Small Time is an easygoing but still well made drama-comedy with great performances all around, but in particular Christopher Meloni, in his post-“Law & Order: SVU” career and Dean Norris of “Breaking Bad” fame having a good time.
The Motel Life is a somber but well acted drama headlined by Emile Hirsch and Stephen Dorff who both work well together playing brothers. The writing is well done and it’s not your typical, run-of-the-mill film interjecting animation into the storytelling.
Alexander: The Ultimate Cut is supposed to be the final cut… the final FINAL cut, and even though I’m still not overly enamored with the film, I can appreciate the production and costume designs, some of the performances and the ambitiousness of the character and story.
Nobody is going to mistake Death Spa as the highest form even in the horror genre, but there’s something fun in the quirky low-budget fair between some respectable special effects and an ample amount of suspense amongst some of the cheesy story.
The Monkey’s Paw is a silly supernatural horror film that might take itself a bit too seriously for its own good yet it’s a watchable flick primarily for Stephen Lang’s performance.
Son of God is a cheap money maker for the studio, re-cutting the popular “Bible” miniseries for a feature-length movie. What’s here is generally acceptable acting but more in line for television and some respectable production design although the visual effects aren’t anything great. It’s an inoffensive movie and isn’t terrible but also nothing I can recommend.
Sleepaway Camp might not be my favorite slasher, and generally I’m not a big fan of the genre anyway, but it’s got its moments even outside of the classic and shocking climax.
Final Exam is seemingly the prototype of 1980s slasher, attempting to cash in on the successes from Halloween and Friday the 13th, and in this instance, it doesn’t work… at all. I don’t have a problem with bloodless horror movies or ones with a low body count so long as the other scenes provide some sort of character development or building up of suspense, which doesn’t happen here.
Dan Curtis’ Dracula features an incredible performance by Jack Palance in the title role as well as Nigel Davenport playing Dr. Van Helsing, especially his final showdown against Dracula.
“Crocodile” Dundee I and II might not be the top-of-the-line in comedy, especially coming out of the 1980s, but I found both of them, even the weaker sequel, to be fun time wasters headlined by the charming antics of Paul Hogan and his on-screen chemistry with Linda Kozlowski.
“Rogue”: The Complete First Season, a series airing exclusively on DirectTV, is a well made crime-drama with great performances by Thandie Newton and Marton Csokas and a compelling story that keeps you engaged throughout the 10-episode long season.
“Jonny Quest”: The Complete Eighties Adventures is a fun enough series even if I, who grew up during that time, barely even recall ever watching it. The animation looks good and the transfers for the audio and video are both OK. Although it is feature-less, it is nice to see it get a release if only through the Warner Archives line.
Sophia Grace & Rosie’s Royal Adventure isn’t a movie made for me or even remotely targeting the 21-35 age bracket and instead is aimed squarely at young girls who oft have dreams of becoming a princess, so on that front, this movie might be satisfying but anyone older or who don’t have children, this is not something you will revisit anytime soon.
Thunderbirds Are Go and Thunderbird 6 are both fun flicks though probably younger kids and those who grew up during that timeframe might get more enjoyment out of it.
Fate is the Hunter is actually a pretty decent film focusing on faith and, obviously, fate, making it something more than merely an overwrought 1960s disaster drama. The performances from Glenn Ford, Nancy Kwan and Rod Taylor are all superb and the effects, save for some wonky editing, were impressive for their time.