Writer-director Daniel Simpson’s Spiderhole offers up a great visual element but everything else is pretty much par for the course in horror and even then, it’s not that effective. However, I would’ve more than accepted the horror clichés if not for one character’s stupidity that makes little sense given what transpired earlier in the film.
Contagion has some things going for it, but mainly from an acting and technical level rather than the story. The cast is mostly good despite having a limited amount of screen time and Soderbergh’s visual style, while nothing new from what he’s done in the past, still looks stunning and gives the film a certain gravitas yet at the same time I felt like I was more or less a spectator versus becoming involved or entrenched with what was going on.
Margin Call has some good things going for it like a good ensemble cast, some sharp dialogue and an interesting premise. Unfortunately that same premise only carries the movie so far before it becomes tedious and redundant. While none of the performances predominantly noteworthy, I did think Kevin Spacey and Paul Bettany stood out above the rest while Jeremy Irons played his usual douchebag/villain part, though toned down.
Moneyball is a good film propelled by great performances especially from Brad Pitt and Philip Seymour Hoffman. I’m not much of a baseball fan, but the story of Billy Beane and what he did for an organization and the system certainly makes for an interesting and compelling story.
Apollo 18 is a film I can admire for its production values on such a low budget, but the execution is an entire story. While the set and costume designs are good and the acting is at least OK, this is hardly a compelling movie that is often more boring than thrilling.
Colombiana is an OK movie that thinks has more substance than it actually does. Zoe Saldana gives a fine performance and shows that she can kick ass and look great doing it, nothing wrong with that, however, the story never connects on an emotional level and the plot is something we’ve seen many times before.
Kung Fu Panda 2 is a fun movie with incredible animation and, like the last installment, a great ensemble of voice talents. I wasn’t as enamored with the story as some, although I do like it wasn’t a mere rehash of the original. The DVD has OK video and audio and a decent amount of features, though if you want the most (in terms of all three), the Blu-ray is the way to go.
“Smallville” The Final Season is hardly perfect and there’s still issues with the writing, but I thought the season long plot and the forwarding of the Clark and Lois relationship makes this a solid year and far better than the ninth season. The DVD has acceptable if unremarkable video and audio transfers but the features once again fall short.
Midnight in Paris continues Woody Allen’s string of success across all genres and this latest romantic comedy takes viewers on a travelogue of scenic Paris along with a plethora of well developed characters which will appeal and even relate to most audiences. I give this a solid recommendation.
This “Halloween Party DVD Pack” containing Scared Shrekless and Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space are both fun animated shorts for all ages. Not sure if they’ll become some sort of a yearly ritual viewing but both are worth checking out if you haven’t already. While the combined running time is under an hour, the set is prices around $15 and might be worth picking up especially if you’re a fan of either films.
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