Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 31st, 2020
"The First Order wins by making us think we're alone. We are not alone. Good people will fight if we lead them. Leia never gave up, and neither will we. We're gonna show them we're not afraid. What our mothers and fathers fought for, we will not let die. Not today. Today we make our last stand for the galaxy. For Leia. For everyone we lost. They've taken enough of us. Now we take the war to them."
It was 1978 when it all began. That's when George Lucas and a fairly unknown band of filmmakers and actors introduced us to that galaxy far, far away. We met characters like Han Solo and Princess Leia. We fell in love with droids named R2D2 and C3PO. We booed and hissed at the classic villainy of Darth Vader. And the hero of it all was a young farmer boy who pined for adventure on a backwater planet where nothing exciting ever happened. That's where we met Luke Skywalker, and for three films ending in 1983, we were treated to an epic adventure. This unknown band would become cultural icons, but it was all over after five years of space swashbuckling and good old good versus evil. At some point Lucas made it known that the first Star Wars film was actually the fourth film in a trilogy of trilogies. Star Wars would gain the tag A New Hope, followed by The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi. Of course, while Lucas teased there was a prequel trilogy and a sequel trilogy, we were told not to get our hopes too high. But in the 1990's Lucas felt ambitious, and he delivered on that prequel trilogy with underwhelming result. Surely the rest of the story would remain untold.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on March 11th, 2020
Warner Brothers has done an impressive job when it comes to their live action DC Universe television shows. Everything including Arrow, The Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow have been fun entertaining experiences. Now with them starting up their own streaming service, they have upped the ante by releasing Titans. When I first heard about this one, I wasn’t sure what to think considering I wasn’t much of a fan of the animated series, but I’m so glad I came into this show with an open mind, because this show is jam-packed with coolness. Since this was made for a streaming service and not broadcast television, not only do we get superheroes dropping F-bombs, but we get some edgier storytelling along with some violent action you may not expect. Seriously, this one is not for the kids. Season 2 picks up right where Season 1 left us hanging as we see the Titans coming together to save Rachel (Teagan Croft) from her father, Trigon, as he’s about to destroy the world. You know; typical bad guy behavior.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on February 19th, 2020
It only took Warner Brothers five days to pull the plug on this series after it debuted the first episode on their streaming service. This was crushing news for fans who had been looking forward to the series that had seemed to be a promising adaptation of the comic material and bringing it to life. I was one of those fans. I’m a fan of Swamp Thing, even the cheesy Wes Craven film from back in the early 80’s to the short lived series in the early 90’s. It’s a character that has struggled to find life and longevity over the years, mostly because the finances and the technology were never really there to make it as good as it could be, but when James Wan came along with his lofty idea to bring this series to life and keep it true to the comics and keep it geared to adults, well, I had hope. Already the Warner Brothers/ DC Universe streaming service has delivered with their iterations of Titans and Doom Patrol, and if Swamp Thing was to follow in their footsteps, then this was going to be a show to get excited about. Now that I’ve seen Season 1 and all the plot threads that had been set up to extend the series for future seasons, all I can think is that the cancellation of this series is an undeserved gut punch to fans of the comic and those that will watch this first season, because it builds something that could have been so great but will not be brought to fruition.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on January 20th, 2020
To say that this film got the Nalyce stamp of approval would be an understatement. In fact, I have never seen her take to a film in the manner she did this one. In the past, I’ve seen her be bored or entertained, but with Abominable, she was fully engaged, conversing with the characters as if they were real. While distracting at times, it was good to see her connect with the content on this level. For me and my wife, it was the embodiment of a family experience, as we both found ourselves enjoying this tale of kindness and friendship. The characters are in their own way all searching for something; something to bring them whole whether it be a home or rediscovering themselves following a profound loss. Agents of SHIELD’s Chloe Bennet makes her feature film debut in this animated adventure tale about a young girl that discovers a Yeti on the roof of her building and endeavors to help it find its way home. Joining the cast is American Horror Story’s Sarah Paulson, as well as Eddie Izzard. As mentioned earlier Bennet plays Yi, a young girl who has become a self-imposed loner following the death of her father. Despite her family’s efforts, Yi prefers to be alone, filling her time by working to go on a trip across China. Meanwhile, a Yeti escapes from a secret compound owned by wealthy businessman, Mr. Burnish (Eddie Izzard). Mr. Burnish is determined to prove the existence of the Yeti species in order to overcome an embarrassment earlier in his life when he attempted to recount a previous encounter with the species. Employing renowned zoologist Dr. Zara (Paulson), Burnish uses his considerable resources to track the species across Shanghai.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on January 20th, 2020
When we last saw the Mistress of Evil (which also happens to be the title for the sequel) she was more of a hero rather than a villain. However, the sequel sees her return to her previous status as the feared fairy that ruled the Moors. How quickly people forget her contributions. Though not traditionally scary, the film features plenty of magic and carnage courtesy of Jolie. Additionally, the film features the return of Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, and Harris Dickson as Aurora, Diaval, and Prince Philip. With the addition of Chiwetel Ejofor and Ed Skrein, as well as Michelle Pfeiffer as Queen Ingrith, Philip’s mother, who gives Maleficent a run for her money for the title of Mistress of Evil. In the five years that have passed since then the original film, Aurora has continued to reign as Queen of the Moors and is beloved by her subjects, and especially by Prince Phillip, who works up the courage to propose marriage. Aurora accepts, but then comes the hard part: telling their parents. For Phillip the difficulty comes from her mother, who feels that their people have a right to pillage the Moors and worries about losing her son to Aurora, who rules the land she would like to acquire. For Aurora, the difficulty is much more challenging, as she has the unfortunate task of telling her godmother, the protector of the Moors, Maleficent. Though initially opposed to the idea, Maleficent grants her permission. However, this is only the beginning of their troubles.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on December 21st, 2019
"The near future. A time of both hope and conflict. Humanity looks to the stars for intelligent life and the promise of progress. To the stars..."
You know a movie’s bad when Brad Pitt isn’t enough to save it. However, where Ad Astra falls down is in execution of story rather than a failure on the part of Mr. Pitt. The premise was interesting: a son follows in the footsteps of his hero astronaut father to learn that his father, who was previously believed to be dead, may be responsible for catastrophic events plaguing the Earth. There is depth to the story, and the idea of human beings colonizing other planets was shown in a truly interesting and realistic manner, but instead of this being the forefront of the film, the story focuses primarily on a emotional journey that never pans out. The film also features a cast of superstars whose performances were little more than cameos. A waste of talent, if you ask me. I mean, why put together a cast that includes Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland, Liv Tyler, and Ruth Negga, just to have their contributions be the length of a commercial. Yes, I know that was an exaggeration, but it just seems wasteful.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 27th, 2019
The most amazing thing about The Handmaid’s Tale — other than a powerhouse lead performance from the best actress working in television right now — is that this harrowing, suddenly timely cautionary tale about what happens when society falls asleep at the wheel is based on a story that was published more than 30 years ago. Of course, the show has a lot more going for it than impeccable timing. The Handmaid’s Tale is based on Canadian writer Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel of the same name. Sometime in the not-so-distant future, the world is in chaos after environmental pollution and sexually transmitted diseases result in a catastrophic decline in human fertility rates. In the U.S., the result was Second Civil War, which led to the establishment of a totalitarian, Christian fundamentalist government known as Gilead. And while life isn’t exactly a picnic for anyone outside of Gilead’s elite ruling class, life is especially dire for women: they are not allowed to own property, work, handle money, or read. Much of this information is revealed in dribs and drabs over what is now three seasons.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on October 25th, 2019
"I was really hoping the whole "maze" thing was just a metaphor."
Following Superman’s most recent run of animated movies, the DC Animated Universe (DCAU) is turning to Wonder Woman for its next installment, which acts as an origin story for the Amazon princess. In Bloodlines, Princess Diana (Rosario Dawson) leaves Themyscira to become a guardian of peace in what is coequally called man’s world. Joined by Air Force Captain Steve Trevor (Jeffrey Donovan of Burn Notice fame), Diana faces enemies both superhuman as well as mythical in this welcomed addition to the DCAU. In my humble opinion, the animated realm is the main place that DC is having success over Marvel, as they maintain a steady stream of content. This is not a jab against the original series dominating the CW network, which are also good (some better than others. Arrow < The Flash). Though it does take a second to pick up in the beginning, once it does, Wonder Woman: Bloodlines delivers an engaging and action-packed story, which will undoubtedly help further DC animated universe.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 17th, 2019
"You know me, always saving the day."
After the disappointment that was the recent Suicide Squad animated feature, Warner and DC needed to save the day with the release of The Death of Superman, and that's exactly what they did. The Death Of Superman was a major milestone in the history of the Man of Steel in the comics. It all started in December of 1992. DC announced they were killing off their most iconic hero and ending the Superman run of comics. Of course, that was only partially true. Once Supes was "killed off" the comic split into four new branches, as the vacuum created by his death needed to be filled both in the fictional universe as well as the commercial side of ours. Eventually the lines were reunited, and Superman has been alive and well ever since. But this was a huge event in the world of comics. The Justice League and Batman vs. Superman films used aspects of the story in the recent film, but this animated feature goes back to its comic roots and more faithfully brings that comic series to life. The Reign of the Supermen would follow and would tie up the story started in the first film. Now things would drift away from the comics somewhat, but it's an epic story when viewed together, and that's what Warner Brothers does with this release. It's called The Death and Return of Superman and it combines both animated features into one near-three-hour event, and it's out in 4K.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on October 16th, 2019
“It’s easy to fool people when they are already fooling themselves.”
There was a lot of pressure on this film to be great, it being the first MCU film following the epic known as Endgame. This film needed to be the statement that the MCU was finished after the events of Endgame, which completely and irrevocably changed the landscape of the franchise going forward. By the way, if you have not seen Endgame yet, two things. First, what is wrong with you? You are the reason that the film hasn’t taken the all-time box office record away from Avatar yet. The film has just been re-released with additional footage, so there is even more to enjoy. So get to a theater ASAP! We need to beat Avatar! Secondly, you should probably stop reading this review immediately, as I will be discussing events that will likely leave you lost. Let the previous declaration serve as your warning disclaimer. Iron Man is gone, Captain America has laid down his shield in favor for a lifetime with the love of his life. A little selfish, but I’d say he’s earned it after his many sacrifices. The Avengers are essentially disbanded, but the world still needs heroes. Enter your friendly neighborhood Spiderman.
