The Final Word on Physical Media
The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia starts off on a sour note just with an incredibly stupid title trying to draw in those fans of the original film. However, what makes even less sense is the filmmakers didn’t even bother to make a connection with the first movie.
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This 25th Anniversary edition of Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a great set and includes all the features from the Vista Series edition but gets a boost from great audio/video transfers to go along with an all around fantastic movie that is just as good when I last saw it (probably a good 15 years ago).
“Star Trek: Enterprise” Season One serves as fine entertainment but not much more as it doesn’t come close to the drama of “The Next Generation” or the performances from “Voyager” and “Deep Space Nine”. Even so, there’s something about the then fledgling series which I enjoyed and can only hope it improves with each season.
Escapee is a half-baked and all around cheap shlocker with no scares, stilted dialogue, a terribly boring plot and amateurish direction. Dominic Purcell headlines but it’s obvious this was a favor for somebody in the production.
The Collection doesn’t have a whole lot going for it outside of the two leads played by Josh Lucas and Emma Fitzpatrick, otherwise the plot is stale, the scares are scarce and the bad guy is pretty bland especially considering we don’t know much about him outside of his killing ways.
This is 40 is a huge misstep for Apatow and company. The characters are nasty and highly unlikeable, the script itself just isn’t very funny lending itself to maybe a chuckle or two and where Apatow’s previous endeavors had a certain heart behind the sex jokes is lost here. Also not helping matters is the fact the story drifts aimlessly with multiple subplots that often don’t even have a resolution.
Lincoln is bolstered by strong performances especially from Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones and although I appreciate Spielberg limiting such an interesting character, and President, to two aspects of his time in the White House, for whatever reason the story lacked an emotional punch.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey has its moments with fine performances from Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage and the always reliable Ian McKellen who slips right back into his Gandalf garbs without missing a beat. But the screenplay and plotline feels too simplistic especially when you compare the scope and ultimate effect it would have on Middle Earth.
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Mulan is one of the better Disney animated films from the late 1990s and an inspiration for little girls. The sequel on the other hand… not so much. It’s not a disastrous film by any stretch but it is the typical DTV flick which Disney released during that era.
Life of Pi is a powerful drama featuring a wonderful performance from Suraj Sharma and some of the best 3D and visual effects perhaps since Avatar. Ang Lee has yet another winner with a seemingly simple story that presents some semi-complex undertones.
Bounty Hunters features the sexy and cool Trish Stratus and although she’s not a great actress, she does have some mad fight skills even of those sequences aren’t well choreographed often times looking awfully fake. Aside from Stratus, however, this was neither a well made movie nor one that’s particularly entertaining.
Red Dawn wasn’t an awful movie and even though the cast, Hemsworth especially, to their best with what they were given, it’s one of those movies that you will forget a day after seeing it. It’s not so bad it’s good and it’s not so good that you’ll want to boast about it to friends or family.
The Marine 3 is yet another forgettable action-thriller with basic fight sequences, a hero played by a bland wrestler-turned-actor and a villain with schemes which, thanks to the limited budget, are cut down to an awful finale. The Blu-ray at least offers an average set of features and video/audio transfers that are on the satisfactory side. If you’re a wrestling fan and you like “The Miz”, then this might be worth a rental, otherwise just skip this turkey.
Despite its 7 Academy Award nominations, The Insider is a woefully under-appreciated drama filled with excellent performances and a compelling story. Al Pacino, Russell Crowe and Christopher Plummer are all incredible and Mann’s direction, alongside Dante Spinotti’s lense, makes for a near masterpiece.
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.