Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on May 29th, 2020
Despite my tender age of 44, I didn't see Escape from New York until I was in my early twenties. My parents never talked about it, my college friends didn't seem to care, and the Internet wasn't nearly as prevalent as it is now. But it has become my favorite movie of all time. What's curious is that the sequel to the film, Escape from L.A., is what introduced me to Kurt Russell and the character of Snake Plissken (and became the foundation of everything I consider to be "cool"). It holds a giant chunk of my movie heart, and I'm glad today to bring you this review of the Collector's Edition Blu-Ray released by Shout Factory.
It is 1998, hostile forces inside the United States were growing strong. Los Angeles is ravaged by crime, and the US Police Force is formed to keep the peace. A political candidate (played by Cliff Robertson) emerges and predicts a millennium earthquake that will destroy Los Angeles in divine retribution. An earthquake measuring 9.6 on the Richter scale hits at 12:59pm on August 23rd in the year 2000.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 13th, 2019
"Does announcing your identity help with the covert part of the job?"
Let me begin by saying that actress Brie Larson doesn't want me to write this review. It's not that I didn't like the film and intend to cut it down. Actually I rather liked the movie, and while it isn't going to crack my top five Marvel films, it's a very entertaining film that adds wonderfully to this always evolving world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or as we fan geeks like to refer to it, the MCU. So she wouldn't take much if any umbrage with my evaluation of the film. It turns out that I happen to be a white male, and she has made it known that she doesn't want to see reviews for this film written by white males. Sorry, Brie. I suggest you skip this one. Just put it out of your mind. Still reading, Brie? I thought you might be. So, after a rather long wait for a movie only teased at in the final frames of a stinger added to Avengers: Infinity War, we finally get to meet the newest member of the Marvel MCU. Welcome, Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel, and as they used to say on the comic covers when welcoming new characters: I hope you survive.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on October 4th, 2018
“This is the greatest s— show on Earth!”
The First Purge arrives in theaters a little more than five years after the (lowercase) first Purge rampaged into moviegoers’ consciousness as a nasty bit of R-rated, summer blockbuster counterprogramming. The movies are obviously quite popular, but I’ve never felt that any of them fully lived up to the killer concept at the center of this franchise. Unfortunately, that still holds true for The First Purge, which had a chance to deviate from the established formula in a variety of interesting ways, but ends up playing a lot like The First Three Purges.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on August 16th, 2018
“Nothing...no one...will ever separate us. We are one.”
Four young siblings take this vow shortly after arriving in America from Great Britain, having just experienced their latest tragedy. Unfortunately for them, these words are spoken less than 10 minutes into Marrowbone, so you just know their vow is bound to be severely tested. But while the movie looks and sounds like a typical horror flick on the surface — and is even largely set in what seems like a classic haunted house — Marrowbone is much more of a soulful, spooky family drama than it is a bloody good time.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on July 5th, 2018
“Every time a black woman gets mad, she's a stereotype.”
Taraji P. Henson has been a very good and versatile actress for a long time, but she didn’t become a star until she started getting very angry on screen. Her breakout role came in 2015 courtesy of Fox’s Empire, in which Henson’s Cookie Lyon has been known to get into some scraps. So it made sense for Henson to bring her talent for tantrums to the big screen with the help of a filmmaker who once directed a movie called Diary of a Mad Black Woman. Writer/director/producer Tyler Perry seems to be going for “trashy fun”…unfortunately, he only gets halfway there.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on June 29th, 2018
“Please don't do the whole absent-minded professor thing.”
Even though he’s not anywhere close to the biggest name in Hollywood, Guy Pearce is low-key my favorite actor. The Aussie is probably best known for his starring role in Christopher Nolan’s Memento, the memory loss masterpiece in which Pearce played a man who tattooed helpful(?) clues and reminders all over his body. So when I realized he’d be playing another forgetful lead character in Spinning Man, I was hopeful. But despite some solid performances and interesting philosophical ideas, the film is too downbeat and dull to be an effective thriller.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on April 26th, 2018
Like probably most folk out there in the real world, I learned everything I know about foreign diplomats from television and film. They dress in expensive suits, usually have a drinking or smoking problem, and harbor some immense secret that could bring about the fall of a whole country or even the world. They don't have friends or associates, instead they have pawns that they move around a theoretical chess board for influence and money. Finally, they would sell out their own grandmother if it meant a little more information at the bargaining table. Today, I review Backstabbing for Beginners, a movie that deals with UN Diplomats and the country of Iraq. Somehow, I don't think my opinion is going to change.
The New York skyline, September 2003. We are at the Wall Street Journal building and Michael Sullivan (played by Theo James) has a story to tell. We fade to black and then see an Iraqi propaganda piece before arriving at the United Nations Building in October of 2002. Michael has been called in for an interview, actually the fourth time he's tried to find work as a diplomat.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on December 15th, 2017
“We're taking a stab at an alternative lifestyle.”
The notion of unplugging from modern society and living a stripped-down life alongside a group of like-minded individuals will always be appealing to a segment of the population. One of Us, a low-budget indie about a journalist who falls in with a cult as she searches for her missing best friend, is more interested in the thriller aspects of its story than it is in exploring the reasons why people might want to retreat from society. The result is a tight, pulpy suspense flick that isn't likely to gain a mass following.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on October 8th, 2017
“Try to call for help…there’s no one for miles.”
The horror stories I tend to enjoy make me empathize with the ill-fated characters on screen instead of making me yell at them for their stupidity. In other words, “What would I do in this situation?” is a much more compelling question than, “Are you a freakin’ idiot?!” We don’t need to get into whether or not I’ve ever found myself handcuffed to a bed. But suffice it to say that Gerald’s Game — Netflix’s brutal and thrillingly taxing adaptation of Stephen King’s 1992 novel — kept me absolutely riveted from start to finish.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on July 26th, 2017
“I'm done with crazy.”
When it comes to movies about psychotically wronged women, the crazier things get, the better. Unfortunately, the makers of Unforgettable — a dull domestic drama/wannabe thriller — never got the memo. It's a shame because the movie had some of the ingredients to be a deliciously pulpy thriller, including an amusingly unhinged turn from one of its stars. But in the end, this comes off as a Lifetime movie that slipped through the cracks, fell upwards, and was accidentally released in theaters.
