THE AMATEUR (2025): A Shiny Penny

THE AMATEUR (Digital) 

2025 / 123 min

From 20th Century Studios

Review by Princess Pepper😽

On Digital NOW and 4K, Blu-ray & DVD July 8.

If you must remake an older film, why not choose one that wasn’t all that great or memorable to begin with?

1981’s The Amateur certainly qualifies. I think I watched this one on cable a year or two after it came and went in theaters. While certainly watchable, it was nothing particularly remarkable. 40+ years later, I recall almost nothing about the film beyond its title and star (John Savage).

This new version is sort of a shiny new penny, with sequences and special effects typical of most modern action films. But a shiny penny is still just a penny. While 2025’s The Amateur is an enjoyable thriller featuring a solid performance by an actor who isn’t the first name that comes-to-mind for this sort of thing, this one isn’t particularly memorable either.

Rami Malek plays Charlie Heller, a nebbish CIA cryptologist who spends most days behind a desk. When his wife is murdered by terrorists while travelling abroad, he understandably wants revenge. Though Charlie’s boss, CIA director Alex Moore (Holt McCallany) assures him that they’ll find those responsible and bring them to justice, Charlie wants to kill them personally and insists they train him for that very thing.

Since Charlie has discovered Moore has the CIA involved in shady activities related to these same terrorists, he blackmails his boss into agreeing. Despite some training by Hendo Henderson (Laurence Fishburne), Charlie doesn’t have what it takes to actually shoot someone. However, targeting the terrorists with his tech skills is another matter altogether. This leads to some creative kills once Charlie begins hunting them down (easily the highlight of the movie). Meanwhile, Heller orders Hendo to find and kill Charlie.

Remi gets carded.

Though Malek gives an earnest, sympathetic and mostly believable performance, the movie’s a little poky at first. Things liven up once he discovers methods of killing that he is good at. Those scenes are creatively depicted and a lot of fun, especially one involving explosives and a glass swimming pool bridging two hotel towers. 

However, the story itself is a standard issue revenge thriller that holds few surprises. The only real difference between Charlie and any other grieving husband avenging his wife is that he doesn’t use a gun. For the most part, none of the other characters really stand-out either, including the antagonists, a majority of whom are introduced just before they’re about to die.

Ultimately, The Amateur is an enjoyable time killer with decent action sequences, but offers little we haven’t seen before. While it ain’t two hours of your life you’ll never get back, most viewers probably won’t give it another thought afterwards. Kinda like the original.

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTES - The Team; The World; The Pool (making of the film’s best scene); The Score.

5 DELETED SCENES

THE POOP SCOOP: Cats & Dogs Edition

😸Oscar Winning FLOW on 4K, Blu-ray & DVD September 23 from Criterion Collection. A thrilling tale of friendship and survival that took indie animation to ecstatic new heights of ambition and imagination, this Academy Award–winning international sensation follows a courageous cat after its home is devastated by a great flood. As the cat teams up with a capybara, a lemur, a bird, and a dog to navigate a boat in search of dry land, the crew must rely on trust, courage, and their wits to survive the perils of a newly aquatic planet. Working with a small team using open-source software, visionary DIY animator Gints Zilbalodis conjures a sublime sensory odyssey and a profound meditation on the fragility of the environment and the spirit of community. Bonus features include Zilbalodis’ first film, Away, audio commentary, making-of documentary, an essay, stickers, animated short and more.

🎸THIS IS SPINAL TAP Goes to 11 on 4K & Blu-ray September 16 from Criterion Collection. Spinal Tap has come to be recognized as England’s loudest and most punctual band. In the legendary rockumentary This Is Spinal Tap, now beautifully restored, Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest), David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean), and Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer) embark on their final American tour, with filmmaker Marty DiBergi (Rob Reiner) capturing all the mishaps, creative tensions, dwindling crowds, and ill-fated drummers. This Is Spinal Tap takes DiBergi’s brilliant vérité style and turns it up to eleven! Bonus features include 3 audio commentaries, outtakes, promo material, an essay and a new conversation between director Rob Reiner and actor Patton Oswalt.

🐶Wes Anderson’s ISLE OF DOGS on 4K September 30 from Criterion Collection. Wes Anderson conjures a dystopian future Japan in magical stop-motion. After a canine virus outbreak, the dogs of Megasaki are exiled to a vast island garbage dump. When Atari (the daring twelve-year-old ward of the city’s mayor) sets out to rescue his beloved Spots, he meets a pack of mongrel friends and is launched on an epic quest. Innovatively blending English and Japanese dialogue through a cross-cultural voice cast that includes Bryan Cranston, Greta Gerwig, Jeff Goldblum, Scarlett Johansson, Yoko Ono, and Koyu Rankin, this fable of loyalty and disobedience combines Anderson’s signature themes—friendship among outsiders, the adventure of rebellion—with a delight in the boundless possibilities of animated storytelling. Bonus features include The Making of Isle of Dogs, audio commentary, featurettes and more.

🙀FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES on Digital June 17, 4K, Blu-ray and DVD July 22 from Warner Bros. “Final Destination Bloodlines” is the newest chapter (and the great Tony Todd’s final role) in New Line Cinema’s bloody successful franchise which takes audiences back to the very beginning of Death’s twisted sense of justice.

😺THE AMATEUR on Blu-ray July 8 from 20th Century Studios. Fans of smart, high-stakes action thrillers will be drawn into the gripping journey of CIA codebreaker Charlie Heller (Rami Malek), who channels his intellect into a relentless pursuit of justice after his wife is killed in a terrorist attack. Heller evolves from analyst to avenger in a riveting story of love, loss, and retribution. 

🚔COBRA Limited Edition 4K Coming July/22 from Arrow Video. The Limited Edition release features a brand new 4K restoration of the film from the original 35mm negative, and is packed with bonus content. 

🧛SINNERS on Digital June 3 and 4K, Blu-ray and DVD July 8 from Warner Bros. The critically acclaimed film has a “certified fresh” 97% Rotten Tomatoes score and is among the highest grossing horror movies of all time. “Sinners” will be presented with expanded aspect ratio sequences, allowing consumers to see both 1.78:1 and 2.76:1 aspect ratios.

😺THE WES ANDERSON ARCHIVE: 10 FILMS, 25 YEARS Coming to 4K & Blu-ray September 30 from Criterion Collection. This momentous twenty-disc collector’s set includes new 4K masters of the films, over twenty-five hours of special features, and ten illustrated books, presented in a deluxe clothbound edition.

A COMPLETE UNKNOWN...Remains Unknown

A COMPLETE UNKNOWN (Digital)

2024 / 141 min

From Searchlight Pictures

Review by Princess Pepper😼

It’s hard to resist a good music bio. Oddly enough, some of my favorites have been about artists from genres that aren’t really my cup of tea. I’d rather shave with a cheese grater than listen to country music, but loved Coal Miner’s Daughter. Ditto Straight Outta Compton, which didn’t turn me into an NWA fan, but their story certainly gave me a newfound respect for what they accomplished.

Since I generally find folk music, Bob Dylan’s songs and his nasally twang about as enjoyable as a tax audit, I figured A Complete Unknown would be a slam-dunk. I may not be a fan, but hey, the guy’s a living legend. That’s got to be a fascinating story.

And at the very least, Timothee Chalamet uncannily speaks, sings, moves and looks like the classic ‘60s era Bob Dylan we’re all familiar with. He obviously did his homework, and for his efforts, earned an Oscar nomination. That, along with the music and admirable attention to period detail, makes A Complete Unknown worth checking out, especially for fans. However, looks aren’t everything. There’s an early scene where Dylan’s live-in girlfriend, Sylvie (Elle Fanning), complains that she has been open to him about her entire life, while he shares almost nothing of his own. One could easily say the same thing about the entire movie. 

Someone could use a breath mint.

The narrative chronicles Dylan’s career from his arrival at Greenwich village to his notorious appearance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965, where he infamously “went electric,” to the consternation of fans and festival organizers. But it’s mostly an checklist of career highlights, where everyone is in such awe of Dylan’s songs and talent that he goes from zero to folk music’s poster boy faster than Superman throws on his tights. For all I know, maybe that’s just how things transpired, but in the meantime, little is revealed about Dylan himself…his upbringing, his struggles & obstacles, his life experiences. He’s depicted as rebellious, but we never know what really makes him tick.

The brief, tumultuous relationship between Dylan and Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro) creates a few sparks and would have made an interesting film by itself. But it’s ultimately just another chapter of an overly episodic narrative. Elsewhere, Edward Norton is charming as Dylan’s early mentor, Pete Seeger, while Boyd Holbrook surprisingly steals a few scenes as Johnny Cash. Conversely, Fanning’s role ends up being pretty thankless, her character reduced to watching Dylan from backstage on the verge of tears.

My daughter, who was watching this with me and knows nothing about Bob Dylan, remarked that the movie relentlessly moves along on the assumption that the audience is already familiar with the smaller details of its subject’s life and background. That’s a pretty accurate assessment. The film is chock full of music and Chalamet’s physical transformation into Dylan is remarkable. But in the end, A Complete Unknown’s main character largely remains unknown.

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTES - The Story; Timothee Chalamet as Bob Dylan; The Supporting Cast; The Design.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By director James Mangold.

KITTEN KATNIP: The Best Stuff We Reviewed in 2024

We reviewed a slew of Blu-rays, DVDs and movies in 2024. Time to take a look back at the best of them. While we have seen more movies than the Surgeon General recommends, our list consists strictly of titles which were sent to us for review purposes.

PURR-R-R...THE BEST: We reviewed some good stuff this year, but the following titles were better than taunting a mouse to death:

10) CUCKOO (Decal Releasing) - Cuckoo is a crazy film, and the less you know going in, the more fun you’re likely to have. It benefits from writer-director Tilman Singer’s creepy stylistic touches and disorienting sequences of hallucinatory psychological horror. He never spoonfeeds the audience, instead inviting us to come along for the ride, even if we’re never sure of the destination.

9) DUNE: PART TWO (Warner Bros) - While their overall visual and sonic grandeur is certainly diminished at home, watching Parts One & Two back-to-back on the sofa becomes immersive in a different way. It's a sprawling, complex story that may not always display a lot of heart, but is consistently engaging enough to justify two films and an epic overall length.

8) A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE (Paramount) - Though presented on a grander scale than the first two films, A Quiet Place: Part One is ultimately a personal journey, the smaller moments nicely contrasting all the monster mayhem. Exciting, intense and often touching, it’s more that just another cash-grabbing prequel.

7) THE CHILDE (Well Go USA) - The film is mostly an extended pursuit filled with car chases, guns and bloody, close-quarters fighting, but also has an intriguing plot with plenty of surprises and a tone similar to a Tarantino film. Another winner by director Park Hoon-jung, The Childe wins no awards for plausibility, but it’s the best action movie of 2023.

6) DRIVING MADELEINE (Cohen Media Group) - Driving Madeleine takes the viewer on an entertaining - often revealing - personal journey of two wonderfully realized characters. With a perceptive screenplay, fluid direction by Christian Carion and affecting performances (including Alice Isaaz as young Madeleine), this is an emotional ride worth taking.

5) ACT OF VIOLENCE (Warner Archive) - Running a lean 82 minutes, the film hits the ground running and doesn't slow down, seldom straying from the dark tone established in the very first scene. Featuring tight direction by Fred Zinnemann and aided to a great degree by Robert Surtees’ moody cinematography, Act of Violence is an underseen film noir gem.

4) INTERSTELLAR and PULP FICTION Anniversary Editions (Paramount) - In this writer’s opinion, Interstellar is one of the best films of the 21st Century and among the greatest sci-fi films ever made. For those who feel the same way, the 10th Anniversary Limited Edition is a perfect souvenir. The 30th Anniversary Limited Edition of Pulp Fiction is a wonderfully packaged boxed set intended for those who love everything about the Tarantino classic. A great souvenir commemorating one of modern cinema’s best, most influential films.

3) NORTH BY NORTHWEST 4K (Warner Bros) - This undisputable classic remains as suspenseful, intriguing and funny as it was 65 years ago. On 4K, it has never looked better, and in addition to a big batch of vintage bonus features, a couple of new ones are included. North by Northwest is Alfred Hitchcock’s greatest overall film and remains essential viewing for anyone claiming to be a cinephile.

2) CHINATOWN 4K and ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST 4K (Paramount) - The Paramount Presents series has been getting better and better lately, especially their 4K releases. Chinatown includes new bonus features along with a substantial list of supplemental material carried over from previous Blu-ray/DVD editions. But the cherry-on-top is the Blu-ray debut of The Two Jakes, the belated and maligned sequel. Once Upon a Time in the West is another long-overdue 4K release and a decent upgrade from previous editions. It includes substantial bonus features, a new audio commentary and a brief appreciation by critic Leonard Maltin

1) ALL THE HAUNTS BE OURS, VOLUME II (Severin Films) - Like Volume One, All the Haunts Be Ours Volume Two isn’t for everyone, but for folk horror lovers who've always defined the genre by the likes of The Wicker Man and Midsommar, it's a treasure trove of obscurities. In terms of quantity, comprehensiveness and presentation, this is the best boxed set of the year.

HONORABLE MENTION: They Drive by Night (Warner Archive), The Mexico Trilogy (Arrow), Strange Darling (Decal), Paramount Scares Volume 2 4K (Paramount), Cruel Jaws - The Novelization (Encyclopacalypse), The Lady from Shanghai 4K (Sony), Monkey Man 4K (Universal), American Fiction (Warner Bros), The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (Lionsgate), The First Omen (20th Century Studios), Cemetery Man 4K (Severin), The Beekeeper (Warner Bros), Fear is the Key (Arrow); The Searchers 4K (Warner Archive).

Be sure to check out THE WORST STUFF WE REVIEWED IN 2024.

2024 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

‘Tis the season, when we present our annual Holiday Gift Guide, chock full of delicious crunchy kibbles for that special cinephile in your life. CLICK HERE!

2024 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

‘Tis the season, when we present our annual Holiday Gift Guide, chock full of delicious crunchy kibbles for that special cinephile in your life. CLICK HERE!

THE POOP SCOOP: A VHS Comeback?

🙀Coming to VHS! HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER on Nov 19th from Dark Sky Selects.

It was a true game-changer, a film so upsetting in its blunt depiction of an amoral murderer that it made the slasher films of its time look like cartoons by comparison. HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER became a lightning rod in heated debates about cinema and censorship but has only grown in stature since its first showing in 1986. Now, for the first time, the film will be available as a collectable VHS nationwide exclusively via Dark Sky Selects (darkskyselects.com) on November 19, 2024. Pre-orders for the VHS will be available on darkskyselects.com beginning October 31, 2024. Director John McNaughton completed the film in 1986, and it was shown at that year’s Chicago International Film Festival. But it wasn’t until 1990 that a U.S. distributor was brave enough to give it a wide release. The film’s violence, and the clinical, detached portrayal of Henry by the unforgettable Michael Rooker, originally earned it the MPAA’s highly restrictive NC-17 rating. The response from both critics and the public was as visceral as the film itself, and it went on to gain praise as one of the most compelling and disturbing films of modern cinema.

🪐GALAXY QUEST Celebrates 25th Anniversary With 4K Ultra HD Debut December 3rd from Paramount.

Celebrate the 25th anniversary of the beloved sci-fi comedy classic GALAXY QUEST as it arrives for the first time ever on 4K Ultra HD December 3, 2024 from Paramount Home Entertainment. Featuring an out-of-this-world, all-star cast including Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shalhoub, Sam Rockwell, Enrico Colantoni, Daryl Mitchell, Justin Long, Missi Pyle, and Rainn Wilson, this rollicking send-up of sci-fi fanaticism is as funny today as when it premiered in theatres 25 years ago. Newly remastered under the supervision of director Dean Parisot, GALAXY QUEST is presented in 4K Ultra HD with spectacular Dolby Vision and HDR-10, as well as with Dolby Atmos sound for the most immersive home viewing experience.  For its 25th anniversary, the film will be available in a nationwide release and a Limited-Edition SteelBook, both of which offer access to a Digital copy of the film and over 90 minutes of new and legacy bonus content, including a new Filmmaker Focus with director Dean Parisot reflecting on the film and its enduring popularity.  

😺THE KILLER’S GAME arrives on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on November 19 from Lionsgate.

In the new action-comedy THE KILLER’S GAME, when top hit man Joe Flood (Dave Bautista) is diagnosed with a terminal illness, he decides to take matters into his own hands – by taking a hit out on himself. But when the very hit men he hired also target his ex-girlfriend (Sofia Boutella), he must fend off an army of assassin colleagues and win back the love of his life before it’s too late. Experience a deadly game of survival in THE KILLER’S GAME, arriving on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray™, and DVD on November 19 from Lionsgate. Based on the book The Killer’s Game, the film is directed by JJ Perry (Day Shift) from a screenplay by Rand Ravich and James Coyne. It also stars Terry Crews (The Expendables 1-3), Scott Adkins (John Wick: Chapter 4), with Pom Klementieff (Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning), and Ben Kingsley (Schindler’s List).

👽ALIEN: ROMULUS Gets Limited-Edition VHS Release on 12/3 in Addition to 4K, Blu-ray and DVD from 20th Century Studios.

Director Fede Alvarez announced at a special Beyond Fest partnered screening at the Aero Theater in Los Angeles that 20th Century Studios will release the terrifying sci-fi horror thriller, Alien: Romulus, on limited edition VHS December 3. An ultimate movie collector’s dream, the fully functioning VHS tape was created in celebration of the 45th anniversary of the legendary Alien franchise, the box features artwork by renowned artist Matt Ferguson. The legendary Alien franchise gives birth to an all-new terrifying sci-fi horror thriller when 20th Century Studios’ Alien: Romulus arrives to digital retailers (Prime Video, Apple TV and Fandango at Home) on October 15 and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on December 3. Alien: Romulus is the start of a new chapter with a brand-new story unlike any other Alien movie that came before it, featuring all-new creatures and characters that are “tense enough to grab you by the throat” (Owen Gleiberman, Variety). Fans can delve deeper into the Alien franchise with all-new exclusive bonus features, including featurettes with filmmakers Fede Alvarez and Ridley Scott, behind the scenes content, and alternate and extended scenes. The 4K UHD will be available in a collectible limited edition SteelBook with custom artwork and packaging.