Movieman's Guide to the Movies
The Final Word on Physical Media
Jaws might not have been impressive as I had hoped, but understanding the cultural, and box office, impact it has had puts it in a different light versus others. The film might lack substance but it more than makes up for it in well-rounded characters, great casting and impressive practical effects.
Check out Blu-ray reviews for all three Death Wish releases starring Charles Bronson. There’s not much to speak of in terms of features but how does the audio and video quality hold up? Are these worth the asking price or upgrade over their DVD counterparts? Find out within!
Halloween 5 is really the first film in the series I disliked. The premise is ridiculous even one where the villain can’t be killed and gets out of every situation seemingly unscathed. Still, the plot is slow to develop and the acting is pretty bad especially from Donald Pleasence who I get his performance where his character has become increasingly obsessed but it comes off a bit cartoony.
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers pales in comparison to the original but it’s certainly better than its successors, albeit that’s not really saying a whole lot. The acting is, at best, hokey and the story is almost paint-by-numbers and sometimes painfully slows, but I’ve come to expect that from this series.
Those who were disappointed with the 2006 bare bones Blu-ray release of Total Recall will be overjoyed with this new “Mind-Bending Edition” from Lionsgate, the latest in a long line of home video releases. While a few features were left off from the DVD version, there’s a few new features that are absolutely fascinating to watch and at a price point under $10, it’s well worth picking up.
Although there is a coherent story for LOL, for whatever reason, while watching, something felt “off”. I’m not sure if it’s a translation thing going from French to English but whatever reason it results in a film featuring several melodramatic scenes which are utterly laughable rather than significantly effective.
4.3.2.1 isn’t a bad movie by any stretch. There are few interesting scenes but as a whole, there’s not nearly enough story that held my interest to go along with characters that are unlikeable.
Lockout isn’t a bad movie but it’s hardly a memorable one. It’s yet another sci-fi thriller which fades into the background with the other wannabes. The visual effects is pretty bad especially early-on and the characters are one-dimensional but at the same time, at only 90-minutes (sans credits), it’s at an OK time-waster, nothing more, however.
Lockout isn’t a bad movie but it’s hardly a memorable one. It’s yet another sci-fi thriller which fades into the background with the other wannabes. The visual effects is pretty bad especially early-on and the characters are one-dimensional but at the same time, at only 90-minutes (sans credits), it’s at an OK time-waster, nothing more, however.
Clue is one of those comedies that have stood the test of time. The actors are so funny and perfectly cast for their respective roles and despite being based on a board game, and as inane/forced as the plot is, it’s reasonably mysterious to go along with the comedy.
Singin’ in the Rain is a wonderful musical that has influenced so many over the years and has stood the test of time and will surely/hopefully, be prominent for years to come.
Silent House is yet another film that spoiled its potential. Despite some suspense-filled scenes and an interesting idea of portraying it as one shot, the finale was just dumb and when looking back at the movie as a whole, it doesn’t make sense. Elizabeth Olsen for her part was good and the first 65-minutes or so were great, but the ending spoiled it all.
Just Cause is an overwrought court room drama that is absolutely boring to get through, despite it only being ~100-minutes, and featuring performances which are at best, uninspiring not to mention a predictable plot.
The Butterfly Effect 2 is a waste of celluloid and time. Although I might not have been the biggest fan of the previous entry, it at least had some interesting ideas behind it, not to mention a character I could actually somewhat care about. This one however has 1-dimensional characters and our main guy is a Grade A douche.
The Butterfly Effect isn’t a perfect movie but it does have subject matters that not many other films, especially mainstream ones, rarely tackle. The performances from an impressive cast are mostly good and while some of the sequences are a bit laughable, I found it to be a serviceable flick.