Blu-Ray movie reviews August 19, 2014
Short, quick, reviews for some of the movies that are out on Blu-Ray this week.
| The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) It doesn't feature the most creative or original story but the pace is fast and there's always something going on it, so it's unlikely that you'll ever feel bored or really annoyed by anything while watching this movie. It's some good entertainment, despite of some obvious flaws. There is not a very strong focus for instance, also not in the least due to the presence of the many different villains that all show up in it.It's also annoying how the movie yet again is basically an origin story, even though the whole world basically already knows about Peter Parker/Spider-Man already. It adds absolutely nothing new. It's still very easy to enjoy this movie, despite of some the 'problems' with it. Read the full review Watch the trailer |
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| Toy Story of Terror (2013) All of the familiar characters, voiced by all of the familiar big name actors, return in this short Halloween special, that looks and feels like a full length Toy Story movie, in terms of its overall quality. It's not doing an awful lot of new stuff and its story does feel a bit rushed because of its short running time but it's nevertheless still a great short to get entertained by, thanks to its lovable characters, comedy and overall execution. Is it really a true Halloween special though? I mean, there are plenty of horror themes throughout the movie but there is never anything scary about it really, which at the same time also still is very understandable of course, seeing how this still above all things remains a kids movie. Read the full review |
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| Only Lovers Left Alive (2013) Let's just say that as far as realistic and grounded vampire movies go, I still prefer "Byzantium', unlike most other people. I however felt that this movie was lacking a good and strong point. It easily could have turned into a confronting and thought provoking type of movie, as it was holding up a mirror to today's society, by telling the story from the perspective of two ancient vampires but it chooses to be vague and dull with most of its themes and metaphors. This movie definitely feels like a case of style over substance to me, for the movie definitely is a beautiful looking- and well directed one, it's just the story and storytelling however that remains lacking. Still an interesting, unique and beautiful watch by director Jim Jarmusch but I just can't call it an absolutely great movie as well. Watch the trailer |
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| Leviathan (1989) A total and absolute "Alien" ripoff but as far as these type of cheap ripoffs go, this one is definitely one of the better- and more enjoyable ones. Next to "Alien", "The Thing" and even "Jaws" get thrown into the mix as well, making this movie a rather odd but nevertheless entertaining blend of different type of movies and genres, in which a group of underwater deep-sea miners must fight to survive against a genetic mutation that hunts them down one by one. Thing that makes this movie still a 'good' one is the fact that it's a rather well done movie, thanks to George P. Cosmatos' directing and the acting by some A-list (at the time) actors, such as Peter Weller, Richard Crenna, Hector Elizondo, Ernie Hudson and Daniel Stern. It's mysterious, it's creepy, it's gory, it's silly...it just simply is a good and enjoyable watch! |
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| The Quiet Ones (2014) While I'm definitely glad that Hammer is back and they continue to make some good and successful horror movies, I just can't call this movie a great- or even good one. The main problem I had with this movie was that it absolutely never gave us a reason to ever care about anything. I couldn't care about the mystery or any of the characters, mainly because of a lack of depth and a good and effectively creepy or mysterious and interesting build up to anything. It's a movie that hardly surprises with anything and basically continues to do the same things over and over again, all throughout. This especially works out as poor for the movie its horror. The movie is not terrible but there still is absolutely no reason either for you to ever go watch it. Watch the trailer |
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| Jarhead 2: Field of Fire (2014) Now, to be honest, this movie isn't terrible but I definitely would have liked it better if it had a different title. It absolutely has nothing to do or in common with the 2005 movie Sam Mendes movie "Jarhead". On the contrary really. While "Jarhead" could be seen as an anti-war movie, this 'sequel' is nothing but yet another straight-to-DVD modern action was movie, with lots of explosions and gunfights. Having said that, as far as these cheap straight-to-DVD movies go, this one actually is a pretty well made one, with some good directing, cinematography and good looking action in it. The story of course impresses far less, as does the acting and dialog but also none of this is as terrible as you perhaps would expect it to be. It's watchable, just not very recommendable as well. |
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| Fading Gigolo (2013) John Turturro does a Woody Allen, starring...Woody Allen. A typical example of an actor who decides to write and direct a movie on his own. It's not being daring, not very clever or original and it's definitely a movie that would have disappeared into obscurity, were it not for the involved of some well known actors with it. The movie lacks bite and it isn't handling any of its themes in a provoking or interesting way, despite of some controversial and interesting sounding plots and themes. It feels like a watered down Woody Allen movie, though to be fair, it's still just as good and fun to watch as some of Woody Allen's own recent movies. Watch the trailer |
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