Richard Pryor was one of a kind who rarely compromised his standards, not giving a lick about offending others and also revolutionized stand-up comedy and has influenced so many over the years and till this day. The documentary itself is well done if not low key in its approach nicely weaving archival footage with new interviews (including the late Robin Williams) with a variety of comedians and show biz folks who knew and worked with Pryor.
Justice League: Throne of Atlantis is not DCUA’s best output to date but it’s a perfectly entertaining film with a few flaws, primarily the limited running time. But the voice casting is mostly good, even Jason O’Mara, and on the whole I enjoyed it and some of the darker humor and taking the PG-13 rating to the limits in terms of animated affair.
New Year’s Evil is a ho-hum horror movie with little horror and the kills pretty standard. Save for the finale, this is a bore of a film that might have a minor following but for myself, little about this was enjoyable outside of Kip Niven’s creepy but fun performance. The Blu-ray released by Shout Factory has good video/audio transfers while the bonus material is somewhat thin.
The Aviators is a forgettable animated feature and for adults it might be tedious but kids will get something out of it even if the animation style isn’t anything to be blown over by and the voice casting isn’t that special either, though Brad Garrett gives it his best. The Blu-ray released by Cinedigm has average, unfortunately no features were included.
The Drop is a well made if not a bit ordinary crime-drama that excels with the main three actors headlined by Tom Hardy who continues to impress and there’s special interest with James Gandolfini being his final feature film and he gives his usual great performance.
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.
Bandit Queen is a raw film highlighted by star Seema Biswas though from my reading, the accuracy of the picture is questionable so for those like me, you should go in with some skepticism. That being said, it’s a decent film worth a watch especially if the subject matter interests you.
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.
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.
Open Windows, written and directed by Nacho Vigalondo, The ABCs of Death, V/H/S: Viral), is more or less an experimental film that’s been done more than a few times with the entire picture taking place via a webcam, and although a nifty idea, the execution wasn’t the best.
Annabelle might have been a good idea on paper and certainly had a built-in audience thanks to the breakout box office for The Conjuring, but its execution was lackluster with not that many scares and the creepy quotient also wasn’t up to par.
Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh is certainly a weak sequel especially compared with the original; however, it’s still a functional entry into the series (not saying much considering the third is a wreck).
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.
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.
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.