Cleveland International Film Festival 2024: Director Darwin Shaw Talks ‘The Last Ranger’
June 5th, 2024 by Gregg Senko
Yesterday, Why So Blu covered the impactful short film The Last Ranger, featured at the Cleveland International Film Festival, and what the future holds for this small-package big-imprint style of production. Darwin Shaw, one of the creative minds behind the Antiviral Film Project, an effort designed to bring real, meaningful stories to the screen, took time out of his shooting schedule to sit down with Why So Blu and answer a few questions about what makes the project tick, its rebranding to When the World Stopped, and its flagship film.
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The Cleveland International Film Festival is an annual event where many fans make the pilgrimage to Playhouse Square, the second-largest theater district in the U.S. outside of Broadway. A seemingly endless number of films dot the viewing landscape each year, giving audiences a plethora of choices on what to see next. With blocks of short films being one of the highlights, I made it a point to randomly select a grouping of potential cinematic prowess, but what that collection finished with was a production unlike any other in its class.
Relive the epic action when MONKEY MAN becomes available to own with brand-new bonus content on Digital June 11, 2024 and on 4K UHD, Blu-ray™ and DVD June 25, 2024 from Monkeypaw Productions and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Full of “staggeringly impressive action” (Collider), MONKEY MAN cuts into the world of gritty and stylized hand-to-hand combat with a fresh take on the genre, bearing the birth of a new action star. Experience more excitement when you own the Collector’s Edition, which has over 55 minutes of all-new bonus features, including an alternate opening, alternate ending, deleted scenes, behind the scenes featurettes and more!
Oh, My Gawd! In celebration of the 30th anniversary of one of television’s most watched sitcoms, Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment will release FRIENDS: The Complete Series in 4K Ultra HD on September 24, 2024. This ultimate collector’s set for any FRIENDS fan includes over 110 hours of content – including all 236 original broadcast episodes released for the first time in 4K Ultra HD, plus over 20 hours of extra features including all-new bonus content. Pre-order your copy now. 
Relive every punch from one of the most iconic and beloved sports drama franchises with the ROCKY I-VI 4K Collection, newly remastered in stunning 4K Ultra HD. Sylvester Stallone stars in the greatest boxing saga of all time and triumphs as one of the most inspirational characters in cinematic history. Witness every epic, action packed fight and unforgettable moment as Rocky punches his way to the top against impossible odds when the ROCKY I-VI 4K Collection is released on July 16, 2024. 
It’s time to BELIEVE! The heartwarming and critically acclaimed comedy series, Ted Lasso, is making its highly anticipated debut on Blu-ray and DVD, bringing its infectious blend of humor, heart, and hope directly into the homes of fans. Experience the magic of the series all over again, or for the first time, with all 34 episodes from Seasons 1-3 in one special boxset that will include a limited edition, double-sided BELIEVE poster, available while supplies last. Ted Lasso: The Richmond Way will be available for purchase online and in-store at major retailers on July 30, 2024. Pre-order your copy now.
Ryan Gosling stars as a Hollywood stunt driver for movies by day and moonlights as a wheelman for criminals by night. Though a loner by nature, “Driver” can’t help falling in love with his beautiful neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan), a young mother dragged into a dangerous underworld by the return of her ex-convict husband. After a heist goes wrong, Driver finds himself driving defense for the girl he loves, tailgated by a syndicate of deadly serious criminals (Albert Brooks and Ron Perlman). Soon he realizes the gangsters are after more than the bag of cash and is forced to shift gears and go on the offense.
Prepare for a harrowing adventure on July 7th as Civil War arrives on 4K UHD, Blu-ray™, DVD, and Digital from Lionsgate. The nonstop action focuses on a team of military-embedded war correspondents racing against time to reach the White House before it’s too late. Featuring an all-star cast including Academy Award® nominee Kirsten Dunst (2021, Best Supporting Actress, The Power of the Dog), Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla), Primetime Emmy Award®winner Nick Offerman (2023, Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, The Last of Us), Jesse Plemons (Killers of the Flower Moon), Stephen McKinley Henderson (Dune), and Wagner Moura (“Narcos”). Civil War will be available for the suggested retail price of $42.99 on 4K UHD (+Blu-ray™ + Digital) and $39.99 on Blu-ray™ (+DVD + Digital).
The Fall Guy was one of my favorite television shows growing up in the 1980’s. I would watch it each week with my dad. I secretly had a crush on Heather Thomas at a very young age. That bikini she wore in the opening credit sequence each week…ooh la la. The Fall Guy is also special to me because it’s the very first TV show I ever recorded on a VHS tape. We were poor growing up so one day my grandfather gave my dad a brand new VHS deck. I was over the moon. I couldn’t believe it. We went home later that evening and I recorded that night’s episode of The Fall Guy. I was so in awe of the fact that I could record something and watch it back any time that I think I viewed that episode three more times that same evening. Therefore, one can kind of come to the conclusion that The Fall Guy was responsible for my love of home media products and technology. That sounds good to me! 
True story films can be a bit of a gamble. There are the ones that stretch the truth and there’s those ones that are encyclopedic in their accuracy. Sometimes there are the rare films that toe the line between the two. With Arthur The King, star Mark Wahlberg takes on another true story role, this time as Michael Light (real name Mikael Lindnord), who is a professional endurance racer. When light and his racing team encounter a dog, their whole journey changes. How does this true story translate to film you ask? Find out below and click the cover art at the end to order a copy of Arthur The King for your collection.
I have been a fan of Bob Marley as long as I’ve known music. The overwhelming empowerment of the lyrics, or the glimpses into life in Trenchtown, Jamaica are eye opening and ethereal. There has yet to be a major reggae artist with the impact of Marley. Even the legendary artist’s talented children and grandchildren can’t say they’ve been as successful. In Bob Marley: One Love, we find Bob in 1976 looking for ways to unify his homeland, not with politics but music and ideals of love and togetherness. Find out more about Bob Marley: One Love in the review and be sure to click the cover art at the end to order a copy of the standard edition or the steelbook variation of this 4K UHD Blu-ray release!
The much buzzed about film, Challengers, from Amazon MGM Studios, will be available for purchase on DVD and Blu-ray on July 9. Directed by Luca Guadagnino (“Call Me By Your Name”), the film is written by Justin Kuritzkes and produced by Amy Pascal, Luca Guadagnino, Zendaya, Rachel O’Connor. Challengers stars Emmy® Award Winner Zendaya (“Dune: Part Two”, TV’s “Euphoria”), Emmy® Award Winner Josh O’Connor (TV’s “The Crown”, TV’S “Peaky Blinders”), and Emmy ® and Grammy Award winner Mike Faist (“West Side Story”).
Twister, the action-packed, iconic disaster film directed by Jan de Bont (Speed), will be available for purchase on 4K Ultra HD Disc and Digital for the first time on July 9. The film will be available to purchase on July 9 on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc from online and in-store at major retailers and available for purchase Digitally from Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play, Fandango at Home and more. Twister stars Academy Award winner (As Good as It Gets) and four-time Emmy Award winner (“Mad About You”) Helen Hunt and Screen Actors Guild Award Winner Bill Paxton (Apollo 13). The film also stars Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride), Jami Gertz (The Lost Boys), Lois Smith (Minority Report), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Boogie Nights), Alan Ruck (television’s “Succession”), Todd Field (Eyes Wide Shut), and Jeremy Davies (Saving Private Ryan).
The search for the new Dragon Warrior is on! Po learns he must face his biggest villain yet and embarks on a hilarious mission with his new team of misfits in KUNG FU PANDA 4, available with over an hour of extras on Digital, 4K UHD, Blu-rayTM and DVD May 28, 2024, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. The never-before-seen bonus content includes dumpling making with Jack Black, Bad Bunnies commentary, deleted scenes, as well as the original animated short “Dueling Dumplings”!
I have always been fond of the horror genre. Ever since I was a little kid terrified of Michael Jackson’s Thriller video, yes you read it right… I have had a very real fascination with the genre. There’s definitely something psychological going on while you watch a horror film, and in my opinion something almost therapeutic. You’re able to face the fear in the dark with an audience or at home and come out OK despite your discomfort. That’s sort of special isn’t it? Blumhouse has been churning out films steadily over the last decade or so, with some sizable success with PG-13 horror films such as the Insidious series or M3gan . We’ve also got some R-rated thrills with Jordan Peele’s masterpiece Get Out, the rebooted Halloween trilogy, or the comical The Hunt. Now we have Imaginary, which I won’t even wait until after the jump to tell you was a massive disappointment. Read more about Imaginary below, and if you feel so inclined after my review, there’s a paid Amazon link accessible by clicking the cover art at the end!
Baffling murders, fascinating plot twists, and remarkable camerawork all contribute to this spellbinding, time-honored film noir written, directed by, and starring Orson Welles. Hired to work on a yacht belonging to the disabled husband of femme fatale Elsa Bannister (Rita Hayworth), Michael O’Hara (Welles) is aninnocent man drawn into a dangerous web of intrigue and murder. The subject of great controversy and scandal upon its initial release, THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI shocked 1948 audiences by presenting Hayworth with her flaming red hair cut short and dyed champagne blonde. THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI is now considered vintage Welles, with his famous hall-of-mirrors climax hailed as one of the greatest scenes in cinematic history.
American military films are divisive to say the least. Now more than ever, there is a general air of disdain for American military issues as they come to light over the years. We watch the films as either an escape or an awakening and some people view these films as the worst of propaganda. These feelings aren’t shared by everyone, especially those of us that are patriotic. Then there’s me. I can’t really categorize my feelings. I watch military based films as entertainment and take what I want from them. I don’t see propaganda and I don’t see jingoism. Unfortunately, my sentiment isn’t very general and frustratingly, the line seems to be drawn in the sand for eternity! Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper is based off an autobiographical book by Chris Kyle, who unfortunately was killed before the film could be made. Besides a garish CGI baby in one scene, some derided this film as military propaganda, and some saw it as an eye-opening portrait of mental health in veterans. Either way you slice it, Clint Eastwood made the film and for many of us, this is what makes the film worth seeing. Here we are 10 years later still discussing it and the film has debuted on 4K UHD Blu-ray too! Read more about American Sniper and its newest format version below and be sure to click the cover art at the end if you would like your own copy!
