ULTRAMAN DECKER: More Monsters & Mayhem

ULTRAMAN DECKER - THE COMPLETE SERIES (Blu-ray)

2022 / 700 min (25 episodes, 1 movie)

Mill Creek Entertainment

Review by Nick Lyons, from DVDCorner.net

2022’s Ultraman Decker (which is part of the Reiwa era) is simultaneously a sequel to Ultraman Trigger: New Generation Tiga and is also based on Ultraman Dyna. The 25 episode series begins at a time of peace in which there have been no monsters for 7 years. 

Of course, it wouldn’t be much of a series if there were no monsters, so as you might expect, all hell breaks loose when alien Spheres attack Earth and Mars. Moreover, a barrier covers Earth which prevents ships and communications from coming or going from the Planet. Luckily, Earth has hope. A brave and optimistic grocer named Kanata Asumi winds up becoming Ultraman Decker (who can transform into various types). Kanata himself also joins Earth’s TPU training school (and later becomes a part of the GUTS-Select team) alongside cadets Ichika Kirino and Soma Ryumon. Together this team (also comprised of robots HANE2 and Terraphaser) combat the evil Sphere forces (including the big bad Mother Spheresaurus) as well as Kaiju such as Deathdrago and Pagos. 

Along the way, some familiar faces pop up, such as Ultraman Trigger, Cameara, Grace, Marluru, and a Kanata descendant. Elsewhere in the plot is a key storyline involving the alien Agams who may or may not be connected to the Sphere invasion. Last, but not least is a movie finale titled Ultraman Decker Finale: Journey To Beyond, where Ultraman Decker, GUTS-Select and Ultraman Dinas team up to fight against Earth invader Professor Gibellus.

A great find from the Ultra Yard Sale.

Much like Super Sentai (AKA Power Rangers), the Ultra franchise has been running for decades. The Japanese Tokusatsu franchise has had many incarnations including Ultraman Decker. Produced by Tsuburaya Productions, Ultraman Decker is far from being one of the more beloved series in the franchise. Ultra Q and the original Ultraman, it certainly is not. The series is filled with cheeseball dialogue, an over-the-top Kanata (played by Hiroki Matsumoto), overly dramatic speeches, war cries, bad CGI, and an episodic formula involving new Ultraman types and a new Kaiju or monster. There’s nothing here that you haven’t seen before in previous Ultra series. 

On the plus side, the show delivers plenty of explosive action, which tends to be the selling point for the Ultra series. Yes, the CGI is pretty rough, but it’s nice to see that suits/costumes are still being used. Sure, you can do more with CGI, but nothing beats people in costumes duking it out. On top of that, it’s nice to see some cameos from past series. Anytime there’s more than one Ultraman on screen, it’s a treat to be sure.

Ultraman Decker is unlikely to be a fan favorite, but it’s still an entertaining tokusatsu series that will undoubtedly appeal to super fans or completists.

MANIFEST Never Soars, But Never Stalls

MANIFEST - THE COMPLETE SERIES (Blu-ray)

2018-2023 / 3,720 min (62 episodes)

Warner Bros

Available at www.MovieZyng.com

Review by Princess Pepper😺

Manifest is one of those shows I considered giving a shot when it first aired, but never got around to it. Part of the reason is because my viewing habits generally preclude tuning in at the same time each week. More problematically, a lot of serialized programs require you to jump on-board at episode one, otherwise you’re lost and playing catch-up. For example, I was once sent Season Four of Game of Thrones to review, but never having watched it before, it took me several episodes to know what the hell was going on.

But worst of all are the times I got sucked into shows like Revolution and Surface, only to be left hanging when they were unceremoniously cancelled without any storylines being resolved. That’s the same fate that befell Manifest, too, at least until Netflix stepped in to bring the series to a proper conclusion with a fourth and final season. While a majority of Netflix’s original programming leaves me cold, I do appreciate that they’ve thrown lifelines to several previously cancelled shows.

Now all 62 episodes of Manifest are available in this 13-disc Blu-ray set. So if nothing else, the sprawling story and all its subplots are can be devoured to completion for as long as your sofa remains comfortable. And binging really is the best way to enjoy this show. Not that it compelled me to pull any all-nighters, but the primary story and about half of its subplots were just engaging enough for me to repeatedly tell myself “just one more episode” (or two, or three) before turning in for the evening. 

Flight 828, carrying 191 passengers from Jamaica to New York, goes missing for  5½ years. When the plane finally reaches its destination, no actual time has passed for the passengers themselves. To them, their flight landed as scheduled. Where they’ve been the entire time is a mystery that gains the worlds attention, including government agencies tasked with trying to figure it out. Meanwhile, these passengers face worldwide public scrutiny, both good and bad.

"How come you guys get binoculars and I don't?"

The bulk of the ongoing story arc centers on the Stone family, whose lives are completely upended, as are those of friends and loved ones they’ve returned to. It’s also revealed that all the passengers now experience visions (which they refer to as “callings”) compelling them to figure out what they mean, which usually ends up saving someone’s life or - more ominously - offering clues to their possible fates. It also turns out that ignoring callings has dire consequences. Concurrently, the NSA is doing experiments involving some passengers with plans of weaponizing their new abilities.

The first couple of seasons reminded me of Stephen King novels like Firestarter and The Institute, where people with supernatural talents are exploited by nefarious government organizations. Those aspects of Manifest are pretty interesting, with antagonists we enjoy hating while establishing certain 828ers as especially gifted. Though it’s the primary story arc driving the entire series, there are frequent subplots and narrative detours. Some side stories are succinctly wrapped up in a single episode, others lay the groundwork for later developments. Well conceived characters and decent overall performances help, though a few of them seem to be taking turns being the most obnoxious, shrill or irritating. 

As a result, Manifest never quite soars, but never stalls, either. For every compelling plotline, there’s one that might test the viewer’s patience (especially regarding some of the main characters’ relationships). While watching, there were occasions when I’d wish they’d just get on with it, only for the episode to conclude on an ominous cliffhanger, compelling me to keep charging forward. Eventually, layer upon layer of plot twists, revelations and apocalyptic implications build up to the point where the viewer becomes hopeful that the conclusion will be nothing short of mindblowing. It isn’t, and roughly halfway into Season Three, the biblical allusions and increasing Kumbaya tone hint at an underwhelming denouement.

But while I think the entire thing could have been more effective as a miniseries (maybe even a single epic movie), Manifest generally does a good job maintaining our interest in its busy plot over 62 episodes. Ultimately, I doubt I would have stuck with the show if forced to tune in once a week, but binging until you’ve had your fill for the night is pretty fun.

THE PENGUIN Waddles Onto 4K

THE PENGUIN (4K UHD)

2024 / 460 min (8 episodes)

From Warner Bros.

Available at www.MovieZyng.com

Review by Stinky the Destroyer😺

One gauge we typically use to review a TV series is how often we’re compelled to see it through to the final episode. For the bad shows, we might get to the halfway point of a season before assuming it’s not gonna get any better. For good shows, we’re generally happy to watch the entire thing, an episode or two per day. The great ones compels us to binge it all in one sitting, making it tough to get up for work the next day.

The Penguin falls somewhere between good and great. It takes its time introducing (or re-introducing) its characters and overall story arc, which is entertaining enough, but not so addicting that the next episode can’t wait until tomorrow. However, once all the players and pieces are in place, there are eventually enough narrative curveballs, character revelations and double-crosses that I just had to see how things turn out, sleep be damned. I was rewarded with a dark and somewhat shocking resolution I didn’t see coming.

The Penguin takes the second most interesting character from 2022’s The Batman and makes him the focus of this eight episode spin-off. Taking place shortly after the Riddler’s terror attack on Gotham, the story essentially chronicles Oz Cobb’s (Colin Farrell) rise to power by pitting the city’s two most powerful crime families, the Falcones and Maronis, against each other, while outwardly maintaining his loyalty to the former (though nobody on either side really trusts him).

As presented, Cobb is fascinating. Beneath his repulsive, buffoonish bluster is a complex character who’s menacing, violent, narcissistic, and self-aggrandizing. At the same time, he displays cunning few of his enemies see until it’s too late, as well as generosity and compassion for both his invalid mother (Deidre O’Connell) and young new right-hand man Victor (Rhenzy Feliz), who just lost his entire family during the attack. One episode in particular also reveals Cobb’s disturbing past, including the fate of his brothers and his creepy relationship with Mom. As in The Batman, Farrell goes all-in with his performance, aided once again by wonderfully grotesque make-up.

It just ain't a campfire without 'Smores.

The pleasant surprise is Cristin Mioloti as Sofia Falcone, recently released from Arkham Asylum after being framed for serial murder, who emerges as Cobb’s primary foe. Incarceration has definitely loosened a few screws upstairs, but also strengthened her resolve for payback against those who betrayed her (including Cobb). She’s a complex character with plans of her own, and like the narrative does with Cobb, harrowing flashbacks (including an entire episode chronicling her incarceration at Arkham) reveal her terrifying past.

Elsewhere, The Penguin features well-conceived secondary characters, as well as a level of violence you aren’t likely to ever see in a Batman movie. And speaking of which, the Caped Crusader is never part of the story, nor is he even mentioned. The show is strictly a dark and brutal crime drama that shares more DNA with old Warner Bros gangster movies than anything you’d find in a comic book. The series does open on the assumption that one is familiar with what transpired in The Batman, but by the second or third episode, that aspect of the story is left behind.

Overall, The Penguin is an entertaining extension of the universe established in The Batman, though geared more toward adult audiences with its story, tone, violence and language. But unless they come up with one helluva second story, one eight-episode mini-series is probably enough for this character, since it reveals everything that makes him tick. This three-disc 4K UHD release looks great, nicely showcasing the show’s impressive production design and occasionally seedy aesthetic. 

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTES - This set comes with a bunch of short featurettes spread out over three discs: Inside Gotham (eight chapters); Introducing The Penguin; The Origin of Oz; Welcome to Gotham; Gotham Re-Envisioned; Becoming the Penguin (easily the most interesting); Who is the Hangman: Portrait of Sofia Falcone; Hearts of the Penguin; A Tale of Two Gothams; Victor Aguilar: The Making of a Henchman.

Rediscovering HOUSE M.D.

HOUSE M.D. - THE COMPLETE SERIES (Blu-ray)

2004-2002 / 7765 min

From Universal

Available at www.MovieZyng.com

Review by Stinky’s Mom😺

Funnily enough, I had started my House journey right before the Complete Series came out. I was too young to appreciate House during the height of its popularity, preferring to spend my weekday evenings watching Spongebob with my finger up my nose. Now, as an adult, I quite enjoy watching House, ‘hmming’ and ‘oh, of course’-ing at it and pretending like I’m finally getting use out of my biology degree by keeping up with each new diagnosis. 

House ran on Fox for eight seasons between 2004 and 2012. It features the titular Dr. House (Hugh Laurie), a great doctor who is also the most insufferable man you’ll ever meet. Each episode features House and his gaggle of doctors diagnosing and treating patients, committing insane medical malpractice along the way. Each episode is approached like a mystery, with twists and incorrect diagnoses before a solution can ever be landed on, but it never wears out its welcome even as it veers towards being formulaic. 

The Complete Series features all 177 episodes, plus bonus features on Blu-Ray. Each season has its own section of special features, although not all seasons are created equal. Season one features what looks like mostly old promotional material, with grainy, crunchy quality to boot. Later seasons have things like music videos, episode commentaies, and blooper reels (thank God…why have special features without a blooper reel?). The quality on most of these special features seems lower than the picture quality of the episodes, and look like they were probably just nabbed from past releases of seasons. 

Hugh feigns interest in Robert's cat pix.

The episodes themselves mostly look great on Blu-Ray. Most shots even from the first season look like something that could be on TV today. There were a few exceptions though, where oddly enough, a few shots looked a bit pixelated and grainy. It wasn’t enough to diminish my enjoyment of the series, especially as a fan, but it was at least noticeable. 

It's a nice collection of a great series and a better alternative to streaming, where an hour long episode is interrupted by commercials. I was thrilled to have it to finish my binge of the series. However, this collection doesn’t necessarily add anything worth having if you’ve already got access to the series through past releases or if you’re already spending money on ad-free streaming. 

EXTRA KIBBLES

SEASON 1 - Dr. House Medical Cases; The Concept; Set Tour; House-isms; Casting Session with Hugh Laurie.

SEASON 2 - An Evening with House; Blooper Reel; Alternate Takes: The Valley Girl Versions; In Could Be Lupus…; Producer Audio Commentaries.

SEASON 3 - Soundtrack Sessions; Anatomy of an Episode: The Jerk; Blood, Needles and Body Parts: The House Prop Department; Open House: The Production Office; Blooper Reel; Audio Commentary.

SEASON 4 - House’s Soup: Prescription Passion; New Beginnings; Meet the Writers; The Visual Effects of House; My Favorite Episode So Far…; House’s Head Audio Commentary (by exec producers David Shore &  Katie Jacobs.

SEASON 5 - House Meets a Milestone: The 1000th Episode; Keeping it Real: Accuracy in Writing; Dr. Mom: Cuddy’s Storyline; House Guests: Casting the Show; Audio Commentary (by exec producer David Foster and writers Russel Friend & Garrett Lerner.

SEASON 6 - Before Broken (this is an original, unscripted short film with actor Hugh Laurie); A Different POV: Hugh Laurie Directs; New Faces in a New House; Various Episode Commentaries.

SEASON 7 - Meet Martha Masters; Huddy Dissected ( a look at House & Cuddy’s relationship); Anatomy of an Episode: Bombshells; Thirteen Returns (the return of Dr. Hadley to the series); Various Episode Commentaries.

SEASON 8 - House M.D. Swan Song; The Doctor Directs: Behind the Scenes with Hugh Laurie; Everybody Dies: A Postmortem (about the series finale).