Dirty Dancing: 30th Anniversary Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey, Jerry Orbach, Cynthia Rhodes, Jack Weston
• Director: Emile Ardolino
• Film Format: Color, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region A/1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: PG-13
• Studio: Lionsgate
• Release Date: February 7, 2017
• Run Time: 101 minutes

At a certain point, with films as successful as Dirty Dancing, cultural impact becomes more significant than critical reactions. Dirty Dancing may be far from a masterpiece, but it has had lasting popularity that can’t be ignored. Despite all of the cheesy lines and contrived romantic melodrama, this is still a film that is easily quotable and difficult to switch away from when stumbled across on television late at night. Sometimes a guilty pleasure is the greatest pleasure of them all.  

       

Story of God: Season One DVD Review

• Disc Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• DVD Release Date: January 10, 2017
• Run Time: 270 minutes

        It may seem like somewhat of an obvious choice to have Morgan Freeman as the host of the National Geographic documentary series investigating various faiths and their belief in God. Playing off of the fact that he was cast as the creator in the Hollywood comedy, Bruce Almighty, “The Story of God” follows Freeman on his journey to different countries and a wide variety of cultures in his examination of the belief in a higher power. That Freeman actually seems personally invested in the questions being raised may merely be an indicator of his abilities as an actor, but it does wonders for the accessibility of the topics.

Nerdland Blu-ray Review

• Director: Chris Prynoski
• Format: Animated, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: French, English, Spanish
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Rated: Not Rated
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• Release Date: February 7, 2017
• Run Time: 83 minutes

        The concept behind Nerdland has seen many different forms over the years. First the idea started as a live-action feature film, before it was pitched as a television series. Then it was an animated series, before it morphed once again, into the animated feature that was finally made. After all of the alterations needed just to get to this finished product, the story of the production of Nerdland resembles the same desperation of the characters searching for fame within the narrative.

Gimme Danger DVD Review

• Actors: Iggy Pop, Ron Asheton, Danny Fields
• Director: Jim Jarmusch
• Producers: Carter Logan, Fernando Sulichin, Rob Wilson
• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Rated: R
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: January 31, 2017
• Run Time: 109 minutes

        Despite an anarchistic title and the chaotically unprofessional band that the documentary is about, Gimme Danger ends up a rather bland film experience. The biggest problem is that this film is far more interested in Iggy Pop than all of the remaining members of The Stooges combined, with his interview taking up at least 85 percent of the run time. There are large sections of the film which simply contain Iggy recounting stories from his past, which may be of interest to his biggest fans but doesn’t serve the documentary’s narrative well. Even as we trace the origins of the influential punk band in a conventionally linear fashion, the film often feels as distracted as the band during their many drug-fueled years.

The Handmaiden DVD Review

• Actors: Min-hee Kim, Jung-woo Ha, Tae Kim, Jin-woong Jo, Hae-suk Kim
• Director: Chan-wook Park
• Producers: Chan-wook Park, Syd Lim
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: Korean
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1
• Rated: Not Rated
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: January 24, 2017
• Run Time: 145 minutes

        I refuse to watch dubbed foreign films if subtitles are available, but the cinematography and art direction is so rich in Chan-wook Park’s The Handmaiden that I found myself wishing that I understood Korean and Japanese. Torn between reading the text in order to follow the narrative and the captivating pull of magnificent images, The Handmaiden kept my eyes glued to the screen for much of the running time, afraid to miss a thing. Park has long been a filmmaker known for his excesses, and his latest is no exception, though he has somehow managed to make a film that feels both indulgent and restrained, often at the same time. The Handmaiden is overflowing with emotion and passion, but that never gets in the way of some of the director’s most precise and thoughtful filmmaking in years.

Passage to Mars DVD Review

• Actors: Zachary Quinto (narrator)
• Director: Jean-Christophe Jeauffre
• Film Format: Color, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Not Rated
• Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO
• DVD Release Date: January 24, 2017
• Run Time: 103 minutes

Passage to Mars is a documentary about a human mission to Mars, though it never leaves Earth to accomplish this. Scientific advancements come in stages, and the early stages of planning a trip to Mars include testing of the material in the safety of our own atmosphere. In order to be sure a land rover created for travel on Mars will be a suitable option for astronauts, first it is tested in the Arctic. This film is about that journey, which only seems tied to space travel by the constant reminders from voiceover and digital imagery of the Red Planet.

The Monster Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Zoe Kazan, Ella Ballentine, Scott Speedman, Aaron Douglas
• Director: Bryan Bertino
• Format: NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region A/1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R
• Studio: LIONSGATE
• Release Date: January 24, 2017
• Run Time: 91 minutes

        Even though this only the second film directed by Bryan Bertino that I have seen (out of the three he has made), The Monster clearly establishes a familiar style from the filmmaker. Like his directorial debut, The Strangers (2008), there is more emphasis on the construction of mood and development of characters than there is on typical horror elements, such as jump scares and gore. Even with a creature at the center of the storyline, the focus always stays on the relationships in the narrative. Both films also rely on flashbacks to add meaning to these relationships, as the drama of the present terror takes hold, and they both also have the distinct directorial trademark of record players playing scratchy old music.

Inferno 4K Ultra HD Review

• Actors: Tom Hanks, Felicity Jones, Ana Ularu, Ida Darvish, Paul Ritter, Irrfan Khan
• Director: Ron Howard
• Producers: Ron Howard, Brian Grazer
• Disc Format: 4K
• Language: English
• Subtitles: Czech, German, Russian, French, Portuguese, Finnish, Polish, Swedish, Estonian, Arabic, Italian, Korean, Latvian, Dutch, Norwegian, Hungarian, Mandarin Chinese, Romanian, Thai, Spanish, English, Danish, Turkish, Japanese, Lithuanian
• Dubbed: Czech, Russian, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Hungarian, Thai, Spanish, Turkish, Japanese
• Audio Description: English
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Rated: PG-13
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• Release Date: January 24, 2017
• Digital Copy Expiration Date: December 31, 2019
• Run Time: 121 minutes

        Inferno is the latest installment in the film adaptations of Dan Brown’s book series about symbologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks), but it is also missing a major element from the narrative and its protagonist. Beginning with Langdon discovering he has suffered some unknown head injury that has caused memory loss, our hero is unable to use the abilities that make him who he is. Langdon’s inability to solve puzzles and clues basically handicaps the character, leaving him like Sherlock Holmes without the ability to sleuth. This detour from what made the first films a success paired with an overly stylized approach to the visuals, as a way of reproducing Langdon’s disorientation and hallucinations, easily makes Inferno the least enjoyable in the franchise. And this is before even taking into consideration the major changes made from the book.

Resident Evil: Afterlife 4K Ultra HD Review

• Actors: Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Spencer Locke, Wentworth Miller, Shawn Roberts
• Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
• Producers: Paul W.S. Anderson, Jeremy Bolt, Robert Kulzer, Don Carmody, Bernd Eichinger
• Film Format: Dubbed, Subtitled, 4K
• Language: English
• Subtitles: French, Portuguese, Hindi, Czech, Slovak, Finnish, Swedish, Polish, Estonian, Italian, Korean, Norwegian, Hungarian, Slovene, Mandarin Chinese, Icelandic, Romanian, English, Spanish, Danish, Lithuanian
• Dubbed: French, Portuguese, Czech, Russian, Italian, Hungarian, Catalan, Spanish
• Audio Description: English
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Rated: R
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• Release Date: January 17, 2017
• Digital Copy Expiration Date: December 31, 2019
• Run Time: 97 minutes

        It may seem an odd choice to release the fourth film in the Resident Evil franchise on 4K Ultra HD before the first three, but it makes sense with knowledge of the production. First of all, Resident Evil: Afterlife marked Paul W.S. Anderson’s return to the franchise for the first time since the original film, despite retaining a writing credit on each of the films. That matter because of how visual Anderson is as a director, which was only enhanced for this release as he also made the choice to shoot the film in 3D. This is different than a post-production 3D conversion, and the difference is noticeable, even in 2D. All of this makes for a remarkably visual film, perfect for 4K presentation.

The Light Between Oceans Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Rachel Weisz, Bryan Brown, Jack Thompson
• Director: Derek Cianfrance
• Film Format: AC-3, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English (DTS-HD High Res Audio), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: French, Spanish, English
• Dubbed: French, Spanish
• Region: Region A/1
• Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
• Rated: PG-13
• Studio: Touchstone Home Entertainment
• Release Date: January 24, 2017
• Run Time: 133 minutes

        Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine, The Place Beyond the Pines) has established himself as a director capable of handling heavy drama without allowing it to devolve into the emotional manipulation of melodrama, so he seemed the perfect choice to direct a film adaptation of M.L. Stedman’s novel full of coincidence and heavy emotions. While Cianfrance continues to prove his capabilities as an actor’s director, even he is incapable of saving the film from drowning in its own sorrow. Beautifully shot and expertly acted, The Light Between Oceans still retains a narrative that often feels emotionally manipulative through its many contrivances.

USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Nicolas Cage, Matt Lanter, Thomas Jane, Tom Sizemore
• Director: Mario Van Peebles
• Film Format: NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region A/1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R
• Studio: Lionsgate
• Release Date: January 24, 2017
• Run Time: 131 minutes

        It is much more difficult to criticize a film that is based on a true story, especially when the end of the film is peppered with real-life footage and interviews. This can make a mediocre film seem better than it is by leaving the audience with its most powerful moments, but even connecting the actors to their real-life counterparts is not enough to save USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage. There is far too much to criticize, including a mouthful of a title, distracting from any ability to create empathy for the real-life men through the characters in the film.

Surf’s Up 2: WaveMania DVD Review

• Director: Henry Yu
• Producer: Henry Yu
• Film Format: AC-3, Animated, Color, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: French, Spanish, English
• Dubbed: French, Spanish
• Audio Description: English
• Region: Region 1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Rated: PG
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: January 17, 2017
• Digital Copy Expiration Date: December 31, 2019
• Run Time: 84 minutes

The decision to create sequels long after the release of the original film is not a new practice, though it seems somewhat of an unintelligible choice when considering Surf’s Up 2: WaveMania. First of all, it is always a questionable choice to release a sequel to a children’s film ten years after the original, if only because the fanbase has likely grown up past the age of appreciation. Sure, younger kids who have enjoyed the original through home entertainment may still be young enough, but that is assuming the original has had a lasting impact. And somehow I doubt this was a guarantee, as Surf’s Up wasn’t even the most popular of the animated films about penguins in 2007.

LOGAN | Final Trailer Released!

 In the near future, a weary Logan cares for an ailing Professor X in a hideout on the Mexican border. But Logan's attempts to hide from the world and his legacy are up-ended when a young mutant arrives, being pursued by dark forces. Check out the brand new trailer below.

            LOGAN hits theaters everywhere on March 3, 2017!

 

The Girl on the Train 4K Ultra HD Review

• Actors: Emily Blunt, Rebecca Ferguson, Haley Bennett, Justin Theroux
• Director: Tate Taylor
• Disc Format: 4K
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), Portuguese (DTS 5.1), French (DTS 5.1), Spanish (DTS 5.1)
• Subtitles: Portuguese, French, Spanish, English
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Rated: R
• Studio: Universal Studios Home Entertainment
• Release Date: January 17, 2017
• Digital Copy Expiration Date: May 2, 2018
• Run Time: 112 minutes

        Considering the Paula Hawkins’ book that inspired this film was such a success, debuting at the top of the New York Times best sellers list and remaining there for fifteen weeks, I must assume that a great deal was lost in translation with this film adaptation. Much of the film feels entirely too derivative to inspire any real suspense, borrowing liberally from Gone Girl narratively while copying a number of cinematic elements from Alfred Hitchcock’s classic films. And even with a series of red herrings and a convoluted timeline, jumping back and forth while switching character perspective more than necessary, the final answer to the mystery is fairly obvious. Worse yet, the characters are never sympathetic enough for the audience to truly care about the resolution, regardless of how clever the film tries to be.

xXx: 15th Anniversary Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Samuel Jackson, Vin Diesel, Asia Argento, Marton Csokas
• Director: Rob Cohen
• Film Format: AC-3, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: French, German, Portuguese, Russian, Czech, Croatian, Polish, Arabic, Italian, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Dutch, Slovene, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Romanian, Icelandic, Thai, English, Spanish, Turkish, Greek, Serbian
• Dubbed: Russian, Portuguese, Czech, French, German, Italian, Hungarian, Thai, Spanish
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
• Rated:
  PG-13
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• Release Date: January 10, 2017
• Digital Copy Expiration Date: December 31, 2019
• Run Time: 124 minutes

            When I first reviewed xXx upon its theatrical release just under fifteen years ago, I viewed the film as a cheap attempt to cash in on Vin Diesel’s limited fame from The Fast and the Furious. I pointed out that the extreme sports spy film was “the perfect example of a summer film: it's got tons of non-stop action, bad one-liners, and about as much sex and violence as can be crammed into a PG-13 film.” I also remarked that it was the kind of film that made me glad summer was almost over. At the time this subversive James Bond rip-off felt mindless and derivative, which is a feeling that has only been enhanced by numerous other entries into this field since its release, including the sophomoric Kingsman: The Secret Service and an even worse xXx sequel starring Ice Cube as Diesel’s replacement.

The Free World DVD Review

• Actors: Boyd Holbrook, Elisabeth Moss, Octavia Spencer
• Director: Jason Lew
• Format: Color, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R
• Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO
• DVD Release Date: January 17, 2017
• Run Time: 102 minutes

        It would be easy to dismiss the faults in The Free World as a result of it being Jason Lew’s directorial debut, but this is his sophomore film as a screenwriter and that is also where the largest problems are in the film. And to blame the direction would mean ignoring the strongest element of the film, which is the acting. Certainly much of the credit goes to the lead performers, though Lew must have done something right, even if that was simply getting out of the way to let these veteran actors thrive. Unfortunately, these strengths are overshadowed by the fact that The Free World is embarrassingly similar to another performance-based crime film from only a couple years ago.

Death Race 2050 Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Manu Bennett, Malcolm McDowell, Marci Miller
• Director: G.J. Echternkamp
• Writers: G.J. Echternkamp, Max Yamashita
• Producer: Roger Corman
• Film Format: Color, NTSC, Subtitled, 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
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Rated: R
• Studio: Universal Studios Home Entertainment
• Release Date: January 17, 2017
• Digital Copy Expiration Date: May 2, 2018

        Despite being made in 2008, Paul W.S. Anderson’s reboot of Roger Corman’s Death Race 2000 was more prequel than remake or sequel, setting the vulgar racing action inside the world of a prison. In Death Race and its two straight-to-video sequels, the racing was a way for convicts to earn a pardon and release from their prison sentence, but the latest entry into the franchise jumps forward in time, while simultaneously returning back to the original premise of Corman’s Death Race 2000. In Roger Corman’s Death Race 2050, the drivers are no longer made up of convicts, and once again there is an emphasis on the murdering of pedestrians rather than winning the race or killing each other.

Dancer DVD Review

• Actors: Sergei Polunin
• Director: Steven Cantor
• Film Format: Color, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English, Russian
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Not Rated
• Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO
• DVD Release Date: January 17, 2017
• Run Time: 85 minutes

        Some documentaries are driven by a message at the center of the narrative, meant to convince the audience of a certain view. Other documentaries are more biographically focused, concerned with information rather than opinion. Watching Dancer, up to the very end of the documentary about Ukrainian ballet dancer Sergei Polunin, I was unclear what the purpose of the film was. At times it seems to be a straightforward biographical documentary, albeit one without much resolution beyond the release of a popular YouTube video, and then there are moments when the film seems to investigating the sacrifice a dancer must make in order to succeed, but filmmaker Steve Cantor’s message ultimately feels noncommittal. Those who enjoy the dancer’s work already may find the film enjoyable for the onstage footage alone, but the documentary offers little for those not already a fan.

The Whole Truth Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Renée Zellweger, Keanu Reeves, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Kenneth Choi, Sean Bridgers
• Director: Courtney Hunt
• Film Format: NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region A/1
• Rated:
  R
• Studio: Lionsgate
• Release Date: January 17, 2017
• Run Time: 93 minutes

        The Whole Truth is the sophomore feature for director Courtney Hunt, whose first film (Frozen River) was made eight years ago, as well as featuring Renée Zellweger’s first screen performance in six years. Despite the long break for both director and co-star, The Whole Truth feels like a minor entry into a courtroom procedural television show with new stories every week. No amount of star power can save the film from a lackluster screenplay whose revelations don’t feel worth the time commitment of the film’s running time.

Train to Busan Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Gong Yoo, Jeong Yu-mi, Choi Woo-sik
• Director: Yeon Sang-Ho
• Film Format: Dolby, NTSC, THX, Widescreen
• Number of discs: 1
• Studio: Well Go USA
• Release Date: January 17, 2017
• Run Time: 118 minutes

        There is nothing particularly groundbreaking or innovative about Train to Busan, though this is primarily due to over-saturation of zombie narratives in film and television. And yet, despite the content being fairly derivative, Train to Busan manages to stand above many zombie films that have come before merely by keeping the narrative focused with a simple premise and a consistent thematic through line. The use of zombies as monsters may seem blasé, but the message developed through the behavior of the humans in the face of tragedy has sharp relevance in modern society.