Archive Page 229
March 16th, 2017 by Brandon Peters
In 2016, director Peter Berg and star Mark Wahlberg teamed for a pair of action-oriented films base on real life big headline stories trying to display American heroism. The first was Deepwater Horizon, focusing on the 2010 oil spill and the other was Patriots Day that was about the bombing at the 2013 Boston Marathon and hunt for the terrorists behind it. Patriots Day came out in a limited fashion in 2016 and was spread more wide in early January. Maybe it was too early for this one or just too much else to see, but despite good reviews, the film failed to connect with audiences and underperformed. Its now maybe hoping to find audience at home with its 4K UHD Blu-ray release, coming on March 21st. You can check it out early via streaming and digital, but physical is always the preferred method of delivery and you can ensure yourself a copy on release day by pre-ordering from the Amazon link provided below. Continue reading ‘Patriots Day (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)’
March 15th, 2017 by Brian White
Passengers is a film that I have a lot of history with personally speaking. The original script for Passengers was written by Jon Spaihts way back in 2007, and had been in development hell for years now. I mention this because not only have my own projects been in development hell, but this very script was my first read in a screenwriting class I took at Cleveland State University way back when. I remember this time period too because at one point the film was set to star Keanu Reeves and Emily Blunt. God this movie would have been fantastic with Emily as the leading female. Eventually in 2014 it it was announced that Sony had won the auction for the rights to the sci-fi flick and here we are. It’s 2017 and Passengers came out theatrically last year, but more importantly it’s finally here in 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray! Continue reading ‘Passengers (4K UHD & 3D Blu-ray Review)’
March 15th, 2017 by Aaron Neuwirth
This June, Criterion will bring three of the most beloved classics of French cinema to Blu-ray for the first time with a newly restored edition of Marcel Pagnol‘s Marseille Trilogy, a sweeping saga set in the author’s native Provence that tracks the lives and loves of its characters over the course of a generation. A legend is born in The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog, the silent serial-killer thriller that Alfred Hitchcock considered his true debut, which is accompanied in our release by Downhill, another variation on the “wrong man” theme that the Master of Suspense returned to throughout his legendary body of work. Nicholas Ray kicked off his own renowned career with They Live By Night, a lyrical film noir that would be imitated by decades of lovers-on-the-run thrillers to come, now on Blu-ray for the first time. Dustin Hoffman stands his ground in Sam Peckinpah‘s notorious shocker Straw Dogs, presented in a new 4K transfer with extensive features that explore the film’s production and controversies. And not to be missed: Kenji Mizoguchi‘s Ugetsu, an indisputable classic of world cinema and perhaps the finest achievement of the master whom Jean-Luc Godard called “quite simply one of the greatest of filmmakers.”
Continue reading ‘Straw Dogs, Hitchcock’s The Lodger and More Coming to The Criterion Collection in June 2017′
March 15th, 2017 by Bron Anderson
Becoming Bond is a funny and intriguing blend of documentary and reenactment based around the story of the one-time James Bond, George Lazenby. The story is told by Lazenby in interview and some parts are filled in with actors in the style of the television series “Drunk History” to add some visual comedy to these over-the-top tales. The film succeeds at both helping to clear up the rumors behind what led to Lazenby only playing the iconic role in a single film and being a kind of origin story of the man himself as he retells nearly his entire life in amazing detail and honesty. Being a Bond fan is not a prerequisite for having a blast with this film, which will be on Hulu later this year. Continue reading ‘Becoming Bond (SXSW Review)’
March 15th, 2017 by Aaron Neuwirth
With Disney currently raking in enough piles of money to put Scrooge McDuck’s Money Bin to shame, it seemed like only a matter of time before audiences would get a live-action re-imagining of one of their modern classics. Beauty and the Beast is special for many and it represents a high water mark for the Disney Renaissance. Given how well the live-action remakes of The Jungle Book and Cinderella turned out, one could justify the existence of this latest film quite easily. However, the reverence for this relatively recent (1991) classic seems to have been part of its own undoing. While confidently made and enjoyable enough, this beast seems to have little going on underneath the surface.
Continue reading ‘‘Beauty And The Beast’ Has Humans Again, But Only Adds So Much (Movie Review)’
March 14th, 2017 by Bron Anderson
Having only seen one of director Ben Wheatley’s (Kill List) films before, I had a distinct skepticism about the idea of waiting in line for his next release, Free Fire. The premise of a gun deal gone wrong didn’t really promise much in the way of depth and I knew from his previous work that he had a talent for veering off in completely unnecessary directions in his films, leaving them a disappointment. This film is not a disappointment. It is a tightly directed, charming, funny, and playful action comedy with a great cast and superb sound mixing that remains completely entertaining all the way up to the end. Continue reading ‘Free Fire (SXSW Review)’
March 14th, 2017 by Brandon Peters
Get ready for “big, big fun” (Max Evry, Coming Soon) when the “perfect family film” (Mike Reyes, Cinemablend) MONSTER TRUCKS revs up on Blu-ray Combo Pack April 11, 2017 from Paramount Home Media Distribution. Get in the driver’s seat two weeks early with the Digital HD release on March 28.
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Continue reading ‘MONSTER TRUCKS Comes To Blu-ray April 11th!’
March 14th, 2017 by Jordan Grout
“The Honor Farm” wants to simultaneously be a coming of age story and a horror story, but cannot overcome its bland mediocrity. It’s not focused enough to sustain interest, but it’s short enough to not walk out on. That’s the deceptive brilliance of the film; at under 80 minutes, by the time you realize just how meaningless the story is, it quickly comes to an end.
Continue reading ‘SXSW Review: The Honor Farm’
March 13th, 2017 by Brandon Peters
Twenty years ago this September launched a little horror series called Wishmaster. Back when a horror movie could do over fifteen million at the box office and be considered a success, that’s what this was. While coming post-Scream, it was before the effects and wave had taken over (That would come a month later with I Know What You Did Last Summer). In a way, it made the monster one the last one of an era before the Scream-like slashers would take over in iconography before the remakes and Jigsaw carried on from there. Wishmaster did spawn three sequels in a 5 years run from 1997-2002, but none of them ever found major theatrical release (Straight to video in the US). The series and character of the Wishmaster has lied dormant ever since, yet to make a return, but who knows, maybe this set will spark an interest or drum up nostalgia or a new fanbase for the little underground cult series. Continue reading ‘Wishmaster Collection – Collector’s Series (Blu-ray Review)’
March 13th, 2017 by Bron Anderson
The Disaster Artist is a hilarious and lovable tribute to the enigmatic and oddly admirable figure who is Tommy Wiseau, director of The Room. This film is really for those who love The Room for its off-the-wall absurdity and incomprehensibility, but there is enough setup and care given to establishing just what kind of person Tommy Wiseau, played by James Franco (127 Hours), is and what The Room means to him and Greg Sestero, played by Dave Franco (Now You See Me 2), that in context one could easily pick up what makes Tommy so worthy of a story. While this film, based on the book “The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, The Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made,” could have easily jumped into a parody of Wiseau and his eccentricities, Franco, who also directed the film, creates a respectful and heartfelt depiction of a man who really just wants to have a friend and follow his passion. Though, he did also fill the movie with all his funny friends and his brother and made a comedy out of a story about a very earnest but very weird man’s passion, so it is difficult to tell where parody and authenticity begin and end. Continue reading ‘The Disaster Artist [Work-In-Progress] (SXSW Review)’
March 13th, 2017 by Bron Anderson
Where David Leitch’s first film, John Wick seemed to come out of nowhere, delight the senses, and spend time blending its style and substance into a heart-filled tale of revenge and bulletplay that continuously wows, his second film Atomic Blonde is highly anticipated, remains cool and distant, and heavily favors style to compensate for a generic spy action movie that alternates between being boring and being showy. While it remains a slightly-better-than-average film and, with some reserved expectations, it could be a fine summer flick, Atomic Blonde will likely only really be remembered for one very excellent 15 minute long action scene. That and Charlize Theron (Mad Max Fury Road) puts in a heck of a physical performance as the titular blonde that shows how great she will be in a better action movie. Continue reading ‘Atomic Blonde (SXSW Review)’
March 13th, 2017 by Brandon Peters
Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B) announced today that the dazzling Academy Award® and Golden Globe®-winning music-filled masterpiece La La Land arrives on Digital HD on April 11 and on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack (plus Blu-ray and Digital HD), Blu-ray Combo Pack (plus DVD and Digital HD), DVD and On Demand April 25 from Summit Entertainment, a Lionsgate Company. Written and directed by Academy Award® winning director Damien Chazelle and starring Oscar® Best Actor nominee Ryan Gosling and Oscar® Best Actress winner Emma Stone,La La Land tells the story of Mia, an aspiring actress, and Sebastian, a dedicated jazz musician, who are struggling to make ends meet in a city known for crushing hopes and breaking hearts. Set in modern-day Los Angeles, this original musical about everyday life explores the joy and pain of pursuing your dreams. Continue reading ‘Short Time Best Picture Winner LA LA LAND Comes To 4K UHD Blu-ray April 25th!’
March 12th, 2017 by Bron Anderson
Baby Driver stands out as a truly unique cinematic experience. One that pretty much could only be brought to life by its director, Edgar Wright (Scott Pilgrim Vs The World). The gentleman known for films with superb editing with inventive and fluid scene transitions and a liberal use of music appears to have outdone himself with this one. Baby Driver is the kind of film that, when it releases later this year, all your friends will be asking “Oh my goodness! Have you seen it yet?” And you will reply cheerfully “Of course I have! Let’s go see it again!” Continue reading ‘Baby Driver (SXSW Review)’
March 11th, 2017 by Bron Anderson
The opening film of the SXSW Conference Film Festival this year was the documentary Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press, which comes to Netflix later this year. What is described as and initially shot as a look at the involvement of wealthy individuals on the trial against Gawker Media and the purchase of a newspaper in Las Vegas starts quite small with some scandalous, but not too worrisome looks at isolated interests but begins to pull back to show the terrifying effect that powerful individuals can have on the freedom of the press. This, by no coincidence at all, comes just at the right time in the United States of America. Continue reading ‘Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press (SXSW Review)’
March 10th, 2017 by Jason Coleman
Since one of the titles in this weeks Encapsulated Movie Reviews dealt with one man’s relationship with the almighty, it brought to mind another past classic comedy with some funny faith of its own – welcome to Forgotten Friday Flick! Today we’re heading into heavenly hilarity for some holy humor via the big guy himself. A tale that finally answers the question of is there a God and if so what’s he got to say – some amusing stuff it seems. Ask and ye shall receive, it’s…Oh, God!
Continue reading ‘Forgotten Friday Flick – “Oh, God!”’
March 9th, 2017 by Jason Coleman
Lots of fabulous four-star fare this week via the indie film world, so let’s step past that big hairy Kong guy and get to some savory smaller stuff. Humans suing the almighty, scientology deeply dissected, frontier tales with biblical connections, the glory of gardening, female psychopaths, the heavy hitters of hockey and love triangles during wartime all get their viewing due via this weeks seven Encapsulated Movie Reviews. Check out the critical skinny on Frank vs. God, My Scientology Movie, Brimstone, This Beautiful Fantastic, Capture Kill Release, Ice Guardians and The Ottoman Lieutenant all below!
Continue reading ‘Encapsulated Movie Reviews – Seven New Indie Titles’
March 9th, 2017 by Brandon Peters
Well Go USA Entertainment announced today the all-new bonus materials included in the upcoming THE PHANTASM COLLECTION, scheduled to release in a limited edition, six-disc Blu-ray™ box set on April 11. In addition to the previously released archival material included in the box set, Phantasm creator Don Coscarelli has produced hours of never-before-seen material, featuring new interviews with cast and filmmakers, as well as rare archival materials.
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March 9th, 2017 by Aaron Neuwirth
To see Denzel Washington star, produce and direct an adaptation of August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize winning play Fences is to literally watch the superstar paint himself into a corner. I mean that in a good way, as this is a story that was originally set entirely in the backyard of a house in Pittsburgh. This means Washington had to come up with a way to creatively express this story on a cinematic level. That can prove to be difficult and I am one to call out play-to-film adaptations for their staginess, but the strength of acting can be a powerful thing and Fences certainly knows how to harness that power. Following much acclaim, multiple Oscar nominations (and a deserved win for Viola Davis), Fences now comes home to Blu-ray.
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