Blu-Ray & DVD Review Round-Up: MINDHORN, SONG TO SONG, THE SLAYER & THE HUNTER’S PRAYER
Go back to the 1980s with Mindhorn, Terrence Malick disappoints with Song To Song, discover the greatest horror you’ve never seen in The Slayer and Jonathan Mostow and Sam Worthington miss the target with The Hunter’s Prayer.
Blu-ray Review: Mindhorn
Mindhorn is a loving homage to classic high-concept television shows from the 1970s and 1980s. The 6 Million Man, Knight Rider, Magnum PI and even Bergerac are lovingly mocked in this fun British comedy from the minds of Julian Barratt and Simon Farnaby
As good as it is, Mindhorn can’t help but feel like a joke stretched-out too far for 90 minutes. The first half of the film really hits the park, but the plot begins to lose focus after 45 minutes. Julian Barratt is excellent as Richard Thorncroft and his portrayal helps sell the whole endeavour, while Farnaby gives hismelf a juicy role as Throncroft’s stunt double, now married to the actor’s former flame and co-star (Essie Davis).
This is a solid comedy, but it doesn’t ignite as well as it should. It’s good fun, but it could have been great!
Special Features
A short making of an a lot of little comedy riffs. Solid.
DVD Review: Song To Song
Terrence Malick does what Terrence Malick does best in Song To Song. Michael Fassbender, Ryan Gosling, Rooney Mara and Natalie Portman lead the cast of this Austin-set drama. It’s the weakest Malick film in years, not really coming together in the way that his enthral films normally do. It could be that it’s because he’s wasted a cast who are so good at acting, rather than standing around – although they do look good doing that too!
Fassbender has the most to do here – but it’s Val Kilmer who steals the movie playing…Val Kilmer with a chainsaw!
Special Features
Solid interviews make this an interesting package.
Blu-ray Review: The Slayer
An exceptional horror film, The Slayer is something of a lost classic and it’s a treasure to be discovered by a whole new generation of fans with this great Arrow release.
Director J.S Cardone’s film sees a pair of couples take a holiday on a remote wintery island. A killer is on this loose, however it’s more than they can imagine. Or maybe they can – the killer is murdering them from the dreams of Sarah Kendall’s abstract artist. Don’t tell Wes Craven!
A botched US release and a banning in the UK meant that The Slayer has been seen by few over the years. What you will find is a well shot film, with some great tension and a lot of impressive moments. On the surface it might appear to be a generic horror, but this is a little gem just waiting to be discovered.
Special Features
Commentaries and retrospective documentaries, this remastered Blu-ray of The Slayer is fantastic.
DVD Review: The Hunter’s Prayer
The Hunter’s Prayer is a flaccid thriller from director Jonathan Mostow. Sam Worthington plays a hitman trying to save the life of his young target, but this flick misses every target it sets out to hit.
Mostow’s generic action thriller is cliched in every fashion and nothing can save it. Worthington makes some terrible acting choices here, showing that he’s a man in need of strong material. 1997’s Breakdown illustrates that Mostow has talent for building tension, but he doesn’t manage that here. The Hunter’s Prayer is a huge disappointment.
