Category: DVD/BLU-RAY

When I was assigned to review "Downton Abbey: Season 2," I was filled with dread. I find most costume dramas difficult to process, most constructed so frigidly that interpretation becomes a chore, not a rewarding challenge. Also creating terror was my moderate awareness of the program, gathered primarily from award show recaps and the occasional social media pledge of devotion. Not wanting to be left out in the cold, I crammed season one in anticipation of this release, ready to swallow whatever televised dry biscuit creator Julian Fellowes was intending to serve. Seven episodes later, I was deeply in love, completely blindsided by a program boasting refined social graces on the outside, while the inside exposed the beating heart of a sublime soap opera, offering immaculate emotional pull and full-bodied attention to a multitude of characters, creating a thickly sliced, yet overwhelmingly effective British drama — a viewing experience that was much more than droning talk of matchmaking and sips of tea. Suddenly, the prospect of viewing season two wasn't a brutal professional obligation anymore. It became an absolute necessity. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Filmmaker Fernando Di Leo was a well-regarded helmer who specialized in severe crime stories pulled from the bowels of Italy — tales of grizzled men hunting other grizzled men, burning through numerous power plays, assassinations, and monetary disruptions. They were films of pure Italian personality, monitoring political turbulence while bashing around baddies, creating a roughhouse Euro genre with realism that would come to influence American directors looking to add some bitterness to their own cinematic brew. Collected here are four of Di Leo's most prominent efforts, each blessed with unique qualities and rage issues, all possessing a singular desire to depict criminal behavior at its lowest rung of decorum. The results are uneven but unforgettable, blasting viewers with two-fisted tales of unrepentant Italian machismo, soaked in J&B. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Television has transformed radically over the last 60 years. While most viewers remain well aware of the seismic media shift, it's quite remarkable to see the winding path of storytelling recounted in "America in Primetime," a documentary dissection of programming highlights. The shows discussed here are singled out for the inimitable perspective and ability to shift the cultural POV, guiding the general public to a greater consciousness with stellar achievements in characterization, tonality, and awareness. Divided into four episodes, each with a specific theme for inspection, the series delves into the leadership position T.V. gradually established, helping to reflect attitudes, fears, and politics along the way. Offering interviews and insights from the likes of Mary Tyler Moore, Roseanne Barr, Marc Cherry, Diablo Cody, Norman Lear, Jerry Mathers, Carl Reiner, Danny DeVito, Paul Feig, Garry Shandling, Larry David, Alan Ball, Andre Braugher, Gillian Anderson, and Candace Bergen, "America in Primetime" covers a wide range of reflection and celebration, searching to uncover the alchemy of the addictive television tradition. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In these modern times, the prospect of home ownership is akin to a cancer scare. It's a promise of oncoming misery, containing such anxiety and dread that fewer folks are taking the plunge, unwilling or unable to endure the financial commitment and extended period of responsibility. Who needs the headache? Life would be far simpler if we all could secrete a milky fluid from our hindquarters, using the goo to manufacture a temporary living space free from predators. With that evolutionary process millions of years away, we'll just have to make do envying the natural world, observing animals and insects go about their daily business of home assembly and defense, erecting massive dwellings of comfort and gob-smacking complexity in the wilds of the world. No mortgages, no association fees. Just some anal fluid, patience, and instinctual might. A short time later, there's a home to enjoy. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The mysteries of the Earth are enormous, even after centuries of study and theory, yet questions about life cannot be answered on this planet. With an entire universe begging for exploration, the quest for knowledge has reached for the stars, with science making great strides in meticulous space inspection, opening up fresh realms of opportunity when it comes to locating signs of life and hospitable environments. The two-part "Nova" program, "Finding Life Beyond Earth," looks to uncover the potential of the galaxy, venturing to make connections between volatile locations on other moons and planets and our experience on Earth. It's a story of hope and science sold in a traditional PBS manner that merges facts with fantasy, endeavoring to shed light on a lofty ambition to understand how life, even in its most microscopic form, could be found in the great unknown. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

"Is It Just Me?" is a perfectly kind and affectionate premise decorated with all sorts of clichés. It's a noxious brew of the sincere and the predictable, showcasing some seriously lazy screenwriting from a filmmaker who appears to have his heart in the right place. While it leans toward elements that concern an earnest questioning of the gay dating scene, writer/director J.C. Calciano is too distracted by the movie's oppressive sitcom interests, always trying to crack a joke or construct a labored misunderstanding when the picture is far more confident focusing on two like-minded souls finding each other in the petting zoo of Los Angeles. Conversations and confessions should be leading the way, not rejected ideas from "Three's Company," which weigh the feature down, making it impossible to entertain in full. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Coming just in time to light up the holiday season is "Make the Yuletide Gay," a softer, lighter romantic comedy emerging from a genre not traditionally known for its overt restraint. Eschewing heavy dramatics, "Yuletide" makes an admirable attempt to remain buoyant, sustaining the festive Christmas mood as far as humanly possible. However, the material eventually falls apart, caught between the rusty mechanics of an out-of-the-closet farce and a tender story of personal and familial acceptance. The festivities kick off with a hearty ho-ho-ho. They end with a disconcerting no-no-no. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Every year since 1989, the National Film Registry selects 25 movies branded "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and offers them a safe haven inside the Library of Congress. It's an effort of preservation that spans all tastes and times, collecting an expanding group of creativity that reflects the cultural experience in America, from the very first acts of filmmaking to the blockbusters of recent memory. It's a yearly effort that brings out the best in cinephiles and academics, hunting for the ideal picture that sums up an era, perhaps useful to future generations curious about the country's history and legacy of artistic achievements. "These Amazing Shadows" is a skeletal examination of the National Film Registry's selection process, studying various titles welcomed into the protective hands of the organization's technicians and film lovers, revealing the diverse line-up of choices. It's light on the details of such an endeavor, but the flood of filmgoing memories and passion for the medium creates a riveting sit, basking in the glow of all these big screen oddities and masterpieces. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The PBS program "Nature" has an interesting way of remaining positive while investigating unimaginable environmental horror. It's not a chipper attitude, whistling along as it analyzes the end of the world, but there's a warm yellow beam of positivity and surprise that helps to choke down the razor blades of reality. "Radioactive Wolves" is a prime example of their unique tonality, exploring the vast wilderness left behind in the wake of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident, which successfully wiped out a chunk of Russia, leaving the land unlivable. Humans cleared out in a hurry, but wildlife wasn't afforded the same evacuation effort. In the decades following the disaster, animals have returned to Chernobyl, unaware of the poisoned soil and water, reclaiming their homeland away from human intrusion. For the grey wolf, the new predator-free zone brings a rare opportunity to expand its numbers, restoring what was lost long ago to merciless Soviet expansion. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

I'm not sure why sleepwalking isn't used more often in thriller cinema. It's a perfectly useful dramatic device, mysterious and forgiving when it comes to leaps in logic, but few filmmakers show interest in pursuing the topic. Of course, "In My Sleep" doesn't exactly help the cause, using involuntary nocturnal activity to motivate a spectacularly flaccid, no-budget thriller, bogged down by shabby technical achievements, uninspired acting, and bloated direction. Writer/director Allen Wolf is aching to recreate some pulse-pounding Hitchcockian delights with this twisty endeavor, but there's little screen finesse to support his aspirations, leaving behind an ambitious but inept production that has difficulty maintaining chills, thrills, and, well, camera focus. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Who needs drugs when physicists are around? Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Perhaps feeling "American Pie" was having too much heterosexual fun, writer/director Todd Stephens ("Edge of Seventeen") concocted his own parody picture in "Another Gay Movie," a 2006 effort that mirrors the 1999 blockbuster down to the pie-humping and insatiable teen lust. Of course, the spin here is homosexuality, with the helmer plowing full steam ahead on this unapologetic ode to the carnal delight of men seeking men, making a deranged farce that abuses a love of movies to buffer against the broadly staged madness of gross-out humor. Rarely funny but always willing to distribute unabashedly provocative humor, "Another Gay Movie" is best appreciated as a purging of mischief from an unspeakably blunt filmmaker, resulting in a Looney Tunes cartoon that features lot more anal play and exposed penises. At least 75% more if we're talking Pepe Le Pew. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

When one considers the documentary premise of an isolated man spending a year living with a flock of wild turkeys, an enormous amount of comedic thoughts spring to mind, soon transforming into genuine concern about rural madness. The oddity of such a personal experience is monumental, approaching levels of parody that rival the reach of “SNL,” but the Nature production, “My Life as a Turkey,” is dead serious about the subject matter. Investigating a man who gave up a good chunk of his life to raise turkeys from hatchlings, the program is a shockingly emotional experience that leads with its heart, asking the viewer to process the highs and lows of life with these odd creatures, observing their devotion to leadership, feel for their surroundings, and examination of their instincts, guided by a reserved, mustached Floridian who didn’t anticipate becoming a mother during his lifetime. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The docile PBS program "Nature" takes a more summer blockbustery approach with its latest offering, "Jungle Eagle." Attempting to sneak into the lair of the Harpy Eagle, the most powerful bird of prey in the world, producer/star Fergus Beeley aims to create a sense of excitement as he inches closer to one of the most enigmatic creatures of South America. This is no common dissection of feeding patterns and defense mechanisms. Instead, it's a bit of an "Ocean's Eleven" sequel, with Beeley and his crew attempting to infiltrate an impenetrable treetop fortress, planting cameras and carefully timing visits to avoid being torn to shreds by the very beast they're seeking to observe. Beeley definitely deserves credit for building excitement, helping goose the educational aspects of an otherwise passive nature documentary. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

I’ll make this official: I’m deeply in love with Bill Nighy. Sure, he doesn’t have the greatest taste in screenplays, occasionally caught on the prowl for a solid paycheck, but when the British actor is permitted to sink his teeth into top shelf material, he’s unstoppable. “Page Eight,” written and directed by David Hare, is exactly the type of callous material Nighy requires to reach his full potential. Wrapping his talent around this cold-blooded tale of English spies and their backstabbing business, the actor delivers outstanding work, furtive yet vulnerable, able to articulate the weight of the world with the mere arch of an eyebrow. Of course, he’s far from alone here, with Hare drafting some of the best European actors into duty, breathing a rippling sense of antagonism into a tightly leashed tangle with secret documents and hallway paranoia. Although it gives off the appearance of homework, Nighy and his fellow performers give Hare’s script a thrilling workout, creating significant tension out of the most routine of encounters. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Mike & Molly” offers nothing new to the television sitcom realm, only catching outside attention due to its premise of two admitted overeaters finding each other in a time of need. It’s the “super-sized show,” presenting the producers with an opportunity to build the program into something disarmingly affectionate and playful, making the series more than just a crude vessel for obesity jokes. Instead, the characters’ battle with the bulge is often the sole focal point of the plot, rarely stepping beyond waistline-based punchlines to give viewers a significant creative experience, maybe even human on occasion. It’s a dire habit of humiliation that’s consistently gratuitous, especially forced upon a cast capable of so much more than a simplistic display of dreadful one-liners, coaxed by a relentless, soul-sucking laugh track. In fact, without the talents of Melissa McCarthy and Billy Gardell, “Mike & Molly” would be completely unwatchable. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1999's "Lake Placid" was a lark, a minor key of monster movie escapism from screenwriter David E. Kelley, taking a break from his ranch of network television legal dramas to stretch a few genre muscles. Director Steve Miner ("Friday the 13th: Part 2," "House") was right there to support Kelley's vision, constructing a mildly diverting horror film with a pronounced sense of humor, a diverse cast, and a decent (for its time) display of visual effects. The feature was no box office king, but it made some monetary ripples, guaranteeing a cult following for years to come. A sequel was promised at the end of the picture, but seemed unlikely to materialize. Smash cut to 2007, and "Lake Placid 2" debuts as a Sci-Fi Channel Original Movie, dropping Kelley and the rest of the creative team to make a low-budget ruckus in Bulgaria, introducing inexperienced filmmakers to atrocious visual effects. Gone are the cheeky impulses and amusing thespian effort from the first round — the sequel elects an unenthusiastic remake route, once again slipping into deep waters with a oversized crocodile who's ready to feast. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Why certain movies become smash hits at the box office while others die a horrible, embarrassing death is a show business mystery that will never be solved. Some say relentless marketing efforts are required, while others reinforce the importance of a strong release date. In the case of "The Cannonball Run," it's obviously star power that urged hordes of ticket buyers into theaters during the summer of 1981. At least I hope it was star power. With all due respect to cult admirers of the picture, "The Cannonball Run" is a wearisome, nonsensical production rescued by its marquee value. It's difficult to grow upset with the feature when it's continuously shifting perspective, slapping a fresh face on the screen every two minutes to lead attention away from the substandard direction, questionable continuity, and general slack momentum of the piece. Take it as pure escapism executed by giddy performers, and it's passable entertainment. Otherwise, it's a rough cross-country ride of indulgence and automobile mayhem, perhaps best suited for a Saturday morning cartoon. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

With the rise and fall of Tony Jaa and his knockoffs, there appears to be a feeling of stagnancy to the Thai film market these days, flooded with countless martial art actioners, most quite dismal and unthreatening. Director Panna Rittikrai ("Ong Bak 2" and "Ong Bak 3") looks to return some thunder to the stale genre with "BKO: Bangkok Knockout," a highly convincing tour of broken body parts and wild-eyed reactions. It's a berserk creation that's absolutely thrilling at times, though restrained somewhat by pesky details such as character development and logic. But who really cares about filmmaking fundamentals when the force of aggression registers off the charts, working countless fights and agreeable acts of heroism into a superbly entertaining blast of brutality. It seems there's still plenty of kick to the Thai way of screen defense. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

I know absolutely nothing about the "Onechanbara" video game series, but title anything "Bikini Samurai Squad" and I'm all yours for 90 minutes. It's an enticing title, right? Imagine "The King's Speech: Bikini Samurai Squad" or "The Tree of Life: Bikini Samurai Squad." Now you have to see the movie. Well, it pains me to report that the raincoat crowd should stay miles away from this Japanese stinker, which fails to provide a satisfactory amount of swimsuited justice. Instead, it's an awful futuristic horror actioner slapped together with spare change, attempting to translate the martial art fluidity of a video game to the big screen, only to forget storytelling essentials. It's drab, amateurish, and hideously performed. Heck, even the titular bikini is a disappointing piece of fuzzy costuming unworthy of top billing. This could've been a blast. Instead, it's utterly incompetent. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com