Encapsulated Movie Reviews – Three New Indie Titles
August 2nd, 2018 by Jason Coleman
A mere trio of Indie outings critically covered this time (rest easy film fans – there are ten in the following week!), but there are some diamonds in the lesser-known movie rough. Docs on difficult musicians, plus flicks about the struggles of criminal families and a guessing game of who is the serial killer cover the three flicks via this edition of Encapsulated Movie Reviews. Check out the short opinions on 40 Years In The Making: The Magic Music Movie, Night Comes On and The Forest Of The Lost Souls all below.
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There aren’t a whole lot of reasons to watch Dead Night. There are many impressive gore effects, but there’s no genuine terror behind them. The way cinematographer Kenton Drew Johnson captures the snowy wilderness is nothing short of hypnotic and sensuous. The elegant, otherworldly work from Johnson provides the heavy lifting for a weak script.
The next film in the wonderful DCAU canon is The Death of Superman. Yes, you heard that correctly. We all know that 11 years ago they did this story with Superman: Doomsday. But, that was now over a decade ago, and now they want to do it with their current Justice League DCAU canon. Also, they aren’t cramming the whole thing into one and out to prove these things matter. That Superman Doomsday is the film that laregely got us where we are with the DCAU. This new version solely focuses on the Death portion with Reign of the Supermen to follow. You can pick this one up on August 7th, and there are different limited edition versions going around through specific retailers and the like. This review will cover the set that includes the battered and beaten Superman figurine. 
All good things must come to an end, and it was with great heart that we said farewell to Star Wars: Rebels in 2018. Before we met Rey, Finn, Poe, Kylo Ren and BB-8, we first began our Disney helmed Star Wars adventures with Ezra, Kanan, Hera, Sabine and Chopper. Upon its premiere, the follow up to producer Dave Filioni’s The Clone Wars, immediately captured that classic Star Wars vibe. The journey of Star Wars Rebels may have found some familiar faces along the way, but their story and contributions to the Rebel Alliance were all their own. You’ll be able to complete your Blu-ray Rebels collection with the new 2-Disc Season Four set, arriving on July 31st. The Force is strong with this release, so you’ll want to make sure and order yourself a copy from the Amazon link below. 
From executive producers David S. Gover and Greg Berlanti, The Hellblazer is back in an all-new twisted tale of mystery, intrigue and the occult with Constantine: City of Demons, a full-length, R-rated feature film based on the acclaimed DC animated series from CW Seed. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, Blue Ribbon Content and DC Entertainment, the action-packed movie will be distributed by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment starting October 9, 2018 on Ultra HD Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, and Digital. Constantine: City of Demons Ultra HD Blu-ray™ Combo Pack features an Ultra HD Blu-ray™ disc in 4K with HDR and a Blu-ray™ disc featuring the film; the Blu-ray™ Combo Pack features the Blu-ray
If Rodney Dangerfield once could go Back To School, then surely Melissa McCarthy can and enroll and become the Life Of The Party. That’s just what she did during the Thanos Avenger’s Infinity War box office onslaught of the summer of 2018. She managed to notch another little comedy hit under her belt as some solid counter programming during that stretch (Also hanging in there against another comedy, Overboard). Warner Bros is bringing the comedy, directed by her husband Ben Falcone, to Blu-ray (No 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray for McCarthy yet) on August 7th. The release contains the usual suspects for a comedy film (Gag Reel, Line-O-Rama) as well as the DVD version and a digital copy as well. You can pre-order yourself a copy using the Amazon link below. 
There is a slow, quiet magic to the films of Aki Kaurismäki (Le Havre, The Man Without a Past) that allows the viewer to be lulled into the idea that there is just a simple story going on with some dry humor and then it turns out one is watching a scathing indictment of society dressed up as a slow moving dramatic tale. With The Other Side of Hope, the director maintains that skill and applies it to a story about a Syrian refugee and a Finnish shirt salesperson separately attempting to change the courses of their respective lives. It is an odd film that requires attention, patience, and a likely a second viewing to fully soak it up.
Having this much fun is a crime. Team up in the action adventure when “Ocean’s 8” arrives on 4K UHD Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD Special Edition and Digital. Sandra Bullock (“Gravity,” “The Blind Side,” “The Proposal”), Cate Blanchett (“Carol,” “Blue Jasmine,” “The Aviator”), Anne Hathaway (“Les Misérables,” “Interstellar,” “The Dark Knight Rises”), Mindy Kaling (“A Wrinkle in Time,” TV’s “The Mindy Project,” TV’s “The Office”), Sarah Paulson (“12 Years a Slave,” “Mud,” TV’s “American Horror Story”), Awkwafina (“Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising,” TV’s “Tawk”), Rihanna (“Battleship,” Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets,” “Home”) and Helena Bonham Carter (“Les Misérables,” “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” “Fight Club”) team up in “Ocean’s 8.” Gary Ross (“Seabiscuit,” “The Hunger Games,” “Pleasantville”) directed “Ocean’s 8” from a screenplay he co-wrote with Olivia Milch, original story by Ross. Steven Soderbergh and Susan Ekins produced the film. Michael Tadross, Diana Alvarez, Jesse Ehrman and Bruce Berman served as executive producers, with Milch co-producing. 
Our friends at Sony Pictures Home Entertainment have hit it out of the proverbial ballpark today with the giveaway they have lined up for our readers here at Why So Blu. I know it’s a tad late, but in my opinion it’s better late than never with this giveaway bonanza! In celebration of The Equalizer being released on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray last week (see our review 
Before fans see the all-new Holmes & Watson in theaters December 21, they can revisit Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly in the comedy classic STEP BROTHERS, debuting on 4K Ultra HD and on digital in 4K on October 2 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The comedy dream team play two aimless middle-aged men still living at home, who are forced against their will to become roommates when their parents marry. Directed by Academy Award winner Adam McKay (Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay, The Big Short, 2015), STEP BROTHERS also stars Richard Jenkins, Mary Steenburgen, Adam Scott and Kathryn Hahn. 
Aquaman, the former butt of every superhero joke is no longer a laughing matter. With a reinvention of his look and character in the 2000s, he’s been brought to the live action fold a badass and played by the most manly of men Jason Momoa. With his solo feature outing due for release in December, its time to start building that awareness with the kiddos and such. And thus, he’s the new focal point of the latest LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes movie. This straight to video feature arrives on Blu-ray on July 31st. You can also pick up a limited edition version of the film that includes not an Aquaman LEGO figure but that of the Jessica Cruz iteration of Green Lantern who is also in the film. Pre-order below to entertain the kiddos (And maybe yourself) when it becomes available July 31st. 
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment presents PREDATOR, arriving on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, Digital and Movies Anywhere August 7. Deep in the jungle, several bodies have been discovered skinned and hanging from trees although who or what could have done this is a mystery. Military covert specialist Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and his team are called in to eliminate the threat, but once in the heart of the menacing jungle, they discover something far worse than they could ever have imagined, the Predator alien which has come to earth with cloaking technology, extensive combat skills and a desire to hunt humans for sport. 
Having been revisiting the Mission: Impossible franchise as of late on the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray format (our reviews 
Author Tom Clancy’s renowned CIA analyst returns this August when the new series “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan” debuts on Amazon. In anticipation, fans can catch up on all of the celebrated character’s cinematic exploits when a new 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Collection arrives on August 21, 2018 from Paramount Home Media Distribution. Featuring five 4K Ultra HD Discs, five Blu-ray Discs™, and Digital copies of each film, the JACK RYAN COLLECTION includes The Hunt For Red October (1990), Patriot Games (1992), Clear and Present Danger (1994), The Sum of All Fears (2002), and Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014).
Celebrate the newest installment of the action-packed Jurassic franchise when Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom arrives on Digital and via the digital movie app MOVIES ANYWHERE on September 4, 2018, as well as on 4K Ultra HD, 3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand on September 18, 2018, featuring more than an hour of bonus content – including Chris Pratt’s behind-the-scenes “Jurassic Journals” captured on-set. The global blockbuster from Amblin Entertainment and Universal Pictures held the No. 1 spot for four straight weeks at the international box office, and topped the North American box office for two weeks is a worldwide hit, earning over $1 billion in global ticket sales. With the release of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, the Jurassic franchise is now one of the top grossing franchises of all-time grossing over $4.7 billion at the box office. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom continues to deliver adventure and thrills with the homecoming of beloved characters along with the introduction of new creatures that are more awe-inspiring and terrifying than ever before. 
