Home Theater Movie Renter’s Guide – June, 2014

“Non-Stop” (Blu-ray) – Reviewed by John E. Johnson, Jr.

Non-Stop

Synopsis

US Air Marshall Bill Marks (Neeson) is on board a trans-atlantic flight, when he receives an IM from someone on board telling him that unless he sees to it that $150,000,000 is deposited in a Swiss Bank account in 20 minutes, someone on the plane will die, and for each additional 20 minutes that he delays, another person will die. He enlists the help of the passenger sitting next to him (Moore) and one of the flight attentants, who are not sure whom they are dealing with.

Specifications

  • Universal Pictures, 2014, Color, 1 Hr 36 min
  • Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
  • Codecs: DTS-HD Master Audio
  • Starring: Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore, Scoot McNairy, Michelle Dockery
  • Director: Jaume Collet-Serra

Rating

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  • Violence: Yes
  • Sex: No
  • Language: No

Commentary

I have a feeling this movie was shot several years ago and just now released, as the cell phones are all of the variety before the smartphone arrived. They have physical keyboards instead of the touchscreen keyboards of today’s phones. Neeson has made numerous successful films over the past couple of years, so maybe they took this one off the shelf, thinking it wasn’t really good enough to release originally, and put it in theaters, hoping Neeson’s high visibility would make it successful. It had $50,000,000 gross ticket sales, so I would say it was, indeed, successful. But, it was really a good movie. I am surprised if they actually did hold this one back a few years.

Technical

Image quality was very grainy and had the look of being shot on high speed film, not digital. They should have lighted the cabin better and used lower speed film.

Extras

Not much here, just “Suspense at 40,000 Feet,” which is a ‘making of’ featurette.

“Monuments Men” (Blu-ray) – Reviewed by Chris Heinonen

movie-june-2014-monuments-men

Synopsis

As the Allies start to push back the Nazi’s in World War II, Frank Stokes approaches the US Government with a concern. While they retreat, the Nazis are stealing and destroying countless works of art. Even the Allies and US are destroying art as they bombard cities in an attempt to win. Stokes desires to put together a team of art, sculpture, and architecture experts to help rescue and protect artifacts from the Nazis.

After they are sent to Europe, none of the real soldiers really want to assist them. The idea of protecting art at the potential cost of soldiers is seen as the incorrect one to them. Stokes and his men have to set out, virtually on their own, in an attempt to keep the Nazis from destroying the historical heritage of Europe during their retreat.

Specifications

  • Sony Pictures, 2014, Color, 1 Hr 58 min
  • Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
  • Codecs: DTS-HD Master Audio
  • Starring: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray
  • Director: George Clooney

Rating

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  • Violence: Yes
  • Sex: Discussed
  • Language: Yes

Commentary

The plot of Monuments Men is good but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. As the film progresses, it just jumps from point to point and fails to build tension along the way. A couple of scenes feel like they are meant to be the end of an act and setup the tension for later, but they fail to do so. The film isn’t bad but it just fails to connect with the viewer.

Technical

The story has issues but the image and sound do not. Since this is during WWII there are some battles and those resonate well. The transfer is clear enough that you can attempt to make out what is CGI and what is real during many of the historical battle images. Dark shadow scenes, of which there are many, are very detailed and do not feature crush.

Extras

The only extras are a few featurettes and some deleted scenes.

“The Lego Movie” (Blu-ray) – Reviewed by Chris Heinonen

movie-june-2014-lego-movie

Best of 2014 Awards

Synopsis

Emmet Brickowski is an average Lego citizen. He lives in town, he works construction, and he tries his best to fit in with everyone. He likes the popular things, he goes along with what he should do, and he’s very diligent at following the instructions. His life is very normal and ordinary to the point of being dull.

Getting ready to leave work one day, he runs into the master builder Wyldstyle. Attempting to follow her he falls down a deep pit where he finds the mythical “Piece of Resistance.” This piece will enable him to foil the plot of President Business, who dislikes the disorder and chaos of the master builders when they go against the instructions. Emmet, Wyldstyle, Batman and others must race to stop President Business from completing his evil plan.

Specifications

  • Warner Brothers, 2014, Color, 1 Hr 42 min
  • Aspect Ratio: 2.38:1
  • Codecs: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
  • Starring: Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Morgan Freeman (voices)
  • Directors: Phil Lord and Christopher Miller

Rating

  • Entertainment:
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  • Violence: Yes
  • Sex: No
  • Language: No

Commentary

When I first saw there was a trailer for “The Lego Movie”, I let out a groan. Was Hollywood out to capitalize on another beloved item from my childhood? Awful films had destroyed Transformers and GI Joe, and Lego had slowly started selling more and more commercial tie-in sets (Lone Ranger anyone?). When I watched the trailer I was cautiously optimistic, as it seemed to have a good bit of spark and creativity to it. Then the reviews started to come in and they were overwhelmingly positive. So I decided to not only take myself, but my 4-year-old son who likes Lego and has never been to the theater before.

“The Lego Movie” is everything you can want in a film. It starts out at a rapid pace and never slows down. Not only did my son enjoy it, but also the continual jokes that parents are going to catch make it a fantastic film for everyone. Even better it has a plot that resonates for kids and adults and delivers a better message than any animated film I have watched recently.

Since the Blu-ray arrived here, we’ve watched it three times already. What better endorsement can I offer you than that? It’s a fantastic movie for everyone, and a film I’ll turn to over and over again.

Technical

There is not a single brick out of place in the film. It is almost entirely CGI and it looks perfect. The 2D and 3D versions are both wonderful, with bright vivid colors and small details that go on forever. Despite being limited to Lego bricks when creating the worlds, the directors of the film have produced an immersive world that the Blu-ray captures perfectly.

The soundtrack holds up as well with the surround and subwoofer being put to continual use. Vocals appear from the left and right channels in addition to the center more often that usual, expanding the perceived soundstage. When Batman kicks in the subs of the Batmobile with his song for Wyldstyle, you will feel it in your chest. A reference quality transfer in all regards.

Extras

Audio Commentary, multiple featurettes about Legos and making the film, outtakes and trailers, ads for Lego Land (the kids want to go now), a DVD copy, and Lego figure in the deluxe version.

“Winter’s Tale” (Blu-ray) – Reviewed by Jim Milton

movies-june-2014-Winters

Synopsis

A fantastical tale of timeless love, this story about a dying girl who falls in love with a common thief shows that true love can be the deciding factor in a war between good and evil. From a book adaptation and directed by Akiva Goldman, this movie also stars William Hurt, Will Smith and Russell Crowe.

 

Specifications

  • Warner Brothers, 2014, Color, 1 Hr 26 min
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
  • Codecs: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
  • Starring: Colin Farrell, Jessica Brown Findley, Russell Crowe
  • Directors: Akiva Goldman

Rating

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  • Violence: Yes
  • Sex: Brief nudity
  • Language: Mild

Commentary

It started out well, but then took off in odd directions with flying horses, people who apparently don’t grow old, devils, angels, and red-heads. The problem with the movie is it couldn’t decide what it wanted to be: Fantasy with magical realism or romance story. I don’t mind magical realism if I know that is what it is and it’s well done… and this was not. I respect most of the actors here but even they came off as seeming a bit silly. Farrell falls for Findley, who dies, causing Farrell to live a hundred years and save a little red haired girl from cancer with his flying horse…and did I mention Will Smith as Satan? (For you musicologists, you’ll hear Khachaturian’s Gayane Ballet score during the 1916 ballroom scene, which is odd, because he wrote it in the 1940’s. I know, I’m being picky here.) Also confused by Farrell’s accent…his parents were Russian and he was raised by (adoptive) Native Americans…yet, that brogue. Not all is bad here, as I did like the musical score. Perhaps the lady readers would review this film differently than me?

Technical

Excellent color and details. I liked the amount of shadow detail in the alley/night scenes. The CGI effects were also top notch, with the exception of the wings of the flying horse. Dialog was well rendered. Sound effects from the rears are few, but the sub kicks in during the climactic ending. Again, kudos to the music scores composer, which delivered wonderful, rich orchestrations that give the film a romantic sweep.

Extras

Two commentaries/”making of” for extras. One on Fantasies and the other about Good v. Evil.