The Strangers is a movie that still holds up today as it did 10 years ago. Its simplicity, and restraint of using jump scares, really helps it stand out from others in the thriller/horror genre even when character development is, at best, minimal.
Homeland: The Complete Sixth Season is easily the worst of what was otherwise a strong series. The performance from Mandy Patinkin is still strong while Claire Danes’ character storyline meanders and isn’t all that engaging.
Manhattan Murder Mystery might not be one of my favorite Woody Allen movies, it is certainly one of the more entertaining ones featuring a great performance from Diane Keaton.
The Star technically isn’t a great animated movie by any stretch but it is perfectly safe and unlike The Emoji Movie, did illicit a few laughs from me and never once came across as cynical, and the voice talents was pretty impressive while the animation, albeit nothing extraordinary, was passable.
Scalpel is a diabolically fun thriller-horror film thanks to the devilish performance by lead actor Robert Lansing; almost seemed like an episode of “Tales from the Crypt”.
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life is a half-baked and poorly made sequel that lacked the fun and thrills of the first film though Angelina Jolie appeared to give it her all, or at least her stunt double did, but the action itself was lackluster outside of the opening action sequence.
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is a fun and entertaining action-adventure, in the cheesy kind of way that features a charismatic performance from Angelina Jolie who seemed to have been made for the part and some absurd CGI to go along with Daniel Craig’s laughably bad American accent.
Victor Crowley isn’t a great horror-comedy, as the latter aspect doesn’t always land, but it is entertaining enough with respectable, if not familiar, gore effects and a solid enough ensemble cast led way by Laura Ortiz and series veteran Parry Shen.
Daddy’s Home 2 might not be very good and some Christmas comedy-classic-in-the-making this is not, but I did manage to chuckle a few times here and there and I did genuinely enjoy seeing Mel Gibson generally being a dick, otherwise it’s an unmemorable film.
The Gruesome Twosome is one weird, and frankly bad, horror movie with some shoddy filmmaking, even by swamp-level budget standards, and the video and audio transfers, despite the best efforts of Arrow, don’t look or sound all that hot.
I Like Your Nerve is a fun enough 1931 romantic-comedy with charismatic performances by Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Loretta Young. As for this DVD release… yeah, it may not sound or look very good but anyone who likes these types of movies, it is nice to finally get them on home video.
Only the Brave is perhaps one of the better surprises of 2017 with some great performances from Josh Brolin, Jennifer Connelly and even Miles Teller, and telling a story that I’m not entirely sure many have heard of or at least remember.
Chances is a bit over-the-top, which I guess is to be expected for the era, but still charming performances from Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Rose Hobart.
Judgment Night isn’t what one call a “smart” thriller or anything but it is awfully fun courtesy of its charming cast headlined by Emilio Estevez, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Denis Leary (with special mention to Stephen Dorff and Jeremy Piven).
The Finger Points is a fun enough 1930s-era crime-drama that doesn’t stand out any others from that timeframe either, however. Still, for fans of this style of filmmaking might find it entertaining.