Toronto Thumbs

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 »

REVIEW
The King of Kong

It has never ceased to amaze me that the seminal video game film was made in the early 1980s. Tron was an all around fantastic film that still holds up today, its images instantly recognizable even to non-gamers. One would expect that with the push of gaming into the mainstream, a number of memorable films with gaming involved would follow. Instead, the 1990s and onward treated us to the likes of Silent Hill, Alone in the Dark, and Doom. In Super Mario Bros., we saw gaming’s most recognizable and bankable franchise treated like Elisabeth Shue in Leaving Las Vegas. This is a genre where Resident Evil with Mila Jovovich is considered “decent.”

Apart from the odd scene in a buddy flick, gamers don’t get much screen time in films either. Where they do, it seems to always be the stereotypical PC gamer complete with glasses, acne, and a smattering of Lord of the Rings figurines around his basement apartment. Plus the whole fun of games is that they’re not passive entertainment. Where’s the fun in watching someone else’s video game for 2 hours?

Enter The King of Kong.

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Posted in DVD, Reviews | 3 Comments »

GO TEAM VENTURE!
Venture Bros. Box Art Pays Homage to Atari

Sadly, these are not actual boxes for upcoming Atari 2600 titles. But on the bright side, these are the cover designs for the upcoming DVD and Blu-ray releases of The Venture Bros. Season 3, which will be available in stores March 24, 2009. Not only is The Venture Bros. the greatest show to ever air on The Cartoon Network, it’s also the first Adult Swim show to be made available in Blu-ray format.

Both DVD and Blu-ray versions of the show include extras such as deleted scenes and commentary as well as all 13 episodes of season 3. But the Blu-ray version will also include a soundtrack CD. While details of the track selection haven’t been revealed, it can only be good. The show’s composer is none other than over-achiever J.G. Thirlwell, who has released albums under various aliases including Foetus and Steroid Maximus. I’d be surprised if the composers of the Skullmonkeys and Metroid Prime soundtracks weren’t huge Steroid Maximus fans, because the music in those games sounds like something Thirlwell would have done.

March is a long way off, but I find myself already wondering which version to buy. I don’t have a Blu-ray player yet, but am thinking of getting both versions anyway. On the topic of video games, a point-and-click adventure starring The Venture Bros. would possibly be the greatest game ever. Someone needs to get on that.

Posted in Awesome, DVD, Scientastic | 6 Comments »