Movieman's Guide to the Movies
The Final Word on Physical Media
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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The Fabulous Baker Boys is one of the more forgotten classics from writer/director Steve Kloves (mainly known as a writer now) that finally gets some recognition courtesy of Twilight Time’s release on Blu-ray. As for the release, the audio and video transfers are both well done and there’s a decent selection of bonus material toplined by a new commentary with Kloves.
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Dawn Patrol is a decent enough drama/thriller with a fine performance from lead actor and producer Scott Eastwood and he continues his ascent into potential Hollywood stardom. It’s not a particularly special film but it is well directed though it’s the type of movie destined for television with a few choice cuts.
The Best of Everything is a fine, if not overdrawn, melodrama/big screen soap opera featuring wonderful performances by Hope Lange, Suzy Parker and the deliciously devilish, before The Devil Wears Prada, Joan Crawford who alone makes this a worthwhile watch.
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“Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell” wasn’t exactly my cup of tea since, frankly, the jokes weren’t all that funny and some went on far too long. Still, at least each episode, totaling only 6 for its first season, at least they’re not lengthy clocking in at around 12-minutes each. This single disc DVD release offers some good selection of bonus features while the video and audio transfers were good enough.
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Ex Machina is one of the better surprises of 2015 with a well told story taking a subject seen many times before yet giving it that extra layer and giving us three distinguished characters each fleshed out so well. Also top marks for the visual effects which are minimalized yet still quite impressive.
’71 is a well made and tight war thriller featuring a nice performance from Jack O’Connell who manages to carry the film fairly well. The DVD released by Lionsgate is basic but good enough providing for fine video/audio transfers and a decent selection of bonus material.
Woman in Gold may not be as powerful of a drama as I’m sure the Weinstein’s wanted or expected considering the subject and starring Helen Mirren, but even so, it’s still well done with solid performances all around. The Blu-ray released by Anchor Bay has an OK selection of bonus material while the video/audio transfers are both great.
The Town That Dreaded Sundown isn’t great but at least it has some creativity linking itself to the original in a movie within a movie sense. The self referencial aspects were fun and the acting wasn’t half bad, though one of the twists at the end wasn’t exactly unexpected. Still, for horror fans, this might be worth a pick up especially considering the reasonably low price.
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The Pact 2 is a poor movie sequel or not. The pacing is deadly slow, no pun intended, and the suspense terribly limited with an incredibly predictable finale that I suspected within the first few minutes. This is one movie destined for the cheap bin and for good reason. The video and audio transfers are decent enough while the special features are limited.
Last Knights might’ve had a good story at its core but it’s a really forgettable film with one-dimensional characters and acting that at best was average if not a bit spotty while the action scenes are rather mundane and blasé. The Blu-ray released by Lionsgate isn’t much better though the video/audio transfers are decent enough and at least there are some bonus material to peruse.
Conceptually Maggie actually isn’t a terrible idea and manages to distinguish itself with the plethora of zombie films that have permeated the cinema marketplace and only grew more popular with “The Walking Dead.” Still, for all the flaws with the screenplay and a WTF casting of Schwarzenegger, this might be worth a rental.
The Gunman isn’t terrible and some interesting ideas but the execution was lacking through Sean Penn gives a solid performance though the supporting cast was a complete waste especially Ray Winstone and Idris Elba, neither of whose talents were adequately tapped in to. The Blu-ray released by Universal is a tad weak with no bonus features but the audio and video transfers are both excellent.