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Reviews
Outcast (2014)
Low Expectations
That could explain the apparent love for this movie in some quarters. The same people would like to blame all the negative reviews on Nicolas Cage haters. Well, I'm not a Cage hater. In fact, I think when he's on point he's great. He's been in some terrific movies. This just isn't one of them.
The acting is bad, all around. (Or more accurately in the case of the Chinese cast, the dialog they were given didn't allow believable acting.) The vaguely British Isles accents of the two leads are spotty. The dialog is clichéd.
The characters uniformly lack any real back story, unless you consider scenes of mayhem and suffering in the middle east during the crusades and an archery lesson in one character's childhood to be sufficient. Of course, the plot was so simple you could easily claim that back stories would have been superfluous. This is not a character-driven movie.
In terms of cinematography, the camera work during the fight scenes is bad (it's fine the rest of the time). The color timing is the usual orange-and-teal crap we get out of Hollywood nowadays, which is consistent with the total lack of originality this movie displays in all other ways.
About the only good thing going for this movie is some spectacular scenery. Perhaps the director has a real future in nature documentaries.
Hey, it isn't the worst movie today. It's just not worth 99 minutes of your time, in my opinion, even if you're a die-hard Cage fan.
Totally Blonde (2001)
Buble songs from movie available on DVD
For those who enjoy only the parts of the movie in which Michael Buble sings, there is a DVD out there containing only those scenes. It's called "Totally Buble" and is a companion to a CD of the same name. Both have been denounced by Buble and his management, but IMHO the songs are not as bad as they let on. There are seven songs/scenes on the DVD but they're very short (That's How it Goes, Peroxide Swing, Me & Mrs. You, Love and First Sight, Anyone to Love, Guess I'm Falling For You, Tell Him He's Yours). But if you can find it in a bargain bin for a couple of bucks, as I did, it may be worth picking up. (At such a price I doubt the producers will get any money from it, so you needn't worry about supporting their actions against the artist's own wishes - besides, it's your money.)
BTW, here are Michael's own words concerning the Totally Buble CD and DVD, from his fan site:
"'Totally Buble' is not an album that I wanted to be released. They were songs I recorded for a film called "Totally Blonde" many years ago before I was signed to 143/Reprise Records. The decision to release it as an album was made by the film's producer, and I had no control over stopping him. It is important for everyone to know, that I only want to release quality music to my fans by offering my best work and I sincerely apologize if you purchased this album."
"You've heard from me in the past regarding my thoughts on the "Totally Buble" not being a true representation of what I do. I have now been told of a DVD that is out in the market with the same name and art work. I feel the same way about this DVD. The old expression 'Buyer Beware' has never been more appropriate. Thanks everyone."