The Blood Of Fu Manchu / The Castle Of Fu Manchu – Double Feature (Blu-ray Review)
You know, I’m the guy who writes that annual Blu-ray Wishlist column (Which, I did regularly for a year). I’m a proponent on getting everything in film history bumped up to the next great format. For it to be available in the highest quality presentation possible. However, some things…maybe…maybe they don’t need that sort of effort. Maybe they were fine just ending their run on DVD. Those play in 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray players and pretty much anywhere still to this day. What’s with this intro? Because two of the Fu Manchu movies from the 1960s are coming to Blu-ray from Blue Underground and I still don’t have True Lies yet. Sure, I know Jess Franco is a popular cult director. And…yeah, they have Christopher Lee, but they are also a whitewashing embarrassment of history. That’s not even their biggest crime. They’re pretty much unwatchable. But, here, I’ve done my best for this new set, apologies on the lack of enthusiasm. Continue reading ‘The Blood Of Fu Manchu / The Castle Of Fu Manchu – Double Feature (Blu-ray Review)’
Despite loving all things sci-fi and horror Life is a movie I had been against ever since I saw the very first trailer on television last year. I felt like it was such a ripoff of Alien that it did not even warrant my attention. However, the one thing I could not deny was what an absolutely fantastic cast it has. I have to admit that having Rebecca Ferguson (not related to 
Two years ago, one of the dumber, bad ideas came to fruition: The LEGO Movie. Sure, really young kids would go and enjoy, yeah. But, they can deserve better. Low and behold, it was BETTER and one of the best films of the year and animated films of the last ten years. Everything was awesome! One of the scene stealers in the film was Batman, and so, logically, they gave him a spin off. While slapping a big LEGO logo on it, it did prove you can have multiple Batmen and Batman movies in pop culture at the same time. And yeah, there may be darkness and no parents, but the film was loaded and became a big box office hit. LEGO is now building a quality animated brand with a unique touch to their humor. I had no desire to see a LEGO Ninjago movie (I don’t even know exactly anything about it other than…Ninjas?), but I’m on board and that trailer was pretty hilarious. Here now, lets look back at The LEGO Batman Movie, coming June 13th to 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray. 
Scream Factory and IFC Midnight are back at it again with another supernatural horror pairing. This time its in the form of British horror film Don’t Knock Twice, A wild supernatural shocker that delivers a barrage of nonstop jolts and searing nightmare images. The film stars Katee Sackhoff (Whom I’ve long been a fan of) and Lucy Boynton (Whom I’ve recently become a fan of via the terrific Sing Street) as a mother-daughter duo. Please note that this one has the Walmart exclusive tag on it, and you’ll only be able to get it there starting June 6th. If you’re that anti-Walmart, or don’t need it right away, you’ll be able to buy it pretty much everywhere else that carries Scream Factory titles on August 1st. So, if you pre-order it from me from the Amazon link below (Coming soon) like a good reader, your copy won’t get to you until August 1st. 
In the fall of 2015, everyone was taken by surprise by the popularity of the Keanu Reeves pure action film, John Wick. The Keanu Reeves-led film featured what seemed like a silly premise, but played into becoming an all timer thanks to some fresh, innovative and game changing action choreography that felt a bit of a return to form for the low budget affair. While the first one was a pretty modest hit, Lionsgate rolled the dice with this sequel, John Wick: Chapter 2 and were rewarded when this one built of the previous film at the box office, while continuing on with the critical praise. Wick’s second outing will be available on the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray format (Just like the first, which looked LOVELY) on June 13th. Get your pre-order in now by clicking on the Amazon link at the bottom of the page following the review. 
Robevrt Zemeckis and Bob Gale are most known for their collaborative effort on the Back To The Future trilogy (Also Used Cars). Before that, they had a script lying around called The Looters. That film wound up getting picked up many years later by Walter Hill when he was looking for a thriller to pick up. The name later changed to Trespass because of the LA Riots and it not wanting any association with it. A positively review film, it didn’t make much at the box office. However, its a piece of the legendary Walter Hill’s filmography and Shout! Factory continues their love the director by giving Trespass a Collector’s Edition release under the Shout Select line. You can pre-order from the Amazon link below to have yourself a copy of the film when Trespass arrives on Blu-ray for the very first time on June 27. 
This make sense, but still caught me by surprise when Scream Factory announced not just a release, but a Collector’s Edition of The Lawnmower Man. I’m just so used to seeing trashy cheap, $5 dump bin double feature DVDs of the two Lawnmower Man films together. Now, the film gets to see some love and get some depth after all these years. People forget, but this was a big hit at the box office back in the early 1990s. Heck, virtual reality is back in vogue now, so I’m sure there’s some studio exec drooling at the thought of maybe trying to do this movie again. Anyway, lets revisit this first film and forget the second ever existed shall we? Scream Factory will be releasing it on June 20th and you can pre-order it using the Amazon link below. And since we are on early 90s technology-based horror, I wonder what Ghost In The Machine is up to these days (Hint hint, wink wink). 
I remember seeing trailers for Snitch like crazy during The Walking Dead on Sunday nights like crazy. Why? It had series star Jon Bernthal in the movie (Who was very popular when he was on the show). So, I guess they were hoping that would get people out to see it? But, lets not fool ourselves, folks. The main attraction here is global superstar Dwayne Johnson! I’m pretty sure there wasn’t a lot of hype for this movie when it came out, but then it surprised people by being a pretty solid film. Lionsgate has a film with The Rock in it, so they are going to use it, and use it they will when the film debuts on the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray format on June 6th alongside the likes of their cult classic comic book film, Dredd. Pre-order below to make sure you have yourself a copy to complete your Dwayne Johnson collection. 
Its kind of a crazy world that we live in now with some of our legendary directors. William Friedkin (Director of The Exorcist and The French Connection) can’t get funding to make films, Martin Scorsese’s big reunion with Robert DeNiro and Joe Pesci that also has Al Pacino will be on Netflix and someone like Walter Hill has his movies coming straight to video. Granted, Hill’s track record of late hasn’t been quite there, its just odd to think of sometimes. The Assignment, starring Michelle Rodriguez, Sigourney Weaver and Tony Shalhoub, is his first film in four years, too. This, following the Sylvestor Stallone / Jason Mamoa misfire Bullet To The Head (Which is actually kind of enjoyable in a trashy way) finds the director taking a unique spin on the noir/hitman film. You can check out the movie when it comes to Blu-ray June 6th. 
One of the biggest cult films of the modern era has to be Lionsgate’s Dredd. The film surprised many and was well liked by those who saw it. It’s a comic and revival property that didn’t really take the world by storm though at the box office. It pretty much wound up breaking even at the box office. Fans have been persistently pushing for a sequel, but you gotta understand for Lionsgate its pretty risky. Karl Urban still gets questions and talks about it, but who knows what will come. Right now, word is that it will now be TV series. Lionsgate is respecting the fans here though, and dropping Dredd onto the 4K Ultra-HD format very early on, acknowledging that yes, it is indeed one of their more popular titles on home video. You can pre-order from the Amazon link at the end of the review to have yours waiting for you in your mailbox on June 6th when it releases. 
While Michael Schultz’s comedy film Car Wash has had the legacy of a cult classic (Deeming it a perfect match for a distributor like Shout! Factory), the soundtrack from the film at the time of release was anything but. The 1976 movie’s songs got lots of spins on the radio, sold plenty of records and won a Grammy award (among others) for the music featured in the film. Of course, everyone knows the Disco/Funk era staple title track. Hell, just seeing the word “car wash” might have it play in your head or have you clapping your hands. Mediocre reviews for the film itself didn’t stop people from revisiting it or it finding itself a solid fan base that grew over the years. On June 20th, Shout! Factory is finally getting it to make the jump to Blu-ray. You can get your car washed today or pre-order it by clicking the Amazon link below. 
Sure, plenty of time has passed and comedy has come a long way and changed since the 1970s and 1980s, but Cheech and Chong have been lacking incredibly when it comes to the Blu-ray format. These Latino stoner brothers were a staple of their time and are much better than just the Corsican Brothers that lies on Olive Films release. That’s also easily one of their weakest efforts. Growing up in the 1990’s, these guys were still a staple. Stuff like Up In Smoke (Their debut, which, wow, how is this not out yet) and Nice Dreams were a must back when I was growing up. My personal favorite of the bunch was the first one I ever saw, which is what I’m here to talk about about today, Next Movie. Shout! Factory is putting it out via their Shout Select line. You can make sure you have it by the June 13th release date by pre-ordering it on the Amazon link below. 
When it comes to author Hunter S. Thompson, most have an image already in their head. They picture a guy wearing rather leisurely golf enthusiast-like clothes, smoking a cigarette from an elongated holder while wearing aviator style sunglasses and barking out weird nonsensical silliness while accompanied by an equally dumb mustached companion. And the quickest go-to thought of the man is usually the depiction done by Johnny Depp in the Terry Gilliam Film Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas (The “bat country” line being a very popular quote.). But, did you youngins know that Depp was merely the 2nd to play Hunter S. Thompson? Bill Murray did it 18 years prior in the film, Where The Buffalo Roam. Accompanied by Peter Boyle, they marked the adventures of the author in the late 1960s leading into the 70s. Shout! Factory, via the Select line, will be recovering this one from film history and extending it to Blu-ray on June 6th. 
As I just finished a review of Beauty and the Beast’s jump from Disney animated classic to live action blockbuster, I turn back to the past of the Mouse House’s animated legends. Bambi! One wonders if they’d ever tackle this tale with the gusto and fully lifelike CG animation of The Jungle Book and (One assumes) the upcoming The Lion King. A deer is not as exciting as a Lion or other exotic jungle animals, but…well…it could work. Make people fall in love with Thumper all over again and shed that tear and explain to the young one what happened when Bambi hears that loud blast of a rifle in the distance while escaping in the woods. Or, you can just go back and check out the original classic in this new Disney Signature Edition Blu-ray. It features some new stuff and will be available to own (again) on Blu-ray June 6th! 
