Archive Page 137
June 8th, 2019 by Gerard Iribe
A hilarious cult favourite from director Robert Zemeckis (The Back to the Future Trilogy, Who Framed Roger Rabbit), Used Cars is a high-octane comic salute to the super salesmen whose persuasive pitches transformed rattling wrecks into your dream car. Kurt Russell (Escape from New York, Big Trouble in Little China) is Rudy Russo, the top salesmen at the New Deal used car lot run by Luke Fuchs (Jack Warden). Caught up in a crazy feud between Luke and his brother Roy (also played by Warden) who runs the rival car lot across the street, Rudy must put his grifting skills into overdrive as the battle for sales supremacy escalates into all-out war! Under-appreciated on release, Used Cars is now recognized as one of the funniest comedies of the 1980s. Eureka Classics is delighted to present Used Cars in its UK debut on Blu-ray. Continue reading ‘‘Used Cars’ [Eureka Classics] on Blu-ray & DVD August 12, 2019!’
June 7th, 2019 by Gerard Iribe
In The Public an unusually bitter Arctic blast has made its way to downtown Cincinnati and the front doors of the public library where the action of the film takes place. At odds with library officials over how to handle the extreme weather event, some homeless patrons turn the building into a shelter for the night by staging an “Occupy” sit in. What begins as an act of civil disobedience becomes a stand-off with police and a rush-to-judgment media constantly speculating about what’s really happening. This David versus Goliath story tackles some of our nation’s most challenging issues, homelessness and mental illness and sets the drama inside one of the last bastions of democracy-in-action: your public library. Continue reading ‘‘The Public’ on Blu-ray & DVD July 2, 2019!’
June 6th, 2019 by Aaron Neuwirth
After finding unquestionable success with Get Out, Jordan Peele is back with Us. As writer, director, and producer, Peele is in full control here, and he has used his power as a filmmaker to deliver another fresh, scary, and darkly humorous film. More than simple descriptors, however, is seeing how Us moves into territory that has very little in common with Peele’s previous film. Rather than deliver another contained social thriller speaking to the ills of race relations taken to an extreme, here is an expansive look at the crumbling of the American experience made possible by the darker sides of the human condition. After earning rave reviews and a hefty amount of money at the box office, Us now arrives on Blu-ray with a nice set of extras to help a viewer explore the film even further.
Continue reading ‘Us (Blu-ray Review)’
June 6th, 2019 by Brandon Peters
The Universal Horror Collection: Volume 1 from Scream Factory may have had a name change as well as key art facelift since its original announcement (Then the “Boris Karloff/Bela Lugosi Collection), but the film inside remain the same. In fact, we are probably benefiting from that change as this looks like a series with no limitations now. Exciting are the possibilities and directions it could take. This collection features 4 non-Classic Monster films featuring Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff together, complete with some new commentaries and featurettes. For vintage horror nuts like myself, this is a very exciting and big sublicensing deal for Scream Factory. You’ll be able to add it to your shelf on June 18th.
Continue reading ‘Universal Horror Collection: Volume 1 (Blu-ray Review)’
June 5th, 2019 by Brandon Peters
Exactly five years ago (to the day of this film and the other’s release), during my weekly wishlist articles, I made the request that the two 1970s Shaft sequels be released on Blu-ray. And thanks to the new film opening in theaters next week (The third film in the series to be titled merely as Shaft), Warner Archive Collection has scored another win and scratched yet another title from the wishlist. Shaft’s Big Score! and the final film of the original trilogy, Shaft In Africa, made their way to the Blu-ray format on May 21st. For this review, we’ll be focusing on Shaft In Africa, which capped off the character’s run theatrically in the 1970s (There were some forgotten TV movies), with a more genre-embracing tale.
Continue reading ‘Shaft In Africa (Blu-ray Review)’
June 5th, 2019 by Brandon Peters
Exactly five years ago (to the day of this film and the other’s release), during my weekly wishlist articles, I made the request that the two 1970s Shaft sequels be released on Blu-ray. And thanks to the new film opening in theaters next week (The third film in the series to be titled merely as Shaft), Warner Archive Collection has scored another win and scratched yet another title from the wishlist. Shaft’s Big Score! and the final film of the original trilogy, Shaft In Africa, made their way to the Blu-ray format on May 21st. For this review, we’ll be focusing on Shaft’s Big Score!, the follow up to the original, breakout (And Academy Award winning) classic!
Continue reading ‘Shaft’s Big Score! (Blu-ray Review)’
June 5th, 2019 by Brian White
Dark Phoenix, the end of Fox’s X-Men franchise, can’t come and go quick enough in my opinion. The longevity of Fox’s X-Men pictures produced some outstanding entries like Logan, The Wolverine, Day’s of Future Past, First Class and the very first two releases. However, it also produced some serious stinkers like the third one (Last Stand), the Wolverine’s origin story and most recently Apocalypse. I could honestly care less if New Mutants EVER sees the light of day, but we’re not here to talk about that one. We’re here to chat about Dark Phoenix, a redundant story that I don’t think is worth re-telling, but we’re here again nonetheless this time with the younger class (their final onscreen adventure together). I know many of you, like my good friend Robert, will consider what I just said as blasphemy, but that’s the power of opinion. We’re each capable of forming one. I paid homage to the ones I loved, but I’m ready for this franchise to die and what better way than a fiery death with a character I could care less about, Jean Grey. Continue reading ‘Dark Phoenix Soars Above My Low Expectations (Movie Review)’
June 4th, 2019 by Corey M. Crosdale
Godzilla King of the Monsters has been one of my most anticipated movies of the year, besides Avengers: Endgame of course. The trailers alone solidified my need to see this film opening weekend. Though the previous installment, Godzilla 2014, did leave me slightly disappointed I was still ecstatic to see this film. So what can I say about Godzilla King of the Monsters? This film is cranked up to eleven! Godzilla’s atomic breath is on full blast against the fearsomely ferocious Monster Zero. The radioactive lizard king and his fellow titans chew up the scenery with every thunderous step, concussive wingbeat, and nostalgic screech! On the ground level we follow some new and some returning human characters among the turmoil. Though the film features a heavy hitting cast with performances from Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown, and more, it is clear that the titans are the true show stealers. This is not to say that the human characters weren’t as imposing, but they are a little… well let’s drop in to the no fly zone and see what its all about!
Continue reading ‘Godzilla King of the Monsters & The Age of The Titans Has Come! (Movie Review)’
June 4th, 2019 by Blu-ray Brian
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment announced today that 1984’s Gremlins will be released on Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack and Digital on October 1. Directed by Joe Dante (Innerspace, The ‘Burbs)) and written by Chris Columbus (The Goonies, Young Sherlock Holmes), the film stars Zach Galligan as Billy Peltzer, Phoebe Cates as Kate Beringer, and Hoyt Axton and Randall Peltzer, along with the voices of Frank Welker as Stripe and Howie Mandel as Gizmo. Continue reading ‘Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Announces Gremlins on 4K UHD!’
June 3rd, 2019 by Gerard Iribe
Based on Savannah Knoop’s memoir Girl Boy Girl: How I Became JT Leroy, this captivating true story goes beyond the headlines to tell the story of the most compelling literary ‘hoax’ of recent times. Laura Albert (Laura Dern) writes as her “avatar,” a disenfranchised young queer man named JT LeRoy. When her debut novel becomes a best-seller and JT becomes the darling of the literary world, she comes up with a unique solution to preserve her anonymity but give life to her nom-de-plume. Enter her boyfriend’s androgynous fun-loving sister Savannah Knoop (Kristen Stewart), who connects with Laura’s punk, feminist, outsider universe and agrees to be JT in the public eye. Together, they embark on a wild ride of double lives, infiltrating the Hollywood and literary elite, only to discover who they are while pretending to be someone else. Continue reading ‘JT Leroy (Blu-ray Review)’
June 3rd, 2019 by Brandon Peters
Marvel continues to soar to billion dollar heights with every fresh turn it takes. Boasted by them as their first female led film (Though, I mean, let’s not forget The Wasp), it was a nice box office set before Avengers: Endgame’s major spike a few months later. In fact, Captain Marvel continued to do solid business alongside Endgame, improving its business. It arrives here on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray on June 11th (Already on digital), yet was still playing at my local AMC last weekend when I was at the theater. Our theatrical to home video window has become a very quick and literal 90 days now. So, either go see it again, or order yourself a copy for your home. You currently have that option for one of the biggest movies of the year. Continue reading ‘Captain Marvel (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)’
June 3rd, 2019 by Gregg Senko
Mash-ups can be a slippery slope. It’s certainly not a new concept as I’ve been a fan of them since the early 90’s when I read Magnus: Robot Fighter vs. Predator, courtesy of Valiant and Dark Horse. That mini-series was, at least at the moment, exceptional. I haven’t revisited it since so who knows if it stood the test of time, but I digress. Others, like Robocop vs. Terminator, have been less memorable, though the title alone was enough to draw me in. In December 2015, another epic-sounding mash-up in comics arrived in the form of Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The series proved to be an entertaining read that has since spawned two sequel mini-series, the latter of which, Batman vs. TMNT III, is ongoing as we speak. However, if that wasn’t enough to whet your Dark Knight/reptilian ninjutsu palette, then certainly a feature-length animated film would be.
Continue reading ‘Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)’
June 2nd, 2019 by Gerard Iribe
Adapted from Émile Zola s novel of the same name, L’Argent is an all-too-timely work of filmmaking loosely based off of the 1882 collapse of Union Générale bank, which subsequently crashed the stock market and plunged France into a decade-long recession. Helmed by Marcel L. Herbier, one of the original members of French cinema s avant-garde, the film uses Zola s tale of mid-1800s stock market speculation to comment on the 1920s greed-fueled fascination with global economies. The story centers on the unscrupulous Nicolas Saccard, played by Pierre Alcover, who makes a bad bet, loses his societal standing and his mistress, and tries to recoup it all by backing an aviator with a daredevil plan to cross the Atlantic to exploit raw materials in the New World. Continue reading ‘‘L’Argent’ [Flicker Alley] on Blu-ray & DVD July 30, 2019!’
June 2nd, 2019 by Gerard Iribe
Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean is one of the wonderful highlights of an under-appreciated chapter of director Robert Altman’s career. Between the box office disappointment of Popeye (1980) and the explosive comeback of The Player (1992), Altman returned to lower-budgeted, independent filmmaking, often boldly experimenting with how theatre work could be inventively adapted for cinema and television. This period of Altman’s oeuvre also includes such masterworks as Streamers (1983), Secret Honor (1984), and Tanner ’88 (1988), but was initiated by Come Back, and this funny, touching film of the play by Ed Graczyk (who adapted it for the screen) is a triumph. Continue reading ‘‘Come Back To The 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean’ [Eureka! Masters of Cinema] on Blu-ray & DVD July 22, 2019!’
June 2nd, 2019 by Gerard Iribe
Director Elia Kazan’s first film, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn shows that the filmmaker’s great empathy for his characters was already quite evident at this early juncture, and this endures as one of the most moving Hollywood dramas of the 1940s. Based on Betty Smith’s novel a bestseller in the U.S. but also one of the most popular books among American soldiers overseas in WWII Kazan’s debut is a sensitive, masterful adaptation. Set among Brooklyn tenements circa 1912, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a portrait of the Nolans, an Irish-American family living in financially challenging circumstances, often made worse by father Johnny’s drinking and employment problems. But matriarch Katie keeps the family together during all of the obstacles, caring for son Neeley and daughter Francie, as well as Katie’s outspoken, oft-married sister Sissy. But just as Francie’s gift for writing opens up new avenues, more tragic developments test the family’s resolve. Continue reading ‘‘A Tree Grows in Brooklyn’ [Eureka! Masters of Cinema] on Blu-ray & DVD July 22, 2019!’
May 31st, 2019 by Brandon Peters
Shout! Studios continues to emerge and grow and their latest, I’ll Take Your Dead is arriving on Blu-ray June 4th. Directed by Chad Archibald (Bite, The Heretics), and starring Aidan Devine (A History of Violence, Suicide Squad), Ava Preston (DC’s Shazam!, The Kennedys), Jess Salgueiro(Workin’ Moms, Mary Kills People), and Ari Millen (Orphan Black, Rupture), the home entertainment release of I’ll Take Your Dead includes a behind-the-scenes featurette that takes a look at the production of the film along with cast and crew interviews, as well as a script-to-screen comparison piece, deleted scenes, and trailers. Continue reading ‘I’ll Take Your Dead (Blu-ray Review)’
May 31st, 2019 by Brandon Peters
There was no way this 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray journey through the 1989-1997 Batman series wasn’t dive-bombing into a brick wall to finish things off. As we all know, its inevitable that we come to a close on the notoriously despised Batman & Robin. Like the rest of the films in the series, it has been given a proper, caring restoration and charged up with a brand new Dolby Atmos track to pulsate through your viewing area. Along with that, the film carries over the outstanding previous bonus material found on the 2005 Special Edition DVD release (And subsequent Blu-ray editions for that matter). For the fans (?) of this film and the Batman completists (“Well, I might as well complete the set, right?”), the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray of Batman & Robin debuts on the illustrious format June 4th (Next week).
Continue reading ‘Batman & Robin (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)’
May 30th, 2019 by Brandon Peters
One of the all-time classic sci-fi films comes to Blu-ray on July 9, when Scream Factory launches This Island Earth into orbit. Extras are plentiful, and include new audio commentary with author Robert Skotak, a new audio interview with film historian David Schecter, a new interview with filmmaker Luigi Cozzi, a new text-based gallery of information titled Facts about Perspecta Stereophonic Sound by Bob Furmanek, and much, much more.
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. Continue reading ‘THIS ISLAND EARTH Can Be Yours On Blu-ray July 9th!’
