Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on November 9th, 2021
"You're going on a journey. A journey through memory. Your destination? A place and time you've been before. To reach it, all you have to do is follow my voice."
So, an interesting factoid that I learned about the film’s director Lisa Joy: she is the sister-in-law of director Christopher Nolan. This doesn’t really add anything to the review, just an interesting fact that I thought I’d share. Then again, I do remember thinking when the film first opened up that it felt very shades-of-Nolan. Not to say that Nolan had any influence over the film, but just the idea of a movie based off a construct is very much in his wheelhouse. Memory is the construct that is explored in this film, and I must admit that the addictive nature with which the film portrays this construct did have some appeal;
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 5th, 2021
If you were a child in the 1960's or 1970's, you were around at the golden age of the Christmas television special. We just celebrated the 50th anniversary of A Charlie Brown Christmas, and there were a ton of holiday charms that came and went each year. But there were a handful that became classics and found their way to the airwaves every year in December. Of course, A Charlie Brown Christmas became one of these, and it is indeed among the best. It was not the only special to become beloved by generations of viewers. Now Dreamworks has brought together seven of the most memorable of these classics. This was a wonderful trip down memory lane for me, as it will be for millions of children of all ages who looked forward to these event broadcasts each and every year. Now you can watch them whenever you want. And they might not be just for Christmas anymore.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on November 1st, 2021
Superman: The Animated Series was partly made in the same fashion as the massively popular Batman: The Animated Series. The tone was a little more serious, and the stakes were raised in order to create a sense that Superman might just have met his match. It was first produced in 1996 and made 54 episodes through the year 2000. The show received high praise for raising the bar but at the same time keeping what was important to the mythos of Superman. In fact, it even received a nomination for an Emmy. Besides Smallville, this probably stands out as the best television adaption of the one known as Superman, the Last Son of Krypton and hero to the planet Earth (and beyond).
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 28th, 2021
"My most vivid memories are of the days when my life changed. I remember coming to this Earth, feeling the sun on my face for the first time. Hearing the voices of my parents. My mother called me their greatest surprise. And boy, there sure were lots of them. I remember loving Smallville; the people, the community, how the small things were the big things. And I thought I'd live there forever. But my father's death set me on a different path. Eventually, I moved to Metropolis to become who I was meant to be. But my most vivid memory of all was the day I met her."
The her, of course is Lois Lane. Together they are Superman & Lois, and they've joined the ever-expanding Arrowverse for their first season now out on Blu-ray from Warner Home Entertainment.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on October 28th, 2021
No, this isn’t a remake of the 1994 Ice-T Surviving the Game. Unfortunately, this is yet another low-budget action film starring Bruce Willis that has this reviewer wondering if we’ll ever get a great film out of Willis ever again. For the past few years it seems Bruce Willis has given up doing A-list films and has instead gone the route of straight-to-disc releases, and the films have ranged from tolerable to garbage. This is frustrating, because I think we can all agree he’s better than this, but he seems to be fine cashing the paychecks and going onto set and looking miserable from one scene to the next. I miss seeing Bruce Willis being the average-Joe badass. The Last Boy Scout? Heck, at this point I’d rather see him in a Hudson Hawk revival, but alas, this seems to be what we’re stuck with.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 20th, 2021
"Scared yet? You should be."
There have been a ton of changes in the Arrowverse that started in 2012 with the CW premier of Arrow. It told the story of Oliver Queen, The Green Arrow. Other shows and heroes were added along the way that included time-traveling heroes of The Legends Of Tomorrow, Supergirl, Black Lightning, Stargirl, and most recently Batwoman and Superman and Lois. But the best of these Arrowverse shows has always been and continues to be The Flash. But a lot has changed since then. The mothership, Arrow, has been gone for two years. Supergirl ended last season along with Black Lightning, and Legends Of Tomorrow appears to be fading fast in just plain silliness. Too bad DC doesn't own the rights to Howard The Duck. He'd fit right in. Of the new shows, Stargirl shows a lot of promise with a pretty solid ensemble. Batwoman, for so many reasons, is a complete mess, and Superman & Lois looks to be the most promising future of the Arrowverse.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on October 15th, 2021
Fried Barry is definitely one of those fun quirky movies that needs to be seen to be believed. One thing I should definitely say from the start is this movie is definitely not for everyone but if you are willing to go into this with an open mind well you just might appreciate this little gem ad for those late night drinkers and tokers, this is one that is fun to put on for those late night movie nights. If you are looking for a high brow art film you’ve come to the wrong place and despite how the covert art suggests “A Hard R version of ET” well that’s a bit of a stretch in the ET department but this is definitely a film not for the kiddies but perfect for those high school film geeks looking for an outlet from woke society. I feel like this is the kind of movie we need as the rest of the world is so scared about offending one another Fried Barry instead asks it viewers to kick back and prepare to get uncomfortable and enjoy the ride.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 6th, 2021
We first came to know Paul Hogan as the "Shrimp On The Barbie" guy. He was doing television and radio ads for Australian tourism. A smart fellow, he saw that the ad character was popular and rode an enormous wave of an Australian fad that hit America in the 1980's. Suddenly there were Australian bands like Men At Work teaching us about vegemite sandwiches on the top of the music charts. We got steak, not shrimp, on our barbie with a chain of Australian-themed steakhouses appropriately called Outback "no rules, just right" started up by a Florida group. Pop culture became inundated with catch phrases like "no worries" and "G'Day". Australia was cool, and we even had an "Australian" neighbor we all later found out was faking it for years. No doubt anything Aussie was considered cool. It was in that light that Hogan parlayed his tourism ads into an over-the-top Aussie character named Michael J. "Crocodile” Dundee.
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.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 2nd, 2021
"There's a war coming to Gotham, and now there's no Batwoman stop it."
Well ... that's halfway true. After just one season in the cape and cowl, Ruby Rose rather abruptly quit the show. That's a pretty big red flag when you lose your titular star and character after just one season. For many shows that might have been the end of the road. Not true for Batwoman. They had several choices. They could have recast the part and just pretend it's the same character with a new look. They could have killed the character off and found a new one to replace her. Of course, with the multiverse now closed down, the most likely option of replacing her with another Earth's Kate Kane might have been the best option.
