The 9 Lives Movie Collection is the usual cheap release put out by Mill Creek mostly recycling Sony movies they have the rights for and probably were part of a collection in the past. Considering the movies here, you’re really not getting high quality work but some entertaining flicks mixed in with some bad ones
The Strangers is a movie that still holds up today as it did 10 years ago. Its simplicity, and restraint of using jump scares, really helps it stand out from others in the thriller/horror genre even when character development is, at best, minimal.
Homeland: The Complete Sixth Season is easily the worst of what was otherwise a strong series. The performance from Mandy Patinkin is still strong while Claire Danes’ character storyline meanders and isn’t all that engaging.
Manhattan Murder Mystery might not be one of my favorite Woody Allen movies, it is certainly one of the more entertaining ones featuring a great performance from Diane Keaton.
The Star technically isn’t a great animated movie by any stretch but it is perfectly safe and unlike The Emoji Movie, did illicit a few laughs from me and never once came across as cynical, and the voice talents was pretty impressive while the animation, albeit nothing extraordinary, was passable.
Scalpel is a diabolically fun thriller-horror film thanks to the devilish performance by lead actor Robert Lansing; almost seemed like an episode of “Tales from the Crypt”.
Victor Crowley isn’t a great horror-comedy, as the latter aspect doesn’t always land, but it is entertaining enough with respectable, if not familiar, gore effects and a solid enough ensemble cast led way by Laura Ortiz and series veteran Parry Shen.
Daddy’s Home 2 might not be very good and some Christmas comedy-classic-in-the-making this is not, but I did manage to chuckle a few times here and there and I did genuinely enjoy seeing Mel Gibson generally being a dick, otherwise it’s an unmemorable film.
The Gruesome Twosome is one weird, and frankly bad, horror movie with some shoddy filmmaking, even by swamp-level budget standards, and the video and audio transfers, despite the best efforts of Arrow, don’t look or sound all that hot.
Only the Brave is perhaps one of the better surprises of 2017 with some great performances from Josh Brolin, Jennifer Connelly and even Miles Teller, and telling a story that I’m not entirely sure many have heard of or at least remember.
The Silence of the Lambs is easily one of my favorite movies of all-time (top 10) and is probably The Godfather of the suspense-thriller genre with incredible performances from Foster, Hopkins and Levine and an all-around great experience that has held up incredibly well over the years.
Can’t say Walking Out is a masterpiece of a survival-adventure film but it does features two solid performances from Matt Bomer and Josh Wiggins and some beautiful Montana cinematography.
Victoria: The Complete Second Season is a visually rich and finely written British television series that featured excellent performances, headlined by Jenna Coleman who encompasses the character so well.
My Cousin Rachel is a well crafted, nicely-shot, and finely acted (by Richard Burton and Olivia de Havilland) romantic-drama-mystery that I prefer a bit over the Rachel Weisz remake.
The Witches is certainly a odd Italian movie for sure but not entirely engaging despite its weirdness and as an anthology, never really found a balance, though it was fun seeing a young Clint Eastwood starring in one of the anthology shorts.