Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on February 15th, 2019
It is interesting to see two or more of a director's works in a short period of time. One sees similarities, differences, and how the filmmaker hones his craft as they improve with every production. Masaaki Yuasa is certainly one of those directors, and if you enjoyed my review on Night is Short, Walk on Girl, then you will want to go ahead and read my review today on Lu Over the Wall. While there are similarities, I can safely say that is quite the departure from the previous film. Let us take a look in the animated world of merfolk and the people who live around them.
A boy taps his fingers next to a microphone for an Internet streaming session as we read the comments below his video. There seems to be a lot of interest below his post including the potential for some band-mates should he ever want to expand his horizons. We soon meet the boy named Kai as he shuffles downstairs to have breakfast with his grandpa and father.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on February 14th, 2019
Shout Factory is at it again, releasing yet another cool and unappreciated film from the past, so hopefully a new audience can possibly embrace this fun, punk-rock, exploitation gem. Writer and director Penelope Spheeris, who created the brilliant documentary The Decline of Western Civilization (1981), followed her documentary with the 1984 film Suburbia. It’s no surprise that she would follow her punk documentary with a low-budget film that delves into the lives of kids who are entwined in the punk scene. Seeing how Roger Corman is listed as a producer on the film, it should come as no surprise that this is shot on a low budget; this is one of those times where cheap goes a long way in setting the tone for a film and keeps the look of the film honest. But is it worth taking a trip through Suburbia?
The opening sequence of the film has Sheila (Jennifer Clay) hitchhiking and being picked up by a young mother who has her child with her. They are driving along through a rough area when the car gets a flat, and the passengers have no choice but walk to find a pay phone. It’s while waiting for a payphone that we see the young child get attacked by a wild dog. It’s a random and violent act, but as you continue watching you can see that there is a message hidden in this savage attack, and it’s also setting us up for the story that follows.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 12th, 2019
"Is this the real life or is this just fantasy?"
I think even Queen's biggest fans might have trouble distinguishing between the two in the Freddie Mercury/Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody. And that's absolutely OK. If you look at the film's trailers, the movie looks less like a bio-film and more like a celebration, and that's exactly the kind of experience you're going to have from beginning to end. I'm sure that a lot of film and Queen fans shared more than a little skepticism over the project. I know that I certainly did. But all of that magically disappeared when the first trailer hit the internet and we all watched in amazement as actor Rami Malek appears to be channeling the manic spirit of Queen front man Freddie Mercury down to the smallest detail. Suddenly I believed that everything was going to be OK. But just as our hopes and expectations were about to hit the ceiling, the film started gathering controversy after controversy like a snowball rolling down a steep hill in the winter. Everyone already had an opinion before the film was even finished. For months the web has been filled with issue after issue, and it all seemed to threaten the buzz we all got from the trailers. We're going to talk about those issues, to be sure. If you let any of that filtercrap keep you from checking out Bohemian Rhapsody, you're going to be missing the next best thing to actually seeing Freddie and the boys live in concert. Since that's not going to happen, this is where you want to be.
Posted in: Super Round Up by Gino Sassani on February 12th, 2019
Howdy there partners. It's that time of the week again where we take a trip down to the bunkhouse and let you know what we're going to be corralling for you guys this week. CBS breaks up the landscape with the first season of American Vandals. Fox will rock you with Bohemian Rhapsody on UHD/4K. Fox also leaves behind Widows also on UHD/4K. Up on the big screen Universal is dying for you to see Happy Death Day 2U.
And, Partners, don't forget. If you'll be making that video withdrawal from Amazon, lasso yourself one of our many links to get there. It helps keep us going here on the Upcomingdiscs ranch. Until next week, share some light with someone this week... television light, that is. Now let's get those titles rollin'!
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 11th, 2019
"When telling our story, it's impossible to separate the truth from the myth."
Isn't that always the way? The Golem attempts to reach back deep into Hebrew history and update one of the world's oldest monster stories. It's a myth very much steeped in tradition and cinema history. A golem is a creature made from clay/dirt and animated as a means of revenge. Think of it as Pumpkinhead without all of the claws and teeth. The creature has been the subject of a few films going all the way back to the classic 1915 silent film of the same name. One of the more underappreciated versions of the story appears in the 1967 Roddy McDowall film It. Of course, the original story is a cautionary tale akin to the old saying that a man intent on revenge should begin by digging two graves. It's a popular story, and it's no surprise to find that it still has legs 100 years after its first appearance in film and centuries after the traditional story. With a limited budget and an authentic Israeli team, there are some aspects of this one that just might end up worth a quick look.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on February 8th, 2019
As with probably most people in this business, I am indeed addicted to the concept of collecting movies. It should probably come as no surprise that I have well over 1,000 movies in all disc-based formats. Anybody with a rational mind should question why I have to own all the movies in a given series. Yes, I own Darkman 3, Hollow Man 2, and Bloodsport 4, among other strange and utterly awful movies. But somehow despite that completion-ist mindset, my addictions and OCDs pale in comparison to a deadly drug such as alcohol, a drug that can overtake your life and kill you in an instant. Our review today takes us to a TV movie from the 70's named Sarah T: Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic.
We start with an upbeat commercial showing a bunch of teenagers having fun with a Courey's Beer. Then we get some cold hard facts from the time period. There are 500,000 pre-teen and teenage alcoholics. Three in four teenagers have had a drink, 1 in 20 have a serious problem with alcohol, 1 in 10 of those people will become an alcoholic. But it certainly makes you popular and easygoing with your friends, or at least that's what they say, anyway.
Posted in: The Reel World by Jeremy Butler on February 8th, 2019
“With great power comes a responsibility to tell the truth.”
What do men want? For some it is money and fame; for others it may be power or prestige. However, for a majority I believe it is the love of a good woman. This debate is at the heart of the What Men Want, the Tariji P. Henson-led romantic comedy this guaranteed to have all the ladies running to the box office this weekend. I’m sure the title of this film sounds quite familiar, as it serves as a polar opposite to the 2000 Mel Gibson-led What Woman Want. Basically a rehashed plot and modernized from the female perspective, I expected the film to grow stale quite quickly, but despite my assumptions, I remained entertained the entire run of the movie, and that is due to charismatic performance of Henson and her chemistry with her love interest, the talented Aldis Hodge of Leverage fame.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on February 8th, 2019
When Robert Redford first announced that The Old Man and the Gun was going to be the last film he was going to be acting in, it became a film that shot to the top of my must-see list. Since that announcement he’s backed off on his comment, but if this were his last film, this would be one heck of a way to close out an amazing career. What writer and director David Lowery has delivered here is sort of a love letter to all of Redford’s greatest hits, and by the time the credits end, well, you simply know you’ve watched something special. It’s a film from another era, when special FX didn’t come out of a camera and cinema just was different. Most of all this film reminded me why Redford will always remain a cinematic icon, but what was missing here is the void Paul Newman left behind. This would have been a perfect film for them to both be in and ride off into the sunset together, and it’s a reminder of how many greats we have lost and those other greats who may not have passed, but it seems Hollywood just doesn’t seem to have a place for anymore.
The film is mostly a true story based on the criminal Forrest Tucker (Redford), who has spent his life in and out of prison. He’s been incarcerated 18 times, and each of those times he’s managed to find a way to escape. But the film isn’t about his entire life, but instead about when his criminal life may be coming to an end. When he meets Jewel (Sissy Spacek), he’s actually on the run after a bank heist, and he pulls over on the highway to help her when he sees her car is broken down. Of course it seems this is just a tactic to throw the cops off his tail, but the more he talks with Jewe,l you can’t be sure if that twinkle in his eye is part of the con or if he is sweet on the woman.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 7th, 2019
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 have 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, there's one thing this film doesn't have over the 1966 television short, and that is that its heart is two sizes too small.
We all know the story. The Grinch (Cumberbatch) lives high atop Mount Crumpet. He's a rather grouchy old soul, and he lives in isolation from the Whos, who live appropriately enough down in Whoville. He lives alone with his dog Max, who is the model of man's... Grinch's best friend. He manages to tolerate the bright and happy Whos from a distance except when Christmas rolls around every year. It is then that the singing and celebration get entirely out of control. So imagine his surprise when he discovers that the mayor has issued a decree to make Christmas three times bigger. For the Grinch, that can only mean three times louder. So he devises a plan to steal Christmas from the happy citizens and assure himself a nice and peaceful December 25th.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on February 7th, 2019
“Every pain needs a name.”
Despite taking several cues from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, the new Showtime series Kidding couldn’t be any further from the children’s TV show millions of kids grew up with. Instead, what Kidding offers is a front row seat where we see a man who embodies all that is wholesome, kind and optimistic dissolve into something that is emotionally broken as his sanity and life crumble around him. Kidding isn’t simply a dark comedy, but instead is the start of a man’s journey when he is confronted by tragedy and shown just how cruel the world around him is. While the show isn’t a complete romp of doom and gloom over its ten-episode first season, it still should be made clear this show is not for kids.
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