The Game Changer Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Peter Ho, Zitao Huang
• Director: Gao Xixi
• Disc Format: Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, THX, Widescreen
• Language: Mandarin Chinese (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region A/1
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Not Rated
• Studio: Well Go USA
• Release Date: October 3, 2017
• Run Time: 133 minutes

         The Game Changer is a period gangster film, but everything is exaggerated to the point that it should be a parody. There is no humor though, and it is quickly apparent that the filmmakers are taking the over-the-top style seriously. Not only is the action cartoonish in its embellishments, the drama is so high emotionally that it often slips unapologetically into melodrama. While occasionally entertaining, the final result is a film that is easy to forget despite all of the efforts to impress.

The Treasure DVD Review

• Actors: Toma Cuzin, Adrian Purcarescu
• Director: Corneliu Porumboiu
• Disc Format: Anamorphic, Color, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: Romanian
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Not Rated
• Studio: MPI Home Video
• Release Date: September 19, 2017
• Run Time: 89 minutes

        Some foreign films are universally relatable, dealing with themes and scenarios that cross language barriers without trouble. The Treasure seems to have one of these premises, as who among us has never fantasized about finding a treasure in our backyard capable of eliminating all money troubles from our life. It isn’t the premise that is hard to relate to in The Treasure, however, but the tone of the film. Sold as a comedy, the wry humor of the Romanian film industry is likely to be lost on those unfamiliar with this style.

The Big Sick Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter, Ray Romano
• Director: Michael Showalter
• Disc Format: Color, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: Spanish
• Dubbed: Spanish
• Region: Region A/1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: R
• Studio: LIONSGATE
• Release Date: September 19, 2017
• Run Time: 120 minutes

         The Big Sick is impressive due to the diversity of its casting. It is also interesting because it is based on a real-life love story, written by the pair as if they were telling the elaborate story about how they met at a dinner party with close friends, starring an actor who is playing himself in this narrative. But these are not the things that make The Big Sick truly great, though they are certainly significant. It is simply great writing and convincing acting that makes this movie so charming, with the details of the production only adding to this. Though a majority of the credit needs to go to star Kumail Nanjiani and his co-writer/wife Emily V. Gordon, it is worth noting that this is yet another instance where producer Judd Apatow has provided the opportunity for the creativity of its artist to provide audiences with a personalized romantic comedy geared at adults.

The Prison Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Han Suk-Kyu, Kim Rae-Won, Lee Kyoung-Young
• Director: Na Hyun
• Disc Format: Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, THX, Widescreen
• Language: Korean (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region A/1
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Rated: Not Rated
• Studio: Well Go USA
• Release Date: September 19, 2017
• Run Time: 125 minutes

         Prison movies have always been among my favorite type of crime film, primarily due to the cleverness it takes the criminals to navigate within the unique environment. The hierarchy of the small society of dangerous individuals leads to a pressure cooker of unpredictability, but the violence is often also paired with discreetness and innovation. While The Prison certainly has the violence, part of the fun of the genre has been removed by the fact that the control is completely in the hands of the prisoners. More like a gangster film with a unique setting, The Prison is another solid South Korean crime film, though it never breaks enough boundaries in either story or style to be truly memorable.

Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars 4K Ultra HD Review

• Director: Shinji Aramaki
• Disc Format: 4K, Closed-captioned, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: French, Portuguese, Czech, German, Russian, Estonian, Finnish, Swedish, Polish, Latvian, Italian, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Dutch, Norwegian, Hungarian, Romanian, Thai, English, Spanish, Danish, Greek, Turkish, Lithuanian
• Dubbed: French, Portuguese, German, Czech, Italian, Hungarian, Thai, Spanish, Turkish
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: Re
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• Release Date: September 19, 2017
• Run Time: 88 minutes 

         Starship Troopers is the cult film with a franchise that never seems to end, even if it hardly resembles the original product any more. After a string of bland straight-to-video sequels, the series shifted into animation, presumably targeting the audience demographic still interested in sci-fi films about a war against bugs. The result is cutting edge realistic animation, used in films that remain every bit as forgettable as the live-action sequels. In a seemingly last-ditch effort to remind fans of the only successful entry into the franchise, Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars has brought back two of the original cast members to lend their voices.

Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie Blu-ray Review

• Disc Format: AC-3, Dolby, Dubbed, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English (DTS 5.1)
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Dubbed: French, Spanish
• Region: Region A/1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: PG
• Studio: Dreamworks Animated
• Release Date: September 12, 2017
• Run Time: 90 minutes

         Even though the children’s books by Dave Pilkey that the film Captain Underpants is based on were released several decades ago, its release seemed perfectly timed this year. Our entertainment culture has become so oversaturated with superhero narratives on TV and film that there is a new demand for content that parodies the established constructs of the genre. The LEGO Batman Movie was the first to blend Meta superhero comedy with an animated family film, but Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie irreverently continues the efforts. Silly for the sake of its own silliness, Captain Underpants revels in immaturity that is surprisingly entertaining for kids and adults alike.

The Hero Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Krysten Ritter, Laura Prepon, Nick Offerman, Sam Elliot, Katharine Ross
• Director: Brett Haley
• Format: NTSC, Widescreen
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region A/1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R
• Studio: LIONSGATE
• Release Date: September 19, 2017
• Run Time: 93 minutes

         The Hero relies on a series of movie clichés to tell its story, offering up a screenplay co-written by Marc Basch and director Brett Haley that is only saved from its own melodrama by the effectiveness its cast. Even the smaller supporting characters are well cast, but the heart of the film is found in the raw and heartfelt performance given by Sam Elliott, who proves that he has been given too few leading roles in his long career. And because nearly every scene of the film features Elliott, the shortcomings of the screenplay are often overcome by a character study that never feels less than convincing.

Citizen Jane: Battle for the City DVD Review

• Actors: Jane Jacobs, Marisa Tomei
• Director: Matt Tyrnauer
• Format: Anamorphic, Color, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1
• Rated: Not Rated
• Studio: MPI Home Video
• DVD Release Date: September 12, 2017
• Run Time: 93 minutes

        Citizen Jane attempts to be a history lesson, a biography of Jane Jacobs, and adaptation of her essential book on city design, while still finding time to point out the relevance of her beliefs in times of modern urban renewal. This may feel like a lot for a documentary to cover in just over 90-minutes, and for fans of the book or those interested in the topic of city planning, this may be the case. For the casual viewer, however, even this breadth of material and short running time is not enough to save the film from occasionally feeling redundant in its opinion that cities should be less organized and contained.

Beatriz at Dinner DVD Review

• Actors: Salma Hayek, Chloë Sevigny, John Lithgow, Connie Britton
• Director: Miguel Arteta
• Format: Color, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R
• Studio: LIONSGATE
• DVD Release Date: September 12, 2017
• Run Time: 103 minutes

        Fueled by the righteous indignation of minorities and lower class citizens forced to endure countless slights from the privileged mentality of the richest sections of society, Beatriz at Dinner feels like a film that will have plenty to say. And at first it does, slowly building tension in its simple scenario, before the narrative loses steam and stumbles toward an uncertain end. The result feels like a narrative with a lot of potential, perfect casting, some great moments, but very little follow-through.

Phantasm 5 Movie DVD Collection Review

• Actors: Reggie Bannister, A. Michael Baldwin, Bill Thornbury
• Director: Don Coscarelli
• Format: Box set, Color, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1
• Number of discs: 5
• Rated: R
• Studio: Well Go USA
• DVD Release Date: September 12, 2017
• Run Time: 454 minutes

        Easily one of the strangest horror movies ever made, Phantasm has a little bit of everything crammed into one movie. The 1979 cult classic is a rare sci-fi horror film made on a low budget. There are moments of gore (primarily involving the sphere weapon), a dark sense of humor, erratic and purposefully disorienting editing, and even a bit of unexpected realism (a victim urinating during his death scene is still shocking today). This movie is far from a masterpiece, but there are undeniable moments of genius in here. There have been four sequels so far, but this set remains complete even if more are made, as there can be no more films with Angus Scrimm as The Tall Man. Available for the first time in one set, this is as complete a collection as you are likely to find, at least for now. 

The Mummy Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Tom Cruise, Annabelle Wallis, Sofia Boutella, Jake Johnson, Courtney B. Vance
• Director: Alex Kurtzman
• Writers: David Koepp, Christopher McQuarrie, Dylan Kussman
• Producers: Alex Kurtzman, Chris Morgan, Sean Daniel, Sarah Bradshaw
• Format: NTSC, Subtitled
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 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: Region A/1
• Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: PG-13
• Studio: Universal Studios Home Entertainment
• Release Date: September 12, 2017
• Digital Copy Expiration Date: May 2, 2018

        Despite the horrible response by audiences and critics alike, I didn’t think The Mummy was a complete trainwreck. There was much about it that didn’t work, and very little that was as successful as it needed to be, but the biggest problem with the film is its inability to carry the weight of the cinematic universe that is meant to follow. As a standalone film, audiences probably would have dismissed The Mummy as an inconsequential summer film, without the high level of scrutiny it received as the first entry into the Dark Universe franchise. And this seems to be a trend, as each effort made by Universal to revive their once thriving cinematic horror department to the quality of the past has met similar failure. We saw it with Dracula Untold (2014) as well as The Wolfman (2010), and now The Mummy’s failure is likely giving the studio pause about their plans to revive countless other iconic monsters.

All Eyez on Me Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Demetrius Shipp Jr., Danai Gurira, Dominic L. Santana, Kat Graham, Lauren Cohan
• Director: Benny Boom
• Format: Color, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region A/1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: R
• Studio: LIONSGATE
• Release Date: September 5, 2017
• Run Time: 140 minutes

        All Eyez on Me plays like a greatest hits album, hitting all of the expected plot points of the rapper’s short life and career, without any of the context from the full albums. It reads like a list of occurrences, without any real soul attached to the story or filmmaking. Sure, we get to see an actor play out the controversial interviews about his tattoos and the contradiction of his words and his actions, in-between staged performances of popular songs, but there is no life in the narrative. It feels like a checklist, a collection of scenes that are loosely connected. Somehow too long to remain interesting and too short to cover the amount of material accurately, All Eyez on Me may have been better as a TV miniseries or a shorter and more focused film.

Maurice Blu-ray Review

• Actors: James Wilby, Hugh Grant, Rupert Graves
• Director: James Ivory
• Format: Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region A/1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: R
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• Release Date: September 5, 2017
• Run Time: 140 minutes

        Director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant were a distinct filmmaking team best known for their adaptations of E.M. Forster novels. Their first big hit was A Room with a View (1985), and their largest success is often considered to be Howard’s End (1992), but between these two they also adapted Forster’s novel about homosexuality in pre-World War I English society. Maurice may not be as well known as the other Merchant-Ivory Forster adaptations, but it has all of the familiar elements and themes found in their better remembered films. Rich in costumes and production design that accurately depict the times, Maurice also continues the trend of examining the gap between classes, while also adding the themes about sexuality in a society that had deemed homosexuality to be criminal.

The Wedding Plan DVD Review

• Actors: Dafi Alferon, Noa Koler, Oded Leopold, Ronny Merhavi, Udi Persi
• Director: Rama Burshtein
• Format: Color, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG
• Studio: LIONSGATE
• DVD Release Date: September 5, 2017
• Run Time: 110 minutes

        The structure of The Wedding Plan aligns quite easily with the romantic comedy genre, though there are larger and deeper themes engrained within the premise and much of the dialogue. While this may not always lend itself to the lighthearted laughs many expect from the genre, it does infuse it with a heartfelt sincerity and a deep soulfulness rarely found in formulaic narratives such as this. The story’s blend of melancholic despair with optimistic hopefulness is more than just a response to the unique film premise; within the numerous conversations about the protagonist’s situation is a deeper examination of faith and the belief in something larger than oneself, and the natural tendency to doubt and question throughout this journey.

Megan Leavey Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Kate Mara, Ramon Rodriguez, Tom Felton, Bradley Whitford, Will Patton
• Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite
• Writers: Pamela Gray, Annie Mumolo, Tim Lovestedt
• Producers: Mickey Liddell, Pete Shilaimon, Jennifer Monroe
• Format: NTSC, Subtitled
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1)
• Subtitles: Spanish, English
• Region: Region A/1
• Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
• Rated: PG-13
• Studio: Universal Studios Home Entertainment
• Release Date: September 5, 2017
• Digital Copy Expiration Date: May 2, 2018

        For the first half of Megan Leavey, I was somewhat critical of the film’s title, especially considering the catalyst and main focus of the narrative seemed to be the dog rather than the soldier. But the narrative changes from a war film to a movie about a marine’s advocacy for her canine partner in the second half, becoming clear where the spirit of the film truly lies. While it certainly is a film about two misunderstood outcasts finding purpose for their lives, it is Leavey’s heartfelt determination that remains central to the story’s success.

First Kill Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Bruce Willis, Hayden Christiansen, Ty Shelton, Gethin Anthony, William DeMeo
• Director: Steven C. Miller
• Format: NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region A/1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R
• Studio: LIONSGATE
• Release Date: September 5, 2017
• Run Time: 102 minutes

        First Kill only took 13 days to film, and it shows in the final product. While the movie is well shot, the performances mostly feel dialed in and the entire experience is fairly soulless. It feels like a film that everyone involved knew from the beginning was destined to be nothing more than an average piece of predictable storytelling. We have seen this story many times before, most of the time done better or with a larger budget, and even the actors involved appear to be spending most of their screen time thinking about how they will spend their paychecks.

Iron Protector Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Collin Chou, Wai-Man Chan, Yue Song
• Director: Yue Song
• Format: Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, THX, Widescreen
• Language: Mandarin Chinese (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region A/1
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Not Rated
• Studio: Well Go USA
• Release Date: September 5, 2017
• Run Time: 90 minutes

        Is it enough for a martial arts movie to have nothing praiseworthy but the action? This is the question that Iron Protector forces on its audience, as it is full of cliché characters and situations, overacting and melodrama, and an overall blandness to the entire production save a few memorable sequences of fight choreography. And all of the action isn’t even impressive enough to warrant the dilemma of quality vs. spectacle, as many of the sequences rely far more on quick cuts and flashy editing than any actual display of martial arts skills or creative choreography. So, it becomes a question of whether one or two impressive sequences can make up for the shortcomings of a majority of the film.

Black Sails: The Complete Fourth Season Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Toby Stephens, Hannah New, Luke Arnold, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Tom Hopper
• Directors: Steven Boyum, Alik Sakharov, Lukas Ettlin, Stefan Schwartz, Neil Marshall
• Format: NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Dubbed: Spanish, French
• Region: Region A/1
• Number of discs: 3
• Studio: LIONSGATE
• Release Date: August 29, 2017
• Run Time: 596 minutes

        Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean is a franchise born from an amusement park ride, and has the same dedication to accuracy in the portrayal of its subject. Dedicated more to the supernatural and fantasy elements than an accurate depiction of pirates, these films failed to capitalize upon the more adult aspects of the men who inspired myths. While “Black Sails” is not entirely born from truth, it embraces realism and stories about actual pirates in the telling of a prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island.” The first couple of seasons were slow to pick up the pace, leaving some to complain about the numerous scenes of dialogue and minimal activity at sea, but season four is a brutal and emotional resolution to the running narratives from the three before. This means plenty of action and a number of surprising deaths, all leading to an ending that blends seamlessly into the classic work of literature.

Born in China Blu-ray Review

• Actors: John Krasinski, Xun Zhou
• Director: Chuan Lu
• Language: English

        Born in China is another Disneynature film release, which means that the wildlife docudrama is primarily being directed at young audience members, leaving out the bigger issues and harsh realities. It isn’t exactly that the depiction of wildlife has been censored, because there are many tragedies to occur to and around the animals the film chooses to focus on, but the demise of animals is implied rather than explicitly shown. While this may sanitize the film for its G-rating, all parents know that human children are as inquisitive as the baby panda in the film. This inevitably forces the parents watching the film with their child to have the conversation about death that Born in China avoids with some pandering to the common religious beliefs of the region, conveniently aligning with the studio’s “circle of life” philosophy. But this is likely to mean little to young children, who simply want to know what happened to the animals when the camera cut away.

Heal the Living Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Tahar Rahim, Emmanuelle Seigner, Anne Dorval, Bouli Lanners
• Director: Katell Quillévéré
• Format: AC-3, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: French
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region A/1
• Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Not Rated
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• Release Date: August 29, 2017
• Run Time: 104 minutes

        I may not have literally rolled my eyes when I read the description of Heal the Living, but I was certainly in no rush to put the Blu-ray in my player. The plot description reads like a propaganda piece advocating for the importance of a specific medical practice, and the approach of “three seemingly unrelated stories” is taken from the playbook of countless classic experimental foreign films (and a few American imitations), leading me to believe that I knew everything about the film before it even began. And this may have been entirely true, if not for the finesse and artistry of director Katall Quillévéré’s approach to the familiar formula and predictable narrative. Equipped with motifs and metaphors carried through the film in the spectacular imagery of Tom Harari’s cinematography and Alexandre Desplat’s resonant score, Quillévéré is able to elevate the simple concepts of Heal the Living script into a true cinematic wonder.