Not sure what the producers (last count, 16 of them) were thinking, but with a bad script, thin characters and choppy editing, Getaway was a car-wreck from the beginning and save for some cool stunt work and a cool one-shot sequence, there’s nothing redeemable about this action-thriller and should’ve been placed on shelves with the other forgettable flicks.
The Beast Within is a fun little horror-thriller featuring fine performances from Ronny Cox, Paul Clemens and L.Q. Jones.
The World’s End has its moments and I did chuckle more than once but the characters, Pegg’s especially, are mostly un-redeemable twats though since for the most part they’ve worked together in the past, they at least share a friendly comradery with one another and it’s always nice to see Rosamund Pike in a movie…
Drinking Buddies is an interesting experimental movie where, outside of a plot outline, was improvised. It doesn’t make for the most energetic film but it at least doesn’t follow the typical Hollywood romantic comedy-drama and the performances by Wilde and Johnson actually aren’t bad.
Maniac Cop 2 debuts on Blu-ray courtesy of Blue Underground, a real treat for horror fans to finally get proper audio and video transfers to go along with a well-packed selection of bonus features.
The Fast & Furious franchise continues to rev along gaining more momentum with each new installment and this sixth one offers more of the same with insane, albeit illogical, action set-pieces but thanks to its core cast, doesn’t really miss a beat even if on the whole is not as precise as Fast Five. Given the post credit sequence, I can’t wait to see what Fast 7 has in store.
“Star Trek: The Next Generation” continues to find its footing and one can see its progression from season one to season five. While there are a few iffy episodes this year, the greats easily outweigh them.
Argo has plenty of problems with regards to historical accuracies, but even when taking liberties with the story and characters, producer/director Ben Affleck highlights a story not many Americans know about and presents a suspense-thriller with greatly intense moments with a couple standout performances.
Pain & Gain might have its moments but the characters are mostly unlikeable and even acknowledging the substance of the plot, it’s not enough to recommend even though Mark Wahlberg is quite good in his role.
Jane Eyre is a brilliant adaptation from Charlotte Brontë’s novel featuring wonderful performances from Orson Welles, Jane Fontaine and Peggy Ann Garner portraying the young Jane.
Paranoia is the latest exercise in mediocrity despite having a few very talented actors attached. The story is clichéd filled and the performances, again despite the talent, are at best phoned in. It’s not a terrible film and as passable entertainment might be worth a whirl (rental), but otherwise pass it by.
Assault on Precinct 13 is an intense suspense-thriller by John Carpenter well worth checking out if you have not already (especially so before viewing the 2005 remake which itself wasn’t bad).
We’re the Millers as a concept isn’t very good and could’ve easily been destined for direct-to-video hell but thanks to a director who seems to know how to direct comedy and a cast who share some great chemistry with one another, Millers is a film that won’t go down as one of the greats but is a more than serviceable comedy with some fun moments.
Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Year is a fun animated movie aimed for little tikes but the animation is pretty basic and this new Blu-ray released by Disney is really weak.
It truly is sad how Disney has treated Mickey’s Christmas Carol with an awful video transfer and only satisfactory audio which itself wasn’t upgraded at all. There are no features to speak of other than some decent animated shorts.