All the way up to the late 1990s, there had not yet been a satisfactory successor to Jaws, Steven Spielberg’s iconic 1975 blockbuster hit about a marine biologist and shark hunter taking down a man-eating great white shark. In walks… Read More ›
action
The McManus Brothers’s “Redux Redux” explores grief as an ouroboros through a multiversal sci-fi thriller. [SXSW]
There was a time when the concept of a multiverse was left to modern philosophy and creative writing as the idea of worlds on top of worlds separated by frequency, many like our own except for the tiniest of differences,… Read More ›
Lanfia Wal’s feature-length directorial debut “New Jack Fury” is a mouthpiece with plenty to say. [SXSW]
“Sooner or later, everything old is new again.” – Author Stephen King There’s a cyclical nature to things in entertainment. For instance, the things that are popular to you as a child tend to come back around as an adult,… 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 ›
The deadly film “Hokuriku Proxy War” debuts on Blu-ray by way of Radiance Films.
There is an all-time great story of betrayal, recklessness, and tragedy told about the events that took place among the yakuza of Japan’s snowy north coast, and it’s told through around 50 minutes of interviews included as special features on… Read More ›
Largely-forgotten low-budget experimental martial arts actioner “Furious” receives a collectible SD edition via Visual Vengeance.
While action has been a staple element of cinema since its creation, not all films which use action are viewed the same. For some reason, the bigger the budget, the larger the presumption that the film is good or “of… 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 ›
Daisy Ridley-led action thriller “Cleaner” smartly delivers highwire action on well-worn framework.
If there’s one thing that the movie industry knows how to do, it’s how to compare a new project to an old one. Often times, that means describing a new film as simply “Die Hard in a [blank].” Of course,… Read More ›
You’ve waited 20 years for “Constantine” in 4K UHD. What’s another 20 seconds?
Angela Dodson: Well, this has been real educational, but … I don’t believe in the devil. John Constantine: You should. He believes in you. – Constantine (2005) Unlike now, comic book adaptations used to be far less prevalent and didn’t… Read More ›
Kinji Fukasaku’s fantasy actioner “Legend of the Eight Samurai” gets added to Eureka Entertainment’s “Masters of Cinema” series in a 4K HD restoration.
Trigger Warning: There are several sequences involving protracted strobing or flashing lights, so photosensitive viewers should take precautions before queuing up the film. According to Kenta Fukasaku, son of Kinji Fukasaku, the filmmaker’s 1983 action fantasy Legend of the Eight… Read More ›
“Captain America: Brave New World” isn’t brave at all.
I don’t need movies to save me. In a spiritual sense, one could say that they already have, but, in a literal sense, determined leaders do more for our quality of life than good art. Unfortunately, both are in short… Read More ›
“Sniper: The Last Stand” Digital Code Giveaway
Since the 1993 Tom Berenger and Billy Zane-starring actioner Sniper, there have been an additional 10 stories in the series with the latest, The Last Stand, releasing on digital in January. Directed by Danishka Esterhazy (Killer Body Count) and featuring Chad… Read More ›
When the debt comes due, you’ll be singing the hymn of “The Devil and the Daylong Brothers.”
What is a soul worth? If one believes that it’s not a thing that can be manifested on its own, that comes to us naturally, or that it is a gift instilled in us by our creator, well, that’s three… Read More ›
Genre-hybrid “Running on Karma” gets a 2K restoration as it’s added to Eureka Entertainment’s “Masters of Cinema” series.
“You can’t take anything with you when you die, except your deeds.” – Lee Fun Yee (Cecilla Cheung) in Running on Karma Established in 1996 by director Johnnie To and frequent collaborator Wai Ka-Fai, production house Milkyway Image Ltd. would… Read More ›
Kelsey Egan’s sophomore effort “The Fix” offers challenging ideas within an accessible action body horror package.
In 2021, director/co-writer Kelsey Egan brought audiences within the perimeter of a private utopia tucked away within a greater ecological threat that destroyed memories in her sci-fi thriller Glasshouse. Exploring the connection between memory and trauma, Egan challenged audiences to… Read More ›
Both halves of Quentin Tarantino’s fourth film, “Kill Bill,” receive a first-time 4K UHD edition and special edition steelbook via Lionsgate Limited.
“The Bride: You and I have unfinished business. Bill: Baby, you ain’t kidding.” – Kill Bill, Vol. 2 (2004) It’s 2025 and filmmaker Quentin Tarantino is actively developing his 10th, and rumored final, film. Though incredibly divisive for the dialogue… Read More ›
The rollercoaster of consistency in the Sony Pictures “Venom” series comes to a flat end with “The Last Dance.”
When the trailers first dropped for director Ruben Fleischer’s Venom (2018), audiences got a taste of something truly exciting as it looked like Sony Pictures might take the Marvel Comics villain-turned-anti-hero and introduce him through a body horror-like science fiction… Read More ›
“Back in Action” is a comfortingly dependable family action comedy that will warm your January doldrums.
January is often viewed by those who track film releases as a doldrums period. Either theaters are filled with awards-hopefuls or the titles that studios/distributors dump in hopes of recouping some of their investment. Yes, this even applies to digital… Read More ›