The DreamWorks Spooky Stories has a nice collection of shorts that the entire family will enjoy. The Blu-ray offers up excellent audio and video transfers but the features have much to be desired.
Maximum Conviction doesn’t stray beyond a typical direct-to-video release from a stitched together plot, wooden acting and bad dialogue, but with the charms (i.e. ass-kicker-y) that come with Steven Seagal and Steve Austin, it’s at least worth a rental especially if you’re fan of either individual.
The Bonfire of the Vanities was a critical and financial flop when it was released back in 1990 and considering its cast with Tom Hanks and Bruce Willis, it should have been better. For me, I don’t think it was that bad though I’ve never read the novel it was based upon so taking at face value, it’s at least an average, and biting, satirical drama-comedy.
“Star Wars: The Clone Wars” Season Four is a fun animated series with great action, incredible animation and well written stories (for the most part). Not sure how fanboys liked the show but for myself, as a modest fan of the franchise, I found each episode, and the season as a whole, to be enjoyable.
Disney’s latest installment in the Tinker Bell Faries line, Secret of the Wings, is a nice little movie that the entire family can watch, though it is still geared towards younger children – and Disney fans of all ages.
Big Top Scooby-Doo is probably in the middle of the pack compared with the other recent direct-to-video Scooby releases. The voice talents are the highlights to go along with a story that at least didn’t telestrate who the villain(s) is/were.
“The League” Season 3 DVD is an OK release and with only 13 episodes is relatively cheap, though I’d recommend the Blu-ray (which we were not supplied, unfortunately). The features aren’t anything amazing, though I guess if you’re a fan of the show, the extended episodes might be an interesting bonus.
Dave is a nice movie filled with fine performances from Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver. Sure, it’s predictable and more than outlandish in its premise (bit of a stretch that he looks exactly like the President), but it’s one I’ve had fun watching throughout the years.
Pet Sematary never was one of my favorite movies but I suppose to some of the other Stephen King adaptations, it’s one of the better releases.
The American President is a fun romantic comedy/drama headlined by a great cast but especially Michael Douglas and Annette Bening.
The Devil’s Advocate is, dare I say, a devilish supernatural suspense-thriller with excellent performances from both Al Pacino and Keanu Reeves.
“Gossip Girl” is a fun tween soap opera with various storylines which help keep the attention span even when the episodes can sometimes sputter. The DVD itself offers up good video and audio transfers and a decent set of features, though it’s still fairly light and only worth one viewing. Given the price, and assuming you’re a fan, this fifth season is worth it.
Queen of the Damned is a fine movie that had the potential to be far better. The performance from Stuart Townsend wasn’t bad though hardly memorable while Aaliyah wasn’t impressive but in fairness, her character was limited and had little to work with.
The Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures is a great set for fans of the franchise. Each of the film’s 1080p HD transfer is amazing to go along with the lossless DTS-HD Master Audio tracks. The only drawback is that features from the previous releases, including Kingdom of the Crystal Skull were not ported over.
The front cover for Bait might make it look like another generic poorly CGI’d director-to-video monster flick, but I enjoyed this; it’s a mixture of Jaws meets The Poseidon Adventure with some adequate visual effects (better than anything on SyFy), fun thrills and just an all around enjoyable film.