sandwichjohnfilms

The Direct-to-Video release doesn't make a strong case for consideration. Review by Matt Cummings The Direct-to-Video release of Jarhead 3: The Siege is one example of why VOD and the secondary release market has a long way to go before anyone will pay attention. First, it's highly likely that few people ever watched the sequel to the quite good 2005 flick with Jake Gyllenhall - who ran as far away from this franchise as he could - which tells you right there what we're talking about. Jarhead 3 is little more than a series hoping desperately to become a franchise, but utterly lacks the tools on which to built such dreams. And while it sounds good and looks OK, the story focusing on new marine Evan Albright (Charlie Weber) who struggles to maintain his identity in the Marine Corps while a long-thought-dead terrorist assaults an under-protected embassy - just isn't the Jarhead I remember. That was a thought-provoking film about what the military can do to

The brawling Green Room looks and sounds good in its home release. Review by Brandon Wolfe and Matt Cummings The independent bloodbath Green Room didn't make a lot of waves when it was released in theaters earlier this year. In fact, its paltry $3.2m haul might suggest that the film was barely worth the effort. However, those who take a chance here might be rewarded with one of the best films of 2016. The Blu-ray release makes a good case for your attention, with good video/audio but an incomplete set of supplements. The Movie - 4/5 The Ain’t Rights, a punk band from D.C., are doing an unceremonious tour of the Pacific Northwest in their ramshackle van. The hard-luck quartet – Pat (Anton Yelchin), Sam ( Arrested Development ’s Alia Shawkat), Reece (Joe Cole) and Tiger (Callum Turner) – find themselves playing sparsely populated gigs that net them a paltry $6 a man and are reduced to syphoning off gas to remain on the road. After a mohawked college DJ (David W. Thompso

London Has Fallen is pure mayhem that doesn't care what you think. Review by Matt Cummings Just about everything falls in London Has Fallen , including some of England's most iconic scenery; but that shouldn't keep you from checking out this brisk, well-paced action flick that probably hits a little too close to home in terms of its believability. The home release looks and sounds great, but its supplements are severely lacking. The Movie - 3.5/5 When the British Prime Minister suddenly dies while recovering from surgery, the world's leaders rush to gather and pay their respects. For President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckart), it's his duty to attend such functions; but for his Secret Service bodyguard Mike Banning (Gerard Butler), the dangers of showing up with such little planning represent an immediate danger that he cannot prevent. True to form, the entire event has been orchestrated by a weapons supplier who watched his family die when the G8 ma

The latest Coen Brothers' comedy misses the mark but still manages to look and sound great. Review by Matt Cummings It goes without saying that The Coen Brothers are probably everyone's favorite independent filmmakers. Who can blame them for spitting out their names in the same breath as today's other fashionable phrases ('whiskey' and 'Bernie' among them). But those who really follow them might say Joel and Ethan Coen are like many of their recent characters: washed up, existing on the credit of their past glories, and doomed to a slow, agonizing death. Their latest Hail, Caesar! is the fourth in a line of duds, doing a pretty good job of turning the mirror on themselves, while the rest of us try to figure out the humor. Luckily, Universal comes prepared with great audio and video, although the Supplements need a lot of post-editing. The Movie – 3/5 The Hollywood film system of 1951 takes us deep into the daily madness undertaken by Cap

The so-so Independence Day 20th Anniversary Edition isn't so with top-shelf audio and video. Review by Matt Cummings For the 20 years, I've suffered among cinephiles convinced that Independence Day is a classic Science-Fiction film. First and foremost, ID is Sci-Fi (there is a difference): think substance over style, character development over big loud epic battles. Think Oblivion or Blade Runner vs Starship Troopers . So while the 20th Anniversary edition of Independence Day has arrived with a cleaned up picture and all of its supplements finally intact, it's still big, loud, cheap, and cheesy. The Movie - 3/5 The lives of people around the world circa 1996 are interrupted when proof of aliens finally arrives to Earth: a massive spacecraft with dozens of city-sized ships surround the planet and descend to every major city, affecting Americans in various ways. For embattled President Thomas J. Whitmore (Bill Pullman), the news focuses his troubled

The hilarious Amy Schumer/Judd Apatow comedy looks and sound great, but needs an edit. Review by Matt Cummings If there's one thing that can be said about the Amy Schumer/Judd Apatow comedy Trainwreck , it's that it lovingly shows how hot-mess relationships can come clean and eventually endure. Unfortunately, its long runtime reduces what could have been the comedy of the year. At least the home release more than makes up for its failures in story, with great audio/video and a deep collection of supplements. The Movie - 4/5 As a child of divorce, Amy (Amy Schumer) has been raised to believe that "monogamy isn't realistic," leading to a series of one-night stands that could establish a record in New York City. Prone to drinking, swearing, and generally making bad choices, Amy is a hot mess, until she meets the orthopedic surgeon Aaron (Bill Hader), as calm and normal as they come. Soon, Amy begins to fall in love with him, appreciating his down-t

Universal's gigantic dinosaur moneymaker arrives at home just in time to bore us. Review by Matt Cummings If you had come to me in December of 2014 with news that Jurassic World would be (up to this point) the largest moneymaker of 2015, I would have sicked my rapacious cats on you. Better than Age of Ultron ? Furious 7 ? And what about Mad Max: Fury Road ? While all better films, World somehow entered the zietgiest, eventually taking in an astonishing $651.7m domestically and shattering long-held records across the board. With its release onto Blu-ray this week, there's still little reasoning behind such an impressive performance, even with an amazing audio and video transfer. The Movie - 3.5/5 After the disastrous events of Isla Nubar in Jurassic Park , the island is more like Disneyland now, replete with happy genetically-spliced dinosaurs of every kind, creating a safe (if almost homogeneous) experience, with children riding mini-Triceratops and a Sea

Filled with high-octane stunts and likable additions, Furious 7 roars to a tearful tribute. Review by Matt Cummings WARNING: This review contains SPOILERS. Review by Matt Cummings When Furious 7 arrived in theaters on April 3, 2015 it was unclear whether audiences would accept the inevitable: that Actor Paul Walker - who tragically died in 2013 - would no longer grace this lucrative franchise. Would the film, delayed almost a year as it was re-shot, bring a satisfying conclusion to Walker's Brian O'Conner story arc? Based on its incredible success out-of-the-gate success, the answer was an emphatic yes. Whether it's the best of the series is open to debate, but as it arrives on Blu-ray it's clear that Universal commands the field, with one of the best looking and sounding affairs of the year. The Movie - 4/5 With Owen Shaw (Luke Evans) defeated in London, Team Furious doesn't realize that Shaw's meaner brother Deckard (Jason Statham) h