Gosford Park is a strong and finely acted ensemble drama from the king of the ensemble, Robert Altman and even though I don’t consider this his best film, it’s still well done.
This is a case of quantity over quality here, though there are a couple of decent films like Vacancy and I Know What You Did Last Summer (if you like late 90s slasher horror) but otherwise these are movies previously released by Mill Creek re-packaged together.
Wish Upon could’ve been better but instead was another teen horror movie with some really stupid moments. The only saving grace is probably a respectable and wide-ranging performance from Joey King who does shine.
The Lincoln Lawyer isn’t breaking any new ground in the legal thriller genre. The plot itself is less mystery and more character so those expecting some twist might be disappointed. That being said, as somebody who has never been enamored with Matthew McConaughey, here he’s near pitch perfect for the part.
These three sets are more bargain releases for Mill Creek Entertainment with titles previously on DVD and in some cases Blu-ray so unless you don’t already own these, it might be worth picking up at $10 a pop, though don’t expect any frills and the video and audio transfers are so-so at best.
Stop-Loss is a well made war-drama featuring several fine performances from Ryan Phillippe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Channing Tatum. I wasn’t floored by the film and it doesn’t even compete with the best war movies and it doesn’t possess much replay value, but it might be worth a watch.
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.
Set Up wants to be some personal revenge/vendetta-centric crime drama but instead we get poor writing, even worse acting and uninspiring direction not to mention an odd portion where some dark comedy is thrown in at random. The Blu-ray has, an average video and adequate audio.