The Bad Batch: Season 1 in Review
With episode 16 and thus season one of Disney’s The Bad Batch in the books, now seemed like an appropriate time to review where Dave Filoni’s latest creation took us over the past few months. Initially making their debut in the final season of The Clone Wars, the Bad Batch refers to five reject clone troopers and one somewhat mysterious clone that only bear slight physical resemblances to their mass-produced brethren. Each one of the specialized platoon featuring a unique attribute. Fives, originally a normal clone, is now cybernetic. Wrecker possesses abnormally great strength. Crosshairs is the sniper that cannot miss. Tech knows his way around any gadget or computer system. Hunter is the John Rambo of the group, both in leadership and appearance. And last but not least, Omega, who we are still getting to know.
Your favorite Super Heroes are back, and this time, they’re out of this world! The fate of the universe is in their hands as Warner Bros. Home Entertainment releases DC’s Legends of Tomorrow: The Complete Sixth Season on Blu-ray and DVD on November 9, 2021. Buckle up for a wild ride with all 15 rollicking one-hour episodes from the sixth season, plus enjoy the epic extra content including several featurettes, deleted scenes and a gag reel. DC’s Legends of Tomorrow: The Complete Sixth Season is priced to ownon DVD and Blu-ray, which includes a Digital Copy (U.S. Only). DC’s Legends of Tomorrow: The Complete Sixth Season is also available to own on Digital via purchase from digital retailers.
The Fast family returns in the latest adrenaline-charged installment with a never-before-seen Director’s Cut of F9. The blockbuster film has generated more than $600 million worldwide and now fans can own the global box-office phenomenon that features “unbelievable, jaw-dropping action” (io9) on Digital September 7, 2021 and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray™ and DVD on September 21, 2021 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Featuring the original theatrical release, the Director’s Cut and more than an hour of exclusive bonus content – including a behind-the-scenes look at the gravity-defying stunts and nitro-charged cars, a gag reel and even more justice for Han – fans can now add F9 to their collection to watch again and again!
Witness the epic adventure of NBA champion and global icon LeBron James alongside timeless Tune Bugs Bunny when “Space Jam: A New Legacy” arrives for Premium Digital Ownership at home on Sept 3. The film is directed by Malcolm D. Lee and (“Girls Trip,” “Night School”) from a screenplay by Juel Taylor & Tony Rettenmaier & Keenan Coogler & Terence Nance and stars LeBron James and Oscar nominee Don Cheadle (the “Avengers” films, “Hotel Rwanda”). The film will also be available on 4K, Blu-ray and DVD beginning on Oct 5.
Disney’s “Jungle Cruise,” starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, arrives on all major digital platforms on Aug. 31 and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on Nov. 16. “Jungle Cruise” fans can set sail on a rollicking thrill ride in stunning Ultra HD quality and immersive Dolby Atmos audio, with never-before-seen bonus footage, including 11 deleted scenes, bloopers and featurettes. In addition, families can watch the adventure in a fun, exciting new way with Expedition Mode.
The bounce from month to month for the Paramount Presents series is a lot of fun. It really moves and shakes from different eras, genres, stars and filmmakers. There’s really no bias here at all. Mommie Dearest is getting to celebrate its 40th anniversary this year with a debut on Blu-ray into this collection’s catalog. The chesse-fest classic was released back at the start of June (the 1st actually), but there were some issues/delays/whatever with the replication for it and it appears review copies are now just starting to find their way out their to us writers. Better late than never nonetheless. It features a new 4K transfer, commentary and Filmmaker Focus featurette to go with plenty of legacy bonus features. You can order the film to have a copy for yourself by using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows this wonderful review.
Greenlighting sequels to surprise hits, especially ones of the suspense variety, are no-brainers for studios. Yet Fede Alvarez’s 2016 home invasion thriller Don’t Breathe didn’t seem to have many stories left to tell once the credits rolled. Don’t Breathe 2’s big swing is to shift the story’s focus to the villain, Norman Nordstrom, played with absolute grit by Stephen Lang (Avatar). In that film, it turned out a blind ex-navy seal was more than a match for Jane Levy (Evil Dead) and her fellow thieves. But Norman was also a pretty terrible person, to say the least. Really terrible. Whatever thoughts on the execution of Sony’s late summer sequel, this could not have been an easy sell, much less an easy film to enjoy if one saw the original. This might be the first sequel where audiences may be better off with no prior knowledge of the events that transpired in a dark, secluded Detroit home. Of course, I DID see the original, so…
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and DC are celebrating the 25th anniversary of Superman: The Animated Series with a fully remastered Blu-rayTM box set. Superman: The Complete Animated Series, which includes several hours of bonus features headlined by an all-new documentary detailing the creation of one of the most beloved animated Super Hero cartoons in history, will be available starting October 12, 2021.
In celebration of its 25th anniversary and just in time for Halloween, SCREAM will be released for the first time on 4K Ultra HD and in a newly remastered Blu-ray on October 19, 2021 from Paramount Home Entertainment. 25 years after its theatrical debut, SCREAM remains a wildly entertaining and terrifically terrifying cinematic experience. Directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson, the film is a brilliant deconstruction of the horror genre that pays homage to the conventions of slasher films while upending them with clever twists and witty dialogue.
First there was House of 1000 Corpses. Then there was The Devil’s Rejects. Now, from writer-director Rob Zombie, comes the next blood-soaked chapter in the most violent crime saga in movie history — 3 From Hell. 3 From Hell arrives September 28 on 4K Ultra HD™ SteelBook from Lionsgate, exclusively at Best Buy.
To think its been 35 years since, like other little boys my age, I felt the despair and sadness of losing a hand drawn hero in his own big movie. One of the more fascinating bits of children’s entertainment in film history has been The Transformers: The Movie. Its a case of toys driving decisions, wanting only to make the best you can but not fully understanding what you have and what your audience was looking for. And with time, there have been newer ways of taking in the appreciation of this relic of 1980s children’s entertainment. As an adult, I actually think I appreciate, enjoy and admire this film more than I even did in my youth. And Shout! Factory is giving me yet another new way to look back on it and enjoy once again. Their 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray edition, with a brand new transfer, audio and bonus features will be arriving August 3rd. Feel free to pre-order yourself a copy of it by using the paid Amazon Associates link following the review.
Celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off arrived in a classy steelbook in June to celebrate the occasion! Did they lavish the film with anything new besides the nifty new packaging? Read below for more on that, and be sure to give a click to the associates link at the end, as this edition comes with a very attractive price tag too!
Brad Pitt takes no prisoners in Quentin Tarantino’s high-octane WWII revenge fantasy Inglourious Basterds. As war rages in Europe, a Nazi-scalping squad of American soldiers, known to their enemy as “The Basterds,” is on a daring mission to take down the leaders of the Third Reich. Universal will be releasing this fall to the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray format on October 12th! For details on this release, click on or keep scrolling downward.
I had no idea what The Suicide Squad was going into this.
One of the most underrated and terrifying cult horror films of the 1980s, Alone in the Dark makes its Blu-ray™ debut September 14, 2021 from Scream Factory™. This Collector’s Edition release boasts a new 2K scan of the interpositive and includes a number of new bonus features, including a new interview with director and co-writer Jack Sholder, a new audio commentary with genre film critic Justin Kerswell and film historian Amanda Reyes, and the new featurettes Mother Choppers: The Sic F*cks Remember Alone in the Dark and Sites in the Dark: The Locations of Alone in the Dark. Fans of the film can pre-order their copies now at ShoutFactory.com.
Forget about believing a man can fly; the true miracle of DC’s extended universe is how James Gunn’s sequel/soft reboot of 2016’s dismal Suicide Squad could be the best superhero film since Christopher’s Nolan’s The Dark Knight. A safer bet is that it’s easily the best of the DC films since Heath Ledger’s iconic role as the Clown Prince of Gotham in 2008. So I should probably stick with that, right? After all, the MCU has certainly had incredible highs like Avengers: Infinity War and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. However, as someone who appreciates when a film can feel like a singular vision, Gunn’s latest is hard to top among the many caped adventures from the past decade. The Suicide Squad will be in theaters and HBO Max starting this weekend. If it’s not already clear, I loved this film.
