Lots of movies coming out today seem to be more about spectacle than about people. Look no further than most of this summer’s offerings; it’s easy to wipe out an entire city block, but it’s not so easy to create characters anybody cares about. That’s kind of the thing about road trip movies, they can be really offbeat and bizarre, but at the end of the day, if they’re going to succeed they have to be about people you want to be around. Seriously, who really wants to be stuck on a two hour journey with Paul Walker as he struggles to read dialogue off of his palm? It also helps if the characters are fun, quirky and (most importantly) have great chemistry with each other. ”Cloudburst“, coming to DVD July 30 from Wolfe Video, manages to hit many of the right notes, but doesn’t reach it’s destination without hitting a few speed bumps. Read more
Archive for July 2013
CLOUDBURST (DVD Review)
NEW WORLD (Blu-Ray Review)
The early to mid-2000′s really put Korean cinema on the map. Films like “Oldboy“, “The Host
” and “Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring
” were both financially and critically successful in North America – not the easiest market to crack for foreign films. It could be that more than any other Asian country, Korean cinema hits closest to American tastes. The latest example of this is Park Hoon-jung’s “New World
“, available on DVD and Blu-Ray 7/23 from Well Go USA. The film plays like the love child of “The Godfather
” and “The Departed
” and while it isn’t quite as good as either of those films, it comes damn near close.
DEAD MAN DOWN (Blu-Ray Review)
I approach anything with the WWE Studios logo emblazoned upon it with a fair bit of caution. ”The Marine“, “12 Rounds
” and “See No Evil
” are just a few examples of watchable stinkers the studio has put out over the years. The key word here is “watchable”. I’m not expecting John Cena playing “Hamlet
“, but I will get mindless fun albeit with a fair share of eye rolls and guffaws. But imagine my surprise to see that WWE’s latest, “Dead Man Down
“, available on Blu-Ray and DVD July 9th from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, reunited “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
” (original) director Niels Arden Olpev and his leading lady Noomi Rapace. It looks like this picture comes from excellent stock… and with nary a trace of HGH to be found in the cast. Could it be? Could WWE finally be putting out quality films? Read more
TAI CHI HERO (Blu-Ray Review)
I’m a big fan of Kung Fu movies and one of the coolest I’d seen in a long time was 2012′s “Tai Chi Zero“. Stephen Fung’s martial arts extravaganza was infused with video game and steampunk elements that electrified the genre and found an appeal with mainstream audiences the world over. On July 2, we go from “Zero” to “Hero”, as the second film in a planned trilogy, “Tai Chi Hero
“, makes it’s way to Blu-Ray and DVD courtesy of Well Go USA. Continuing right from where the first left off, “Hero” maintains the mood and humor of it’s predecessor while amping up the fight scenes and visual effects. Fans of “Zero”, as well as the uninitiated are bound to have a lot of fun with this action-packed sequel. Read more
WHITE FROG (DVD Review)
With the recent victory for human rights and the ability to marry whomever you love, gay pride has been in the public consciousness as of late. Though, for as accepted as homosexuality is, there are thousands of people who feel they still can’t be themselves to their friends and family. You would think that in this day and age, we’ve become a more enlightened society – but family, cultural and religious traditions can often intimidate and repress the open-mindedness needed for unconditional love. Such is the case here in “White Frog“, coming to DVD on July 16 from Wolfe Video. The film explores both the false fronts and coming into being of a young teenage male with one small twist: he’s dead. Read more