Miracles from Heaven Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Jennifer Garner, Martin Henderson, John Carroll Lynch, Kylie Rogers, Eugenio Derbez
• Director: Patricia Riggen
• Producers: T.D. Jakes, DeVon Franklin, Joe Roth
• Format: Subtitled
• Language: English
• Subtitles: French, Portuguese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese, Thai, Spanish, English
• Dubbed: French, Portuguese, Thai, Spanish
• Audio Description: English
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated:
  PG
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• Release Date: July 12, 2016
• Digital Copy Expiration Date: December 31, 2019
• Run Time: 109 minutes

        For those with religious beliefs longing for a better faith-based film, Miracles from Heaven is a massive step in the right direction, though it still offers little help to bridge the gap for mainstream audiences unconcerned with religion. The elements of Christian belief are not as prevalent as they have been in the hokey films from the Kendrick brothers (Fireproof, Courageous, War Room), but many of the amateurishly bad filmmaking habits still remain. And there is also the glaringly obvious comparison to Heaven is for Real, which this film imitates with only a gender reversal as its distinguishing alteration on the formula.

Naked and Afraid XL: Season 1 DVD Review

• Directors: Kyle Hunter, Ariel Shaffir
• Format: AC-3, Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1
• Number of discs: 3
• Studio: LIONSGATE
• Release Date: July 12, 2016
• Run Time: 622 minutes

        For those who long for the basic premise of “Survivor” without the games, prizes, and teams, “Naked and Afraid XL” provides much more of what remains. They are not competing for a million dollars and don’t have the luxury of a host appearing to offer them food and resources to make it through the ordeal, but the social element is nearly as important when such clearly different personality types are placed together in extreme conditions. The fact that they are naked is just another obstacle in their survival, though it doesn’t make much difference to the viewing experience beyond an occasional bare butt and the distraction of constant blur.

Kill Zone 2 Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Jing Wu, Tony Jaa, Simon Yam
• Director: Cheang Pou-Soi
• Format: Dolby, Dubbed, NTSC, Subtitled, THX, Widescreen
• Language: Mandarin Chinese, English
• Subtitles: English
• Dubbed: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated:
  Not Rated
• Studio: Well Go USA
• Release Date: July 19, 2016
• Run Time: 121 minutes

        While the plot is heavily reliant on moments of coincidence and melodrama which demand more suspension of disbelief than the physical feats created with wire-work, Kill Zone 2 provides a showcase for the most thrilling martial arts and impressive camera choreography an action film has seen since The Raid 2. Even with the loss of the two biggest names from the original 2005 film, this loose sequel stands on its own merits and provides Tony Jaa with his best cinematic opportunity in years as their replacement. Moments of the story’s drama and some convoluted non-linear editing in the first act are far from perfect, but all is forgiven whenever any of the film’s major action sequences begin.

Dear Eleanor DVD Review

• Actors: Liana Liberato, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Isabelle Fuhrman, Jessica Alba, Josh Lucas
• Director: Kevin Connolly
• Producers: Chuck Pacheco, Caleb Applegate, Hillary Sherman
• Formatting: Closed-captioned, Color, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: French, Portuguese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Thai, Spanish, English
• Dubbed: French, Portuguese, Spanish
• Region: Region 1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated:
  PG-13
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: July 5, 2016
• Run Time: 89 minutes

        It’s never a good sign when a film’s release is delayed three years after the completion of the production, though the reasons are quite clear with Dear Eleanor, which was shot in 2013. This sophomore feature from actor-turned-director Kevin Connolly (“Entourage”) doesn’t seem to know who its audience is, with a screenplay (the first credit from Cecilia Contreras and Amy Garcia, who received a writing grant in 2007 for a film still yet to be made) that carries the sensibility and tone of a Disney Original Movie while including content questionable enough to earn a PG-13 rating. While the saccharine and logic-void narrative is likely only to be appealing to young teen girls, the 1960s-based period film has an odd preoccupation with smoking that no longer flies in family films, not to mention Connolly’s lingering gaze on Jessica Alba’s scantily clad body during several out-of-place strip tease sequences within the film.

I Saw the Light Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Elizabeth Olsen, Tom Hiddleston, Maddie Hasson, Wrenn Schmidt, Bradley Whitford
• Director: Marc Abraham
• Producers: Marc Abraham, Aaron Gilbert, Brett Ratner, G. Marq Roswell
• Format: Subtitled
• Language: English
• Subtitles: French, Portuguese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Thai, English, Spanish
• Dubbed: French, Portuguese, Thai
• Audio Description: English
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
• Rated:
  R
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• Release Date: July 5, 2016
• Digital Copy Expiration Date: December 31, 2019
• Run Time: 124 minutes

        Committed performances are always an asset to a film, but I Saw the Light is solid proof that no actors can recover from a bad script. The screenplay is the foundation of a film, and I Saw the Light is built upon a sandy beach in the middle of a storm. Easily one of the least engaging biopics I’ve ever seen, there is no room to care for the characters, no matter how well they are played by the actors. Rather than feeling like a story, this movie plays like a disjointed collection of scenes from the brief country music career of Hank Williams.

The Mermaid Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Yun Lin, Chao Deng, Kris Wu Yifan, Yuqi Zhang, Shangzheng Li
• Director: Stephen Chow
• Format: Subtitled
• Language: Mandarin Chinese
• Subtitles: French, Polish, Mandarin Chinese, Indonesian, Thai, English, Spanish
• Dubbed: Thai, English
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated:
  R
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• Release Date: July 5, 2016
• Digital Copy Expiration Date: December 31, 2019
• Run Time: 94 minutes

        Stephen Chow’s latest, The Mermaid, is a strange film for many reasons. It’s a fairy tale with an environmental message, a plot that sounds like a Disney movie but is paired with sexual innuendo and scenes of graphic violence, and was somehow the highest grossing film in the history of Chinese cinema. Although undeniably entertaining in a unique way, this level of success is difficult to fathom.

Search Party Blu-ray Review

• Actors: T.J. Miller, Adam Pally, Thomas Middleditch, Alison Brie, Shannon Woodward
• Director: Scot Armstrong
• Writers: Scot Armstrong, Mike Gagerman, Andrew Waller
• Producers: Scot Armstrong, Ori Marmur, Ravi Nandan, Paul Brooks
• Format: NTSC, Subtitled
• Language: English (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1), French (DTS 5.1), Spanish (DTS 5.1)
• Subtitles: Spanish, Dutch, French
• Subtitles for the Hearing Impaired: English
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated:
  R
• Studio: Universal Studios Home Entertainment
• Release Date: July 5, 2016
• Digital Copy Expiration Date: May 2, 2018
• Run Time: 93 minutes

        Search Party may be shamelessly derivative, culturally insensitive, and weirdly illogical, but I still found myself laughing more than I have at many larger budget Hollywood comedies with similar tones to be released in the past few years (Zoolander 2, Hot Tub Time Machine 2, Dumb and Dumber To, Vacation, and others that weren’t sequels to better films), mostly due to the delivery from the trio of leading men. T.J. Miller, Adam Pally, and Thomas Middleditch are primarily known as TV actors, and perhaps this is why they appear to be trying so hard in their feature-film leading roles. This commitment and solid comedic instincts leads to a few great moments which almost feel unintentional when surrounded by the many jokes which fall flat. Though it probably says more about the sad state of Hollywood comedies in recent years, Search Party is far from the worst I have seen.

Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Li Feng, Mark Chao
• Director: Lu Chuan
• Format: Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, THX, Widescreen
• Language: Mandarin Chinese
• Subtitles: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated:
  Unrated
• Studio: Well Go USA
• Release Date: July 5, 2016
• Run Time: 115 minutes

        Watching Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe, it finally made sense to me why so many bad Hollywood blockbusters rely on China to pick up the slack on ticket sales for films that bomb in the United States. It isn’t that this is necessarily a bad film, but the incoherency of the narrative is consistently overshadowed by pure visual spectacle. I often had no idea what was going on until the revelations of the third act, but it is also one of the most visually polished films I have seen from China. Everything from cinematography to special effects is highly accomplished, though it is somewhat like building a sturdy house on quicksand. Without the strength of a solid screenplay, all the rest is merely a fleeting distraction until the next big-budget extravaganza is released.

Precious Cargo Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Bruce Willis, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Claire Forlani
• Director: Max Adams
• Format: NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region A/1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated:
  R
• Studio: LIONSGATE
• Release Date: June 28, 2016
• Run Time: 90 minutes

        First off, I must start by pointing out that despite his top billing and prominence on the poster/Blu-ray cover, this is yet another film which Bruce Willis has lent his name and reputation in hopes of fooling consumers into thinking he plays a larger role than he does. Willis is merely a supporting player, no doubt involved in the production for a quick paycheck. This is usually enough to assume that Precious Cargo is just another poorly made low budget action movie, and in many ways that is exactly what it is. The gunplay is entirely too reliant on CGI muzzle flashes, supporting cast are so stiff in their line delivery that one must assume that they are related to the filmmakers, and the screenplay feels lazily compiled from a handful of better action movies. What surprised me was how much I managed to enjoy much of the film even with its obvious shortcomings.

Adventures in Babysitting DVD Review

• Actors: Sabrina Carpenter, Sofia Carson, Max Lloyd-Jones, Kevin G. Quinn
• Director: John Schultz
• Writer: Tiffany Paulsen
• Format: Color, Dolby, Dubbed, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Dubbed: French, Spanish
• Region: Region 1
• Number of discs: 1
• Studio: Walt Disney Studios
• DVD Release Date: June 28, 2016
• Run Time: 90 minutes

        Taking little other than the title from the 1987 classic, Adventures in Babysitting is a typical Disney Channel ‘original’ movie, complete with the usual cheesy characters that end up learning predictably sappy lessons through their sanitized hijinks together. The only thing surprising about this hokey endeavor is the number of questionable habits taught along the way, most of which are at the expense of the clueless parents. Dishonesty and theft are encouraged, while the bigger sin is being too responsible as a teenager. This film tries to be as edgy as the original while existing in a world where bad guys are bumbling idiots and the cops are cute romantic interests. Trying to make the film family-safe while retaining the original premise ends up making this one of the more socially irresponsible children films I have ever seen. On top of that, it’s not very good.

Rams Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Sigurður Sigurjónsson, Theodór Júlíusson, Charlotte Bøving
• Director: Grímur Hákonarson
• Format: Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Subtitles: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated:
  R
• Studio: Cohen Media Group
• Release Date: June 28, 2016
• Run Time: 93 minutes

        American audiences accustomed to narrative-driven cinema may have a difficult time with Rams, not because it is lacking in plot but because the characters ultimately take precedence. The Icelandic dramedy actually has an original premise to lean on, but the resolution to this clever scenario is not the filmmaker’s priority. The events within the film service the characters and their ultimate arc, rather than the other way around. For those who can adjust or are more accustomed to this style of storytelling, Rams offers plenty of rewards. Those expecting the film to resolve the dilemma offered by the plot may find the conclusion less satisfying.

Going Away DVD Review

• Actors: Louise Bourgoin, Pierre Rochefort
• Director: Nicole Garcia
• Format: Color, Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: French
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated:
  Not Rated
• Studio: Cohen Media Group
• Release Date: June 21, 2016
• Run Time: 95 minutes

        Going Away is excellent at mood and atmosphere, setting up a predictable melancholy romance with intriguingly mysterious characters. Dolling out information slowly is the wisest choice that director and co-writer Nicole Garcia makes, but it also leads to a major letdown once all of the secrets are revealed. The questions turn out to be far more engaging than the answers. The third act takes the film into an area of contrived social commentary, but this isn’t even the worst offense. The shift of the narrative handicaps the characters in many ways, but even more disheartening is Garcia’s apparent inability to decide what to do with them once turning the film away lonesome romance narrative and into a discussion about class divisions. All of the effort to get us to care about them in the first hour dissipates as the filmmaker appears uncertain how to end their story. We are left with a final scene, but no real resolution.  

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Nia Vardalos
• Director: Kirk Jones
• Format: Color, NTSC, Subtitled, 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
• Subtitles for the Hearing Impaired: English
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated:
  PG-13
• Studio: Universal Studios Home Entertainment
• Release Date: June 21, 2016
• Digital Copy Expiration Date: May 2, 2018 

        My Big Fat Greek Wedding is the cinematic equivalent of a one-hit wonder, making an absurd amount of money for a film that cost next to nothing. It also made the career of Nia Vardalos, who has leeched off of this singular success ever since. While occasionally leaning on the this first independent film to get additional projects, primarily from those whose pockets were lined by the first film, Vardalos has mostly vanished from the spotlight in the fourteen years since its release. Audiences didn’t want more of the Portokalos family even a year after the initial release, with a sitcom continuation starring many of the amateur actors failing miserably after only a handful of episodes, so the theatrical sequel My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 reeks of desperation and a last-ditch effort to bleed the franchise dry.

King Georges DVD Review

• Actors: Georges Perrier, Nicholas Elmi
• Director: Erika Frankel
• Details: Color, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Not Rated
• Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO
• Release Date: June 21, 2016
• Run Time: 77 minutes

        King Georges offers plenty of amusement in the character study of its subject, which is 67-year-old French chef George Perrier and his Philadelphia restaurant Le Bec-Fin, in equal measure. What is missing from the documentary is a clear narrative direction. Although non-narrative cinema is not required to have an opinion about the subject, despite an overabundance of propaganda-fueled films using the medium to make political points or encourage social action, King Georges almost goes too far in the opposite direction. The inexperience of first-time director Erika Frankel is apparent in her noncommittal perspective, instead choosing to allow the narrative to drift aimlessly from sequence to sequence. Nothing is boring, but I had no clear understanding of what the point of the film was by the end.

Anesthesia Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Sam Waterston, Kristen Stewart
• Director: Tim Blake Nelson
• Format: Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region A/1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated:
  R
• Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO
• Release Date: June 21, 2016
• Run Time: 90 minutes

        Tim Blake Nelson’s Anesthesia utilizes a format seen often before, linking several strangers together through a coincidental series of events or accidental intersections. Sometimes this is used to show a sampling of characters within an environment. In Gus Van Sant’s Elephant, it was a high school, though more often than not it tends to be a specific city. The story in Anesthesia takes place primarily in Manhattan (all except one subplot), but the comments about humanity in have no location in mind. Even if the movie takes place in New York, it is relatable to all Americans.

Knight of Cups Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Antonio Banderas, Christian Bale, Brian Dennehy
• Director: Terrence Malik
• Format: Widescreen
• Language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated:
  R
• Studio: Broad Green
• Release Date: June 21, 2016
• Run Time: 118 minutes

        Knight of Cups is less ambitious than Terrence Malick’s notoriously enigmatic Tree of Life, but somehow contains even less narrative and presents it even more ambiguously. The legendary director’s films have always been distinguished with dreamlike visual qualities, though his narratives are drifting further from structure as the years go by. While some remain dedicated fans of this experimental and improvisational style of filmmaking, others often remark that his freestyle methods have almost become a parody of what was once praised about the director. I find myself somewhere in-between, able to appreciate the braveness of his style while wishing that it were paired with a less noncommittal narrative.

The Brothers Grimsby Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Isla Fisher, Gabourey Sidibe, Rebel Wilson, Mark Strong, Barkhad Abdi
• Director: Louis Leterrier
• Producers: Sacha Baron Cohen, Nira Park, Peter Baynham, Todd Schulman, Ant Hines
• Format: Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: French, English, Spanish
• Dubbed: French
• Subtitles for the Hearing Impaired: English
• Audio Description: English
• Region: All Regions
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated:
  R
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• Release Date: June 21, 2016
• Digital Copy Expiration Date: December 31, 2019
• Run Time: 83 minutes

        Sacha Baron Cohen’s original three characters from “Da Ali G Show,” and their subsequent individual theatrical films, were highlighted by their ability to shock in a way that was simultaneously amusing and intelligently satirical. While his latest endeavor, The Brothers Grimsby, certainly lives up to the shock value, it is done for mindless puerile amusement rather than social commentary. While this may provide a few chuckles for an evening’s entertainment, The Brothers Grimsby has more to say about the spy film genre than any real-world issues. Although there are a few jokes about gun violence which could be construed as relevant, the silliness overpowers any commentary. On the other hand, he does use the film to give Donald Trump aids, which should count for something.

Every Thing Will Be Fine Blu-ray Review

• Actors: James Franco, Rachel McAdams
• Director: Wim Wenders
• Format: Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region A/1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated:
  Unrated
• Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO
• Release Date: June 7, 2016
• Run Time: 118 minutes

        Despite the familiarity of the plot in Every Thing Will Be Fine, it manages to rustle up a few unique and compelling themes. Unfortunately, these are ideas which remain always on the cusp of the narrative, hinted at and briefly mentioned rather than delved into the way that audiences may desire. Director Wim Wenders instead invests most efforts into the visual style, attempting to bring audiences into the mind of the protagonist with the use of 3D photography. While we may at times feel as though we exist in the same world as its characters, rarely do we understand what they are thinking or feeling, and this is a glaring shortcoming of the film’s screenplay. Performances which could have been heartbreaking are instead enigmatic, and suddenly the visual effort is all for naught.

The Other Side of the Door Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Sarah Wayne Callies, Jeremy Sisto
• Director: Johannes Roberts
• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English (Dolby Surround)
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Dubbed: French, Spanish
• Region: Region A/1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated:
  R
• Studio: 20TH CENTURY FOX
• Release Date: June 7, 2016
• Run Time: 96 minutes
•        
  
  
   The setting may be somewhat unique, but don’t let that fool you. This horror film has been done many times before. The narrative alone shares themes similar to countless other movies, most notably the classic Pet Cemetery, but even more derivative are the stylistic choices made by director Johannes Roberts. It isn’t so much that this is a bad film. In fact, many of the sequences are effectively eerie. The problem is that they all have been done before. The ghost-like woman apparition threatening to come from the afterlife looks and moves remarkably similar to the TV-dwelling spirit from The Ring franchise, while other imagery from Japanese ghost narratives such as Ju-on (remade as The Grudge) are also peppered throughout the familiar storyline. Production elements are on point, but The Other Side of the Door would be far more effective if I was unfamiliar with previous releases in the ghost story subgenre. 
  
  

Under the Sun of Satan Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Gérard Depardieu, Sandrine Bonnaire, Alain Artur
• Director: Maurice Pialat
• Format: NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: French
• Subtitles: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated:
  Unrated
• Studio: Cohen Media Group
• Release Date: June 14, 2016
• Run Time: 98 minutes

        Faith is a difficult concept to convey cinematically, even with the use of dialogue as primary tool of discussion. While there are scenes in which the characters have a conversation about religion and life-purpose, Under the Sun of Satan approaches most ideas through character action, making for a straightforward but often ambiguous viewing experience. Perhaps due to my inability to relate to the flawed individuals within the film, or a difficulty in conveying the material adapted from the work of Georges Bernanos, I find the viewing experience of Under the Sun of Satan to be far more intellectual than emotional. Director Maurice Pialat worked as a painter prior to becoming a filmmaker, and at times it feels as though he expects his audience to approach this film as they would a work of art hanging in a museum.