What’s new & noteworthy on DVD & Blu-ray May 16, 2017 – Albany Times Union (blog)

Fifty Shades Darker Allow me to offer up perhaps one of the few useful reviews of Fifty Shades Darker. Perhaps you saw the first movie and were a fan, or maybe you just thought it was okay. Hmmm should I check out the second one? you think to yourself. So, you go online to check out reviews, only to find that pretty much every single one of them proclaims Fifty Shades Darker (and its predecessor) the worst movie ever made. Well, this is where I step in, then. Is this the kind of movie that critics will like? Absolutely not. But who cares? If youre a fan of the books or the first movie, will you like this sequel? Absolutely. I liked the first movie just fine (its not great, but it has some enjoyable moments), and I actually think this sequel is the better film. It improves on everything in the first film, with a more confident script, better performances, and a meatier story all around. Theres a suspense/action sequence near the climax that is a bit too rushed, but I actually enjoyed the movie quite a bit. So, if youre wondering if you should check the second film out the answer is a resounding Yes.

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter Im a huge fan of the Resident Evil franchise. Ive never played the games, but I love the movies. This latest movie, dubbed The Final Chapter (Friday the 13th had a Final Chapter, too, which was followed by a half-dozen sequels), is a bit of a let down from the past two, which were both a lot of fun. I still enjoyed this film, but the hyper-editing style is so over-the-top that honestly, for most of the movie, its hard to tell whats going on. There are probably three cuts a second during the action scenes, giving you no chance to even figure out whats happening at any given moment. That said, there are some fun moments and its not like its a bad film, its just a letdown after the last three or so were so much fun.

xXx: The Return of Xander Cage The original xXx wasnt really all that great of a movie. As much as I like director Rob Cohen as an action director, the film was way too long (over two hours) and took itself way too seriously. This new sequel, released fifteen years after the original film came out, fixes both of those problems. This time around, it runs 105 minutes (still just a tad too long) and is very self-aware of the fact that its a big-budgeted B-movie and nothing more. Its certainly not a great film, but Vin Diesel looks like hes having a little bit of fun at least, and Nina Dobrev is a revelation as something of a comic relief element (a nice contrast to her overwrought role on Vampire Diaries.) While it tries hard to be a Fast & Furious movie, its still a xXx movie, but its certainly a step up from the first one.

The Space Between Us Noted British film critic Mark Kermode has called this film The Fault Between Our Mars, and honestly, its hard to come up with anything better to say about the film than that. A teen romance movie with a sci-fi twist, the film stars Asa Butterfield (ugh) and Britt Robertson (yay!) as quite literally star crossed lovers. Gary Oldman and Carla Gugino co-star and are, as usual, welcome additions to the proceedings. While the film is geared for teens, its still enjoyable enough for adult viewers, and while the film didnt fare that well at the box office, its a sweet film with some nice moments.

Streets of Fire Streets of Fire is one of those movies thats been on my need to watch list for a very long time. I remember the film being a staple of the video stores I would frequent as a child, always on the shelves yet never making it into my rentals. Of course, since its directed by Walter Hill (The Warriors, 48 Hours), whos become one of my favorite directors over the years, I really wanted to see it. Newly released on Blu-ray for the first time courtesy of Shout Factory, this rock n roll epic action film is an incredible amount of fun. While Michael Pare doesnt light the screen up with his charisma, seeing performances by a very young Diane Lane, Willem Dafoe, and Bill Paxton is a lot of fun. The film has great action scenes, terrific music, and its all wrapped up in that Walter Hill style. In short: I loved it!

Wonder Woman: Commemorative Edition While you might get excited to see a new DC Universe animated movie, be aware that this is simply a re-release of the original Wonder Woman animated film from 2009 starring Keri Russell and Nathan Fillion. Its a pretty typical origin story but its definitely from before the DC animated movies started to go downhill, which they have in recent years. This new version is mostly the same as the old one, just with a few new extra features, so if you already have that one you wont need this one. If youve never seen it or dont own it, this is a great version to get before the new movie comes out.

Beyond The Gates This 80s influence horror film sees two brothers (whose father has disappeared) discover an interactive VHS game that, once they play it, brings about some horrifying experience. The movie is a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, I really loved the 80s homages and the feel that takes it back to that decade. On the other hand, the low budget sometimes works against it, and the beginning is a bit on the slow side. However, for fans of horror (especially 80s horror flicks), it does offer up a little something different, and thats always nice to see in such a derivative genre.

Willard & Ben Two cult classic horror films from the 1970s, Shout Factorys excellent Scream Factory imprint brings us the Blu-ray debuts of Willard and its sequel, Ben. While some people might be more familiar with the Crispin Glover-led remake of Willard from a decade ago or so, the original film is a well-loved story about a boy who can communicate with a rat, and the havoc he wreaks with the help of the rat and his rodent friends. Ben, the follow-up (with an Oscar-nominated theme song by Michael Jackson really!), sees the rat from the first film take center stage. (No, Im not making this up.) These are fun films that are cult popular for a reason, even if they are certainly a bit dated by now.

Also available this week on Blu-ray & DVD:

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What's new & noteworthy on DVD & Blu-ray May 16, 2017 - Albany Times Union (blog)