Category: DVD Review

Pacific Rim
Starring Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba and Rinko Kikuchi
Directed by Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth)
Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence throughout, and brief language

    In the near future, a rift opens up at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean allowing alien monsters to invade Earth, destroying everything in their sight.  In order to stop them, humankind has banded together to create giant robots roughly their size, capable of defeating the enormous beasts.  But as more and more of the creatures attack the planet, mankind must find a way to stop them before they are eradicated. 

    I’ve been super excited to see this film ever since I heard they were making it.  Guillermo del Toro has been one of my favorite directors for years and I love a good monster movie.  I was also very happy when I saw how well the film works.  The robot/monster fights are an epic spectacle and an absolute blast to watch on a big screen.  My only wish is that some of the fights could have been during the day when everything might be easier to see, but even with the huge battles taking place at night or under the water, the immensity of the project is still truly impressive. 

    I will admit that for the plot, you better be prepared to listen.  The exposition is complicated and comes at you quickly.  Personally, I found the sound in the theater I was in to be a little off, making some of the dialog a little hard to understand at times.  Since I missed some of the important exposition I had to rely on the internet, which is fine, but I wish I could have had a better understanding of everything while sitting in the theater.  But story aside, I was there to see monsters tearing stuff up and this just might be the mother of all monster films. 

    Also of note is that once again, I don’t think the 3D was necessary.  In fact since many theaters don’t do a good 3D projection and leave their projections too dim, the almost sunglass-like shading of the 3D glasses might just really cause the film to get way too dark.  Since the fights are all a little hard to see with good projection, I have a feeling that many theatergoers will be deeply disappointed in the 3D offering.  A-

New in Home Entertainment

July 16, 2013

42
Rated PG-13 for thematic elements including language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
In 1946 Brooklyn Dodgers owner Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford) made a huge gamble by introducing a black player, Jackie Robinson (newcomer Chadwick Boseman) into the white league.  When the gamble paid off, Jackie was an early face of a sweeping change that became a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement.  This film tells the story of how Jackie came to play for the Dodgers and the success he had with them.  Director Brian Helgeland (A Knight’s Tale) does a superb job of recreating this tumultuous and triumphant period in American history.  The problem with most biopics is they don’t tell very good stories, but this is a tidy little package that gives you a very good sense of the big picture.  The movie has a bit of cheese, such as the young black kid they keep coming back to as he idolizes his hero, but that’s bound to happen in a pic like this when fillmmakers feel they need to add these kinds of characters in order to show the impact of their protagonist.  I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if this movie finally gives Harrison Ford an Academy Award.  Not only is he great as Rickey, but being a legend without the big trophy has Oscar bait written all over it.  A-

Evil Dead
Rated R for strong bloody violence and gore, some sexual content and language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
When director Sam Raimi created The Evil Dead in 1981, it was a cheaply-made but inspired comedy/horror that to this day is a huge cult classic.  Now, over 30 years later, he is producing this new vision of that film about a group of teens stuck in a cabin that are subject to an evil curse when one of them reads from the Book of the Dead.  The style of the film is creepy and extremely gory, but the film doesn’t come off as either scary or funny.  If you simply need a few good gotchas and whole lotta blood, then you’ll probably like this film.  As for me, I just couldn’t get into it or appreciate it.  I was expecting a spine tingling nightmare with a sense of humor and it just didn’t deliver the goods.  C

Bullet to the Head
Rated R for strong violence, bloody images, language, some nudity and brief drug use
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
In the 1970s and 80s director Walter Hill (The Warriors) and Sylvester Stallone (Rambo) were huge.  Unfortunately neither of them could pull in any semblance of a box office in this ultra-violent action film about a hitman who teams up with a cop in order take down a crime lord.  While not nearly as bad I thought it would be, it still isn’t a great film by any stretch of the imagination.  The dialog, filled with horrid exposition and cliches, sounds like something that Max Fischer could have written for his school plays at Rushmore.  But at 90 minutes, the film is tight and not boring.  That at least is something.  Then again, does anyone really want to see super violent right now?  The violence that a film like this portrays might finally be becoming undesirable.  C

New in Home Entertainment

July 9, 2013

Admission
Rated PG-13 for language and some sexual material
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
If you watched the ads for this latest flick from Tina Fey and Paul Rudd, you would think you were getting a silly slapstick romcom.  But then you get into the meat of the pic and realize that is neither very romantic or comedic, but rather a thoughtful and witty look at parent/child relationships with a valuable lesson on how to get into a good college.  I was as entertained as I was surprised.  What I was most shocked about was the luke-warm reception by other writers.  It’s hard for me to believe that they saw the same film I did.  A-

The Host
Rated PG-13 for some sensuality and violence
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Filmmakers might have struck gold with Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series but their efforts were an ultimate fail with this story about a race of aliens who have taken over the world and the small group of human resistors.  In the story the aliens capture the bodies of the humans and much of the film is spent in an internal dialog between the alien Wanderer and her host Melanie Strange, both played by the typically great young actress Saoirse Ronan.  This teeny bopper version of Body Snatchers is just lame throughout and filled with way too many eye-rolling moments.  In my opinion the film isn’t any worse than any of the films from the Twilight saga, but the big difference is that it wasn’t based on a book with a cult following.  D+

Spring Breakers
Rated R for strong sexual content, language, nudity, drug use and violence throughout
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
When a group of young, scantily clad teenage girls go on spring break, they find themselves lured into a criminal underworld by a drug-dealing arms dealer played by James Franco.  I found this film to be extremely uncomfortable and rather sick.  Franco was interesting, but the behavior displayed here by all is pretty disgusting and only made worse by the exploitive nature of the project.  I’m not sure who the audience is for a film like this but you get the feeling that they might be going for the same crowd that likes to buy Girls Gone Wild DVDs.   C

New in Home Entertainment

July 2, 2013

Into the White
Rated R for language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Since Harry Potter we’ve seen much of Hermione and Harry in various films, but Ron (Rupert Grint) has chosen much more obscure projects like this little indie about British and German airmen shot down over snow-covered Norway and forced to cohabitate in a small mountain cabin until it is safe to travel.  Apparently based on a true story, the tale has potential and the movie gets you interested in the characters but even though the actors do a fine enough job, it still feels like something is missing.  I can’t say the film is completely boring, but there is definitely a lack of energy in the filmmaking.  Perhaps part of the problem is that the film’s blu-ray cover promises air battles and action, and every moment of the film actually takes place on the ground after the battles are over, all in overly dramatic fashion.  C

Death by China
Available on DVD
This documentary based on the book by Peter Navarro explores our very complex relationship with China and how it is destroying America.  Whether from our manufacturing jobs disappearing or the slow wave of polluted air coming to us via the jet stream, China, if you are to believe this film, is having a very negative effect on many aspects of our lives.  Yes the movie feels very much like propaganda, but that being said it is still effective.  Much of the information is believable, although slanted to the right of the political spectrum.  Many complain that this is a very one-sided documentary, but I’m not sure that is completely accurate.  After all, we have all seen the effects of our lost jobs hit home in a very hard way and the positives of our relationship with China aren’t very apparent.  B

The Producers
Unrated
Available on new Blu-ray/DVD Combo
In 1967 Mel Brooks came on the movie scene in a big way with this infamous comedy about two Broadway producers (Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel) who set off to make a show so bad that it would be sure to flop and make them rich in the process after they cook the books.  Unfortunately, their musical comedy about WWII, titled “Springtime For Hitler,” becomes a huge surprise hit, which is the worst thing that could happen to them.  Winning Brooks the Oscar for best screenplay and Wilder a nomination for supporting actor, this film almost mimicked the movie when a universally offensive comedy achieved international fame.  Even today the movie comes off as edgy and hilarious.  I wish the new blu-ray set had new features to go along with it, but the previously released features found here will have to do until the next special edition.  A

New in Home Entertainment

June 25, 2013

Stoker
Rated R for disturbing violent and sexual content
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Korean director Chan-wook Park is world-famous for his stylistic yet violent movies such as Oldboy, Lady Vengeance and Thirst.  His first truly Hollywood film stars Mia Wasikowska as young girl whose father dies in a tragic car accident and whose uncle (Matthew Goode) she has never heard of suddenly appears for the funeral.  Her strangely ambivalent mother (Nicole Kidman) not only welcomes the guest, but practically replaces her deceased husband with him as well.  Then the movie gets twisted.  “Sometimes you have do something bad, to stop yourself from doing something worse” is a quote that fits the film perfectly.  Of course the “worse” spoken of here is inevitable as you would suspect.  This film is worth watching just for the superb performances and brilliant directing.  That being said, the film’s content will turn a lot of folks off.  This is not an easy film to watch, and if you don’t find it disturbing, you yourself are probably disturbed.  At my house, I loved it and my wife hated it.  The most important thing is that we kept talking about it.  This is a crazy and eclectic piece of cinema that is a great introduction for most Americans to this uber-talented filmmaker.  A-

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
Rated PG-13 for sexual content, dangerous stunts, a drug-related incident and language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Steve Carell and Steve Buscemi are childhood friends who have a love for magic so deep that they grow up to headline a big Vegas stage act.  After years of boredom doing the same show over and over again, they fall prey to a new Chris Angel/David Blaine-like magician played by Jim Carey who wins the hearts of Vegas magic fans by performing crazy stunts.  From the moment you see Carrell and Buscemi grown up – this is a miserable watch.  The actors are so focused on acting like bored actors that they come off as bored actors.  The film not only fails to achieve a decent sense of comedy, but rather transforms itself into a state of depression.  It’s not until too late and too little that Alan Arkin pops up to save the day and gives the film what little comedic energy it possesses.  Of course then the third act hits and provides one of the stupidest endings imaginable.  It’s safe to say I’m not a fan.  D

A Place at the Table
Rated PG for thematic elements and brief mild language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
This very heartfelt documentary explores America’s extreme problem with the growing rate of hunger, especially that of hunger suffered by children.  The problem is explored not as a means to bring its audience down but rather to make aware and hopefully inspire.  You definitely get the idea that this is a solvable crisis, but that a paradigm shift needs to occur in both government and in the way we raise our own children.  Jeff Bridges, T Bone Burnett and The Civil Wars all lend their talents to help make this a truly impactful documentary worth watching.  A-

Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids: The Complete Series
Available on DVD
For many white kids across America, including me, their chief exposure to black culture came from watching this seminal animated series, created, produced and hosted by Bill Cosby, about a group of kids from urban Philadelphia who learn life lessons while having fun hanging out.  For those unfamiliar with the show, it might now seem like a badly stereotyped cartoon in somewhat bad taste, but for many, Fat Albert is a wonderful piece of nostalgia and this new DVD box set delivers the most complete collection of the classic show ever assembled.  B+

New in Home Entertainment

June 18, 2013

Jack the Giant Slayer
Rated PG-13 for intense scenes of fantasy action violence, some frightening images and brief language
Available on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D
The story of Jack and the Beanstalk is taken to the extreme with this version where Jack and the king’s men go after the princess when she is taken by giants.  This film’s relative lack of success can be blamed primarily on poor weekend placement.  Opening just one weekend before Oz the Great and Powerful, it seemed like Warner Brothers was trying to play chicken with the wizard and lost in grand fashion.  Now its being released on DVD one week after Oz where it might gain a few viewers but will no doubt lose again.  All that being said, Jack is a better film.  It is cleverly written and the pacing is terrific thanks to X-Men director Bryan Singer.  And even though the cast is relatively unknown, aside from Ewan McGregor and Stanley Tucci, the acting is just perfect for a film such as this.  It’s fun, witty and entertaining, however it might be a bit dark for the youngins.  B+

Quartet
Rated PG-13 for strong language and suggestive humor
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
In a home for retired musicians, an annual concert sees a distraction from a new diva that has just moved into the facility.  While the plot isn’t the best and is fairly predictable, the performances by the classically aged cast are terrific and make the film very much worth the watch.  In his directorial debut, Dustin Hoffman proves he has the chops for bigger projects and the music, both the performances from the folks in the home and the lovely score by one of my favorite composers, Dario Marianelli (Pride & Prejudice), add a lovely touch to an adorable film.  B+

Killing Lincoln
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
From the National Geographic Channel and based on the book by Bill O’Reilly comes this documentary about the death of one of our most beloved presidents.  Narrated by Tom Hanks and told more like a reenactment than an actual narrative, the film does a good enough job in helping you understand the events but does a poor job in doing much else.  Robert Redford’s 2010 film The Conspirator serves as a much better representation of the story but those looking for merely a history lesson might enjoy tuning into this new version.  C+

Workaholics: Season Three
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Comedy Central has had some very good and extremely bad sitcoms throughout the years and while it pains me to say it, this comedy about three twenty-somethings starting out in the workplace really makes me laugh.  Yes its over the top, and gets more so by the season, but the majority of the jokes hit, largely due to the talented trio that head up the show.  And while I know its inevitable, I hope these guys can keep from growing up.  B

New in Home Entertainment

June 11, 2013

Oz The Great and Powerful
Rated PG-13 for sequences of action and scary images, and brief mild language
Available on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D
This prequel to The Wizard of Oz sets James Franco as the young wizard who finds himself sent to the magical land of Oz during a tornado, only to be placed in the middle of a rivalry between competing witches (played by Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz and Michelle Williams).  Spiderman director Sam Raimi does a fine enough job with the vision of the Oz universe, but the storytelling is rather weak and the performances from the incredibly talented cast are less than stellar. The movie is beautiful to look at, and the 3D is better than most, but there seems to be a lack of energy coursing through the film and at 130 minutes in length, I think a trim and some reshoots could have helped.  C+

A Good Day to Die Hard
Rated R for violence and language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
This fifth and hopefully last installment of the Die Hard franchise finds Bruce Willis heading to Russia to help his arrested son, only to discover his son is a undercover CIA operative smack dab in the middle of potential disaster with world-wide implications.  The story itself sounds like it has potential, but the horrendous script and a cast under sloppy direction make this whole project a stinker from start to finish.  The plot gets more preposterous as it plods along and the actors seem to feel it.  As of right now, this is looking like it could be the worst of film of 2013.  F

The Newsroom: The Complete First Season
Rated TV-MA
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
HBO’s newest hit series from West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin casts Jeff Daniels as an anchorman at a CNN-like news outfit who starts to shake things up for his station, viewers and colleagues when he chooses to express how he really feels to the world rather than just report the news.  While many will feel the show is nothing but liberal media, most open-minded audiences will find the show to be rather refreshing.  The first episode will tell you right up front whether or not your politics will allow you to follow along for the ride.  My only complaint is there is too much drama in the actual newsroom in regards to inner-office romances and silly rivalries, but maybe there is a hint of truth to that too.  B+

Wild Strawberries: Criterion Collection
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Criterion has had a lover affair with Swedish filmmaking legend Ingmar Bergman (The Seventh Seal) for years and is continuing that with this new hi-def release of his 1957 classic.  Wild Strawberries tells the story of an old professor who is forced to face his past as he is about to receive an award for his life’s work.  Through a trip with his daughter-in-law and a series of dreams, he is able to come to terms with his life and all of the good and bad things he has done throughout the years.  While I’m not the biggest fan of Bergman’s work, I can certainly appreciate it and love that Criterion has taken such good care of his films and is releasing them in the highest quality possible.  This new 2K digital transfer looks beautiful and the film comes with a host of special features trying to convince its viewers that this is an important piece of cinema.  Unfortunately there are a lot of important films that aren’t necessarily entertaining or accessible and for many this is one of those.  B

Lilo & Stitch: 2 Movie Collection
Rated PG for mild sci-fi action
Available on Blu-ray
Now that most of Disney’s animated films have been released on blu-ray, they are starting to dig into their catalog.  While I agree with giving low-profile releases to The Emperor’s New Groove and Atlantis (as they are also doing this week) I think Lilo deserves a little more fanfare.  Lilo & Stitch came out when Disney was having a difficult time and it gave us all a bit of hope that things might turn around.  Written and directed by the talented team that brought us How to Train Your Dragon (Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders), Lilo tells the story of a young Hawaiian girl who befriends a destructive yet lovable alien creature.  It’s fun, adorable and a bit naughty which leads to an extremely enjoyable flick.  Now I’ll admit that the direct to video sequel, also presented here, is a bit lame, but I still have a fondness for good ol’ Lilo and Stitch.  B+

New in Home Entertainment

June 4, 2013

Identity Thief
Rated R for sexual content and language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Ever since her Oscar-nominated turn in 2011’s Bridesmaids, audiences have been craving more bad behavior from Melissa McCarthy.  Here she joins Jason Bateman as a criminal identity thief who pretends to be Bateman and thus stealing his identity, money and ultimately ruining his life.  Set on justice, Bateman goes on a journey from Denver to Miami to catch and bring her to the Colorado authorities in order to clear his name.  The movie does have some real potential but lacks any foothold into reality, making the over-the-top way too over-the-top.  While it does get silly and unbelievable, it never really achieves funny and really only provides a few decent laughs.  The strange thing here is that audiences really don’t care.  In spite of universally bad reviews and even low audience scores, the movie made a whopping $171 million in world box office and I’m sure the dvd will make millions more.  I just wish I could understand the appeal since this movie is a fairly miserable and depressing watch.  C-

Escape from Planet Earth
Rated PG for action and some mild rude humor
Available on DVD and Blu-ray/3D Blu-ray
When an alien astronaut lands on Earth and is captured by the military, his geeky brother must attempt to rescue him.  The whole time I’m watching this new animated flick from Weinstein Company I’m thinking that I have to have seen this before.  It copies off of several recent films such as Monsters vs. Aliens and Planet 51, but does so in a way that is neither creative or even half-way clever.  I’m sure kids will like it okay.  My three year old had a blast watching it.  His dad, however, was in a little pain.  D+

Brooklyn Castle
Rated PG for some language
Available on DVD
Brooklyn Castle is a documentary that tells the story of a junior high in New York where most of the students come from homes below the federal poverty level, but has still managed to win more national chess championships than any school in the country.  You feel bad for the students as you watch them lose funding for this very important program but then you gain a deep admiration as you watch their amazing resilience in the face of a country, state and city that thinks that cuts in important school programs is completely acceptable.  This is an absolutely inspiring movie that once again gives hope for the future of our country.  A

It’s a Disaster
Rated R for language including sexual references, and some drug content
Available on DVD
It seems we are getting pummelled with comedies about the end of the world, but fortunately this new pseudo-genre has given us some pretty interesting and funny films.  This new indie from writer/director Todd Berger stars David Cross, America Ferrera, Julia Stiles and several other talented and largely unknown actors who find themselves stuck in a house as their world is about to come to an end due to dirty bomb attack.  Rather than be about the imminent end to their lives, the dialog lends itself to their petty squabbles and plastic relationships.  The entire film takes place in a few rooms of one house, making it seem more like a play than a movie, but the writing is sharp and the directing is well-executed, especially for a new-ish filmmaker.  Sure the tone is dark, but when you aren’t having fun listening to all of the conversations that don’t matter at all considering the impending doom, you will start to imagine yourself being stuck in their awful position.  B

New in Home Entertainment

May 28, 2013

Arrested Development: Season Four
Available on Netflix
In 2006 Arrested Development saw its last episode air, in spite of its huge cult following.  Now in 2013, Netflix has created 15 new episodes, all launched this last weekend, in the hopes of keeping the fire alive.  As of press time, I’ve only had the pleasure of seeing a few episodes, but so far I am hooked once again.  Following television’s most dysfunctional family, the Bluths, this new season tells us, one episode at a time, what each of these hilarious psychos are up to.  Rumor has it these episodes are leading up to a movie which will eventually come our way, but in the meantime, I’m glad that the comedy gods have favored us once more with such a welcome addition.  And if you don’t have Netflix, this might give you a reason to start subscribing.  A

Cleopatra: 50th Anniversary Edition
Rated G
Available on Blu-ray
While panned in its day, this huge colossal production starring Elizabeth Taylor as the famed queen and Richard Burton and Rex Harrison, respectively, as Mark Antony and Julius Caesar is getting a huge facelift for blu-ray and is even seeing some theatrical screenings nationwide.  At 251 minutes, it’s a bladder buster, but it’s also a spectacle worth seeing.  Today these sets would have been done on a computer, but back in 63 the studios spent a huge, almost bankrupting sum to create such a circus.  Personally, I like HBO’s treatment of Cleopatra in its series Rome much better, but I still must admit that this feature is an impressive bit of Hollywood history.  B+

3:10 to Yuma: Criterion Collection
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
“Safe!  Who knows safe?  I knew a man dropped dead from lookin’ at his wife.  My own grandmother fought the Indians for sixty years… then choked to death on lemon pie.”  This is just an example of the great writing on this original 1957 western by Delmer Daves starring Glenn Ford as a fun -loving outlaw who is being escorted to justice by a desperate farmer (Van Heflin).  Sure I like the 2007 remake starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale better, but this one is a great little treasure and this new restored print looks and sounds pristine and is full of great dialog and action.  This should make fans of old westerns extremely happy patrons.  B+

New in Home Entertainment

May 21, 2013

Side Effects
Rated R for sexuality, nudity, violence and language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
When a loving house wife (Rooney Mara) inadvertently stabs her husband (Channing Tatum) while taking an investigational anti-depressant, her psychiatrist (Jude Law) and the pharmaceutical industry come under fire.  For half of the movie I was getting annoyed that this was just a big pharma is bad story and that director Steven Soderbergh (Traffic) was trying to simply make a statement.  I should have known better.  That storyline is just a sleight of hand while the real story hits you over the head and takes you completely by surprise.  Rather than lose steam, the movie picks it up and gives a great thrill ride to the very end.  This is certainly one of the most under-appreciated movies of the last year, probably because telling someone why they might want to see it gives away the surprise.  I don’t want to spoil your fun so trust me, just check it out.  A-

Mel Brooks: Make a Noise
Available on DVD
For over 60 years the legendary Mel Brooks has been entertaining audiences across many platforms and genres.  This American Masters series documentary gives you an in-depth look at the man and his life, as well as a plethora of wonderfully funny film clips that play like a greatest hits.  But its when the interviewer gets personal with Brooks that you start to feel like you are finally getting to know the man who has brought so much unadulterated joy to millions around the planet.  A

The Last Stand
Rated R for strong bloody violence throughout, and language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
For Arnold Schwarzenegger’s big comeback he chose this loud action flick about an aged small-town Sheriff who is forced to take on a drug cartel when his border town is the only thing standing in the way of their leader getting into Mexico.  I really wanted to like this film.  After all, I have a nostalgic fondness for Arnold and I was excited to see famed Asian director Jee-woon Kim’s first American project.  Unfortunately, the dialog is atrocious, allowing for too much dry and unnecessary exposition, and the plot points are not only predictable, but lack the sophistication expected from this director and actor.  This is straight up violence and it gets old fast.  C-

True Blood: The Complete Fifth Season
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
While season four of the hit HBO show got a little tedious, this fifth season ended up being rather fun and completely unpredictable.  With the majority of the season revolving around Bill, Eric and the Vampire Authority, there was a lot less of the silly love triangle and a lot more discovering of the underground universe from the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris.  Okay, so there is an extreme amount of nudity (yes more than usual) in this season, which even made me feel a little uncomfortable at times, but I finally got excited again about a show that, for a spell, I thought I was growing tired of.  A-