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"CATFISH" Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: *** (out of 5 stars) DVD EXPERIENCE: ** (out of 5 stars) Rated PG-13 Studio: Universal Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
In late 2007, filmmaker Nev Schulman struck up an online relationship with a family in another part of the country. He got to know the younger daughter who made paintings from the photos he took. He also got to know the mother over the phone. And finally, he got to know the other daughter over Facebook and started a long-distance, online romance with her. Wanting to meet her, Nev and his friends went on a road trip to bring them together, and they had no idea what was in store for them.
WHAT I LIKED
“Catfish” was one of those films I heard a lot of buzz about, mostly from people telling me that it was a creepy and eerie movie. I was also warned to learn the least amount about it before seeing it for fear that it would be ruined. So accordingly, I avoided conversations until I had a chance to watch it on Blu-ray.
I will say that this was the best way to view the film, with full ignorance of what it’s about. This also makes it terribly hard to review, but I will attempt to do so.
“Catfish” is definitely eerie and scary, though not in the traditional sense. It’s not a horror movie by any stretch of the imagination, but rather a compelling real-life (allegedly, at least) drama. You’ll not see anything else like it. It reveals some of the ugly and potentially dangerous side of Facebook and privacy, and it will keep you guessing.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
There has been some speculation as to whether the events that occur in “Catfish” are 100% genuine. Like “Exit Through the Gift Shop,” that’s not for me to decide, but rather to look at the film as an effective piece of filmmaking. Still, there are elements to this movie that don’t ring perfectly honest. Part of the fun of the movie is if it’s all true, and that may very well be the case. If you were to ask me, I think the answer – and the reality – is somewhere in-between.
BLU-RAY FEATURES
The Blu-ray doesn’t come with much in the terms of bonus materials, except for a Q&A with the filmmakers about the film, including some softball questions about the film’s reality.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Those who like a compelling documentary that may or may not be 100% real.
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"JUST WRIGHT" Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: *1/2 (out of 5 stars) BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: ** (out of 5 stars) Rated PG Studio: Fox Searchlight Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Leslie Wright (Queen Latifah) is a physical therapist who can’t seem to win in love. When she gets a shot at helping rehabilitate New Jersey Nets’ star player Scott McKnight (Common), they find an attraction to each other. However, Leslie’s gold-digging friend Morgan (Paula Patton) is determined to become an NBA wife and targets Scott. And while Leslie’s career seems to take off, she sees her love life in danger of falling apart.
WHAT I LIKED
I like Queen Latifah. I really do. She’s a beautiful, gutsy, multitalented woman. And she won a freaking Oscar, which was actually deserved (unlike many awards that are handed out each year). So I’ll watch almost anything with her in it and enjoy it to a certain degree.
She deserves better than this.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
“Just Wright” tries to do too many things. It tries to be a romantic comedy. It tries to be an inspirational sports movie. It tries to be a story of an independent woman who can make it on her own. As the film tries to tell all of these stories, the focus just gets lost.
There’s an underlying philosophy in this movie that makes most of the characters undesirable. The character of Morgan is nothing short of a whore who wants fame and money over a functional relationship. The character of Scott is as shallow as real NBA players, enamored by a pretty face and tight body over a decent person. No amount of redemption of these characters makes them likeable, even in the end.
And then there’s Common. I’m sure he’s a decent rapper, but the six-foot-nothing aspiring actor is completely unbelievable as an NBA star or a romantic lead. Put him in “Date Night” next to one of the McPoyles as a thug, and he works. Try to feel sympathy in a love story? He fails, uncommonly.
BLU-RAY FEATURES
This Blu-ray comes with a gag reel and three featurettes, “The One You Can’t Live Without,” “Common on the Fast Break” and “When Amazing Happens.”
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
I have no idea.
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"#1 CHEERLEADER CAMP" DVD Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: *** (out of 5 stars) DVD EXPERIENCE: ** (out of 5 stars) Not Rated Studio: The Asylum Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
A couple of college guys get a job working at a cheerleader camp, where one discovers love while the other discovers a way to look into the shower room. When one of the nicest cheerleading squads is almost kicked out, everyone pitches in to hire some strippers to join the team.
WHAT I LIKED
Boobs.
Yeah, what else did you expect from a look at a film called “#1 Cheerleader Camp”? It’s got boobs, which is nice to see. In fact, it’s got a lot of them, and that speaks to me. You might find this silly to say, but I’ve seen too many films that exist in this direct-to-DVD realm that promise T&A on the cover and don’t deliver.
Aside from the copious amounts of boobs, there’s some funny moments. Think of this as a rip-off of a “Porky’s” sequel, and you’ve got an idea of what to expect.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
The Asylum doesn’t just do horror movie and sci-fi knock-offs. They do original films, too, if you can call a T&A cheerleader camp film original. So all of the problems with an Asylum movie (poor script writing, bad acting and goofy plot points) are here.
But so are boobs.
DVD FEATURES
The unrated DVD comes with a making-of featurette, trailers and a gag reel.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Anyone looking for a little (or a lot) of T&A.
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"2010: MOBY DICK" DVD Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: ***1/2 (out of 5 stars) DVD EXPERIENCE: ** (out of 5 stars) Not Rated Studio: The Asylum Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
This modernized, high-tech adaptation of Herman Melville’s classic book “Moby Dick” stars Barry Bostwick as Captain Ahab, who is in command of a renegade submarine, obsessed with finding a massive prehistoric whale that maimed him. A beautiful scientist joins his crew to help bring down the massive white whale.
WHAT I LIKED
I love the movies from The Asylum. Sure, they’re cheesy and silly, and they’re almost always a knock-off of a big-budget Hollywood blockbuster. But the steady stream of these films on the SyFy channel are tons of fun. You can’t take them seriously, and you’ve gotta just have fun with them.
“2010: Moby Dick” borrows elements from other monster movies like “Sharktopus” and “Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus,” namely the bad CGI attack of a massive sea creature. It’s silly and it’s fun, and it actually plays better than most of the Asylum knock-offs.
I commend Barry Bostwick for giving his all as Captain Ahab. He’s not just collecting a mortgage payment here. He’s actually acting, which adds a level of quality to this film. The man is game to have fun, and he helps make a fun film.
Right now, “2010: Moby Dick” is clocking in as my favorite Asylum monster movie after “Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus”... and that’s saying something.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Well, there’s all the standard silliness in an Asylum film. The effects are ridiculously cheap, but they’re fun. The script isn’t exactly classic literature, even if the original story idea is. And Renee O’Connor from “Xena: Warrior Princess” seems a bit lost in the film. Thank god Barry Bostwick is there to save the day.
DVD FEATURES
The DVD comes with a making-of featurette and a gag reel.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Fans of modern schlock films, but awesome modern schlock films.
