Tarzan seems to be the ignored stepchild amongst Disney’s animated titles (talking 80s and 90s), taking a backseat to Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Aladdin or The Little Mermaid but it’s a fun and finely animated flick with some good voice casting and incredible sequences.
Cuban Fury is a fun, if not uneven, music-comedy. Nick Frost and Rashida Jones both turn in fine and funny performances and the music itself is catchy, even for those unfamiliar with the style; all in all, this is rental worthy.
Divergent is what I’d like to call a ‘nice’ movie. There’s nothing here terrible offensive but at the same time, it doesn’t break new ground either. The direction is more than adequate and the performances are good. But for all the good, the story structure is odd with the bulk of the time relegated to the training with another plotline almost an afterthought taking over the third act.
Ironclad: Battle for Blood is an unnecessary sequel and add to that, doesn’t come close to having the talent the original did (Brian Cox, Kate Mara, Paul Giamatti, Jason Flemyng) but with the popularity of shows like “Game of Thrones”, it’s a quick money grab by a smaller studio, though the quality this go around, both in terms of story and production values, isn’t that great.
Some of the animation in Lionsgate distributed Tarzan actually isn’t bad… if kept at difference otherwise close-ups tend to reveal the creepy dead-eyes. However, the story also isn’t that good, although unlike some, I actually don’t have many issues with the changes made, it’s just that what is there, to go along with clunky dialogue, isn’t all that enthralling.
The Other Woman takes its time at the start but picks the pace up once Diaz and Mann join forces making for a fun movie with some funny scenes amidst a few heartfelt moments as well. The performances from Diaz and Mann are both fantastic and got to give kudos to Nikolaj Coster-Waldau for having to play a thoroughly bad douche with no redeeming values whatsoever.
Tyler Perry’s The Single Mom’s Club is a typical entry for the writer/director with inconsistent writing, one-dimensional characters and melodrama suitable for a daytime soap opera. Still, I suppose fans of Perry will enjoy it, though for me, it’s not exactly going to stand out by year’s end.
These five movies released by Mill Creek are merely cheap cash grabs that can be had at most Wal-Marts (apparently) for a mere $2.88 and trust me, you get what you pay for: no features, no real menu and basic audio/video transfers. I suppose if you only want the movies and couldn’t care less about the audio, it might be worth picking up.
While the potential was a bit wasted, All Cheerleaders Die isn’t an all together bad flick with some OK acting headlined by Caitlin Stasey and frankly, the effects weren’t that bad either. However, any energy the film earned and built early on dissipated by the third act making for something that could’ve been great and is instead passable entertainment worthy of maybe a rental.
I’ll admit upfront that Need for Speed isn’t a great movie yet in a Gone in Sixty Seconds (remake) kind of way, it’s moderately entertaining thanks to some nice car stunts and the two leads with Aaron Paul and Imogen Poots share some fun chemistry making one forget about a paper-thin script and plot.
Insomnia is a well made thriller with a standout performance from Stellan Skarsgård who, to this point, was not very well known to American audiences. Writer/Director Erik Skjoldjærg does a good job with the psychological elements in combination with his take on film noir making this a film well worth watching.
There’s no real shock here, but Deadly Eyes, based on a novel entitled “The Rats”, is a cheesy little picture but it has its fan base and honestly, even though this kind of horror isn’t my thing (I have a preference for the slasher subgenre), it’s at least quasi-entertaining.
Noah might’ve received high praise from some critics but for myself, I didn’t find much of this all that entertaining from the asinine storyline, the bizarre rock creatures who seemed to belong in a Peter Jackson movie and most of all a lead character who by movie’s end was rooting against. The film is also terribly bloated and a lot of material could’ve been trimmed or removed.
Radio Days is a fun yet poignant trip down Allen’s nostalgia lane and features excellent performances from various cast members including a young Seth Green as well as Allen staple Mia Farrow.
Make Your Move is like any other dance film that has come down the pike over the years down to the star-crossed lovers from opposite sides of whatever spectrum (in fact this one makes no bones there is a Romeo & Juliet element to the romance). That said, the music isn’t bad and the acting above average considering the material.