Len & Company DVD Review

• Actors: Rhys Ifans, Juno Temple
• Director: Tim Godsall
• Format: Color, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: Spanish
• Region: Region 1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated:
  Unrated 
• Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO
• DVD Release Date: October 11, 2016
• Run Time: 100 minutes

        There are several tired formulas in Len & Company, all swimming around the same film like a cesspool of indi-filmmaking clichés. There is absolutely no reason any of it should work on paper, but somehow manages to obtain a level of sincerity through casting. The actors embody the roles so wholly that it makes the lack of narrative within the film an asset rather than a flaw, and the dedication from the cast makes Len & Company an enjoyable, albeit familiar, ride.

Feed the Beast: Season One DVD Review

• Actors: David Schimmer, Jim Sturgess, Michael Gladis, Lorenza Izzo, John Doman
• Directors: Daniel Attias, Jon S. Baird, Dennie Gordon, Steve Shill
• Format: Box set, Color, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1
• Number of discs: 3
• Studio: Lionsgate
• DVD Release Date: October 11, 2016
• Run Time: 377 minutes

        After only one season, “Feed the Beast” was cancelled, proving that not every show on AMC is a winner. Based on a Danish series about a couple of friends opening a restaurant, much must have been lost in translation along the way. Rather than focusing on the food, “Feed the Beast” throws every cliché at the audience, devolving into more of a crime show than one about cooking or the business of selling food. And when criminal activity doesn’t dominate the narrative, bad relationship melodrama takes over.

Les Cowboys Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Finnegan Oldfield, Agathe Dronne, Ellora Torchia, Antoine Chappey, François Damiens
• Director: Thomas Bidegain
• Producer: Alain Attal
• Format: AC-3, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: French
• Subtitles: English
• Dubbed: English
• Region: Region A/1
• Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated:
  R
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• Release Date: October 11, 2016
• Run Time: 105 minutes

        I can usually anticipate how I am going to feel about a movie after the first twenty-minutes. Most films follows such predictable structures that few surprises are found beyond the establishing act, but Les Cowboys had my head spinning with its unconventional approach to storytelling. The result was a viewing experience that was often disorientating, though ultimately rewarding. The definitive question remains though; did I enjoy the film in spite of the convoluted narrative, or because of it?

Diary of a Chambermaid Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Léa Seydoux, Vincent Lindon, Clotilde Mollet, Herve Pierre, Mélodie Valemberg
• Director: Benoit Jacquot
• Producer: Jean-Pierre Guérin
• Format: AC-3, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: French
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region A/1
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated:
  Not Rated
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• Release Date: October 4, 2016
• Run Time: 96 minutes

        This is the third time that Octave Mirbeau’s novel has been adapted to the screen, and the casting of Léa Seydoux (Blue is the Warmest Color) seemed fitting for a movie delving into the sexual fetishism of a French chambermaid during the turn of the century. And while Seydoux certainly gives a performance every bit as captivating as others before, having seen her recently in far more shocking films makes this film appear sanitized by comparison. This is not helped by filmmaker Benoît Jacquot’s decision to veer away from the edgy elements in the storyline popularized by previous versions.

Supermansion: Season 1 DVD Review

• Director: Zeb Wells
• Disc Format: AC-3, Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: French, English
• Region: Region 1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: Not Rated
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: October 11, 2016
• Run Time: 286 minutes

        It isn’t difficult to imagine “Supermansion” coming from the same minds as “Robot Chicken,” as it often feels as if the formula would have worked better as a shorter segment within that show. While the formula of “Robot Chicken” allows for gags and skits to be discarded as soon as they stop working, “Supermansion” remains stuck in the same jokes for the entire season. Even though a few bold narrative choices are made along the way, this is a show that irreverently spoofs the superhero genre, so the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of the humor is more significant than plot twists or character development.