Citizenfour reveals and covers a subject Americans should and need to know about but I suspect many, a fair number in the millennial generation, might not take too seriously and maybe even assumes or accepts the government is spying on them. In any case, the subject matter is one thing, this documentary is another.
The Singing Detective is a bit jarring in its presentation yet there’s some fine moments especially with the performance from Robert Downey Jr. and to some extent Mel Gibson if only for the weird hairpiece and make-up which was more distracting than anything. The Blu-ray release by Olive is decent enough I guess but there were some minor issues with the video while the audio is better than expected. That said, for the money it’s a bit much.
Hackers isn’t exactly a good movie but still entertaining and of the movies from the ‘90s dealing with technology, like The Net, Johnny Mnemonic, Virtuosity, it certainly holds up better (by comparison), in fact pair it up with one of those to make for a fun double feature.
The fourth season “Person of Interest” is another solid year for the series expanding the world and adding the new element in another machine, an adversary that makes the gang’s lives far more difficult and harder to help those in need. The performances all around are quite good and I only wonder where they go from here going into a 13-episode fifth season which, unless ratings improve, might be the series’ last.
Season six of “The Good Wife” is another success with compelling storylines and solid performances all around from the main cast to the variety of guest actors. The DVD released by Paramount is limited when it comes to features, which is no surprise as previous seasons were hardly noteworthy, while the video/audio transfers are both good.
I last saw The Babysitter a few years ago probably on one of the pay channels and seeing it again on Blu-ray only reminded me it was crap then and it’s crap now. The performances from a normally respectable cast was bad, the writing is awful and the movie all around just is a mess and frankly on the dull side rather than anything titillating or thrilling.
A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy isn’t a very well known Woody Allen film and although it pales in comparison with Manhattan and Annie Hall, lacking the same charm, even quirky by comparison, I wasn’t quite enamored with this movie as some though the performances by the supporting cast were quite good to go along with Allen’s typically eccentric nature.
Summer Lovers excels thanks to its exotic Greek locations and scenery more so than the story or characters. That said, Peter Gallagher and Daryl Hannah both turn in good performances and all in all it’s at least a semi-entertaining flick though not sure how much of I’ll remember about it down the line.
Big Game is by no means a good movie but as a lower budget version of Air Force One or any number of action-adventure flicks from the early 90s, it’s semi-entertaining and a film that’s probably more geared towards teenagers. But the cast is impressive enough and although Samuel L. Jackson isn’t his over-the-top self, he does have a couple amusing scenes.
Although I enjoyed J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels and movie adaptations, for whatever reason The Casual Vacancy failed to strike a chord with me. I don’t know if it the adaptation work was lousy or what but outside of the likes of Michael Gambon, Rory Kinnear and Julia McKenzie there wasn’t very much that grabbed my attention.
Vendetta is the McDonald’s double cheeseburger of the film world. It’s merely famishing while watching but utterly forgettable by the time it’s over and completely forgotten within hours. It’s actually not terrible and Dean Cain isn’t too bad in the lead and Michael Eklund serves as a delightfully squirmy villain but outside of that it’s not worthy of a rental and with some edits is destined to air on Spike.
The first season of “How to Get Away with Murder” is compelling from beginning to end and getting Viola Davis to headline was a brilliant move as she gives much needed weight and her ability to keep viewers off kilter helps to build momentum throughout the season.
The tenth season of “Criminal Minds”, while not great, is still quite strong and the ensemble cast including newcomer Jennifer Love Hewitt (albeit in her one and only season) makes the series as enjoyable and enduring as it has been going on 10 years. The set itself is fine with a modest amount of bonus material while the video and audio transfers are both well done.
True Story isn’t terrible but at its core, there wasn’t enough ‘there’ to make for a very interesting feature film. The performances I suppose weren’t terrible yet by the same token the odd relationship between Finkel and Longo never really did much or make any sort of emotional connection.
Pit Stop isn’t a very well known film and especially not amongst Jack Hill’s semi-lengthy filmography which includes Foxy Brown and Spider Baby but for my money, I enjoyed the heck out of it especially with the impressive stunt work and a generally unpredictable finale. The Blu-ray release by Arrow Video offers great video/audio transfers and a fair selection of bonus material making this a worthwhile purchase.