Hateship Loveship DVD Review

     Actors: Kristin Wiig, Guy Pearce

Director: Liza Johnson

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: English

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO

DVD Release Date: August 12, 2014

Run Time: 102 minutes

 

 

        In hindsight, it is fairly easy to understand why “Twilight” was a successful franchise among teenage girls, even before the novels were made into films with heartthrob young actors in the roles. The narrative involves a plain looking girl who single-handedly wrangles the unbridled ‘beastly’ qualities of the two ‘teens’ fighting over her affection. It is a wish-fulfillment fantasy even without the elements of vampires and werewolves. I have never read the short story by Alice Munro that is the inspiration for the awkwardly titled Hateship Loveship, but the film seems a middle-aged woman’s wish fulfillment along similar lines as those in Twilight. Instead of supernatural teenage boys, the female protagonist of this film is able to tame a wild drug addict to be her domesticated partner.

 

The Blacklist: The Complete First Season DVD Review

     Actors: James Spader, Harry Lennix, Ryan Eggold, Diego Klattenhoff

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

Language: English

Number of discs: 5

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

DVD Release Date: August 12, 2014

 

 

        I don’t know if it is merely NBC’s tendency to heavily market their most promising new shows or simply the hype of James Spader’s return to television, but somehow I heard more about “The Blacklist” than any other new show this year. Unfortunately, this show also features the creativity of a network show ten years ago, making it feel dated and fairly unoriginal. I can think of several espionage/crime shows that are similar (and in many cases, better), and the real disappointment is how ill-suited Spader seems for the role he plays. Fans will still enjoy his distinct approach to dialogue, but I can’t help but feel like it was a bit forced at times. Mildly enjoyable as “The Blacklist” is, it mostly made me long for the better shows that it borrows from and better characters that Spader has played.

 

Proxy Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Joe Swanberg, Kristina Klebe

Director: Zack Parker

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Widescreen

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO

Release Date: August 12, 2014

Run Time: 122 minutes

 

        Although bloated in length, the strength of Proxy lies in director Zack Parker’s willingness to allow the film to be carried by mood rather than plot. In that regard, the first hour of the film is an enigma of success. I was absolutely captivated, but the film’s momentum is hijacked by a plot twist in the middle of the film and what worked for the first hour becomes increasingly tiresome by the end of the 122 minute running time. Despite several strands of various themes throughout the film, Parker never commits to any of them enough for the answers to live up to questions raised. With all criticism in consideration, even in failure I was more engaged by the unique filmmaking Parker’s Proxy than all of the safely mediocre horror movies of recent past.

 

Swelter Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Alfred Molina, Josh Henderson

Director: Keith Parmer

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Widescreen

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: Well Go USA

Release Date: August 12, 2014

Run Time: 118 minutes

 

        It is quite apparent that filmmaker Keith Parmer is attempting to emulate Quentin Tarantino with his sophomore feature, Swelter. The beginning opens like so many other Tarantino imitators, with a heist and convoluted postmodern editing that introduces characters with freeze frame title information. Then the film moves from crime thriller to western, segmenting rather than blending the genres. This makes for an overly confusing first act, before finally settling into a predictable modern western cliché.

 

I’ll Follow You Down Blu-ray Review

    Actors: Haley Joel Osment, Rufus Sewell, Victor Garber, John Paul Ruttan

Director: Richie Mehta

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: August 5, 2014

Run Time: 92 minutes

 

        If you were to remove all of the spectacle of action and humor from Back to the Future and the mystery and intelligence of Donnie Darko, the remainder of what was left would likely resemble all that is contained in I’ll Follow You Down. It is a cookie-cutter time-travel narrative, utilizing nothing but the melodrama to tell its story. I can’t think of a more straight-forward telling of a disjointed timeline, and the result feels like a short film dragged out to feature film length. Because little happens in the film, there is no need for impressive special effects or action sequences of any kind. This is not always necessarily a bad thing, but it is noticeable in a film void of any type of audience enjoyment.

 

Bitten: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Laura Vandervoort, Greyston Holt, Greg Bryk, Paul Greene, Steve Lund

Format: Multiple Formats, NTSC, Widescreen

Language: English

Subtitles: English

Number of discs: 4

Studio: Entertainment One

Release Date: August 12, 2014

Run Time: 572 minutes

 

 

        The popular literature business is apparently no different than the mediums of television and film, and that is apparent in the vast number of supernatural soap opera novels that followed in the wake of Twilight’s inexcusable success. And because Twilight was adapted from a poorly written book series into a sloppily constructed film franchise, many of the imitators have followed suit with their own film and television adaptations. The clearest example of this is “The Vampire Diaries,” though “Bitten” follows very closely with canine steps. Replacing the vampires with werewolves, many of the story elements remain the same.

 

The Wind Will Carry Us Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Behzad Dorani, Bahman Ghobadi

Director: Abbas Kiarostami

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Widescreen

Language: Farsi

Subtitles: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Cohen Media Group

DVD Release Date: July 22, 2014

Run Time: 118 minutes

 

        Released in 1999, The Wind Will Carry Us is a deceptively simplistic story with contemporary themes dealing with the clash of modern technology in a world built upon old traditions. Restraint in the filmmaking process of Abbas Kiarostami only adds to the themes presented, giving everything shown more significance because of all that is left out of frame. The number of characters whose faces are never seen only enhances the impact of the scenery, which takes on one of the largest roles in the film’s narrative.

 

Next Goal Wins DVD Review

     Actors: Coach Thomas Rongen

Directors: Steve Jamison, Mike Brett

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

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: Ketchup Entertainment

DVD Release Date: July 22, 2014

Run Time: 96 minutes

 

 

        I don’t really follow sports, and have never been much of a competitive person in that regard. I can appreciate the talents and abilities that go into playing the games, but find the personalities of entitlement and inflated egos an infuriating aspect of what it can become. Winning becomes everything and that’s usually when I lose interest. The reason why I hate sports but love sports movies is because the films always focus on the underdogs and the improvement of character that inevitably helps them win. In some of the best, they don’t even have to win for it to be a victory.

 

The French Minister DVD Review

     Actors: Thierry Lhermitte, Niels Arestrup, Bruno Raffaelli, Raphael Personnaz

Director: Bertrand Tavernier

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: French

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO

DVD Release Date: July 29, 2014

Run Time: 114 minutes

 

 

        Based on the award-winning graphic novel by former government speech writer Abel Lanzac, The French Minister is The Devil Wears Prada of political films.  The narrative is far more concerned with the comedic nightmare of working for an egomaniacal public personality than the actual politics that it is all endured to accomplish. It is about the job, rather than being about the cause, which allows it the relatable qualities of narrative that made past horror boss films successful as well.

 

Finding Vivian Maier DVD Review

     Actors: Vivian Maier

Director: John Maloof, Charlie Siskel

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO

DVD Release Date: July 29, 2014

Run Time: 90 minutes

 

 

        Finding Vivian Maier is a compelling cinematic documentation of young filmmaker and amateur historian John Maloof’s discovery of a never-discovered photographer from the past. Maloof purchased boxes of Maier’s work at an auction, without knowing what he had bought. This purchase led to an investigation and he discovered that she was a nanny who did street photography as a hobby over the course of her life. The work and the unraveling of this mystery is the strength of the film, while the interviewees can be more of a distraction and irritation.

 

Community: The Complete Fifth Season DVD Review

     Actors: Joel McHale

Format: Multiple Formats, AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: English

Subtitles for the Hearing Impaired: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

Number of discs: 2

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: Sony Pictures Entertainment

DVD Release Date: August 5, 2014

 

        It’s actually fairly ironic that “Community” character Abed (Danny Pudi) is obsessed with the show “Cougar Town,” because the two shows have more in common than you might think. Television is an unpredictable medium. Unlike film, a dedicated fanbase is not enough to ensure continued productions. Many fan-favorite shows have been canceled in the past, and only recently have they learned how to find new homes on different networks or new media outlets. “Arrested Development” had a second life through Netflix, but the gap in-between production seemed to kill any momentum in the series. “Cougar Town” jumped from ABC to TBS without the same break, and following this season “Community” will be moving from NBC to the online programming of Yahoo TV.

 

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.