Walter White has done what poor, old Stephanie Tanner couldn’t – he’s single handedly made meth pop culture’s drug du jour. Need proof? You could run out to Best Buy and check out “Grand Theft Auto V” with its meth dealing anti-hero Trevor. Better yet, you could go half way around the world to Hong Kong and scope Johnnie To’s new action thriller “Drug War” to see how far this trend has gone. What? You don’t want to hop a flight to Asia? You’re in luck! On 10/15 Well Go USA brings the film to Blu-Ray, right here in the States. This badass film is fun, exciting and violent… and while it doesn’t share much with “Breaking Bad”, you might think of it as a Hong Kong movie version of “GTA”. I don’t think anybody would complain about that. Read more
Tag Archive for Thriller
THE STRANGER WITHIN (DVD Review)
When it comes to psychological thrillers, everybody wants to be Hitchcock. Director Adam Neutzsky-Wulff, begs and pleads for this comparison to be made just in the opening credits of “The Stranger Within“. As each name shows up on the screen, it dissipates into lines that recall the opening of “Psycho
“. Even the score sounds suspiciously reminiscent of Bernard Herrmann’s famous theme, with faced-paced violins pulsing away at your ears. Unfortunately, after Al, everybody else is just a pretender to the throne and while imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, it usually just makes the end result look 2nd rate. Not so in this case. Neutzsky-Wulff’s movie comes off as 3rd or 4th rate at best and manages to enter that rare pantheon of films known as “So bad, they’re good.” I’d say I managed to scratch my head maybe three times before my mind was completely blown. Read more
THE ICEMAN (Blu-Ray Review)
There’s a danger in adapting a true story for the screen. For an audience that’s been weened on the traditional, three-act Hollywood film, it would be a frustrating, fruitless experience to watch a literal adaptation of someone’s life. Real lives don’t have neat dramatic arcs. Real people tend not to learn their lessons. Somewhere along the line, liberties must be taken. Events are shuffled and condensed. Characters are cut and composited. All in an effort to give structure to what seems like chaos. So, how much of that story stays true? It’s an intriguing question. Fortunately, The Iceman is so engrossing, you won’t have time to think of it. Read more
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
NIGHTFALL (Blu-Ray Review)
Alfred Hitchcock famously spoke of the difference between surprise and suspense. He illustrated his point with two people speaking at a cafe. One of them places a bomb under the table and we’re told that it will go off at say, 1 o’clock. By letting the audience know what is happening, they’re not surprised by a sudden explosion, but they’ve experienced fifteen minutes of suspense. Hitchcock said that you must always keep the audience informed – unless the surprise is a twist ending, which would be the highlight of the story. Most everybody can enjoy a good thriller. The best ones are full of suspense and tension, letting the audience white-knuckle it to the finish. On Tuesday, May 21st Well Go USA releases one such thrill-ride from Hong Kong: ”Nightfall”. Released on both Blu-Ray and DVD, “Nightfall” remembers both old Hong Kong crime movies as well as the Western noir. Read more