DVD Release Reviews for October 20th

The Tournament - B+ (Gotta Rent)
The Tournament is a straight to DVD, non-stop action packed movie starring Ving Rhames and Robert Carlyle. The plot is very similar to Death Race or The Condemned where a group of assassins all compete in a last-man standing, winner takes all death match. The main difference between this and the others is the prize is purely monetary, not their own freedom, like most of the others. Surprisingly, I found it to be quite entertaining and compelling from start to finish. The plot was nothing special, but the action was very realistic and not over the top (like Punisher: War Zone, or Crank 2) and the assassins were interesting enough to keep your keep your attention. Rhames is fun to watch as the “ultimate assassin” and Carlyle’s role as a priest in the wrong place at the wrong time is also well cast. Its main downfall is the really cheesy lines that the writing provided the actors and it really prevents the film from being on par with some of the really good actions films. That being said it’s entertaining enough to be worth a rent.


Transformers 2 - B- (Gotta Rent)
Transformers 2 shares quite a bit with Spider-Man 3 as both were huge box office successes, both had huge expectations from their predecessors, and both are overall a disappointment. The good part of the movie was what Michael Bay is known for, very expensive action scenes that blow up everything in sight (and most things out of sight). One scene in particular is one of the coolest fight scenes I’ve seen when Optimus Prime takes on 3 Decepticons at the same time. However, everything else that matters in a movie, such as the story, dialogue, and even length of the movie are all done very poorly. There is an entire half hour long scene that should have been removed, as with the majority of the scenes with the parents. The balance of action vs. comedy in the first one was perfect, but in this Bay tried way too hard to make it funnier than it was. That being said it’s the ultimate dream movie for someone with a Blu-Ray player and an HDTV as the action scenes are what HD was made for. It’s not as good as the first by a long-shot, but overall it’s a fun movie to experience.


Maiden Heist - A- (Gotta Rent)
Maiden Heist takes the common storyline of an art heist and adds a little bit of The Odd Couple. Whereas most other heist movies like the Ocean trilogy focuses more on the thieves trying to make a quick buck, this one is about 3 older security guards trying to hold onto the art they guarded for so long. The 3 main characters’ heart and love for the art must overcome their pure stupidity when it comes to crime. It’s funny, clever and a refreshing change from the normal bank job films where professionals plan out these elaborate schemes to rob millions of dollars of cash and jewels. The casting is fantastic with Morgan Freeman, Christopher Walken and William H. Macy all playing their roles as normal senior citizens turned felons with ease. Don’t expect lots of action or fast cars like most heist movies, but it’s great nonetheless and well worth a rent.