Disc Type

Now here is a series that me and my wife just didn’t seen eye to eye on. For her, the series was a triumph and had great depth. For me, it made me wonder whether we were watching the same thing. Because outside the beautiful scenery, I did not discern any great depth to this anthology series, which appeared to feature unhappy people. The series featured a cast of recognizable faces, which included Alexandra Daddario, Connie Britton, Steve Zahn, Sydney Sweeney, and Jennifer Coolidge; however, their characters weren’t what I would call loveable. It was difficult to find anyone pure or worth cheering for. Granted, the characters had varying degrees of sins, and none of them were what I would call evil, but none of them were worth investing in. Of course that is merely this humble critics opinion, as it would appear that many people have found something to love, given the series recent award success, such as two Critic’s Choice Awards and five Primetime Emmy Awards, including for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series, and Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. I guess this explains the series being granted a Season 2, which is scheduled to premiere in October 2022.

The series details a week in the life of vacationers as they relax and rejuvenate in paradise, or at least attempt to relax and rejuvenate. While these vacationers may appear to be picture perfect, it is shown almost immediately that each of them has hidden darker complexity. These complexity are not limited to the travelers, as members of the hotel’s cheerful staff, are also not as they appear. When I first heard about the series, I was anticipating a sinister turn, something to the effect that one of the patrons would be killed and everyone would be under suspicion. It’s a troupe that can become a bit of a cliché, but it is one that instills intrigue. While there is a death in the series, it does not fall under these conditions, and in all honesty, it is difficult to muster any sympathy for the character.

In 1978 when Good Guys Wear Black came out, Chuck Norris wasn’t the global superstar that he would later become, but this was one of the films that helped establish him as an actor and not just some martial arts guy on the big screen. This is definitely a movie that was a product of its time, and it can be argued how well it has actually aged over the years. Personally I have a hard time calling this an action film. When you compare it to most of the other films that Chuck Norris has in his filmography, this is very much one of the more tame ones and comes off more as a thriller, a fun little espionage film that actually leans heavier on Norris and his acting abilities than his ability to take down bad guys with spin-kicks, though the film does offer a few kicks to please the action-hungry audiences.

Chuck Norris plays John T. Booker, an ex-Vietnam soldier who left the military after a mission went wrong and most of the members of his team were killed during the ill-fated mission. Now Booker has gotten himself into auto racing and teaches political science at UCLA and is enjoying his new life, that is until he discovers that he is on a hit list created by the CIA.  Booker must find out who made this list before he and the others who are on the list are taken out. Booker is approached by Margaret (Anne Archer), a reporter who seems to know too much about the top-secret mission that Booker was involved with, and as she’s chasing leads, ex-soldiers who happen to be on the hit list, the soldiers are winding up dead before she can get any answers.

“Gentleman, I’d like you to meet Matt Logan. He’s a karate man.”

I still can’t decide if that line of dialog is awful or genius. In 1979 martial arts movies were going strong in the states, but they were certainly lacking in quality as compared to what was coming out overseas. Chuck Norris was the “American” answer to make a successful martial arts film, but it wasn’t till A Force of One where I feel Chuck Norris finally arrived as not just a martial arts star but a bonafide guy who was worth watching on the big screen. The story may be a bit farfetched, but this is a film that is fun. It’s something I’d throw on when I’m wanting to have a late night movie marathon. It’s what “midnight movies” were made for.

Revamping old shows and movies is the latest trend in television. CBS has made several attempts at this with varying success. Such was their attempt when they tried to convert Rush Hour into a TV series. It failed badly. But then there was Hawaii Five-O, which got 10 seasons and was pretty solid. The MacGyver reboot gaining a fourth season puts this attempt somewhere in the middle. The show has been on the bubble for the last two seasons and this year it was finally cancelled. But that wasn't quite the end of the story. Part of the reason was an inability to renew the rights from Universal at the kind of money CBS thought the show was worth. Now NBC, which is owned by Universal, has given the show a second chance with a 2-year renewal. The cast and crew appear to be intact, but with some contract negotiations it's possible that someone may drop out, leaving room for something new. So Magnum is back, for now starring Jay Hernandez in the titular role. The character that Tom Selleck made famous is breathing new life with new action. Minus the mustache, of course.

Staying true to its source material, Hernandez’s Magnum is a former Navy Seal, and his best friends T.C, played by Stephen Hill, and Rick, played by Zachery Knighton, are Marines. While staying true to its source, the series also digs deeper into the characters’ connection by illustrating the three as former POWs. The show also explores many of the plights of vets that include Shammy, played by Christopher Thornton, as the wheelchair-bound comrade they rescued from down and out who is now a big part of the team.

Edgar Rice Burroughs was one of the most successful novelists in American literature history. His characters have become iconic and have been the source for over a hundred films. Some haven't done so well. His John Carter of Mars stories are where he began, but no one has been able to quite put the character on film yet in a way that has brought in any kind of box office numbers. In the 1970's his world at the center of the Earth brought in some nice cult favorite drive-in films, most notably starring Doug McClure. He's even written a few westerns, but without much luck. But Burroughs became the most wealthy writer of his era because of one particular character. It was Tarzan that would be adapted as far back as the silent era and remain a solid moneymaker over one hundred years later. There hasn't been a decade since his creation that the character has not been featured in a film, television series, or movie house serial. By the 1930's Burroughs was collecting $75,000 a film for the rights to use the character. That's $1.6 million in today's market. For each film. Plus royalties that amounted to a cut of the profits. He was so wealthy that when he finally sold his estate, it would become Tarzana, California, named after his famous character. There have been so many Tarzan films that it would be impossible to put them all together, and I doubt they will never all be available on home video or streaming services. But The Film Detective has brought us quite a gem from some of the deepest and most vintage Tarzan films out there. They've been restored as much as they can be and were made during the time Tarzan's creator was still alive to provide input. While it's true he was never really happy with most portrayals of the character, he lived quite comfortably off the proceeds, which included not just films, but comic strips, magazines, and merchandise, making him the first character to be so heavily marketed. You might not believe it today, but Tarzan was the Star Wars of its day, and if you are any kind of film buff at all, you're going to want to check out what this collection has to offer.

Here's what you get.