Disc Type

"There are some aspects of the life of an Earth savage that are exciting and rewarding; things that are missed by the brains on my planet Arous."

When I was a kid going to the drive-in movies was a pretty big deal. In those days your parents would hide you under a blanket on the back seat floor or even in the trunk just to shave off a buck from the admission price. I don't think the guys running those things really minded. It was kind of an open secret, and after saving a dollar or two, my pop would blow ten times that at the concession stands. He thought he was pulling one over on the management, but I think he was the one getting snookered. Still, it was a good time, and my mom and sisters usually fell asleep before the first of what was always a double feature even started. They were getting a little sleep, but I was getting an education. It was there along with the Friday night Shock Theatre shows on television that I was first introduced to Hammer's horror films, AIP's Poe classics, and countless schlock features from the likes of Roger Corman and William Castle. Someone at Corinth Films must have shared that kind of experience as a kid, because they've done the old double-feature nights one better with the release of Drive-In Retro Classics: Science Fiction Triple Feature. It's three low-budget science fiction gems that predate my years at the drive-in. These films go back to the decade of the birth of low-budget sci-fi: the 1950's. They're all found on a single DVD, so don't expect great picture or audio quality here. But if you're like me, you've been watching these things on fourth-generation bootleg VHS copies for the last 20 years. Corinth goes one better there, too. Each of them only runs 10 minutes or so over an hour, so it's not as cramped on this disc as you might expect. These are films that were curated by Wade Williams back in 2000 and found together for this entertaining release.

"You know, things change. Sometimes not so much ..."

Someone at CBS must have eaten a lot of alphabet soup as a kid. Today the longest running show is NCIS, about to enter it's 20th season along with a couple of sibling shows, one of which is also in double-digit seasons. It also happens to be their highest rated show over many of those 20 years. Before NCIS was crowned champ it, was another assortment of letters that reigned supreme at the eye network. That was CSI. It was the show that never looked like it had a chance. The series substituted lab work montages for car chases and explosions and featured a lot of talking heads that delivered some of televisions deepest techno-babble. Didn't stand a chance. The flagship series lasted 15 years, while three sibling shows tacked on another 15 years before the franchise left the airwaves in 2015 after a television film appeared to wrap up the original series. Now it's seven years later, and television has been swept by a new trend. It's called the revival series. A ton of once popular shows have come back for "limited" runs. It all started with 24, and Fox was the king of the revival series at the start, bringing back The X-Files and Prison Break for the same treatment. And while CBS has made their own trend of remaking older shows like Hawaii Five-O, MacGyver and Magnum P.I. they have only recently entered the revival market. Criminal Minds will be back for at least a limited run of episodes and CSI is returning as a full-fledged series by going back to where it all started in Vegas. The result is the release of CSI:Vegas Season 1 on DVD from CBS Home Entertainment.

When watching this 1980 classic, it’s impossible to not notice its influence on films that would come later, most notably American Beauty (which would also win Best Picture in 1999). I bring this up not because Hollywood has a habit of recycling ideas, but more to point out that sometimes all it takes to make a great movie is to keep it simple, focus on issues that everyone deals with, and give it one hell of a cast that is willing to pour their hearts out onto the screen. The film is about 42 years old, and you could release it today, and it would still resonate with audiences; that’s what I feel makes a film great and where it merits the term classic. Paramount is dusting this title off from its catalog to release it under its Paramount Presents umbrella, and it’s definitely one of the standout releases they’ve put out. If it’s a film you haven’t seen yet, this is one that I consider a bucket list film everyone should see before dying.

"If you expect disappointment, you will never be disappointed."

That's the trouble with sequels. The filmmakers feel this great responsibility to give us more than they've given us before with no thought to the idea that more is often less. There has never been a truly great comic book hero film that had extra villains. It just doesn't work. You can't give enough time and back story to everybody, so you have to cheat somewhere and cut a few corners. Those corners are things like characterization and heart. But what if you could? I mean, seriously. What if it were possible to do a multi-villain comic book movie that was really good? Until just now, I would have thought it was impossible. But isn't that what the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has been doing for over 20 years now? Isn't that what comic books have been delivering since the 1930's when an alien baby stole the hearts of millions? Aren't they in the business of doing the impossible? Spider-Man: No Way Home has done the impossible. There are five ... count them ... five villains, and this is the best Spider-Man film of them all. The pandemic might not be over, but the box-office drought will be. Spider-Man is set to break all post-COVID records, and there's just one reason why. This movie reminds us why we used to go there in the first place. A movie that feeds the 10-year old Spider-Man comics fan inside of me and the adult looking for some real entertainment from my center seat in an IMAX theater. Run. Don't walk. Run. Take your precautions, of course. But run. Run to the box office, and remember: 

This month Kino Lorber and their Studio Classics line are releasing a pair of romantic comedies starring the late Rock Hudson. With 76 acting credits to his name, he made a name for himself by starring in westerns and comedies. What pop culture seems to remember most is that he was one of the most prolific actors playing the straight male that was always getting the girl when, in fact, the actor was gay. Now with these two titles, one I feel is a forgettable mess, while the other I had a good time with. Sometimes I’d say having two bedroom comedies could equal a fun double feature, but regarding these films, that is not the case.

 Strange Bedfellows (1965)

Here at Upcomingdiscs we have worked to bring you a large variety of reviews. Of course, we cover the big blockbuster films that hit the box-office and get us out to the multiplexes. We're known for our television series coverage and have brought you the best in both television and streaming material. We also like to think that we introduce the world to some of the films out there that don't have big budgets or advertisement campaigns. Tucked within these smaller releases you can find diamonds in the rough that showcase the kind of talent and storytelling you might get from a big studio but from artists who have visions that might not attract that kind of attention. The true fan of film is always on the lookout for these kinds of films and this monthly roundup is our way of bringing some of what we find to your attention. So do a little mining here and you might just find a diamond of your own.

Rating: 2