Not going out on a limb to say that Donnie Darko is a transformative kind of movie, one that even so many years later still holds up so well and features tremendous performances from most involved.
Nocturnal Animals might not have engaged me on an emotional level, the writing and storytelling from Tom Ford are still fantastic and the performances from Jake Gyllenhaal, Amy Adams and Michael Shannon were amazing and, at least in Shannon’s case, award-worthy.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 is a letdown mostly because it shows why the final chapter didn’t need to be split into two with extraneous scenes that weren’t necessary in telling the story. On the plus side, the performances for the most part were strong especially from Jennifer Lawrence and the production design, as it was with Catching Fire and Mockingjay Part 1, was impressive.
The Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: Ultimate Edition does plenty things to correct the hacked up theatrical version though if you didn’t like the plot the first go-around, the UE won’t change your mind. For myself, as a fan of Batman in particular, found it entertaining mainly for Ben Affleck’s portrayal as the Dark Knight and a nice glimpse of what’s to come for Gadot’s Wonder Woman.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 is a letdown mostly because it shows why the final chapter didn’t need to be split into two with extraneous scenes that weren’t necessary in telling the story.
I don’t think Sucker Punch is a movie one should be dismissive of. Yes, an argument can be made that this is basically CGI porn and the story can be nonsensical but I think somewhere in here there is a compelling movie, it just gets lost in the CG and fantasy worlds. The Blu-ray itself has decent features and solid audio and video transfers making this a good purchase for fans, though be forewarned, I’m certain a director’s cut will be released at some point down the line.
The Ruins may not be the most original horror film to come out, but it is definitely a lot better than the rash of remakes and sequels we have been force-fed down our throats for the past few years. The film feels like it could have been something wonderful if it had fleshed out the actual ruins and vines a bit more, and included a much larger (and expendable) cast.
