Jan 252015
 

John Wick is one of the surprise hits of 2014 and even though Keanu Reeves might not be a great actor, this role was tailor made for his skill sets in fighting and stunt work. Add to that, the story, albeit thin, is good enough to carry the 100-minute running time. The Blu-ray released by Lionsgate has great video/audio transfers and OK selection of bonus material.

 

 

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Jan 232015
 

The Scorpion King 4: Quest for Power is what you think it would: really dumb and it doesn’t pretend to be otherwise so on a certain level, for as bad as it might be, it’s a harmlessly bad flick that many can enjoy and at the very least has mock value to hold an “MST3K” movie night. The Blu-ray released by Universal actually has good video and audio transfers and a decent selection of special features.

 

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Jan 202015
 

Francois Herrmann’s The Bride Wore Black some call a homage to Alfred Hitchcock, though some experts disagree, is a unique film experience for sure featuring a dangerously mesmerizing performance by Jeanne Moreau and wonderful cinematography. The Blu-ray released by Twilight Time offers good video/audio transfers while the bonus material was limited, though the commentary was interesting to listen to.

 

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Dec 182014
 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an inoffensively bad movie made for an entirely different audience than those who grew up with the reptiles in the 1980s and 1990s. But taking that aside, it’s a thin story, poor writing and chaotic direction that makes it really hard to watch culminating with a lame and underwhelming finale.

 

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Nov 222014
 

The Expendables 3 continues a franchise that had more promise than delivering the goods, but still this wasn’t a terrible film, just underwhelming and at times a tad dull. I still enjoyed seeing these 1980s action stars together so it’s not a complete waste of time, but at best this is only a rental.

 

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Nov 092014
 

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For not only is a movie a few years too late, the narrative isn’t quite as strong as the first and the acting, save for a few of the key players, isn’t all that memorable, though Rourke, under seemingly heavier does of make-up, is the biggest highlight with Eva Green taking a close second for her performance and… ahem… assets.

 

 

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Aug 112014
 

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was a disappointment for me mainly because I think the first movie set the right tone but the sequel instead squandered many opportunities particularly in the villain department who had little development to go along with a thin plot that for the most consisted of hating Spider-Man more than anything.

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Aug 092014
 

Toy Story of Terror is another solid entry in the franchise with some great humor and some decent, kid-friendly, terror. It’s also wonderful that they manage to get the cast back even in limited roles rather than go the cheaper/easier route with voice imitators.

 

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Jul 252014
 

Insomnia is a well made thriller with a standout performance from Stellan Skarsgård who, to this point, was not very well known to American audiences. Writer/Director Erik Skjoldjærg does a good job with the psychological elements in combination with his take on film noir making this a film well worth watching.

 

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