Robocop 4K UHD Blu-ray Review

Director ‏ : ‎ Paul Verhoeven
Actors ‏ : ‎ Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Daniel O'Herlihy, Ronny Cox, Kurtwood Smith
Media Format ‏ : ‎ Anamorphic, NTSC, Surround Sound, Widescreen
Studio ‏ : ‎ Arrow Video
MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted)
Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 43 minutes
Release date ‏ : ‎ April 12, 2022

Robocop is the kind of movie that makes me nostalgic for the 1980s, with bold filmmaking less concerned with reaching the broadest possible audience than blockbusters of the modern era. Director Paul Verhoeven pushed the boundaries of what would even be considered acceptable for an R-rated film, while the 2014 remake of Robocop was safely contained in a PG-13 rating. Beyond the edginess of this 1987 sci-fi action film, Robocop is a marvelous display of technical prowess in filmmaking. The practical effects remain impressive 35 years later, and the satirical elements of the story still have relevance today.

Gagarine Blu-ray Review

Director ‏ : ‎ Fanny Liatard, Jérémy Trouilh
Actors ‏ : ‎ Alseni Bathily, Lyna Khoudri, Jamil McCraven, Finnegan Oldfield, Farida Rahouadj
Media Format ‏ : ‎ Anamorphic
Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 38 minutes
Studio ‏ : ‎ Cohen Media Group
MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ France
Release date ‏ : ‎ May 3, 2022

Gagarine manages to combine the style of a fantasy film within a narrative focused on social realism. The feature debut for filmmakers Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Trouilh is full of style, though the screenplay feels somewhat underdeveloped. The result is something of a calling card for the filmmakers, who will hopefully be given a better script to work with next time.

Dementia Blu-ray Review

Director ‏ : ‎ John Parker
Actors ‏ : ‎ Ben Roseman, Bruno Ve Sota, Richard Barron, Adrienne Barrett, Ed Hinkle
Studio ‏ : ‎ Cohen Media Group
Run time ‏ : ‎ 56 minutes
MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
Release date ‏ : ‎ April 26, 2022

In 1955, filmmaker John Parker wrote, produced, and directed this hour-long experimental film, which was originally intended to be a short film. With no dialogue and an ambiguous story told with the style of a film noir, Dementia is a surreal experience. Although by today’s standards it isn’t that impressive, for the 1950s it was bold approach to storytelling. The Cohen Film Collection’s release of Dementia contains a new 2K restoration of the film from the 35MM negative, along with the alternate cut released as Daughter of Horror.

The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter Blu-ray Review

Director ‏ : ‎ Lau Kar-Leung, Chia-Liang Liu
Actors ‏ : ‎ Chan-Peng Chang, Lily Li, Ching-Ching Yeung, Lung-Wei Wang, Alexander Fu Sheng
Media Format ‏ : ‎ Anamorphic, NTSC, Widescreen
Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 38 minutes
Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ Hong Kong
Studio ‏ : ‎ Arrow Video
Release date ‏ : ‎ April 5, 2022

Even when everything goes according to plan, it is often a small miracle films get completed. Given the troubled production that plagued The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter, it’s amazing the film was even finished, which is what makes the quality of the film that much more impressive. Despite needing to change the film’s protagonist halfway through the shoot due to the passing of star Alexander Fu Sheng, The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter is one of the better martial arts films made by Shaw Brothers Studio.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein 4K Ultra HD Review

Director ‏ : ‎ Kenneth Branagh
Actors ‏ : ‎ Kenneth Branagh, Robert De Niro, Helena Bonham Carter, Tom Hulce, Aidian Quinn
Studio ‏ : ‎ Arrow Video
Media Format ‏ : ‎ Anamorphic, NTSC, Surround Sound, Widescreen
Run time ‏ : ‎ 2 hours and 3 minutes
MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted)
Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
Release date ‏ : ‎ April 12, 2022

Kenneth Branagh does well with adaptations of William Shakespeare’s work, mostly because he seems to embrace the melodrama of the stories with complete seriousness. This style was ideal for Hamlet and Henry V, but when Branagh attempted to tackle his own recreation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the results were slightly over-the-top. There are a great many moments within the film, but they all seem to come from the simpler and subtle performance by Robert De Niro as Frankenstein’s famous monster. The film surrounding this performance edges on campy, but without any of the self-awareness which may have made it more fun.

Two Men in Town Blu-ray Review

Director ‏ : ‎ Rachid Bouchareb
Actors ‏ : ‎ Forest Whitaker, Harvey Keitel, Brenda Blethyn, Luis Guzman, Ellen Burstyn
Studio ‏ : ‎ Cohen Media Group
MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted)
Media Format ‏ : ‎ Anamorphic
Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 58 minutes
Release date ‏ : ‎ May 17, 2022
Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA

French filmmaker Rachid Bouchareb established himself as an international success with his films about historical violence, including 2006’s WWII drama, Days of Glory, and Outside the Law, a drama from 2010 based on the Algerian struggle for independence following that war. He also made a film in London in 2009 about the aftermath of a series of terrorist attacks in 2005. The blending of fiction with real-life events served Bouchareb well, but he has discarded this successful method of filmmaking in his American films, to their overall detriment. Though Two Men in Town is much better than his American film debut, Just Like a Woman (2012), there is simply not enough relevance within the story of these characters and their suffering. It lacks the same ability to integrate relevance with personal drama that Bouchareb had with his European films, despite strong performances by the cast in the underdeveloped roles and their narrative.

Outside the Law Blu-ray Review

Director ‏ : ‎ Rachid Bouchareb
Actors ‏ : ‎ Jamel Debbouze, Roschdy Zem, Sami Bouajila, Chafia Boudraa, Bernard Blancan
Media Format ‏ : ‎ Anamorphic
Run time ‏ : ‎ 2 hours and 19 minutes
Studio ‏ : ‎ Cohen Media Group
MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted)
Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ France/Algeria
Release date ‏ : ‎ May 17, 2022

From the writer/director behind the potent war film Days of Glory comes another historically accurate action film. With Days of Glory, we were given the realistic depiction of Algerians who joined in the battle against German invasion. Unfortunately, what the Algerian soldiers soon discover in their effort to free France, is that there is a clear discrimination in the treatment of soldiers. Even though they are able to fight alongside the French, the North African soldiers are often demeaned, insulted, and aren’t even given the same meals. Willing to die for France and unable to eat the same food as the French, this struggle is as prominent as the struggle against Nazi oppression in Days of Glory.

12 Monkeys 4K Ultra HD Review

Director ‏ : ‎ Terry Gilliam
Actors ‏ : ‎ Brad Pitt, Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, David Morse, Christopher Plummer
Studio ‏ : ‎ Universal Studios/ Arrow Video
MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted)
Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
Media Format ‏ : ‎ Anamorphic, NTSC, Widescreen, Surround Sound
Run time ‏ : ‎ 2 hours and 9 minutes
Release date ‏ : ‎ April 26, 2022

Terry Gilliam is a director who has had as many film failures as he has successful ones. Even when praised for his unique voice and style, Gilliam’s releases have often been met with box-office trouble. Unfortunately for his career, the biggest failures have been the films that also had the largest budget. When 12 Monkeys was tested prior to release, audiences were unsatisfied with the film, and it looked to be another failure. Shockingly, Gilliam was able to release the film as he had imagined, and it was a surprise success.

Blacklight Blu-ray Review

Director ‏ : ‎ Mark Williams
Writers ‏ : ‎ Nick May, Mark Williams
Actors ‏ : ‎ Liam Neeson, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Taylor John Smith, Aidan Quinn
Producers ‏ : ‎ Mark Williams, Paul Currie, Myles Nestel, Aleve Loh, Coco Xiaolu Ma
Studio ‏ : ‎ Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Media Format ‏ : ‎ NTSC, Digital_copy
Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 45 minutes
Release date ‏ : ‎ May 3, 2022
Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned)

I suppose it should be impressive that at nearly 70 years of age Liam Neeson still managed to release two action-based films in the first half of 2022, but the fact that he plays a character with diminishing mental capacity in each may be more than a little telling. Blacklight and Memory are both below average thrillers likely better suited for direct-to-video, and a sign that Neeson would be better off transitioning to supporting roles in the future. It isn’t even so much about Neeson’s inability to convincingly play the roles, though he is beginning to look a bit slower in the fight choreography. The bigger problem is the diminishing quality of the scripts offered to the aging action star.

TOP GUN: MAVERICK ScreenX Poster Revealed

CJ 4DPLEX has just released the new ScreenX poster for Paramount Pictures’ TOP GUN: MAVERICK which opens in theaters on May 27. The ScreenX presentation of the film features over 55+ minutes of exclusive footage on the visually immersive 270-degree panoramic screens. Audiences can reserve their tickets starting next week.

About “Top Gun: Maverick”

After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. When he finds himself training a detachment of Top Gun graduates for a specialized mission the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen, Maverick encounters Lt. Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller), call sign: “Rooster,” the son of Maverick’s late friend and Radar Intercept Officer Lt. Nick Bradshaw, aka “Goose”. Facing an uncertain future and confronting the ghosts of his past, Maverick is drawn into a confrontation with his own deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who will be chosen to fly it.

About ScreenX

ScreenX is a revolutionary, multi-projection theatre experience that extends the screen to the auditorium walls. This immersive format takes traditional moviegoing a step further, by surrounding the audience with a 270-degree panoramic visual and putting them in the center of the action. Fly to the farthest reaches of space or explore the depths of the ocean with this incredible technology, and experience the thrill of the movies like never before.

Cyrano Blu-ray Review

Director ‏ : ‎ Joe Wright
Actors ‏ : ‎ Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett, Kelvin Harrison, Jr., Ben Mendelsohn
Writers ‏ : ‎ Erica Schmidt
Producers ‏ : ‎ Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Guy Heeley
Media Format ‏ : ‎ NTSC, Digital_copy
Run time ‏ : ‎ 2 hours and 4 minutes
Studio ‏ : ‎ Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned)
Release date ‏ : ‎ April 19, 2022
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 2

An element of film production that doesn’t often get discussed is unity, how all the individual elements work together. It is impossible to review Cyrano without considering the film’s unity. Each of the individual elements in Joe Wright’s adaptation of Erica Schmidt’s musical are fantastic. Wright’s direction is full of formalistic embellishments, Peter Dinklage gives an emotional performance as the title character, and there are several memorable songs. At the same time, these fantastic elements rarely work together, leaving a film that feels like a collection of individual elements.

My Afternoons with Margueritte Blu-ray Review

Director ‏ : ‎ Jean Becker
Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 23 minutes
Release date ‏ : ‎ April 19, 2022
Actors ‏ : ‎ GÉRARD DEPARDIEU
Studio ‏ : ‎ Cohen Media Group
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1

My Afternoons with Margueritte takes the type of feel-good narrative expected to come from Hollywood but approaches it with a European sensibility. There are no big emotional speeches or contrived relationships. Everything feels grounded and lacking the melodramatic trappings one might expect. Even when sad or tragic events occur, they are handled with subtlety and play in an understated manner.

Twisting the Knife: Four Films by Claude Chabrol Blu-ray Review

Director ‏ : ‎ Claude Chabrol
Actors ‏ : ‎ Nathalie Baye, Benoît Magimel, Henri Attal, Suzanne Flon, Isabelle Huppert
Media Format ‏ : ‎ Anamorphic, NTSC, Widescreen
Run time ‏ : ‎ 6 hours and 59 minutes
Studio ‏ : ‎ Arrow Video
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 4
Release date ‏ : ‎ April 26, 2022

Claude Chabrol was a highly significant name in French cinema for half a century, even contributing to the legendary Cahiers du Cinéma during its peak in the 1950s. Among these contributions was a critical analysis of Alfred Hitchcock’s work (co-authored by Eric Rohmer), which clearly influenced his own filmography throughout his career. When he wasn’t attempting to imitate the murder mysteries of Alfred Hitchcock, Chabrol was often focused on the depiction of upper-class lifestyles, which is a commonality between each of the films in this collection.

Jigsaw Blu-ray Review

Director ‏ : ‎ Val Guest
Actors ‏ : ‎ Jack Warner, Ronald Lewis, Yolande Donlan
Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 2.39:1
MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
Studio ‏ : ‎ Cohen Film Collection
Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 48 minutes
Release date ‏ : ‎ April 5, 2022

This 1962 film by Val Guest is often referred to as an example of British film noir, but Jigsaw is a police procedural above all else. Based on Hillary Waugh’s novel Sleep Long, My Love, the story itself was ripped from the headlines, inspired by the Brighton Trunk Murders of the 1930s. As such, there are fewer elements connecting Jigsaw with the film noir genre as there are connecting it with the formula modern audiences are accustomed to seeing implemented in crime TV shows.

Rogue Cops and Racketeers: Two Crime Thrillers By Enzo G. Castellari Blu-ray Review

Director ‏ : ‎ Enzo G. Castellari
Actors ‏ : ‎ Glauco Onorato, Marcella Michelangeli, Orso Maria Guerrini, Renzo Palmer, Sal Borgese
Media Format ‏ : ‎ Anamorphic, NTSC, Widescreen
Run time ‏ : ‎ 3 hours and 18 minutes
Release date ‏ : ‎ April 19, 2022
Studio ‏ : ‎ Arrow Video
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 2

Well known is the Italian western genre that was popularized in the 1960s and 1970s, even resulting in Italy temporarily surpassing Hollywood in film production. While Spaghetti Westerns were popularized worldwide, thanks in part to American stars like Clint Eastwood, the poliziottesco (sometimes referred to as “Macaroni Crime”) films were less successful exports. Often containing themes of corruption that had parallels in modern Italian society, these crime films were more popular in Italy than elsewhere, despite a high level of violence and similar exploitative elements to those found in the Spaghetti Western genre.

Oranges and Sunshine Blu-ray Review

Director ‏ : ‎ Jim Loach
Actors ‏ : ‎ Emily Watson, David Wenham, Hugo Weaving
Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 46 minutes
Studio ‏ : ‎ Cohen Media Group.
Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 2.39:1
MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
Release date ‏ : ‎ April 12, 2022

Bringing true stories to screen can be a delicate balancing act, with a dedication to accuracy expected alongside the need to keep the audience entertained. In trying to achieve both, Oranges and Sunshine feels somewhat perfunctory. It doesn’t help that the tragedy is so large in scope, and the decision to view the events entirely through a second party only creates more of a distance for the audience. As a celebration of social worker Margaret Humphreys, Oranges and Sunshine is a success, thanks to Emily Watson’s performance. Unfortunately, it fails to capture the full scope of the case she is best known for.

Barbarians Review

Barbarians plays with audience expectations established by countless home invasion narratives of recent past. There are several different approaches to the horror sub-genre, and tropes that have developed from their repeated use. The filmmakers of Barbarians seem to realize this and utilize tropes from two different approaches in order to keep the audience guessing. The use of MacGuffins helps disguise the true motivation of the invaders but may also leave some audience members disappointed that the threat alluded to is nothing more than a distraction.

An American Werewolf in London 4K Ultra HD Review

Director ‏ : ‎ John Landis
Actors ‏ : ‎ David Naughton, Griffin Dunne, Jenny Agutter
Media Format ‏ : ‎ Anamorphic, NTSC, Surround Sound, Widescreen
MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted)
Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 37 minutes
Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
Release date ‏ : ‎ March 15, 2022
Studio ‏ : ‎ Arrow Video

Following his massive success with the college comedy Animal House and musical comedy The Blues Brothers, John Landis made the unexpected decision to switch to the horror genre for his next project. While there are some comedic elements to connect the director’s other work to An American Werewolf in London, it was the creature transformation scenes that the film was initially praised for. Rick Baker’s work aside, Landis’ werewolf film revised and reinvigorated the sub-genre of horror.

Come Drink With Me Blu-ray Review

Director ‏ : ‎ King Hu
Actors ‏ : ‎ Cheng Pei Pei, Yueh Hua, Yang Chih Ching
Media Format ‏ : ‎ Anamorphic, Widescreen, NTSC
Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 31 minutes
Release date ‏ : ‎ March 22, 2022
Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English
Studio ‏ : ‎ Arrow Video
Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ Hong Kong
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1

Those who watched Mulan and praised the use of a female driven narrative may be surprised to know that this was merely a return to a popular trope from the martial arts genre. The story of Hua Mulan has a long history of cinematic adaptations, but that was not the only story with a female heroine at the center, nor was it the only one with a protagonist hiding her gender from other characters. Following Mulan Joins the Army (1939) and the emerging popularity of the wuxia sub-genre pioneered in Shanghai, Hong Kong and the Shaw Brothers contributed with Come Drink with Me.

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