Now You See Me 2 Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Morgan Freeman, Jesse Eisenberg, Daniel Radcliffe, Woody Harrelson, Mark Ruffalo
• Director: Jon M. Chu
• Format: NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region A/1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated:
  PG-13
• Studio: Lionsgate
• Release Date: September 6, 2016
• Run Time: 94 minutes

        The basic premise for the Now You See Me franchise resembled Oceans 11 with magic rather than grifters, filling the film with an impressive cast of actors to distract from the gaps in logic. Although there were moments of real illusions and magic tricks, eventually the first film slipped into CGI nonsense rather than providing a realistic explanation for the events. It should come as no surprise that a plot giving the writers a computer generated ‘deus ex machina’ for every impossible situation would turn into a series of films, and if Now You See Me 2 is any indicator, the third film should be off-the-charts absurd.

Maggie’s Plan Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Greta Gerwig, Ethan Hawke, Bill Hader, Maya Rudolph, Travis Fimmel
• Director: Rebecca Miller
• Producers: Rebecca Miller, Rachel Horovitz, Damon Cadasis
• Format: Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: Russian, French, Polish, Mandarin Chinese, Thai, English
• Dubbed: Thai
• Audio Description: English
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Rated:
  R
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• Release Date: August 23, 2016
• Digital Copy Expiration Date: December 31, 2019
• Run Time: 99 minutes

        It has become difficult for me to decipher whether Greta Gerwig is a good actress, or simply proficient at finding roles that resemble her own personality. Nearly every character that the actress has played in the last decade feels like the same bubbly, narcissistic, and irresponsible New Yorker. The characters get older as Gerwig does, but they are maturing at a glacial rate. Maggie’s Plan is no exception, giving Gerwig the title role of another self-absorbed Manhattanite desperately trying to exist in a Woody Allen film.

Hard Target 2 Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Scott Adkins, Robert Knepper, Rhona Mitra, Ann Truong, Temuera Morrison
• Director: Roel Reine
• Writers: Dominic Morgan, Matthew Harvey
• Producer: Chris Lowenstein
• Format: NTSC, Subtitled
• Language: Hungarian (DTS 5.1), Russian (DTS 5.1), Japanese (Dolby Digital 5.1), Polish (DTS 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1), Portuguese (Dolby Digital 5.1), Portuguese (DTS 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (DTS 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (DTS 5.1)
• Subtitles: Portuguese, Bulgarian, Cantonese, Czech, French, Greek, Hungarian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Thai, Turkish, English
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Rated:
  R
• Studio: Universal Studios Home Entertainment
• Release Date: September 6, 2016
• Digital Copy Expiration Date: May 2, 2018

        If every other property from the 1980s and ’90s is being pillaged to make money off of sequels and remakes, they might as well begin cashing in on Jean-Claude Van Damme classics. This past week we saw the revival of the Kickboxer franchise, with Van Damme following in the footsteps of Sylvester Stallone by retiring to the mentor role. Hard Target 2 also returns on home video, without Van Damme, or any connection to the original film beyond loose similarities in the plot. Although more technically accomplished and visually polished than a majority of DTV action sequels, this film shares little beyond a title with John Woo’s original film. 

Genius DVD Review

• Actors: Nicole Kidman, Jude Law, Colin Firth, Guy Pearce
• Director: Michael Grandage
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated:
  PG-13
  Parents Strongly Cautioned
• Studio: LIONSGATE
• DVD Release Date: September 6, 2016
• Run Time: 98 minutes

        Thankfully Genius is not a biopic in the most traditional sense, which often makes it difficult to guess the direction or point of the story being told. Untraditional as it may be, the film is biographical in nature in that the screenplay is based on a non-fiction book about famed editor Maxwell Perkins, though it focuses exclusively on the time in his career spent with writer Thomas Wolfe. But what the film lacks is thematic consistency and a direction for the true story to go in, before the natural end becomes a narrative closer in replacement of actual resolution. What the film has is a great period look in the production design, and a cast at the top of their game under the direction of first-time filmmaker Michael Grandage, better known for his work in the theater.

Compadres DVD Review

• Actors: Omar Chaparro, Aislinn Derbez, Kevin Pollack, Eric Roberts, Joey Morgan
• Director: Enrique Begne
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated:
  R 
• Studio: LIONSGATE
• DVD Release Date: September 6, 2016
• Run Time: 94 minutes

        Compadres could be pitched as an international film featuring collaboration between Mexico and the United States, but I think Hollywood would prefer little association with this politically incorrect action/comedy from filmmaker Enrique Begne. Despite using the generic structure of a Hollywood buddy action-comedy, having Eric Roberts and Kevin Pollak appear in two of the supporting roles, and the fact that half the dialogue in English, it is quite obvious that this is a Mexican film with some American actors, not the other way around. At its best, this cultural style influences the direction and tone of Compadres’ comedy, though the objectification of the female characters is overwhelming even for Hollywood.

Blunt Talk: Season 1 DVD Review

• Actors: Patrick Stewart, Jacki Weaver, Adrian Scarborough, Richard Lewis
• Format: NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: Spanish
• Region: Region 1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated:
  Not Rated
• Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
• DVD Release Date: August 30, 2016
• Run Time: 300 minutes

        Despite the fact that Sir Patrick Stewart has lent his voice to countless episodes of “Family Guy” and “American Dad,” not to mention his contributions to three of Seth MacFarlane’s feature films, the unexpectedness of his involvement in this live-action Starz sitcom is half of the fun. The role of Walter Blunt is so different from the persona we have come to expect from Stewart  that it becomes humorous just to watch the talented British actor play against type. The role actually resembles many of those that Stewart has played in MacFarlane’s animated shows, but it is somehow far more shocking to see the actor rather than just hearing him.

On Guard/Five Day Lover Blu-ray Review

• Actors: On Guard: Daniel Auteuil, Fabrice Luchini, Vincent Perez, Marie Gillain, Philippe Noiret
• Director: Philippe de Broca
• Format: Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: French
• Subtitles: English
• Region: All Regions
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated:
  R
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• Release Date: August 9, 2016
• Run Time: 216 minutes

        This two-film Blu-ray set includes a pair of films that might never be viewed together if it weren’t for the director they share in common. The two films come from French filmmaker Philippe De Broca, though they are movies from different genres and separated by over 35 years. Five Day Lover is a romance drama from 1961, while On Guard is a swashbuckling action comedy from the late 1990s. It makes for a strange double feature, but these two films offer a sampling from the beginning and end of De Broca’s expansive career.

The Huntsman: Winter’s War 4K Ultra HD Review

• Actors: Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron, Emily Blunt, Nick Frost, Sam Claflin
• Director: Cedric Nicolas-Troyan
• Writers: Evan Spiliotopoulos, Craig Mazin
• Producer: Joe Roth
• Format: 4K
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), French (DTS 5.1), Spanish (DTS 5.1)
• Subtitles: French, Spanish, English
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Studio: Universal Studios Home Entertainment
• Release Date: August 23, 2016
• Digital Copy Expiration Date: May 2, 2018

        This was a film that was doomed to fail long before anyone had even seen it. First of all, you are dealing with characters that many consider sacred, and critics were already unkind to the adaptation of Snow White. You might think that the prequel/sequel/spin-off film, The Huntsman: Winter’s War would have a better chance going in an original direction, but instead it pillages a more recent animated Disney film. Add in the controversy over Charlize Theron’s pay being less than Chris Hemsworth, which was revealed by the now-infamous Sony email hacks, Stewart and director Rupert Sanders’ absence following rumors of an affair onset of the last film, and it all adds up to a recipe for failure.

The Tiger Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Choi Min-sik, Jung Man-sik, Kim Sang-ho
• Director: Park Hoon-jung
• Format: Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, THX, Widescreen
• Language: Korean
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region A/1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated:
  Unrated
• Studio: Well Go USA
• Release Date: August 9, 2016
• Run Time: 139 minutes

        The screenplay for The Tiger is like a delicate balancing act, made possible by the tradition of effective melodrama in South Korean cinema and by the carefully patient screenplay from Hoon-jung Park (I Saw the Devil, New World). The film’s basic premise requires the audience to sympathize for the non-human title character, while also respecting the inevitable decision of the human protagonist to hunt him. This may seem contradictory, but it never feels forced within a simple but layered screenplay which is effectively executed thanks to nuanced human performances and an impressively realistic CGI tiger.

The Wonder Years DVD Review

• Complete Set: This 22-DVD set contains all 115 episodes from the six seasons of this landmark series.
• Booklet: Also get complete show notes with episode synopses, cast member reflections, “Current Events,” and more.
• Bonus Content:
  • Highlights from the first cast reunion in 16 years
  • Roundtable discussions with Danica McKellar, Fred Savage, and Josh Saviano
  • 6 newly produced featurettes
  • Farewell set tour
  • One-hour ABC broadcast of the series finale
  • Exclusive interviews with the show’s creators and cast including Fred Savage, Danica McKellar, Josh Saviano, Alley Mills, Dan Lauria, Olivia d’Abo, Jason Hervey
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
          “The Wonder Years” was one of those shows I thought would never make it to DVD, mostly because of how much great music from the show had copyright issues. Not only is it now available on DVD, it comes with the originally broadcast music, including Joe Cocker’s memorable rendition of The Beatles’ With a Little Help from My Friends and over 300 other classic songs. This is a show that is much more than the fantastic soundtrack, but it is also just as much of a classic as the hits that took so long to get copyrighting for. The full series was first released in a massive 26-disc box set a little less than a year ago, but this revised 22-disc set is pared down for those more interested in owning all of the episodes than how many hours of special features are included.
  
  

11 Minutes DVD Review

• Actors: Richard Dormer, Paulina Chapko
• Director: Jerzy Skolimowski
• Disc Format: Color, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: Polish
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated:
  Unrated
• Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO
• DVD Release Date: August 16, 2016
• Run Time: 83 minutes

        Approaching 11 Minutes with the goal of deciphering the intended meaning will likely to lead to frustration, as Polish filmmaker Jerzy Skolimowski has created a narrative with intentional ambiguity. Meaning is subjective, and 11 Minutes is to be approached an analyzed in the same way one might try and understand a poem. Not everything seen must be taken literally, and not all of the images will have the same meaning inferred by every viewer. It isn’t the plot points or the characters which are indiscernible, so much as the themes and the larger messages. Two people can watch this film and come to completely different conclusions on what is being said by the film’s message, even if the characters and events are themselves fairly straightforward.

Sky DVD Review

• Actors: Diane Kruger, Norman Reedus
• Director: Fabienne Berthaud
• Disc Format: Color, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: Spanish
• Region: Region 1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated:
  Unrated
• Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO
• DVD Release Date: August 16, 2016
• Run Time: 106 minutes

        Sky begins as a thriller, drifts into a road trip romance, and ultimately ends as an unrealistic Midwestern melodrama. The only consistency throughout all of it is Diane Kruger’s performance, despite the fact that the screenplay doesn’t provide much depth to the film’s protagonist, or any of the supporting characters she meets along the way. This is a film which is more dedicated to the melancholy of each moment rather than the details which have made each character so depressing. Life is hard, seems to be the message, and it doesn’t particularly matter why.

A Hologram for the King Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Tom Hanks, Tom Skerritt, Sarita Choudhury, Ben Whishaw
• Director: Tom Tykwer
• Format: NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region A/1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated:
  R 
• Studio: LIONSGATE
• Release Date: August 9, 2016
• Run Time: 104 minutes

        A Hologram for the King utilizes several common story structures and genre styles, and though they blend together into an inoffensive 98-minute piece of entertainment, no element within the film stands out. The fish-out-of-water narrative fails to provide enough humor to stand as a comedy alone, but the romance elements are even more ineffectually blasé. By the end of the film, it feels as though we have meandered past the heart of Dave Eggers source material. The narrative structure may be there, but filmmaker Tom Tykwer lacks the ability to unify all of the elements into a cohesive vision.

Narcos: Season One Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Wagner Moura, Boyd Holbrook, Pedro Pascal, Luis Guzmán, Bruno Bichir
• Director: Andrés Baiz, Fernando Coimbra, Guillermo Navarro, José Padilha
• Format: NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region A/1
• Number of discs: 3
• Studio: LIONSGATE
• Release Date: August 23, 2016
• Run Time: 352 minutes

        Netflix’s original programming has quickly surpassed all networks, including HBO. Not only does their content seem to be released much faster than the cable network, Netflix shows also have far greater variety in the tone and style of their shows, as well as their target audiences. Although the format for “Narcos” has surely existed previously, at least in film form, I am most impressed by the series’ ability to convince American audiences to read subtitles. Bilingual shows have also been done before, but in “Narcos,” Netflix has found a genre that audiences are willing to endure it for.

Last Days in the Desert DVD Review

• Actors: Ewan McGregor, Tye Sheridan, Ciaran Hindis, Ayelet Zurer
• Director: Rodrigo Garcia
• Disc Format: Color, Dubbed, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Dubbed: Spanish
• Region: Region 1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated:
  PG-13
• Studio: Broadgreen
• DVD Release Date: August 2, 2016
• Run Time: 98 minutes

        As a meditation on the delicate relationship between father and son, Last Days in the Desert is an obvious addition to filmmaker Rodrigo Garcia’s body of work. Having made a TV film about this dynamic, a feature focusing on the similarly significant connection between mother and daughter, and several other narratives which investigate relationships rather than plot development, there is far more than religious consideration to make this a fitting addition to Garcia’s filmography. Fans of this skillfully poetic filmmaker are likely to be pleased with the way that Garcia utilizes the biblical narrative to construct a fictional film containing his signature style and familiar themes. Those who enjoy the typical transparency and clumsy evangelism of most faith-based filmmaking, however, may be disappointed by the liberties taken with the adaptation of a brief biblical passage and a certain level of ambiguity which forces audiences to ruminate on meaning for themselves.

Sundown DVD Review

• Actors: Camilla Belle, Sara Paxton, Teri Hatcher, Devon Werkheiser, Sean Marquette
• Director: Fernando Lebrija
• Disc Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated:
  R
• Studio: LIONSGATE
• DVD Release Date: August 16, 2016
• Run Time: 102 minutes

        Sundown has all of the expected elements of a teen sex comedy without any of the creativity or good will that may have been its saving grace. Instead, all we are left with are a series of cliché situations, derivative plot twists, and atrocious stereotyping for nearly every character involved. Women exist in the narrative primarily to be ogled and/or saved, and nearly every ethnic character in the Puerto Vallarta setting seems to fall into one of Trump’s categorizations of Mexicans. All of this may have been slightly more excusable if there were anything remotely sexy or funny about this sex comedy.

The Last Diamond DVD Review

• Actors: Bérénice Bejo, Yvan Attal
• Director: Eric Barbier
• Format: Color, Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated:
  R
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: July 26, 2016
• Run Time: 108 minutes

        The Last Diamond is a thoroughly enjoyable heist film, despite an uneven tone and questionable story structure. There are many ridiculous elements to the second half of the film, despite the relative realism in the first half, and the lighthearted humor of the beginning is also dismissed by the film’s conclusion. Uneven as it may be, The Last Diamond is never anything less than watchable, providing the type of popcorn entertainment expected of Hollywood in the form of a French film.

Summer Camp DVD Review

• Actors: Diego Boneta, Maiara Walsh, Jocelin Donahue, Andrés Velencoso
• Director: Alberto Marini
• Disc Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated:
  R
• Studio: LIONSGATE
• DVD Release Date: August 2, 2016
• Run Time: 84 minutes

        Summer Camp is a mostly unoriginal infection/zombie film, with a title that sounds like a slasher from the 1980s. What little within Summer Camp that is original ends up mostly just confused rather than effective, making this film equal parts derivative and illogical. The result is either frustrating or hilarious, depending on your patience level and viewing state of mind. Either way, even the mildest of entertainment offered by Summer Camp is likely to wear off long before the brief 84-minute run-time begins to feel like an eternity.

Chosen DVD Review

• Actors: Harvey Keitel, Luke Mably, Ana Ularu
• Director: Jasmin Dizdar
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated:
  R
• Studio: LIONSGATE
• DVD Release Date: August 2, 2016
• Run Time: 93 minutes

        Despite a familiarity to the narrative, many plot-holes, and a cliché bookend sequences with an elderly man telling the WWII war story, Chosen features enough competent filmmaking to forgive the many screenplay problems. We have seen many war movies like this in the past, and Chosen doesn’t attempt to re-invent the wheel, but it does provide more of the same for fans of these movies. The scale may not be as massive as many studio war films, but this just makes the accomplishments of this lower budget movie that much more impressive.

The Blacklist: The Complete Third Season Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Megan Boone, Diego Klattenhoff, James Spader, Harry Lennix, Ryan Eggold
• Disc Format: AC-3, Box set, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: French, English
• Dubbed: French
• Region: Region A/1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 5
• Rated:
  Not Rated
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• Release Date: August 2, 2016
• Digital Copy Expiration Date: December 31, 2019

        Season three of “The Blacklist” switches up the established formula from the first two season and seems to be making big changes to the dynamic of the show. After two seasons adhering to a basic structure that was beginning to wear thin, it is somewhat of a relief that the third season broke free from the predictable formula. The unfortunate part of these changes seems to come from the realization that many were made to counteract events in the actor’s lives rather than bold choices by the writers. Despite some shifting in the roles of the main cast members, I’m not convinced that season four won’t return to business as usual.