Taken 3 is a weak sequel and really the epitome of a money grab with a template screenplay by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kasen and frenetic direction by Olivier Megaton of some truly generic action scenes. It is disappointing that the series has devolved to this level but I suppose if you like Neeson and can set aside some of the absurd plot points, Taken 3 might make for throwaway entertainment.
Firewalker is by no means a great action-adventure and being released in the mid-80s tried to tap into the same crowd as Indiana Jones but with a weaker script and less charismatic main character (no offense to Norris, but he doesn’t hold a candle to Ford), that said, it’s a harmless flick that the family can enjoy and might be worth a one-off viewing.
Richard III has a rich production design to go along with amazing performances headlined by Ian McKellen who is fantastic in the title role. Sure, the Laurence Olivier version is better but this is a well done and new take on the classic tale.
The Fantasticks is a well done musical with good production designs and (in a good way) is a fun throwback to the musicals of the 60s and 70s especially in its style. Outside of that, it’s a nice movie but nothing I feel will revisit anytime soon, though for those who haven’t seen it, might be worth a look.
Odd Man Out is a very well made and tense film noir thriller featuring incredible performances by, most notably, James Mason and Robert Newton. The Blu-ray itself released by Criterion Collection offers good video/audio transfers while the features are well done, headlined by an archive documentary about Mason.
Wild Card is one unusual film if only that it comes across as a mish-mash of a feature film mixed with some kind of TV pilot with the variety of colorful side characters and a patch-work of a plot. Statham for his part though was fine albeit no different than any of his other run-of-the-mill crime-thrillers and the supporting cast was good but often underutilized to the point of being useless (Jason Alexander for instance has one scene and is not seen again… at all).
Digging Up the Marrow had an interesting idea being a mixture of fantasy and horror and putting a mockumentary twist on both and while Adam Green proves yet again to be an affable guy (as demonstrated in his numerous commentary tracks), the plot never quite gels though I can’t say it’s not at least worth a rental.
The Rewrite is a film that ironically enough, doesn’t have the best screenplay but heavily relies on the charm and appeal of Hugh Grant and Marisa Tomei and also helping making this at least a rental is Grant re-teaming with Marc Lawrence (Two Weeks Notice, Music and Lyrics) and very well may be semi-autobiographical.
The Voices is certainly not a movie for everybody. The film is as dark of a comedy that has come down the pike in some time yet it further shows that Ryan Reynolds is actually a fairly versatile actor it’s just that the choice of certain projects hasn’t been the best. If you were a fan of “Dexter”, at least its early years, then this might be worth checking out if only as a Red Box rental.
It’d be an understated that Zardoz is one unique, and bizarre, movie from the subject to costumes but well worth checking out thanks in large part to Sean Connery in one of his most… interesting performances. The Blu-ray released through Twilight Time offers good video/audio transfers and although the bonus material is limited, the two commentaries are pretty good.
Everly is one of the more unambitious yet ambitious films I’ve come across. The action is relatively well shot and Hayek, considering what she had to work with, wasn’t terrible (not great either) and she seemed to hold her own in the fight scenes. However, with that said, it’s very uneven in tone and genre.
Escape from New York might be far from perfect, but it’s an entertaining flick with an outstanding, and subdued, performance from Kurt Russell and a fantastic electronic score from Carpenter and Howarth. This new 2-disc Collector’s Edition Blu-ray release from Shout Factory is phenomenal not only porting over the features from the previous CE release but includes a few more goodies for fans to peruse.
U Turn is not one of Oliver Stone’s strongest films, although it is one of my favorite of his (taking into consideration I’ve never been a big fan of his), but features a great cast and fantastic performances by Sean Penn and Jennifer Lopez. The Blu-ray distributed by Twilight Time might be limited in features but the video and audio transfers might make it a worthwhile purchase, though as usual, it’s not a cheap release.
It’s another solid release (well re-release) of a classic film from Twilight Time with Journey to the Center of the Earth. The film does come across as dated not so much for its effects, which are still impressive for its time, but the pacing isn’t the best.. Even so, it’s still a fun flick to check out and one of the better Journey film adaptations.
It’s become common place for a few years to find Nicolas Cage on the front cover a direct-to-video movie and normally I can appreciate it for his insane performance but with Outcast he’s merely a supporting player with the charmless Hayden Christensen taking front stage. It’s not a well made movie but it’s also not terrible, just utterly forgettable and even boring.