Halt and Catch Fire: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Review

     Director: Jonathan Lisco

Format: Blu-ray

Language: English (Dolby TrueHD 5.1)

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

Number of discs: 3

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: ANCHOR BAY

Release Date: May 5, 2015

Run Time: 435 minutes

 

 

          AMC’s “Halt and Catch Fire” is well written, has some good performances from a few solid cast members, and is based on an intriguing premise borrowing from real events. There were times while watching the first season that I desperately wanted to like it, but found myself irritated by many of the choices made. Other times I was so annoyed with it that I wanted to hate it (and was successful during some of the season’s more obnoxiously manipulative moments), but somehow found myself obsessively binge-watching anyway. I will continue watching despite the constant contrivances and distasteful characters, mostly because 10 episodes aren’t enough to make a definitive decision about the tech-heavy melodrama.

 

Masters of Sex: Season Two Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Michael Sheen, Lizzy Caplan

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

Language: English

Number of discs: 4

Studio: Sony Pictures

Release Date: May 5, 2015

 

 

 

        The more I watch “Masters of Sex,” the more it feels like a bad “Mad Men” rip-off trying to cash in on the ever-popular topic of sex. Though aspects of the narrative are based on real scientific discoveries and advances, these often take back-seat to the exploitable elements of the show. Most often this includes endless scenes of star Lizzy Caplan undressed, just in case you didn’t get enough of her breasts on “True Blood,” while many of the other storylines feel derivative of the worst parts of “Mad Men.” Melodrama concerning affairs, relationships and flings take precedence over just about everything. Even when this season nearly addresses racial issues significant during the period, it shies away in favor of cheap melodrama instead. Season one felt mostly like a monotonous noncommittal bore, whereas season two is a series of wasted opportunities and endless dead-ends in the plot. It feels like they are dragging the story out as long as they can, but my interest has long ago begun to wane.

 

Broadchurch: The Complete Second Season Review

     Actors: David Tennant, Olivia Colman

Director: Euros Lyn

Format: Multiple Formats, Dolby, NTSC, Widescreen

Language: English

Subtitles: English

Number of discs: 3

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: Entertainment One

DVD Release Date: May 12, 2015

Run Time: 480 minutes

 

 

          I must admit, I was highly skeptical of the decision to create a second season of the detective murder mystery series, “Broadchurch.” Rather than a new mystery a week, this show took on a single case over the course of the first season, much like similarly successful procedurals such as “True Detective.” The difference is the choice to continue the same storyline in the second season of “Broadchurch,” as opposed to the shift to new characters and narratives in the follow up seasons of shows like “True Detective” or “Fargo.” Seeing as the setting of “Broadchurch” is meant to be a small peaceful seaside town, there is some suspension of disbelief needed in the continuation of such criminal investigations, but it is done in a way that cleverly surpasses the first season in many ways.

 

The Wedding Ringer DVD Review

     Actors: Kevin Hart, Josh Gad, Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting

Director: Jeremy Garelick

Format: Ultraviolet, NTSC

Language: English

Subtitles: French

Rated: R

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

DVD Release Date: April 28, 2015

Run Time: 101 minutes

 

 

          There may be a fairly good movie within The Wedding Ringer, but it also happens to be paired with several bad ones. There is nothing original about the individual elements of this first-quarter release, though the schizophrenic combination of these contradictory aspects borrowed from better films leads to an original mess of a movie. What could be pitched as Hitch meets I Love You, Man with Kevin Hart as a leading man, The Wedding Ringer must have sounded like a surefire hit, but the result feels like a Frankenstein creation born out of the creative cowardice of a studio board room.

 

50 to 1 DVD Review

     Actors: Skeet Ulrich, Christian Kane, William Devane

Director: Jim Wilson

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

Language: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese

Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese

Rated: PG-13 

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

DVD Release Date: April 28, 2015

Run Time: 111 minutes

 

          Based on the true story of underdog horse, Mine That Bird, it is easy to predict the ending of a film which tells you in the title how great the odds were against him. I can’t imagine they would ever call a film 50 to 1 if it were about a horse that lost the race. At the same time, I hardly think anyone would have bought a ticket to Seabiscuit or Secretariat if they though the horse would lose the climactic final race. It isn’t the predictability of 50 to1 which makes it far less successful than previous underdog horse narratives; it is the large sections of the film in which the horse is absent from the screen.

 

The Roommates/A Woman for All Men Blu-ray Review

      Actors: Roberta Collins, Judith Brown

Director: Arthur Marks

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

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: GORGON VIDEO

Release Date: March 24, 2015

Run Time: 182 minutes

 

 

 

          Though I wouldn’t necessarily say that these two films are perfectly paired, I am certain enough fans of Grindhouse will merely be pleased to have them available on Blu-ray/DVD combo pack after decades of obscurity. Both were made by B-film director, Arthur Marks (Detroit 9000), who provides interviews and a commentary track for the dual release, though it is The Roommates which seems to be most anticipated. Gorgon Video has given them both proper exhibition with this dual format release, allowing audiences to see these hard-to-find Grindhouse gems.

 

Mysteries of the Unseen World 3D Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Forest Whitaker (Narrator)

Director: Louie Schwartzberg

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Color, 3D, Widescreen

Language: English

Number of discs: 2

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: Virgil Films and Entertainment

Release Date: April 21, 2015

Run Time: 40 minutes

 

        Recently on “The Daily Show,” guest Neil deGrasse Tyson remarked on the rise in popularity of science in popular culture. I would argue that much of that new success is due to technological advances in film and visual effects, which is something that has greatly helped the success of deGrasse’s series, “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey.” Mysteries of the Unseen World relies on similar cutting-edge visual spectacle in order to make more interesting the kind of stuff I had long forgotten learning in science class.  

 

Day of Anger Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Lee Van Cleef, Giuliano Gemma, Walter Rilla

Director: Tonino Valerii

Format: Blu-ray, NTSC

Language: Italian

Number of discs: 3

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: Arrow Video

Release Date: March 31, 2015

Run Time: 95 minutes

 

 

          The wonderful thing about genre films is that there is no need for originality in plot; all that is needed is creativity in the presentation of expected narratives. Day of Anger (also known as Days of Wrath) is a perfectly example of this, doing little unexpected within the context of a spaghetti western, but doing it in a way that is never short of fantastic. No filmmaker is likely to surpass Sergio Leone in popularity when discussing this sub-genre of film made popular mostly during the 1960s and 70s, but Tonino Valerii comes remarkably close with this cult classic. Perhaps it did not hurt to have Leone regular Lee Van Cleef as one of the film’s stars. 

 

Mark of the Devil Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Herbert Lom, Udo Kier, Olivera Katarina

Directors: Michael Armstrong

Format: Blu-ray, NTSC

Language: English

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R

Studio: Arrow Video

Release Date: March 17, 2015

Run Time: 97 minutes

 

 

          I’m not sure that I would place Mark of the Devil in the category of exploitation, though it certainly features a degree of violence and torture that remains horrifying even by today’s standards. At the same time, there is a certain level of respect given to the material which seems to suggest filmmaker Michael Armstrong (and uncredited Adrian Hoven) had no intention of exploiting, but instead shock the audience into a thoughtful look at the horrifying historical treatment of alleged witches during the 17^th century (inaccurate as some details may be). Despite the bevy of attractive and nubile women being tortured with a variety of gruesome methods, Mark of the Devil uses the treatment of them to show the fear of female sexuality from within the Catholic Church.

 

Taken 3 Blu-ray Review

    Actors: Dougray Scott, Liam Neeson, Forest Whitaker

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

Language: English (DTS 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)

Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Dubbed: French, Spanish

Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: PG-13

Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

Release Date: April 21, 2015

Run Time: 109 minutes

 

        The tagline for Taken 3 was “It Ends Here.” Let’s hope that they were right, and this is the last atrocious attempt at forcing a franchise out of one solid action movie. I knew that this film was going to be awful long before I watched it, and that may have actually helped my viewing experience. While there was some hope that the second film might match the original’s ability to make unbelievable action entertaining, every aspect of the marketing campaign for Taken 3 seemed determined to lower my expectations. From the horrendously asinine decision to have the film promoted as Tak3n instead of Taken 3 to the fact that the plot doesn’t involve anyone getting taken, the advertisements for this second sequel felt more like parody than a sincere effort at action.  

       

The Marine 4: Moving Target Blu-ray Review

    Actors: Paul McGillion, Mike Mizanin, Curtis Caravaggio, Matthew MacCaull

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

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

Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Dubbed: French

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Release Date: April 21, 2015

Run Time: 91 minutes

 

 

         The latest straight-to-home-entertainment sequel in this action franchise amps up the level of patriotism, making it almost feel like a sequel to Act of Valor instead. This comparison makes even more sense when comparing the acting skills of the group of Navy Seals used in Act of Valor and the wrestlers of The Marine 4. Even sadder is the fact that these performers are no less convincing than the actual actors cast in the supporting roles. The bottom line is that these films are about action above all else, and The Marine 4: Moving Target is the closest sequel in the franchise to capturing what made the first film mildly successful.

 

Supremacy Blu-ray Review

    Actors: Danny Glover, Joe Anderson, Dawn Olivieri

Director: Deon Taylor

Format: Blu-ray, Widescreen

Language: English

Subtitles: English

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Well Go USA

Release Date: April 21, 2015

Run Time: 104 minutes

 

 

        Supremacy makes the mistake of relying too heavily on the impact from the fact that the story was inspired by true events, offering up a few contrived revelatory moments and an endless stream of melodrama in favor of developed characters and compelling dialogue. The plot may open the film up for discussion of real social issues, but instead falls back on caricatures and contrived scenarios that can’t seem to make up its mind between exploitation and message. Despite director Deon Taylor’s ability to get convincing performances from most of his cast members, it is effort made in vain within Eric J. Adams’ two-dimensional screenplay.

From the Dark Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Niamh Algar, Stephen Cromwell

Director: Conor McMahon

Format: Blu-ray, Widescreen

Language: English

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Dark Sky Films

Release Date: April 14, 2015

Run Time: 90 minutes

 

 

        Somehow I can’t imagine even beginning a discussion about this film without immediately spoiling elements of the film that seem intentionally left out of the plot description. So, I will warn that there is a slight spoiler in the remainder of this review, though it is one I would rather have known from the beginning anyway. The blurb on the back of the Blu-ray describes the film’s creature as “something sinister” and “an unimaginable evil,” paired with the fact that light is their weakness. While the creature of From the Dark may not be a vampire in the most traditional sense, this is clearly the starting off point for the creation of a similar monster.

Sullivan’s Travels Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Joel McCrea, Veronica Lake

Director: Preston Sturges

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Black & White, Full Screen, NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled

Language: English

Subtitles: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: Criterion Collection (Direct)

Release Date: April 14, 2015

Run Time: 90 minutes

 

        True film buffs have ongoing debates about certain cinematic icons to rival rock-and-roll fan’s preferences between The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Charlie Chaplin admirers are contrasted by those who would hail Buster Keaton as the true king of silent slapstick, fans of The Three Stooges are often in competition with The Marx Brothers, and there is an ongoing rivalry between the sentimental films of Frank Capra and the more cynical and satirical work of Preston Sturges. The one film which seems to be in contradiction of this distinction between the two filmmakers seems to be Sullivan’s Travels, though it is still difficult to decipher how much of this was sincerity and how much was a subtle back-handed attack from Sturges against Capra’s iconic and popular style. Whatever the intentions may have been, Sullivan’s Travels remains my favorite Sturges film for the similarities it shares with that rival filmmaker’s movies.

 

The Man with the Iron Fist 2 Blu-ray Review

Actor: Dustin Nguyen, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Eugenia Yuan, Carl Ng, Pim Bubear

Director: Reine Roel

Writers: RZA, John Jarrell

Producers: Marc Abraham, Eric Newman, Ogden Gavanski

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

Language: 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: French, Spanish

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

Number of discs: 2

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Universal Studios

Release Date: April 14, 2015

Digital Copy Expiration Date: May 2, 2016

 

        The fact that I can’t tell if the poorly constructed sequences, cheesy dialogue and shoddy special effects are meant to be intentionally bad as a way of imitating and parodying the genre or are simply signs of awful filmmaking means that The Man with the Iron Fists 2 was a failure, regardless. The failure is a result of a lack of commitment to either make a movie intentionally campy, like Robert Rodriguez’s Machete franchise, or a more sincere effort like the latest adaptation of 47 Ronin. This typical straight-to-video cash grab from Universal studios is not brave enough to take any real risks, and the result is a predictably bland follow-up film.

 

That Man from Rio/Up to His Ears Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Servais

Director: Philippe de Broca

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

Language: English

Number of discs: 2

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: Cohen Media Group

DVD Release Date: April 14, 2015

 

 

        Most American audiences are unfamiliar with the work of Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, though you would be hard-pressed to find many who are unfamiliar with the Star Wars franchise. George Lucas borrowed much from Kurosawa in the creation of Star Wars, specifically The Hidden Fortress (1958). Similarly, I would assume that even fewer Americans are familiar with French filmmaker Philippe De Broca, despite the recognized and apparent influence That Man from Rio had on Steven Spielberg’s Raiders of the Lost Ark. I could use this as a platform to complain about American inability to appreciate foreign film and the influence it has on Hollywood, but the truth is that That Man from Rio was also borrowing from something; the popular Tintin books from Belgian cartoonist, Hergé. I suppose everyone borrows from everyone, and audiences everywhere reap the rewards.

 

The North Hollywood CineFest 2015: April 10-16

 

        The North Hollywood CineFest premiere night this past Friday opened with the first of several short film collections at the local Llaemle NoHo 7, followed by a quick Q&A with attending filmmakers. Among these was Debbie DeLisi, co-director of The Re-Gift, who ended the session with a call to arms, of sorts. “We all gotta help each other, right?!” DeLisi asked of the over-sold theater of captivated audience members, and was answered by an enthusiastic round of applause and cheers. There were clearly more than a few aspiring artists amidst the crowd, and DeLisi’s passionate final words struck a sincere cord for many in attendance.

 

Vengeance of an Assassin Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Dan Chupong, Nattawut Boonrabsap, Ping Lumprapleng

Director: Panna Rittikrai

Format: Blu-ray, Widescreen

Language: Thai

Subtitles: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Well Go USA

Release Date: April 14, 2015

Run Time: 93 minutes

 

 

        Watching Vengeance of an Assassin is kind of like watching a live stunt show; you know that there is nothing real or even slightly believable, but it is more about the spectacle behind the execution of the stunts that is meant to impress. Much of the action in Vengeance of an Assassin goes far beyond believability, which makes even more obvious the trickery used to accomplish the stunts. In the film’s worst sequence, a frail and petite looking woman with arms the size of broomsticks throws our muscular male hero around as if he were a lightweight doll. As a film, Vengeance of an Assassin is ruined by the absurdity of sequences such as this; as a stunt show, it is almost improved.

 

Echoes Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Steve Hanks, Kate French, Steven Brand

Director: Nils Timm

Format: Blu-ray, Widescreen

Language: English

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: ANCHOR BAY

Release Date: April 14, 2015

Run Time: 88 minutes

 

 

        Filmmakers these days have a need to creatively adapt their screenplay ideas in a way that requires less money to film, and a solitary remote location is one way of accomplishing this. It should then come as little surprise that so many first-time filmmakers choose the horror genre, as writer/director Nils Timm has done for his feature-film debut. Though this doesn’t feel like a feature as much as a feature-length demo reel. Derivative to the point of dullness, Echoes simply feels like a calling card for investors to see that Timm can complete a feature film. At the same time, he simultaneously proved an inability to entertain or engage the audience amidst all of the technical proficiency.

 

Motivational Growth DVD Review

     Actors: Jeffery Combs

Director: Don Thacker

Format: Blu-ray, NTSC

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Parade Deck Films

DVD Release Date: April 21, 2015

Run Time: 104 minutes

 

 

        The term ‘cult film’ was coined for movies such as Motivational Growth, which defies classification or even explanation. It is original, bizarre, and occasionally overcomes the shortcomings of the amateur actors with a distinct visual style and directorial flare. Having watched the entire thing, I’m still not certain I have a grasp on everything that the filmmaker was trying to do, but even the failures of the film had enough creativity to keep me engaged enough to follow it to the end. Aspects of the storyline lull into predictable themes, but a series of disjointed sequences destroy this consistency in a way that makes the film weaker while simultaneously retaining viewers with its spontaneity.