Movieman's Guide to the Movies
The Final Word on Physical Media
Any Day had plenty going for it and acting-wise, especially from Sean Bean and Kate Walsh, but falters with a half-baked screenplay which could’ve used a few more passes. The DVD released by Anchor Bay is rather plain with no features while the video/audio transfers were decent enough.
Little Loopers is a syrupy and safe drama for the family with a nice message. The acting isn’t the best and unsurprisingly the production values aren’t great, but this might be worth a one-night Redbox rental. The DVD itself is rather basic with no bonus material and OK video/audio transfers.
Far from perfect, and not nearly on the level of “The Walking Dead”, “The Strain”: The Complete First Season is still a well made, nicely shot series with, for the most part, good and engaging performances led by Corey Stoll and David Bradley. This Collector’s Edition Blu-ray release offers some more features as well as a bust though honestly, unless you can nab this on sale, I’m not so sure if it’s worth the upgrade.
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A Month in the Country is a well made drama headlined by the beautiful English countryside as well as two solid performances by Colin Firth and a young Kenneth Branagh marking his feature film debut. Unfortunately the Blu-ray release doesn’t quite measure up to the story with utterly average video and only so-so audio while the bonus material is limited, though the commentary is worth a listen.
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Camp Massacre is a satire on the horror genre but it’s not that funny and the acting is, at best, below average. Those who are fans of Bree Olson and her, let’s say, assets, will be disappointed as she’s only in it for the pre-opening credits (a la Scream I suppose).
The Fabulous Baker Boys is one of the more forgotten classics from writer/director Steve Kloves (mainly known as a writer now) that finally gets some recognition courtesy of Twilight Time’s release on Blu-ray. As for the release, the audio and video transfers are both well done and there’s a decent selection of bonus material toplined by a new commentary with Kloves.
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Dawn Patrol is a decent enough drama/thriller with a fine performance from lead actor and producer Scott Eastwood and he continues his ascent into potential Hollywood stardom. It’s not a particularly special film but it is well directed though it’s the type of movie destined for television with a few choice cuts.
The Best of Everything is a fine, if not overdrawn, melodrama/big screen soap opera featuring wonderful performances by Hope Lange, Suzy Parker and the deliciously devilish, before The Devil Wears Prada, Joan Crawford who alone makes this a worthwhile watch.
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“Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell” wasn’t exactly my cup of tea since, frankly, the jokes weren’t all that funny and some went on far too long. Still, at least each episode, totaling only 6 for its first season, at least they’re not lengthy clocking in at around 12-minutes each. This single disc DVD release offers some good selection of bonus features while the video and audio transfers were good enough.
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’71 is a well made and tight war thriller featuring a nice performance from Jack O’Connell who manages to carry the film fairly well. The DVD released by Lionsgate is basic but good enough providing for fine video/audio transfers and a decent selection of bonus material.
Woman in Gold may not be as powerful of a drama as I’m sure the Weinstein’s wanted or expected considering the subject and starring Helen Mirren, but even so, it’s still well done with solid performances all around. The Blu-ray released by Anchor Bay has an OK selection of bonus material while the video/audio transfers are both great.
The Town That Dreaded Sundown isn’t great but at least it has some creativity linking itself to the original in a movie within a movie sense. The self referencial aspects were fun and the acting wasn’t half bad, though one of the twists at the end wasn’t exactly unexpected. Still, for horror fans, this might be worth a pick up especially considering the reasonably low price.
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The Pact 2 is a poor movie sequel or not. The pacing is deadly slow, no pun intended, and the suspense terribly limited with an incredibly predictable finale that I suspected within the first few minutes. This is one movie destined for the cheap bin and for good reason. The video and audio transfers are decent enough while the special features are limited.
Elimination Game is a bad movie and I mean SyFy made-for-television bad. Dominic Purcell isn’t a great actor but he probably deserves better material than this. The production design is lousy and the plot, albeit a remake of a 1982 film entitled Turkey Shoot (the original title of this one), is a rehash of many others, often better films.
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Black Beauty is hardly great but it’s a safe enough family film with some OK performances by the three leads and a good enough moral that doesn’t get overly syrupy (i.e. Disney-fied). The DVD released by Lionsgate offers up a couple basic bonus features and decent enough video and audio transfers.