Most Hated Movies: Scorned Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Annalynne McCord, Billy Zane, Viva Bianca

Format: Blu-ray, NTSC, Widescreen

Language: English

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Dubbed: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: ANCHOR BAY

Release Date: February 4, 2014

Run Time: 86 minutes

 

 

        I’ve watched a lot of bad films in my time, and I can usually predict them before the opening credits have even begun to roll. Knowing that Annalynne McCord (“90210”) was the star of this film initiated immediate warning signs in my head, but I never could have guessed how much she would dominate this film and how devastating that poor casting decision would be to Scorned. In all fairness, McCord is not the only one showing her shortcomings as an actor. Not a single actor looks good by the end of the film, and much of that is due to a remarkably asinine screenplay by Mark Jones & Sadie Katz, not to mention the inept direction provided by Jones. Few bad films have so little of worth in their content and production values in such equal proportion.

 

A Case of You Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Justin Long, Evan Rachel Wood, Vince Vaughn, Brendan Fraser, Sam Rockwell

Director: Kat Coiro

Format: Blu-ray, Color, NTSC, Widescreen

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO

Release Date: February 4, 2014

Run Time: 91 minutes

 

 

        Every aspect of A Case of You reads like a first draft screenplay which places all of its chips on a solitary clever idea, but the unwillingness to follow that premise through with believable character choices leaves us with a protagonist that comes off as creepy and insecure and a romantic interest who is either self-absorbed or just plain stupid. This is unfortunate, because a bit more work in the screenwriting phase or clearer direction from the three writers may have made for an engaging and socially relevant romantic comedy. Instead, we are given a half-baked idea and characters that seem intentionally oblivious as the only means to propel the story forward in the desired direction.

 

A Perfect Man DVD Review

     Actors: Liev Schreiber, Jeanne Tripplehorn

Director Kees Van Oostrum

Format: Color, NTSC, Widescreen

Language: English

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO

DVD Release Date: January 28, 2014

Run Time: 94 minutes

 

 

        Using adultery as the launching point for a romantic comedy is a bold move, and one that A Perfect Man takes a majority of its running time recovering from. Skipping over the ‘boy-meets-girl’ portion of the storyline, all of A Perfect Man focuses on the losing and winning back of that girl. There is a clever rom-com scenario which allows out flawed male protagonist to “meet” the girl, unaware that it is the same one that he already lost.

 

Dark Touch DVD Review

     Actors: Missy Keating, Marcella Plunkett

Director: Marina de Van

Format: Color, NTSC, Widescreen

Language: English

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO

DVD Release Date: January 28, 2014

Run Time: 91 minutes

 

 

        Although I commend the way in which Dark Touch fearlessly addresses real-life trauma within the context of a horror film, the subject matter is often too tragic to mix with elements of fantasy. As a result, the elements of spectacle are weighed down and all real-world tragedy that inspired the storyline seems trivialized by the supernatural aspects. As clever as Dark Touch may be on an intellectual level, it inevitably feels emotional manipulative with such a social abhorrent subplot.

 

Blue Caprice DVD Review

     Actors: Joey Lauren Adams, Isaiah Washington

Format: Color, NTSC, Widescreen

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: Ifc Independent Film

DVD Release Date: January 14, 2014

Run Time: 94 minutes

 

 

        Blue Caprice does a fantastic job of capturing insanity in a way which appears rational, while also doing absolutely nothing within the storyline to make the characters even remotely sympathetic. There is no doubt in my mind that this is directly tied into the fact that the plot was taken from the true events of the random Beltway sniper attacks, and cautious storytelling is a way of respecting the real-life tragedy which occurred. On the other hand, watching two unsympathetic antagonists at the center of this story makes for an emotionally attached viewing experience. It is difficult to feel sympathy for the victims we never get to know and impossible to enjoy the devastation of the antagonistic road trip taken by these killers. The result is a film which can only hope for stylistic admiration, leaving no room for audience to feel anything close to sympathy or empathy.

 

Concussion DVD Review

     Actors: Robin Weigert, Maggie Siff, Jonathan Tchaikovsky, Ben Shenkman, Julie Fain Lawrence

Director: Stacie Passon

Producers: Anthony Cupo, Cliff Chenfeld, Rose Troche

Format: Color, NTSC, Widescreen

Language: English

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: ANCHOR BAY

DVD Release Date: January 28, 2014

Run Time: 96 minutes

 

        I did not get this movie. I understood the premise as described by the back cover and the implications made by the title, but in the larger scheme of the film’s narrative it seems entirely insignificant. We are led to believe that a suburban wife and mother’s accidental concussion ends in a new career as a high-end prostitute, but there are never any attempts to make a connection between the two events. It would almost seem entirely unrelated if it weren’t for that title and plot description.