Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on November 25th, 2021
When we got aboard the Snowpiercer, it would seem like a new world order was going to be happening. Well, that still holds true for Season 2, but not quite the way we were initially imagining. Did you see what I did there, “got aboard,” because it’s a train. OK, OK; that’s my one joke. Last we saw Daveed Diggs’ Layton, he’d finally managed to seize control of the train carrying the last of humanity following an apocalyptic freezing of the planet. His reign is extremely short-lived, however, as he is almost immediately threatened by the return of Mr. Wilford (Sean Bean) and Melanie’s thought-dead daughter, Alexandra (Rowan Blanchard). I can tell you that after this cliffhanger of a season last season, I was on the edge of my seat with anticipation for the next season. And this season doesn’t disappoint, as the power struggle for the train is continued with a new adversaries, as old adversaries become new allies.
The series never takes its foot off the gas, as Layton finds himself thrust into a brand new struggle against the very person responsible for the train that is humanity’s salvation. Last season, Mr. Wilford was thought dead after being left behind by Melanie due to a fear that humanity would not survive under his leadership. She creates an elaborate ruse to keep the idea of Wilford alive in order to keep peace on the train, a ruse that is eventually discovered and leads to a degree of anarchy on the train, resulting in the uprising that has placed Layton in charge. Now he must confront the man who was originally supposed to lead Snowpiercer. In this respect, Melanie’s fears prove right, as Wilford is in possession of a truly sadistic and cruel nature. This nature is shown perfectly in flashback sequences that show just how ruthless the man can be.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 25th, 2021
"We are the only people who are capable of handling time-traveling aliens."
Of course, that can only mean The D.C. Legends Of Tomorrow. This is the sleeper of the entire Arrowverse. It's never really been one of the higher-rated shows, but it has a strong cult audience and has survived more than one season on the proverbial bubble and has beaten back a pandemic and outlasted such better shows as Arrow and Supergirl. I always enjoy it, but I do find it the hardest show to completely follow. It will delve into the silly and the absolutely crazy, and it's pretty much jumping sharks on a weekly basis. It doesn't help that every year sees a huge shakeup of the cast, and this season was no exception. The crew of the Waverider change over faster than teens at a fast food joint. Of course, you might be left asking yourself what is this Waverider of which you speak? It's hard enough to keep track of the players without a program, but it's a near impossible feat if you are trying to join the festivities in the fourth season. You might want to check out our reviews of the previous years and then rejoin me for the breakdown of the Blu-ray release of DC Legends Of Tomorrow Season 6. Just bang it here to catch up: Legends Of Tomorrow Reviews.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on November 20th, 2021
I will say this for DC animated movies, they sure do pack a lot of story in their limited runtime. This film is only an hour, and somehow it felt like two and half hours of storytelling were comfortably fitted into that time. I know stories that don’t accomplish half as much with double the time. That is an accomplishment in itself. This re-release brings back the 2011 animated film based on the four-issue story arc of the same name. It’s a bit of a origin story, encompassing Batman’s first year operating as the Dark Knight at the height of corruption in Gotham. It is also a bit of a origin story for Batman’s nemesis turned ally, James Gordon, who wages his own war against the corruption in the police department. I remember watching this a few years ago, and it didn’t really hold my attention. However, on this outing, I was thoroughly engaged and entranced by the story. That just goes to show you that first impressions can change.
Told on two fronts, the film follows a returning Bruce Wayne as he comes back to Gotham after a 12-year absence. Bruce returns with a mission, to save the city that birthed him and took away his parents. On the other front, we have Lt. James “Jim” Gordon, a Chicago cop transferring to Gotham. Upon arrival, he finds the city to be rife with corruption all the way up to his boss, the Chief of Police. Despite this, Jim endeavors to do the right thing and clean up the city.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 17th, 2021
"There are certain rules that one must abide by in order to successfully survive a horror movie."
No one knew those rules better than Wes Craven. He helped to create them, after all. Starting in 1972 with the cult favorite The Last House On The Left, he followed that just two years later with The Hills Have Eyes, which led to a sequel. But it wasn't until a decade later that he would deliver his masterpiece and most successful franchise, Nightmare On Elm Street. Wes Craven introduced the world to Freddy Kruger, and our dreams have never been quite the same since. While others attempted to reproduce the same results with many sequels, it was Craven himself who put Freddy to bed with New Nightmare exactly 10 years after his birth. A remake never got much traction, and Wes Craven's place in horror history was assured. In 1996 he decided to take one more stab at the slasher genre and delivered one of the best films to look directly back at the audience and celebrate the genre. Scream was another hit and another franchise staple. He took a then relatively unknown cast and made them household names with future amazing careers and decided that it was time to also poke a little fun at himself and his colleagues. The result was four films and an upcoming kind of reboot/sequel after a three-year television series examined the material. More importantly, it led to an entire sub-genre of films that include the Scary Movie franchise and others. Now, just in time for the holidays and the new film, you can see Scream in 4K with this UHD Blu-ray release.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 11th, 2021
"My name is Nicky Shen, and this has been my home for three years. A Shaolin monastery in Yunnan Province, China. My mom sent me on a cultural tour of China. Turned out, it was really a matchmaking tour to land me a Chinese husband. Just one of the many ways my mom tried to control my destiny. I panicked. I ran. That was the first time anyone told me I had a choice in anything. I was only planning to spend the night. But then I saw something that I knew I wanted to be a part of. These women were warriors. And so I stayed. Pei-Ling became my Shifu, my mentor."
The new Kung Fu series at the CW is not really anything like the 1970's show that starred David Carradine. And while the credits claim to be based on that show, they really do not have anything in common. This show is not a period piece but exists in current day San Francisco. The titular character is no longer a middle-aged quiet hero or a guy. Instead we have law school drop-out Nicky Shen, a twenty-something woman who doesn't quite have a handle on who she is. She's not a wanderer, and she doesn't play a handmade flute. She lives with her family and is totally connected to the modern from cellphones to Uber. That isn't to say the show is bad. The production values are high, as are the writing and acting. The weak link for me is it's given me flashbacks to Pretty Little Liars, as this show likely shares those adolescent girl demographics. So clearly I'm not the target audience. So otherwise, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play? Warner Brothers Home Entertainment drops this reincarnated Kung Fu on Blu-ray with all 13 episodes on three discs.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on October 28th, 2021
“How many people? Husbands, wives, and children, will you kill for peace, Clark?”
Needless to say, when Superman goes bad, it’s a bloodbath. And not just civilians, but heroes as well, as the Justice League is divided, and several are killed in what becomes a civil war between Superman and Batman. When the Joker tricks him into murdering the love of his life, Superman breaks his most solemn vow in pursuit of what he believes to be justice, and this act sends shockwaves throughout the world. Batman, Superman’s most trusted ally, finds himself in the impossible position of having to stand oppose the hero, as Superman proceeds to impose his will on mankind in order to keep them safe. All in the name of justice, or is it Injustice? This 43rd installment in the DC Animated Universe is based on the popular video the popular 2013 video game of the same name, which takes place in a separate continuity from the main DC Universe. Justin Hartley takes quite a step up in his return to the world of DC movies, going from portraying Green Arrow in television series Smallville to voicing Superman for this animated film. He is in good company, as he is joined by Anson Mount, voicing Batman, as well as Edwin Hodge, Oliver Hudson, Gillian Jacobs, and Anika Noni Rose.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 28th, 2021
"My most vivid memories are of the days when my life changed. I remember coming to this Earth, feeling the sun on my face for the first time. Hearing the voices of my parents. My mother called me their greatest surprise. And boy, there sure were lots of them. I remember loving Smallville; the people, the community, how the small things were the big things. And I thought I'd live there forever. But my father's death set me on a different path. Eventually, I moved to Metropolis to become who I was meant to be. But my most vivid memory of all was the day I met her."
The her, of course is Lois Lane. Together they are Superman & Lois, and they've joined the ever-expanding Arrowverse for their first season now out on Blu-ray from Warner Home Entertainment. While this is their first season, the characters and these actors portraying them are not new to the Arrowverse. Tyler Hoechlin as Superman and Elizabeth Tulloch as Lois Lane have been here for a few years. Both have shown up on Supergirl, and both appeared in a couple of the crossover events that have pulled together the various Arrowverse shows in the past. Now the focus is on them. They have their own show, and it's quite a different approach to the characters and their story.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on October 28th, 2021
No, this isn’t a remake of the 1994 Ice-T Surviving the Game. Unfortunately, this is yet another low-budget action film starring Bruce Willis that has this reviewer wondering if we’ll ever get a great film out of Willis ever again. For the past few years it seems Bruce Willis has given up doing A-list films and has instead gone the route of straight-to-disc releases, and the films have ranged from tolerable to garbage. This is frustrating, because I think we can all agree he’s better than this, but he seems to be fine cashing the paychecks and going onto set and looking miserable from one scene to the next. I miss seeing Bruce Willis being the average-Joe badass. The Last Boy Scout? Heck, at this point I’d rather see him in a Hudson Hawk revival, but alas, this seems to be what we’re stuck with.
The plot is relatively simple. David (Willis) gets injured and is taken hostage after a drug bust goes wrong. Cal (Swen Temmel) follows members from the failed drug bust to a farm, and their confrontation draws the attention of the property owner, Eric (Chad Michael Murray), an soldier who’s been awarded the Purple Heart but is grieving the recent loss of his wife and child. The setup isn’t all that bad, but it’s the initial drug dealers we see Cal having to confront that are just a taste of the cringe-worthy performances and dialog that’s to follow. This could have worked if the two criminals were just a pair of dumb, love-struck criminals. They’d still be annoying, but it’s at least believable that all they were good at is knocking over gas stations and stealing cars, but instead they are connected to a major drug cartel that David and Cal have been pursuing for years. Where this takes a turn for the worse is when more of the gang arrive, and they are comprised of a ragtag group of idiots who belong on an episode of The World’s Dumbest Criminals. Trying to take control of this crew is Frank (Michael Sirow), who seems to be the only professional who has any brains and menace, but in contrast to the rest of the crew, it just makes everything all the more absurd.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 20th, 2021
"My name is Lt. Aldo Raine, and I'm putting together a special team, and I need me eight soldiers. Eight Jewish-American soldiers. Now, y'all might've heard rumors about the armada happening soon. Well, we'll be leaving a little earlier. We're gonna be dropped into France, dressed as civilians. And once we're in enemy territory, as a bushwhackin' guerrilla army, we're gonna be doin' one thing and one thing only ... killin' Nazis. We will be cruel to the German, and through our cruelty they will know who we are. And they will find the evidence of our cruelty in the disemboweled, dismembered, and disfigured bodies of their brothers we leave behind us. And the German won't be able to help themselves but to imagine the cruelty their brothers endured at our hands, and our boot heels, and the edge of our knives. And the Germans will be sickened by us, and the German will talk about us, and the German will fear us. And when the German closes their eyes at night and they're tortured by their subconscious for the evil they have done, it will be with thoughts of us they are tortured with. Sound good?"
All right, so I’m a bit late to the party on this one, but I wanted to toss in my two bits anyway.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on October 15th, 2021
Fried Barry is definitely one of those fun quirky movies that needs to be seen to be believed. One thing I should definitely say from the start is this movie is definitely not for everyone but if you are willing to go into this with an open mind well you just might appreciate this little gem ad for those late night drinkers and tokers, this is one that is fun to put on for those late night movie nights. If you are looking for a high brow art film you’ve come to the wrong place and despite how the covert art suggests “A Hard R version of ET” well that’s a bit of a stretch in the ET department but this is definitely a film not for the kiddies but perfect for those high school film geeks looking for an outlet from woke society. I feel like this is the kind of movie we need as the rest of the world is so scared about offending one another Fried Barry instead asks it viewers to kick back and prepare to get uncomfortable and enjoy the ride.
Gary Green plays the role of Barry, a quiet and not very likeable drug addict that happens to also be a terrible father. Everything about Green goes against the mold of what a lead actor is supposed to be but it doesn’t take long before you realize how this man was born to play this part and I’m willing to bet this will make him a cult hero in the upcoming years. Green doesn’t talk much during the film and it’s really his facial expressions, body movements and his eyes that drive this performance, while I’m not saying this is an Oscar worthy performance, on a physical level Gary Green has a physicality that I haven’t seen in quite some time.
