Although it could’ve been better, I was pleasantly surprised by Regression thanks to Amenábar’s writing and direction combined with yet another great performance by Ethan Hawke with honorable mention for Emma Watson and David Thewlis.
Tumbledown is one of the nice surprises of 2016 showcasing great performances from its two leads, Rebecca Hall and Jason Sudeikis, and while it’s not the most challenging films, I appreciated the understated tone as any movie dealing with death and grief can become overly dramatic.
A Prayer for the Dying could’ve been a great movie and instead, thanks to studio interference, we get something that’s merely ‘good’. The acting from Rourke and Hoskins was probably the saving grace, not to mention Liam Neeson’s brief role, and in the end, I was fairly entertained.
The Lady in the Van is a well made drama with another standout performance from Maggie Smith with honorable mention to Alex Jennings. It’s an interesting story that tells a story of an unusual woman.
“Attack on Titan”: Part I is an incredible anime series and perhaps one of my favorites alongside or just behind “Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.” The voice acting is excellent and the story compelling from beginning to end, and that’s to go along with beautiful animation.
Black Mama White Mama is a classic 1970s blaxploitation starring Pam Grier and while this isn’t her best role of the era, it’s still a solid entry. It’s a fun little movie that’s ever the more enjoyable for just how it looks and feels like the ‘70s.
“Eden of the East”, and its two feature films, is an incredibly fun and often inventive anime series with well written characters. At only 11 episodes, and about 3 hours for the movies, it’s not a big time investment and is worth watching with an engrossing storyline.
Death Becomes Her definitely has its moments and even though it was made in 1992 well before the visual effects technology had taken off to what it is today, but it features some respectable effects, particularly with the hole in Hawn’s stomach. Outside of that, the jokes don’t entirely work but at the very least the core cast work well against one another, Streep especially.
Cutter’s Way is, I’d say, on the underappreciated side of things. Not only is the story compelling but the performances by Jeff Bridges and John Heard are exceptional to go along with Lisa Echhorn. The Blu-ray released through Twilight Time has a decent video transfer, good audio but does fall short in the features department.
Julia (1977) is a well made period drama featuring strong performances by Jane Fonda and Vanessa Redgrave, along with Jason Robards well. This “Limited Edition” Blu-ray released by Twilight Time isn’t exceptional yet the video and audio transfers are both well done and the new commentary with Fonda is interesting.
Concussion is, technically speaking, a well made film and features a good performance from Will Smith, but in spite of what works, at its core the movie is missing a soul. In the hands of a more skilled filmmaker it could’ve been emotionally charged and instead it’s rather forgettable.
Suspicion isn’t one of Hitchcock’s better known movies, coming before the likes of Strangers on a Train, Rear Window and Psycho, but it’s a well made, if not uneven, little thriller featuring solid performances from Cary Grant, Joan Fontaine and Cedric Hardwicke.
Date A Live II is probably a middle-of-the-road anime but it does at least feature a nice voice cast (both Japanese and English) and some lovely looking animation, however, it is on the forgettable side and pales compared to the strong anime series.
Uptown Girls is a breezy but nice little comedy featuring pleasant performances by Brittany Murphy and Dakota Fanning to go along with an interesting enough plot. The Blu-ray released through Olive Films has some actual features to go along with the so-so video and audio transfers.
“Tokyo ESP” isn’t the most innovative anime or anything and borrows more than a few ideas from the likes of “X-Men” but it’s still an incredibly fun and entertaining one-off series with some great voice work on both the Japanese and English sides while the animation, albeit basic, is still fairly nice to look at.