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"ABANDONED" Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: *** (out of 5 stars) BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: * (out of 5 stars) Rated PG-13 Studio: Anchor Bay Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
In her final film, Brittany Murphy plays Mary, a career woman who brings her boyfriend into the hospital for minor surgery. She waits for him to be done, but when he doesn’t appear in recovery, Mary starts looking for him. She soon discovers that the hospital has no record of him being there, and the authorities start to wonder if she’s hallucinated the whole thing. Mary desperately tries to find her boyfriend and prove her own sanity.
WHAT I LIKED
As much as I enjoy the massive summer blockbusters and high-budget event pictures, a nice intimate thriller can be just as effective. This was Murphy’s last movie to be released after her untimely death, and while it’s not a perfect film, she could have gone out on a lower note.
“Abandoned” has the feel of a “Twilight Zone” or “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” episode, featuring a possible mind-bending outcome as well as a hint of crime. It’s a showpiece for Murphy, and she definitely carries the film. Even her co-stars Mimi Rogers, Dean Cain and Peter Bogdanovich aren’t acting up to their full potential. But dammit if Murphy doesn’t give it her all. I’ve gotta hand it to her. It wasn’t the best film of her career, but her presence certainly made watching it worthwhile.
This is a film of small stature, and while it goes down some obvious paths, it’s not a chore to watch. With a running time of 93 minutes, it’s entirely digestible and worth checking out on Blu-ray or DVD if you’re at a loss while browsing the video store shelves.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
The high point of this film is Brittany Murphy’s presence. Everyone else seems to be cashing in a paycheck. It’d be nice if some of the secondary cast has secured their acting caps a little better.
And while it was nice to see Tim Thomerson of “Trancers” fame show up again in a movie, he did seem a bit tired and pedantic in this film. Like I said, Murphy carried the whole thing, and she’s the key to making this film work.
BLU-RAY FEATURES
There are no special features on the Blu-ray.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Anyone who wants to see Brittany Murphy’s final film and those who enjoy a decent psychological thriller.
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"$5 A DAY" Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: **1/2 (out of 5 stars) BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: ** (out of 5 stars) Rated PG-13 Studio: Image Entertainment Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Alessandro Nivola plays a man living a secret life. He’s an ex-con who has changed his name to hide his past from his job and his girlfriend. When his past is discovered, he loses both of them, and he heads to Atlantic City to confront his estranged father (Christopher Walken), who spends more time working scams than paying for his life. Together they drive across country to reconnect and bring closure to their relationship.
WHAT I LIKED
You’ve gotta love Walken. Even in awful movies, he’s a treat to watch. And “$5 a Day” is a true Walken picture. He has all of his tics in place, and you get the full Walken experience.
This film reminds me of a similar movie several years ago called “Around the Bend,” which featured Josh Lucas as a son trying to connect with his dad (also played by Walken). Like “Around the Bend,” “$5 a Day” isn’t perfect, but it does examine some of the issues that we have when connecting with our parents as adults.
The acting is the highlight of this film, with Walken bringing his own presence but not falling into caricature. Nivola also does a fine job playing straight man. And with some decent supporting roles from Sharon Stone and Amanda Peet, we end up with a dysfunctional road movie that might give you a few pointers on how to scam a free lunch at a hotel.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
On the whole, I’m not wild about films like this, so the basic structure of the movie was only so-so to me. The performances were all good, but coming from a relatively functional family, I didn’t quite connect with all the characters.
There’s also a pretty obvious product placement for Sweet ‘N Low sweetener, which works in the film itself, but the 35 cent coupon that comes bundled with the Blu-ray or DVD is a little heavy-handed.
BLU-RAY FEATURES
The Blu-ray comes with the trailer, still galleries and interviews with the cast and director, which plays somewhat rote.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Fans of the low-key road movie, and Walken fanatics.
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"NANNY MCPHEE" Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: *** (out of 5 stars) BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: **** (out of 5 stars) Rated PG Studio: Universal Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
In the first film adapting the “Nurse Matilda” books, Emma Thompson stars as Nanny McPhee, a magical nanny who appears when a family really needs her. Like a darker version of “Mary Poppins,” Nanny McPhee appears to a widower whose children are out of control. She plans on teaching them five lessons, and grows less ugly with each lesson, until the kids learn their manners and make life easier for their father.
WHAT I LIKED
This was a cute enough movie when I saw it in the theaters, and now it’s available on Blu-ray for the first time. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s worth catching before heading out to the theaters to see “Nanny McPhee Returns.”
The actors are what makes this movie work – from Emma Thompson as the title character to Colin Firth as the put-upon widower. There’s also an adorable performance by Kelly MacDonald, though she’s not in enough of the film to really enjoy her as an actor.
I’ve seen this film with my kids, and they adore it simply because it allows them to live vicariously through the kids as they misbehave in the beginning and then root for them to win as they learn their manners. It’s more of a kids’ film than a grown-up’s movie, with a good message at its heart.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Now that I’ve been a parent going on ten years, I find it harder and harder to appreciate movies with hellion children in the beginning. I get the fact that this is as set-up for kids to be improved, but I just can’t stomach watching blatant disregard for authority. It’s the dad in me that makes this tough to take.
Also, there are points in the movie that get a little too silly, even for my tastes. While my nine-year-old always loved the scene where a donkey is dressed up in its Sunday best, it doesn’t quite fit in the scheme of the film.
BLU-RAY FEATURES
The Blu-ray comes with all the DVD extras from the original release, including featurettes on casting the children, building the village, the make-up effects and the journey from the “Nurse Matilda” books to this film. There are also deleted scenes, a gag reel and a feature commentary with director Kirk Jones and the children stars.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Kids and people who like Emma Thompson’s children’s book take on life.
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"FLASH GORDON" Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: **** (out of 5 stars) BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: *** (out of 5 stars) Rated PG Studio: Unviersal Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
This campy 80s adaptation of the classic comic strip and serial comes to vibrant life on Blu-ray. Playgirl model Sam J. Jones plays New York Jets quarterback Flash Gordon, who is accidentally shot off of Earth in a rocket ship with the beautiful agent Dale Arden (Melody Anderson) and Dr. Hans Zakrov (Topol). They fly off to the world of Mongo where Ming the Merciless is toying with the Earth before he plans to destroy it. Flash unites the kingdoms of Mongo to fight against Ming and save billions of lives.
WHAT I LIKED
I remember seeing this movie as a kid, when it was released in the height of the “Star Wars” rip-off phase. And while this version of “Flash Gordon” is about as far from being a quality sci-fi flick like “Star Wars” as it can be, it’s a hell of a lot of fun to watch.
From the roller disco set design to the cheesy special effects, “Flash Gordon” is a remnant of the 80s that makes me long for the decade. It’s ridiculous in its presentation but fantastic in is scope. It was a little beyond me when I saw it as a nine-year-old kid, but looking back on the spectacle that “Flash Gordon” was, I can’t help but love it.
This is like a drug-induced sexy fever dream of what the 80s had turned into for much of science fiction cinema. I am reluctant to call “Flash Gordon” a quality movie, but it’s a great experience.
And one can’t talk about this film without giving a nod to the awesome musical score by Queen. I still find it hard to resist yelling, “Ah-haaaa! Savior of the universe!” whenever I hear someone say, “Flash.”
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Let’s face it... this isn’t high art. It has all the problems of pop films of the 80s. The characters are shallow. There’s no logical explanation for the love connections in the film, beyond blind lust. The effects are terrible, even for the day. And the story falls into cliche at every turn. This is nothing more than a big-budget cinematic version of the “Buck Rogers” television show.
But dammit if I don’t love watching it.
BLU-RAY FEATURES
The new Blu-ray comes with all the special features from the special edition DVD released a couple years ago, including an interview with comic artist Alex Ross, a look at the screenwriter and the first episode of the 1936 “Flash Gordon” serial.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Children of the 80s.
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"HOT FUZZ" Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: **** (out of 5 stars) BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: **** (out of 5 stars) Rated R Studio: Rogue Pictures Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Sergeant Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) is a London cop who is so good at his job that he’s making everyone else on the force look bad. They “promote” him to a position in the quaint town of Sanford. This county paradise has one of the lowest crime rates in England, but Angel soon learns that there is a darker force at work in town. Together with bumbling office Danny Butterman (Nick Frost), Angel works tirelessly to solve a string of bizarre murders that are written off as accidents.
WHAT I LIKED
“Hot Fuzz” was a fantastic follow-up to Edgar Wright’s “Shaun of the Dead.” It took on the buddy cop movies the way that “Shaun of the Dead” sent up zombie films. Steeped in British humor, “Hot Fuzz” pokes fun at some of the most over-the-top American action flicks, like “Point Break” and “Bad Boys II” (though, interesting to note, not “Bad Boys”).
One of the best parts of “Hot Fuzz” was that it gave Simon Pegg a chance to play off-character from what he did in “Shaun of the Dead.” You wouldn’t think he could manage the hard-core action hero, but he does. Sure, Nick Frost plays a version of his character from “Shaun of the Dead,” but they each give us something different.
“Hot Fuzz” manages to find humor not just in the mundane existence of a small town but also in the overblown nature of action films. And because of Wright’s deft directing, it works as an action movie on its own.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Not a whole lot. It’s a damn fine movie. There are some slow spots, but only over-stimulated Michael Bay acolytes will be bothered by that... and they won’t quite get that Edgar Wright is actually making fun of them.
BLU-RAY FEATURES
The Blu-ray comes with all the features from the previously released DVD, including outtakes, deleted scenes, feature commentaries, eight featurettes, special effects spots, video blogs and a making-of feature. There’s also the Fuzz-O-Meter trivia track and storyboard access via U-Control.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
People who love buddy cop movies and can handle the spoof. And people who like Edgar Wright’s brand of humor.
