Movieman's Guide to the Movies
The Final Word on Physical Media
Pound of Flesh could’ve been a fun B-movie but instead it’s yet another in the long line of crappy direct-to-video movies that will in all likelihood end up in the cheap bin at Wal-Mart, Big Lots or your local bargain store. Jean-Claude Van Damme still has some energy to him but when the screenplay is thin on story and production values that are borderline laughable, it’s hard to overcome those obstacles.
Barely Lethal, although hardly anything extraordinary, is at least a passable ‘tween spy thriller that’s heaps better than any of the Spy Kids movies (granted, not that big of an accomplishment). The cast is mostly good with Hailee Steinfeld doing a fine job carrying a thin script. It’s probably worth a rental, nothing more.
The Last Survivors may not be perfect as it could be repetitive at times while the plot was a bit thin but the acting is well done especially by lead actress Haley Lu Richardson and for an independent production it’s an impressive flick. The Blu-ray release offers good video/audio transfers while there’s a fine selection of bonus material headlined by a pair of commentary tracks.
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Innerspace is a fantastic sci-fi comedy that not only has a fun story but excels courtesy of the cast relying on each of their strengths to make for a good time; and not to be outdone, the effects work is still impressive decades later. The Blu-ray released by Warner is rather basic porting over the features from the previous DVD while the video/audio transfers were both well done.
“Adventure Time”: The Complete Fifth Season is another solid year for the now venerable animated series. The plots are still great fun and the variety of unique characters keeps things fresh in spite of going on hundreds of episodes. The 2-disc Blu-ray release by Warner is a tad disappointing as there are only a couple of features while episode commentaries for whatever reason were completely dropped.
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Burying the Ex probably could’ve been one of the better surprises of 2015 but instead it’s bitten with a half-baked screenplay that doesn’t take advantage of the fun story. Even so, Joe Dante and company do pay homage to horror of old which will certainly satisfy fans of the genre and even beyond that, the core cast all turn in good performances and make something mundane and average to be somewhat entertaining, flaws and all.
The Longest Ride is just another typical Nicholas Sparks adaptation and frankly, I can at least say it’s better than The Best of Me though doesn’t hold a candle to The Notebook, and not many of Sparks’ book-to-films have. Still, the two leads weren’t terrible and it’s nice seeing Alan Alda with a bit more material than usual.
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Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 is a terrible movie. I mean, really bad and the latest blight on the Happy Madison production company, hard to believe they could get much worse, but they’ve done it (though I suppose it’s not as bad as Jack and Jill, so that’s something). The release by Sony offers some thin bonus material while the video/audio transfers are both sufficient.
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Any Day had plenty going for it and acting-wise, especially from Sean Bean and Kate Walsh, but falters with a half-baked screenplay which could’ve used a few more passes. The DVD released by Anchor Bay is rather plain with no features while the video/audio transfers were decent enough.
Little Loopers is a syrupy and safe drama for the family with a nice message. The acting isn’t the best and unsurprisingly the production values aren’t great, but this might be worth a one-night Redbox rental. The DVD itself is rather basic with no bonus material and OK video/audio transfers.
Absolution is yet another bad movie in an arsenal of bad movies over the past decade for Steven Seagal who continues to mumble through his lines and looks utterly uninterested in the material, not that the plot is anything noteworthy, however. This is typical DTV fodder and will be in the cheap bin in no time.
Far from perfect, and not nearly on the level of “The Walking Dead”, “The Strain”: The Complete First Season is still a well made, nicely shot series with, for the most part, good and engaging performances led by Corey Stoll and David Bradley. This Collector’s Edition Blu-ray release offers some more features as well as a bust though honestly, unless you can nab this on sale, I’m not so sure if it’s worth the upgrade.
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A Month in the Country is a well made drama headlined by the beautiful English countryside as well as two solid performances by Colin Firth and a young Kenneth Branagh marking his feature film debut. Unfortunately the Blu-ray release doesn’t quite measure up to the story with utterly average video and only so-so audio while the bonus material is limited, though the commentary is worth a listen.
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Camp Massacre is a satire on the horror genre but it’s not that funny and the acting is, at best, below average. Those who are fans of Bree Olson and her, let’s say, assets, will be disappointed as she’s only in it for the pre-opening credits (a la Scream I suppose).
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.
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