Code Black: Season 1 is a well acted medical drama practically on the parts of Marcia Gay Harden and Luis Guzman. However, as compelling of a drama that it is, there’s not much here that distinguishes it from the numerous others that have come before. Still, the characters are at least well written so it is worth watching.
Midnight Run is a great and wonderfully simplistic and wildly entertaining movie featuring two great performances by Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin whose characters work well off one another.
The Huntsman: Winter’s War isn’t terrible yet clearly a movie that should never have been greenlit (at best might’ve served well as a TV series with an unknown cast). Even so, there’s some moments that worked, the visual effects were OK and I did enjoy the ensemble cast, mainly Hemsworth and Chastain.
NCIS: New Orleans is hardly a great show and a shell of a series compared with NCIS or even NCIS: Los Angeles, however it is at least fluff entertainment and with Scott Bakula at the helm, enjoyable enough even if the stories aren’t entirely memorable.
The Nice Guys didn’t quite match my expectations but the laughs still were there and I did enjoy the bro chemistry that developed between Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling to the point I was able to overlook a story that seemed to get stretched a bit too thin, especially going into the third act. It’s no Kiss Kiss Bang Bang but still well worth watching.
“Scandal”, when it first aired, wasn’t a half bad series but with each subsequent season, the show has jumped right into the soap opera pool and the storylines and characters have suffered. This fifth season might not be terrible but going from season one to this, you can see how much it has fallen.
Where this series started as a fun good bad movie, American Ninja 4: The Annihilation turned into just a plain old bad movie that oft Cannon Films are known for. Although we did get the return of Michael Dudikoff, and his presence at times were welcoming, it wasn’t near enough to make the movie watchable.
There’s something to be said that the making-of featurette was the best thing about this release as American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt, unlike its predecessors, lacked charm and all around fun; it’s doubtful Michael Dudikoff could’ve helped though Steve James, bored as he looked, was perhaps the only bright spot.
American Ninja 2: The Confrontation, on the whole, might not be as good as its predecessor but it still contains that fun one would expect from a 1980s Cannon Film release. The acting isn’t the best but both Michael Dudikoff and Steve Price possess just enough to make the film watchable.
American Ninja is not a ‘good’ film in the traditional sense yet god help me, I liked it for just how 1980s it feels and looks. The acting isn’t great and the scriptwriting was horrible, yet Michael Dudikoff and Steve James managed to save it from itself and made a really fun bad movie.
The Phenom is an OK sports drama but mainly because of the performances by Paul Giamatti and Ethan Hawke, otherwise it is on the forgettable side. The Blu-ray released through RLJ Entertainment offers OK video, so-so audio and throwaway features.
Weiner is a great documentary showcasing the rise and, particularly, fall of someone, although feisty, is a narcissist and as such is probably a poster child of what’s wrong with politicians. Still, it’s a fascinating look with both uncomfortable yet funny moments.
The Trust had a lot going for it if only the filmmakers could’ve kept the (dark) comedy aspect in the crime-caper going through the third act but we get an almost 180 flip and although it goes to the title, it doesn’t make much sense and not entirely earned. As such, this is at best a rental mainly for the first 2/3rds and some, well, interesting line-readings by Nicolas Cage.
Hardcore Henry is a gimmick movie that displays some impressive camera work, visual effects, stunts and a well rounded performance by Sharlto Copley, yet is thin on story and frankly, I don’t ever see myself revisiting in spite of what the movie has going for it.
Trinity Seven is a fun little anime series with some solid animation, character designs as well as compelling enough storylines riding the line of comedy and drama.