Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on November 7th, 2023
Hopefully, most of you reading this review enjoyed my breakdown of the 1st part in this series. I honestly haven't been this vested in a two part series since Batman's Long Halloween. That one had the added sting that we had to wait a full year until we got the complete 4K version. At least in the case of Justice League and RWBY, we get the full 4K splendor from the get-go. However, as I alluded to in the first review, there was certainly room for improvement. We shall see if the creators can correct those issues now that the series shifts into the Justice League's world. Let's take a look.
Last time on Justice League X RWBY, the Justice League and RWBY teams had fought off Kilg%re and his army of superhuman Grimm. It was actually revealed that Remnant was nothing more than a simulation to eradicate the two teams, and it nearly succeeded on that front. A portal was then opened up, which returned Justice League back to Earth and RWBY back to the real Remnant. However, just because both teams are returning back to their home doesn't mean that everything is fixed the way it should be.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on November 7th, 2023
Hopefully, most of you reading this review enjoyed my breakdown of the 1st part in this series. I honestly haven't been this vested in a two part series since Batman's Long Halloween. That one had the added sting that we had to wait a full year until we got the complete 4K version. At least in the case of Justice League and RWBY, we get the full 4K splendor from the get-go. However, as I alluded to in the first review, there was certainly room for improvement. We shall see if the creators can correct those issues now that the series shifts into the Justice League's world. Let's take a look.
Last time on Justice League X RWBY, the Justice League and RWBY teams had fought off Kilg%re and his army of superhuman Grimm. It was actually revealed that Remnant was nothing more than a simulation to eradicate the two teams, and it nearly succeeded on that front. A portal was then opened up, which returned Justice League back to Earth and RWBY back to the real Remnant. However, just because both teams are returning back to their home doesn't mean that everything is fixed the way it should be.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on October 16th, 2023
In 1995, I remember very vividly going to see Mortal Kombat on the big screen during my summer off from college (when very often I had nothing else to do). I was instantly wowed by all of the characters that I had played with in the first two video games and seeing them brought to screen. The music was absolutely fantastic (and still one of the best soundtracks I have ever heard). However, what I have carried with me most from that experience is my utter love of one character. Johnny Cage. Fast forward nearly thirty years, and we finally have a film where he is the main character and no longer some sort of side gag by all those involved. Let's go to the Cage Match! Join me, won't you?
We start off with a jazz tune in the subway played by Santa Claus. A thief decides to steal from Santa Claus. How dare that guy! The criminal then runs to the closest subway car with nobody willing to stand in his way since he has a gun. Nervous, he gets to the top of subway car to get away from everyone else. But someone is following this cutpurse, and that looks to be a mime?! The mime attacks the thief, who soon demands that the performer say something, anything. But all the mime says is "Mime the Gap." Shortly after that, we hear "CUT!" It would appear that was the wrong line in the script.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on October 16th, 2023
It's a genuinely rewarding experience when you find a new director that you find intriguing. Mostly because as the consumer, it's then a research project to find everything that person has ever done and then dissect which films you can go find to watch immediately. When I watched Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy, I had that experience instantly. I wanted to see more of Rysuke Hamaguchi's films. So I bought a Criterion Blu-ray copy of Drive My Car back in July. Shortly after that, I saw that his student film, Passion, was going to be released by Film Movement on Blu-ray, and I was eager to get a copy. Luckily, I didn't have to wait too long, because the opportunity to review presented itself even before the release date. Let's dive into this film and see the early workings of a true master of the conversation.
Note: I apologize in advance that I'm unable to identify several of the actresses (the roles of Sanae, Marie, and Hana) in this film. Usually I'm spot-on about these things (but there is no information on the internet as to who these women are real-name-wise). If someone knows, please contact me or leave a comment.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 11th, 2023
"Jack, we have done our jobs and done them well. This fight was passed down to us and will continue with or without us. But we will always be better than the institutions we serve, and that is what matters when it matters most. There are no heroes in our profession. But occasionally there are good men. Men who act on what is right, not simply doing what they are told to do. I have not always lived my life with honor. But perhaps I have done enough to die with it. I hope the same for you."
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 a couple of years ago 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. Then the second season reached the Blu-ray home platform format, and while I certainly detected a sophomore slump there, there's still enough interesting drama to keep a fan engaged for another year. And what a year it has been. You can find out for yourself with Paramount's release of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan Season Three on Blu-ray.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 14th, 2023
"Do you give people hope? Are you moving through your city like a guardian angel? Do you make a difference? That bolt of lightning chose you. Don't ever forget it."
There's one thing about being the fastest man alive. You get to the end faster than anyone else ... the finish line, if you will. But not so for Barry Allen, best known in the world of comic books as The Flash. When Arrow debuted back in 2012, no one could have foreseen where it was all going to lead. Greg Berlanti and a few others had created what we all thought was just another comic book hero television show. The Green Arrow wasn't one of the better known heroes, but he was part of the Justice League for many years, and he had a rather interesting origin story that could be told over the longer form of a television series. But it didn't end there. Within a couple of years we had Supergirl, Batwoman, The Legends Of Tomorrow, and, of course The Flash. All of these shows became quickly interconnected, and within another couple of years we all looked forward to a huge crossover event that would involve the casts and crew of all of these shows. These events usually involved some kind of a "crisis" and spread the story out over the various shows themselves. Now Arrow has ended, and the other shows are all gone as well. The Flash was the last hero standing, and that's as it should be, because it was also the best of the shows. Still, all good things come to an end, and after nine seasons, Barry Allen and Team Flash are finally coming to an end. But how can you do something epic when you're the last show standing? You do a crossover all within the confines of your own show and say goodbye with a bang. The final season of The Flash has certainly done that and more. Warner Brothers is now bringing it to a close by releasing the final season of The Flash on Blu-ray, and it's the last one you're going to get, so make sure you savor it a bit. I did.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on September 2nd, 2023
I probably could be called a lot of things, some kind and some not so kind. But the one thing that probably most people would say about me is that I'm loyal. Loyal to my job, loyal to my wife, loyal to my son. However, in my life, I have certainly felt the pain of disloyalty, even to the point of infidelity. Despite what people might say or think, you never quite expect it, and furthermore one can't predict how you might feel or act given the situation. Today's movie Three into Two Won't Go explores the idea of what happens when a man cheats on his wife with another woman. However, this woman stays around long after the fact and continues to press into his everyday life until it becomes unbearable. Let's take a look.
Steve Howard (played by Rod Steiger) is driving down the road listening to some bumpy and festive music while the credits roll. He's finger-waving and whistling and generally having a good time. All of a sudden, he sees a 19-year-old girl named Ella Patterson (played by Judy Geeson) hitchhiking on the side of the road. He stops the car, and honks for her to walk to the car. She stands her ground, and eventually Steve backs up and lets her inside.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on August 23rd, 2023
I'm a sucker for clever movie titles. The best example I can think off the top of my head is I'm Gonna Git You Sucka. Or perhaps you need something from yesteryear, like Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia or They Shoot Horses, Don't They? Along the lines of Sucka, we can't also forget about Don't Be A Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood or The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. So imagine my surprise when I saw the title of today's movie and jumped at the chance to provide a review. Hopefully it is as good as the title suggests.
We get some light orchestral music (score by Stu Phillips) as the credits roll. After the credits, we are taken to a prison where we listen to an inmate tell a story about his alcoholic father who would drink vanilla extract when he couldn't find something stronger to drink. Therefore, he always associated his father with the smell of vanilla extract, and he couldn't stand the scent. Perhaps we should move on to another story.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on August 18th, 2023
Some of my fondest memories growing up were those of my Polish grandmother and visiting her in New York for a week or two during the summer. It was so different than when I was with my parents in North Carolina. From the living arrangements to actually having a real basement to the subway itself, it was almost surreal in a very urban type way. Then everyone seemingly moved to Texas, including our family, and all of the innocence was lost. Today's movie is Gloria, a movie set in New York where a six-year-old Puerto Rican kid loses his innocence as his family is gunned down by the mob. The only thing he has to cling to is a friend of the family named Gloria who has a few special skills of her own. Let's check it out.
We are introduced to that funky saxophone with some bad opera singing (let's not pretend). During the credits we are shown the artistic talents of one Romare Bearden before eventually giving us our first view of the New York City landscape at night. We get to see Yankee Stadium, the Statue of Liberty, and either the Washington Bridge or the Brooklyn Bridge (I apologize; it's been a while since I've been in New York).
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on May 9th, 2023
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 I wasn’t all that thrilled. I’d never read the -adult series, and considering the amount of awful YA film and TV adaptations that have bombarded us for nearly two decades, it played a role in squashing any excitement I may have had in different circumstances. I was definitely pessimistic about watching the show, but when I finished Season 1, I was excited about where the next season would take us. I loved the characters, the daemons and the worlds that the show took us to. Not since Stranger Things had I been more excited about a new series. Season 2 was a step up from the first season, and I absolutely loved what the show was delivering. There has been a bit of a wait for this third season; after all COVID did get in the way of the show’s production, and the delay can dampen the excitement for others. But with sSeason 3 now here, would the final eight episodes be enough to wrap up this pretty great storyline about the multi-verse and the war set to be waged between man and the Authority?
Season 3 opens up with a bit of a time jump with Lyra (Dafine Keen) being held captive by her mother, Mrs. Coulter (Ruth Wilson). We want to believe that Lyra is being held for her own protection and that her mother has finally seen the evil of her ways in the past, but we’ve seen in the past she simply can’t be trusted. The Magisterium continues to establish themselves as the big bad of the show as they are wanting to hunt down Lyra because they believe she is the girl in the prophecies who will bring ruin to all the worlds. Then there is Will (Amir Wilson), who is trying to find Lyra, though to help him in his search he teams up with an angel and Iorek (Joe Tandberg), our favorite polar bear. Then we also have Mary Malone (Simone Kirby), who continues her journey to better understand dust, though to be fair, considering all the peril we see just about every other character experience, her journey seems more like a simple vision quest that leads her to strange elephant-like creatures with wheels on their feet … yeah, this show can get weird. Then of course there is Lord Asriel (James McAvoy), who seems to be hell-bent on waging war against the Authority, and he doesn’t seem to care who he loses or may die because of his actions.
