Movieman's Guide to the Movies
The Final Word on Physical Media
Blade II is a great movie and one of the better comic book films to be released in the past decade. Having Guillermo del Toro helm this entry was one reason for its success especially in the visual realm. The action is well shot and the suspense is maintained throughout. It also features a good performance from Wesley Snipes as well as Ron Perlman who make for a cool baddie.
If you’re looking for a breezy family film, elements that are often missing from modern movies littered with sexual content and questionable material, you can do worse than Mirror Mirror. The movie has fine performances from Julia Roberts, Lily Collins and Armie Hammer, the visual effects are pretty good and the story itself, while obvious and predictable, is at least interesting enough to keep your attention until the end.
Overall, Wrath of the Titans isn’t a bad movie, just a poorly made one. It apparently cost $150 million and it seems you can see every penny of it on screen with some decent visual effects, good production design and well made costumes. However, the characters are paper thin, the story unexciting and the action ultimately forgettable.
Ransom is a well made crime-thriller propelled by some great performances from Mel Gibson and Rene Russo and the story never gets old or is overly complicated and instead plays it straight as a thrilling cat-and-mouse game.
“Law & Order: Criminal Intent” The Seventh Year isn’t my favorite season of the veteran series if only because I’ve never been a fan of Chris Noth and his character. Even so, the episodes featured have some good stories and fine performances all around. As with other “Law & Order” releases, this one is also bare bones in the features department but the video/audio transfers should be satisfying for any fan of the series.
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Barbarella might not be everybody’s cup of tea, it certainly wasn’t mine, but there are certain aspects one can appreciate beginning with Jane Fonda’s performance. Otherwise, the film is a bit too far “out there” though it does have some great, memorable, scenes.
“Pretty Little Liars” The Complete Second Season is a great and compelling show. It’s not high art and has more than a smattering of soap opera drama but the four leads are great and the storyline never feels too drawn out. Unfortunately the DVD has much to be desired with throwaway features.
Continue reading “Review: Pretty Little Liars: The Complete Second Season DVD”
Seeking Justice is a serviceable film that’s not going to challenge the brain, especially the plot, but because of a thankfully subdued Nicolas Cage and an impressive supporting cast, it’s at least worth checking out even if it’s only a rental. The Blu-ray isn’t anything to write home about either with a superficial featurette and a trailer. The audio and video transfers are fine if not unexceptional.
The Meatballs Blu-ray release is a mixed bag with decent audio and video transfers but disappointing in the features department especially considering the making-of featurette was not transferred over (no doubt due to the rights being with Sony).
Call it strike two for Sony trying to launch a Ghost Rider franchise. The PG-13 might be constraining for the directors but even with an R-rating, I can’t see it being that much better. Nicolas Cage continues his downward slide with his Rock and Leaving Las Vegas days looking like a distant memory, albeit once in a while he can surprise. Even so, I can’t really muster the energy to hate Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. To me, indifference is worse than hating a movie
Continue reading “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance Blu-ray Review”
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is a satisfying sequel but at nearly 130-minutes, it does get a bit long in the tooth by the two-hour mark. Even so, the continuing chemistry between Downey and Law is fantastic and the new additions of Jared Harris and Noomi Rapace makes this at least a worthwhile rental.
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Safe House may not offer anything new in the spy-thriller genre but it’s at least entertaining primarily because of Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds, both of whom turn in respectable performances.
Perfect Sense is not a movie for everybody but the chemistry between Ewan McGregor and Eva Green as well as a compelling story makes it at least worth watching at least once. Unlike a movie like Contagion, this deals almost entirely on human emotion and little to nothing about the actual epidemic, its causes and possible cures. Similar to Never Let Me Go which is about cloning, that film as well centers on human relations than the ethics of cloning.
U.S. Marshals isn’t a bad film and actually has a few decent scenes throughout. It’s competently made for sure, but that’s about it as the film is as by-the-numbers as it gets. The acting is fine, although even Tommy Lee Jones looked like he couldn’t give a rat’s ass and was merely there for a nice paycheck (reprising an Oscar-winning role, after all).
The Sting is a timeless movie one can watch over and over again. The biggest reason for its placement with other classics is mainly due to the fantastic chemistry between Paul Newman and Robert Redford not to mention top notch work on the production design.