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I was really excited for this.

Until I saw the trailer just now.



 

Well, at least this might trigger the studio to release the original again, with better transfer and extras.

You should get a region free BD player, Achim. Then you don't have to worry.

Mine is an Oppo, which was rather expensive, but there are a lot cheaper models available that you can get modded nowadays. The only thing to remember is that they cannot determine region automatically for BDs (only for DVDs), so you have to switch region with the remote.

Well, turns out I might be in the market for a region free Blu-ray player after all. I'd be happy to freely order from the UK when needed (like that Dracula disc) or even just play the handful of region B discs I already accidentally obtained.

Pioneer seems to make them, and Oppo obviously. Sony and some others too, but I am not sure I want those brands.

On some website I found the BDP-103 from Oppo to be a current model and was priced at US$650 there, which would be near the upper limit of my budget.

Now, to my surprise it appears that region free players are not freely sold in Taiwan (go figure ). But I can order, I guess...? Amazon however does not ship such products to here.

Thanks for your patience, I come to the point now:
Any of you know of an online store that will ship such products world wide?

Any comments on current player models? The Oppo mentioned above, Pioneer, others? (I do not need/want 3D.)

Pretty pointless, as the trailer confirms (it looks a lot like the original), but it exists, so there you go. Elijah Wood is an interesting choice though, as he looks completely different from Joe Spinnel, which I think might work.

Please be informed that this is the red band trailer and contains some disturbing images! Viewers discretion is advised.



EDIT:
changed to different trailer source with a slightly less distressing still image on top

One of Sam's trailer had a link to this one at the end.



With the first one I thought the movie lacked slightly, compared to its trailer. But then that would still not pose a problem again Looking very much forward to this.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

I liked Timur Bekmambetov's Night Watch Very much and he topped the craziness with the sequel Day Watch. Wanted had to grow on me, but I quite enjoy it now as well. So, I was of course looking forward to this one. Luckily Mark Kermode's review already lowered my expectations, o the disappointment aw limited today.

Just as Kermode pointed out, Bekmambetov's style is much more about, well, style rather than story or characters. That is a bit f a problem here, where so much emphasis is put into trying to make it an emotional story. And while the Night Watch and Day Watch films overcame the shortcoming by putting crazy effects on the screen constantly, that has been reduced here, which is not helpful for this reviewer. But, when the scenes come, Bekmambetov still delivers; there is the stampede scene and also the train sequence later on. The weirdest thing was, when the last scene almost gave promise of a sequel that could be more fun.

Big parts of the problem are the setting (19th century doesn't lend itself I action as much) and the fact that the premise of the film is not quite strong enough to carry the I'm all on its own. Maybe a star could have helped, if only in one of the more prominent supporting roles. All I recognized was Rufus Sewell (even had to look up the name) as the villain and Alan Tudyk in an underused and even uncredited role.

Rating:

 

I just read at Blu-ray.com that Warner Bros. is releasing 1986's Little Shop of Horrors on Blu-ray later this year (October). Now, that alone is obviously not all that exciting, but they also said they will add the Director's Cut which is apparently 20min longer and has a completely different ending! That ending was avaiable on the first DVD prints but was removed later on (I think they mabe even called back the first issue!). I have seen glimpses of that ending in a documentary (a Godzilla-sized Audrey on Brooklyn Bridge) and been very excited to see this ever since. Cannot wait...

The Hunger Games [2012]

Directed by: Gary Ross

Starring:
Jennifer Lawrence
Josh Hutcherson
Woody Harrelson
Tanley Tucci
Donal Sutherland
Elizabeth Banks
Lanny Kravitz

Synopsis:
In a not-too-distant future, North America has collapsed, weakened by drought, fire, famine, and war to be replaced by Panem, a country divided into the Capitol and 12 districts. Each year two young representatives from each district are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games. Part entertainment, part brutal intimidation of the subjugated districts, the televised games are broadcast throughout Panem. The 24 participants are forced to eliminate their competitors, literally, with all citizens required to watch. When 16-year-old Katniss' young sister, Prim, is selected as the mining district's female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart Peeta, will be pitted against bigger, stronger representatives who have trained for this their whole lives. [from IMDb)

My Thoughts:
Based on the 2008 book by Suszanne Collins this has a little more than a passing resemblance to the japanese Battle Royale, which unfortunately doesn't do this film a lot of favors. Once you look past those similarities you will find that a different story is being told, but then the ending gets too close again

Another thing I find hurt the film a lot is the PG-13 rating. Especially the first confrontation scene at the beginning of the Game need a stronger punch than what we got. They had this great build up creating all that anticipation for the Game and then all we get is this whimper where an explosion should be. Besides that I found that too many kills happen "off screen" (meaning we are not even near when they happen).

I would have liked there to be more "hunting" during the Game, which I had come to expect from the trailer. I did like how they created a few twists and turns to keep you guessing how it will end, although then sadly they ended up back with my initial guess.


My Rating: