The High Schooler’s Guide to College Parties might have an eye-catching title, and an eye-catching cover, but the actual movie is filled with unfunny jokes combined with poor production design and unlikeable characters. Please don’t let that cover fool you.
The premise was interesting enough but the execution was pretty bad, as were some of the performances (though Alexandra Stewart was okay). I guess if you have a fascination with Dutch/German productions in the English language, with Hitchcockian-like stories, this might be worth checking out, if only for the oddball nature.
The Loved One is an oft funny and humorous take on the funeral business with shots at… well… just about everything under the sun, kind of a 1960s version of South Park really.
The Triple Feature set is an okay release from Mill Creek and although I don’t like that no features were ported over from previous studio releases, as budget titles go, it’s worth picking up if only to get two out of the three in high-definition for the first time.
A Dog’s Purpose is a schmaltzy and oft manipulative family fantasy drama that features a few decent performances, including Dennis Quaid, but honestly, even as a dog lover, I found the film to be tedious to sit through especially having to constantly listens to Josh Gad’s annoying voice-over.
From Hell It Came is just the usual, and crappy, horror/fantasy that came out of the 1950s with cheap effects, bad acting and an all around lousy story. I suppose if you’re into that era, this might be worth picking up.
Streets of Fire is a rare breed of film that features a unique yet familiar style and with some interesting casting choices, two of them brilliant with the young Diane Lane and Willem Dafoe.
Gold was something of a missed opportunity. The story in itself was interesting while the theme presented by director Stephen Gaghan has a familiar feel that we’ve seen numerous times before.
Saturday Night Fever is a movie that transcends time. It’s a movie that no matter how old you are, you can relate in one way or another. Of course, it also helps that it features probably one of the best soundtracks ever released and a fantastic performance by a young John Travolta.
The Wheeler Dealers is a cute little romantic-comedy playing to the strengths of both James Garner and Lee Remick, as well as a compelling enough story.
Caltiki: The Immortal Monster is a quirky 1950s Italian flick that is part silly, part respectable for its effects work that is worthy of watching if only for that aspect, and viewing with friends might make for a fun time.
The Autopsy of Jane Doe was one of the better surprises of the year (so far) with a compelling enough plot and two great performances by Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch.
The Rounders is a fun little Western romp starring the two veteran actors, Glenn Ford and Henry Fonda. The Blu-ray released through Warner’s Archive Collection is limited in the features department (only a trailer) but the video and audio transfers are both well done.
The Girl with All the Gifts is one of the more surprising movies of 2016 more because it’s yet another in a long line of zombie movies that actually manage to entertain even if it doesn’t exactly break new ground in the genre.
