Rio 2 Blu-ray Review

    Actors: Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Jemaine Clement

Director: Carlos Saldanha

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

Language: English (DTS 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)

Subtitles: English, Portuguese, Spanish

Dubbed: French, Portuguese, Spanish

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Rated: G

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Release Date: July 15, 2014

Run Time: 101 minutes

 

        Every mildly successful animated film warrants a quick sequel these days, and Rio 2 feels as though it were written the morning after the first box office numbers came in. The story is lazily written with forgettable dialogue and a familiar narrative contrivance, reserving any of the film’s creativity for the colorful musical numbers. As with the first film, it succeeds in the colorfulness of its setting but offers even less in terms of characters or story.

 

The Pretty One DVD Review

     Actors: Zoe Kazan; Ron Livingston; Jake Johnson; John Lynch; Shae D'Lyn

Director: Jenée LaMarque

Writer: Jenée LaMarque

Format: NTSC

Region: All Regions

Number of discs: 1

Studio: SPE

DVD Release Date: June 3, 2014

Run Time: 95 minutes

 

 

        The Pretty One is one good casting choice away from being completely unsalvageable, and surprisingly it isn’t Zoe Kazan. Kazan does a perfectly convincing job playing two different personalities, but that’s not nearly enough to save the film from a horribly over-confident and under-written screenplay from first-time director Jenée LaMarque, who has the obnoxious gall to announce herself as an auteur in the opening credits of her first feature. Had this film been given a rewrite (preferably by a more seasoned screenwriter) and a completely different director, there might have been a chance for the cast to help overcome the distasteful premise.      

 

The Last Days DVD Review

     Actors: Jose Coronado, Quim Gutierrez, Mikel Iglesias

Directors: David Pastor, Alex Pastor

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: Spanish

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO

DVD Release Date: July 15, 2014

Run Time: 103 minutes

 

 

        This Spanish post-apocalyptic thriller imagines the end of the world in a new manner, which is saying something considering how many of these films we have seen in the last decade. This is a narrative familiar to brothers and filmmakers Alex and David Pastor, whose debut feature (Carriers) was also about a viral pandemic. The unique aspects of The Last Days are the lack of answers about how the disease is spread and reasons for why it is happening, not to mention the original attributes to the infection itself.

 

Like Father, Like Son DVD Review

     Actors: Masaharu Fukuyama, Machiko Ono

Director: Hirokazu Koreeda

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: Japanese

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO

DVD Release Date: July 1, 2014

Run Time: 121 minutes

 

 

        It is difficult imagining anyone other than a Japanese filmmaker handling this material, having a longstanding tradition in carefully paced family dramas best remembered in the lifelong works of master filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu. Kore-eda Hirokazu has picked up that tradition wonderfully in the past with a portrait of sibling codependence and compassion with Nobody Knows, as well as the lasting effects of grief on a family in Still Walking, and utilizes it yet again in this touching inspection of what it means to be a parent. While there is a satisfying resolution to the conundrum of the film’s basic premise, Hirokazu’s strength as a filmmaker comes with his patience. The ending is satisfying because we feel we have earned it, taking a slow but intention path to reach that final resolution.

 

The Face of Love DVD Review

Actors: Annette Bening, Ed Harris, Robin Williams

Director: Arie Posin

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: English

Number of discs: 1

Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)

Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO

DVD Release Date: July 15, 2014

Run Time: 91 minutes

 

 

        I wanted to like The Face of Love, both out of appreciation for director Arie Posin and the effective and clearly dedicated performances given by Annette Bening and Ed Harris, but it felt like a film in constant struggle with itself. While powerfully portrayed, we are given a protagonist nearly impossible to relate to due to the extremeness of the situation. The end result is far less-than-satisfying to fit into any genre mold, but this is a case where originality in filmmaking feels more like indecisiveness.       

 

20th Century Fox Releases More Lost Classics on DVD-R

 

        Despite the fact that we have grown accustomed as consumers to have the option of buying films for home entertainment in a number of different mediums, the ability to watch a film on demand is a relatively new concept in the history of cinema. As such, there are decades of films which were created before VHS, DVD, Laserdisc, Blu-ray and digital copies. These films have been lost in the clutter of the constant influx of new movies, but 20^th Century Fox regularly dips into its archives in order to make these forgotten films available once again.

Hidden Kingdoms Blu-ray Review

     Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, NTSC

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: BBC Home Entertainment

Release Date: July 8, 2014

Run Time: 180 minutes

 

 

        The popularity of the nature program skyrocketed with the success of “Planet Earth” and there have been many visually stunning imitators since its release, but few have come as close as the latest mini-series, “Hidden Kingdoms.” This three-part marvel in nature photography was created by the makers of “Planet Earth,” and it retains the familiar formatting that includes a segment at the end about the making-of the nature program. At the same time, there are elements of this series which is unlikely to be found in many other nature shows. With as much respect and accuracy as possible, movie-magic was utilized to stage some of the shots in order to capture the essence of what it feels like to be a creature as small as those contained in “Hidden Kingdoms.”

 

SX Tape Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Ian Duncan, Daniel Faraldo, Caitlyn Folley, Diana Garcia

Director: Bernard Rose

Writer: Eric Reese

Producers: Eric Reese, Sebastian Aloi

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Widescreen

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Well Go USA

Release Date: July 15, 2014

Run Time: 85 minutes

        I’m assuming that this horrendously obnoxious found-footage horror film is called SX_Tape because Sex Tape had been taken by the comedy starring Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel, and by that assumption I am giving the filmmakers more credit than they deserve. If they chose to call it SX_Tape (or sxtape, as it is listed on IMDB) to be hip or different for some reason, it would actually be more fitting for the garbage contained within this sad excuse for a narrative. I would rather watch the home footage of a real teenager rather than endure this awful movie ever again. I’m tempted to destroy the review screener just to ensure nobody else accidentally wastes their time watching this.

 

The Jungle DVD Review

     Actors: Rupert Reid, Agoes Widjaya Soedjarwo

Director: Andrew Traucki

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

Language: English

Subtitles: Englis

Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: Entertainment One

DVD Release Date: June 24, 2014

Run Time: 84 minutes

 

        I’m tired of writing reviews for bad found-footage horror movies. How many have actually been successful? Artistically, it is difficult to think of more than a handful, but they must all have some kind of financial success in order for the market to become so flooded. Horror has always been a genre that thrives in low budget, but all creativity has been lost in this generic formula.

Giveaway Contest: Cuban Fury Prize Pack!

Beneath Bruce Garretts shabby, overweight exterior, the passionate beating heart of a salsa king lays dormant. Only one woman can reignite his Latin fire, but first Bruce must learn how to unshackle his dancing beast, regain his long lost swagger and claim the love of his life. Spotlight hits, sweat drips, and heels click. Nick Frost IS Cuban Fury!