The tale of Little Red Riding Hood, like many other children’s stories, is so well known and influential that it has been reimagined time and time again. In fact, one of my favorite short stories, The Company of Wolves, is a loose adaptation of the aforementioned tale. While I can’t call Little Dead Rotting Hood a favorite, I really appreciate how they were able to create a unique story while implicitly maintaining key elements of the original tale. More often than not the important visuals and motifs are present. Unfortunately, the pacing of the events is a little slow and really makes the film feel empty.
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Any time I get a double feature, the first thing that comes to mind is that these two movies don’t know it, but they are now in competition with one another in my eyes. It was that way for Grindhouse as well as originals subsequent sequels. This time was no different in my eyes, and after screening both features there is a clear victor. Which one, you ask? Well, I’m not telling at this moment. (Don’t worry, I will, but I can’t just give it up that easy, because if I do, what assurance do I have that you will watch both films?) However, I’m sure my preference will become quite clear once you start reading.
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“Millions of people around the world believe we have been visited in the past by extraterrestrial beings. What if it were true? Did ancient aliens really help to shape our history? And if so, what if there were clues left behind, something hiding in plain sight? What if we could find that evidence?”

Ever since Eric von Daniken released his speculative book and its subsequent 1970 film Chariots of the Gods, there has been an entire field of study created around something commonly called Ancient Astronaut Theory, the idea is that extraterrestrials have visited many of our ancient civilizations.
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“Four weeks ago, an invisible dome crashed down on Chester’s Mill, cutting us off from the rest of the world. The dome has tested our limits, forcing each of us to confront our own personal demons… rage… grief… fear. Now, in order to survive, we must battle our most dangerous adversary… the enemy within.” 

Under The Dome began life as a Stephen King novel. The basic idea was that a mysterious clear dome isolates the town of Chester’s Mills from the rest of the world. Of course, the story was populated with King’s trademark characters that represent his own special version of Americana.
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Battle for Skyark is a hero’s journey tale without question, as the main character finds himself thrust into the said role of protecting a ragtag group of kids from perceived monsters. Sounds like a lot of responsibility for a kid, if you ask me. The type of thing that sends a person into a dark corner and makes them ball up in the fetal position. You don’t get that, exactly, but you get something similar. Rags witnesses the murders of his father and faces his exile from Skyark, the city created above the Earth following an invasion by an alien race. Upon his arrival on the abandoned planet, he finds himself thrown into the role of savior due to a prophecy which states that the boy who bears thirteen shadows (cuts on the arm sustained during the expulsion process) will lead a group of resistance fighters and take control of Skyark.
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“Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.” Romans 5:20

The quote above imparts a spiritual message which I will get back to. First, I want to talk about one of the stars of this movie, David Oyelowo (pronounced “oh-yeh-lo-wo”). Oyelowo is best known for playing Martin Luther King in the film Selma. Oyelowo had previously racked up an impressive number of supporting roles in high-profile films like Jack Reacher, Interstellar, The Butler, The Paperboy, Lincoln, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, The Help, A Raisin in the Sun, and A Most Violent Year. In a short amount of time he has demonstrated that he is one of the most skilled actors working today.
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Baby here. I’m the German Shepherd/Chow who handles security here at Upcomingdiscs. You know what puts the scowl in my growl? I’ll bet you guys all had a lot of fun over the Christmas holidays. There were probably a lot of parties to go to. We had one here at Upcomingdiscs, but don’t ask me how it was. That’s because they locked me upstairs in a bedroom the whole time. That’s right, the chief of security was locked up. Apparently I can’t be trusted when people are walking around with a lot of food. They trust me to guard thousands of dollars worth of home video equipment. I keep those Fed Ex/UPS guys in check every day. But  a meatball or a potato chip?
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I previously reviewed season 4 of The Nanny, and now it’s time to review season 5. If you are interested in the overview on everything about The Nanny and season 4 in particular, then you will have to go back and look for that review. This all about season 5, which I might suggest is the climax of the 6-season series, for whatever that’s worth. The relationship between Fran Fine and Maxwell Sheffield had been on a slow burn for four seasons, but the time was coming for a reckoning. Will Fran’s persistence and patience pay off?  I don’t want to make this too dramatic, since The Nanny is probably one of the silliest sitcoms ever made, and that’s taking into consideration that there are hundreds and hundreds of silly sitcoms.
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There is so much to enjoy when it comes to Mercury Plains. It is the first time I have seen Scott Eastwood in a starring role, Nick Chinlund provides a brilliant performance as the philosophical Captain, and each of the characters are engaging. To be clear, Scott Eastwood is the main character of the film, but his comrades have very interesting character arcs that make them unique. In fact, I think that is what I enjoyed the most from this film: the details that are not spoken directly to the audience. There are so many instances where the details in the character arcs (even Eastwood’s) are so minute, you could very well miss them.
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Scott Adkins is one of those actors that I’m surprised hasn’t quite hit the mainstream success he deserves.  In the late 80’s and 90’s this is a guy who would have been an action superstar who would have crushed such icons as Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren.  It seems that somehow Adkins has been lost amongst the glut of superhero films; he’s one of the true great tough guys who even does most of his own stunts, which is surprising, since some actors these days can’t function on set without their own personal chef and have stand-ins when their face is not on screen.  Close Range is the new release for Adkins that once again shows off his martial arts skills while leaving a high body count in his wake.
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Over the years it’s become a bit of a trend to read headlines discussing a pit-bull attack. Sure, it’s been known to be an aggressive breed, but I tend to be in the camp that believes it’s the owner who truly reflects a dog’s behavior.  Another unsettling trend that has been in the news lately is the abuse inflicted upon these animals, whether it is to “toughen” the dog up for fighting or simply that the dog was an unfortunate object that a person decided to unleash their cruelty upon.  I note this not to attempt to make any social commentary, but instead to set up this film that tackles both sides of the coin when it comes to pit bulls, and it just so happens to be based upon a true story. 
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