Sinister 2 Blu-ray Review

     Directors: Ciaran Foy

Format: Digital_copy

Language: English (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1)

Subtitles: Spanish

Subtitles for the Hearing Impaired: English

Region: All Regions

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R

Studio: Universal Studios

Release Date: January 12, 2016

Digital Copy Expiration Date: May 2, 2016

Run Time: 98 minutes

 

        The beginning of Sinister 2 felt like a Hollywood remake of Goodnight Mommy, before quickly devolving into a typical sequel to the generic 2012 supernatural horror film. The villain in this series is an evil spirit called Baghuul, which is essentially just a mix between the boogeyman and whatever the angry spirits in The Ring franchise are. When viewers of old family videos, which turn into found-footage snuff films (Saw meets Paranormal Activity), Baghuul appears and possesses one of the family children to kill the rest of the family. They also record the murders for their own film to continue the cycle. The sequel continues this storyline while also attempting to pay homage to Stephen King’s Children of the Corn. And perhaps this is the problem; in my first paragraph attempting to describe Sinister 2, I have already mentioned five other horror franchises.

 

Deathgasm Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Milo Cawthorne, James Blake, Kimberley Crossman, Sam Berkley

Director: Jason Lei Howden

Format: Blu-ray, Widescreen

Language: English

Region: Region A/1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Dark Sky Films

Release Date: January 5, 2016

Run Time: 86 minutes

 

 

        If you had no knowledge of heavy metal music prior to watching Deathgasm, you might assume that it is all demon-obsession and the raging of sophomoric teenage hormones from this blood-soaked horror comedy. The concept is far from original, with only a small shift in the music choices of the main characters. In fact, the outcasts fighting demons caused by their interest/hobby is a narrative which has been used before, including Knights of Badassdom taking a similar approach with the use of live action role playing or boy scouts in Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse. Appreciation of metal music is not necessarily required for enjoyment of Deathgasm, because it is secondary to the use of generic horror elements.

       

Flesh and Bone Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Sarah Hay, Sascha Radetsky, Ethan Stiefel, Emily Tyra

Format: Anamorphic, NTSC, Widescreen

Language: English

Region: Region A/1

Number of discs: 2

Rated: NR

Studio: ANCHOR BAY

Release Date: January 5, 2016

Run Time: 482 minutes

 

 

        First, let me start by saying that I became easily addicted to “Flesh and Bone,” despite my initial reservations and various complaints with the overall product. Even when I found myself irritated by story decisions made, it had little to no effect on my desire to continue watching, suggesting that they were doing something right. I will even say that “Flesh and Bone” has increased by appreciation of ballet, though not as much as my desire to see this world of professional dancing portrayed on film or television without the inclusion of sexual deviance. First it was mental instability and masturbation-laden Black Swan and now we are given the strip clubs and incest of “Flesh and Bone.” And if this is your only knowledge of ballet, you would have to assume all of the directors use their power to sexually harass their ambitious company members.

 

Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Mark McGrath, Dennis Miller, Patrick Warburton, David Spade, Brittany Daniel

Director: Fred Wolf

Producers: David Spade, Fred Wolf, Doug Robinson, Amy Kim, Adam Sandler

Format: AC-3, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen

Language: English

Subtitles: French, Portuguese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Indonesian, Thai, Spanish, English

Dubbed: French, Portuguese, Thai, Spanish

Region: All Regions

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: NR

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Release Date: January 5, 2016

Digital Copy Expiration Date: December 31, 2019

Run Time: 109 minutes

 

        For all of the grief that Adam Sandler receives for the films he stars in, 2015 was a fairly decent year for the actor. The sequel to the 2012 animated film, Hotel Transylvania 2, broke records at the box office for Sony and Sandler, becoming the highest opening weekend of the actor’s career. And while both Pixels and Ridiculous 6 were overwhelmingly deemed failures by critics, even these have bombs have silver linings. While Pixels did not make what was anticipated, it isn’t nearly as large of a financial upset as every other Sandler live action released in recent years. And regardless of how terrible the experts may agree that Ridiculous 6 is, it has still managed to become the most streamed film within the first 30 days of being released on Netflix.

 

Memories of the Sword Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Lee Byung-hun, Jeon Do-yeon, Kim Go-eun

Director: Park Heung-sik

Format: Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, THX, Widescreen

Language: Korean

Subtitles: English

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Well Go USA

Release Date: January 5, 2016

Run Time: 121 minutes

 

        Martial arts films tend to contain many of the same narratives, simply retold with different characters and choreography, not unlike the genre’s gun-slinging Western counterpart. This can work as a double-edged sword for these films, providing familiarity and common themes for audiences to latch onto while also running the risk of blending in with countless others of the same nature. Memories of the Sword certainly has all of the familiar elements of a martial arts classic; a betrayal that must be avenged, a corrupt leader, and a young protégé trained to defeat injustice. Unfortunately, little amidst this familiarity is original enough to stand out, and the viewing experience itself is a bit too disjointed to provide the escapism of entertainment.