Too Chatty Ad Astra Still Worth the Trip (Movie Review)
September 18th, 2019 by Peter Paras
Quiet, contemplative sci-fi ranks as some of the best in the genre. For many, the entry point began with Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey and has continued up to releases seen this decade. Gravity, The Martian and Arrival are stellar cinematic spectacles (Interstellar is pretty good too) concerned with the inner as well as the outer feelings of space and beyond. Director James Gray’s bid to the stars, Ad Astra, can’t quite reach their level, but this is still a must-see for anyone in love with the big-screen experience. It’s just too bad voice-over track can’t be toggled off.
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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.
Producer Sam Raimi (Evil Dead) and director Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes) deliver “a suspenseful thrill ride” (Jim Vejvoda, IGN) in CRAWL, coming to Digital September 24, 2019 and on Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand October 15 from Paramount Home Entertainment. 
Dark Phoenix, the end of Fox’s long running X-Men franchise, can’t come and go quick enough in my opinion.
A legendary action superstar teams up with a legendary funny-man when Red Heat arrives on 4K Ultra HD™ Combo Pack (plus Blu-ray™ and Digital) for the first time on October 29 from Lionsgate. Just in time for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s return to the big screen in Terminator: Dark Fate, Red Heat stars the action film superstar himself alongside James Belushi, Peter Boyle, Ed O’Ross, Academy Award® nominee Laurence Fishburne (1993, Best Actor, What’s Love Got to Do with It), and Gina Gershon. Experience four times the resolution of full HD with the 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack, which includes Dolby Vision® HDR, bringing entertainment to life through ultra-vivid picture quality. When compared to a standard picture, Dolby Vision can deliver spectacular colors never before seen on a screen, highlights that are up to 40 times brighter, and blacks that are 10 times darker. Available for the very first time in this absolutely stunning format, the Red Heat 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack will include multiple featurettes, which dive into Arnold’s action legacy and the film’s Soviet Union setting, and will be available on October 29th. 
The Blob is back in this horrific tale about a vile, malignant life-form that crashes to Earth in a cozy, rural American town called Arborville. Untroubled by conscience or intellect, the Blob does only one thing – and it does it well. It eats anything and everything that moves: men, women, and children. It wants to swallow the entire town of Arborville. The original version of the Blob thrilled and terrified movie audiences back in the 1950s. Now the oozing, gooey killer is back. On October 29, 2019, SCREAM FACTORY™ is thrilled to present THE BLOB Collector’s Edition Blu-ray. Directed by Chuck Russell (The Scorpion King), the film stars Kevin Dillon (Entourage), Shawnee Smith (SAW movies), Donovan Leitch (Glory), Jeffrey DeMunn (Billions) with Candy Clark (American Graffiti) and Joe Seneca (A Time to Kill) as Dr. Meddows. A must-have for sci-fi horror enthusiasts and movie collectors, this definitive collector’s edition contains special bonus content, including two new audio commentaries, over four hours of new interviews, and more. Preorder is available now at ShoutFactory.com. 
Be prepared: Disney’s “The Lion King,” the worldwide phenomenon that brought the Pride Lands’ iconic characters to life in a whole new way, arrives on Digital in HD and 4K Ultra HD™ and Movies Anywhere Oct.11 and physically on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray™ and DVD Oct. 22. Directed by Jon Favreau, the summer blockbuster, which reigned supreme with audiences worldwide — earning over $1 billion at the global box office and an A CinemaScore — journeys home with all-new bonus features, music videos and an exclusive extra for Digital consumers.
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.
All the demons of hell are summoned to Earth to claim “The Devil’s Bride”! Based on the celebrated novel by Dennis Wheatley, The Devil Rides Out is one of Hammer’s most accomplished and thrilling mystery horrors. On October 29, 2019, SCREAM FACTORY™ is proud to present Hammer horror cult classic THE DEVIL RIDES OUT on Blu-ray. Directed by Terence Fisher (Frankenstein Created Woman), this 1968 shocker stars Christopher Lee (Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, The Lord of the Rings), Charles Gray (Diamonds Are Forever), Nike Arrighi (Day for Night), Leon Green (Flash Gordon), Patrick Mower (Marco Polo), Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies (The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes), Sarah Lawson (The Avengers, 1966) and Paul Eddington (Good Neighbors). A must-have for movie collectors and horror enthusiasts, this definitive Blu-ray edition contains special bonus content and is now available for pre-order at ShoutFactory.com. 
Thanksgiving comes early this year! Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, available on Digital on October 15, 2019, as well as on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand on November 5, 2019, amps up the high-stakes action and sharp-edged humor like never before, taking fans down an exhilarating new road. Unforgettable franchise favorites Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson; “Skyscraper,” “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle“) and Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham; “The Meg,” “Spy“) forge an unlikely partnership that provides fresh insight into their backstories. Johnson and Statham’s “sheer movie star charisma” (Scott Mendelson, Forbes) take the action, spectacle, thrills and humor to a new level and have already earned the film more than $680 million at the global box office. 
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. 
At the end of July, Dark Horse Comics released issue #1 of a mini-series that made its debut with little fanfare. Manor Black came out on July 31st and holds this aura of a small independent film in the sense that it may not have widespread notoriety, but it serves up one very engaging story. Written by Cullen Bunn (Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe) and Brian Hurtt (The Damned), and its eerie visual tone courtesy of Tyler Crook (Harrow County), the four-issue tale is currently halfway through its release, but what is Manor Black all about?
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.
