Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on November 25th, 2021
This was actually the first movie I ever saw on a date. Nearly twenty years ago. The most interesting thing being that I can tell all sorts of things about that experience, but for the life of me, I can’t tell you a thing about the movie. Prior to re-watching it, that is, and having done so, I now understand why it faded from memory, because it isn’t a movie that really makes a lasting impression. This is surprising given that the film is credited as the first photorealistic computer animated film, as well the most expensive video-game inspired film up until 2010. The thing is, it’s a film that if you ask me, never really should have been. The story is not compelling, and it does not accurately depict the source material by which it was inspired. They share the same name, but none of the characters or the plot of the film originated from the video game franchise. Talk about a bait and switch.
I will preface this by saying that I am not an authority on the popular video game franchise. However, based on my own experience, when you think of Final Fantasy, you think about Cloud Strife, the blonde warrior carrying a sword with a blade the size of a tree trunk. Or at least I do. In contrast to characters established in canon and the video game series, the film follows Dr. Aki Ross, a woman attempting to gather eight spirits in order to invigorate the Earth’s Gaia Spirit following a alien invasion. Lost yet? Don’t worry, you are not alone. I don’t know where they pulled this story line from, but it did not play well with me, as for me, it in no way represented what the game series was about, which explains why I purged it from memory.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 11th, 2021
"My name is Harris K. Telemacher. I live in Los Angeles, and I've had seven heart attacks. All imagined. That is to say, I was deeply unhappy, but I didn't know it because I was so happy all of the time."
Steve Martin plays a wacky TV weatherman who develops a close friendship with an electronic freeway sign in the sleeper hit comedy L.A. Story. I found the critically acclaimed film to lack hilarity, but it does get marks for inventiveness. Martin is enjoyable in most anything he’s in, even if the material is not so great. L.A. Story is one such example of an actor rising above said material. Most of the over-the-top silliness misses the mark, and Marilu Henner has little more to do than play the cliché of snobbish socialite. The true love of the Martin character’s life – played by Victoria Tennant – is so bland vanilla I would have much rather seen him end up with his free-spirited squeeze toy (Sarah Jessica Parker), though any such relationship would be doomed to fail. At least there would be some excitement.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 28th, 2021
"Look. See a world that holds more wonders than any since the Earth was born. And of all who reigned o'er, none had more renown like the boy who pulled the sword from the stone. But this is not that king, nor is this his song. Let me tell you instead a new tale. I'll lay it down as I've heard it told. Its letters set, its history pressed, of an adventure brave and bold. Forever set in heart, in stone like all great myths of old ..."
Mythology is filled with stories of knights. The Black Knights of villainy can be found in thousands of stories, perhaps far more. What young girl doesn't dream of her White Knight coming to rescue her from a mundane life? And there are countless stories of King Arthur and his entourage of famous names like Guinevere, Galahad, and Merlin the wizard. But you won't find too many stories of a Green Knight. Nor has there been much set to paper on Sir Gawain, one of Arthur's lesser known family members. Turns out the young lad was his nephew of Gwen's side of the family. So it's no surprise that I had never heard of either character even though I spent a considerable time in my youth devouring Arthur legends and myths. So I considered myself somewhat learned on the subject, enough to complain constantly when films depict the sword in the stone as Excalibur. It wasn't. The iconic sword was given to Arthur much later by The Lady Of The Lake. But I digress. As the above quote informs us, this is not THAT story. This one comes mostly from an anonymous poem called Sir Gawain And The Green Knight as retold here by writer/director David Lowery.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on October 2nd, 2021
Ever since The Purge came out back in 2013, I think with each passing year it seems like it can become a terrifying reality. Some fans, I’m sure, have even thought about what deviant activities they’d get into or how they’d defend themselves if it ever became a reality. The films in their own blunt way have been an examination of our government and how society is treated by class and by race. It’s not a big surprise that these films have been hits at the box office, but my big complaint has been are they really horror films? For me they are just modern takes of a world that John Carpenter created with his Escape from New York and Escape from LA films, like a hard-edged dystopian sci-fi survival film. At least with the first installment The Purge felt more grounded as an intense home invasion film, but as the sequels followed and the world opened up, it just started to feel more like an action film. Suspense and atmosphere have been replaced by gunfire and over-the-top costumes, and it’s just lost its impact. But then this idea of The Forever Purge came along, the idea that the bloodshed and chaos doesn’t have to end, that the government has lost control, and the blood thirsty lunatics have taken control. This direction seemed to offer some potential. The bleakness could be a sobering look at what could occur.
The film opens with a family sneaking across the border for a potential for a new life in America, a family seeking to live the American dream and flee the violence of the cartels and no longer live in poverty. Things then shift a year later, and we’re on a ranch in Texas. The ranch is run by the Tucker family and has its share of Mexican ranch hands. There’s a little tension between the son Dylan (Josh Lucas) and Juan (Tenoch Huerta), who seems to be better at handling the horses than the good old Texan cowboy. At first glance it seems like simple racism, but later in the film the two end up discussing their differences, and we see it’s a little more complicated, but at least doesn’t come from a place of hate. Honestly, I wish this was explored more. Even if it is a touchy subject, I felt it at least showed how discrimination and culture clash doesn’t necessarily have to come from a place of hate. Of course we know these two will need to set aside their differences in order to survive, but really, there is never any tension between these two again, which I found little frustrating.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 30th, 2021
"I must admit I didn't think much of Andy first time I laid eyes on him; looked like a stiff breeze would blow him over. That was my first impression of the man."
Our first, middle, and last impression of writer Stephen King has always been one thing. He's considered the King of the Modern Horror Novel. Pretty much everything he has ever written has found its way to the small or large screen and often with various versions over the years. The problem is that King is such a visceral writer, and his novels tend to be so long that it's very difficult and damn near impossible to translate a good King story for television or the box office. No matter how hard some of the best filmmakers have tried, an alarming number of King's written masterpieces have fallen flat at the box office. There have, of course been notable exceptions. The recent two-film version of It is one of the finest of those attempts. But for nearly three decades it turned out that the most successful film adaptations of King's written work weren't horror stories at all. They were also based on shorter works instead of those multi-thousand-page novels. Stand By Me, based on the novella The Body, is one of the most endearing and enduring, and while a title like The Body certainly carries the King ominous connotations, it's actually a quite unscary coming-of-age story. The Green Mile took us to death row, not for a story about a demented killer about to seek revenge as a reanimated executed criminal, but a whimsical fantasy about a death row guard with a rather amazing pet mouse and accompanying story. But perhaps the greatest of this trilogy of King non-horror dramas is likely The Shawshank Redemption, based on the novella Rita Hayworth And The Shawshank Redemption. It remains the favorite film of my wife, and while it's not even in my top ten, it is certainly my favorite King adaptation and a wonderful film in its own right. It's about time this wonderfully atmospheric film got a 4K treatment and a release on UHD Blu-ray.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 23rd, 2021
"Some people have a hard time explaining rock 'n' roll. I don't think anyone can really explain rock 'n' roll. Maybe Pete Townshend, but that's okay. Rock 'n' roll is a lifestyle and a way of thinking... and it's not about money and popularity. Although, some money would be nice ... And one of these people is gonna save the world. And that means that rock 'n' roll can save the world... all of us together. And the chicks are great. But what it all comes down to is that thing. The indefinable thing when people catch something in your music."
It doesn't take much more than that little piece of dialog to understand that Cameron Crowe really gets what rock 'n' roll was once all about. If you need more proof than that, then you're in luck, because Paramount is giving you 163 minutes of proof, and for the first time in UHD Blu-ray in all the glory of 4K. Almost Famous is one of the best rock movies ever made. It's right up there with This Is Spinal Tap, but for very different reasons. The film captures that sweet spot in rock when the pioneers were still around and right before things became far more corporate. The early 1970's was the perfect moment of "the tour" and the rock star and The Cover Of The Rolling Stone. Cameron Crowe knows what all of that means, because he covered it for decades as a rock journalist. It's obvious he lived some of this stuff, if not all of it. And the hardest part was, he managed to put together just the right team of people to faithfully get it on film.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on July 20th, 2021
Bigger doesn’t always mean better. Eight years following the success of the first 48 Hrs film and the rise of Eddie Murphy’s stardom, Murphy came to the studio proposing to do a sequel, and they happily obliged him, allowing him to also produce it under his budding production company. Walter Hill had gone on to direct some successful films, but nothing like the box office success of 48 Hrs. Brewster’s Millions, Streets of Fire, and Red Heat are just of few of the films that stood out during this time for Hill, but the potential of another big moneymaker that could give him the clout to go on and direct more of the films that he wanted was the draw he needed. It was a paycheck movie that could have had potential, but with a rumored 30 minutes cut from the film just before its release on top of the 20-plus minutes cut down from the first cut followed by a rushed script to get the film into production, well, it’s no surprise that the film falls short of the first film.
This time around Jack Cates (Nick Nolte) is after this elusive criminal he’s dubbed “The Iceman”. He’s working on a theory that has this elusive criminal connected into some high-stakes drug deals. Unfortunately he has no proof this guy even exists. Just when he thinks he’s close, one of his cases points him into the direction of his old buddy Reggie Hammond (Eddie Murphy), who is recently a free man. Reggie happens to have a target on his back with Ganz’s brother, Cherry (Andrew Divoff), who is out for revenge and also Reggie’s money. Cates is also feeling the heat from an Internal Affairs officer played by the recognizable Kevin Tighe. The setup for the film isn’t bad; honestly, the film had some good potential, but everything just falls apart.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on July 20th, 2021
In 1982 when production was getting started on 48 Hrs, Walter Hill had plenty pf success with The Warriors, The Long Riders, and Southern Comfort, and many would think he was taking a bit of a risk by casting Eddie Murphy as the second lead of his film. Sure, Murphy would go on to be a giant success, but at the time of this film all he had was being a cast member of SNL. The gamble would of course be a success for not just Walter Hill and the film, but 48 Hrs would be the film that lit the fuse to a successful career that would launch Eddie Murphy into superstardom. The movie is a classic for more than just making a career for Eddie Murphy; it’s also the movie that remolded what the “buddy action” film can be by having the leads at one another’s throats while the bullets and fists fly. While this isn’t my favorite Walter Hill film (that number one slot will always be The Warriors), 48 Hrs. is a staple film of his career that I feel is required viewing for those who love 80s action films, or simply good films, period.
The film opens up with a fun “jail break”, Ganz (James Remar) is working a chain gang when his partner Billy Bear (Sonny Landham) comes to break him free. The big plan is for the two to make it to San Francisco, where they want to collect money that’s owed from a deal that went wrong, and then they will live happily on the lam.While these two may not be the smartest of criminals, they definitely rank pretty high when it comes to being vicious and lacking a moral compass when it comes to who they put a bullet into. It’s the trail of bodies that gets Jack Cates (Nick Nolte) onto the case, especially when cops end up dead and Ganz nearly kills Cates with his own pistol.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on June 29th, 2021
Long before super-hero films became the rage of American cinema, the Western was the original bread and butter that would draw in its audiences to flock to the silver screen. Hollywood cranked out so many Westerns I seriously doubt anyone knows just how many of these films were shot by the studios, not to mention the others that were re-cut with scenes inserted with new stock footage just to re-title a film and put it back out onto the screen. There are some directors that elevated the genre, John Ford, Howard Hawks, Clint Eastwood, Sam Peckinpah, and then there’s John Sturges who is mostly famous for helming The Magnificent Seven and The Great Escape. Sturges had a strong 30 year career directing and though he had a few misses when his films were good they were really good so when the offer came along to review one of his Westerns I hadn’t seen I was happy to jump aboard to review the Last Train From Gun Hill.
When Last Train From Gun Hill was made, Paramount studios had created a new style of film called Vista Vision, a flashy name and style to attract audiences to the cinemas. Basically it was 35 mm film shot horizontally, this was a method that would later be used in 70mm to create IMAX film. The quality of the picture when using the Vista Vision is incredible and it was pretty much the first thing I noticed while watching this films, the sweeping landscapes look more impressive and just about every shot looks fantastic here, cinematographer Charles Lang who had a successful run of films shooting for Billy Wilder does a incredible job with this smaller scaled western. Sure the Vista Vision may have been nothing more than a gimmick but the look of this film is what immediately jumps out at me and reminds me of what audiences are missing from movies shot on genuine film.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on March 29th, 2021
A year and a half ago, I had the opportunity to review a limited edition of Spirited Away, which was one of the pinnacles of Studio Ghibli animation, a film where the animation, story, and music were so well done that it warranted repeat viewings in appreciation. So, when I received today's movie for reviewing and it boasted the same production house as Spirited Away, well, then my curiosity is certainly awakened. But if I learned anything from other famous franchises, production is nothing without a good story and direction. Let's see how Earwig and the Witch turns out.
A red-haired woman (voiced by Sherina Munaf/Kacey Musgraves) is riding a motorcycle on a busy highway. All of a sudden, a car speeds up behind her. She proceeds to go faster; the other car keeps up as well. They are weaving in and out of traffic, and then suddenly the car behind her comes alive with a full set of teeth. The woman takes a couple of locks of red hair and transforms them magically into worms as she throws it at the car and is able to find her way out of the situation.
