Forgotten Friday Flick – “Talk Radio”
December 23rd, 2016 by Jason Coleman
Currently watching Fences, a play turned movie that feels a tad stagnate, it reminds me that this week’s current stage to screen hidden gem is once again due to delight – welcome to Forgotten Friday Flick! Today’s selection is a great example of how to take a former piece of theater and make it cinematic. Expanding on characters and locations, taking inspiration from real life people and matching it with the style of the controversial voice of the day are surefire signs of a movie to remember. So let’s hit the airwaves for some quick witted opinions via our humiliation loving host. He’s crass, he’s crude, but most of all he’s got ratings in the world of…Talk Radio!
This is it short review film fans – my final edition for 2016! I’m still combing the cinematic remains of year end films to possibly fill out the Top Ten list but these are the last titles I’m giving you critical skinny on. Taking on missing daughters, politicians and religion check out the Encapsulated Movie Reviews for Julieta, Miss Sloane and Silence below!
Hey hey! Here’s some news for you! “Tom Cruise is better than ever” (Pete Hammond, Deadline) in the “breathlessly exhilarating”(Simon Thompson, Forbes) action-thriller JACK REACHER: NEVER GO BACK, which hits the road on 4K Ultra HD™, Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and On Demand January 31, 2017 from Paramount Home Media Distribution. Hailed as “a fun action-packed ride” (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone), fans can be the first to get it two weeks early on Digital HD January 17. 
Based in the incredible true story of one man’s 
The Vestron Video Collector’s Series unleashes unspeakable horrors when The Gate arrives for the first time on limited-edition Blu-ray™ on February 28 from Lionsgate. When two suburban kids accidentally open a portal filled with pint-sized demons hell-bent on taking over the planet, it’s up to them to seal the gateway and save mankind! The Gate features all-new, never-before-seen featurettes and audio commentary. A must-have for all classic horror fans, The Gate limited-edition Vestron Video Collector’s Series Blu-ray will be available on February 28th.
Its not like we’re winding down any time soon on films that still need to make it to the Blu-ray format. There are ah-plenty. Heck, there are films that still never made it to VHS or DVD. 2016 introduced us to 4K Ultra HD Blu-rays. The new wave, the new cream of the crop. And with that, Blu-ray starts repackaging and re-doing many of the older titles. However, we live in a really cool world now with boutique labels that go after these films that still haven’t been released or enhance the ones that did but left us wanting more. And while some may scoff and leave rude comments like “This again?”, in reality its not “this again”. These are getting delicious new transfers, having taken notes from the previous version’s mistakes and adding the extras that were not previously there or even adding an extra is adding something. What I’m getting at is that they are making it all worthwhile in terms of asking for more dollars from you. Then again, there are people that didn’t have it to begin with because they A) Hadn’t gotten to it yet or B) were holding out for something like this. Anyway, there were a lot of terrific releases in 2016. And since I cover 4K UHD, Blu-ray and also am Region Free, my list is expanded to 25 instead of just ten releases. 
Ooooh…Storks! This is one of those films where I do the review because I reeeeeeeeeally love my children. But, right now, I’m still curious on seeing a lot of different varieties on the 4K UHD format. The only animated movie I’ve done before that is that fifth Ice Age film. Storks is from a different studio that’s putting a little more to it with their presentations (Warner Bros). And then I saw that it was directed by Nicholas Stoller, so that gained me a little hope. One of two films he directed this year (The other, Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising). Storks opened against The Magnificent Seven (Which I just reviewed the other day). It placed second in its opening weekend, but went on to gross more money than it worldwide (Magnificent Seven won the domestic battle, though). Now its once again going head to head with it on the home video market as they both come out the same day in all formats. You can find it on the shelves December 20th. 
Who didn’t know the story of Captain Chesley Sullenberger? His courageous landing on the Hudson River was one of the biggest stories when the year flipped over to 2009. Its crazy to think that its going to be eight years ago next month. Its almost like its fresh on the brain. As with all things historic and heroes, you have the talk show tours, followed by a book and then the movie or a TV mini-series or what-have-you. “Sully” as he is known, got to have Tom Hanks play himself in the film and another Hollywood legend and icon, Clint Eastwood, craft the film about his maneuvering. The film kicked off a sort of star-vehicle driven run at the box office last September, that ironically ended when another Tom Hanks film (Ron Howard and he’s third Robert Langdon film Inferno) tanked pretty hard. Sully will be available on 4K UHD Blu-ray (As well as regular Blu-ray and the old DVD) on December 20th. 
Say what you want about these films, but I had a good time with Inferno in the theater this year. The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons were just the beginning and now with INFERNO, two-time Academy Award winner Tom Hanks (Best Actor: Forrest Gump, 1994; Philadelphia, 1993), two-time Academy Award winner Ron Howard (Best Director & Best Picture, A Beautiful Mind, 2001) and bestselling author Dan Brown are reunited for the latest intense thriller in this billion-dollar franchise. After waking up in a hospital room in Florence, Italy, with no memory of what has occurred for the last few days, Robert Langdon (Hanks) suddenly finds himself the target of a manhunt while solving the most intricate riddle he’s ever faced. Joining the international adventure are Felicity Jones (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story), Irrfan Khan (Jurassic World), Omar Sy (X-Men: Days of Future Past), Ben Foster (Hell or High Water) and Sidse Babett Knudsen (“Westworld”). INFERNO debuts on digital, 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray™ and DVD January 24 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. 
Why Him? is ordinarily not the kind of film I would go see in the theaters. Had it not been for two key factors I don’t think I would have gone. First it has the very irresistible and hilarious trailers on its side. That Red-band one is insane. Although I’m hoping all the funny parts were not included in said trailers. Second, there’s the nod to “from the makers of I Love You Man.” I love that comedy! So as you can see right from the get go I’m walking into Why Him? ahead in the count. Now is the moment of truth and also the chance to have fun with the title’s question mark. What did I think of Why Him? That is the question we are all pondering here, right? Why Him?
Try as I might, I just could not get to Antoine Fuqua’s remake of The Magnificent Seven (The original, a Western re-imagining of Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai) in the theater. I had a free ticket from The Magnificent Seven collection Blu-ray set I picked up at Best Buy to revisit it before this new one. Also in hand, I had a free IMAX ticket from a guest spot on an internet radio program I guested on to talk The Magnificent Seven. The film opened and did well, keeping it in theaters for quite some time, but I just could not get the time. Well, now I finally do, and in glorious 4K Ultra High Definition Blu-ray. That’s no match for IMAX, but I’ll take it as a rather nice concession in the comfort of my own home. 
