The Haunting, even with its $80M production budget, was a moderate hit at the box office ($180M) and despite a spooky production design, the story was weak and the visual effects was well overdone.
RED 2 isn’t as strong as its predecessor, but still incredibly entertaining thanks to is charming and likeable cast that work well together, even if the plot is a bit forced but that’s a sequel for you.
The Terminal is a nice small yet big drama featuring yet another solid performance from Tom Hanks re-teaming with director Steven Spielberg. It is a bit long clocking in over two hours but it’s still an immersive film that has held up well over the 10 years since its release. The Blu-ray offers up excellent video and audio transfers while the bonus material, while nothing extraordinary, are at least worth one viewing.
I don’t mind admitting Chicago is an amazing musical that holds up just as well today as it did 10 years ago and still deserving of its 6 Academy Awards including Best Picture. The performances, both in acting and singing, from Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Richard Gere are astounding not to mention Queen Latifah and John C. Reilly also turn in wonderful performances.
Broken City had so much potential with a stellar cast and an interesting storyline, unfortunately it never really came together. The plot itself was convoluted and the performances kind of bland although slightly entertaining, leading to an all around forgettable flick. I’m not sure what happened, if it was with the script or while filming, but this should’ve been so much better.
Although I’d hardly call The Rebound a great romantic comedy, thanks to the chemistry Catherine Zeta-Jones and Justin Bartha bring, it’s at least worth checking out. The Blu-ray offers up above average video and audio transfers while the features have much to be desired, although it hardly comes as a surprise.
Traffic still is as engrossing today as it was the first day I saw it in the theaters 11 years ago. The performances all around are fantastic while Soderbergh’s style, now a standard for him, was unique and beautiful. When it comes to the Criterion Blu-ray release, I’d say it’s on par in the video and audio realm as the Universal release but obviously this is the edition to go with as it contains several featurettes and commentaries.