Movieman's Guide to the Movies
The Final Word on Physical Media
Ronin is a fantastically slow burning yet still suspense-filled crime drama, a call back to the 60s and 70s preferring realistic car chases, but beyond the cars and explosions, the acting is top notch coupled with David Mamet’s screenplay and dialogue.
The Fan has some interesting commentary on sports and the fanatic fan, however the finale was utterly ridiculous. However, the performances from both Robert De Niro and Wesley Snipes were good and coming at a time when both actors were still giving it their all.
The Godfather Trilogy is another (almost) great set from Paramount with a plethora of bonus features and excellent video and audio transfers. My only qualm is, like the DVD set, they’ve gone back to the cardboard digi-pak which means you’re SOL if any of them get damaged.
The Irishman was a little disappointing if only for the amount of praise the film received from both the professional and regular everyday movie-watchers, however it was great to see three veteran actors together.
Continue reading “The Irishman: The Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review”
The Deer Hunter makes its debut on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray through Shout Factory’s well done presentation including several new interviews and previously released commentary track. The film features great performances from Robert De Niro and Christopher Walken.
Continue reading “The Deer Hunter: Collector’s Edition (Shout Select) 4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray Review”
The Contractor/The Fan double feature Blu-ray release isn’t anything remarkable as these aren’t high-quality movies to begin with, however both films do have their moments and Wesley Snipes at least never felt like he was phoning it in.
Joker is one of the more unique experiences I’ve had, and perhaps helping is that I am a fan of DC characters, and while this may not be a comic accurate portrayal, the performance by Joaquin Phoenix was nothing short than incredible.
Ronin is a fantastically slow burning yet still suspense-filled crime drama, a call back to the 60s and 70s preferring realistic car chases, not unlike Bullitt and The French Connection.
Panned by critics (29% on Rotten Tomatoes), Stanley & Iris rests almost entirely on the talent, and charms, of the two leads, Jane Fonda and Robert De Niro, rather than the script. Fans of either of these legendary actors will get something out of this rom-melodrama.
Hands of Stone isn’t a half-bad boxing drama biopic and yet by the end, I wasn’t exactly connected on any level with the story and outside of some nice performances, there’s not much that stands out.
Midnight Run is a great and wonderfully simplistic and wildly entertaining movie featuring two great performances by Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin whose characters work well off one another.
Considering the talent involved, Joy should’ve been an easy homerun with a compelling story and top notch actors but instead it meanders in places, others don’t feel entirely cohesive and I just wasn’t all that enamored despite its high points.
The Intern has its problems for sure, specifically in the screenplay department where it is a half baked plot and gets sidetracked with semi-subplots that don’t amount to very much and are a bit too outlandish. That said, I did like the core cast, particularly Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway who made this far more entertaining than it really deserved.
It’s not hard to see why Heist had a very limited theater run before being released to DTV obscurity in spite of a nice cast between Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Robert De Niro. But thanks to a bad script, with far too many contrivances to ignore, this is the type of movie easily forgotten within a day and thrown in with the rest of the subpar flicks.
Flawless isn’t fantastic with an overwrought crime plotline but makes up for it with two fine performances by Robert De Niro and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman who play well off against one another. Still, it’s not an entirely memorable drama and rightfully fell to the wayside compared to each of the actor’s filmography.