Where Deadly Prey was so bad its good, Deadliest Prey is just plain bad and could really be considered a remake with a very similar plot and generally the same shots (not to mention virtually the same type of opening credits). Perhaps others might get something out of this turkey, I myself will never revisit it.
Deadly Prey is one of the best bad movies ever made and if it were only that, I’d give it a better rating but most everything on this release was terrible. The video had almost a VHS quality to it and the audio is limited. There are some bonus material so it’s not a complete dud but considering the price, it’s a tad steep and only worth it at a bargain bin cost.
Broken Lance is a well made studio Western from the 1950s that features, no surprise, top notch performances most notably Spencer Tracy. The shooting locales and production design is commendable to go along with Leigh Harline’s score, which is available as an isolated track.
Fatherland isn’t great but the performance from lead actor Gerulf Griffiths wasn’t bad and the story at least held some interest. That said, this really isn’t my cup of tea but might be worth checking out at some point. The Blu-ray released by Twilight Time offers so-so video/audio transfers and sadly no bonus material to peruse.
The Fifth Element is a mixed bag of a film with some great flare and style but then you add in Chris Tucker and his obnoxious character to balance all that good out. On the plus side, Gary Oldman, as outlandish as his character is, is a lot of fun to watch and Milla Jovovich provides a nice spark.
Bad Boys I & II is another bang-bang series from Michael Bay and although I disliked the sequel, the original at least is enjoyable enough. The pairing of Will Smith and Martin Lawrence offers fun chemistry between the two and the action scenes are at least unique in some sense although done to death by Bay himself to the point where you’re not sure if you’re watching Bad Boys or Transformers.
Tinto Brass isn’t a filmmaker for everybody and in my small sampling of his films that have been released on Blu-ray, its apparent I’m not as enamored with him compared with others. The Voyeur is no different but it does have interesting cinematography. However, this Blu-ray release has substandard video, average audio and limited number of bonus features.
Sense & Sensibility is a well made adaptation of the Jane Austen classic headlined by a stellar cast but especially Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet and Hugh Grant and is well worth watching as it has its heartfelt but funny moments. The Blu-ray released by Twilight Time has good video and audio transfers and a fine selection of bonus material.
Shadows and Fog is one of the more forgotten films in Woody Allen’s repartee and for the most part, it’s not a bad little comedy though it is typical Allen in terms of his performance and writing. Clearly it’s nowhere near the quality of Manhattan or Annie Hall, or more recently Midnight in Paris, but it might be worth a watch.
The Exorcism of Molly Hartley is destined to be… yet another bad and forgettable supernatural horror flick and a reminder why The Exorcism is such a classic. This has so-so performances though I guess it’s nice to see Devon Sawa back but everything else is just bad.
Blood & Lace is quintessential 1970s with a catalogue score, bad ADR work and so-so performances, though Gloria Grahame is meticulously menacing and Melody Patterson has some charisma in the lead role. The Blu-ray released by Shout Factory offers OK video and audio and while the features are limited, the commentary is well worth listening to.
“Black Sails”: The Complete Second Season is another success for Starz with a compelling story arc and even better cast led by Toby Stevens and Hannah New while newcomer Zach McGowan from “Shameless” as the latest pirate villain, Captain Vane.
Messenger of Death is an unusual turn for a Bronson film and is a bit more nuanced in terms of the story (vs. something like the Death Wish series) but performance wise he’s not bad and has one heck of an opening to draw in the audience.
Although Vampires isn’t John Carpenter’s strongest non-Halloween movie, it’s still a fun, and bloody, romp made even better by an energetic performance from James Woods playing a frickin’ vampire slayer; that combo alone makes the movie worthwhile.
Back in Time and its filmmakers had such a golden opportunity with the number of participants they managed to interview and instead we get an aimless focus on subject with the first half starting off well enough before meandering into the fan aspects and nearly completely ignoring the two sequels. As it stands, it might be worth streaming off of Netflix but nothing more than that.