Smurfs: The Lost Village isn’t a very good movie but being aimed at younger audiences, and I suppose Smurfs purists, it’s fine a time-waster and at least does have a nice message to it.
Overall, not quite as bad as others have suggested, at least what I’ve read online, The Zookeeper’s Wife certainly had an interesting story behind it and despite that and a two-time Academy Award nominee in Jessica Chastain something just didn’t quite click.
The Fate of the Furious is a perfectly fine entry into the now long-running franchise that doesn’t really show signs of slowing down. The action scenes are well done and although none of the acting, or dialogue for that matter, will impress, I still found myself relatively entertained.
Doberman Cop wasn’t exactly my kind of movie but it does contain the charms of the 1970s Japanese cinema with some fun cheesiness thrown in for extra measure. This Blu-ray released by Arrow includes some okay bonus features, good video and so-so audio transfers.
Don’t Knock Twice has elements of a solid supernatural horror but on the whole, the film goes down familiar territory and fails to stand out with the rest and will easily get lost in the crowd of the others. Still, this is worthy of a rental as those few scenes were genuinely creepy.
Pulse (aka Kairo) is one of the best J-Horror films I’ve seen perhaps only behind Ringu, with its unsettling atmosphere and absolutely creepy-as-all-hell, not to mention disturbing, scenes. It’s also a thought-provoking film which, albeit dated with its technology, still applies today.
Free Fire on the surface should’ve been a fun movie and admittedly it was for the first 40-minutes or so, but the remaining 45-minutes seemed to meander with a plot that doesn’t go anywhere and a twist that wasn’t all that great. Still, this isn’t a “bad” movie per se and probably worthy of a rental.
3 Generations is a drama that on the surface is seemingly socially important but the final result is half-baked in its story although the performances are at least heartfelt, primarily Elle Fanning.
Although Joe Versus the Volcano didn’t quite match up with my fond memories of seeing it back in 1990, it’s still a fun little romantic comedy that excels with its two charming stars and some truly funny scenes.
The Jacques Rivette Collection might not be the most loaded of Arrow Film’s releases as there are only a few featurettes, but the films included here are quality work and well worthwhile especially for fans of French cinema, or at least unique pieces of films.
The Ballad of Cable Hogue is a wonderful western-drama that not only features an underrated performances from the great Jason Robards, who he failed to get an Oscar nomination is beyond me, but also a story about the change of times.
Hell and High Water isn’t a great 1950s war adventure but it does serve well as a look back at the Cold War, anti-Communist era of that time and at the very least the production values are impressive enough to go along with solid performances by Richard Widmark and Bella Darvi.
Bridge at Remagen is a well made and beautifully shot WWII-era film that features some fine performances, particularly from George Segal and Robert Vaughn. The Blu-ray release by Twilight Time offers good video and audio transfers but falls well short in the features department.
Species is simply not a very good movie, not even sure it’s in the so bad it’s good category either, but I did find a modest amount of entertainment value, albeit trashy, for it being a B-horror flick and honestly it’s aged better than I thought.
The Gumball Rally is a fun little movie from the mid-70s and while its carbon copy Cannonball Run is better known, and probably a better film on the whole, this is a gem still and well worth checking out if only for the impressive car stunt work.