The Raid 2 Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Iko Uwais

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

Language: Indonesian

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Dubbed: English, Spanish

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Release Date: July 8, 2014

Run Time: 150 minutes

 

        Most action films are best seen in movie theaters; full of spectacle and excess fittingly paired with the event-like experience of seeing a film in public. While The Raid 2 was most definitely an experience that I am glad to have had in a theater, I think I may have enjoyed my second viewing at home even more. This is saying a lot, especially considering how praiseworthy my theatrical review was of the film. The reason that this film holds up and even increases in impressiveness is simply a matter of good filmmaking. Most theatrical spectacles don’t aspire for anything more than entertainment and can fall apart upon too much inspection, but The Raid 2 is a film whose impressiveness is only enhanced by dissection. While my first viewing was like a disorientating gut-punch of excitement, the second time allowed me to step back and examine just how spectacular all of the filmmaking elements are.

 

Sabotage Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sam Worthington, Olivia Williams, Terrence Howard, Mireille Enos

Director: David Ayer

Writers: David Ayer, Skip Woods

Producers: David Ayer, Bill Block, Ethan Smith, Paul Hanson, Palek Patel

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

Rated: R 

Studio: Universal Studios

Release Date: July 22, 2014

Digital Copy Expiration Date: May 2, 2016

        David Ayer has another film coming out this year that isn’t a cop drama/action film, which previously appeared to be his only genre. As if attempting to make up for the fact that one of his films doesn’t have his usual, Ayer started out the first quarter release of 2014 with Sabotage, an onslaught of awful crooked cop film clichés and a poorly written vehicle for Arnold Schwarzenegger to show us his acting chops. It seems to aspire to be for Schwarzenegger what Copland was for Sylvester Stallone, but falls short in just about every way possible. Even though Schwarzenegger holds his own as a dramatic actor, a few of the supporting roles are comically cartoonish.

 

Jodorowsky’s Dune Blu-ray Review

Language: English

Subtitles: English, French

Audio Description: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1

Number of discs: 2

Rated: PG-13

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Release Date: July 8, 2014

Run Time: 90 minutes

 

 

        By today’s standards, Alejandro Jodorowsky’s vision for a film adaptation of the classic sci-fi novel still might have be adventurous, but there is a lot about it which would just feel familiar. Many of these images and ideas have been seen elsewhere, but that is only further proof of how influential Jodorowsky’s Dune was despite never being made. The vision created in a massive pre-production book for the film went on to influence dozens of remarkable films after the 1975 attempt at a large-scale science fiction epic failed. This was a filmmaker so far ahead of his time that it nearly makes George Lucas look like an opportunist and a bit of a plagiarist. But the same could be said for a dozen other filmmakers as well. Without the work that went into Jodorowsky’s Dune there might not have ever been an Alien franchise either.

 

Kid Cannabis Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Ron Perlman, Kenny Wormald, Jonathan Daniel Brown, John C. McGinley

Director: John Stockwell

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

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Well Go USA

Release Date: July 8, 2014

Run Time: 90 minutes

 

        Just because a story makes an interesting human interest piece in a newspaper or a magazine doesn’t always mean that it will transfer well into the medium of film. Fact may be more interesting than fiction at times, but that doesn’t mean that a narrative can be developed just by telling the facts without adding anything. The worst filmmakers think that simply slapping “based on a true story” in the intro will make up for the lack of effort. Kid Cannabis feels like a film made by someone too stoned to put forth the work needed for a newspaper article to become a film.

 

Rigor Mortis Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Anthony Chan, Richard Ng, Chin Siu-Ho, Kara Wai, Nina Paw

Director: Juno Mak

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

Language: Cantonese

Subtitles: English

Dubbed: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Well Go USA

Release Date: July 8, 2014

Run Time: 105 minutes

        My biggest concern with Rigor Mortis was the fact that Takashi Shimizu (best known for the Ju-On/The Grudge franchises) had his name attached as producer, because I have had quite enough of the long-black-haired ghost stories. There were additional elements which worried me, including actor turned director Juno Mak, and the fact that it is a film which relies heavily on the influences of a group of popular narratives in China which never made their mark internationally. I am certain that there is a great deal that I missed out on understanding because of my lack of knowledge when it comes to Chinese vampire series, but even in complete ignorance, I found Rigor Mortis to be a compelling watch.

 

The Lunchbox Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Irrfan Khan

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

Language: Hindi

Subtitles: English, French

Audio Description: English

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Number of discs: 2

Rated: PG

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Release Date: July 1, 2014

Run Time: 105 minutes

 

        This debut feature by Ritesh Batra has the premise of an Indian romantic comedy, but has sense enough to allow the personalities of the characters to drive the narrative rather than the genre conventions. This may leave some viewers feeling unsatisfied with the more irresolute filmmaking choices, but the journey is undeniably delightful. Much of the credit for this goes to the film’s undeniably engaging leads, as well as Batra’s willingness to engage in crowd-pleasing moments of inspired human connection.

 

Afflicted Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Derek Lee, Clif Prowse

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

Language: English

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Dubbed: Spanish

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Release Date: July 1, 2014

Run Time: 86 minutes

 

        I was torn in deciding what to reveal in my review of Afflicted, because I greatly admire the marketing team’s restraint in revealing what the film is actually about. The plot description is purposefully vague and the trailer never clarifies exactly what the “affliction” is. On the other hand, this is one of those rare experiences where I was quickly disappointed once I realized what major plot point had remained hidden from the marketing. Personally, I would probably have enjoyed this movie more had I known more about the sub-genre it was going to conform to.

 

Two Lives DVD Review

     Actors: Juliane Köhler, Liv Ullmann, Rainer Bock

Director: Georg Maas

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: German

Rated: Unrated

Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO

DVD Release Date: June 24, 2014

Run Time: 99 minutes

 

 

        Two Lives is an extremely difficult film to review, for several different reasons. First of all, it is a mystery thriller which unfolds wonderfully; something I would never risk destroying with a clumsy plot description. Second, there is very little frame of reference in recommending it, because it stands alone without the typical trappings of genre filmmaking. From beginning to end, I was never certain of the film’s direction, which can be a wonderful cinematic treat for the more sophisticated moviegoers. I also couldn’t find myself easily recommending this, because it is the type of film with such a slow build that the first half is more work than entertainment.

 

Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me DVD Review

     Actors: Elaine Stritch, Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin

Director: Chiemi Karasawa

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: English

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO

DVD Release Date: June 24, 2014

Run Time: 81 minutes

        My grandfather was an actor his entire life. From a lengthy list of stage shows that he was involved in to a familiar filmography of TV shows and films, Victor Izay had a successful career as a performer that carried on well into his 80s. Weeks before his death at 90 years old, he was still reciting Shakespeare and Edgar Allen Poe, and so I found this documentary about 87-year-old actress Elaine Stritch to be remarkably familiar. Shoot Me captures the spirit of a performer perfectly, especially in showing struggles of the spotlight with the increased difficulty of aging. Elaine Stritch is a unique personality, but my experience with my grandfather showed me that there is also a great deal of universal truth in her individual struggles.

 

The Boondocks: The Complete Fourth Season DVD Review

Language: English

Subtitles: English, French

Dubbed: French

Subtitles for the Hearing Impaired: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

Number of discs: 2

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

DVD Release Date: June 24, 2014

Run Time: 225 minutes

 

        The Boondocks is uncompromisingly shocking, potentially offensive, and always more intelligent than it seems at first glance. Based on Aaron McGruder’s award-winning comic strip, The Boondocks is about a group of upper-middle class black families living in a wealthy suburban neighborhood. Huey and Riley are young brothers living with their grandfather, both with completely different personalities. Riley is completely absorbed by the hip-hop lifestyle, while Huey is a more interested in learning and critical thinking than conforming to the pop culture pit-traps for a young black man. The neighborhood also includes a black man who is married to a white woman, a self-deprecating black man, and an assortment of other bit players along the same lines.

 

The Chef, The Actor, and The Scoundrel Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Ye Liu, Hanyu Zhang, Bo Huang

Director: Guan Hu

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

Language: Mandarin Chinese, Japanese

Subtitles: English

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Well Go USA

Release Date: June 24, 2014

Run Time: 108 minutes

 

        The style director Guan Hu (Cow, Design of Death) uses in The Chef, The Actor, and The Scoundrel reminded me of Baz Luhrman’s early films, utilizing the over-exaggerated style of Peking opera and silent Chinese cinema for slapstick humor and visual hyperactivity. This appears to be an over-indulgence of style, but as the film continues the plot reveals reasons for these choices. I found myself going from irritation at the film’s over-acting and forced comedy to a complete shift in my opinion and appreciation of Hu’s choices.

 

The Angela Mao Ying Collection DVD Review

    

Format: Multiple Formats, Box set, Color, NTSC, Widescreen

Language: Mandarin Chinese

Subtitles: English

Dubbed: English

Number of discs: 3

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: Shout! Factory

DVD Release Date: June 17, 2014

Run Time: 600 minutes

 

 

        Angela Mao had a surprisingly short career, but it was an also influential and groundbreaking in enough ways for her legacy to remain decades later. Even today there are very few female martial arts stars, and when Angela Mao appeared onscreen in the early 1970s she blazed trails with each powerful kick. She wasn’t the first female martial artist, but her ability to carry a film rather than just support it made her a star. This six-film collection includes a few films where Ying takes a smaller role in the narrative, but there are also some great examples of her leading lady abilities. The quality of the film transfers for some of these Golden Harvest releases are less than ideal, including a lot of static and scratches in the image and occasionally sub-par subtitling, but this Shout Factory release does provide quantity for a price that fans can afford. 

 

Masters of Sex DVD Review

     Actors: Michael Sheen, Lizzy Caplan

Format: Multiple Formats, Box set, Subtitled, NTSC

Language: English

Subtitles: English, Spanish, Portuguese, French

Dubbed: French

Number of discs: 4

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Release Date: June 24, 2014

Run Time: 677 minutes

 

        Upon hearing that there would be a Showtime series entitled “Masters of Sex,” I immediately assumed it to be a spin-off of the anthology series, “Masters of Horror.” They did the same with science fiction as well, so I just assumed that we were going to get a series of hour-long erotica from various infamous film-fornicators. Instead, this series plays more like a sexed-up “Mad Men,” with pioneers in scientific research of sex in the 1950s rather than the marketing world of the 1960s. Character development takes precedence over any clear direction in the storyline; though there is a clearer progression in the scientific discoveries throughout season one.

       

Regular Show: The Complete Third Season DVD Review

     Format: Multiple Formats, Animated, Box set, Full Screen, NTSC, Widescreen

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

Number of discs: 3

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: Cartoon Network

DVD Release Date: June 17, 2014

Run Time: 440 minutes

 

 

        “Regular Show” is one of those odd Cartoon Network series which walks the line between entertainment for children and for adults, mostly due to the irreverence in the show’s sense of humor. It is intentionally odd, with a type of logic that adheres only to the mind of a child or pot-head, which seems to be the target audience. This isn’t likely to be a universal hit, but the fans tend to be loyally dedicated to the series. Having a release for a show with fans is a double-edged sword, however, because they may be more likely to make a purchase but also tend to have higher expectations. With the first two seasons previously distributed on Blu-ray in greater quality and with more special features, fans may find reason to complain about this season three DVD release.

 

Almost Human DVD Review

    Actors: Graham Skipper, Josh Ethier

Director: Joe Begos

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO

DVD Release Date: June 17, 2014

Run Time: 79 minutes

 

        There were times that the aggressive violence of Joe Begos film, including some graphic gore effects, reminded me of early Peter Jackson films. Jackson also learned how to utilize his budget by creatively creating the gore effects in his New Zealand horror films, and this is one aspect of filmmaking which Begos has proved himself capable in. It is in every other capacity of storytelling where his amateur abilities are more apparent. While the action and visual effects looked better than the budget, the dialogue and acting suffer from neglect and lack of talent.

 

Jimmy P. DVD Review

     Actors: Benicio Del Toro, Mathieu Amalric

Director: Arnaud Desplechin

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: English

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO

DVD Release Date: June 17, 2014

Run Time: 117 minutes

 

 

        Jimmy P. is a buddy-therapy film, belonging in the extremely small sub-genre of films that would also include Good Will Hunting and Antwone Fisher. That the narrative and characters are borrowed from real-life events is almost disappointing, because of how little actually happens within the narrative. Even the friendship between the two leads feels glossed over, which is odd considering the plot contains little other than their sessions together. Everyone does their job well. The direction from Arnaud Desplechin (A Christmas Tale) is competent, the acting by Benicio Del Toro is appropriately soulful, and Mathieu Amalric brings buoyancy to his role despite being cast against type. With all of these talented elements, Jimmy P. still never manages to blend into a complete package.

 

Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Neil Degrasse Tyson

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, AC-3, Box set, DTS Surround Sound, Subtitled, Widescreen

Language: English (DTS 5.1)

Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Dubbed: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

Number of discs: 4

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Release Date: June 10, 2014

Run Time: 572 minutes

 

        Educational reality series used to be the type of programs only watched by teachers and their students under forced conditions in the classroom. While I can still imagine “Cosmos” being shown in more than a few science classrooms across the country, it is a series which can be shown for the ability to portray information in an entertaining manner rather than simply providing educators a break from their job. Credit is mostly due to the technical aspects of these type of series, which seemed to reach a significant turning point with the overwhelming success of the use of high definition cameras in the filming of “Planet Earth.” The widespread success of that series proved that when a Hollywood approach to effects and visuals are applied to educational shows, audiences will watch them without being forced to in a classroom setting.

 

Joy Ride 3 Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Jesse Hutch, Ken Kirzinger, Dean Armstrong, Ben Hollingsworth

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, AC-3, Color, DTS Surround Sound, Subtitled, Widescreen

Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)

Subtitles: English

Dubbed: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1

Number of discs: 2

Rated: Unrated

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Release Date: June 17, 2014

Run Time: 96 minutes

        I truly had no idea that there was even a Joy Ride 2, in all honesty, but Joy Ride 3 is pretty much exactly what I would expect from a low-budget sequel to the long-forgotten road rage thriller scribed by J.J. Abrams. Normally I don’t even think that it matters too much who directs these trashy grabs for cash in the home entertainment department of successful studios, but the fact that Joy Ride 3 is written and directed by Declan O’Brien is telling of the quality to be expected. O’Brien’s filmography is filled with low-budget horror, but his most significant credits include three straight-to-video sequels of another moderately popular thriller from the past; Wrong Turn. 

 

No Clue DVD Review

     Actors: David Koechner, Brent Butt

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

Language: English

Subtitles: English

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Ent. One Music

DVD Release Date: June 17, 2014

Run Time: 96 minutes

 

 

        Sometimes actors are able to catapult their careers by showcasing their abilities with a screenplay that they wrote for themselves. Good Will Hunting is a perfect example of this, managing to make stars out of two supporting actors with a screenplay that understood how to utilize their talents onscreen. No Clue is an attempt to do the same, but more than anything it merely showcases Brent Butt’s inability to carry a film.

 

The Attorney DVD Review

    Actors: Kang-Ho Song, Do Won Kwak, Si-wan Yim

Director: Yang Woo-Seok

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

Language: Korean

Subtitles: English

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Well Go USA

DVD Release Date: June 17, 2014

Run Time: 127 minutes

 

 

        It is pretty amazing to consider that just over twenty-years ago a film like this would not have been possible in South Korea due to censorship laws. Their national cinema has burst forth as one of the most impressive worldwide in the last two decades, and The Attorney is yet another example of their ability to learn from the success of Hollywood while retaining uniquely South Korean elements. It is a true-story courtroom drama, but this does not stop director Wook-seok Yang from inserting humor into the film, making for an extremely watchable film full of depth.