Here we are again, the time of year for family quality time, reassessing priorities and racking up credit card debt to take advantage of some sweet Brown Thursday and Black Friday sales. Here are some gift ideas for some nice sets released over the last year or so. I would like to thank the studios for providing these for inclusion in this guide. Please consider clicking through the Amazon links to support this site.
Summit Entertainment has announced the date and released artwork for the first chapter of the vampire romance saga, Twilight starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner. Click on the link below or image to the left to check out the features and artwork.
Home Again is hardly terrible but also hardly as charming as the filmmakers thought it was in spite of Reese Witherspoon whose talents are hardly taxed. This is at best a rental otherwise it’s a story that should’ve aired on the Hallmark Channel.
Passengers might’ve been slammed by critics, was a quasi bust at the box office given its budget and had a misleading marketing campaign, but I for one really enjoyed the lonely aspect of the story that tends to appeal to me and has an interesting premise.
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.
Underworld is a rather dated sci-fi horror film that took a lot of influence from the then fresh Matrix yet there’s still some entertainment value and Kate Beckinsale makes the most with the material she was given… and it’s never a bad thing seeing her in tight clothing.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has announced the date and released artwork for two fantasy action thrillers making their debuts on 4K UHD, Underworld and Resident Evil: Afterlife. Click on the link below or image to the left to check out the features and artwork.
Alice Through the Looking Glass is a messy movie that, as the box office showed, never should’ve been made. The actors seemed uninterested and probably were in it to make a few (million) bucks, Depp especially, but beyond that, it’s such a thin story.
The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box is a perfectly suitable family action-adventure though the ending has much to be desired with muddy editing and poor focus. The Blu-ray released by RLJ offers standard audio/video transfers while the solo featurette wasn’t bad. For what it is, it’s not a bad movie and probably worth renting.
The Underworld movies have a loyal following but I’ve never quite got into it save for Kate Beckinsale, her costume design and the all around production design. In regards to this set, it is identical to the one released a couple years back except for a 3-part anime series. If you don’t already own the other set, it’s a cheap pick-up for three movies that have excellent audio and videos transfers and a good selection of features to keep you busy.
Midnight in Paris continues Woody Allen’s string of success across all genres and this latest romantic comedy takes viewers on a travelogue of scenic Paris along with a plethora of well developed characters which will appeal and even relate to most audiences. I give this a solid recommendation.