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Get on Up Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Chadwick Boseman, Viola Davis, Craig Robinson, Octavia Spencer, Nelsan Ellis
  • Director: Tate Taylor
  • Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Color, Widescreen
  • Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (DTS 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (DTS 5.1)
  • Subtitles: French, Spanish, English
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
  • Number of discs: 2
  • Rated: PG-13
  • Studio: Universal Studios
  • Release Date: January 6, 2015
  • Digital Copy Expiration Date: May 2, 2016




  •         From the opening sequence that has Chadwick Boseman in make-up as an aged James Brown pulling a shotgun on the employees of his car dealership for using his personal restroom, it is quite clear that Get on Up is determined not to be your typical straightforward biopic. From winks and nods to the camera from the protagonist to a narrative that jumps back and forth in time as a means of maintaining high octane storytelling fitting the subject, this is a movie set out to capture the essence of James Brown over aspects of realism. Just the same, Boseman’s incredible performance is so frighteningly accurate that the film remains grounded despite all of the filmmaker bells and whistles and shortcomings in storytelling.

     

    The Guest Blu-ray Review

         Actors: Dan Stevens, Maika Monroe, Brendan Meyer, Sheila Kelley, Leland Orser
  • Director: Adam Wingard
  • Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Color, Widescreen
  • Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1)
  • Subtitles: French, Spanish, English
  • Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
  • Number of discs: 2
  • Rated: R (Restricted)
  • Studio: Universal Studios
  • Release Date: January 6, 2015
  • Digital Copy Expiration Date: May 2, 2016


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            Sometimes action movies are dumb and fun, like pretty much all of the buddy cop films from the 1980s, especially those starring Sylvester Stallone. Sometimes they are highbrow like the Bourne franchise or most adapted from Tom Clancy novels. Rarely are there movies that are able to capture both the intelligence of thoughtful action paired with the excitement of innovative spectacle. The Guest isn’t so much one of these movies as it is a hodgepodge of collected sequences and referential nods to many influential films of the past. Despite the clear tendency to borrow from other films, or perhaps because of it, The Guest is pulsing with an undeniable energy and sense of spectacle.

     

    Pride Blu-ray Review

         Actors: Bill Nighy
  • Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, DTS Surround Sound, Subtitled, Widescreen
  • Language: English
  • Subtitles: Spanish
  • Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Rated: R (Restricted)
  • Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
  • Release Date: December 23, 2014
  • Digital Copy Expiration Date: December 31, 2018
  • Run Time: 120 minutes



  •         The greatest success of Pride is the ability to keep the film hopeful and amusing, despite some heavy topics that might have easily carried the narrative into the realm of melodrama. It is a true story that is inspirational by facts alone, with no need for further embellishment or contrived cinematic manipulations. Instead, we are given the rare privilege of a film based on a true story that is as entertaining as it is inspirational.

     

    Kelly & Cal DVD Review

         Actors: Juliette Lewis, Jonny Weston
  • Director: Jen McGowan
  • Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, NTSC
  • Language: English
  • Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Rated: Unrated
  • Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO
  • DVD Release Date: December 30, 2014
  • Run Time: 110 minutes


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            There is a sincere honesty in both the writing and the portrayal of Kelly (Juliette Lewis) in Kelly & Cal, however derivative, predictable and unpleasant as the film itself may be. The real honesty is that there are some narratives that I would simply prefer not to see, both for lack of enjoyment and originality, regardless of how well they are executed. Juliette Lewis gives a wholly convincing performance as punk rocker-turned suburban mom, but the screenplay by Amy Lowe Starbin left a bad taste in my mouth.

     

    Last Weekend DVD Review

         Actors: Patricia Clarkson, Joseph Cross, Zachary Booth
  • Director: Tom Dolby, Tom Williams
  • Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, NTSC
  • Language: English
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Rated: Unrated
  • Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO
  • DVD Release Date: December 30, 2014
  • Run Time: 94 minutes


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            When the motion picture industry first began, it was an affordable source of entertainment for the lower working class, those who couldn’t afford tickets to the theater, symphony or ballet. Last Weekend’s biggest error is thinking that a film about the 1% can be sentimentalized into audiences having sympathy for the narcissistic over-privileged. Only Patricia Clarkson’s uncanny ability to subtly make any role engaging, there is no focus in the debut feature from Tom Dolby and Tom Williams.

     

    The Trip to Italy Blu-ray Review


     
     
     

         Actors: Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon
  • Director: Michael Winterbottom
  • Format: Blu-ray, Widescreen
  • Language: English
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Rated: R (Restricted)
  • Studio: Dark Sky Films
  • Release Date: December 23, 2014
  • Run Time: 108 minutes


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            There is desperation behind actors who are always performing, constantly to try and convince others of their talent, and even more transparent insecurities in those who spend a majority of their conversations boasting and exaggerating minor achievements. I have spent enough time on set listening to pathetically unsuccessful day players and background actors do this that I have no urge to find these personalities in my entertainment as well. Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon may be adequate entertainers when they are playing someone else, but the singular joke of these two actors desperately trying to one-up each other through a TV series and two films has significantly worn out my patience.

     

    At the Devil’s Door Blu-ray Review

         Actors: Ashley Rickards, Naya Rivera, Catalina Sandino Moreno
  • Director: Nicholas McCarthy
  • Format: Blu-ray, Widescreen
  • Language: English
  • Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Rated: Unrated
  • Studio: MPI Home Video
  • Release Date: December 16, 2014
  • Run Time: 95 minutes




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            Filmmaker Nicholas McCarthy (The Pact) has a real sense for creating dread onscreen, creating some truly terrifying images to go with the narrative in At the Devil’s Door. The only problem is that nothing in his derivative screenplay matches the visuals created, making At the Devil’s Door feel more like a horror demo reel than a complete story. Frightening as some of the images are, they are neither grounded in reality nor attached to realistic characters that the audience can be convinced to care for. Instead, each scene merely feels derived for the singular purpose of setting up each atmospheric sequence to the next, like a collection of style-heavy student films rather than a complete narrative.

     

    Cam2Cam DVD Review

         Actors: Ben Wiggins, Russell Geoffrey Banks
  • Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, NTSC
  • Language: English
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Rated: Unrated
  • Studio: Ifc Independent Film
  • DVD Release Date: December 16, 2014
  • Run Time: 90 minutes



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            Sometimes bad acting or poorly written dialogue can be forgiven, though this is typically only the case in B-film genre pictures which offer other distractions. This usually comes in the form of sex or violence, both of which Cam2Cam seems to offer up with its premise and a DVD cover featuring a near-nubile girl carrying an ax. Unfortunately, Cam2Cam fails to deliver quality or exploitation, leaving audiences with nothing more than a cheaply shot tepid thriller.   

     

    Time Bandits Blu-ray Review

         Actors: Sean Connery, Shelley Duvall, Ralph Richardson
  • Director: Terry Gilliam
  • Format: Widescreen, Blu-ray, Restored, Special Edition, Subtitled
  • Language: English
  • Subtitles: English
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Rated: NR (Not Rated)
  • Studio: Criterion Collection
  • Release Date: December 9, 2014
  • Run Time: 116 minutes


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            Terry Gilliam emerged as a filmmaking talent to be watched with his initial work done with the Monty Python troupe, with his feature debut being Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975). Although Time Bandits (1981) shifted into a darker fantasy tone that has since become stylistically recognizable as distinctly Gilliam, he still utilizes many of the talents from Monty Python (even co-writing the screenplay with Michael Palin). This creates a blend of irreverent zaniness and childlike sentimentality, fanciful settings and realistic concerns. It is a children’s film that doesn’t pander or dumb down, and one which contains layers of meaning to be stripped away with repeat viewings and maturation.