End of Year Blu-ray Review Fest continues with Part 2
Judy
Judy is a biopic that follows my favorite aspect of biopics. Excusing the behavior at the end of life. Too often, we see movies trying to stuff decades of a life into two hours. That’s not interesting. What is interesting is making sense of when people flame out near the end. I say this as a person who loved seeing the Nixon childhood stuff shown in Stone’s epic vs. trying to make sense of Watergate. But, what does that all mean?
Well, the answer is simple. You don’t catch truth on the way up. Truth emerges when people are hanging onto their last grasps of sanity. It’s that hidden thread that makes sense of everything wrong and right in a life. Renee Zellweger grabs that thread and stitches an incredible performance with it. Again, it’s another one of those films that would’ve fallen through the cracks if not for a stellar performance.
The Blu-ray comes with a featurette, image gallery and a trailer. The real winner is that stunning 1080p transfer that Lionsgate brought to home video. Amazing work all around.
Downton Abbey
When you take a TV series to the theatrical realm, it always gives me reservations. As the End of Year rolls around, I found myself turning my attention back to Downton Abbey. Unlike other TV to feature film outings, this entry felt more like a proper season finale rather than big-screen continuation. So many dangling plot points and final notes were saved for theatrical release. If you were a casual fan, you might find yourself waiting to finish the series proper before making the outing.
Yet, I feel that so many will take the time to discover whatever became of their favorite characters now. The Deleted Scenes and rich commentary help out a ton. However, the excessive amount of bonus content felt more apt for a TV release rather than a film. Oh well, it still looks amazing in 1080p and that DTS-HD 7.1 master audio track is so robust.
Candy
Candy was supposed to be this big return to Aussie cinema for Heath Ledge. Originally arriving after his stunning turn in Brokeback Mountain, Candy was a harrowing look at how heroin addiction can impact young love. You get a commentary, featurette and related special features. Still, it’s one of those movies that you check out because you want to see the films missing in your level of knowledge regarding a certain actor.
Voice of the Eagle: The Enigma of Robbie Basho
Voice of the Eagle is a three disc release that might overwhelm you. While the feature documentary is pretty short, you get 410 minutes of special features. Robbie Basho was a talented guitarist who was killed by a chiropractor. If that’s not enough, he was a friend of most 60s musicians and claims to have been the reincarnation of a poet. Also, he said that he had the imaginary disorder synesthesia. The film is a pretty traditional documentary, but the interviews go on forever. By the way, I’m ready to fight readers on the synesthesia claim.
Ever After
Ever After is a look at life in Europe two years after a zombie apocalypse. Two German towns are doing their best to survive, but life in the Black Forest is rough now. It’s cool to see killer zombies in International movies. However, even Germany is getting hit with the cliche issues that plague American horror. It’s worth giving a shot at least once.
Famine
Famine is the latest release from Unearthed Films. The film follows the aftermath of a terrible high school prank. As the film suggests, the famine is a traditional event where people end up getting hurt. I’m not sure if that makes any sense, but I can count on Unearthed for one thing. Gruesome violence and stunning setups that make for a fun horror outing.