Disc Type

"Two can keep a secret as long as one of them is dead."

The Pretty Little Liars have finally reached the end of their rope. And while you discovered who little mini-A's were over the previous six years, you're finally going to get to the bottom of the entire mystery. I'll admit it's a bit of a shocker. With the end upon us, this is no place for beginners. If you don't know who Aria, Spencer, Emily, Hannah, and Alison are, it's time for you to head back to the beginning and catch up. You can find our reviews from those seasons here. For the rest of you, let's talk Pretty Little Liars, shall we?

"Guns change everything, and a bullet is forever."

This new USA Network series is based very loosely on the 2007 film staring Mark Wahlberg. The film was based on the bestseller novel Point Of Impact by the ironically named Stephen Hunter. The series started life with several events going against it. The film really didn't make much of an impact itself. It lost money with a domestic box office total under $50M and about the same in the world-wide box office. So it wasn't necessarily a no-brainer for a television series adaptation. That push came from the original film's star Mark Wahlberg, who is the executive producer of the series. But that's not the only obstacle the show had to overcome. The premiere was delayed twice, first because of the Pulse shootings in Orlando and then again after the police officer shootings in Dallas, Texas. No question the series took a long, hard road to finally make it on the air. Now that it has finally aired, Universal is putting the first season together on DVD. It's a good chance to catch the series if you missed its eventual run on USA Network. But is it worth going through the trouble now. Yeah, the show has its moments. It's somewhat clever and has more than its fair share of dramatic moments.

La Vie de Jean-Marie (The Life of Jean-Marie) is a documentary that pitches itself as an “excellent example of cinema verité,” leaving it exposed to the tremendous legacy that specific film movement left upon cinema history. For those that don’t know, “cinema verité,” or “truth cinema,” is a style of documentary invented by French filmmaker Jean Rouch around the late 1950’s. The idea behind this style of cinema is “reveal the truth” through the use of the camera and the spontaneity of the film’s subjects. La Vie de Jean-Marie does indeed wear the shoes of cinema verité quite well; however, it does so in an exhausting fashion.

Jean-Marie is the pastor for 25 villages near Olette, France, as well as a farmer. At the age of 75, he decides he is going to retire to a different village and live out his life with a fellow sister in Christ. Along the way, he recounts tales of his childhood, adolescence, experience with the church, close relationships to his companions, etc. While we learn more about the pastor’s character, we are also treated to contemplative views of the French countryside, complementing every word of his reminiscences.

"We'll figure something out. We always do."

You should know the setup by now. If not, you can check out our previous reviews: The 100 Reviews. You'll discover a series that changes quite substantially with each new season. In fact, the title itself was no longer relevant to the series after the first episode. The originally 100 was quickly whittled down in size. Then the rest of the Ark came down, and in Season 4 there are about 500 of the Ark's inhabitants on the planet. The name will take on a new meaning by the time Season 4 ends, where it appears we may very well be back down to about 100 survivors. But that's jumping ahead, and we have a fourth season to get you caught up on with Warner Brothers' release of The 100 Season 4 on both DVD and Blu-ray. Warner did not send us the Blu-ray this year, so we're going No Huddle style on you, as we only got to see the DVD release.

Over the last eight years or so, the abstract concept of nostalgia has become a commodity. Film, television, and videogames have been adjusting their aesthetic to incorporate stylistic visuals that are intended to draw in what seems to be a relatively specific demographic: “80’s kids.” Whether it be Stranger Things, Kung Fury, or Turbo Kid, these films have succeeded (and failed) to create a new style out of this “nostalgia aesthetic.” However, being a child of the 90’s, I have noticed that these “nostalgia aesthetics” have shifted toward my decade. I have seen this shift typically in contemporary music videos (see Swang, directed by Max Hilva), but Game Changers most certainly fits into this category, as the lead characters are my age and occupy their time with everything I have ever done for fun.

The film introduces us to Bryan and Scott. They have always been best friends since middle school, playing games such as Magic the Gathering, or hosting big LAN parties of Halo with friends. Eventually, Bryan learns that he can make money by playing video games professionally. Naturally, he takes Scott, and the two succeed beyond their wildest dreams. Now, about twelve years later, they both work in the IT department of the company owned by Bryan’s father. Scott enjoys the structure of the 9-5 work day, whereas Bryan yearns for the days of glory as a professional gamer. After a lot of coercion, Bryan convinces a reluctant Scott to join his new team of elite gamers. Soon after, their personalities begin to clash.