Goodbye to All That DVD Review

     Actors: Paul Schneider, Melanie Lynskey, Heather Graham

Director: Angus MacLachlan

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: English

Region: Region 1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO

DVD Release Date: July 14, 2015

Run Time: 86 minutes

 

 

        Screenwriter Angus MacLachlan (Junebug, Stone) tried his hand at directing his own material with Goodbye to All That, a dramedy about divorce and middle-aged casual dating, with a script that is ironically the weakest element of the film. There are episodic moments of humor and some great performances, but the narrative meanders without direction until reaching a lackluster resolution. The conflict is never fully developed, in favor of scattered moments of random humor instead, so that very little seems to be at stake in the relationships of the few characters that actually matter.

The Salt of the Earth Blu-ray Review

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

Language: English

Region: Region A/1

Number of discs: 2

Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Release Date: July 14, 2015

Run Time: 90 minutes

 

 

        Although Wim Wenders traces the 40-year career of Sebastião Salgado in The Salt of the Earth, and the documentary is co-directed by the photographer’s son, Ribeiro Salgado, much of the film’s focus becomes about the events covered rather than the life of the artist behind the images. This weighs down the content, especially with many of the tragic social situations around the world that Salgado has chosen as his subjects, but any less depth would have been too superficial for the material. Even 110 minutes doesn’t feel like enough time to adequately examine Salgado’s personal background along with his work, though an uplifting final section does help alleviate the somber tone surrounding much of his earlier photography.

 

No Way Jose DVD Review

     Actors: Adam Goldberg, Ahna O'Reilly, Gillian Jacobs, Emily Osment

Director: Adam Goldberg

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: English

Region: Region 1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

DVD Release Date: July 7, 2015

Run Time: 98 minutes

 

        Audiences have been subjected to an array of male protagonists in arrested development since Judd Apatow’s film career took off, making No Way Jose feel a bit underwhelming and derivative. There are moments of sitcom situation humor which are worthwhile, but the story feels aimless and the characters like watered down rejects from a sub-par Apatow movie. Actor Adam Goldberg tries his hand at directing with a screenplay he co-wrote along with first-time scribe Sarah Kate Levy, but neither have enough experience to save the film from meandering aimlessly and often without as many laughs as desired.

The Road Within Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Robert Sheehan, Robert Patrick, Dev Patel, Zoë Kravitz

Director: Gren Wells

Format: Blu-ray, Widescreen

Language: English

Region: Region A/1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: Well Go USA

Release Date: July 7, 2015

Run Time: 102 minutes

 

         There is a delicate balance needed when creating a comedy that is also about mental illness. A certain amount of respect and realism must be given to the disease and those who actually suffer with it, but it can’t be so much that it weighs down the plot with cumbersome melodrama. All of this pressure seems to rest on the shoulders of the actors in The Road Within, which adopts the now-familiar road trip narrative so often used in independent cinema. With most of the film containing three characters in a car, the success of the story depends a great deal on the success of these actors.

 

For the Emperor Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Park Sung-Woong, Lee Min-ki, Lee Tae-Im

Director: Park Sang-Jun

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Subtitled, Widescreen

Language: Korean

Subtitles: English

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Well Go USA

Release Date: July 7, 2015

Run Time: 105 minutes

 

 

         Although For the Emperor is clearly a genre picture, built upon sequences of exciting action and hints of exploitation, the film’s narrative is a combination of several familiar structures. While none of the individual pieces are altogether original, together they make for a fast-paced and unpredictable viewing experience. One moment the film feels like a typical gangster film before slipping into noir territory, and eventually slides into a cat-and-mouse revenge story. Much of the mystery in the movie’s direction comes from the ambiguity found in the mostly silent protagonist, who almost seems modeled after the main character in Nicholas Winding Refn’s Drive.

 

Merchants of Doubt Blu-ray Review

    Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, DVD-ROM

Language: English

Subtitles: French, Portuguese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Indonesian, Thai, Turkish, Spanish, English

Audio Description: English

Region: All Regions

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

Number of discs: 2

Rated: PG-13 

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Release Date: July 7, 2015

Run Time: 90 minutes

         These days a political documentary doesn’t seem effective unless it has the ability to infuriate the audience, seemingly to cause some type of action to remedy the social maladies examined. While Merchants of Doubt is certainly able to achieve this with its examination of marketing and public relation spin doctors, what is unexpected is the amount of humor and levity inserted into the exasperating subject matter. With Merchants of Doubt, filmmaker Robert Kenner is able to find an impressive balance between historical information, entertainment, and a call to action. The information is not entirely groundbreaking or new, but provides a concise picture for those who were previously unaware to the shady dealings of powerful corporations.

Ernest Hemingway’s The Killers Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner, Lee Marvin

Directors: Robert Siodmak, Don Siegel

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled

Language: English

Subtitles: English

Number of discs: 1

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: Criterion Collection (Direct)

Release Date: July 7, 2015

 

 

        Ernest Hemingway’s short story was adapted into two very different films, though both somehow manage to capture the essence of the narrative while maintaining stylistic individuality from both the source material and each other. First was Robert Siodmak’s classic 1946 black-and-white adaptation, which is now considered an iconic example of the post-World War II film noir genre. Producer Mark Hellinger originally wanted to borrow Warner Brothers director Don Siegel to direct this early version, but he eventually made his own adaptation in 1964 as the first planned made-for-TV movie. While the first is a classic example of the shadowy style that noir is best known for, Siegel’s version became a gritty adaptation in full color and violence in broad daylight. Both have distinctly different approaches to the same material, making for one of the few narratives with both adaptations fittingly paired together in one package.

 

House of Cards: The Complete Third Season DVD Review

     Actors: Michael Kelly, Kevin Spacey

Format: Multiple Formats, Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: English

Subtitles: French, Portuguese, Spanish

Region: Region 1 U.S. and Canada only

Number of discs: 4

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

DVD Release Date: July 7, 2015

        Although “House of Cards” is a show about politics, the structure of the popular Netflix series often has more similarities to a gangster narrative. These crime narratives contain illegal activities which catapult the antihero to a position of fame and/or fortune, which is what we witnessed from Francis Underwood (Kevin Spacey) in the first two seasons of the show. At the end of season two Underwood had manipulated, lied, and murdered his way into becoming the President of the United States. If the first two seasons resembled the rise to the top paralleled in the gangster genre, season three is the beginning of the inevitable fall. President Underwood may not go out in a blaze of gunfire like Scarface or Walter White (unless assassination is in his future), but instead becomes a victim of the very system he used to obtain control.

 

Joe Dirt Blu-ray Review

     Actors: David Spade, Brittany Daniel, Dennis Miller

Director: Dennie Gordon

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC, Widescreen

Language: English

Region: All Regions

Number of discs: 1

Rated: PG-13

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Release Date: July 7, 2015

Digital Copy Expiration Date: December 31, 2018

Run Time: 91 minutes

 

        The films to come from Adam Sandler’s company, Happy Madison, have reached a level of such terrible reputation in the last decade that I somehow imagined even the worst productions from years ago to surpass the likes of Jack and Jill or the Grown Ups franchise. I may have been allowed to keep this disillusion going, as I can’t imagine a situation beyond the need to review a newly released Blu-ray that ever would have led me to re-watch Joe Dirt. But because this awful comedy is receiving an unnecessary straight-to-video sequel nearly 15 years after its release, Joe Dirt has been given a high definition release in conjunction, just to remind us how little the franchise needs to be continued.  

 

The Gunman Blu-ray Review

     Director: Andrew Rona

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Ultraviolet, Color, Widescreen

Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby TrueHD)

Subtitles: French, Spanish

Subtitles for the Hearing Impaired: English

Region: All Regions

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Number of discs: 2

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: Universal Studios

Release Date: June 30, 2015

Digital Copy Expiration Date: May 2, 2016

        Sean Penn has a somewhat humorless reputation, having proven himself unable to take jokes told in good fun at award ceremonies and a tendency to align himself with projects with more serious tones. Combine this with his stance in political and social matters and it soon becomes difficult to imagine Penn involved in any type of escapist entertainment. I don’t know if The Gunman was adjusted to fit his sensibility or if the material was simply weighed down by the somberness of the star, but the result is an action thriller that is never as fun as it should be.

 

Danny Collins Blu-ray Review

     Director: Dan Fogelman

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Ultraviolet, Color, Widescreen

Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1)

Subtitles: French, Spanish

Subtitles for the Hearing Impaired: English

Region: All Regions

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Number of discs: 2

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: Universal Studios

Release Date: June 30, 2015

Digital Copy Expiration Date: May 2, 2016

        Danny Collins is a crowd-pleasing film, as it should be. Though the premise of the film may have been loosely based on a real event, writer and first-time director Dan Fogelman approaches the material with a mild genre mentality. This makes for extremely predictable and passively entertaining film, however safe and unimpressive the experience feels. There may be a great film in here, but this feels like the watered down version of that movie.

 

Kumiko: The Treasure Hunter Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Rinko Kikuchi, Shirley Vendard, Nobuyuki Katsube, David Zellner, Nathan Zellner

Director: David Zellner

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

Language: English (Dolby TrueHD 5.1)

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: ANCHOR BAY

Release Date: June 30, 2015

Run Time: 104 minutes

 

        Bleak doesn’t even begin to describe the narrative of Kumiko: The Treasure Hunter, containing more than a few similarities to the Zellner Brothers’ earlier film, Goliath, about a depressed man searching for his lost cat. Add cultural differences and an increase in mental instability and the main difference between the two films is better production values and a stronger performance by leading actress Rinko Kikuchi. The cinematography looks great and the premise based loosely on a true story is compelling, though I’m afraid I don’t share the same fascination as the Zellners with the lives of solitary depressed individuals.

 

The Bridge Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Folker Bohnet, Fritz Wepper, Michael Hinz

Director: Bernhard Wicki

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled

Language: German

Subtitles: English

Number of discs: 1

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: Criterion Collection (Direct)

Release Date: June 23, 2015

Run Time: 103 minutes

        You can always distinguish a war film from an anti-war film by the lack of discernible enemies on either side, or even more so when the country of the origin for the protagonists comes off worse than those they are fighting against. The Bridge was really the first post World War II German film to address the topic, and wisely spends most of the film focused on national critique instead of vilifying the invading/opposing troops. As well as being the first German anti-war movie, this 1959 classic was also the first of the country’s post-war films to be widely distributed internationally, even garnering an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.

 

Timbuktu Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Abel Jafri, Fatoumata Diawara, Ibrahim Ahmed, Toulou Kiki

Director: Abderrahmane Sissako

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

Language: French

Subtitles: English

Number of discs: 1

Rated: PG-13 

Studio: Cohen Media Group

Release Date: June 23, 2015

Run Time: 97 minutes

 

        Timbuktu shares a great deal in common with the Russian film, Leviathan. Both were nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Foreign Language Film, though Timbuktu has the distinction of being Mauritania’s first submission to the Oscars. They are also both films with political undertones, giving views of social injustice. Both are also visually arresting pictures that capture the film’s setting with clarity and beauty. Neither one of these movies won their category, but both certainly deserved the nomination.

 

Mutant World DVD Review

     Actors: Holly Deveaux, Ashanti, Amber Marshall Kim Coates

Director: David Winning

Producers: Chad Oakes Michael Frislev

Format: NTSC

Language: English

Region: All Regions

Number of discs: 1

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: SPE

DVD Release Date: May 26, 2015

Run Time: 82 minutes

 

        With a derivative storyline, awful melodramatic script, and lazy special effects, Mutant World was a perfect fit for the Sci-Fi Channel. It just isn’t a good fit for my taste. But anyone who thinks that florescent green eyes are enough of a special effect to justify the title insinuating mutation, and enjoys watching incapable actors suffer through a humorless screenplay full of clichés, Mutant World may be the film for you. 

The Fisher King Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Jeff Bridges, Robin Williams, Mercedes Ruehl, Amanda Plummer

Director: Terry Gilliam

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

Language: English

Subtitles: English

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: Criterion Collection (Direct)

Release Date: June 23, 2015

Run Time: 138 minutes

        The Fisher King was somewhat of a transitional film for director Terry Gilliam, both as his first major Hollywood blockbuster and ironically one of his more simplistic and subdued narratives. For the first time in his filmography, none of the members of Monty Python are a part of the cast, and his iconic style was focused into a thoughtful fantasy grounded in the character’s psychological struggles. Though many of the fairy tale narrative elements are carried over from Gilliam’s heavier fantasy and sci-fi films, they primarily exist in the delusions of our protagonist’s broken psyche. It is an enigma of a film, containing all of the elements necessary for the typical zaniness of a Gilliam comedy-fantasy, but instead unfolds into a thoughtfully sentimental drama.

The Happiness of the Katakuris Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Kenji Sawada, Keiko Matsuzaka, Shinji Takeda

Director: Takashi Miike

Format: Blu-ray, Color

Language: Japanese

Number of discs: 2

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: Arrow Video

Release Date: June 16, 2015

Run Time: 113 minutes

 

 

        If you’re the type of person who wonders what The Sound of Music would be like if it included a zombie dance sequence, The Happiness of the Katakuris is the answer. The dark comedy with musical numbers and trippy claymation sequences was directed by Takashi Miike in 2001, as a much lighter entry compared to his other films during that period (include 1999’s Audition). And yet, it still has the distinct stamp of the filmmaker, particularly in the moments of macabre. The best comparison I can make is that The Happiness of the Katakuris is to Miike’s filmography what The Trouble with Harry was to Alfred Hitchcock’s.

 

Pandas: The Journey Home Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Joely Richardson (Narrator)

Director: Nicolas Brown

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Color, 3D, Widescreen

Language: English

Number of discs: 2

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: Virgil Films and Entertainment

Release Date: June 16, 2015

Run Time: 40 minutes

 

 

        Like most Imax short-subject documentaries, Pandas: The Journey Home attempts to make up in spectacle what it lacks in narrative depth. Unfortunately, much of this is lost in the transfer from massive screens to home entertainment. In an effort to compensate for the loss of scope, the high definition presentation of the Blu-ray offers both 2D and 3D versions of the film, with a second disc including the DVD format.

 

A Master Builder Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Wallace Shawn, Julie Hagerty, Lisa Joyce

Director: Jonathan Demme

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

Language: English

Subtitles: English

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Criterion Collection (Direct)

Release Date: June 16, 2015

Run Time: 127 minutes

Long-winded and overly theatrical cinematic adaptation

        There is a clear theatricality to all of the cinematic collaborations between Wallace Shawn and André Gregory, most notably with the two classics directed by the former French auteur, Louis Malle (My Dinner with Andre [1981], Vanya on 42^nd Street [1994]). This was true of My Dinner with Andre despite being an original concept, mostly because of the single-location and dialogue-heavy screenplay, which featured discussion of the art form from the two playing versions of themselves. Gregory was an established theater director and Shawn also worked heavily in the medium as a playwright and actor (though he was best known for playing character parts onscreen). They then lent these talents to their own stage adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s “Dyadya Vanya,” which became the subject of Malle’s film about a play, adapted for the screen by David Mamet.

 

My Dinner with Andre Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Wallace Shawn, André Gregory

Director: Louis Malle

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

Language: English

Subtitles: English

Number of discs: 1

Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)

Studio: Criterion Collection (Direct)

Release Date: June 16, 2015

Run Time: 111 minutes

Two artists question the meaning of existence and their work, while eating quail.

        My Dinner with Andre (1981) is a film about a conversation meant to inspire further discussion from the audience. It is art that discusses the philosophy of art and how life interacts with the process, while encouraging viewers to follow the filmmakers down the rabbit-hole of logic and apply it to their own lives. Deliberately pretentious and decisively contradictory, My Dinner with Andre imitates life by presenting two artists playing themselves in a fabricated sense of realism. In the end, it is only the ideas we can trust to be entirely true, though even these are merely theories meant to be deliberated rather than decided upon. It is somewhat like Michael Winterbottom’s recent food-driven series, The Trip (2010) and The Trip to Italy (2014), without the focus on food or bad jokes and irritating impressions to attempt lightening the mood.