Jennifer Lawrence again plays Katniss Everdeen in “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1.”
Photo courtesy of Lionsgate
This week’s home video releases are anchored by last year’s top-grossing feature film.
Tag Archives: Josh Hutcherson
Video Verdict: Reviews of ‘Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1’ and ‘Foxcatcher’
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Video Verdict: ‘Amour,’ ‘Epic’
Jean-Louis Trintignant, front, and Emmanuelle Riva star in “Amour.” The drama was nominated for five awards and won best foreign language film at the most recent Oscar ceremony.
This week’s major home video releases include an exciting animated movie and the drama that won best foreign language film at this year’s Oscar celebration.
Filed under Video Verdict
Snapshot Reviews: ‘Fast & Furious 6’ and ‘Epic’
“Fast & Furious 6” makes its way into theaters today (May 24).
I’m introducing a new feature here at ForrestHartman.com: Snapshot reviews. Please note that I will still write long-form critiques for my Video Verdict column. These are designed to give readers a quick assessment of new movies. Hopefully you find them useful and fun.
FAST & FURIOUS 6
2½ stars
Story: Dominic Toretto and his crew team with U.S. agent Hobbs in order to capture a dangerous mercenary who is at skilled at motorized hijackings as they used to be. Sweetening the pot is the apparent appearance of Dom’s longtime love, Letty, a woman the whole crew thought was dead.
Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Jordana Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris and Gina Carano.
Directed by: Justin Lin (“Better Luck Tomorrow,” “Fast Five”)
Bottom line: The plotting is ridiculous and the dialogue is melodramatic, but the stunts are as good as they get.
EPIC
3½ stars
Story: Animated film about a teen girl who discovers a tiny world of forest creatures engaged in a constant battle between good and evil. When she is magically transported into their world, she goes on a fantastic adventure.
Voice cast features: Colin Farrell, Josh Hutcherson, Beyonce, Chris O’Dowd, Pitbull, Amanda Seyfried, Christoph Waltz and Jason Sudeikis
Directed by: Chris Wedge (“Ice Age,” “Robots”)
Bottom line: Beautiful 3-D animation coupled with a compelling story. The fantastic writing, and Wedge’s excellent execution, make this the best animated movie since “Rise of the Guardians.”
Filed under Snapshot Reviews
Video Verdict: ‘The Hunger Games’
Jennifer Lawrence plays Katniss Everdeen in “The Hunger Games.”
This week, the first cinematic adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ “Hunger Games” trilogy is hogging the home video spotlight.
Filed under Video Verdict
Video Verdict: ‘John Carter,’ ‘Safe House,’ ‘Act of Valor,’ ‘Journey 2’
Taylor Kitsch finds himself in a tight spot playing the title character in “John Carter.”
A thriller starring Denzel Washington and an adaptation of a much-loved science-fiction novel anchor this week’s home video releases.
Filed under Video Verdict
Video Verdict: ‘A Christmas Carol,’ ‘The Lottery Ticket,’ ‘The Kids Are All Right’
The Ghost of Christmas Present, left, haunts Ebenezer Scrooge in director Robert Zemeckis’ animated adaptation of “A Christmas Carol.”
A number of high profile titles are making their way to home video this week. Included is an urban comedy starring Bow Wow and Brandon T. Jackson, an indie drama with Julianne Moore and Annette Bening and a holiday classic from Walt Disney Studios.
Filed under Video Verdict
Video Verdict: ‘Everybody’s Fine,’ ‘Vampire’s Assistant: Cirque du Freak,’ ‘The Box,’ ‘The Informant!’
Matt Damon plays corporate whistleblower Mark Whitacre in director Steven Soderbergh’s offbeat dramedy “The Informant!”
This week’s video releases cover a lot of territory, with everything from a teen-vampire thriller to a family drama starring Robert DeNiro hitting rental store shelves.
Filed under Video Verdict
