Category: Video Reviews

Posted on: August 26, 2009 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Mad Men: Season Two (DVD)

You’d be hard pressed to find any characters as cool as the suit-sportin’, booze-swillin’ ad men (and women) that populate AMC’s incredibly original series Mad Men. The second season, just released on DVD, followed through on all the promises set out in the debut.

Posted on: August 18, 2009 Posted by: Jay NeuFutur Comments: 0

Jamiroquai – Live At Montreux 2003 (Blu-Ray)

Jamiroquai’s perfects at Montreux is impressive on all fronts. First off, for those that may be new to Jamiroquai’s music beyond their (few; “Virtual Insanity” heading them up) hits in America, there are a number of new tracks to sink ones teeth into. For those that wish to see a pre-Dynamite version of the act, this performance seems to give 1999’s “Synkronized” and 2001’s “A Funk Odyssey” much more in…

Posted on: August 17, 2009 Posted by: Jay NeuFutur Comments: 0

The Hairdresser’s Husband (DVD)

The Hairdresser’s Husband (Le mari de la coiffeuse) is a 1990 film by Patrice Leconte, whom individuals may know as the director of 1978’s Les Bronzés, 1985’s Les Spécialistes and 1989’s Monsieur Hire. Leconte is interesting because of the wide array of genres in which ey works; the aforementioned Les Bronzés is a comedy, 1996’s Ridicule is a period piece, and The Hairdresser’s Husband showcases Leconte’s ability to go beyond…

Posted on: August 17, 2009 Posted by: Jay NeuFutur Comments: 0

Harvard Beats Yale 29-29 (DVD)

Harvard Beats Yale 29-29 is a film detailing the events of a late-sixties football game that is played between two long-standing rivals. The game was important for reasons beyond the rivalry, as both teams had achieved an undefeated season up to that point of the year. Yale’s quarterback, Brian Dowling (who had not lost a game for a number of years), had ran up a considerable lead over the entire…

Posted on: August 16, 2009 Posted by: Jay NeuFutur Comments: 0

The Waterboy (Blu-Ray)

I would venture that there are not many weeks where The Waterboy is not shown on some cable channel. The fact that is has stuck around television rotation for so many years after it was first released to theaters (1998) showcases that, despite the simplisticity of the title, that is an overall solid film. Whether it be Adam Sandler as the titular role, Kathy Bates (Drew Carey Show) as Mama,…

Posted on: August 11, 2009 Posted by: Jay NeuFutur Comments: 0

Jim Breuer – Let’s Clear The Air (CD)

Few comedians are really able to go forth and really keep their material fresh over the period that Jim Breuer has. I must admit that I was not too familiar with eir work pre-SNL, but there has been some serious evolution of Breuer’s style over the course of about fifteen years. The great thing about this special is that it seems as if Comedy Central, the audience, and Breuer eirself…

Posted on: August 9, 2009 Posted by: Jay NeuFutur Comments: 0

Hope: The Alzheimer’s Project (3 DVD Set)

Alzheimer’s Disease is one of those diseases that is increasingly prevalent in the United States, especially considering that the Baby Boomer generation is rapidly getting older. To showcase exactly how prevalent this issue is becoming, HBO Documentary Films and the National Institute on Aging (as well as many others) have put together this set of documentaries, which look to probe every side of this unfortunate disease. This 3-DVD set comes…

Posted on: August 8, 2009 Posted by: Jay NeuFutur Comments: 0

Dragonball: Evolution (Blu-Ray)

Dragonball Z was one of the biggest anime shows to cross over to the American markets in the nineties, and it is frankly surprising that they took so long to make a film adaptation of it. For example, it only took the span of a few years to make movies based on two popular video games – Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat, while only a few extra years passed between…

Posted on: August 7, 2009 Posted by: Jay NeuFutur Comments: 0

Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse: Season One (DVD Set)

Dollhouse is likely the one show that simultaneously has tons of buzz surrounding it and ratings that deserve to be higher. The titular entity employs individuals termed “Actives” for the term of five years. These individuals have their personalities wiped and are pimped out to different clients; the actions taken by the Dollhouse and their Actives are shrouded in mystery, operating in secret in a seemingly-current society.

Posted on: July 23, 2009 Posted by: Jay NeuFutur Comments: 0

An American Affair (DVD)

An American Affair is set in 1963, where JFK’s affair with a CIA member’s wife is seen as nothing too far outside of the norm. A stacked cast, including Gretchen Mol (Rounders), Mark Pellegrino (National Treasure), and James Rebhorn (Cold Mountain) take up this historical piece and make each of the players living and breathing. Where there has been a number of films made in the last twenty years about…

Posted on: July 22, 2009 Posted by: Jay NeuFutur Comments: 0

John Adams (Blu-Ray)

I feel that a number of individuals that were important to the foundation of these United States get shorted on coverage in American history textbooks if their names are not George Washington or Benjamin Franklin. HBO’s John Adams miniseries looks to rectify this issue, and the Blu-Ray version of the release ensures that this series will not be forgotten anytime soon. For those that missed out on the miniseries, Paul…

Posted on: July 19, 2009 Posted by: Jay NeuFutur Comments: 0

Trevor Horn and Friends: Slaves to Rhythm (DVD)

I have to admit, I had not heard of Trevor Horn before popping this DVD into my player. Turns out, ey was the co-writer for “Kiss From A Rose”, Seal’s hit, along with being associated with acts like The Buggles, Art of Noise, and Yes. This DVD links together Horn’s tremendous skill with a number of eir friends, in a list that includes the Pet Shop Boys, Grace Jones, Seal,…

Posted on: July 18, 2009 Posted by: Jay NeuFutur Comments: 1

The Mighty Boosh (DVD)

While I have heard bits and pieces about The Mighty Boosh before its initial American run on Adult Swim, I must admit I was by no means familiar with the show. Most American viewers will know the show from this run, as it really represents the pinnacle of post-2000 British comedy. While shows like Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace and Look Around You were shown first on American television, I feel as…

Posted on: July 18, 2009 Posted by: Jay NeuFutur Comments: 0

Kaze No Stigma Volume 1 – Wind (DVD)

I know that this has been explored in previous reviews of anime that we have conducted here at NeuFutur, but I really love the fact that intrepid companies like Funimation are closing the gap between when the anime shows they release in the United States come out and when they originally were shown in Japan. This time, the break in time between the original and United States release is only…

Posted on: July 15, 2009 Posted by: Jay NeuFutur Comments: 0

My Dinner With Jimi (DVD)

This DVD is insane. The story here surrounds The Turtles, whom may be best known for “Happy Together”, in a period of their life that details their claim to fame and visits to some of the best known musicians and figures of that period of time. The amount of different stars that are present in this film is considerable, whether it be through a role filled by George Wendt, John…

Posted on: July 14, 2009 Posted by: Jay NeuFutur Comments: 0

Baby On Board (DVD)

Baby on Board will be seen as a cult film ten or fifteen years down the road. Everything is there for that, whether it be the cast of underappreciated stars (Jerry O’Donnell, Lara Flynn Boyle, Heather Graham) or the seemingly random comedy that is present through the whole film. The reviews for this film have not been good, but one has to take them in stride and come into the…

Posted on: July 14, 2009 Posted by: Jay NeuFutur Comments: 0

The Betrayed (DVD)

The Betrayed is an interesting movie that breaks free of a number of assumptions made about its genre; it seamlessly blends together action, suspense, and even a little bit of horror in its hour and a half runtime. Director Amanda Gusack is relatively new to the chair (2000’s The Anniversary and 2005’s In Memoriam are eir other two credits), but the overall film showcases a maturity to Gusack that will…

Posted on: July 13, 2009 Posted by: Jay NeuFutur Comments: 0

Reba: The Complete Sixth Season (DVD)

Few shows make it to their sixth season, but Reba did. Few shows showcase an evolutionary story arc, but Reba did. I would say that Reba was a damn good show for a cast that was headed up by someone who was primarily known for eir sappy country songs. The season starts out with “Let’s Get Physical”, which showcases the amount of different sub-plots and interactions that can successfully be…

Posted on: July 13, 2009 Posted by: Jay NeuFutur Comments: 0

Black Money (DVD)

Black Money surrounds the funds that are provided between transnational firms and state officials, and goes even further out to the leverage that states have vis-à-vis one another when the interest of transnational corporations are at stake. Examples are shown here where a major company has provides creature comforts or other luxuries to members of state, in the hope that the person in question will be able to turn state…

Posted on: July 10, 2009 Posted by: Jay NeuFutur Comments: 0

Pink Panther 2 (Blu-Ray)

The Pink Panther 2 did surprisingly well at the box office in my opinion, and MGM has attempted to really capture the same spark with their Blu-Ray release of the title. In this sequel to the 2006 re-start of the series, Inspector Clouseau (Steve Martin) has to join forces with a number of the world’s best detectives. The cast of this film blends old hands (Lily Tomlin, John Cleese, Jeremy…