The Mechanic was the perfect role for Charles Bronson who commonly was known for his roles in the Death Wish movies. His performance here was great and worked well opposite Jan-Michael Vincent.
Lake Placid is a fun horror-comedy, with more emphasis on humor, that might not be the best written flick but it’s a breezy enough 82-minutes of sarcastic one-liners and characters, albeit mostly on-dimensional, that you actually enjoy watching, especially a fouled-mouthed Betty White in a small yet pivotal role.
Parts Per Billion had a lot going for it including an impressive cast who, Frank Langella and Gena Rowlands especially, turn in fine performances it’s just that the story never quite gelled and some of the character’s actions were beyond dumb. But beyond that, it was a slow and honestly boring movie to plod through and there are plenty others with a similar plotline that are a lot better (see: Contagion and Perfect Sense).
Adult World isn’t perfect with a clumsy story but the performances by Emma Roberts and John Cusack are both quite good and the film itself is at least watchable though has a limited replay value. The DVD doesn’t have much with minimal features and so-so video/audio transfers.
The Birdcage is a wonderfully hilarious comedy headlined by Robin Williams and Nathan Lane and holds up as well today as it did some 10+ years ago when I last saw it.
Kissing Jessica Stein is a fun, quirky and charming romantic comedy starring two unknowns who both not only can write but aren’t bad actresses either sharing some good on-screen chemistry.
The Pretty One is an interesting little drama toplined by a star-making performance by Zoe Kazan who plays dueling roles. However, the DVD released by Sony is pretty basic with average video and audio transfers and an incredibly short featurette.
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.