Puppet Master Boxset Review

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(More customer reviews)The Puppet Master movies have never been considered high art by any means but they can be very entertaining in the nice B-Movie vein. What makes the series so likeable is the unique puppet characters and nifty effects. Sure the series starts to take a nose dive towards the end (with "Curse of the.." and "Retro...") but again what franchise doesn't? Charles Band's (a well known name in the world of low budget horror and science fiction) Full Moon Entertainment always releases their films with eye catching cover art and plenty of behind-the-scenes footage. Full Moon always seemed to be taking the consumers and fans in the highest regard when it came to VHS. Now let see how they treated the fans for the now ultra rare box set of the Puppet Master series.
The Box set at first glance seems like a well done job. We get all 7 Puppet Master movies housed in a nice box with a bonus disc called "45 Trailer Reel". All the movies contain their original box art (Except the box to Puppet Master has the title changed to "Puppet Master I" making me wonder if Full Moon thought their fans were morons) but the printing on the inserts isn't the highest quality. This is easily forgiven. All the DVDs contain amazing menu designs that are all animated and are like little cartoons themselves. Every DVD also contains the original behind the scenes "Videozone" as well as cast and crew bios so the extras were good.
The picture quality for the most part is on par with other Full Moon releases. Overall the digital transfer isn't great and is sub-par to other big name film companies such as MGM and Warner Bros. Still the films are far from unwatchable. The only film that didn't make the grade when it came to picture quality was Puppet Master II. The picture quality on this DVD is pathetic and worse than its VHS counterpart. The film has moments when the picture even goes digital. It hits its ultimate low when towards the end of the film the picture gets an annoying wavy effect traveling down the screen. I can't believe Full Moon released this movie with such a terrible transfer. It's a shame because every box set that was made has this terrible version of Puppet Master II with the wavy picture. (whats even more strange is the "stock footage" from Puppet Master II that was edited into Curse of the Puppet Master also contains the wavy effect).
Other than the Puppet Master II DVD, this box set is a great way to get all the Puppet Master movies in one place. There's not much for new for extras as the Videozone's were previously released on the VHS tapes but its still great to have them. The box set would garner a 4 rating if it weren't for the sub-par treatment of the Puppet Master II DVD. Hopefully if Full Moon ever gets the rights issues resolved with Paramount Pictures they will re-release the box set and fix the problem with the Puppet Master II transfer.

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Includes PUPPET MASTER, PUPPET MASTER II, PUPPET MASTER III, PUPPET MASTER 4, PUPPET MASTER 5, CURSE OF THE PUPPET MASTER, RETRO PUPPET MASTER and Special Bonus DVD: FULL MOON 45 TITLE TRAILER REEL.

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The Blade Trilogy (Blade/ Blade II/ Blade: Trinity) (1998) Review

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(More customer reviews)The Blade Collection is finally here! For moviegoers, it all began back in the summer of 1998:BLADE (1998) 1 Disc Rated R (2.35:1) - Talk about a movie experience! From the opening shots, you are literally sucked in (no pun intended) to the world of the vampires. Wesley Snipes completely embraces the role of the title character and plays him to the hilt, with just a bit of dry cocky humor that is very refreshing. As we first meet Blade at a Vampire techno club (which uses a great remix of a song called "Confusion" by New Order) we just know he's a force to be reckoned with as he slices, dices, burns & just plains blows up every vampire he gets a hold of (including Traci Lords, in a very memorable cameo). Kris Kristofferson plays Whistler, Blade's mentor and creator of the various weapons at his disposal, including guns & knives, bombs, & more. ("We have a good arrangement. He makes the weapons, I use 'em"). But it's Stephen Dorff as the bloodthirsty Deacon Frost that helps catapult the film from average action fair to the stuff of comic book legend. With most actors, this would be a one or two dimensional performance, but in the hands of Stephen Dorff, he turns the character of Deacon Frost into something much more multilayared. The interaction he has with Blade as well as his other fellow vampires give off this feel of someone we should not underestimate. Because a truly great villain is a huge key to a movie's success. The whole mythos of vampires in this film moves the genre in a very interesting direction. According to Blade, pure silver, garlic & sunlight are the main tools to combat vampires. ("Crosses don't do d***, so forget about what you've seen in the movies") But the fact that the pure blood vampires are personified as old & disposable, while the nonpure vampires are young and virile, looking to take over and run things, can really be looked at as a depiction of our society, with the old guard being kicked out by the new one, lest anarchy ensue. A Classic. Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. 120 MIN.BLADE II (2002) 2 Disc Rated R (1.85:1) - Part 2 begins in Prague, with Blade searching for the location of Whistler, who has been turned into a Vampire and subsuquently tortured. The action sequences are even more elaborate than the first, with the camera actually following jumps and flips in a spiral fashion. By now most of you know the story, which involves a new breed of vampire called Reapors, that are trying to take over their predecessors and eventually enslave the world. The vampires turn to Blade for assistance in helping them wipe out these vicious beasts. In a sort of "Dirty Dozen" meets "Aliens" tradition, Blade teams up with an elite group of vampires, who, turns out, were originally put together to hunt him down. They instead work together to seek out the Reapors to destroy them, but find that killing them is not as easy as they'd hoped. The film gives Wesley Snipes more range to show some drama this time, with a subplot involving a female vampire named Nyssa, who's a pure blood, working for her father. Twists and turns abound in this comic book action thriller that gives off a nice feel of energy while at the same time making sense. There's plenty martial arts action to make anybody happy, as well as some much needed dry humor from Snipes and company. All in all a satisfying experience that will leave most moviegoers in an upbeat fashion. Dolby Digital 5.1 & DTS 6.1 Surround Sound. 117 MIN.BLADE: TRINITY (2004) 2 Disc Unrated & R rated versions (2.35:1) - In the final installment, Blade teams up with the Nightstalkers, a ragtag group of vampire hunters lead by the sexy Abigail Whistler (Jessica Biel) & the quickwitted Hannibal King (Ryan Reynolds) who are out to track down and kill the vampire of all vampires: Dracula (played by the musclebound Dominic Purcell). Watch out for Parker Posey, as the scene stealing Danica Talos, the equivalent of a vampire constantly tripping on acid. Snipes has less to do this time out as Blade, with the newer characters taking up much of his screen time. But when he's onscreen, he still shines and plays the character perfectly. A shame that there was turmoil between him and director/screenwriter David S. Goyer (notice, for example, Snipes's unwillingness to contribute to the audio commentaries for the movie even though he had done so for the first two films). And seeing Dominic Purcell's performance as Drake makes one wish that the Stephen Dorff character of Deacon Frost could somehow be resurrected in order to show these guys how playing a first-rate villian is really done. Still, with all it's flaws, the film still works, just not as well as most fans would've liked. The new footage in the unrated version is interesting, as well as the slightly different ending, that many fans may find much more preferable to that of the theatrical version. Worth having. Dolby Digital 5.1 & DTS 6.1 Surround Sound. 113 MIN & 122 MIN.Besides the gripes about the 3rd film, the real disappointment with this wonderful collection is that the original Blade movie is not presented as a 2 disc Platinum Edition with DTS 6.1 Surround Sound the way its sequels are. It truly deserves the much needed upgrade. The Box itself is very nice to look at, with a very nicely done 3-D front cover. For the most part, this is what every Blade fan has been waiting for since that summer of 1998 when one of the best comic book franchises began its journey. This is definately a collection worth ice skating uphill for! Blade Trilogy: The Ultimate Collection - Bloodsuckingly Brilliant! "Blade. Ready to die?" - Dominic Purcell as Drake
"Since the day I was born." - Wesley Snipes as Blade

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Item Name: The Blade Trilogy (Blade/ Blade II/ Blade: Trinity); Studio:New Line Home Video

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Blade Trinity (Unrated Version) (2004) Review

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(More customer reviews)When I first heard that "Trinity" was on the way, I had my reservations about it. I was worried that the film would become cluttered with heroes, what with Blade and Whistler fighting necksuckers, and now Hannibal King and Abigail Whistler thrown into the fray. Somehow, a balance is found between the heroes that keeps all of them out of each others way.
The plot is reflective of the other films in that once again the vampires are looking for a way to become daywalkers. Instead of calling up a vampire god or creating a mutant race though, they decide to go to the source of their "virus"--Dracula. Hoping to use his blood to make them perfect immortal beings and eventually herd humans like livestock to feed them, a group of vampires seeks out and revive the dark prince. He looks like something from a GWAR concert, then morphs into this medieval looking guy. Dominic Purcell portrays him, and does a better-than-average job. Parker Posey plays a vamp who is very over-the-top. At first, I didn't think she'd work in this picture, but she does a really good job. WWE fans were happy to see Triple H get his chance to flesh out a vampire with silver caps on his teeth. His character is like the schoolyard bully of the bunch. He's big and bad, but has a soft spot for Pomeranian dogs. The rest of the vampires are pretty stock as far as modern vampires go. They somehow all know martial arts, are unusually good at science, and enjoy techno music.
Wesley Snipes looks very comfortable in his role as Blade. His character has lightened up a bit as far as humor goes, but he's still one bad mama-jama. Kris Kristofferson looks comfortable as the tough old fart/father-figure Whistler. Jessica Biel was very good as Whistler's daughter, Abigail. Of all the characters, she seems to be the one person you'd least expect to play a butt-kicker, but she pulls it off in grand style. Ryan Reynolds plays Hannibal King, a smarty pants vampire hunter who was once one of them. His one-liners are hilarious most of the time, but he gets pretty annoying during parts of the film. His humor was probably highlighted a little more than the average "Blade" audience member goes for, but I think he did a pretty decent job. The rest of Abigail and Hannibal's group, the Nightstalkers, features a pretty stock bunch of characters who are really only here to provide weapons and victims for the film.
The action is much better than in the second film. There is very little evidence of CGI tampering in the fight sequences this time around. The majority of the action is shot up-close and personal. Blade, as usual, has that strike-a-pose mentality about him and has some very good-looking moves in this film. Hannibal is mainly a gunslinger. Abigail favors a bow and her boots when it comes to killing vampires.
Of course, no "Blade" film would be proper without some techno music. This time around the music has a little nu metal flavor to it and more of a gangsta feel than the other two films. The music should be considered a major character, since it moves the entire movie at a swift pace. Of all of the films, I believe that "Trinity" has the best soundtrack.
I've heard that this film would be the final installment in the "Blade" series. That's probably a good idea since it looks like the vampires are starting to run out of options to become daywalkers. I've also heard that this movie is going to be used as a springboard for the characters of Hannibal King and Abigail Whistler. Much like the Elektra character in "Daredevil," I'm sure that this duo can pull off a film on their own. I don't think they will have the drawing power of "Blade," but there is an audience out there for them.
One other note, this is the first "Blade" film to feature the easily recognized Marvel tagline at the beginning of the film. It's nice to see that Avi Arad and Stan Lee are finally giving a little more respect to this series, since it seems to have done pretty well without them the first two times around.
Well, I recommend this flick to fans of the first two films and folks who liked "Daredevil" and "Punisher." Also, if you like brooding heroes or action flicks like "Resident Evil: Apocalypse," I'm sure you'll enjoy this film. Children should not see this movie. It isn't so much that it is scary, but f-bombs drop left and right in this flick. The signature burn-up of vampires is also here, so that might be a little disturbing for some kiddies. The R-rating is well deserved due to the excessive foul language(more than the first two films) and the obvious vioent aspect of the film. That's just something to keep in mind if you're turned off by cursing. I get pretty tired of it in a film if it seems to be put in just to have the character come across as tougher or meaner.
Hope you enjoy this movie, it's a fine addition to the "Blade" saga.

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The final battle begins and the trinity comes to an end! Blade is back and his enemies have grown in number since they resurrected their king, Dracula. Together with a new group of vampire hunters, called the Nightstalkers, led by Whistler's strong but beautiful daughter Abigail and the wise-cracking Hannibal, they must finally defeat the vampires or face inevitable extinction.

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Blade (1998) Review

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(More customer reviews)Good action vampire stories, whether written, drawn or on film are just plain hard to find. For a while now the 'not quite bad' vampire and even the 'good' vampire have been fashionable. Not that I have anything against Angel or Henry Fitzroy and their ilk, but sometimes you want a story with a clear division between good and evil and a lot of knock them down and stake them action. Enter Blade.
Blade is a half vampire with a very nasty attitude toward his relatives on the dark side. Played by Wesley Snipes, he has all the moves and attitude you could ever want. His partner in his war against the things that did in his mother is Abraham Whistler (Kris Kristofferson). Later, Karen (N'Bushe Wright) a forensic hematologist who has the bad luck to find a vampire on her table, joins them. Opposing this team is Frost (Steven Dorff), a vampire rebel who thinks it is time for the un-people with pointy teeth to come out of the closet. His plan is simple. Take over the vampire council, capture Blade and resurrect La Magra - the blood god. Then there will be nothing but vampires and bloodsicles.
'Blade' is an extremely violent film. Almost everyone is a martial arts expert, has access to what the US Congress would consider weapons of mass destruction, or is a victim. Sometimes, they are all three. Toss in a sufficiency of special effects, great settings, and good acting and you have the film. What makes 'Blade' work is its intense focus. It works hard at being exactly what it is - an action film with a strong 'wow' factor. Sometimes that is exactly what you need.
Steven Norrington, a director considerable experience in the horror/science fiction genre, has a great sense of what it takes to make comic book characters come to life on the screen. He manages to retain the strong visual impact of the original Marvel Comics series. David Goyer's script manages to capture the essence of comic book dialogue - sparse, but not stilted. The overall effect is a film that builds smoothly from start to ending, with very few slow moments.
The extras on the DVD are surprisingly good. Good sized features on the concepts and effects that went into the film, the story of the Blade comic, and an interesting survey of the vampire in human imagination. In addition, there is an extensive running commentary for the film. All of these are intelligently done. I think 'Blade,' despite its violence, will appeal a wide range of viewers as something more than just another Hong Kong fight film wannabe.

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Wesley Snipes plays a half-mortal, half-immortal charged with ridding the earth of a race of vampires led by Stephen Dorff in this action-packed blockbuster.DVD Features:Alternate endingsAudio CommentaryFeaturetteMusic Only TrackProduction SketchesTheatrical Trailer

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