Month: February 2015 (Page 8 of 8)

Brady’s Legacy Cemented By Defense

February 3, 2015 / Bullz-Eye Staff

With the win in Super Bowl 49, Tom Brady’s legacy got cemented forevermore. No matter what comes of the DeflateGate investigation, Brady will still have four Super Bowl trophies and three MVPs in the big game. People can attach any kind of mental asterisk to the Patriots’ accomplishments, but those players and coaches are champions once again and that won’t be erased from the record books.

Even if Tom Brady had failed in this sixth attempt in the Super Bowl, he was already a legend. He had three world titles, two Super Bowl MVP awards, and endless regular season success. But in a ‘what have you done for me lately society’, we always want our athletes to do more. A fourth Super Bowl ring would erase any doubt about Brady’s greatness since he would join Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw as the only other QBs with that many Super Bowl Titles.

Wagering

NFL betting

Blu Tuesday: John Wick, Dracula Untold and More

February 3, 2015 / Jason Zingale

Every Tuesday, I review the newest Blu-ray releases and let you know whether they’re worth buying, renting or skipping, along with a breakdown of the included extras. If you see something you like, click on the cover art to purchase the Blu-ray from Amazon, and be sure to share each week’s column on Facebook and Twitter with your friends.

“John Wick”

WHAT: When his prized Mustang is stolen and his pet beagle (a final gift from his dying wife) is murdered, ex-hitman John Wick (Keanu Reeves) comes out of retirement to exact revenge on the one responsible – Iosef (Alfie Allen), the spoiled son of a Russian gangster (Michael Nyqvist) – and anyone else who gets in his way.

WHY: Keanu Reeves has made some great action movies (“Speed,” “The Matrix”), as well as some not-so-great ones, over the course of his career, and though “John Wick” isn’t quite good enough to be counted among the former, it’s a fun little genre flick destined for cult status. Reeves is certainly in his element as the soft-spoken hitman, piling up bodies by the minute and almost always finishing them off with a bullet to the head. (Seriously, there are more headshots in this film than you can count.) The movie does get a bit repetitive after a while due to the rinse-and-repeat nature of the fight sequences, but those scenes are also what makes it so giddily entertaining, featuring an old-school sensibility that focuses more on the kinetic energy of the action than fancy choreography or camera movement. It also boasts an impressive ensemble cast that includes Willem Dafoe, Ian McShane, John Leguizamo and Lance Reddick, not to mention Adrianne Palicki – who’s pretty much cornered the market on sexy, badass women – in an amusing supporting turn as a rival assassin. “John Wick” could have been really terrible, but it never takes itself too seriously, instead embracing the outlandish premise with such cool self-awareness that it practically dares you not to have a good time.

EXTRAS: In addition to an audio commentary with directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch, there’s a behind-the-scenes look at the fight choreography and five additional production featurettes.

FINAL VERDICT: RENT

“Dracula Untold”

WHAT: Decades after being taken hostage as a teenager and forced to fight for the Ottoman Empire, Transylvanian prince Vlad the Impaler (Luke Evans) has put down his sword in order to rule his people. But when Turkish sultan Mehmed (Dominic Cooper) demands 1,000 youths for his army – including Vlad’s only son, Ingeras (Art Parkinson) – Vlad refuses to submit, instead making a deal with an ancient vampire (Charles Dance) to give him the power required to protect his land from Turkish retaliation.

WHY: It seems like everyone is getting an origin story these days, so it was only a matter of time before Hollywood treated its original bad boy to one of his own. Unfortunately, the last thing that anyone needed was another film that tries to humanize a classic villain with a backstory explaining why they broke bad, especially one as iconic as Dracula, because it completely undermines everything that makes him so fascinating. Refashioning Dracula as a misunderstood antihero is a difficult proposition on its own, and director Gary Shore doesn’t do himself any favors by having the Transylvanians speak with British accents. Whether it’s because Luke Evans was incapable of delivering a suitable accent, or Shore just wanted to move away from the stereotypical Dracula performance, it’s an odd and distracting decision, particularly when the rival Turks sound exactly as they should. Evans isn’t the worst choice to play Vlad, but while he has the right look and brooding presence, he delivers every line like he’s performing a Shakespearian adaptation of “300.” For all of its faults, however, “Dracula Untold” fails primarily for the same reason as Ridley Scott’s “Robin Hood” – the man before the legend isn’t as interesting as the legend himself. There’s a good reason this part of the Dracula lore remained untold, and it should’ve stayed that way.

EXTRAS: There’s an audio commentary by director Gary Shore and production designer Francois Audouy, scene-specific commentary by star Luke Evans, a video diary from the set, deleted scenes, an alternate opening and more.

FINAL VERDICT:

Entertainment, Movies

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Car Review: 2015 Lexus CT 200h

February 1, 2015 / Gerardo Orlando

If you’re looking for a hybrid, but you still want a luxury vehicle, you’re now in luck, as there are so many more options on the market. Lexus alone has six hybrids in its lineup, so you now have many options to choose from. The sporty CT 200h is aimed at introducing the Lexus brand to younger buyers with its styling and connectivity features.

Exterior

Lexus has changed its image with its signature spindle grille, which is very prominent on the front end of the CT 200h. The compact hatchback reminded me of many of the cars you see in Europe and the rear spoiler gives it a very sporty look. You certainly don’t get the impression that you’re looking at a hybrid, and I suspect younger buyers and professionals will love it. Little has changed from the 2014 model other than a badge for the F SPORT version.

Car Reviews, Cars, Lifestyle

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Coming Soon: A Moviegoer’s Guide to February

February 1, 2015 / Jason Zingale

It may only be February, and half of the country may still be buried under a foot of snow, but there’s a decidedly pre-summer feel to this month’s releases – the time of year when studios unleash a barrage of popcorn-friendly movies on audiences that aren’t deemed important enough for the summer season. Delayed blockbusters with big-name stars? Check. Unnecessary sequels to cult comedies? Check. Edgy comic book adaptations with breakout potential? Check and check. In fact, the February slate is so different from what we typically expect that instead of the usual hoard of Valentine’s Day shlock, women get a film about BDSM instead. How kinky.

“Jupiter Ascending”

Who: Mila Kunis, Channing Tatum, Eddie Redmayne, James D’Arcy and Sean Bean
What: A lowly caretaker who is actually intergalactic royalty teams up with a genetically engineered warrior to stop a tyrant from taking control of Earth.
When: February 6th
Why: It’s never a good sign when a movie gets postponed, especially one as big as “Jupiter Ascending,” but what really set off alarm bells was the decision to move it from a prime summer release date to the dead zone of February. The studio claims that the delay was to provide the Wachowskis with extra time to polish the visual effects, but that’s just Hollywood talk for covering up a deeper issue. Whether it’s because “Jupiter Ascending” isn’t very good, or because the sibling duo’s last film (“Cloud Atlas”) performed so poorly at the box office, there’s a reason why Warner Bros. suddenly lost confidence in the movie. And when you have Channing Tatum playing a half-werewolf bounty hunter, that’s bound to happen.

“Seventh Son”

Who: Ben Barnes, Jeff Bridges, Julianne Moore and Alicia Vikander
What: A young man is apprenticed to the local Spook to learn to fight evil spirits, and his first great challenge comes when the powerful Mother Malkin escapes her confinement.
When: February 6th
Why: If you thought the delay of “Jupiter Ascending” was bad, that’s nothing compared to “Seventh Son,” which has seen its release date change three times over the past two years. Originally scheduled for early 2013, the fantasy film – which is based on the first book in Joseph Delaney’s young adult series – actually boasts a really good cast, including Jeff Bridges, Julianne Moore, Olivia Williams and Kit Harrington of “Game of Thrones” fame. Unfortunately, this looks like pretty standard sword-and-sorcery fare, with Bridges basically playing a variation of the Rooster Cogburn character from “True Grit” and “R.I.P.D.” Fans of the genre will probably get a kick out of it, but it’s unlikely that “Seventh Son” will have much life beyond that.

“Kingsman: The Secret Service”

Who: Colin Firth, Taron Egerton, Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Strong and Michael Caine
What: A veteran secret agent takes a young upstart under his wing just as a global threat emerges from a twisted tech genius.
When: February 13th
Why: After satirizing the superhero genre with “Kick-Ass,” the creative team behind that film (director Matthew Vaughn, co-writer Jane Goldman and comic book writer Mark Millar) returns with an equally over-the-top take on spy films. Developed separately from the Millar-penned comic on which it’s loosely based, Vaughn’s big screen adaptation looks a lot more fun, bursting with the energy and humor that was lacking in Millar’s version. It’s incredible to think that Colin Firth was never considered for the James Bond gig, because he’s perfectly cast as the badass super-spy, while newcomer Taron Egerton is already garnering acclaim for his debut role. Early buzz for this one is through the roof, and if you’ve seen the trailer, then you can understand why.