Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on November 9th, 2021
"You're going on a journey. A journey through memory. Your destination? A place and time you've been before. To reach it, all you have to do is follow my voice."
So, an interesting factoid that I learned about the film’s director Lisa Joy: she is the sister-in-law of director Christopher Nolan. This doesn’t really add anything to the review, just an interesting fact that I thought I’d share. Then again, I do remember thinking when the film first opened up that it felt very shades-of-Nolan. Not to say that Nolan had any influence over the film, but just the idea of a movie based off a construct is very much in his wheelhouse. Memory is the construct that is explored in this film, and I must admit that the addictive nature with which the film portrays this construct did have some appeal; however, the film tries to bring too many different themes and elements together, and it results in not enough attention being paid to any of them. Hugh Jackman and Rebecca Ferguson are the film’s big draws, and while their electricity helps to make the film decent, it cannot make it great.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on November 5th, 2021
Well, this is an interesting plot twist. From antagonist to protagonist. When we last saw Gulf War veteran Norman Nordstrom, he was recovering in the hospital from a gunshot wound, having just spent the previous night protecting his home against intruders. Before you start painting him with a hero brush, it's worth mentioning that Norman isn’t exactly squeaky clean, given that he was holding a woman hostage after artificially inseminating her to provide with a child to replace the one that said woman accidently killed. It’s also worth mentioning that he also attempted to impregnate one of the home invaders following the inadvertent death of the woman carrying his child. The first Don’t Breathe was an interesting and unique horror thriller film that premiered at South by Southwest festival back in 2016 before going on to become a theatrical commercial success.
Hence the need for a sequel. Initially, I had a great deal of reservation about continuing the story, as I figured it was like trying to get lightning to strike the same place twice. Which it did. That said, I was intrigued to see the character to take on more of an anti-hero role, as he wasn’t technically a villain in the previous film, making this transition easy to accept and believable. Don’t get me wrong, he did some depraved things, but these were clearly the acts of a man driven deranged by grief. I’m not saying that he is deserving of redemption; I mean, between this film and last one, he chalked up a body count. And without question, he is somewhat self-serving, especially since his relationship with Phoenix is all about filling a hole left in his life following the death of his daughter. However, he does manage to show great protective instincts and a willingness to put his own life on the line to save an innocent, so he isn’t exactly a monster, either, despite what the character may believe about himself.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on October 29th, 2021
It doesn’t seem all that long ago that Disney/ Marvel decided to fire James Gunn over a couple of tweets and Warner Brothers decided to scoop up the talented director to helm a reboot of The Suicide Squad. Personally, I feel this was the best move WB has done with their DC film projects since the Christopher Nolan Batman films. I’ll come out and say it; I haven’t been a fan of the DC cinematic universe. Wonder Woman and Shazam were decent, but they simply don’t hold up to what Marvel has been able to produce. While I’m fine with attempting to tell more mature storylines and appeal to an older audience, my biggest problem with the DC films is that they just weren’t fun. (Shazam is perhaps the only exception to this.) I’m not part of the “Release the Snyder cut” crowd; instead I just want to see a comic book film that can be entertaining and not take itself too seriously, and that brings me back to James Gunn. I’m a fan of Gunn. I absolutely adore what he’s done with The Guardians of the Galaxy. Those are both in my top five of the Marvel films, because I love how he handles the group of misfit heroes. I even like Gunn’s earlier work, like Super and especially Slither; his cinematic story of coming out of Troma I view as one of the best underdog stories in Hollywood and how he’s become an A-list director. The moment he signed on for The Suicide Squad, I was excited; in my mind I felt this was what WB/DC and movie fans in general needed. Giving Gunn the freedom to make the film he wanted to make could seem like a risk, but I think Gunn had something to prove after being released by Disney, and the result is cinematic bliss that is the injection of gory comic book mayhem that fans have been waiting for.
While this take on The Suicide Squad does have characters and actors returning in the same roles from the previous attempt at Suicide Squad by director David Ayer, do yourself a favor and just pretend that film doesn’t exist. Heck, I even reviewed the film just about five years ago to the day, and while the film does have some fun moments, it just doesn’t hold up after further viewings, though I’d still love to see a Joker and Harley Quinn date night movie, but that’s a whole other discussion.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on October 29th, 2021
I really liked the film, but I don’t expect that it will be the savior that revitalizes the franchise. Without question it is the best of the three films that were adapted from the popular toy line, but even so I just didn’t find it compelling enough to serve as the launch point for a franchise reboot. I just don’t think it’s in the cards for G.I. Joe to become a movie powerhouse. Snake Eyes is without question one of the most popular characters from the television incarnation, and he was also the biggest draw for the film adaptation as well. Anticipation for a live-action telling of his origins has been in the works for years, with many hoping to see Ray Park, who played the character in the first two films (though we never see his face), reprise the role. However, much time passed between G.I. Joe Retaliation and this film, making that an impossibility. Stepping in to take over the role is Henry Golding, who you most likely recognize from Crazy Rich Asians, but who I recognize from The Gentlemen. The film is his first foray into the action film world, which was quite a risk for the film, but good thing for them, they got him some backup in the form of Andrew Koji, who we all should recognize from Cinemax’s (now to be reborn on HBO Max) Warrior.
When I heard about Henry Golding’s casting, I had some reservation. In my opinion, he had the look unquestionably, but discovering his lack of a fighting or action resume prior to this outing made me somewhat skeptical of his ability to give a convincing performance. However, after watching him, I give his performance a B plus; he was convincing, but there was room for improvement. Ironically, it wasn’t his fighting where the improvement was needed, as I found his skill on par with what you would expect. As previously stated, he is also surrounded by actors whose fighting resumes speak for themselves. Take Andrew Koji. Firstly, if you haven’t watched this man technical skill in the first two seasons of Warrior, you have no idea what you are missing, and I recommend that you correct this error immediately. Koji brings that same technical skill to this film, making his fight sequences without question my favorite, particularly in the fish market, where he takes on essentially an entire army all by himself, and is more than convincing doing so, especially when he gets his hands on two swords.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 28th, 2021
"Look. See a world that holds more wonders than any since the Earth was born. And of all who reigned o'er, none had more renown like the boy who pulled the sword from the stone. But this is not that king, nor is this his song. Let me tell you instead a new tale. I'll lay it down as I've heard it told. Its letters set, its history pressed, of an adventure brave and bold. Forever set in heart, in stone like all great myths of old ..."
Mythology is filled with stories of knights. The Black Knights of villainy can be found in thousands of stories, perhaps far more. What young girl doesn't dream of her White Knight coming to rescue her from a mundane life? And there are countless stories of King Arthur and his entourage of famous names like Guinevere, Galahad, and Merlin the wizard. But you won't find too many stories of a Green Knight. Nor has there been much set to paper on Sir Gawain, one of Arthur's lesser known family members. Turns out the young lad was his nephew of Gwen's side of the family. So it's no surprise that I had never heard of either character even though I spent a considerable time in my youth devouring Arthur legends and myths. So I considered myself somewhat learned on the subject, enough to complain constantly when films depict the sword in the stone as Excalibur. It wasn't. The iconic sword was given to Arthur much later by The Lady Of The Lake. But I digress. As the above quote informs us, this is not THAT story. This one comes mostly from an anonymous poem called Sir Gawain And The Green Knight as retold here by writer/director David Lowery.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on October 2nd, 2021
Ever since The Purge came out back in 2013, I think with each passing year it seems like it can become a terrifying reality. Some fans, I’m sure, have even thought about what deviant activities they’d get into or how they’d defend themselves if it ever became a reality. The films in their own blunt way have been an examination of our government and how society is treated by class and by race. It’s not a big surprise that these films have been hits at the box office, but my big complaint has been are they really horror films? For me they are just modern takes of a world that John Carpenter created with his Escape from New York and Escape from LA films, like a hard-edged dystopian sci-fi survival film. At least with the first installment The Purge felt more grounded as an intense home invasion film, but as the sequels followed and the world opened up, it just started to feel more like an action film. Suspense and atmosphere have been replaced by gunfire and over-the-top costumes, and it’s just lost its impact. But then this idea of The Forever Purge came along, the idea that the bloodshed and chaos doesn’t have to end, that the government has lost control, and the blood thirsty lunatics have taken control. This direction seemed to offer some potential. The bleakness could be a sobering look at what could occur.
The film opens with a family sneaking across the border for a potential for a new life in America, a family seeking to live the American dream and flee the violence of the cartels and no longer live in poverty. Things then shift a year later, and we’re on a ranch in Texas. The ranch is run by the Tucker family and has its share of Mexican ranch hands. There’s a little tension between the son Dylan (Josh Lucas) and Juan (Tenoch Huerta), who seems to be better at handling the horses than the good old Texan cowboy. At first glance it seems like simple racism, but later in the film the two end up discussing their differences, and we see it’s a little more complicated, but at least doesn’t come from a place of hate. Honestly, I wish this was explored more. Even if it is a touchy subject, I felt it at least showed how discrimination and culture clash doesn’t necessarily have to come from a place of hate. Of course we know these two will need to set aside their differences in order to survive, but really, there is never any tension between these two again, which I found little frustrating.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 24th, 2021
" Okay, listen up! I want 50 of the best men! I want guns! I want wheels, freaking X-wing fighters -- I don't care! The Millennium Falcon, Chewbacca if you can get ahold of him. Money's no object. Go."
The year 2020 and nearly half of 2021 make up a time in our lives we'd all like to try to forget. And while the remnants of a pandemic that is not quite over still intrude on our realities, many aspects of our lives are starting to return. We're spending time with our family and friends again. Those simple parts of our lives we once took for granted are starting to return, and I suspect we're all apt to savor them just a little bit more from now on. The movies have been back for a little while now. We've finally started getting access to press screenings for the first time in over a year. Needless to say, so many of us are happy to be back in the theaters. So far we've had some films start to breathe life back into the box office, but today expectations remain lower, and they will for a while. We've had some successful films, and you can feel it in the air. Somewhere, somehow, there's got to be a film just itching to break open the floodgates and give us our first real break-out blockbuster in 18 months. Fasten your seatbelts, because I think the day has finally arrived, and while it isn't going to be anything like it might have been two years ago, I think that F9: The Fast Saga is going to be the first hit film since the arrival of the pandemic.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 18th, 2021
When Justice League hit the box office in 2017 it was met by relatively good box office numbers but not warmly received overall. It was a troubled shoot. During production Zack Snyder had to leave the director's chair when his daughter Autumn passed away. When you consider how hard the folks at DC have been chasing the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it was no surprise that they brought in Joss Whedon to pick up the pieces and finish the film. Whedon, of course, directed the first Avengers film for Marvel, which turned into the perfect example of how to bring a diverse group of heroes together for a film. Whedon was also the king of the ensemble cast from his early days on Buffy The Vampire Slayer and later Firefly. The first problem was that Whedon and Snyder have very polar opposite styles. Snyder rules with tons of angst, darkness and brooding characters. That's great for Batman. Not so much for Superman. Whedon loves to keep things light no matter how big the stakes of the film's events might be. It's night and day, and it's no wonder it really didn't work out so well. Later we would start to hear stories of abuse by Whedon on the set, mainly from Ray Fisher who played Cyborg. The studio fumed, and the fans expressed their disappointment by demanding that DC/Warner Brothers allow Snyder to go back and make the film he really wanted to make, and so the wheels began turning.
DC eventually relented, and after nearly four years, they put a pile of money on the table and granted the Snyder fanboys their wish. But things are different now, and a new cinematic release is pretty much out of the question. So it was originally decided there would be a mini-series made for HBO-Max, the company's streaming service. The idea of a series and film went back and forth, and eventually a kind of hybrid ended up taking the slot. What we got was a four-hour film separated into seven distinct chapters and a decidedly obvious halfway point. So you could watch it in seven roughly half-hour segments, two films, or one mega-marathon film. The HBO-Max numbers were pretty good, and so now the film is available on UHD Blu-ray in 4K in a much better-looking presentation than it had during its initial life as a streamer.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 2nd, 2021
Every decade or so sees the popularity of a Broadway stage show become something of a cultural phenomenon. When I was young, Cats and Annie were the big-event shows. Over the years it's been Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom Of The Opera, and more recently, Rent. In these last few years the stage champ has been Hamilton, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. To say that it has been one of the more popular shows in the last few years would be an understatement. Based very loosely on the historical life of Alexander Hamilton, it is still currently the hardest ticket to get in New York City. Lost in the excitement and fame over Hamilton is that Miranda has had another rather large success with In The Heights. The play was selected best musical in 2003. While it never did come close to the success of Hamilton, it was also once a hard ticket to obtain. Just one year after Hamilton made it to the big screen, In The Heights will get its chance to offer moviegoers something to help bring them back to the cinemas.
As the film begins, we are introduced to Usnavi (Ramos) (there's a rather amusing story about how he got the unusual name), who has gathered a few children together to tell them a story. We are introduced to the idea of suenito, or a little dream. And that's the theme that will carry you through Usnavi's tale. It all takes place in a little corner of New York City called Washington Heights. We're encouraged to say it out loud so that it won't disappear. And that's where it all happens. We are introduced to a few of the citizens of this cultural neighborhood who each have their own little dream. Usnavi runs a neighborhood bodega, but his little dream is to return to his native Dominican Republic, where he dreams of rebuilding his father's destroyed bar and living in his own corner of paradise. He's not the only one with a dream. He's trying to connect with Vanessa (Barrera), who works for a local hair salon that is about to be yet another business leaving the neighborhood. She finds she can't find a place where she's going to be accepted in that new neighborhood, and her little dream is to have a fashion boutique where she can design and sell clothes.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 1st, 2021
What James Wan did with The Conjuring (2013) was something I don’t think anyone expected, he didn’t just deliver a haunted house film that’s genuinely scary as well as being a technical achievement, but also he kicked off a successful franchise that’s now seven films deep with no signs of stopping. I’ll admit when it comes to the stories about Ed and Lorraine Warren I have a bit of a bias. I’m a sucker for just about any and every paranormal show out there, and I’ve read numerous books about the Warrens and their case files. Everything from the “true” story behind the Amityville house, the “real” Annabelle, to some of the not-so-famous cases (at least the ones we haven’t seen a movie about). Whether you believe in the paranormal or feel the Warrens were nothing more than skilled hoaxers, the stories behind their cases are the stuff that will always make for a great campfire story, and as it’s been proven, some successful and entertaining films. So when it was announced that the next film was going to be about case where a man is being put on trial and uses the defense of possession, claiming the devil made him commit the crime, I was excited. Seeing how this was a real murder case that the Warrens were involved with, I was hoping we’d see a break from the traditional possession and haunted house film and delve into a courtroom drama; alas, that isn’t the case. While the new film does take a somewhat different approach, I definitely have some mixed feelings on this one.
My biggest concern from the get-go about this film was that James Wan was not involved with directing the film. Granted he may have only done The Conjuring and its sequel, but I feel we can all agree these films outshine the other entries in the franchise by a great deal. Wan is simply one of the best directors working in film period. Though he may only stick to genre films, his work with crafting stories and his work with a camera is well above many of his contemporaries in the genre. Then to decide to use Michael Chaves, the director of The Curse of la Llorona, to helm the film was immediately cause for concern for me. To be blunt, I hated that film. It was one of the worst films I saw that year. The saving grace was that at least Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga would be reprising their roles of Ed and Lorraine.
