DVD Talk DVD Reviews

Back to the Jurassic (Blu-ray)

Thu, 23 Jul 2015 13:08:30 UTC

Recommended

This release of Back to the Jurassic on Blu-Ray is just the latest of many times when a smaller movie has been released on home media to cash in on the popularity of a bigger blockbuster. This one was released shortly before the theatrical release of Jurassic World, the long-awaited sequel to the Jurassic Park series. The front cover even shamelessly uses the tagline of the original Jurassic Park posters: "An adventure 65 million years in the making!" Well, OK- the original used just a period after that and this one has an exclamation mark, so maybe they're inferring more excitement here. Some quick research showed me that the original title for this movie was Dino Time, which I vaguely remember seeing advertised in...Read the entire review

No Tears for the Dead (Blu-ray)

Sun, 01 Mar 2015 02:35:11 UTC

Rent It

The Film:

The Man From Nowhere announced the arrival of South Korean director Lee Jeong-beom in a very big way, telling the straightforward yet affective story of a mysteriously lethal man who thwarts a trafficking ring for the sake of his friendship with a young child. Its simplicity and clear emotional streak made for an inspired vehicle for brutal vengeance-fueled violence, complimented by sober photography and razor-sharp editing that transform it into quite an action-thriller. Like other follow-ups, Lee Jeong-beom attempts to achieve similar things with No Tears for the Dead that its predecessor did right, while also expanding...Read the entire review

Flu

Fri, 25 Apr 2014 12:43:35 UTC

Rent It

The Film:

Few natural disasters depicted on film are quite as unsettling as that of a fatal disease, simply because the way it spreads across our interactive, respondent civilization -- and the collapse of social and moral structures that result -- isn't very hard to believe, and because very few of us haven't caught at least some kind of minor illness. With the surge of avian flu cases over the past ten years, it's also no surprise to see a rise in films capturing this brand of hysteria, notably Steven Soderbergh's kinetic and distressingly realistic horror-drama Contagion, which digs into ideas about obtaining medical treatment and potential terrorist agendas amid the crisis. Sout...Read the entire review

Masquerade (Blu-ray)

Thu, 06 Mar 2014 19:23:44 UTC

Recommended

The Film:

It's common for those who aren't politicians to want to live in the shoes of decision makers for a brief period, just so they might be able to put their perspective and values in motion to fix some of the problems created by questionable, self-focused bureaucracy. South Korea's period drama Masquerade (also known as The Man Who Became King) might not be entirely about that type of wish-fulfillment, but it's one of its strongest aspects: when given the opportunity to become either a hollow puppet or a voice for what he believes in, political decoy Ha-sun allows his sympathetic nature and opinions to guardedly emerge in opposition of the leader he's trying to emulate. While short on innovation within the story that director Choo...Read the entire review

Fists of Legend (Blu-ray)

Thu, 06 Mar 2014 03:49:21 UTC

Recommended

Nope, one of Jet Li's best movies didn't get a re-release. But stick around anyway, because Kang Woo-suk's Fists of Legend (2013) is a cut above your average, run-of-the-mill action movie. Truth be told, it's only part action, as the story revolves around former high school friends Lim Deok-kyu (Hwang Jung-min), Lee Sang-hoon (Yoo Jun-sang) and Shin Jae-seok (Yoon Je-moon); all three were known for their fighting ability but eventually went their separate ways. Lim, who on...Read the entire review