Queen & Slim 4K Ultra HD Review

• Actors: Daniel Kaluuya, Jodie Turner-Smith, Bokeem Woodbine, Chloe Sevigny, Flea
• Directors: Melina Matsoukas
• Writers: Lena Waithe
• Producers: Melina Matsoukas, James Frey, Lena Waithe, Michelle Knudsen, Andrew C. Coles
• Format: 4K, NTSC, Subtitled
• Language: Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: Spanish
• Subtitles for the Hearing Impaired: English
• Region: Region A/1 (Read more about DVD/Blu-ray formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: 
   R 
   Restricted
• Studio: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: March 3, 2020
• Run Time: 133 minutes

         Queen & Slim is one of those films that seems like a dream project, featuring the visuals of a Grammy-winning director and a screenplay from an Emmy-winning writer. And at times it meets the expectations of such talent, even boasting a cast that is more than capable of making the material (and the moments in-between) come alive. Other times, it feels like a wasted opportunity, not because the dialogue, acting, or visuals fail, but because some of the base story points lack the same subtlety. If you are able to look past the contrivances of the plot, there is a great movie here. At the same time, it also feels like a lot of talent was wasted on a project that never feels fully cohesive.

Frankie Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Isabelle Huppert, Marisa Tomei, Brendan Gleeson, Greg Kinnear
• Director: Ira Sachs
• DiscFormat: NTSC, Widescreen
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: 
   PG-13 
   Parents Strongly Cautioned
• Studio: Sony Mod
• Blu-ray Release Date: February 18, 2020
• Run Time: 100 minutes

         Watching Frankie gave me feelings of déjà vu, proving that there are most definitely formulaic elements to many independent films. It is not enough that there are countless of them in beautifully historic European settings, or countless more that deal with the intricacies of family melodrama, and even more still that have a terminal illness at the center of the storyline; Frankie combines all of these cliché independent elements into one film, somehow doing justice to none. This is not to say that Frankie is a poorly made film, but it is most certainly a slight and forgettable one.