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Joker: Folie A Deux (UHD Blu-ray) (4K)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on December 18th, 2024

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“So a psychopath walks into a bar and sees this famous clown sitting there all alone. Totally drunk;, it’s pathetic. “I can’t believe you’re here,” he says. “What a disappointment. I used to watch you on TV. What can I get you?” And this clown turns and says “Well, if you’re buying you can get me anything.” “Perfect,” the psychopath says. “How about I get you what you f’in deserve?”

Folie a Deux. French for madness of two. From the moment that title was an announced, it was presumed that Harley Quinn would be making an appearance, and I applaud Lady Gaga’s selection as Joaquin Phoenix counterpart. However, I suspect that the reason for her selection was twofold given the decision to make the film a musical. Perhaps not an official musical, but in my humble opinion, I don’t think it could have been any more official. Unfortunately, this was among my issues with the film. It was too long, and there were too many songs.
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The Wild Robot (2024) (UHD Blu-ray) (4K)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on December 17th, 2024

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I saw this film as an opportunity to gauge whether a movie could hold my two-year-old son’s attention. This is something I am particularly interested in, because it would demonstrate that my baby boy is finally ready for a theatrical experience. Unfortunately, he is not quite there yet. He watched for a bit, but then he eventually wandered off. Ironically, I didn’t notice his absence at first, as I was too focused on the movie. Based on the New York Times bestselling novel of the same name, The Wild Robot stars Lupita Nyong’o as Roz, a ROZZUM unit 7134 robot that becomes shipwrecked on an uninhabited island and must learn to adapt to the harsh surroundings, gradually building relationships with the animals on the island and becoming the adoptive parent of an orphaned gosling. Joining Nyong’o is Pedro Pascal in his animated movie debut
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Born on the Fourth of July – Collector’s Edition (UHD Blu-ray) (4K)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 22nd, 2024

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“Not everybody can become United States Marines. We want the best and we settled for nothing but the best, because there is nothing prouder, nothing finer, nothing standing as straight as a United States Marine. Now they got the Air Force, they got the Navy, they got the Army, they got the Coast Guard – and if you want to join them, go ahead. They got plenty of room. But if you want a challenge, if you want to try something difficult, try to achieve the impossible – try 13 weeks of hell at Parris Island, South Carolina, and find out if you got what it takes, find out if you really are a man, then the Marines might be what you are looking for. Tarawa … Iwo Jima … Belleau Wood … the frozen Chosin Reservoir. First to fight, we have never lost a war. We have always come when our country has called.”

Born On The Fourth Of July has been both a controversial film as well as one of Tom Cruise’s first breakout roles.
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Trap (2024) (UHD Blu-ray) (4K)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 21st, 2024

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“You know the Butcher? That freakin’ nutjob that goes around just chopping people up? Well, the feds or whatever heard that he’s gonna be here today, so they set up a trap for him. This whole concert? It’s a trap. They’re watching all the exits, checking everyone that leaves. There’s no way to get out of here. It’s kinda dope, right?”

The idea is actually based on a true story, with a lot of differences. In 1985 the FBI managed to round up over 100 high-profile criminals with a ruse that involved tickets to an NFL game. There have been plenty of other scams where promises of prizes have attracted otherwise cautious wanted people. I was at a promo for some home improvement club store, and while there, a couple of folks were nervous that it was a sting because they had outstanding warrants. It wasn’t, but these things can and do indeed happen. The way it’s done here leaves one to stretch credibility a bit more than I’m usually willing to go.
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The Terminator (UHD Blu-ray) (4K)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 21st, 2024

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“The machines rose from the ashes of a nuclear fire. Their war to exterminate mankind had raged for decades, but the final battle would not be fought in the future. It would be fought here in our present … tonight.”

The idea for The Terminator came to James Cameron in a feverish dream as he was struggling and about to get fired from Piranha II: The Spawning. He was overworked and stressed and ended up in bed. He immediately wrote a treatment with then-wife Gale Ann Hurd, and they approached Arnold Schwarzenegger quickly to make sure they retained control over the property. Eventually he lost it anyway, and that’s why so many franchise films that were out of his control.

Where were you on Judgment Day?
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Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (UHD Blu-ray) (4K)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on November 19th, 2024

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“The juice is loose.”

Michael Keaton is on quite the reunion tour of reprising his old roles, and for most actors, stepping back into the role isn’t always easy. However, for Keaton, it is as if no time has passed whatsoever. Over thirty years since portraying this iconic role, Keaton returns as Beetlejuice, the trickster spirit who attempted to manipulate a marriage to Winona Ryder’s Lydia Deetz in order to gain a permanent foothold in the living world. Keaton isn’t the only one who returns in this well-done addition to the ongoing trend of continuation series; Ryder returns as Lydia Deetz, Catherine O’Hara is back as Delia Deetz, Lydia’s stepmom, and most notably Tim Burton is back in the director’s seat for the sequel. Burton’s return is most pivotal addition in my opinion, as the first film was full of his unique style that would be impossible for another director to emulate.
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The Convent (2000) (UHD Blu-ray) (4K)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 11th, 2024

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“Nuns, guns and gasoline.”

Mike Mendez released his first film in 1997. Killers was also just released on Blu-ray from Synapse films. The better of this Synapse double release is The Convent. For me this was the peak of Mendez’s low-budget horror films. Synapse must agree with that assessment, because they decided to give The Convent a UHD Blu-ray release in 4K, and that ended up being somewhat of a trick-or-treat combination, with The Convent absolutely being the treat here. Made in 2000, the film took a long time to make it to anyone’s screens. There was a distribution deal in place, and it fell through at the last minute. It’s the kind of luck Mendez has dealt with his entire career. His friend and co-writer on Killers lost his house when it was mortgaged to pay for that ‘ creation. He debuted the film at Sundance, and he had hoped for a wider release, at least on home video, but it took 2 years to finally happen.

Addams Family Values (UHD Blu-ray) (4K)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 5th, 2024

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” I think their whole family’s like some weird medical experiment. I think they’re, like, circus people.”

Be honest, who hears the theme music when anyone even mentions The Addams Family? I know I do, and then I have to resist the urge to do the finger snaps. Just in time for 31 Nights of Terror as well as the release of the animated version comes the of The Addams Family: Family Values on UHD (4K), featuring Raul Julia and Angelica Huston as Gomez and Morticia Gomez, and let’s not forget Christopher Lloyd and Christina Ricci as Fester and Wednesday Gomez respectively. Based on the wildly popular cartoons that appeared in the New Yorker that went on to find success as television series, the The Addamses are a satirical inversion of the ideal 20th-century American family: an odd, wealthy, aristocratic clan who delight in the macabre and are seemingly unaware, or do not care, that other people find them bizarre or frightening. For me, these movies were my introduction to this family, as the TV series was bit before my time, but a gothic family unaware of their difference from other people.
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A Nightmare On Elm Street (Theatrical & Uncut) (UHD Blu-ray) (4K)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 27th, 2024

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“One … two… Freddy’s coming for you, three… four… better lock the door, five… six… grab your crucifix…”

Freddy might have been born in the mind of Wes Craven, but he grew and developed in the knife-wielding hands of Robert Englund. Granted, not all of these films are equal in quality, but the first was everything you could ask for in a horror/slasher film of the era. Freddy himself is by far the most colorful and animated of the slashers. His burned face, fedora, striped sweater, and knife-blade glove were all integral parts of the wise-cracking maniac. You know the story already, so I’ll stick the main idea. Freddy was a child molester and killer before the parents of Elm Street decided to burn him to the ground in a boiler room. Good homestyle justice goes wrong when Freddy reappears in the nightmares of the children of Elm Street. He has become a demon of sleep where he is able to manipulate the world into the most terrifying images possible for his victims trapped by their own slumber.
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A Quiet Place: Day One (UHD Blu-ray) (4K)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on October 16th, 2024

“It’s good to be back.”

It’s the little things I supposed. When forced to confront the prospect of your own death, what will you do with the time you have left. Some fight against their own extinction. Some seek help from a higher power. While some cling to the past and seek comfort in their treasured memories. In a Quiet Place: Day One we see a bit of all three. While Day One marks the third installment in the Quiet Place franchise, it serves as the prequel for the series showcasing how the world went silent after sightless aliens with sharp hearing and impenetrable armor plating take over the planet and attack the human population. For me, this is a welcome addition to the franchise because while watching the first two films, one of my recurring thoughts was I would like to see how the world went quiet. Imagine my excitement when I this movie was announced. In my mind, I figured the prequel would continue to follow the Abbott family. However, Day One is comprised of a predominantly new cast, with the exception of Djimon Hounsou, who was introduced in the second film.
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Despicable Me 4 (UHD Blu-ray) (4K)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on October 15th, 2024

“Let’s get this party started, people!”

So, I somewhat missed the boat on the Despicable Me franchise but let me see if I got the gist. So Gru, played by Steve Carrell, is a reformed clumsy master villain, (though from what I can see he maintains the clumsy part) who now works for the Anti-Villian League; essentially now helping catch villains instead of being one. Interesting premises and after watching Despicable Me 4, I can see why the studios have deemed to keep the series going. Returning to the franchise with Carrell is Kristen Wiig as Lucy, another member of the Anti-Villian League that originally hunted captured Gru before falling in love and becoming his wife and mother to his son, as well as Miranda Cosgrove, who voices Margo, Gru and Lucy’s oldest adopted daughter, and Dana Gaier as Edith, Gru and Lucy’s middle adopted daughter. New additions to the cast include Will Ferrell as the film’s primary antagonist and old nemesis of Gru’s, Sofia Vergara as a femme fatale and secondary antagonist, and most notably and possible my favorite character of the film, Joey King as Poppy Prescott, an aspiring super villainess who has admired Gru for a long time.
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Rocky: The Ultimate Knock-Out Collection (UHD Blu-ray) (4K)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 26th, 2024

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“You got everything money can buy, except what it can’t. It’s pride. Pride is what got you here. Losing is what brung you back. But people like you, they need to be tested. They need a challenge.”

There have been a ton of boxing films. They’ve been popular going back to the silent era. Most of them have many of the same themes. But there was always something about Rocky that stood out above all of the rest. That “something” can’t really be described or defined. As the Supreme Court once said about the definition of obscenity: “I can’t define it, but I know it when I see it.” That’s all you can say about Rocky. Some might call it heart. That’s about as good a word for it as anything else. Rocky himself would call it “stuff in the basement”. It almost demeans it to put a word on it at all. Whatever you call it, you don’t necessarily see it in Rocky … you feel it.
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The Fall Guy (UHD Blu-ray) (4K)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 26th, 2024

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“This is the story of one of America’s great unsung heroes. I mean, you’ve seen him, but you never knew who he was. You’ve cheered for him and cried for him, and women have wanted to die for him. But did he ever get any credit, or the girl? No! He’s what we call the “stuntman”, and the reason I’m talking so fondly about him is, well, because it’s me, Colt Seavers. Anyway, picture work isn’t wall-to-wall employment, so maybe you wonder how a guy keeps his head together. Well, one way is to wait by the phone … and wait, and wait. The other is to take an occasional job with the court system of the United States of America, where a man is considered innocent until proven guilty. Unfortunately, sometimes a lot of these people get out of jail on what we call bail, and they’d run like hell … and that’s where I come in. I sometimes pick up rent money trying to find them and bring them back to justice.” – Television series open.

Lee Majors performed a pretty solid television hat trick in his television career.
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Farewell My Concubine (The Criterion Collection) (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Sean Boelman on July 23rd, 2024

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When a new 4K restoration of the 1993 Palme d’Or winner Farewell My Concubine — the first Chinese film to ever take home the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival — debuted at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, physical media collectors were waiting for the announcement that it would be released through the Criterion Collection. Well, fans did not have to wait long, as the Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film is being released by Criterion on both 4K and Blu-Ray, and this gorgeous restoration alone makes this edition worth picking up. That’s not even to mention the quality of the movie itself, which is considered a seminal film in Chinese cinema for both its content and form.
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Black God, White Devil (The Criterion Collection) (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Sean Boelman on July 16th, 2024

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Given that Glauber Rocha is considered one of the most important filmmakers in the history of Brazilian cinema — and Latin American cinema in general — it’s surprising that it took this long for one of his films to be released by the Criterion Collection. The filmmaker’s sophomore feature, Black God, White Devil, one of his most acclaimed works, takes the honor of being his first movie to get the Criterion treatment. Black God, White Devil is considered one of the most influential films of the Cinema Novo movement, which happened in Brazilian cinema as a reaction to other social filmmaking movements like Italian neorealism and the French New Wave. In Criterion’s recent quest to expand the label’s Latin American cinema offerings — Victims of Sin and Soy Cuba are notable recent releases — the Cinema Novo movement marks a necessary addition.
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Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (UHD Blu-ray) (4K)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on July 9th, 2024

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When you look back at 2004, it’s a little hard to imagine just how big an impact Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy would have on the film industry. I’m not trying to say the film invented anything new with this fun, satiric comedy, but what it did do was launch the careers of many and really helped make comedy fun and raunchy for a while, and more importantly, profitable at the box office. I mean, this film is stacked with stars. Sure, there’s Will Ferrell front and center, but this is had a pre-40 Year-Old Virgin Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, Christina Applegate, Kathryn Hahn, Seth Rogan, David Koechner, Fred Willard, and numerous others who are in the background or just make cameos. Seriously, this might be the best comedic cast put together of all time, and when you dive into the extras, you get a glimpse at just how talented everyone is. The film may be 20 years old, but it holds up. I’ve seen the film at least a dozen times, and it still makes me laugh. So what makes this film so special?
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Team America: World Police (UHD Blu-ray) (4K)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on July 3rd, 2024

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In 2004 when Team America: World Police was released, Trey Parker and Matt Stone were already well established in the film industry as the guys who created South Park. They had even dipped their toes into doing live action films like Orgazmo and BASEketball, but what the industry knew them for was their animated series South Park that began back in 1997 and is still going strong on Comedy Central. The duo isn’t afraid to take chances, whether it’s insulting celebrities (after all, part of their charm is being equal opportunity offenders) or creating their musical for the stage, The Book of Mormon, so was it a big surprise they’d want to do an action adventure film entirely with puppets? The film is very much a parody of the action films of the 90’s and early 00’s that were produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. In case you are unfamiliar with his name, he produced the mega hits like Top Gun, The Rock, Con-Air, and Pearl Harbor. But what this film was also tapping into was the over-the-top patriotic attitudes that the media projected. I mean, everything needed to be patriotic in a post 9-11 world.
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Matinee – Collector’s Edition (UHD Blu-ray) (4K)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on June 29th, 2024

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In 1993 when this film came out, 1962 just seemed like another time that as a teenager I just couldn’t wrap my head around. While the kids in Matinee were excited about these giant monster films, I could sort of relate, as I was getting into horror myself, but instead of atomic bugs, I was getting into the slasher heavy hitters like Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees. So a film about kids spending most of their time at a movie theater was something I could relate to easily, and as I got older I simply continued to appreciate the film more as I consumed more films from the past and grew to appreciate filmmakers like Val Lewton, William Castle, Roger Corman, and Lloyd Kaufman, the guys who knew how to turn a cheap film into an event experience through a variety of marketing gimmicks. The idea of ambulances being staged outside a theater because audience members may faint or having people in costume lunge at unsuspecting guests. These innovators make going to the movie theater an experience even if the movie wasn’t all that great … and now 30 years after the release of Matinee, I find myself bitten by the bug of nostalgia.
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Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 12th, 2024

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“For most of human civilization, we believed that we were Earth’s most dominant species. We believed that life could only exist on the surface of the planet. Well, after a certain point of view, you have to wonder what else we were wrong about. In the beginning, Hollow Earth lived in harmony with the surface world. The Titans were the guardians of nature, and the Great Apes became the protectors of humanity. But a great evil threatened the peace. A powerful and ruthless ape desperate to conquer the surface world led his tribe into war against the one they call the Monster Who Ate a Star. The war with the Apes nearly destroyed Godzilla. But after a great battle, he imprisoned the apes in a fiery realm of Hollow Earth. Their false king remains obsessed with reaching the surface. The Iwi call him the Skar King.”

That in a nutshell is the plot of the latest Monsterverse film from Legacy and Warner Brothers. It’s called Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire, and we’re told the X is silent. And here I thought it was some kind of a multiplier.
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Lawmen: Bass Reeves (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 4th, 2024

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“I, Bass Reeves, do solemnly swear that I will execute all lawful precepts directed to the Marshall of The United States for the Western District of Arkansas without malice or partiality, perform the duties of Deputy Marshall and take only my lawful fees. So help me God.”

He was the inspiration for the Lone Ranger. Bass Reeves is one of the biggest icons of the old west and perhaps one of the least remembered. He served for 35 years and managed to bring in over 4000 wanted men for their day in court and likely the noose. It’s a huge story, and the filmmakers of Lawmen: Bass Reeves have taken on the enormous task with just 8 episodes of this limited series with no follow-up planned or on the books. Were they able to meet such a challenge? That’s going to require some explanation. The series was based on the first two of a series of books written by Sidney Thompson, who serves as a consultant on the series.
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One From The Heart: Reprise (UHD Blu-ray) (4K)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on May 29th, 2024

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Francis Ford Coppola is one of those directors that you don’t have to love, but you have to at least appreciate his contribution to cinema. Personally my favorite film of his is Apocalypse Now, and then The Godfather II. I know other film geeks out there will argue with what his ‘best” film is, but I think it’s fair to say he’s one of the greatest film directors out there no matter how you may rank his films. When the chance to review One From The Heart came along I jumped at the opportunity, because, well, it’s a film I had never actually seen or even knew that Coppola had done. In watching the bonus features on the disc, I found it amusing that this was supposed to be a simple film for him to do after the insane task of directing Apocalypse Now. This was supposed to be a simple rom-com with a budget of $2 million, but things got out of hand. Coppola bought a studio for his American Zoetrope company and used all the studios stages to build sets for the film,
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Dune Part Two (UHD Blu-ray) (4K)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 18th, 2024

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“Consider what you are about to do.”

I first read Frank Herbert’s initial Dune book back in the mid 1970’s. I was introduced to one of the most complicated and extraordinary universes of literature I have still ever encountered. It’s a masterpiece followed by several more books over the years that have more completely brought this world to life. The material’s cinematic journey has been somewhat less captivating and quite a disappointment. The 1984 David Lynch film was a train wreck and quite possibly one of the greatest film failures in history. Since then a lot has changed. Today computer-generated images have progressed to the point that with enough money and artistic expertise a filmmaker can depict anything the mind can conceive. Images have become photorealistic, and the worlds of Herbert’s Dune universe can finally be brought to the silver screen with almost no limitations.
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American Sniper (UHD Blu-ray) (4K)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 14th, 2024

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“The thing that haunts me are all the guys that I couldn’t save.”

I have to admit I was a little skeptical that Clint Eastwood followed up his directing stint on Jersey Boys as quickly as he did to shoot American Sniper. The former was far from one of his better efforts, and he looked increasingly out of his element by the time it was said and done. He jumped into his preparation for American Sniper almost immediately, and the results could have been … underwhelming. Instead Eastwood hit his target with the kind of profound impact I don’t think I’ve seen from him since Unforgiven. Unforgiven won a Best Picture award, and deservedly so. American Sniper was nominated, although Eastwood himself was snubbed in the director category. It didn’t win, of course, but this is one that most certainly deserves your attention.
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Once Upon a Time in the West (UHD Blu-ray) (4K)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 9th, 2024

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“People scare better when they’re dyin.'”

Mention the name Sergio Leone and you immediately think of Clint Eastwood and their Man With No Name trilogy. The truth is that Leone was the master of the spaghetti western and largely responsible for making Clint what he is today. When the Italian director decided to try his hand at Hollywood, he was welcomed with open arms, except they weren’t interested in anything but an American copy of a spaghetti western. Leone had something else in mind. He had a “been there, done that” attitude about the westerns and wanted to do an epic called Once Upon A Time In America. But Hollywood was hearing none of that. So they compromised. If Leone delivered a stylistic western, the studio would spring for the epic he wanted to make. The result of that parlay turned out to be Once Upon A Time In The West.
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Blue Giant (Blu-Ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on May 7th, 2024

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As many of you know, there isn’t a type of media that I don’t enjoy reviewing. Sure, my film reviews are most numerous, but I have also dabbled in books, video games, and music when it comes to critiquing. Music is really fun, because I’m one of the few people I know that will literally dissect every song whether it is a hit or a throwaway. Needless to say, I almost never hold back. So imagine my excitement when I come upon a new anime that blends an interesting story with the amazing style of jazz music. I honestly don’t even listen to jazz, but the chance to expand my musical repertoire is something I crave to do. Let’s take a look at Blue Giant.

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