched this movie so early in the day since it started putting me to sleep before I was even tired. There's nothing more lonely than watching a bad movie alone.

'Beautiful Wave' exhibits a distinct formula for frustrating its viewer: one shot of a rolling wave, one shot of a contemplating face staring off into the distance, all followed by musical surfing montages. Wash, rinse, repeat, yawn.

The Numbers

4 hours and 45 minutes watched

#4 'Walking Tall': 124 min.

Time: 3:25 pm

A sigh of relief came over me when 'Beautiful Wave' ended. It was time to move onto something that I was sure to like, and what's not to like about a vigilante sheriff named Buford Pusser. When Pusser runs for the office of sheriff in his small town, I couldn't help but think that today someone with that last name would be unelectable, then I remembered Anthony Weiner got elected, so I guess Pusser has as much a chance as anyone with a hilarious last name.

Pusser doesn't take law breaking lightly and he abhors douchbag criminals, probably because they remind him of the kids who used to pick on him at school because of his last name. So, Pusser fashions a giant stick and walks around town beatin' on people.

Fight choreography has come a long way since the 70s. So have effective props. There are a few times where Pusser's law-keeping stick bends as he swings it, like he's swinging a giant Styrofoam tube painted like wood. I also had to laugh around the 23:00 minute mark when the camera dolly noticeably rolls over something big on accident. The whole frame bounces up and down, while a loud KER-CHUNK can be heard in the audio.

The Numbers

6 hours and 49 minutes watched

#5 'Blade of Kings': 106 min.

Time: 5:40 pm

I never, ever want to see 'Blade of Kings' ever again. If you ever show up on my doorstep with that movie in your hand I'm going to go all Pusser on you (I know, I chuckled at that phrasing too) and start beating you with my giant stick.

Good God, what an awful movie experience. Imagine if the SyFy Channel decided that they were going to do a martial arts film, but that's not all. This martial arts film would also feature comedy! I couldn't tell what was worse. The hackneyed special effects of people flipping through the air, or the acting.

The most fun I had watching this movie was when I was teaching my dog Ponyo to sit up before I'd give her a piece of the carrots I was eating. Yeah, she loves carrots. We still have no idea why she loves carrots, but she can't get enough of them. All it takes is one loud snap of a carrot breaking in your mouth and Ponyo is right there, under your feet, looking up at you with those big puppy dog eyes, begging for a crunchy morsel.

Sorry, what were we talking about? I forget. Let's move on.

The Numbers

8 hours and 35 minutes watched

#6 'Camel Spiders': 85 min.

Time: 7:30 pm

When I attend the Sundance Film Festival I'm able to take in five movies on a good day, but it's always tough. Four is usually my max. So when I was pulling out my sixth movie, which was a screener for 'Camel Spiders' that I've been dodging for a few weeks now, I couldn't help but feel a bit dejected. I'm coming up on my movie watching record for simultaneous movies in a row and I'm trying to take on a movie called 'Camel Spiders' right in the middle of that feat? Truthfully, I thought this movie would doom me.

I had already started feeling a bit shut in and claustrophobic. A friend or two said they might stop by, but no one did. Apparently, they knew I'd be watching 'Camel Spiders' and fled. There I was, alone. Only Ponyo to keep me company, but even she wanted nothing to do with this idiotic movie. She scurried from the couch and made herself at home by the open front door, feeling the breeze coming in from the screen.

I gulped, sighed, and stuck it in. At first I thought live-blogging the movie would be a good idea. At least it would keep me busy, but I soon realized that the movie was even too stupid for that. You know a movie is bad when it's preceded with a trailer for 'Metal Shifters.'

I hate spiders. I absolutely loathe them. So, even though the movie's effects were one-step up from paper cut-outs of spiders scuttling across the screen, I still jumped when Ponyo brushed against my leg late into the movie. Then I was glad no one was around to see it.

My favorite part of the movie though was how the movie's "scientists" kept saying "They aren't really spiders, check out their legs. There's only six of them." Then we'd see a non-spider spider crawling along the ground with what appear to be eight legs plus two giant pincers up front. I wonder if they even let the special effects guy read the script. Or if there was a script at all.

The Numbers

10 hours watched

#7 'Heat': 170 min.

Time 9:20

It was starting to get late, and it was starting to hit me that I was only just over halfway through with my marathon. I decided to take a short break and shower. Our swamp coolers haven't been turned on yet since winter, so all that was keeping me cool from the 75-degree weather outside was an anemic ceiling fan and the occasional licks from Ponyo. To put it lightly, I didn't feel all that fresh after marinating for that long.

I decided to stop with the screeners and dug out three movies from my collection that have worn shrink wrap since I bought them. They're all packed away in boxes since we're moving in a couple weeks, so I had to dig to find the still shrink-wrapped movies. Luckily I pulled out three worthy titles. The first to come out of the box was 'Heat,' followed by 'Thor,' and 'Inglourious Basterds.'

It was a bit daunting starting a near 3-hour movie at 9:00 pm. I remember renting 'Heat' at the local video store. I probably did so four or five times in my youth. It was the time of VHS, and 'Heat' was one of the rentals that came in a VHS 2-pack. Every time I watch it I have a feeling of accomplishment wash over me because I remember feeling the very same way after finishing the second VHS tape. Two VHS tapes, that was a big deal.

I've seen the movie so many times that there's no reason to talk discuss the movie as a whole. Instead I wanted to focus on random things I noticed this time around.

  • Remember when Robert De Niro did good movies and actually seemed like a guy that could kick anyone's ass? Yeah, those days are over. Sorry.
  • Remember when we thought the very same thing about Al Pacino? Dammit!
  • Remember when Val Kilmer was still considered a sexy dude and didn't look like he'd just raided the craft services table on set?
  • I had totally forgotten that Natalie Portman was in this movie.
  • Remember when Tom Siezmore was a somewhat respectable actor/citizen?
  • I like revisiting 'Heat' if only for that huge gunfight. Why can't gunfights be more like that in today's movies? There was a gunfight/action scene that actually had a keen awareness of its geographical space. You could always tell where the bank robbers were relative to the cops. And there's no damn shaky-cam!
  • Pacino's eyes bugging out when he says, "Because she's got a GREAT ASS!!!" is the single best moment in the entire movie.

The Numbers

12 hours and 50 minutes watched

Stay tuned for Part 2...

See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.


Bonus View Digest - April 20, 2012

Fri Apr 20, 2012 at 02:45 PM ET
Tags: Bonus View Digest, Aaron Peck, The Bonus View (all tags)

April is almost over and you know what that means… Summer Movie Season! Keep your browser keyed on The Bonus View in order to find out what Luke thinks about all the new blockbusters hitting the cinemas this summer.

Along with hotly anticipated movie reviews we'll also keep up with Blu-ray news, TV recaps, and home theater suggestions.

Blu-ray News

This week the Blu-ray Highlights post turned into quite the discussion forum. The subject at hand was Brad Bird's decision to keep the Blu-ray aspect ratio consistent throughout the movie, instead of using switching aspect ratios for the included IMAX footage. What do you think? Come on over and voice your opinion on that post or on the Mid-Week Poll where we asked you to vote on what you thought about this decision.

In case you missed it we have an awesome giveaway this week and today is the last day to enter. Head on over to this blog post and caption the picture in the comments below. Two copies of the BBC's 'Frozen Planet' will be given away to the best captions. Believe me when I say, you want this set.

In packaging news Tom covers the impending wave of Alliance steelbooks which will be available in June.

TV Madness

This week we ended the first round and now we're down to 32 TV characters who will battle it out starting next week to see who makes it to the round of 16.

On Wednesday, Clay Morrow narrowly edged Thomas Magnum and Captain Kirk crushed Robert McCall. On Monday, Clark Kent took out angry fireman Tommy Gavin while Bruce Banner defeated Nikita.

Theatrical News

There's only one big release this weekend. Come see what Luke thought about Disney Nature's new documentary 'Chimpanzee.'

In the Trailer Park, E takes a look at trailers for 'Neighborhood Watch' and 'Seeking a Friend for the End of the World.'

TV Recaps

This week we had recaps for 'The Killing,' 'Game of Thrones,' 'Awake,' and 'Fringe.' Josh also covered the series premiere of HBO's new comedy 'Girls.'

Special Features

This week's Weekend Roundtable we discussed what movies could be set in space, with hilarious results. What movies do you think could easily be set in space? Let us know.

That's it for this week on The Bonus View. The next few weeks will no doubt be crazy with all the new summer movies coming out. Stay tuned to find out how they are.


Bonus View Digest - April 6, 2012

Fri Apr 06, 2012 at 02:00 PM ET
Tags: The Bonus View Digest, The Bonus View, Aaron Peck, Fun Stuff (all tags)

How was your first week of April? We had a busy one over at The Bonus View! In case you missed anything, we have it all encapsulated here in one easily digestible recap of The Bonus View. This week we covered everything from new theatrical releases, to the premieres of new television seasons. So sit back, relax, and let us guide you through the high-def extravaganza of the week that was.

TV Madness

The battles rage on as iconic television characters go head-to-head in a giant battle-to-the-death tournament. On Monday we had a very close call between Eric Northman of 'True Blood' and John Locke from 'Lost.' In the end Locke ended up pulling it out, but just barely. In the other matchup the universe's most famous Klingon, Worf, pummeled Al Capone into submission.

On Wednesday, Michael Knight from 'Knight Rider' was pitted against the world's scariest drug dealer, Omar Little from 'The Wire.' Needless to say, Little demolished him. In the other Wednesday matchup we have a very close race which is too close to call at the moment. Angel and Sarah Walker from 'Chuck' are only separated by one vote right now. So make sure to go cast your vote there because every vote counts.

Blu-ray News

If you're into collectible steelbook packaging then Tom has a few posts that you might want to read. First, check out the new Future Shop steelbook for 'Underworld: Awakening' and then head on over to see if Play.com's new 'Alien Anthology' steelbook strikes your fancy.

If you're just looking for suggestions on what to buy this week then Josh has every Blu-ray release hitting store shelves in his weekly Blu-ray Highlights post.

Theatrical News

Luke already saw this week's new movies so you can know what you should see this weekend. Find out if the new 'American Pie' movie 'American Reunion' is worth your time and box office dollars. Also, find out what Luke thought of Morgan Spurlock's new geek-centric documentary 'Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope.'

Wondering about upcoming releases? We're getting close to the summer movie season and E has a few trailers in this week's Trailer Park that you might want to take a look at. The new trailer for the remake of 'Total Recall' has finally been released. If you need your sci-fi with a bit of odd-ball humor then maybe you should check out 'Iron Sky.' Nazis attacking from the dark side of the moon, what could be better, right?

Also, we all know that you've been dying to see who won big at the Razzies. In case you didn't hear the outcomes, Josh has a complete rundown of the event which honors the worst that Hollywood has to offer.

TV Recaps

This week we covered a couple of TV's big season premieres. Check out Aaron's thoughts on 'The Killing's season two premiere, along with what Josh thought of 'Game of Thrones' season premiere. We also have recaps of 'Fringe,' and 'Awake' if you're looking to find out about what's on TV.

Special Features

In last Friday's Weekend Roundtable we discussed our favorite dystopian films. What are yours? Please let us know.

In the Mid-Week Poll we wanted to find out where you buy most of your Blu-rays. Is it online or at a physical store?

Well, that's it for this week. As always we thank you, dear readers, because without you none of this would be possible. Have a great weekend and we'll see you back here on The Bonus View bright and early Monday morning to continue talking about anything and everything related to high definition entertainment.


Bonus View Digest - March 30, 2012

Fri Mar 30, 2012 at 03:40 PM ET
Tags: Bonus View Digest, Aaron Peck, The Bonus View, Fun Stuff (all tags)

Where'd March go? This month has just flown by if you ask me. Even though time seems to be fast-forwarding on us, we were still able to crank out a lot of exciting posts this week. This week had a bit of everything. TV Madness is going steady as new characters punch their tickets to the next round. Check out everything you may have missed below.

TV Madness

This week featured some interesting matchups. We had a couple of lopsided matchups. Malcolm Reynolds easily took out Shane from 'The Walking Dead.' While Ben Linus outsmarted Christopher Chance.

Then we had the war of the world's most famous FBI agents. Fox Mulder went up against Dale Cooper. Mulder pulled out the win with much chagrin from the Cooper fans. In the other matchup, Buffy the Vampire Slayer easily defeated young Indiana Jones.

Today's matchup is another doozy. You get to pick who is going to win between 'Deadwood's Al Swearengen and 'Rome's Titus Pullo. After trying to figure out who will win in that matchup you have another hard choice in voting for either Detective Sonny Crockett or Jarod from 'The Pretender.'

Home Theater News

Josh took a look at after-the-fact 3D conversion gear, most specifically a new box called the 3D-Bee. Is this the 3D box for you? Check out what Josh has to say about it.

Theatrical News

This week Luke saw and reviewed quite a few movies which are opening today. Check out reviews for 'Mirror, Mirror,' 'Salmon Fishing in the Yemen,' and 'Wrath of the Titans.'

TV Recaps

'The Killing' starts its second season on Sunday. Aaron took a bit of time to write down his thoughts on the end of the first season and why he is mildly excited for the show's second season. What do you think? Will you be tuning it to see what happens? Take the poll.

Other recaps include 'Awake,' 'Fringe,' and two recaps of 'Alcatraz.'

Special Features

This week's Mid-Week Poll we asked how old your TV set is, while in The Weekend Roundtable we talked about crazy cinematic cross-overs and what it would be like to see them happen. Finally, don't forget to check out this week's Critical Mass. Luke and Aaron argue whether or not 'The Descendants' was really a great film. Luke liked it; Aaron didn't think it was worthy of all the hype it got. Make sure to take the poll and voice your opinion.

Thanks for joining us here on The Bonus View. Another month has sailed by, but it's been fun all the same.


Top 5 / Bottom 5: Kevin Costner

Thu Mar 29, 2012 at 03:35 PM ET
Tags: Top 5/Bottom 5, Aaron Peck, Fun Stuff (all tags)

by Aaron Peck

Kevin Costner is about as divisive a Hollywood figure as Nicolas Cage. He's renowned for picking terrible roles in misguided, epic failures, but he's also starred in some much-loved films. Costner's filmography spans the insanely bad and the amazingly great. Here's something interesting, among Costner's starring roles on IMDb, the scores run the gamut, from 98 percent down to a dismal 7 percent. The guy has range!

With the release of 'The Bodyguard,' this week I thought we'd devote a Top 5 / Bottom 5 to the best and worst of Costner's career. You'll notice I left 'Waterworld' off the list completely, (Think of it as having its own special place in film history.) believe it or not, there are five films on his resume that are even worse than that record-making box office bomb.

The Best

'Bull Durham'

Critically-acclaimed and adored by audiences almost universally, 'Bull Durham' features one of Costner's very best roles. In many of his movies Costner plays a stoic, unflappable hero, but here he shows that he actually has a well-tuned sense of humor when directed by someone like Ron Shelton, who is able to extract comedic performances from people who I never thought were funny. Who would've though Wesley Snipes was such a hoot until Shelton directed him in 'White Men Can't Jump.'

'Dances with Wolves'

This movie remains one of Costner's most memorable films, save for 'Field of Dreams.' It seems that after 'Dances with Wolves' Costner took on an increasingly bad list of movies. Still, the epic movie about Lt. John W. Dunbar is still emotionally resonant, even today.

'Field of Dreams'

Thinking back on all of Costner's films this is always the one that sticks out in my mind the most. Not only can it be considered to be among his best films, it's also the preeminent movie for anyone who wants to watch a good baseball flick. It's one of the best and most memorable baseball movies of all time.

'JFK'

Personally, 'JFK' is on my list of the top ten movies of all-time. I have a soft spot for anything JFK Conspiracy related. True, or blatantly false, Stone's picture is moving, intense, and full of fantastic performances. Smack-dab in the middle of these great performances is Kevin Costner portraying a Hollywoodized version of real-life attorney Jim Garrison. I could watch this movie again and again. It never gets old.

'The Untouchables'

Directed by Brian DePalma and penned by legendary playwright David Mamet, 'The Untouchables' is one seriously underrated gangster flick. Whenever the topic of gangster movies is brought up we always hear of 'Goodfellas' or 'The Godfather' first, but 'The Untouchables' was just as artful and memorable as those films.

The Worst

'Dragonfly'


Has there ever been a worse supernatural "horror" movie than 'Dragonfly'? I still remember people freaking out because of the trailers and then getting in the theater only to be bored to death by this utterly dull, un-suspenseful slog through melodrama. It's just an awful film that just so happens to be awfully stupid at the same time.

'Message in a Bottle'


Yes, it's every bit as sappy and cloying as any other Nicholas Sparks novel turned movie. There are a lot of tears, but like so many of Sparks' stories it all seems so hollow. The entire movie is foolishly sentimental and never once approaches a story that is worth caring about.

'Mr. Brooks'

'Dexter' made serial killers cool, Kevin Costner made them suck. Granted it isn't all Costner's fault, even if he is rather doltish as a budding serial killer. The movie also stars Hollywood leech Dane Cook, who can't help but make everything he's in a steaming pile of excrement. I did like William Hurt as Costner's evil alter-ego, but even he couldn't save this muddled affair.

'The New Daughter'

I bet you haven't seen 'The New Daughter' have you? I had the (dis)pleasure of reviewing it for the site a while back, and I can tell you that it definitely isn't worth seeing. It starts out as a promising, low-budget horror movie, then it moves into the unintentionally funny territory of ancient Native American spirits and all sorts of other mumbo jumbo that never makes sense. Costner more or less plods around the set looking lost, like he has no idea why he's in this movie in the first place. It turns out, that's a good question. Why is he in this movie at all?

'The Postman'

'Waterworld' gets all the fame as being Costner's biggest flop, but sometimes we forget that 'The Postman' was an equally massive disappointment. Sure, 'Waterwold' set records with its astronomical budget and terrible domestic returns, but its foreign box office take helped out quite a bit. 'The Postman' however, only made a paltry $17 million domestically, compared to its huge (at the time) $80 million budget. It didn't even garner it's the "so bad it's good" status that 'Waterwold' got. Many people look at 'Waterworld' as a guilty pleasure, while most people don't even give 'The Postman' a second thought.

Even though Costner has a reputation for picking some bad movies, he's also starred in a few of cinema's most memorable ones. How would you rank Costner's top five and bottom five films? Let us know by clicking on the link below and visiting us in the forums.

See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.


Ranking the Muppet Movies

Wed Mar 21, 2012 at 03:20 PM ET
Tags: Aaron Peck, Fun Stuff (all tags)

by Aaron Peck

While my fondest Muppet memories come from the 120 glorious episodes of 'The Muppet Show,' their big screen movies have provided more than enough laughs over the years as well. Until now, I've never sat back and thought about where I would rank the individual Muppet films, but with 'The Muppets' coming out on Blu-ray this week, I thought I'd do that very thing.

As with all lists, this one is completely my opinion. I must confess that I really do love the Muppets. I've been a fan of Kermit and the gang since I was a tadpole. I grew up watching the movies and the television show. The early big screen incarnations seemed to follow along with general Muppet mayhem, like 'The Muppet Movie' and 'The Muppets Take Manhattan,' but later on the movies took on a different context, where the beloved characters were inserted into well-known stories like 'The Muppets Christmas Carol' and 'Muppet Treasure Island'. With these differences came varying degrees of success both in terms of box office and humor.

We're going to consider each film and see which ones were great and which ones were only so-so. So, on with the show!

7. 'Muppets From Space'

One of the biggest cons of 'Muppets From Space' is its non-musical status. The Muppets are known for catchy tunes and throughout their filmography they'd played that up perfectly. It's almost like they consciously went away from the musical side of things to appeal to a younger generation of kids who didn't like musicals. That and they tacked on a simplistic plot about Gonzo's true origin as an alien. There are still a few laughs in this movie, but out of the franchise it really is the most forgettable one of the bunch.

6. 'The Muppets Take Manhattan'

Don't get me wrong. I like 'The Muppets Take Manhattan' (I just like the other films ahead of it more). I gave it three and a half stars when I reviewed it for the site. It's a perfectly serviceable Muppet movie. I even dig the "Let's get everyone back together and take over Broadway," shtick. What really brings this movie to a screeching halt is Kermit suddenly developing amnesia. That plot device really kills much of the movie's momentum.

5. 'Muppet Treasure Island'


Like I said above, sometimes Muppet movies consist of original Muppet tales of the whole group, and sometimes we simply get a parody of a story we already know. This time the Muppets take on Robert Louis Stevenson's 'Treasure Island'. Tim Curry as Long John Silver is one of the high points of this movie. Not to mention the catchy "Cabin Fever" tune, and more than enough Pepe the Prawn to go around.

4. 'The Muppet Movie'


It was the pioneer of the bunch. Branching out from the TV show, Jim Henson and his immensely talented team of puppeteers set out to make a full-length feature. It's a very strong feature indeed, but it isn't without its flaws. Because it was the first film, Henson and company were still trying to work out the kinks, and because of that the pace of the movie was a tad herky-jerky when it was intercut with the movie's songs. Although, there are some great tunes here; "Movin' Right Along" will always be one of my all-time favorite Muppet songs.

3. 'The Muppet Christmas Carol'


This parody is full of the Christmas spirit. It's true that they set out to make a funny version of Charles Dickens' classic story. In the end they created something that had laughs, but still embodied the meaning of the original story. Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge is the perfect casting choice. This is a must-watch every time Christmas rolls around.

2. 'The Great Muppet Caper'


It had been only two years since 'The Muppet Movie' but you could already tell that they'd figured out what they were doing. 'The Great Muppet Caper' contains some great puppeteering for anyone interested in the art form. Just take a look at Miss Piggy's underwater sequence to see what type of stuff Jim Henson was coming up with back in the 80s. On top of the masterful puppeteering at work, 'The Great Muppet Caper' features a strong, tight plot along with some great cameos from the likes of John Cleese, Peter Falk, and Robert Morley. I also really liked Charles Grodin in his leading role. Very funny.

1. 'The Muppets'

This is coming from a dyed-in-the-felt Muppets fan, but yes, I think the newest Muppet movie is actually the best one yet. That may be heresy to some, but I feel confident in my ranking. I always felt that the strongest Muppet moments always came from their TV show anyway. The TV show was the essence of the franchise, and this movie pays perfect tribute to that bygone show. I understand that there was some trouble behind the scenes, which hasn't been fully revealed, but I still thought this was one of the greatest Muppet movies because it complemented one of the best TV shows so impeccably.

So, now the question is, how would you rank the Muppet movies? Disagree with my rankings? Well, let us know in the forums where you can let us know just how you'd rank the filmography of the world's most famous puppets.

When all is said and done, I think we've all learned one valuable thing from this list. We desperately need more Muppet movies on Blu-ray!!

See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.



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