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- Review count127
- Helpfulness votes25
- First reviewJune 27, 2014
- Last reviewJuly 11, 2018
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating3.9
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![The Guest [2 Discs] [Includes Digital Copy] [UltraViolet] [Blu-ray/DVD] [2014]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/1242/1242515_sa.jpg)
Customer Rating
4
Great Action, Great 80's Riff. Solid All-Around.
on February 19, 2015
Posted by: VandyPrice
from Arkansas
Verified Purchase:Yes
In the fall of 2013 we caught a glimpse of what director Adam Wingard could do with the crazy/fun You're Next and with his follow-up he only amps up the fun even more. I pretty much loved every single aspect of The Guest and only give it a less than perfect score because it isn't something to be regarded as exceptional. It's not exceptional because it isn't necessarily innovative, but it's still highly entertaining and well-constructed because it knowingly draws from very specific inspiration. Horror movies of the late 70's and early 80's as well as the thrillers of the same decade infuse every angle of Wingard's tale of uncertainty. He plows over every moment in the film with his unabashed soundtrack fueled by synthesizers and one note tones that dispel any notion we should take this seriously. Instead, seasoned moviegoers will acknowledge this as an exercise in form, of style and take note of how every story, even the most generic of ones, can be made fresh and interesting with a unique directorial approach. Not to mention, Dan Stevens serves at the titular guest in a role that will only lead to you seeing much more of him in the future.
My Best Buy number: 2220462910
My Best Buy number: 2220462910
I would recommend this to a friend!
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![Kill the Messenger [2 Discs] [Includes Digital Copy] [UltraViolet] [Blu-ray/DVD] [2014]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/1526/1526437_sa.jpg)
Customer Rating
4
Solid Political Thriller. Great Ensemble Cast.
on February 15, 2015
Posted by: VandyPrice
from Arkansas
Verified Purchase:Yes
Kill the Messenger is a true tragedy. A discussion and a meditation on the human life and the countless directions it could go according to the mind that is guiding it. It is a story that takes on the model of what its main character goes through reinforcing the difficulty with which he experiences in trying to follow the guiding light he caught a glimpse of as a child. Despite what else might go on in his life Gary Webb (Jeremy Renner) is an idealistic journalist who believes in the power of his profession. He is a man held to the virtues of his responsibilities to the American public and, as he should, takes that responsibility seriously. He is as ambitious as he needs to be in wanting to crack the one big story that might break his career wide open and send him from the bowels of the San Jose Mercury News to the big leagues of the The Los Angeles Times or Washington Post though these ambitions never feel as important as his need to produce quality. What the film tells of more than it does necessarily follow the plot of the story Webb is investigating is the role of man in our society when he plays with the powers that be. What is wrong with our government if we are not allowed to question them without repercussion? In this case the repercussion is that of Webb becoming the story, his credibility called into question, rather than what he'd actually investigated and reported on being the story or point of focus. It is as much a commentary on the integrity of investigative journalism and how it has devolved into what we have today (the 24-hour news cycle on roids) as it is an interesting take on the state of our country which promises and promotes freedom, but will devour you if you take those liberties to a certain extent. Kill the Messenger is an engaging film, one reminiscent of those 1970's Robert Redford films (namely All the President's Men) taking the paranoid political thriller and transcending even that genre classification because of the real life weight the story holds.
My Best Buy number: 2220462910
My Best Buy number: 2220462910
I would recommend this to a friend!
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![Nightcrawler [2 Discs] [Includes Digital Copy] [UltraViolet] [Blu-ray/DVD] [2014]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/1242/1242506_sa.jpg)
Customer Rating
4
Excellent Film, Great Presentation
on February 15, 2015
Posted by: VandyPrice
from Arkansas
Verified Purchase:Yes
In almost every aspect from which you can approach this film it is a character study of the most fascinatingly disturbing mind. Lou Bloom is a shameless psychopath of sorts and this is a movie more about him than the elements that surround him. That said, there is still a lot of other stuff going on that is impressive, if not for the fact this is Dan Gilroy's directorial debut, but for how well everything comes together. Nightcrawler knows there isn't much of a narrative here beyond the obvious descent of Bloom falling deeper into the traps of exploiting his crime scenes that make him more concerned with shot composition than saving a life. We know the type of character that Rene Russo's Nina is as we've seen her plenty of times before (which takes nothing away from Russo's performance, trust me), but Gilroy knows this is about his main character and the mood and tone he elicits wisely keeps the focus on that. There is some wonderful cinematography here by Robert Elswit (long-time collaborator of Paul Thomas Anderson) that seizes the atmosphere present in Los Angeles after dark that is reminiscent of something like Collateral. This adds a layer of electricity to the proceedings while the score from James Newton Howard is only present in the right moments as we come out of a shockingly vile act and are in need of some kind of polish. As both writer and director (with his brother John working as editor) Gilroy paces his film expertly, letting it build perfectly so that the deterioration of Bloom resonates throughout. The film culminates in a climax that sensationalizes its lead story to the point of artificiality rather than conveying the humanity and validity we count on our news programs to provide. To this point, we understand the full extent of the themes Gilroy is playing with while still being unable to look away from Jake Gyllenhaal whose directness and delivery is so darkly humorous it is spine tingling.
My Best Buy number: 2220462910
My Best Buy number: 2220462910
I would recommend this to a friend!
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![Snowpiercer [Blu-ray] [2013]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/8501/8501096_sa.jpg)
Customer Rating
4
Solid Movie+Solid Special Features
on October 28, 2014
Posted by: VandyPrice
from Arkansas
Verified Purchase:Yes
What Snowpiercer has to its advantage more than most standard action or post-apocalyptic films these days are its interesting ideas. From the opening moments where the audience is exposed to a flurry of exposition placing us in a world where man has attempted to control nature and in return has cursed our earth to a frozen eternity I was hooked. The only survivors being locked within a speeding train, built and engineered to last forever, traveling the same course over and over again, completing the circle around the globe once a year. We learn of the passengers at the back of the train, those who are treated on a sub-human level and the few within the beaten and battered group that are planning a resistance, a revolution. This may instinctively conjure up comparisons to Elysium wherein the rich and poor are so distinctively separated that it seems convenient for the film to be interpreted as some type of propaganda, but the director never allows his film to slip into this kind of piece. Instead the throughline of Snowpiercer remains an unrelenting and unforgiving journey from one end of this locomotive to the other wherein our protagonist Curtis (Chris Evans) not only discovers the layers and the societal structures of those who live ahead of him, but how easily they have forgotten what is taking place not three cars away. Where many a post-apocalyptic film will maintain the focus on how society has come to work in the wake of failing and in turn sacrificing character development both this and The Rover prove that it is the actions and mentalities of the characters you create that define the rules of the world and not the mounds of exposition you have them spurting so that we understand those rules. Snowpiercer wastes little time explaining things, it trusts its audience and it gives only a brief amount of set-up before diving into the narrative that Curtis, his second in command Edgar (Jamie Bell) and their wise old leader, Gilliam (John Hurt), are setting in motion to push forward. What follows is a layered and engrossing series of obstacles that avoids feeling like a video game by creating these characters and dynamics between them to where we can't help but become invested.
My Best Buy number: 2220462910
My Best Buy number: 2220462910
I would recommend this to a friend!
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2of 2voted this as helpful.
![Captain America: The Winter Soldier [3D] [Blu-ray] [Digital Copy] [SteelBook] [Only @ Best Buy] [Blu-ray/Blu-ray 3D] [2014]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/7750/7750005_sa.jpg)
Customer Rating
5
Solid Entry in Marvel Cinematic Universe
on September 12, 2014
Posted by: VandyPrice
from Arkansas
Verified Purchase:Yes
The Winter Soldier, while (Spoiler!) still not able to keep any of its suspected dead actually dead, at least knows how to expertly craft a thrilling action film that just so happens to feature a Marvel super hero, and a hero, that thanks not only to that luscious supporting cast but the up-front honest and intelligently humble performance of Chris Evans has a slight advantage over those not operating directly with the organization that brought this band of heroes together. Evans, with his strong jaw and compelling nature breathes a tangible life into the clean-cut boy scout and portrays a man who we are able to believe is willing to sacrifice himself for his best friend even after being betrayed and who can also just sit back and listen to some Marvin Gaye; such an accomplishment deserves some credit and The Winter Soldier will no doubt receive that as it will likely go down as one of the better films to come out of this cinematic universe.
My Best Buy number: 2220462910
My Best Buy number: 2220462910
What's great about it: Ensemble cast, Grounded action, new level to storyline
What's not so great: The first half is so good, the running time make the second drag
I would recommend this to a friend!
Other Best Buy Products I Recommend
Marvel's The Avengers [2 Discs] [Blu-ray/DVD] [2012]
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Captain America: The First Avenger [2 Discs] [Blu-ray/DVD] [2011]
(223)
Guardians of the Galaxy [Blu-ray] [2014]
(4,957)
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![Divergent [Includes Digital Copy] [Blu-ray/DVD] [SteelBook] [Only @ Best Buy] [2014]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/6955/6955017_sa.jpg)
Customer Rating
3
Fine if you Enjoyed the Book
on August 8, 2014
Posted by: VandyPrice
from Arkansas
Verified Purchase:Yes
If Divergent is anything it is competent. Everything about it screams ambition; what it wants to be and the actual product itself shows it has the ability and the right amount of reverence for the source material to be successful in conveying the spirit of Veronica Roth's novel to the screen. The drawback is that while it is indeed capable and is able to make a suitable enough film for fans of the novel to more or less enjoy and pick apart, nothing about the execution of bringing this story to life screams exceptional or even, for lack of a better term in this case, divergent. I finished the first book in Roth's trilogy a few months back and have since moved on to the next one, but while I was suspicious of this new dystopian franchise with a young female heroine for the lead I was eventually able to look past the similarities between it and The Hunger Games and at least understand the merit people were finding in these stories.
My Best Buy number: 2220462910
My Best Buy number: 2220462910
What's great about it: Shailene Woodley
What's not so great: Disjointed storytelling
I would recommend this to a friend!
Other Best Buy Products I Recommend
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire [Includes Digital Copy] [Blu-ray] [2013]
(2,995)
The Hunger Games [Blu-ray] [2012]
(828)
Beautiful Creatures [2 Discs] [Includes Digital Copy] [Blu-ray/DVD] [2013]
(52)Share this review:
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0of 0voted this as helpful.
![300: Rise of an Empire [2 Discs] [Includes Digital Copy] [Blu-ray/DVD] [2014]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/5836/5836383_sa.jpg)
Customer Rating
3
Interesting Take on A Sequel
on June 27, 2014
Posted by: VandyPrice
from Arkansas
Verified Purchase:Yes
It has been seven years since the original Zack Snyder 300 hit the big screen and the big question surrounding its belated follow-up was always going to be if the novelty of the look of the film had worn off. It was a worthy concern as it seems every major action film since has if not taken cues from the tone of the color palette and enhanced nature of it all than at least the slo-mo of the action that then speeds up to real time, making the strikes from spear to flesh all the more cringe-inducing. It was something fresh and new at the time, Snyder coming off his big win that was the Dawn of the Dead re-make and taking notes from Robert Rodriguez, but going in a different direction and one that would become more of a cultural mainstay than the more cult-worthy Sin City. Like that graphic novel, 300 was also adapted from a Frank Miller work and while Rise of an Empire doesn't take its marching orders from any pre-written comic book it at least tries to make-up for the lack of originality in the visuals by pushing the narrative to more complicated, layered lengths than the original. While 300 was never a film that needed a sequel and really deserved not to have one as a proper sequel could never be concocted Rise of an Empire ultimately gives us the events that surround the actions of the Spartans as they chose not to cooperate with the rest of Greece to fight off the invading Persians. It comes to light even more than it did in 300 that if the Spartans were anything but brave, they were arrogant and in many ways the events documented in this second film minimize the glory and honor that many in the audience no doubt imagined went along with Leonidas and his brave three hundred's beautiful deaths. They went into battle expecting death, but left their women and children with the likelihood of being turned into slaves by Persians anyway? It doesn't make much sense and ultimately seems selfish in order to adhere to the code of how they were raised than anything resembling bravery, but the good thing of all this is realizing Rise of an Empire stirred some thought in me and invoked a reaction and participation I never expected to have.
My Best Buy number: 2220462910
My Best Buy number: 2220462910
What's great about it: Visual pleasures of the first are still intact
What's not so great: Seven years and its too little too late
I would recommend this to a friend!
Other Best Buy Products I Recommend
300 [Blu-ray] [2007]
(353)
Watchmen [SteelBook] [Blu-ray] [2009]
(126)
Man of Steel [Blu-ray] [2013]
(1,371)Share this review:
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