Movieman's Guide to the Movies
The Final Word on Physical Media
Neighbors 2 is yet another needless sequel to a comedy and although it deviates somewhat from the original, the laughs, albeit a few, weren’t as consistent and there was an uncomfortable mean streak at times, something I generally loathe from a comedy.
To be honest, I’m not the biggest fan of Charlie Brown yet I at least find these movies and specials enjoyable enough even if I don’t laugh. The message behind them are great and for families.
Continue reading “Review: A Boy Named Charlie Brown BD + Screen Caps”
The Jungle Book is a success in Disney’s obsession with adapting beloved animated movies into live action features and while the likes of Maleficent and to some extent Cinderella weren’t great, this one is entertaining for almost the entire family, though some scenes might be a tad too frightening for younger viewers.
Although uneven in its tone (as it deviates from effective to cheesy drama), I enjoyed Valley of the Dolls particularly for the performances from Barbara Parkins and, especially, Sharon Tate. The writing isn’t the best and I’d actually welcome some sort of modern remake or even a mini-series
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Dead End Drive-In is the typical 1980s movie, attempting to replicate the dystopian future storyline that started with 1979’s Mad Max, a fellow Aussie action-thriller. It’s not a very good movie but with its limited budget and so-so acting, it’s not a terrible horror-thriller and holds some entertainment value especially for fans of the era.
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John Carpenter’s The Thing is certainly one of the best sci-fi horror/thrillers out there and just might rank behind Alien and Aliens, though I still prefer those two. Where this succeeds, much like those two, is the claustrophobic atmosphere with the added subtext of paranoia.
Raising Cain isn’t high up compared with some of the other films by Brian De Palma even with the over-the-top performance by John Lithgow. However, this is a nice “Collector’s Edition” release by Shout Factory offering solid video/audio transfers and a good selection of bonus features.
I’m giving this a 2.5/5 not because Aliens is a bad movie, far from it, but that it’s a blatant cash grab by Fox. Now, one could argue this is for the casual movie watcher but for fans, all you’re getting is new packaging and “collectable art cards” and a booklet.
Continue reading “Review: Aliens: 30th Anniversary Edition BD + Screen Caps”
Captain America: Civil War is a good movie for sure and I did enjoy elements of it and the fight between Cap and Iron Man was well done, however, the film does have its issues but on the whole is entertaining.
Continue reading “Captain America: Civil War 3D Blu-ray Review”
The French drama Standing Tall has a strong story at its core and a great, non-pretentious, message to boot even if it can feel like a Hallmark Movie of the Week feel and the performances by Catherine Deneuve and Rod Paradot are both excellent.
Marauders isn’t a half-bad crime-thriller though it has plenty of problems from a villain portrayed by Bruce Willis who once again phones-in his performance to some atrocious dialogue and a needlessly complicated plot. However, I did enjoy Christopher Meloni in the lead role and the director at least attempted to bring atmosphere.
Money Monster, in spite of the talent involved, never delivers. George Clooney and Julia Roberts give good performances but I had a really hard time feeling sorry for Jack O’Connell’s Kyle character even as the filmmakers try to pull at the dramatic strings in the third act.
This long lost film by Cecil B. DeMille, The Captive is an interesting time capsule and makes for an interesting, if not quick, viewing just to see a film from that era. The Blu-ray released through Olive actually is half impressive; although there are no features, the video doesn’t look bad and the music comes through nicely enough.
Supernatural: The Complete Eleventh Season manages to keep up the energy in spite of going on over a decade on the air. The performances are pretty much standard for Padalecki and Ackles but they’re still in top form and the storyline for the season at least feels fresh and is entertaining.
Continue reading “Review: Supernatural: The Complete Eleventh Season BD + Screen Caps”
Hard Target 2 isn’t a half-bad DTV flick though it is pretty standard fare and probably went on a good 10-minutes too long. Still, Scott Adkins makes for a serviceable action hero with the right amount of charisma to pull off the role while seeing Robert Knepper playing a villain is always a welcome.