Posts Tagged ‘Bluray’
Michael Jackson: This Is It (Two-Disc Limited Edition with 3D Backstage Pass version 2) [Blu-ray]
Michael Jackson: This Is It (Two-Disc Limited Edition with 3D Backstage Pass version 2) [Blu-ray] Review
I’ve probably written two-dozen reviews of music DVDs here on Amazon, and of all the music DVDs that I’ve seen, none were really like Michael Jackson’s This Is It. The major difference between This Is It and the other music DVDs that I’ve seen is that the others are all live concerts; This Is It is footage of rehearsals and preparation for the tour that Jackson was to perform starting in July 2009…which of course never got started due to his untimely and quite tragic death.
Odd as Michael was (and looked), he truly was a musical genius….So many great songs over a span of half a century. And over the past 25 years Michael’s life became part of pop culture and he was a captive to whatever the tabloids wanted to portray the guy as at any given time. What this film does is give you the opportunity to see Michael Jackson the performer and also a first hand look at the man behind the performer. And it turns out that two things are indeed confirmed: he was a musical genius and he was eccentrically odd.
To set the record straight, this impromptu documentary/concert DVD was never meant to be; the cameras and crew were apparently on set rehearsing themselves for filming of the first few actual shows. So what you ultimately get are very real and unrehearsed rehearsal sessions. And I gotta say, I wish that all of the music DVDs that I own or have watched included a behind the scenes rehearsal session. It’s a very cool perspective to watch from. You not only get full or close to full performances of most of the songs, you see the real prep work that goes into performing each song and you get a glimpse at the personalities and camaraderie of the band, the performers/dancers and of course MJ.
The film’s director Kenny Ortega is probably best known for the High School Musical movies. Kenny comes across like Michael’s therapist. You know that guy Ben Stein with the monotone delivery? Ortega has the same droning voice and throughout This Is It Ortega can be heard comically talking like a child therapist to Michael as if to prevent him from having a tantrum. It’s really amusing.
But the real fun is watching Jackson perform the songs that you probably grew up with. The band is really on, and Michael at age 51 still sang like an angel when he needed to and could rock with the rest when he wanted to. There are very few low (or boring) moments on the DVD; when it was over I was looking for more. But alas there was no more; only the realization that it was really over and that The King of Pop has left fans with a nice parting gift in this DVD.
Songs include:
“Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin'”
“Speechless”
“Jam”
“Bad”
“They Don’t Care About Us”
“Human Nature”
“Smooth Criminal”
“The Way You Make Me Feel.”
“I Want You Back”, “The Love You Save”, “I’ll Be There” and “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)” medley
“I Just Can’t Stop Loving You”
“Thriller”
“Who Is It”
“Beat It
“Black or White”
“Earth Song”
“Billie Jean
“Man in the Mirror”
“This Is It”
Michael Jackson: This Is It (Two-Disc Limited Edition with 3D Backstage Pass version 2) [Blu-ray] Overview
The two-disc Blu-ray limited edition includes a bonus disc plus PSP digital copy! Also included is a 3D backstage pass replica (version 2)!
Michael Jackson’s This Is It will offer Jackson fans and music lovers worldwide a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the performer as he developed, created and rehearsed for his sold-out concerts that would have taken place beginning this summer in London’s O2 Arena. Chronicling the months from April through June 2009, the film is produced with the full support of the Estate of Michael Jackson and drawn from more than one hundred hours of behind-the-scenes footage, featuring Jackson rehearsing a number of his songs for the show. Audiences will be given a privileged and private look at Jackson as he has never been seen before. In raw and candid detail, Michael Jackson’s This Is It captures the singer, dancer, filmmaker, architect, creative genius and great artist at work as he creates and perfects his final show. Directed by Kenny Ortega, who was both Michael Jackson’s creative partner and the director of the stage show.
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Black Snake Moan [Blu-ray]
Black Snake Moan [Blu-ray] Review
Neither of us had heard of this movie when it came out but we saw a preview for it on another movie. Given the way it was presented in the preview, I was expecting a cross between the comedic ‘Snakes on a Plane’ and some kind of titillating s&m thing; I mean Christina in bondage with tight shirt and panties? Yowza. Needless to say, my wife was not at all looking forward to seeing this one.
This movie is nothing like that. First off, Christina is anything but appealing in this movie. She is greasy, beat-up, unwashed, and pathologically promiscuous. You can almost see the stank lines radiating off her. Second, there is nothing sexy about the movie. The sex scene are just plain disturbing and very uncomfortable. As far as comedy goes, there is very little.
What the movie is though, is an emotionally engaging, interesting story acted supremely by everyone involved, with the exception of Justin Timberlake. I mean for a singer, he does a good job; but he is acting with some of the elite talent in the world here so he is very much out of place. The director keeps his bits to a minimum though, so it is not like he ruins the movie or anything.
My wife and I found the characters to be very believable, and we developed feeling and empathy for them. We found the story to be believable and engaging with the ring of truth about it. Which is not surprising, for the director had taken elements from his own life and put them into the characters. Also the ending was really good, it wasn’t your typical ‘and they lived happily ever after’ romcom bs.
In short, this is one of those rare movies that had me caring about the characters and feeling for them, and not feeling let down by the ending.
Black Snake Moan [Blu-ray] Overview
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Release Date: 21-JUL-2009
Media Type: Blu-Ray
Black Snake Moan [Blu-ray] Specifications
The lurid scenario–a nymphomaniacal white trash nymphet (Christina Ricci) is held prisoner by a bitter bluesman (Samuel L. Jackson)–gives way to an affecting tale of redemption in Black Snake Moan, writer/director Craig Brewer’s follow-up to the acclaimed Hustle & Flow. Lazarus (Jackson, Jungle Fever, Pulp Fiction) finds Rae (Ricci, Monster, The Ice Storm) beaten unconscious on the road in front of his backwoods house. After bringing her inside, he learns of her wanton ways and decides to exorcise his own demons by curing Rae of her sexual compulsion. Black Snake Moan could have been terrible, but Brewer takes his story seriously enough to dig into the genuine emotions of such a situation (though along the way he certainly flirts with sexploitation overtones–several scenes look like they were plucked straight out of a hitherto unknown 1970s trash classic). Ricci, Jackson, and the supporting cast (including pop star Justin Timberlake, giving a surprisingly good performance as Rae’s boyfriend) treat the characters with respect, honesty, and humor. The result is off-kilter and maybe a little too fond of its sleazy cinematic forbears to truly hit the emotional notes it’s after, but Black Snake Moan has considerably more substance than its marketing would suggest. –Bret Fetzer
Beyond Black Snake Moan
 The Soundtrack |
 More Music Stars on DVD |
 More DVDs with Samuel L. Jackson |
Stills from Black Snake Moan (click for larger image)
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8 Mile [Blu-ray]
8 Mile [Blu-ray] Review
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Michael Jackson : This Is It Blu-ray DVD & Poster LIMITED EDITION SET
Michael Jackson : This Is It Blu-ray DVD & Poster LIMITED EDITION SET Review
Michael Jackson : This Is It Blu-ray DVD & Poster LIMITED EDITION SET Overview
Relive the magic of Michael Jackson’s THIS IS IT on Blu-RayTM along with an 11″x17″ (approx. 28cm x 43cm) movie poster.Michael Jackson’s THIS IS IT offers Jackson fans and music lovers worldwide a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the performer as he developed, created and rehearsed for his sold-out concerts that would have taken place in London’s O2 Arena. THIS IS IT captures the singer, dancer, filmmaker, architect, creative genius and great artist at work as he creates and perfects his final show.Disc is encoded for playback in the USA, Canada, and Puerto Rico only. Please be sure your equipment is capable of playing discs with Region 1 encoding
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