The Poison Ivy series is no doubt bad and unfortunately not really the good kind of bad outside of a few laughable lines and how some of the sex scenes were “tastefully” shot. On the plus side, for the most part the acting isn’t bad.
E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial isn’t just a 1980s classic but a classic period and influential to many generations due to a tightly written script, characters we can actually care about and just an adorable little alien who evokes emotions from laughter to sadness. It may not be Spielberg’s masterpiece, but it is timeless.
Miss You Already might be a clichéd drama but the performances, especially Toni Collette, and some of the writing, especially in how it relates to the battle with cancer – both on clinical and personal points – at least helps make it entertaining if not on an emotional level.
The Steven Spielberg: Director’s Collection is a fine selection, that Universal has access to, that general movies fans will appreciate, even if a couple aren’t that great (1941 and Always specifically). However, given the studio’s history, those who already own previous releases like E.T. and Jurassic Park, could wait as I’m sure the exclusive titles will come available on their own at some point down the road.
Blended isn’t nearly as bad as some of Sandler’s other recent “works” (i.e. train wrecks) because unlike something like Grown Ups 2, I actually managed to laugh (even mildly) a couple of times and, well, it actually had some semblance of a plot even if it is convoluted. And although the material is substandard, the re-pairing of Sandler and Barrymore is a welcoming sight.
Check out our reviews of the May 2011 Echo Bridge Home Entertainment Blu-ray catalouge titles. Movies include: The Crow: City of Angels, Equilibrium starring Christian Bale and Emily Watson; Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers; Hellraiser: Bloodline; Texas Rangers with James Van Der Beek, Dylan McDermott and Ashton Kutcher; Duplex/My Boss’s Daughter Double Feature with Ben Stiller, Drew Barrymore, Kutcher and Tara Reid and The Yards/The Lookout Double Feature starring Mark Wahlberg, Joaquin Phoenix, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Jeff Daniels.
I can’t say it enough that the original Scream is right up there with Halloween and Friday the 13th with an amazing cast ensemble and a production that overcame the odds and made an iconic movie. Although the Blu-ray doesn’t quite measure up to expectations in both the video transfer and features department (would’ve been nice to include some of the material from the bonus disc), it’s still a slight upgrade over the original DVD.
Admittedly, I went into Going the Distance with some low expectations and even though yes the movie isn’t anything special, the cast from the leads to the supporting players, are fun. Where the movie falls apart is the fact the story itself, albeit unique, just isn’t very interesting and became a little boring towards the end. The Blu-ray itself isn’t much better from average video and audio transfers and a forgettable set of featurettes that altogether run maybe 25-minutes total.
Normally when a big cast like Robert De Niro, Drew Barrymore, Kate “I’m not a vampire in this movie” Beckinsale, and Sam Rockwell join forces the movie has got to be entertaining. I mean, no movie has ever done a plot where a father learns that his family is nothing how he forced them to be when they were younger. No, that could never happen.
This is, in all seriousness, one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time. I watch so many films they tend to blend together, and normally I’m not a fan of these types of flicks, but this is just one of those movies that caught me completely by surprise.
>> READ TYLER’S ENTIRE REVIEW <<
Whip It is another great launching vehicle for Ellen Page who just has success written all over her. While the rest of the cast is pretty lackluster, you’re really watching the film for Bliss and her story.
>> READ BRAD’S ENTIRE REVIEW <<