Revisiting the OCEAN'S TRILOGY in 4K

OCEAN’S TRILOGY (4K UHD)

2001-2007 / 364 min (3 movies)

FROM WARNER BROS / #InPartnershipwithWB

Review My. Stinky the Destroyer😺

Though it doesn't happen very often, I appreciate the effort to remake a film that wasn't all that great in the first place. The original Ocean's 11 was more notable for its cast than the story…a Rat Pack party shot in their adopted hometown, the cast putting their cigarettes down just long enough to commit a heist.

Not that the new version isn’t a similarly high-concept product built around an all-star cast. But at least George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Julie Roberts, Elliot Gould et al aren’t simply playing extensions of themselves. These are pretty well conceived characters, while the motive, planning & execution of the elaborate casino heist is genuinely engaging (if a bit implausible). 

Slickly directed and aesthetically flashy, Ocean’s Eleven is one of those movies that was never destined rack-up a ton of awards or end up on anyone’s Top 10 list, but had enough universal appeal that box office success was all but guaranteed. Sure enough, two sequels and a spin-off followed in subsequent years, all driven by the fun the cast seems to be having (which is admittedly infectious).

Ocean’s Eleven, Ocean’s Twelve and Ocean’s Thirteen are now available in 4K UHD, either as individual SteelBooks or this three-disc set. While not as creatively packaged as the SteelBooks, it’s certainly a lot easier on the wallet if you’re seeking to add or upgrade all three in your collection. Not having seen them on Blu-ray, I can’t state whether or not the upgrade is significant, but the transfers are really good. The overall video image is sharp and clean, with excellent contrasts and vivid color (particularly noticeable in the first & third films, which make use of glitzy Vegas locations). Each film also features an excellent DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track.

"You heard me...go fish."

As for the movies themselves, Ocean’s Eleven remains the best of the trilogy. In addition to the fun of being introduced to the team, this one is more fluidly paced and boasts the most interesting plot, which has recently paroled Danny Ocean (George Clooney) immediately going to work planning the massive robbery of three casinos owned by Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), who not-only forced one of Ocean’s buddies out of the business, his girlfriend, Tess (Julia Roberts), is Danny’s ex-wife.

Ocean’s Twelve is the longest and most meandering of the series, taking its sweet time even getting to the primary conflict, that of an international master thief known as the Night Wolf challenging Ocean’s team to steal a priceless Faberge egg from a museum. And even then, the plot is overly complex, somewhat hampered by juggling too many new characters (and a few pointless cameos). Still, the congenial performances save this one. 

The most outlandish - and cartoonish - of the three is Ocean’s Thirteen, which returns the team to Vegas to bring down ruthless casino tycoon Willy Bank (Al Pacino). This one tests the limits of plausibility, with a few plot turns that are almost embarrassingly silly. But overall, it’s a lot of fun, certainly more enjoyable than the previous film and a nice send-off for these characters. 

None of the films are classics, but all three are an improvement over the original that inspired them. But other than technical upgrades, the Ocean’s Trilogy 4K set offers nothing else new (unless you count the digital copies). All the bonus features are carried over from previous Blu-ray/DVD releases. Still, this is a good collection for fans who want the best possible picture and sound.

EXTRA KIBBLES

DIGITAL COPIES

OCEAN’S ELEVEN:

FEATURETTES - Are You In or Out? The Making of Ocean’s Eleven; Pros & Cons - Inside Ocean’s Outfit; The Style of Steal; The Look of the Cons; Original Ocean’s, Original Cast.

2 AUDIO COMMENTARIES - 1) By director Steven Soderbergh & writer Ted Griffen; 2) By actors Andy Garcia, Brad Pitt & Matt Damon.

OCEAN’S TWELVE:

FEATURETTES - Ready, Jet Set, Go: The Making of Ocean’s Twelve; HBO First Look: Twelve is the New Eleven.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By director Steven Soderbergh & writer George Noifi.

DELETED SCENES

OCEAN’S THIRTEEN:

FEATURETTES - Third’s a Charm: The Making of Ocean’s Thirteen; Ahab with a Piggyback: The Means & Machines of Ocean’s; Jerry Weintraub Walk & Talk; Master of the Heist.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By director Steven Soderbergh & writers David Levien and Brian Koppelman.

DELETED SCENES

DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS and the Unexpected MacGuffin

DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS (Blu-ray)

2024 / 83 min

FROM UNIVERSAL

Review by Stinky the Destroyer😺

Leave it to one of the Coen Brothers (and his wife) to come up with the most unexpected MacGuffin I've ever seen, which I won’t even hint at. But when it’s revealed, chances are you’ll laugh, if for no other reason than Ethan Coen & Tricia Cooke’s audacity. 

Even without Joel co-writing/co-directing, Drive-Away Dolls reflects the brothers’ quirky sensibilities, though even longtime, unsuspecting Coen fans might be initially blindsided. For one thing, the film is raunchy as hell, often hilariously so, though the humor occasionally feels a bit too calculated. Still, we kinda need a movie like this…a screwball comedy featuring two protagonists who happen to be lesbians. Their orientation is certainly part of the narrative, with a ton of jaw-droppingly frank dialogue and ample sex scenes (which are more comedic than erotic), but that isn’t what drives the plot. 

Drive-Away Dolls is a road movie with elements the Coens have visited before. Margaret Qualley & Geraldine Viswanathan play Jamie and Marian, two close friends who take a road trip to Tallahassee in a drive-away car. However, stashed in the trunk is a briefcase containing the aforementioned MacGuffin. The problem is that the car was supposed to be picked up by a couple of criminals to deliver the case to the same town. Those guys, Arliss (Joey Slotnick) and Flint (C.J. Wilson), are ordered by their boss (Colman Domingo) to track the girls down and retrieve the case.

The movie's two clean gags.

Of the two protagonists, Jamie is more free-spirited and uninhibited (to say the least), bent on spending a good deal of this trip hitting lesbian bars while trying to get perpetually-uptight Marian to loosen up a little. During their episodic journey, we get to know both pretty well and their relationship is often amusing, ultimately endearing. Elsewhere, the segments with Arliss and Flint chasing down the girls - usually a step or two behind - are frequently hilarious, while Beanie Feldstein threatens to steal the movie as Jamie's disgruntled ex, Sukie (and also a cop).

I’ve avoided specifics because much of what makes Drive-Away Dolls fun is not knowing what’s going to happen next…or what’ll fly out of someone’s mouth, especially Jamie’s. Overall, it’s an entertaining film with excellent performances by the entire cast. Though never quite as clever as the Coens’ best comedies, there are enough oddball characters and off-the-wall moments to remind us who’s behind the camera. 

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTES - The Drive-Away Gang; Drive-Away Dolls: An Ethan and Tricia Project; Road Trip Essentials.

DVD & DIGITAL COPIES

THE POOP SCOOP: Upcoming Kibbles!

😺SOUTH PARK: BIGGER, LONGER & UNCUT 25th Anniversary & TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE 20th Anniversary 4K Ultra HDs debut on June 25th

Join us as we celebrate 25 years of warping fragile little minds when the critically acclaimed, Academy Award-nominated SOUTH PARK: BIGGER, LONGER & UNCUT arrives for the first time ever on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc June 25, 2024 from Paramount Home Entertainment. On June 30, 1999, creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker unleashed their wildly popular South Park characters on the big screen for the first time. Twenty-five years later, SOUTH PARK: BIGGER, LONGER & UNCUT remains as irreverent, insightful, and hilarious as when it first premiered. The 25th Anniversary 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo includes legacy bonus content detailed below, access to a Digital copy of the film, and—for the first time—the Sing-A-Long version of the film. This year also marks the 20th anniversary of Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s uproariously subversive TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE, which will also make its 4K Ultra HD debut on June 25th.  The 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo includes access to a Digital copy of the film, the Uncensored and Unrated cut of the film on Blu-ray, as well as legacy bonus content.

😺DUNE PART TWO Arrives on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray & DVD May 14, and on Digital NOW from Warner Bros.

Dune: Part Two explores the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a path of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee. Dune: Part Two is directed by three-time Academy Award nominee Denis Villeneuve (“Arrival,” “Blade Runner 2049”) from a screenplay he and Jon Spaihts wrote, based on the seminal bestselling novel of the same name written by Frank Herbert. The expanded all-star international ensemble cast features returning and new stars, including Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar nominee Josh Brolin, Oscar nominee Austin Butler, Oscar nominee Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Oscar winner Christopher Walken, Léa Seydoux, Souheila Yacoub, with Stellan Skarsgård, with Oscar nominee Charlotte Rampling, and Oscar winner Javier Bardem. 

🐕ARTHUR THE KING now on Digital and coming to Blu-ray and DVD May 28 from Lionsgate.

Based on the “heart-swelling true story” (Courtney Howard, Variety) of friendship and loyalty, ARTHUR THE KING arrives on Premium Video on Demand and Premium Electronic Sell-Through on April 23, and on Electronic Sell-Through, Blu-ray (+ DVD + Digital), and DVD May 28 from Lionsgate. Embark on the physical and emotional journey based on the true story of adventure racer Mikael Lindnord and Arthur, the dog that changed Lindnord’s life. The film stars Academy Award nominee Mark Wahlberg. In ARTHUR THE KING, an unbreakable bond is forged between pro adventure racer Michael Light and a scrappy street dog companion dubbed Arthur over the course of a grueling 10-day, 435-mile racecourse. An “inspiring story for the whole family” (Rachel Wagner, Rachel’s Reviews), and based on true events, ARTHUR THE KING follows Light, desperate for one last chance to win, as he convinces a sponsor to back him and a team of athletes for the Adventure Racing World Championship in the Dominican Republic. Pushing the team to the outer limits of endurance and sacrifice, Arthur redefines what victory, loyalty, and friendship truly mean.

🙀FEAR & LOVE: THE STORY OF THE EXORCIST Now Available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime.

THE ROUNDUP: NO WAY OUT: Some Things Never Get Old

THE ROUNDUP: NO WAY OUT (Blu-ray)

2023 / 101 min

FROM MPI MEDIA GROUP

Review by Stinky the Destroyer😺

Some things never get old…date night at Starbucks with my wife, breakfast food for dinner, the Cowboys choking during the playoffs…

…and Don Lee pummeling bad guys into submission. 

The Roundup: No Way Out is the third film of a franchise (with a fourth on the way) featuring Lee as Ma Seok-do, a tough, burly detective whose most formidable skill is beating the shit out of people. I still haven’t seen the first film, The Outlaws, which isn’t available on physical media in the U.S., but 2022’s The Roundup was among the best action films of that year, a deft combination of action and comedy anchored by Lee’s terrific performance (and he’s a lot more agile than his heftiness would suggest). Best of all, watching the first film wasn’t required to enjoy this one.

If you haven’t seen The Roundup, it’s widely available and definitely worth seeking out. But if you have, No Way Out is just as entertaining, with Lee returning to take on a bevy of bad guys while his subordinates try to keep up. This time, a crew of corrupt cops led by Joo Sung-cheol (Lee Joon-hyuk) is trying to sell 20 kilos of a new drug called Hiper to a Chinese triad, which he stole from a vicious Yakuza organization. Following an arrest by Lee and his team, the package is stolen yet again. Now everyone is looking for it…the good cops, the bad cops and the Yakuza boss’ most ruthless assassin, Ricky (Munetaka Aoki). 

Some fashion choices are punchworthy.

The particulars of the plot are more intricate than that, perhaps overly so. But while the story is interesting, it ultimately takes a backseat to the action and characters. Lee continues to make Ma an engaging, atypical action hero. There’s no finesse in his methods, mainly just bluster and brute force, both of which are served up in sequences that are both rousing and funny. But he’s not the whole show here. Like The Roundup, he’s pitted against formidable antagonists, while his allies - willingly assisting him or not - are engaging as either beleaguered straight-men or comic relief.  

Other than a final scene which apparently sets-up the next film, The Roundup: No Way Out presents a self-contained story. Like The Roundup, the only connecting thread is the protagonist’s punishing approach to police procedure, which never gets old. As long as Don Lee is willing and able to keep dispensing justice with his fists (and no guns!), this is one franchise that probably won’t wear out its welcome.

Litter Box Treasures: THE GUMBALL RALLY (1976)

In Litter Box Treasures, we focus on a variety of older films which aren’t necessarily classics, but are well-worth discovering.

THE GUMBALL RALLY (1976)

Starring Michael Sarrazin, Tim McIntire, Normann Burton, Raul Julia, Gary Busey, Nicholas Pryor, Harvey Jason, Susan Flannery, John Durren, J. Pat O'Malley, Vaughn Taylor, Steven Keats, Wally Taylor, Joanne Nail, Tricia O'Neal, Lazaro Perez. Directed by Chuck Bail. (105 min).

ESSAY BY D.M. ANDERSON💀

The Gumball Rally evokes really fond memories, so please indulge me if I give this film more praise than the genre generally warrants.

Nearly every week as a kid, I'd hit the Cinema V, a local second-run theater near my house, to catch double-bills for less than a buck. Sometimes I biked there, other times Mom or Dad would drop me off with a friend. The place was old, dank and sold Milk Duds dating back to the Middle Ages. As hang-outs go, it was second only to 7-Eleven as the most wonderful place in the world. That's where I first caught The Gumball Rally (with a Vanishing Point chaser). I'd seen plenty of car chase movies before - which had their heyday in the 70s - but this one struck a chord with me and remains one of my childhood favorites.

On the other hand, maybe it does warrant more acknowledgment & praise than its relative obscurity suggests.

Superficially, The Gumball Rally is just another car chase movie made during a decade rife with them. It has most of the same ingredients...hot cars, outlaw antiheroes, idiot cops, sexy babes, a plot with the complexity of Go Dog Go and, naturally, plenty of high-speed motorporn. A few of these crash-fests went on to become cult classics - like the aforementioned Vanishing Point - but most were brain-dead junk food made on-the-cheap and destined to be forgotten within weeks of their release.

But while The Gumball Rally walks & talks like its contemporaries, beneath its turbo-charged exterior beats the heart of old-fashioned madcap comedies like The Great Race, Monte Carlo or Bust and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (with a dash of Looney Tunes). The humor is broad, silly...even a little corny. But the whole thing is constantly good-natured and what little violence there is is strictly of the slapstick variety. In fact, if not for the preponderance of boob jokes, this could (almost) pass muster as a family film.

What's wrong with this picture?
(That's right...the driver on the right doesn't have insurance)

Unusual for the genre - at least until Burt Reynolds went into the Smokey and the Bandit business - the film boasts an impressive ensemble cast consisting of respected character actors, led by Michael Sarrazin (channeling his inner Peter Fonda...and a bit of Bugs Bunny thrown in for good measure). The fun they have with their characters (no matter how broadly drawn) is infectious. A young Raul Julia steals the show as oversexed Italian race driver Franco - Pepe Le Pew personified - while Normann Burton makes a perfect Wile E. Coyote (beleaguered expression and all) as the hapless Lt. Roscoe.

Though The Gumball Rally is played strictly for laughs, it doesn't skimp on high-speed thrills, which are expertly choreographed and shot, with far better production values than the average chase film of the time. It's all punctuated by a music score that combines ragtime, jazz and what resembles music from a Quinn Martin cop show. Yet somehow it fits, going a long way in establishing the jovial tone of the entire movie.

Sure, I may be biased, but what can't be disputed is the movie's influence. Not only was The Gumball Rally was the first of a wave of similar films depicting an illegal coast-to-coast road race (all inferior rip-offs), it eventually inspired real-life racing events all over the world, the most famous being the annual Gumball 3000, still held in Europe each year. Additionally, the MiceChat Gumball Rally is a yearly event at Disneyland, where fans compete to see who can ride the most attractions in a single day.

Not bad for a silly chase comedy hardly anyone recalls. For me, the movie is a nostalgic trip down memory lane that I take about once a year. I may not laugh as boisterously as I did at 13, sitting in the back row of that decrepit old Cinema V, but The Gumball Rally still brings a smile to my face.

Revisiting BLAZING SADDLES at 50

BLAZING SADDLES (Blu-ray)

1974 / 93 min

FROM WARNER BROS.

Available at www.MovieZyng.com

Review by Mr. Paws😺

Reviewing this Blu-ray re-issue of Blazing Saddles is the first time I’ve sat down to watch the film in its entirety since the 1980s. Back then, it was often the movie of choice during Friday nights when a work buddy, Brian, would swing by my apartment to partake in a bit of herbal enhancement. 

Brian happened to be African-American, and when he first spotted it among my small VHS collection, he said it was one of his favorite movies. I was initially hesitant about watching it with him, especially with its liberal - and notorious - use of the n-word. But it was actually during the more racial-charged scenes when we always ended up laughing the hardest. 

Of course, anyone with a modicum of intelligence who’s actually seen Blazing Saddles - as opposed to knowling it by reputation - realizes the movie isn’t racist…it’s about the stupidity of racism, played for laughs (which it still largely earns 50 years later). That’s arguably why the film hasn’t been quite as retro-condemned as, say, Gone with the Wind, Sixteen Candles or Breakfast at Tiffany’s. 

Cleavon finds Gene's tickle spot.

Still, we live in a different world today, and revisiting the film resulted in a few personal takeaways…

• The movie is still funny without weed, though I missed Brian sitting on the sofa next to me. His laughter was infectious.
• Actually, I was thankful to be watching it alone this time. My daughters - both in their 20s - cannot stand racial epithets, no matter the context. Sure, the n-word is only spoken by bad guys and bumpkins (both depicted as idiots), but it’s weird to hear it used so often.
• If there’s one aspect of Blazing Saddles that could still be considered truly offensive, it’s the film’s cartoonish depiction of gay stereotypes. 
• I’ve heard a lot of people - mostly right-wingers - who claim Blazing Saddles couldn’t be made today because of woke culture. The fallacy in that statement - besides being a tired old cliche - is that so-called "woke" liberals are far less likely to take the humor at face value.
• Speaking of face value…now that I’m older, with more discriminating tastes and a heightened sense of humor, the campfire scene is still funny as hell. Of course, fart gags are common (and overused) today, but Brooks did it first…and did it big.
• “S’cuse me while I whip this out” is one of the funniest lines in movie history.
• Harvey Korman might very well be the movie’s MVP.
• Cleavon Little should have been a bigger movie star than he was. His delivery and comic timing are perfect.
• No one used anachronisms or broke the fourth wall better than Mel Brooks.
• Speaking of Brooks, it may be his name above the title, but even when prominently casting himself, he always gave the best roles, scenes and dialogue to his fellow actors.
• Watching the pilot episode of “Black Bart,” a proposed TV spin-off based on the movie (and included as a bonus feature), reminded me that network television didn’t have a problem with the n-word back then.
• Ironically, the same network felt compelled to edit the movie’s campfire scene for its TV broadcast, replacing the farts with belches (that scene is also among the bonus features). Racial slurs are okay, but God help us if impressionable viewers hear gas passing. The '70s were weird.
• Having seen a lot more classic westerns over the years, I appreciate Blazing Saddles’ satirical elements a lot more than I used to.

Those are my takes, anyway, and some might think I’m way off base on a few of them. But 50 years later, Blazing Saddles remains Mel Brooks’ funniest, most subversive film. Certain surface aspects notwithstanding, perhaps it’s even his most enduring, with underlying themes beneath the farce (and farts) that are still relevant.

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTES - Back in the Saddle is a retrospective documentary featuring interviews with many of the surviving (at the time) cast & crew, including Mel Brooks, Gene Wilder, Harvey Korman, Dom DeLuise, Andrew Bergman and Burton Gilliam. Intimate Portrait: Madeline Kahn is an excerpt from the Lifetime biography series, made in 2000.

BLACK BART - Pilot episode for spinoff series that never happened, featuring Louis Gossett Jr. in the title role. More interesting than funny.

SCENE-SPECIFIC AUDIO COMMENTARY - By Mel Brooks.

ADDITIONAL/DELETED SCENES

TRAILER