Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 18th, 2023
“You got everything money can buy, except what it can’t. It’s pride. Pride is what got you here. Losing is what brung you back. But people like you, they need to be tested. They need a challenge.”
There have been a ton of boxing films. They’ve been popular going back to the silent era. Most of them have many of the same themes. But there was always something about Rocky that stood out above all of the rest. That “something” can’t really be described or defined. As the Supreme Court once said about the definition of obscenity: “I can’t define it, but I know it when I see it.” That’s all you can say about Rocky. Some might call it heart. That’s about as good a word for it as anything else. Rocky himself would call it “stuff in the basement”. It almost demeans it to put a word on it at all. Whatever you call it, you don’t necessarily see it in Rocky … you feel it. Now the first 4 films are out together on UHD Blu-ray in 4K.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 2nd, 2023
"Inspired by the global threats of the Second World War, the U.S. Navy welcomes a surge of aspiring aviators ready to fight in what they called The Big Show. But now it's 1950, and after five years of peace, a true conflict is growing at the North and South Korean border. This is a story from America's forgotten war."
One of the best things about this job is that we get to see some of the up-and-coming talents as they evolve into superstars. I was lucky enough this week to get a double dose of one of the most dynamic young stars out there. Of course I'm talking about Jonathan Majors, who plays US Navy aviator and hero Jesse Brown. Just one night after watching the UHD/4K disc for this review, I was treated to my second dose of Majors at a press screening for the upcoming Creed III, where Majors plays the antagonist Damien Anderson. The roles could not have been more different, and Majors stole every scene in both films. I already can't wait to see him once again. I missed our screening of the new Ant-Man & Wasp film, so I have his portrayal of Kang to look forward to. The buzz I heard was that he had been the best part of the film, and I believe it after Devotion and Creed III. I'm sure there'll be more to say about this talented young actor, but let's talk about Devotion out on UHD Blu-ray in 4K from Paramount.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 28th, 2023
"King Kong ain't got nothing on me."
Training Day stars Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington in the role of Alonzo Harris. Harris, who is one of the meanest, baddest cops in the city of LA, is a person who cruises the streets in his customized Caddy. Harris, in one of the film’s opening scenes, meets Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke), a young cop whose dream is to be promoted to the elite narc squad. Naturally, this is Jake’s first day of training, and he is thrown into the arms of Harris. Alonzo tries to show him the streets so he can understand everything. He has Jake smoke pot just because he can. In one interesting scene, possibly Alonzo being a tough-ass to Jake, he doesn’t arrest two rapists like Jake wants to, but instead, proceeds to beat the living crap out of them.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by M. W. Phillips on February 18th, 2023
“We deal in lead, friend.”
In the fall of 1956, Anthony Quinn watched a special screening of Akira Kurosawa’s The Seven Samurai and had an epiphany: this Japanese masterpiece, inspired by the great American westerns of John Ford, would, itself, make a great American western. Quinn acquired the rights and contacted his then close friend Yul Brynner and pitched the idea of him playing the bad guy and Brynner the good guy. Brynner screened Kurosawa’s film and called in producer Walter Mirisch, who in turn contacted director John Sturges (Bad Day at Black Rock, Gunfight at the OK Corral, The Great Escape). Sturges loved the concept and immediately set about acquiring the rights, ultimately forcing Quinn out of the picture. Quinn sued, but lost.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 17th, 2023
"Life is not like the movies."
Maybe sometimes life is exactly like the movies. You know the old phrase of art imitating life and that kind of thing. That's exactly the territory that's covered in Steven Spielberg's latest film The Fabelmans. It's an autobiographical film where the names are changed to protect both the guilty and the innocent. It's also the first time that Spielberg has directed his own writing in over 20 years. In those 20 years Spielberg has become something of a moviemaking machine, and I think he felt it was time that the machine walked away from the spotlight for a minute and allowed the man behind the machine to show his face again. It used to be about heart; lately it's been about box office, and more recently it's been about surviving after the hit the industry took with COVID. I think Spielberg had a lot of things to get off his chest, and it looks like he might have found the time and place to do just that. While the film is a love letter to people who still think movies are a kind of wizard's magic, it was also a little bit of therapy for this particular wizard. Like all autobiographies, it's not really finished, and that's the most profound takeaway I had when the film ended.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 26th, 2023
"We've come here to pay our respects to Great Aunt Nellie. She brought us up properly and taught us loyalty. Now I want you to remember that during these next few days. I also want you to remember that if you don't come back with the goods, Nellie here will turn in her grave, and, likely as not, jump right out of it and kick your teeth in."
Ian Kennedy-Martin was a television writer for the BBC in the late 1950's and early 1960's. When London adopted one of the world's first computerized traffic light systems, it gave him an idea for a series or television movie. The idea was pretty simple. A group of crooks would hack into that system and use a traffic snarl to get away with a big bank job. The problem was that the idea was too large a production for the BBC staff to pull off. So he sold the idea to his brother, Troy Kennedy-Martin, who wrote the final script for The Italian Job. He moved the action to Turin, Italy where one of the most sophisticated of these early computerized systems was in use. The rest is pretty much history.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 24th, 2023
"What about the old American social custom of self-defense? If the police don't defend us, maybe we should do it ourselves."
Vigilante justice has always been a popular subject in our movies, television shows, literature, and even comic books. Batman is nothing more than Bruce Wayne out to get back at criminals like the ones who murdered his parents when he was a kid. Batman is the ultimate vigilante. And let's be honest. Haven't you ever once fantasized that you could cross that line and punish some injustice or another that crossed your path? The subject has been around since stories have been told. There are those landmark tales, however, that for some reason or another reach the soul of the masses. For good or evil? You can decide that for yourself. But one of those iconic vigilante films has to be the original Death Wish with Charles Bronson. There's some extra visceral element that isn't in so many of the imitators, remakes, or even sequels. The film has its own storied origin tale and long history of roadblocks before it ever hit box office gold in 1974.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on January 6th, 2023
"My son dreamt of a better world. That's why he saved me. But the world was only a better place with him in it. Khandaq needed a hero. Instead, it got me. All this power. And the only thing I can do with it is hurt people. I will speak the word my son gave me, and I will give up my power. And when I do, you must ensure I never speak it again. Shazam."
Black Adam was a unique experience. It was an occasion where a being who kills without hesitation is viewed as more of a hero than those who exercise restraint while fighting for justice. This is a principle that was leaned into during the film’s marketing campaign, which for me generated a great deal of intrigue, and I was glad that it was not just a marketing ploy. The fact is that Black Adam is very much an anti-hero. However, he did not start out that way. He was initially just a supervillain, one that was and likely still is intended to serve as the primary antagonist to Zachary Levi’s Shazam. For this film, he embraces the role of anti-hero, which is in keeping with his comic book roots, which saw the character shift from villain to anti-hero. Simply put, he is a dark hero, someone you love watching even when he is doing morally questionable things. Who better to embody that idea than Dwayne Johnson. During his wrestling days, Dwayne Johnson, then known as The Rock, did stints as both a face (a good guy) and a heel (bad guy). Even when he was a heel, he was among the most popular superstars of that era. He could make you cheer for him, even when he was cheating. He had presence. And in Black Adam, Johnson very much calls on those talents.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on December 21st, 2022
I am not usually into serious zombie movies or television series. I am not a particular fan of The Walking Dead or The Night of the Living Dead. I do allow exceptions for, say, the Resident Evil series, or perhaps something funny like Shaun of the Dead. So the first time I saw Paranorman probably about half a dozen years ago, I wasn't expecting much. Thankfully I did not let my biases creep in, and to be honest, quite enjoyed myself. So I was very excited when I saw the 4K slide across my desk. Let's dive in.
This is a feature presentation. We join a horror movie already in progress. There are monsters, lost of squishy stuff, and some bloodcurdling screams. Then the zombie goes munch munch on the brain matter of the blonde heroine. Rumor was that it was far from satisfying.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on December 16th, 2022
LAIKA Films has produced some amazing movies which have elevated the wonderful world of stop motion animation. Paranorman, Boxtrolls, Kubo and the Two Strings, and Missing Link (all underappreciated by mainstream movie audiences). But one movie stands above those fine films and is the one for LAIKA that started it all. Coraline. Today, I received the Steelbook edition (along with Paranorman) in brilliant 4K. I can hardly contain myself. Let's take a look.
As the credits start to roll, we see a doll being undressed as well as un-stitched. Then that doll is filled up with sand and re-stitched. A couple of buttons are carefully selected and hair is sewn-in. It is finally thrust into the world. Hey, that kinda looked like Coraline, who we will meet shortly.
