DVD/Movie Review: A Knight's Tale

 

A Knight's Tale is a movie from 2001 starring Heath Ledger, Shannyn Sossamon, Paul Bettany, Rufus Sewell, Mark Addy, Laura Fraser, and Alan Tudyk. In the movie, Ledger plays William Thatcher, a squire to a man named Sir Ector, who dies before competing in a jousting tournament. Willam, along with the other squires, Roland (Addy) and Wat (Tudyk) devise a plan to have William impersonate Sir Ector in order to win the tournament and then devise the identity of a Noble named Sir Ulrich von Liechtenstein for William so that he can continue to participate in other competitions. Paul Bettany, in his breakout role in the US, plays Geoffrey Chaucer, a destitute con man with a gambling problem who agrees to forge a patent of nobility for William (and to be his hype man) in return for his protection (and payment). Fraser plays Kate, a widowed blacksmith who makes and repairs Williams's armor, Shannon Sossamon plays a noble lady named Jocylen and love interest for William, and Rufus Sewell plays a count who is a rival to William both in the competitions and for Jocylen's affection.

This is a movie that does not take itself too seriously. That is evident from the opening scene, where a medieval jousting match is set to Queen's We Will Rock You. In fact, there are rock songs from the 1970s and 1980s throughout the movie. The strength of the movie is the cast. If the Joker in Dark Knight ended up being Heath Ledger's signature role, this is the one that established him as having Hollywood lead potential. His character, William, was a blend of heroic, prideful, stubborn, and naive, and he pulled them off very well. As well as adding an element of humor. 

The supporting cast was also great. Paul Bettany stole nearly every scene he was in, especially when announcing William's matches. Mark Addy, Alan Tudyk, and Laura Fraser all did great in their respective roles as William's crew. I also thought Shannyn Sossamon did a fair job as the love interest, although her performance was nothing to write home about. It was one of her first movie roles, and she was relatively green. The role called more for her to look pretty than it did for an Academy Award-winning acting performance. Looking at the movie now 20-plus years later, it was definitely a breakout movie for Bettany and an establishing movie for Leger (whose breakout was in 10 Things I Hate About You a couple of years before this). It surprises me that Sossamon did not have a bigger career after this movie because, while she was very green when it came out, she certainly had the potential to be a bigger star than she ultimately became. 

The DVD has a decent amount of extras, including a commentary track on the movie with the director, Brian Helgeland, and Paul Bettany, an HBO first-look making-of special, several behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, trailers, cast filmographies, production notes, and more. If you have a computer with a CD drive, the DVD also includes a screen saver (which may or may not be able to be installed on contemporary operating systems).

Ultimately, the movie is not going to appeal to everyone. It does not even really attempt to be a very serious or overly dramatic movie and certainly does not try to be a historically accurate period piece. It was meant to be a fun, even silly at times movie that blended action and comedy and mixed in a little bit of drama. To that end, it pulled it off well. And if you are a fan of those kinds of movies or any of the actors involved, it is a fine way to spend a couple of hours. 

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Killers

 

Killers is a 2010 movie starring Ashton Kutcher, Katherine Heigl, Martin Mull, Catherine O'Hara, and Tom Selleck. In the movie, Kutcher plays a professional assassin named Spencer Aimes. While in France, he meets Heigl's character, Jen, and the two have a whirlwind romance that causes Spencer to quit his job and settle down in suburban life. After three years, Spencer's life unravels when a bounty is put on his head when he refuses to take another assignment.

The A/V quality of the blu-ray is outstanding. While there are not a ton of CGI effects (if any), the location shots in Nice, France, look awesome in HD, especially if you have a large screen. As far as extras, there are some behind-the-scenes features, deleted and extended scenes, and a gag reel. In total, the extras run just under a half hour in length.

Ultimately, if you take this movie too seriously, you will probably hate it. If you take it as a spoof of romantic comedies and spy movies like Mr. & Mrs. Smith and the like and see it as a movie that is very much tongue-in-cheek, it is entertaining. The only real complaint I have about it is the pacing. There is a little back story and set up to Kutcher and Heigl's relationship, then the story fast forwards three years and kind of stalls as they try to transition Kutcher's character from spy life to mundane suburban life. Once the story starts to pick back up, as everyone around Spencer in the mundane suburban life starts trying to kill him, the pace gets better. 

Yes, the premise and plot are totally preposterous. That is partly the point. If you can suspend your disbelief past that, however, I think you can find this enjoyable. Luckily, the movie is not so long that, unless you hate it from the get-go (and there are certainly people who do), it seems never-ending. Heigel and Kutcher are pretty much on the edge of who I would think of for lead roles in a movie, but since it was really not going for a serious blockbuster feel, they still worked as the leads. While it is certainly not the best movie ever, it is a decent combination of action movie and romantic comedy and worth the time to watch as long as you accept the movie for what it is. 

DVD/Movie Review: Kill Bill Volume 2

 

Kill Bill Volume 2 is the 2004 sequel and conclusion to 2003's Volume 1. Like Volume 1, this movie is ultra-violent but in a much different way. Where the first movie was over-the-top, almost campy with the action and violence, this one is not. There are definitely a couple really good fight scenes, but things are more real in this one than the first. There is no spraying, blood, dismembering, or crazy stunts done with wires (save for a couple). While it does take some suspension of disbelief to accept everything that happens, this is far more of a realistic action/drama than the first one was.

This volume lays out the entire back story of what led up to the attack we see bits and pieces of in the first movie. It also puts The Bride (Uma Thurman) in real peril, both physically and emotionally, as the movie goes along. The confrontation with Bill (David Carradine) is almost all dialogue and about 45 seconds of an actual fight scene, but it works perfectly. To the extent that Bill could be made sympathetic in any way for what he did, the writing and David Carradine's performance pulled that off. He balanced an almost easygoing nature with a sinister one perfectly. Daryl Hannah and Michael Madsen get a lot of screen time in this one, much more than Vivica Fox and Lucy Lui got in the first movie. The fight scene between Elle and The Bride was certainly the high point of the movie, action-wise.

The DVD extras are very sparse. Like with the release of Volume 1, there is a short making-of documentary, then a music video, and a deleted scene. What was included was fine, but chances are there is a lot more that could have been included. Ultimately, whether you like this or not will depend on your taste. The movie definitely earns its R rating, but it is a more well-rounded and overall better movie than Volume 1. It is a good mix of action, drama, and dark humor. If you like Tarantino's other movies (especially Volume 1), chances are you will like this one. If bad language and violence are not up your alley, then you probably want to stay away.

DVD/Movie Review: Kill Bill, Vol. 1

 

Kill Bill is a revenge story written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. Volume 1 was released in 2003 and starred Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, Chiaki Kuriyama, Vivica A. Fox, Julie Dreyfus, Daryl Hannah, and Sonny Chiba. David Carradine and Michal Madsen also appear in the movie but have much larger roles in Volume II. Volume I gives you bits and pieces of the story, but the entire story is fleshed out in Volume II.  In Volume 1, we see Uma Thurman's character (just called "The Bride") beaten and shot during her wedding rehearsal. We find out that she is attacked by the assassin squad she used to be a member of, led by the titular Bill. She awakens from a coma 4 years later and starts picking them off. Volume I introduces all the main characters (somewhat) and shows The Bride, although Bill is never shown. You just hear his voice. The story kind of jumps around a little (somewhat to the way it did in Pulp Fiction), but it is really not that hard to follow if you pay attention.

You have to know what you are getting into with a Tarantino movie. There is lots of over-the-top violence and gore, off-color humor, and bad language. If any of those are immediate turn-offs for you when choosing a movie, don't even think about this one. You will hate it. If you can accept those things and you like his other films, you will very likely love this one. Volume 1 is actually the more violent and gory of the two films, although there is a lot in both. The gore, however, is so extreme it is more tongue-in-cheek than it is real. Like chopping off arms and gallons of blood spewing out like a geyser. It is meant to be more humorous than scary and is far less believable than what you would get in a horror movie. The movie is kind of a combination of a Western, with the 1970s martial arts films. Right down to The Bride having to go through tons of subordinates to get to her main target in the climactic fight scene.

The bonus content is relatively light. There is a about 20-minute making-of documentary and trailers for some of Tarantino's other movies. Hopefully, subsequent releases will get more extensive extras, especially if Tarantino ever makes a follow-up. Ultimately, whether you like this or not is totally subjective. If you are a fan of Tarantino's other movies, this is very much in a similar vein. It definitely deserves its R rating and will not appeal to everyone. For everyone else, though, it is a great story, well acted, funny in parts (although very dark humor), and has lots of action. If those are the kinds of things that appeal to you, it is definitely worth the time to watch and/or worth adding to your physical media collection.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Jonah Hex

 

Jonah Hex is a movie from 2010 starring Josh Brolin, John Malkovich, Michael Fassbender, Michael Shannon, Wes Bently, Lance Reddick, and Megan Fox. This film seems like it would have been much better as a sequel than the original movie. I have a feeling, however, that the filmmakers were concerned this was the only shot they had at a Jonah Hex movie (and it probably was) and decided to tell this one instead. The problem is that the backstory is so rushed that there is not much in the way of character development. You get the basic details (Hex was a soldier in the Confederate army, who refused to execute an order of his commanding officer, Quentin Turnbull (played by John Malkovich) and in the process kills Turnbull's son (who also happens to be Hex's friend). Hex's family is then killed in front of him, he is branded on the cheek (giving the facial deformity) and left to die. In the process of being healed by the local Indian tribe, he gains the power to talk to the dead.

The A/V quality of the blu-ray is okay, but not what I would consider to be reference quality. The special effects look pretty seamless, and the colors and contrast look good in HD. The extras include a picture-in-picture mode that allows the movie to be played interspersed with interview segments with the cast and crew. There is also an 11-minute backstory on the character of Jonah Hex, focusing on the comic book origins and about 5 minutes of deleted scenes.

Overall, the movie is okay, but I think Hex's origin story should have been fleshed out in detail. The entire movie clocks in around 80 minutes and that story is probably given less than 20 minutes. Aside from knowing who the good guy and bad guy are, we have no real reason to be invested in any of the characters. This is a shame, given that the supporting cast is made up of some very good actors (Michael Fassbender, Lance Reddick, etc). Megan Fox was pretty much the same as always. She looks pretty and has a couple good one-liners, but her character is not in the movie all that much until the end. And again, there is no backstory for her character so the only reason we are supposed to care about her character is she is pretty and loves Jonah Hex. I think the movie would have been better served to have been a little longer, with the first half giving a true backstory of the events that lead up to the start of this movie, then Hex going after Turnbull initially, and then his transition to a bounty hunter. If that movie did well, then a better version of this movie could have been made and with characters that people actually are invested in, they may have been able to get at least a couple movies from the story.

I have never read the comics, but from reading other reviews, it seems like the filmmakers diverged a lot from the source material. If you are a fan of the comics and changing the story would piss you off, then I would say skip this entirely. For everyone else, the movie is entertaining enough. It could have been better, but with the short running time (especially for comic book movies) it gets in and out pretty quickly.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: JFK Director's Cut

 

JFK is a 1991 movie about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, directed by Oliver Stone. The movie stars Kevin Costner as New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison and includes a whole host of other A and B-list stars including Gary Oldman and Tommy Lee Jones. The movie sparked a lot of controversy, even before it was released. The topic of the film has been (and will likely continue to be) one of the most controversial topics in American history. Unfortunately, the lines of who will like and dislike this movie will most likely fall squarely within whether that person believes there was a conspiracy to kill Kennedy or not. I honestly think regardless of where you stand on that subject, this movie is entertaining and worth watching.

Stone definitely believes there was a conspiracy, even while acknowledging in the notes included in the book portion of the director's cut of the film that it is possible there was none. Where he opened himself up to criticism is that he did not pick a single hypothesis and go with that. While the movie is centered around the alleged involvement of Clay Shaw, Stone basically threw out all the various possibilities that have been put forth over the years from Cuba to the mob, to the CIA orchestrating the hit. He couches the various hypotheses in the story by using words like possibly, maybe, etc, to describe what could have happened. Stone does a great job weaving in old news and archived footage with scenes that he filmed. So much so that it was hard to tell at times where the real-life footage ended and the movie started. Stone's stated intention however was to provide all of the "theories" that are out there, and let the viewers make up their own minds. To that end, regardless of whether you believe that was the responsible way to approach the film, it succeeds. Another way Stone leaves himself open to what is probably the most valid criticism is that he included material that was just plain inaccurate. The big one that comes to mind is the trial scene recreating the magic bullet when he placed Kennedy and Connelly directly in line with each other on the same level. In reality, Connelly's seat sat lower and off-center, which when taken into account omits all the turns that the bullet would have to do in the whole "left, then right" sequence of the film, which was one of the most powerful sequences in the movie.

The lynchpin of the film's quality, regardless of whether you agree with the substance, was the acting. Many A or B list actors who were alive at the time had a role in the film. Some little more than cameos, but it really was a who's who when it came to the cast. I think Costner did a great job making Jim Garrison much more of a heroic figure than he really was. Garrison's overall reputation outside the JFK case was pretty checkered. The film boasts a cast that includes Donald Sutherland, Sissy Spacek, Walter Matthau, John Candy, Tommy Lee Jones, Gary Oldman, and Kevin Bacon, among many others. There was not one bad performance in the bunch.

I am not sure how long the theatrical version of the movie is. If memory serves, it was just under three hours. This clocks in at just under three and a half hours, with a lot of additional and extended scenes. Including a 5 minute or so narrative at the beginning of the movie that describes Kennedy's presidency up to that point. There are also a few features included as extras along with even more deleted scenes. Chances are anyone reading this by now already has a strong opinion of the movie. For those who do not, as I said regardless of your position on whether there was a conspiracy or not, you can still enjoy the acting and the non-fictionalized historical aspects of the movie. If nothing else this will always be a movie that is a conversation starter and a thought piece.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Jennifer's Body

 

Jennifer's Body is a 2009 movie starring Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried, Adam Brody, J.K. Simmons, Amy Sedaris, and Chris Pratt. The movie was written by Diablo Cody and is a blend of horror and comedy. The movie does as much to make fun of the horror genre as it does to actually be a horror movie itself. It tells the story of two lifelong friends (Fox and Seyfried) that have grown apart, and Seyfried's character only realizes it after Fox's character is possessed by a demon and starts killing off the boys in their high school. It is not just a hack-and-slash kind of movie, and if that is something that you need in a horror movie, then best to just skip this. 

The A/V quality of the movie on Blu-ray is very good, and for those who do get the discs, there is quite a bit of behind-the-scenes and making of material. You also get the theatrical and unrated versions of the film. The unrated version just adds a little more footage but is not radically different than the theatrical version. There are commentary tracks on both editions of the movie by Cody and the director of the movie, Karyn Kusama. Then there are deleted scenes, a gag reel, trailers for other movies, and almost an hour's worth of making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes.

Ultimately, whether you like this or not is going to be totally subjective. I don't think you have to like it because Diablo Cody wrote it, or a particular actor or actress is in it, but chances are if you are fans of any of the individuals involved, and the horror genre (depending on your tastes) you will like it. There are funny moments, gory moments, and even dramatic moments in the story, and they all work well. The acting is decent to good. The script was good. The script was generally much better than what you get in a lot of horror movies, but there were some eye-rolling moments here and there. There is not the gratuitous nudity that you get in a lot of horror movies. Megan Fox is in some skimpy outfits, but everything stays covered up. There is however a good two-minute sequence of her and Amanda Seyfried making out which is as spectacular as it sounds (if you are into that sort of thing). So, if you are looking for something that is not a cookie-cutter kind of horror movie, this is worth the time to watch.

DVD/Movie Review: The Island

 

The Island is a 2005 movie directed by Michael Bay and starring Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johansson, Sean Bean, and Djimon Honsou. It was one of the few Michael Bay movies (along with Armageddon, Bad Boys, and Pearl Harbor) that is not explosion-laden the entire time. While there are explosions in this movie, to be sure, there is also good, quality acting, a story with some substance to it, and comedic elements that were not stupid or cheesy. The movie also has a good supporting cast including Michael Clarke Duncan and Steve Buscemi.

The premise is that rich people can pay 5 million dollars to have themselves cloned as an insurance policy. Think instant organ donation. The clones are marketed as being held in stasis until needed, where in reality they are kept alive in an almost cult-like community until needed. That is as much of the story as I will give away, but the movie centers around the ethical dilemma that surrounds the program.

The acting in the movie is good all around. Scarlett Johansson (who was in her first major role after Lost in Translation) and Ewan McGregor play the parts of the escaped clones very well. McGregor also has to play the "real" person who interacts with his clone which he also does a great job with. Sean Bean plays the main bad guy role as the one who runs the cloning center. He did very well portraying the fact that his character basically had no morals and only cared about money. I personally think the best supporting performance was from Djimon Hounsou who basically plays a bounty hunter tasked to track down the escaped clones. He has to strike a balance between a guy doing the job he was hired for, and not truly believing in the ultimate purpose.

The DVD has a handful of extras, including a director's commentary track on the movie and a few making-of featurettes. Excluding the commentary track, the bonus features clock in at around half an hour in total. 

It does have some of the hallmarks of a Michael Bay summer blockbuster, but even if you are only lukewarm to his other movies, this one is worth giving it a chance. It is definitely more than just things blowing up. While it is certainly not an Academy Award winner or something that will keep you thinking about it for days after you watch it, there is enough substance to the story to make it worth seeing.

DVD/Movie Review: Into the Blue

 

Into the Blue is a 2005 movie starring Paul Walker, Jessica Alba,  and Scott Caan as a group of friends living in the Bahamas. Ashley Scott plays Caan's girlfriend, Amanda, and Josh Brolin plays the antagonist, Bates. The main selling point for the movie seemed to be having Jessica Alba (then in her early to mid-20s) swimming around in a bikini. The first third of the movie basically shows off the main cast members in swim trunks (Walker and Caan) and bikinis (Alba and Scott), focusing on Alba and Scott swimming or lying around wearing very little, with lots of (covered) T&A shots. The story picks up as the group, when exploring a shipwreck, discovers a crashed plane filled with cocaine. Of course, the owners of said cocaine discover that the "heroes" know the location of the drugs, and the predictable hijinks ensue.

The DVD extras include deleted scenes (that can be played with or without commentary by the director), a director's commentary track on the movie, scene tests for Scott Caan, Paul Walker, and Tyson Beckford, and a making-of featurette. None of the extras are that extensive, but they are about what you would expect for this type of movie.

Ultimately, the movie is not an Academy Award winner by any means. It has great visuals (both landscape and flesh variety), decent action, and a pretty easy-to-follow plot. The movie is a pretty standard action thriller. There is not a lot of character development or great acting in the movie. I think Walker is better in this movie than he has been in any of the Fast & Furious films. Alba's character is a toned-down version of her Dark Angel character (she has some of the snarkiness of that character but less ass-kicking ability).  Ashley Scott and Scott Caan's characters are actually pretty unlikable, and pretty much the reason for all the trouble that ensues. Josh Brolin (in his pre-No Country For Old Men fame) does a good job as the ultimate bad guy in the film. It is a little long (clocking in just under two hours), but the pace moves fairly well, so it does not feel like the movie is too long. All in all, it is an okay way to kill a couple of hours.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Inception

 

Inception is a 2010 film written and directed by Christopher Nolan (and made between his Dark Knight movies). It stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page (before transitioning), Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, and Michael Caine. DiCaprio plays Dom Cobb, a professional thief who can hack into a person's mind through their dreams, extract information from the person, and/or implant a thought into the person's mind. That part of the story is relatively simple to follow. The film's complexity comes from the rules of what can be done, how the mind fights back, how time reacts differently, and how there can be multilevel dreams (or dreams within dreams). You may have to watch the movie a couple of times to track all those nuances, but they make the movie great.

The audio and visual quality of the Blu-ray are wonderful. If you get the two-disc edition (which is really three discs because there is a DVD copy of the movie included), you get the film on one disc and a separate disc with bonus features. The bonus features include a documentary that focuses on the science of dreaming, a short animated story, some artwork, trailers, and TV spots.

There are a couple of storylines going on in the movie. The main story is a tale of corporate espionage, in which Ken Watanabe's character hires DiCaprio's character to implant an idea into the head of a rival corporation. The subplot basically reveals how Leonardo Dicaprio's character discovered that inception (the idea of planting a suggestion into the mind through a dream) works and the consequences of that action. The story can be hard to follow at times (especially the first time you see it) because it cuts back and forth between different levels of dreams and jumps between the two storylines.

The acting in the film is top-notch. You see many supporting actors from the Dark Knight movies in this one. Christopher Nolan is one of those directors who, like Tim Burton, uses many of the same actors over and over. The main cast is the Dicaprio, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Page, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Ken Watanabe, and Marion Cotillard. They all do great jobs in their respective roles. The subplot involving Dicaprio's and Cotillard's characters was the most intriguing part of the story, and the scenes where those two were interacting were very powerful. Many people know that the ending leaves things rather open-ended. I know some people hate that you are never given a definitive answer, but I like how the filmmakers leave it up to the viewer to imagine.

If you are a fan of Nolan's other movies (especially the non-Batman movies), I would say this is definitely worth a look. If you are a fan of thriller/suspense movies with some action in there as well, it is also worth a look. If you love the movie and want the most bonus material, get the two-disc edition, not just the single-disc edition.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: The Incredible Hulk

 

This is the 2008 reboot of the live-action Hulk starring Edward Norton, Tim Roth, William Hurt, and Liv Tyler. It was also the second entry into the MCU (which was not, at the point it came out, assured to be as long-lasting and prolific as it became). This is not a sequel to Ang Lee's version of The Hulk (which is pretty widely panned, and mostly for good reason). I think that Eric Bana and Jennifer Connely did a good job in their roles and were the only good things that movie had going for it, but the screenplay was weird, and the CGI Hulk looked very fake. This, thankfully, pretends that version never existed. The purpose of this movie is twofold. The first was to help establish the MCU and set up the eventual Avengers movie. The second was to bring a movie version that paid homage to the series and the comic. The movie included the requisite Lou Ferrigno cameo and a posthumous cameo of Bill Bixby via a clip played on TV.

I think Norton did a great job as Bruce Banner in this movie. It is unfortunate that he was replaced (although I do think Mark Ruffalo did a fine job as Banner in The Avengers), although if the rumors of Norton being difficult when it came to making this film are true I can see why he was. Norton did a great job portraying the conflicted nature of Banner and the frustration and fear that the character feels. I also think he has fairly good chemistry with Liv Tyler, who played Betty Ross, which was necessary given the role her character played in the story. The movie does set up a possibility of a sequel, but obviously, Marvel has put higher stock in the Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor franchises (and the Avengers team-up movies). Whether a sequel to this movie ever gets made, and if so whether it continues the story started here remains to be seen.

I think the CGI Hulk is far better in this movie than it was in the Ang Lee version. I think it was one of the things that detracted from that version of the movie, but the technological advancements in CGI have come a long way, and while the Hulk does not look totally realistic, it looked a lot better. Ferrigno has gone on record saying he thinks that Hulk should be played by a real person, but given that the Hulk is supposed to be 9 feet tall, that is just not practical. If you notice in the film, while Ferrigno is substantially bigger than Norton, he is not that much taller. And they would have had to go back to the tricks used to film the series, like cutaways and filming Ferrigno (or some other actor) from below to make him look taller. A CGI Hulk just works better. Especially for the battle scenes. There is just really no way they could have done any of the battles (especially the end battle with Abomination) without the CGI.

The A/V quality of the Blu-Ray is outstanding. The special features consist of some behind-the-scenes material, making of documentaries, deleted scenes, and trailers. In all, if you are a fan of the Marvel series of movies, while this movie is not as strong as the first Iron Man or the Avengers movies, it is on par with most of the other MCU movies and is definitely worth the time to watch and adding to your physical media collection (if you have one).

DVD/Movie Review: I Still Know What You Did Last Summer

 

I Still Know What You Did Last Summer is the 1998 sequel to the 1997 horror/suspense movie I Know What You Did Last Summer. The movie brings back Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze Jr., and Muse Watson to reprise their roles from the first movie and adds Matthew Settle, Brandy (the 90s pop/R&B singer), Mekhi Phifer, Jennifer Esposito, and Jack Black (in a hilariously awful role). The events of this movie are set a year after the events of the first film. In this one, Julie and her college roommate, Karla (Brandy's character), win a trip to the Bahamas via a radio contest. Julie, Karla, Karla's boyfriend Tyrell (Phifer's character), and his friend Will Benton travel to Tower Bay, where Julie starts receiving the same kind of notes that Ben Willis sent in the first movie, and of course, the murders start.

The DVD has a handful of special features, including the music video from Jennifer Love Hewitt's song, How Do I Deal, a making-of featurette, and trailers. The movie is bad. The first one was okay but was probably only as popular as it was because of the movie Scream and because of Sarah Michelle Gellar's popularity because of Buffy (which started the same year). This one is far worse than the first movie and probably only got a sequel because Scream made horror movies cool again. The only difference was that Scream was actually creative and made fun of silly movies like this one. This movie has every horror/slasher movie cliche that Scream made fun of. I am all for having to suspend disbelief when watching one of these movies, but things like the killer being able to move bodies around in a short period of time (which there is a bit of an explanation for) and leave no trace of blood (which there is not) are just stupid. The plot twist in this movie is easy to spot from a mile away, and we are subjected to Jack Black as a dreadlocked stoner.

The two things this one had going for is that the dialog was not as schlocky and stupid as it was in the first one (although it was close), and despite the tease at the end of the movie, they thought better of making any more of these. And, JLH was (and still is) hot as fire and looked great in a tank top. Like the predecessor, I do not think this is a must-see or must-own. If you are looking for a horror movie to watch for an hour and a half, it is not the best and not the worst.  It is definitely not a movie that is worth multiple viewings, however.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: I am Legend

 

I am Legend is a 2007 post-apocalyptic monster/horror movie directed by Francis Lawrence and starring Will Smith, Alice Braga, Charlie Tahan, Salli Richardson, and Willow Smith.  This unique story was adapted from a 1954 novel by Richard Matheson. In it, a group of scientists think they have found a viral cure for cancer, and like other viruses, it can jump from person to person (aside from the few with immunity). The unintended side effects are the people it does not kill outright turn into vampires. Smith's character is alone (aside from his dog) in New York City, trying to find a cure for the virus.

The blu-ray is a single-disc set with two versions of the movie, the theatrical version and a version with the alternate ending (which is the better version of the story), and a handful of bonus features. The bonus content includes several making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes and a series of short animated comics. The A/V quality of the movie is great, and most of the special effects are seamlessly blended with the practical elements. The big exception, however, is that when we do get to see the vampires, they are CGI and look very fake.

The movie is very good, especially given that it relies on a single actor for the vast majority of the time. Smith does a great job playing a guy who is clearly going crazy from being by himself for three years yet is brilliant in his moments of lucidity when he works on a cure for the virus. It is one of the better acting jobs he has done in his career. I like the alternate version because it fleshes out the story of whether the vampires are becoming sentient beings vs just mindless killing machines. It really goes deeper into the ethical dilemma of whether it is right to "cure" them. It is a question that the film does not really answer in either version, but it does make you think. As of this writing, there is talk of a sequel being made based on the alternate ending, so it is worth the time to watch the alternate version of the movie.

Apparently, the movie diverges a lot from the source books, which upset a lot of fans. If that is something that would take away from your enjoyment of the movie, then you should probably skip this. If you are a fan of Will Smith, the sci-fi kind of dramas and stories (especially ones that do make you think some), and can let the movie stand on its own, you will probably find this enjoyable. My only real gripe with the film is the fact that they made the vampires CGI. I do not think that there was a big need to do so, and the film could have been even more effective if you put real actors in that role.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: The House Bunny

 

The House Bunny is a 2008 comedy starring Anna Faris, Emma Stone, Kat Dennings, Katherine McPhee, and Colin Hanks. In the movie, Faris plays Shelly, an aspiring Playboy Playmate who is living at the Playboy Mansion. When she turns 27, she gets a note from Hef (who does appear in the movie) kicking her out. She ends up being a "house mother" to a college sorority of nerdy outcasts (whom she ends up mentoring and unleashing their beauty). Of course, you have to buy that Stone, Dennings, McPhee and company are all homely nerds who actually need beauty tips, but the story works. 

The A/V quality of the blu-ray is good, but nothing to write home about. It gets a decent HD transfer, but it is not what audiophiles and video wonks would consider reference quality. It has a few bonus features, including deleted scenes, a music video, and almost an hour's worth of making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes. 

I have seen reviews comparing the movie to Legally Blonde and Revenge of the Nerds. That is pretty accurate. Fans of Anna Faris know that she has very good comedy acting chops (from the scary movie franchise and Waiting). She is not afraid of saying or doing something stupid and ridiculous. She pulls off the ditzy Playboy Bunny with a kind heart and smarter-than-she-seems quality very well. There is definitely not a lot of depth to the character she was trying to play, but what depth there was, she played it well.

The movie has a mix of stars who have become A list or B list (mainly Emma Stone and Kat Dennings, which the movie did an awesome job of making look plain and downright unattractive, respectively, before the "makeover") with reality TV stars, musicians and lots of cameos from celebrities. Even though it was not meant to be a movie that was going to win the actors any awards, the fact that at least some of the stars had the ability to act made it as good a movie as it is. It is definitely not a movie designed to make you think, and it is definitely making fun of the whole fraternity/sorority culture. It did not try to do too much and stuck to the comedy it was meant to be.

Ultimately, this movie will not appeal to everyone. It is, for the most part, a mindless but good-hearted comedy. And, for those who care, it has a lot of cute girls in skimpy outfits and/or showing lots of cleavage (but no actual nudity). If that is not the kind of movie that entertains you, skip it. Otherwise, it is definitely entertaining enough to occupy an hour and a half of your time and give you some laughs.

DVD/Movie Review: Hotel Rwanda

 

Hotel Rwanda is a 2004 movie starring Don Cheadle, Nick Nolte, and Joaquin Phoenix. The film is about the genocide that occurred in Rwanda during the 1990s. Cheadle plays Paul Rusesabagina, the manager of a Hotel in Kigali, who ends up helping thousands of people from being killed while trying to appear to keep the hotel functioning, working with the Red Cross, and bribing the Rwandan military.

The DVD has several bonus features, including a commentary track on the movie by the director and the real Paul Rusesabagina, commentary on specific scenes by Don Cheadle, and a making-of documentary and a documentary entitled Return to Rwanda, which explores the aftermath of the genocide. The movie is very good. It is well-written and very well-acted. While it is a tough movie to watch, it tells a story that most people in the United States would probably never hear otherwise. 

While the movie is based on a true story, I don't know how much of the story that was told on screen was true. I presume that parts of it were fictionalized. The movie does provide a glimpse of just how corrupt the government was and how the people who did not have connections and money to pay bribes in order to stay alive were killed off in droves. The movie does have some violence, but it is actually not all that gory. Most of the story takes place inside the hotel, where people are kept relatively safe. However, when they did venture outside the hotel (like when the UN was trying to get some of the families out), you did see what kind of violence and indiscriminate killing was going on. It is absolutely worth the time to watch.

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Anna

 

Anna is a 2019 movie written and directed by Luc Besson (who has directed movies such as The Professional, The Fifth Element, Taken, and Lucy) and starring Sasha Luss, Luke Evans, Cillian Murphy, and Helen Mirren. In the movie, Luss plays Anna, who is recruited into the KGB by Evans' character, Alex, and works under the direction of Mirren's character, Olga. She is trained as a KGB assassin with the promise of being discharged after five years. When the director of the KGB refuses to honor the agreement, Anna becomes a double agent for the CIA in exchange for a new life.

The 4k set is a two-disc set with a UHD disc and a regular blu-ray disc. Both of the discs include the movie and the special features. The A/V quality of the UHD disc is very good. It is not quite reference quality, but close. There are about 30 minutes of bonus material consisting of four different making-of featurettes. The movie is a good spy thriller, with a handful of action scenes spread out well throughout the movie. The story is not told linearly. It plays out similarly to the movie Memento. The movie starts partway through the story, and then flashbacks are used to tell Anna's backstory, to fill in gaps, or to show events from a different perspective than when they first played out. So, by the end of the movie, you know how Anna was recruited into the KGB and the CIA, but as you watch the movie, there are twists and turns that play out via the flashbacks. The action scenes that are in the movie are very good, but very violent. There is a bit of sexual content and one nude scene in which Luss is topless. So, it is not really a family-friendly movie.

Ultimately, the movie is well-written and very well-acted. Luss does a very good job in what was her second movie role, and Mirren pretty much dominated every scene she was in. Luss was especially good, considering she came from a modeling background and not an acting background. Evans and Murphy did well in their supporting roles, but neither were in the movie as much as Luss and Mirren. While it was not a blockbuster movie, it is much better than a lot of people will likely expect. So, if you are a fan of spy thrillers, this is worth the time to watch. 

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Hot Tub Time Machine (Unrated)

 

Hot Tub Time Machine is a 2010 comedy starring Rob Corddry, John Cusak, Clark Duke, Craig Robinson, Chevy Chase, and Lizzy Caplan. The plot involves three friends vacationing at a ski resort. They end up in one of the resort's hot tubs and get transported back in time to 1986. The three adults are transported back to their younger selves, and Jacob (Duke), who was not born in 1986, is transported back as himself but flickers in and out of existence. The rest of the movie involves the group trying to figure out how to get back to the present.

The movie is not intended to be deep or make you think. It is just stupid, fun humor that has a plot device to flashback to the 1980s. There is a bit of a "would you live your life over differently if you could" theme to the movie that a lot of people tend to feel as they hit middle age, but that is about as deep as the movie gets. It actually would have been a little better to see more of the characters as their younger selves, but the point was they looked young to everyone but were experiencing things from their adult perspective, so when they were interacting with each other, they appeared as their adult versions. Rob Corddry was awesome as the jackass friend who nobody really liked all that much. And although he "kind of" learns something by the end of the movie, he is still a jackass till the end. There is an awesome Karate Kid Part III reference for anyone who actually remembers that movie, and Crispin Glover (from Back to the Future) makes several appearances throughout the film. 

The movie's A/V quality is good. The colors (especially when they are transported back to 1986) really pop and look great in HD. The extras are pretty light. You get about 11 minutes of deleted scenes, some promotional spots for the movie (that total about six minutes), and the theatrical trailer. Ultimately, this is a good and slightly underrated comedy. The humor is definitely not for everyone, but if you are into raunchier comedies, then this is definitely worth checking out.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Horrible Bosses (Totally Inappropriate Edition)

 

Horrible Bosses is a 2011 comedy directed by Seth Gordon. It stars Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Spacey, and an almost unrecognizable Colin Farrell. The movie also has a strong supporting cast, including Donald Sutherland, Julie Bowen, Wendell Pierce, Lindsay Sloan, and Jamie Foxx, who steals every scene he is in, playing a character named Motherfucker Jones. The plot is pretty simple. Three friends named Nick, Dale, and Kurt hate their bosses. They go from joking about killing their respective bosses to actually planning to kill them when things go wrong.  It is mainly about the stupid plan put together and badly executed by the main characters. From trying to find a hitman to the reconnaissance gone wrong, everything they try spirals out of control. 

You will likely love this movie if you like vulgar, sometimes over-the-top comedies. I think all of the actors did a great job. Bateman was very much like his character from Arrested Development with looser morals. Aniston really stole the show in a role that was totally different than anything she had ever played before. You can tell she was just trying to play it as over the top as possible. The other one who just really got into the role was Spacey. He played his character without any redeeming qualities and really did make you hate him. Of course, Spacey has become a persona non-grata since the allegations of sexual harassment and abuse have come out against him, so you kind of wonder how much his slimeball character was made up. 

The blu-ray set is a three-disc set. Each version of the movie (the theatrical and the extended unrated cut) is on its own disc. The extended cut adds about 8 minutes of additional material, none of which changes the movie in any significant way. The A/V quality of the blu-rays is good, but not outstanding. The special features include deleted scenes and a handful of making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes. The bonus content totals about half an hour, give or take. Ultimately, this is an enjoyable movie if you like the brand of humor. The movie is absolutely not family-friendly. There is a lot of sexual humor (mostly involving Aniston's character), and some bathroom humor, but no nudity. If you are not into hard-R rated comedies (which this undoubtedly is), or are easily offended, you will hate it. 

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Avatar (4-Disc Collector's Edition)

 

This is the second 4K release of 2009's Avatar. The other version (which is misleadingly labeled as the Ultimate Collector's Edition) is a three-disc set that just has the theatrical version of the movie on UHD and regular blu-ray and then a regular blu-ray disc with special features. This set (just labeled Collector's Edition) is a four-disc set that has the theatrical and the two extended editions of the movie on UHD and regular blu-ray and then has two regular blu-ray discs with special features. 

The movie itself is very good. The first extended edition (which adds about 8 additional minutes to the theatrical version) basically just extends a couple of the scenes a bit. The second extended edition (which runs 178 minutes, adding 18 minutes of additional footage) is the best version of the movie (in my opinion). That version adds the most substance and backstory to the theatrical version, which definitely helps flesh out the overall story. You can also watch the additional footage for each extended edition as separate deleted scenes accessible from the menu. Each version of the movie is visually stunning in UHD. The audio track on the theatrical edition is wonderful. The tracks on the two extended editions are not available on Dolby Atmos, so they do not sound as good.

Where this set blows the Ultimate Collector's Edition release away is the extras. It includes all of the extras that were released with that one (including the new extras on that set and a few new ones exclusive to this set) and all of the legacy content included with the 2010 blu-ray release. The only difference between this release and the original blu-ray release (excluding the brand-new content) is a new line of added dialogue from Giovanni Ribisi's character (which is added to each version of the movie).

I have two issues with this set. First, it was not released at the same time as the original 4k release. So, if you bought that one early, you would have to double-dip to get all of the bonus content. Second, the packaging, while great to look at, is awful. It has a wonderful hard slipcover that holds a cardboard book-style case that holds the discs in very tight pockets (If you have the House of Cards individual seasons on blu-ray, it is like those). The discs are very hard to get out of the pocket without ripping the pockets and/or smudging or scratching the discs. So, if you get this, you want to watch it right away in case you get damaged/unplayable discs. I ended up putting the discs in their own individual blu-ray cases (I get extra cases to replace damaged cases if the discs are in otherwise good condition) and did not put them back in the book-style case. 

If you love the movie and love watching the bonus content, this is the version to get. You get hours of bonus material (even more if you redeem the digital code on Movies Anywhere or Vudu). If you stop the movies before the end you can resume where you left off, but that is not the case if you are watching the bonus content. If you stop in the middle of one of the featurettes on discs 3 or 4 and then restart the disc, it will go back to the main menu, and you will have to figure out where you left off. That is a relatively minor point, but worth noting.  Overall, this is absolutely worth the pickup if you are a more than just a casual fan of the movie.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Hitman

 

Hitman is a 2007 action movie based on the video game series of the same name directed by Xavier Gens and starring  Timothy Olyphant, Olga Kurylenko, Robert Knepper, and Dougray Scott. Olyphant plays 47, a professional hitman who is essentially a part of a secret society simply called "The Organization," which engineers assassins and tattoos a bar code on the back of their necks to identify them. After 47 is tasked with an assassination, he is told to eliminate a witness (played by Kurylenko). When he realizes that she has never seen him before, 47 ignores the order to kill her and becomes engaged in a political conspiracy that has him being chased by Interpol, the FSB, and other hitmen from The Organization.

The A/V quality of the blu-ray is very good. The movie has a lot of stunning visuals that look great in HD, especially on a large screen. The extras include deleted scenes, a gag reel, the theatrical trailer, and several featurettes, including making-of featurettes and a couple about the video game franchise and adapting the game to a live-action movie. So, if you enjoy watching the bonus content, there is a lot there for you. The movie is a good action film but was never going to be an Academy Award winner.  It is very good for a shoot-'em-up action thriller. Olyphant (before his breakout role on the series Justified) did a very good job as 47. He played him as no-nonsense and serious, but there were times when he let emotion through that really made the character more than just a nameless assassin. Olga Kurylenko was also very good in her role as the tag-along that he was initially hired to kill (and, of course, gorgeous). The other standout performance was by Dougray Scott, who is the Interpol agent who has been tracking 47 (and investigating The Organization) for years.

The plot is somewhat convoluted but not that hard to follow. There are some really good action and fight sequences in the movie but the writing was kind of bad in some parts. It is not perfect, but if you are looking for an entertaining action movie, it is worth the time to watch.