Movieman's Guide to the Movies
The Final Word on Physical Media
Dangerous Game is an uneven and quite frankly frenetic film that happens to have some strong performances especially from Harvey Keitel that it keeps it from being a complete turkey. The Blu-ray released by Olive Films is rather limited with only a trailer and average-to-adequate video and audio transfers.
Where Deadly Prey was so bad its good, Deadliest Prey is just plain bad and could really be considered a remake with a very similar plot and generally the same shots (not to mention virtually the same type of opening credits). Perhaps others might get something out of this turkey, I myself will never revisit it.
Deadly Prey is one of the best bad movies ever made and if it were only that, I’d give it a better rating but most everything on this release was terrible. The video had almost a VHS quality to it and the audio is limited. There are some bonus material so it’s not a complete dud but considering the price, it’s a tad steep and only worth it at a bargain bin cost.
Messenger of Death is an unusual turn for a Bronson film and is a bit more nuanced in terms of the story (vs. something like the Death Wish series) but performance wise he’s not bad and has one heck of an opening to draw in the audience.
Continue reading “Review: Messenger of Death BD + Screen Caps”
The Meteor Man is hardly a good movie but it has its charms and I can see why it has somewhat of a following of late. It’s a Robert Townsend pet project but I think it would’ve serviced the movie more if he decided to not also star. As it is, I suppose its passable entertainment but nothing more.
Mad Dog Time is an odd-ball of a movie, a throwback to the days of the Rat Pac era, it was written and directed by Joey Bishop’s son, and although plenty of the dark humor didn’t quite work, it’s not an altogether terrible flick, though nothing I’d watch again in spite of a respectable cast.
The Singing Detective is a bit jarring in its presentation yet there’s some fine moments especially with the performance from Robert Downey Jr. and to some extent Mel Gibson if only for the weird hairpiece and make-up which was more distracting than anything. The Blu-ray release by Olive is decent enough I guess but there were some minor issues with the video while the audio is better than expected. That said, for the money it’s a bit much.
Continue reading “Review: The Singing Detective BD + Screen Caps”
I last saw The Babysitter a few years ago probably on one of the pay channels and seeing it again on Blu-ray only reminded me it was crap then and it’s crap now. The performances from a normally respectable cast was bad, the writing is awful and the movie all around just is a mess and frankly on the dull side rather than anything titillating or thrilling.
Flawless isn’t fantastic with an overwrought crime plotline but makes up for it with two fine performances by Robert De Niro and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman who play well off against one another. Still, it’s not an entirely memorable drama and rightfully fell to the wayside compared to each of the actor’s filmography.
I know Bio-Dome has its fans but it’s a weak imitation of Dumb and Dumber just with jokes that don’t land and two leads that are more annoying than funny. So it’s a strange movie to get the HD treatment on Blu-ray and for such a high price, $20 retail at the time of this writing, is a bit (i.e. very) extreme considering the video is just OK and the audio is substandard.
Return to Me is somewhat of an underrated and overlooked romantic-drama-comedy and in spite of the surprising casting of David Duchovny in the typical male lead role, the movie really works from beginning to end the he and Driver actually have good chemistry with one another. The supporting cast is also impressive from James Belushi to veterans like Robert Loggia and Carroll O’Connor.
Flying Tigers is a well made war drama featuring some well done, for its time, special effects, to go along with strong performances by John Wayne and John Carroll. Unfortunately the Blu-ray release from Olive Films, while featuring respectable audio and video transfers, neglects any bonus features so the bang for the buck is not there, though if you are a fan of the movie, or war films in general, it might be worth the price.