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I think I see your problem. You have this list. It’s a list of people you need/want to buy a Christmas gift for. The trouble is that they’re into home theatre, and you don’t know Star Trek from Star Wars. You couldn’t tell a Wolf Man from a Wolverine. And you always thought that Paranormal Activity was something too kinky to talk about. Fortunately, Upcomingdiscs has come to the rescue every Christmas with our Gift Guide Spotlights. Keep checking back to see more recommendations for your holiday shopping. These gift guides ARE NOT paid advertisements. We take no money to publish them. With conditions as they are, shopping won't be easy this season. The nice thing about discs is that they're so easy to get from places like Amazon that you can give a great gift and stay perfectly safe while you do it. Warner Brothers release of The Mad Max Anthology:

"Born with a steering wheel in his hand and lead in his foot, he is the Nightrider, cruising at the speed of fright! This is the Nightrider, and we ain't never coming back. I'm a fuel-injected suicide machine..."

“Aliens from the future gave us magic powers. It was staring me in the face.”

This was a series that managed to catch me completely off guard. I’m still in a state of shock for how much I loved this show. Beforehand, I heard little about the show. I think I may have caught a glimpse of a commercial for it or the odd promo, but I never paid attention to it. I expected that it would be dreary and flat. Now, I’ve gone from thinking this was something I would have to endure for six episodes, to chomping at the bit to get my hand on the second set of six episodes. There were so many elements and themes that were combined with rich and complex characters. All the pieces came together to make this Lauren Donnelly and Ann Skelly-led series a masterpiece of entertainment. I know what you are thinking. The quote above is kind of telling, but trust me, there are so many other reveals jam-packed into these six episodes that you will hardly miss that one. Plus I just wanted to gift you one of my favorite lines, which was delivered with such dry wit and perfectly encompasses the plot of the series.

Too much of what comes out of the entertainment industry today is remakes/reboots/revivals and sequels. There's certainly a place for some of that but if you are like me you are hungry for originality. I found it in the unusual film Fried Barry. Filmed in South Africa the film pays a lot of homage to many iconic film moments without losing its own originality. I had the chance to talk with director/writer Ryan Kruger and it was a blast. He's doing his own thing out there and that made for some interesting conversation, to be sure. You can listen in on my conversation with Ryan Kruger and then go out and find the film. Bang it here to listen to my conversation with: Ryan Kruger.

I grew up a big fan of the kids’ adventure films that populated the cinemas of the 80’s.  These kinds of films for the most part disappeared up until this 80’s revival has occurred over the past decade. It’s been a nice nostalgic wave for me, but it’s also become overused. Some of these films and shows are being done by those who weren’t even around, and it just is starting to feel generic. The Water Man, for the most part, has seemed to grasp what makes these films work without overindulging on the 80’s revival craze, and it’s simple. It just focused on doing a good kids’ adventure without treating the audience like toddlers or attempting to fill it with slapstick gags. I’m not sure when it happened that studio executives decided a family film needed to simply treat the audience like a sputtering, drooling toddler, but it’s a big reason why these films are mostly critically panned and, well, are not big blockbuster affairs. It’s all about marketing, and I feel in a non-pandemic world, The Water Man could have been more than a box office blip and a movie that will struggle to find an audience in a DVD and streaming world.

Gunner (Lonnie Chavis) is a lonely boy who seems to live his life through his art. He’s working on a detective comic, and it’s something he’s proud of, though his father played by David Oyelowo is having a hard time relating to it. The real heart of the story revolves around Gunner and his dying mother, played by Rosario Dawson. There is a nice chemistry between Chavis and Dawson, and when Gunner first sees how the sickness is wreaking havoc on his mother’s body, well, this is a rather impactful scene. This film could have played with the heartstrings; there is plenty of drama to milk with this family dynamic that definitely resonates with the audience. But this isn’t a film meant to depress the audience but instead give it hope, and that’s where the legend of the Water Man comes in.

Gerard Butler vs. Comets. Well, I suppose Butler has been making a habit of overcoming insurmountable odds in recent years. I mean, he has managed to save two different presidents in three movies, and it’s not like this is his first time facing down a natural disaster (remember Geostorm), but even with that said, this is quite the thing to have to overcome. Greenland tells the story of the Garrity family as they try to make it to an underground bunker in Greenland before an extinction-level event. While this premise does have some intrigue, I’m pretty sure that most of us would have been trying to find a place to survive a little closer to home. Needless to say, that wouldn’t make for a very good movie, so here we are. Normally we watch Butler face adversity alone, but this time he has help in the form of Deadpool’s Morena Baccarin, as they both have odds to face separately as well as together. While I did struggle with the overall concept of the movie quite a bit as well it mainly just feeling like a rehash of former disaster movies, I was never bored, as the special effects go a long way to creating a realistic and intense experience.

Yes, the film is very reminiscent of another disaster film (2012), right down to the family estrangement and the attempts to get to safety on in transports deemed for the special people. Granted, the Garrity family was one of those deemed special people until they weren’t because of their son’s condition. That right there was a clever device to further the plot as well as send the characters on their individual journeys. While I did find it cruel, I also found it logical that something like that could occur in a situation like this. In the event of an extinction-level event, human courtesy gives way to cruelty. I can completely believe that.

Ben 10 seems to be the Batman of animated shows, not that they have anything in common with their plots or characters but by how many times the character of Ben Tennyson has been in movies and shows and then rebooted all over again. It’s a fun series, and the few movies I’ve seen I’ve liked them, but the one major complaint I have towards the character and series is how repetitive it all is.  Sure, this is a problem in most children’s shows, and the issue bleeds into shows for adults, but with all the repetition it raises the question of why bother rebooting, rebranding or doing it all over again if all you’re going to do is retread the same material.  It’s because of the recycled plots and the all-too-familiar story trends that I was hesitant about bothering to review kids’ series. So what does Ben 10 Versus the Universe- the Movie bring to the table?  Well, for the series it does present a new narrative. For those even slightly familiar with the Marvel films you’ll see a familiar trope, but for the most part it works here.

The movie opens up with Ben having to face a super-villain who has kidnapped his family and has plans to destroy the world.  Ben is bored with dealing with the cookie-cutter villains with the same diabolical plans and is up for a real challenge. Despite being overly cocky and nearly getting his family hurt, Ben still sees his victory as too easy.  It’s not until the Earth is put in danger with an asteroid that seems to be on a collision course with the planet that Ben sees he may finally have a challenge.  Unfortunately for Ben, after launching himself into space he makes a mistake that causes him to miss confronting the asteroid and even worse is captured by an alien force that has confused Ben for a super-villain and put on trial for crimes he didn’t commit.

Ultraman is a huge part of Japanese culture and pretty much has been since the original live-action show in 1966. Perhaps Godzilla started the ball rolling, but Ultraman brought us these monsters on a regular basis. In Japan, Ultraman is like our Superman. He’s an iconic hero and a huge part of the pop culture. Since the 60’s he has appeared in many forms, most of them animated. But it is this 1966 series that made a ton of us kids fall in love with him and an entire genre. Yes, there were many from the era: Space Giants featured a giant fighting robot who fought monsters and sometimes converted into a spaceship (yes, before transformers were ever thought of); Johnny Socko had his giant robot; and the list goes on. But it was Ultraman who started it. Eiji Tsuburaya, who created the original Godzilla, formed a new company outside of Toho Pictures. Ultraman was pretty much the first thing out of the new shop.

It started with a series called Ultra Q. It was a popular series in Japan. There was no Ultraman here, but some of the elements of what would be the Science Patrol started there. When it was finished, the staff was approached to create a new show, and fast. But this one needed more action and also something that could be sold to the American markets. That was Ultraman.

“Murder is Murder. Don’t matter who you are.”

Naomie Harris lives by these words as she finds herself hunted by her own in Black and Blue. Fortunately, she is not alone, as Tyrese Gibson is also there to lend a hand in this real-life commentary that pulls no punches. We all know that there is a brotherhood within the police force. They are a family, and family looks out for family. This film examines what happens when family crosses a line that they cannot come back from. Harris portrays a rookie police officer who stumbles across an execution by her fellow cops.  In that moment she goes from being blue to black. Joining her on the cast is Gibson, Frank Grillo, Mike Colter, and Black Lightning’s Nafessa Williams in a role that will make you hate her.

Back in 2015 when the prison escape took place in upstate New York, this was one of those news stories that kept me glued to my television, as I’m sure it did for countless others.  As the story unfolded in front of news cameras, the story just got more scandalous, and as the days ticked by with the prisoners on the run, a part of me was sort of rooting for them.  I know they’re felons, but seeing them manage to outmaneuver authorities and evade capture, it was sort of like rooting for the underdog, because most of the time these incidents don’t end well.   It’s no surprise that Hollywood would latch onto this story, but what is surprising how well this Showtime mini-series turned out.  With funny-man Ben Stiller at the helm, I was surprised to see that he was attached to direct this. He’s been successful behind the camera, and my favorite films of his have been Reality Bites and The Cable Guy.  So how did the nearly 7 ½ hour series turn out?

The series opens up with Tilly Mitchell (Patricia Arquette) being questioned by New York State Inspector General Catherine Scott (Bonnie Hunt) in June of 2015.  This was a bit of surprise that they would chose this moment to open up the series, but this is for the most part Tilly’s story. You’d want to believe this is a falling-from-grace story and that she was simply conned by these prison inmates, but as you’ll see, Tilly is no saint.  Arquette is almost unrecognizable beneath the makeup, the accent and weight gain for the role. This performance goes to show that Boyhood was no fluke and that she is one of the best actresses working today.  Things then shift back to January, and we meet inmates Richard Matt (Benicio Del Toro) and David Sweat (Paul Dano). They are in neighboring cells and also work together in a tailor shop at the prison that Tilly happens to oversee.

It’s been expected that Season 10 of Archer would be the last one. With Fox recently putting out the 9^th season Archer: Danger Island, it’s giving fans a chance to catch up before Sterling Archer (voiced by H. John Benjamin) sets off on his final adventure.  There are still plenty of questions left unsolved from Season 7, and if you were hoping Danger Island would help fill in the blanks, well, sorry to disappoint; instead, season 9 gives us something completely new that I enjoyed, though I have to admit it left me scratching my head for where things may be going.

Season 9 takes us to a little island in the South Pacific named Mitimotu in 1939 just before the second World War is about to kick off.  In this timeline, Sterling is a one-eyed seaplane pilot who works for his mother, Mallory (Jessica Walter).  Sterling wakes up in bed with the newly wedded Cheryl (Judy Greer). No, Archer and Cheryl are not married; instead she is wed to a treasure-hunting Nazi named Fuchs (Chris Parnell).  For those who were wondering, Pam Poovey (Amber Nash) is around as Sterling’s co-pilot, and I have to admit she was my favorite part about this season.  The one oddball addition to these characters is yet another familiar voice: Lucky Yates, who this season is playing a talking parrot (well, macaw) that can say more than just a few words and in fact enjoys bantering with the characters over the course of the season.