Brent Lorentson

“Gentleman, I’d like you to meet Matt Logan. He’s a karate man.”

I still can’t decide if that line of dialog is awful or genius. In 1979 martial arts movies were going strong in the states, but they were certainly lacking in quality as compared to what was coming out overseas. Chuck Norris was the “American” answer to make a successful martial arts film, but it wasn’t till A Force of One where I feel Chuck Norris finally arrived as not just a martial arts star but a bonafide guy who was worth watching on the big screen. The story may be a bit farfetched, but this is a film that is fun. It’s something I’d throw on when I’m wanting to have a late night movie marathon. It’s what “midnight movies” were made for.
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With the success of Yellowstone and the spin-off series 1883, I’ve been patiently waiting for a resurgence of westerns to come out. Bone Tomahawk and The Hateful Eight are pretty much the best westerns we’ve gotten in the past decade, and they both came out in 2015, so I feel we are long overdue for a great western (sorry, but The Power of the Dog didn’t impress me in the least). While I’m always hopeful a new title will impress me, unfortunately, despite the solid cast, Murder At Yellowstone City is a film that simply disappoints. Cicero (Isaiah Mustafa) is a drifter and a recently freed slave who happens to be a big fan of Shakespeare. It’s his unfortunate luck that he rides into Yellowstone City, Montana when a prospector has struck gold, and soon after the prospector finds himself on the unfortunate end of a gun.
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I have to admit my knowledge of the show Curb Your Enthusiasm is casual at best. I’ve seen a few episodes over the years, but not enough to call myself a fan. So to have Season 11 handed off to me to review was a bit daunting, but as a long-time fan of Seinfeld and having at least seen Larry David in the Woody Allen film Whatever Works, I figured I had a good enough idea of what I was in store for. Thankfully the show isn’t something like Game of Thrones or Breaking Bad, and I could simply start the season and not feel lost. The season starts off with Larry David waking up after hearing a noise in the house. When he goes to investigate, he eventually finds a body floating in his pool. It was an attempted robbery gone bad, and as it turns out there is a law in Larry’s district that states there needs to be a fence around the pool. This basically is the catalyst for the whole season, and things just get worse for Larry and him not having this fence.
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“But I like to have sex with dragons.” 

Have you ever had the desire to see a midwestern take on ninjas? I’m going to go out on a limb and say that you have not, but the if you happen to be that one person out there with an itch for bad cinema, I’m talking the kind of film that makes Troma look like high art cinema, then Ninja Badass may be the movie to quench your need. After 30 minutes of watching this film, I had to stop it and take a break. When Ed Wood set off to make his films, he didn’t intend to make a bad movie; it just happened. He was a filmmaker just trying to do the best he could without any real talent supporting him. Ninja Badass seems to go above and beyond to create one of the worst films in history
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When I heard Fox had cancelled Lucifer after Season 3 and Netflix had picked up the show, I have to admit I got excited about the possibilities. I had hoped that the transition from network TV to the streaming service would mean the show could get away with more, because the show wouldn’t be bound to network rating guidelines. As it turns out, the show still has its TV-14 rating, but on the bright side the episodes are longer now, which in my opinion is a good thing. When Netflix picked up the show, they had announced that Season 5 would be the last season of the show. While the show does take some major storyline leaps as ways to wrap things up, thankfully things don’t come to an end just yet, as a Season 6 was produced and is currently airing on the streaming service.
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When watching this 1980 classic, it’s impossible to not notice its influence on films that would come later, most notably American Beauty (which would also win Best Picture in 1999). I bring this up not because Hollywood has a habit of recycling ideas, but more to point out that sometimes all it takes to make a great movie is to keep it simple, focus on issues that everyone deals with, and give it one hell of a cast that is willing to pour their hearts out onto the screen. The film is about 42 years old, and you could release it today, and it would still resonate with audiences; that’s what I feel makes a film great and where it merits the term classic. Paramount is dusting this title off from its catalog to release it under its Paramount Presents umbrella, and it’s definitely one of the standout releases they’ve put out. If it’s a film you haven’t seen yet, this is one that I consider a bucket list film everyone should see before dying.
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This month Kino Lorber and their Studio Classics line are releasing a pair of romantic comedies starring the late Rock Hudson. With 76 acting credits to his name, he made a name for himself by starring in westerns and comedies. What pop culture seems to remember most is that he was one of the most prolific actors playing the straight male that was always getting the girl when, in fact, the actor was gay. Now with these two titles, one I feel is a forgettable mess, while the other I had a good time with. Sometimes I’d say having two bedroom comedies could equal a fun double feature, but regarding these films, that is not the case
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 “And away we go!”

In 2013 when Rick and Morty first appeared on the Adult Swim block on the Cartoon Network, I don’t think anyone was ready for just how much of a pop-culture impact the show would have. Five seasons and 52 episodes later, the animated series about Rick, a half-drunk scientist, his grandson Morty, and their over-the-top adventures have continued to entertain us. Now you can get all five seasons in one excellent little package. If that doesn’t make you go, “Wubba Lubba Dub Dub!” I don’t know what will. Over the years, I’ve been lucky enough to review the show; you can go search the site and find out my thoughts on the seasons, but here I’m going to give a quick overview of the show and why if you haven’t checked the show out before, going ahead and buying this set is one of the best things you can do for yourself. The show, for those who may be unfamiliar, is a fun concoction between Back to the Future and more than a sprinkle of Futurama. If that sounds like a fun ride, well, then this may be the animated series for you.
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