DVD releases May 12th ON REVIEW

Underworld - Rise of the Lycans - B+ (Gotta Own)

This is set up as a prequel to the blockbuster hits starring Kate Beckinsale. It stars Michael Sheen, the same man who played David Frost in the Oscar nominated film Frost/Nixon, who turns in another great performance, reprising his role as the werewolf Lucian, the most intriguing character of the franchise. Alongside Sheen is Bill Nighy, perfectly cast as a power-tripped elder vampire. This installment is definitely better than the 2^nd film in the series, and almost as good as the 1^st one. Those who haven’t seen the other two films may not enjoy this very much, as it brings virtually nothing new into the genre. However, if you’ve seen the others, then this almost becomes a must-see. The CGI of the transformations into werewolves is pretty impressive, although the some of the action scenes seem a little more like something out of Sweeney Todd. Overall it’s a solid movie and worth a watch if you love vampires, werewolves or action in general.

Grudge 3 - D+ (Don't Bother)

Since the mid-80s, taking movie series and beating them into the ground has been the thing to do in the movie business. This is no different. The 3^rd installment of the Grudge series is hands-down the worst of the three. With no star power to carry the film, the terrible writing, unimaginative characters, and bad acting becomes glaringly obvious. There is nothing about this film that makes you jump or scared. The only cringing part is looking at the DVD player and seeing you still have over an hour left in the film. This makes all the same mistakes that the horror movies of the last 10 years have made over and over again. Only watch this if you have a guilty pleasure for bad horror movies, otherwise don’t even bother.

Taken - A (Gotta Own)

Taken, starring Liam Neeson is one of the best action-thriller movies of 2009. Neeson plays a father willing to do whatever is necessary to get his daughter back from the human trafficking trade. Taken reminded me a lot of the Bourne trilogy, starring Matt Damon, except without the annoying “shaky camera” that they insisted on using for every action scene. Neeson plays his part very convincingly, and shows that he is one of the more underrated action stars in the business. The story is gripping, never slows down and keeps you wanting more. Where Neeson’s character is like Jason Bourne minus the amnesia, the way the movie unfolds is like that to Denzel Washington’s Man on Fire. One of the few movies of the year that I would not only say is a must-see, but also one that belongs in your collection.