Victor Crowley (Blu-ray Review)
As we are in the wake and “awe” of the surprise Super Bowl-Netflix-The Cloverfield Paradox-Watch It After The Game event, there are probably a lot of people that don’t realize something even sneakier and more surprising occurred last year. Adam Green was hosting a would be 10th anniversary screening of his popular gory slasher love letter Hatchet, only to start it and shock everyone with the fourth film in the series, Victor Crowley. Nobody even knew this movie was being made. It was a completely shock and surprise. See, we all knew this third Cloverfield movie was coming, we just had the rug pulled out from under us in terms of how and when it was being released. Victor Crowley pulled a Phantasm: RaVager and managed to be one hell of a good kept secret. The film had itself a roadshow tour to screen it, but now you’ll be able to own it and check it out on various mediums February 6th. Continue reading ‘Victor Crowley (Blu-ray Review)’
Set during the early 1970s in New York City’s Times Square, The Deuce, starring James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal, gives viewers an up-close look at the gritty world of sex and crime, as the porn industry begins its climb to legitimacy, cultural permanence, and billion-dollar profitability. HBO has announced that it will release The Deuce: The Complete First Season on Blu-ray, available for purchase on February 13. Get your Valentine’s Day kicks by relieving or role-playing all the whore-sational hi-jinx this show has. The release contains a digital copy of the whole season plus various extras that feature interviews with the cast and crew regarding the show and the period of history they are recreating. If you liked the show and are interesting in grabbing it or are curious but are certain to blind buy, please use the Amazon link below. 
Earning a 2018 Academy Award® nomination for Willem Dafoe’s performance (Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture), the warm, winning, and gloriously alive drama, The Florida Project, arrives on Blu-ray™ (plus Digital) and DVD February 20th from Lionsgate. Directed by Sean Baker (Tangerine) and featuring Brooklynn Prince and Bria Vinaite in breakout performances, The Florida Project follows a precocious 6-year-old whose summer break is filled with childhood wonder amidst hard times. Certified Fresh™ on Rotten Tomatoes, see what the A.V. Club calls “one of Willem Dafoe’s most moving performances”. Co-written by Sean Baker and Chris Bergoch, The Florida Project Blu-ray and DVD will be available, respectively. 
Based on the making of the cult-classic The Room (“The Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made”), the critically acclaimed The Disaster Artist arrives on Blu-ray Combo Pack (plus DVD and Digital), DVD, and Digital HD March 13 from Lionsgate. Nominated for a Golden Globe Award® for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Rotten Tomatoes Certified Fresh, The Disaster Artist is being hailed as one of the funniest comedies of the year. Directed by and starring Golden Globe® winner and Academy Award® nominee James Franco (2018, Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, The Disaster Artist;2011, Best Actor, 127 Hours), the film also has an all-star cast including Dave Franco (Now You See Me, 21 Jump Street), Emmy® nominee Seth Rogen (2005, Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program, “Da Ali G Show”), Golden Globe® nominee Alison Brie (2018, Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy, “GLOW”), Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games, The Kids Are All Right), Paul Scheer (“Veep,” “The League”), Zac Efron (Neighbors, High School Musical), Megan Mullally (“Will & Grace”), as well as countless surprise cameos. 
If you saw a movie this past summer or fall, there’s a really REALLY good chance you caught the trailer for the film, Wonder. In my personal experience, it played with pretty much everything, ESPECIALLY the films I took my kids to go and see. And said marketing campaign paid off, showing it had no fear of the Justice League and powered itself to being a box office champion. In the face of super heroes with capes, this particular one wore an astronaut helmet and had the bedding set to match. Critics and audiences warmed to the film and now you can reheat those feelings or check them out for the first time when Lionsgate brings the film to 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray. You can pre-order now for the near Valentine’s Day release of February 13th. 
For those who claim that dark tales of woe are the only thing I know, I submit this week’s past picture selection as proof that positive cinema does get its due with me too – welcome to Forgotten Friday Flick! Continuing the examination of all things foreign film, sport a smile and break out the love for a whimsical tale with plenty of good vibes. Featuring a timid gal who finds her cupid calling and begins to make lives better for strangers (and herself to boot!), this French fable has ample parts sweetness and signature style guaranteed to melt movie hearts. Mysterious boxes, ghost plagued photo booths and lawn elves that love to travel – welcome to the wonderful world of Amélie!
Hailed as “a tremendously entertaining heart-felt comedy” (Julian Roman, Movieweb), director Alexander Payne’s (The Descendants, Nebraska) hilarious DOWNSIZING arrives on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital March 20, 2018 from Paramount Home Media Distribution. When scientists find a way to shrink humans to five inches tall, Paul Safranek (Academy Award winner** Matt Damon) and his wife Audrey (Kristen Wiig) decide to ditch their stressed out lives in order to get small and live large in a luxurious downsized community. Filled with life-changing adventures and endless possibilities, Leisureland offers more than riches, as Paul discovers a whole new world and realizes that we are meant for something bigger. “Brilliant and daring” (Shawn Edwards, Fox-TV) and “full of surprises” (Noah Gittell, Nerdist), DOWNSIZING also stars Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz*** and Hong Chau in a breakthrough performance that earned her Golden Globe® and SAG nominations.
Redo’ing a Romero Zombie classic is not unexplored territory. Hell, it doesn’t even seem to be dangerous territory with there being major success in Zack Snyder and Jame Gunn’s retelling of Dawn of the Dead as well as Tom Savini’s remake of the original Night of the Living Dead having a fandom that has aged well and grown over the years since its release. However, that’s about where the line is drawn. Day of the Dead: Bloodline is a new take on the third chapter in the Romero zombie series and its also not the first time this has been done. However, if we are going to compare or hold it up to another remake, the bar set is extremely low. This proclaimed “bold” new take on the film will be coming straight Blu-ray on February 6th 2018 from Lionsgate. If you are curious or “bold” in your watching, you can pre-order it from the Amazon link following the review. 
While the live action world of the DC superheros has been in a constant state of change, continually criticized for the quality and direction with which they have taken these legendary characters, the DCAU has been thriving quite mightily with its share of mostly good stories. This medium also allows more leniency in terms of interpretations and spin-offs. Now they are heading into the elseworld territory and I couldn’t be more excited where they are starting off at. Of course they are going to crutch on Batman, but why not? Batman is one we are all too familiar with in his regular form, he’ll be the one we most appreciate when done different. Gotham By Gaslight is a creation of Hellboy creator Mike Mignola. Hopefully with the success of this, maybe we could see something like Darren Aronofsky’s take on what became Batman Begins in an animated “elseworld” form. Gotham By Gaslight hits 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray on February 6th, so pre-order now to get yourself a copy of this exciting DCAU venture. 
It’s hard to believe its almost been ten years since director Sam Raimi returned to his horror roots following an incredibly successful run directing three Spider-Man films. He did so in the form of the 2009 film, Drag Me To Hell. It was more than a return to form though, it truly brought back many of the things we loved about his Evil Dead trilogy that laid dormant almost twenty years prior. While it didn’t catch the world on fire in the summer of 2009, the film opened to rave reviews and took in a solid box office haul. And now its getting a suped up edition from Scream Factory, which feels kinda crazy but it is almost ten years old already. But, hell, I’m down for it. Hopefully, you will be too when it arrives on February 13th, just in time for that Valentine’s Day watch! 
Professor Marston and the Wonder Women is a movie made for me on paper. Why? Because I love Wonder Woman and everything about her in the DCEU cinematic movie universe. I won’t bore you with a hundred links, but if you don’t believe me check out my 4K review of her solo film 
While these 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray releases of Cloverfield and 10 Cloverfield Lane as well as another film in this mysterious franchise should be a good ten year celebration of the original, its main talking point has been this odd turn to this possible Netflix release of the next on from Paramount. Ten years ago, mysterious built during the summer of 2007 with the strange and unheard of trailer attached to Michael Bay’s Transformers were finally answered and possibly the biggest and most apt and (quality-wise) success story of the JJ Abrams mystery box was opened. Cloverfield was a bigger January release than normal and became a film-internet hybrid and phenomenon following in the footsteps of The Blair Witch Project as well as another JJ Abrams project, LOST. You’ll be able to relive the original on the glorious 4K Ultra-HD format now, as it its available for order at the bottom of this review. 
