Disc Reviews

Well, I’d say this film was right in Gerald Butler’s wheelhouse. Teaming with Ric Roman Waugh for the third time of his career (it’s worth noting that two additional partners are already planned in the form of sequels for both the Has Fallen franchise and Greenland 2), Butler plays a undercover CIA agent who finds himself on the run and hunted. With only one ally, he has a little more than a day to traverse dangerous terrain while trying to stay one step ahead of those who hunt him. So while the concept of this film is not really original, the film does make up for the lack of originality by providing a adrenaline-filled experience with a healthy does of suspense. Joining Butler are Vikings’ Travis Fimmel and Navid Negahban, both of whom provide excellent backup to Butler.

Butler plays Tom Harris, a freelance operative for the Central Intelligence Agency. Following a successful mission in Iran in which he inserted malware into an Iranian nuclear research facility causing the facility to self destruct, Tom expects to take some time to make up for the periods of absence and neglect that resulted in his divorce and strained his relationship with his daughter. However, Tom is approached by his handler with another mission, essentially conducting a similar operation, this time in Afghanistan. Let’s pause here for a moment. Given the high-profile nature of the operation that the character has just conducted, it was a bit difficult to swallow the idea that he would be immediately approached to be put back into the field again. The risk factor, in my opinion, would be too great. However, I suppose you could get around this given the likelihood that few people have the skill set that the character possesses. My reservations aside, this actual plays in the film’s favor, as it provides a means further the point and give it authenticity, particularly with what follows.

“Never accept death when suffering is owed.”

So I think it safe to say that when it comes to the Fast and Furious franchise, it is no longer about cars or street racing any more. In the beginning it felt like we were getting a window into a secret underground world that spanned multiple continents. However, I would say that is no longer the case. Dom and his family have gone legit. Not only have they gone legit, but they now unofficially work for the government in some capacity. No, it is no longer about the cars and street racing any more. In fact, I would go as far as to say that we aren’t tuning in to see them use their skills on the behalf of the government, either. There is one thing that keeps us coming back for more. We want to see what over-the-top, outrageous, death-defying, impossible stuff they are going to do next. At least that is what got me in the seat. In the last couple years, we’ve watched Dom and his family do things that may be theoretically possible, but that we know to be ridiculous. I mean, we watched them go to space in a Pontiac Fiero just a movie ago. Needless to say, this franchise has pushed the boundaries of what we know to be possible, and they’ve done it in a fashion that keeps us coming back for more.

“In the 1940’s, a new genre – film noir – emerged from the world of hard-boiled pulp magazines, paperback thrillers, and sensational crime movies. These films, tough and unsentimental, depicted a black and white universe at once brutal, erotic, and morally ambiguous.”

Film Noir officially started in the 40’s, but the movement was well underway by the early 30’s. You can trace its roots to the Great Depression and the arrival of the dime pulp magazines. These were highly stylized, mostly mystery stories that provided cheap escapism for the masses who were not having a good time of it. Writers like Raymond Chandler crafted the mold that was easily transferred to the silver screen. These were low-budget films that were intended to be second billing with the more mainstream releases. They were shot quickly. Many have a very flat look, created intentionally. The lighting was often minimal, crafting odd shadows and unusual textures. The dialog wasn’t intended to be natural or realistic. These characters usually spoke in clichés and had names like Mac, Griff, or Dollface. There was often a shade of gray to these characters. Good and evil were not always so clear-cut. Gangsters became common themes of the genre. And while the dialog might have been cheesy, the cinematography was often gritty and almost ultra-realistic. At times the films played out like documentaries, often including narration. The narrator would always be a voice of authority; often film-reel stars were used. The films were heavily influenced by German Expressionism, perfected by the likes of Fritz Lang in the silent era and carried over to more modern themes. The films always contained a steady supply of stock characters and actors. It was smoky rooms and neon lights. It was a reflection on the times. It was Film Noir.

"There ain't any jail of steel or stone that can hold a body prisoner as tight as one built of old age ... and lack of money."

If I Had A million is a rare kind of film for 1932. The industry was barely out of the silent era, and stories needed to be tight and usually short. Short was the word of the day for this film. It became the first feature film to be released as an anthology with plenty of A-list stars and several directors, each taking on their own little piece of the pie. It was a rather brilliant idea for the time, but sadly this style of filmmaking wouldn't really start to catch on until the 1970's, starting almost exclusively with horror films and later creating its own little niche genre in mainstream filmmaking. It's still somewhat popular today with directors like Wes Anderson embarrassing certain elements of the format. It was a brave choice that wasn't quite rewarding enough to see the format flourish ... yet. This is the perfect film for all of you with short attention spans who want to get a taste of the films of the period. It's a nice collection of stars from the period, to be sure. KL Studios adds this awkward little gem on Blu-ray, and I must insist that you give it a try. You just might have a great time with it all.

"I cannot - yet I must. How do you calculate that? At what point on the graph do "must" and "cannot" meet? Yet I must - but I cannot!"

Often it seems some films were made to collect a mantle-full of awards. For some it's the Oscars they covet. For others it might be a Golden Globe award or even a People's Choice Award. As a member of two critics’ guilds, I have to make these assessments every year. I know how important these accolades can be for a film and the people who created it. But there's one award that films (almost) never set out to obtain. Still it can provide endurance for a film and help new audiences to embrace it. I'm talking about those Golden Turkey awards, and few films ever made deserve the Golden Turkey than 1953's Robot Monster. When you hear folks talk about how monstrous that movie is ... they're not talking about the creature itself. They're talking about the film. The movie has recently been restored and is looking better than it ever did in a theater. Now that restoration is available on Blu-ray both in a standard format and its original 3-D presentation. They even included a pair of those old red and blue glasses so you can experience the film just like they did back in the 1950's. It's pure schlock, and it's never looked better. William Castle was the king of the gimmick horror/sci-fi film, but in 1953 Robot Monster would have given him a run for his money. For just a minute or two, Robot Monster was the best of the worst and the worst of the best. Now it's your turn to check it out.

In 2017 What the Waters Left Behind made some waves as a horror film that came out of Argentina.  It was shot on a pretty low budget, but it seems it was successful enough to warrant a sequel. I actually stumbled across What the Waters Left Behind on a streaming service one late night when I couldn’t sleep. The film is pretty much made for late-night viewing; it has a fun midnight movie vibe. The first film follows a group of documentary filmmakers that are traveling to the town of Epecuen that was wiped out in the 80’s, and the filmmakers want to check out the ruins of the town. What follows is a fun Texas Chainsaw Massacre meets The Hills Have Eyes romp filled with plenty of gore and the terrible demise of this film crew that wandered where they didn’t belong. Now it is five years later, and we have the sequel What the Waters Left Behind: Scars.  This was unexpected, but just what did I think about this Latin-flavored bloodfest? Well, it’s pretty much what I expected, and that’s a good thing.

This time around instead of a documentary film crew we are getting to follow The Ravens, a rock band that is winding up their tour with a last gig in a small bar and an even smaller fan base. The band is ready to head home after the gig, but the drummer has other plans when he hooks up with a local girl who promises them a place to stay if they give her a ride home.  She just happens to live in Epecuen.

"Who's ready for contact poker?"

The first season of Your Honor was very much a contact sport. The first 20 minutes was some of the most compelling television I've ever seen. Bryan Cranston started us off as the titular judge Michael Desiato. He's known as a tough but fair judge. He's got a pretty good life until his son makes a fatal mistake and sets the series on its course. Adam has an early morning accident where he runs down another teen and leaves him for dead. Michael's first reaction is of course for Adam to turn himself in to the police. But at the station he learns the victim was the son of the local mob boss, Jimmy Baxter, played ruthlessly by Michael Stuhlberg. Michael knows that if Jimmy finds out who killed his son, he'll kill Adam. So the first season covers his elaborate plan to cover up the crime. That meant asking his childhood friend, local politician Charlie Figaro, to help get rid of the car. Fortunately, Charlie is played by the great Isiah Whitlock, Jr. You know him as Councilman Clay Davis from The Wire and he was underused in the first season. Even more fortunate for us is that he has a much bigger role here in Season 2. That cover-up ended up unintentionally framing a young black kid. So it's the black kid's family that gets taken out in explosive force by the Baxter family. Jimmy finds out anyway and is forced to fix a trial for another Baxter child in order to save Adam's life. It ends up not working out, as Adam gets killed by the surviving teen of the Jones family, and a war between The Baxters and the drug family that calls itself Devine is the result. Michael ends up in prison, and now you're up to speed.

Not sure if this film will go down in history for any real significant impact. However, there is one important gem to take away from this film: this is the movie where the king of cool found his queen. That’s right, The Experts is the movie in which John Travolta met Kelly Preston, and the rest, I suppose, is history, as the two went on to have a nearly thirty-year marriage until her tragic death in 2020. In the film, it is quite fitting that the two served as each other’s love interests, despite some clear geopolitical differences. I’d say that is putting it mildly given that Preston is a Russian sleeper agent and Travolta is the unwitting American who is teaching her to pass for American. That is the premise of the film, as Travolta along with Arye Gross of House 2: The Second Story fame are couple of club-goers and aspiring club owners who unknowingly are recruited to teach modern ways to the outdated town of Russian sleeper agents under the auspices of opening a nightclub. The film gives Bill and Ted vibes, which is ironic given that the film predates Bill and Ted by at least two years. However, the film feels more silly than entertaining.

I’m sure it has to do with me living in a modern time, but I struggled at times to put myself in the time period that the film depicted. Such as the language and the hairdos were very hard to take seriously. That said, Travolta and the king of cool persona that he cultivated during this time period was something to admire. Even here, he has charm and charisma. I’m not sure he has enough to convince a Russian agent to renounce their allegiances, but I won’t put it out of the realm of possibly. Travolta, for me, was very much the focal point of the film. Yes, the film is depicted as a buddy movie, but Gross, while decent enough, wasn’t the one that your eyes went to when they were on screen.  This is clearly a Travolta movie, and he is without question and justifiably the draw for it.