“Unforgettable”: The First Season is yet another solid crime-drama on the king of crime-dramas, CBS. Poppy Montgomery is wonderful in the lead role and her character’s abilities is unique and, at least to some extent, based on reality even if heightened for a weekly television series. The DVD released by Paramount provides good video/audio transfers while the features aren’t anything amazing but nowadays getting any features is considered a blessing.
G.I. Joe: Retaliation actually isn’t a terrible movie, thanks in large part to Dwayne Johnson, and a fair step up from Rise of the Cobra but it’s still a relatively generic action movie with nothing discernibly memorable about the action set pieces or the standard plot itself. Even so, Retaliation is worth a one-time viewing especially if you’re a fan of the “G.I. Joe” franchise.
Upside Down threw away so much potential that it could have been a cult classic but instead we get a jumbled screenplay and finished product that seems to be missing some key scenes. It also doesn’t help that our two protagonists are barely together early on making Adam’s journey so hard to follow because it’s not immediately obvious why he is so enamored with her.
Absolute Deception is your typical run-of-the-mill, unrealistic and uber-predictable thriller that it really has nothing to offer. I suspect it was made for some quick tax credits laying aside any substance or mere logic in regards to the screenplay. Cuba Gooding Jr. continues his downward slide which is a shame as even with his overrated signature performance, he’s still a decent actor, though probably more suitable in a supporting role and certainly not in the action hero part.
The Brass Teapot features some great performances and fine writing and direction from an on-the-rise filmmaker in Ramaa Mosley. Even if the story doesn’t offer many surprises, there is enough here to entertain and at least keep one’s attention until the end. The DVD released by Magnolia has some OK features, although a minimalist ‘making-of’ featurette, while the audio/video transfers are at least serviceable.
“Pretty Little Liars” The Complete Third Season has plenty of surprises that thankfully overshadow some of the lamer moments or tedious storylines. The four leading ladies still share great friendship chemistry with one another while the supporting cast lend to being devious suspects and/or foils for the girls. The DVD offered by Warner isn’t anything spectacular with the features but the audio/video transfers are more than adequate for the home viewing audience.
This third and final season of “Body of Proof” has its hiccups, and the crimes themselves aren’t unique and could be transplanted to any number of shows but thanks to a brilliant cast led by Dana Delaney, it mostly succeeds. The DVD released by Buena Vista is pretty basic with the bonus materials while the audio/video transfers are merely adequate.
Despite its many flaws in the show, I still found “Rizzoli & Isles” to be enjoyable enough. Is it as engaging from episode to episode? Not quite, but the performances from the cast do at least make me want to see future episodes at some point. Hopefully season four will have improved things on the story front while still moving the characters forward. The DVD has some OK, one-time viewing, features while the audio/video transfers are more than adequate.
“Major Crimes” The Complete First Season starts off strong and finishes just as strong by the end. Mary McDonnell was the perfect choice to take over and along with the others characters we got to know and love from “The Closer”, it makes for a smooth transition. The DVD doesn’t have a whole lot to offer features-wise but the audio and picture transfers are both solid.
“Perry Mason” Season 9, Volume 1 certainly begins to show signs of fatigue for the long-running series but even so, each episode, as plug-and-play as they tend to be, are still entertaining. And with only the second part to go, the series will be complete to which point I hope CBS Entertainment will choose to release the TV movies onto DVD. But I digress, as with the other season sets, this is pricey given there are no features and it is only half of a season.
Sexy Evil Genius is a fun low budget film propelled primarily on the cast and their interactions with one another than anything else. The story itself, though, does at least keep you on edge just trying to figure out what the main character’s ultimate goal is. I wouldn’t say this was a memorable film or anything, but it is worth a one-off viewing at least. The DVD itself has acceptable video/audio transfers while the features are underwhelming, though the commentary is enjoyable.
This fourth and final volume of “Animaniacs” is full of funny episodes that are sure to satisfy fans and non-fans alike. The DVD however doesn’t offer any features which are a shame as it would’ve been nice to hear from the creators and/or writers but the audio and video transfers are good.
Death Race3: Inferno is your typical direct-to-video movie meaning a script with thin character development, poor acting even by the pros (at least Dougray Scott seemed to have fun with his cackling) and generic action which leaves this more or less forgettable.
The Words may not be as special of a film as it things it is, but there are many aspects which I did like from the multi-level story to some good performances including Zoe Saldana, Dennis Quaid, and especially, Jeremy Irons who deserves far more attention than he’s received. And despite any problems I had with the screenplay itself, I still found the film mostly compelling and at least worth a look if only once.
House at the End of the Street might not have been the worst of 2012 but it’s certainly forgettable. The screenplay is something that was more appropriate for a made-for-TV production and the performances are nothing special, even though Jennifer Lawrence will turn heads with her, ahem, wardrobe choices.