War Room Blu-ray Review

Actors: T.C. Stallings, Priscilla Shirer, Alex Kendrick, Beth Moore, Karen Abercrombie

Director: Alex Kendrick

Producer: Stephen Kendrick

Format: AC-3, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen

Language: English

Subtitles: French, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Indonesian, Thai, Tagalog, Spanish, English

Dubbed: French, Portuguese, Thai, Spanish

Audio Description: English

Region: All Regions

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: PG

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Release Date: December 22, 2015

Digital Copy Expiration Date: December 31, 2018

Run Time: 120 minutes

 

        Alex and Stephen Kendrick are brothers who started their filmmaking career with a church ministry/production company called Sherwood Productions in Georgia. Hollywood took notice when their minimal budget (thanks, in part, to members of the congregation who donated time and resources), and Sony Pictures struck up a deal with the brothers to collaborate on their faith-based films. War Room is the first of these releases, and despite some improvement in the production values, it appears to be business as usual for the Kendrick Brothers. Their paycheck may have increased significantly, but War Room is essentially just a gender-swap version of Fireproof, one of their first successes with Sherwood Productions.

 

The Perfect Guy Blu-ray Review

Actors: Michael Ealy, Charles Dutton, Sanaa Lathan, Kathryn Morris, Rutina Wesley

Director: David Rosenthal

Producers: Wendy Rhoads, Darryl Taja, Tommy Oliver, Nicole Rocklin

Format: Blu-ray, Subtitled

Language: English

Subtitles: French, Spanish, English

Dubbed: French, Spanish

Audio Description: English

Region: Region A/1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: PG-13

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Release Date: December 29, 2015

Digital Copy Expiration Date: December 31, 2018

Run Time: 100 minutes

 

        The Perfect Guy is competently made, and as I watched it I began to think that critics had given the mildly amusing genre film a bad rap. Then days later I sat down to write my thoughts on the film and found that the bland safety of the narrative had left little impression on my mind. Forced to think about it, of course I was able to remember what had happened, but this is definitely the type of movie you are more likely to have memories of your experience watching the film than anything in the narrative itself. My experience was moderately enjoyable, despite being aware I was watching a film both predictable and generic to a fault.  

 

Queen of Earth DVD Review

    Actors: Elisabeth Moss, Patrick Fugit, Katherine Waterston

Director: Alex Ross Perry

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: English

Region: Region 1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: MPI Home Video

DVD Release Date: December 22, 2015

Run Time: 90 minutes

 

 

        There are things about Queen of Earth that I appreciated, such as the narrative resemblance to psychological thrillers such as Ingmar Bergman’s Persona or Roman Polanski’s Repulsion and (to a lesser degree) Rosemary’s Baby. The trailer even has a stylistic resemblance to films in this sub-genre from the 1970s, despite the style being much more subdued in the actual film. Then there are aspects of the relationships in Queen of Earth that I was unable to appreciate, if only for the simple fact that I belong to the wrong gender.

 

Jenny’s Wedding DVD Review

     Actors: Katherine Heigl, Alexis Bledel, Tom Wilkinson

Director: Mary Agnes Donoghue

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: English

Region: Region 1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)

Studio: MPI Home Video

DVD Release Date: December 29, 2015

Run Time: 94 minutes

 

 

        Jenny’s Wedding is more competently made than the screenplay from writer/director Mary Agnes Donoghue deserves, thanks entirely to a cast willing to commit to outdated material always on the verge of turning into a film you would see on the Hallmark Channel. The basic structure of the film is all melodrama, enhancing the singular note of the movie with endless montages which utilize pop songs to convey the emotions the filmmaking is incapable of, but the tone of the movie takes on the air of a romantic comedy. The result is a breezy piece of bubblegum LGBT propaganda with a stacked cast.

Time Out of Mind Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Richard Gere, Jena Malone

Director: Oren Moverman

Format: Blu-ray, Widescreen

Language: English

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO

Release Date: December 15, 2015

Run Time: 121 minutes

 

 

        Narratively speaking, Time Out of Mind is so simplistic that I was certain the concept would never hold for the two-hour running-time. Then I began to notice the stylistic choices filmmaker Oren Moverman was making and realized that this is a film that needs to take its time for the approach to be effective. It is also a story made for the cinematic art form, at least according to Siegfried Kracauer’s list of the medium’s unique functions in his essential work, Theory of Film: The Redemption of Physical Reality.

 

Slow Learners DVD Review

     Actors: Sarah Burns, Adam Pally

Directors: Don Argott, Sheena M. Joyce

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: English

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: MPI Home Video

DVD Release Date: December 15, 2015

Run Time: 97 minutes

 

 

        Slow Learners opens with a couple of scenes that are brilliantly executed, and also set up the oddball tone of the comedy fittingly. After about 1/3 of the unique narrative about two socially inept school teachers with atrocious dating skills, the story shifts into a series of predictable and cliché plot structures. Even worse than this predictability, however, are the scenes in which the improvisational comedy made me stop laughing and feel embarrassed for the actors. However uneven the overall experience of Slow Learners may be, there are enough funny scenes to make enduring the bad ones worthwhile.

 

Mistress America Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Greta Gerwig, Lola Kirke

Director: Noah Baumbach

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, NTSC, 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: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: 20TH CENTURY FOX

Release Date: December 1, 2015

Run Time: 86 minutes

 

        I have struggled with much of Noah Baumbach’s filmmaking, if only because of his tendency to focus on narratives with extremely flawed characters. In some cases, this suits the stories being told. It would be difficult to show the strain of a divorce without exposing the way that it can bring out the worst in the family being torn apart, as he did with The Squid and the Whale. But even in that film the problem I had with the characters had little to do with the mistakes that they made, but rather, the superiority and condescension used as they refused to admit fault in themselves. From that film on, Baumbach has had a fascination with pretentious and unlikable leading characters, a trend which only seemed to increase as he began collaborating with actress Greta Gerwig, who rose into relevance through a movement of film centered around performances so intentionally raw that they are often more annoying than amusing.

 

You Can’t Take It With You Blu-ray Review

Actors: Mischa Auer, Ann Miller, Spring Byington, Jean Arthur, Lionel Barrymore

Director: Frank Capra

Producer: Frank Capra

Format: Blu-ray, Subtitled

Language: English

Subtitles: French, Portuguese, Czech, German, Hindi, Finnish, Polish, Swedish, Arabic, Italian, Korean, Dutch, Hebrew, Norwegian, Hungarian, English, Spanish, Turkish, Greek, Danish, Japanese

Dubbed: French, German, Italian, Spanish

Region: All Regions

Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1

Number of discs: 1

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Release Date: December 8, 2015

Digital Copy Expiration Date: December 31, 2018

Run Time: 126 minutes

 

        Frank Capra is often credited with making the first screwball comedy with It Happened One Night in 1934, and in 1938 he perfected it by adapting the popular stage play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart into an unforgettable American film classic. You Can’t Take It With You is significant for many reasons, including a breakout performance from James Stewart that would lead to collaborations with the director in some of his most beloved classics (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, It’s a Wonderful Life). But beyond historical significance is a simple story of universal appeal, one which had the heartfelt sincerity and optimism that was instantly recognizable in a Capra film. The story may be Kaufman and Hart’s, down to the dialogue transferred over from the play, but Capra embraced it as his own and created a cinematic collaboration as timeless today as it was nearly 80-years ago.

 

Partisan Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Vincent Cassel, Nigel Barber, Jeremy Chabriel

Director: Ariel Kleiman

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

Language: English

Subtitles: English

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Well Go USA

Release Date: December 8, 2015

Run Time: 97 minutes

 

 

        Partisan sets up its plot with a certain level of ambiguity and mystery, which had me hooked from the beginning. I can always respect a film that doesn’t spoon-feed its audience members, but unfortunately much of the intrigue set up was lost within director Ariel Kleiman’s lack of interest. Instead, this remains a film about the characters, though Kleiman fails to see how establishing the world in which they live has an impact on the characters within it. Partisan contains impressive performances, though there is little to relate to when we are given so little understanding of where they come from.

Speedy Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Harold Lloyd, Babe Ruth

Director: Ted Wilde

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Full Screen, NTSC

Language: English

Number of discs: 1

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: Criterion Collection (Direct)

 Release Date: December 8, 2015

Run Time: 85 minutes

 

 

         Borrowing the name given to his “Glasses Character” in one of his earlier classics, The Freshman, Harold Lloyd returned to this role for his final silent performance in Speedy (1928). As well as showcasing some of the best gags in his career, Speedy gave audiences a ticket to the fast-paced lifestyle of New York City. At the time it was a pleasantly comedic depiction of the chaotic hustle and bustle of ‘The Roaring 20s’ in Manhattan, though it now serves as a magnificent historical record for those too young to remember.

 

Wolf Totem Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Ba Sen, Zha Bu, Shaofeng Feng, Shawn Dou

Director: Jean-Jacques Annaud

Producers: Xavier Castano, William Kong

Format: Subtitled, Widescreen

Language: Mandarin Chinese

Subtitles: French, Spanish, English

Dubbed: French, Spanish

Subtitles for the Hearing Impaired: English

Region: Region A/1

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: PG-13

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Release Date: December 15, 2015

Run Time: 122 minutes

 

        I must admit, I entered into Wolf Totem with the wrong expectations, mistakenly thinking the narrative was similar to the nature films director Jean-Jacques Annaud has done in the past, such as The Bear or Two Brothers. Despite the wolves being the most sympathetic characters in Wolf Totem, they are not the protagonists, though the bigger difference lies in the treatment of the animals. The sheer relentlessness of the brutality against nature and the title animal makes Wolf Totem a near impossible endurance test for animal lovers. The film is presented in both 2D and 3D on the Blu-ray, though there are far too many scenes I would prefer to have not seen at all, much less in 3D.

 

Minions Blu-ray Review

      Actors: Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud, Steve Carell

Director: Pierre Coffin, Kyle Balda

Format: Animated, 3D, Widescreen, Digital_copy

Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby TrueHD), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)

Subtitles: French, Spanish, English

Region: All Regions

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 3

Rated: PG

Studio: Universal Studios

Release Date: December 8, 2015

Digital Copy Expiration Date: May 2, 2016

 

        Despicable Me was a clever concept in its decision to make a villain the protagonist, and it got away with this by making the narrative about his inevitable redemption. Minions, the off-shoot prequel about the oddball lackeys that do Gru’s bidding, succeeds in having their villainous tendencies (or admiration for those who have them) because of their utter incompetence. In an opening sequence which the rest of the film has a hard time following, we are given the origin story of the Minions throughout all of history. While simultaneously showing their propensity to follow the most despicable creature around, this introduction allows for a series of amusing gags in their clumsy inability to keep them alive.

 

The Hunting Ground DVD Review

      Actors: Kirby Dick, Amy Ziering, Diane Rosenfeld

Director: Kirby Dick

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, NTSC, Widescreen

Language: English

Region: Region 1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: PG-13

Studio: ANCHOR BAY

DVD Release Date: December 1, 2015

Run Time: 104 minutes

 

 

        Documentaries are so rarely unbiased that we have sadly come to see the examination of facts on screen as little more than propaganda. This is not to say that there isn’t truth in the information being provided audiences, but it is no longer enough to simply accept everything you are told in a non-fiction film. Most views expressed can be countered by the opposition, but this becomes more impactful when the facts provided in a documentary come into question. It is one thing to share one side of an argument, but it is another to adjust the facts so that your side has more strength. The reality is that many of the truths in The Hunting Ground have been overshadowed by the instances in the documentary where facts are stretched and bent to support the cause.

 

Goodnight Mommy Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Susanna Wuest, Elias Schwarz, Lukas Schwarz

Director: Severin Fiala, Veronika Frank

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

Language: English (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1)

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: ANCHOR BAY

Release Date: December 1, 2015

Run Time: 99 minutes

 

        It is clear about halfway through Goodnight Mommy that the Austrian horror film will make a perfect companion film to either Michael Haneke’s Funny Games or Under the Skin, though the obviousness of which would be more fitting depends on the effectiveness of the film’s red herring on each viewer. Filmmakers Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala lay out clues to figure out the reality of the film’s narrative early on, but often pairs them with enough evidence to counter with an alternate possibility. This makes the film far less about a final twist and much more about the uncertainty and doubt following the most likely answer to the central question.

 

Santa’s Little Helper DVD Review

     Actors: Mike "The Miz" Mizanin, AnnaLynne McCord, Eric Keenleyside

Directors: Gil Junger

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

Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)

Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Region: Region 1

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)

Studio: 20TH CENTURY FOX

DVD Release Date: November 17, 2015

Run Time: 91 minutes

 

        WWE Studios continues their awkward transition from scripted wrestling melodrama to scripted cinematic melodrama with the latest of their family productions. Santa’s Little Helper stars their regular performer, Mike “The Miz” Mizanin (Can I take a moment to point out the redundancy of including someone’s nickname when it is already an abbreviation of the last name; it ends up just sounding like an echo), along with Paige’s film debut. Despite having two wrestlers in the cast, the film refrains from blatant WWE promoting, and the storyline requires a surprisingly minimal amount of fighting between them.

 

Ricki and the Flash Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Ben Platt, Rick Springfield, Sebastian Stan, Audra McDonald, Kevin Kline

Director: Jonathan Demme

Producers: Marc Platt, Gary Goetzman, Diablo Cody, Mason Novick

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

Language: English

Subtitles: French, Portuguese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Indonesian, Cantonese, Thai, Spanish, English

Dubbed: French, Portuguese, Thai, Spanish

Audio Description: English

Region: All Regions

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Rated: PG-13 

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Release Date: November 24, 2015

Digital Copy Expiration Date: December 31, 2018

Run Time: 101 minutes

 

        It is truly a sad state of affairs when the most impressive acting in a film featuring Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline is a performance from former rock icon, Rick Springfield. Not since Will Smith and his obnoxious pseudo-celebrity child collaborated with M. Night Shyamalan to make the post-apocalyptic disaster of a film, After Earth, has an actor been so horribly blinded by the urge to work with their own undeserving offspring. This is the kind of performance that would kill most careers, though the lack of famous actresses her age allows Streep the freedom to make a Mamma Mia every few years, without repercussion. As much as Streep’s growling and guttural performance as an aging wannabe rock star may be like nails on a chalkboard to anyone who has ever actually held a guitar, it is nowhere near as obnoxious as the obviously nepotistic casting of her real-life daughter, Mamie Gummer. And all of this is sloppily held together by a lazy and reductive screenplay from Hollywood’s favorite stripper.  

Assassination Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Gianna Jun

Directors: Choi Dong-hoon

Format: Blu-ray, Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, THX, Widescreen

Language: Korean

Subtitles: English

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Well Go USA

Release Date: December 1, 2015

Run Time: 139 minutes

 

 

        Assassination is a historical action film, a period ensemble blockbuster with many twists and turns in the narrative and enough characters and tonal shifts to force audiences to work for their entertainment. This doesn’t make for a bad film, just one that requires a bit more attention to fully appreciate the spectacle. Although I am always an advocate for appreciation of international cinema, this is also a film likely to carry additional relevance for those who have lived through (or are at least familiar with) Korean history.

Jimmy’s Hall Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Aisling Franciosi, Karl Geary, Conor McDermottroe, Denise Gough, Mikel Murfi

Director: Ken Loach

Producers: Rebecca O'Brien

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

Language: English

Subtitles: French, English

Dubbed: French

Audio Description: English

Region: Region A/1

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: PG-13 

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Release Date: November 17, 2015

Run Time: 109 minutes

 

        Some films based on a true story are banking on the unbelievable nature of the narrative, whereas Jimmy’s Hall has a screenplay that never hits an unexpected note. Even at the peak of the story’s excitement, the volume of the action remains subdued enough to remain tied to realism above all else. While this may make for accurate storytelling, it does little for the excitement of the entertainment. Though director Ken Loach is able to accurately capture the feel of the period and place in Jimmy’s Hall, this attention to detail does little to improve the thin narrative and underdeveloped characters in Paul Laverty’s screenplay.

 

Bad Boys I & II: 20th Anniversary Collection Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Martin Lawrence, Will Smith

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

Subtitles: Spanish

Region: All Regions

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Number of discs: 2

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Release Date: November 10, 2015

Digital Copy Expiration Date: December 31, 2018

 

        What is most remarkable to me watching Bad Boys again, 20 years after its initial release, is how early in his career Michael Bay began the bad habits we now associate with his overblown style of filmmaking. Most disturbing among the similarities Bad Boys shares with his future films is the blatant objectification of Téa Leoni, who looks unbelievably similar to Megan Fox in The Transformers. The manner with which Bay poses his actresses and allows his camera to leer at them is prime example of the “male gaze,” which is as much his signature as large explosions are.

 

The Great American Dream Machine Review

     Actors: Marshall Efron, Andy Rooney, Chevy Chase, Charles Grodin, Albert Brooks

Director: Peter Lance

Format: Multiple Formats, NTSC, THX

Language: English

Region: Region 1

Number of discs: 4

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Entertainment One

DVD Release Date: October 20, 2015

Run Time: 650 minutes

 

        PBS has a longstanding tradition of blending education with entertainment and the arts, and with the early satirical sketch show, “The Great American Dream Machine,” they brought politic discourse into the mix during a time it was most needed. When the series began its short-lived run in 1971, Americans were wrestling with a number of political issues, from the Vietnam War to environmental conservation. “The Great American Dream Machine” provided an outlet for a humorous approach to the conversation, only able to exist because of the unique alternative that PBS provided to traditional commercial networks.