New BBC Mystery on DVD

     Format: Multiple Formats, Color, NTSC

Language: English (Stereo)

Number of discs: 2

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: BBC Home Entertainment

DVD Release Date: September 16, 2014

Run Time: 270 minutes

 

 

DCI Banks: Season Two

 

        Based on the Inspector Banks novels by Peter Robinson, “DCI Banks” follows title character Detective Chief Inspector Banks (Stephen Tompkinson) in his pursuit of justice. This begins with a mystery involving Inspector Banks’ estranged brother and a murder, a case which he inadvertently becomes involved in. Using his no-nonsense methods of investigation, Banks sets out to prove his brother’s innocence in one of three two-part mysteries that make up season two.

 

The Equalizer: The Complete Collection Box Set Review

Actors: Edward Woodward, Keith Szarabajka, William Zabka

Format: Limited Edition, NTSC

Language: English

Number of discs: 30

Studio: Visual Entertainment Inc.

DVD Release Date: September 30, 2014

Run Time: 5038 minutes

 

        Coinciding with the theatrical release of Antoine Fuqua’s adaptation, starring Denzel Washington, the classic 1980s action series has been released in a box set. All four seasons which aired from 1985 to 1989 are included on 30 discs, along with several discs of special features. The discs are all housed in the single DVD cases you would receive if purchasing the seasons separately, though they all come packaged in a glossy limited edition box with a flip-top lid.

Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever DVD Review

     Performers: Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson, Richard Pryor, Diana Ross, Berry Gordy

Director: Don Mischer

Format: Multiple Formats, Box set, Color, NTSC

Language: English

Number of discs: 3

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: Time Life Entertainment

DVD Release Date: September 30, 2014

Run Time: 450 minutes

 

        On May 16^th, 1983 “Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever” debuted on NBC, reuniting groups such as The Miracles, The Supremes and The Jackson 5 in celebration of twenty-five years of Motown music. Perhaps best known for Michael Jackson’s performance of “Billie Jean,” during which he introduced the world to the moonwalk, this television special went on to win an Emmy Award and the George Foster Peabody Award. For such a remarkable piece of music history, it is hard to believe that this special show was unavailable to consumers until now.

 

The Midnight Special DVD Review

     Actors: AC, DC, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Aerosmith, John Denver

Director: Time Life

Format: Multiple Formats, Box set, Color, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 6

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: Time Life Entertainment

DVD Release Date: September 9, 2014

Run Time: 505 minutes

 

 

        Today’s generation can joke about the fact that MTV once played music videos without much gravity, mostly because there are endless opportunities to see music videos and live performances on the internet. We have grown accustomed to having multiple media options for fandom at all times, so it is difficult to imagine what the impact must have been in 1972 when the late-night music performance show was born with “The Midnight Special.” The oddest thing about the series wasn’t the smash success it was for music fans all over the country, but the fact that it started at 1:00 a.m. rather than midnight.

 

Doctor Who: Deep Breath Blu-ray Review

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

Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1 ES Matrix)

Subtitles: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: BBC Home Entertainment

Release Date: September 9, 2014

Run Time: 70 minutes

 

        “Doctor Who” is one of the strangest series in television history, if only for its ability to change the entire dynamic of the show every so often without losing the spirit of what was created with William Hartnell half a century ago. With the departure of Matt Smith as the doctor, we have moved on to the Twelfth Doctor, played by Peter Capaldi. Not only does the face of the doctor change, but the personalities and nuances in performances have an altering affect on the entire dynamic of the series.

 

Firestorm Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Andy Lau, Ka Tung Lam, Michael Wong, Yao Chen

Director: Alan Yuen

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Widescreen

Language: Mandarin Chinese

Subtitles: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Well Go USA

Release Date: September 23, 2014

Run Time: 118 minutes

 

         Firestorm is what I imagine The Town or Heat would have looked like, had the director been John Woo rather than Ben Affleck and Michael Mann. The storyline is a rather straightforward crime narrative that is built around gun-heavy action sequences. It is cops against criminals, and most of the time this battle is carried out with an old-school appreciation of the bullet-ballet. There are even a few sequences that utilize pigeons, within the battle and the cinematography.

 

Hannibal: Season Two Blu-ray Review

Language: English

Number of discs: 1

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: Lionsgate

Release Date: September 16, 2014

 

 

        I loved the first season of “Hannibal,” both for the visual excesses and the intelligent utilization of an infamous cinematic villain. While some of the elements remain the same, such as the cast and the stylistic choices in cinematography and art direction, the very fact that the first season allowed the narrative to progress outside of the serial-killer-a-week formula also ensured necessary changed in the second season. While I still enjoy the actors involved, much of the second season of “Hannibal” begins to feel like the writers painted themselves into a corner with season one’s finale.

 

Arrow: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Stephen Amell, Katie Cassidy, David Ramsey, Willa Holland, Emily Bett Rickards

Producers: Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Box set, Color, NTSC, Widescreen

Language: English

Number of discs: 9

Studio: Warner Home Video

Release Date: September 16, 2014

Digital Copy Expiration Date: September 16, 2017

Run Time: 1056 minutes

 

        Every network now has their own superhero series, though few have managed the edgier qualities that “Arrow” became known for after the first season. Even “Gotham” feels like it could have used a little bit of this same verve. While the second season falters in the middle a bit, stretching out material until the resolution by the end of the season, it still manages to deliver many of the elements that made the first season a success. New characters are introduced, while others simply reappear with new alter-egos. The strength in the show lies in the decision to have a narrative through-line for each season, and this one develops the villain of Deathstroke.

 

Macbeth Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Jon Finch, Francesca Annis, Martin Shaw

Director: Roman Polanski

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Widescreen

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: Criterion Collection

Release Date: September 23, 2014

Run Time: 140 minutes

 

 

        William Shakespeare’s plays are known for the words, and how poetically this prose is able to replace action that goes unseen onstage. There is a natural tendency to lean heavily upon Shakespeare’s words when adapting his work to screen, and only the strongest of visual directors have managed to avoid this pitfall. Akira Kurosawa’s adaptation of “King Lear,” Ran, is a perfect example of a successful film adaptation. Despite its failures in the box office, Roman Polanski’s Macbeth is a truly visceral film experience that captures the essence of Shakespeare’s play while utilizing the strength in the medium of film.

 

Very Good Girls Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Dakota Fanning, Elizabeth Olsen, Demi Moore, Peter Sarsgaard

Director: Naomi Foner

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Widescreen

Language: English

Subtitles: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R 

Studio: Well Go USA

Release Date: September 23, 2014

Run Time: 93 minutes

 

        It would be easy to blame Very Good Girls on the restricting roles offered to female leads in Hollywood, with a cliché love triangle and forced moments of sexual awakening amongst teen girls being the only subjects of interest in the film. However true this may be in most cases, Very Good Girls is the directorial debut of female screenwriter Naomi Foner, proving that predictable female coming-of-age fodder can feel false regardless of who makes it. Although there is plenty of forced melodrama in the derivative love triangle at the center of the story, what is most surprising is how much the male gaze remains alive at the hands of a female filmmaker.

Neighbors Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Rose Byrne, Dave Franco, Christopher Mintz-Plasse

Director: Nicholas Stoller

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), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (DTS 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (DTS 5.1)

Subtitles: French, Spanish, English

Dubbed: Spanish, French

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Number of discs: 2

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: Universal Studios

Release Date: September 23, 2014

Digital Copy Expiration Date: May 2, 2016

        Neighbors begins with a sex scene between a married couple who have recently had a child and bought their first home. In this opening sequence they are attempting an act of spontaneous pleasure, but are inevitably pulled back into their role as parents. This scene sets up the film perfectly, because the main focus is on the struggle that this couple has transitioning from a recklessly carefree lifestyle to the monotony of parenting and life after college. If only the focus had remained on this, Neighbors would have been a brilliant film. Instead, it gets distracted by useless bromance subplots and over-the-top vulgarity, making it feel a bit directionless and disappointingly average.

 

Think Like a Man Too Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Dennis Haysbert, Jerry Ferrara, Michael Ealy, Adam Brody

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

Language: English

Subtitles: Chinese, English, Korean

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: PG-13 

Studio: Sony

Release Date: September 16, 2014

Run Time: 106 minutes

 

        Think Like a Man left very little impression on me. On one hand, even had I hated the film, it might have stuck in my memory longer than the generic, mediocre, bland experience I had. In some ways, Think Like a Man Too succeeds as a sequel to that film, because only a few atrocious over-indulgences remain in my memory only days after watching it. It isn’t bad as much as it is offensively uninspired, like a younger and hipper relative to another star-studded Sin City bomb; Last Vegas.

 

Korengal DVD Review

     Director: Sebastian Junger

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: Virgil Films and Entertainment

DVD Release Date: September 9, 2014

Run Time: 90 minutes

 

 

        In 2010, the Academy Award nominated war documentary, Restrepo, provided audiences with a visceral look at the war in Afghanistan by following a platoon in one of the deadliest valleys. Named after a fallen soldier who would also inspire the name of a high-ground outpost in the Korengal Valley, Restrepo focused a great deal on the grief felt by the platoon at this loss. The follow-up feature developed with the help of Kickstarter by filmmaker Sebastian Junger is conversely more interested in the appeal and monotony of the actual lifestyle developed in war.

 

New Blu-ray Additions to The Toho Godzilla Collection

 

Godzilla 2000

 

 

 

        The Toho Godzilla films were meant to take a break back in 1998, when the first American installment was attempted. When Roland Emmerich’s film was a massive failure and insult to the franchise, Toho responded with Godzilla 2000, confusingly released in 1999. It was released theatrically in both Japan and in the United States, with a slightly altered edit. Both versions are available on the new Blu-ray release, along with a filmmaker and crew commentary track, a behind-the-scenes featurette and the original theatrical trailer.

 

God’s Pocket DVD Review

     Actors: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Christina Hendricks

Director: John Slattery

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: English

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO

DVD Release Date: September 9, 2014

Run Time: 89 minutes

 

 

        It is easy to imagine how this adaptation of Pete Dexter’s novel might have been made into a dark comedy under the guidance of more experienced filmmakers, such as the Coen brothers, but actor turned first-time director John Slattery (“Mad Men”) presents the story in a way that hits the same bleak notes from start to finish. Regardless of how captivating the veteran cast may be, it becomes difficult to imagine the reasons for forcing the characters to endure such hardship, or the meaning that the audience is meant to take away from the experience. As enjoyable as individual sequences may be, the overall result of God’s Pocket feels more trouble than its worth.

Borgman Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Jan Bijvoet, Hadewych Minis, Jeroen Perceval

Director: Alex van Warmerdam

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

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: NEW VIDEO GROUP

Release Date: September 9, 2014

Run Time: 113 minutes

 

        Dutch Filmmaker Alex van Warmerdam is no stranger to dark fables, having made his own bizarre twist on “Hansel & Gretel” with 2003’s Grimm. From the opening sequence which has a priest arming himself with a shotgun and large spear to hunt a group of men dwelling in underground structures, it is clear that Warmerdam’s Borgman exists in a similarly fantastical world. It is more horror film than fable, but the whimsical presentation inspires terror and dread more than providing scares or gore.

         

Friend 2: The Legacy DVD Review

     Actors: Oh-Seong Yu, Jang Young-nam, Joo Jin-mo, Kim Woo-bin

Director: Kwak Gyeong-taek

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: Korean

Subtitles: English

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: CJ Entertainment

DVD Release Date: September 16, 2014

Run Time: 121 minutes

 

 

        Despite only a few of the characters remaining from the previous installment in this gangster-drama franchise, Friend II: The Legacy manages to maintain the atmosphere from the original. It is with the narrative that this sequel gets a bit tripped up, attempting to do too much in a result that feels more convoluted than a sequel should. Rather than simply worrying about the progression of the characters in the story following the first film’s events, Friend II simultaneously adds unnecessary prequel segments from one of the film’s minor characters. Despite action which exceeds the first film in excitement, this follow-up feature is missing strength in characters and relationships which made the original one the most successful films in South Korean history.

 

Victim Blu-ray Review

    Actors: Jason Maza, Ashley Madekwe, Frank Harper, Ashley Chin, Adam Deacon

Director: Alex Pillai

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: September 9, 2014

Run Time: 86 minutes

 

        Although the acting and directing are adequate enough, Victim quickly becomes absolutely rubbish due to a screenplay that feels written by a fifteen-year-old thug with a false sense of righteous indignation and a penchant for unbelievable melodrama. It isn’t enough for the narrative to suggest that crime is the only option for some, but it actually attempts to make the claim that criminals are just as much victims as the people they brutalize and steal from. While the victims of these attacks are rarely completely innocent, that hardly justifies the theft and abuse carried out so that the film’s protagonists can get drunk and high in style.

 

Willow Creek Blu-ray Review

   Actors: Bryce Johnson, Alexie Gilmore

Director: Bobcat Goldthwait

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Widescreen

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Dark Sky Films

Release Date: September 9, 2014

Run Time: 80 minutes

 

 

        Willow Creek is a step back for found-footage horror films, choosing realism in characters, plot and dialogue over spectacle. While recently released found-footage horror movies utilize the medium to display impressive special effects through the grounded camera work of home footage, Willow Creek doesn’t even feel the need to show the horror at the center of the film’s narrative. In this way, among many other similarities, Willow Creek feels like a direct descendant to the original found-footage horror film; The Blair Witch Project. While this simplicity/subtlety is often more effective in terms of the film’s eerie build up, the climax simply feels disappointing without a reveal. Even The Jungle at least gave us a glimpse of the creature in question.

 

The Goldbergs: The Complete First Season DVD Review

     Actors: George Segal, Jeff Garlin, Troy Gentile, Sean Giambrone

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

Language: English

Subtitles: English, French

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

Number of discs: 3

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: Sony Pictures Entertainment

DVD Release Date: September 9, 2014

Run Time: 495 minutes

 

        Although one of television’s earliest sitcoms was also named “The Goldbergs,” this new series feels far more like a remake (or re-imagining) of “The Wonder Years.” The series is actually based on the childhood of creator Adam Goldberg, though elements were clearly changed in ways that make it more similar to “The Wonder Years,” including the replacement of the older brother character with an older sister instead. It is more than that, however. When I was a child in the late 1980s, I watched a show about a family living in the 1960s. Twenty-some years later I am watching a series about a family in the 1980s, and can finally relate to what “The Wonder Years” must have felt like to my parents.