Jason Statham is a pure badass, and thankfully he knows it. You won't see him pulling a
Tooth Fairy or a
Jingle All the Way; nope, he knows who he is and not even an Allstate Insurance homage can water down the intensity that is Stathum. Unfortunately, the remake of
The Mechanic, out today on Blu-ray, was not the movie it could (or should) have been in terms of story. But if you're a fan of Statham, this is a must add to your Blu-ray collection.
Staff reviewer Martin Liebman commented in his
The Mechanic Blu-ray review , "The action is crisp, the direction is smooth, the score is competent, and the acting is sufficient. Unfortunately, it all adds up to a big pile of flashy nothing." He continues, "As for Sony's Blu-ray, the supplements are few and the technical specs are up to par: video looks great, audio sounds great."
For those who have seen his work as Hannibal Lecter, Anthony Hopkins is about as scary as they come. Sure, his list of performances makes him one of the most talented and well respected actors of our time, but it's always his quick witted lines delivered while portraying a cannibal that echo in the dark places of our minds. So it's of the utmost disappointment that
The Rite, while clearly conjuring up memories of
The Exorcist, just isn't that scary. At least, not in the way that we all know Hopkins can be.
For the
The Rite Blu-ray review , staff reviewer Kenneth Brown commented, "It fails in many regards, despite offering a pair of solid performances, a somewhat unique twist on a tired cinematic tale, and some of the best exorcism sequences to grace a PG-13 film. But it still has enough to offer genre fans to make for a decent rainy day rental. Warner's Blu-ray release is more satisfying, but only in part. While it boasts a strong video transfer and excellent DTS-HD Master Audio mix, its supplemental package is a 22-minute disappointment."
Remember when Eddie Murphy was raunchy? Back when the jokes he told could even make Chris Rock blush? Well, thankfully we can revisit those times (oh, the memories) with today's Blu-ray release of
Beverly Hills Cop. One of the best 'buddy cop' films of all time, this 80's classic captures the pinnacle of Murphy's career and pretty much all of Judge Reinhold's.
Staff reviewer Martin Liebman commented in his
Beverly Hills Cop Blu-ray review , "There's nothing here, except for the music, that's not made exponentially better by Murphy's enthusiasm and mastery of not only the specific role but also the style that's made him and the movie such a gargantuan success. Fortunately, the film's two best assets compliment one another like peanut butter and jelly, a classic combination that's made Beverly Hills Cop a superior movie where one would otherwise not exist. Beverly Hills Cop finally makes its Blu-ray debut and features good video and a nice assortment of extras, but the lossless soundtrack lags behind."
And finally, I can't let the fact that
Five Deadly Venoms is out today on Blu-ray slip by without a mention. As one of the greatest Shaw Brothers films of all time (right up there with
36th Chamber of Shaolin, in this writer's opinion), the film deserves to be in any film library right next to the many other Shaw Brothers films that have seen Blu-ray release. Celestial Pictures spent many years remastering the majority of the Shaw Brothers film library, and the results are impressive to say the least. In terms of presentation, they won't rival any Hollywood release in the past 30 years, but the quality of the martial arts work is still some of the best ever filmed.