Category: DVD/BLU-RAY

Technically, 2003's "A Man Apart" doesn't fall into the Vin Diesel
career feeding frenzy that developed after the release of 2001's "The
Fast and the Furious." Although issued after the monstrous "XXX," "A Man
Apart" was actually shot in late 2000/early 2001, when the star was
merely a curiosity with a minor hit ("Pitch Black") on his resume.
However, post-production troubles kept the feature out of sight for the
next two years, finally released when Diesel's brand name was red-hot
and audiences were starting to question the Hollywood hype machine
surrounding the growly brute. Intended to play into the actor's more
dramatic interests, "A Man Apart" was marketed as a tough guy
experience, emphasizing the lead's position as a thunderous force of big
screen revenge, peppered with explosions and cowering villains. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In the early 1990s, environmental education was beginning to take hold
in both schools and pop culture, with a particular emphasis on the
plight of the rainforest, largely viewed as a core problem for Mother
Earth's woes. "FernGully: The Last Rainforest" emerged as a sensitive
call to arms from a major movie studio (debuting two months after
Disney's deeply flawed but interesting rainforest adventure, "Medicine
Man"), hoping to entertain family audiences while emphasizing a harsh
message of deforestation and pollution threatening to destroy the magic
of the world. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It's been surprising to watch "Hocus Pocus" develop a cult following
since its release in 1993, amassing a passionate group of fans raised on
VHS rentals and routine basic cable showings. It's a declaration of
love that certainly wasn't there during its initial theatrical run,
where the sharp minds at Disney released an exhaustively
Halloween-centric story in mid-July, and then seemed surprised when the
picture bombed. Any film that displays the ability to rise from the box
office ashes and sustain popularity for nearly two decades is a minor
cinematic miracle in my book, but I have to wonder, why has "Hocus
Pocus" bewitched a vocal minority? A bland, unfunny oddity with overly
manic execution and a few strange tonal detours, the feature desires to
be a colorful, politely spooky creation, only to elicit blank stares.
Perhaps I underestimate the power of its generational hold, yet
considering the potential of a broad Disney witch romp, "Hocus Pocus" is
an incredibly mediocre movie. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

After soaring together in 1984's "Romancing the Stone," and stumbling
together in 1985's "The Jewel of the Nile," Michael Douglas, Kathleen
Turner, and Danny DeVito were cautious with the selection of their next
collaboration, looking to pick a project that would disturb expectations
set by their previous adventures. "The War of the Roses" proved an apt
left turn for the trio, with DeVito assuming directorial control over
the material, looking to inject a darkly comic tone into a bitter story,
building on his command of impish screen toxicity first explored in his
previous production, 1987's "Throw Momma from the Train." Constructed
with extraordinary confidence and exceptionally acted, "The War of the
Roses" is perhaps the greatest cinematic achievement shared between the
stars, dropping the high-flying dangers of jungles and deserts to
partake in specialized marital warfare that utilizes relationship
claustrophobia and escalating antagonism instead of explosions and
plastic quips. The picture is greatly amusing, but its lasting
achievement is DeVito's atmospheric authority, shaping a genuine
filmmaking triumph in style and mood that deserves a standing ovation. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Horror productions tend to attract the same set of elements to shape
scares, typically following trends to keep box office prospects alive.
1988's "Killer Klowns from Outer Space" blazes its own trail as a weirdo
fright film with a healthy sense of humor, displaying a deep sense of
originality as it invents new ways to kill hapless victims. Although
budgeted with mere hopes and prayers, "Killer Klowns" is one of the more
striking examples of genre invention of the 1980s, with filmmakers The
Chiodo Brothers (Charles, Edward, and Stephen, who accepts a credit for
direction) working diligently to build this oddball alien clown invasion
in full, armed with puppetry, light gore, and a sense of mischief that
knowingly weaves through camp and terror, while magically maintaining a
PG-13 rating. The title alone encourages immediate dismissal, but for
those on the hunt for something miles away from the norm that showcases
truly inspired moviemaking minds, "Killer Klowns from Outer Space" is a
superb cult distraction. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Robert Redford actively pursued the rights to Nicholas Evans's 1995
novel, "The Horse Whisperer," clearly finding an ideal fit for his own
sensibilities when it comes to the exploration of rural life on film.
The match of material to performer couldn't be more appropriate, finding
the author's sudsy imagination and depth of detail gracefully
transferred to the big screen by the iconic star, resulting in a 1998
hit that generously played up the beauty of the Midwest, the mystery of
animal rehabilitation, and the lure of Redford's autumnal good looks. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

When it comes to a question of preference between 2003's "Bruce
Almighty" and 2007's "Evan Almighty," I vote a little differently than
the moviegoing public. "Bruce" featured a clever idea that posited Jim
Carrey as God, using heavenly powers to alter the world as his
character, Bruce Nolan, saw fit. Offering the star an open field to
utilize his gifts with slapstick comedy, amplified with spiritual
divinity, the feature nailed an impressive tone of mischief, sustaining a
pleasant run of farcical activity for at least the first half of the
effort. Eventually taking itself seriously as a vessel for moral lessons
and melodramatic encounters, "Bruce" fell apart, abandoning impish
behavior to become a tool of inspiration, prone to preaching instead of
tickling. While far from a perfect film, "Evan" at least has the sense
to settle down and enjoy its cartoonish premise, stripping away labored
storytelling to carry on as a cartoon with a biblical pinch, saving the
heavy stuff for late in the final act. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Those expecting a seamy, Vaseline-uncorked ride through exploitation
cinema heaven with "Bitch Slap" might be well advised to skip this
picture entirely. More of an "Austin Powers" carnival of camp with
YouTube production polish, "Bitch Slap" opens with a Joseph Conrad quote
and ends in a hail of bullets, leaving the midsection fairly
anticlimactic and insistently silly. It's criminal to dismiss something
so utterly consumed with ample feminine assets and cross-eyed
ultraviolence, but the goofball pitch of this fluff grows tiresome early
in the first round, rendering the picture a splendid 10-minute short
film idea stretched intolerably to 105 minutes. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Although it would seem natural to sequelize the 1980 hit, "The Blues
Brothers," the 1982 death of co-star John Belushi made such a prospect
daunting for even the most money-hungry producer. After all, to
regenerate Belushi's slovenly presence for a successful follow-up would
require a major casting effort to match survivor Dan Aykroyd
beat-for-beat, while instilling the feature with a sense of anarchic
comic timing and generous stage command. It took 18 years for a
continuation to bubble up, yet Aykroyd and co-writer John Landis were
persistent, constructing a picture that could do justice to the spirit
of the previous extravaganza while forging a new identity for a
different era. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In the late 1990s, Hollywood wanted to make rapper DMX a movie star.
It's not an uncommon practice to turn someone known exclusively for
their musical achievements into an actor, yet with DMX, the effort
seemed hopelessly misguided. Stiff and unconvincing, the hip-hop artist
never carried himself with ease on screen, yet he still managed to bark
out a minor filmography. A large chunk of his employment was courtesy of
producer Joel Silver, who brought DMX in to flavor 2000's "Romeo Must
Die" and co-star alongside Steven Seagal in 2001's "Exit Wounds."
Sensing screen magic, Silver reunited DMX with "Romeo" star Jet Li for
2003's "Cradle 2 the Grave," an actioner meant to pay off the fumes of
chemistry shared earlier by the performers, gifting them their own
playground of martial arts activity, explosions, and gunplay, with a
booming soundtrack to score the chaos. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

For his directorial unveiling, John Hughes selected a piece of material
held close to his heart; a screenplay that contained beloved topics: the
chaos of the nuclear family and the humiliation/redemption of the
average American teen. "Sixteen Candles" is largely Hughes testing his
gifts behind the camera, inadvertently pioneering a genre that would
come to define his career. It's a rough sketch of future triumphs, but
"Candles" is a brazenly mischievous, consistently uproarious comedy that
christens the devastating Hughes-fu with vivacious results. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

I didn't know who Sir Trevor McDonald was before I sat down with the series "Queen & Country," and I know even less about the man four hours later. He's our guide through this Diamond Jubilee celebration of Queen Elizabeth II's life and times, but there's no introduction, no moment to isolate a host the viewer comes to rely on for facts, interviews, and pacing needs. The question mark of McDonald (research tells me he's a respected British journalist) is emblematic of "Queen & Country," a handsomely produced inspection of the royal experience, yet a show created strictly for royalists and romantics, offering nothing in the way of an introduction for those who've elected to live their lives without an intricate understanding of the Monarchy. The news footage is remarkable, the conversations breathless, and the subject fascinating, yet the lengthy production is no proper education, it's a victory lap. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

As a child, it was a badge of honor to slowly acquire access to late night television. As bedtimes grew later, entrance to a world of comedians, monologues, and celebrity interviews was provided, commencing an education in timing and talent few prime time shows could offer. While David Letterman possessed an appealing wackiness and genial subversive quality, nothing could come close to Johnny Carson, an iconic figure who owned late night programming, making his nightly adventures an illuminating display of confidence and enchanting cocktail-hour routine, killing nightly with a triumphant sense of humor. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

After the one-two-three punch of "The Distinguished Gentleman," "Beverly Hills Cop III," and "Vampire in Brooklyn," there was legitimate concern in 1996 that Eddie Murphy had lost his big screen mojo. After 15 years of solid entertainment, Murphy was low on creative gas, requiring material that would allow him to shine brightly in a brash manner audiences had grown accustomed to. Remaking Jerry Lewis's 1963 smash "The Nutty Professor" was the boost the comedy legend needed at the time, triggering enormous box office returns while renewing faith in Murphy's abilities to charm with comedic chaos. The movie restored his marquee value, though it did so by emphasizing a crude imagination and a fondness for bodily function humor, often caught playing all the way to the back row to keep the energy of the lukewarm update zooming along. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In the mid-2000s, dance movies became all the rage in Hollywood, boosted by the surprising box office performance of 2003's "Honey" and the out-of-nowhere success of 2004's "You Got Served." Bringing hip-hop dancing to the masses, while offering studios low-budget entertainment to exploit, the films took flight, creating a profitable string of dramatically flabby efforts that bewitched younger audiences in the mood for flashy body movement and corny plots typically involving young thugs reaching their potential on the dance floor. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The name Mel Gibson causes a great number of people to break out in hives these days, a perfectly reasonable reaction in light of the star's recent behavior and history of manic episodes. However, for the purposes of this review, Gibson's violent behavior and association with industry leeches and creeps will be set aside temporarily to focus on the business at hand. Despite anger issues that could qualify the man as a genuine lethal weapon, Gibson is a fine actor with a history of iconic roles and emotionally charged performances. One of his most committed being 1996's "Ransom," where the screen idol teamed with director Ron Howard, an unlikely choice for such punishing material. The pairing defied the odds, turning a twisty tale of a cold-blooded kidnapping into a gripping mainstream diversion, generating an authentic ambiance of concern and frustration from material that's prone to melodramatic outbursts. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Like most people, I had a general appreciation for the daily existence of a koala, imagining the creature hanging out in tall trees, gobbling down leaves, while Todd Rundgren's "Bang the Drum All Day" plays on an imaginary soundtrack. It's a simplified portrait of the koala, but there's not much out there in the sea of popular culture to disturb the stereotype, finding the furry animals often depicted with cartoonish cuteness and lethargy, establishing an instant comfort with the koala nation. "Cracking the Koala Code" is a "Nature" episode directly dealing with territorial and mating rituals of the creatures, and boy howdy, does it ever alter the public's concept of the koala as a peaceful, adorable beast with a harmless addiction to greenery. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 1988, Steven Seagal, with his trim frame and greasy hair, brooded his way into multiplexes with "Above the Law," a novelty action picture that shocked the industry when it actually found an audience, turning a hulking, squinty Akido instructor into a B-movie superhero. Growing a ponytail and stiffening his screen presence, Seagal returned to screens two years later with "Hard to Kill," welcomed with growing box office success and a behind-the-scenes relationship with co-star Kelly LeBrock (the two were married at the time). Suddenly, Seagal went from a lark to a semi-bankable star, and with good reason. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It's not every day that one receives the opportunity to bask in the expanse of the elements, leaving the "Nova" program, "Hunting the Elements," quite a distinctive viewing opportunity. Less of an analysis and more of a breezy overview of periodic table highlights, the program quests to bring the mysteries of science down to an approachable level while remaining challenging enough to provide scholarly types with an invigorating investigation of a habitually studied topic. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 1987, Patrick Swayze scored a sleeper smash with "Dirty Dancing," catapulting the actor to bigger and better roles in Hollywood, offering a shot at starring vehicles after years of supporting work. In 1990, Swayze hit the jackpot with "Ghost," a bona fide blockbuster that made him a household name, using sensual pottery and a resolute commitment to emoting to turn his last name into legend. Yet, there was an odd year in between the hits, with 1989 providing an especially double-fisted year for Swayze, testing out his newfound bankability with two actioners of disparate temperaments, both met with cult approval and middling box office. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com