Movieman's Guide to the Movies
The Final Word on Physical Media
Pumpkinhead might not be most well made horror movie coming out of the ‘80s but it has gathered somewhat of a cult following and there are some things to be admired from the late and great creature creator Stan Winston marking his directorial debut, one of only two feature films.
Continue reading “Pumpkinhead: Collector’s Edition Blu-ray Review”
Trust Me is not the perfect comedy-drama and probably could’ve used a couple rewrites but as a follow-up to his 2008 film, Choke, it’s not bad and he assembles (no pun intended) a fine set of actors and an at least engaging story. The DVD released by Anchor Bay sadly is basic with no features while the audio/video transfers are merely adequate.
Kind of forgotten in the wake of James Cameron’s The Abyss, Leviathan is an OK if not uneven sci-fi adventure. The cast is good and some of the creature effects aren’t bad either, but at the same time it comes across as a rip-off of Alien sans suspense and compelling storytelling.
The Perfect House is a tad better than expected especially compared to some of the other crap from WER. The acting, although hardly faultless, isn’t entirely bad and the plot, at least some of it anyway, is at least interesting. Not sure if I can completely recommend this but perhaps horror junkies might get something out of it.
it’s another great season for “The Good Wife” raising the bar, no pun intended, with its storytelling, character developments from everyone though Julianna Margulies the most, and the departure of one character which shocked fans but was well done.
Continue reading “Review: “The Good Wife”: The Fifth Season DVD”
Scream Park is a student film that somehow wrangled Doug Bradley into a cameo role but even with Bradley, it’s not very well made, is quite dull in places and the acting isn’t very good, even by amateur standards. The DVD released by Wild Eye has average audio and video transfers.
The Legend of Hell House is an effective British supernatural-horror-thriller with fine performances all around but with special notice on Roddy McDowell and Pamela Franklin.
Blended isn’t nearly as bad as some of Sandler’s other recent “works” (i.e. train wrecks) because unlike something like Grown Ups 2, I actually managed to laugh (even mildly) a couple of times and, well, it actually had some semblance of a plot even if it is convoluted. And although the material is substandard, the re-pairing of Sandler and Barrymore is a welcoming sight.
My Gal Sunday is another sweet Hallmark Channel movie where the script is washed down, dialogue trite and acting subpar. This is the kind of movie families (ages 12+ anyway) can enjoy but for everyone else it’s forgettable and throwaway entertainment. The DVD released by Cinedigm offers OK video and audio transfers but with no features.
Eleven seasons in and “NCIS” is still going strong, being able to do the same old, same old and yet switch things up with multi-arc episodes as well as giving its characters, even if little by little, development. The only drawback is the production values seem to be limited but I can overlook it for solid storytelling and, of course, the chemistry between the core cast.
The Buddy Holly Story is a well done biographical drama given life by an Oscar-worthy performance from none other than Gary Busey (yeah, there was a time when he wasn’t completely nuts). The direction and pacing was also fine-tuned making for a nice drama.
Motel Hell is another quirky release in the Scream Factory line and it has its moments headlined by a good performance from Farmer Vincent himself, Rory Calhoun.
For a DTV flick, Legendary isn’t bad and the visual effects are halfway decent… well, probably Asylum levels and at least better than a SyFy Original Movie. Scott Adkins actually is alright here and Dolph Lundgren always seems to have a good time playing an unabashed villain. The DVD released by Lionsgate is unsurprisingly light on features but the audio and video transfers are both well done.
I actually found Scooby-Doo: Franken Creepy to be one of the better entries of the recent DTV movies. The animation is more or less the same but the humor is great, include some fun in-jokes and a strangely stylistic direction style seemingly inspired by Edgar Wright’s The World’s End (and a couple others that I can’t remember).
Continue reading “Scooby-Doo: Franken Creepy Blu-ray Review”
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.