Disc Reviews

"Good evening. Let me welcome you to this parlor of paintings. We offer them to you for your enjoyment and edification. Feel free to dwell on them at your leisure and in your own good fashion, but kindly don't touch, because here they frequently touch back."

When I mention the name Rod Serling, I'll bet that The Twilight Zone is the first thing that pops into your head. And why not? It would be very hard, indeed, to argue against the impact that The Twilight Zone has had on television. To say that the series was a milestone in that medium would be an understatement of the worst kind. When Rod Serling brought his landmark series to CBS in October of 1959, television was still very new. No one was quite sure what the future held for that magical box. For five years Rod Serling would enter our living rooms with the most bizarre tales we'd ever seen. But no matter how exotic and strange the stories might appear on the surface, Serling always brought our own humanity into vividly sharp focus before it was over. When the series had run its course, we didn't hear much from Serling for over a decade. He continued writing, of course. His screenplay for the 1968 Planet Of The Apes would lead to record breaking at the box office, but Serling's home was always that magical box, and it didn't take long for him to find his way back.

"It's uncensored, so language and sexual material is off the charts. So if that's not your style, you have been warned. No political correctness..."

It was the early 1990's, and record producer Russell Simmons got an idea and brought it to the folks at HBO. In a very short period of time, the half-hour show he created would become the highest-rated show in cable television history. He brought both the big names in black comedy as well as so many newcomers who have gone on to become big stars themselves. This was the days before streaming, and it came on Friday nights just as the folks who usually watch these things were out getting their entertainment live and in person. It was quite an accomplishment to get those folks to stay home and watch a half-hour television show instead. But that's exactly what happened, and while the series ended in 1997, in five short years it made both television and comedy history.

When the MCU announced their intention to move forward with this sequel despite the tragic demise of Chadwick Boseman, I voiced my displeasure loudly. As far as I was concern, there could be no Black Panther without Chadwick Boseman. Additionally, it just seemed unnecessary. The first film was masterful and complete. It didn’t require a sequel. We could have just preserved the integrity of the first film by letting it stay untouched. However, that is not how the business works. If there is a dollar to be made, there isn’t anything that won’t be diluted down for that sake. I realize that sounds harsh, but if I’m being honest, that is what Wakanda Forever felt like to me. This not to say that there weren’t some good, genuine moments that brought me back to my feelings that I had while watching the first one. It is also worth mentioning that I found the film to have paid Boseman the proper respect that I believe he deserved, both with a powerful moment of silence at the beginning of the film, as well as a funeral processional for his character that was fit for a king that he was in film and in real life. It just still wasn’t enough. The elements to make it great were there, but the story leaves a lot of things incomplete and unresolved despite having a runtime of nearly three hours.

I will caveat this review by acknowledging my clear bias. I am a big Chadwick Boseman fan. I believe that we lost an all-time great. While his career may not have been long, it certainly was illustrious. He was without question the go-to actor for autographical films featuring historical black figures, having played Jackie Robinson, James Brown, and Thurgood Marshall. I also believe that he was deserving of that Academy Award he was nominated for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. I’m not bashing Anthony Hopkins, just saying that Boseman was deserving as well. I won’t go on and on; I am merely trying to say how sad I am for the loss of a true talent and an even better gentleman.

Into the Deep is one of those films that offers so much promise with its setup that it is a bit frustrating when you watch the final product and it has managed to fall short in every way imaginable. When I first read the synopsis, I couldn’t help but think about the 1989 film Dead Calm. It’s one of those underrated psychological thrillers that I always felt was fun. While Into the Deep does share some parallels, unfortunately this film just goes off the rails because of its absurd plot twists and, well, let’s face it; no one in this cast is on par with Sam Neill, Billy Zane, or Nicole Kidman.  Into the Deep is a film that pretty much hopes that its audience isn’t thinking about logic, because the moment you apply any sort of critical thinking, this film just falls apart. Jess (Ella-Rae Smith) is still struggling with the loss of her mother as the anniversary of her death is approaching. As a distraction she allows herself to get swept off her feet in a romance with Ben (Matthew Daddario), who whisks her away on a romantic evening on his boat. Everything seems great until she wakes up the next morning and they are in the middle of the ocean. Honestly, this is the first of many red flags that come up with this charming suitor that Jess seems to happily ignore. This should have been played up more to give this film a tone of dread, but it seems the filmmakers were dead set on just making Ben seems like a quirky romantic, when the audience  just isn’t going to fall for it. This is one of my biggest criticisms of the film: that it doesn’t trust the audience has seen through Ben’s motives. Seriousl,y when the film finally decides to let Ben be the bad guy, so much time has passed that every opportunity the film could have had to have fun with this dynamic is ruined.

A twist is introduced with Jess and Ben finding a lone jet skier passed out in the middle of nowhere. Lexie (Jessica Alexander) as it turns out isn’t what she seems and has pulled off her ruse to confront Ben and get him to reveal what he did to her, though she herself doesn’t remember what he did to her. This gets so absurd. I mean, how did she even know how to find him in the middle of nowhere if she barely remembers what may or may not of happened when she was on his boat. Seriously, this movie creates so many plot holes it is treading water for its last half and just continues to make it difficult to care, much less continue watching.

"It's a different world out there." 

Ray Donovan: The Complete Series is out from CBS Home Entertainment, and it includes all 82 episodes and the television movie that was released to make up for the sudden cancelation without a proper sendoff for the Donovan clan. You get 29 DVD's, and the set includes all of the extras from the individual season releases. You do have to deal with those large overlapped spindles, so I suggest you create another environment to store them.

Next year we hope to return to our usual 31 Nights Of Terror. This year we are going to offer you some Halloween Spotlight titles that would be a great idea to pick up for the scary season. So... we're still your October Night Mayor and here's a great idea for Halloween from our friends at Film Detective. 

"That's just the wind banging the door, pay no attention to it. Listen to this."