Movieman's Guide to the Movies
The Final Word on Physical Media
Echoes isn’t that well made of a movie, with plot twists coming two miles away, yet the cast is amicable enough headlined by Kate French and there’s enough to at least make it a passably entertaining flick to watch on a Saturday night with a breezy 86-minute running time. The Blu-ray released by Anchor Bay is very basic, which makes the SRP a bit on the high side, but the video and audio were both alright.
The Imitation Game probably gets a solid “B+” for sheer entertainment value but a “D+” for accuracy, something that is an unforced error as the real life story of Turing, as well as co-inventor Gordon Welchman, is interesting enough without having to introduce non-existent plot points and changing around characters to fit the dramatic story the filmmakers wanted to tell. Even so, the acting still is top notched especially by Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley.
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Always Woodstock is a well intentioned film but it’s falls into many of the tropes seen in so many character dramas (as mostly recently as This is Where I Leave You) but the lead actress, Allison Miller is so damn charming and almost makes the entire movie well worth at least one viewing… almost.
I don’t think anyone is under any illusion that these Ghoulies movies aren’t cheesy and all around C-movie 1980s crap, yet for it’s cheap production and questionable acting, it’s got a certain charm and both films would make for a fun Saturday night double feature with friends; watch it alone and you’ll probably feel a bit silly…
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Stranger at My Door is actually a well made crime-western-drama. The acting from Skip Homeier and Patricia Medina were both great and shared some darkly charming chemistry. The Blu-ray released by Olive Films is pretty basic with no bonus material yet the audio/video transfers were both nice, however at a premium $20 price tag, it might be too steep for some.
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Penguins of Madagascar isn’t a great movie yet highly watchable with plenty of inside jokes the adults will like and yet will still be highly entertaining for the kids. The third act seemed to lose some steam but in the end, I laughed at the jokes and found it to be on par or even better in some instances compared with the Madagascar films.
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Final Prayer is yet another found footage film that might have a couple scares but it’s no different than any of the others that permeate the market every year. The acting is so-so and the camera work is jolting, probably to mask the film’s limited budget. I suppose if you enjoy the sub-genre or even collect them, this might be worth a watch, otherwise skip and wait until it airs on SyFy.
Altar isn’t a great supernatural thriller but effective one with solid performances by Matthew Modine and Olivia Williams and would make for good viewing on a Saturday night. The DVD released by Cinedigm is basic with fine video and audio transfers but only a trailer as a bonus feature.
This Double Feature set from Scream Factory is mixed. For one, instead of getting De Palma’s original version of Carrie we instead receive the weaker 2002 TV movie. However, on the plus side, especially for fans, The Rage: Carrie 2 is the second feature and is a sequel to De Palma version, so for completions sake, this might be worth picking up (especially if you also own the remake).
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Solomon and Sheba is a so-so Biblical war-drama with some good performances by Yul Brynner and Gina Lollobrigida and fine cinematography giving the film an epic feel. The Blu-ray released by Twilight Time offers good video and audio transfers however the bonus material is relatively sparse so considering the high $30 price point, unless you get it on sale, probably not worth it.
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Song One is a simple romantic-drama that, albeit not wholly satisfying like Once or Begin Again, still features solid performances by Anne Hathaway, Johnny Flynn and Mary Steenburgen. The Blu-ray released by Cinedigm offers good video and audio transfer while the bonus material is disappointing with no commentary or even making-of featurette.
Song One is a simple romantic-drama that, albeit not wholly satisfying like Once or Begin Again, still features solid performances by Anne Hathaway, Johnny Flynn and Mary Steenburgen. The DVD released by Cinedigm offers good video and audio transfer while the bonus material is disappointing with no commentary or even making-of featurette.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies ends one of the more mundane trilogies and although certainly the passion was there, Peter Jackson and company turned what should have been a 5 hour two-parter into three movies with unnecessary filler to go along with characters, new ones specifically, that were utterly forgettable.
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After watching The Better Angels, it comes to no surprise this not only was produced by Terrence Malick but was written and directed by his editor of To the Wonder and Knight of Cups, A.J. Edwards. Full disclosure, I am not a Malick fan and Edwards more or less copies his mentor’s style making for a downright dull and boring film.
First Men in the Moon is hokey for sure but it’s also a fun flick with some impressive special and visual effects work that still, for the most part, hold up today and especially in high-definition where flaws can be highlighted.
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