I am a big fan of the hit TV show Spartacus. I actually saw Spartacus Gods of The Arena fist. I was not aware of this TV series before then and when I saw the first episode of Gods Of The Arena, I was blown away – like countless others I suppose. The cinematography, the story line, the awesome actors and their action, the sex and the gory yet stylistic violence all drew me in. It was awe inspiring.

After watching the mini season I got hold of the first season Spartacus Blood and Sand was had a wonderful time watching it. Thought the actors looked younger than in Gods of the Arena which was a little a disorienting to start with, I quickly got used to it. Andy Whitfield as Spartacus took a little while to get warmed to but the more I saw his action, the more I liked him. I felt that he carried so much of the character with just his facial expressions.

I was saddened when Andy passed away in September 2011, due to terminal illness and felt that the series would be no more. But then they announced the return of the series with Season 2 (technically 3) with a new lead actor – Liam McIntyre.

When the show finally aired for season 2, Spartacus - Vengeance, I decided that I would keep an open mind and would not be too critical of Liam. There would be obvious differences and since Andy was so good in Season 1, Liam would have a tough time filling his shoes.

But when I watched the premier episode of season 2, I was quite disappointed, not only by Liam but the whole episode. I knew that going into Season 2, the makers of Spartacus had a lot to live up to. But some one, the magic seems to be gone. The look and feel of the film was different. The colors looked washed out and the sets a little too “set” like. For the first time in this series I felt like I was actually watching a set and action setup. The authenticity of the previous seasons was missing. I am not sure what is happening with the colo correction and lighting. The 300 look and feel that was so awesome in the previous season is missing.

The new cast also looked quite amateur and lacked the depth of the previous set. Liam himself lacked the depth and aura of Andy and looked lost. Perhaps that is good in one way since this season is all about Spartacus trying to be a leader and rediscovering himself. Perhaps Liam would get into the groove as we move along.

I will hold my thoughts here and continue to observe the rest of the episodes and see if these issues would be sorted out. What do you think? Let me know your thoughts with your comments below.

Vinters, hold on to your wine glasses. Bottle Shock, which is based on a true story, is an informative, entertaining and slightly long-winded film about the Judgment of Paris, a 1976 tasting competition between the finest French wines (long-thought to be the best in the world) and California’s Napa Valley crop.

Bottle Shock is about Steven Spurrier (Alan Rickman of Snow Cake, and Love Actually), a British oenophile and wine salesman living in Paris, who takes it upon himself to travel to California to sample the local wines. While he clearly expects a bunch of hippie, hillbilly rednecks making moonshine, he soon discovers that some of the best wines heís ever tasted are being made there. Along the way, he meets the makers (including Bill Pullman, Rachael Taylor, Freddy Rodriguez, and Chris Pine).

Pullman (You Kill Me, The Grudge) plays Jim Barrett, owner and operator of the Chateau Montelena vineyard; Pine (Smokin’ Aces, Just My Luck) plays Barrettís son, Bo (though why he was forced to don a wig that looks like a rat’s nest is beyond me’it was so distracting that every scene he was in was overshadowed by the thing!); Taylor (Transformers, See No Evil) plays Montelena intern Sam; and Rodriguez (Grindhouse, Bobby, “Six Feet Under”) plays Montelena vinter Gustavo, who years to break out on his own.

The film also stars Bradley Whitford (An American Crime, “The West Wing”), as a local wine expert and professor; Dennis Farina (The Grand, You Kill Me) as Maurice, an American wine lover and frequenter of Spurrier’s shop in Paris; Miguel Sandoval (The Killer, Nine Lives); Joe Regalbuto (“Murphy Brown”); and Eliza Dushku (“Tru Calling”, “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”), as the local bartender and supporter of local wines.

Bottle Shock was co-written/directed by Randall Miller (Houseguest, The Sixth Man), and while his film meanders between fine wine making and tasting, to sub-plots involving debt, personal betrayal and liberal sexual activity, it is when he sticks to the wine that he truly shines.

The film is presented in 2.35 : 1 aspect ratio with audio in Dolby Digital 5.1. and optional subtitles in English and Spanish. Extras include audio commentary with Miller, Pine, Pullman, Dushku, and co-producer J. Todd Harris and co-writer Lannette Pabon. Featurettes include “An Underdog’s Journey: The Making of Bottle Shock”, which features behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with cast and crew, as well as the real-life Barrett family; and “Chateau Montelena: One Winery’s Search For Excellence,”, a short infomercial. Rounding out the extras is a handful of deleted scenes.

The film is rated PG-13 for brief strong language, some sexual content and a scene of drug use. It has a 110-minute run time.

Fans of wine making, particularly that of the Napa Valley region, are sure to enjoy Bottle Shock’s peek at the start of the industry. The scenery alone is worth the watch.

I give Bottle Shock 3 stars out of 5 stars.

We went to Paranormal Activity movie a couple of days back and I must say I have had the worst experience. I read so much about the film and it was reviewed highly on various film review websites (including Rotten Tomatoes) and because my wife loves horror movies decided to give it a go.

I have had an issue with motion sickness for quite some time and for those who may not know, Motion sickness or kinetosis, also known as Travel Sickness, is a condition in which a disagreement exists between visually perceived movement and the vestibular system’s sense of movement. Depending on the cause it can also be referred to as seasickness, car sickness, simulation sickness, airsickness, or space sickness.

Dizziness, fatigue, and nausea are the most common symptoms of motion sickness. Sopite syndrome in which a person feels fatigue or tiredness is also associated with motion sickness. Nausea in Greek means seasickness (naus means ship). If the motion causing nausea is not resolved, the sufferer will frequently vomit. Unlike ordinary sickness, vomiting in motion sickness tends not to relieve the nausea.

Examples of motion sickness alerts are that one can not read while travelling in a car, one can not sit facing backwards in a car, bud or tube travelling the opposite way and worst of all one gets sick when watching film shot with a handy cam and there is a lot of shaking etc.

I read reviews about Paranormal Activity and how scary it was and how people vomited in the theatres out of fear. Well, I can guarantee you, the vomiting would have been caused by motion sickness. 20 minutes into the film and I could not take it any more. We went with friends and one of my friends who had motion sickness also came out of the film and we hung around the theatre trying to get our breath back while the rest watched the movie.

The film is not scary and because it is entirely shot on a low quality handy cam, if you have motion sickness, it is guaranteed to make you sick and possibly even throw up!

Vinters, hold on to your wine glasses. Bottle Shock, which is based on a true story, is an informative, entertaining and slightly long-winded film about the Judgment of Paris, a 1976 tasting competition between the finest French wines (long-thought to be the best in the world) and California’s Napa Valley crop.

Bottle Shock is about Steven Spurrier (Alan Rickman of Snow Cake, and Love Actually), a British oenophile and wine salesman living in Paris, who takes it upon himself to travel to California to sample the local wines. While he clearly expects a bunch of hippie, hillbilly rednecks making moonshine, he soon discovers that some of the best wines heís ever tasted are being made there. Along the way, he meets the makers (including Bill Pullman, Rachael Taylor, Freddy Rodriguez, and Chris Pine).

Pullman (You Kill Me, The Grudge) plays Jim Barrett, owner and operator of the Chateau Montelena vineyard; Pine (Smokiní Aces, Just My Luck) plays Barrettís son, Bo (though why he was forced to don a wig that looks like a ratís nest is beyond meóit was so distracting that every scene he was in was overshadowed by the thing!); Taylor (Transformers, See No Evil) plays Montelena intern Sam; and Rodriguez (Grindhouse, Bobby, ìSix Feet Underî) plays Montelena vinter Gustavo, who years to break out on his own.

The film also stars Bradley Whitford (An American Crime, ìThe West Wingî), as a local wine expert and professor; Dennis Farina (The Grand, You Kill Me) as Maurice, an American wine lover and frequenter of Spurrierís shop in Paris; Miguel Sandoval (The Killer, Nine Lives); Joe Regalbuto (ìMurphy Brownî); and Eliza Dushku (ìTru Callingî, ìBuffy The Vampire Slayerî), as the local bartender and supporter of local wines.

Bottle Shock was co-written/directed by Randall Miller (Houseguest, The Sixth Man), and while his film meanders between fine wine making and tasting, to sub-plots involving debt, personal betrayal and liberal sexual activity, it is when he sticks to the wine that he truly shines.

The film is presented in 2.35 : 1 aspect ratio with audio in Dolby Digital 5.1. and optional subtitles in English and Spanish. Extras include audio commentary with Miller, Pine, Pullman, Dushku, and co-producer J. Todd Harris and co-writer Lannette Pabon. Featurettes include “An Underdog’s Journey: The Making of Bottle Shock”, which features behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with cast and crew, as well as the real-life Barrett family; and “Chateau Montelena: One Winery’s Search For Excellence,”, a short infomercial. Rounding out the extras is a handful of deleted scenes.

The film is rated PG-13 ìfor brief strong language, some sexual content and a scene of drug use.î It has a 110-minute run time.

Fans of wine making, particularly that of the Napa Valley region, are sure to enjoy Bottle Shockís peek at the start of the industry. The scenery alone is worth the watch.

I give Bottle Shock 3 stars out of 5 stars.

What if people started going inexplicably blind? That is the question posed in the film Blindness, and lets just say the answer is disturbing, frightening and, quite possibly, true.

The first person struck by the blindness is a Japanese man (Yusuke Iseya), who says its “like all the lights have been switched on at once, creating an expanse of white where the world used to be – like swimming in milk.” He is patient zero, and from there, the infection spreads to the people that were at the optometrist’s office he visited, and so on, and so on. The optometrist (Mark Ruffalo) is struck blind and taken into a government quarantine, and his wife (Julianne Moore) goes with him, even though she can still see (she pretends to be blind as well when she picks up on the fact that if she doesn’t, the government wont let her stay with him).

The doctors patients are soon brought in as well, including a prostitute (Alice Braga of I Am Legend), a little boy (Mitchell Nye), and a man with an eye patch (Danny Glover of Be Kind Rewind, and Dreamgirls). Doctor tries to maintain order, and at first they forge a decent existence under the circumstances.

When more and more people are brought to the facility, overcrowding leads to a breakdown of humanity, which is made worse by the fact that the government essentially abandons all of them to fend for themselves. When another man (Gael Garcia Bernal of Babel) appoints himself “King” and starts wrecking havoc, things quickly escalate from bad to worse.

Moore (Children of Men, Freedomland, The Forgotten) carries this film on her back, and thank goodness she does a great job of it, not only being the eyes of the film, but also the moral compass. Considering the fact that Doctor (Ruffalo of Reservation Road, and Zodiac) is supposed to be mired in cowardice, he also does well with his role.

Blindness, directed by Brazilian filmmaker Fernando Meirelles (The Constant Gardener, City of God) and written by Don McKellar (who also appears in the movie as “the thief”), is based on the 1995 novel of the same name by JosÈ Saramago.

The film is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, with audio in English and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, as well as subtitles in English and Spanish. The only extras are the 55-minute “A Vision of Blindness”, which focuses on the film from concept to execution; and five deleted scenes lasting about 6 minutes total.

Blindness is rated “R for violence including sexual assaults, language and sexuality/nudity” and has a 121-minute run time. Heed the rating, because there are several disturbing set ups/scenes in the film.

There’s an important message about morality and humanity in Blindness that makes it worth sitting through the uncomfortable parts of the film (of which there are many). I always appreciate a film that challenges what I would or would not do in a given situation, and this film is just that. It will make you think, and probably “see” things in a while new light.

I give Blindness 4 stars out of 5 stars.

Watching the original Alfie (1966) with Michael Caine! Awesome movie with excellent acting from Caine.

Such fluid and effortless action and storyline. Brilliant!!

The Messengers has all the elements of a good scary movie, including unseen things that go bump in the night, little kids who stare at things no one else can see, and a remote location with crazed birds. Unfortunately, that’s about it. The story is reminiscent of several other films in the past, including 2006’s The Return, 2003’s Cold Creek Manor, and The Amityville Horror and its remake, to name but a few.

This time around, the Solomon family buys a dilapidated farm in North Dakota and starts planting sunflowers. Father/husband Roy (played by Dylan McDermott), and mother/wife Denise (played by Penelope Ann Miller) have two children, teenage daughter Jess (played by Kristen Stewart), and toddler Ben (played by Evan and Theodore Turner). Apparently something happened in the big city that not only made Ben stop chattering away as most toddlers do, but also made Jess’s parents feel the need to take her away from any negative influences and start fresh in the middle of nowhere.

One day, Burwell (played by John Corbett) passes through, and timing being what it is in movies, he is hired on the spot to help with the sunflowers, live with the Solomon’s and generally lend a hand where needed. 

When Jess and Ben start seeing strange things and hearing weird noises, of course no one believes Jess, and she is alone facing some weird force in the house. Then there are the crazy crows, ripped straight out of a scene from The Birds, which attack unprovoked and fly in circle above the house and property like a huge dark cloud.

The Messengers is directed by brothers Danny Pang and Oxide Pang, the Hong Kong duo behind 2002′s The Eye. They present the film in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) transfer, with audio in Dolby Digital 5.1, an alternate French-language track, and optional English and French subtitles. Extras include commentary from Kristen Stewart, writer Mark Wheaton, supporting actor Dustin Milligan, and Bruce Jones (special effects), as well as producer Jason Shuman briefly.

Extras include “Exhuming the Messengers”, a group of seven featurettes about the directors, script, set design, visual effects, ravens, and Kristen Stewart and John Corbett.

Although there’s nothing new in The Messengers, don’t let that stop you from watching it if you like these kids of films. It’s good enough, and does provide some chills, albeit expected ones. Just don’t go hoping this film will break new ground, because The Messengers has definitely been done before.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYfy8pYXXko 290 238][youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nK9o8K54yd4 290 238]

While Steve Carell often borders on over-the-top in his role of Michael on television’s “The Office”, it’s his ability to be funny yet serious that opens him up to such a wide fan base. Let’s face it, Carell stole every scene he was in during Little Miss Sunshine, and he does much the same in the film Dan in Real Life.

Director Peter Hedges’s Dan in Real Life is a smart, bittersweet story about family dynamics and love, backed by terrific performances from its starts, including Carell, who plays Dan Burns, an advice columnist and single parent who’s raising three daughters alone since his wife’s death.When the Burns family heads to Rhode Island for some family time, Dan has the chance to get into town for a brief visit, where he meets Anne-Marie (played by Juliette Binoche).The pair seem to share a connection, and although she leaves quickly after her boyfriend calls, viewers get the feeling that whoever the boyfriend is, he’s not as right for her as Dan.When Dan returns home, he gushes about the woman he just met, all before he realizes that Anne-Marie’s new boyfriend is his brother, Mitch (played by Dane Cook).

Rather than just laugh it off, Dan goes a bit off the deep end, and while most actors would have taken things too far, Carell does a nice job of keeping it reigned in while playing what amounts to a stalker. The cast is rounded out by Alison Pill, Brittany Robertson and Marlene Lawston (who play Dan’s daughters), as well as John Mahony and Dianne West (who play his parents). Emily Blunt also pops up as a possible love interest for Dan.

Both Carell and Binoche seem to have genuine chemistry together, and that coupled with the likes of Cook et al, makes me think this was a fun film to make.The film is presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio and enhanced for widescreen displays, with audio in English, French and Spanish Dolby Digital Surround 5.1, English captions, as well subtitles in French and Spanish.

Extras include feature-length Audio Commentary with co-writer/director Peter Hedges, who among other things, shares that he was raised by his single father from childhood.The featurette “Just Like Family: The Making of Dan In Real Life” offers cast and crew interviews, as well as behind-the-scenes footage. The featurette “Handmade Music: Creating the Score” offers background n the score for the film, as well an interview with Sondre Lerche, who arranged the score.

There are also some deleted scenes (11) with optional director commentary, as well as some amusing outtakes, complete with improv and line flubs.For fans of films such as The Upside of Anger, Dedication and Little Miss Sunshine, as well as fans of Carell or comedy-drama hybrids, there’s a lot to like about Dan in Real Life.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHdw7h81YO4 290 238][youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xXxR3Rqhk8 290 238]

Robin Williams bring a subtle urgency to The Night Listener, which helps evoke the same feeling that Bruce Willis did in The Sixth Sense. And much like The Sixth Sense, The Night Listener is about the relationship that forms between a man and a young boy.

The Night Listener is based on a 2000 novel by Armistead Maupin. In the film, Williams plays late-night talk show radio host Gabriel Noone, who is a gay man who was just recently dumped by his longtime live-in lover, Jess (played by Bobby Cannavale).When a friend in publishing (Joe Morton) gives Noone a manuscript writer by Peter Logand (played by Rory Culkin), a 14-year-old boy in Wisconsin who has HIV, Noone is intrigued and takes the boy under his wing via telephone conversations.

It seems that Logand suffered barbaric abuse at the hands of his pedophile parents, and his memoir is both tragic and touching. During a series of long-distance telephone calls, Peter shares things with Noone. Things like the fact that his stepmother, Donna (played by Toni Collette), is extremely protective of him. And when Noone speaks to Donna, he learns that Peter is getting sicker every day.

Soon, Noone begins to doubt Peter and Donna’s honesty, and he even goes so far as to travel to Wisconsin to get to the bottom of things. I don’t want to spoil the plot for you, so I will leave it at that, but suffice to say it’s a well-thought-out, well-acted twist that will leave most viewers satisfied.

The film is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, with audio in Dolby Digital 5.1, and subtitles available in English, Spanish and French. Extras include The Night Listener Revealed, a featurette with interviews of Maupin, co-screenwriter Terry Anderson, Williams and various producers. There’s also a deleted scene, with opening commentary by Stettner.At the hands of director Patrick Stettner and cinematographer Lisa Rinzler, plus the musical score from Peter Nashel, The Night Listener is creepy and chilling, but not overtly so.

There is no blood shed, and there are no monsters. Instead, the film focuses on human psychology, and why people are so quick to believe everything they are told.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MU09Z5Wv6OQ 290 238][youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3QvNXZbf54 290 238]

Disturbia may not win any awards for originality, but what it lacks there it makes up for in smart, sarcastic dialogue and great “teen” acting. The film stars Shia LaBeouf, who plays Kale Brecht, a 17 year old who hits a rough patch after his father dies, causing him to withdraw and act out in school.

One day, he takes things to far with a teacher and finds himself under house arrest for three months during summer vacation. Kale is then fitted with an electronic ankle bracelet and instructed that a GPS monitoring device will immediately notify police if he strays more than 100 feet from home base.

His mom, played by Carrie-Anne Moss, goes off to work every day while Kale lazes about the house playing video games and cranking music at full volume. When mom decides to take away all the fun amenities that are passing Kale’s time, he turns to peeping as a source of entertainment.

Kale watched the comings and goings of his neighborhood, noticing, among other things, marital affairs, as well as his new, beautiful neighbor Ashley (played by Sarah Roemer), whose family has just moved in next door.

One night, Kale hears about a missing girl on a news report, as well as an eyewitness report describing the suspect’s car, which just so happens to be the same make and model as his very own neighbor’s car.

Kale starts watching his neighbor, Mr. Turner (played by David Morse), closely, and when he brings a woman home one night, Kale witnesses some rough play through the open curtains.

When Kale and his best friend, Ronnie (played by Aaron Yoo), befriend Ashley, the trio try to uncover the truth about their creepy neighbor.

Screenwriters Christopher Landon and Carl Ellsworth do a nice job of creating funny moments amidst the tension in Disturbia, and director D.J. Caruso (The Salton Sea, Taking Lives) borrows plot points from the classic Alfred Hitchcock thriller Rear Window. Luckily, it works.

Disturbia is presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, with audio in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround EX. The DVD includes audio tracks in French and Spanish, with subtitles available in English, French and Spanish.

Extras include a commentary track with Caruso, LaBeouf and Roemer; a making of featurette with interviews of cast and crew; outtakes; four deleted scenes; a music video of This World Fair’s “Don’t Make Me Wait”; a Serial Pursuit/Pop Up Quiz; and a photo gallery of stills from the film.

While Disturbia doesn’t break new ground, it is a family-friendly teen thriller that’s well acted and provides humorous dialogue that will entertain teens, ‘tweens and parents alike, which is a bit of a rarity these days.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmcFyGGWRQs 290 238][youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nps-1u5YeYE 290 238]