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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.

“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?

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.

Our friends over at Walt Disney Studios are going to be keeping us very busy over the next few weeks. They've decided that our faithful followers deserve some free stuff and I couldn't agree more. First up we have the Disney classic The Little Mermaid: The 30th Anniversary Edition on Blu-ray. We can resist the wonderful animation and those great songs? It's perfect for kids of all ages and you should absolutely let us treat you to a copy on us and Disney.

To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.

Kirk Taylor is an artist with many talents. He's an actor who can be found on such films as Oliver Stone's Full Metal Jacket and television shows ranging from Law & Order to Chicago Hope. He's an acting coach, musician and composer. He's living proof that an actor of faith can still make his mark in the entertainment industry. His latest appearance is as Cephas (Peter) in the film Revival! along with Chaka Khan and Mali Music. It's a retelling of The Gospel According To John that's part Jesus Christ Superstar and part classical stage production. It's a film that's hard to nail down. But I decided to give it a try and that led to an interesting conversation with Kirk Taylor. There's a passion for his art and faith that is very evident in his conversation. You don't have to take my word for it. Bang it hear to listen in on my conversation with Kirk Taylor.

Find out more about the film here: Revival: The Movie

Bigger is not always better, and more is not always better. If the holiday season release of Dr. Seuss's The Grinch is a testament to anything, it is that those two ideas are absolutely true. The Grinch has everything that the 1966 How The Grinch Stole Christmas could never hoped to have had. The film delivers on some of the best computer-generated animation that Hollywood studio money can buy. It had a $75 million budget. It will get a wide release with millions of more dollars put into a global marketing campaign. And it will make a ton of money. After all, the Grinch is the modern age Scrooge from Dickens' classic story. These are the kind of stories that are timeless and popular. Still, the one thing this film doesn't have over the 1966 television short is that it's heart is two sizes too small.

Haunted houses and Halloween seem to go together like turkey and Thanksgiving, but over the years the haunted house experience has evolved to keep up with those who have grown numb to your typical jump scares.  Sure, there are still the standard haunted houses that you’ll come across when visiting the carnival, or mazes put together by school groups for fundraisers.  But for those who are really looking to be scared, you either have to fork over the big bucks to get into Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights, or you have to scour the internet to find a haunt nearby. 2017’s  Haunters: The Art of the Scare is a documentary that takes us behind the curtain to what goes on at these attractions and explores how a sub-culture that has evolved of haunted houses that have been created to push the boundaries mentally and physically.

I’m going to say from the start that Slice isn’t for everyone, but those who come across this film and give it a chance will come away having a good time with this film.  It’s a new release from A 24, which quickly got my attention considering the numerous films the company has been releasing that I’ve enjoyed.  While it’s a horror-comedy, there is more going on in this little film, as it injects a sociopolitical message in it.  I like a film that can function on several levels, but I never expected to find it in a film about pizza delivery guys being killed by monsters.