The Lord of the Rings Trilogy is still an incredible feet all these years later and even though I have watched it more than few times, it holds up exceptionally well (side for a couple CGI moments that look off) with a wonderful ensemble cast.
I wasn’t totally enamored with The Hobbit Trilogy in my initial viewings and the extended versions didn’t really change my mind, so the same issues remain although I can still appreciate some of the technical aspects at least.
The Good Liar is a movie only worthwhile for excellent performances by two of the best actors around in Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen, it’s too bad the plotline, and third act specifically, wasn’t better.
To say I was disappointed in this Beauty and the Beast live action adaptation would be an understatement. Although the technical aspects were impressive, the performances, particularly for Emma Watson and Dan Stevens, were underwhelming, and the new music was rather forgettable.
The Da Vinci Code has more or less remained the same in my eyes since seeing it in theaters a decade ago. The acting more or less steals the show over a bit of a convoluted story, yet the mystery and adventure aspect makes the nearly two-and-a-half hour running time bearable.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies ends one of the more mundane trilogies and although certainly the passion was there, Peter Jackson and company turned what should have been a 5 hour two-parter into three movies with unnecessary filler to go along with characters, new ones specifically, that were utterly forgettable.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies ends one of the more mundane trilogies and although certainly the passion was there, Peter Jackson and company turned what should have been a 5 hour two-parter into three movies with unnecessary filler to go along with characters, new ones specifically, that were utterly forgettable.
Mr. Holmes isn’t great but it’s certainly watchable especially for Ian McKellen’s performance as the tragically aging Sherlock Holmes who is losing his memory. Not sure if I’ll ever revisit the film anytime soon yet at the same time it’s got just enough to make it worth a Redbox or Netflix rental before making the investment of purchasing.
X-Men: Days of Future Past: The Rogue Cut, while not as strong or tightly paced as the theatrical version is still well worth checking out especially for fans. The Blu-ray released by Fox is a bit of a mixed bag. Yes, the audio and video are incredible, there’s a fine selection of bonus material but I’m not sure why they didn’t port over the features from the first release.
Richard III has a rich production design to go along with amazing performances headlined by Ian McKellen who is fantastic in the title role. Sure, the Laurence Olivier version is better but this is a well done and new take on the classic tale.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies ends one of the more mundane trilogies and although certainly the passion was there, Peter Jackson and company turned what should have been a 5 hour two-parter into three movies with unnecessary filler to go along with characters, new ones specifically, that were utterly forgettable.
Although Desolation of Smaug is an improvement over Unexpected Journey, I still wasn’t crazy about the installment with the action scenes, albeit well filmed, seemingly blurring from one to the next and you once more had references to LOTR, a series I have far more interest in re-watching and caring about than this one thus far.
Although Desolation of Smaug is an improvement over Unexpected Journey, I still wasn’t crazy about the installment with the action scenes, albeit well filmed, seemingly blurring from one to the next and you once more had references to LOTR, a series I have far more interest in re-watching and caring about than this one thus far. Still, fans will probably get more out of this than I did so on that front, it might be worth a rental.
The Shadow had plenty of potential but thanks to budgetary constraints and a screenplay that probably could’ve used a polish, that’s all this film is left with. But now 20 years later, it receives new life on Blu-ray to the point hopefully it finds a new audience and Hollywood takes another stab considering the advancement in visual effects with value to the dollar.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey has its moments with fine performances from Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage and the always reliable Ian McKellen who slips right back into his Gandalf garbs without missing a beat. But the screenplay and plotline feels too simplistic especially when you compare the scope and ultimate effect it would have on Middle Earth. The Blu-ray at least has excellent audio/video transfers and the two documentaries are incredible.