Discovery itself is at risk. Last week I bought the 2-disc special edition of Sam Rami’s Drag Me to Hell (2009) at Eides Entertainment in Pittsburgh because I was scanning for Spike Lee’s Clockers (1995), and scanning titles with your… Read More ›
streaming
“Fréwaka” leaves a chill in your spine long after its end. [BUFF]
Compared to horror films with other themes, those focused on lore, especially folklore, evoke a different emotional knee-jerk reaction from their audiences with their eerie tales keeping the uneasy viewers interested and engaged. This is where Aislinn Clarke strives in… Read More ›
Before you go fast to pick up “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” on home video, know your options and what you’re getting.
Of all the video game adaptations made (and there are several folks may not even realize are adaptations), none have met or exceeded expectations like director Jeff Fowler’s Sonic the Hedgehog trilogy. Each one is an entertaining family film with… Read More ›
Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King” is generic and forgettable yet gorgeous in 4K.
In a time where sequels, prequels, and legacy-quels run rampant, one hopes — even begs — for something different. A prequel to the live action The Lion King (2019) that revolves around Mufasa and his humbling, noble rise to power… Read More ›
“Psycho Therapy: The Shallow Tale of a Writer Who Decided to Write about a Serial Killer” lays its comedy well among its perceived tragedies.
Pretentiousness is a matter of perspective. What one person may find authoritative and compelling may be viewed as utter hogwash by another, and usually it has to do with the way one views the person or art at the center…. Read More ›
Drew Hancock’s “Companion” is a rom-com for the modern era.
In the featurette “I Feel, Therefore I Am,” writer/director Drew Hancock (Fred 3: Camp Fred) talks about how sometimes, in relationships, there are those who are more invested than another. Personally, in the right circumstances, imbalance in one area can… Read More ›
Hong Kong cinema homage “Love Hurts” arrives on physical formats, bringing its production secrets with it.
It’s a tale as old as time. Actor gets work with not one, but multiple top-tier directors, and then finds themselves struggling to get work. Most times, those actors fade into obscurity if they can’t pivot. One such actor, Ke… Read More ›
Buddy comedy “One of Them Days” is sparse on bonus materials for the home release, but not on laughs.
During the featurette “Dream Team,” first-time feature director Lawrence Lamont (Rap Sh!t) describes to producer Issa Rae (Insecure; The Lovebirds) the homages within One of Them Days, referring to both Friday (1995) and Superbad (2007). Each of these comes from… Read More ›
Documentary “Thank You Very Much” revisits the enigma that was Andy Kaufman.
If you don’t know who Andy Kaufman is, then you’ve probably been living under a rock, or never were a fan of comedies. While Kaufman may have been a polarizing figure, for better or worse, he is arguably on the… Read More ›
Not another A.I. movie: Find out what sci-fi thriller “Renner” has to offer.
Movies about rogue AI technologies aren’t new, but they are becoming increasingly relevant as AI takes on a bigger role in our everyday lives. With dozens of AI-related movies to borrow from, it’s easy to write a story about the… Read More ›
You could bring the horror of possession tale “Devils Stay” home or ….. not.
A staple of cinema is the horror story: possession, corruption, soul-trading. You name it and horror is going to give it to you. For his first feature film, writer/director Hyun Moon-seop utilizes the well-worn path of demon possession in his… Read More ›
The home release of disjointed “Wolf Man” brings enjoyable special features.
In another reality, modern audiences would be elbow-deep in the modern monsterverse Universal Pictures dubbed the “Dark Universe,” which kicked off with the release of 2017’s The Mummy. It was all in place with cast and concept, but the failed… Read More ›
In an era of hypernormalization, Geremy Jasper’s musical opera “O’Dessa” may just be the seed for revolution. [SXSW]
Trigger Warning: Photosensitive viewers should take precautions before viewing as they are several brief sequences and two longer sequences involving flashing lights. “… to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable …” There’s a long tradition of using stories to… Read More ›
“Moana 2” is a satisfactory sequel with solid bonus features worth exploring in the home release edition.
Trigger Warning: There are several sequences involving flashing lights (especially in the climax) which may be difficult for photosensitive viewers. One cannot deny the infectious nature of co-director John Musker and Ron Clements’s 2016 animated adventure Moana. Between the culturally-specific-yet-universal… Read More ›
With “Kraven the Hunter,” Sony sets the same traps for itself in its latest and last Spider-Man Universe film.
We are gathered here, today, to acknowledge the end of the Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (SSU) with the home release of the J.C. Chandor-directed Kraven the Hunter (2024), the latest attempt of taking an absolute bastard villain and turning him into… Read More ›
Strength and Honor: “Gladiator II” comes home on physical formats.
By 2000, actor Russell Crowe had made a name for himself in the U.S. through work in The Quick and the Dead (1994), Virtuosity (1995), L.A. Confidential (1997), and The Insider (1999). It would be his turn as Maximus Decimus… Read More ›
Intimate documentary “Everybody Dance” beautifully showcases life-changing program for disabled dancers.
People who live with disabilities are often made to feel invisible. In fact, society in general considers people with disabilities to be disposable, many times not wanting to even be reminded of their existence, when all people who live with… Read More ›
Marianne Jean-Baptiste delivers a masterclass performance in Mike Leigh’s somber slice-of-life dramedy “Hard Truths.”
“I don’t understand you. But I love you.” These are key words said towards the climax of Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths, a somber slice-of-life film about two disparate sisters in a Black British family. Mike Leigh, a veteran indie darling… Read More ›
“Amadeus” still rocks at 40: Warner Bros. debuts exhilarating 4K restoration of the theatrical cut.
The ‘80s were a decade of decadence. Whimsical fashion, music, and media reigned pop culture. This was especially true with the films of the era. The year 1984 saw Warner Bros. release both Purple Rain, a semi-biographical concert film starring… Read More ›
“Old Guy” misses the mark on promises suggested by its premise and cast.
Old Guy, directed by Simon West (Lara Croft: Tomb Raider; Con Air; Expendables 2) and written by Greg Johnson (The Last Son), at least piqued my interest as an entertaining, silly, action movie with a cast that includes Lucy Liu… Read More ›