Disc Type

“You know, we’ve got a lot to be thankful for. And looking around this table, I gotta say I couldn’t be more proud or grateful.” 

It’s the end of a tour of duty for the cast and crew of Blue Bloods. On Friday, December 13^th, the show aired its last episode. It’s time to say goodbye to the Reagans … maybe not forever, but for now. After 14 years and 293 episodes, the show comes to an end. It wasn’t because ratings had dropped. They most certainly have not. The show was actually still growing after 14 years. It wasn’t because the actors wanted out. Not a single cast member wanted out. More on my thoughts later. For now Paramount is releasing Blue Bloods: The Final Season on DVD so you can complete your collection. 
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“Bless me, father, for I have sinned. It has been 40 years since my last confession. I had a drinking problem, and that became a drug problem, and I ruined my life … There’s this thing that has come up. It’s a job, and it’s coming to me off the back of someone else’s tragedy. But maybe work will be good for me, you know? Give me a sense of purpose. Make me stronger. Maybe make my daughter proud of me.”

It’s the confession of a desperate man, and that’s the center of The Exorcism. This year there’s a new Gladiator film out, but Russell Crowe isn’t going to be fighting again in the arenas of ancient Rome any time soon. Instead he has been spending some time lately doing battle with Satan himself and some of his minions. The Exorcism was actually his first tour of duty in the genre. That film actually wrapped in 2019 but took nearly five years to make it to the box office, were it came and went with little more than a whimper. Later Crowe also starred in The Pope’s Exorcist, where he played the top exorcism man in the Vatican.
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“Don’t hate the player. Hate the game.”

When it comes to The Killer’s Game, there’s a lot to hate and just not enough to love. I happen to like Dave Bautista. He has the physical skills to play incredibly intimidating roles, and he actually has a good bit of comedic timing. The Guardians Of The Galaxy films gave him the perfect place to put all of that on display. He’s an entertaining part of an ensemble cast, and he more than pulls his weight in a crowd. He’s been showing up in some very important films of late, but up until this point none of these roles required him to step out of the comfortable settings where he can pretty much be him and it works on multiple levels. So we already had a pretty good idea where Dave Bautista’s strengths were to be found. It had to happen sooner or later. It’s obvious the wrestler-turned-actor has been having a good time in this actor’s game, and it was only a matter of time before he might want to see just how far his chops could take him.
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“My, what big teeth you have.”

Werewolf stories go back to Little Red Riding Hood, and likely even farther than that. Lon Chaney, Jr.’s performance as Larry Talbot, the haunted soul who bears the burden of The Wolfman, is the version that still remains the standard. Before that Werewolf Of London in 1935 started Universal’s dip into the Lycanthrope waters, and there have been a few classic retellings of the plights of these men plagued by the sight of the full moon. John Landis was the first to use modern technology to give us a most horrifying transformation in his iconic An American Werewolf In London back in 1981. The Underworld films have been my most recent favorites, and the Universal film is about to hit the box office with a remake of The Wolfman from the team that brought us the clever reimagining of The Invisible Man. Warren Zevon sang about them, and soon you’ll be able to ride a Wolfman roller-coaster at Universal’s new Orlando theme park, Epic Universe,
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“The holiest of holiest days. Merry Christmas, Dad. Boom! Stocking stuffers, Mom? Boom! Inspired. The flicker of yuletide lights, off-green artificial tree, carolers, the patter of eight tiny reindeer and the small jingle bells. Oh, what a silent night; that is, of course, unless you  wanna count the 27 double-buck rounds which are blasted pounding and ripping into both you and your better half…”

There’s an ongoing argument about the classic Bruce Willis film, Die Hard. Is it a Christmas movie, or merely a movie that happens at Christmas time? If you think that’s a tough one, wait until you get your hands on the latest release from Synapse Films. It’s Mike Mendez’s first time as a director, and the film is Killers. It’s 1997, and Mendez still has a few small-budget gems in Christmas yet to come, Big Ass Spider and The Convent being two of his best. Mendez would get his first large attention project with the television series Masters Of Horror. But it all started here with one of the craziest films you will ever see. So is it a Christmas movie, or a movie that happens at Christmas? Boom!
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“The following film contains graphic sexual content. Due to its extreme erotic nature this program is NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN!”

Duh. I suspect that when we are all dead and gone, there will be two things we can count on continuing beyond the end of human civilization. The cockroaches will inherit the world, and they will all be watching South Park, the only television show still running. It’s already been 22 years, and doesn’t it feel like 50? I don’t mean that in a mean way. I love South Park, but I’m starting to find it hard to remember what life was like without it. I’m convinced it will survive us all, and AI versions of Parker and Stone will be producing it until the planet is finally vaporized … and I’m not sure even that will stop this show.
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“How much do you know about the family business?”

Well, for over 20 years, the family business over at CBS has been the NCIS franchise, and another decade longer if you consider it was a spin-off of JAG, which lasted 10 years on its own. It’s been a busy 20 years, I can tell you that. About seven years into the original show’s run, we got our first NCIS spin-off with NCIS: Los Angeles. That show focused more on action and a lot of explosions. The show just finished its final year after 14 seasons. Then there was NCIS: New Orleans that brought the focus to the unique culture and tastes of The Big Easy. It lasted seven years, and there’s an upcoming NCIS: Sydney which is about to take us down under to grab that shrimp on the barbie. Things continue to expand, and now we have NCIS: Hawai’i, which expands the franchise and solves a situation at CBS. For decades they have kept a Hawaiian studio on the islands.
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“Everything is always about Sheldon.”

Warner Brothers is very familiar with superheroes. That goes double for the character of Sheldon, played by Jim Parsons on The Big Bang Theory. A common thread in the superhero business, of course, is the origin story. With the popularity of The Big Bang Theory, and the Sheldon character particularly, it isn’t all that surprising that we would eventually be treated to Sheldon’s origin story. But instead of flashbacks on the series, the decision was made that Sheldon’s childhood was territory that could be mined for years. Thus is born Young Sheldon. For fans of the original show and character, it couldn’t have come at a better time. Parsons just turned down an offer of $50 million for two more years of Big Bang. I can’t imagine how it must feel to be able to turn down that kind of money. But faced with doing the series without him, the smart decision was to shut it down. This will be the final season of The Big Bang Theory, but apparently Sheldon with live on as a kid for years to come. Not sure what Parsons’ paycheck is here, but it requires only his narration.
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“You do not mess with the special investigators.” 

Someone didn’t get the memo. The result is a second season of Reacher based on the Jack Reacher character found in a collection of novels by Lee Child, who is really British writer Jim Grant. We were introduced to Jack Reacher in the novel The Killing Floor. It would also provide the material for the first season of this Amazon streaming series. As the popularity of the books grew, it didn’t take long for the character to reach the box office, and while he didn’t resemble the literature character in any physical way, it was Tom Cruise who first brought him to life on the big screen. There have now been two feature films and 30 books released to carry on the exploits of Jack Reacher. Amazon and Paramount Studios have brought him to the smaller screen, and this time I think they did the character far better justice.
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“In a very real sense, we are all aliens on a strange planet. We spend most of our lives reaching out and trying to communicate. If during our whole lifetime, we could reach out and really communicate with just two people. We are all indeed very fortunate.”

– Gene Roddenberry 

I should confess from the beginning that I am a very dedicated Star Trek fan. I’m not a Trekkie or a Trekker; I’m a fan. I have often allowed my fan status to cause me to embrace the franchise even when it wasn’t necessarily so good. As a young 15-year-old kid I attended the first 10:00 AM showing of Star Trek: The Motion Picture with a handful of friends on the opening day. We stayed through six showings and left sometime after midnight the following day, occupying the front row center and subsisting off the day’s more limited concession offerings. Basically candy, popcorn and soda.
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“I hope he fails miserably. See, my ex-husband truly loved only one thing his entire life: this club. And Ted Lasso is gonna help me burn it to the ground. I want to torture Rupert. I want him to feel like he’s being fucked in the ass with a splintered cricket bat, just in and out, over and over in a constant loop.

It likely started with Saturday Night Live. The show was roaring in the 1970’s, and along the way some ideas that made great 3-minute skits got appropriated for movies and even television shows. A few of them have become classics. The Blues Brothers is one fine example. Most have retreated into obscurity. I can only think of a two examples where something like that became a dominant force for years to come. In the 1950’s, Jackie Gleason was hosting his own variety show called The Jackie Gleason Show. One of the skits was about a bus driver named Ralph Kramden.
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Mark Harmon as Gibbs was the soul of the NCIS franchise. When he finally called it quits after nearly 20 years, I have to admit I wasn’t sure how much longer the show could go on. I mean, there has to be a reason for this kind of longevity. All of the spin-offs have now come and gone. NCIS: Hawaii has now ended.  NCIS: New Orleans shuttered it’s doors three years ago now after a mere seven years. The longest-running of the spin-offs was L.A., but even they have gone now after only 10 years. I say “only” 10 years. For most shows a 10-year run is rarefied air. So how about 21 years? Only Dick Wolf’s Law & Order franchise has accomplished more. Yes, Harmon might have been the franchise’s soul. But Gary Cole came in and has taken up that slack far better than anyone could have imagined. Now CBS is releasing NCIS The Complete 21st Season on DVD, and that short run of episodes puts the franchise passed the 1000 episode mark. It’s an unbelievable run, and it doesn’t look like it’s close to ending now.
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“Ladies and gentlemen! Start your engines.”

Back in 2015 when Mad Max: Fury Road was released, it was a film that I don’t think anyone expected audiences to respond to as they did. It was 30 years since audiences had last been to the Australian Wasteland when they previously saw Max, then played by Mel Gibson, play the title hero in a dystopian trilogy that has a very loyal fan base. Fury Road managed to exceed expectations as it delivered on having over-the-top chases through the desert wasteland, spectacular stunts, a great score, and then there was the character of Furiosa, played by Charlize Theron, as a one-armed badass who managed to steal the film from Tom Hardy, who was now starring in the title role of Max. While I do love Fury Road, my major gripe was with the over-simplicity of the film. Basically it is nothing more than one large chase where our heroes spend 2/3 heading in one direction and then in the final portion decide to turn around and continue their chase. I have nothing against a great car chase; after all, I still think Vanishing Point is hands down the ultimate car film with the best chases put to celluloid, but considering George Miller had 30 years to brainstorm ideas and come up with a script,
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Jeff Nichols is one of those directors who may not be a household name, but he’s one of the few working directors out there who I feel is just one box office hit away from breaking out and becoming one of the modern greats. The 2012 film Mud is hands down my favorite from his filmography. Then there is Take Shelter and Midnight Special that are close behind. While these may not be considered box office hits, these films I feel are each cinematic gems that deserve to be checked out. So of course when I hear he is helming The Bikeriders with a stacked cast of Tom Hardy, Austin Butler, Jodie Comer, Michael Shannon (who was also in Midnight Special and Take Shelter), Boyd Holbrook, and Damon Herriman, this easily became one of the films I was most looking forward to this year. As it turns out, this is one of the most frustrating film experiences I’ve sat through in some time.
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“India. Once a faraway and mysterious place of Ghandi and nonviolence. And ancient traditions of spiritual enlightenment. What happens when a young 23-year-old westerner realizes he needs to change, goes there in search of himself, and he finds that The Beatles are there, too? Four of the most loved and famous people in the world, and they’re there to meditate and to write music. They also want to find out who they are on a new and deeper level.”

The Beatles. As a musician I fully appreciate the fact that the band literally changed rock music as much as any other act before or since. The music was truly transcending, which is a great place to start when talking about Meeting The Beatles In India. Just as the Fab Four were nearing the end of their time together, they took six weeks to travel to India, where they met Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
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