Burying
The Ex
(2014/Image Blu-ray)
Picture:
B+ Sound: B+ Extras: D Film: B-
Burying
the Ex
(2014) is a refreshingly fun dark comedy from Joe Dante - the
dynamite director of Gremlins,
Innerspace
and Small
Soldiers
(to name a few). It's nice to see a good director return to form and
I feel like we see that here. In many ways, the plot to this film is
similar to Tim Burton's Corpse
Bride,
but a tone that's more akin to Death
Becomes Her.
Starring Anton Yelchin (J.J. Abrams' Star
Trek,
Fright
Night
remake), Ashley Greene (Twilight)
and Alexandra Daddario (True
Detective)
the film has a wealth of talent on both sides of the lens. While not
a groundbreaking masterpiece, Burying
the Ex
allows its audience to have a little fun while getting a heavy dose
of horror at the same time, which is refreshing after garbage like
Warm
Bodies.
It
seemed like a great idea when all-around nice guy Max (Yelchin) and
his beautiful girlfriend, Evelyn (Greene) moved in together and Max
finally kicked his mooching friend to the curb. But when Evelyn
turns out to be a controlling, manipulative nightmare, Max knows it's
time to break up, especially when she redecorates and assimilates his
personal space to her own will. There's just one problem, though,
she terrifies him. Fate steps in when Evelyn is the victim of a
fatal, freak accident, leaving Max single and able to campaign
towards his dream girl, Olivia (Daddario) who works at a local ice
cream shop. Things go south when Evelyn has returned from the grave
and is determined to get her boyfriend back even if that means
transforming him into one of the undead.
There
were many rumblings about this project being in limbo for quite some
time, especially when it came to the script. It's a shame it didn't
get a bigger play in theaters but feel like it will find a large
audience on video. Some scenes feel a little scripted and 'on the
nose' in terms of dialogue, but for the feel this is trying to
achieve I think it's passable and the cast is decent enough to get
the point across. The special effects are surprisingly good too but
it's Ashley Greene that really steals the show here. If you're a fan
of zombie films, rom-coms, horror, or dark comedies then this is a
film you should give a spin.
Presented
in 1080p High Definition with a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.40:1 and
a lossless English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 track is the best the
film will playback at home, so you'll definitely benefit seeing it on
disc as opposed to VOD. The colors are crisp and clear throughout
with incredible detail and texture. However...
The
biggest sham of all --- NO EXTRAS! Very disappointed there. I heard
this was based on a short film... where's that? No commentary?
Behind the Scenes? C'mon , Image, this is a high profile release in
the horror community throw us a 'bone' here! Other than that...
great disc.
Recommended.
-
James Harland Lockhart V
www.facebook.com/jhl5films
