PHANTOM OF THE THEATRE - Digital and DVD

• Number of discs: 1
• Studio: Well Go USA
• DVD Release Date: October 11, 2016
• Run Time: 104 minutes

• Synopsis:
  A haunted theatre, filled with the vengeful spirits of a tragically-trapped performance troupe murdered in a fire 13 years ago, waits for the once-grand palatial playhouse to re-open with a new show ... and bring in new victims.. Starring Ruby Lin, Simon Yam, and Tony Yang.

What first attracted me to this film was the cover art. The brilliant reds on top of the sea of blue shadows. I knew this was going to look spectacular and I was not disappointed. Sure the premise is as old as live theater its self but the imagery and performances in this one surpass the recognizable script. - Matt Mungle

Complete Unknown - DVD

• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: 
   R 
   Restricted
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: October 4, 2016
• Run Time: 92 minutes

• Review
• I think Michael Shannon is one of the strongest male actors in the game today. No one tackles a dramatic role with more tenacity and raw emotion. pair him with the stand out Rachel Weisz and there is no script they can't master. . This is a must see for the performances alone. The story is intriguing but not without a few pitfalls. Perfect for renting or a home library though. 

• Synopsis:
  This shape-shifting tale of the perils and pleasures of self-reinvention begins at a dinner party, when Tom's (Michael Shannon) co-worker arrives with an intriguing date named Alice (Rachel Weisz). Tom is convinced he knows her, but she refuses to acknowledge their history. And when Alice makes a hasty exit, Tom sets off after her. What follows is an all-night odyssey shared by two people, one needing to change his life, the other questioning how to stop changing.
  
  
  
  
  Directed by Joshua Marston and written by Joshua Marston & Julian Sheppard, COMPLETE UNKNOWN was produced by Lucas Joaquin, Lars Knudsen and Jay Van Hoy, with Robert Halmi Jr. and Jim Reeve serving as executive producers.

DVD and Digital Extra:

·         Director’s Commentary with Joshua Marston

Into The Forest [Blu-ray + Digital HD]

• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: 
   R 
   Restricted
• Studio: Lionsgate
• DVD Release Date: October 4, 2016
• Run Time: 104 minutes

• Review
• This is a slick thriller that has dystopian themes without feeling cliche or apocalyptic. Could actually be from any time period once the power goes out. It is a classic cat and mouse survival flick with strong acting from the two female leads. Well directed with a doable script. Fans of Ellen Page will want to check this out for sure. Special features are nothing to brag about with the standard commentary and featurette. 
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• PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
  Academy Award^® nominee Ellen Page (Best Actress, Juno, 2007) and Golden Globe^® nominee Evan Rachel Wood star as sisters fighting for survival in Into the Forest, arriving on Blu-ray (plus Digital HD) and DVD (plus Digital) on October 4 from Lionsgate. The heartfelt adaptation of Jean Hegland’s best-selling novel had its world premiere at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival, and was theatrically released by A24. Also starring Max Minghella and Callum Keith Rennie, Into the Forest will be available on Blu-ray and DVD for the suggested retail price of $24.99 and $19.98, respectively.
  
  OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS
  Set in the near future, this riveting and suspenseful apocalyptic drama follows two sisters whose peaceful lives are disrupted one day by a world-wide power outage. The sisters must work together in order to survive in their increasingly treacherous new world, fighting intruders, disease, loneliness, and starvation.

BLU-RAY/DVD SPECIAL FEATURES

• “The Making of Into the Forest” Featurette

Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Patricia Rozema

THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN - Review

R  |  112 min  |  Mystery, Thriller  
Review - Matt Mungle

*In theaters October 7th 2016 *

Synopsis: A divorcee becomes entangled in a missing persons investigation that promises to send shockwaves throughout her life.

Review: Fans of the Paula Hawkins's novel THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN have been excited for its theatrical release. Gone Girl started this trend of dark sexy mysteries and you can only assume this one hoped to keep the momentum going. But sadly it derails in a heap of vague motives and misunderstood character arcs. You won't hate it but you won't really like it either. You may wish to have your own drunken  blackout so you can forget it all together. 

Rachel (Emily Blunt) rides the train back and forth to work each day. She sits in the same place and watches the same landscape go by. As luck, or karma, would have it she has to pass the house she used to live in with her ex-husband Tom (Justin Theroux). This was before he got a new wife (Rebecca Ferguson) and started a family; in the same house. She could sit on the other side of the train and not have to inflict such horrible pain on herself but then we wouldn't have a story. She also keeps an eye on the house a few doors down where loving couple Scott (Luke Evans) and Megan (Haley Bennett) live. Rachel is fixated on Tom and his new family and can't seem to move on. She shows up unannounced and has started freaking them out. Still she watches the house day after day from the train. When Megan goes missing though Rachel might be the one person who has seen the only clue. But who is gonna believe her?

I am sure the book was fantastic and the movie may encourage many to go back and read it. Those who have read the book may glean more from the movie as well. Those who go in with nothing will leave with even less. Other than a first rate performance from Blunt there is little in this film to engage with or enjoy. It is a repetitious journey with ups and downs that never connect. The book allowed you to enter Rachel's mind and live in her thoughts; something a movie can never replicate. Same with the supporting characters. Without knowing what they are thinking the actions make little sense. 

Also the film tries too hard to be a sexy thriller. The nudity and sex appears more as an afterthought than a point of interest. It loses the natural organic nature and becomes gratuitous and, well, non-sexy. Megan is a complex character but they cheapen her with some of the more promiscuous personality traits and actions. If we knew more about the why (more than what we are given here for sure) maybe it would make better sense. But without a deeper back story she becomes a shallow hull. sad because you need her to be more. 

There is no doubt that director Tate Taylor was in over his head and got lost in the subject matter. Luckily Emily Blunt is a strong enough actress to overcome this and delivers a powerful performance. Hers is the only reason to consider watching. Rachel has to function in a haze of chemical emotion and Blunt does it brilliantly. 

THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN is rated R for violence, sexual content, language and nudity, It is obviously an adult film. The language and certain scenes might even be a bit much for first dates and awkward mixed company. I give it 2 out of 5 missed opportunities. Pretty disappointing.