The Intruders DVD Review

Actors: Miranda Cosgrove, Austin Butler, Donal Logue

Format: Multiple Formats, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: English

Subtitles: Spanish

Dubbed: Spanish

Number of discs: 1

Rated: PG-13

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

DVD Release Date: February 24, 2015

Run Time: 90 minutes

        I was filled with such a sense of déjà vu watching The Intruders that I ended up pausing the film about halfway through, convinced that there was another recently released horror film that had nearly the same screenplay. Even if first-time screenwriter Jason Juravic did not plagiarize the content of this poorly made horror film from another poorly made horror movie, it contains more cliché genre tropes than any of the Scary Movie or Haunted House spoofs with a deadly seriousness that quickly becomes dull. There is a family with a troubled past moving into a notorious new home, ambiguous warnings from the neighbors that conveniently give out no details of the house’s history, and a protagonist with a history of mental instability so that nobody believes her. My imagination has more surprises than this horrendously uninspired horror film.

 

Brotherhood of Blades Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Chang Chen, Cecilia Liu, Qing Ye, Nie Yuan

Director: Lu Yang

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

Language: Cantonese

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Well Go USA

Release Date: February 10, 2015

Run Time: 111 minutes

 

        There may be a good film somewhere in Brotherhood of Blades, but I would need to watch it again to be able to be able to understand where it is. The narrative contains too many characters and is told in a convoluted manner, so that little makes sense until the very end, at which point it will take a perfect memory to recall who each character is and where their loyalties in the narrative lie. The action is fantastic, making the last third of the film a compelling watch, though the relevance of these sequences would have been increased with a clearer storyline.

Skating to New York Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Dylan Everett, Connor Jessup, Niamh Wilson, Jason Gedrick, Gage Munroe

Director: Charles Minsky

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

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: PG-13 

Studio: Well Go USA

Release Date: February 17, 2015

Run Time: 93 minutes

 

        This Canadian coming-of-age adventure film is full of good intentions and rife with errors in filmmaking. The actual shell of the film and its components is actually quite promising, which is why the failed execution is that much more disappointing. There are contrived situations of unbelievable coincidence, dialogue so bad that I can only hope it was mostly improvised, and a narrative structure that sloppily bookends the adventure with a typical sports victory storyline. Not without its moments of accidental charm, Skating to New York still feels like a film with no need for distribution outside of Canada.

 

Fear Clinic Blu-ray Review

Language: English

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R (Restricted)

Blu-ray Release Date: May 12, 2015, exclusively at Best Buy now.

 

 

        Fear Clinic utilizes impressive low budget special effects in place of a decent screenplay, believable acting, or direction that is even moderately decent. The special effects department might as well be listed as the film’s director, because that is the only thing to keep this low budget cliché moving forward from one dull scene to the next. Director Robert Hall is best known for his work as a makeup artist, and his filmography as a director has been predictably dominated by this visual aspect, with little to no regard for the narrative aspects of storytelling.

 

Dumb and Dumber To Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, Rob Riggle

Directors: Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly

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

Language: German (DTS 5.1), 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: Spanish, French, German, English

Dubbed: Spanish, French, German

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 2

Rated: PG-13 

Studio: Universal Studios

Release Date: February 17, 2015

Digital Copy Expiration Date: May 2, 2016

        Dumb and Dumber was the first film from the Farrelly brothers, Peter and Bobby, and quickly established them as a force to be reckoned with in the world of comedy. As significant to 1990s gross-out comedy as National Lampoon was in the 1980s and Judd Apatow in the 2000s, the Farrelly brothers brought the raunch back to the genre. Although it may have helped their careers advance by not making a sequel to Dumb and Dumber at the height of its popularity, it does nothing to help the filmmakers who have been on a quick descent these past few years.

 

Rosewater Blu-ray Review

    Actors: Gael Garcia Bernal, Kim Bodnia, Haluk Bilginer, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Golshifteh Farahani

Director: Jon Stewart

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

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

Subtitles: French, Spanish, English

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 2

Rated: R

Studio: Universal Studios

Release Date: February 10, 2015

Digital Copy Expiration Date: May 2, 2016

 

        After announcing his retirement from “The Daily Show” the same week as the DVD and Blu-ray release of his directorial debut, one cannot help but wonder if Rosewater was just the beginning of a career in filmmaking for Jon Stewart. Based on the confidence in his debut feature, this could be a worthwhile venture for him and for audiences alike. Far from a perfect film, Rosewater does carry over the same ability that Stewart has employed on his comedy news show for seventeen years. While never diminishing the seriousness of the subject, Stewart is able to allow humor to exist within the lunacy of the narrative.

 

No Tears for the Dead Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Jang Dong-gun, Brian Tee

Director: Kim Jung-beom

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Dolby, Dubbed, NTSC, Subtitled, Surround Sound, Widescreen

Language: Korean

Subtitles: English

Dubbed: English

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: CJ Entertainment America

Release Date: February 17, 2015

Run Time: 116 minutes

 

 

        From the director of The Man From Nowhere comes another story involving a regret-filled professional killer utilizing his skills to protect the innocent. South Korea seems to be flooded with this particular narrative, with stylistic choices being the element which separates the mediocre from the great. Although No Tears for the Dead is mostly forgettable, there are sequences within the generic storyline which make all of the rest worthwhile.

 

The Lookalike Blu-ray Review

    Actors: Gillian Jacobs, Justin Long, Jerry O'Connell, John Corbett, Luis Guzman

Director: Richard Gray

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

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Well Go USA

Release Date: February 10, 2015

Run Time: 100 minutes

 

        Good direction can often improve a poor screenplay, just as bad can have a devastating effect on a good one. The Lookalike is a mess of a screenplay which has its awfulness enhanced by director Richard Gray. Not improved, mind you, but enhanced with excessive slow-motion photography and a manipulative soundtrack to cue the audience’s every emotion. It is a bad script that is over-directed, rather than improved upon, which may have something to do with the writer being the wife of the director.

 

The Song DVD Review

     Actors: Alan Powell, Ali Faulkner, Caitlin Nicol-Thomas

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

Language: English

Subtitles: English, Spanish, Chinese, French, Korean, Portuguese Brazilian, Thai

Number of discs: 1

Rated: PG-13

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

DVD Release Date: February 10, 2015

Run Time: 116 minutes

        The Song is a faith-based film which tries a bit too hard to stay ‘middle-of-the-road,’ but by attempting to please everyone, first-time filmmaker Richard Ramsey has made a rather bland piece of entertainment. I would still take this over most Christian-made films like Fireproof, but there is still a ways to go before faith-based films are successfully integrated into mainstream. While far from perfect, films like When the Game Stands Tall, Moms’ Night Out and The Song are a step in the right direction; that direction being as far from Kurt Cameron and Sherwood Pictures as possible.

 

The Remaining Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Johnny Pacar

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Subtitled, Widescreen

Language: English

Subtitles: Spanish

Dubbed: French, Spanish

Subtitles for the Hearing Impaired: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Rated: PG-13

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Release Date: January 27, 2015

 

        The independent horror film industry actually shares a great deal with the field of faith-based films. Both tend to have poorly written dialogue, delivered by amateur actors and directors with a preoccupation with other elements in the filmmaking process. Horror directors want the scares and gore to overshadow the cheaper production values, while Christian filmmakers are often more interested in the message than with quality. By making a film which fits into either category, The Remaining somehow manages to bring along the worst from both.

       

Zombie Killers: Elephant’s Graveyard Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Billy Zane, Dee Wallace, Brian Anthony Wilson

Director: Harrison Smith

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: English

Number of discs: 1

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: ANCHOR BAY

Release Date: February 3, 2015

Run Time: 104 minutes

 

 

        Ever wonder what happened to Mischa Barton? Yeah, I didn’t think so. But just in case you wanted to know if she is still a terrible actress now that her youth and beauty cant be relied on, the answer is clear with every terrible line she delivers in this typically awful low budget zombie film. Barton fits right in, though her career is so pathetic that even her role in this piece of garbage is small and insignificant to the film’s plot. It almost feels as though she were merely crammed into a small role for the ability to add another former star to the credits. Make no mistake, Barton’s name plays more significance than her performance does in this poorly-made production.

The Color of Time DVD Review

     Actors: James Franco, Zach Braff, Henry Hopper

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: English

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: ANCHOR BAY

DVD Release Date: January 27, 2015

Run Time: 76 minutes

 

        It would only take slight changes in tone for The Color of Time to feel like a spoof of Terrence Malick’s recent filmography, specifically Tree of Life. This would not be difficult, because even Malick’s own films seem ready to slip into a parody of themselves at any moment, but The Color of Time is completely humorless and the imitation is done with complete sincerity. All of the twelve filmmakers credited as writer/directors do their best to copy Malick, without a hint of irony or the ability to realize how transparent this imitation is. They approach the material with the kind of painful sincerity and poisonous pretensions that could only belong to a film student, which is exactly what they are.

 

Kink DVD Review

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John Wick Blu-ray Review

    Actors: Keanu Reeves, Willem Dafoe, Dean Winters, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen

Format: Blu-ray, Widescreen

Language: English

Subtitles: English, Spanish, French

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: Lionsgate

Release Date: February 3, 2015

Run Time: 101 minutes

 

 

        The internet has been buzzing about the news of a John Wick sequel in the works this past week, no doubt coinciding with the home entertainment release of the sleeper action hit. While the film itself is far from perfect, it is a role perfectly suited to give star Keanu Reeves a bit of a comeback and highlight the directorial debut of his former stunt double, Chad Stahelski (along with fellow Matrix stuntman David Leitch, credited as producer). Even with a weak script in need of serious structural work, the combination of Keanu’s cold performance and impressively directed action sequences makes all forgivable. This may not be the smartest revenge film, but it is the most fun to come from the sub-genre in some time.

 

Before I Go To Sleep Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Nicole Kidman, Colin Firth

Format: Blu-ray, Widescreen

Language: English (DTS 5.1)

Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Release Date: January 27, 2015

Run Time: 92 minutes

 

 

        There are too many similar themes and scenarios within Before I Go to Sleep that reminded me of other films for me to avoid comparing it. The end result feels something like a blend of Memento and Gone Girl, without the strength of either Christopher Nolan or David Fincher’s direction to elevate the material. In the end, Before I Go to Sleep is somehow simultaneously too generic and too unbelievable to make it a memorable piece of entertainment. No matter the strength of the cast, the weaker aspects of the film are eventually overpowering.

 

Ouija Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Olivia Cooke, Ana Coto, Daren Kagasoff

Director: Stiles White

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

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Number of discs: 2

Rated: PG-13

Studio: Universal Studios

Release Date: February 3, 2015

Digital Copy Expiration Date: May 2, 2016

        I have no problem with bloodless horror movies if they are done right. I think The Conjuring is among the best horror films in the last ten years, blood or not. The problem is that Ouija is not done well, and the bloodlessness enhances the boredom. Suddenly amidst this boredom in viewing Ouija I had a revelation about horror films, understanding that mediocre acting and poorly written dialogue is far more easily accepted amidst the spectacle of gore. Even though much of the acting is above par in Ouija, I found myself irritated by the horrendous screenplay and each of its contrivances; far more than I would have within the typical distractions of this genre.

       

Bird People DVD Review

     Actors: Josh Charles, Anaïs Demoustier, Roschdy Zem, Taklyt Vongdara

Director: Pascale Ferran

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: English, French

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO

DVD Release Date: January 13, 2015

Run Time: 128 minutes

 

        Bird People is an unexpected delight; a true example of the pure spirit of what independent cinema is meant to be. Somehow after a few decades of Sundance Film Festivals and the original daring spirit that first created the market for independently produced cinema, the storyline for many of the films are so predictable that an argument could be made that it has simply become another genre. These dialogue-dominant narratives offer few surprises in story, most often merely showcasing the talents of the filmmaker and/or their leading cast members. You could easily find common threads in plot, creating sub-genres for road-trip films or family dysfunction, and suddenly these formula-heavy stories no longer carry the subversive spirit of independent cinema; they merely appear to be films too small for the franchise-crazed film industry to bother with.

Days and Nights DVD Review

    Actors: Katie Holmes, William Hurt, Allison Janney

Director: Christian Camargo

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO

DVD Release Date: January 27, 2015

Run Time: 91 minutes

 

        Days and Nights does not take enough time to tell us who these people are or give us the opportunity to care about them before throwing them into a series of mishaps and melodramatic scenarios.  Part of the problem is the simple excess of characters. As well as making it more difficult to remember each person’s connection to the others, many of the talented cast members go largely unused. On the other hand, some of the cast’s most amateur performers are also handed the brunt of the dialogue-heavy material. The result is a mixed bag of awful and endearing, though the overall film is simply an uneven mess that should have been fixed with either a rewrite the shooting script and/or a different cut of the film that includes more from select characters and less from others.

 

Maison Close: Season One Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Valerie Karsenti, Anne Charrier, Jemima West, Catherine Hosmalin

Director: Jacques Ouaniche

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

Language: French

Subtitles: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1

Number of discs: 2

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: Music Box Films

Release Date: January 27, 2015

Run Time: 480 minutes

 

        The greatest mistake made in marketing this French costume drama is the misrepresentation of what can be expected. Sex sells, so it is hardly a surprise that this is the element of the series which has been embellished in attempts to get American audiences to become viewers, but this is not the type of series to indulge in the exploitation of its actresses. Instead, this is a show which exposes the poor treatment of the unfortunate women who were once in this position, exposing the real-life drama rather than catering to the campier elements that the marketing team contradictorily uses as a selling point. Although sex is at the center of the storyline, it is all in service of the narrative and with far less nudity than one might expect from a French series about a bordello.

 

The Skin Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Burt Lancaster, Marcello Mastroianni

Director: Liliana Cavani

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, DTS Surround Sound, Full Screen

Language: Italian

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Cohen Media Group

Release Date: January 13, 2015

Run Time: 142 minutes

 

        Intentionally shocking and defiantly vulgar in its presentation, Liliana Cavani’s controversial film adaptation of Curzio Malaparte’s short stories about the corruption of war often feels like a dramatic endeavor from Monty Python. Violence is so extreme that it is nearly cartoonish, and the characters all seem created for the sole purpose of satire. There is great impact in the cinematic choices made to enhance the narrative’s satirical outlook, perhaps no less when considering the modern relevance to the tale as well as when it was made. The war of each time period may change, but the ugliness of the spirit seems to stay the same.