Why So Blu?

Wolfcop

hanshotfirst1138

Snow White and the Huntsman- Post-Hunger Games, post-Twilight revisionist take on the famous fairy tale basically adds a touch of Peter Jackson's LOTR and makes the title character a Joan of Arc warrior against the evil queen, aided by the strapping woodsman. Basically a glossy music video of lots of visual razzle dazzle and little substance, it's passable if unremarkable popcorn fare without any of the staying power of the great revisionist fairy tales. A cast of British actors are fun as the dwarves and Theron hams it up like mad as the Evil Queen, shame that they aren't in a better film. Glossy and appropriately dark, but not imaginative, frightening, or smart enough to justify going back the well yet again. Functional, but not much else.

Poltergeist- Though bearing Tobe Hooper's directorial credit, this bombastic 1981 horror favorite bears the fingerprints of producer and screenwriter Steven Spielberg much more strongly, boasting his familial themes, suburban setting, and glossy effects-filled set pieces. Exactly who storyboarded and directed what remains a topic of considerable debate to this day, but the final product, though overlong and bit overproduced, at its best it's frightening, exciting, and occasionally quite moving, and many of the special effects sequences, produced at the height of ILM's powers, remain pretty impressive. Perhaps not quite the sum of its parts, but effective and iconic. Special kudos to Goldsmith's score, spookier than the usual Williams fare, and especially cinematographer John Leonetti's stunning lighting. The Blu-ray looks remarkably good.

Mondo Kane

Month round-up (bold=liked)


*Most favorites of the month

Goldberg74

St Vincent
The Box Trolls

Why So Blu?

The Humbling

printerati

This post brought to you by the Department of Redundancy Department.

inri222

Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father - 3/5

Documentary about a medical resident who was murdered by his psychotic ex-girlfriend and the after effects of the crime on those who were close to the victim. Emotionally devastating subject matter whose impact for me was diminished by the amateurish filmmaking techniques at play. Could have been better if done by someone who was not so close to the victim.

Giles

lol

Giles

'Caliber 9' -

printerati

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2013) on Netflix. Lightweight but entertaining, just like every other Clancy-based film I have seen. Everything comes together a bit too quickly and conveniently, but I did appreciate that none of the stunts defied the laws of physics.

iNCREDiPiNOY

cinderella - 3/5

EddieMoney

Whiplash - 5/5

JANK

The Trip To Italy

mndtrp

The new Robocop. It was fine, nothing spectacular.

davidlynchfan

Deranged: Confessions of a Necrophile - 1974. I loved it. 10/10

asianxcore

Clown (2014)

Seeing that this came from Jon Watts' 2010 faux trailer, I was surprised how good the full-length film ended up being. Cast is solid, (practical) FX work is great and the film balances all of its pieces well.

It also had one of the best Horror set pieces I've seen in a Horror film in a really long time. Such a great idea!

Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead (2014)

There was a little bit of false advertising when it came to this film. While it definitely has its fun moments and delivers on gore, the script is a bit of a mess. Too many ideas put in the pot, none really developed to their fullest. The film really needed some editing. The best thing about the film, the character of Brooke (played by Bianca Bradey) is underutilized here. Not quite the Midnight Movie/Cult Classic I'm sure the filmmakers were shooting for.

iNCREDiPiNOY

INSURGENT 3D - 4/5 - I feel like watching Peter Pan Live! hence the rope attached to the back. lol

EddieMoney

Foxcatcher - 3.5/5 Fairly solid acting, technically efficient to a fault, Bennett Miller does well telling true stories that take us from point A to point B, but there is ultimately no soul in his work. The great Mark Ruffalo is wasted in this film.

inri222

Ganja & Hess - 4/5

What if Gordon Parks, Ingmar Berman & John Cassavetes got together and made a film about addiction disguised as a Blaxploitation vampire film? A strange and sometimes mesmerizing film filled with symbolism and social commentary on race. Remade by Spike Lee as Da Sweet Blood of Jesus.

asianxcore

Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films (2014)

OldBoy

Rosewater...could have been more gripping and well done with a more seasoned Director. just didn't think it had any omph.

Ringmaster

I highly recommend Return to the 36 Chambers if haven't checked it out yet. It's just as good as 36 Chambers of Sholin IMO.

JimRochester

Laggies Wasn't terrible. I would have stuck with it but it was getting late and I knew we were losing an hours sleep. Great talent, just Kiera Knightly with an American accent wasn't doing it for me. Also it moved very slowly. I freely admit my tastes are shallow. But an hour in and things were just getting interesting was too slow for me. Some good humor but not really a comedy. They should have just shot for comedy gold it would have been easier to stick with it.

mndtrp

Snowpiercer
Oculus
The Scribbler

I ended up liking all three, which is a nice change of pace.

LorenzoL

I plan to watch both Return and Disciples in the next few days... Thanks for the recommendation.