Movieman's Guide to the Movies
The Final Word on Physical Media
Case 39 is a mess of a film and it’s no wonder why it had a hard time finding a U.S. distributor for three years not to mention the reshoots. I can applaud Renee Zellweger for trying something different away from the safety of the comedy and drama genres, but the character was all wrong for her.
Shrek: The Whole Story 4-disc box set may not be perfect in terms of features, but the audio and video transfers are all great and worthy of an upgrade over their DVD counterparts. As for the movies themselves, it may not be to the level of Pixar’s Toy Story movies but even the weaker third entry was at least bearable.
The A-Team might not have hit all the notes the filmmakers’ were aiming for, but it’s still one hell of a ride. The casting was well done even if it’s a bit odd to see Liam Neeson with silver hair like he does; Bradley Cooper does his successful comedic schtick that suits his character so well; and Rampage Jackson, while not great, was a good enough casting choice in such an iconic role.
I didn’t buy for one second anything these experts presented about the possibility of aliens bringing forth various technologies centuries ago as the science experiments and some testimonials by certain scientists just don’t whole much weight with me. I do believe that there could be alien life out there for the sheer reason that the universe and solar system is so big and largely unexplored, but the theories presented in this first season of “Ancient Aliens” fails to prove anything and instead uses conjecture.
“Charlie Brown’s Christmas Tales” is an enjoyable if not forgettable TV special which aired two years after Schulz’s death, but based on the comic strips. The animations seems about the same as other specials while the child voice actors, while not the best, are suitable enough.
I liked parts of And Soon the Darkness. Even though the first act is a bit on the plodding side, I do understand the need to establish the two friends and get a little suspense built up and on the first part, the movie does succeed.
Admittedly I am not a fan of either Fantasia or Fantasia 2000 but I can still appreciate what they were trying to do and the experiment Walt Disney himself was trying to accomplish. It might have failed back in 1940 but the film has its devoted followers and while I may not be one of them, this is still a set well worth picking up. Personally, I loved the Destino animated short which, as far as I can tell, is the first time it has been available on home video.
Salt isn’t the best action movie out there and when it compares to the Daniel Craig Bond or Bourne movies probably a cut above Quantum of Solace but well below Bourne, I still enjoyed it for what it was and to appreciate the skill and beauty of Angelina Jolie.