Category Archives: Mar. 2012

March 26, 2012

The Muppets: Wocka Wocka Fun!

By David Budo

Jason Segel and Amy Adams star alongside the wackiest puppets in The Muppets. Courtesy of Disney Pictures


In the 1960’s, Jim Henson created The Muppets, dawning a new era of puppet entertainment for the young, old and everyone in the middle. Twelve years after the last theatrical release, The Muppets are back in a fun new musical parody starring Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and the rest of the gang.

Walter, the newest Muppet, travels to meet his Muppet idols with his brother and his girlfriend (Segel and Adams), only discover a plot by an evil oil tycoon to destroy the Muppet Studios.

It’s non-stop entertainment from beginning to end. Every member of the cast has a world of fun with their characters and jabs at movie clichés every chance they get.

Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller wrote the screenplay and all of the incredibly memorable songs (Beware: you’ll be singing them for days after watching the movie).

This super home release includes a Blu Ray, DVD, and Digital Copy, as well as a copy of the soundtrack. Could you ask for anything more? Disney thought you would, so they included a bountiful array of special features, including Scratching the Surface: A Hasty Examination Of The Making Of The Muppets, Deleted Scenes, A Little Screen Test On The Way To The Read-Through, Explaining Evil: The Full Tex Richman Song, Unreleased Theatrical Spoof Trailers, Audio Commentary with the writers and director, The Longest Blooper Reel Ever Made (In Muppet History), and Disney Intermission. Lots to explore!

They’re all self-explanatory, but the coolest feature is most definitely the Disney Intermission. This feature is automatically activated when you pause the movie, prompting fun, original skits by the Muppets that keeps everyone waiting entertained.

Bottom Line: This is a jam packed home release that will tickle everyone in your home.

Movie Grade: A-
Blu Ray/DVD Grade: A

Runtime: 103 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

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March 20, 2012

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: Some goodies for fans in this home release

By David Budo

Gary Oldman stars in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Courtesy of Entertainment One


The Academy Awards have long been criticized for their pretentious selections of top films in cinema. This year, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy received three nominations from the Academy, including Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, further warranting these criticisms.

This movie is an adaptation of John le Carré’s novel and tells the story of a British Secret Service (MI6) mole hunt. To be frank, this is one of the least interesting movies to involve any level of spy operation. The characters are highly underdeveloped and emotionally disconnected from the audience, while the story is riddled with lack-luster motivation.

Gary Oldman’s (The Dark Knight) performance is nothing more than a straight-faced intellectual from beginning to end, making the Oscar nomination and tremendous praise absolutely baffling. The best performance comes from Benedict Cumberbatch, who excellently portrays the young spy trying to cope with a great deal of stress.

Fortunately, for the numerous fans of the movie, the Blu Ray + DVD combo home release contains a decent set of bonus features for you to dive into. The bonus features include five deleted scenes, a thirteen minute featurette Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy: First Look, and a full length audio commentary with director Thomas Alfredson and Gary Oldman. Both the featurette and commentary provide an interesting background on the production, while the deleted scenes, if you’re anything like me, may put you to sleep.

Bottom Line: If you’re not a fan or aren’t looking to cure your insomnia, keep your distance from this movie.

Release Date: March 20, 2012

Movie Grade: C
Blu Ray/DVD Grade: B+

Runtime: 128 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

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March 20, 2012

Wibbly Pig! Make-Believe with Wibbly! DVD review

By David Budo

Participate with Wibbly Pig - Make-Believe with Wibbly on DVD. Courtesy of Entertainment One


Remember the television shows you watched as a kid and the effect they had on you? We all had our favourite shows that taught us lessons about manners and how to use our imagination. Wibbly Pig is one of the newest shows to bring out the best in our kid’s minds at the preschool level.

This show is based on the best-selling books by Mick Inkpen and is broadcasted on TVO Kids.

Wibbly is a cute little pig who enjoys using his imagination to take him on a variety of adventures, such as using an ordinary cardboard box as a race car, a roller coaster, a boat and even a robot. This little guy’s mind is filled with ideas and he promotes active participation.

Each episode features a catchy song to accompany the story being told. I even found myself singing a few of them after watching the episodes.

The home release available on DVD features five of Wibbly’s fun adventures in both English and French languages. You also get direct access to five bonus music videos in the menu.

Bottom Line: Wibbly will be sure to enlighten the minds of your toddlers and provide lots of active adventures for them to enjoy.

Release Date: March 20, 2012

Total Runtime: Approx. 110 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

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March 20, 2012

The Legend of Awesomest Maximus: Expect the expected

By David Budo

Will Sasso stars in The Legend of Awesomest Maximus. Courtesy of Entertainment One


The National Lampoon film franchise started back in 1978 with the party classic Animal House and went on to deliver the beloved Vacation series of films over the following decade. Over 30 years later, the franchise is still plucking away with their latest parody home release of The Legend of Awesomest Maximus.

This movie pokes fun at a combination of stories and characters from Braveheart, Gladiator, Troy and 300. The story centers around a moronic Awesomest Maximus who must prove himself a worthy general of the Trojan army while the Greek/Arabian army tries to conquer their country.

If you’re looking for witty dialogue and a cohesive storyline, look in the complete opposite direction of this movie. If you’re in the need of a lot of female nudity, obscene sexuality, racial humor and corny one liners, you’ve come to the right place. Not to say there isn’t some fun to be had in this parody, you just have to look past a lot of the nonsense to get to it.

The movie stars Will Sasso (MadTV), Ian Ziering (Beverly Hills, 90210), Sophie Monk (Date Movie), Kristanna Loken (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines), Rip Torn (Men in Black) and a brief cameo by Canada’s own, Russell Peters. Acting? They don’t need no stinking acting… Or at least that wasn’t their concern.

There are no special features in this home release, but you weren’t really expecting a full length audio commentary with the cast and crew on this one, right?

Bottom Line: You know what to expect with this movie, so have fun if it’s your cup of tea.

Release Date: March 20, 2012

Movie Grade: D+
Blu Ray/DVD Grade: D

Runtime: 128 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

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March 20, 2012

Dragon Ball Z Kai – Part 7

By David Budo

The Z warriors take on Cell in DBZ Kai - Part 7. Courtesy of Entertainment One


Back in 1986, a Japanese anime called Dragon Ball was created becoming a massive hit. Three years later, the creators continued the story with Dragon Ball Z, becoming one of the most successful anime television series around the world. The entire series is based on Akira Toriyama’s manga (comic), but was lengthened drastically for commercial purposes. Luckily, the entire Dragon Ball Z series has been re-edited and trimmed down to a slim 100 episodes from its chunky 291 episode original run in the form of Dragon Ball Z Kai.

Dragon Ball tells the story of Goku, a kind-hearted, supremely strong humanoid alien who risks his life to save the earth and the people he loves. There are many other aspects to the story, but we’re going to focus on the latest home release, Dragon Ball Z Kai Part Seven.

For DBZ Kai, every frame was put through a remastering process to clean them from scratches and aged wear. This has given the show a more authentic look than previous home releases.

The voices have been redubbed with some of the original English cast as well as a lot of new members. It is a bit strange to hear the voices we’ve grown to love change, but overall it doesn’t hurt the show. The distraction is only temporary.

The most important thing about this series is the removal of filler episodes. Dragon Ball Z was notoriously known for dragging events out with pointless story lines and prolonged events. This re-edit has made the show very tight and far more engaging.

Bottom Line: Pick up part seven and enjoy the Z warriors taking on Cell, without the unnecessary filler.

Release Date: March 20, 2012

Total Runtime: Approx. 275 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1

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