Stage Fright from first timer Jerome Sable is a valiant effort for sure with some decent kills, good acting especially from lead actress Allie MacDonald but its oddly paced and doesn’t quite hit the mark in the end, making for nothing more than a rental.
“Pretty Little Liars”: The Complete Fourth Season is actually a step up from season three. Sure, the four ladies make some boneheaded mistakes helping “A” further his or hers vendetta, but there are some good revelations which further the plot along nicely and we do get a few answers not to mention some solid drama for each of the girls.
“Major Crimes”: The Complete Second Season is successful more on the ensemble cast, with Mary McDonnell leading the way, more so than the plots and the season-long subplot. The DVD released by Warner Brothers has good audio and video transfers but is a bit limited with the bonus material.
“Star Trek: The Next Generation”: Chain of Command is a solid two-part episode highlighted more by the performances and plot than the set-up which was at best forced. Still, Patrick Stewart’s acting is some of his best ever on the series and Ronny Cox’s appearance gives that storyline some weight and decent drama.
The sixth season of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” is one heck of a ride and provides a wide variety from intense drama (‘Chain of Command’), nostalgia (‘Relics’), psychological thriller (‘Frame of Mind’), romance (‘Lessons’) and even comedy (‘Rascals’). It’s not a perfect season as there are a couple episodes I didn’t care for, but on the whole the writing is sharp and the acting top notch.
Winter’s Tale has a lot going for it from a decently high production design, a well rounded cast headlined by Colin Farrell and Russell Crowe, but with such an apparently difficult novel to adapt for feature film, what we get instead is disjointed and doesn’t have the right pacing.
The Final Terror actually isn’t a terrible movie. It’s low budget and the acting isn’t always the best, though it is fun seeing Daryl Hannah and Joe Pantoliano before they were big, and some of the shots done by Andrew Davis (The Fugitive) were quite impressive.
Joy Ride 3: Road Kill shockingly (or not) is an all around bad movie and not in the fun kind of way either. The plot is more or less a rehash of the first film just with more characters who are almost all unlikeable, making it really hard to care for their well being, and Rusty Nail as a villain is just another mundane serial killer rather than a truly scary voice over the radio.
The Machine is actually a well made indie science-fiction flick with good performances, some respectable visual and make-up effects. I kind of hope the filmmakers behind the film could at least be a part of any “Ghost in the Shell” adaptation because they did a damn good job with the material here which is more or less around the same concept.
300: Rise of an Empire has some things to be admired from the visuals, which director Noam Murro copied from Zack Snyder and Eva Green who is the only one that gave anything resembling a memorable performance and her alone is the only reason one should bother with this sequel.
The Mechanic was the perfect role for Charles Bronson who commonly was known for his roles in the Death Wish movies. His performance here was great and worked well opposite Jan-Michael Vincent.
The LEGO Movie is easily one heck of a fun flick with a sharp script that appeals to both kids and adults, masterful voice casting (especially Will Arnett as Batman) and the animation is absolutely wonderful.
Lake Placid is a fun horror-comedy, with more emphasis on humor, that might not be the best written flick but it’s a breezy enough 82-minutes of sarcastic one-liners and characters, albeit mostly on-dimensional, that you actually enjoy watching, especially a fouled-mouthed Betty White in a small yet pivotal role.
Parts Per Billion had a lot going for it including an impressive cast who, Frank Langella and Gena Rowlands especially, turn in fine performances it’s just that the story never quite gelled and some of the character’s actions were beyond dumb. But beyond that, it was a slow and honestly boring movie to plod through and there are plenty others with a similar plotline that are a lot better (see: Contagion and Perfect Sense).
“True Detective” is one hell of a series propelled with sharp writing, enough of mystery plot to keep one’s involvement and, most of all, incredible performances particularly from Matthew McConaughey who is yet again in top form and an amazing follow-up to his Oscar winning performance in Dallas Buyer’s Club and for this, he’ll be in the race for an Emmy.