TOGETHER Sticks With You

TOGETHER (Blu-ray)

2025 / 102 min

Neon

Review by Josey, the Sudden Cat🙀

2025 has been a pretty damn good year for horror. Not just good horror, but original horror made by directors who appear to have more on their minds than just cheap thrills. Even Final Destination: Bloodlines reflected a lot more creativity than was probably required. 

Michael Shanks’ feature debut, Together, is another example. On the heels of last year’s The Substance comes another vivid foray into body horror. While it never reaches the same gruesome heights (or depths, depending on one’s tolerance for this sort of thing), the film boasts a bizarre premise, convincing performances and smart writing that also explores the complexities of modern relationships…especially troubled ones. And of course, it features plenty of butt-puckering visual nastiness.

Real life couple Alison Brie and Dave Franco play Millie and Tim. Outwardly congenial, they are experiencing something of a relationship crisis. When she takes a teaching job in a small town, they move from the city into a remote old house. While walking in the woods, they become trapped overnight in a cave, where Tim drinks some of the water. After emerging, Tim finds himself increasingly drawn to her…physically, as depicted through progressively unnerving scenes in which they’re literally stuck together. 

"We'll be okay. I brought fire."

It turns out the town and surrounding woods have a dark past, which is directly related to another couple that previous went missing and were never found, which I won’t spoil with elaboration. However, it does explain why (and how) Millie and Tim become literally unable to stay apart (rendered by wonderfully icky make-up effects). The plot is actually pretty simple, but made a little more complex through the couple’s growing estrangement, sometimes exacerbated by their dire predicament.

The film culminates with a wild finale that, considering the protagonists’ relationship, seems inevitable, but comes as sort of a surprise anyway. I guess whether or not it’s a happy ending depends on the viewer’s investment in these characters, though it sure is a haunting one. In a year that’s given us a lot of great, original horror, I wouldn’t rank Together up there with Weapons, Bring Her Back or Sinners, but it’s well worth seeing…probably more than once.

EXTRA KIBBLES

INTERVIEWS  - Individual interviews with writer/director Michael Shanks and Alison Brie & Dave Franco.

ALISON BRIE & DAVE FRANCO’S CODEPENDENCY TEST - The two stars take a quiz together.

TRAILERS

Revisiting LOST IN SPACE (1998) in 4K

LOST IN SPACE Limited Edition (4K UHD)

1998 / 130 min

Arrow Video

Review by Stinky the Destroyer😼

In between the endearingly campy original 1960s series and an inevitable (but surprisingly decent) Netflix reboot, Lost in Space was adapted as a big screen epic with obvious franchise aspirations. That never happened, and over the years, the film sorta disappeared into the same space-time rift that swallowed the hapless Robinson family.

As someone who grew up watching Lost in Space reruns after school, I looked forward to checking out an updated version, even though attempts to turn classic TV shows have always been wildly hit or miss. We seemed to get a glut of ‘em back in the ‘90s, and for every Mission: Impossible, there was a cinematic suppository like Wild Wild West. 

While not as aggressively shitty as The Avengers or McHale’s Navy, Lost in Space may have been guilty of an even bigger crime at the time: It left no impression whatsoever. Lacking the kitchy campiness of the original show or the narrative elements & characters that made Star Trek relevant again, the movie looked and sounded great, but seldom ever rose above expensive eye candy (to be honest, I kinda missed the budget-friendly look of the TV show, with a Jupiter II that resembled a drain plug).

And despite an pretty impressive cast, only the great Gary Oldman managed to rise above the material. Everyone else - including William Hurt, Mimi Rogers and a seriously miscast Matt LeBlanc - were merely perfunctory in their roles, not helped by a screenplay more in love with its convoluted concept (which it took way too seriously) than character development. Leaving the theater back then, I wouldn’t say I felt ripped off, but certainly never gave the film another thought afterwards, to say nothing of ever being compelled to watch it again.

Mimi Rogers...foosball legend.

But one of the cool things about Arrow Video is it operates on the understanding that every movie has its share of dedicated fans, even those which aren’t necessarily classics…or even cult classics. Over the years, they have released countless highly-supplemented 4K restorations of titles that never would have gotten such treatment from anyone else (including the studios that produced them). Add Lost in Space to the list, which probably has just enough fans to justify this great looking Limited Edition 4K UHD disc with new packaging and bonus material. 

As for me, it’s an opportunity to reassess a film that left me fairly cold two decades ago. My overall opinion hasn’t really changed, but knowing what to expect this time around (without the baggage of high expectations), there are some aspects of Lost in Space that deserve a few attaboys. First off, the visual effects are impressive and have held up pretty well over the years, especially as presented in 4K. The action and melodrama are accompanied by a terrific score from Bruce Broughton, though the musical highlight is Apollo 440’s blistering take on the original TV theme. The disc’s DTS-HD Master Audio track not only provides a great showcase for the music, the overall audio mix is pretty solid. Finally, I appreciate the stunt casting done in the name of nostalgia. While it’s nice seeing actors from the original show pop-up in small roles, I love that they brought Dick Tufeld back to once again provide the voice for the robot (and of course, he urgently delivers that iconic line, “Danger, Will Robinson!”).

The disc also includes an abundance of new bonus material, including plenty of interviews with people who were most responsible for the final product. That final product may not be all that great, but what they discuss about it all these years later is revealing and entertaining. Those who do still love the film will probably get big kick out of this release.

EXTRA KIBBLES

NOTE: Free Kittens Movie Guide was provided with a promo disc for review purposes. Physical supplemental material included with the final product (booklets, artwork, inserts, etc) were not available for review.

INTERVIEWS - New, individually-filmed interviews with director Stephen Kopkins, director of photography Peter Levy, producer/screenwriter Akiva Goldman, art director Keith Pain, critter creator Kenny Wilson, sound mixer Simon Kayes & re-recording mixer Robin O’Donohue.

2 AUDIO COMMENTARIES - 1) By director Stephen Kopkins and producer/screenwriter Akiva Goldman; 2) By FX supervisors Angus Bickerton & Lauren Ritchie, director of photography Peter Levy, editor Ray Lovejoy and producer Carla Fry.

VIDEO ESSAY - By film critic Matt Donato.

FEATURETTES - Building the Special Effects; The Future of Space Travel; TV Years is a Q&A with the cast from the original TV show.

BLOOPER REEL

DELETED SCENES

Revisiting POSEIDON in 4K

POSEIDON Limited Edition (4K UHD)

2006 / 98 min

Arrow Video

Review by Mr. Bonnie McBoatface

A brief rant before we get started…

Ever since The Towering Inferno floored me as a kid, I’ve been a die hard disaster movie lover and it remains my favorite genre. Good ones, bad ones, so-bad-they’re-good ones…serve-up mass destruction and melodrama and I’m all in. Though some great ones are still being made from time to time, most of the acknowledged classics hail from the 1970s, including The Poseidon Adventure.

However, we’re getting a deluxe 4K edition of 2006’s Poseidon, while the original (and far more revered) film that inspired it hasn’t been re-released or upgraded since debuting on Blu-ray over a decade ago. Neither has The Towering Inferno, for that matter. In a day & age when The Toxic Avenger gets the 4K treatment, surely two blockbusters that defined the disaster genre for millions are just as worthy. Fucking Disney (who own 20th Century Fox’s entire back catalog).

As for The Poseidon Adventure...of course it’s a classic, but hardly a cinematic masterpiece. While the special effects remain pretty impressive even today, the dialogue is often groanworthy and every character is painted (and performed) in broad strokes. Though still a boatload of fun (no pun intended), I never felt it was such a sacred cow that a remake was out of the question. NBC tried it first with a soapy, soggy two-parter that not only succeeded in making me detest Steve Guttenberg even more, it actually had the balls to remove the goddamn tidal wave from the plot!

Then a year later, we got this one, boasting a massive budget, impressive cast (Kurt Russell’s always been one of my favorites) and Wolfgang Peterson, a solid director who was certainly no stranger to high sea adventures. Now this was more like it! So guess who was there on opening night with the family in tow.

The basic plot is the same. After a cruise ship is capsized by a massive tidal wave, the survivors must find their way to the hull (now above them) before it sinks for good. There’s plenty of death and peril along the way…some people live, others die. But aside from that, Poseidon serves up different characters, conflicts and obstacles. And that’s fine because there’s no bigger waste of time than doing a remake that’s exactly like the original.

Not everybody's heart will go on.

First and foremost, the special effects and production design are nothing less than spectacular, especially on the big screen (though everything looks and sounds mighty fine on this 4K edition, too). While the original’s tidal wave & capsizing sequence still holds up pretty well, Poseidon practically puts you on deck with torrents of water and flying bodies. Longer, louder and far more detailed, the film is worth checking out for this sequence alone. Petersen must’ve thought so too, because he can’t wait to get to it, rocketing through shallow, superfluous character introductions before the deadly wave hits, all in the first 15 minutes. 

The remainder of the film sees a handful of survivors making their way through the ship, barely staying above the rising water. There’s plenty of action and vivid visuals as they go from one deadly obstacle to the next. However, that’s all there really is to Poseidon. The original film had more than its share of silly subplots involving exaggerated characters, but at least we got to know everyone well enough to be personally invested in their survival. But none of Poseidon’s characters are as interesting as the sets they’re slogging & swimming through. In a way, it’s like watching someone guide a video game character through various levels. 

The one exception is Lucky Larry, played with gusto by Kevin Dillon. His character is a fun throwback to the disasters of yesteryear, when all of 'em had a guy who was so obnoxious, hateful or evil that we couldn’t wait to see them die. Since Larry is a self-aggrandizing, misogynist pig, his untimely demise comes a bit too early, but it’s also satisfying and actually kinda funny. And that ain’t a spoiler, folks. Guys like this are born to buy the farm in disaster movies.

Poseidon has destructive spectacle to spare and it’s obvious nearly every penny of its budget is up there on the screen. But it’s ultimately never as engaging or suspenseful as the original classic because we don’t really care who lives or dies. We’re watching to see how they live or die with a curious sense of detachment, which is fine if mayhem all you’re looking for. And that mayhem looks pretty damn good on this Limited Edition 4K release from Arrow Video, who provide the kind of quality upgrade and extras I wish someone would give the original Poseidon Adventure. But enough of my ranting about that.

EXTRA KIBBLES

NOTE: Free Kittens Movie Guide was provided with a promo disc for review purposes. Physical supplemental material included with the final product (booklets, artwork, inserts, etc) were not available for review.

INTERVIEWS - Unsurprisingly, most of the interviews are with people associated with the technical aspects of the film, including director of photography John Seale, production designer William Sandell (who shoulda won an Oscar), FX supervisor Boyd Shermis (who was at-least nominated for one), make-up effects supervisor Michael Deak.

FEATURETTES - Poseidon: A Ship on a Soundstage is an archival featurette with cast/crew interviews; Poseidon: Upside Down is another archival bit about the set design; A Shipmate’s Diary features production assistant Malona Voigt.

SET A COURSE FOR ADVENTURE - A new appreciation by Heath Holland, who’s pretty enthusiastic.

Revisiting DARK CITY in 4K

DARK CITY Limited Edition (4K UHD)

1998 / 111 & 100 min (2 versions)

Arrow Video

Review by Princess Pepper😺

Though The Crow remains director Alex Proya’s biggest, most revered film, it ain’t his best. For this writer, that would be Knowing, though I realize I’m in the extreme minority in that opinion. Running a close second is 1998’s Dark City, which flopped when first released but has since become a deserved cult classic. 

But I’ll certainly acknowledge that, if not Proyas’ best film, it is his most creative, both visually and narratively. One would have to go all the way back to 1982’s Blade Runner for a science-fiction film that creates such an eye-popping world from scratch. Here and there, influences of previous films are certainly present, including Metropolis, Blade Runner, Proyas’ own The Crow and the film noir classic of your choice. But it’s what the director and his team do with those influences that create such an aesthetically imaginative experience...one long overdue for the 4K treatment.

And speaking of film noir…if you were to strip away the sci-fi concept, Dark City’s story is pure noir, with its protagonist, John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell), waking up with no memory of his past, but suspected by hardnosed detective Frank Bumstead (William Hurt) of brutally murdering several prostitutes. Of course, we believe he’s innocent (otherwise, no movie), as does his estranged wife, Emma (Jennifer Connelly), but John’s mostly on his own to figure out the significance of a postcard from Shell Beach (his only initial clue) while eluding both Bumstead and the mysterious ‘Strangers’ pursuing him.

However, it’s the sci-fi elements that make Dark City memorable. John discovers he possesses the same telekinetic ability as the Strangers…to manipulate and alter his surrounding environment. Much of this (and the unfolding plot in general) is explained by eccentric doctor Daniel Schreber (a miscast Keifer Sutherland), who sometimes appears to be in league with the Strangers.

"I wish I knew what time it was."

As someone who believes there's no statute of limitations on spoilers, I’m refraining from explaining the story in too much more detail because the less one knows about the film going in, the more enjoyable its surprises are. I will say - with hindsight - that Dark City’s conceptual influence on later, much bigger mindbenders like The Matrix and Inception is pretty obvious. One minor quip might be that too many of the revelations are offered through exposition, though that aspect is partially remedied with the director’s cut, which is included in this set and removes the superfluous opening narration.

I guess the biggest reason that Dark City falls just short of Knowing in Alex Proyas’ filmography (what’s wrong with this guy?) is a comparative lack of character development. Given the nature of the story, perhaps that's unavoidable, but it does make it difficult to be truly invested in these characters. Still, Dark City remains a wonderful film just to look at, with a compelling narrative to keep things interesting. 

For its 4K release, Arrow Video has put together a great set. The original and director’s cuts are included on separate discs, both with excellent restorations and three audio options (Dolby Atmos, DTS-HD MA 5.1, Stereo 2.0). Better yet are the abundance of bonus features, including an all new retrospective documentary. 

EXTRA KIBBLES

NOTE: Free Kittens Movie Guide was provided with a promo disc for review purposes. Physical supplemental material included with the final product (booklets, artwork, inserts, etc) were not available for review.

THEATRICAL & DIRECTOR’S CUTS

RETURN TO DARK CITY is a brand new retrospective documentary featuring writer-director Alex Proyas, actor Rufus Sewell and a big batch of guys responsible for special effects, production design, costuming, etc. Easily the best of the bonus features.

2 VISUAL ESSAYS - I’m as Much in the Dark as You Are; Rats in a Maze.

FEATURETTES (from 2008) - Memories of Shell Beach features interviews with cast & crew; Architecture of Dreams features looks at the film’s themes.

AUDIO COMMENTARIES - Director’s Cut: 1) by writer-director Alex Proyas (NEW); 2) by podcasters Craig Anderson, Bruce & Herschel Isaacs (NEW); 3) by writer-director Alex Proyas; 4) by Roger Ebert (who loved this film); 5) by co-writers Lem Dobbs & David S. Goyer. Theatrical Cut: by Proyas, Dobbs, Goyer, cinematographer Dariusz Wolski, production designer Patrick Tatopoulos.

INTRODUCTION BY ALEX PROYAS - Director’s cut only.

DESIGN & STORYBOARDS

TRAILER

IMAGE GALLERY