Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 20th, 2020
"No one would have believed in the early years of the 21st century that our world was being watched by intelligences greater than our own; that as men busied themselves about their various concerns, *they* observed and studied, the way a man with a microscope might scrutinize the creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water. With infinite complacency, men went to and fro about the globe, confident of our empire over this world. Yet across the gulf of space, intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic regarded our planet with envious eyes and slowly, and surely, drew their plans against us."
Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise) is a middle-aged divorcee with a blue-collar job and a rundown home in the New Jersey suburbs. When his ex-wife unexpectedly drops his estranged kids—ten-year-old Rachel (Dakota Fanning) and sixteen-year-old Robbie (Justin Chatwin)—off for the weekend, Ray is less than pleased. He’s always struggled with his parental duties, but now finds it increasingly difficult to communicate with his children. However, events beyond his control are about to force Ray to come to terms with his responsibilities. Bizarre lighting storms herald the arrival of alien tripods, which explode from beneath the Earth’s surface and begin dispensing death and destruction on the surrounding countryside. Narrowly avoiding the first attack, Ray returns home, grabs his kids, and embarks on a frantic journey across country to find their mother in Boston.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on April 14th, 2020
"There once was a peculiar doctor known for his extraordinary ability. He could talk to animals. Dr. Dolittle’s reputation spread far and wide. Even the Queen of England called on him. So grateful for his help, she gifted him a wondrous sanctuary, whose doors were opened to all creatures. His days belonged to the animals, but his heart belonged to one woman. Lily, the fearless explorer. They traveled the globe going on great adventures. Defending creatures who could not defend themselves. They made an extraordinary team. Soon, that team became a family. With Lily by his side, Dolittle never felt more alive. Until one day she left on an adventure. Lily died at sea. Heartbroken, he locked the gates of the manor and completely retreated from the world. As for me, and the animals whose lives he’d saved, we were left to wonder, could anyone save his?"
Well, it didn’t take long for Robert Downey Jr. to line up his next project following his iconic Marvel run. And there is definite franchise potential with this film about quite possibly the most famous veterinarian ever written. Primarily inspired by Hugh Lofting’s The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle, the film is likely anticipated to be a reboot to the Eddie Murphy-led film franchise of the same name (except with a “Dr.” in front of the name). Interestingly enough, the film’s inspiration is actually the second book written by Lofting about this famous character with the gift of talking to and understanding animals.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on April 14th, 2020
The 19th century novel penned by Louisa May Alcott has been adapted in numerous forms since it was first published. Personally the 1994 film is my favorite, but this new film from Greta Gerwig is a welcomed adaption that shows that Gerwig is a talented force to keep an eye on. Little Women is one of those stories that have entertained me over the years, despite it being a story that appeals to a radically different demographic. Even in my teens when I first discovered the story, when I was obsessed with horror films and reading the newest King novel, when I was required to read the story for class, what started as a reluctant task I was doing for a grade, by the time I finished the book and watched the 1994 film in class, well, I found myself smitten with the March family. I was a bit cynical when it came to this new film. Even with it getting all the critical attention I was still hesitant. Really, if it wasn’t for the quarantine, I’m not sure if I ever would have given this film a chance. Despite my reluctance, I’m glad this film found its way into my hands. The most noticeable change that Gerwig has made to the film is by telling the story in a nonlinear fashion. For those who are not familiar with the story, this won’t be much of a problem, but in some ways I feel this kind of cheats the story out of some of its emotional moments, both good and bad. In deciding to tell the story this way, I do appreciate how Gerwig went ahead and gave the film a visual style to help the audience tell what is a flashback as compared to a more current moment. The moments where Jo (Saoirse Ronan) seems to be looking back, there is warmth in the visuals. With Jo taking the front-and-center role as she struggles with being a writer while juggling her relationship with her family, there are moments where we have to question how reliable she is with her dreams and memories. One of these moments that stands out involves her sister Beth (Eliza Scanlen) as she struggles with scarlet fever.
Let me just get out of the way that in my eyes Winona Ryder in the 1994 Little Women is the perfect Jo, but Saoirse Ronan does an admirable job with how she handles the role while injecting a bit of a modern twist on the character. Honestly, all the ladies in the cast gave wonderful performances while making the characters uniquely their own, but the performance I didn’t see coming was from Florence Pugh, who is simply captivating as Amy. 2019 was a pretty good year for Pugh between Midsommer and having Fighting With My Family, but it’s her performance in Little Women that made it clear this woman is a star in the making (we’ll be seeing her again soon in Black Widow). As for Emma Watson, it should come as no surprise that she is enchanting as Meg. Gerwig did a great job with casting the March sisters; the chemistry between them is one of the crucial pieces she got right. If anything, my only major complaint with the casting is Timothee Chalamet as Laurie. This is all a matter of preference, and though I understand how Laurie and Jo are very similar to the point where they even wear the same clothes, he’s almost too feminine, and it makes his transition later in the film feel more forced than something done out of genuine emotion. In previous films we’ve seen the character simply transition from a boy to a man, and in this version we just don’t see that. Really, all the male characters are anecdotal at best, which is fine, because it allows for more attention to be placed on the sisters.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 3rd, 2020
"Over the next two days you little critters will get to experience some of the things that the mighty German army goes through every day, and even though it would appear our country's on the back foot and there really isn't much hope in us winning this war, apparently we're doing just fine."
The book Caging Skies was written in 2000 by Christine Leunens. The book became more the inspiration for the film JoJo Rabbit rather than the source material, as they are very different animals indeed. The book is a rather sober look at the indoctrination of a young generation of boys and girls in Hitler's infamous Hitler's Youth organization. It was pretty much like the Boy Scouts of America, except, you know, for young Nazis. When director Taika Waititi got his hands on the material, it became somewhat a dark or black comedy with entire concepts added to the storytelling that were not a part of the original novel. Waititi is pretty much known as a comic director who has managed to intertwine his particular sense of comedy with other genre films with relative success. A prime example, of course, is his foray into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Thor: Ragnarok, which became one of the oddest entry in that film franchise. Expect more when we get to see his work again with that old God of Thunder when the next Thor installment Thor: Love And Thunder is released soon.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 18th, 2020
"It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood. A beautiful day for a neighbor. Would you be mine? Could you be mine?"
Anyone who was a kid from the 1960's to the 1990's and beyond recognizes Mr. Rogers and his neighbor song. The man defined children’s programming for television, and he did so from a small studio tucked away in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania for almost 40 years. There aren't many people living in this country who don't at least know who Fred Rogers was. It would be a complete waste of my space and your time to tell you very much about the man in these lines. Truthfully, you'll make the kinds of discoveries into the nature of who he was by spending a short 90 minutes watching the documentary Won't You Be My Neighbor that appeared last year. It will be time well spent no matter how little or much you think you know about him. But now hot on the heels of that incredible documentary comes a film staring Tom Hanks as the lovable neighbor we all used to wish we had. Recently Ancestry.com confirmed that Tom Hanks and Fred Rogers are related. Of course you have to go back the pre-revolutionary days of 1734 to find this elusive relative. But you won't have to time travel to spend a magical time with Mr. Rogers and Tom Hanks. In 2019, they happen to be the same man.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on February 11th, 2020
It would seem like audiences are suffering from a bit of Stephen King fatigue, as 2019 saw three theatrical releases of his films and each of them seemed to under-perform at the box office. Pet Sematary was a lackluster adaptation, and It Chapter 2 was fun, but still disappointing when considering how good the first was, and then there was Doctor Sleep, the long awaited sequel (depending who you ask) to The Shining. When it comes to The Shining, I’m a fan of both King’s book but also of Stanley Kubrick’s take on the material. King has always had his problems with the Kubrick version due to the many liberties taken with the material, and many people tend to forget how personal that story was for King and how it dealt with his own personal struggles with alcohol and addiction. Because of all this, I believe it’s why the announcement of Doctor Sleep as a book and eventually a film was so shocking and even polarizing for some. When I read the book, it was a fun and unexpected journey that eventually leads back to the Overlook, but most enjoyable was the journey on getting there as King created a sequel that delved more into what “the shining” is rather than simply return to a haunted hotel. So how was the film, and how does the director’s cut differ from the theatrical cut?
For those unfamiliar with the story of Doctor Sleep, it follows Dan Torrance (Ewan McGregor), who is all grown up now but remains mentally and emotionally damaged from the previous events at the Overlook Hotel. He’s followed in the footsteps of his father and has become an alcoholic and has done some horrible things along the way. It’s when he hits rock bottom that he meets Billy (Cliff Curtis), who helps him and takes him to an AA meeting which begins his long journey towards sobriety. We also have a tribe of vampire like killers that call themselves The True Knot who are led by a powerful psychic named Rose “The Hat” (Rebecca Ferguson). What makes The True Knot so terrifying is that they are a group, each with their own psychic skill type who prey upon those who also have psychic abilities, and to survive they literally feed on their psychic “steam”. This “steam” is what makes them strong and helps prolong their lives, and to make this “steam” last, the more pain and fear they inflict on their victim the better it is. As it turns out, “steam” is strongest in children, and this means that The True Knot is doing some horrible things to children as they travel in a caravan across the US. This is where Abra Stone (Kyliegh Curran) comes in. She’s a young girl with powerful abilities who happens to psychically see the horrible death of one of the “steam” victims, and she reaches out to Dan for help.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on February 1st, 2020
“They're creepy and they're kooky, Mysterious and spooky, They're altogether ooky, The Addams Family.”
That is for those who read my Addams Family double feature post regarding the Addams Family theme song. Of course that is merely the first verse of the song. Have no fear, as the animated film features the full version. It must be kismet, as I had the privilege of reviewing the animated film so soon after reviewing the double feature, though I suspect that this was by design. Though this cartoon does not fit the traditional view of what a horror film is, I would argue that the subject matter is more than enough to grant it entry. Featuring a lighter tone than its subject material, this incarnation is an enjoyable experience that can be shared with the whole family, which was my experience as I was able to bring my daughter to the film with me, and I’m happy to say it got her stamp of approval.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by John Delia on February 1st, 2020
During the 1950’s, being a private investigator wasn’t always a safe and sure way to make a living. But it was a popular way to make some cash for returning soldiers or ex-police officers. During these times things were beginning to modernize, and the world was becoming more dependent on advancement in the skyline. With these changes, corruption and deceit became more evident, and private investigators became more popular. When Frank Minna’s (Bruce Willis) agency gets a chance to make some real money, things begin to get ugly fast. In his crew there is Lionel Essrog (Edward Norton), an orphan with Tourette's syndrome that Frank took under his wing when Lionel was 13; they have been friends ever since. Then there is Tony Vermonte (Bobby Cannavale), Gilbert Coney (Ethan Suplee), and Danny Fantl (Dallas Roberts). Frank has known these guys for many years and trusts them with helping to investigate the cases for his company.
When a job goes awry, the team has to discover what went wrong and how far this assignment will actually take them. Lionel takes the initiative and starts on this case that will bring him among the very powerful and the group these power-hungry men want to take down. Following the breadcrumbs brings Lionel in many directions, but it all somehow centers on Laura.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on January 9th, 2020
“Art is dangerous.” It’s a quote that has been passed around over the decades, and it’s something I tend to agree with. Over the weeks building up to the release of the film, there seems to be a manufactured panic about what could happen when Joker releases onto the big screen. In Aurora, Colorado they’ve elected to not show the film as a way to not trigger local residents that were involved in the 2012 shooting. This I can understand considering the shooter did indeed dress as the Joker when he committed his act of violence. As for other parts of the US, the local police and military have been placed on high alert, all because people are worried about the gun violence and how it may motivate deranged fans to go on shooting sprees. This obviously is not what the studios or filmmakers ever intended, but it is unfortunately a sign of the times that we are living in. No one should have to fear going to the movies. The theater for many is the place for audiences to escape for two hours and forget the troubles and the horrors of the real world, and my hope is audiences will be able to do so without violent incidents.
To be fair, Joker isn’t the first film to have the spotlight thrust upon it due to its violence, nor will it be the last. A part of me even wonders if the controversy was even manufactured to create more buzz for the film. After all, scaring audiences has always been a powerful tool in marketing, when you look back at the films of William Castle and Roger Corman. For some of their films audiences would have to sign waivers to ensure the studio wouldn’t be at fault if anything were to happen to audience members while watching the film, while having ambulances parked outside the movie house. Is it a stretch to believe the studios would do this? Maybe. But is it possible, considering how the box office is underperforming, that people will attempt to create buzz for the film? And then there are the political motivations, attempting to use a film in the fight for control. So many possibilities, so much controversy, and still as I write this, the film hasn’t even been released to the masses for them to judge for themselves.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on January 7th, 2020
I think most people have had the fantasy of what a film of their life would look like through the camera lens. The high points, the low moments, and everything in between. Perhaps it would be boring (probably most of us), or just perhaps it would be brimming with excitement. Whatever the situation, we just hope that somebody else would find it interesting or at least star our favorite actor or actress. Today, we bring to you a review of an anime that tells the story of Chiyoko Fujiwara, an experienced actress, through one filmmaker Genya Tachibana's passion and the lens of his cameraman, Kyoji Ida.
We are in space where a female astronaut says her goodbyes as her crew pleads with her not to go. The countdown starts. The screen shifts back to Genya Tachibana, who is watching this presentation, which we now realize is a film staring the great Chiyoko Fujiwara. An earthquake shakes the film room where Genya is watching. It stops after a minute, and Kyoji Ida comes in and tells him that they need to go. The filmmaker gets up and starts to follow. He stops and then decides to rewind the tape he was watching. As he leaves, we watch the monitor display various moments of Chiyoko's film career. Cue credits and emotional music.
