The Pyramid Blu-ray Review

     Actors: James Buckley, Denis O'Hare, Philip Shelley

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

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

Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Dubbed: French, Spanish

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R 

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Release Date: May 5, 2015

Run Time: 89 minutes

          Unnecessary as another found footage horror film may be, this is far from the worst of what The Pyramid has to offer. As ridiculous as the plot involving aliens and an ancient Egyptian pyramid is, it comes nowhere close to being as absurd as the characters and the dialogue which the audience is forced to endure within the scenario. Even with some of the sloppiest CGI effects used to create it, the creature ends up being the best actor within this bunch, possibly because it never has to weather the atrocious dialogue written by Daniel Meersand & Nick Simon for the human characters.

 

Mr. Turner Blu-ray Review

    Actors: Timothy Spall, Paul Jesson, Dorothy Atkinson

Director: Mike Leigh

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Anamorphic, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: English

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: SONY PICTURES

Release Date: May 5, 2015

Run Time: 150 minutes

 

 

          Throughout the two-and-a-half hour running-time of Mr. Turner, I don’t believe I ever fully grasped the point of Mike Leigh’s biography, though I found myself captivated by each individual sequence. All of the individual elements are something to marvel, from the magnificent cinematography to Timothy Spall’s incredibly dedicated performance, despite coherence in theme and direction missing from the overall experience. If a realistic period film about a reclusive artist was all Leigh was attempting to achieve, he was extremely successful, though part of me longed to understand the title character rather than just experience him.

 

The Last Five Years Blu-ray Review

     Director: Richard LaGravenese

Format: Blu-ray, Widescreen

Language: English

Number of discs: 1

Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)

Studio: ANCHOR BAY

Release Date: May 5, 2015

Run Time: 94 minutes

 

 

          Theater actors, especially those of the musical variety, are taught to play to the back of the room. When these performances are captured on film, the result often has me feeling as though I were given front-row seats to one of these performances. Watching Richard LaGravenese’s film version of The Last Five Years, I was able to imagine the appeal of its theatrical show, while desperately wishing I could move to the back of a non-existent theater. Some things are unattractive so close, and however effective these two stars may have been onstage, I couldn’t help but be distracted by all of the nose flairs and big mannerisms that came with close-up shots of actors as they belt out lyrics.

 

[Rec] 4: Apocalypse DVD Review

     Actors: Manuela Velasco, Paco Manzanedo, Héctor Colomé

Director: Jaume Balagueró

Producers: Julio Fernández

Format: NTSC

Region: All Regions

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: SPE

DVD Release Date: April 14, 2015

Run Time: 95 minutes

 

 

          The [Rec] franchise from Spain easily rivals any Hollywood horror franchise of the last decade (including the one based on the original film), and this also may be why [Rec] 4: Apocalypse is such a letdown. While it is only slightly less impressive than the first two, it also has the unfortunate task of following up the most comedically over-the-top installments of the series. Although it is definitely the black sheep of the franchise, I actually enjoyed the graphic gore and dismissal of the found-footage structure in the third installment. Even without the found footage element, [Rec] 4 returns to the style of the first two in a way that feels somewhat dated and unnecessary.

 

Tiny Giants 3D Blu-ray Review

     Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Full Screen, NTSC, Widescreen

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

Number of discs: 2

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: BBC Home Entertainment

Release Date: April 7, 2015

Run Time: 50 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. Advances in film technology has only made programs like this more predominant, so it should come as no surprise that BBC has begun to dip into the world of 3D visuals. Unfortunately, the release of the 44-minute short documentary film, Tiny Giants, also marks another trend: the repurposing of previously used material. Although the 3D disc is a new addition to the footage, there is no new content within the film. Just as Disneynature re-cut the footage of “Planet Earth” to make their family-friendly theatrical release, Earth, Tiny Giants is made up of footage from the three-hour BBC miniseries from 2014, “Hidden Kingdoms.” Also being released is Wings, a re-release of the Best Buy exclusive film, Winged Planet 3D.

Wings Blu-ray 3D Review

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

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: BBC Home Entertainment

Release Date: April 7, 2015

Run Time: 90 minutes

 

 

Advances in film technology has increased the popularity (and subsequent output) of nature programming, so it should come as no surprise that BBC has begun to dip into the world of 3D visuals. Unfortunately, the release of this feature-length documentary film about our feathered friends also marks another trend: the repurposing of previously used material. Wings 3D is merely a re-release of the 2014 Best Buy exclusive film, Winged Planet 3D, which was simply a truncated film version of the BBC series from 2011, “Earthflight.” This same footage has been passed around plenty of times, although this does not detract from the visual spectacle these subjects provide the 3D format. Also being released is Tiny Giants 3D, which is made up of footage from the three-hour BBC miniseries from 2014, “Hidden Kingdoms.”

 

Halt and Catch Fire: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Review

     Director: Jonathan Lisco

Format: Blu-ray

Language: English (Dolby TrueHD 5.1)

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

Number of discs: 3

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: ANCHOR BAY

Release Date: May 5, 2015

Run Time: 435 minutes

 

 

          AMC’s “Halt and Catch Fire” is well written, has some good performances from a few solid cast members, and is based on an intriguing premise borrowing from real events. There were times while watching the first season that I desperately wanted to like it, but found myself irritated by many of the choices made. Other times I was so annoyed with it that I wanted to hate it (and was successful during some of the season’s more obnoxiously manipulative moments), but somehow found myself obsessively binge-watching anyway. I will continue watching despite the constant contrivances and distasteful characters, mostly because 10 episodes aren’t enough to make a definitive decision about the tech-heavy melodrama.

 

Masters of Sex: Season Two Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Michael Sheen, Lizzy Caplan

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

Language: English

Number of discs: 4

Studio: Sony Pictures

Release Date: May 5, 2015

 

 

 

        The more I watch “Masters of Sex,” the more it feels like a bad “Mad Men” rip-off trying to cash in on the ever-popular topic of sex. Though aspects of the narrative are based on real scientific discoveries and advances, these often take back-seat to the exploitable elements of the show. Most often this includes endless scenes of star Lizzy Caplan undressed, just in case you didn’t get enough of her breasts on “True Blood,” while many of the other storylines feel derivative of the worst parts of “Mad Men.” Melodrama concerning affairs, relationships and flings take precedence over just about everything. Even when this season nearly addresses racial issues significant during the period, it shies away in favor of cheap melodrama instead. Season one felt mostly like a monotonous noncommittal bore, whereas season two is a series of wasted opportunities and endless dead-ends in the plot. It feels like they are dragging the story out as long as they can, but my interest has long ago begun to wane.

 

Broadchurch: The Complete Second Season Review

     Actors: David Tennant, Olivia Colman

Director: Euros Lyn

Format: Multiple Formats, Dolby, NTSC, Widescreen

Language: English

Subtitles: English

Number of discs: 3

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: Entertainment One

DVD Release Date: May 12, 2015

Run Time: 480 minutes

 

 

          I must admit, I was highly skeptical of the decision to create a second season of the detective murder mystery series, “Broadchurch.” Rather than a new mystery a week, this show took on a single case over the course of the first season, much like similarly successful procedurals such as “True Detective.” The difference is the choice to continue the same storyline in the second season of “Broadchurch,” as opposed to the shift to new characters and narratives in the follow up seasons of shows like “True Detective” or “Fargo.” Seeing as the setting of “Broadchurch” is meant to be a small peaceful seaside town, there is some suspension of disbelief needed in the continuation of such criminal investigations, but it is done in a way that cleverly surpasses the first season in many ways.