Movieman's Guide to the Movies
The Final Word on Physical Media
Penguins of Madagascar isn’t a great movie yet highly watchable with plenty of inside jokes the adults will like and yet will still be highly entertaining for the kids. The third act seemed to lose some steam but in the end, I laughed at the jokes and found it to be on par or even better in some instances compared with the Madagascar films.
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This Double Feature set from Scream Factory is mixed. For one, instead of getting De Palma’s original version of Carrie we instead receive the weaker 2002 TV movie. However, on the plus side, especially for fans, The Rage: Carrie 2 is the second feature and is a sequel to De Palma version, so for completions sake, this might be worth picking up (especially if you also own the remake).
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Solomon and Sheba is a so-so Biblical war-drama with some good performances by Yul Brynner and Gina Lollobrigida and fine cinematography giving the film an epic feel. The Blu-ray released by Twilight Time offers good video and audio transfers however the bonus material is relatively sparse so considering the high $30 price point, unless you get it on sale, probably not worth it.
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Song One is a simple romantic-drama that, albeit not wholly satisfying like Once or Begin Again, still features solid performances by Anne Hathaway, Johnny Flynn and Mary Steenburgen. The Blu-ray released by Cinedigm offers good video and audio transfer while the bonus material is disappointing with no commentary or even making-of featurette.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies ends one of the more mundane trilogies and although certainly the passion was there, Peter Jackson and company turned what should have been a 5 hour two-parter into three movies with unnecessary filler to go along with characters, new ones specifically, that were utterly forgettable.
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First Men in the Moon is hokey for sure but it’s also a fun flick with some impressive special and visual effects work that still, for the most part, hold up today and especially in high-definition where flaws can be highlighted.
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Exodus: Gods and Kings had the best of intentions especially in the technical departments from costumes, construction and visual effects, but for all the talk and lengthy running time, it all feels empty, void of any interesting actors not to mention some unintentional humor. The Blu-ray release offered by Fox is pretty basic with an OK commentary track and selection of deleted scenes, but little else given the bulk of features were reserved for the 3D Blu-ray combo pack.
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This Two-Disc “Diamond Luxe Edition” of Gravity is a quality release though this should’ve been what was released originally. What you get over the original version are a couple new features including a 42-minute historical featurette and the new Dolby Atmos audio track which is a fine upgrade, though the original DTS-HD MA 5.1 track was pretty darn good on its own and Atmos takes it to the next level.
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Killers is a well made foreign film with a good psychological underbelly to the blood, gore and torture pitting two characters against one another to the bitter end, it wouldn’t surprise me if someone in the States didn’t try to remake it in some fashion.
As with Scooby-Doo, The Flintstones and WWE: Stone Age Smackdown is another way for the WWE to reach a new generation which is smart business but the end game for casual viewers is pretty weak, though again, not a fan of the original show anyway…
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Halo: Nightfall isn’t a half-bad series with decent performances, though the visual effects, some anyway, look to be a step below something you’d seen in a SyFy Original Movie. I’m not big into games so I can’t compare this to any of the “Halo” games but on its own, it’s at least enjoyable if not throwaway entertainment.
The Divine Move isn’t a great foreign crime-drama but it is well made and at least entertaining especially in the revenge sub-genre. I will say, the English dubbing is laughable so make sure you select the original Korean language. In any case, the Blu-ray release offered by CJ Entertainment has decent video, average audio and a fluff featurette along with the trailer.
Double dips isn’t anything new from studios and no doubt this 30th Anniversary Edition of The Breakfast Club is no different where what’s different from the release five years might not be enough to warrant a purchase if you already own that version. However, at a good price, the upgrade to a new video codec from the original 35MM film print might make it worthwhile.
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Birdman might not quite be the home-run of a film some make it out to be, but no doubt Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s character-driven opus, with commentary on modern-day blockbusters, is anything if not original and features a fantastic performance by Michael Keaton who was deserving of the Best Actor award.
Life Partners isn’t a great movie but succeeds thanks to its cast, Leighton Meester and Gillian Jacobs in particular who have great chemistry together; it’s also a breezy film never overstaying its welcome.