Requiem for a Dream to say the least isn’t entirely a pleasant movie but with the great performances, especially Ellen Burstyn, with the compelling enough storylines, my second viewing of this was more positive.
Getting Gotti is a poorly produced, half-baked crime-drama that at least does have a good performance from Lorraine Bracco to help get through it, but otherwise this is one bio-pic that should be forgotten.
Interstellar very well may be my favorite Christopher Nolan movie, perhaps even edging out The Dark Knight which is saying something from a Batman fan. The performance from Matthew McConaughey was magnificent and powerful and the story itself captivating.
The Age of Adaline seemed to be born out of a Nicolas Sparks novel with incredible coincidences and a quasi-sappy storyline. That said, I can’t deny this was at least an entertaining and inventive romantic-drama with some fine performances including Harrison Ford and Ellen Burnstyn, and to some extent Blake Lively. If you’re game for this type of film, it might be worth a rental.
Pit Stop isn’t a very well known film and especially not amongst Jack Hill’s semi-lengthy filmography which includes Foxy Brown and Spider Baby but for my money, I enjoyed the heck out of it especially with the impressive stunt work and a generally unpredictable finale. The Blu-ray release by Arrow Video offers great video/audio transfers and a fair selection of bonus material making this a worthwhile purchase.
Draft Day isn’t a great movie and probably ranks in the bottom half of sports films, but there’s some entertainment value and Kevin Costner helps to elevate the material far beyond what it deserves. The direction is at least interesting by Ivan Reitman and the supporting cast, albeit not well utilized, is respectable.
I enjoy Playing by Heart for what it is, a fun, if not overly dramatic, ensemble with some good performances as well as clichéd storytelling, especially in one of the storylines. That being said, this is the poorest excuse of a Blu-ray release I’ve ever come across. The video has interlacing issues not to mention dirt and scratch marks while the audio is, at best, average and that’s being generous. The only way I’d recommend picking up this release is if it’s cheap (i.e. <$5) and you don’t already own either of the DVD releases.
I enjoy Playing by Heart for what it is, a fun, if not overly dramatic, ensemble with some good performances as well as clichéd storytelling, especially in one of the storylines. As far as this DVD goes, it’s a mixed bag as to whether or not it’s worth getting if you already own the original release. This one does have a proper anamorphic transfer though it is heavily interlaced and the framing itself is a bit off.