Get on Up Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Chadwick Boseman, Viola Davis, Craig Robinson, Octavia Spencer, Nelsan Ellis

Director: Tate Taylor

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

Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (DTS 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (DTS 5.1)

Subtitles: French, Spanish, English

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 2

Rated: PG-13

Studio: Universal Studios

Release Date: January 6, 2015

Digital Copy Expiration Date: May 2, 2016

        From the opening sequence that has Chadwick Boseman in make-up as an aged James Brown pulling a shotgun on the employees of his car dealership for using his personal restroom, it is quite clear that Get on Up is determined not to be your typical straightforward biopic. From winks and nods to the camera from the protagonist to a narrative that jumps back and forth in time as a means of maintaining high octane storytelling fitting the subject, this is a movie set out to capture the essence of James Brown over aspects of realism. Just the same, Boseman’s incredible performance is so frighteningly accurate that the film remains grounded despite all of the filmmaker bells and whistles and shortcomings in storytelling.

 

The Guest Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Dan Stevens, Maika Monroe, Brendan Meyer, Sheila Kelley, Leland Orser

Director: Adam Wingard

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

Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1)

Subtitles: French, Spanish, English

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Number of discs: 2

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: Universal Studios

Release Date: January 6, 2015

Digital Copy Expiration Date: May 2, 2016

 

        Sometimes action movies are dumb and fun, like pretty much all of the buddy cop films from the 1980s, especially those starring Sylvester Stallone. Sometimes they are highbrow like the Bourne franchise or most adapted from Tom Clancy novels. Rarely are there movies that are able to capture both the intelligence of thoughtful action paired with the excitement of innovative spectacle. The Guest isn’t so much one of these movies as it is a hodgepodge of collected sequences and referential nods to many influential films of the past. Despite the clear tendency to borrow from other films, or perhaps because of it, The Guest is pulsing with an undeniable energy and sense of spectacle.

 

Pride Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Bill Nighy

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

Language: English

Subtitles: Spanish

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Release Date: December 23, 2014

Digital Copy Expiration Date: December 31, 2018

Run Time: 120 minutes

        The greatest success of Pride is the ability to keep the film hopeful and amusing, despite some heavy topics that might have easily carried the narrative into the realm of melodrama. It is a true story that is inspirational by facts alone, with no need for further embellishment or contrived cinematic manipulations. Instead, we are given the rare privilege of a film based on a true story that is as entertaining as it is inspirational.

 

Kelly & Cal DVD Review

     Actors: Juliette Lewis, Jonny Weston

Director: Jen McGowan

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: December 30, 2014

Run Time: 110 minutes

 

 

        There is a sincere honesty in both the writing and the portrayal of Kelly (Juliette Lewis) in Kelly & Cal, however derivative, predictable and unpleasant as the film itself may be. The real honesty is that there are some narratives that I would simply prefer not to see, both for lack of enjoyment and originality, regardless of how well they are executed. Juliette Lewis gives a wholly convincing performance as punk rocker-turned suburban mom, but the screenplay by Amy Lowe Starbin left a bad taste in my mouth.

 

Last Weekend DVD Review

     Actors: Patricia Clarkson, Joseph Cross, Zachary Booth

Director: Tom Dolby, Tom Williams

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: English

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO

DVD Release Date: December 30, 2014

Run Time: 94 minutes

 

 

        When the motion picture industry first began, it was an affordable source of entertainment for the lower working class, those who couldn’t afford tickets to the theater, symphony or ballet. Last Weekend’s biggest error is thinking that a film about the 1% can be sentimentalized into audiences having sympathy for the narcissistic over-privileged. Only Patricia Clarkson’s uncanny ability to subtly make any role engaging, there is no focus in the debut feature from Tom Dolby and Tom Williams.

 

The Trip to Italy Blu-ray Review

 
 
 

     Actors: Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon

Director: Michael Winterbottom

Format: Blu-ray, Widescreen

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: Dark Sky Films

Release Date: December 23, 2014

Run Time: 108 minutes

 

 

        There is desperation behind actors who are always performing, constantly to try and convince others of their talent, and even more transparent insecurities in those who spend a majority of their conversations boasting and exaggerating minor achievements. I have spent enough time on set listening to pathetically unsuccessful day players and background actors do this that I have no urge to find these personalities in my entertainment as well. Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon may be adequate entertainers when they are playing someone else, but the singular joke of these two actors desperately trying to one-up each other through a TV series and two films has significantly worn out my patience.

 

At the Devil’s Door Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Ashley Rickards, Naya Rivera, Catalina Sandino Moreno

Director: Nicholas McCarthy

Format: Blu-ray, Widescreen

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: MPI Home Video

Release Date: December 16, 2014

Run Time: 95 minutes

 

        Filmmaker Nicholas McCarthy (The Pact) has a real sense for creating dread onscreen, creating some truly terrifying images to go with the narrative in At the Devil’s Door. The only problem is that nothing in his derivative screenplay matches the visuals created, making At the Devil’s Door feel more like a horror demo reel than a complete story. Frightening as some of the images are, they are neither grounded in reality nor attached to realistic characters that the audience can be convinced to care for. Instead, each scene merely feels derived for the singular purpose of setting up each atmospheric sequence to the next, like a collection of style-heavy student films rather than a complete narrative.

 

Cam2Cam DVD Review

     Actors: Ben Wiggins, Russell Geoffrey Banks

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: English

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Ifc Independent Film

DVD Release Date: December 16, 2014

Run Time: 90 minutes

 

 

        Sometimes bad acting or poorly written dialogue can be forgiven, though this is typically only the case in B-film genre pictures which offer other distractions. This usually comes in the form of sex or violence, both of which Cam2Cam seems to offer up with its premise and a DVD cover featuring a near-nubile girl carrying an ax. Unfortunately, Cam2Cam fails to deliver quality or exploitation, leaving audiences with nothing more than a cheaply shot tepid thriller.   

 

Time Bandits Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Sean Connery, Shelley Duvall, Ralph Richardson

Director: Terry Gilliam

Format: Widescreen, Blu-ray, Restored, Special Edition, Subtitled

Language: English

Subtitles: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: Criterion Collection

Release Date: December 9, 2014

Run Time: 116 minutes

 

        Terry Gilliam emerged as a filmmaking talent to be watched with his initial work done with the Monty Python troupe, with his feature debut being Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975). Although Time Bandits (1981) shifted into a darker fantasy tone that has since become stylistically recognizable as distinctly Gilliam, he still utilizes many of the talents from Monty Python (even co-writing the screenplay with Michael Palin). This creates a blend of irreverent zaniness and childlike sentimentality, fanciful settings and realistic concerns. It is a children’s film that doesn’t pander or dumb down, and one which contains layers of meaning to be stripped away with repeat viewings and maturation.