March 1, 2019
February 28, 2019
February 26, 2019
WILD ROVERS: Meet the Mild Bunch
Starring
William Holden, Ryan O'Neal, Karl Malden, Joe Don Baker, Tom
Skerritt, James Olson, Victor French, Lynn Carlin, Leora Dana, Rachel
Roberts. Directed by Blake Edwards. (1971/137 min).
AVAILABLE
ON BLU-RAY FROM
Review
by Mr. Paws😼
Blake
Edwards is not the first director who comes-to-mind when it comes to
westerns, for good reason. He's mostly synonymous with comedy, both
slapstick and satirical...an odd choice to write & direct a
relatively straightforward western. While he's decidedly out of his
element here, Wild Rovers is ultimately anchored by a
dedicated performance from William Holden, fresh off his comeback
role in The Wild Bunch.
Actually,
Wild Rovers is narratively - even a little thematically -
similar to Peckinpah's classic, with Holden playing aging cowpoke
Ross Bodine, sort-of a kinder, gentler variation of Pike Bishop. He's
worked his whole life as a hired hand with little to show for it,
though still has dreams of someday retiring comfortably in Mexico.
His young partner, Frank Post (Ryan O'Neal), is equally unsatisfied
working for others and suggests robbing the local bank, which they do
without firing a shot.
Their
former employer, Walt Buckman (Karl Malden), sends his two sons after
them, hoping to get their payroll back. The rest of the film has
Bodine & Post heading south - with a few episodic adventures
along the way - while Paul and John Buckman (Tom Skerritt & Joe
Don Baker) close in on them. Considering Edwards' reputation, much of this is surprisingly somber and leisurely paced,
compounded by a pointless subplot involving Walt's ongoing clash with
local sheep farmers.
"I swear to God, I heard him speak...but who the hell is Wilbur?" |
Edwards
obviously had loftier ambitions than cranking out a traditional
western. One can sense films like The Wild Bunch helped
influence his direction. But where Peckinpah was bold and brash,
Edwards appears to believe his characters are interesting enough to
justify lengthy scenes that really don't amount to much. While Bodine
is sympathetic, charming and quietly complex, that's due more to the
sincerity of Holden's performance than Edwards' script. Conversely,
I've always found Ryan O'Neal to be an overbearing actor and he's
totally miscast as Post. What the character really needed was a more
subtle touch (co-star Tom Skerritt might have been perfect).
A
box office disappointment when released in 1971 and largely forgotten
since then, Wild Rovers is not quite the revisionist western
Blake Edwards was probably striving for and he pretty-much stuck to
comedy for the rest of his career. It's a little too poky to be
consistently engaging, but William Holden at-least keeps it
watchable.
EXTRA
KIBBLES
"THE
MOVIE MAKERS" - Vintage making-of featurette
TRAILER
KITTY CONSENSUS:
NOT BAD. LIKE CAT CHOW.
ALIEN Turns 40
It's hard to believe this film is now four decades old. I remember sitting in the theater, utterly terrified, like it was yesterday. But here it is, and Fox is finally giving the film the 4K release it deserves...
The
Scariest Movie Ever Made Celebrates 40 Years as ALIEN Arrives on 4K
Ultra HD April 23
The
terrifying sci-fi adventure, ALIEN,
celebrates 40 years with an all-new 4K Ultra HD master, available
April 23. A limited edition 4K UHD
steelbook
of ALIEN
40th
Anniversary
Edition
will also be available exclusively at Best Buy.
In the film that birthed the wildly successful ALIEN franchise, the crew of the deep space tug Nostromo awaken from stasis during a voyage home to Earth when their ship’s computer detects what is believed to be an alien distress signal coming from the desolate nearby moon, LV-426. While investigating, one of the crew, Kane (John Hurt), is attacked by an alien creature that latches to his face and he is rushed back to the Nostromo to receive medical treatment. Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), the ship’s warrant officer, advises against Kane’s return due to quarantine regulations - but her orders are ignored by Ash (Ian Holm), bringing the Nostromo under threat from a mysterious, extraterrestrial apex predator with violent and lethal survival instincts.
The film was restored in 4K in 2018 by 20th Century Fox at Company 3/Deluxe Entertainment Services Group, supervised by Ridley Scott and Pam Dery, with the 4K scans were done at EFilm.
In the film that birthed the wildly successful ALIEN franchise, the crew of the deep space tug Nostromo awaken from stasis during a voyage home to Earth when their ship’s computer detects what is believed to be an alien distress signal coming from the desolate nearby moon, LV-426. While investigating, one of the crew, Kane (John Hurt), is attacked by an alien creature that latches to his face and he is rushed back to the Nostromo to receive medical treatment. Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), the ship’s warrant officer, advises against Kane’s return due to quarantine regulations - but her orders are ignored by Ash (Ian Holm), bringing the Nostromo under threat from a mysterious, extraterrestrial apex predator with violent and lethal survival instincts.
The film was restored in 4K in 2018 by 20th Century Fox at Company 3/Deluxe Entertainment Services Group, supervised by Ridley Scott and Pam Dery, with the 4K scans were done at EFilm.
---------------------------------------------------
And hey, while you're here, check out our retrospective essay,
THE POOP SCOOP (2/26): Spidey on Digital TODAY, plus GLASS and the 4K Release of BLACK HAWK DOWN
WATCH IT NOW! |
SPIDER-MAN:
INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE Arrives on Digital TODAY and 4K, Blu-ray
& DVD 3/19
The
Academy Award Winner for Best Animated Feature Film, SPIDER-MAN:
INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE has
grossed over
$350 million in theaters worldwide to date, introduces
Brooklyn teen Miles Morales, and the limitless possibilities of the
Spider-Verse, where more than one can wear the iconic mask.
This Blu-ray is filled
with engaging bonus materials that are fun for the whole family and
give fans even more
of the unique comic
book style action that they loved in theaters with over 90 minutes of
bonus content.
GLASS on Digital 4/2 and 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand 4/16
Writer-Director
M. Night Shyamalan (The
Sixth Sense,
Signs)
completes a mind-bending trilogy created nearly twenty years ago with
GLASS,
a comic book thriller available on Digital via the digital movie app
MOVIES ANYWHERE on April 2, 2019 and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and
On Demand on April 16, 2019, from Universal Pictures Home
Entertainment. GLASS
is a grounded-in-reality, comic-book thriller where the heroes and
villains are people first. The thrilling culmination to the trilogy
that started with Unbreakable
and
Split,
stars
James McAvoy (Split,
Atonement),
Samuel
L. Jackson (Hitman’s
Bodyguard,
Avengers
Franchise), Bruce Willis (Unbreakable,
Die Hard),
Sarah Paulson (Ocean’s
Eight,
“American Horror Story”) and Anya-Taylor Joy (Split,
The
Witch).
Go
inside the mind of master of suspense M. Night Shyamalan to uncover
the connections and references that bring the three films together in
one universe. Experience more than sixty minutes of never-before-seen
features elaborating on his process and artistic vision including an
in-depth look at the making of the film, deep insights on the
characters, a never-before-seen alternate opening, and deleted
scenes.
Josh Hartnett (Pearl
Harbor), Ewan McGregor (Star Wars franchise) and Eric Bana
(Star Trek) star in BLACK HAWK DOWN, the
acclaimed and gripping war epic from Director Ridley Scott, debuting
on 4K Ultra HD May 7 from Sony Pictures Home
Entertainment. The film will also be available digitally in 4K day
and date with the physical release on participating platforms.
Based on a true story and nominated for four Academy Awards,
winning two, the film follows the 160 elite U.S. soldiers dropped
into Somalia on a mission to capture two top lieutenants of a
renegade warlord, but instead find themselves in a desperate battle
with a large force of heavily-armed Somalis. The release includes the
Theatrical and Extended versions on the 4K Ultra HD disc with both
versions newly remastered in 4K from the original camera negative and
featuring High Dynamic Range. This new 4K HDR transfer was approved
by Ridley Scott. Both versions also include an all-new
immersive Dolby Atmos audio mix, along with the original 5.1 audio.
REPLICAS on Digital 4/2 and Blu-ray and DVD 4/16
Keanu
Reeves stars as William Foster, a neuroscientist on the verge of
transferring human consciousness into a computer when his beloved
wife (Alice Eve) and children are tragically killed in a car crash.
Desperate to resurrect his family, William recruits a fellow
scientist (Thomas Middleditch) to help secretly clone their bodies
and create replicas. When William learns that he can only replicate
three of the four family members, he makes a decision with fateful
consequences. Take home Replicas
and dive headfirst into the twists and
turns of this intense brain-churner with an audio commentary with
director Jeffrey Nachmanoff and executive producer James Dodson, a
making of featurette, and never-before-seen deleted scenes.
Based
on the bestselling novel by W. Bruce Cameron, A DOG’S WAY
HOME chronicles the heartwarming adventure of Bella, the
brave and adventurous dog that embarks on an epic 400-mile journey
home after she is separated from her beloved human, Lucas. A
DOG’S WAY HOME highlights the power of unconditional love
between man’s best friend and its human companion. The film stars
Ashley Judd (“Twin Peaks”), Jonah Hauer-King (Old Boys),
Edward James Olmos (“Mayans M.C.”), Alexandra Shipp (Love,
Simon), and Wes Studi (Hostiles ) with Bryce Dallas Howard
(Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom) providing the charming and
lovable voice of Bella. A DOG’S WAY HOME is produced
by Gavin Polone (A Dog’s Purpose, A Dog’s Journey)
and directed by Charles Martin Smith (Air Bud).
February 25, 2019
RAMPANT: Ancient Undead
Starring
Hyun Bin, Jang Dong-gun, Kim Eui-sung, Jeong Man-sik, Jo Woo-jin, Lee
Sun-bin, Kim Tae-woo. Directed by Kim Sung-hoon. (2018/122 min).
AVAILABLE
ON BLU-RAY FROM
Review
by Tiger the Terrible🙀
"From
the studio that brought you Train to Busan," trumpets the
tag-line for this one. The studio? Do people really fall for that?
That's like being convinced to pop into to 7-Eleven for a bag o'
Funyuns because you really enjoyed the Twinkies they once sold you.
Besides, inviting comparison to Train to Busan is really
doing Rampant a disservice. The former is, in my humble
opinion, a modern horror masterpiece, setting a bar in the zombie
subgenre that the latter has no hope of reaching. But Rampant is
still a pretty damn good film in its own right.
The
film is a creative mash-up of action, historical epic and bloody
horror. Taking place during the era of Korean dynasties, Joseon is
ruled by tyrannical King Lee Jo (Kim Eui-sung), whose more
compassionate son, Prince Lee Young (Kim Tae-woo), attempts to
overthrow him. Young commits suicide, but not before sending a
message to his exiled brother, Lee Chung (Hyun Bin), requesting him
to return to Joseon and escort his pregnant wife to the safety of
Qing, a Chinese empire. Meanwhile, treacherous military minister Kim Ja-joon
(Jang Dong-gun) is secretly plotting to overthrow the king with the
help of trusted underlings and...legions of zombies.
The
undead are referred to as Night Demons, which have been plaguing
surrounding villages, coming out at night to attack hapless peasants.
They are mostly the stuff of rumors in Joseon and Lee Chung
doesn't believe the stories either until he's attacked on his journey
home. But Kim knows better and keeps one in a cellar with plans to
wipe everyone out - starting with King Jo - and building his own
dynasty.
"Tag! You're it!" |
Actually,
Rampant does share a few qualities with Train to Busan
that draw favorable comparison. First, the story takes time establishing its main characters (though some might say too much
time). Lee Chung's transformation from arrogant prince to heroic
zombie slayer is engaging. While his comic-relief sidekick, Hak-soo
(Jeong Man-sik), isn't particularly funny, his sheer likability sets-up one of the story's most poignant moments. Kim Ja-joon may not be
the most complex villain to ever grace the screen, but he's suitably
hateful & menacing. Like the best films of the genre, Rampant's real monsters aren't the zombies.
However,
the story takes a while to get moving. It's almost relentlessly
talky during the entire first act and little of the political
intrigue is interesting enough to justify the amount of time we spend
listening to it. But once it gets down to the business of zombie
slaying, Rampant is a bloody good time. The undead siege on
Joseon is loaded with close-quarters action, great swordplay and
tension-filled moments (the prison escape sequence is particularly
noteworthy). My only nagging question is this: After being bitten, why does one major character's
faculties remain intact while everyone else turns
into mindless, white-eyed ghouls? I dunno...maybe I missed something.
Despite
being a bit overlong, with some pacing issues and questionable plot
developments, Rampant is ultimately a big, fun spin on the genre, with an intriguing setting and great production values. It's
no Train to Busan, but you shouldn't hold that against it.
EXTRA
KIBBLES
FEATURETTES
- "Making of"; "Behind the Scenes"; Character Trailer (these are essentially short promotional pieces, all under two minutes each).
TRAILERS
DVD
COPY
KITTY CONSENSUS:
PURR-R-R...LIKE A GOOD SCRATCH BEHIND THE EARS
February 24, 2019
February 19, 2019
YEAR OF THE DRAGON: The Cult of Mickey
Starring
Mickey Rourke, John Lone, Ariane, Dennis Dun, Ray Barry, Caroline
Kava, Leonard Termo, Eddie Jones, Victor Wong. Directed by Michael
Cimino. (1985/134 min).
AVAILABLE
ON BLU-RAY FROM
Review
by Tiger the Terrible😸
Stanley
White (Mickey Rourke) is the best, most decorated cop in New York.
Just ask him, he'll tell you. In fact, he'll probably tell you even
if you don't ask, as he does at-least three times during Year of the Dragon. I guess we'll just have
to take his word for it because all we mostly see is an innate talent
for getting people around him killed.
When
not putting partners & loved ones in harm's way, White is
obsessed with bringing down the criminal underworld in New York's
Chinatown, disrupting a mutual accord between the police and the mob.
He's a big thorn-in-the-side of Joey Tai (John Lone), an ambitious
young up-and-comer who ignites a war between two rival organizations
so he can rise to power. Along the way, White alienates his
superiors, bullies fellow officers, belittles his wife and seduces
reporter Tracy Tzu (Ariane), who's inexplicably charmed by his
obnoxious bravado. And given Rourke's penchant for weirdness, one can't
help but suspect he had a hand in White's appearance, from
the ill-fitting fedora to his Billy-Idol-on-crack hairstyle.
"Get off my lawn!" |
Year
of the Dragon is as awesomely bad as it sounds, chock-full of
groan-worthy dialogue, laughable attempts at grittiness, embarrassing
amounts of racism and wooden performances...except for Rourke, of
course, who chews the scenery like one of his beloved chihuahuas.
While not quite on par with Rourke's magnum opus, Harley Davidson
and the Marlboro Man, this trashy trainwreck is especially
fascinating because its director, the late Michael Cimino, was the
toast of Hollywood just a few years before. Then, of course, Heaven's
Gate happened. Not to speak ill of the dead, but this plays more
like one of those once-promising ideas butchered by Sylvester
Stallone rewrites (ol' Sly did that a lot in the 80s).
Perhaps
those are some reasons Year of the Dragon enjoys sort-of a cult
following today. Without a doubt, the film encapsulates everything
glorious goofy about the 80s, slapped together by a guy in the midst
of one of Hollywood history's more spectacular career downfalls.
Still, I gotta admit it's those same qualities that make it more
entertaining than Heaven's Gate. Faint praise, to be sure, but
at least it isn't boring.
EXTRA
KIBBLES
AUDIO
COMMENTARY - By Director Michael Cimino
TRAILER
KITTY CONSENSUS:
AWESOMELY ATROCIOUS
THE POOP SCOOP (2/21): Oscars Edition
MARY
POPPINS RETURNS On Digital 4K Ultra HD 3/12 and on 4K Ultra
HD and Blu-ray 3/19
Bonus
material explores the making of “Mary Poppins Returns,” going
behind the scenes with the star-studded cast and crew who
collaborated to make even the impossible possible. Extensive extras
include a trip down Cherry Tree Lane with original cast member Dick
Van Dyke, a sing-along version including the heartfelt Academy
Award-nominated “The Place Where Lost Things Go,” bloopers,
deleted scenes, a deleted song and filmmaker commentary. Features
also reveal the magic and moxie that went into creating large-scale
musical production numbers, such as “Trip a Little Light
Fantastic,” a rousing song-and-dance number led by Jack and his
fellow lamplighters; “The Royal Doulton Music Hall” and “A
Cover Is Not the Book,” showcasing the tremendous talents of Blunt
and Miranda; “Turning Turtle,” an upside-down sequence featuring
Meryl Streep as Mary’s eccentric Cousin Topsy; and “Can You
Imagine That?” an underwater adventure with Mary Poppins and the
Banks children.
CAPERNAUM
on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital 3/26
In
addition to earning an Academy Award nomination, CAPERNAUM was
nominated for Golden Globe and BAFTA Awards for Best Foreign Language
Film and won 3 awards at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, including the
Jury Prize and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury. The film was also an
Official Selection at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival.
Special features available on the home entertainment release
will include an insightful commentary track with director/writer
Nadine Labaki and composer/producer Khaled Mouzanar, a Q & A with
Labaki, Mouzanar and actor Zain Al Rafeea and a featurette detailing
the process of bringing this heart-wrenching story to life.
Nominated
for 8 ACADEMY AWARDS, including Best Picture, VICE
stars Christian Bale in his Oscar-nominated role as Dick Cheney in
this epic tale of how a bureaucratic Washington insider quietly
became the most powerful man in the world. Co-starring Amy Adams,
Steve Carell, and Sam Rockwell, VICE
is a darkly comic look behind the scenes of American politics.
Includes deleted scenes, featurettes and an image gallery.
VIEW A BONUS CLIP! |
SPIDER-MAN:
INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE Arrives on Digital 2/26 and 4K, Blu-ray &
DVD 3/19
The
Academy Award Nominee for Best Animated Feature Film, SPIDER-MAN:
INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE has
grossed over $350 million in theaters worldwide to
date, introduces
Brooklyn teen Miles Morales, and the limitless possibilities of the
Spider-Verse, where more than one can wear the iconic mask.
This Blu-ray is filled with engaging bonus
materials that are fun for the whole family and give fans even more
of the unique comic book style action that they loved in
theaters with over 90 minutes of bonus content.
IF
BEALE STREET COULD TALK Arrives on Digital 3/12 and on Blu-ray &
DVD 3/26
From
Academy Award Winner Barry Jenkins, adapted from James Baldwin’s
acclaimed novel, comes this timeless love story set in early 1970s
Harlem. Newly engaged 19-year-old Tish (KiKi Layne) and her fiancé
Fonny (Stephan James) have a beautiful future ahead. But their plans
are derailed when Fonny is arrested for a crime he did not commit.
Now the pair and their families must fight for justice in the name of
love and the promise of the American dream in this lush, moving,
dramatic film, also starring Academy Award Nominee Regina King.
THE
FAVOURITE Arrives on Digital 2/12 & Blu-ray 3/5
The
Favourite has been one of
the most critically-acclaimed films of the year. It has received
numerous awards including The Venice Film Festivals’ Grand Special
Jury Prize for Director Yorgos Lanthimos, 10 wins at the British
Independent Film Awards, selected as AFI’s 2018 Movie of the Year
and a Golden Globe for Olivia Colman’s performance as Queen Anne.
The film has also nabbed 10 Academy Award nominations including Best
Picture, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress and
Best Original Screenplay.
February 17, 2019
ICEMAN: THE TIME TRAVELER: Not Again, Mr. Yen
Starring
Donnie Yen, Eva Huang, Wang Bao Qiang, Simon Yam, Yu Kang, Jiang Shu
Ying. Directed by Raymond Yip. (2018/88 min).
AVAILABLE
ON BLU-RAY FROM
Review
by Tiger the Terrible🙀
This
is a sequel to 2014's Iceman. If you haven't seen it, don't
fret too much. Despite a scant running time, the opening ten minutes of Iceman:
Time Traveler consists of footage from the first film, with star Donnie
Yen providing a voiceover that recaps the entire plot.
What's
left is a disjointed, rambling and ultimately dull story that still
feels unnecessarily padded out. Picking up where the first film left
off, Ming Dynasty warrior He Ying (Yen) travels back to his own time,
hopefully to save his village and clear his name. His former
childhood friends & blood brothers - led by Cheung (Simon Yam) -
have a different agenda: Use the time travel device to rule all of
China.
Never
mind that the film's temporal narrative makes little logistical
sense (and grows increasingly perplexing during the climax). Gone are
the amusing fish-out-of-water elements that at-least made the first
film watchable. This sequel is overly-serious and relentlessly talky,
not-to-mention boring. For an action movie, Iceman: The Time
Traveler has precious little of it. Even then, the fight
sequences are often enhanced by way too much CGI to be interesting or
plausible.
Donnie Yen drops the mic. |
I'm
a big fan of Donnie Yen. He's a phenomenal martial artist and a good
actor whose sincerity and charisma has elevated many films that would
have otherwise been mundane. But in this one, Yen appears to be
coasting on autopilot. While he isn't terrible, he's not particularly
engaging, either. More distressingly, aside from a brief - and
ridiculous - skirmish on-board a passenger train, nearly an hour
passes before his formidable fighting skills are called upon.
While
the original wasn't exactly a feather in Yen's cap, Iceman: The
Time Traveler is one of the worst films in his lengthy
filmography. Though elaborately produced, it's undone by a convoluted
story, erratic pacing and an uncharacteristically indifferent
performance by its star. For Yen fans, or even those who actually
enjoyed the first film, don't say you weren't warned.
EXTRA
KIBBLES
ENGLISH
LANGUAGE OPTION
DVD
COPY
KITTY CONSENSUS:
BLEH...LIKE COUGHING UP A HAIRBALL.
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