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Wizard
 
 
 
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    79
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  • First review
    January 9, 2016
  • Last review
    May 22, 2018
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    4.7
 
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Wizard's Reviews
<< 1 2 3 4 5 6 ... 8 >>
 
This release from the groundbreaking sci-fi horror series The Strain includes the show's entire first season.
 
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Not Your Father's Vampire!
on June 20, 2017
Posted by: Wizard
Verified Purchase:Yes
I admit to being very skeptical of what The Strain could deliver on FX ... I've seen way too many quality novels turned into watered down garbage on television (Under the Dome comes to mind). Fortunately in this case my fears were unfounded. The Strain is easily one of the best shows (if not THE best show) of 2014.
Clearly Guillermo Del Torro loves his baby, because it is evident from every aspect of the production of this show that he wants a faithful adaptation of the bestselling books that he and Chuck Hogan authored. I doubt without that kind of hands on approach that we would have the spellbinding production that we were fortunate to get as a mid-year 2014 treat!
So what's it about? Well vampires of course... but one of the coolest takes on vampires to come out in the past decade or more. Hogan and Del Toro take the thinking man's approach to a prospective Vampire Apocalypse with just enough of a scientific grounding to help the reader suspend disbelief. Punches are not pulled in this story. Child vampires? Billionaire trying to screw over humanity for a shot at immortality? Vampire manipulation of a fumbling government? Check, check and check!
We are treated to dealing with vampires from the perspective of a CDC medical team dealing with what they believe to be a viral outbreak that quickly spirals out of control as a vampire infestation overtakes New York City... this really is a "thinking man's" vampire tale that is told so smoothly that one could almost believe it was penned by someone of Michael Crichton's caliber.
There are numerous very colorful characters in the novel, and I'm pleased to say that the actors chosen for the television series do a GREAT job of matching those character roles, the acting is outstanding.
If you are a fan of horror or scifi you really owe it to yourself to try to catch The Strain and you won't be disappointed with the Blu-Ray set.. It is light on features (they are almost nonexistent with the exception of 'Satrakian's Lair' which will please some die hard fans) but each episode is given the super nice high bitrate Blu-ray treatment with superb MPEG-4 AVC video and DTS-MA audio.
I understand that Season 2 has been signed and I'm really hoping that the show picks up enough of a following to see it through to conclusion. Since the first season parallels the events of the first novel almost exactly there is hope that we could see the entire show concluded in three robust seasons.
My Best Buy number: 0025347296
My Best Buy number: 0025347296
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Dr. Ephraim Goodweather (Corey Stoll) and his Canary Team at the Center for Disease Control track the virulent outbreak that transforms unsuspecting citizens into vampires, racing against the clock to save the human race from a supernatural pandemic. This three DVD set includes episodes "BK, NY," "By Any Means," "Fort Defiance," "The Silver Angel," and more.
 
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
The Master Plan
on June 20, 2017
Posted by: Wizard
Verified Purchase:Yes
The Strain Season 2 picks up where the first left off, but with the new season, it loses some of the motivation and tension that made the first season so effective and gripping. Thankfully, midseason, things get a lot more intriguing thanks to the newfound focus on the Master and Eichorst's plans as well as the introduction of a new Daywalker who fights for his own unseen ambitions. Story threads involving Eph and Setrakian, the old warrior, are mostly followed through and tied up to the final episode, with the exception of some cliffhangers that can only be answered in season 3, which may possibly be the last season, as only ten episodes are planned compared to thirteen in the 1st and 2nd seasons. If you're wondering if this is a show you'd be interested in, The Strain is very much about the decisions humans make when presented with greed or fighting against a greater evil, which is a recurring theme throughout the series. Additionally, if you have a tolerance for parasitic worms crawling beneath the skin that infest the human host and turn it into a obedient servant to the Master Vampire, this is the show for you, as there are many, gory examples of this in The Strain.
My Best Buy number: 0025347296
My Best Buy number: 0025347296
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Classy violent fun for all!
on June 10, 2017
Posted by: Wizard
Verified Purchase:Yes
My wife and I the just released Pride and Prejudice and Zombies on DVD. I loved this movie and more importantly my wife enjoyed it as well. And she is not a fan of the zombie genre of movies. But to be clear, this movie is a comedy horror movie loosely based on Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice.
The story revolves around the young ladies of the Bennet family, Elizabeth (Lily James), Jane (Bella Heathcote), Kitty (Suki Waterhouse), Lydia (Ellie Bamber), and Mary (Millie Brady). In this version of 18th Century England, the countryside has been ravaged by a zombie outbreak. But amid the carnage and eating of brains, life goes on and young women must endeavor to marry well. To better survive the ravages of the undead, anyone with means sends their children to the orient to learn fighting arts. The wealthy send their children to Japan, and the wise send their children to China. The Bennet girls are alumni of the Shaolin temple. And where in previous incarnations of Jane Austin young ladies are playing harpsichord and doing needlepoint, the young ladies of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies are seen sharpening swords and cleaning flintlock pistols. They’re also seen training for and engaging in combat with the legions of the walking dead.
I believe that Screen Gems has made a mistake in marketing this movie as an action-horror film. Yes the action sequences get a solid 9 out of 10. And the special effects are equally as good. But the truth is this movie is absolutely hilarious. It’s funny because aside from adding zombies, kenjutsu and shaolin boxing, the writers kept everything else as faithful to Jane Austin as possible. I’ve seen the BBC’s 1995 Pride and Prejudice starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle quite a few times and much of the dialogue is identical, indicating that both versions stayed close to Jane Austin’s original text. When real dialogue from the Pride and Prejudice is given while girls are cleaning muskets and sparring, it becomes gut wrenchingly hilarious.
I would recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys their action, comedy and horror with some classical literature mixed in.
My Best Buy number: 0025347296
My Best Buy number: 0025347296
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
 
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
The perfect swan song for Logan
on June 10, 2017
Posted by: Wizard
Verified Purchase:Yes
Directed by James Mangold (The Wolverine, Walk the Line) from a screenplay by Mangold, Scott Frank (The Wolverine, Get Shorty) and (Heroes, American Gods), Logan is a finely crafted movie with a moving script and excellent performances that bring the Hugh Jackman Wolverine story-arc to a fitting conclusion.
The story is set in a not-too-distant future of 2029, but it's a world that's changed dramatically for mutants in general and for James "Logan" Howlett (Hugh Jackman in truly top form), who no longer goes by Wolverine, and Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart in arguably his best performance in the role), who's no longer a professor anywhere. The intervening years have not been kind to either man. Logan's healing factor is failing, his body having apparently been slowly poisoned over time by the adamantium fused into his skeleton as part of the Weapon X program. Xavier, who's now in his 90's, is physically frail but also suffers from advancing neurological degeneration and seizures which must be suppressed medically to avoid devastating telepathic eruptions that can lay out anyone who happens to be in the vicinity. With assistance from fellow mutant Caliban (Stephen Merchant), Logan looks after Charles, holed up in an abandoned factory near the Texas/Mexico border where he works as a limo driver for rich tourists.
Logan, Xavier and Caliban are seemingly among the last mutants around. For some reason, no new mutants have been born in the last twenty-five years. Or so it would seem until they encounter an 11-year-old girl named Laura (Dafne Keen who definitely holds her own in scenes with Jackman and Stewart), of whom Xavier tells Logan "She's like you... very much like you."
The good thing about the screenplay is that you don't need more than a basic familiarity with the main characters - Jackman's Wolverine and Patrick Stewart's Professor X - to follow what's going on.
One of the best things about Logan as a film, which helps make it arguably the best film of the X-Men/Wolverine series, is due to the excellent screenplay that allows both Jackman and Stewart to really flex their considerable acting talents and bring new depth and perspectives to their roles as Logan and Xavier, characters for whom the world has vastly changed and not in good ways. As is already hinted at in the trailers, Logan's healing factor is failing him as is Xavier's health and mind. The end of the road is all too visible for both men and both have to face their personal doubts and fears in ways they never had to before. As a result, Jackman and Stewart give the best performances of their characters to date, not to mention some of the best performances of their careers. It is a credit to young Dafne Keen that she can hold her own in her scenes with these two veterans as well as the scenes where she's on her own.
The musical score by Marco Beltrami (The Wolverine, The Hurt Locker) is suitably atmospheric, suggesting a worn-down weariness in some scenes but jumping into an edgy adrenaline-rush feeling in others, but always in the background, never over-powering or distracting from what's happening on the screen.
Highly, highly recommended for anyone who's ever been a fan of superhero movies in general, of the X-men series in particular, or of just great story-telling and moving performances by a great cast.
My Best Buy number: 0025347296
My Best Buy number: 0025347296
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Coming Of Age
on May 20, 2017
Posted by: Wizard
Verified Purchase:Yes
The Edge Of Seventeen is a cleverly written, beautifully shot, perfectly paced coming of age teen angst film, just as expected. What isn't expected is the thoughtful insight to mid-life crisis and life assessment Woody Harrelson and Kyra Sedgwick's character's bring to this charming, insightful, sometimes awkward, but overall genuinely entertaining confection. It's quite possible that writer/director Kelly Fremon Craig has actually in some ways out done her hero and inspiration John Hughes by showing both the teen and adult sides of the "coming of age" struggle. Hailee Steinfeld is tremendous in the lead role as Nadine, perfectly portraying the duality of brazen adolescent confidence that is in constant conflict with paralyzing self doubt. Kyra Sedgwick bravely exposes herself in what could quite honestly be her best supporting role ever. Woody Harrelson is typically male using humor to deflect the tough awkwardness of serious situations and then underscores the same situations with the care and deep insight found in our favorite teachers or people we know. What makes this film work so well is the realization that we've all been these characters at some point. The Edge Of Seventeen will enthrall and resonate with those of us who get that we are all a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, and a criminal muddling our way into the sexting/Match.com age.
My Best Buy number: 0025347296
My Best Buy number: 0025347296
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Even Darker
on May 20, 2017
Posted by: Wizard
Verified Purchase:Yes
After shaking the world back in 2015, Fifty Shades of Grey returns with its sequel "Fifty Shades Darker".
I was really excited to see the movie adaptation for this part because it was the best book in my opinion of the series and the trailers made it seem very close to the original source but I was afraid because the first movie was not pretty loyal to the book.
I went to a midnight showing of the movie, and it didn't dissapointed! "Darker" is a big improvement from the first movie, delivering the same strength, a pretty nice adaptation that stays loyal to the original source almost all of the time, and delivers the thrills and romance we were all expecting. If you loved the book you won't be dissapointed.
Fifty Shades Darker continues Christian and Ana's love story in a great way, this time delivering mystery, lots of steamy action, even some well-executed jokes in between, and something that I found really refreshing is that all the changes that were made were for good! The cinematography is well-done, the direction improves a 200% and Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson do a great job returning as the iconic lead characters, supported by returning faces and some new ones.
Overall, Fifty Shades Darker is entertaining, exciting, and it was worth the 2-year wait!
My Best Buy number: 0025347296
My Best Buy number: 0025347296
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
Clean carpets, couches and stairs easily with this adaptable Dyson Ball Animal vacuum. Various attachments, including a tangle-free turbine tool, a multi-angle brush and a stair tool make pet hair removal quick and simple. The Dyson Ball Animal vacuum comes with a generous 35-foot cord, making it ideal for larger homes.
 
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Dysons are the BEST!
on May 16, 2017
Posted by: Wizard
Verified Purchase:Yes
I was surprised that it had to be put together. I thought it came ready to use judging from the box it came in, but it was easy enough to follow the directions....pictures only no words? It took a bit of getting used to when I was vacuuming, it wasn't like my other Dyson, they had updated a few things. But now I've gotten used to it and it's a lot easier to use than my old one and I'm happy with it. GREAT Vaccum!
My Best Buy number: 0025347296
My Best Buy number: 0025347296
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
Durable and water resistant with plenty of room for your accessories, this rolling laptop case keeps your laptop protected while making travel easy.
 
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Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
So Far , So Good !
on May 8, 2017
Posted by: Wizard
Verified Purchase:Yes
I've been using the bag for over a month now. It's durable, travels very well, and holds all of my business materials. I recommend this item to anyone looking for a classic and simple Roller bag. You wont be disappointed with the purchase.
My Best Buy number: 0025347296
My Best Buy number: 0025347296
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Anti-Heroes
on April 22, 2017
Posted by: Wizard
Verified Purchase:Yes
The trailer made this seem funny in a Deadpool way. It isn't. Surprisingly subtle and intellectual this movie definitely has a slow start and takes a long time to draw you in on first viewing, but it is well worth hanging in there for the payoff, which gives greater depth to earlier scenes. For people who missed the plot-you weren't paying attention. There are laughs and there are heartbreaking lows, but the seemingly cavalier attitude of its anti-heroes thoughout keeps this from being so much melodrama, while it explores the darker side of our own culture. The on screen chemistry of Pena and Skarsgard and their selling performances convince you of the deep connection between these two characters.
My Best Buy number: 0025347296
My Best Buy number: 0025347296
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Griefing Americans
on April 22, 2017
Posted by: Wizard
Verified Purchase:Yes
Shows the very human side of an American legacy. Well acted, with outstanding details to time and place. Some reviewers complain this was boring. I think not, rather, it conveys the elements of real grief both public and private. Grief isn't boring, but it takes time to build, enfold, and finally ebb. This movie was a master at Illustrating that.
My Best Buy number: 0025347296
My Best Buy number: 0025347296
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
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