Thomas Spurlin's DVD Talk DVD Reviews

Bitter Moon (Blu-ray)

Tue, 30 Jul 2019 15:51:40 UTC

Rent It

The Film:

The argument that frequently surrounds artists with controversial personal lives is that if the work remains of high quality, then one should be able to dismiss what they do outside their creations and still appreciate what they've made. That's much easier to do when the work doesn't remind one of their questionable acts outside the creative space, especially with the great director Roman Polanski: despite the troubling accusations against him, one can still appreciate the heavy hitters of his oeuvre -- Rosemary's Baby, Repulsion, Read the entire review

Thirst (2009) (Blu-ray)

Thu, 25 Jul 2019 20:42:53 UTC

Recommended

The Film:

Park Chan-wook's Vengeance Trilogy generated such enthusiasm from the global cinema community that excitement began to build about where the director's vision might go next, considering what'll happen if he were to take on other genres outside of gritty revenge thrillers. While his lighter science-fiction outing I'm a Cyborg, But That's Okay was quietly released a year later to relatively mixed reviews, it was the news that he would be tackling a vampire story that really got gears spinning over what his dark, morally challenging perspective might look like in a genre film. True to Park Chan-wook's style, Thirst goes a step beyond what's expected of standard fare from vampire filmmaking, taking the idea of blood-drinking, murde...Read the entire review

Replicas (Blu-ray)

Wed, 17 Jul 2019 19:21:58 UTC

Rent It

The Film:

Largely due to the success of John Wick, we're in the midst of something of a Keanu Reeves revival, and I couldn't be more excited about that. In the right roles, which are often stoic or deliberately composed with doses of genuine, fiery emotion coming out of his character, he can deliver rather absorbing performances that hit just the right tones for certain styles of plotting. Worth remembering, though, during this time of celebrated revival, that he can just as easily be cast in the wrong parts that stretch his talents too thin and leave him feeling like an awkward presence … and that all his past films aren't immediately transformed into gems, like Read the entire review

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995) (Blu-ray)

Tue, 09 Jul 2019 19:50:43 UTC

Rent It

The Film:

While the concept of the "Power Rangers" had been popular for nearly two decades in Japan under its original, true form, Super Sentai, the brand Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers -- and perhaps the whole idea in general -- hit its most popular point in the ‘90s once a reshot and repurposed version hit the US. Cutting together the martial-arts and monster action from the Japanese series with newly-recorded English dialogue and drama scenes, Power Rangers struck that magic pop-culture chord where it was nearly impossible to not see the toys everywhere or hear references to the show's taglines. In the same vein as Masters of the Universe or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, it was inevitable that a bigger-...Read the entire review

Destroyer (Blu-ray)

Mon, 08 Jul 2019 15:08:29 UTC

Rent It

The Film:

If the measure of quality one uses to evaluate a film's strength is whether it made the individual feel something, regardless of what that feeling might be, then Destroyer could be seen as a roaring success. The latest film from The Invitation director Karyn Kusama takes great strides to make those watching get involved with the harrowing life of a gaunt, ramshackle police detective -- and mother -- whose past encounters while undercover continue to impact and, in ways, curse her life some decades later. The psychological and physical hits that she takes, the fear and guilt that she exudes, and the absence of an ability for her to lead a real life come together ...Read the entire review

The Illusionist (MVD Marquee Release) (Blu-ray)

Fri, 28 Jun 2019 15:25:26 UTC

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The Film:

Drenched in sepia tones and flickering like a relic of Thomas Edison's first filmmaking ventures, Neil Burger's The Illusionist has the unfortunate task in competing against another turn-of-the-century magic story released in its year, Christopher Nolan's The Prestige. Nolan's film stylishly weaves through a labyrinth of dark tones and twisted motives, while planting Batman himself, Christian Bale, in a cutthroat love triangle between X-Men actor Hugh Jackman and sultry Scarlett Johansson. Aside from the late-1800s setting, however, the two films couldn't be more different; Burger's loose adaptation of Steven Millhauser's story "Eisenheim The Illusionist" relies on straightforward storytelling for its mysterious ...Read the entire review

Serenity (2019) (Blu-ray)

Tue, 25 Jun 2019 17:40:56 UTC

Rent It

The Film:

Plot twists have the ability to change the entire context of how a movie plays out, to such a degree that it makes discussing it nearly impossible without revealing what's involved with it. Here's the thing about twists, though: the film should succeed as its own experience without relying on a big revelation later down the line to justify why certain things may have seemed out of place, whether it's relationships between the characters or the tempo of the thrills. Serenity -- the latest thriller from the shrewd suspense writer of Locke and Dirty Pretty Things, Steven Knight -- feels like many things are off with its realism as soon as it embarks, where celebrated...Read the entire review

The Vault (Blu-ray)

Thu, 18 Apr 2019 18:02:24 UTC

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The Film:

Plot twists can be a lot of fun to witness unfold, but they're far less enjoyable when there seems to be no purpose behind their place in the grander cinematic story. When details are revealed about the seeing of ghosts in The Sixth Sense, they're backed by the personal strife endured by the characters throughout; when the true nature of Nicole Kidman and her childrens' conditions are revealed in The Others, they're supported and deepened by her mother character's neuroses and obsessions. The most intriguing thing about The Vault, a hybrid of a bank heist caper and supernatural horror, lies ...Read the entire review

Dark River (Blu-ray)

Fri, 12 Apr 2019 18:20:29 UTC

Skip It

The Film:

Most people who like to watch movies have a small collection of titles that they have waiting for when they're "in the mood", ones that are of a deliberately bleak, harsh nature that aren't exactly ideal for popping in and enjoying on a whim. Had Dark River achieved in what it sets out to do, I would've recommended lumping it into that category, largely because of how the material ventures into the territory of physical abuse and unrestrained sibling rivalry. Emotionally-charged performances and gritty visual composition against a decaying farmhouse landscape lend rawness to this tale of sibling rivalry and guilt, but the content's so heavy -- and heavy-handed -- that it yields an unpleasant drama without rewards or virtues to counterb...Read the entire review

American Vandal: Season One

Thu, 11 Apr 2019 17:11:11 UTC

Recommended

The Season:

Have you ever watched a crime show or murder mystery and thought that the connecting of dots and human error involved with important evidence seemed orchestrated or contrived? Set aside a little time and check out some true crime stories, often chronicled on TV shows like The First 48, Forensic Files, or even episodes of NBC's Dateline, and you'll find that the discovery of a "convenient" item or the elaborate thought-process behind certain evidence is common and has a long, documented history. Netflix's landmark show Making a Murderer -- a decade-long documentary chronicling the murder accusations and courtroom woes of Steven Avery -- became a household name based on this idea, to such a degree that it spawned a...Read the entire review

Strip Nude For Your Killer (Blu-ray)

Mon, 08 Apr 2019 17:14:42 UTC

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The Film:

While books that belong in the giallo genre were adapted into movies during the ‘40s, Blood and Black Lace usually gets credited as being the catalyst for the film version of the subgenre, a stylish and relatively thematic follow-up to Mario Bava's first stab at that kind of material, The Girl Who Knew Too Much. As is frequently the case with the distinctive elements of a subgenre, giallo films that followed often amplified the bolder aesthetics, heightened bloodshed, and brazen sexuality to great effect, resulting in well-regarded additions like A Lizard in a Woman's Skin and Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key. Others, however, merely rely on excessively increasing those exaggerated aspects to st...Read the entire review

Mermaid: Lake of the Dead (Blu-ray)

Fri, 29 Mar 2019 20:14:47 UTC

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The Film:

While this may not be as prevalent in other parts of the United States, the concept of living the "mermaid life" has turned into something of a cutesy mantra for some people who live near the ocean (or wish they did). Rejuvenated interests in the half-human, half-fish mythical creatures has risen to such a degree that we've dropped anchor during a time when movies about them are prevalent … and some of ‘em, surprisingly, are quite good, from an effervescent comedic fantasy directed by Kung Fu Hustle's Stephen Chow to a very dark, bloody quasi-musical from Poland, of all places. The rules about mermaids change between all of ‘em, yet there are a few constants that inherently grab one's attention with the premise, notably the presence of ...Read the entire review

The Scarlet Letter (1995) (Blu-ray)

Thu, 28 Mar 2019 19:55:59 UTC

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The Film:

Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel "The Scarlet Letter" is a unique case when it comes to popularity and the execution of its themes, often thought of -- not so fondly -- as required reading for schoolwork and not usually as a favorite book of many. The ideas of religious manipulation, nuanced morality, and the perception of sin and adultery may remain relevant to this day, but as the years goes by, Hawthorne's lyrical prose and period-bound view of those concepts grow more challenging to embrace. This has been happening by the mid-‘90s during the renaissance of historical epics on the big screen, but not to the degree where a movie adaptation wouldn't still resonate with an audience, if handled well. Roland Joffe, the director of celebrated hist...Read the entire review

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (Blu-ray)

Tue, 26 Mar 2019 19:37:14 UTC

Rent It

The Film:

It's tough to be a fan of the Harry Potter franchise and not be as into its Fantastic Beasts prequel spinoff, especially considering the participation of author J.K. Rowling as screenwriter. For all its charmingly rendered creatures, ‘20s-era appearance, and nudge-wink references to the story proper, David Yates' next foray in the wildly-popular universe carries over the awkwardly heavy tones and stilted, erratic characterization from his later, less cinematically successful entries. Much like the protracted two-parter Deathly Hallows, Fantastic Beasts also feels every bit like it's obligated to continuation instead of genuinely inspired. While similar observations apply to the sequel, Fantastic Beasts: The C...Read the entire review

Mortal Engines (Blu-ray)

Thu, 14 Mar 2019 00:07:33 UTC

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The Film:

There are four installments that make up Philip Reeve's quartet of "Mortal Engines" novels, built around the popularized steampunk brand of post-apocalyptic atmosphere that came about following a manmade collapse of society. A wide array of characters from across the spectrum of morality comprise the people who inhabit Reeve's world: a rebellious orphan with a physical abnormality, a promising intellectual limited by their obligations, the conflicted daughter of an authoritarian, and so on. In short, no shortage of potential for a new cinematic franchise cranks-‘n-spurts at the core of "Mortal Engines", potential that Lord of the RingsRead the entire review

Jonathan (Blu-ray)

Mon, 11 Mar 2019 17:36:07 UTC

Rent It

The Film:

The psychology and logistics involved with someone having dual personalities has made for absorbing cinema over the years, from the philosophical rebellion of Fight Club to numerous more direct, outlandish thrillers that'll remain unmentioned out of respect to their twists. Jonathan, the feature-length debut from Bill Oliver, differs from those films in two important ways: the duality of the main character is revealed right at the beginning, instead of near the end for shock value or existential significance; and the duality is literal in nature, in that two brothers occupy one body and evenly split the time of day between them. While the dramatic nature of Oliver's thriller might directly tap into the unique problems and consi...Read the entire review

Happy Death Day 2U

Fri, 15 Feb 2019 15:41:59 UTC

Rent It

Less than a year and a half ago, Happy Death Day jolted the Halloween season awake with its unexpectedly entertaining and genuinely suspenseful twist on Groundhog Day, where a sorority girl continuously lives out the same day in which she's stalked and killed by someone wearing a baby mask. The amusement factor runs high due to both the time-based humor and the brutal methods in which she keeps dying at the hand of this Ghostface-inspired predator, yet the ways in which the original ties into her birthday, family, and personal growth also give it a meaningful streak. And like the Bill Murray vehicle that so clearly inspired it, no explanation was given or needed for how she got caught in the time loop; in fact, the seemingly mystical enigmas of her predicamen...Read the entire review

Blast (Blu-ray)

Wed, 06 Feb 2019 15:15:54 UTC

Skip It

The Film:

As someone who grew up in Georgia during the ‘90s, there are certain surface-level elements about the low-ball action flick Blast that speaks to both nostalgia and personal interest levels. Naturally, the location for the film's setting -- Atlanta during the '96 Olympics -- holds some inherent appeal, but the co-star of the show happens to be Linden Ashby, whose noteworthy credits don't extend very far beyond his cheeky turn as Johnny Cage in the not-so-guilty pleasure videogame adaptation of Mortal Kombat. For those reasons, and those reasons alone, the urge stuck me to dive into the thriller from Cyborg and Sword and the Sorcerer director Albert Pyun. Flickers of martial arts physicality telegraphed by Ashby aren't enough to defuse...Read the entire review

Sisters: The Criterion Collection (Blu-ray)

Tue, 05 Feb 2019 19:25:10 UTC

Recommended

The Film:

While Brian De Palma directed several features before Sisters, it's the earliest of his works where the brazen, darkly comedic tension he's become known for took shape, which also announced his arrival in the suspense-horror genre. Afterwards, his viewpoint has come back numerous times to bleak, fanatical psychosis and physical abnormalities, as well as playful experimentation with the visual language of suspense through perspective and deception, little of which could've been as effective without figuring out what works and what doesn't. Sisters remains enough of an effective, unnerving thriller after nearly a half-decade of superior films cutting into the genre, yet its strength lies in how it embodies the tricks that De Palm...Read the entire review

Mission: Impossible - Fallout (Blu-ray)

Mon, 21 Jan 2019 22:44:18 UTC

Highly Recommended

The Film:

It was in 1996 that Tom Cruise dangled on a wire above bright white pressure plates in the "original" Mission: Impossible, the quasi-remake directed by Brian De Palma. Many of its storytelling facets may not hold up well against the test of time, but the derring-do involved with that sequence -- as well as the consistent energy of the action throughout -- has kept the rebooted version of the franchise embedded in popular culture. Almost as if a competition, Cruise and his team of producers and directors seem compelled to one-up the nature of the action in each one, ever pursuing the next bold scene that might overtake the one from the ‘90s that brought it into the spotlight. Since, Cruise himself has dangled off planes, crawled up...Read the entire review

Blood And Black Lace (VCI Release) (Blu-ray)

Mon, 10 Dec 2018 17:27:56 UTC

Recommended

The Film:

Mario Bava is a master of extracting substance from within his style, where the moving parts of emotions and motivations oftentimes lead to deeper horror experiences than one might expect. Whether he's lurking in the heavy shadows of black-and-white gothic tales or operating with vivid pools of colored lights from across the spectrum, his direction -- and influence over the camerawork -- conscientiously focuses upon the characters in such a way that even some of the smallest, seemingly inconsequential characters have a little something else going on beneath the surface. In a murder mystery like Blood and Black Lace, this feeds into credible uncertainty as to who's responsible for killings. Taking place mostly within a modeling-slash-b...Read the entire review

Trick 'r Treat: Collector's Edition (Blu-ray)

Wed, 28 Nov 2018 19:28:51 UTC

DVD Talk Collector Series

The Film:

Over the course of a decade since its limited theatrical showings and surge of popularity on home video, Trick 'r Treat has developed a reputation for being a quintessential film to watch over Halloween … or Samhain, or All Hallow's Eve; take your pick. It's tough to imagine a film capturing the many facets of the holiday's spirit quite so thoroughly, from the spooked-out observations of kids braving the dangers of the night for their candy to the adults pursuing other kinds of, uh, more mature "treats" while donning their own costumes. Closer in purpose to A Christmas Story than the likes of Read the entire review

Suspiria (2018)

Thu, 15 Nov 2018 20:25:25 UTC

Highly Recommended

The realm of remaking classic horror films can be an extremely dangerous place, where it's never clear whether a specific film should be respectful to the original and diligent in hitting certain familiar bulletpoints … or whether it should merely borrow the concept and create something entirely new. There's no conventional wisdom to follow there, exactly, but one could argue that those films with more identifiable stamps on them -- be it general aesthetics, notable killers, or unforgettable scenes -- will have a more difficult time in the recreation process than the ones that are iconic for their premise. That's why a wave of apprehension flooded the horror culture upon the reveal that a remake of Dario Argento's Suspiria was in the works, in which the original's ...Read the entire review

Skyscraper (Blu-ray)

Mon, 12 Nov 2018 23:05:00 UTC

Rent It

The Film:

The maximum capacity for Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's presence at the box office may have been reached this year, in which he stars in not one, but two disaster movies that made it to the big screen. One features towering gorillas, wolves, and lizards slamming into and destroying a city's highrise buildings, an adaptation of an ‘80s videogame franchise. The other features … uh, different kinds of monsters who are also out to destroy a high-rise building, and while it may not openly claim as much, it's also essentially an "adaptation" of something popular from the ‘80s. Both really shouldn't be able to be lumped together so easily, yet in Skyscraper there's too little of interest within the crumbling architectural chaos to stand o...Read the entire review

The Bride (1985) (Blu-ray)

Wed, 07 Nov 2018 17:18:15 UTC

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The Film:

A small, yet important subplot in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein led to the creation of the Bride of Frankenstein, expanding upon the writer's suggestion that the disfigured Monster deserves a mate despite his horrid appearance. Despite the "bride" not fully coming to life in Shelley's original story, she has expanded into an iconic staple of the classic monster-movie subculture due to other adaptations in which her creation was a success, with the 1935 sequel laying the groundwork for how the scenario could've played out. The tale of The Monster's Bride works because of how it feeds off the original creation of Frankenstein's Monster or Creature, though -- how a given version of the creature begins to think about life, passion, and companionsh...Read the entire review

American Horror Story: Cult

Thu, 25 Oct 2018 17:46:42 UTC

Rent It

The Season:

Part of what elevates installments in the horror genre from being scary to being legitimately good comes in how it reflects upon the monstrosities of humanity itself, how it makes the ugly side of people into something tangible. Unless it's a story based on real events, that sort of commentary typically gets concealed within metaphors and symbolism, creating some breathing room between the enjoyment of the horror from the real-world details of what it sets out to critique, whether it's personal ailments like psychological disorders and sexually-transmitted infections or more social concerns like racism and xenophobia. The latest installment in American Horror Story, Cult, not only doesn't try to hide the target of its c...Read the entire review

The First Purge (Blu-ray)

Wed, 17 Oct 2018 21:59:06 UTC

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The Film:

The action-horror films set within James DeMonaco's Purge universe have endured the challenges of powering forward with an outlandish, yet compelling idea against the misgivings of its target audience. Numerous shortcomings led to the unsatisfying, seemingly oblivious execution of the concept with the first, Ethan Hawke-starring The Purge, in which the chaos of a lawless environment -- where illegal activity, including murder, is permitted for 12 hours -- gets confined between the walls of a house-invasion thriller. The aptly-titled Anarchy corrects that error, allowing the gunfire and ter...Read the entire review

Truth or Dare (Syfy; 2017)

Fri, 12 Oct 2018 15:03:46 UTC

Skip It

The Film:

Despite the iffy visual effects and a few larger-than-life performances, I'm a pretty big fan of the movie Jumanji, in which four people are forced to finish a game while every roll of the dice creates real-world, deadly obstacles for them to endure. While designed for children and older audiences, there's a certain caliber of suspense and terror emergent from that concept that works regardless of the intended audience, partly in anticipation of what's to come and partly in how the players adapt to their new challenges. It might be kind of unusual to compare a ‘90s kids adventure film to the likes of bloody, R-rated contemporary film l...Read the entire review

Ghost Stories (Blu-ray)

Tue, 09 Oct 2018 17:02:28 UTC

Rent It

The Film:

It's always intriguing to see how filmmakers find new ways to seamlessly tie together individual stories into an anthology, especially in the horror genre. An adjoining story certainly isn't required for this subgenre; the segments found in Three Extremes and Black Sabbath have little to no connective tissue between ‘em, but the overarching mood and craftsmanship makes them potent projects. Seeing how screenwriters concoct framing devices and intersect short stories into a complete picture does add something to the experience, though, and there's no hard-‘n-fast rule about how much or how little seamlessness works best under the circumstances, as it mostly depends on the impact of the segments themselves. The somewhat litera...Read the entire review

Peppermint

Mon, 01 Oct 2018 16:11:07 UTC

Rent It

A little over a decade ago, Jennifer Garner started to make a name for herself as a proficient and convincing action heroine, leaving her mark through both Alias and as the character Elektra in the Daredevil universe. Despite her physicality and fierce dedication to the roles, however, the stories surrounding who she portrayed continuously did a disservice to her ability to command the screen, notably the standalone film for her Marvel character and the stretch of time after her espionage TV series jumped the shark. Over a decade later, with very little other action under her belt, Garne...Read the entire review

Deadpool 2 (Theatrical + Super Duper Cut) (HD DVD)

Thu, 27 Sep 2018 20:29:30 UTC

Recommended

The Film:

In a climate of movies dominated by the prevalence of Marvel's cinematic universe and the heavy somberness of DC's outings, Deadpool ended up being exactly what was needed to take both sides down a few pegs. After vigorous crowd support and the dedicated efforts of Ryan Reynolds to get right what went so wrong with the character's depiction in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the creative forces came together into what I personally described as a "gleefully violent and blatantly subversive" piece of work, one that relishes how it breaks the fourth wall and deliberately pokes fun at the superhero ge...Read the entire review

Walking Tall (2004) (Blu-ray)

Tue, 11 Sep 2018 01:21:18 UTC

Rent It

The Film:

I'd like to say that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has developed a lot in terms of being a movie star since the earliest points of his Hollywood career, but … honestly? His acting today isn't significantly better than it was a decade and a half ago, but considering his inherent screen presence, that's not a bad thing. Instead of trying to work himself into roles that are unsuited for his specific type of persona, he's grown far better at selecting -- and now, as a producer, crafting -- the right projects for his elevated semi-retired wrestler's charisma and gusto, often in projects that succeed through some degree of levity, divorcement from reality, and grandness of scale. When The Rock goes smaller and more grounded in actual events, such a...Read the entire review

Someone's Watching Me! (Blu-ray)

Sat, 08 Sep 2018 23:01:16 UTC

Recommended

The Film:

In 1978, John Carpenter released that little obscure slasher movie ... y'know, Halloween. Often, it takes a little time and exposure for indie-budget horror movies to catch on and develop an audience, but that film frequently credited with popularizing the slasher genre struck a chord almost immediately, sliding into pop culture and putting the director on the map. What those who aren't Carpenter devotees might not know is that he released a made-for-TV film in the same year that went somewhat unnoticed: Someone's Watching Me(!), equal parts psychological thrills and woman-in-distress suspense that also marks the first time he worked with legendary actress Adrienne Barbeau in a significant ...Read the entire review

The Quick and the Dead (HD DVD)

Sun, 02 Sep 2018 20:04:16 UTC

Recommended

The Film:

Sam Raimi's shift from an indie horror director to an orchestrator of grand-scale action wasn't abrupt, gradually escalating through the toned-down hero escapades of Darkman and a transition of sorts from terror to raucous undead-killin' with his third Evil Dead film, Army of Darkness. Those who experienced the dusty outlandishness of his previous works probably weren't too surprised to see him tackle the gravitas of westerns with The Quick and the Dead, but on the surface the transition from zombies and ...Read the entire review

The Cured (Blu-ray)

Wed, 22 Aug 2018 23:43:55 UTC

Rent It

The Film:

The most compelling character in the indie horror-drama The Cured is a nameless, tertiary woman: a person in the middle of being cured of a zombie virus, held in a medical transition space as she reverts from a frenzied maneater to something resembling a human again. Considering the casting of Ellen Page and the emphasis placed on the other people in the story who've been impacted by the calamity, ranging from saddened families to politicians whose aspirations were halted by getting infected, this comes as a bit of a shock. One can appreciate the ideas in which David Freyne hopes to realize in The Cured, in which he explores stigmas placed on those without a choice in the matter and grappling the violent things one has done in ...Read the entire review