Breaking
In (2018/Universal
Blu-ray w/DVD)/Last
Warrior (2018/4 Digital
Media Blu-ray)/Murdoch
Mysteries: Season 11
(2017 - 2018/Acorn Blu-rays)/Navigator:
A Medieval Odyssey
(1988/MVD/Arrow Blu-ray)/Traffik
(2018/Lionsgate Blu-ray)
Picture:
B+ & B/B/B/B/B+ Sound: B+ & B/B/B/B/B Extras:
B/D/C/B/C Main Programs: C/C/B/C+/C
Next
up are a new set of mystery, action and murder tales that land up
taking us into unusual places, most in prior centuries...
Gabrielle
Union stars in Breaking
In
(2018), another entry in the home invasion sub-genre that either
works or gets boring. Unfortunately, Breaking
In is
the latter but is directed by V
for Vendetta
director James McTeigue, who has some talent. The film starts out
with a bang as a jogger is hit by a car... then gets his head smashed
in by a unknown menace.
This
same bad guy ends up breaking into Shaun Russell's (Union) vacation
home as she takes her children there for a weekend getaway. While
Shaun ends up escaping, her kids end up being stuck inside with her
attackers who are after a fortune that's hidden in the home. Unlucky
for them, Shaun will stop at nothing to save her family but she is
far from a superhero.
The
film also stars Billy Burke, Richard Cabral, Levi Meaden, and Seth
Carr.
The
1080p Blu-ray transfer here is very pleasing with a widescreen aspect
ratio of 2.40:1 and a DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix, both
of which are appropriate for a film of this nature. There are many
night scenes and these come across very well without too much noise.
A standard definition anamorphically
enhanced
DVD of the film (looking better than expected) is also included with
a 5.1 lossy Dolby Digital mix and similar widescreen specs.
There
are rated and unrated versions of the film but I didn't notice
anything too overtly different aside from a minute more of footage.
A
digital copy is also included.
Special
Features include...
Alternate
Opening
One
Bad Mother
A
Filmmaker's Eye
A
Lesson in Kicking Ass
A
Hero Evolved
Deleted
and Extended Scenes
Feature
Commentary by Director James McTeigue and Scriptwriter Ryan Engle
While
nothing too terribly new plot-wise, Breaking
In is
decently shot and acted but isn't very memorable or exciting. The
plot is a bit longwinded and reminded me a lot of David Fincher's
Panic
Room
on more than one occasion.
Fusing
the Viking genre with the fantasy genre, Rustam Mosafir's The
Last Warrior
(2017, aka The
Scythian
or Skif)
has been imported from Russia and is now available to American
audiences. While it doesn't quite live up to its tagline on the
cover as 'Game
of Thrones
meets Braveheart'
it's more like 'Vikings
meets Conan'.
There's plenty of swashbuckling and gore to maybe satisfy Thrones
fans in need of something to tide them over but there's no comparison
when it comes to story.
The
Last Warrior
stars Aleksey Faddeev, Aleksandr Kuznetsov, Yuriy Tsurilo, and Saido
Kurbanov.
The
Scythians were once honorable warriors but are now nothing more but
run of the mill assassins. Lutobor and Weasel, two men who don't see
eye to eye in terms of religion, have to work together to march
through enemy territory for their own personal reasons... and to save
the last of their kind.
The
film is presented in 1080p high definition with a 2.40:1 widescreen
aspect ratio and a bad English dub track in lossless DTS-HD MA
(Master Audio) 5.1 lossless track. Thankfully, there's also the
original Russian track in DTS-HD MA 5.1 as well with English dubs so
you don't have to put yourself through that dub. There's a lot of
shaky camerawork and motion in the film with the occasional motion
blur. However, the colors and detail aren't bad for the aging
Blu-ray format.
The
only extra is a trailer.
While
not badly shot or produced, there isn't much new here that The
Last Warrior
brings to the table that we haven't seen before.
Then
there's this interesting Canadian fantasy series, Murdoch
Mysteries,
enters into its Eleventh
Season
(2017 - 2018)
and is presented nicely on Blu-ray thanks to Acorn TV and RLJ. In
the show, which is also a period piece (19th
Century) and reminds me a bit of Sherlock Holmes, Detective William
Murdoch (Yannick Bisson, Sue
Thomas: FB.Eye)
solves Toronto's crimewave with the assistant of Constable Crabtree
(Jonny Harris, Still
Standing);
Dr. Julia Ogden (Helene Joy, Durham County); and Inspector
Brackenreid (Thomas Craig, Where
the Heart Is).
The wild and interesting show feels high budget and has some
interesting visual effects on top of some fairly interesting murder
cases.
The
18 Episodes for Season 11 include Up
From Ashes, Merlot Mysteries, 8 Footsteps, The Canadian Patient, Dr.
Osler Regrets, 21 Murdoch Street, The Accident, Brakenreid Boudoir,
The Talking Dead, F.L.A.S.H, Biffers and Blockers, Mary Wept,
Crabtree A La Carte, Great White Moose, Murdoch Schmurdoch, Game of
Kings, Shadows Are Falling
and Free
Falling.
Presented
in 1080p high definition with a 1.78:1 widescreen aspect ratio and a
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix, the show looks and sounds
fine on Blu-ray and is a vast improvement as opposed to if you
watching the show on television or on streaming. As mentioned it has
very nice cinematography and production design and this is captured
well here.
The
only special feature is a twenty three minute featurette on the
making of the show, but you can see our coverage of earlier seasons
of the show elsewhere on this site. We'll see how much longer the
show runs.
Vincent
Ward's The
Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey
(1988) is like the movie Terry Gilliam never made (or passed on
making). It has several of the Gilliam essentials: time travel,
silly humor, and a very weird score. However, its of course not a
Gilliam production. Shot eloquently and well received at the time of
its release, the film has been restored and given the grand treatment
by Arrow.
The
Navigator
stars Chris Haywood, Hamish McFarlane, and Bruce Lyons to name a few.
A
young boy in 14th
Century Cumbria (near England) keeps getting visions he cannot
explain. In the age of the black death, the villagers have so far
survived but decide to hatch a plan for survival. With the boy
tormented by visions as their guide, a group set out to dig a hole to
the other side of the world to escape the plague. Well... the 'other
side' ends up being 20th century New Zealand! Things only get more
bizarre from there.
Presented
in 1080p high definition with a 1.85:1 widescreen aspect ratio and a
Original mono audio (uncompressed LPCM) track, both of which I'm sure
are the best the film has looked or sounded in years. The film's
score is the main predominant force on the audio mix and on full
display here as it plunges our heroes through uncertain time.
Special
Features:
Brand-new
appreciation by film critic Nick Roddick, recorded exclusively for
this release
Kaleidoscope:
Vincent Ward - Film Maker,
a 1989 documentary profile of the director made for New Zealand
television
Theatrical
trailer
FIRST
PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing
on the film by Kim Newman and an introduction by Vincent Ward.
The
film is interesting for sure and very well made, however, tends to
lack a certain something I can't quite put my finger on. It comes
across cinematic and serious at times and then at others is just
plain silly. Still, it's worth checking out if you're interested in
this grand new release.
We
conclude with beautiful Paula Patton (Warcraft),
plus Omar Epps (Love
and Basketball)
star in the new thriller Traffik
(2018) directed by Deon Taylor (Meet
The Blacks).
The film centers around Brea (Patton) and John (Epps) who are a
couple who go off for a romantic weekend away (and he might propose
to!) While things seem picturesque at first, they soon go awry when
a biker gang attacks and torments them after a showdown at a gas
station. While the couple try to fend for themselves, they soon
realize that they are part of a human trafficking plot.
The
film also stars Missi Pyle, Luke Goss, Laz Alonso, Scott Anthony,
Leet, and Lorin McCraley.
Traffik
is presented in 1080p with a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.40:1 and a
nice sounding English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix. The
presentation is up to standards and looks great on Blu-ray with skin
textures finely detailed and the colors cool and vibrant.
A
digital copy is also included.
Special
Features include...
Journey
Into the Depths: Making Traffik
Deon
and Dante: The Look of Traffik
While
the film is certainly nothing new in terms of story, the performances
aren't terrible and the cinematography is pretty strong.
-
James
Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/