Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on September 9th, 2020
“Hey, You Guys!”
It was the summer of 1985 when my mom took me to see The Goonies, I remember standing in front of the movie theater and staring at the poster on display with a little nervousness and wonder. I was only five, and I simply had no concept about what I was about to watch. I remember this day fondly, because this was the day I fell in love with cinema, though it would take me a few more years to wrap my head around these emotions. I had seen movies before this, but the experience of seeing The Goonies simply floored my imagination, and it inspired me to want to know more about pirates, lost treasure, and all the possible adventures one could have. As I’ve gotten older, despite how many movies I’ve seen, this is one that will always remain as one of my all-time favorite films. For those 30 or older who still haven’t seen The Goonies, well, I feel bad for you; you’ve missed out on a cinematic treasure that stands among the other classic films of the 80’s like Back to the Future, ET, Gremlins, and Ghostbusters (sure, there are others I’m not listing, but I think you get the point). When Super 8 came along, then a little later Netflix put out Stranger Things, it started a small revival of the children-in-peril genre that flourished in the 80’s. Despite how good some of these nostalgic revivals have been, they still can’t capture the magic of The Goonies.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on September 3rd, 2020
“Beetlejuice…Beetlejuice…Beetlejuice…”
Before Michael Keaton put on the cowl to become the dark knight of Gotham City, he and director Tim Burton came together to create a film that helped launch a career and a trademark “gothic” style that would catapult Burton’s career. Sure, Tim Burton has made a name for himself doing CGI-bloated films lately, and though they’ve made money at the box office, they don’t quite have the same magic that his films had in the 80’s and 90’s, though I’ll make an exception with Big Fish (2003). It’s impossible for me not bring a little bias to the table when discussing Beetlejuice. I loved the film as a kid and rewatched my VHS copy of it a ridiculous amount of times, and as I watched it again, I still continue to have giddy joy at seeing this film. If for some reason this film has managed to escape you over the years, or perhaps it’s been a while since you’ve dusted off this classic, allow me a moment to reminisce.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 26th, 2020
"Events have been set into motion that you couldn't possibly understand."
If you're thinking of joining The Flash for the first time in season six, that's not going to work out so well for you. Hopefully you're a speed watcher, because you have five seasons to catch up on before you start in on this release. In fact, it's not just The Flash you might want to check out. The Arrowverse DC shows will become more interconnected in this season than they ever have before. It's all leading to the end of Arrow, the beginning of Batwoman, and a five-part crossover that will blow your mind. This is without question the best show in the Arrowverse television family and has been since the day it aired. You're going to love what this series has cooking, but you need to start with getting yourself caught up in order to fully appreciate what is in store for you here. In addition to Arrow, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, and Batwoman, you can find out what we've had to say about The Flash. Check out our reviews of the previous five years here.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 21st, 2020
"Trust me. This isn't the story I expected to be telling. But you know as well as I that stories, like the people who tell them, aren't always what they seem to be. I suppose I should start here, in Gotham. Three years ago when Batman mysteriously disappeared, it divided the city. Some hoped he'd be back; others figured he was dead. I thought he abandoned Gotham for the same reason he abandoned my family. Because he didn't care."
The Arrowverse is losing its founding member. The shortened 8th season of Arrow was its last. It was certainly time. The series was starting to literally fold back on itself, and it was time to move on. But that doesn't mean the universe it created is getting smaller. It's expanding. Batwoman joined the universe, and the huge crossover this season and Superman & Lois is about to join next season. There are no empty spaces around this table, at least not for long. Enter Kate Kane, played by Ruby Rose. It's a character almost as old as the Batman himself. Kate Kane's Batwoman entered the franchise in the mid 1940's and was then a love interest for Batman. It's kind of ironic that her original appearance was intended to quell the concern that Batman and Robin were giving the appearance of being gay, and her character was intended to drive home the point that Batman wasn't gay. Now in the 21st century the concerns have shifted from the worry that a character will be thought to be gay to pressure to have gay characters and heroes in the shows. So the character that was created to deflect the idea of a gay hero becomes the first television hero who is openly gay. This certainly isn't your grandfather's Gotham City.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on August 21st, 2020
t’s a bold move when a film wants to compare itself to an 80’s classic like The Goonies. If anything, it more closely resembles the 2007 film Disturbia, and that film borrowed heavily from Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window. Had this film stuck closer to the Hitchcock formula, I feel The Wretched could have easily been a stronger film, but the biggest problem the film has is that it tried to be too clever for its own good, and as a result it comes off a bit sloppy and contrived. That doesn’t mean that this is a bad film; in fact it’s a fun late-night romp, but what’s frustrating is seeing how it could have been so much more. While I know there was some buzz for this film earlier in the year, I’m kind of wondering if this buzz was generated by those who had actually seen the film or those who had only seen trailers? The film opens up with a young girl arriving at a house to babysit. It doesn’t take long for her to see that something is wrong at the home, and of course something is definitely going on in the basement. This is our first introduction to the skin-walking, body-modifying witch. These sequences are standard in horror films nowadays and typically set up the film, but in this case it was a waste and ruins the potential mystery of the story that follows. Does it matter that the opening took place 35 years ago? There isn’t even a callback to this incident later in the film, but instead so much is given away. Perhaps this sequence was added due to pressure from the studio or investors, but it was a big mistake.
When the film’s actual story picks up, we meet Ben (John-Paul Howard) who is following the familiar story trope of having to spend the summer with his dad, Liam (Jamison Jones) after getting into trouble back home and is sporting a cast on his arm. Liam isn’t going to let his son relax in the small seaside town; instead he’s putting him to work at the marina. While the actions by Ben’s divorced parents seem to imply he’s this bad, rebellious teen, really Ben just seems like a typical lonely kid who’s dealing with his family’s separation. The marina works as a place to introduce characters, but really it’s all a distraction from what’s happening at the neighbors’ house. Sure, I understand wanting to give your story depth, but the family drama and Bens run-ins with the local spoiled kids just feels like unnecessary fluff that is a tension killer. It’s like horror lesson 101: isolate your protagonist and keep the horror nearby where his life can constantly be in peril; don’t let him be able to just leave whenever. It’s why the character in Rear Window had a cast on his leg; it’s why in Disturbia he had the ankle monitor. Sure, the marina offers Ben the chance to meet his love interest, Mallory (Piper Curda), but obviously there are other ways this could have been done.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on August 12th, 2020
I remember when The Golden Compass came to theaters. I know I saw it because I was a projectionist and had to screen the print, but for the life of me I couldn’t remember anything about the film. Perhaps that’s why that when I first heard about HBO doing a TV series adaption of the beloved book series His Dark Materials that I wasn’t all that thrilled. I’d never read the young adult series, and considering the amount of awful YA film and TV adaptations that have bombarded us for nearly two decades, it too played a role in squashing any excitement I may have had in different circumstances. To be fair, when presented the offer to review the series, the odds were stacked against it, though I do attempt to always give a show or film an unbiased chance when I sit down with it. I feel it’s important I say all this because I want to express just how blindsided I was by this show and its story. Although its target audience with its books may be young adult, by the time the credits of the last episode rolled for its first season I found myself not just engaged with the story, but I had quickly grown attached to these characters and their story in a way I haven’t experienced since perhaps the first season of Stranger Things.
The first episode is a bit of a whirlwind as we are thrown into this world and we meet Lyra (Dafne Keen), a rebellious young girl who was left at Jordan College in Oxford as a baby. In this world everyone has what is called a daemon; it’s an animal/companion that is linked to the individual from birth to death that can take on a variety of forms and will constantly change up to the point the person reaches puberty, and then the daemon will settle on its final form. Lyra’s daemon is Pan (voiced by Kit Conner), who for the most part switches between a white ferret and a fox. These two are inseparable; the daemon basically represents a person’s soul, but in physical form, and as he show progresses we see this can be a complicated and perilous union. Tom Hooper (famously or perhaps infamously connected to the recent adaptation of Cats) helms the first episode and does a decent enough job of creating a world that feels similar to our own but with a flair of Harry Potter. There’s even a dining hall sequence that feels largely inspired from the films.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 7th, 2020
"At least attempt to hide the bias."
Witness the birth of -- actually make that rebirth of --one of the most popular action heroes in literature. Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan has been a character of many jobs and many faces over the years. Baldwin, Ford, Pine, and Affleck have all stepped into the role of the man who has been a soldier, an analyst, an operative, and a president. What might appear as a clear advantage for this Amazon Prime streaming television show can be just as much a liability. When you throw in the Tom Clancy novels, comic books, and fan fiction, there is a ton of Jack Ryan history that pretty much gives us a story arc from his humble beginnings to extraordinary exploits and wearing the faces of a few good performers. It's a tall order for the series and perhaps an even taller order for actor John Krasinski, who has created a nice little horror franchise with wife Emily Blunt on the side. I don't really have the time or energy to watch streaming shows and films. There's always a backlog here of discs that need to be watched and reviewed, and I've created a rather comfortable viewing experience with my home theatre I call The Reel World. Our motto: Here there be monsters. So last year I had my first experience with this series when Paramount sent the first season on Blu-ray. It was far more of a captivating and compelling series than I expected. Now the second season has reached the Blu-ray home platform format, and while I certainly detect a sophomore slump here, there's still enough interesting drama to keep a fan engaged for another year.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on July 28th, 2020
James Cameron is easily one of the most recognizable names in the Hollywood industry. Every time he makes a movie, it manages to break box office records. As many of us have been waiting patiently for his sequel to Avatar, it seems he was busy working on a small project that takes an intimate look into science fiction. This isn’t a boring history lesson, though; instead he’s gathered some of the biggest actors and directors of the genre and has a discussion about the various ideas that science fiction presents its viewers and readers. Whether you’re a science fiction novice or a self-proclaimed expert in the field, there’s at least something for everyone in this six-part, four-hour-plus series. The series is broken up into six episodes. Each episode covers a specific theme in the science fiction genre, so it allows you to watch it in any order you’d like. For me, I have to be honest; it’s hard to be impartial and not let my inner geek get excited over this series. When you have James Cameron and Steven Spielberg discussing how Close Encounters of the Third Kind came to be or see Cameron and Christopher Nolan discuss time travel, this is some engaging material. The closest thing I’ve seen recently where we get to see talented filmmakers sit down and talk is The Director’s Chair that Robert Rodriguez hosts, but what makes Story of Science Fiction stand out is seeing these filmmakers express their appreciation of the genre and what inspired them.
The series as I mentioned is broken up into six episodes on two discs:
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on July 21st, 2020
Despite my dad being away a lot on business as I grew up, he would often make the most of his time spent with me and leave lasting impressions on my mannerisms and character to this very day. We would play baseball (even though I wasn't very good); he would teach me about money and how to be financially sound (which for the most part I think I do OK). He would also introduce me to the things he enjoyed, like root beer floats and Abbott & Costello. Even though these days I can't have many root beers, I can enjoy an Abbott and Costello movie almost any time I like. One of those movies I remember watching with my dad was Africa Screams. It was my distinct pleasure to watch that movie again and bring my review to you today.
Stanley Livington (played by Lou Costello) stares down a menacing creature with a gun and a whip. Except when we pan to the fearsome creature, it's actually a small kitten. But the tiny cat does have a snarl, and it's enough to send Stanley back into the department store from which he came. Buzz Johnson (played by Bud Abbott) comes around to tell Stanley that the cat is not that scary, but Stanley is still a little concerned.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 7th, 2020
"I shall tell you of William Wallace. Historians from England will say I am a liar, but history is written by those who have hanged heroes. The king of Scotland had died without a son, and the king of England, a cruel pagan known as Edward the Longshanks, claimed the throne of Scotland for himself. Scotland's nobles fought him, and fought each other, over the crown..."
Mel Gibson had a bit of a rollercoaster life for a while there. His DUI arrest and subsequent anti-Semitic rant caused many to look less favorably upon the man himself. He appears to be making his way back into the fold. Of course, it helps that Hollywood has bigger fish to fry now, and suddenly Gibson's flaws don't appear quite so damning with all the new revelations that really started with Bill Cosby but blossomed with Harvey Weinstein. Gibson's directed films hadn't been as accessible to the public, but last year he took the film world by storm when he released Hacksaw Ridge. It was perhaps the most meaningful World War II film since Saving Private Ryan 20 years earlier. Little by little, Gibson is coming back. He won't win everyone over, but he's making some headway. Still, no matter how you view Gibson or his work today, it can’t be denied that he has created one of the more compelling films of our day in Braveheart.
