Movieman's Guide to the Movies
The Final Word on Physical Media
At Close Range is a bit uneven but still effective character drama headlined by a few great performances especially by Sean Penn and Christopher Walken. Despite some flaws, it’s a compelling story and worth checking out at least once. The Blu-ray released by Twilight Time is nice and all with good video/audio transfers yet again comes at a high price.
“Madam Secretary” is an entertaining if not flawed series. Where it lacks in writing and plot, it more than makes up with a respectable ensemble cast including the still charming Téa Leoni leading the pack. I can only hope some of the issues get shored up in the second season but as a freshman series, it’s adequate.
Dark Was the Night is a nice, if not uneven, creature feature that is well worth at least a rental thanks in large part to the underrated character actor Kevin Durand and a half-decent yet compelling story. The Blu-ray offers good video/audio transfers while the bonus material is limited.
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“LEGO Star Wars: The New Yoda Chronicles” is a fun series and addition to the popular LEGO brand that will appeal to both kids and adults, though this one is geared toward younger viewers. Still, I had a lot fun watching these 4 episodes and look forward to future seasons.
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“The Vampire Diaries” might not be as strong as it once was and the writing isn’t the best with contrived storylines, yet the ensemble cast mostly makes up for the series’ shortcomings so it should be interesting to see how it does going forward without star Nina Dobrev as well as a few other key departures. Still, the show has some entertainment value for what it is.
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I wasn’t nearly as impressed with Dressed to Kill as others have since it doesn’t offer much mystery and the psychological elements which De Palma is normally a master of (look no further than Blow Out), isn’t very enticing either. I guess Angie Dickinson and Nancy Allen excelled in their roles as Michael Caine, while not entirely remarkable, still manages to turn in a sufficient (and unique) performance.
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Closer to the Moon chronicles one of the more unusual heists in history and for the most part, it is a well made drama with two fine performances by Vera Farmiga and Mark Strong. The DVD released by MPI offers good video/audio transfers but falls flat in the bonus material department.
The D Train is just plain awkward through and through and for me, awkward does not equal funny and that’s to go along with obnoxious characters. The Blu-ray release is simple enough featuring good video/audio and minimal bonus material.
Lords of London is the latest British crime drama but unlike some others, it doesn’t have a compelling plot and the acting is, at best, sufficient, and that includes Ray Winstone who is vastly wasted in his role. The DVD released by Lionsgate is basic with no bonus material while the video and audio transfers are average.
Life After Dark isn’t a bad attempt at doing retro 1980s slasher but the idea is one thing, the execution is another. Outside of a couple scenes, the film is fairly standard and doesn’t offer very much in terms of story (even as limited as it is for the genre) or the kills which were rather mundane, though the gore effects themselves were semi impressive.
Shocker is one of Wes Craven’s relatively unknown gems. It has an interesting and fun premise that allows Mitch Peleggi, who I more often see playing reserved characters, to go all out as a sadistic serial killer combined with Peter Berg as the pair beam (for the lack of a better word) into television shows.
“Orphan Black”: Season Three might not be as strong as its first two seasons (which I would give an “A” grade) yet there’s still some good storylines and once again Tatiana Manslany gives several great performances with the different clone personas.
LEGO Super Heroes: Justice League: Attack of the Legion of Doom is another fun entry into the LEGO animated line with nice animation and good voice casting making for an all around entertaining flick serving as a good placeholder while we wait for LEGO Batman. The Blu-ray released by Warner Home Video offers solid video/audio transfers while the singular featurette is actually interesting.
Citizenfour reveals and covers a subject Americans should and need to know about but I suspect many, a fair number in the millennial generation, might not take too seriously and maybe even assumes or accepts the government is spying on them. In any case, the subject matter is one thing, this documentary is another.
The Singing Detective is a bit jarring in its presentation yet there’s some fine moments especially with the performance from Robert Downey Jr. and to some extent Mel Gibson if only for the weird hairpiece and make-up which was more distracting than anything. The Blu-ray release by Olive is decent enough I guess but there were some minor issues with the video while the audio is better than expected. That said, for the money it’s a bit much.
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