Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on July 9th, 2026
“What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done?”
Wow, of all the things that I expected to see in a movie starring Hollywood powerhouses like Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, nothing could have prepared me for the subject of The Drama. I’m no stranger to a movie catching me off guard, but this one was in a whole other stratosphere when came to taking me by surprise. This is a movie that will be talked about for quite some time in my opinion, because it is not afraid to address a very serious issue, one that could have easily had this movie condemned. However, the handling of the subject is really thought-provoking and asks some really pertinent questions regarding relationships. Such as, can you forgive someone for the worst thing that has ever done, or in the case of this film, what they considered doing? Now had I been in Zendaya’s shoes, you couldn’t have waterboarded that information out of me, but that would have made for a pretty lame movie. In the case of this film, the themes explored in this film include the limits of forgiveness, the complexities of intimacy, and the tension between thoughts and actions. The film pulls no punches, and surprisingly manages to remain in the realm of a comedy, albeit a black comedy.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 7th, 2026
"Take a deep breath in ... and exhale. Inhale. And exhale. Notice the beat of your heart. The rhythm of life. You hold the power to create all that you desire out of nothing. What do you see? What do you feel? Remember that there is great power within you. And that power will guide you in your journey. Today is a beautiful day of opportunity. I am exactly where I need to be. I open myself to the universe and trust in the unfolding of my life. This day will bring you peace and an opportunity for success. Feel this moment. Have a beautiful rest of your day."
Isn't that pretty? Isn't that just inspiring? Now do me a favor. Forget all of that, and let's talk about the Amazon/MGM home video release of Crime 101. It's really about three characters trying to navigate the craziness that is each of their lives, but none of that Tony Robbins crap is going to make it any better. Now, that's very fortunate for us, because this would have been a very short and very boring film if any of this had worked on any of our characters. You see, we're just a few months from the next Avengers film, and I'm sure many of you just can't wait until November. Wait no longer, because I happen to know the perfect film to feed your addiction for at least a couple of hours, give or take 20 minutes. How about if I give you Thor going up against The Hulk, and I give you a little throwback to the X-Men and include Storm in there for good measure? Sound like a hoot?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 7th, 2026
"10 years ago I made the biggest mistake of my life. I should have protected my sister, but I panicked and ran. It was the last time I saw her. That F**'er survived. Maria got put back in his custody . I got caught, eventually. Now it's time to make things right."
Writer/director Krill Sokolov got his start in his native Russia with a film called Why Don't YouJjust Die. I haven't seen any of his Russian films, but from what I can tell, They Will Kill You doesn't appear to far astray from his work there. They Will Kill You is his first American feature film, and it honestly shows some originality and has the power to hold your attention for the perfectly timed 94 minute horror film. Warner Brothers Home Entertainment has now released the bloody film on UHD Blu-ray giving us the advantage of seeing the film in 4K.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on June 10th, 2026
“Hello, Sidney. Did you miss me? Nice little town you found, you and your pretty daughter. Reminds me of where we grew up.”
Honestly, after the last film, in which the creators broke the tradition that the three O.G. characters (Sidney, Gale, and Dewey) always made it to the final credits, I thought was going to be the end for the franchise after all. Because if there was one thing I knew, which had held true for five films, was that those three were not to be touched. So when the powers that be made the decision to kill off David Arquette’s character (I know I shouldn't be revealing spoilers; however, if you haven’t seen the previous film, you shouldn't be reading a review for its sequel, so sorry not sorry), I was of the opinion that there was nowhere else for the story to go. Let’s revisit the previous killers from the previous films: Sidney’s boyfriend Billy and his sidekick Stu, Billy’s mom teamed up with a movie obsessed psychopath, Sidney’s secret half-brother, and Sidney’s cousin. For the sake of keeping this centered on the Neve Campbell’s contribution to the franchise, we won’t list the killers from the Carpenter-sisters-led films. Long story short, the killers tended to share some connection to Sidney. So where do we go from here? What’s left to do? I would have guessed nowhere. And apparently, I was wrong. However, I’m not too sure I liked where we ended up.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 30th, 2026
"Why are you talking? Do you ever think about what you're gonna say or why you're speaking? Or do you just open your mouth and just blah blah blah blah blah? In about thirty seconds I'll be gone. We don't need to speak."
Die My Love is the latest film by director Lynne Ramsay whose best film is still We Need To Talk About Kevin. I say still is because Die My Love doesn't live up to the reputation. Ramsay was never quite a linear storyteller and this film is no exception. She loves to dabble in the subtle madness of a situation and here she does much more than dabble and while there are certainly attempts to be nuanced the film rages as out of control as her main character played by Jennifer Lawrence who takes a huge swing and a big chance here. It was the right idea but maybe not quite the right vehicle. Lawrence has been trying to distance herself from the Hunger Games franchise not because that wasn't good work but she appears to be trying not to get too pigeonholed in her career. as I said, it's the right call. the problem is that Die My Love is too messy of a film to show much of anything, and trust me anything worth watching about this film lands entirely on the performance of Jennifer Lawrence.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 4th, 2026
“Stop filming me!”
Interestingly enough, this 2025 remake/adaptation is a more faithful reproduction of its source material than the 1987 version. The 1987 adaptation, while popular, took liberties when it came to the main character’s backstory and motivations, such as him being a wrongfully accused and convicted policeman who gets his shot at freedom by participating in a TV game show where convicts called Runners must battle killers for their freedom. In the 2025 remake, Ben Richards, now played by Glen Powell, is a blacklisted blue-collar worker living in dystopian anarchistic police state with his wife and infant Cathy. Unable to afford medicine for Cathy's influenza, Ben attends tryouts for the network's game shows, where his anger, misanthropy, and physical fitness see him selected for "The Running Man", their most popular and dangerous show. That backstory is much more in line with the 1982 Stephen King novel. Rounding out the cast are Josh Brolin, William H. Macy, Lee Pace, Michael Cera, and Colman Domingo. Arnold Schwarzenegger even makes a surprise appearance. It’s quick, though. Blink and you could miss it.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 26th, 2026
"In the year of our lord, Judea - for nearly a century - had lain under the mastery of Rome. In the seventh year of the reign of Augustus Caesar, an imperial decree ordered every Judean each to return to his place of birth to be counted and taxed. The converging ways of many of them led to the gates of their capital city, Jerusalem, the troubled heart of their land. The old city was dominated by the fortress of Antonia, the seat of Roman power, and by the great golden temple, the outward sign of an inward and imperishable faith. Even while they obeyed the will of Caesar, the people clung proudly to their ancient heritage, always remembering the promise of their prophets that one day there would be born among them a redeemer to bring them salvation and perfect freedom."
In the war going on between Paramount and Netflix over the purchase of Warner Brothers, I must admit I am on Paramount's side totally. If Netflix wins, you can kiss goodbye seeing films on physical media, and Warner's iconic cinematic past will just be eye candy for those 3-inch screens. If you needed any proof, you merely have to look at their current actions. Netflix stood in the way of del Toro's Frankenstein, and we as critics never saw it at a screening. It took Criterion to finally give it a release. On Paramount's side, look what they have done with many of their classic films. I've reviewed so many here. And if you want to see Warner classics like this one to continue, you need look no farther than this brand new UHD Blu-ray release of the classic film Ben-Hur. This is going to be one of the most impressive discs in your collection. What do you think you would have gotten if Netflix was pulling the strings? Yeah, that's what I thought, as well. Here's a list of the classic Warner films you can expect in the future if Netflix takes over Warner: Yep, that's all of them.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 25th, 2026
“On TV it looks so real.”
When I first walked out from the theater after watching Nightcrawler, the thing that stuck with me the most is how great Jake Gyllenhaal was in this film. This isn’t the first performance he’s caught my attention in; he’s an actor who pretty much any time I see him in a film, he’s one of the most memorable aspects of the film. Whether it’s his moody performance in Donnie Darko, his offbeat portrayal as a cop in Prisoners, or even him taking a risk as a gay cowboy in Brokeback Mountain, every role he does something more with the character where we can believe he is this person we see on the screen. Nightcrawler is no exception, and in this role Gyllenhaal is simply terrifying as Lou Bloom.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 18th, 2026
"You know the results of the latest Gallup Poll? Half the country never even heard of the word Watergate. Nobody gives a shit. You guys are probably pretty tired, right? Well, you should be. Go on home, get a nice hot bath. Rest up ... 15 minutes. Then get your asses back in gear. We're under a lot of pressure, you know, and you put us there. Nothing's riding on this except the, Oh, first amendment to the Constitution, freedom of the press, and maybe the future of the country. Not that any of that matters, but if you guys f' up again, I'm going to get mad. Goodnight."
The more things change, the more they remain the same. Most of you were not born when Richard Nixon became the first American president to resign from his office in disgrace. But the truth is that it changed our political culture forever. It's hard to believe that there was a time when most Americans put aside their own ideologies and had a respect for the office of the President of the United States. Even if you did not vote for or particularly like the man, there was a reverence and an almost sacred aura that surrounded the position. All of that has changed, and while it's easy to blame the groups we have fighting each other now, it started a long time ago when a couple of Washington Post journalists stumbled into the biggest story in our nation's political history. Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward are the reporters who became iconic in their field as they took what appeared to be a routine break-in to an office and rode it to the resignation of a very popularly elected president. They put it in a book and then the movie of the same name. Now Warner Brothers has put All The President's Men on UHD Blu-ray in 4K, and if you haven't seen it, you need to. It's one of the most important films ever made.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 28th, 2026
“You may only see it once, but that will be enough.”
That was the marketing slogan for the first Friday The 13th film in 1980. Apparently they couldn’t have been more wrong, because most of us have seen the film countless times, and no, it was never enough. The franchise would thrive with over 10 sequels or affiliated films, taking us right up to the present remake/reboot of that very first outing at Camp Crystal Lake. No, my friends, once was never going to be enough. Add to that that this is actually the first Friday The 13th film to include Jason as the killing machine that would keep going and going and going. He became the Energizer Bunny of horror monsters. In the original film it wasn't Jason. He was pretty much considered dead since he was a boy. It was his mother, Mrs. Vorhees, played by Betsy Palmer, who did the slicin' and dicin' the first time around. She got so into killing teens that she rather lost her head. Jason was a small boy creature who gives that original film its big jump-scare finale. We're never quite sure if it was a dream. It must have been, because Jason wasn't a disfigured little boy now. He also doesn't have his iconic hockey mask yet, either. They settle for a burlap bag this first go around. Many fans believe that it was with this film that the mythology was truly created. Now Paramount has given it the upgrade to UHD Blu-ray in the glory of 4K and HDR. Blood and guts are getting real now.
