Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on February 7th, 2018
Kenji Kamiyama is a fairly known name in the anime world. His auspicious beginnings had him contributing backgrounds to shows like Duck Tales and movies like Akira. He then contributed scripts to a Wild Arms anime show and also did the screenplay for one of my favorite animes, Blood: The Last Vampire. His really big break occurred when he landed the director chair for the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex films. After directing the TV show, Eden of the East, he came up with an idea for a new animated film called Ancien and the Magic Tablet. Unfortunately, that name didn't really stick and was renamed Napping Princess. Fast forward to 2018, and I have in my hands the Blu-Ray/DVD Combo set from Shout Factory. Let's check it out.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on February 4th, 2018
When coming into this film you need to put aside any expectations of seeing your typical Pixar or Dreamworks animated film. This is arthouse animation that is filled with originality while attacking the clichés we see in big-budget disaster films. I didn’t really know what to expect from this film, but with a voice cast that includes Jason Schwartzman, Lena Dunham, Reggie Watts, Maya Rudolf, and Susan Sarandon it was such an odd mix that my curiosity couldn’t resist. So is the trippy animated film a success, or is it a dud destined to sink into obscurity?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 29th, 2018
"Once upon a time there was a great war that brought so much sadness to so many people. Hardly anyone could remember what happiness was like. But something happened that changed all that..."
“Winnie the Pooh doesn't know what to do …” begins a popular song written by Kenny Loggins, recorded first in 1970 by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band with a more popular and enduring version by Loggins and Messina a year later. Hundreds of millions of children since the 1920's know who Winnie the Pooh is.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on January 29th, 2018
“Everyone was warned, but no one listened.”
These words — which are about as subtle as a tsunami — are heard in voiceover at the start of Geostorm, the latest effort from master of disaster (films) Dean Devlin. Yes, I realize no one should venture into a big budget flick produced by Dean Devlin (Independence Day, 1998's Godzilla) looking for subtlety. But no matter what side of the climate change issue you fall on, Geostorm is equally offensive to all parties. And it's not because of its politics or its shoddy writing, which gives that opening monologue to a character who ends up being completely inconsequential. It's because this would-be blockbuster is shockingly short on both fun and spectacle.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 25th, 2018
"The games have begun again, and they will not stop until the sins against the innocent are atoned for."
It has been about seven years since last we heard Tobin Bell ask if we wanted to play a game. From 2004 until 2010 we were treated to seven films in quick succession, with The Final Chapter apparently bringing the popular franchise to an end. But most of us were pretty sure that the end wasn't quite so near. The films brought in billions of dollars and even inspired a new escape room industry around the globe where people could work out puzzles and attempt to beat a ticking clock to get out of a themed room.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on January 15th, 2018
Most people that survive a near traumatic experience don’t go back for seconds. Most people that is. For the group in The House October Built 2, I guess they were adhering to the logic that lightning doesn’t strike the same way twice. Or does it? Embarking on what I can only describe as a horror tour, five friends attempt to capitalize on potential fame and fortune by documenting their experience traveling city to city to explore various haunted houses or hay rides. They even managed to convince the most traumatized member of their group to join them, reopening old wounds and provoking things that best left in the past.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on January 11th, 2018
“I'm not saying women are better...I'm saying we deserve some respect.”
Battle of the Sexes chronicles a watershed moment for the women's liberation movement. And given the very bad behavior by very powerful men in Hollywood and other high-profile industries that has come to light in recent months, the movie suddenly feels particularly timely despite being set 45 years ago. But even if that weren't the case, this film — which dramatizes the 1973 exhibition match between top-ranked female player Billie Jean King and former male champion Bobby Riggs — would still be a funny, heartfelt winner.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on January 3rd, 2018
The classic American Westerns of the 1940s and '50s directed by the likes of John Ford and Howard Hawks famously inspired filmmakers like Sergio Leone to put their own stylish and revisionist spin on the genre. But while Spaghetti Westerns — genre films produced and written by Italians — are the most famous foreign example, plenty of other countries started making their own horse operas in the 1960s. That includes Mexico and filmmaker Arturo Ripstein, who made an outstanding feature film debut with 1966's Time to Die/Tiempo de Morir.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on January 2nd, 2018
Detroit is a period crime drama focusing primarily on the Algiers Motel incident during the 12th Street riots in obviously, the city of Detroit. The night of July 25, law enforcement, including the local department, Michigan State Police, and Michigan Army National Guard responded to the hotel to investigate reports of a sniper. During the confrontation, three men were killed and another nine, including two white females, were allegedly beaten and humiliated by the first responders. A trial was held for three of the officers involved and a private security guard, with the deaths being declared justifiable homicide.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on December 29th, 2017
“Have you ever heard the legend behind the legend of Ninjago?”
Even though I loved the first two Lego movies, I was completely unfamiliar with the toy company's Ninjago line before I sat down to watch this latest entry in the madcap cartoon franchise. (I wasn't even sure how to pronounce “Ninjago”...and the answer isn't as simple as it seems.) But my unfamiliarity with the source material isn't the reason why I feel The Lego Ninjago movie is the weakest entry in the series so far.
