Movieman's Guide to the Movies
The Final Word on Physical Media
Angel a.k.a. Danny Boy, is a well acted drama that doesn’t entirely resonate on a visceral level, though there were a few tragic and emotional scenes, but still offers a viewpoint on the volatile times in Ireland. The Blu-ray released by Twilight Time offers good video and audio transfers but the lack of bonus material is disappointing and makes the $30 MSRP far too high of a price unless you are a fan of the film.
At Close Range is a bit uneven but still effective character drama headlined by a few great performances especially by Sean Penn and Christopher Walken. Despite some flaws, it’s a compelling story and worth checking out at least once. The Blu-ray released by Twilight Time is nice and all with good video/audio transfers yet again comes at a high price.
A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy isn’t a very well known Woody Allen film and although it pales in comparison with Manhattan and Annie Hall, lacking the same charm, even quirky by comparison, I wasn’t quite enamored with this movie as some though the performances by the supporting cast were quite good to go along with Allen’s typically eccentric nature.
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Summer Lovers excels thanks to its exotic Greek locations and scenery more so than the story or characters. That said, Peter Gallagher and Daryl Hannah both turn in good performances and all in all it’s at least a semi-entertaining flick though not sure how much of I’ll remember about it down the line.
A Month in the Country is a well made drama headlined by the beautiful English countryside as well as two solid performances by Colin Firth and a young Kenneth Branagh marking his feature film debut. Unfortunately the Blu-ray release doesn’t quite measure up to the story with utterly average video and only so-so audio while the bonus material is limited, though the commentary is worth a listen.
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The Fabulous Baker Boys is one of the more forgotten classics from writer/director Steve Kloves (mainly known as a writer now) that finally gets some recognition courtesy of Twilight Time’s release on Blu-ray. As for the release, the audio and video transfers are both well done and there’s a decent selection of bonus material toplined by a new commentary with Kloves.
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The Best of Everything is a fine, if not overdrawn, melodrama/big screen soap opera featuring wonderful performances by Hope Lange, Suzy Parker and the deliciously devilish, before The Devil Wears Prada, Joan Crawford who alone makes this a worthwhile watch.
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Absolute Beginners isn’t great but the performances all around are well done and some of the songs were at least catchy. The cinematography was also impressive as was the camera work especially the opening which looks like a one take, though there were a couple places for splicing.
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State of Grace might not be the most well known drama especially in Sean Penn’s extensive filmography but it is a well done, if not overdrawn, flick worth checking out mainly for the performances especially by Gary Oldman who is at his finest. The Blu-ray released by Twilight Time has sufficient audio/video but is limited in the special features department.
The Night of the Generals isn’t the most well made WWII film but it is certainly different from others giving it a murder mystery spin to the formula. However, the cast is impressive with Peter O’Toole, Omar Sharif and Donald Pleasance each giving good performances. The Blu-ray released by Twilight Time is basic with good video and audio transfers but lacks in the special features department.
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Hombre is a great Western drama with a fantastic performance by Paul Newman to go along with a beautiful cinematography by James Wong Howe and direction by Martin Ritt (The Spy Who Came in Out of the Cold). The Blu-ray released by Twilight Time offers limited features but the video and audio transfers are both great.
Mississippi Burning is a very well made movie with top notch performances by Gene Hackman and Willem Dafoe to go along with a story that, in some instances, resonates with the news of the day. The Blu-ray released by Twilight Time has good audio/video transfers but is on the disappointing side features-wise.
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American Buffalo is what you think a stage play adaptation would be with singular locations, though a more open world in the beginning, and all the Mamet-isms you expect from his dialogue. The acting though is good from both Dustin Hoffman and Denis Franz so even though it is a slow film, it might be worth checking out especially if you can’t see the real thing.
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April Love on some levels is a product of its time though with movies like Endless Love and any number of Nicholas Sparks’ adaptations, you take out the musical moments the story is more or less similar from the romantic and melodramatic scenes. That said, it’s not an altogether bad movie though not sure what kind of replay value it has, but Pat Boone and Shirley Jones share good chemistry.
Richard III has a rich production design to go along with amazing performances headlined by Ian McKellen who is fantastic in the title role. Sure, the Laurence Olivier version is better but this is a well done and new take on the classic tale.