Knives Out (4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray Review)
When it comes to modern filmmakers, Rian Johnson is an instant ticket purchased no matter what he’s doing. He’s proven over and over a knowledgeable student of film and a clever, thoughtful filmmaker with a fantastic ideology in the world of story craft and character work. The fact that this guy went and tackled an Agatha Christie style murder mystery is even more delicious and exciting. Just hearing of Knives Out, you knew this would be special and then the trailer made it one of the most exciting releases of the year. And it proved to be that old school star-led programmer people had been clamoring for as it continued to make a leggy run at the box office (Even, funny enough, surpassing The Rise of Skywalker in regular daily grosses late into its run). It found itself nominated for an Oscar, but could have easily been worthy of many more. The film is now available on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray (Apologies, review copies were sent out late for it), and you can order from the Amazon Associates link following the review.
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When it comes to end of the year “Best” (or as I like to say, “Favorite”) lists, many of us looked toward Sam Mendes 1917 as a glaring omission as it had not opened in theaters near our residency. And I’ll be damned if the first time I watch something like this is on an overly compressed, watermarked behind on the times format DVD screener. To the luck of some of the other films that DID get included on my Top Films of 2019 list, they were grateful for my snobbery as some of them were included where they may have been given an unfortunate bump. 1917 would easily have moved into my top ten and shaken the list up had it been able to open wide before I wrote my list (I believe it came out just a week after mine published). It is one of the great theatrical experiences of this millennium and I hope people truly find themselves immersed at home (At least watch it on a damn TV folks, please don’t do this on your phone, tablet or laptop). You’ll be able to watch it in the comfort of said home when it arrives on March 24th.
In 2003, DC Comics did a total 180 with the world’s most popular superhero. The mega publisher released a three-issue mini-series titled Superman: Red Son. The Mark Millar-written tale (also known for his work on Kick-ass) could be construed as a “what if” in the sense that instead of Kal-El landing in Kansas after the destruction of Krypton, his escape pod crashed in the Soviet Union. Clark Kent is a name you won’t see in this story. Superman, however, is a name you’ll hear as he serves under USSR communist leader Josef Stalin in DC’s latest animated feature, Superman: Red Son directed by Sam Liu.
As a kid, Charlie’s Angels was always a staple in my after-school viewing. Between soaps and the courtroom drama of Judge Judy, the angels always made an appearance. In my teen years, I was given the modern retread of the show in the movie from 2000 with Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu and Drew Barrymore. The first movie was fun, funny and well made. While not critically well received, audiences loved it and it spawned a terrible sequel that still managed to win over audiences. Now, here we are 20 years later and here is the home release of Charlie’s Angels. All joking aside, this film didn’t do well with critics or audiences. I can’t say I disagree with the gripes, but I was also pleasantly surprised by how much I ended up enjoying the film. More on that below! Be sure to click on the paid Amazon link below to order your copy of Charlie’s Angels that will be released March 10th!
I have been living in Austin, TX now for over seven years and I have yet to attend the infamous SXSW film/music festival. Is that wrong of me? I just don’t want to contend with all the mad traffic that event brings to the area, which in my opinion can’t appropriately accommodate an event of this size anyway. However, I mention this event only because that’s where A Quiet Place first premiered two years ago. A month later it opened theatrically wide to rave reviews from critics, moviegoers and even Hollywood actors themselves praising the film for its smart moves and breathtaking scares. I remember one famous actor even said he saw it three times and was on the radio encouraging all moviegoers to go see it. Needless to say I was pumped to see this one theatrically. I mean how could all these people be wrong about it, right? So without further ado let’s talk some A Quiet Place down below. What say you? It’s getting a Mondo X Steelbook release on the 4K UltraHD Blu-ray format on March 10th and surprise…surprise…a 
The film debut of director Melina Matsoukas, Queen & Slim, is the kind of film you swear you’ve seen before. You think that way at first. But as you delve deeper into the story and are sucked into the visuals, the music, the style and the wonderful acting, you are given the gift of something new entirely. Queen & Slim has turned out to be quite a surprise. Read more in depth below, and click the (Paid) link below to preorder your copy. Queen & Slim releases on March 3rd.
Midway is a movie that director Roland Emmerich has been trying to make since the days of Godzilla. Back then, the powers that be weren’t so keen on seeing a remake of a forgettable 70’s film about a huge battle in World War II. Coming back to now, and we have the long-imagined film. The question is, was it worth the wait? Check out the fine details all about Midway below. Click the link at the end to grab yourself a copy. We use those links to keep these reviews coming!
Jojo Rabbit is one of those films that I unfortunately missed out on seeing last year in the theater. However, if I would have, this one would have definitely found a home in my Top 10 Films of 2019 
In 2013, Frozen launched itself into quite the phenomenon that Disney hadn’t seen from a Princess movie in decades. Elsa climbed atop a pedestal with Belle, Ariel, Jasmine, Snow White, Aurora and others. And she did so in a very new and exciting way. Everyone felt the fever of “Let It Go” and the other tunes that masterfully built up one of the best collection of showtunes for a musical in eons (“Do You Want To Build A Snowman” is my personal favorite, though “Love Is An Open Door” offers a lot!). Hell, I am an avid lover of Frozen, despite my children doing their best to try and tire me of it. Unlike those other princesses, have a huge hit movie mean Elsa was getting a sequel instead of just moving on to the next princess (Which they did as well with Moana). Six years later, Frozen II was unveiled to the world and became an even bigger hit than its predecessor. You be able to venture “Into The Unknown” with Anna, Else, Olaf, Kristoff and Sven when it arrives on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray, standard Blu-ray and DVD February 25th.
Marielle Heller’s A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood was one of 2019’s best reviewed and praised films while also being a box office success story. The film warmed and won over both critics and audiences alike, and when you think of who the subject of the film is, its just kind of fitting that this would be a film where everyone gets along in times when there seem to be many anti-critic enthusiasts out there. A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood only found itself nominated for Best Supporting Actor (Tom Hanks as Fred Rogers) at the recent Academy Awards ceremony, the award ultimately going to Brad Pitt for his role as Cliff Booth in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood. Sony will be putting the film onto 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray (With the overblown “IMAX Enhanced!” tag; it just means it has a DTS:X audio track). The film is available now, having been release on February 18th. The Amazon purchase link in this review is a paid Associate’s Account.
There was a time when the old Brian would have found such a movie like Ford v Ferrari to be an absolute wet dream. Up until about two years ago my world literally revolved around my 2006 Mustang GT. She, affectionately named Dark Angel after Jessica Alba’s failed TV show back in the day, was everything to me. And I mean everything.
Boyz N The Hood is one of those quintessential genre movies. More than just merely a “Black Film”, Boyz centered around universal themes, but those themes are turned on their ears by the new landscape presented by visionary director John Singleton. The characters, the setting, the music and the mood are all such a huge part of the enjoyment of this film. The film itself is such a huge iconic moment for 90’s cinema and for people of color who lived these lives. The film was announced for a 4K disc late in 2019, and to my surprise there were a huge amount of 4K enthusiasts as excited as I was to see this announcement. Boyz N’ The Hood is available now for purchase, and you can get your copy at the paid link below!
As we all know, Doctor Sleep is the continued story of Danny Torrance, the tortured son of Jack in The Shining. We are following him on his own journey into the madness. What overtook his father once has lived in him for the last 40 years. There was a time when Danny couldn’t fight those frightening images. He was afraid to face those who tried to steal his shine. We learned a little bit about The Shining from Dick Halloran in the first film, but here, we get further in-depth on the subject. Just like this review! Look for far more on The Shining via Doctor Sleep, in stores this Tuesday.
While it feels a lot longer to me than just a mere 10 years Shutter Island has always held a warm spot in my heart. Both the book and movie adaptation brought to us by Martin Scorsese managed to thrill and excite me. Truth be told I just revisited the film on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray this past summer by acquiring an Australian import of it. I don’t know why, but I didn’t think Paramount would ever deliver a U.S. release. Obviously I was so wrong. If I would have just had a little patience, I could have saved myself some bones last year. However, I digress. Shutter Island is officially on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray in the U.S. and I couldn’t be happier! Let’s discuss the film and pertinent specifics down below. 
