Years ago, Universal announced their intentions of ending the
Fast and Furious franchise with the tenth movie. In order to continue the
series without going back on their word, Fast X then turned into a
two-film conclusion. Just before the release of the tenth installment, however,
it was announced that the two-part finale was being stretched out into three
films. While I would normally bemoan the money-grubbing practices of studios
and the obnoxious practice of cliffhangers in film franchises, Fast X is
enough fun to leave me wanting plenty more.
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Fast X: 4DX Review
Let It Be Morning Blu-ray Review
- Director : Eran Kolirin
- Actors : Juna Suleiman, Salim Daw, Ehab Salami, Khalifa Natour
- Subtitles: : English
- Studio : Cohen Media Group
- Aspect Ratio : 2.39:1
- MPAA rating : NR (Not Rated)
- Country of Origin : Israel
- Number of discs : 1
- Media Format : Blu-ray
- Run time : 1 hour and 41 minutes
- Release date : March 7, 2023
Jewish Israeli filmmaker Eran Kolirin is best
known for his 2007 film, The Band’s Visit, a film about an Egyptian band
who becomes stranded in a small town in Israel. Let It Be Morning also
deals with confinement in a small community when Israeli military forces block
the only road out of a village. A Palestinian family with Israeli citizenship
is stuck in the village along with others who were in the area for a wedding. There
are clear political themes running throughout Kolirin’s film, but more
impactful are the relatable human moments. To consider Let It Be Morning
as a film either implicitly or unintentionally addressing Covid-era themes
seems like low-hanging fruit, however accurate. At the center of the film are a
group of people longing to fix the mess that they have made from their lives,
while also being limited in what choices are available due to the circumstances
of their situation.
Secret Defense Blu-ray Review
- Director : Jacques Rivette
- Actors : Sandrine Bonnaire, Jerzy Radziwilowicz, Gregoire Colin, Francoise Fabian
- Subtitles: : English
- Studio : Cohen Media Group
- Aspect Ratio : 1.85:1
- MPAA rating : NR (Not Rated)
- Country of Origin : France
- Number of discs : 1
- Media Format : Blu-ray
- Run time : 2 hours and 54 minutes
- Release date : March 14, 2023
Although there are secrets at the
center of the plot of Secret Defense, which also contains multiple
murders within the story, the film is less a mystery film and more a family
drama unfolding with moments of violence. Though many have noted that Secret
Defense is one of director Jacques Rivette’s most formulaic narratives, there
is still a large gap between this and traditional genre filmmaking. There may
be elements expected from a thriller, but it is so leisurely paced that all
danger and suspense has been diluted.
Cocaine Bear Blu-ray Review
- Director : Elizabeth Banks
- Actors : Ray Liotta, Keri Russell, Margo Martindale
- Dubbed: : French, Spanish
- Subtitles: : English, Spanish
- Studio : Studio Distribution Services
- MPAA rating : R (Restricted)
- Number of discs : 2
- Media Format : Subtitled, Blu-ray
- Run time : 96 minutes
- Release date : April 18, 2023
Some films are so high concept that the title tells
you everything you need to know about the plot. For some reason, several of
these films involve animals, including Snakes on a Plane, Sharknado,
and now Cocaine Bear. Although Cocaine Bear differs from the rest
because it is based on true events, this does not mean it is any more grounded in
realism. This is completely campy cinema, and that is entirely the point.
All Quiet on the Western Front 4K UHD Review
- Director : Edward Berger
- Actors : Felix Kammerer, Albrecht Schuch, Aaron Hilmer, Moritz Klaus
- Dubbed: : English
- Subtitles: : English
- Studio : MPI Media/Capelight Pictures
- MPAA rating : R (Restricted)
- Country of Origin : Germany
- Number of discs : 2
- Media Format : 4K, Subtitled
- Run time : 147 minutes
- Release date : March 28, 2023
Based on the novel by German author Erich
Maria Remarque, the 1930 adaptation of All Quiet in the Western Front
remains one of the most impactful anti-war films to ever be made, so I was
instantly skeptical at the announcement of a new adaptation (the third,
following a TV movie adaptation in 1979). On top of having to compete with the
original masterpiece, the German adaptation would also inevitably be compared
to recent successful war movies, like 1917. While these comparisons are
fair, I was surprised at how much All Quiet on the Western Front stood
on its own, playing off of successful war narratives rather than trying to imitate
them.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre 4K UHD Review
- Director : Tobe Hooper
- Actors : Marilyn Burns, Gunnar Hansen
- Subtitles: : English
- Studio : Mpi Home Video
- MPAA rating : R (Restricted)
- Country of Origin : USA
- Number of discs : 2
- Media Format : 4K, NTSC
- Run time : 83 minutes
- Release date : February 28, 2023
When forced to choose a favorite horror movie,
which is a near impossible task, I typically end up saying either The Night
of the Living Dead or The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Both were
defining films ahead of their time, both enjoyable in a visceral and
entertaining way and equally fascinating to analyze. Although Psycho (1960)
and Peeping Tom (1960) are often referred to as the first slasher films,
the sub-genre didn’t really take off until The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
was released in 1974. It is a film that is so terrifying that audiences often
mistakenly remember it as more graphically violent than it actually is. Belonging
to a group of cynical and disturbing Vietnam-era horror, The Texas Chain Saw
Massacre has layers of depth and meaning, but none of this prevents it from
simply being a thrilling viewing experience.
The Fabelmans 4K UHD Review
- Director : Steven Spielberg
- Actors : Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Seth Rogen
- Studio : Studio Distribution Services
- MPAA rating : PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned)
- Country of Origin : USA
- Number of discs : 2
- Media Format : 4K, Digital_copy
- Run time : 151 minutes
- Release date : February 14, 2023
As disappointed as I was to hear Quentin Tarantino
announce his intended retirement from filmmaking due to beliefs that directors
often begin to slip in the twilight of their careers, each new Steven Spielberg
film seems to confirm this as a true statement for me. Spielberg is still a
highly competent filmmaker who releases polished products, but nothing in the
last two decades comes anywhere close to the first two decades of his career as
a director. Perhaps it is not fair to compare The Fabelmans to Jaws
or Schindler’s List, but I would be disappointed even if merely judging
Spielberg’s latest on its own merits alone. Despite all of the praise that has been
thrown at The Fabelmans by critics, I found myself in the minority of people
unimpressed with the screenplay supposedly based on Spielberg’s own adolescent
experiences.
Satan’s Little Helper Blu-ray Review
- Director : Jeff Lieberman
- Actors : Katheryn Winnick, Amanda Plummer, Alexander Brickel
- Studio : Synapse Films
- MPAA rating : R (Restricted)
- Country of Origin : USA
- Number of discs : 1
- Media Format : NTSC, Widescreen, Surround Sound, Anamorphic
- Run time : 1 hour and 40 minutes
- Release date : October 25, 2022
The dark premise for the horror film Satan’s
Little Helper is boldly original, with just enough social satire to go with
the carnage expected from the slasher sub-genre. Suspension of disbelief is a
must to be able to enjoy the plot, which is more than a little absurd at times.
In some ways that actually adds to the campy fun of the film, while other times
it just feels like a cheaply made straight-to-DVD horror film that was sloppily
thrown together. While the premise is great, the execution often leaves
something to be desired.
Marquis de Sade’s Justine 4K UHD Review
- Director : Jesús Franco
- Actors : Romina Power, Klaus Kinski, Jack Palance, Maria Rohm, Mercedes McCambridge
- Studio : Blue Underground
- MPAA rating : X (Mature Audiences Only)
- Country of Origin : France
- Number of discs : 2
- Media Format : Anamorphic, NTSC, Widescreen
- Run time : 2 hours and 4 minutes
- Release date : February 21, 2023
The Marquis de Sade served as an inspiration
for many of the films made by Spanish filmmaker Jesús Franco, and in the late
1960s and early 1970s he made two adaptations of his literary work. The first
of these was Marquis de Sade’s Justine, a period film set in 1700 France
and tracing the two diverging paths taken by sisters after they are orphaned in
Paris. Justine was Franco’s largest budget to that point, including
recognizable cast members such as Klaus Kinski and Jack Palance in supporting
roles. It also kicked off a preoccupation Franco had with the sexual depravity
of humanity, which he would continue in some form for much of his career.
Philosophy in the Boudoir (Eugenie) 4K UHD Review
- Director : Jesús Franco
- Actors : Christopher Lee, Marie Liljedahl, Maria Rohm, Jack Taylor, Paul Muller
- Studio : Blue Underground
- MPAA rating : X (Mature Audiences Only)
- Country of Origin : UK
- Number of discs : 2
- Media Format : Widescreen
- Run time : 1 hour and 27 minutes
- Release date : February 21, 2023
In 1969, Spanish
filmmaker Jesús Franco released his first adaptation of a Marquis de Sade book,
Justine. This started a tradition of exploitation films made by Franco,
often influenced by the perversion found in the Marquis de Sade’s literary
work. Only a year after the release of Justine, Franco would once again adapt a
book by the Marquis de Sade, this time Philosophy in the Boudoir. The
British film was released as Eugenie… The Story of Her Journey into
Perversion and was only the first attempts by the Spanish filmmaker to
adapt this particular novel. Along with a continued fascination with the
author, Eugenie represents the type of film Franco is best known for,
containing a fascination with sexuality combined with the violence and shock
value of horror.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania ScreenX Review
With a cumbersome title and promises of storylines
to come, Phase Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe kicks off with Ant-Man
and the Wasp: Quantumania. Although critics and audiences have begun to
show franchise fatigue when it comes to the MCU, die-hard fans will likely find
plenty to love. Although I have watched all of the films and TV shows, I wouldn’t
consider myself anywhere close to a fan of Marvel entertainment, so I can
relate to much of the criticism placed on recent films. On the other hand, I go
into these movies with very low expectations. This is junk food cinema (even
calling it cinema may be a stretch, as Martin Scorsese has argued), but this
also may be exactly what some audiences long for after sitting through the
high-brow releases of award season. And if you are going for pure immersive
entertainment, ScreenX is a fun option for ways to experience Quantumania.
The Grandmaster of Kung Fu Blu-ray Review
- Director : Cheng Si Yu
- Actors : Du Yu Hang-Dennis To, Gao Xue-mei, Yang Yong-feng, Li Ruo Xi, Zhuang Han
- Subtitles: : English
- Language : English (DTS 5.1)
- Studio : Well Go Usa
- MPAA rating : NR (Not Rated)
- Country of Origin : USA
- Number of discs : 1
- Media Format : NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
- Run time : 1 hour and 15 minutes
- Release date : January 31, 2023
At just 75-minutes long, The Grandmaster of
Kung Fu barely feels like a feature-length movie, despite fitting in plenty
of the tropes associated with the martial arts movie. It simply moves at a
brisk pace, only really slowing down the plot to savor the fight sequences, understanding
that this the likely reason most enjoy the action sub-genre. By leaning on
well-worn tropes, The Grandmaster of Kung Fu is able to rely on the audience’s
awareness of the familiar structure, focusing instead on the fun stuff.
A Fish in the Bathtub Blu-ray Review
- Director : Joan Micklin Silver
- Actors : Jerry Stiller, Anne Meara, Mark Ruffalo, Jane Adams, Missy Yager
- Studio : Cohen Media Group
- MPAA rating : PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned)
- Country of Origin : USA
- Number of discs : 1
- Media Format : Anamorphic
- Run time : 1 hour and 38 minutes
- Release date : December 13, 2022
Along with belonging in a group of 1990s independent
comedies that feel like mild imitations of Woody Allen, often set in New York and involving
partner-swapping without veering into melodrama, A Fish in the Bathtub
also has the feeling of a sitcom. This is not just because the cast is made up
of several actors who have played parents in memorable half-hour comedies, but also
because the narrative is highly episodic and has a resolution which restores
everything back to the way it began, much like the formula of nearly every
sitcom. It can make A Fish in the Bathtub feel slight and irreverent,
but that may be the point of enjoyment for some.
The Ballad of the Sad Café Blu-ray Review
- Director : Simon Callow
- Actors : Vanessa Redgrave, Keith Carradine, Rod Steiger
- Studio : Cohen Film
- MPAA rating : PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned)
- Number of discs : 1
- Media Format : Anamorphic, Blu-ray
- Run time : 1 hour and 41 minutes
- Release date : December 6, 2022
Not every story works in all formats. While I
am certain there is something about Carson McCullers novella that worked, possibly
even adapted well to the stage play written by Edward Albee, I found it difficult
to ever get on board with the film adaptation, The Ballad of the Sad Café.
While the novella must have had the benefit of the author’s narration and the
play must have had dialogue to tell the story, the film directed by Simon Callow
relies almost entirely upon imagery, but this often leaves the audience with
little insight into the internal world of the characters.
The Loneliest Boy in the World Blu-ray Review
- Director : Martin Owen
- Actors : Max Harwood, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Evan Ross, Ben Miller, Ashley Benson
- Studio : Well Go Usa
- MPAA rating : R (Restricted)
- Number of discs : 1
- Media Format : Subtitled, Widescreen
- Run time : 1 hour and 31 minutes
- Release date : December 20, 2022
Even though the inspirations behind The
Loneliest Boy in the World are fairly obvious, it is a film with an
identity crisis. The tone oscillates between gruesomely disgusting and sickly
sweet, with both often actively working against each other. Even more confused
is the sense of space, with a setting that is intended to be America despite
being shot in a gloomy UK city. Having the story set during the 1980s for no discernible
reason just adds to the confusion of the overall experience.
The Roundup Blu-ray Review
- Director : Sang-yong Lee
- Actors : Don Lee, Sukku Son, Gwi-hwa Choi
- Dubbed: : English
- Studio : Mpi Home Video
- MPAA rating : NR (Not Rated)
- Country of Origin : USA
- Number of discs : 1
- Media Format : NTSC, Subtitled
- Run time : 1 hour and 46 minutes
- Release date : December 13, 2022
While Hollywood has been preoccupied with an
endless stream of superhero films, South Korea has found its most successful
blockbuster since the beginning of the Covid pandemic in a franchise-making
sequel to The Outlaws. The Roundup, like the film before it, is a
crime action-comedy that feels like something Hollywood would have made in the
1980s or ‘90s. And I mean that as the highest compliment. The emphasis is on a
solid story bolstered by engaging characters and grounded (for the most part)
action. There is no need for heavy CGI or a world-ending final battle. It is
enough to let South Korean movie star Ma Dong-seok (or Don Lee, as he’s billed
in the US) swing his mighty fists at a ruthlessly vicious villain.
The Ambush Blu-ray Review
- Director : Pierre Morel
- Actors : Marwan Abdulla Saleh, Khalifa Al Jassem, Mohammed Ahmed, Abdulla Saeed Bin Haider, Saeed Alharsh
- Dubbed: : English
- Studio : Well Go Usa
- Country of Origin : United Arab Emirates
- Number of discs : 1
- MPAA rating : R (Restricted)
- Media Format : Subtitled, Widescreen
- Run time : 1 hour and 52 minutes
- Release date : December 13, 2022
The fact that The Ambush is a United
Arab Emirates co-production with France may lead some to make assumptions about
the quality and level of the filmmaking, but The Ambush has the polished look
of a Hollywood film. Much of this comes from the level of the production values
and director Pierre Morel, best known for large-budget Hollywood films like Taken
and From Paris with Love, not to mention the impressive French action
film, District B13. The Ambush is a much more serious film, however,
tracing the true events in a military conflict between the UAE military and
armed militants who ambush three Emirati soldiers on patrol in hostile
territory.
The Woman King 4K Ultra HD Review
- Director : Gina Prince-Bythewood
- Actors : Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, Hero Fiennes Tiffin
- Producers : Julius Tennon, Cathy Schulman, Maria Bello, Viola Davis
- Studio : Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
- Country of Origin : USA
- Number of discs : 2
- Aspect Ratio : 2.40:1
- Dubbed: : Portuguese, Spanish
- Subtitles: : English, Portuguese, Spanish
- MPAA rating : PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned)
- Media Format : 4K, Subtitled
- Run time : 2 hours and 15 minutes
- Release date : December 13, 2022
For those who want more realism in their
action than the CGI-filled silliness of Marvel films, The Woman King is a good
option. At the same time, for a film about female warriors, the action is
surprisingly sparse. Instead, the film veers into melodrama territory, complete
with a severed mother/daughter relationship. There is also a tragic romance in
the film. Even with some solid action choreography and an impressive
performance by Viola Davis, it is a little disappointing that a female-led
action movie spends so little time with the action and instead chooses romance
and tear-jerker subplots to fill much of the run-time.