Last Vegas Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Kline

Director: Jon Turteltaub

Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen

Language: English

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Number of discs: 2

Rated: PG-13)

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Release Date: January 28, 2014

Run Time: 105 minutes

 

 

        Imagine The Hangover as a fantasy rather than a nightmare, replace the young cast with an impressive ensemble of actors with credits far too impressive to be sullied by this tripe, and you will have Last Vegas in a nutshell. This film may have been passable with a less impressive cast, but the expectations are raised too high with this ensemble and even the performances of their careers would not have been able to save Dan Fogelman’s predictable screenplay.

 

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Bill Hader, Anna Faris, Will Forte, Neil Patrick Harris, James Caan

Directors: Cody Cameron, Kris Pearn

Writers: Christopher Miller, Erica Rivinoja, John Francis Daley, Jonathan M. Goldstein, Judi Barrett

Format: AC-3, Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen

Language: English

Subtitles: English, French

Dubbed: French

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Number of discs: 2

Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Release Date: January 28, 2014

Run Time: 95 minutes

 

 

        As was the case with the original, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 is a silly film which works because of its slap-happy characters and groan-inducing puns. Realism and logic have no place in this wonderfully imaginative follow-up film to the children’s book adaptation. The characters in this film exist in a true cartoon world, where anything is possible, and this loopy approach gives the film a distinct style of humor.

 

The Prey Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Albert Dupontel, Alice Taglioni, Stéphane Debac

Director: Eric Valette

Format: AC-3, Blu-ray, DTS Surround Sound, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen

Language: French

Subtitles: English

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: Cohen Media Group

Release Date: January 21, 2014

Run Time: 105 minutes

        Taking its cues from Hollywood blockbusters, this French thriller becomes increasingly unbelievable as the narrative progresses, though it is done with such energetic fervor that disbelief can be set aside for spectacle and suspense. What helps keep the story moving is the ability to shift directions and genre-infusion. A serial killer film is combined with a crime thriller, with the first quarter of the film playing out as a prison narrative. Though each individual aspect of the film may seem contrived and highly unlikely, the combined effect is a high octane thriller teetering on the line between intelligent and escapist entertainment.

 

In a World… Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Lake Bell, Jeff Garlin, Fred Melamed, Demetri Martin, Rob Corddry, Ken Marino, Nick Offerman, Eva Longoria, Geena Davis, Corsica Wilson

Director: Lake Bell

Format: AC-3, Blu-ray, Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen

Language: English

Subtitles: English, French

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Release Date: January 21, 2014

Run Time: 93 minutes

 

        There are a few different ideas crammed into Lake Bell’s cleverly conceptual industry comedy, with some working better than others. Amidst the apparently competitive world of voiceover narration for trailers is an opportunity to speak the immortalized words “In a world” for a new blockbuster franchise of films similar to The Hunger Games. Although most expect the deep voice of a veteran voiceover actor (Fred Melamed) to be chosen, the world of voiceover is thrown into chaos when his daughter, Carol (Bell), is considered alongside him.

 

Blue Jasmine DVD Review

     Actors: Cate Blanchett, Alec Baldwin, Peter Sarsgaard

Director: Woody Allen

Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen

Language: English

Subtitles: English

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: PG-13

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Release Date: January 21, 2014

Run Time: 98 minutes

 

        There is an unmistakable style to Woody Allen’s filmmaking, from the very first frames of old-fashioned opening credits over jazzy music to the expected musical chairs approach to relationships filling the plot twists with adultery and the subsequent regret. Blue Jasmine is no different than the rest, containing all of the expected aspects of an Allen narrative, though the main character and the manner with which Cate Blanchett embodies the role manages to elevate the film above these expectations.

 

Argento’s Dracula 3-D Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Hutger Hauer, Asia Argento

Director: Dario Argento

Format: Color, 3D, Widescreen

Language: English

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO

Release Date: January 28, 2014

Run Time: 110 minutes

 

        I have mixed feelings about the choice to have Italian horror legend Dario Argento’s name attached to the title of this campy 3D revision of the classic vampire tale taken from Bram Stoker’s novel. On one hand, it was a kindness to not attach Stoker’s name to the title, while Dario Argento’s name is also too good to be sullied by such a sloppy bit of filmmaking. Though it is has long been clear that Argento’s golden era of filmmaking ended decades ago, this is a new low in his filmography. The only positive reason for having his name in the title would be to elevate the box office numbers, while simultaneously sinking Argento’s credibility as a filmmaker.