The Ambush Blu-ray Review

 

• Director ‏ : ‎ Pierre Morel
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Marwan Abdulla Saleh, Khalifa Al Jassem, Mohammed Ahmed, Abdulla Saeed Bin Haider, Saeed Alharsh
• Dubbed: ‏ : ‎ English
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Well Go Usa
• Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ United Arab Emirates
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted)
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Subtitled, Widescreen
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 52 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ December 13, 2022

The fact that The Ambush is a United Arab Emirates co-production with France may lead some to make assumptions about the quality and level of the filmmaking, but The Ambush has the polished look of a Hollywood film. Much of this comes from the level of the production values and director Pierre Morel, best known for large-budget Hollywood films like Taken and From Paris with Love, not to mention the impressive French action film, District B13. The Ambush is a much more serious film, however, tracing the true events in a military conflict between the UAE military and armed militants who ambush three Emirati soldiers on patrol in hostile territory.

 

The Woman King 4K Ultra HD Review

 

• Director ‏ : ‎ Gina Prince-Bythewood
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, Hero Fiennes Tiffin
• Producers ‏ : ‎ Julius Tennon, Cathy Schulman, Maria Bello, Viola Davis
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 2
• Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 2.40:1
• Dubbed: ‏ : ‎ Portuguese, Spanish
• Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English, Portuguese, Spanish
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned)
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ 4K, Subtitled
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 2 hours and 15 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ December 13, 2022

         For those who want more realism in their action than the CGI-filled silliness of Marvel films, The Woman King is a good option. At the same time, for a film about female warriors, the action is surprisingly sparse. Instead, the film veers into melodrama territory, complete with a severed mother/daughter relationship. There is also a tragic romance in the film. Even with some solid action choreography and an impressive performance by Viola Davis, it is a little disappointing that a female-led action movie spends so little time with the action and instead chooses romance and tear-jerker subplots to fill much of the run-time.

 

Ticket to Paradise Blu-ray Review

 

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• Director ‏ : ‎ Ol Parker
• Actors ‏ : ‎ George Clooney, Julia Roberts
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Studio Distribution Services
• Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 2

• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned)

• Release date ‏ : ‎ December 13, 2022

 

         If only because of how rare it is to see a theatrically released romantic comedy these days, not to mention one directed at an older demographic, Ticket to Paradise is a small victory. The reason why the film works is because of stars George Clooney and rom-com legend Julia Roberts. This is apparent in the fact that the gag reel at the end of the movie is entirely made up of them, despite an ensemble cast of supporting actors. The film would not work without these two, and it is only because of their charming movie star performances that all of the film’s flaws are forgivable. And as charming as they are, there are plenty of flaws.