Movieman's Guide to the Movies
The Final Word on Physical Media
To be perfectly honest, I’m not a fan of zombie shows or movies with few exceptions (“The Walking Dead”), so Dead Within wasn’t exactly my cup of tea yet the psychological aspects were at least interesting and co-writer/director Ben Wagner at least gives some suspenseful atmosphere.
Man Hunt is a very well made thriller, with some of that 1940s war propaganda, with some solid performances by Walter Pidgeon, Joan Bennett and George Sanders, a great score from Alfred Newman and impressive cinematography.
Phantom of the Paradise is a well made and quirky adaptation of the classic opera. The performances, both sung and acting, were good headlined by William Finley and Jessica Harper
Continue reading “Phantom of the Paradise: Collector’s Edition Blu-ray Review”
Batman: Assault on Arkham isn’t a bad entry into the DC Universe Animated line but the title is misleading with the title character has been relegated to supporting role status as the bulk of the story is centered on the members of the Suicide Squad as well as some on The Joker, though that’s hardly a bad thing.
Agency of Vengeance: Dark Rising (aka Dark Rising 2) has to be sequel that not a whole heck of a lot of people were clamoring for but I suppose as a cheesy, low-budget sci-fi flick (with matching micro budget visual effects suitable for the SyFy network), it’s not an awful movie, just one with a thin script and questionable acting, though with someone with the body of Brigitte Kingsley, who spends some time in her bra and panties, who needs a script?
Continue reading “Review: Agency of Vengeance: Dark Rising DVD”
Follow That Dream is considered one of Elvis’ finest performances and he indeed is charismatic as ever and the lovely Anne Helm works well with him providing a nice spark. Yeah, the story itself feels out-of-date but still fun to watch.
The Secret of Santa Vittoria is a well made film with gripping drama, with a bit of comedy, which excels thanks to the performances from the venerable Anthony Quinn and Anna Magnani.
Continue reading “The Secret of Santa Vittoria Blu-ray Review”
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was a disappointment for me mainly because I think the first movie set the right tone but the sequel instead squandered many opportunities particularly in the villain department who had little development to go along with a thin plot that for the most consisted of hating Spider-Man more than anything.
Hercules was never one of my favorite Disney animated movies of the 1990s, falling far short of the likes of Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid (and even in some aspects, Tarzan), but it’s still a decent enough film that the whole family can enjoy with some fine music sequences.
The Railway Man is a well made movie but its main success is with yet another fine performance from Colin Firth who steals the show although Nicole Kidman gets some good scenes as well.
Jesse might’ve been well intentioned, and certainly a passionate project for the writers and director, but the outcome was a spotty script, subpar acting and an all around boring film not worth the time, energy or money. The DVD also is less than desirable with an average video, substandard audio and basically no special features.
Toy Story of Terror is another solid entry in the franchise with some great humor and some decent, kid-friendly, terror. It’s also wonderful that they manage to get the cast back even in limited roles rather than go the cheaper/easier route with voice imitators.
Bedknobs and Broomsticks, while having its fans, isn’t the most well-known Disney musical taking a backseat to the likes of Mary Poppins, but it’s still fun and energetic led by the wonderful Angela Lansbury along with some nice musical numbers.
Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! is one of the more quirky romantic comedies I’ve come across but that’s the appeal for the film written and directed by famed Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar with two solid performances from Victoria Abril and Antonio Banderas.
Continue reading “Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!: The Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review”
Without Warning is a low-budget and sometimes laughable sci-fi/horror but seeing Jack Palance and Martin Landau was fun and it at least kept my attention until the end