It’d be an understated that Zardoz is one unique, and bizarre, movie from the subject to costumes but well worth checking out thanks in large part to Sean Connery in one of his most… interesting performances. The Blu-ray released through Twilight Time offers good video/audio transfers and although the bonus material is limited, the two commentaries are pretty good.
Everly is one of the more unambitious yet ambitious films I’ve come across. The action is relatively well shot and Hayek, considering what she had to work with, wasn’t terrible (not great either) and she seemed to hold her own in the fight scenes. However, with that said, it’s very uneven in tone and genre.
Escape from New York might be far from perfect, but it’s an entertaining flick with an outstanding, and subdued, performance from Kurt Russell and a fantastic electronic score from Carpenter and Howarth. This new 2-disc Collector’s Edition Blu-ray release from Shout Factory is phenomenal not only porting over the features from the previous CE release but includes a few more goodies for fans to peruse.
U Turn is not one of Oliver Stone’s strongest films, although it is one of my favorite of his (taking into consideration I’ve never been a big fan of his), but features a great cast and fantastic performances by Sean Penn and Jennifer Lopez. The Blu-ray distributed by Twilight Time might be limited in features but the video and audio transfers might make it a worthwhile purchase, though as usual, it’s not a cheap release.
It’s another solid release (well re-release) of a classic film from Twilight Time with Journey to the Center of the Earth. The film does come across as dated not so much for its effects, which are still impressive for its time, but the pacing isn’t the best.. Even so, it’s still a fun flick to check out and one of the better Journey film adaptations.
It’s become common place for a few years to find Nicolas Cage on the front cover a direct-to-video movie and normally I can appreciate it for his insane performance but with Outcast he’s merely a supporting player with the charmless Hayden Christensen taking front stage. It’s not a well made movie but it’s also not terrible, just utterly forgettable and even boring.
Behind Enemy Lines isn’t particularly well made and the performances are so-so, but it is somewhat entertaining and has its moments, though at times it looks like a product of the 1980s. The Blu-ray released by Olive Films is mixed. The video is acceptable but the audio has much to be desired as does the lack of bonus material.
I know Bio-Dome has its fans but it’s a weak imitation of Dumb and Dumber just with jokes that don’t land and two leads that are more annoying than funny. So it’s a strange movie to get the HD treatment on Blu-ray and for such a high price, $20 retail at the time of this writing, is a bit (i.e. very) extreme considering the video is just OK and the audio is substandard.
Echoes isn’t that well made of a movie, with plot twists coming two miles away, yet the cast is amicable enough headlined by Kate French and there’s enough to at least make it a passably entertaining flick to watch on a Saturday night with a breezy 86-minute running time. The Blu-ray released by Anchor Bay is very basic, which makes the SRP a bit on the high side, but the video and audio were both alright.
The Imitation Game probably gets a solid “B+” for sheer entertainment value but a “D+” for accuracy, something that is an unforced error as the real life story of Turing, as well as co-inventor Gordon Welchman, is interesting enough without having to introduce non-existent plot points and changing around characters to fit the dramatic story the filmmakers wanted to tell. Even so, the acting still is top notched especially by Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley.
I don’t think anyone is under any illusion that these Ghoulies movies aren’t cheesy and all around C-movie 1980s crap, yet for it’s cheap production and questionable acting, it’s got a certain charm and both films would make for a fun Saturday night double feature with friends; watch it alone and you’ll probably feel a bit silly…
Stranger at My Door is actually a well made crime-western-drama. The acting from Skip Homeier and Patricia Medina were both great and shared some darkly charming chemistry. The Blu-ray released by Olive Films is pretty basic with no bonus material yet the audio/video transfers were both nice, however at a premium $20 price tag, it might be too steep for some.
Penguins of Madagascar isn’t a great movie yet highly watchable with plenty of inside jokes the adults will like and yet will still be highly entertaining for the kids. The third act seemed to lose some steam but in the end, I laughed at the jokes and found it to be on par or even better in some instances compared with the Madagascar films.
Solomon and Sheba is a so-so Biblical war-drama with some good performances by Yul Brynner and Gina Lollobrigida and fine cinematography giving the film an epic feel. The Blu-ray released by Twilight Time offers good video and audio transfers however the bonus material is relatively sparse so considering the high $30 price point, unless you get it on sale, probably not worth it.
Song One is a simple romantic-drama that, albeit not wholly satisfying like Once or Begin Again, still features solid performances by Anne Hathaway, Johnny Flynn and Mary Steenburgen. The Blu-ray released by Cinedigm offers good video and audio transfer while the bonus material is disappointing with no commentary or even making-of featurette.