Blu-ray Review: Se7en (1995)

"A 90's masterpiece."

(aka What's in the Box!)
Release Date: September 22nd, 1995.
Country: USA.
Rating: R.
Written by: Andrew Kevin Walker.
Directed by: David Fincher.
Starring: Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Gwyneth Paltrow, R. Lee Ermey, and Kevin Spacey.

It's hard to believe that this David Fincher classic came out 21 years ago, and it's even harder to believe that it still plays as flawlessly today as it did back then. Se7en is a timeless flick, and maybe the best Serial Killer movie that has ever been made. It's a modern day classic, plain and simple.

In a nameless city (that we're pretty sure is Seattle, because it rains all the time), and in an era that we can't quite pinpoint, Detective Somerset is just about to retire to the country, where he can live in peace and leave the cesspool of death and apathy behind. The city is a shithole, and he just can't take anymore.

"THIS CITY IS SUCH A SHITHOLE THAT IT MAKES ME CRY!"

Before he goes though, Somerset is forced to partner with the newly arrived, idealistic detective David Mills, to tackle one last case. Someone is staging some elaborate, gruesome murder scenes, that are somehow, very subtly, tied to the seven deadly sins.

THAT LOOKS SUBTLE TO US.

As Mills and Somerset work to find the killer and stop his preachy reign of terror, the murders get nastier, and they both find themselves becoming part of a larger plan, which involves them sinking deeper and deeper into the skanky mire that is the city, and probably dying.

Chilling excellence ensues.

WE'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE EITHER, BRAD.

Se7en is not only one of the best movies that we've ever seen, but it's also one of the darkest mainstream movies that has ever come out of Hollywood. It's bleak, disturbing, and the air of doom that hangs over its rainy, nameless city, and the tortured characters that inhabit it, feels absolutely genuine.

Se7en is David Fincher's 2nd film, and unlike his first effort (the unfairly maligned Alien 3), he doesn't play one false note during this one's 127-minute runtime. Not one. It's visually stunning, the pacing is perfect, the cast is impeccable, and it's as heartbreaking as it is horrifying. And we love that unlike like so many other Serial Killer movies, this one doesn't end when the killer is caught. In fact, you could argue that Fincher takes things to a new level once that reveal happens, and that new level is even darker and more disturbing than the the one that the rest of the film has operated on for the previous 90-minutes. Se7en is a compelling Mystery, and an intense Thriller, but it's really the journey the detectives go on to find a killer, and what it does to them both, that is the heart of the movie.

Fincher went on to do some excellent movies after Se7en, but as much as we love his Zodiac and Fight Club, they never quite approach this movie's level of perfection. 

CLEVER BASTARD.

Do we even need to say how great Morgan Freeman is in this one? He's an excellent actor in general, but for our money, Se7en was his finest hour. Same goes for Brad Pitt. As prolific as their careers have been, and with all of the great performances that both have given over the years, we always seem to come back to Se7en when we think of their best work. The guy who played the killer (whom we won't name here, just in case you're yet to have the pleasure of seeing this movie), isn't too shabby either.

And how can you not love R. Lee Ermey.

"THIS IS NOT EVEN MY DESK."

Just about every Serial Killer flick that has come along since Se7en was released back in 1995 has paled by comparison. This movie ruined the Serial Killer sub-genre for us! *Not really, but it did set the high bar that we're still waiting for another movie of its kind to reach, let alone surpass.

SURPASS THE BAR WE SET? LOL!

What was in the box?!?

DEEP INSIDE, WE KNOW WHAT WAS IN THE BOX. WE JUST DON'T WANT TO ADMIT IT.

The crime scenes in this movie provide all kinds of twisted gore and viscera.

NOW THAT IS SOME TWISTED SHIT.

Nothing naked or sexy to see here.

ALTHOUGH BRAD PITT IS QUITE SEXY. NO HOMO.

David Fincher and his crew put a lot of effort into making Se7en the brilliant film that it is, and Warner Bros. put just as much effort into this Blu-ray transfer, which is equally brilliant. The black levels are deep and crush free, it's all kinds of grainy, and the level of detail throughout is pristine. It all looks fantastically filmic, just as it was intended to.

The 7.1 lossless audio track is equally impressive.

Special Features:

There's lots of bonus material on this disc, our favorite feature being the commentary with Fincher, Morgan Freeman, and Brad Pitt.

• Four audio commentary tracks:
  • Stars commentary, with director David Fincher and actors Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman.
  • Story commentary, with Fincher, author Richard Dyer, screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker, editor Richard Francis-Bruce and New Line president of production Michael De Luca.
  • Picture commentary, with Fincher, director of photography Darius Khondji, production designer Arthur Max, editor Richard Francis-Bruce and author Richard Dyer.
  • Sound commentary, with Fincher, sound designer Ren Klyce, composer Howard Shore and author Richard Dyer.
• Additional/extended scenes.
• Alternate endings.
• Exploration of the opening title sequence from multiple video angles with various audio mixes and two commentary tracks.
• Production design and still photographs with commentaries.
• The Notebooks: Full motion video details "John Doe´s" writings.
• Theatrical trailer.

I OWN THIS DIGIBOOK VERSION, BUT THE DISC INSIDE IS THE SAME NO MATTER WHAT KIND OF PACKAGING IT COMES IN.

Se7en is one of those movies that we can watch over and over again, and love at the same level each time. In our eyes, it's just about as flawless as a film can get, and it's one that needs to be in every Horror lovers collection. And Blu-ray is truly the only way to see it.

A+

Se7en is available now on Blu-ray, DVD, and VOD.

This is the best movie that Gwyneth Paltrow ever starred in.

Theatrical Review: Midnight Special (2016)

"Starman + Firestarter + E.T. = Midnight Special. Kinda."

(aka Starkid.)
Release Date: March 18th (limited.)
Country: USA.
Rating: PG-13.
Written by: Jeff Nichols.  
Directed by: Jeff Nichols.
Starring: Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst, Adam Driver, Jaeden Lieberher, and Sam Shepard.

I was originally not going to review this movie, for reasons, but ultimately decided to do a short write-up instead of nothing at all.

Two men are on the run with an 8-year-old kid, after fleeing a cult. An Amber Alert has been issued, and so not only is the cult (and its hitmen) hot on their trail, but so are the Cops. They have to get the boy to a specific location at a specific time, because they believe that something special is going to happen.

What's so special about this kid, you ask? I don't know, but he hates the sunlight, can sense things with his mind, and shoots lasers out of his eyes. So that probably explains why the Government wants to weaponize him. Did I mention that the kid is dying? Because he is.

Was that vague enough for you? Good, because we don't want to spoil anything for you.

MICHAEL SHANNON DOES NOT LIKE SPOILERS!

Watching Midnight Special was an odd experience for me.

I found it to be a really solid Sci-Fi Thriller that was gorgeously rendered and had me guessing all the way through, but at the same time, I wanted more of an emotional punch from it that I never got. Michael Shannon is brilliant as the tortured father who is racing against time to save the life of his kid, who may be some sort of alien/messiah/mutant or something, but their story didn't frigging move me like it should have.

I bought into it, and I loved a lot of it, but it just felt like something was missing. Maybe the payoff didn't answer enough of my questions, or was just too underwhelming... I'm honestly not sure. Maybe on a second watch it'll grab me more.

The cast in this one is great. Like the aforementioned Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton was his usual excellent self here. Those two could make movies together for the next 10 years and I'd be fine with that. Kirsten Dunst was also solid, and was the ever-excellent Sam Shepard.

Not as good as writer/director Mike Nichols' previous efforts, Mud and Take Shelter, Midnight Special feels like a a step back for the filmmaker, even if it's only a very small one. But it's still really good. See how confused it left me? That's why I didn't want to write it up!

THESE GUYS CHEW SCENERY WITH THE BEST OF THEM.

We are not alone in the universe. Also, Kirsten Dunst looks hot even when she's dressed like a frumpy spinster.

THAT SWEATER IS JUST TOO CUMBERSOME.

I know that it sounds like Midnight Special was too much of a mixed bag to deserve a B+ grade, and it kinda is, but its good parts worked really well and kept me engaged, so it really was a B+ sort of affair overall. I think.

This one has me truly conflicted, but I'd definitely recommend that Sci-Fi fans give it a watch, even if you wait until it hits VOD, which should be fairly soon. We'll be watching it again, to try and sort our our feelings about it.

B+

Midnight Special is in theaters now.

Kirsten Dunst... KIRSTEN DUNST!!!

What's New on VOD This Week? (4/26-4/29)

*Check out our other Release Date Pages: Blu-ray & DVD, Theatrical, VOD, TV.
Lauren Cohan vs. a haunted doll; Marvel's R-rated Superhero; the new Ben Wheatley film; a macabre fairy tale; and a Psychological Thriller starring Radha Mitchell... there are too many movies for us to stream this weekend!

Terrible problem to have, I know. 

*Be sure to click the pics to rent the movies, or watch their trailers. Or both. Or neither. It really depends on your mood, now doesn't it?

THE BOY

"Greta (Lauren Cohan) faces her worst nightmare after she takes a new nanny job and discovers that the family's son is a life sized doll, and may actually be alive."

A better movie than most give it credit for, The Boy arrives on Digital HD today, for your viewing pleasure... or displeasure, depending on how you see it.

We liked it, and think that it's worth a rental.

Check out our review below for our full thoughts on the movie.

DEADPOOL

"Witness the origin story of Wade Wilson, who adopts the alter ego Deadpool after a rogue experiment leaves him with accelerated healing powers...and a dark, twisted sense of humor."

This vulgar Superhero flick made us laugh our asses off from start to finish, which probably tells you a lot about us. Then again, we never really claimed to be all that classy or highbrow to begin with, now did we?

We loved it, and if you haven't yet had the chance to see Ryan Reynolds in the role that he was born to play, now is the time.

Check out our review below for our full thoughts on the movie.

HIGH-RISE

"A doctor (Tom Hiddleston) moves into a London skyscraper where rising tensions and class warfare lead to anarchy."

We love director Ben Wheatley (Kill List), and we're big fans of Tom Hiddleston, so we're all in for this odd, intense-looking Thriller.

• We'll watch anything that John C. Reilly is in (he's brilliant), especially when that anything is a grotesque, dark fairy tale like Tale of Tales. We're definitely excited for this one. 
• Sacrifice is a Psychological Thriller that looks right up our alley. Definitely watching this one. 
• Term Life looks like a generic Crime Thriller that should be streaming for free on Netflix, but the cast is solid, and the trailer looks good, so maybe we'll give it a go... after we've watched everything else this weekend.
• Happy streaming!