Disc Type

Been seeing a lot of Josh O’Connor lately, and I’m glad to see it. Prior to his performance in Challengers, I had only a mild awareness of him, but since then, it’s been impossible to escape his presence. Speaking of presence, I feel like O’Connor brings something different with every role. In the case of The Mastermind, O’Connor deadpans comedic irony, quiet domestic desperation, and a deeply flawed, delusional masculinity. Given how the situation works out for his character, the title is more than a bit ironic. I’d go so far as to consider this an anti-heist movie if it weren’t for the fact that bumbling thieves managed to accomplish the task. The heart of the film resides in the aftermath of the heist and the hijinks that transpire. Rounding out of the cast were Hope Davis, Bill Camp, Alana Haim (One Battle After Another), and John Magaro (The Bride!). The film is a bit of a slow burn, but the character performances are the driving force of the film, as the plots debunks the idea of a smooth-talking American criminal in favor of an everyman, or better yet, an amateur trying to head up an art theft.

Set in a sedate Massachusetts suburb in 1970, the film follows O’Connor’s James Blaine “J.B.” Mooney, an unemployed family man and failed architect who concocts a plan to rob a local art museum. Alongside a couple of amateur accomplices, he manages to successfully steal four Arthur Dove paintings. Rather than lingering on the suspense of the theft, film director Kelly Reichardt sped through the heist itself and focused primarily on the fallout. As previously mentioned, the ironic title becomes clear as J.B. proves to be anything but a mastermind; he is an inept, privileged oaf who spends his time floundering on the run, hiding canvases in barns, and testing the patience of those around him.

There are definitely notes of the bard in this film. Adopting the star-crossed lovers’ motif, Lovelines hinges on the rivalry that peaked at an annual Battle of the Bands contest, where Rick (Greg Bradford), the lead singer of the rock band Racer, fell for Piper (Mary Beth Evans), the frontwoman for the rival group The Firecats. To keep their forbidden romance alive against the wishes of friends, rival musicians, and Piper's massive, protective brother, the pair relied on "Lovelines". This specialized local dial-in telephone party line served as a 1980s analog precursor to modern internet dating. As I met my wife via modern internet dating, I was intrigued by the premise, which highlighted this old school predecessor, and its use as a covert communication mechanism for the lead characters. There weren’t a lot of recognizable faces for me in this one or remarkable performances, outside of Miguel Ferrer who played a punk rocker named Dragon. However, on the plus side, the film does feature a prank war, and I do love a good prank war.

“I'll drink to that.”

Directed by the legendary Sidney Poitier, Fast Forward was part of a cycle of mid-late 1980s dance movies which included Fame, Flashdance, Footloose, Dirty Dancing, Breakin' aka Breakdance, Electric Boogaloo: Breakdance 2, Salsa, Beat Street, Heavenly Bodies, Rappin.'  In this addition to the mid-1980s dance movie craze, a tight-knit group of eight high school students from a small town in Ohio form a dance troupe called "The Adventurers". Driven by pure ambition, they pack their bags and head to New York City to chase their big break. The film served as the debut theatrical feature film for most of the cast members, though there were a few recognizable faces. Such as Debra Varnado (All the Right Moves), who played Debbie Hughes, and Don Franklin, who played Michael, who I recognize for a host of tv show appearances. The movie wasn’t really the breakout film it was hoped to be, particularly given the stiff competition during its era. And unfortunately, while I did find it intriguing at times, I’m skeptical that the film will find new life amongst this newer generation.

"And that's the way it happened. Give or take a lie or two."

That oft-used phrase in the film Sunset is a pretty good way to describe the entire production. Blake Edwards  had a pretty good run with his Pink Panther franchise until Peter Sellers died and the franchise became somewhat of a spoof of itself after his death. That might have worked, except the franchise was already pretty much a spoof. But Blake Edwards has also had some luck with more serious subjects, and Sunset is likely the best example of such an attempt. That doesn't mean the film doesn't deliver plenty of humor and light moments. But for Blake Edwards, this was as serious as it gets. He bought the rights to an unpublished novel by Rod Amateau, who had mostly written for television. The film was set to star James Garner as Wyatt Earp and Robert Duvall as Tom Mix. The production budget couldn't handle the demands of both stars, and Garner was retained while Edwards would pass on Duvall.

On and on goes the debate. Is Die Hard a Christmas movie? I have always come down on the no side. It appears like such an odd thing, but there have literally been books about the subject, and Bruce Willis himself has gone from no to yes over the years. If that kind of debate is of interest to you, then you should enjoy playing the same game with Cold Steel. It's a bloody action movie that also takes place at that jolly time of the year. Of course, not so jolly for the characters in the film. The original story for Cold Steel was developed and written by Dorothy Ann Puzo. You might not recognize her, but I'm sure you are familiar with the last name. Her father is the celebrated author and screenwriter for The Godfather movies. And if the Godfather movies have taught me anything (I mean, beyond not letting anyone outside the family know what you're thinking), it's that daughters don't necessarily inherit the abilities of the father.The casting of Sofia Coppola by her father in that franchise's third film made that very point. But Dorothy Ann Puzo isn't quite the dramatic drop in talent that Coppola was, and the film certainly has its moments. Coppola also directs, and this is her first and last feature film as either writer or director, so I think we can safely say this film didn't set any box office records, and this is actually the first time I've seen it.

"It's funny how much training I've had in taking a life. Years with the 3rd Calvary, the Regiment, Special Ops. A lifetime of experience. I can tell you to the exact second how long it will take you to bleed out if I make an inch-long incision in your carotid artery. Tactics. Weapons. Munitions. Covert ops. Black ops. Battlefield triage. The logistics of death. I've studied it all in great depth and detail. I've been taught all there is to know about taking a life."

If any of this sounds like something you've heard before, you're not too far off. It calls back to Liam Neeson talking to the guys who are in the process of kidnapping his daughter. He's telling him all about that "specific" set of skills he happens to have to make their brief remaining lives pretty brutal. That's what we get from Milla Jovovich. She's a highly trained killer, and now some bad guys have kidnapped her daughter. She gets there almost in time to stop it, but just not quick enough, and you don't have to read this or any film synopsis. You don't need to read any spoilers to know you're about to go through 90 minutes of this one-woman army trying to save her daughter and leaving a lot of gory destruction in her wake.

"Jack Shindo has made it back alive from Mars. but his reappearance will raise more questions than it answers. He has a secret that cannot be shared. He can tell no one that he is Ultraman, a savior from the stars."

Ultraman is a huge part of Japanese culture and pretty much has been since the original live-action show in 1966. Perhaps Godzilla started the ball rolling, but Ultraman brought us these monsters on a regular basis. In Japan, Ultraman is like our Superman. He’s an iconic hero and a huge part of the pop culture. Since the 60’s he has appeared in many forms, most of them animated. But it is this 1966 series that made a ton of us kids fall in love with him and an entire genre. Yes, there were many from the era: Space Giants featured a giant fighting robot who fought monsters and sometimes converted into a spaceship