The Childe Blu-ray Review

 

• Director ‏ : ‎ Park Hoon-Jung
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Kim Seon-ho, Kang Tae-ju, Kim Kang-woo, Go A-ra, Heo Joon Seok
• Language ‏ : ‎ Korean (DTS 5.1)
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Well Go Usa
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
• Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Subtitled, Widescreen
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 58 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ January 16, 2024

         One of my favorite things to do is to watch movies I know nothing about. This is the purest way to enjoy a film, especially for someone who watches as many as I do. Often even just the theatrical trailer is enough to potentially spoil any narrative twists, so there is something refreshing about allowing the filmmaker to reveal each plot point in their own time. Unfortunately, even though The Childe has several secrets that it slowly reveals throughout the run-time, I was easily able to guess what they were, even without the assistance of promotional materials. While I was still able to enjoy the spectacle contained within the plot, I wish the direction of the narrative had been less obvious.

 

Journey to Bethlehem Blu-ray Review

 

• Director: Adam Anders
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Fiona Palomo, Milo Manheim, Antonio Banderas
• Dubbed: ‏ : ‎ Spanish
• Studio ‏ : ‎ SONY
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Digital_copy, Blu-ray, Subtitled
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 98 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ January 16, 2024

 

         We may have had four Spider-Man franchises in the last two decades, but that is nothing compared to the number of times the nativity story has been revisited on film. Whether it is a sincere dramatic retelling like The Nativity Story (2006), an animated revision like The Star (2017), or a docudrama like Why the Nativity? (2022), there always seems to be a new approach to the familiar old story. Journey to Bethlehem is no exception, revising the story of Christ’s birth with a popular young cast and the structure of a lighthearted musical. Although the film is live action, it carries the tone and sensibility of an animated children’s film, shoehorning in silly comedic elements to go with the goofy over-acting and mildly catchy songs.