Shaft (2019) (Blu-ray Review)
Shaft made his big return to cinemas this summer, but not with much fanfare as when he did back in the summer of 2000. The Tim Story film just cleared over $20 million in box office receipts along with poor reviews from critics (Audiences metrics showed they loved it, though). Many countries only received the film as a Netflix movie though. They should have capitalized on it shortly after the 2000 entry (Which is a pretty damn good film, go seek it out) and made at least 4 of them with Samuel L. Jackson. But, here we are, with him FINALLY reprising his role 19 years later, along with bringing back the original Shaft again for good measure. Kudos to keeping the universe alive and not fully rebooting it in today’s climate. Anyway, the film will be arriving on Blu-ray September 24th, so maybe it’ll find life then and Shaft could return to us in some way, shape or form (He’s no stranger to TV, remember).
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Yesterday was a film I went into viewing with a very vague familiarity for the storyline. I knew it was something of a “what-if” story and involved the marvelous music of The Beatles. Leaving my knowledge at that, it doesn’t sound like much. I am very glad that I hadn’t been given too much of the storyline before viewing, as Yesterday proved to be my kind of movie to a T! Comedy, music, mild romance, and really engaging performances proved to be just the right medicine for me this past weekend. Below, I go in-depth on Yesterday which is hitting shelves September 24th!
Scream Factory’s release of Fear No Evil is a perfect fit for the label, being the cult sensation it once was. Truly a labor of very independent, underground filmmaking, this film has had a nice legacy in the horror genre. This almost feels like a nice home video passing of the torch considering it was an Anchor Bay title prior. This release will contain a pair of new interviews as well as the old commentary with the film’s director. You can pre-order it now using the Shout! Factory website or you can do us a solid her at Why So Blu and use the Amazon link provided below the review to land your copy (On release day, too no doubt). Either way, a big thumbs up to you and yours.
Dark Phoenix, the end of Fox’s long running X-Men franchise, can’t come and go quick enough in my opinion.
Daybreakers is a genre film that entices with a fairly interesting concept. What if somehow the world became a place where vampirism somehow became the norm and humans were the mythical beings that we never really saw. The concept is intriguing. The execution might be where the sum of its parts begin to crumble. Celebrating it’s tenth anniversary, Daybreakers made it’s 4K debut on September 10th.
My personal favorite of the DC Arrow-verse programming on the CW Network is the team up show Legends of Tomorrow. After a rough first season, the show quickly found its stride in letting loose, showcasing fun character interplay to go along with some bonkers, shameless storytelling and action. The fourth season continues these escapades as the team explores a fallout from the end of the previous season. Legends’ seasons run shorter and starts later in the year than its other brethren even though its the network’s #3 show. So, no overkill just yet. This fourth season comes out with plenty of time and includes a couple of featurettes. It hits shelves and digital stores on September 24th. They’ll be a part of the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover, but their own fifth season won’t arrive until January 2020.
Supergirl has remained one of the strongest rated shows in the CW lineup, continuing to grow and improve with every single year. Melissa Benoist and supporting cast shine year in and year out, introducing terrific guests and villains into the mix while showcasing some impressing comic book supernatural action for the small screen. As per usual, the “girl of steel” will be making the annual trip to Blu-ray with her previous season. Unfortunately it comes with the uniform bonus features found across the other CW Arrow’verse sets and nothing beholden to this show exclusively. Nonetheless, that’s fine for all the Supergirl-only fans out there and its the show you ultimately want to collect when its all said and done. You’ll be able to grab this one online and in-stores when Warner Bros releases it on September 17th. 
Scream Factory will continue to add to its still growing and insanely impressive library of John Carpenter titles with 1998’s Vampires. This film was previously available only in a limited edition from Twilight Time that sold out very quickly. There was also a popular UK release for those who didn’t nab one of those from the Indicator label over there. However, if you have either one, toss it, because that had no real bonus features and this is coming loaded with brand new material. This includes new interviews with John Carpenter, James Woods and Greg Nicotero as well as some archival stuff. Vampires is never considered among Carpenter’s best or under appreciated films, but a complete release with better understanding could elevate it to that, plus its still a fascinating film due to having an artist like John at the helm. You can pre-order the film on Shout! Factory’s website (It might still come with a poster, I don’t know) or use the Amazon link below to have it on release day, September 24th.
Disney’s remake of its 1992 animated film Aladdin is just another in the long line (and still moving down that line) of reimaginations from its vault of fairy tale classics. This year alone has 3 of them and then a sequel to one of their previous efforts still to go. Aladdin was a smashing success, earning over 1 billion dollars at the box office this summer and over $350 million in the US alone. It continued the trend of the critics and general audiences not seeing eye to eye in terms of quality either. Film writers loathe these things, while audiences are just eating them up and loving every second of it. The new Aladdin will be arriving from Disney on the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray format alonside its predecessor, the 1992 animated Aladdin, on September 10th.
Disney’s Aladdin took the longest time to arrive on Blu-ray (in the United States). But come the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray format, it’s making the jump as one of the earliest jumps of all the Disney animated epics from the 1990s. That’s thanks mostly to having its live-action remake debuting this past summer and making a boatload of money at the box office that even the Genie couldn’t have granted a wish for. And it will also be debuting on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray alongside its real people counterpart on September 10th. This new release will contain an Atmos track to go with a nice wave of new bonus features. Some old features are included, but for the rest, you’ll only be able to access and watch them if you redeem your Movies Anywhere digital copy code that comes inside the case. So, if you’re needing a hard copy of those past featurettes, you’ll have to hang onto your Diamond Edition Blu-ray. Pretty lame, I agree, but I guess I’ll take the compromise.
While Warner Bros has some more high profile cinematic shared universes in the obvious DC comics one and the Conjuring movies and their various spin-offs, one that hasn’t quite hit in the ways they’ve wanted it to (Despite delivering quality films) is the Godzilla/King Kong shared universe. Three films in now and the successes, buzz and pop culture relevancy haven’t increased or been at a level I’m sure the studio was hoping it would be growing towards. Its every likely the Godzilla vs King Kong movie will close out this short series at 4 films, but then again maybe it goes on. The 3rd film, Godzilla: King of the Monsters opened this past summer and took in only $110 million on a $170 million budget in the US. Worldwide it did $385 million, but I’m sure they were hoping (And needing) it to do probably another $100 million. And its not like this film wasn’t trying to give people what they wanted either. If you missed it, you’ll be able to check it out on Blu-ray Tuesday, August 27th.
Apocalypse Now is one of those films that you don’t even have to see to know what it’s about. Scenes are quoted and recalled all the time. It’s a feature that has yet to become a classic unmentioned. The behind-the-scenes story is just as known and fascinating as the film itself. Francis Ford Coppola nearly went insane to bring this project to life. The efforts therein are even more admirable. Apocalypse Now is a truly stunning piece of film history. The story of an Army Captain not far from his own breakdown heading up a Vietnamese river to assassinate a cult-like former Colonel is engrained in popular culture. “The horror…” of a hellish war story is on full display. This new 40th Anniversary Final Cut edition of Apocalypse Now will stand as the definitive way to experience the film at home and the presentation of this collection is a huge achievement in how to present physical media.
Reggie Dwight is an international treasure. He has been giving music to the world since the early 70’s, has amassed a gigantic fan base, and is one of popular music’s most eclectic musicians. Oh wait… something about this opening doesn’t seem right… Ah, yes…. ELTON JOHN is the name, and Rocketman is the game… uh… movie… And what a film it is! A whirlwind journey told through the eyes, ears and reminiscences of music royalty? This movie screams “see it!” from it’s first frames! Music, drama, and huge highs and lows are just a few of the things awaiting you in Rocketman. Check out more below on this incredible music fantasy biopic!
Blumhouse for the better and for the worse, is one of the studios I currently admire most in the realm of mainstream Hollywood wide release commercial films. They keep their budgets tight, low and aren’t afraid to take chances when the time is right. Jason Blum himself seems to have an ear to the crowd and a willingness to the creates to want to produce to the best for fans and introduce them to new angles as well. If a film tanks (They rarely do), its not going to sink them. Ma, the recent summer offering, is not the case here as with just a $5 million budget, the movie took in $45 million domestic and $60.5 million worldwide. That’s a big hit and big profit. And now it’s going to hit home where it’ll sure continue to rake in. You can find the Blu-ray edition of the film available on September 3rd. 
