The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day [Blu-ray]The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day [Blu-ray]
From Troy Duffy, writer and director of The Boondock Saints, comes the much anticipated sequel to the tough, stylized cutting edge saga of the MacManus brothers (Norman Reedus, Sean Patrick Flanery). The two have been in deep hiding with their father, Il Duce (Billy Connolly), in the quiet valleys of Ireland, far removed from their former vigilante lives. When word comes that a beloved priest has been killed by sinister forces from deep within the mob, the brothers return to Boston to mount a vi
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Paul Wesley (The Vampire Diaries) stars as Aaron Corbett, a high school jock with a promising future. But on his 18th birthday, his life forever changes when his incredible powers emerge, revealing the terrifying truth of his identity. As The Redeemer, a half-angel, half-man who can return fallen angels to heaven, Aaron holds the entire world’s destiny in his young hands. He must battle warrior seraphs and confront the fallen angel who has sparked his nightmares (Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad). B
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(out of 116 reviews)
Review by Renfield for The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day [Blu-ray]
Rating:
This movie has been getting a lot of backlash from the fans of the first movie. People are saying that “It wasn’t like the first one” or “It’s ten years too late”. I’m a fan of the first movie and I enjoyed this one immensely. Of course it isn’t like the first one, but 10 years too late? Not to me. Duffy gave himself a decade to make a followup to the cult phenomenon and, well, 10 years later, he gave is possibly the greatest sequel to the first movie one could ask for.
Returning to the roles of the insanely badass McManus brothers are Sean Flanery and Norman Reedus, and boy, do they do great here. Also, in place of the lovable Paul Smecker is Julie Benz as Eunice Bloom, a sexy, funny, and smart FBI agent, who, in her words, is “so f–kin’ smart, she makes other smart people feel like they’re retarded” (she stays true to her word!). And also, Billy Connolly as the daddy, Il Duce. But, in place of David Della Rocco is Clifton Collins Jr. as Romeo, a HILARIOUS Mexican dude, whom, believe it or not, tops Rocco by a thousand! And believe me, the cast here is SPECTACULAR! Not a single disappointment.
It is 8 years later. The McManuses are living a quiet life on a farm in Ireland, and the brothers (albeit with hilarious long hair and beards). One night at dinner, a priest comes in and gives them the news: They’re in trouble. A Boston priest has just been killed, and the killer had done all he can to make it look like the McManuses are responsible. Upon hearing of this, it’s time to shave the beards and cut the hair, and jump on the boat back to Boston. On the boat, they meet Romeo, a hilarious and quirky Mexican dude who is interested in joining them. After a rough patch, he joins them, and the minute they are off the boat, they are a team of three. Their goal is not only to get their names cleared, but to get their revenge on the person who killed the priest.
However, while that is happening, Paul Smecker is gone and has been replaced by Eunice Bloom, a sexy, funny, and undoubtedly quirky FBI agent. Upon her investigation at the crime scene, she comes to the conclusion that the saints did not kill the priest. It was done by a member of the Yakavetta family, who also wants revenge: On the saints, for killing Pappa Joe. However, despite the cops’ and Bloom’s positions, they decide that they are just as in it to investigate the murder as The Saints, and worlds collide, with more chaos and action you can handle!
I won’t give away more, because this movie is simply a must see. Basically, if you liked the first movie, you will like this one a great deal. It has the original brothers, who give great performances, it has tons of action, lots of blood, and is a great time at the cinema for sure. The movie is well paced and well filmed. It is easier to tell that it was shot on a higher budget than the original, which is a good thing, you can see it in the cinematography, you can see it in the effects and everything. In short, if you loved the first movie, go see this movie for sure. Duffy has managed to top the first movie in every way imaginable, which is a bold statement because the first movie was awesome too. But be sure to see this! Oh, and the ending. The ending is AWESOME, with a cameo from someone you may know of!
IN TOTAL:
Entertainment: 10/10
Sex: 0/10
Violence: 100/10
Laughs: 10/10
Action Fator: 100/10
McManus Brothers: Every bit as badass as the first
Romeo: Better be in movie three
Julie Benz: Don’t worry, she’s great guys
The Ending: Yes, there will be a third one, as the ending shows!
Troy Duffy: Earns forgiveness, even after seeing “Overnight”
Litres of Tomato Ketchup: A few grocery store shelves worth
***SEE IT!!!!***
Review by Chrissy K. McVay for The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day [Blu-ray]
Rating:
I’ve seen the movie twice on the big screen and will still have to have the DVD for home viewing because the cheers and laughter of my ‘frenzied’ fellow movie goers drowned out some of the dialogue in places. I refuse to compare this film to the first because it can stand on its own as more than just another action film, it is a work of Art on the screen with all the tragedy, depth, symbolism, brotherly love, witty dialogue, tension, and purpose of one of Shakespeare’s plays, only with a modern day twist. There are some scenes that only my ‘Chitty-chitty bang bang’ and ‘Starsky and Hutch’ generation may ‘get’, but that’s o.k. Makes me feel special. Clifton Collins Jr. and Julie Benz stole every scene they were in! Rather than attempt to have Benz fill the big shoes of Willem Dafoe, Duffy brilliantly gave us a smart, unique character who stands out in her own high heels. We also are filled in on a glimpse of the back story for Connolly’s character as the father; why he became a hit man who preys on mobsters and how he was caught. I felt more sympathy this time around for the father and his losses, as well as a deeper understanding of why the brothers were compelled to take on their mission. Not only is this a great continuation of a fantastic cult classic, it gives the audience a deeper look into the Saints. Of course I must add that Romeo (Clifton Collins Jr.) is one of those unforgettable characters who brought the humor to the forefront. I might add that the music was great. Hope to see the soundtrack on sale soon.
Chrissy K. McVay
Review by Outrageous for The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day [Blu-ray]
Rating:
A better sequel than Smokin Aces but not too much better. Overall it is more comical than anything else. A dumb script that Troy Duffy thinks is good. Blu-Ray quality is very good. The movie is no where near as good as the first one was.
Review by Dennis A. Amith (kndy) for The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day [Blu-ray]
Rating:
In 2000, “The Boondock Saints” which was written and directed by Troy Duffy received a limited release in only five theaters in one week. Critically panned, one would think the film would fade to obscurity. But this was not the case. Similar to Kevin Smith’s “Clerks”, “The Boondock Saints” amassed a huge underground following and had become a cult film grossing $50 million in domestic video sales.
The first film revolved around three Catholic Irish anti-heroes – Poppa (played by Bill Connolly) and his two fraternal twin sons Connor (played by Sean Patrick Flanery) and Murphy (played by Norman Reedus) MacManus who are vigilantes that take on the Russian mafia with their way and their style of vigilante payback.
A decade later, with the popularity of the first film, “The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day” is backed by Sony Pictures and given a nationwide theatrical release in 67 theaters and due to fan demand, more cities were added to the release. Once again, the critics were not so supportive of the film but yet the fans have once again come to support the film and the film made over $10 million in the box office but now Blu-ray and DVD release will be unleashed to the masses and I have no doubt that once again, “The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day” is going to do well.
In “The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day”, eight years have passed and after the three men murdered Giuseppe “Papa Joe” Yakavetta (and countless members of the mafia).
When a priest was murdered, someone tries to frame the Saints and now the police (especially the Saint’s friends on the inside) are worried that the Saints who have been quiet are back to cause more mayhem. The public is still divided on their feelings towards the Saints.
Meanwhile, the Saints are called in for their help and to avenge the death of the priest. As the two travel back to the U.S. by boat, a man named Romeo (played by Clifton Collins Jr.) who has idolized the Saints wants to be part of their crew and needless to say, he has to earn his place amongst the group.
As for the police, Greenly (played by Bob Marley), Duffy (played by Brian Mahoney) and Dolly (David Ferry) worry that their friends may be back and with the FBI sending one of their top investigators named Eunice (played by Julie Benz) to assist them, they worry that the FBI may find out that the three detectives assisted the Saints back then. Eunice is not only intelligent and sexy (easily catching the attention of the three detectives) but she can easily come up in her mind of what happens at a crime scene plus she’s also known to be very good with her gun as well.
While the Saints look for who killed the priest, the FBI and police looking for the Saints, the media hype has attracted the attention of Conzezio Yakavetta (played by Judd Nelson) who wants revenge for the Saints murdering his father on public television. So, once again, the Yakavetta family are planning to get their revenge against the Saints.
Who will end up victorious?
VIDEO:
“The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day” is featured in 1080p High Definition (2:35:1). Cinematography by Miroslaw Baszak did a pretty solid job with the overall shots. The action sequences are well-done, enjoyed the lighting of several of the sequences. Those well-lighted scenes are vibrant while certain scenes are cold and bluish. I didn’t notice any artifacts, nor did I notice any DNR. The picture quality has a fine layer of grian, blacks are nice and deep and overall, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment did a solid job in terms of picture quality for the Blu-ray release.
AUDIO & SUBTITLES:
“The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day” is presented in English, French (Par) and Portuguese 5.1 DTS-HD MA and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital. As expected with a film that features guns ablazing, the film does feature a good amount of surround channel usage with the gun shots and bullets zipping through the air.
For the most part, dialogue and music is front channel driven but the action sequences definitely put your surround channels to good use and there is also some use of LFE as well.
Subtitles are in English, English SDH, French, Portuguese and Spanish.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day” comes with the following special features in Standard and High Definition with English Stereo and optional Spanish and Portuguese subtitles:
* Audio Commentary with writer/director Troy Duffy, Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus and Billy Connolly – An entertaining commentary by Troy Duffy and the main cast discussing the film and just having fun discussing the film.
* Audio Commentary with writer/director Troy Duffy and Willem Dafoe – Interesting commentary since Willem Dafoe is not seen throughout the majority in the film but it’s like listening to two friends having a discussion while watching the film. But they do touch upon the messed up treatment from the first film and how things were much better in the sequel.
* Deleted Scenes – Featuring two deleted scenes: Detectives Mourn Death and Romeo Plays Chess
* Unprecedented Access: Behind-the-Scenes Featurette – (25:49) Behind-the-scenes of the making of the film and the director, producer and talent talk about working on this second film.
* Billy Connolly & Troy Duffy: Unedited – (9:22) Troy Duffy and Bill Connolly hanging out and Troy explaining how he wanted Bill to become Don and more. Bill talks about wanting to be part of this film despite his agent not wanting him to be part of it.
* Inside the Vault: The Weapon Featurette – (8:28) A Blu-ray exclusive. Charles Taylor (Heady Armorer) shows us the weapons used on “The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day”.
* The Cast Confesses: Secrets from the Set Featurette -(7:13) A Blu-ray exclusive. The cast talks about being reunited for the sequel. The main cast talk about their characters and behind-the-scenes footage of the making of the film.
* The Boondock Saints Hit Comic-Con – (57:02) A Blu-ray Exclusive. Featuring Troy Duffy and the cast leaving to San Diego Comic Con, the autograph signing and the panel. A lot of fan excitement and an absolutely awesome special feature!
* BD-Live Enabled With movieIQ, you can get real-time information on the cast, music, trivia and more while watching the film.
JUDGMENT CALL:
“The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day” is literally an adrenaline pumping, action-packed, kick ass film which I found much better than the first and literally had a lot of fun watching it.
What I find interesting is that “The Boondock Saints” was a film that didn’t even have a chance for a theatrical release but found a humongous cult following on video. And here we are with the sequel, the critics obviously share a different opinion towards this film but among the viewers, they loved the film. As for me, I really enjoyed the film and felt this Blu-ray release is awesome!
I enjoyed the addition of the new characters, enjoyed the action sequences, the weapons and enjoyed the story of this sequel. It’s a much different tone compared to the first film but the film definitely benefits from a slightly higher budget. And the surprise ending… I never saw that coming. So, I’m really excited for the possibility of a third “Boondock Saints” film.
It’s important to point out to those not familiar with the film is that “The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day”, the film is more action. Yes, there is a storyline but for those expecting something deep are probably not going to find it in this sequel. The performances of the talent may seem off at times and I’m sure many will have issues with the Irish and the Southern accents used by the talents.
If anything, I expected nothing but an action-packed film featuring a lot of gun fighting, plenty of action and profanity but I really enjoyed the addition of Clifton Collins Jr. as Romeo and Julie Benz as Eunice. Collins brings the comedy portion with his character and Julie Benz brings the sexiness. And both characters definitely kick ass!
The Blu-ray release is absolutely fantastic although I can see some fans who have not upgraded to Blu-ray being a bit upset that the Comic-Con featurette (and two other featurettes) are only Blu-ray exclusives but as this is a Sony Pictures film and there is a move by the industry towards Blu-ray and Blu-ray exclusives not featured on a normal DVD release are to be expected.
Overall, “The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day” was an enjoyable action-based film. A lot of guns, a lot of violence, a lot of profanity and just overall, a fun film. There are also a good number of surprises, especially deaths of major characters in this film which was quite surprising.
If you enjoyed the first “Boondock Saints”, you’ll definitely enjoy the sequel. Definitely recommended!
Review by N. Durham for The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day [Blu-ray]
Rating:
There may never ever be a truer love letter to fans than The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day. Writer/director Troy Duffy manages to reassemble practically the entire cast of the cult classic first film, and while the results may not hold up to how great the original film is, this sequel is still a wonderful experience. The film begins with a murder of a Boston priest, which draws the McManus brothers Connor (Sean Patrick Flanery) and Murphy (Norman Reedus) out of seclusion in Ireland, along with their father Il Duce (Billy Connolly), on a revenge mission against the mob, which leads to even bigger developments with just who is pulling the strings. In between all this is a new partner for the brothers in Romeo (Clifton Collins Jr.) and sultry FBI agent Eunice (Julie Benz), along with some genuine surprises and enough nods to the original film to make even casual fans stand up and smile. True, this sequel isn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a more than worthwhile endeavor regardless, and is wholeheartedly worth your time.
Review by MKG for Fallen
Rating:
Aaron Corbett (Paul Wesley of the Vampire Diaries) is an orphan who has found a loving home. He’s got a great life, supportive family, he’s a jock, he’s smart, basically he can write his ticket to any college he wants. Then on his 18′th birthday everything changes; hidden powers emerge and he learns the terrifying truth that he is a Nephelim. A Nephelim is a cross between a fallen angel and a human and is considered an abomination by the Powers (Gods angels). He will be hunted down and destroyed unless he accepts his destiny as the Redeemer, the prophesied Nephelim who is the savior to the fallen angels.
The movie series centers around him finding out, accepting, and surviving to fulfill his destiny. The movie is interesting and well done. While it does take liberties from the best selling book series it’s still well done and will keep you interest.
The acting is excellent though at times overdone. I loved the character of Gabriel the Labrador but I wish his voice hadn’t seemed so contrived. The special effects were overall well done and I especially liked that they didn’t over do the flaming swords.
I didn’t give this a 5 star rating because while there are shows on TV that come off feeling more like a movie this definitely has a Made-for-TV feel.
Review by S. Crum for Fallen
Rating:
Fallen: the Beginning disc actually contains Fallen: the Beginning and Fallen: the Journey and this disc contains Fallen: the Destiny. I think they divided the eps wrong since The Journey and The Destiny aired together more than a year after The Beginning. Gripes out of the way, it has a pretty decent widescreen transfer. But it’s a bare-bones disc with nice menus and chapter selection. No Special Features or even trailers. I’d think this show garnered a little more respect since ABC Family was showing behind-the-scenes clips on TV and online. Well, it only took 3 1/2 years to get in. At least they didn’t convert it to fullscreen like they did with Haunted. Overall, it’s a good movie. I really liked it. They did good things with a TV show/mini-series budget.
Review by Robyn Facchiano for Fallen
Rating:
I Loved this “Show”. It stars Paul Wesley, Who is now on the CW’s Vampire Diaries, As a supposedly normal teen and orphaned at an early age when he is adopted into a very nice family that has an autistic son. On his 18th birthday when most teenagers would get a car or a great party he gets Wings, As in ANGEL Wings!
Now MY review…
I was THRILLED to see something so different on TV especially when it has religion in it. Most Networks and well EVERYONE avoid Religion and Politics even if it IS Fiction. I was really hoping that this would have been a actual SHOW and not Just a Mini-Movie. That said I WAS Really Happy with what they did in telling his story BUT they did leave a cliff-hanger. So It is possible to get MORE someday. If You have any interest in anything having to do with Angels both Good and Bad, Then this “Movie” Is for you. It has action, romance and a bit of magic.
Review by Jade for Fallen
Rating:
I’ve been waiting since this mini series/show originally aired on abc family (aka fox family) for it to be released on DVD. All I gotta say is it’s about darn time. I know the only reasons it was released finally though is to capitalized on the attention Paul Wesley (aka Aaron Corbett) is getting lately. Since CW casted him as Stefan on Vampire Diaries. But anyways ya I’m glad Fallen is on DVD and recommend everyone whose a fan of Hal Ozan I think his name is (who played in an episode of Supernatural) in last season, Actor who played Fun Boy in the Crow TV Series and Paul Wesley from Vampire Diaries this mini series is for you.
Review by Argyle Scott for Fallen
Rating:
I won’t review the plot. Others have already done so. What I look for in a review is whether or not the product is worth adding to my permanent collection. This adaptation of a well written series was good enough for television viewing. After all, it was made for a television audience. But would I buy it? No. I only buy if I plan to watch something several times. While I may reread Sniegoski’s works, I can’t imagine watching this visual rendering a second time. I disagree with other comments that the special effects were good. I found the fight scenes flat…almost comical. The movement and effects were something I might expect from an amateur production. The acting was mixed. Wesley was right on, but others were just trying too hard. The actress playing Verchiel seemed two dimensional. The angel extras tried hard to look mean and arrogant, but it came off looking amateurish. I can’t act either. That’s why I’m not an actor. I give this 3 stars as I always appreciate a good story that has a young person discovering who they are that makes them different from others.