Elysium doesn’t exactly reach the potential since the actual Elysium only makes up less than half the film, the rest taking place on Earth. That being said, the action is well done and the film did manage to entertain me.
Gringo isn’t exactly a memorable film, but as dark comedies go, a subgenre I generally don’t enjoy, did have its funny moments excelling with its darkly charismatic cast led by David Oyelowo and even a deliciously terrifying, but funny, performance by Charlize Theron.
Free Fire on the surface should’ve been a fun movie and admittedly it was for the first 40-minutes or so, but the remaining 45-minutes seemed to meander with a plot that doesn’t go anywhere and a twist that wasn’t all that great. Still, this isn’t a “bad” movie per se and probably worthy of a rental.
The Hollars is a well made family drama-comedy with several great performances but none better than Margo Martindale who is a true delight and should get an Oscar nomination out of this role. John Krasinski is a fine actor and is in his element with this material and as a director, isn’t flashy and lets the acting do the talking.
Hardcore Henry is a gimmick movie that displays some impressive camera work, visual effects, stunts and a well rounded performance by Sharlto Copley, yet is thin on story and frankly, I don’t ever see myself revisiting in spite of what the movie has going for it.
Neil Blomkamp’s Chappie isn’t quite the homerun some expected it to be with a thin story and even thinner characters but like District 9, it impresses in the technical department with excellent motion capturing and all around solid visual effects. The Blu-ray itself has a nice selection of bonus material while the audio/video transfers are both demo worthy.