Welcome back! Well, to some of you, anyway. To the rest of you, glad you decided to stop by and I hope this humble column helps you navigate the stacks of new releases each week. My goal is to point you toward titles of interest and warn you away from those films that seek to do nothing but leech away your time and give you nothing in return.
Full disclosure: I have not seen many of these titles, and what follows are not necessarily reviews, but opinions based upon what I know of the titles I pluck from the new release lists I peruse. The opinions I give based on the new releases are my own, and my recommendations are based on my personal interest. In any case, I hope you enjoy and perhaps find something you like or a title to point me towards.
Ip Man (also Blu-ray). I heard about this some time ago but did not have the opportunity to see it until much more recently. Let me begin by saying that if you have not yet seen it and you like martial arts films, this is an absolute must see. It is loosely based on the life of martial arts grandmaster Ip Man, who also happens to be one of Bruce Lee's first mentors. In addition to being a martial arts film, it is also a period film that shows China during the Japanese occupation of the late 1930s through WWII. It is an interesting look into the period and features some jaw dropping fight sequences. The film stars Donnie Yen and is one of the better performances I have seen from him. I am very much looking forward to the sequel.
Repo Men (also Blu-ray). I like this movie. It is an interesting concept, features plenty of blood and action, a little bit of humor and an ending that is rather bizarre. Jude Law and Forest Whitaker star as repo men; they work for an artificial organ company, and if you do not make you payments, they will come knocking on your door to take it back. The story plays with the idea of what happens when a repo man goes from hunter to hunted. It is definitely worth checking out, as well as the similarly themed Repo! The Genetic Opera, I have a hard time separating the two.
Clash of the Titans (also Blu-ray). Skip this, watch the original. That is the best advice I can give in relation to this remake. It is rather dull, uninspired, and pretty cheap looking. It is a story that should make for a lush big screen fantasy/adventure. Instead we get petulant gods, annoying people, and an adventure that never really takes off. Sam Worthington stars and never has all that much to do as we march towards the climactic battle. I suspect it will look snazzy enough in high definition, but that is hardly a reason to go out of your way to see it. if you need to see a Sam Worthington movie, go with Avatar or even the last Terminator movie.
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