Love and Death is one Woody Allen’s more quirky outings but found his footing and voice with follow-ups including Annie Hall (1977) and Manhattan (1979), two of my all-time favorite Allen films (along with Match Point). The Blu-ray released by Twilight Time is simple with only a trailer but decent audio and video transfers.
Dying of the Light seems to be a cautionary tale as well as show the perhaps seedy side of Hollywood when a project gets taken away from the filmmaker. In fairness, and it is a distinct possibility, that there might be more to the story but the final cut we get here is a mess and worse, a boring and dull mess at that. Nicolas Cage actually wasn’t too bad and there are some interesting elements but I would’ve loved to have seen Shrader’s version.
Return to Me is somewhat of an underrated and overlooked romantic-drama-comedy and in spite of the surprising casting of David Duchovny in the typical male lead role, the movie really works from beginning to end the he and Driver actually have good chemistry with one another. The supporting cast is also impressive from James Belushi to veterans like Robert Loggia and Carroll O’Connor.
Lenny is one of those movies propelled and almost entirely stands on the performance of its lead. Dustin Hoffman does an amazing job bringing the late, great and “controversial” (for his time) Lenny Bruce, deserving of his Academy Award nomination (though he had the unfortunate timing of going against so many greats like Nicholson and Al Pacino and losing to Art Carney). The Twilight Time Blu-ray release is limited in terms of features but the video and audio transfers were both well done.
Dumb and Dumber To lives up to its name and really, there’s nothing more to it than two characters bumbling around the country one upping the jokes with each scene. No, it’s not that good and it’s of course nowhere near as funny or memorable as the original but for what it is, I can’t say I regretted seeing it, though I doubt I’ll remember much in a month.
An Autumn Afternoon is not only a beautifully written film but, to go along with the excellent performances, was beautifully shot by director Yasujiro Ozu and his longtime cinematographer Yûharu Atsuta. The Blu-ray released by The Criterion Collection brilliantly restores the picture and audio and while the features aren’t bountiful, are still interesting especially the commentary track.
VANish actually was a surprisingly well done, if not flawed, suspense thriller with what is hopefully a star-making performance by Maiara Walsh while the writing and direction from Bryan Bockbrader was well done with a unique format with the film entirely taking place in the confines of a van.
LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League vs. Bizarro League isn’t great and is even a notch below LEGO Batman: The Movie but is still a fun little adventure with impressive animation and it’s something comic book fans and young kids will enjoy. The Blu-ray released by Warner has a good video transfer and an OK lossless audio track.
The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre is a well acted, especially by Jason Robards as Al Capone, and all around well made crime-drama from Roger Corman. The Blu-ray released by Twilight Time isn’t amazing from both a features and video perspective but I suspect this 45 year old film has never looked or sounded better, though considering the high price, you might not be getting the most bang for your buck.
this horror-oriented version of The Phantom of the Opera isn’t great but there are some things to admire: Robert Englund does well enough as the title character and Jill Schoelen is absolutely stunning as the female lead. The Blu-ray, though, is a bit limited. There is a good commentary track and a well made retro documentary with new interviews while the audio/video are at best serviceable.
To Sir, With Love is a well made drama that is elevated not only with an uplifting story but also powerful, yet not forced, performance by Sidney Poitier. The Blu-ray released by Twilight Time offers up solid video/audio transfers and a fair amount of bonus material compared with other TT releases.
Laggies is an uneven drama-comedy but it propped up and propelled by a charming performance from the cute and adorable Keira Knightley proving she can excel in spite of any issues with the screenplay, in this case it’s just not a memorable story. Sam Rockwell also works well opposite Knightley and although she’s nothing overly noteworthy, Chloe Grace Moretz turns in a passable performance.
Poker Night isn’t a terrible movie but it really doesn’t offer anything new to the genre as it delves into every cliché in the horror book. That said, the acting wasn’t half bad and I can’t complain seeing more work from the venerable Titus Welliver in a supporting role. The Blu-ray released by XLrator Media is very basic with good audio/video transfers but the bonus material is almost non-existent save for the trailer.
The Sword of Doom, directed by Kihachi Okamoto (who was often overshadowed by other Japanese mainstays), this drama has heart and features great performances from its two leads. This Blu-ray released by The Criterion Collection might not have an abundant amount of features but the video and audio transfers are both well done and alone are worth the price.
V/H/S: Viral has little to offer and, unlike its predecessors, seems to be mish-mash of stories with little, if anything, to do with one another, all held together with a lame “main storyline.” The acting also isn’t the best and add to the fact I’m not a fan of the found footage format, this just was not something I enjoyed.