Alexander the Great is a well made if not ultimately forgettable epic action-adventure that features strong performances by Richard Burton, Fredric March and Claire Bloom, not to mention impressive costume and production designs.
“Maken Ki! Two” does have some impressive animation but the stories are, at best, thin and only serves to fulfill men’s fantasies, but beyond that, the jokes, such as they are, fall completely flat and it was tough sledding to get through the season.
John Carpenter’s Village of the Damned has its good moments, propelled by a solid ensemble cast from Christopher Reeve to Michael Pare, and a bit of the cheese factor that is kind of amusing. This Collector’s Edition release by Shout Factory offers well done video and audio transfers and a nice selection of bonus material to peruse.
Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie, in spite of the lame subtitle, is an entertaining addition to the fascinating and enjoyable franchise that takes many cues from previous versions but tries out a different message. The animation is still fantastic and although new viewers will easily be lost, as a casual fan, I still found it well done, even if it’s a big step back from the “old” TV series.
Sibling Rivalry is a quirky fun, if not also forgettable, 1990s comedy with a semi-impressive cast of who’s who of that era. While the plot doesn’t work and performances that aren’t always the best, it’s still one of those watchable flicks that you probably won’t regret afterward yet have little interest in re-visiting anytime soon.
While I didn’t care very much for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 for being so dissimilar from the original, it’s hard not to commend Tobe Hooper for at least trying something different rather than rehash the same plot with a new cast and bloodier kills. For me, however, it never quite clicked but I know the film has a strong fanbase.
Daddy’s Home might have a few laughs but it’s just another forgettable Will Ferrell comedy with sloppy writing and jokes that mostly are lame than actually funny, not to mention a sugar-heavy ending that was just awful, though family friendly I guess.
Alvin and the Chipmunks: Road Chip is just the latest horrid entry into a series that could’ve stopped after the first, which was the only tolerable one. That said, as bad as it is for adults to watch, and certainly there are far better options out there, young kids will probably me mesmerized by the colors and low key humor.
Point Break just might be the most pointless remake yet (Total Recall is a close second) with uninspiring performances, save maybe for Ray Winstone’s limited role, including Luke Bracey as such a bland main character, even the more reliable Edgar Ramirez did little for me as the charismatic villain.
The Death Walks Twice set is another homerun from Arrow Video. The two-movie collection, which should’ve been three if they included Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion, are two examples of the giallo genre (which I’m still new to) and although a bit lengthy, both are entertaining
The Forest isn’t a good movie but I suppose as poorly made as it was, there are worse films out there and at only 95-minutes (sans credits), it does make for quick watch not to mention Natalie Dormer isn’t half bad considering what she had to work with.
The Hateful Eight is easily my least favorite of Tarantino’s films and while technically speaking it is a masterpiece especially with a couple of the performances (Russell and Leigh in particular), the cinematography and score, the rest was an utter chore to sit through and it felt every bit of its nearly three hour length.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 is a letdown mostly because it shows why the final chapter didn’t need to be split into two with extraneous scenes that weren’t necessary in telling the story.
Anastasia is a well made movie of one of the more intriguing stories in modern history: the existence of the sole survivor of the Romanov family. The performances all around are well done headlined by both Ingrid Bergman and Yul Brynner and in conjunction with director Anatole Litvak, it’s a film well worth checking out even if it’s fictitious.
A well made movie from Todd Haynes, finely adapted from Patricia Highsmith’s best-selling novel, Carol features strong performances by Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, which really propels the plot and makes it so engaging from beginning to end.