Pawn Sacrifice isn’t one of Zwick’s best movies, which for me is still The Last Samurai, but it’s still an adequate drama with strong performances by Tobey Maguire and Michael Stuhlbarg, the latter of whom deserves some award recognition. The Blu-ray release offers good video and audio transfers but falls far short in the bonus material department.
Mississippi Grind is a well meaning and generally finely acted drama but the screenplay probably could’ve used a little more work in fleshing out the friendship between its two main characters, though to be fair, the acting by both Mendelsohn and Reynolds does at least make this watchable.
“Game of Thrones”: The Complete First Season starts off strong and continues to its brutal season finale with brilliant performances from its vast cast from beginning to end along with award-winning production and costume designs. This new Limited Edition Steelbook release is more or less the same as the previous releases but comes with an upgraded Dolby Atmos soundtrack.
The Perfect Guy is a forgettable yet still watchable suspense thriller with fine performances from Sanaa Lathan and Morris Chestnut while Michael Ealy is quite as effective outside of being a creep. That said, it is a plot seen in numerous number of Lifetime Original Movies just with better production values and talent.
At First Sight is by no means a great romantic drama but Val Kilmer and Mira Sorvino make for a charismatic couple though the pacing is a bit off and follows the generic formula; that said, it’s at least watchable. The Blu-ray released by Olive is basic with only a trailer but good video and audio transfers.
“Fear the Walking Dead” doesn’t have much to offer over its parent show but the performances by the likes of Cliff Curtis and Kim Dickens aren’t bad even when their characters act like utter dumb-asses. Perhaps the second season it’ll hit its stride but as of now, I’m not sure there’s really reason for it being.
While it’s an interesting title and Virginia Madsen is one fine actress in more ways than one, the actual execution of this 1987 horror film doesn’t come close to living up to its title and instead is a frankly dull film and has nothing to do with zombies in the classic sense (flesh eating types).
Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Smell of Fear is easily the weakest of the three movies with the bulk of the humor connecting in the opening and end sequences, the latter courtesy of Leslie Nielson’s physical comedy, with the middle part eliciting a couple chuckles but little else.
Minions is a harmless but still average film that kids will certainly love. That said, this is something that probably would’ve worked better as a short for either a TV special or showing prior to the eventual Despicable Me 3 theatrical release.
Mistress America is a quirky comedy with two fun performances by Greta Gerwig (who co-wrote and produced) and Lola Kirke that makes this at the very least worth a rental even with some uneven scenes particularly the “Connecticut” section. Still, this movie stands out from all the rest and might have some replay value if Baumbach’s style is your thing.
The Car is a cheese-ball action/thriller with more laughable scenes than anything scary or even horrific. The acting is subpar however I can’t place much blame on James Brolin or Ronny Cox considering the material they’re given. Producers wanted this to be Jaws on land which in itself is a hilarious concept and boy did this deliver the goods with a supernatural twist at the end.
American Ultra has some things going for it from an interesting story that combines Bourne with Pineapple Express to fun performances by Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart who shows some actual charisma utterly lacking in many of her other movies; yet at the same time, and as outlandish and fun as the story is, it’s not terribly memorable.
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation is another successful entry into the long-running franchise. There are some fun nods to the original series and previous films, yet makes a mark in its own right. Tom Cruise once again is incredible with his stunt work and the villain this time around was at least devious enough.
Amy is a compelling documentary detailing the tragic life and death of a person who, at least to me, appeared destined for a dark outcome, drawn in by forces both inside and out from a father only interested in her fame and money and a husband introducing her to, or at the very least, furthering her addiction to drugs. Beyond her celebrity status it is a glimpse at addiction in a general sense.
Momentum isn’t a very good movie but clocking in under 90-minutes, it’s fine for a slow Saturday night. However, my biggest gripe isn’t with the acting, stunts and the like but with the story and how they attempt to make this the first movie of a series; considering the lackluster (to say the least) box office, I doubt a sequel is forthcoming.