Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on July 9th, 2026
“What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done?”
Wow, of all the things that I expected to see in a movie starring Hollywood powerhouses like Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, nothing could have prepared me for the subject of The Drama. I’m no stranger to a movie catching me off guard, but this one was in a whole other stratosphere when came to taking me by surprise. This is a movie that will be talked about for quite some time in my opinion, because it is not afraid to address a very serious issue, one that could have easily had this movie condemned. However, the handling of the subject is really thought-provoking and asks some really pertinent questions regarding relationships. Such as, can you forgive someone for the worst thing that has ever done, or in the case of this film, what they considered doing? Now had I been in Zendaya’s shoes, you couldn’t have waterboarded that information out of me, but that would have made for a pretty lame movie. In the case of this film, the themes explored in this film include the limits of forgiveness, the complexities of intimacy, and the tension between thoughts and actions. The film pulls no punches, and surprisingly manages to remain in the realm of a comedy, albeit a black comedy.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 7th, 2026
"Take a deep breath in ... and exhale. Inhale. And exhale. Notice the beat of your heart. The rhythm of life. You hold the power to create all that you desire out of nothing. What do you see? What do you feel? Remember that there is great power within you. And that power will guide you in your journey. Today is a beautiful day of opportunity. I am exactly where I need to be. I open myself to the universe and trust in the unfolding of my life. This day will bring you peace and an opportunity for success. Feel this moment. Have a beautiful rest of your day."
Isn't that pretty? Isn't that just inspiring? Now do me a favor. Forget all of that, and let's talk about the Amazon/MGM home video release of Crime 101. It's really about three characters trying to navigate the craziness that is each of their lives, but none of that Tony Robbins crap is going to make it any better. Now, that's very fortunate for us, because this would have been a very short and very boring film if any of this had worked on any of our characters. You see, we're just a few months from the next Avengers film, and I'm sure many of you just can't wait until November. Wait no longer, because I happen to know the perfect film to feed your addiction for at least a couple of hours, give or take 20 minutes. How about if I give you Thor going up against The Hulk, and I give you a little throwback to the X-Men and include Storm in there for good measure? Sound like a hoot?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 7th, 2026
"10 years ago I made the biggest mistake of my life. I should have protected my sister, but I panicked and ran. It was the last time I saw her. That F**'er survived. Maria got put back in his custody . I got caught, eventually. Now it's time to make things right."
Writer/director Krill Sokolov got his start in his native Russia with a film called Why Don't YouJjust Die. I haven't seen any of his Russian films, but from what I can tell, They Will Kill You doesn't appear to far astray from his work there. They Will Kill You is his first American feature film, and it honestly shows some originality and has the power to hold your attention for the perfectly timed 94 minute horror film. Warner Brothers Home Entertainment has now released the bloody film on UHD Blu-ray giving us the advantage of seeing the film in 4K.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on June 10th, 2026
“Hello, Sidney. Did you miss me? Nice little town you found, you and your pretty daughter. Reminds me of where we grew up.”
Honestly, after the last film, in which the creators broke the tradition that the three O.G. characters (Sidney, Gale, and Dewey) always made it to the final credits, I thought was going to be the end for the franchise after all. Because if there was one thing I knew, which had held true for five films, was that those three were not to be touched. So when the powers that be made the decision to kill off David Arquette’s character (I know I shouldn't be revealing spoilers; however, if you haven’t seen the previous film, you shouldn't be reading a review for its sequel, so sorry not sorry), I was of the opinion that there was nowhere else for the story to go. Let’s revisit the previous killers from the previous films: Sidney’s boyfriend Billy and his sidekick Stu, Billy’s mom teamed up with a movie obsessed psychopath, Sidney’s secret half-brother, and Sidney’s cousin. For the sake of keeping this centered on the Neve Campbell’s contribution to the franchise, we won’t list the killers from the Carpenter-sisters-led films. Long story short, the killers tended to share some connection to Sidney. So where do we go from here? What’s left to do? I would have guessed nowhere. And apparently, I was wrong. However, I’m not too sure I liked where we ended up.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 4th, 2026
“Stop filming me!”
Interestingly enough, this 2025 remake/adaptation is a more faithful reproduction of its source material than the 1987 version. The 1987 adaptation, while popular, took liberties when it came to the main character’s backstory and motivations, such as him being a wrongfully accused and convicted policeman who gets his shot at freedom by participating in a TV game show where convicts called Runners must battle killers for their freedom. In the 2025 remake, Ben Richards, now played by Glen Powell, is a blacklisted blue-collar worker living in dystopian anarchistic police state with his wife and infant Cathy. Unable to afford medicine for Cathy's influenza, Ben attends tryouts for the network's game shows, where his anger, misanthropy, and physical fitness see him selected for "The Running Man", their most popular and dangerous show. That backstory is much more in line with the 1982 Stephen King novel. Rounding out the cast are Josh Brolin, William H. Macy, Lee Pace, Michael Cera, and Colman Domingo. Arnold Schwarzenegger even makes a surprise appearance. It’s quick, though. Blink and you could miss it.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 26th, 2026
"In the year of our lord, Judea - for nearly a century - had lain under the mastery of Rome. In the seventh year of the reign of Augustus Caesar, an imperial decree ordered every Judean each to return to his place of birth to be counted and taxed. The converging ways of many of them led to the gates of their capital city, Jerusalem, the troubled heart of their land. The old city was dominated by the fortress of Antonia, the seat of Roman power, and by the great golden temple, the outward sign of an inward and imperishable faith. Even while they obeyed the will of Caesar, the people clung proudly to their ancient heritage, always remembering the promise of their prophets that one day there would be born among them a redeemer to bring them salvation and perfect freedom."
In the war going on between Paramount and Netflix over the purchase of Warner Brothers, I must admit I am on Paramount's side totally. If Netflix wins, you can kiss goodbye seeing films on physical media, and Warner's iconic cinematic past will just be eye candy for those 3-inch screens. If you needed any proof, you merely have to look at their current actions. Netflix stood in the way of del Toro's Frankenstein, and we as critics never saw it at a screening. It took Criterion to finally give it a release. On Paramount's side, look what they have done with many of their classic films. I've reviewed so many here. And if you want to see Warner classics like this one to continue, you need look no farther than this brand new UHD Blu-ray release of the classic film Ben-Hur. This is going to be one of the most impressive discs in your collection. What do you think you would have gotten if Netflix was pulling the strings? Yeah, that's what I thought, as well. Here's a list of the classic Warner films you can expect in the future if Netflix takes over Warner: Yep, that's all of them.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 25th, 2026
“On TV it looks so real.”
When I first walked out from the theater after watching Nightcrawler, the thing that stuck with me the most is how great Jake Gyllenhaal was in this film. This isn’t the first performance he’s caught my attention in; he’s an actor who pretty much any time I see him in a film, he’s one of the most memorable aspects of the film. Whether it’s his moody performance in Donnie Darko, his offbeat portrayal as a cop in Prisoners, or even him taking a risk as a gay cowboy in Brokeback Mountain, every role he does something more with the character where we can believe he is this person we see on the screen. Nightcrawler is no exception, and in this role Gyllenhaal is simply terrifying as Lou Bloom.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 18th, 2025
"Sometimes I feel the past is a more comfortable place than the future."
I think for anything to have a grand finale, it has to have been grand to begin with. And I don't think one could argue that Downton Abbey hasn't been grand, at least at some points in its life. Downton Abbey spent six years on television and has amassed 52 episodes. In that relatively short run, the series has also managed to collect over 200 award nominations and several Golden Globes along with other prestigious awards. Let's not forget a rather loyal fan-base that has watched each episode with anticipation of the next sharp barb or character revelation and will insist on franchise authenticity. In one of its years it was the number-one binged series in the world. That's a lot of power, and it's little wonder that all of these ingredients were expected to create a little box office gold. But film franchises from television shows rarely go on to such golden heights. There are some notable exceptions, to be sure. But even here, expectations and changing caretakers often lead to both high points and flops. The Star Trek franchise is a perfect example of those kinds of ups and downs. Mission Impossible is an example of shows that have to be completely retooled to hit the high numbers. Now that the expected last film has been released, where will Downton Abbey fit in this equation? The fans have been vocal and strong enough that a new film franchise had been anticipated to fill the void left by the series almost at once, and those fans weren't disappointed. But how will they feel now that it has all come to an end?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 15th, 2025
“Now we’re playing some football.”
Let’s just start with the high marks: Marlon does his thing, which I fully expected that he would. Right when you think that we have already seen the best that he has to offer, he finds a new gear, and let it be known that he will not be typecast as just a comedian or as a writer or as producer. He is, in fact, him. Pun intended. Tyriq Withers shows some promise as a leading man, and like his character is clearly hungry to make a name for himself, with this project being his second box office horror appearance this year (the other being I Know What You Did Last Summer). Also, you can see Jordan’s Peele’s influence on the film, as there are a handful of similarities to his previous projects. However, Him, while entertaining, does not achieve the same impact as those aforementioned projects. There was plenty of intrigue, but the train somewhat comes off the track, particularly in regard to the film’s conclusion.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 27th, 2025
"It's rare, but sometimes, there's this moment in the car where everything goes quiet, my heartbeat slows, it's peaceful, and I can see everything, and no one, no one can touch me. And I am chasing that moment every time I get in the car. I don't know when I'll find it again, but, man, I want to. I want to. 'Cause in that moment, I'm flying."
The first think I noticed when the writer/director John Kosinski-led F1 arrived here in UHD Blu-ray from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment was that they had changed the film's name. when it was available for screenings, it was simply called F1. I guess someone in marketing thought the name was somewhat confusing so they decided to add "The Movie" to the title. I guess this was in case any of you out there got confused and was not aware you were watching a movie instead of an actual race somewhere. I'll never claim to understand exactly what studio marketing people really do for a living that doesn't involve a set of darts and a target with various "ideas" spread out in the landing area. This is strictly a rumor that I heard, but apparently we were just a centimeter away from the film being called F1: That Thing You Watch On Your Phone. Of course, I have always suspected that the studio powers that be might have my picture up on that dart board. But don't worry; there's little chance one of these things will be named after me. Whatever it happens to be called this week, F1 or F1: The Movie is out right now, and this gives you a chance to bring Formula One racing right into your home theater experience. How does that car commercial go? Zoom Zoom.
