Life on the Line is a misfire of a movie if only that they could’ve told a great story of the unsung heroes who work to keep the power on in some of the most difficult circumstances. Instead, this film tosses in a terrible B-plot with unnecessary characters making this just another poor release starring an actor relegated to direct-to-video status.
In a Valley of Violence was somewhat of a surprise for a (basically) direct-to-video release mainly because, in spite of a familiar story and Western clichés, featured some solid performances by Ethan Hawke and Taissa Farmiga.
This “Collector’s Edition” of Carrie from Shout Factory is pretty darn good for a pretty darn good movie by suspense-maestro, Brian De Palma and features amazing performances by Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie.
I Am Wrath is hardly a great action flick and although Travolta is a shell of what he once was, he at least possessed some charm to make the thin plot enjoyable, along with some nice scenes with Christopher Meloni as well. This is the quintessential rental type movie and one where you shouldn’t expect anything profound.
Criminal Activities isn’t a half bad crime-drama especially by direct-to-video standards. The performances from Michael Pitt and Dan Stevens were good and even John Travolta in his limited appearance gives the film some weight.
Savages isn’t a complete waste of time but it was a waste of potential. The main characters aren’t very well developed though it’s not helped that the actors don’t deliver better performances and the use of voice over from Blakely was annoying. There are a couple glimmers of light: the film looks great thanks to director of photographer Dan Mindel and Benicio Del Toro is fantastic in a small but integral role.
Phenomenon is a well acted and finely dramatic film that seemed primed to be Oscar bait, especially in the acting category if you see a few of the scenes. However, it doesn’t hold much replay value because while the story is well done and features some fine direction by Jon Turteltaub, it’s just one of those movies that’s only worth one viewing every few years, despite a fine performance from John Travolta.
While Pulp Fiction isn’t a masterpiece of filmmaking as some might contend, it’s still a very well made picture with the sharp writing we expect from Tarantino and one of the better ensemble casts put together.
Aside from my issue with plot, Blow Out is a film that should be seen along with Coppola’s similarly themed The Conversation starring Gene Hackman which came out in 1974.