New Year’s Evil is a ho-hum horror movie with little horror and the kills pretty standard. Save for the finale, this is a bore of a film that might have a minor following but for myself, little about this was enjoyable outside of Kip Niven’s creepy but fun performance. The Blu-ray released by Shout Factory has good video/audio transfers while the bonus material is somewhat thin.
The Aviators is a forgettable animated feature and for adults it might be tedious but kids will get something out of it even if the animation style isn’t anything to be blown over by and the voice casting isn’t that special either, though Brad Garrett gives it his best. The Blu-ray released by Cinedigm has average, unfortunately no features were included.
The Drop is a well made if not a bit ordinary crime-drama that excels with the main three actors headlined by Tom Hardy who continues to impress and there’s special interest with James Gandolfini being his final feature film and he gives his usual great performance.
John Wick is one of the surprise hits of 2014 and even though Keanu Reeves might not be a great actor, this role was tailor made for his skill sets in fighting and stunt work. Add to that, the story, albeit thin, is good enough to carry the 100-minute running time. The Blu-ray released by Lionsgate has great video/audio transfers and OK selection of bonus material.
Bandit Queen is a raw film highlighted by star Seema Biswas though from my reading, the accuracy of the picture is questionable so for those like me, you should go in with some skepticism. That being said, it’s a decent film worth a watch especially if the subject matter interests you.
The Scorpion King 4: Quest for Power is what you think it would: really dumb and it doesn’t pretend to be otherwise so on a certain level, for as bad as it might be, it’s a harmlessly bad flick that many can enjoy and at the very least has mock value to hold an “MST3K” movie night. The Blu-ray released by Universal actually has good video and audio transfers and a decent selection of special features.
Francois Herrmann’s The Bride Wore Black some call a homage to Alfred Hitchcock, though some experts disagree, is a unique film experience for sure featuring a dangerously mesmerizing performance by Jeanne Moreau and wonderful cinematography. The Blu-ray released by Twilight Time offers good video/audio transfers while the bonus material was limited, though the commentary was interesting to listen to.
Open Windows, written and directed by Nacho Vigalondo, The ABCs of Death, V/H/S: Viral), is more or less an experimental film that’s been done more than a few times with the entire picture taking place via a webcam, and although a nifty idea, the execution wasn’t the best.
La Ciénaga is a compelling drama-comedy with great performances from its lead but beyond that, an engrossing story. It’s not normally my type of film, and has little replay value, and for some, as with a fair number of Criterion Collection releases, it’s not for everybody.
Annabelle might have been a good idea on paper and certainly had a built-in audience thanks to the breakout box office for The Conjuring, but its execution was lackluster with not that many scares and the creepy quotient also wasn’t up to par.
Revenge of the Green Dragons is an ambitious film for sure with a fascinating subject matter but in the end, it’s also uneven. The performances are least half-decent and the always reliable Ray Liotta lends it some weight, though the bulk of the picture is led by Justin Chon and Kevin Wu.
Henry V is yet another fine Kenneth Branagh Shakespearian drama with great performances all around including future Dame Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi and Emma Thompson while Christian Bale makes an appearance in one of his early roles. The Blu-ray released by Shout Factory has good audio, merely acceptable video but sadly no features.
Gone Girl is hardly David Fincher’s strongest film and arguably might not be in his top 5, but there’s much to admire in spite of a momentum killing third act from the performances by Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike, the suspension early on and the atmosphere Fincher and company establish.
The Longest Week has a great cast and an interesting story, but the execution was off and seemed to draw from other, often better, movies and filmmakers like P.T. Anderson and Woody Allen, the latter especially. If you can get over the pretentious nature of the two male leads then it might be worth a rental, otherwise skip this misfire of a drama-comedy.
By the Gun is a well intentioned but ultimately lifeless and clichéd crime-drama. Ben Barnes turns in a fine performance and anytime we see Harvey Keitel is a treat but otherwise the writing isn’t up to snuff and the direction is relatively standard.