DVD Talk DVD Reviews

Meet the Patels

Sat, 02 Apr 2016 17:41:24 UTC

Recommended

The Movie
It was turning into a bad week for marriages here at DVD Talk when I had to suffer through the Duck Dynasty Wedding Special that was released last January. Duck Dynasty's wedding spectacular only reminded me that whatever the ceremony is supposed to represent, it devolved into a meaningless television spectacle. However, the week was finally redeemed by Meet the Patels, a comic faux documentary that dealt with an IndianAmerican man's transition into the world of arranged marriages within Indian culture.

Meet the Patels is by siblings Geeta and Raj V. Patel, and it deals with Raj's navigation into the dating world via an arranged marriage system from his parents' home country of India. With help from his mom and dad, Raj sets out on a series of dates with Indian girls who may become his potential wife. Raj's journey shows his disillusionment with American-style dating, despite the ...Read the entire review

Frankenstein (2015) (Blu-ray)

Tue, 23 Feb 2016 18:56:58 UTC

Rent It

The Film:

From the digital-wizardry action of I, Frankenstein to the alternate Igor-centered perspective of Victor Frankenstein, Hollywood has attempted to revive the mythology of Mary Shelley's eerie, cerebral tale in blockbuster form over the past few years, enjoying little success in these outside-the-box attempts. Instead working with a compact budget and a clear focus on updating the core concepts of Shelley's story for contemporary audiences, Candyman director Bernard Rose takes a stab at his own reinvention of the legend in Frankenstein, one that largely avoids gimmicks while focusing on the scientific boundaries being pushed by the creation of the fa...Read the entire review

Howl (2015) (Blu-ray)

Sun, 07 Feb 2016 20:04:37 UTC

Skip It

THE FILM:

Part of me wants to like Paul Hyett's Howl, this month's direct-to-video werewolf thriller. The Blu-ray packaging proudly informs the consumer that Howl is "from the award-winning SFX creator of The Descent." Anyone looking for a film on that level should seek out Neil Marshall. This movie is basically werewolves on a train, and is set on a commuter traveling through the English countryside. A diverse group of passengers and crew is trapped aboard the stricken train after it runs over something on the track. Tempers flair and passengers die at the hands of hairy beasts. A few decent performances and some bloody effects do not a good movie make, and Howl is not worth seeking out.

Ticket collector Joe (Ed Speelers) rushes through the station to meet the already delayed ...Read the entire review

Hangman (Blu-ray)

Sun, 07 Feb 2016 16:37:22 UTC

Recommended

"I think I need a vacation after that vacation!" Yeah, good one, Dad (Jeremy Sisto). He and Mom (Kate Ashfield) are still grabbing luggage out of the trunk as the kids (real-life siblings Ryan and Ty Simpkins) head inside and realize what's happened. The entire damned house has been turned upside down. In the two weeks the Millers have been away, someone broke in through a kitchen window and made themselves right at home: ate their food, slept in their beds, watched their home movies, rifled through their daughter's drawers, scrawled some kind of hangman in the shower with ketchup, and generally just tore through the place like a fucking tornado. It's gotta just be some bored kids looking for a laugh, right? Some vagrants who stumbled upon a cozy place to squat for a couple weeks? No matte...Read the entire review