Those keeping track of modern martial arts action know the name Kensuke Sonomura between his work as a stunt director and as a director. If it hits hard, looks badass, and helps move the narrative forward, you can almost guarantee… Read More ›
Films To Watch
“Friendship” arrives in an A24 Blu-ray digibook with gut-busting extras.
One of the funniest movies of 2025 is now available on home video with a beautiful collector’s edition from A24. Similarly to A24’s other editions (as of late) this beautiful digibook for Andrew DeYoung’s Friendship comes jam packed with some… Read More ›
Tokuzō Tanaka’s 1966 jidaigeki tale “The Betrayal (大殺陣 雄呂血)” receives a first-time Blu-ray edition from Radiance Films worthy of its influence.
Photosensitivity Warning: Occasionally black and white films will possess a flicker and its continuous presence within The Betrayal may prove disorienting to photosensitive viewers. One of the greatest mistakes in humanity is incuriosity, this notion that all you know is… Read More ›
The web series turned tv show now turned feature film “Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie” brings the familiar chaos of Johnson and McCarrol to the big screen. [TIFF]
Have you ever heard of the incredibly Canadian television show Nirvanna the Band the Show? No? It premiered on Vice in 2016 after being a web series in 2007. The show was about two friends who create a band called… Read More ›
Explore the multitudes of Charles Krantz in the home release edition of Mike Flanagan’s “The Life of Chuck.”
“I Contain Multitudes.” These three words are not just a Walt Whitman quote or the title of Act I within director Mike Flanagan’s Stephen King short story adaptation The Life of Chuck or the mantra that Chuck tells himself throughout… Read More ›
In a world where the bad guys often win, be punk, be kind, be “Superman.”
They say to never meet your heroes, that one’s heroes can’t ever measure up to the version we build up in our minds. Where some people look up to actors, musicians, painters, or poets, artisans whose works move and/or inspire… Read More ›
“Stans” delves deep into the way fans found their voices through Eminem’s music, lyrics, and personal struggles.
Stans is a compelling and emotional new documentary that explores the powerful connection between legendary rapper Eminem (The Slim Shady LP; The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)) and the devoted fanbase inspired by his music. Directed by Steven… Read More ›
Underdog sports action drama “Blazing Fists” offers profound revelations to go along with bone-crunching action. [Fantasia]
Between the stories we tell ourselves and the ones we present to others, somewhere in the middle lies the truth of who we are, that part of ourselves that we either can’t bear to put into the light of day… Read More ›
“Sketch” draws us in with bold narrative strokes, sharpened wit, and unique framing.
Photosensitivity Warning: One of the creatures in Sketch glows with rapidly changing colors when active and there is a quick burst of light during the climax; both of which may be triggering for photosensitive individuals. There’s a meme going around… Read More ›
When death is on your side, “All You Need Is Kill.” [Fantasia]
Live. Die. Repeat. Live. Die. Repeat. Live. Die. Repeat. Live. Die. Repeat. Before these words were linked to the Doug Liman-directed Edge of Tomorrow (2014), they belonged to Hiroshi Sakurazaka and his light novel All You Need Is Kill. Initially… Read More ›
No matter how silly the idea of having another “The Naked Gun” movie might be to us, as movie-goers, we must be gracious and entertained consumers.
For audiences of a certain age, no one merges situational and absurdist comedy with pop culture references quite like ZAZ (David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker), the brains behind cinematic comedies Airplane! (1980), Top Secret! (1984), and The Naked… Read More ›
“Final Destination: Bloodlines” breathes new Death into the franchise in a 4K Blu-ray home release.
I could spend hours ruminating on all of the ways the Final Destination franchise shaped me as a lover of film from childhood, but eventually I would bore you with my stories of being afraid of the Final Destination 3… Read More ›
A24’s home release of “Warfare” maintains the intensity of the theatrical experience.
Warfare is now available on physical media thanks to A24, and it’s a release that absolutely deserves a place in any serious film collector’s library. As a film, Warfare is one of the most heart-stopping, emotionally jarring war movies in… Read More ›
Get ready to throw down in “The Forbidden City.” [Fantasia]
Since Cain slew Abel, it’s believed that humanity has continued to find ways to betray itself, regardless of the cost. As such, stories have found ways to exploit this element of the human condition as a means for narrative catalyst,… Read More ›
The lid’s off the garbage as director Fritz Lang’s crime thriller “The Big Heat” is available on 4K UHD via The Criterion Collection.
It only takes one person’s moment of greed to poison the lives of countless others. This isn’t to suggest that individuals aren’t in control of their choices, but, if one ascribes to Chaos Theory, there’s a strong inclination that our… Read More ›
“Batman Ninja” rides the Quake Engine back to feudal Japan in a brand-new 4K UHD edition.
Comic book heroes are filtered through the eyes of the creatives before reaching the reader, empowering our heroes to shift, change, and experience adventures that are unique to the storyteller. Sure, it may create places for readers to argue and… Read More ›
“Eephus” hits a homer on Blu-ray.
Eephus (2024), now out on Blu-ray, is a great American movie because, like America’s Favorite Pastime, it captures the ways we can be and have forgotten how to be — communal, patient, and honorable, surprisingly loud, and sometimes surprisingly quiet… Read More ›
Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” brings further enlightenment with glorious bonus features on its home release. Invite it in.
“See, white folks, they like the blues just fine. They just don’t like the people who make it.” – Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo) Xenophobes exhibit a strange cognitive dissonance. They own iPhones, but hate the people who make them. They… Read More ›
“Grave of the Fireflies” gets a very timely re-release on several formats in the U.S.
Warning: The following review will include discussion of violent imagery, infanticide, and genocide. If you read my piece last year on Hayao Miyazaki’s modern masterpiece The Boy and the Heron (君たちはどう生きるか) (2023), then you know that the Ghibli studio head… Read More ›
“Wick Is Pain” brings forward the true heart of what makes the “John Wick” films great.
With few exceptions, American-based action stars primarily relied on either physical strength (Arnold Schwarzenegger) or firearms (Bruce Willis; Eddie Murphy) as the means for righting perceived wrongs. Slowly, however, thanks to actors like Chuck Norris (Enter the Dragon; Missing in… Read More ›