Toronto Thumbs

Review
Glee: The Concert Movie

I don’t think you can review the Glee: The Concert Movie without admitting whether or not you’re a fan of the show. You’ve got to lay your bias on the table. Glee polarizes people. Like Twilight, Kanye West, or Jorge’s Movember Moustache* — you either love it or hate it. Well, I’ll admit to being a lapsed fan. The musical theatre nerd in me never stopped liking the numbers, but the plots got a little thin in season two and I got tired of it. But while I came in jaded as I sat down to watch this, the movie won me back; I thought it was great. Don’t get me wrong: if you hate Glee, this movie is not going to grow your Grinchy heart three sizes. But if you are a fan (or you were a fan once upon a time), you’ll dig this.

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Posted in Blu-ray, DVD, Reviews | 3 Comments »

Winning!
Batman: Year One – Limerick Contest

Batman really needs a hug. He’s practically leaping out of the screen to give you one.

Our friends at the WB were kind enough to send us a copy of Batman: Year One (Blu-Ray + DVD + Digi) to give away on our site (so big hugs go out to them and their peeps). Of course, it is always a challenge trying to come up with a giveaway idea; our friend Alex Bethke -via Twitter- suggested that “#ThunderdomeSolvesAllProblems”.

So with that in mind, we are inviting you to write a limerick that somehow involves Thunderdome. Just leave it in our comments field, and after the deadline our team will judge which one is the best one and that person will win the prize (which I will deliver relatively soon thereafter). Contest is now closed..

Give ‘er!

Posted in Blu-ray, Contests, DVD | 2 Comments »

Review
Batman: Year One (Blu-Ray + DVD + DC)

I have a shelf in my office dedicated to graphic novels (and a few actual comic books). Relative to your average comic book collector, the shelf holds relatively few titles. Next to Kingdom Come, Batman: Year One is one of my all-time favourite; in fact, I would go so far as to say that it is probably one of the most inspirational stories in comic book history. At what some would consider to be a great risk, the folks at DC Showcase have given this title the DVD/Blu-Ray treatment; a risky proposition, mostly because Batman: Year One is a very important title to a lot of people – the adaptation would have to be nothing short of spectacular to ensure absolute enjoyment. So, does this video measure up to the print?

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Posted in Blu-ray, DVD, Film, Reviews | No Comments »

Sarge Got You’d!
Red vs. Blue – Season 9 DVD

My enjoyment of Halo is due, in part, to Rooster Teeth’s hilarious series, Red vs. Blue. I have previously reviewed Seasons 1-5 (The Blood Gulch Chronicles) and Seasons 6-8 (The Recollection) – both of which were most excellent pieces of entertainment. Their current offering, Red vs. Blue Season 9, looks to be another notch in the belt made of awesome that is part of the company uniform at Rooster Teeth.

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Posted in DVD, Film, Reviews | 2 Comments »

Nothing is True
DVDs Are Permitted (Assassin’s Creed: Lineage)

A little over two years ago, a three-part mini-series was released on YouTube. It was created by Ubisoft Montreal; it was called Assassin’s Creed: Lineage. The videos served as a prequel to the story of Ezio Auditore from Assassin’s Creed 2. Besides being a very successful marketing tool and drumming up support for the game, they also provided another layer of the story for fans. The project also served as an experiment, hailing the first steps of the Canadian Ubisoft contingent in the realm of film-making. Aside from YouTube, Lineage was available on DVD only as a part of certain special editions of the Assassin’s Creed games; on November 15 of this year, it will be available as a standalone product. Toronto Thumbs was lucky enough to receive an advance copy to check out and I it is absolutely fantastic.

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Posted in Byte-Size Reviews, DVD | No Comments »

Ricky, Don’t Lose That Blu-Ray
X-Men: First Class

With the recent release of X-Men: Destiny for the PS3 and Xbox 360 you may have X-Men on the brain. After playing through the game, check out X-Men: First Class on Blu-Ray and DVD. I have always said that the X-Men are one of the greatest franchises that Marvel owns; First Class really cements that idea in my head. It is perhaps the most cerebral superhero films to come out in a long time; it really focuses more on relationships and internal struggle than huge battles. This emphasis on the inward focus makes First Class a film that is well worth your time and money. It allows you to actually feel for the characters and understand why they have turned out the way they did. It also allows all you comic junkies to see relationships and conflicts from classic X-Men stories played out alongside some new relationships.

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Posted in Blu-ray, Byte-Size Reviews, DVD | No Comments »

You Just Got Sarge’d Again!
Red vs. Blue: The Recollection

After having watched the first DVD set, it was inevitable that I would watch the second; I enjoyed the first five seasons so much that I was really looking forward to the last three; they did not disappoint.

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Posted in DVD, Reviews | 1 Comment »

WISH LIST
The Venture Bros. Season 2 & 3

Shaun got me The Venture Bros. Season 1 as a gift last year and I devoured it within a few days. This series is absolutely hilarious and I couldn’t get enough of it. I love the adult swim line of cartoons and how they completely make fun of a lot of the old cartoons that I watched when I was a kid. If you haven’t watched The Venture Bros., you need to pick it up and give it a go.

When I first met Mike Jackson, I told him that I had started watching the series. He excitedly launched into a dialogue about how awesome the show was.

The design of the boxes is also excellent. Each one offers a different flavour of eye candy. The first two season boxes are fairly simplistic in design, but the third season box is especially hilarious, as it resembles an old Atari 2600 game box (both the regular and Blu-Ray versions). I would probably bite the bullet and get the Blu-ray version, only because of the extras that it comes with.

The only thing holding me back from buying these is my addiction to Naruto (and games). That being said, if I don’t get these for Christmas, and I find myself with some extra cash, I will be grabbing at least one of these.

Posted in Cartoons, DVD | 3 Comments »

G.I. Joe Resolute on DVD November 3

If you, like me, would have preferred this summer’s blockbuster G.I. Joe movie remained more faithful to the source material and respectful of character designs, you should check out G.I. Joe Resolute. The one-hour film was originally aired in serialized segments, offering different perspectives on Cobra’s biggest and most effective world domination plan ever.

Characters died, Cobra actually did a good chunk of damage, and Cobra Commander for once wasn’t portrayed as a bumbling idiot. While respectful of its origins, Resolute still managed to be a very mature take on the world of G.I. Joe. The acting and animation is also excellent, so if you care about that sort of thing and love G.I. Joe, be sure to pick up G.I. Joe Resolute on November 3, 2009.

Posted in Awesome, DVD, News Bytes | 2 Comments »

NEW THIS WEEK
The Complete Experience – Watchmen: The End Is Nigh

To coincide with the release of Watchmen on DVD and Blu-Ray this week, the prequel story, Watchmen: The End Is Nigh starring Rorschach and Nite Owl II will be released as a retail disc. For the PlayStation 3, fans will be able to purchase The Complete Experience, which includes both parts of The End Is Nigh plus the movie on Blu-ray format. Xbox 360 gamers will have to make do with purchasing the retail game and DVD movie separately. Sadly neither of these options looks like a good deal to people who’ve already purchased The End Is Nigh Part 1 as a digital download, and for these people who supported the critically-slighted game, the feeling of buying the same thing twice could only be topped by a crowbar to the face courtesy of Rorschach.

So what do you make of all this? Have you already purchased a digital copy of The End Is Night Part 1, but still want the second part? Does it make you feel like you’ve wasted your money on the digital download when you’re getting it again?

Posted in DVD, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | 4 Comments »