Insomnia Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Stellan Skarsgård, Maria Mathiesen, Sverre Anker Ousdal

Director: Erik Skjoldbjærg

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Color, Dubbed, Surround Sound, Widescreen

Language: Norwegian

Subtitles: English

Dubbed: Swedish

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 2

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Criterion Collection (Direct)

Release Date: July 22, 2014

Run Time: 97 minutes

        Scandinavian thrillers have a long constant in literature, and there has been a definite rise in film and television over the last decade as well with “The Bridge” and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo film franchise. None of these would have been possible, however, without the international success and acclaim for Erik Skjoldbjærg’s 1997 Norwegian noir, Insomnia. Later remade as Christopher Nolan’s large studio film debut starring Al Pacino and Robin Williams, Skjoldbjærg’s moody crime thriller also began that tradition of Hollywood adapting Scandinavian successes. 

 

Dom Hemingway Blu-ray Review

    Actors: Jude Law, Luca Franzoni, Demián Bichir, Mark Wingett, David Baukham

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, AC-3, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen

Language: English (DTS 5.1), French (DTS 5.1), Spanish (DTS 5.1)

Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Dubbed: English, French, Spanish

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R 

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Release Date: July 22, 2014

Run Time: 94 minutes

 

        Jude Law is so good at chewing the scenery as Dom Hemingway, I desperately wanted to remove him from this film for a more deserving storyline. As aimless as the film is, Law’s performance as the title character had me drawn in from start to finish. It was only once the full-throttle performance was finished that I was released from the trance in order to fully realize my disappointment. It almost feels as though the filmmakers enjoyed their main character so much that they were unable to decide what type of film he belonged in, and so this movie feels disjointed with the uneven blending of a variety of genres. One moment this feels like a crime film, the next a dark comedy, and finally wrapped up with sentimental melodrama. It isn’t that any of these sequences don’t work, but simply that they don’t blend well together. The only constant in the inconsistent filmmaking is Law’s fearless performance, which is enough to make at least half of the film’s flaws forgivable.

 

The Suspect Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Gong Yoo, Hee-Soon Park, Jo Seong-Ha, Yoo Da-In, Kim Seong-Gyoon

Director: Shin-Yeon Won

Writer: Lim Sang-yun

Producers: You Jeong-Hun, Lee Hyun-Myung

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, THX, Widescreen

Language: Korean

Subtitles: English

Region: All Regions

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Well Go USA

Release Date: July 22, 2014

Run Time: 137 minutes

 

        There are many elements within The Suspect which led me to believe I was going to enjoy this film far more than I did. The reasons for my disappointment certainly stem from expectations that weren’t met, but even more so for all of the additional convoluted plot points that I could have done without. The Suspect tries to do too much with its narrative, and yet somehow still manages to feel over-simplified in the areas of spectacle. While there seem to be no shortage of characters, creating a convoluted representation of a villain, the action in the film often feels more repetitious than original. Rather than any type of variety, director Shin-yun Won seems content to pack the film with chase sequences.

 

Hell on Wheels: The Complete Third Season DVD Review

     Actors: Common, Colm Meaney, Anson Mount

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: English

Number of discs: 3

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: Entertainment One

DVD Release Date: July 15, 2014

Run Time: 412 minutes

 

 

        Many complained about the pacing of “Hell on Wheels” when it was first released, which is something I don’t exactly agree with. Compared to some of the best western television series of the past, this one seems on-par with what I would have expected. It may not have the same punch as HBO’s “Deadwood,” but it plays somewhere between that and “Lonesome Dove.” Violence and death is certainly not shied away from, even if there is also a slow enough pace for the realism of the setting to take precedence over the spectacle. If anything, it isn't as slow as "Mad Men."

 

Heaven is for Real Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Greg Kinnear, Thomas Haden Church

Format: Multiple Formats, Ultraviolet, Blu-ray, AC-3, Color, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen

Language: English

Subtitles: Cantonese, Chinese, English, Korean

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Number of discs: 2

Rated: PG-13 

Studio: Sony

Release Date: July 22, 2014

Run Time: 99 minutes

        Heaven is for Real is a giant step for mainstream faith-based cinema, but it is far from being a perfect film. If anything, it is the complete and utter failure of films in this category from the past which helps to make Heaven is for Real appear far better than it actually is. The strengths in the film’s screenplay come from a transparent attempt to go against the grain of most propaganda-filled Christian entertainment, but it ends up coming off just a bit too forced and directionless despite these corrections. At the same time, I find it a relief to see a film about faith that is unafraid to show the suffering and struggle which can often come attached to a life dedicated to service. The characters are written to be imperfect, flawed, and often without any answers to life’s difficult questions. At times this feels sincere and honest, while other times Heaven is for Real just appears to be working overtime to placate as wide of a demographic as possible.

 

Dragonwolf Blu-ray Review

     Actors: David Winters, Kazu Patrick Tang, Johan Kirsten, Guk Srisawat

Director: Raimund Huber

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Dolby, NTSC, THX, Widescreen

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Well Go USA

Release Date: July 29, 2014

Run Time: 120 minutes

        Dragonwolf is a Thai action film which appears to be heavily influenced by the poorly constructed MMA and WWE fighting movies. Even without casting boxers as actors, Dragonwolf manages some awful acting and an over-reliance on gruesome battles and bare breasts to make up for the weakness in the screenplay. The worst part about the entire ordeal is that it somehow also managed to have a running-time of over two hours, which is far longer than this weak narrative can remain remotely entertaining.

       

Appleseed Alpha Blu-ray Review

     Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, AC-3, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen

Language: English

Subtitles: Arabic, Dutch, English, German, Korean

Dubbed: German

Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: PG-13

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Release Date: July 22, 2014

Run Time: 93 minutes

 

        I went into this film with no previous knowledge or experience with the Appleseed franchise, which didn’t matter much in terms of understanding the story of this prequel. I may have lost some of the nuances along the way, but there is little within the sci-fi anime storyline which hasn’t been covered dozens of time before. The emphasis never remains on the plot any longer than necessary, instead making this prequel a film about post-apocalyptic spectacle. The visuals and action sequences utilizing them are the main focus of the film, and they are almost impressive enough to distract from the cliché and predictable narrative.

 

Adventure Time: Princess Day DVD Review

      Format: Multiple Formats, Animated, Color, NTSC

Language: English

Number of discs: 1

Studio: Cartoon Network

DVD Release Date: July 29, 2014

Run Time: 176 minutes

 

 

        “Adventure Time” is in that new category of animation on the cartoon network which I find confounding, albeit remarkably entertaining. It seems as though this is a straightforward kid’s show, but it gets remarkably close to being edgy enough for adults at moments. There is always a ripcord to pull, quickly pulling the narrative back to safety in time for the episode’s close, but watching this show with children present often makes me nervous. Perhaps this is partly due to the high octane, bizarre, and often psychedelic nature of the show which often makes me feel as though I’m on more drugs than I am.

How the West Was Won: The Complete Second Season DVD Review

     Actors: James Arness, Fionnula Flanagan, Bruce Boxleitner, Kathryn Holcomb, William Kirby Cullen

Director: Vincent McEveety

Producers: John Mantley, John Stephens

Format: Multiple Formats, Box set, Color, Full Screen, NTSC

Language: English

Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Number of discs: 6

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: Warner Home Video

DVD Release Date: July 15, 2014

 

        Although we have grown accustomed to television series with narratives more fitting a theatrical story, complete with a bevy of new shows taken directly from successful films (“About a Boy,” “Fargo”), this is a practice which has been around for quite some time. Before “How the West Was Won” the TV-series in the late 1970s, there was a successful and extremely cinematic film version in 1962 starring James Stewart, John Wayne, Gregory Peck, and Henry Fonda, among others. The TV-show may not have the extreme widescreen or the star power, but it allowed the story to be stretched out with even more wonderful detail.

 

Rio 2 Blu-ray Review

    Actors: Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Jemaine Clement

Director: Carlos Saldanha

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, AC-3, Animated, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen

Language: English (DTS 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)

Subtitles: English, Portuguese, Spanish

Dubbed: French, Portuguese, Spanish

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Rated: G

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Release Date: July 15, 2014

Run Time: 101 minutes

 

        Every mildly successful animated film warrants a quick sequel these days, and Rio 2 feels as though it were written the morning after the first box office numbers came in. The story is lazily written with forgettable dialogue and a familiar narrative contrivance, reserving any of the film’s creativity for the colorful musical numbers. As with the first film, it succeeds in the colorfulness of its setting but offers even less in terms of characters or story.

 

The Pretty One DVD Review

     Actors: Zoe Kazan; Ron Livingston; Jake Johnson; John Lynch; Shae D'Lyn

Director: Jenée LaMarque

Writer: Jenée LaMarque

Format: NTSC

Region: All Regions

Number of discs: 1

Studio: SPE

DVD Release Date: June 3, 2014

Run Time: 95 minutes

 

 

        The Pretty One is one good casting choice away from being completely unsalvageable, and surprisingly it isn’t Zoe Kazan. Kazan does a perfectly convincing job playing two different personalities, but that’s not nearly enough to save the film from a horribly over-confident and under-written screenplay from first-time director Jenée LaMarque, who has the obnoxious gall to announce herself as an auteur in the opening credits of her first feature. Had this film been given a rewrite (preferably by a more seasoned screenwriter) and a completely different director, there might have been a chance for the cast to help overcome the distasteful premise.      

 

The Last Days DVD Review

     Actors: Jose Coronado, Quim Gutierrez, Mikel Iglesias

Directors: David Pastor, Alex Pastor

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: Spanish

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO

DVD Release Date: July 15, 2014

Run Time: 103 minutes

 

 

        This Spanish post-apocalyptic thriller imagines the end of the world in a new manner, which is saying something considering how many of these films we have seen in the last decade. This is a narrative familiar to brothers and filmmakers Alex and David Pastor, whose debut feature (Carriers) was also about a viral pandemic. The unique aspects of The Last Days are the lack of answers about how the disease is spread and reasons for why it is happening, not to mention the original attributes to the infection itself.

 

Like Father, Like Son DVD Review

     Actors: Masaharu Fukuyama, Machiko Ono

Director: Hirokazu Koreeda

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: Japanese

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO

DVD Release Date: July 1, 2014

Run Time: 121 minutes

 

 

        It is difficult imagining anyone other than a Japanese filmmaker handling this material, having a longstanding tradition in carefully paced family dramas best remembered in the lifelong works of master filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu. Kore-eda Hirokazu has picked up that tradition wonderfully in the past with a portrait of sibling codependence and compassion with Nobody Knows, as well as the lasting effects of grief on a family in Still Walking, and utilizes it yet again in this touching inspection of what it means to be a parent. While there is a satisfying resolution to the conundrum of the film’s basic premise, Hirokazu’s strength as a filmmaker comes with his patience. The ending is satisfying because we feel we have earned it, taking a slow but intention path to reach that final resolution.

 

The Face of Love DVD Review

Actors: Annette Bening, Ed Harris, Robin Williams

Director: Arie Posin

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: English

Number of discs: 1

Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)

Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO

DVD Release Date: July 15, 2014

Run Time: 91 minutes

 

 

        I wanted to like The Face of Love, both out of appreciation for director Arie Posin and the effective and clearly dedicated performances given by Annette Bening and Ed Harris, but it felt like a film in constant struggle with itself. While powerfully portrayed, we are given a protagonist nearly impossible to relate to due to the extremeness of the situation. The end result is far less-than-satisfying to fit into any genre mold, but this is a case where originality in filmmaking feels more like indecisiveness.       

 

20th Century Fox Releases More Lost Classics on DVD-R

 

        Despite the fact that we have grown accustomed as consumers to have the option of buying films for home entertainment in a number of different mediums, the ability to watch a film on demand is a relatively new concept in the history of cinema. As such, there are decades of films which were created before VHS, DVD, Laserdisc, Blu-ray and digital copies. These films have been lost in the clutter of the constant influx of new movies, but 20^th Century Fox regularly dips into its archives in order to make these forgotten films available once again.

Hidden Kingdoms Blu-ray Review

     Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, NTSC

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: BBC Home Entertainment

Release Date: July 8, 2014

Run Time: 180 minutes

 

 

        The popularity of the nature program skyrocketed with the success of “Planet Earth” and there have been many visually stunning imitators since its release, but few have come as close as the latest mini-series, “Hidden Kingdoms.” This three-part marvel in nature photography was created by the makers of “Planet Earth,” and it retains the familiar formatting that includes a segment at the end about the making-of the nature program. At the same time, there are elements of this series which is unlikely to be found in many other nature shows. With as much respect and accuracy as possible, movie-magic was utilized to stage some of the shots in order to capture the essence of what it feels like to be a creature as small as those contained in “Hidden Kingdoms.”

 

SX Tape Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Ian Duncan, Daniel Faraldo, Caitlyn Folley, Diana Garcia

Director: Bernard Rose

Writer: Eric Reese

Producers: Eric Reese, Sebastian Aloi

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Widescreen

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Well Go USA

Release Date: July 15, 2014

Run Time: 85 minutes

        I’m assuming that this horrendously obnoxious found-footage horror film is called SX_Tape because Sex Tape had been taken by the comedy starring Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel, and by that assumption I am giving the filmmakers more credit than they deserve. If they chose to call it SX_Tape (or sxtape, as it is listed on IMDB) to be hip or different for some reason, it would actually be more fitting for the garbage contained within this sad excuse for a narrative. I would rather watch the home footage of a real teenager rather than endure this awful movie ever again. I’m tempted to destroy the review screener just to ensure nobody else accidentally wastes their time watching this.

 

The Jungle DVD Review

     Actors: Rupert Reid, Agoes Widjaya Soedjarwo

Director: Andrew Traucki

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Dolby, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: English

Subtitles: Englis

Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: Entertainment One

DVD Release Date: June 24, 2014

Run Time: 84 minutes

 

        I’m tired of writing reviews for bad found-footage horror movies. How many have actually been successful? Artistically, it is difficult to think of more than a handful, but they must all have some kind of financial success in order for the market to become so flooded. Horror has always been a genre that thrives in low budget, but all creativity has been lost in this generic formula.

Giveaway Contest: Cuban Fury Prize Pack!

Beneath Bruce Garretts shabby, overweight exterior, the passionate beating heart of a salsa king lays dormant. Only one woman can reignite his Latin fire, but first Bruce must learn how to unshackle his dancing beast, regain his long lost swagger and claim the love of his life. Spotlight hits, sweat drips, and heels click. Nick Frost IS Cuban Fury!

 

 

The Raid 2 Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Iko Uwais

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, AC-3, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen

Language: Indonesian

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Dubbed: English, Spanish

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Release Date: July 8, 2014

Run Time: 150 minutes

 

        Most action films are best seen in movie theaters; full of spectacle and excess fittingly paired with the event-like experience of seeing a film in public. While The Raid 2 was most definitely an experience that I am glad to have had in a theater, I think I may have enjoyed my second viewing at home even more. This is saying a lot, especially considering how praiseworthy my theatrical review was of the film. The reason that this film holds up and even increases in impressiveness is simply a matter of good filmmaking. Most theatrical spectacles don’t aspire for anything more than entertainment and can fall apart upon too much inspection, but The Raid 2 is a film whose impressiveness is only enhanced by dissection. While my first viewing was like a disorientating gut-punch of excitement, the second time allowed me to step back and examine just how spectacular all of the filmmaking elements are.