Most Hated Movies: 24 Exposures DVD Review

     Actors: Adam Wingard, Simon Barrett

Director: Joe Swanberg

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, NTSC, Widescreen

Language: English

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Rated: Unrated

Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO

DVD Release Date: May 27, 2014

Run Time: 77 minutes

 

 

Joe Swanberg helped cultivate the mumblecore movement in the recesses of low-budget independent cinema alongside the far more successful Duplass brothers, and I have to disclose my barest distaste for these films. With that being said, Swanberg’s attempt to blend the style with a typical serial killer narrative ends up resulting in a film that is only shades off from being softcore porn, from the nonsensical male fantasy narrative to the bad acting between cheesy sex scenes. The film’s only decently written dialogue comes from the main character, whose distasteful choice in art-form is defended by his claim that it needs no defending, which is most definitely a stand-in for Swanberg’s explanation for why his films are so shitty.

 

Run & Jump DVD Review

     Actors: Will Forte, Maxine Peake

Director: Steph Green

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, NTSC, Widescreen

Language: English

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Rated: Unrated

Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO

DVD Release Date: May 27, 2014

Run Time: 106 minutes

 

 

        Not all of Run & Jump works; there are moments which feels somewhat directionless, making for a slightly uneven film. The inconsistencies of the storytelling are easily forgivable, however, because the acting in each of the roles is steadfast. Filmmaker Steph Green clearly has a gift in bringing the best out of her performers, from leads down to the bit roles, though this only makes the deficiency in other directorial duties more apparent. When all is said and done, however, this is an impressive debut feature for the filmmaker.

 

Death Spa Blu-ray Review

     Director: Michael Fischa

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

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1

Number of discs: 2

Rated: Unrated

Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO

Release Date: May 27, 2014

Run Time: 87 minutes

 

       

        Never heard of Death Spa before? That could be because it was also released under the name Witch Blade, or it could just be the fact that slasher gorefests like this 1987 lost camp classic were too common in the 80s to know them all. This only allows new fans to discover the grindhouse greatness of Death Spa for the first time, along with fans who will appreciate the unrated cut on the Blu-ray/DVD combo pack. Rarely do the drawn posters from 80s horror provide a film that lives up to the first-impression expectations brought on by the art; everything you see on the cover for Death Spa is exactly what you get, for better or worse. 

 

Endless Love Blu-ray Review

    Actors: Gabrilla Wilde, Alex Pettyfer, Bruce Greenwood

Director: Shana Feste

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

Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (DTS-HD High Res Audio), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (DTS 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (DTS 5.1)

Subtitles: French, Spanish

Dubbed: Spanish, French, English

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Rated: PG-13 

Studio: Universal Studios

Release Date: May 27, 2014

Digital Copy Expiration Date: May 2, 2016

Run Time: 210 minutes

       

        With very little resemblance to either the book by Scott Spencer or the oddly disturbed 1981 Franco Zeffirelli version, Shana Feste’s Endless Love is terrible and contrived in its own unique ways. Then again, even using the word “unique” to describe the awfulness of this film is an unearned and inaccurate sentiment. Every moment of Endless Love which comes even close to working is merely the shadow of a copy of an imitation of many much better films. This is a film that will only work for ignorant audience members unfamiliar with love or even its representation on film. In other words, this is a movie made for fourteen-year-old girls, destined to give them false impressions about what real love actually looks like. News flash for Feste; love does not resemble a 105-minute commercial. Next time try giving us some semblance of character development and realistic conflicts rather than contrived scenarios involving vapid models standing in as actors.

 

Gambit Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Colin Firth, Tom Courtenay, Alan Rickman

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

Language: English

Subtitles: English

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: PG-13

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Release Date: May 27, 2014

Run Time: 89 minutes

 

        I would be curious to know what director Michael Hoffman is responsible for in the creation of Gambit, because it is nearly impossible to believe that changes weren’t made to the screenplay by Joel and Ethan Coen. The end result has little appearance of anything that is likely to come from this respected pair of filmmakers, with the exception of an extremely poorly executed attempt at a Raising Arizona-style comedy in the absurd. The only hint of reasoning behind the Coen brothers’ involvement in this project is their known affinity for darker British comedies of yesteryear, but even The Ladykillers comes off looking like a masterpiece compared to Gambit. 

 

Bushido Man Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Mitsuki Koga, Yoshiyuki Yamaguchi

Director: Takanori Tsujimoto

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

Language: Japanese

Subtitles: English

Dubbed: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Shout! Factory

Release Date: June 10, 2014

Run Time: 88 minutes

       

        While there is something to be said for the restraint in filmmaking shown in a majority of Bushido Man, I fear that this will merely leave many audience members feeling assaulted by the final sequence. It combines two distinctly different styles together, which is an interesting approach for a film about a man adapting numerous martial artist techniques into one, but the end result is a disjointed film blending classic martial arts with the gruesomely masochistic cartoon action seen most often in a Sushi Typhoon release. This film could have been made two different ways, and either would have been better than attempting both.

 

Falling Skies: The Complete Third Season Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Noah Wyle, Moon Bloodgood, Drew Roy, Connor Jessup, Maxim Knight

Producers: Steven Spielberg, Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank, Remi Aubuchon, Greg Beeman

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

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1

Number of discs: 2

Rated:  Not Rated

Studio: Turner Home Ent

Release Date: June 3, 2014

Digital Copy Expiration Date: June 3, 2016

Run Time: 440 minutes

 

If you like “The Walking Dead” but want more sci-fi and less horror, “Falling Skies” may be the show for you. If you repeatedly watch “Battlestar Galactica” but don’t find the melodrama cheesy, “Falling Skies” may be a perfect fit. For all of the rest, this show may have too much melodrama and sci-fi geekiness to overcome. It may sound as though I’m being harsh on the show, but it is on-par with TNT programming, and it is better than some of the other alien projects Steven Spielberg has attached himself to in the past decade.

 

Dracula Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Jack Palance

Director: Dan Curtis

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

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO

Release Date: May 27, 2014

Run Time: 98 minutes

 

       

        Dan Curtis is well-known in the world of vampire entertainment, having served as writer/producer/director for the popular 1960s cult series, “Dark Shadows,” as well as the 1991 revival. Less remembered is his television adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, which aired in 1974. There have been many adaptations of this exact same story, and it all comes down to preference in performances and differences in style. Dan Curtis’ version may not be the most modern, classic, terrifying or graphic of the many Dracula adaptations, but it does feature a fantastic performance from Jack Palance in the key title role. 

 

Independence Daysaster DVD Review

     Actors: Ryan Merriman, Andrea Brooks, Emily Holmes, Tom Everett Scott, Keenan Tracey

Director: W.D. Hogan

Format: Color, NTSC, Widescreen

Subtitles: Spanish, English

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: PG-13

Studio: ANCHOR BAY

DVD Release Date: May 27, 2014

Run Time: 90 minutes

 

 

        I think the title alone pretty much sums up this film perfectly. There can be no real aspirations for creative originality when the title immediately lets you know that the film is simply another mockbuster release from the Syfy Channel. There is little to praise about these films, but the dedicated viewers and fans of them seem to enjoy them for their filmmaking failures rather than despite them.

New BBC on DVD: Afterlife, Call the Midwife, Chased by Dinosaurs, Dalziel & Pascoe, Doctor Who, and Waking the Dead

     Actors: Andrew Lincoln, Lesley Sharp

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, NTSC

Language: English

Subtitles: English

Number of discs: 2

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: BBC Home Entertainment

DVD Release Date: May 13, 2014

Run Time: 282 minutes

 

Afterlife: Season One

        Made nearly ten years ago, you might be wondering why the first season of “Afterlife” is only now finding its way to DVD, and the answer is quite clear to find in the cast members. This British horror series stars Andrew Lincoln of “The Walking Dead” fame, with ghosts rather than zombies for the actor to take on. Unfortunately, the series feels more than ten years old, with a dated and cliché narrative structure. Ghost stories are difficult to make engaging, and “Afterlife” does little to update or modernize the tired clichés of the genre. “The Walking Dead” this is not.

 

Kendra on Top: The Complete Second Season DVD Review

     Actors: Kendra Wilkinson, Hank Baskett

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, NTSC, Widescreen

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 2

Rated:  Not Rated

Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO

DVD Release Date: May 13, 2014

Run Time: 344 minutes

 

       

        There was a significant moment a few years after reality television had swept the televised nation when one of the former contestants of “Survivor” somehow managed to land a supporting role in a poorly written Rob Schneider comedy. This set the standard for reality television stars, giving them hope of being able to make a parasitic career out of their fifteen minutes of fame in reality television. Since then, reality “stars” don’t always disappear after their reality show debut has finished. Like cockroaches that just won’t die, they often scavenge the entertainment industry for any other opportunity to extend undeserved fame.

 

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Anjelica Huston, Willem Dafoe

Director: Wes Anderson

Format: Multiple Formats, Anamorphic, Blu-ray, NTSC, Surround Sound, Widescreen

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R

Studio: Criterion Collection

Release Date: May 27, 2014

Run Time: 118 minutes

 

        Wes Anderson has such a distinct style that it would appear safe to assume that a fan of one of his films would automatically be a fan of all of his films, but I find myself teetering back and forth between admiration and irritation from one film to another and often find his unique cinematic approach entirely responsible whichever the case. There is such a fine line for his deadpan comedic styling to work within each narrative. Sometimes this humor enhances a film, and then there are times it feels overly detached, sarcastic and contrived. They also begin to lose a bit of their original style with each film Anderson makes, and occasionally he begins to feel derivative of his own accomplishments.

Martial Arts Movie Marathon DVD Review

    

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, NTSC, Widescreen

Language: Cantonese, English

Subtitles: English

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Number of discs: 2

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Shout! Factory

DVD Release Date: May 20, 2014

Run Time: 360 minutes

 

       

        Even having just watched these four films, I have to make an effort to remember their individual characteristics. Though the plot varies from film to film, there are so many repeatedly used narrative devices in kung-fu films that it becomes easy for them to blend together. This is particularly true of the four Golden Harvest films in this Martial Arts Movie Marathon, mostly due to the fact that they were all made in a two year period and many share cast members. Despite their occasionally uninspired plot twists, each of these four films is entertaining in its own way.

 

Raze DVD Review

     Actors: Zoë Bell, Rachel Nichols

Director: Josh C. Waller

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, NTSC, Widescreen

Language: English

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Rated: R

Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO

DVD Release Date: May 20, 2014

Run Time: 95 minutes

 

       

        There is so much promise for genre fans in a premise such as the one we are given in Raze, but the film suffers because the writers stopped developing anything beyond this premise and director Josh C. Waller seems content without interesting characters, dialogue, or plot development. It plays out like a blend of Hostel and The Hunger Games, offering no surprises but plenty of clichés. It is truly disappointing to see such an opportunity go wasted like this, despite all efforts from star Zoë Bell.

 

Squatters Film Review

     Actors: Gabriella Wilde, Luke Grimes, Richard Dreyfuss, Thomas Dekker

Director: Martin Weisz

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1

Rated: R 

Studio: SPE

Release Date: May 13, 2014

Run Time: 106 minutes

 

       

        Even with regards to independent film, rarely is it ever a bad thing for a film to be too visually accomplished. I can think of very few instances when I have found the strength of a film’s visual flair and stylistic showcasing to be a detriment rather than an asset. Squatters is a film that offers a polished look from director Martin Weisz (Grimm Love, The Hills Have Eyes II), but it is wasted on an unfortunate script from actor-turned writer Justin Shilton. What starts as a compelling albeit farfetched premise turns into an exercise in indecision as the film attempts to fit in with as many genres as possible. The first half of the film drifts with no clear direction, leading into a bit of a gangster narrative which blends from Bonnie and Clyde to a completely different love story cliché.

 

Is the Man Who is Tall Happy? DVD Review

Language: English

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: Mpi Home Video

DVD Release Date: May 13, 2014

Run Time: 89 minutes

 

       

        This is one of those films that critics rave about, partially because of clever brilliance in the film’s presentation, but mostly because it is the type of film that makes you look intelligent and hip for claiming to enjoy it. I’ll be completely honest, I had little interest in Noam Chomsky prior to this film and despite some clever animation helping retain some semblance of entertainment, Is the Man Who is Tall Happy? did little to convince me otherwise. At times it merely tries too hard, but the bottom line is that I found the linguist discussion more pretentious than significant to my existence. 

 

Weekend of a Champion DVD Review

     Actors: Jackie Stewart, Roman Polanski

Director: Frank Simon

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, NTSC, Widescreen

Language: English

Subtitles: English

Rated:  Not Rated

Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO

DVD Release Date: May 20, 2014

Run Time: 90 minutes

 

       

        I never thought that listening to someone talk about the intricacies of a sport could be quite so interesting, but Jackie Stewart’s passion when talking about driving the Monaco Grand Prix track is unexpectedly captivating. There is also some footage of Stewart driving, a bit of background and history, and footage of a few famous racing crashes, but the film is at its best when Stewart is randomly pontificating to film director and racing fan Roman Polanski. If an uneducated viewer such as myself can get into this material, real racing fans should eat it up.

       

Lone Survivor Blu-ray Review

Actors: Mark Wahlberg, Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster, Eric Bana, Taylor Kitsch

Director: Peter Berg

Writers: Peter Berg, Marcus Luttrell

Producers: Braden Aftergood, Brandt Andersen, Sarah Aubrey

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

Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (DTS 5.1)

Subtitles: Spanish, English

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Rated: R

Studio: Universal Studios

Release Date: June 3, 2014

Digital Copy Expiration Date: May 2, 2016

Run Time: 244 minutes

        Lone Survivor shares a lot in common with another popular survival film released last year, Gravity. Sure, one takes place in space and the other takes place in Afghanistan, but both are about missions which go horribly wrong leaving a sole survivor to fend for themselves in unforgiving terrain. The attacks in Gravity come from debris, whereas Lone Survivor has bullets. But what truly ties the viewing experience of both films together is the gut-wrenching suspense.

 

3 Days to Kill Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Kevin Costner, Tomas Lemarquis

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

Language: English (DTS 5.1)

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Dubbed: English

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Number of discs: 2

Rated: PG-13

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Release Date: May 20, 2014

Run Time: 117 minutes

       

        Watching 3 Days to Kill felt like an oddly unsatisfying rollercoaster experience, jolting back and forth between liking and despising the film for its surprise successes followed by massive failures to follow through. It is easily the most uneven action film of the year, which is remarkably disappointing after an impressive opening sequence that rivals any other part of the film. This introduction to the film was enhanced even further by my low expectations from any film directed by McG. I nearly became convinced that Luc Besson’s contributions to the film via screenplay may be the saving grace of the film, but then the film slipped away from the action and began to feel like an odd cousin to the family dramedy in Besson’s The Family. 

 

About Last Night Blu-ray Review

    Actors: Kevin Hart, Michael Ealy, Regina Hall, Joy Bryant

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

Language: English

Subtitles: English

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Release Date: May 20, 2014

Run Time: 100 minutes

       

        With nearly every blockbuster being released in theaters being a film built off of an existing franchise, whether it is an adaptation from a comic book, sequel or remake of some past success, it is slightly disappointing to see this practice bleed over into the field of modestly budgeted romantic comedies as well. While it is more understandable to see the action-packed summer movies remade, both because of the box-office safety net needed when spending large sums of money to make the films and due to the continued advancements in special effects technology, there is little to be altered in romantic comedies from twenty-years ago other than the advent of text messaging. At least the film chosen to remake was only moderately received upon first release, criticized as being a poor adaptation itself. As long as studios don’t try and remake Sleepless in Seattle, Say Anything or When Harry Met Sally, I will allow films like About Last Night to pass without much complaining.