Mercy Road Blu-ray Review

Director: John Curran

Cast: Luke Bracey, Toby Jones

Written by: John Curran, Jesse Heffring, Christopher Lee Pelletier

Release Date: 12/12/2023

 

         Any director bold enough to take on a film set in a single location should be commended, especially one essentially relying on a single actor to carry the narrative. Mercy Road follows in the tradition of movies like Locke or Buried, where an isolated character only has conversations on a cell phone to propel the plot forward. Unfortunately, while director John Curran may have been daring enough to attempt a similar feat, the filmmaking does not match his ambition.

 

Eye for an Eye: The Blind Swordsman Blu-ray Review

 

• Director ‏ : ‎ Yang Bingjia
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Xie Miao, Gao Yi, Zhang Haosen, Gao Weiman, Xiang Hao
• Dubbed: ‏ : ‎ English
• Language ‏ : ‎ English (DTS 5.1)
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Well Go Usa
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
• Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Widescreen, Subtitled
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 18 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ November 28, 2023

         The character of blind martial artist has existed in numerous forms throughout film history, including the longest running Japanese film series based on the wandering swordsman and ronin, Zatoichi. There have also been iterations of the trope in other national cinemas, including Hong Kong and Hollywood. The Chinese release, Eye for an Eye: The Blind Swordsman, doesn’t reinvent the wheel but it is a solid contribution to the archetype, expertly made with impressive choreography and gorgeous cinematography. Even with an overcomplicated plot despite the simplicity of the story, this is one of the best action films to come out of China in years.

 

Expend4bles 4K Ultra HD Review

 

• Director: Scott Waugh
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Lionsgate Home Entertainment
• Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted)
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Subtitled, 4K, DVD+Blu-ray, Digital_copy
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 44 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ November 21, 2023

 

When the first film in The Expendables franchise was released, it was both ahead of its time and simultaneously felt intentionally dated. Often humorous—occasionally unintentionally—The Expendables films resemble action releases from the 1980s, which is fitting considering the impressive cast of veteran action stars. While the films seem to belong to another decade, this franchise was also the first to benefit from the novelty of a beefed-up ensemble cast of movie stars. Simply put, without The Expendables, there may never have been The Avengers. With that being said, The Expendables 4 (released as Expend4bles) has slipped in quality even more than the Marvel Cinematic Universe in recent years.

 

The Expendables 4K SteelBook Collection Review

 

            When the first film in The Expendables franchise was released, it was both ahead of its time and simultaneously felt intentionally dated. Often humorous—occasionally unintentionally—The Expendables films resemble action releases from the 1980s, which is fitting considering the impressive cast of veteran action stars. At the same time the films seem to belong to another decade, this franchise was also the first to benefit from the novelty of a beefed-up ensemble cast of movie stars. Simply put, without The Expendables, there may never have been The Avengers. It served as a return for Sylvester Stallone, both as an action star and as a filmmaker, resulting in the revival of several of his most popular 80’s franchises (Rambo, Rocky Balboa).