Big Brother Blu-ray Review

Big Brother Blu-ray Review

Story

Martial arts legend Donnie Yen stars as a former soldier recruited for his toughest mission yet – teaching a class of teen delinquents. As he kicks his way into their school and home lives, it becomes clear that his unconventional teaching style might be just what they need.

Review

Donnie Yen of course has become a martial arts and film legend because of his vast filmography and the great fight choreography you can find in most of his films. With Big Brother they bring all of that experience to a family friendly plot. Think of the Pacifier but with a martial arts twist.

Like most of Yen's previous films Big Brother includes quite a few fight scenes. They are expertly choreographed as expected, although I would have liked to have seen a few more. The ones we do get aren't as over the top as I would have wanted but I can understand given the family friendly feel they are going for here.

As far as the family element in the film, it revolves around a few select students of his who are suffering through their own issues at home, much like most of your typical teenagers. Everything from students dealing with alcoholic parents to parents who might not approve of their lifestyle.  What I would have liked to have seen from these scenes is maybe more background and character development. Some of the payoffs and resolutions felt a bit rushed and it just took away some of the feel good moments I wanted to have.

I think the biggest issue with the film is the pacing, it seems to want to settle things early on and then rush the story towards the end. I almost forgot who the antagonist was at various points and found myself asking where this movie was ultimately going. Unfortunately because of that some of the scenes just felt unnecessary and out of of place.

I'll say that Donnie Yen definitely carried this film. He is fun to watch on screen and was totally believable as a teacher with a mysterious background.

Video

Big Brother does surprisingly take place in various environments and settings and all of them looked great on screen. I've had the opportunity to review a few of WellGoUSA's previous Blu-ray releases and I am always pleasantly surprised by the quality of the video transfer and Big Brother is no different. I do watch most Blu-rays on my Xbox One S and I had no issues with the video quality. Everything looked crisp and sharp and had great contrast.

Audio

Most of the time with films that have fight scenes I like to feel the extra thump you hear when punches land and here they are a little subdued. Although it does not take away from the film, I do wish the fights felt a little more impactful. All other audio sounded great and nothing seemed out of place.

Language

• Cantonese: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• Cantonese: Dolby Digital 2.0

Subtitles

• English, Cantonese

Final Thoughts

Big Brother is a solid family film with some great fight choreography however it does lack in character development.

Big Brother is available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital now from Well Go USA Entertainment!

Triple Threat Blu-ray Review

Triple Threat Blu-ray Review

Story

This breakneck thriller teams over half a dozen of the world’s biggest action stars for the martial arts film event of the year. When a hit contract is taken out on a billionaire’s daughter (Celina Jade) intent on bringing down a major crime syndicate, a team of wanted mercenaries (Tony Jaa, Tiger Chen) must take on a group of professional assassins (Scott Adkins, Michael Jai White, Michael Bisping) to stop them from hitting their target. Also featuring Iko Uwais and Jeeja Yanin.

Review

Triple Threat caught my eye as soon as I saw that both Tony Jaa and Iko Uwais were in the cast. Iko Uswais has been in some of my all time favorite action movies and Tony Jaa always delivers exceptional action movies as far as I'm concerned. You add in Michael Jai White who has become the go to guy for movies like this and throw in retired UFC fighter Michael Bisping to deliver some of his patented charisma and you got a loaded action movie cast. I knew right away that this movie would have amazing fight choreography if not much else and I was not wrong.

Honestly the plot is pretty thin but you don't watch these movies for a complicated story line, you're watching for the top notch fight scenes. Triple Threat delivers plenty of that and what actually surprised me was how violent it got in certain scenes. There is one scene in particular that still sticks out in my mind even days later that involves a grenade launcher and that is all I'm going to say about it. For those of you who are here for the action and the gunfights, you will not be disappointed.

The performances are pretty bland and there is a serious lack of character development. There are a few scenes here that felt unnecessary only because the dialogue just didn't work for me. Unfortunately for this story to resonate with us on an emotional level it really did need some great dialogue and character development. We do get some super cheesy lines that we've come to expect in action films through the years and I'm happy to report that none of them felt out of place. 

The cinematography was actually a lot better than I was expecting. The opening of this movie takes place in the jungle and it took me back to watching Predator as a kid, the green of the forest served as a great backdrop and looked amazing on screen. Of course the camera work in most of the action scenes was satisfying and I never felt like I was missing any of the action.

Video

I mentioned the opening scene taking place in the jungle and honestly it was probably the best looking part of this movie. The green just popped out and looked amazing. The rest of the movie looked good and there are no visual issues to speak of. A lot of movies of this genre usually have a noticeable color pallet and this is no exception, that is not a knock on this movie. I only mention that because other films can be wildly inconsistent with the tones but this one does not suffer from that issue.

Audio

The audio was clean and all the gunfights were mixed well enough to where I could decipher between different gun types and where the bullets were coming from. The fight scenes were extremely satisfying and every punch and kick landed with a solid thud. City scenes had everything you could expect from the sounds of passing cars to bar patrons chatting it up. This blu-ray had zero noticeable issues on the audio end from what I heard.

Extras

• Interview with the cast
• Trailers

Language

• English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

Subtitles

• English and English SDH

Final Thoughts

Triple Threat is what you've come to expect from similar films, great action, chaotic gunfights, and underwhelming character development. If you're looking for a fun popcorn movie then look no further than Triple Threat.

Triple Threat is available on Digital, Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD now from WellGoUSA.

Triple Threat on Digital Now and Blu-ray Combo Pack, and DVD on May 14th.

Triple Threat on Digital Now and Blu-ray Combo Pack, and DVD on May 14th.

“Recapture[s] the kind of action films many of us grew up on in the ‘80s and ‘90s.” ~BIRTH.MOVIES.DEATH

“As if ‘The Expendables’ was remade with action stars actually capable of kicking ass.”~ FILM SCHOOL REJECTS

The biggest, baddest, killingest action event ever!

TRIPLE THREAT

Starring Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Tiger Chen, Scott Adkins, 
Michael Jai White, Michael Bisping, Celina Jade, and Jeeja Yanin
 

 
PLANO, TEXAS (April 23, 2019) – TRIPLE THREAT, directed by Jesse V. Johnson, is a thriller teams over half a dozen of the world’s biggest action stars for the martial arts event film of the year. When a hit is taken out on a billionaire’s daughter, it’s mercenaries versus assassins in an all-out war.  Starring Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Tiger Chen, Scott Adkins, Michael Jai White, Michael Bisping, Celina Jade, and Jeeja Yanin, TRIPLE THREAT is currently available now on digital platforms and then as a Blu-ray + DVD combo pack and DVD only on May 14^th from Well Go USA Entertainment.  The Blu-ray + DVD combo pack features a bonus interview with the cast.
 
Synopsis: 
This breakneck thriller teams over half a dozen of the world’s biggest action stars for the martial arts film event of the year. When a hit contract is taken out on a billionaire’s daughter (Celina Jade) intent on bringing down a major crime syndicate, a team of wanted mercenaries (Tony Jaa, Tiger Chen) must take on a group of professional assassins (Scott Adkins, Michael Jai White, Michael Bisping) to stop them from hitting their target. Also featuring Iko Uwais and Jeeja Yanin.
 
Country of Origin: Thailand | China | USA

TRIPLE THREAT has a runtime of approximately 96 minutes and is Rated R by the MPAA for “strong violence throughout, and for language”.

Trailer

ABOUT WELL GO USA ENTERTAINMENT
Well Go USA Entertainment (www.wellgousa.com) is a theatrical and home entertainment distribution label that specializes in bringing top content, including the best in Action, Genre and Independent films from the US and around the world, to North America, Latin America, Asia, and Europe. As a leader in independent film distribution, Well Go’s titles can be seen across a variety of platforms, including theatrical, digital, subscription and cable VOD, packaged media and broadcast television. Well Go USA Entertainment’s corporate headquarters is in Plano, Texas, with offices in Taiwan and China.

Another Shot on Digital and DVD on May 14th.

ANOTHER SHOT
 
Starring Stephon Marbury
 
On Digital & DVD May 14^th

PLANO, TEXAS (April 18, 2019) – ANOTHER SHOT, directed by Larry Yang, is a feature film based on the true story of Stephon Marbury’s fall from the NBA and his journey to rediscover his passion in China.  Starring Stephon Marbury, Chun Wu, Bing He, Jessica Jung, Qingxiang Wang, Loretta Devine, and Frankie Faison, with special appearances by Allen Iverson and Baron Davis, ANOTHER SHOT will be available on Digital platforms and on DVD on May 14^th from Well Go USA Entertainment.

Synopsis: 
Former NBA superstar Stephon Marbury teams up with a group of courageous young professional basketball players in China, who dare to dream of one day winning the country's professional basketball championship. With some intense training and a supportive coach, Marbury helps bring the team to the Finals where they must face the seven-time championship team, who is considered by most to be unbeatable.

Country of Origin: China

Trailer

ANOTHER SHOT has a runtime of approximately 85 minutes and is not rated.

ABOUT WELL GO USA ENTERTAINMENT
Well Go USA Entertainment (www.wellgousa.com) is a theatrical and home entertainment distribution label that specializes in bringing top content, including the best in Action, Genre and Independent films from the US and around the world, to North America, Latin America, Asia, and Europe. As a leader in independent film distribution, Well Go’s titles can be seen across a variety of platforms, including theatrical, digital, subscription and cable VOD, packaged media and broadcast television. Well Go USA Entertainment’s corporate headquarters is in Plano, Texas, with offices in Taiwan and China.

Big Brother starring Hong Kong Superstar Donnie Yen on Digital April 16th and on Blu-ray & DVD, May 21st.

Big Brother starring Hong Kong Superstar Donnie Yen on Digital April 16th and on Blu-ray & DVD, May 21st.

PLANO, TEXAS (April 9, 2019) – BIG BROTHER features iconic action star Donnie Yen (IP Man franchise, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) as you’ve never seen him before – a high school teacher. As a seasoned former soldier Henry Chan’s next mission is teaching a class of problematic teenage delinquents. Against all odds, his unconventional and sometimes questionable teaching methods turn out to be exactly what his pupils need. BIG BROTHER debuts on digital April 16^th and on Blu-ray and DVD May 21^st from Well Go USA Entertainment and is directed by Kam Ka Wai (Ip Man, Colour of the Game).

Synopsis: 
Martial arts legend Donnie Yen stars as a former soldier recruited for his toughest mission yet – teaching a class of teen delinquents. As he kicks his way into their school and home lives, it becomes clear that his unconventional teaching style might be just what they need.

Country of Origin: Hong Kong

BIG BROTHER has a runtime of approximately 101 minutes and is not rated.

ABOUT WELL GO USA ENTERTAINMENT
Well Go USA Entertainment (www.wellgousa.com) is a theatrical and home entertainment distribution label that specializes in bringing top content, including the best in Action, Genre and Independent films from the US and around the world, to North America, Latin America, Asia, and Europe. As a leader in independent film distribution, Well Go’s titles can be seen across a variety of platforms, including theatrical, digital, subscription and cable VOD, packaged media and broadcast television. Well Go USA Entertainment’s corporate headquarters is in Plano, Texas, with offices in Taiwan and China.