Cam2Cam is yet another movie which had potential but it’s squandered with a half-baked screenplay and poor pacing from an ineffectual director in spite of the exotic Bangkok locale. The DVD released by MPI Media Group has subpar video and (at best) average audio.
Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh is certainly a weak sequel especially compared with the original; however, it’s still a functional entry into the series (not saying much considering the third is a wreck).
Planes: Fire and Rescue err Wings: Sky Force One, like its predecessor, is a knockoff of Disney’s Planes which in itself sad, though even worse, we get this one which copies its sequel. The animation is dodgy, the voice acting is OK while the story is only suitable for very young audiences while adults may find it to be tedious.
This is a trashy movie with terrible acting and an all around bad and disgusting screenplay… even by Lifetime Channel standards which are already pretty low. Beyond that, it’s a horrible cash grab and is nothing more than tabloid dribble offering innuendos and unsubstantiated stories which should place this squarely into fictional territory.
Zodiac: Signs of the Apocalypse is yet another forgettable SyFy Original Movie that is more filler for that station than anything. Its uber-cheap production budget is evident with utterly laughable visual effects, subpar acting and a paint-by-numbers script that utilizes the same formula of other TV movies used in the past 10+ years. The DVD released by Anchor Bay is really basic with no bonus material and average/adequate audio/video transfers.
The Fortune might be considered a lost gem lost in the sea of the greatness that was 1970s cinema, not to mention The Sting which was released only two years prior, but it’s a weak flick with the occasional funny moments and at the very least might be worth it to see Jack Nicholson cut loose, all before he was a caricature of himself…
This is Where I Leave You is a bit uneven where the comedy seemed to work far better than the overindulgent dramatic areas. Jason Bateman and Tina Fey are both great but by far Adam Driver steals the show to the point I kind of wish his character got his own movie, a dark comedy in the vein of Bad Santa perhaps.
Although this Funny Girl sequel doesn’t possess the magic of its predecessor, the performances are all well done headlined once again by Barbra Streisand as well as then newcomer James Caan with catchy music and a well written story.
“Ghost in the Shell: Arise” albeit not as strong as “Stand Alone Complex,” still have its moments and for the most part, the designs aren’t bad, though it does take some time to get used to. The two stories featured in these two seasons (or Borders) are decent and give some good background of these characters
The Good Lie is perhaps one of the more overlooked films of 2014 and unfortunately the studio for whatever reason dumped it for a limited release in less than 500 screens in early October.
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is a fantastic drama featuring Maggie Smith who shows why she received her Academy Award for Best Actress. It’s an amazing performance to go along with the supporting cast including Celia Johnson, Pamela Franklin and Robert Stephens.
Inherit the Wind is one of Stanley Kramer’s best films amongst an already amazing filmography and features a fine performance by Spencer Tracy.
Dolphin Tale 2 is an unnecessary sequel but a harmless one with a wholesome message and something families will immensely enjoy especially young ones. The performances are pretty basic but having a couple respectable actors like Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman helps elevate a thin script and predictable story.
With The Night Porter, I might be in the minority, but despite a good premise and set-up, I found this to be utterly dull and boring to the point where I nearly dozed off a time or two. For sure the performances by Dirk Bogarde and Charlotte Rampling were fantastic but the pacing was slow and on the whole, I just didn’t find it very engaging.
Heaven and Earth is another passion project for Oliver Stone and while it never quite gels together was a war-drama, the performances for the most part are good and the cinematography was utterly fantastic.