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.

Coming on the heels of the DVD release of the sixteenth season, Fox has released Family Guy: 20 Greatest Hits.  With well over 300 episodes, I can imagine it must’ve been a daunting task to put together this collection of episodes.  There are plenty of classic episodes in the lineup, but I have to be honest; I felt there were a few episodes I didn’t agree with that were included. But for those who may have never seen the show or just caught an episode and can’t understand the big deal is about the show, this is the DVD set that will bring you into the fold.

"I have no motive, my friends, to deceive you. I am sincerely desirous to promote your welfare. Listen to me, therefore, when I tell you that you cannot remain where you now are. Circumstances that cannot be controlled which are beyond the reach of human law and render it impossible that you can flourish in the midst of a civilized community. You have but one remedy in your reach, and that is to remove to the West. The choice now is before you. May the great spirit teach you how to change. Your friend, Andrew Jackson"

With friends like that, who needs enemies, or so the saying goes. It was called the Trail of Tears, and it is one of those actions which did not put this great nation is such a great light. The treatment of the native inhabitants of this continent has certainly been an embarrassment and along with slavery marks the darkest of moments in our history. Mill Creek has assembled a collection of documentaries that have been endorsed by the Cherokee Nation and has been collectively titled The Trail Of Tears.

I was quite reluctant to attend the screening for The Oath. My reluctance wasn't based on my willingness to see the film. People like us will go to any kind of a movie. I love films. My issue was the impression I received from the trailer. The film appears to be ripped from today's political climate and quite possibly to be a close parody of the actual present political situation. No matter on what side of that issue I might personally happen to fall, we here at Upcomingdiscs try our best to keep our politics out of our work. It's not fair to fellow writers for them to be brushed with any other writer's ideals, and it's simply unnecessary to create a hostile environment here for any of our readers or staff. So I approached the screening with the caveat that I might not actually review the film. When the studio agreed to those terms, I set out to experience The Oath. I'll give you a little "inside baseball" into the movie review business. When a critic is invited to a press screening of a film, there is a bit of a contract strongly implied in that invitation. Attendance is an agreement to write and publish a review of the film that is reported back to the studio. No studio has ever even commented on the review's content. Rest assured we are completely free to write whatever we want with the exception of revealing important spoiler information and agreeing to a specific embargo date (as sometimes we see a film weeks before they street). So that freedom to decide not to review was an important and rather unusual agreement to have, because I was not sure I was going to be willing to follow through. Fortunately, the trailer is a bit revealing, and The Oath isn't a one-sided spoof at all. It can easily be enjoyed no matter what your individual politics happen to be.This film certainly touches on the political divide; however, it quite smartly removes itself a full step away from the current participants or personalities. The story pretty much focuses on one family that has gathered together for a holiday meal. Like most families, there are the usual tensions, and that includes differing ideas about the political situation. That landscape was impossible for them to avoid, because the President of the United States had just announced that he was issuing a "voluntary" Loyalty Oath, and the deadline for people to sign was fast approaching. And so our family naturally begins to discuss what they plan to do about it. Writer and director Ike Barinholtz stars as Chris. He has refused to sign the oath of loyalty to the President and has a pretty hostile opinion of anyone who has signed or is planning to sign it. Unfortunately for Chris, his parents and siblings who have all gathered at his home for the Thanksgiving dinner are more inclined to sign the oath, and some family members already have. The promise is that the oath is completely on a volunteer basis, but we soon learns what happens when you don't sign and someone rats you out.

The political situation plays out on radio and television broadcasts that we see during the gathering. The film doesn't really leave the setting of the house and actually has quite a nice stage-play vibe to the whole affair. The film consists almost entirely of the family dynamic, which will cut close to home not so much politically, but it's the kind of dynamic most of us have experienced at larger family gatherings and meals. The personal baggage that these relationships carry is just as important in these interactions as the political story itself. Barinholtz does a great job of capturing that almost distinctly Americana experience.

"So dark. You sure you're not from the DC universe?” 

What if you took out the darkness and made the film a little more family-friendly? Could that work? My initial reaction was that it was a mistake to try. But this film actually has some charm going for it, and I was a bit surprised at how seamless it was. This is essentially Deadpool 2 with the hard-core stuff removed. Gone are the sword fights that used to start the film. And Fred Savage is the key to making the entire idea work.

In the 1970's Pat Morita was pretty much a staple of the American television landscape. It's fair to say he often got work in a less politically correct era as a token Asian on situation comedies. He landed iconic recurring roles as Arnold, who owned the burger hangout in Happy Days, and Ah Chew, the target of Redd Foxx's bigoted antics on Sanford And Son. His is a long career in the annals of 70's television. While he did appear in a few feature films, none of these appearances had the lasting fame or adoration that he experienced as Mr. Miyagi in the Karate Kid franchise. The role would define him for the remainder of his days. When Karate Kid appeared in 1984, it delivered a modest return at the box office but found some enduring returns in the young home video market. It was enough to score a sequel in 1986 that would become the best moneymaker of the franchise's original collection of four films. It pulled in enough scratch to warrant a third film, and that's pretty much where it all went downhill faster than a speeding bullet which might have mercifully ended the movies on a high note.

Mill Creek released the first two films on Blu-ray some time ago, and it was pretty much expected that they would complete the set with the release of The Karate Kid Part III & The Next Karate Kid. Of course, they haven't been given any kind of re-master or additional features. Both films reside on a single disc and got the attention to detail they both deserved...not much. So this is a cheap opportunity to have the collection for the purposes of a complete collection. And so a modest price gives you bragging rights. Perhaps the disc should come with one of those amusement park staples, a tee shirt that brags: "I survived The Karate Kid Part III and The Next Karate Kid".

Any time you make a low-budget film that for a majority of the film takes place in a single location, it can be a bit of a risk.  Factor in shooting a film on a small budget, small cast, then you have to hope that the idea can hook an audience, and it’s a script that will keep an audience hooked for the duration of the film.  The problem After Darkness has from the get-go is it doesn’t have the budget to match its ambition, nor does it have the script to help the actors carry the burden of this film.  Even with Kyra Sedgwick and Natalia Dyer (Stranger Things), this film was a struggle to get through. For those brave souls who want to know more, it’s time to hunker down, ‘cause this one was a doozy.

Here’s the deal. The sun is about to black out, which of course would mean a catastrophic event not just for a few people, but enough to effect a good portion of the galaxy.  Whether the blackout is for a few hours or for eternity is not known for sure, but basically the world is on high alert and is in full doomsday prep mode. This brings us to the Beaty family, who seem to have a plan for survival. Raymond (Tim Daly) is the patriarch of the family who seems to be politically connected and has worked out a deal where he and his family will seek shelter in a cave system that has been set up by the government to ensure humanity’s survival. All Raymond and his family have to do is wait things out a bit till they can be picked up and taken to safety.