Movieman's Guide to the Movies
The Final Word on Physical Media
Sharknado 2: The Second One is a great entry into the series and is a whole lot of fun through and through with great in-jokes and some wonderful cameos that were great to see (particularly Robert Hays in a fun callback to Airplane). This obviously is not something to take seriously and is especially fun to watch with friends making for a better experience.
Continue reading “Sharknado 2: The Second One Blu-ray Review”
Stagefright has cultivated cult classic status and while it’s never was my kind of movie, never really found it that engrossing in a horrific kind of way.
Persecuted seems to try to be the religious version of an Oliver Stone film but fails at almost every turn. First, the actual plot is thin and seemingly inconsequential not to mention overly dramatic; second, the pacing and editing felt off making a 90-minute movie feel a lot longer; and third the acting is at best average although I’ll give some credit to James Remar for at least giving it a go.
The Dogs of War is one of the more pleasant surprises to come out of the Twilight Time pike with a great performance from Christopher Walken and a unique storyline that distinguishes it from other war films.
Werewolf Rising is the latest direct-to-video schlocker with substandard effects, so-so acting and just an all around cheap looking movie which would be fine if not for an ineffective story. The DVD released by RLJ Entertainment is pretty basic with only a static menu with only options are to play or scene selection; no features were included, though not sure that’s a bad thing.
La Bamba is a well made and all around good biographic drama headlined by a great performance from Lou Diamond Phillips marking his first major role, and only third film, playing Valens whose career was cut short before it could really begin.
The Killer Elite is an interesting little film from the 1970s, long forgotten in the midst of far better films like The Godfather, The Conversation and The French Connection and there’s a good reason: this never hit the full potential when you get the likes of James Caan and Robert Duvall together.
“CSI”: The Fourteenth Season might not be a standout season for this long-running series but it does have its moments and unlike the short-lived Laurence Fishburne era, where stories managed to be even darker in tone, this ensemble headed by Ted Danson, seems to have coalesced quite well.
Gravity is certainly one of the better movies, though not the best, to come out of 2013 and between the technological achievements by Alfonso Cuarón and the VFX crew, a taut story and Sandra Bullock’s performance, it’s one heck of a journey that I thoroughly enjoyed. It’s not a movie for everybody and admittedly Cuarón utilization of symbolism is at times a bit laughable, I still recommend this movie.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre celebrates its 40th Anniversary which for the Blu-ray compiles a fine selection of bonus material including two new commentary tracks and a slew of featurettes ported over from previous releases..
Continue reading “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Blu-ray Review”
Silent Night, Deadly Night certainly has its moments especially the creepy scene between young Billy and his grandfather telling the boy Santa Claus was going to kill him, but some decent moments and kills, although it doesn’t quite stack up with other horror films from that era.
Continue reading “Silent Night, Deadly Night Blu-ray Review”
The biographical drama Che! is kind of laughable with some shoddy performances, though not so much from Omar Sharif as Che but instead someone felt it was a good idea casting someone like Jack Palance as Fidel Castro.
Transformers: Age of Extinction is the latest from Michael Bay and to be honest, it very well may be the worst, even worse than Revenge of the Fallen if only because it clocks in at an insane (and inane) 165-minutes and 40+ minutes could’ve been cut and not have been missed. Once again we get some bland human characters and a storyline that doesn’t make a heck of a lot sense.
Continue reading “Transformers: Age of Extinction 3D Blu-ray Review”
Transformers: Age of Extinction is the latest from Michael Bay and to be honest, it very well may be the worst, even worse than Revenge of the Fallen if only because it clocks in at an insane (and inane) 165-minutes and 40+ minutes could’ve been cut and not have been missed. Once again we get some bland human characters and a storyline that doesn’t make a heck of a lot sense.
Continue reading “Transformers: Age of Extinction Blu-ray Review”
This Ghostbusters two-film set is not perfect but it’s pretty close with a decent selection of bonus material, though the MST3K-style commentary is still only a DVD exclusive but the audio and video transfers for both films are great. Given the low SRP, this is a set worth picking up if only to have it in one package.