Brave Miss World Blu-ray Review

 

 

         Though most attention went to the lack of diversity among the nominees during the 2016 Academy Awards ceremony, for many it was a performance by Lady Gaga which had a lasting emotional impact. The pop star was joined onstage during her performance of the Oscar nominated song from The Hunting Ground by dozens of rape victims. My initial instinct was to refer to them as former rape victims, but that is about as accurate as referring to someone who has been to war as a former veteran. This was made clear by the bravery of those onstage at the Academy Awards, but even more so in the strength shown within Cecilia Peck’s documentary, Brave Miss World.

 

Sisters Blu-ray Review

Actors: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Ike Barinholtz, James Brolin

Format: Color, NTSC, Subtitled, 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

Region: All Regions

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Studio: Universal Studios Home Entertainment

Release Date: March 15, 2016

Digital Copy Expiration Date: May 2, 2018

 

        The chemistry between these two “Saturday Night Live” alumni is undeniable, even if this is only the second feature they have starred in together. Often it is their ability to play off of each other so effortlessly which allows us to believe they are sisters, far more than the actresses’ ability to look like each other, and it is also what saves Sisters from an unfocused screenplay. If you ever thought that a “SNL” skit was funny until it repeated the same joke way past its welcome, you will have an idea of the type of approach Paula Pell takes in writing Sisters, with half of a lengthy 2-hour comedy centered on the joke that is middle-aged people partying like they are teenagers again.

Coming Home Blu-ray Review

Actors: Huiwen Zhang, Chen Daoming, Gong Li

Director: Zhang Yimou

Producers: Li Li, Jia Yueting, Jerry Ye, Zhao Yifang, Zhang Zhao

Format: AC-3, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen

Language: Mandarin Chinese

Subtitles: French, Portuguese, Spanish, English

Dubbed: Portuguese, Spanish

Audio Description: English

Rated: PG-13                                           Parents Strongly Cautioned

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Release Date: March 8, 2016

Run Time: 109 minutes

        Coming Home carries on the wonderful tradition of melodrama in Chinese cinema, certainly reminiscent of director Zhang Yimou’s early work (Raise the Red Lantern, The Road Home), but even more so of the quiet family dramas made by the legendary Yasujirô Ozu. There are not many surprises within the narrative of Coming Home, but it is a film instead content to the dedication examination of a simple premise. Even while there is a clear representation of a difficult political time in Chinese history, Yimou wisely makes this a film about the personal impact on individuals rather than the larger issues surrounding them.

 

Macbeth Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard

Director: Justin Kurzel

Format: NTSC, Widescreen

Language: English

Region: Region A/1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R                                         

Studio: ANCHOR BAY

Release Date: March 8, 2016

Run Time: 113 minutes

 

 

        Despite casting two magnificently proficient actors in the iconic leads, there is little new which can be brought to the words of William Shakespeare. Countless talented actors have spoken these words, leaving only the awe of unique visual spectacle for director Justin Kurzel to breathe new life into this age-old tale of violent ambition and the madness that follows. On a bare stage it is only Shakespeare’s words which paint the visuals into the viewer’s mind, but Adam Arkapaw’s cinematography is a narrator that richly parallels these words with a dreamlike landscape of imagery and ideas. This is still Macbeth, unlikely to brings story surprises to anyone who paid attention in their high school English classes, though the real shock is how engaging a familiar tale can be in the hands of an ambitious young filmmaker.  

Intruders DVD Review

     Actors: Martin Starr, Beth Riesgraf, Rory Culkin

Director: Adam Schindler

Format: Color, Dolby, NTSC, Widescreen

Language: English

Region: Region 1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated                                  

Studio: Entertainment One

DVD Release Date: March 1, 2016

Run Time: 90 minutes

        Although it attempts to add a new twist to home invasion horror, the revisionist ideas in Intruders aren’t even original to this recently popularized sub-genre. The blurring of lines between victim and villain is a familiar trope in nearly all revenge films as well as sharing similar space in recent confinement horror such as 10 Cloverfield Lane and the upcoming Fede Alvarez home invasion horror, Don’t Breathe. The latter even involves a homeowner suffering from a disability, not unlike the crippling agoraphobia that the protagonist of Intruders suffers from. Of course, these handicaps may very well serve as the film’s red herring, giving the intruders a false sense of confidence until the tables are turned and they become the victim.

Lost in Hong Kong Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Xu Zheng, Bao Beier, Zhao Wei

Director: Xu Zheng

Format: Color, Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, THX, Widescreen

Language: Mandarin Chinese

Subtitles: English

Number of discs: 1

Rated:

Unrated

Not Rated

Studio: Well Go USA

Release Date: March 1, 2016

Run Time: 113 minutes

 

        I made the mistake of assuming this was a sequel to the hit comedy of errors, Lost in Thailand, and was excited to see the return of the same characters in a new situation. This is not the case, instead actor/director Xu Zheng merely carries over thematic similarities from Lost in Thailand and the 2010 film, Lost on Journey, which he starred in without directing. Lost in Hong Kong provides us with new characters and original comedy of errors while on vacation in an unfamiliar city. While I didn’t find it to be as amusing or engaging as the last outing, there are many clever moments referencing the tradition of slapstick comedy being blended with action and large scale stunts, even finding time to cram in a bit of sentimentality near the end.

 

Weaponized Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Tom Sizemore, Mickey Rourke, Johnny Messner, Jon Foo

Director: Timothy Woodward Jr

Format: Anamorphic, NTSC, Widescreen

Language: English

Number of discs: 1

Rated:

Unrated

Not Rated

Studio: Cinedigm

Release Date: March 1, 2016

Run Time: 91 minutes

 

        Do I even need to expend energy criticizing this atrocious entry into low budget action? Merely seeing that Tom Sizemore and Mickey Rourke are crammed onto the film’s poster despite minor supporting roles should give you an idea of the B-film tactics used to try tricking audiences into accidentally viewing the film. This might even work for some, but anyone who has been following the career of these two fading stars knows that this is familiar pattern in their careers. And if their inclusion on the poster is not enough proof that the marketing department probably never saw the film, Rourke is featured standing on the cover, despite being handicapped and confined to a wheelchair within the film.