‘Blu-ray or Bust’ - AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

‘Blu-ray or Bust’

AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR (2018, 149 minutes, PG-13)

The Quick of It -

Faced with the decision of buying a Blu-ray of a film you have already seen can be testing.  Is it worthy of the visuals on my 4K super badass TV that I had to study the user manual three days to understand the damn thing?  Does the sound live up to the possibilities on my also badass Bose surround sound system that took me twenty hours to wire only to find out it’s wireless?  What do I get for spending my extra fundage on something I have already seen and had to work half a day to afford?

After this ‘risky’ purchase, INFINITY WAR quelled any fears I had on this ‘tiny’ investment of time and money.  So, how does this help you when staring at the display at your local store?

First off, you HAVE seen the film and know that this is one of the strongest comic-made-movie adaptations you could have hoped for.  If you haven’t seen it… I’m not saying you are a loser… in the sense that you should have… but just losing out on this epic moment that has been promised by all the previous MCU films.  Either way, no discouragement at this point.  Right… loser?

Then, I have previously expressed in my initial review that you finally get the villain that completes a well-rounded story.  I hate that Marvel feels the need to make their bad guys flat, just having a sinister side.  I think the producers and studio stand on the principle of a good vs. evil plotline at the core, avoiding too much gray area.  The Mad Titan, Thanos, who is played by the compelling Josh Brolin, makes you slightly believe in his cause, finally leading you into the gray area as you yearned for in the past.  Well, at least I yearned.  Thanos has come to believe that the universe is plagued by those planets and people that do not practice caution in disrupting the natural flow of the universe.  With that troubling his awfully large brow, he desires to unite the Infinity Stones, using the power to reduce the universe’s pesky population in half.  His opposition is everyone else in the MCU.  EVERYONE.

The cast is a long list, one you have become familiar with after three lengthy phases.  Do I really have to name them all…?  Each is allowed enough airtime to give you a taste of what you come to love about each, but never enough to dominate the overall screen.  This chance of distilled goodness quickly tells you that the imagery has to be grand to keep with each story the films have come to deliver.  You have the universe to tell this visual story and the cinematography does not let you down.  This also solidifies the sound aspect.  You have every possible scenario that assaults your aural senses, heightening the experience to the next level.  Bam!  (Oh wait, that’s kinda a 60’s Batman thing.  Oops.)

The final selling-point is what you find on the back of the case.  All the extras they include; some added deleted scenes that slightly expand on character stories, behind the scenes examinations of particular confrontations, and a gag real.  And then some more…  ‘Strange Alchemy’ teases the future of characters and who they crusade with (damn, another Batman thing, I’m such a DC fanboy).  I would be remiss in my duty not to point out the Audio Commentary you can turn on during the film.  The commentary is provided by the directors, Anthony and Joe Russo, and the screenwriters, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.  The in-depth insight into the creation and thought processes involved in making INFINITY WAR will feed your film junkie needs.

So, treat yourself with this fine film… again.  Right?! 

Grade: A

Special Features: A

Blu-ray Necessary: Absolutely

“SKumm’s Thoughts” - THE SPY WHO DUMPED ME

“SKumm’s Thoughts”

THE SPY WHO DUMPED ME (2018, R, 117 minutes, IMAGINE ENTERTAINMENT/LIONSGATE)

Every year seems to find a new comedic It-Girl.  Melissa McCarthy (THE HEAT) and Amy Schumer (TRAINWRECK) each had standout moments which seemed to propel them into the spotlight, and seemed to redefine what it meant for a female in the genre of comedic film.

So hats off to Kate McKinnon (“Saturday Night Live”) for her performance in SPY.  She uses up so much energy onscreen that everyone else looks two steps behind.  The only person capable of keeping up with her (I really hate to use the word “zany” here…) ZANY character is her best friend (Mila Kunis), and only then because every Costello needs an Abbott.

SPY centers around the friendship between Audry and Morgan (Kunis and McKinnon), and the extremes they will go to in order to protect each other when they are thrust into the world of international espionage via Audry’s shady ex-boyfriend.  Seems he was secretly a CIA operative, and he may have stolen something that the government(s) wants back.  This sends Audry and Morgan overseas and on an adventure usually handled by the dudes.  And honestly, that isn’t where this movie gets its extra zing from (yes, apparently I’m going with adjectives which begin with the letter Z now).

What worked so well in previous female-led comedies (THE HEAT, BRIDESMAIDS, etc.) isn’t what drives the story here.  Thrusting females into what are traditionally roles for men can open up many different comedic opportunities, but here it is handled differently.  Writers David Iserson and Susanna Fogel (who also directs) seem to know that their greatest strength lies in the chemistry between Ms.’s Kunis and McKinnon, and, almost entirely to her credit, the prowess of Ms. McKinnon.  She is what lifts this film up, what provides roughly 95% of the film’s laughs, and what, ultimately, makes this an enjoyable affair.  You want to keep watching to see exactly what this woman will say next, not to mention what she will be wearing.  Her jokes are not just set ups and punchlines; she gets reactions with her facial expressions just as much as she does with her (I warned you) zingers.

The always enjoyable Ms. Kunis turns in the perfect Abbott-esque performance.  She plays the straight guy (although there’s a term which needs redefining now, doesn’t it?) role perfectly, casting a sardonic eye upon Morgan and her antics.  The laughs she elicits are few and far, far between, but what the viewer is witnessing is two very different comedic styles playing well against the other.  It’s just that one is much louder and screaming for your attention more so than its subtle counterpart.

Of course, the film can become mired in the trappings of the genre it is lambasting; what would a contemporary espionage film be without international agencies working against each other, double crosses, technological world threat, and sadistic baddies.  The story thrives on skewering many of those troupes, but to convey at least a somewhat engaging storyline, small doses of the familiar—or the typical—need be included.  Certain formulas have to be adhered to a point, lest your audience be subjected to something akin to a long comedy sketch.

But with the driving force of McKinnon, I can’t help but wonder what her character could have done if left with no restraints at all.  Ms. Kunis is great in her own capacity, but the sheer physical force of her counterpart is something entirely different to behold.  And this film is a lovely start to Ms. McKinnon’s time of being the It-girl.

Grade: B

-- T.S. Kummelman

‘Blu-ray or Bust’ - BLUMHOUSE’S TRUTH OR DARE

‘Blu-ray or Bust’

BLUMHOUSE’S TRUTH OR DARE (UNRATED, 2018, 101 minutes, BLUMHOUSE PRODUCTIONS/UNIVERSAL)

I keep waiting for a truly effective follow-up to 2014’s lovely little sleeper hit IT FOLLOWS.

So many of these “horror” films trying to recapture that same vibe—a simple premise made more complicated by the choices made by the protagonists as the story unfolds—fail because they either don’t stick to their own rules or because they are just plain stupid.  The latest from Blumhouse (known for the INSIDIOUS and THE PURGE franchises) sticks to their typical formula.  Remember UNFRIENDED (stupid), PARANORMAL ACTIVITY (became more progressively stupid), and SINISTER (oh Sweet Baby Hey-Zeus)?  Simple rules set up early on that are repeatedly broken by stupid characters (except for the PARANORMAL films, in which I don’t think even the writers knew what the hell was going on after the second film).

TRUTH OR DARE isn’t much of a different fare—it just has better acting, slightly better jokes, and slightly more intelligent kids getting knocked off.  There isn’t really anything scary going on for the viewer, besides a few creepy faces.  The premise, again, is a basic one: college friends on a vacation to Mexico get roped into a game of Truth or Dare that a malevolent spirit/demon forces them to play.  The stakes are their lives, and an hour and forty-one minutes of yours.

Surprisingly, that time goes by rather quickly.  Despite the fact that the movie breaks one of its main rules in the first twenty minutes, the story moves along at a brisk pace.  There is enough to keep the viewer entertained, and not as many “oh you stupid MORONS!” moments as there are in other films of this type.  All of the acting is on point; best friends Olivia and Markie, played by Lucy Hale (“Pretty Little Liars”) and Violett Beane (“The Flash”) respectively, are believable so far as chemistry is concerned.  The boys are mostly throw-away characters, including Landon Liboiron of “Hemlock Grove” fame; he played a moody werewolf there, and here he plays a moody a-hole.  Not much of a stretch, but he does a fine job with what he is given.

The score by Matthew Margeson (KINGSMAN, EDDIE THE EAGLE) is almost too good for the goings-on here, and the cinematography by Jacques Jouffret (THE PURGE films, unfortunately) is passable, although I was left wondering more than once if there was any other way to film that damn border-station sign.  Director Jeff Wadlow (you have him to thank for KICK-ASS 2) uses the usual genre tricks, and doesn’t offer up a whole lot of new material.  Which is what bothers me the most about this film, I suppose; he has an entertaining cast, a few great sets, and three other freaking writers that managed to help produce a script that doesn’t get too tangled up in itself.  There was potential here, and it turned out a bit…well, “meh” would probably be the best summation.

Not great, not horrible, just meh.

What really galls me about the release is the production company feeling the need to put their name in the freaking title.  Seriously?  Have egos grown that exponentially since your last release (which was the bag-o-poo titled INSIDIOUS: THE LAST KEY)?  Because that last one had a bigger budget and was magnificently stupid—not necessarily something that would make me confident enough to put the company’s name in front of the title for the next offering.  Then again, I’m just some geek on a laptop; every time I think I’ve got the Hollywood machinations figured out, someone goes and does something majestically idiotic to force me to start scratching my head again.

Then again, this is the same production company that also gave us SPLIT, and the forthcoming M. Night Shyamalan sequel GLASS.  Here’s hoping they don’t screw with anymore titles.

Film Grade: C+

Special Features: D (two docs, neither really all that interesting)

Blu-ray Necessary: I’m gonna go with noooooo

-- T.S. Kummelman