The Chef, The Actor, and The Scoundrel Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Ye Liu, Hanyu Zhang, Bo Huang

Director: Guan Hu

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Subtitled, Widescreen, Color, NTSC

Language: Mandarin Chinese, Japanese

Subtitles: English

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Well Go USA

Release Date: June 24, 2014

Run Time: 108 minutes

 

        The style director Guan Hu (Cow, Design of Death) uses in The Chef, The Actor, and The Scoundrel reminded me of Baz Luhrman’s early films, utilizing the over-exaggerated style of Peking opera and silent Chinese cinema for slapstick humor and visual hyperactivity. This appears to be an over-indulgence of style, but as the film continues the plot reveals reasons for these choices. I found myself going from irritation at the film’s over-acting and forced comedy to a complete shift in my opinion and appreciation of Hu’s choices.

 

The Angela Mao Ying Collection DVD Review

    

Format: Multiple Formats, Box set, Color, NTSC, Widescreen

Language: Mandarin Chinese

Subtitles: English

Dubbed: English

Number of discs: 3

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: Shout! Factory

DVD Release Date: June 17, 2014

Run Time: 600 minutes

 

 

        Angela Mao had a surprisingly short career, but it was an also influential and groundbreaking in enough ways for her legacy to remain decades later. Even today there are very few female martial arts stars, and when Angela Mao appeared onscreen in the early 1970s she blazed trails with each powerful kick. She wasn’t the first female martial artist, but her ability to carry a film rather than just support it made her a star. This six-film collection includes a few films where Ying takes a smaller role in the narrative, but there are also some great examples of her leading lady abilities. The quality of the film transfers for some of these Golden Harvest releases are less than ideal, including a lot of static and scratches in the image and occasionally sub-par subtitling, but this Shout Factory release does provide quantity for a price that fans can afford. 

 

Masters of Sex DVD Review

     Actors: Michael Sheen, Lizzy Caplan

Format: Multiple Formats, Box set, Subtitled, NTSC

Language: English

Subtitles: English, Spanish, Portuguese, French

Dubbed: French

Number of discs: 4

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Release Date: June 24, 2014

Run Time: 677 minutes

 

        Upon hearing that there would be a Showtime series entitled “Masters of Sex,” I immediately assumed it to be a spin-off of the anthology series, “Masters of Horror.” They did the same with science fiction as well, so I just assumed that we were going to get a series of hour-long erotica from various infamous film-fornicators. Instead, this series plays more like a sexed-up “Mad Men,” with pioneers in scientific research of sex in the 1950s rather than the marketing world of the 1960s. Character development takes precedence over any clear direction in the storyline; though there is a clearer progression in the scientific discoveries throughout season one.

       

Regular Show: The Complete Third Season DVD Review

     Format: Multiple Formats, Animated, Box set, Full Screen, NTSC, Widescreen

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

Number of discs: 3

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: Cartoon Network

DVD Release Date: June 17, 2014

Run Time: 440 minutes

 

 

        “Regular Show” is one of those odd Cartoon Network series which walks the line between entertainment for children and for adults, mostly due to the irreverence in the show’s sense of humor. It is intentionally odd, with a type of logic that adheres only to the mind of a child or pot-head, which seems to be the target audience. This isn’t likely to be a universal hit, but the fans tend to be loyally dedicated to the series. Having a release for a show with fans is a double-edged sword, however, because they may be more likely to make a purchase but also tend to have higher expectations. With the first two seasons previously distributed on Blu-ray in greater quality and with more special features, fans may find reason to complain about this season three DVD release.

 

Almost Human DVD Review

    Actors: Graham Skipper, Josh Ethier

Director: Joe Begos

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO

DVD Release Date: June 17, 2014

Run Time: 79 minutes

 

        There were times that the aggressive violence of Joe Begos film, including some graphic gore effects, reminded me of early Peter Jackson films. Jackson also learned how to utilize his budget by creatively creating the gore effects in his New Zealand horror films, and this is one aspect of filmmaking which Begos has proved himself capable in. It is in every other capacity of storytelling where his amateur abilities are more apparent. While the action and visual effects looked better than the budget, the dialogue and acting suffer from neglect and lack of talent.

 

Jimmy P. DVD Review

     Actors: Benicio Del Toro, Mathieu Amalric

Director: Arnaud Desplechin

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: English

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO

DVD Release Date: June 17, 2014

Run Time: 117 minutes

 

 

        Jimmy P. is a buddy-therapy film, belonging in the extremely small sub-genre of films that would also include Good Will Hunting and Antwone Fisher. That the narrative and characters are borrowed from real-life events is almost disappointing, because of how little actually happens within the narrative. Even the friendship between the two leads feels glossed over, which is odd considering the plot contains little other than their sessions together. Everyone does their job well. The direction from Arnaud Desplechin (A Christmas Tale) is competent, the acting by Benicio Del Toro is appropriately soulful, and Mathieu Amalric brings buoyancy to his role despite being cast against type. With all of these talented elements, Jimmy P. still never manages to blend into a complete package.

 

Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Neil Degrasse Tyson

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, AC-3, Box set, DTS Surround Sound, Subtitled, Widescreen

Language: English (DTS 5.1)

Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Dubbed: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

Number of discs: 4

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Release Date: June 10, 2014

Run Time: 572 minutes

 

        Educational reality series used to be the type of programs only watched by teachers and their students under forced conditions in the classroom. While I can still imagine “Cosmos” being shown in more than a few science classrooms across the country, it is a series which can be shown for the ability to portray information in an entertaining manner rather than simply providing educators a break from their job. Credit is mostly due to the technical aspects of these type of series, which seemed to reach a significant turning point with the overwhelming success of the use of high definition cameras in the filming of “Planet Earth.” The widespread success of that series proved that when a Hollywood approach to effects and visuals are applied to educational shows, audiences will watch them without being forced to in a classroom setting.

 

Joy Ride 3 Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Jesse Hutch, Ken Kirzinger, Dean Armstrong, Ben Hollingsworth

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, AC-3, Color, DTS Surround Sound, Subtitled, Widescreen

Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)

Subtitles: English

Dubbed: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1

Number of discs: 2

Rated: Unrated

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Release Date: June 17, 2014

Run Time: 96 minutes

        I truly had no idea that there was even a Joy Ride 2, in all honesty, but Joy Ride 3 is pretty much exactly what I would expect from a low-budget sequel to the long-forgotten road rage thriller scribed by J.J. Abrams. Normally I don’t even think that it matters too much who directs these trashy grabs for cash in the home entertainment department of successful studios, but the fact that Joy Ride 3 is written and directed by Declan O’Brien is telling of the quality to be expected. O’Brien’s filmography is filled with low-budget horror, but his most significant credits include three straight-to-video sequels of another moderately popular thriller from the past; Wrong Turn. 

 

No Clue DVD Review

     Actors: David Koechner, Brent Butt

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Dolby, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: English

Subtitles: English

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Ent. One Music

DVD Release Date: June 17, 2014

Run Time: 96 minutes

 

 

        Sometimes actors are able to catapult their careers by showcasing their abilities with a screenplay that they wrote for themselves. Good Will Hunting is a perfect example of this, managing to make stars out of two supporting actors with a screenplay that understood how to utilize their talents onscreen. No Clue is an attempt to do the same, but more than anything it merely showcases Brent Butt’s inability to carry a film.

 

The Attorney DVD Review

    Actors: Kang-Ho Song, Do Won Kwak, Si-wan Yim

Director: Yang Woo-Seok

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Dolby, NTSC, THX, Widescreen

Language: Korean

Subtitles: English

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Well Go USA

DVD Release Date: June 17, 2014

Run Time: 127 minutes

 

 

        It is pretty amazing to consider that just over twenty-years ago a film like this would not have been possible in South Korea due to censorship laws. Their national cinema has burst forth as one of the most impressive worldwide in the last two decades, and The Attorney is yet another example of their ability to learn from the success of Hollywood while retaining uniquely South Korean elements. It is a true-story courtroom drama, but this does not stop director Wook-seok Yang from inserting humor into the film, making for an extremely watchable film full of depth.

 

A Fighting Man DVD Review

     Actors: James Caan, Dominic Purcell, Louis Gossett Jr., Freddie Roach, Famke Janssen
     Director: Damian Lee

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Subtitled, NTSC

Language: English

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

DVD Release Date: June 17, 2014

Run Time: 88 minutes

 

 

        This is clearly the most personal film to come from Canadian director Damian Lee, and despite a few stumbles along the way, A Fighting Man is still standing on two feet when that final bell rings. Lee doesn’t reinvent the boxer film, nor does he seem to be trying to, but instead he has a simple idea executed with previously unseen levels of precision. Whether Lee’s ability to capture the energy of boxing comes from his own past experiences as a professional fighter or simply a sign of his development as a filmmaker, A Fighting Man is an impressive little addition to the genre.