Blu Tuesday is a weekly column where we review the newest Blu-ray and 4K releases, along with a brief rundown of the included bonus material, to determine whether they’re worth buying, renting or skipping.
Pick of the Week: “Is This Thing On?”
Bradley Cooper’s third outing as a director isn’t quite as flashy as his previous efforts, but it’s a solid character-driven drama that is focused more on delivering a good story than chasing accolades, something that his sophomore feature — the Leonard Bernstein biopic “Maestro” — was certainly guilty of. Led by strong performances from stars Will Arnett and Laura Dern, “Is This Thing On?” provides a refreshingly honest look at relationships and midlife malaise. It’s exactly the kind of mid-budget adult drama that studios have virtually stopped making, and though it has much lower stakes compared to Cooper’s other films, it’s an enjoyable watch that ranks as one of the more pleasant surprises of last year.
Extras include a making-of featurette. FINAL VERDICT: RENT
Also Out This Week:
“The Housemaid” — It’s no secret that “The Housemaid” is targeted toward a very specific demographic — namely, the same bored housewives who ate up the Freida McFadden bestseller on which it’s based — but that doesn’t excuse the film from playing out like a trashy airport novel. A fairly run-of-the-mill domestic thriller that is torturous to sit through at times, “The Housemaid” is plagued by some truly bad writing and even worse acting, mainly from star Sydney Sweeney, whose wooden, blank-faced performance is so awful that it’s hard to understand what anyone sees in her. Though the film’s third-act twist introduces an interesting about-face that is far more compelling than anything else in the first 90 minutes, “The Housemaid” ends on such a ridiculous note that it squanders what little goodwill it’s earned up until then. Extras include a pair of audio commentaries (one with director Paul Feig, and the other with Feig and the film’s creative team), as well as a making-of featurette, deleted scenes and more. FINAL VERDICT: SKIP
Disclosure: Bullz-Eye was provided a copy of the above titles for review purposes.
