High-Def Digest: The Bonus ViewJudi Dench Archives - High-Def Digest: The Bonus View

TIFF Journal: Red Joan

Jason Gorber — Mon, 24 Sep 2018 15:00:43 +0000

Red Joan is little more than a cheap bait-and-switch. The film promises a meaty, spy-themed drama starring Dame Judi Dench only to have the rug pulled out by focusing instead on a dreary, predictable tale told almost entirely in flashback. Helmed by theatrical impresario Trevor Nunn, the film feels both stagey and amateurish, with poorly...

The post TIFF Journal: Red Joan appeared first on High-Def Digest: The Bonus View.

‘Murder on the Orient Express’ (2017) Review: Murder Most Middlebrow

Philip Brown — Thu, 09 Nov 2017 20:00:41 +0000

In the grand scheme of movies that needed to exist in 2017, ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ ranks somewhere near the bottom of the list. There have been a variety of adaptations of this Agatha Christie whodunnit over the years and Kenneth Branagh’s new version doesn’t add much beyond modern movie spectacle. While it’s a...

The post ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ (2017) Review: Murder Most Middlebrow appeared first on High-Def Digest: The Bonus View.

‘Victoria & Abdul’ Review: Pandering Niceness

Philip Brown — Wed, 27 Sep 2017 16:00:20 +0000

On one level, ‘Victoria & Abdul’ is kind of fascinating. The film tries so damn hard to tell a kind and inclusive story to make up for the racism of the British Empire. Yet despite all the jokes about bumbling royal Brits and their racism, the movie ultimately suffers from that very special brand of...

The post ‘Victoria & Abdul’ Review: Pandering Niceness appeared first on High-Def Digest: The Bonus View.

‘Tulip Fever’ Review: Sloppy Compromise in Pretty Costumes

Philip Brown — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 17:00:07 +0000

After sitting on a shelf somewhere in the Weinsteins’ offices for years, ‘Tulip Fever’ is finally getting unceremoniously dumped onto screens this weekend. Weirdly enough, a number of the actors became rather famous in the interim. You’d think that would mean that the movie is an unqualified failure that deeply embarrassed the studio, but it’s...

The post ‘Tulip Fever’ Review: Sloppy Compromise in Pretty Costumes appeared first on High-Def Digest: The Bonus View.

‘The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’ Review: Even Worse the Second Time

Philip Brown — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 14:00:18 +0000

I can’t believe that the absolutely abysmal ‘Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’ made enough money to justify the production of a sequel. The elderly all-stars return for another round of mildly racist pandering and a free trip to India. The plot is garbage, the message questionable, and the entertainment value is approximately nil. If the filmmakers...

The post ‘The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’ Review: Even Worse the Second Time appeared first on High-Def Digest: The Bonus View.

Oscar Poll: Best Actress 2014

Josh Zyber — Thu, 27 Feb 2014 15:00:42 +0000

The Best Actress category this year is perhaps a much tighter race than Best Actor. All but one of the nominated actresses already have Oscar statuettes on their mantles. Is this Amy Adams’ year, or is she destined to perpetually be a bridesmaid at the Academy Awards? When the nominations were first announced, I felt...

The post Oscar Poll: Best Actress 2014 appeared first on High-Def Digest: The Bonus View.

Weekend Movies: Testosterone and Estrogen

Luke Hickman — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 17:00:23 +0000

Can this week’s most hyped new release crack $175 million? Many analysts seem to think so. Debuting on more than 4,100 screens is this weekend’s sure winner, ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire‘. The entire cast returns for Lionsgate’s sequel, but the previous writers and director have been left behind. (I think a lot of us...

The post Weekend Movies: Testosterone and Estrogen appeared first on High-Def Digest: The Bonus View.

Post-Oscar Contest – Win ‘Skyfall’ on Blu-ray!

Josh Zyber — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 14:00:19 +0000

Good morning, readers! Did you stay up too late watching the Oscars last night? Yeah, me too. Would a good contest perk you up a little? That’s great, because we’re giving away one of the biggest Blu-ray releases of the year. Read on after the page break for your chance to win the James Bond...

The post Post-Oscar Contest – Win ‘Skyfall’ on Blu-ray! appeared first on High-Def Digest: The Bonus View.

Weekend Movies: ‘The Avengers’ and a Bunch of Little Movies That Aren’t ‘The Avengers’

Luke Hickman — Fri, 04 May 2012 13:00:12 +0000

I’ve heard many people, geeks and non-geeks alike, compare this weekend to being a child on Christmas Eve. Because of the insanely huge hype behind this weekend’s single nationwide opener, only five small indie movies dare open against it. Unless you’ve been held captive in a cave by the Ten Rings, you’re probably more than...

The post Weekend Movies: ‘The Avengers’ and a Bunch of Little Movies That Aren’t ‘The Avengers’ appeared first on High-Def Digest: The Bonus View.