The Woman in the Yard Blu-ray Review

 

• Director ‏ : ‎ Jaume Collet-Serra
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Danielle Deadwyler, Okwui Okpokwasili, Peyton Jackson, Estella Kahiha, Russell Hornsby
• Producers ‏ : ‎ Jason Blum, Stephanie Allain
• Language ‏ : ‎ English (Dolby TrueHD 7.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned)
• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 1 x 1 x 1 inches; 2.89 ounces
• Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Blu-ray
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 28 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ May 27, 2025

 

        I have come to expect very little from Blumhouse, as most films coming from production companies seem to be dumbed down for as broad an audience as possible. In other words, they are currently a bit like the Disney of horror. And while The Woman in the Yard deals with themes that have been utilized by far better films and contains a number of frustratingly predictable twists, often feeling as though the filmmakers assumed the audience had seen few other films of the kind, there is something quietly thoughtful and restrained in this film. That is not something I have come to expect from Blumhouse and was a nice surprise, even if it occurs in a film with a narrative that might have been better suited for a short film.

 

The Prosecutor Blu-ray Review

 

• Director ‏ : ‎ Donnie Yen
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Donnie Yen, Julian Cheung Chi Lam, Michael Hui, Francis Ng Chun-Yu
• Dubbed: ‏ : ‎ English
• Language ‏ : ‎ English (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1), Cantonese (Dolby TrueHD), Cantonese (Dolby Atmos), English (Stereo), Cantonese (Stereo)
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Well Go Usa
• Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 2.35:1
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.3 x 0.5 x 6.8 inches; 3.21 ounces
• Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ China
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Blu-ray, Subtitled
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 57 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ May 27, 2025

        I enjoy courtroom dramas and am a huge fan of action movies but was immediately skeptical that a hybrid of these two genres would work together when I first heard the premise of Donnie Yen’s latest film. It seemed likely that the clever ways that lawyers defeated bad guys would get in the way of the more direct approach utilized by action heroes, and The Prosecutor ultimately does have to make a choice in the direction the climax will take. This isn’t to say that the two halves of the film’s narrative don’t work together, but one also can imagine that fans of either genre are likely to be a bit disappointed by what is missing rather than excited about what the combination has added.

 

The Beast Within Blu-ray Review

 

• Director ‏ : ‎ Alexander J. Farrell
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Kit Harington, Ashleigh Cummings, James Cosmo, Caoilinn Springall
• Language ‏ : ‎ English (DTS 5.1 Surround)
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Well Go Usa
• Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 2.35:1
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted)
• Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ United Kingdom
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Blu-ray, Subtitled
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 38 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ October 22, 2024

        Horror has a long and rich history of allegorically addressing social and political issues within the confines of entertaining and formulaic narratives. Even the title for the UK horror release, The Beast Within, is a reference to a theory explaining audience’s fascination with the genre, suggesting that it is the recognition of our own potential monstrous nature which entices viewers. And while this theory is particularly interesting when looking at the werewolf sub-genre of horror, The Beast Within makes the fatal mistake of putting the allegory above all else, in particular any sense of enjoyment or fun. The transparency of the social issues being addressed often makes The Beast Within something of a chore to get through.

 

Exhuma Blu-ray Review

 

• Director ‏ : ‎ Jang Jae-hyun
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Choi Min-Sik, Kim Go-Eun, Yoo Hai-Jin, Lee Do-Hyun
• Dubbed: ‏ : ‎ English
• Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English, French Canadian
• Language ‏ : ‎ English (Dolby Digital 5.1), Korean (DTS 5.1)
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Well Go Usa
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Subtitled, Blu-ray
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 2 hours and 14 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ October 8, 2024

        Exorcism horror movies have become much more common in South Korean cinema following the success The Wailing (2016) achieved by revising the sub-genre’s tropes. The Divine Fury (2019) similarly altered the usual formula by adding action sequences to the horror narrative, with mixed results. While Exhuma does not make as many efforts to reinvent the sub-genre, it does feel tied to the national cinema in ways that are compelling. Unfortunately, its unorthodox approach also demands a lot of patience from viewers in the first half of the lengthy movie.

 

Before Dawn Blu-ray Review

 

• Director ‏ : ‎ Jordon Prince-Wright
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Levi Miller, Ed Oxenbould, Travis Jeffery, Stephen Peacocke
• Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ French Canadian
• Language ‏ : ‎ English (DTS 5.1 Surround)
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Well Go Usa
• Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 2.35:1
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted)
• Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ Australia
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Blu-ray
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 41 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ September 24, 2024

        It is difficult not to have respect for a lower budget film attempting to find a place in a genre typically reserved for large studio productions with greater scope, but admiration for ambition and good intentions does not guarantee that the filmmaking will rise to the occasion. And the shortcomings of Before Dawn are all the more apparent when comparing the smaller film to the grand scale of recent war film releases like 1917 (2019) and All Quiet on the Western Front (2022). While there are things to admire about Before Dawn, lower production values and a narrative that often feels aimless prevents it from reaching the same level as the films it seems to take inspiration from.

 

Ride Blu-ray Review

 

• Director ‏ : ‎ Jake Allyn
• Actors ‏ : ‎ C. Thomas Howell, Annabeth Gish, Jake Allyn, Forrie J. Smith
• Language ‏ : ‎ English (DTS 5.1 Surround)
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Well Go Usa
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted)
• Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Subtitled, Blu-ray
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 54 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ August 27, 2024

        The concept of independent cinema has become increasingly muddled in Hollywood, with star-studded movies like Everything Everywhere All at Once winning the highest awards and big-budget releases like Civil War costing more than many studio releases ($50 million). And yet, there still exists a mostly unseen world of independent cinema, which often must survive without name actors and massive budgets. These films follow the tradition of independent cinema before the Sundance Film Festival made it just another offshoot of Hollywood, and Ride is a prime example of this type of filmmaking, for better or worse.

 

The Bikeriders 4K Ultra HD Review

 

• Director ‏ : ‎ Jeff Nichols
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Austin Butler, Jodie Comer, Tom Hardy, Michael Shannon
• Dubbed: ‏ : ‎ French, Spanish, German
• Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English, Latin Spanish, French
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Studio Distribution Services
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted)
• Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 2
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ 4K, Subtitled
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 56 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ August 13, 2024

        Director Jeff Nichols previously showed his abilities accurately recreating the 1960s in the film Loving (2016), has often given voice to stories in the American South, and understands how to tell dramatic stories in understated ways. All of these factors seemed to make him the perfect choice for an adaptation of Danny Lyon’s photo-book of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club. Unfortunately, The Bikeriders feels like a movie based on photographs, with detail-oriented images often taking importance over plot and character development.

 

The Fall Guy 4K Ultra HD Review

 

• Director ‏ : ‎ David Leitch
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Studio Distribution Services
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned)
• Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 2
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ 4K
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 2 hours and 6 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ July 23, 2024

        With a cast member from both Barbie and Oppenheimer and a soundtrack that prominently includes Taylor Swift, The Fall Guy looked to be a film formulated to be a success by the film industry. And its failure shows that there are some things that can’t be controlled, including what audiences will be interested in, and efforts to repeat the fluke that was Barbenheimer are likely to fail because of this. The fact that last summer had a bleak biopic as one of the biggest hits should prove that nobody knows anything, but regardless of box office success, The Fall Guy is still a fun time at the movies. Efforts to bleed a bit more from the stone also resulted in an extended cut of the film (released for purchase online soon enough after the theatrical release to indicate studio’s lack of faith in the theatrical success), which is included as an extra on the 4K release.

 

Sting Blu-ray Review

 

• Director ‏ : ‎ Kiah Roache-Turner
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Ryan Corr, Alyla Browne, Jermaine Fowler, Penelope Mitchell
• Language ‏ : ‎ English (Stereo), English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Well Go Usa
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted)
• Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ Australia
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Subtitled, DVD, NTSC
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 32 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ July 30, 2024

        Creature features have always been among my favorite horror sub-genres, because of the potential for fun thrills and a variety of unique monsters. While the use of large spiders from space is not a unique concept, the larger problem with Sting is the lack of fun. Too much of the narrative is bogged down by unpleasant family drama, altering the tone of film that could have been much more enjoyable with a different approach. As far as horror movies with spiders, I would choose Arachnophobia (1990) over this. And as for alien invasion films set in an apartment building, Attack the Block (2011) understood how to make the most out of the concept. Sting falls short, though it does contain impressive creature effects from Weta Workshop.

 

Alienoid: Return to the Future Blu-ray Review

 

• Director ‏ : ‎ Choi Dong-hoon
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Ryu Jun-yeol, Kim Tae-ri, Kim Woo-bin
• Dubbed: ‏ : ‎ English
• Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English, French Canadian
• Language ‏ : ‎ Korean (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1)
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Well Go Usa
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted)
• Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ Korea, Republic of
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Blu-ray
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 2 hours and 2 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ July 30, 2024

        Cliffhanger endings to movies have become all-too common these days, from books being split up like Dune (or any final installment of a successful franchise like Twilight or Harry Potter) to superhero narratives only revealing the villain in the final scene to force audiences to buy another ticket to get any resolution (yeah, I’m looking at you Spidey). Personally, I’m quite sick of it, which is why I found the lack of resolution in Alienoid (2022) so frustrating. Thankfully, Alienoid: Return to the Future has an ending instead of leading to a third film, but it retains many of the other issues found in the Korean blockbuster.

 

Tarot Blu-ray Review

 

• Directors: Spencer Cohen, Anna Halberg
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Harriet Slater, Adain Bradley, Avantika Vandanapu, Jacob Batalon, Wolfgang Novogratz
• Studio ‏ : ‎ SONY
• Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned)
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Blu-ray, Subtitled, Digital_copy
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 32 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ July 9, 2024

 

        Fans of the genre know that a film being bad isn’t the worst thing when it comes to horror, especially when compared to being boring or forgettable. I wouldn’t say Tarot is necessarily boring, but it isn’t good or bad enough to be memorable in any way. Even having seen the film, I have to force myself to even remember why it was as unimpressive as it was. Beyond the bland cast and generic premise, Tarot is never even remotely scary. While some horror films get audiences invested by convincing them to care about the characters in peril, Tarot just had me longing for a quicker demise.

 

The Last Stop in Yuma County Blu-ray Review

 

• Director ‏ : ‎ Francis Galluppi
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Jim Cummings, Jocelin Donahue, Richard Brake, Barbara Crampton
• Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English, French Canadian
• Language ‏ : ‎ English (Stereo), English (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1)
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Well Go Usa
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted)
• Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Blu-ray
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 31 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ July 16, 2024

        On one hand, I am glad that independent films like The Last Stop in Yuma County can still get made, since the industry has been so drastically altered by the shifting landscape of the Sundance Film Festival, not to mention the industry changes brought by the age of streaming. On the other hand, even for someone who loves edgy narratives and is a lifelong fan of the Coen brothers and their darkly comedic take on film noir narratives similar to this, I could not defend some of the choices made within The Last Stop in Yuma County. Maybe some lines should never be crossed, but I think the larger issue here is the manner in which they are crossed. What begins as an enjoyable little single-location crime film turns into an exercise in despair and grief, though the filmmaker doesn’t seem entirely aware of the impact of every decision.

 

Founders Day Blu-ray Review

 

• Director: Erik Bloomquist
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Devin Druid, Emilia McCarthy, Naomi Grace, Olivia Nikkanen, William Russ
• Studio ‏ : ‎ MPI Home Video
• Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted)
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Blu-ray
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 106 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ June 4, 2024

 

        Horror and satire have often been an effective pair in the hands of skilled filmmakers, but the efforts to behind Founders Day feel as sincere as the politicians depicted in the storyline. Perhaps I have just seen too many slashers, but the twists all seemed easily predicted and the execution of the genre’s simplest pleasures are rote and uninventive. While I can’t say for sure whether the filmmaking was inept or lazy, I can say that it was often bad enough to be distracting. Or maybe the problem is that there was nothing in Founders Day good enough to distract from the bad.

 

Io Capitano Blu-ray Review

 

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• Director ‏ : ‎ Matteo Garrone
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Seydou Sarr, Moustapha Fall
• Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Cohen Media Group
• Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.85:1
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
• Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ Italy
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Blu-ray
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 2 hours and 1 minute
• Release date ‏ : ‎ May 28, 2024

        There’s no question that immigration has been a hot-button political topic worldwide in recent years, but director Matteo Garrone (Gomorrah) wisely takes a humanist approach to the topic with his latest film, Io Capitano. Nobody likes being preached to while watching movies, even those of us who appreciate more than the simple escapism of Hollywood genre films. Instead, we like to be told stories with characters we can connect with, and that is what Io Capitano excels at above all else. The fact that the story Garrone is telling happens to resemble the reality of many humans living on this planet today only adds to the power of the storytelling.

 

Blind War Blu-ray Review

 

• Director ‏ : ‎ Huo Sui Qiang
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Andy On, ZiXiong Li, Xing Yang, Hanyang Wang
• Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English, French Canadian
• Language ‏ : ‎ Mandarin Chinese (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1), Mandarin Chinese (Stereo)
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Well Go USA Entertainment
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
• Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ China
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Blu-ray
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 48 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ June 11, 2024

        There has been a longstanding tradition of blind heroes in action films, long before Donnie Yen made it his signature in sequels and spin-offs for popular franchises like Star Wars and John Wick. Even before Daredevil was created on both page and screen, there have been iconic action films featuring sight-impaired heroes. The Zatoichi samurai franchise lasted 25 films, and that doesn’t even include the multiple remakes and rip-offs. Blind War carries on this tradition within an action movie nearly able to pass itself off as a Hong Kong bullet-ballet action film from the 1990s if it weren’t for the occasional cheap CGI.