Blu-Ray Review: MINIONS

Starring the voices of Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton, Allison Janney, Steve Coogan, Jennifer Saunders, Pierre Coffin (the voice of every single minion). Directed by Pierre Coffin & Kyle Balda. (2015, 91 min).
UNIVERSAL

Minions is better than it probably had a right to be. These Tic Tac-shaped critters from the Despicable Me franchise may be funny and endearing in small doses, but giving them their own spin-off feature film seems like an exercise in overkill (not-to-mention a cynical excuse for pumping out merchandise). After all, Scrat the Squirrel remains the only amusing part of the increasingly-awful Ice Age series, but while he's a terrific peripheral character, 90 straight minutes of his antics would be like hearing your four-year-old repeatedly telling the same knock-knock joke and expecting the same response every time.

Fortunately, Minions is more of a prequel than an actual spin-off, so it has more to offer. Their ‘origin’ story is sort-of perfunctory. Essentially, the Minions have existed throughout time, and having a despicable villain to serve is essential to their survival (leading to some amusing segments during the prologue about how former masters met their demise). The rest of the film takes place in 1968, when three of the Minions (Kevin, Stewart & Bob) try to save their species by venturing out into the world to find a new villain, which they think they’ve finally found with Scarlet Overkill (Sandra Bullock), who wants to steal the Queen of England’s crown.

"We're gonna need a bigger boat."

So at least there’s an actual plot on which to hang the Minions’ goofy antics, which are sometimes amusing, though it still helps if you’re a kid who can’t get enough of these guys. Still, patient adult viewers of a certain age will appreciate the attention to period detail and numerous cultural references, such as a truly laugh-out-loud nod to The Beatles’ Abbey Road album cover. Speaking of which, the film does a tremendous job incorporating classic songs from the era into various scenes, all of which fit perfectly (including The Beatles' actual recording of "Got to Get You Into My Life" during the end-credits, something which doesn‘t happen often...perhaps Sir Paul McCartney has a grandkid who loves this franchise).

Of course, the main emphasis is on the Minions themselves, with plenty of screen time dedicated to the same cute, slapstick situations which endeared them to audiences in the first place. While the film doesn’t really have a central character like Gru to keep it as focused as the Despicable Me films, I can’t imagine most kids not loving every minute of it. As for their parents, it’s worth enjoying with the family at-least once. But be prepared...the same knock-knock joke does pop up pretty often.

BONUS FEATURES:

• 3 Additional Animated Shorts: "Cro-Minion", "Competition" & "Binky Nelson Unpacified" (of the three, "Competition" is arguably the funniest)
• Deleted Scene (Blu-Ray disc only)
• "Jingle Bells Minion Style" (Blu-Ray disc only)
• "Around the World Interactive Map"
• Featurette: "Behind the Goggles: The Illumination Story of the Minions"
• Blu-Ray 3-D, DVD and Digital Copies

KITTY CONSENSUS:

NOT BAD...YOUR KIDS WILL LOVE IT.

YOU? ONCE IS PROBABLY ENOUGH.

THEY LIVE and the Invaders from Planet Me

Starring Roddy Piper (RIP), Keith David, Meg Foster, Raymond St. Jacque, Peter Jason. Directed by John Carpenter. (1988, 94 min).

Essay by D.M. ANDERSON

Run for your lives! We’re being invaded! And there’s probably nothing we can do about it! Before you call me a raging paranoid, hear me out!

I've been roaming this mortal coil for over fifty years now. While I'm not even remotely religious, I think I've led a reasonably righteous life. Sure, I've said and done things I'm not particularly proud of. And yeah, I've hurt some people along the way without meaning to. One time, in a blatant act of pure rebellion, I even removed the tag from a mattress, phoned the authorities and dared them to take me alive.

But for the most part, I’ve been a courteous, upstanding citizen my entire life, mindful of those around me, even if I don't know them personally. I always signal before switching lanes, pick up my dog's droppings at the park and hold the door open for others. I never talk once the movie starts, never use the 12-items-or-less checkout lane when buying a week's worth of groceries and never assume the world comes to a screeching halt whenever my cell phone goes off. None of this makes me a saint, and I don't expect accolades for these relatively menial gestures of common etiquette. I simply know that going about my daily business shouldn't be an inconvenience to others.

But as I get older, I’m made increasingly aware that a huge percentage of the population didn’t get the same memo. Most may not be inherently evil or immoral, nor do they necessarily venture out into the world with the deliberate intention of making other’s lives more difficult (if even for a few moments). But the fact remains many folks seem completely self-absorbed and oblivious of others. But isn't an intellectual and empathetic awareness of our environment what supposedly places us a few rungs above our primate cousins on the evolutionary ladder...along with frozen pizza?

If that's true, it can only mean one thing: we’re being invaded by creatures from Planet Me. It's a place where millions live, thrive and reproduce, yet the population remains constant...ONE. On Planet Me, there is no one but yourself, despite others of your species milling about. They live on Planet Me, too, but it’s their own Planet Me, meaning there are probably enough of Planet Me's to fill an entire galaxy.

Try this simple experiment. The next time you go to a public place like a crowded mall, simply walk straight ahead, making zero effort to move out of the way of those approaching from the opposite direction. Keep count of the overwhelming number of others with the complete expectation that you’re the one who'll step aside. In fact, it never even occurs to them to make a half-assed effort to do the same. On Planet Me, you, my puny Earthling friend, don't actually exist.

We may gasp or laugh at annually-posted videos of animal hordes fighting to the death on Black Friday for Walmart's last flat screen TV. But as barbaric as they are, at least those people are demonstrating an awareness of their environment and a conscious - decidedly human -  effort to fuck over their fellow man, behavior they likely wouldn’t dream of engaging in on any other day of the year. Not only that, those brave enough to venture out on Black Friday are totally prepared for battle, fully mindful of the lion's den they're about to enter.

But invaders from Planet Me live an insidious life of quiet egocentrism 24/7 - at work, behind the wheel, at the check-out counter - completely indifferent to how their frequent acts of self-absorption affect others on the daily basis. While we can easily avoid encountering Black Friday barbarians by simply staying home, invaders from Planet Me are everywhere, everyday. Like ants, they’ve lurked among us for years and have learned to adapt to our world. They aren’t easy spot on the street (unless they’re driving) because they've cleverly disguised and ingrained themselves as upstanding members of what we euphemistically call civilization. But they’re out there, their numbers are legion and they’re stealthily colonizing our world, one cellphone shitstain at a time.

Think I’m paranoid now?

The invasion has begun.

You might be asking yourself, “Hey, Dave, if your theory is true, how do I know if someone I suspect is actually a creature from Planet Me?” 

There are some tell-tale clues and giveaways which the trained, observant eye will notice. Short of having a pair of special sunglasses which allow you to see them as the aliens they really are, watch for the following signs:

• Those who never signal before switching lanes, drive ten miles under the speed limit or park so fucking close to your car that you have to climb in from the passenger side.
• People who drop everything, no matter who’s around them or what activity they’re currently engaged in, to heed the call of their almighty cell phone (it’s probably a message from the emperor of Planet Me, confirming the invasion is a go). 
• Someone who can’t be bothered to flush after using a public toilet.
• Shoppers who don't have their coupons ready at the checkout counter, preferring to wait until every single purchase is rung-up before whipping out an envelope stuffed with dozens of them, then wasting more of everyone's time by demanding a detailed explanation why one of them isn't valid.
• Folks who pay for things with pennies and expect the cashier to count it out.
• Co-workers in a meeting who don't bother waiting until someone else is done speaking before adding their own two cents.
• Those who take so long at an ATM that they must be attempting a hostile takeover with their debit card.
• Restaurant patrons who place an order with a virtual checklist of special requests and substitutions which completely deviate from the same menu the rest of us are perfectly happy with. Since this act of douchbaggery defeats the purpose of eating out to begin with, one must assume salt, sugar, gluten, fat, egg yolk, fryer oil, whole cream, butter or anything else with actual flavor must be poisonous to these alien hordes.
• Anyone who's ever personally identified with a reality TV celebrity.
• Facebook friends who assume all of their ill-informed, ignorant opinions are shared by all (on the other hand, this could be an attempt to reach out to their fellow aliens, so keep a sharp eye). 
• Asswipes who provide vocal feedback to a movie as they’re watching it.
• Malevolent alien queens who allow their undisciplined brood (who are even more oblivious than their mother) to make everyone else’s lives a living hell.
• Those who can’t be bothered to read instructions, follow directions, acknowledge established rules & regulations or listen to others before making their own ignorance someone else’s problem.

I could go on, but you get the idea. Chances are you've already been in contact with creatures from Planet Me without even realizing it. Worse yet, there isn’t a hell of a lot you can do about it. These creatures are so ingrained in our society that we ourselves have been subconsciously conditioned to accept them. Calling them on their bullshit would likely make you look like an antisocial asshole.

Kind of like Nada in John Carpenter’s They Live.

"Hey...you on the cell phone...look up."

Roddy Piper is Nada (though he's never mentioned by-name in the film itself), a lowly drifter simply looking for an honest day’s work. While he finds employment at an LA construction site, he’s still living day to day, paycheck to paycheck, confident that if he works hard enough, good things will come to him.

All that changes when police raid and destroy the shantytown where he’s shacking. In the aftermath, he comes across a box of special sunglasses which allow the wearer to see the difference between the haves and have-nots. Most of the haves are hideous aliens who’ve been discreetly infiltrating Earth with the purpose of depleting its resources, using subliminal technology to appeal to people's inherent greed and quest for personal gain, essentially hypnotizing them into becoming self-obsessed consumers.

After going on an alien killing spree, Nada becomes a fugitive and soon joins a small band of fellow resistors hell-bent on exposing this threat to the world. However, despite a superficially 'happy' ending, the film’s extraordinarily pessimistic view of human nature negates any notion that the human race is actually saved. It turns out many people Nada encounters are already aware of the alien presense and have willingly sold out their own race in exchange for wealth and status, despite how badly it will fuck-over the rest of the world. So the Earth depicted in They Live is actually being invaded by two alien species...the stealthy silver-eyed monsters from another world and those who’ve obviously declared their allegiance to Planet Me.

Despite many clever amusing satirical moments, a surprisingly effective performance by Piper and a prolonged fight scene that's now considered classic, They Live is a bitter, angry film that was relatively unappreciated back in 1988, when John Carpenter’s Hollywood luster was just beginning to wear off. But like much of his other work of the period, it's garnered a considerable cult following over the years, perhaps because Carpenter infused it with interesting themes and social commentary disguised as science fiction. Like Don Siegel’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers, a thinly-veiled depiction of conformity in-light of communist paranoia in the 1950s, They Live offers a similarly sinister threat: creatures ruling over a population blinded by their own self-absorption.

In a way, with our current influx of invaders from Planet Me, They Live may be more timely than ever.

But fear not, fellow Earthlings. I've got your back. I'm hard at work in my garage every weekend trying to develop my own pair of special glasses that will allow you to spot someone from Planet Me in a heartbeat. They'll be the ones whose face suddenly resembles the ass end of a horse. Don't try to fight back, though, because you're probably hopelessly outnumbered.

Dedicated to "Rowdy" Roddy Piper (RIP).

Rest in Peace, Robert Loggia

Robert Loggia (1930-2015)

Book Review: A YEAR OF MOVIES

By Ivan Walters. (2015, 443 pp).
ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD

We have a few annual movie traditions at my house. I watch The Poseidon Adventure every New Year's Eve and actually wait until 11:35:19 PM to hit the play button, so when the clock strikes midnight in the movie, it's also midnight in my living room (that's right...I have no life). My daughter and I always watch Die Hard on Christmas Eve because that's the day John McClane single-handedly wastes a dozen terrorists and saves his wife. And though technically not a holiday movie, I celebrate each Easter with Charlton Heston and The Ten Commandments, a habit I developed when ABC used to air it at that time every year.

With A Year in Movies, author Ivan Walters has taken the idea several steps further, painstakingly compiling a list of 366 films, both recent and classic, for every single day of the year. All or a significant part of every movie included takes place on a specific calendar date, so you can look up your birthday (as my family did when the book arrived) and read about a film where that date is significant to the story. And if a particular date isn't mentioned in the film itself, Walters often (but not always) includes the novel or historical source which does. Other times we just have to take his word for it.

There are the usual suspects, of course, such as the aforementioned Poseidon Adventure for December 31 and The Longest Day for June 6, along with quite a few surprising - and perplexing - choices. For example, I looked up my own birthday (November 22) fully expecting to read about JFK, but found Tim Burton's Batman instead, supposedly because that's the date the caped crusader thwarts a couple of guys during a robbery (even though the film itself doesn't provide any dates). And while I appreciate the author's attempt to avoid the obvious titles, doesn't it make sense to include original Halloween for October 31, which takes place almost entirely on that day? Instead, that day is reserved for To Kill a Mockingbird, which is an undisputed classic, but come on.

Each entry includes the year of the film's release, genre, running time, primary cast & crew, availability on home video, major awards or nominations and alternate titles taking place on the same day. In that respect, this volume makes a nifty historical reference guide. There's also a one-to-two paragraph synopsis of the plot (including mild spoilers). Less essential is the author's extremely brief personal assessment of each title, one or two lines at-most, and seldom in complete sentences. Considering the serviceable detail of each synopsis, the sudden shift in style to sound bites of praise - he loves a majority of the films selected, though significantly, not The Godfather Part II (!) - almost reads like they were written by a different author.

Still, the basic concept of A Year of Movies makes it unique among film reference books, one that'll be fun to grab off the shelf every now and then when pondering a particular calendar date. And I suppose the book also poses the ultimate challenge to any film buff...to view each of these titles on the dates in which they take place. I wish I had the time and resources to accept such a challenge. What a journey that would be.

KITTY CONSENSUS:

PURR...A GREAT LITTER BOX COMPANION

BATMAN v SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE: A Recipe for Disappointment

Starring Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter, Gal Gadot. Directed by Zack Snyder. (2016).

At this point, it's probably a given that Batman v Superman will enjoy a phenomenally lucrative opening weekend when finally released in March 2016. It wouldn't matter if the entire film consisted of an overweight guy in a Batsuit mowing his lawn for two hours. The brand names alone practically guarantees rabid fans worldwide will arrive in droves, having spent the last couple of years working themselves into a frenzy over this long-awaited match-up.

There will probably be a lot of cosplayers at the premier, a ritual I never understood considering they'll be spending two hours in the dark. But hey, I'm of a different generation and it's a different era, when it's now cool to let your geek flag fly. So who am I to judge?

Some of of the less-obsessive-but-still-curious will show up, perhaps wondering how well Ben Affleck fits the cowl only a few years after Christian Bale hung it up. Those people are likely to be the least disappointed in that respect, because what made the Dark Knight Trilogy the definitive superhero franchise had less to with Bale than it did Christopher Nolan.

Then there's Batman's supposed foe, Superman, previously rebooted in the polarizing Man of Steel. Some fans loved it, others (myself included) despised its descent into CGI overkill with a final act which played more like a Transformers sequel, not-to-mention pointlessly rehashing Superman's origins and turning young Clark Kent into a brooding loner. Even those who champion the film have to admit no recent superhero movie has sparked more love-it-or-loathe it debates (though one could make a strong case for The Dark Knight Rises).

For better or worse, Man of Steel has become the springboard for Warner Bros' attempt to emulate Marvel's incredibly lucrative Cinematic Universe. Like Disney's recent acquisition of Marvel, WB has owned DC comics for years, but based on what I've seen of the trailers, Dawn of Justice reeks of an desperate attempt to play catch-up, loading it with enough heroes and villains for a half dozen movies. Not only is Warner Bros burdened with re-introducing yet-another Batman before the corpse of the old one is even cold, they're throwing Wonder Woman, Aqua-Man and Cyborg into the mix, bringing back most of the major characters from Man of Steel (including General Zod, apparently back from the dead) and adding Lex Luthor for the cherry-on-top. The whole thing is already threatening to collapse under the weight of its own ambitions before we've even discussed a story which would make it plausible how these characters would even occupy the same space.

Is there even going to be room for a story that's more than a checklist of DC's greatest hits? Were these other minor heroes in the DC canon written into this film because the story actually needs them, or are they simply gratuitous appearances so mindless masses can clasp their hands and say, "Ooh! There's Wonder Woman!" without ever contemplating why they're being shoe-horned into a film that's supposedly a stand-off between DC's two biggest characters? Wouldn't that be the same blatant product-placement as prominently placing a Pepsi machine in the middle of an action scene?

Yeah, she's hot. But is she relevant?

It makes one wonder why Warner Bros. didn’t simply bite the bullet and call this the Justice League movie they’ve obviously had a hard-on for ever since reading the opening weekend box-office reports of Marvel’s The Avengers.

At least Marvel appeared to have a master plan from the beginning, establishing most of their major characters in at-least one previous film before tossing them together for The Avengers. The considerable amount of audience and critical goodwill generated by the first Iron Man, Captain America and Thor movies practically guaranteed The Avengers would be huge, especially with someone as narratively skilled as Joss Whedon at the helm. The only way to fuck it up would have been to replace Robert Downey Jr. with Adam Sandler and hand the directorial chores to Michael Bay or Zack Snyder. Speaking of which...

There was once a time when I thought Zack Snyder was a promising director, defying all odds by helming a remake of one of horror cinema's most-scared cows, Dawn of the Dead. Not only was it a solid film, it was more of a re-imagining than a true remake, with a lot of surprises and nasty tricks up its sleeve. His follow-up, 300, was also noteworthy for its technical brilliance and surreal imagery. Considering the story's graphic novel origins, Snyder's approach to the material was supremely effective.

Since then, however, he's fallen in love with style over substance, more concerned with bombast and spectacle than telling a truly compelling story. He may have brought Watchmen to life, but that doesn't mean he brought life to Watchmen. Sucker-Punch was nothing more than a misogynist, adolescent male fantasy. As for Man of Steel...it is a story that didn’t need to be retold, this time mashing-up Snyder's penchant for CGI overkill with Christopher Nolan’s 'dark' take on a superhero legend to superficially create a bloated film that is utterly joyless.

Think of some of the directors involved in the MCU so far...Jon Favreau, Joss Whedon, Shane Black, Joe Johnston, Kenneth Branagh, the Russo Brothers. They have one thing in common...the understanding that all the visual fireworks in the world don’t amount to much if the story and characters take a backseat.

But Zack Snyder has since-become the latest incarnation of Michael Bay....each film bigger, longer and louder than the last. He’s fallen from the higher faith and joined the dark side. Yet Snyder is the one primarily in charge of the entire DC Cinematic Universe (including the upcoming, ominously titled, Justice League, Parts I & II), despite the rickety franchise foundations laid down by Man of Steel. Sure, the film made a ton of money. But pure profit has never been an indication whether or not a movie is any good. Avatar is currently the biggest moneymaker in history, but how often do you run into anyone today who thinks it's a great film?

How Donald Trump pictures himself.

Do I hope Batman v Superman movie is any good? Of course I do. No true film fan goes to a movie rooting for it to suck. But so far, I’ve seen no indication which suggests otherwise. I was burned before by Man of Steel’s promise of an epic and dramatic variation on the Superman legend, only to fall asleep in the theater after it turned out to be nothing but visual chest-thumping. Maybe it’s my age, but I personally like to give a shit about the characters I’ve paid ten bucks to spend two hours with before the mayhem ensures. Regarding Batman v Superman, from the recent trailers that have been pointlessly over-analyzed frame-by-frame, I’ve seen nothing which makes me want to be first in line in March. It looks like another cynical exercise in spectacle, counting on brand name recognition and the gullibility of zealous fans who’ll blindly hand over their hard-earned cash for the promise of mindless action and product placement.

I'm also wary of the fact this is the first live-action film featuring Batman interacting with characters with supernatural abilities. For me, part of the appeal of the Batman films (even the awful ones directed by Joel Schumacher) was the fact that nobody actually had any inherent superpowers. In the end, Batman himself was still a human facing off with other humans. That tenuous tie to reality is what always kept the franchise grounded into something that seemed superficially plausible. That's all gone now. Batman is now hobnobbing with aliens and demigods. While I know this has been part of the comic book franchise for years, part of me is sad that future Batman films are likely to go in that direction too. Considering how effectively Christopher Nolan presented Batman as someone who could conceivably exist in our world (to the point where even the staunchest movie critics took him seriously), Batman v Superman seems like a big step backwards.

I hope I’m wrong, of course. Despite inevitable cynicism that comes with age, as a movie fan, I’m truly rooting for Affleck to totally nail the Batman character in a way no one ever has before (it'll make up for the fact Henry Cavill as Superman is as compelling as cat food). I’d love for Zack Snyder to pull his head out of his ass long enough to remember what makes a classic epic film involves much more than hyperkinetic CGI and countless brand-name characters.

Still, countless fanboys have already decided Batman v Superman will be, by default, the greatest superhero film of all time, and many of them absolutely DO NOT WANT to hear anything to the contrary.

Case in point...not too long ago, I watched the first teaser trailer for Batman v Superman and was decidedly unimpressed. When I expressed my opinion on the Facebook page of a site I sometimes write for, you’d have thought I just pissed on The Pope. Countless people called me a troll or a hater, simply because my opinion differed from their personal anticipation of the film. Others tried in vain to convince me that my assessment of the trailer is simply wrong.

Batman v Superman is literally months from being released. Whether it ends up being the cynical product I’m predicting or the out-of-body experience its fans are expecting, that fact remains none of us know how this movie will turn out. Fanboys reading this can argue, debate and speculate to their hearts’ content, but until they're staring up at that screen with popcorn in-hand, they simply have no idea.

After all, a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, Star Wars Episode I was going to be the greatest film of all time as well. With Star Wars in the title, how could it not be? We worked ourselves into a frenzy of anticipation long before the film came along to utterly deflate our expectations. By the time Episode II came around three years later, most of us were simply hoping it didn't suck.

And that's where I'm at now with Batman v Superman. Yeah, I'll probably catch it in theaters, mostly out of curiosity, not the blind assumption it's going to be stupendous just because they've thrown a few thousand DC superheroes together. At this point, I'm just hoping it doesn't suck as bad as Man of Steel did. Still, I can't help but think there will be more-than-a-few cosplayers shuffling from the theater on opening night, cowls hanging low with a level of disappointment they'll never openly admit to.

Blu-Ray Review: EIGHT MEN OUT

No, Charlie Sheen isn't the star.
Not even close, in fact.

Starring John Cusack, Clifton James, David Strathairn, Christopher Lloyd, Charlie Sheen, Clifton James, D.B. Sweeney, John Mahoney, Michael Rooker, Michael Lerner. Directed by John Sayles. (1988, 117 min).
OLIVE FILMS

"Don't know much about history;
Don't know much about base-ball-o-gy..."

-Sam Cooke...sort of

I hate to admit this, but prior to viewing Eight Men Out, everything I knew about the 1919 Black Sox Scandal (several Chicago White Sox players took payoffs to lose the World Series) came from Field of Dreams. That's probably because I never really liked baseball, but absolutely love movies about baseball. Put a game on TV and I'll be sawing logs by the third inning. Present it on the big screen with sweeping music, expertly-choreographed action and characters whose fates depend on the outcome of a single climactic game...man, I'm hooked every time. There's simply something inherently cinematic about it.

But Eight Men Out isn't one of those inspirational, triumph-of-the-underdog, sports-as-a-metaphor movies. It turns out Shoeless Joe Jackson was not-so-much a crucified major league martyr as an illiterate rube who just happened to be a great ballplayer. And he isn't even central to the story, which focuses mostly on Buck Weaver (John Cusack), who didn't take a payoff and played his best throughout the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. As for those who did...some display a certain level of greed, but we are made empathetic to their motivation: White Sox owner Charles Comiskey (Clifton James) is depicted as a frugal miser with little regard for his players' well being off the field. Especially sympathetic is David Strathairn as pitcher Eddie Cicotte, financially forced to throw the games after being denied a promised bonus which would have paid for his children's college. This was an era long before pro athletes were set-for-life simply by signing a contract.

"I know you are, but what am I?"

I'm no expert in baseball history, but the events depicted in Eight Men Out seem pretty authentic, presenting the events as they happened without too much dramatic embellishment. As such, it's a fascinating depiction of what's arguably the very first professional sports scandal, a revealing behind-the-headlines look at the greed involved both on and off the field, as well as the suggestion that the mafia played a large part in fixing the 1919 World Series.

Unlike such aesthetically similar baseball films which transcended their genres to appeal to the masses, such as The Natural or Field of Dreams, it helps to be a fan of the game's history itself, since Eight Men Out aims more for accuracy than a feel-good vibe. In that respect, I feel like I've been both educated and entertained.

BONUS FEATURES:

• Retrospective Documentary - an extensive look back at all aspects of the making of the film (primarily featuring director John Sayles, as well as a few of the supporting actors).
• Audio Commentary by Sayles
• Trailer

KITTY CONSENSUS:

PURR...LIKE A GOOD SCRATCH BEHIND THE EARS

Digital Review: ANT-MAN

Starring Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, Bobby Cavannale, Michael Pena, Tip "TI" Harris, Anthony Mackie. Directed by Peyton Reed. (2015, 117 min).
WALT DISNEY

After the bloated Avengers: Age of Ultron, the decidedly more down-to-Earth Ant-Man is a welcome change of pace. Sure, the fate of the world is (sort of) at stake yet again, but not before laying the groundwork with a terrifically entertaining origin story.

Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is a former engineer and recently released ex-con who wants nothing more than to go straight and re-establish a relationship with his daughter. Unfortunately, he can't find work other than helping his former cellmate rob a house by using his skills to break through its security systems. But all he finds is a mechanical suit owned by Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), who arranged the robbery to begin with. This suit shrinks the wearer to insect size, but also magnifies their strength, making it the perfect tool for infiltration, war and espionage. Having been forced out of his own company by apprentice-turned-rival Darren Cross (who's willing to sell his own version of the suit to the highest bidder for nefarious purposes), Pym fears this power falling into the wrong hands, so he recruits and trains Lang to become this "Ant-Man" to stop Cross.

Guess who peed in the shower...

That's the perfunctory story in a nutshell, which has the usual ominous implications standard in any superhero movie. But what makes Ant-Man worthy of mention among the best Marvel movies (the first Iron Man and both Captain America films) are the smaller moments (no pun intended). We really like Scott Lang and empathize with him long before he ever dons the suit. The same goes for Pym and his estranged daughter, Hope (Evangeline Lilly). These three personally have a lot at-stake long before the usual mayhem ensues during the third act. Hell, we even become attached to the insects they've learned to control with Pym's technology.

There are worse things that can happen to a lawn than gophers.

As for the visual effects and action...Ant-Man is simultaneously spectacular and comical. There are the usual fireworks during the final showdown, but the premise leads to a few hilarious bits of product placement which, for once, aren't gratuitous. Best of all, despite some obvious and unavoidable CGI moments, the viewer seldom feels like they're being force-fed spectacle for its own sake.

However, having never read a single comic book in my life, with no prior knowledge of Ant-Man's role in the whole Marvel Universe, I have to say the film's attempts to incorporate the character into the ongoing MCU are dubious at best (these scenes feel pointlessly shoehorned into the plot). From a purely cinematic standpoint, Ant-Man is enjoyable enough on its own terms without the intrusive hints of the character's crossover future. But since I'm probably in the minority on that point, I suppose that's just nitpicking.

BONUS FEATURES:

• 4 "News Clip" Shorts
• Featurette: "Making of an Ant-Man Heist: A How-to Guide"
• 16 Deleted Scenes (some with commentary)
• Gag Reel

KITTY CONSENSUS:

PURR...DESPITE THE UNNECESSARY MCU BAGGAGE, THIS IS A FUN MOVIE.

MINIONS New Mini-Movie "Competition" Premiere

Two Minions compete in a series of escalating games in which both are doomed to lose in the all new mini-movie "Competition" in celebration of the upcoming release of MINIONS on Digital HD on 11/24 and on Blu-ray & DVD on 12/8. This marks the first time a mini-movie from the Despicable Me franchise has been made available in its entirety prior to the home entertainment release.

CHECK IT OUT HERE:

Blu-Ray Review: GOODNIGHT MOMMY

Starring Lukas & Elias Schwartz, Susanne Wuest. Directed by Veronika Franz & Severin Fiala. (2014, 100 min).
ANCHOR BAY

That old saying, the journey is more important than the destination, certainly applies to movies like Goodnight Mommy.

The journey in this Austrian horror film is certainly a strange one. Two twin boys' mother returns home after a horrific accident which has left her face covered in bandages. Her subsequent odd - almost abusive - behavior has them suspecting she's not their real mother at all, and they take measures to find out the truth. Goodnight Mommy is a moody, surreal film with a lot of deliberately ambiguous moments which have us wondering who the true villain is, and suggesting a big plot reveal that will tie everything together. For the most part, though the journey isn't necessarily a fun one, it's fairly fascinating, anchored by a couple of frankly-unnerving performances by Lukas & Elias Schwartz as the twins.

Somebody really sucks at Hide & Seek.

The destination, however, is sort-of a letdown. First of all, the final act descends into minor torture porn which, while suitably disturbing, negates the eerie tone the directors worked so hard to establish early on. Second, sharp-eyed horror fans will likely predict the big twist ending long before it's actually revealed (maybe even within the film's first few minutes).

Despite all that, Goodnight Mommy is never dull (the worst sin a horror film can commit). Writer/directors Veronika Franz & Severin Fiala manage to instill a good amount of dread in the viewer with a minimum of exposition, relying on the creepy imagery and characters' actions to propel the story forward. While there aren't a lot of surprises, it's a journey worth taking at least once.

BONUS FEATURES:
"A Conversation with Filmmakers Veronika Franz & Severin Fiala"

KITTY CONSENSUS:

NOT BAD...LIKE CAT CHOW

DVD Review: THE HUNTING GROUND

Directed by Kirby Dick. (2015, 104 min).
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As a long-time educator in the real world, I like to think I'm instilled with an adequate amount of empathy required to deal with the individual needs of my students on a meaningful level. Granted, it's sometimes difficult, as it is for most people from time to time, to imagine walking a mile in the shoes of others. But shockingly, you'll see no such empathy from the prestigious college institutions exposed in The Hunting Ground.

Of course, any sane individual knows sexual assault is the worst non-homicidal crime one can commit, and it's disturbing how often this apparently happens on campuses all across the country. In this incendiary documentary, countless victims (male and female) offer their horrifying stories of rape & sexual abuse while attending college, where they understandably assumed they’d be safe. But what’s just as obscene is the aftermath, where an overwhelming number of these institutions either attempt to sweep these reported incidents under the rug to protect their reputations, or go on the offensive and turn the tables on the victims, questioning how they were dressed or their level of intoxication at the time.

Much of the focus of the film is on two victims and their efforts to create an awareness of this serious problem, and their fortitude is inspiring. In contrast, we also see what they’re up against...a fraternity system which objectifies women and practically encourages rape amongst their ranks, most effectively demonstrated during a pathetic, caught-on-camera fraternity chant in which its members repeatedly chant “No means yes!” Worst of all, many colleges rely on considerable donations from alumni of those very fraternities, thus turning a blind eye to these incidents and exasperating the problem.

Of course, no representatives of these colleges appear on camera to explain themselves, but at the same time, how do you defend blatant sexual assault in any way, shape or form? Not only that, even the few abusers (often athletes) consequated for their actions are given relative slaps on the wrists in relation to their crimes. The uphill battle the victims face in an effort to get some kind of justice is enormous and enraging.

Still, despite numerous interviews and testimonies which are truly heartbreaking, the film manages to convey a sense of hopeful optimism at times, that this is a societal problem which could be fixed if enough people are made aware of it. Since creating awareness is what the best documentaries are able to do, The Hunting Ground certainly should be seen be everyone at least once. At the very least, they'd come away with a level of empthy these numerous colleges never did.

BONUS FEATURES:

• Additional Stories (of victims)
• Q&A with Annie and Andrea (prominently featured in the film)

KITTY CONSENSUS:

PURR...A FILM EVERYONE SHOULD SEE AT LEAST ONCE