John Wick Blu-ray Review

    Actors: Keanu Reeves, Willem Dafoe, Dean Winters, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen

Format: Blu-ray, Widescreen

Language: English

Subtitles: English, Spanish, French

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: Lionsgate

Release Date: February 3, 2015

Run Time: 101 minutes

 

 

        The internet has been buzzing about the news of a John Wick sequel in the works this past week, no doubt coinciding with the home entertainment release of the sleeper action hit. While the film itself is far from perfect, it is a role perfectly suited to give star Keanu Reeves a bit of a comeback and highlight the directorial debut of his former stunt double, Chad Stahelski (along with fellow Matrix stuntman David Leitch, credited as producer). Even with a weak script in need of serious structural work, the combination of Keanu’s cold performance and impressively directed action sequences makes all forgivable. This may not be the smartest revenge film, but it is the most fun to come from the sub-genre in some time.

 

Before I Go To Sleep Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Nicole Kidman, Colin Firth

Format: Blu-ray, Widescreen

Language: English (DTS 5.1)

Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Release Date: January 27, 2015

Run Time: 92 minutes

 

 

        There are too many similar themes and scenarios within Before I Go to Sleep that reminded me of other films for me to avoid comparing it. The end result feels something like a blend of Memento and Gone Girl, without the strength of either Christopher Nolan or David Fincher’s direction to elevate the material. In the end, Before I Go to Sleep is somehow simultaneously too generic and too unbelievable to make it a memorable piece of entertainment. No matter the strength of the cast, the weaker aspects of the film are eventually overpowering.

 

Ouija Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Olivia Cooke, Ana Coto, Daren Kagasoff

Director: Stiles White

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Ultraviolet, Color, 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, English

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Number of discs: 2

Rated: PG-13

Studio: Universal Studios

Release Date: February 3, 2015

Digital Copy Expiration Date: May 2, 2016

        I have no problem with bloodless horror movies if they are done right. I think The Conjuring is among the best horror films in the last ten years, blood or not. The problem is that Ouija is not done well, and the bloodlessness enhances the boredom. Suddenly amidst this boredom in viewing Ouija I had a revelation about horror films, understanding that mediocre acting and poorly written dialogue is far more easily accepted amidst the spectacle of gore. Even though much of the acting is above par in Ouija, I found myself irritated by the horrendous screenplay and each of its contrivances; far more than I would have within the typical distractions of this genre.

       

Bird People DVD Review

     Actors: Josh Charles, Anaïs Demoustier, Roschdy Zem, Taklyt Vongdara

Director: Pascale Ferran

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: English, French

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO

DVD Release Date: January 13, 2015

Run Time: 128 minutes

 

        Bird People is an unexpected delight; a true example of the pure spirit of what independent cinema is meant to be. Somehow after a few decades of Sundance Film Festivals and the original daring spirit that first created the market for independently produced cinema, the storyline for many of the films are so predictable that an argument could be made that it has simply become another genre. These dialogue-dominant narratives offer few surprises in story, most often merely showcasing the talents of the filmmaker and/or their leading cast members. You could easily find common threads in plot, creating sub-genres for road-trip films or family dysfunction, and suddenly these formula-heavy stories no longer carry the subversive spirit of independent cinema; they merely appear to be films too small for the franchise-crazed film industry to bother with.

Days and Nights DVD Review

    Actors: Katie Holmes, William Hurt, Allison Janney

Director: Christian Camargo

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO

DVD Release Date: January 27, 2015

Run Time: 91 minutes

 

        Days and Nights does not take enough time to tell us who these people are or give us the opportunity to care about them before throwing them into a series of mishaps and melodramatic scenarios.  Part of the problem is the simple excess of characters. As well as making it more difficult to remember each person’s connection to the others, many of the talented cast members go largely unused. On the other hand, some of the cast’s most amateur performers are also handed the brunt of the dialogue-heavy material. The result is a mixed bag of awful and endearing, though the overall film is simply an uneven mess that should have been fixed with either a rewrite the shooting script and/or a different cut of the film that includes more from select characters and less from others.

 

Maison Close: Season One Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Valerie Karsenti, Anne Charrier, Jemima West, Catherine Hosmalin

Director: Jacques Ouaniche

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

Language: French

Subtitles: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1

Number of discs: 2

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: Music Box Films

Release Date: January 27, 2015

Run Time: 480 minutes

 

        The greatest mistake made in marketing this French costume drama is the misrepresentation of what can be expected. Sex sells, so it is hardly a surprise that this is the element of the series which has been embellished in attempts to get American audiences to become viewers, but this is not the type of series to indulge in the exploitation of its actresses. Instead, this is a show which exposes the poor treatment of the unfortunate women who were once in this position, exposing the real-life drama rather than catering to the campier elements that the marketing team contradictorily uses as a selling point. Although sex is at the center of the storyline, it is all in service of the narrative and with far less nudity than one might expect from a French series about a bordello.

 

The Skin Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Burt Lancaster, Marcello Mastroianni

Director: Liliana Cavani

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, DTS Surround Sound, Full Screen

Language: Italian

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Cohen Media Group

Release Date: January 13, 2015

Run Time: 142 minutes

 

        Intentionally shocking and defiantly vulgar in its presentation, Liliana Cavani’s controversial film adaptation of Curzio Malaparte’s short stories about the corruption of war often feels like a dramatic endeavor from Monty Python. Violence is so extreme that it is nearly cartoonish, and the characters all seem created for the sole purpose of satire. There is great impact in the cinematic choices made to enhance the narrative’s satirical outlook, perhaps no less when considering the modern relevance to the tale as well as when it was made. The war of each time period may change, but the ugliness of the spirit seems to stay the same.

 

My Winnipeg Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Ann Savage, Guy Maddin

Director: Guy Maddin

Format: Blu-ray, NTSC

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Criterion Collection (Direct)

Release Date: January 20, 2015

Run Time: 80 minutes

 

 

        Guy Maddin has called My Winnipeg a “docu-fantasia,” an invented term for a unique type of pseudo documentary. Although the style is still distinctly Madden, I would argue that there was a precedent for this type of film prior to My Winnipeg. It was set by another trailblazer in 1973, with Orson Welles’ F is for Fake. Both films use staged sequences within a film meant to be about facts. By the end of both films, however, it becomes clear that the lines between fact and fiction have become blurred along the way.

 

The Palm Beach Story Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Claudette Colbert, Joel McCrea, Mary Astor

Director: Preston Sturges

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

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: Criterion Collection (Direct)

Release Date: January 20, 2015

Run Time: 88 minutes

 

        Preston Sturges put the final note in the popular screwball comedy movement in the 1930s with this 1942 madcap comedy; one which Stanley Cavell would appropriately refer to as a ‘comedy of remarriage.’ All of the elements of screwball comedy are present and in top form, but somehow this still feels distinctly like a Preston Sturges film above all else. Physical comedy mixes with clever repartee between the characters, like a socially conscious slapstick farce.

 

The Zero Theorem Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Christoph Waltz, Tilda Swinton, David Thewlis, Matt Damon, Peter Stormare

Director: Terry Gilliam

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

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: Well Go USA

Release Date: January 20, 2015

Run Time: 107 minutes

        It is spectacular to see Terry Gilliam return to the magnificently recognizable style of some of his best work dealing with future dystopia, including Brazil and 12 Monkeys. It is just unfortunate that he was not able to imagine any new ideas or themes to go with these familiar visuals in The Zero Theorem. In the end, this is like the return into the arms of a past lover; familiar and comforting, though providing no substance or promise for future satisfaction. It merely feels like leftovers from Gilliam’s prime, though this is admittedly still better than much of his work in the last ten years.

Fury Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Michael Peña

Director: David Ayer

Writer: David Ayer

Format: Blu-ray, Widescreen

Language: English

Subtitles: Spanish

Dubbed: French

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Release Date: January 27, 2015

Run Time: 134 minutes

 

        It is fitting to say that Fury is clearly a David Ayer film, despite the fact that he has finally found a narrative outside of the crime film, which seems to be his genre of choice. There are many thematic elements shared in common with his other filmography, and bonds of war make the themes of brotherhood (which he discovered to be more critically lucrative in End of Watch than his usual corrupt cop spiel, such as Sabotage) easily adaptable. But it is also clearly a David Ayer film because, like his filmography, it is vastly uneven. 

 

A Walk Among the Tombstones Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Liam Neeson, Dan Stevens, David Harbour, Boyd Holbrook

Director: Scott Frank

Writer: Scott Frank

Producers: Danny DeVito, Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher, Brian Oliver, Tobin Armbrust

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

Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (DTS 5.1)

Subtitles: French, Spanish, English

Dubbed: Spanish

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Number of discs: 2

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: Universal Studios

Release Date: January 13, 2015

Digital Copy Expiration Date: May 2, 2016

        Liam Neeson was once a varied and versatile actor. He may still be one, but somehow can’t seem to escape the same cliché and caricature roles of seasoned cops and well-worn detectives. A Walk Among the Tombstones offers him exactly this, but is one of the few outings that also provides the actor with solid material to pair with predictable casting. A clever screenplay based on the bestselling Lawrence Block mystery novels makes this one franchise I would not mind seeing receive future cinematic installments. Stop making horrendous Taken sequels, Mr. Neeson, and give us more or Matt Scudder.

 

The Drop Blu-ray Review

     Actors: James Gandolfini, Tom Hardy, John Ortiz, Matthias Schoenaerts

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

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

Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, Japanese

Dubbed: French, Spanish

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Release Date: January 20, 2015

Run Time: 107 minutes

 

        Based on the short story by Dennis Lehane, The Drop is a film with themes better understood with the knowledge of the story’s original title, “Animal Rescue.” Though there is an abused dog found abandoned within the narrative, this is a film better appreciated with the understanding that this is not the only animal within the story in need of rescue. It is the subtle nuances in themes and metaphor’s such as this within the sophomore feature from Belgian filmmaker Michaël R. Roskam which make him a subtle talent not to be dismissed, and this is only enhanced by the spectacular performances given by the three leads.

 

Gone Girl Blu-ray Review

   Actors: Tyler Perry, Ben Affleck, Neil Patrick Harris

Format: Blu-ray, 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: 2.40:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Release Date: January 13, 2015

Run Time: 148 minutes

        I am actually quite amazed that director David Fincher was not honored with a Best Director nomination for Gone Girl. It isn’t that I believe the film to be better than the onslaught of heavy drama that followed it in award season, or even that this is one of the filmmaker’s best films, but the manner in which Fincher was able to elevate the material shows sophistication and skill. What could have been a simple and sloppy exercise in campy entertainment is instead a spectacularly complex cinematic experience. Fincher’s pristine visual style enhances and compliments the dark adult tale adapted from the Gillian Flynn bestseller.

 

The Pirates Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Son Ye-jin, Oh Dal-su, Choi Jin-ri

Director: Lee Suk-Hoon

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

Language: Korean

Subtitles: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Well Go USA

Release Date: January 20, 2015

Run Time: 130 minutes

        I imagine that there were a lot of nuances in the humor of The Pirates that was lost on me due to the language barrier. Subtitles can only take you so far, and I although I can still infer more meaning from their actual tone and inflection than the voice-over dubbing, nothing can replace understanding the language in which the jokes are being told. The other aspect of this large-budget spectacle picture is the action at sea, which feels best suited for the big screen. Still, there are effects to be admired which are at their best in this high definition presentation, not to mention the spectacular HD surround sound, making you feel at sea.

 

Once Upon a Time in Shanghai Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Sammo Hung, Andy On, Philip Ng

Director: Wong Ching-Po

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Dolby, NTSC, 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: January 13, 2015

Run Time: 96 minutes

 

        The title is not the only thing about Once Upon a Time in Shanghai that feels derivative, to the point that it seems an intentional stylistic choice. Star Philip Ng gives his best Bruce Lee impression, complete with mannerism, moves and attitude. This is only further enhanced by the fact that much of the plot seems vaguely reminiscent of The Big Boss (a.k.a. Fists of Fire), the vehicle which catapulted Lee into fame. While this imitation technique could have brought the film down, the success of Ng’s performance makes it an entertaining (albeit forgettable) romp.

 

Love is Strange DVD Review

     Actors: John Lithgow, Alfred Molina

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

Language: English

Subtitles: French

Subtitles for the Hearing Impaired: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

DVD Release Date: January 13, 2015

Run Time: 94 minutes

 

        Love is Strange is a quiet meditation on the nuances of a seasoned relationship. It is so quiet, in fact, that despite the wonderful performances and intelligent screenplay it fails to have emotional resonance. Although it is still a nice respite from the onslaught of mindless Hollywood blockbusters, I couldn’t help but wish that a bit of that excitement had been transferred into this film. Respect can only go so far in entertainment, and then the drama needs emotional resonance or some sort of dramatic scenario to pull a film like this out of its singular note mood.

 

Bad Turn Worse DVD Review

     Actors: William Devane, Mark Pellegrino, Logan Huffman, Jeremy Allen White

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: English

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay

DVD Release Date: January 13, 2015

Run Time: 92 minutes

 

 

        Bad Turn Worse is one of those independent films defying Aristotle by having the whole somehow less than the sum of its parts. The overall movie is rather pedestrian, but broken down in all of its elements there are many obvious rising talents scattered within the production. Rather than being a perfect film, Bad Turn Worse seems an indicator of better films to come from these filmmakers.

Regular Show: Mordecai Pack Review

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

Language: French (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

Number of discs: 2

Studio: Cartoon Network

DVD Release Date: January 27, 2015

Run Time: 176 minutes

 

 

        Fans of the irreverent Cartoon Network animated series, “Regular Show” are likely to be pleased with the release of some of the episodes included in this compilation pack, specifically those from the later seasons not yet available for home entertainment. Others may be too preoccupied with the neglect to release these later seasons in completion, and those die-hard fans are also likely to already own an earlier episode included in this collection. Either way, it should come as no surprise what these compilation releases are like. They are loosely themed collections that are a simple excuse to drag more money out of the fanbase, but they wouldn’t keep making them if some of the fans weren’t buying them.

 

Paddington Theatrical Review

 

 

 

        The increase in digitally created characters saw an increase this past year, most notably with the revival of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and with the intelligent primates of Dawn of the Planet of Apes. Although these films feature cutting-edge effects and technology, it seems to me that the greatest indicator of their success is the ability to blend in. The narrative should not be secondary to the impressive technical abilities of the film, and Paddington succeeds in having the spirit of the source material taking precedence over flashy effects.