Home Screening Room – Sherlock Holmes follows a Ghost Rider to find out what Good Deeds exist.

A strange group of titles this week – some of the best may come from TV as I see it. Well that and Sherlock Holmes which is the overall title to look at this week – but there is something for just about everyone.

This Week's Big Releases

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance - Rated PG-13 (Nicolas Cage, Ciaran Hinds)
The Ghost Rider is back and Nicolas Cage plays the part once again.

Good Deeds - Rated PG-13 (Tyler Perry, Gabrielle Union)
Tyler Perry is back.

In Darkness  - Rated R (Robert Wieckiewicz, Benno Furmann)
A Critics’ Choice Movie Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film dealing with a man who hides Jews in Nazi-occupied Poland..

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows - Rated PG-13 (Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law)
Holmes and Moriarty square off in the sequel that puts more action into the Holmes series.

©2012 ABC Studios. All Rights Reserved
GCB: The Complete First Season

Also New This Week
Brad Meltzer’s Decoded: Season 2 - I’m a fan, what can I say. Conspiracies are all around us, if you believe Brad and his team. Will definitely make you think.

Decisions – Rated R (Corey Haim)

Demented – Rated R (Michael Vartan, Celia Weston)

Entourage: The Complete Eighth Season

GCB: The Complete First Season

Missing: The Complete First Season – Ashley Judd stars.

Scandal: The Complete First Season

Thin Ice – Rated R (Greg Kinnear, Alan Arkin)

Too Big To Fail – Not Rated (William Hurt, James Woods) – The HBO original film will take a look at the 2008 financial crisis. From director Curtis Hanson this is one of those movies that reminds you just how polished HBO makes films.

Top Gear: The Complete Season 18

And Finally
A Little Bit of Heaven – Rated PG-13

(Kate Hudson, Gael Garcia Bernal)

Kate Hudson, Gael Garcia Bernal, Rosemarie DeWitt and so many more make for a great cast in a movie that just didn’t get wide distribution. Check out the trailer below.

DVD/Blu-ray Tidbit of the Week

August 7 is the release date for Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax on Blu-ray 3D and Blu-ray/DVD combo packs – we can all “Let it Grow” again at home. Watch for digital copy and UltraViolet versions in packages as well..

Pick of the Week
For total thrills, pick up Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows – but there’s something for a number of different people this week…all you have to do is look.

Pop Popcorn, Do the Dew, and Bust out the Blu and remember to Save Me A Seat!

Monday Musings - Prometheus, Courageous and More

Monday Musings

Ok…I've got some Monday Musings to share with everyone…

• What a weekend for Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted. Going up against the high profile Prometheus, it still ended up on top at the end of the weekend with just over a $60 million weekend.
• Speaking of Prometheus, although it didn't screen for the press here locally, I've heard mixed reviews from folks I trust. During my weekly visit to KMOX in St. Louis, Mark Reardon raved about the film and called it one of the best this year. 
• Another trusted friend told me that he thought there were a lot of "head-scratching, WTF moments" that was beautiful visually and had some cool ideas. Definitely felt like it was missing an hour of footage. (No surprise…DVD/Blu-ray will bring an extended cut).
• I'll catch up with Prometheus when I can…but I have a busy week ahead so it won't come real soon.
• Six weeks in and Marvel's The Avengers is STILL in the Top 10 — pulling in over $11 million for the weekend and crossing through $572 Domestic.

• The Hunger Games passed through the $400 million mark…in case you missed that, and made over $1 million this weekend in its 12th week of release.
• Ok…one more about money — Piranha 3DD, (Did you know it was out there?) made only $36,910 this weekend on 78 screens. Ugh….even David Hasselhoff couldn't save this one…and YES I am a glutton for punishment and would see it if it was offered to me.
• Also this weekend checked out a couple new trailers for Flight (Denzel Washington from Director Robert Zemeckis), The Babymakers and 360.
• In something you won't read most places, June 15 - the folks behind the film Courageous are holding a nationwide "Men of Honor" simulcast. People from the movie will lead folks all across the country that will be making a very similar pledge to their children. Want more info check out LifeWay.com/MenofHonor – say what you will about Christian based film, but it's amazing that a film can have this kind of legs on impacting lives of folks across the country. Over 1 million DVDs and Blu-ray discs sold after over $30 Million theatrical and still working to spread the word.
• I've been going through a couple of classic films the last couple weeks — with classic possibly loosely used — 2 weeks ago, checked out Footloose (the original) and last week Mrs. Doubtfire. Both PG-13 rated…but decent fun.
• Oh and did I mention -- The Dark Knight Rises tickets are on sale NOW at many theaters around the country...are you excited yet for this one? I AM!
• This week's schedule includes — That's My Boy, Brave, Moonrise Kingdom, and more — plus going through The Perry Files on DVD (yes, that's Phineas and Ferb's super secret agent Platypus for those that don't know).

Have a great week everyone!

p

Review - Madagascar 3

Three Rings of Fun

Alex (Ben Stiller), Marty (Chris Rock), Melman (David Schwimmer) and Gloria (Jada Pinkett Smith) are still trying to get home to New York in the third installment of the Madagascar series. This time those penguins have crafted the plane to fly…well at least for a little while until crashing down in Europe.

There they are hunted by Captain Chantel Dubbois (Frances McDormand), an animal control professional that is missing a lion mounted on her wall. Now they will race across Europe, catching up with a circus to try and find that elusive ticket home.

The circus accepts them, but not until they claim to be circus performers. Now, along with their new circus friends, the gang must perform to get an American tour that will include a ticket back to New York.

The penguins are back, the chimps are back…the whole gang that makes Madagascar fun return to provide new laughs as they journey across Europe via train. The new animals that are part of the circus are part of the fun as the laughs exist with trying to revive a circus that has lost its way.

Still, with this installment, the penguins tend to provide the best laughs along with their sidekicks the chimps. The writing is snappy and the story keeps moving throughout the film. Visually, it works in 3D but you could do it in 2D and still have a good time. And in typical fashion with the newer films, they do a great job working in today’s music to keep the kids tapping their toes throughout.

While not the best film of the year; Madagascar 3 will make for three rings of fun for your family.

B

Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted

Paramount Pictures

Director: Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath, Conrad Vernon

Cast: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen

Rating: PG-13 for some mild action and rude humor.

Runtime: 1 hour 25 minutes

Home Screening Room – It’s an Act of Valor that keeps John Carter in a Safe House

It’s a week full of action as films that blew up the screen like Act of Valor and John Carter meet up with campy fun like Journey 2: The Mysterious Island and the thriller Safe House. One of the best weeks for multiple action releases in some time.

This Week's Big Releases

Act of Valor - Rated R (Roselyn Sanchez, Nestor Serrano)
A cool premise of using actual active duty Navy Seals in a film about the seals. Although parts of the film are lacking, the action is as realistic as anything you have ever seen. Grab this one on Blu-ray to experience all that your player has to offer.
Check out the parachute to the premiere that I posted earlier this year - a cool video of a man parachuting into the premiere of the theatrical release.

Check out my review of the THEATRICAL RELEASE of Act of Valor.

John Carter - Rated PG-13 (Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins)
Didn’t set the box office on fire earlier this year, but it’s worth checking out on Blu-ray now, if for no other reason than the rich visuals created by Andrew Stanton.

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island - Rated PG (Dwayne Johnson, Michael Caine)
The film never takes itself too seriously and that’s what makes it a half way decent journey. Dwayne Johnson is just so likable.

(c) 2012 Disney. All Rights Reserved

Machine Gun Preacher - Rated R (Gerard Butler, Michelle Monaghan)
The true story as a man goes from drug dealer to savior for a slew of orphans.

Safe House  - Rated R (Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds, Vera Farmiga)
Denzel is a former CIA agent who’s turned…but has he turned back? And will Ryan Reynolds be able to protect him? This thriller has got everything you want in this type of film, PLUS Denzel…life is good in the Safe House.

Also New This Week

American Pickers: Volume 3

Animals United – Rated PG (Stephen Fry, Jim Broadbent)

Anthony Bourdain No Reservations Collection

Bad Ass – Rated R (Danny Trejo, Charles S. Dutton) Trejo is a Bad Ass that will take on all comers.

Breaking Bad: The Complete Fourth Season

Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Complete Eighth Season

Falling Skies: The Complete First Season

Hell’s Kitchen: Season 7

Knockdown – Rated R (Casey T. Evans, Tom Arnold, Bai Ling)

Necessary Roughness: The Complete First Season

Pawn Stars: Volume Four

Pretty Little Liars: The Complete Second Season

White Collar: The Complete Third Season

Without a Trace: The Complete Third Season

And Finally 

Act of Vengeance – Rated R (Danny Glover, Gina Gershon)

Terrorism. It makes everyone stand up and take notice in a post 9/11 environment. Check out this new film with Danny Glover and others. Is it any good? I haven’t seen it yet…but watch the trailer below.




DVD/Blu-ray Tidbit of the Week

Coming to DVD September 11, the controversial October Baby faith based film starring Rachel Hendrix and John Schneider and The Three Stooges film from The Farrelly Brothers is due July 17.

Pick of the Week
Safe House is a really solid film. Denzel Washington is always worth a watch. And the novelty of Act of Valor will be re watchable at home for many viewings.

Pop Popcorn, Do the Dew, and Bust out the Blu and remember to Save Me A Seat!

Real Milwaukee visit - 6/1/12

Real Milwaukee from June 1 -- we talk Men in Black 3 and Snow White and the Huntsman -- plus new DVD's that are out now. I looked in the Mirror and what did I see -- the Mirror didn't say I was the fairest on the set -- but alas I'm there with three beautiful women (and Rob).

And wait for next time I'm there Real Milwaukee...I have something up my sleeve for my next visit....

Watch this week's fun below!

p

Home Screening Room - Catch A Man On A Ledge Before He's Gone

It’s the Tuesday after Memorial Day and there is a good quantity of new titles out this week…but the question is…is there quality out this week too?

This Week's Big Releases
Coriolanus- Rated R (Ralph Fiennes, Gerard Butler)
Did the festival run at the end of 2011, looks to be another winner for Ralph Fiennes in the film that he also directs.

Gone  - Rated PG-13 (Amanda Seyfried, Jennifer Carpenter)
A woman’s sister is missing and now she must track down the killer.

Goon- Rated R (Seann William Scott, Jay Baruchel)
Hockey rocks, and here’s another hockey movie for everyone. Yes, I want to see it.

Man on a Ledge - Rated PG-13 (Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks)
What is the man doing on the ledge? Yes, there is more to the story…and with the negotiator being Elizabeth Banks who is coming off a bad incident, things can only get interesting.

We Need  to Talk About Kevin  - Rated R (Tilda Swinton, John C. Reilly)
A tragic event leads to a mother rehashing everything in his life to find what she hasn’t seen. Tilda Swinton is remarkable in this film that will take your heart and stomp on it 100 times over.

Also New This Week
Memorial Day – Rated R (Jonathan Bennett, James Cromwell) Soldiers, wars, and the way troops deal with things

Rookie Blue: The Complete Second Season

Take Me Home – Rated PG-13 (Sam Jaeger, Amber Jaeger, Lin Shaye)

True Blood: The Complete Fourth Season

UFC 144

WWE: Extreme Rules 2011

And Finally
96 Minutes – Rated R (Brittany Snow, Evan Ross, Christian Serratos)

A carjacking and the way the lives of 4 young people are altered forever. The trailer looks fairly intense and Evan Ross has been talked about in this film. Watch the trailer below.

DVD/Blu-ray Tidbit of the Week

Taking a week off with the Memorial Day holiday…but more to come throughout the next couple days so stay tuned!

Pick of the Week
Out of what I have seen, Man on a Ledgeis pretty solid…but there are other want to see titles this week, like Goon and Gone.

Pop Popcorn, Do the Dew, and Bust out the Blu and remember to Save Me A Seat!

Review - Men in Black 3

MIB 3 is A-OK, but just OK

Here come the Men in Black….galaxy defenders…..

Ok, so the Will Smith song, still is front and center in my head as I sit down for this go around with Agent J (Will Smith) and Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones). We know they are defending against aliens that are not here to help us. We know that they are the best in the business. But are they ready to go up against Boris the Animal (Jemaine Clement)?

Boris the Animal, or just Boris as he prefers, was put in prison years earlier courtesy of Agent K. Now, Boris has found a way out of the special prison that housed him and made the journey back to New York to settle the score with K and launch a massive invasion of Earth.

It will take a journey back to 1969 and an attempt to kill Boris then, to prevent the invasion of the current day. So K will journey back to try to take care of business once and for all. But after the results seem ominous, J will go back even earlier to try and change the fate of K – who did I mention…is now played by Josh Brolin? Can he be successful? Or is Earth about to end?

Something about previous Men in Black films, especially the first film some 15 years ago. There was a bit of a snap to what went on. A nice mix of comedy and action along with one of the most bankable summer stars there has been. Now, with MIB 3, that snap seems to be MIA. Maybe it’s just my love of the alphabet soup of letters in the movie, but although MIB 3 was not DOA, it certainly underwhelmed what I had hoped for.

The bright spot here was the performance of Brolin as the “young” agent K. He truly had Tommy Lee Jones down to every intonation and inflection. Smith shows a bit of his rust, having not done a film in over 3 years, but he still is a larger than life personality.

I felt the back and forth with the time travel and what might happen was just messy in execution. I found myself too concerned with trying to follow the story and didn’t let myself go to enjoy the creatures that returned.

Something just felt amiss throughout MIB 3 as the attempt to recapture that feeling felt a bit musty and out of sync. Still, although I felt underwhelmed, it’s not an awful popcorn film. Fans will still enjoy most of it, even if Will Smith doesn’t make the soundtrack this time around. I settled on an…A, B, C+ plus for MIB 3…P out.

C+

Men in Black III

Columbia Pictures

Director: Barry Sonnenfeld

Cast: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Jemaine Clement, Emma Thompson, Alice Eve

Rating: PG-13 for sci-fi action violence, and brief suggestive content.

Runtime: 1 hour 43 minutes