Disc Reviews

Family Guy has reached a level of impact upon the American pop culture where I believe the characters need little to no introduction.  Is there anyone really that doesn’t recognize Stewie? After all, he’s reached the status of icon and has even become a fixture of the Thanksgiving parade as one of the many floats.  Where The Flintstones, then later The Simpsons, were at one time the dominating animated family on the television tackling day to day struggles of the modern American (each in their own and unique way), Family Guy (love it or hate it) now seems to be the go-to animated family.

In 1983 when Krull first came out it was riding the wave of sci-fi and sword-and-sorcery films that were attempting to cash in following the success of Star Wars.  I didn’t see this in theaters, but I did eventually see it once it was on VHS.  My memories of the film were vague at best, but what I never could forget was the “glaive” weapon that you see displayed on the cover art.  For many, though, I can understand if you are just now hearing about Krull for the first time considering the film’s age and its lack of commercial success.  While Krull isn’t a great movie, it’s still a silly (unintentionally) yet fun movie that was directed by Peter Yates.  In case you need a little reminder, Yates is responsible for a little-known film some may have heard of called Bullitt.  So, after three decades, how does the film hold up?  Well, saddle up; I’m about to tell you.

In the opening moments we get an opening shot in space, and we are watching a massive ship pass across the screen (no, this is not Star Wars). Not to be too judgmental so early on, but it does bother me that the spaceship looks like a giant log in space.  The ship lands on the planet on Krull. It’s here where Prince Colwyn (Ken Marshall) is marrying Princess Lyssa (Lysette Anthony). 

Hardbodies is a sex comedy; there is no other way of putting it. This is a hard R movie; I wasn’t really expecting that. However, between the gratuitous nudity, there is a love story unfolding, and to be honest, the other subplots are secondary to this point. Not exactly my kind of film, mainly due to it being from before my time, but I still found it to be moderately entertaining. Needless to say, this is more of a guys’ movie, as I don’t know of a woman who would not have an opinion or two about this movie, especially given the current climate. Then again, Fast Times at Ridgemont High remains a classic to this day. I’m not putting this on that same level, but in my opinion it deserves a fair shake and to be paid the respect of the time period.

Scotty is your typical California beach bum, doing whatever he can to get along. That is until he is evicted from his apartment for not paying his rent.

one of the biggest action stars in Hollywood.  He got his start in martial arts films; The Way of the Dragon was his big coming out as we got to see him go toe to toe with the legend Bruce Lee.  So in 1982 when Silent Rage came out, people knew what to expect out of Norris even though this was still before some of his biggest hits.  I remember seeing the movie when I was a kid. It was part of a Chuck Norris marathon, where I also got to see Firewalker, a film that for some reason I became obsessed with. (Upon re-watching it years later, the film didn’t hold up at all).  That’s sort of the thing with a lot of films that you adore as it kid; they don’t quite hold up as much as you would like them to, so I was a bit hesitant when Silent Rage was offered to review.  Would it hold up as a fun action romp, or would it let me down?

Sheriff Stevens (Norris) is the lawman in a small Texas town that doesn’t seem to ever have much trouble, and that seems to be fine for the sheriff.  The film opens up with Jack Kirby (Brian Libby) waking up and obviously on the edge of losing it. As it turns out, he’s completely gone insane and goes on a mini killing spree at the home where he is staying. 

The story is loosely based on a real incident called “The Newton Massacre”, which was basically a brutal shootout that took place in a saloon back in 1871.  Though we do get to see the incident in the film, the story places most of its focus on the events that in theory led up to this violent showdown.  It’s a good idea, and after reading up on the actual shootout, this could have been a tale that would have suited Eastwood, John Ford, or Howard Hawks. Deadman Standing has all the right parts to make a great independent western; unfortunately, by the time you’re ten minutes into the film, you’ll see that this film was a misfire.

The film wastes no time in setting up the political divide that has struck the small boomtown of Hyde Park.  There is an election that is going to take place, and basically it’s a battle over land between the cattlemen and those who work for the railroad. 

When Star Trek: Discovery was announced, I was quite happy to hear it. There had been a long gap since Star Trek had been on television, and I figured it was long past time to fly through the galaxy on a starship once again. The show finally aired after some real issues getting off the ground, and before I knew it I was back in a starship having a blast once again. Except it wasn't on Star Trek's Discovery I was having all of this fun. It was aboard Seth MacFarlane's Orville that the true spirit of Gene Roddenberry was exploring space once again. Who would have thunk it? Yes, The Orville is considered a comedy, and there are plenty of silly moments and ideas. But even with all of that spoof atmosphere, MacFarlane manages to capture the real spirit that Trek fans have come to feel for that franchise. Honestly, I'm not sure The Orville would have gotten through its first season if not for Alex Kurtzman destroying yet another beloved franchise. Trek fans turned to this show in droves out of frustration and desperation, and MacFarlane welcomed them aboard with a laugh and some alien adventures. It's a great example of that whole nature-abhors-a-vacuum thing. When Discovery went off the rails The Orville filled the void left behind. If you missed the first season, you can get them now on DVD from Fox.