Bram Stoker’s Dracula Blu-ray Review

Actors: Tom Waits, Anthony Hopkins, Gary Oldman, Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder

Director: Francis Ford Coppola

Producers: Francis Ford Coppola,  Charles Mulvehill, Fred Fuchs

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Ultraviolet, AC-3, Dolby, Limited Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen

Language: English

Subtitles: French, English, Spanish

Dubbed: French, Spanish

Region: Region A/1

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Rated: R

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Release Date: October 6, 2015

Digital Copy Expiration Date: December 31, 2018

Run Time: 127 minutes

 

        I’ve always found Bram Stoker’s Dracula to be a fairly unexciting narrative, if only for the fact that its story has been told enough cinematically to remove any element of surprise. Francis Ford Coppola does his best to remedy this, though he does so by vamping up the art direction and campy sexuality rather than the story. Sadly, the lush photography and over-indulged practical effects does not save the film from the amateurish acting by the younger cast members and the decision to make Dracula a protagonist in search of a lost love. While many movie monsters inspire sympathy in the audience, this has always worked much better with Frankenstein’s monster than with Dracula, and it takes away from the frightening elements of the genre.

 

My Favorite Martian: The Complete Collection DVD Review

     Actors: Bill Bixby, Ray Waltson

Creator: John L. Greene

Format: Multiple Formats, Color, NTSC

Language: English

Region: Region 1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO

DVD Release Date: October 20, 2015

Run Time: 3000 minutes

 

 

        ‘My Favorite Martian” was a trailblazing series, laying the groundwork for many popular fantasy sitcoms over the years. Without this show, there might never have been “3rd Rock from the Sun,” “ALF,” or even “Mork and Mindy,” not to mention all of the other fantasy shows with genies and witches rather than aliens. All three seasons and 107 episodes of this classic 1960s series are available for purchase in this complete collection, along with an expansive compilation of new and old special features.

 

Don Rickles: The Ultimate TV Collection DVD Review

  

Format: Multiple Formats, Box set, Color, NTSC

Language: English

Region: Region 1

Number of discs: 8

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: Time Life/WEA

DVD Release Date: October 20, 2015

Run Time: 1328 minutes

 

 

        Though this box set with 8 discs of Don Rickles entertainment collects some of the performer’s most memorable television moments in one set, there is only one disc which has not already been released individually. Along with all 37 episodes from the 2 seasons of “CPO Sharkey,” this set also includes 4 uncut specials and plenty of unedited bonus footage of the “nice guy who finishes first.” These plus plenty of additional extras make for a wonderful box set, perfect for the dedicated fans of Don Rickles and classic television.

 

Call Me Lucky Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Barry Crimmins

Director: Bobcat Goldthwait

Format: Multiple Formats, Widescreen, NTSC

Language: English

Number of discs: 1

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO

Release Date: October 13, 2015

Run Time: 105 minutes

 

 

        It is remarkable how many successful comedians come from tragic loss and a traumatic past, but not nearly as amazing as what comedian Barry Crimmins used this pain to accomplish, on and off stage. Call Me Lucky gently allows this narrative to unfold, never forcing or exploiting the material. Director Bobcat Goldthwait appears briefly among many other comedians to tell his own personal connection to Crimmins, but his handling of the subject is always distanced and respectful, never contrived or emotionally manipulative.

 

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl Blu-ray Review

    Actors: Thomas Mann, Nick Offerman, Rj Cyler

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

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

Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Dubbed: Spanish

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: PG-13 

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Release Date: October 6, 2015

Run Time: 106 minutes

 

        Finding the delicate balance between sentimental and realistic, with humor bridging the gap, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl often feels like independent cinema’s answer to films like The Fault in Our Stars. With the most expensive acquisition of any film to be bought at the Sundance Film Festival, there is a crowd-pleasing quality to Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, regardless of the dark humor utilized in the cumbersome title. Try as the film might to stay away from the cliché trappings of the familiar narrative, it ultimately cheats in order to remain original as long as possible while still providing many of predictable plot points for this type of narrative. Regardless of constant assurances through voiceover, this film goes exactly where it is expected to go, even wrapping the narrative up neatly with the cliché voiceover of a letter written to a college admissions department.

       

In the Courtyard Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Catherine Deneuve, Gustave Kervern, Feodore Atkine

Director: Pierre Salvadori

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

Language: French

Subtitles: English

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R 

Studio: Cohen Media Group

Release Date: October 6, 2015

Run Time: 97 minutes

 

        I’m struggling to write this review, because I’m worried that my words won’t adequately represent the subtle charms of a film like In the Courtyard. Although it is extremely French at its core, the film’s themes are universally relatable, with performances from the leads most effective through the silent expressiveness of their faces. There is a lot about the structure of this narrative which aligns with the dramedy style found in a majority of American independent cinema, combing awkward humor and familiar pangs of realistic struggle. This is recognizable in any language, regardless of ethnicity or nationality.