Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on November 1st, 2021
Superman: The Animated Series was partly made in the same fashion as the massively popular Batman: The Animated Series. The tone was a little more serious, and the stakes were raised in order to create a sense that Superman might just have met his match. It was first produced in 1996 and made 54 episodes through the year 2000. The show received high praise for raising the bar but at the same time keeping what was important to the mythos of Superman. In fact, it even received a nomination for an Emmy. Besides Smallville, this probably stands out as the best television adaption of the one known as Superman, the Last Son of Krypton and hero to the planet Earth (and beyond).
(Summaries taken from previous DVD review; the rest applies to the new Blu-ray version)
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on June 29th, 2021
Long before super-hero films became the rage of American cinema, the Western was the original bread and butter that would draw in its audiences to flock to the silver screen. Hollywood cranked out so many Westerns I seriously doubt anyone knows just how many of these films were shot by the studios, not to mention the others that were re-cut with scenes inserted with new stock footage just to re-title a film and put it back out onto the screen. There are some directors that elevated the genre, John Ford, Howard Hawks, Clint Eastwood, Sam Peckinpah, and then there’s John Sturges who is mostly famous for helming The Magnificent Seven and The Great Escape. Sturges had a strong 30 year career directing and though he had a few misses when his films were good they were really good so when the offer came along to review one of his Westerns I hadn’t seen I was happy to jump aboard to review the Last Train From Gun Hill.
When Last Train From Gun Hill was made, Paramount studios had created a new style of film called Vista Vision, a flashy name and style to attract audiences to the cinemas. Basically it was 35 mm film shot horizontally, this was a method that would later be used in 70mm to create IMAX film. The quality of the picture when using the Vista Vision is incredible and it was pretty much the first thing I noticed while watching this films, the sweeping landscapes look more impressive and just about every shot looks fantastic here, cinematographer Charles Lang who had a successful run of films shooting for Billy Wilder does a incredible job with this smaller scaled western. Sure the Vista Vision may have been nothing more than a gimmick but the look of this film is what immediately jumps out at me and reminds me of what audiences are missing from movies shot on genuine film.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on July 28th, 2020
James Cameron is easily one of the most recognizable names in the Hollywood industry. Every time he makes a movie, it manages to break box office records. As many of us have been waiting patiently for his sequel to Avatar, it seems he was busy working on a small project that takes an intimate look into science fiction. This isn’t a boring history lesson, though; instead he’s gathered some of the biggest actors and directors of the genre and has a discussion about the various ideas that science fiction presents its viewers and readers. Whether you’re a science fiction novice or a self-proclaimed expert in the field, there’s at least something for everyone in this six-part, four-hour-plus series. The series is broken up into six episodes. Each episode covers a specific theme in the science fiction genre, so it allows you to watch it in any order you’d like. For me, I have to be honest; it’s hard to be impartial and not let my inner geek get excited over this series. When you have James Cameron and Steven Spielberg discussing how Close Encounters of the Third Kind came to be or see Cameron and Christopher Nolan discuss time travel, this is some engaging material. The closest thing I’ve seen recently where we get to see talented filmmakers sit down and talk is The Director’s Chair that Robert Rodriguez hosts, but what makes Story of Science Fiction stand out is seeing these filmmakers express their appreciation of the genre and what inspired them.
The series as I mentioned is broken up into six episodes on two discs:
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on July 21st, 2020
Despite my dad being away a lot on business as I grew up, he would often make the most of his time spent with me and leave lasting impressions on my mannerisms and character to this very day. We would play baseball (even though I wasn't very good); he would teach me about money and how to be financially sound (which for the most part I think I do OK). He would also introduce me to the things he enjoyed, like root beer floats and Abbott & Costello. Even though these days I can't have many root beers, I can enjoy an Abbott and Costello movie almost any time I like. One of those movies I remember watching with my dad was Africa Screams. It was my distinct pleasure to watch that movie again and bring my review to you today.
Stanley Livington (played by Lou Costello) stares down a menacing creature with a gun and a whip. Except when we pan to the fearsome creature, it's actually a small kitten. But the tiny cat does have a snarl, and it's enough to send Stanley back into the department store from which he came. Buzz Johnson (played by Bud Abbott) comes around to tell Stanley that the cat is not that scary, but Stanley is still a little concerned.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on May 29th, 2020
Despite my tender age of 44, I didn't see Escape from New York until I was in my early twenties. My parents never talked about it, my college friends didn't seem to care, and the Internet wasn't nearly as prevalent as it is now. But it has become my favorite movie of all time. What's curious is that the sequel to the film, Escape from L.A., is what introduced me to Kurt Russell and the character of Snake Plissken (and became the foundation of everything I consider to be "cool"). It holds a giant chunk of my movie heart, and I'm glad today to bring you this review of the Collector's Edition Blu-Ray released by Shout Factory.
It is 1998, hostile forces inside the United States were growing strong. Los Angeles is ravaged by crime, and the US Police Force is formed to keep the peace. A political candidate (played by Cliff Robertson) emerges and predicts a millennium earthquake that will destroy Los Angeles in divine retribution. An earthquake measuring 9.6 on the Richter scale hits at 12:59pm on August 23rd in the year 2000.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on February 18th, 2020
Getting thrown into the middle of a film or television series is a daunting task, especially when you can't just reach out and grab the source material. For example, today's review are three films that are set after a manga book collection as well as a 13-episode television series that is available on Blu-ray, but by another production house and would cost me thirty bucks. Hardly an ideal situation, but one I wasn't going to back down from. Donten: Laughing Under the Clouds - Gaiden is our review today and tries to tell us in nearly three hours what happens after the Yamainu take down the Orochi and the struggle to lead normal lives in the wake of such a cataclysmic event.
Film One: One Year After the Battle -
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on February 8th, 2019
As with probably most people in this business, I am indeed addicted to the concept of collecting movies. It should probably come as no surprise that I have well over 1,000 movies in all disc-based formats. Anybody with a rational mind should question why I have to own all the movies in a given series. Yes, I own Darkman 3, Hollow Man 2, and Bloodsport 4, among other strange and utterly awful movies. But somehow despite that completion-ist mindset, my addictions and OCDs pale in comparison to a deadly drug such as alcohol, a drug that can overtake your life and kill you in an instant. Our review today takes us to a TV movie from the 70's named Sarah T: Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic.
We start with an upbeat commercial showing a bunch of teenagers having fun with a Courey's Beer. Then we get some cold hard facts from the time period. There are 500,000 pre-teen and teenage alcoholics. Three in four teenagers have had a drink, 1 in 20 have a serious problem with alcohol, 1 in 10 of those people will become an alcoholic. But it certainly makes you popular and easygoing with your friends, or at least that's what they say, anyway.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 12th, 2018
MacGyver (v) to act in an extremely resourceful manner. To utilize everyday items in unconventional ways to achieve a difficult task. I predict it will not be long before you can open your trusty copy of Webster’s and find this character has officially entered our lexicon. There is little doubt but that it is an unofficial part of it now. Crossing over from the realm of pop culture and into our language is a phenomenal achievement for a television show.
Richard Dean Anderson really is MacGyver. OK, maybe he’s not quite so handy with a paperclip and matchbook, but his own acting ability and charm make MacGyver more enjoyable than the formula that has become so renowned. They share the love of hockey. Anderson was slated to be a hockey star before injuring both legs. Both men hail from the wilds of Minnesota. The two also share an environmental crusade. These traits also coincidentally apply to Jack O’Neil.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 12th, 2018
"We are the protectors of the innocent. We are The Charmed Ones."
It's no coincidence that both the original shows of Charmed and MacGyver are starting to be released on the Blu-ray format. Both shows have been rebooted for television, and that means they're counting on fans of the original to become the foundation for a new base of fans. The best way to do that is to remind you why it is that you loved the shows in the first place. The best way to remind you is to dangle a little bait. That bait is the release of both shows on Blu-ray starting with their first seasons. Will it last? I don't know. It will depend on a combination of sales of the releases and how long the new shows manage to stick around themselves. Neither of these reboots are setting the ratings on fire, but there appear to be enough viewers to keep them on the air for second seasons. Sure, it's a bit of a marketing stunt, but that doesn't make it a bad deal at all. Fans of the original Charmed have been asking me about Blu-ray releases for years. So it's a win-win here.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on November 8th, 2018
I was raised on the mean streets of Charlotte, North Carolina. Yes, that's meant to be a joke, since I was raised in the suburbs primarily. My Aunt Donna on my father's side was working in California (San Diego) most of my life, and that's where she lives to this day. I would always wonder what life in California was like and how my aunt did it. Like most non-California residents in that time period (80's), I dreamed that everybody was from the Valley and talked about being "So Sure". Fast forward 35 years later ,and we have a collector's edition of the movie simply known as Valley Girl. Let us take a look.
As we open the movie, we listen to a radio station playing in Hollywood, CA. They are promoting tickets to the next concert, and it's 75 degrees. The voice changes and the scene shifts. It's 83 degrees in the valley. "Girls Like Me" by Bonnie Hayes plays on the radio, and we see a bunch of girls try on clothes and use their Mastercard quite liberally.
