Showing posts with label comedy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label comedy. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 3, 2020

Blu-ray Review - Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: The Complete Series



While looking for something new to watch on Netflix, I came across Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and then I realized that I had the series on Blu-ray. Mill Creek Entertainment had sent me the 8-disc Blu-ray set earlier this year, which I had forgotten about. So, for the past week, I've been binge-watching all 51 episodes.

If you're not living under a rock, like me, then you were probably already aware of the series. I had no clue what it was about until I began watching the first season. It's a wacky comedy, just without a laugh-track.

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Review - Pokergeist by Michael Phillip Cash

*This is a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% mine.

Available at AMAZON and Barnes & Noble.

About the Book

Sometimes life, as well as death, is about second chances. Luckless Telly Martin doesn't have a clue. An awful gambler trying to scrape by as a professional poker player, he becomes the protégé of world-famous poker champion Clutch Henderson. The only catch…Clutch is a ghost. Telly and Clutch must navigate the seedy gambling underbelly of Las Vegas learning to trust each other in order to win the elusive International Series of Poker, repair their shattered personal relationships and find redemption in this life and the hereafter.


My Review

Pokergeist has one of the coolest covers I have seen in recent years. It reminds of the episode of the '80s Twilight Zone titled "Dealer's Choice" starring Morgan Freeman.

Just under 250 pages, Pokergeist, the fourth book in A Haunting on Long Island Series, was a quick read for me yesterday afternoon. It centers around Telly Martin who wants to be a professional poker player. However, there's one small problem - he's a horrible gambler! Well, that is until he gets Clutch, who happens to be a ghost, to help him become a great poker player. Between the duo, they make their way to the fictional International Series of Poker tournament in Las Vegas.

I like to point out that Pokergeist isn't a horror novel by any means. It's a comedy that just happens to have a ghost character. It's well-written with lively dialogue. I liked all the characters except for Telly's girlfriend, Gretchen. Don't ask me why as I don't have an answer. I just didn't like the character. Besides that small nitpick, I enjoyed reading Pokergeist.


About the Author


Michael Phillip Cash is an award-winning screenwriter and novelist. He's written many books and screenplays in the horror, suspense, thriller and fantasy genres. He resides on the North Shore of Long Island with his wife and children.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Blu-ray Review: The Hustle


*This is a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% my own.


AMAZON
Wouldn't you've believed a comedy starring Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson would be funny?

Unfortunately, that's not the case with The Hustle which was just released to Blu-ray and DVD this week from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. It's also available on Digital HD and On Demand.

Directed by Chris Addison, the film is a gender swapping remake of 1988's comedy Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, which itself was a remake of the 1964 classic Bedtime Story.

The Hustle centers around Penny (played by Rebel Wilson), a small-time con artist who makes a living by defrauding wealthy men. On a trip to the French Riviera, Penny runs into Josephine Chesterfield (Anne Hathaway) who just happens to also be a con artist. Eventually, the duo make a bet on who can swindle a young tech billionaire (Alex Sharp) out of his money.

The movie was critical failure but it did manage to pull in $95 million at the box office on a $21 million budget.

Blu-ray Special Features include:
  • Hitting the Mark – We’ll reveal the plans behind the film: from Anne Hathaway’s initial discussions with Jac Schaeffer and Rebel Wilson about updating the story for a modern era to Chris Addison’s collaboration with the cast to craft the comedy on set.
  • Comedy Class – Every actor in the film brings a very different comedic style to their roles. This comic clash helps sell the conflict between Josephine, Penny, and the other characters in the film.
  • Con Artists – The artists behind the camera help bring the story to life…in this case costume designer Emmer Fryer and production designer Alice Normington show off their skills.
  • Feature Commentary by Director Chris Addison 


Final Thoughts

Monday, June 24, 2019

Blu-ray Review: Jury Duty (Retro VHS Look)



Mill Creek Entertainment; Amazon
The silly comedy Encino Man was of my favorite guilty pleasure movies from the early '90s. Yes, it was completely stupid, but for some reason it appealed to me during my pre-teen years. Pauly Shore was one of the co-stars in the film and he went on to star in several similar comedies during the '90s, including 1995's Jury Duty, which was released to Blu-ray earlier this month from Mill Creek Entertainment as part of their Retro VHS series.

Directed by John Fortenberry, the film is more of a spoof of 12 Angry Men, where an unemployed Tommy Collins (played by Pauly Shore) finds himself out of a home when his mother and her boyfriend take their mobile home to Las Vegas to get married. Tommy and his chihuahua Peanuts are now homeless, well, that is until he receives a jury summons!

Tommy becomes one of the 12 jurors for a murder trial and as jury foreman he deliberately delays the verdict just so he can be paid $5 per day, get free meals, and live in a nice hotel room (also for free). While attempting to convinced the other jurors of reasonable doubt, he begins to believe the murderer is actually innocent.

Rounding out the rest of the cast is Tia Carrere, Brian Doyle-Murray, Stanley Tucci, Abe Vigoda, Charles Napier, and Shelley Winters.


Final Thoughts

Thursday, March 28, 2019

Blu-ray Review: Neighbors (Retro VHS Style)


Mill Creek Entertainment; Amazon
Why is it I have a nostalgic feelings towards anything related to the 1980s? Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I was born in 1981. Plus, everything "entertainment" related is better than anything being released today. 

Studios are well aware of the 1980's nostalgia craze, such as Mill Creek Entertainment, which has been releasing several 1980s films to Blu-ray with retro VHS-style slipcovers. 

The 1981 cult comedy classic "Neighbors" ($14.98; R; 95 minutes) starring John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Cathy Moriarty, and Kathryn Walker arrived on Blu-ray earlier this month. It's a bare bones edition with no special features or bonus extras.

Based on the novel of the same name by Thomas Berger and directed by John G. Avildsen, the film centers around Earl Keese (played by Belushi), a middle age man with a boring job who lives in the middle of nowhere with his disconnected wife, Enid (played by Walker), and their rebellious teenage daughter (played by Lauren-Marie Taylor). After a long day at work, Earl wants nothing more than a peaceful and relaxing night at home, but that doesn't occur on this particular night, as his new neighbors, Vic and Romona (played by Aykroyd and Moriarty) decide to crash his plans.

Vic is extremely obnoxious, rude and downright crazy at times. Ramona is overly sexual and just as insane as Vic. The duo invites themselves over for dinner and end up turning Earl's entire life upside down.


Final Thoughts