Five years ago, Disney bought out 20th Century Fox, the home to a MULTITUDE of excellent films and film franchises. 73 billion dollars was the magic number. With that, Disney finally acquired ALL the Star Wars movies, because Fox had owned the original in perpetuity(forever). But with Fox went Alien, Predator, X-Men, and so many others. People were concerned, and rightfully so, about whether or not Disney was going to dumb down the harder-edged franchise like Alien and Predator to suit their more…family-friendly image. Well, Disney had tried to assure the audiences that R-rated movies were still going to get made, but they would not be under the Disney logo. Disney was also the owner of studios like Miramax and Hollywood Pictures who were known for their more adult-oriented fare.
I can tell you right now, that Disney is not afraid of letting 20th Century Studios continue putting out the really violent R-rated movies. While The Last Duel bombed at the box office(pandemic), there was still a market for the harder-edged movies. Enter Prey, the latest film in the Predator franchise, directed by Dan Trachtenberg and released directly to Hulu. It was rated R, and it did phenomenally well on Hulu. It was one of the most-watched movies that Hulu had ever seen. It was fantastic. Then came the Hellraiser reboot. Again, that was a movie that I never thought was ever going to get made. It was fairly well-received as well. When it was announced the Fede Alvarez, the director of the Evil Dead remake and the low-budget thriller Don’t Breathe was hired to helm the upcoming Alien Romulus film, horror fans got energized. Considering that both Alien and Predator were both run into the ground by 20th Century Fox, Prey was a great surprise. Well, the first teaser trailer for Alien Romulus dropped this morning as of this writing, and I have to say….holy shit:
First off, it looks like Romulus is going back to basics with Alien. From what I understand, this movie is actually set between the original Ridley Scott film and James Cameron’s more action-oriented sequel. But the visual aesthetic is more in line with Scott’s movie. The look and shape of the corridors feels right out of the 1979 movie. The steam and the lighting really add to the atmosphere. The teaser’s only a minute long, but in that minute, the hairs on my arms and back stood up straight. I consider myself to be an apologist for the Alien franchise. I love all these movies, but even I noticed a downward trend starting with Alien 3. It just got to the point where the mystery of the creature was no longer there. Prometheus and Alien Covenant explored the origins of the creature. When you explain the origins of a monster like the xenomorph, you inadvertently eliminate the mystique of the creature. Was it a naturally existing creature or was it a biological weapon? Up until Prometheus, that was never answered. It never should’ve have been. The more you know about the creature, the less terrifying it becomes.
That said, Fede Alvarez is just the kind of guy to breathe new life into this franchise. He hit the ground running with the excellent Evil Dead remake and followed that up with the incredibly intense Don’t Breathe. This guy knows how to use atmosphere to instill dread and terror. It also doesn’t hurt that he knows how to use gore to spectacular effect. Romulus is going to be gory. I’ve no doubt of that, but it’s the atmosphere that’s drawing me toward it. As with most teasers, we’re given a taste of what to expect, but we’re not given enough information to know what’s going, like the story. They’ll save that for the next trailer which should hit sometime in late June or early July. The movie itself is set to release in August. You bet your ass I’m going to be there, day one.
Because of Prey, I think that the person in charge of 20th Century Studios Steve Asbell, is understanding how much these franchises mean to people, and wants them done right. If Prey and Alien Romulus are any indication, I think these movies have a real future. Not only are we going to be getting a sequel to Prey, but we’ve got even more Alien goodness on the way in the form of TV series that’s being helmed by Noah Hawley. Oh, I think Alien is here to stay. I was less sure when Covenant bombed at the box office and Neill Blomkamp’s direct sequel to Aliens was canceled. I haven’t been the biggest fan of Disney, but their approach with 20th Century Studios is making me more optimistic about the future of these franchises. I don’t know if Alien Romulus is going to be good, it may not be, but with Alvarez at the helm, it’s going to be memorable one way or another. I can’t wait. The movie hits theaters on August 16th. Hell, yeah.
Everyone’s got one of those movies that they’re willing to die on a hill for. Now, I’m not necessarily saying guilty pleasures. Those are usually really bad movies that people just can’t help but like. Those end up becoming cult classics of sorts. I’m talking about movies that people find to be legitimately good, even if most critics and audiences would STRONGLY disagree. Every critic’s got one or two and every audience member has one. Me? I’ve got more than just a few. Let’s dig in.
Alien 3
If you’ve read my blog at all over the last decade, you know that I’m an ardent defender of Alien 3. Don’t get me wrong, I understand why people don’t like this movie at all. The killing off of two beloved characters from James Cameron’s movie off-screen more than rubbed people the wrong way. People really do like their happy-ish endings, and rightfully so. Aliens had a fairly positive and hopeful ending. Then Alien 3 happened, and threw all of that out the airlock. Yes, Alien 3 was a very troubled production with constant script re-writes throughout the shoot to the point where David Fincher left the project. But there’s some really good stuff in here, though. The acting in the film is Oscar-worthy, be it from Sigourney Weaver, Charles Dance, Danny Webb, Ralph Brown, or Charles S. Dutton. The acting is top-tier. The atmosphere is dark, gothic, and oppressive, which is perfect for this kind of movie. The first movie felt claustrophobic. This one has that, but also feels agoraphobic at the same time. Tight corridors, but the facility is huge. Whether you watch the theatrical cut or the extended Assembly Cut, it’s clear that David Fincher wanted to do something different with this movie. Did he succeed? Not particularly. Fox Studios kept getting in the way. Still, with a haunting score by Elliot Goldenthal, Alien 3 is one of the most under-appreciated movies of the last 40 years. I will always go to bat for this film.
Clash of the Titans Remake
This entry doesn’t just go for the remake of the classic Clash of the Titans from 1981, but also the sequel, Wrath of the Titans. There is no arguing that the original Ray Harryhausen picture is a classic. The use of stop-motion animation was the best that it had ever been at that point, coupled with a classic story from Greek mythology. I will never get tired of it. I will also never get tired of the 2010 remake starring Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, and Ralph Fiennes. Yeah, it uses a lot of CGI, especially with the creatures like Medusa and the Kraken, but the CGI is pretty well done. It’s also more of an action movie. But the movie’s pacing keeps it from getting boring and the perf0rmances from Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes are worth the price of entry alone. The movie is very slick, but it’s also a ton of fun. The sequel is even more nuts when they actually bring in Kronos, THE Titan. These movies aren’t trying to be more than fun action flicks, and I think they deliver on most counts.
The Crow: City of Angels
When The Crow was released back in 1994, it was a sleeper hit, and I think some of that had to do with the fact that Brandon Lee was tragically killed during the production of the film. I think that allowed the film to have more of an emotional impact with fans around the world. But even if he had lived, the movie was still really good in its own right. It’s a great story about a man returning from the dead to avenge the murder of him and his girlfriend. It had a great cast, great action, memorable characters, and outstanding music. The movie would end up getting a few sequels and a remake that’s going to be release in June. Of all the sequels, City of Angels is the best. That said, it’s not a particularly GREAT movie. Far from it, it’s got issues which stem from being a sequel to a cult favorite. City of Angels features Vincent Perez as Ashe Corven, who was murdered along with his son after witnessing a gang commit a brutal crime. The story plays out almost the same way as in the first film, but the visual style is a bit different. Vincent Perez does the best he can with what he’s got, but the character just doesn’t have the same charisma that Lee’s Eric Draven did. Yet, for all its faults, The Crow: City of Angels is still a decent enough film that manages to entertain.
Ong-Bak 3
When Ong-Bak showed up in 2003, it unleashed a new martial arts superstar on the world in Tony Jaa. His use of Muay Thai was unlike anything the West had seen in a long time. It was one of the most celebrated martial arts flicks of the early 2000s. To be fair, the story in Ong-Bak was not particularly great, as the movie was more of a vehicle to show-case the physicality of its lead star, and deliver it did. Amazing stunt-work and bone-crunching fight sequences made up a movie that showed that Tony Jaa could go toe to toe with the likes of Jackie Chan and Jet Li. He followed that movie up with an even better action flick in Tom yum Goong(The Protector). He would go back and not only star in but direct two more Ong-Bak movies that acted as prequels to the original. The second movie had really outstanding fights, especially with a variety of different weapons, but narratively, it was a mess. Ong-Bak 3 was the least action-packed of the bunch and had a more supernatural element to it. There was still some decent action, but it wasn’t on the same level as the previous films. Most fans didn’t really like the direction the movie took. Understandable, but it showcased a different variation on Muay Thai that, again, we had never really seen before. Ultimately, the more I watch it, the more I like it, because it did something different. It didn’t always succeed, but at least it tried.
Dune 1984
With the release of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune Part II, I figured it would be fitting to put David Lynch’s film here. For all the problems that the 1984 adaptation of Dune has, and there are MANY, you can’t really fault the visual imagination on display here. It is a visually interesting movie that is as grand as it is flawed. Like the newer movies, this version is stacked with quite the cast that includes Kyle MacLachlan, Patrick Stewart, Dean Stockwell, Sting, Sean Young, Everitt McGill, Jose Ferrer, Virginia Madsen, and Jurgen Prochnow. The problem here, is that Universal Studios wanted David Lynch to compress the book into a 2.5 hour movie. It didn’t work. The movie glossed over a LOT of information and narrative beats that are important in Frank Herbert’s novel. In fact, the 1984 movie completely misses the point of the book, which was a cautionary tale about Messianic figures and the dangers that they pose. Still, I found this movie to be very entertaining and it has a great soundtrack by Toto. Denis Villeneuve’s movies are better in every way, but David Lynch’s movie from 1984 is a perfect example of the batshit insanity that was the 80s.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
When it comes to Disney’s Star Wars, the Sequel Trilogy, it’s a serious mixed bag. Episode VII was fairly well received, despite feeling too familiar to the original film from 1977. The Rise of Skywalker, the final film in the franchise, ended up being a total dud as Star Wars films go. I enjoyed on a certainly level, but even as someone as forgiving as I am when it comes to Star Wars, couldn’t help but notice that Disney completely dropped the ball, and that was a result of trying to appease fans who didn’t like The Last Jedi. This was the film in the trilogy that split fans right down the middle. You either loved it, or you really hated it. I fell into the camp that really loved it. I loved it because it took massive risks with its narrative. Killing the Emperor-like figure half-way through the trilogy? Nobody saw that coming, and it was a brilliant move. Not everybody liked what they did with Luke, but the things that DID work, really worked. The dynamic between Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren and Daisy Ridley’s Rey was outstanding. It’s one of the main bright spots of the Sequel Trilogy. Unfortunately, for all the risks that Rian Johnson took with this movie, Disney and J.J. Abrams would end up rolling back in Episode IX, which ended the entire Skywalker Saga on a whimper instead of a bang. The Last Jedi still slaps, though.
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Now, we come to a movie which is universally accepted as a bad movie. After the box-office success of The Voyage Home, Shatner wanted to direct a Star Trek movie of his own, so he Star Trek V. The problem: The movie that he wanted to make was NOT the movie that Paramount wanted. They also didn’t want to spend the money. They wanted another movie that was as comedic as Star Trek IV. Shatner wanted to do something more thought-provoking, like The Motion Picture, where it was more about ideas than action or one-liners. You do see some of that in this movie, and those are things that kind of work. It’s the constant tonal shift into slapstick comedy that doesn’t. What the film does have going for it is an interesting antagonist in Sybok, played brilliantly by Laurence Luckinbill. There is a scene in which he, Spock, McCoy and Kirk discuss what’s at the center of the galaxy. He also tries to get the crew to confront their pain, which leads to one of the strongest and emotional moments in Star Trek. When the movie works, it works, but like the Enterprise itself, the movie is constantly falling apart at the seams. This is going to be a very unpopular opinion, especially amongst Trekkies/Trekkers: I’d rather watch this than Star Trek IV any day of the week.
Terminator: Salvation
James Cameron’s second directorial effort not only kick-started his career, but it also launched Arnold Schwarzenegger into super-stardom: The Terminator. The movie was a hit and it spawned a sequel that many consider to be even better: Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The ending to T2 left a door open for a possible sequel, even though it could’ve been a definitive ending. So…Warner Bros. decided to go ahead with one without James Cameron(He lost the rights to the franchise by this point). Terminator 3 wasn’t a bad movie, but it felt like a fairly standard action flick. The ending of the film was ballsy as hell, though. Salvation takes place entirely during the war between mankind and the machines. There’s no time travel gimmickry going on here, it’s more of a war movie, and I think it works…somewhat. We’ve seen glimpses of the Future War in the previous movies, so to see it take place front and center sets this one apart from the others. Yeah, it feels like a generic post-apocalyptic movie at times, but the action’s good, the acting’s well above-board, and the music by Danny Elfman is pretty good. I rather like this one.
Mortal Kombat 2021
When the original Mortal Kombat game came out in 1991, it was clearly inspired by movies like Bloodsport and Big Trouble in Little China. It was a revolutionary game that has continued to evolve over 30 years. In 1995, New Line Cinema released the first live-action adaptation of Mortal Kombat into theaters. It was surprisingly well-received by many people, which is bizarre considering that it was PG-13, meaning there was no gory fatalities or any of that. Yet, it managed to capture the spirit of the game completely. The second movie came out in 1997 and…it was a complete dumpster fire. Yet, I found it to be a lot of fun…for the wrong reasons, hence the term, “guilty pleasure.” Well, since Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, there had been talk of making another movie. When Kevin Tancheroen put out his Mortal Kombat short film, it re-energized excitement for a new live-action project. While the Machinima short series Mortal Kombat Legacy lasted only two seasons, it was still really solid. Well, Warner Bros and New Line got a new film ready to go for 2021, simply titled: Mortal Kombat. This movie had all the gore and ultra-violence that was missing from those first two movies. While the film certainly has its issues, particularly with its lead character, the action is pretty solid. Hiroyuki Sanada and Joe Taslim as Scorpion and Sub-Zero respectively, steal the show. They are easily the best parts of the movie. Them and Kano, played by Josh Lawson. I actually found this adaptation of the video-game to be pretty damn solid, really. A second movie has finished production, but a release date has yet to be announced.
These are just a handful of movies that I’m willing to defend until my last breath. For all the haters: Come at me, bro.
James O’Barr’s The Crow graphic novel is one of the most celebrated graphic novels of all time. It tells the story of one Eric Draven who was murdered along with his girlfriend. Eric is brought back to life by a mysterious crow to take revenge on the people that killed him. But it was the first live-action adaptation which really brought attention to the IP. Directed by Alex Proyas and starring Brandon Lee, the original movie was widely celebrated by fans around the world for its gothic atmosphere, tragic love story, and a powerful soundtrack. At its core, The Crow was a love story between Eric Draven and his girlfriend, Shelly Webster. Even in death, that love pushed Eric to punish the people who killed them. It had great action, memorable characters and villains, but there was a really solid emotional core to the film that drove the story forward. Unfortunately, the film’s star Brandon Lee, was tragically killed during the making of the film when a gun misfired. With a few camera tricks and some CGI, the film-makers managed to finish the movie and release it. For a 23 million dollar budget, the movie made about 94 million dollars. It was a sleeper hit. The question remains whether or not the film would be as memorable if Lee hadn’t died. It’s hard to say. But the movie did well enough to spawn multiple sequels, some video games, and a remake that has seen its share of problems getting made.
The story of the remake of The Crow is as troubled as the original movie, leading some people to think that the franchise is cursed. The remake has gone through multiple directors and multiple actors including Luke Evans and Jason Momoa. Nobody was thinking this going to happen or should happen. The director of the original film, Alex Proyas, has come out on multiple occasions slamming the idea of a remake. In 2020, the film seemed to have found its footing as the project got back on track and brought Bill Skarsgard on board as Eric Draven, with Rupert Sanders directing. Earlier this year, we got a few images of Bill as Draven…and I was NOT impressed:
Well, as of this writing, the first trailer for the movie dropped…and again, I’m not impressed. Maybe it’s because of my love of the original film that’s getting in the way of my potential enjoyment of the movie. I’m still going to check this out, because Bill Skarsgard is a really good actor from an extremely talented family. The original movie was peppered with memorable characters and great actors. The only other actor in this movie that I recognize is Danny Huston. I don’t know if he’s going to be playing Top Dollar, the Michael Wincott character from the original film, but he doesn’t strike me as threatening. The movie’s looks brutally violent, so I’m glad they’re not pulling any punches, but I don’t really like the look of the world. I definitely don’t like the look of Eric Draven in this one. It has been 30 years since the original movie came out, so I wasn’t expecting it to have the same kind of dark gothic look, but this has “generic” written all over it. It has often been said that one should never judge a book by its cover, so I’m willing to give the film a shot. I might enjoy it. Maybe a second trailer will make me more excited. The movie’s expected to be released on June 7 of this year. Check out the trailer and judge for yourselves.
Today is March 12, 2024. Tuesdays are generally the street date for movies on physical media. TODAY was supposed to be something special for enthusiasts, especially of the 4K UHD variety. We’re supposed to be getting THREE James Cameron movies on 4K today: Aliens, The Abyss, and True Lies. Now, the only movie here that was available previously in high-definition was Aliens. The previous physical media releases of the other two movies were DVD-only, at least here in the United States. So, it took years, but James Cameron finally got Disney to release three of his most highly-requested movies on 4K. Awesome, yeah? Absolutely. But there’s a problem, though: The supply ain’t there. People (including myself) had these movies pre-ordered for months and months in advance, but because Disney seems to have failed to provide enough initial copies to retailers, a lot of people that pre-ordered these 4K discs are having to wait until retailers can re-stock them. Is this a Disney issue? Yes, but that’s not the only problem here. I tend to use Amazon Prime to get most of my physical media. This isn’t the first time that Amazon has completely failed to honor pre-orders on time. THIS is the response that a lot of people are going to get when they ask Amazon’s customer service about their pre-orders: “Thanks for reaching out. You can expect your order to arrive by the delivery date which was provided in your order confirmation email. If no delivery date was provided, you’ll be notified via email when your order is preparing to ship.” It is a completely canned and automated response from a company, that by its very size should have more than enough copies available to satisfy the demand.
This is where Disney is a huge part of the problem. They’ve been trying to get out of the physical media game for YEARS since the inception of Disney Plus streaming service. In fact, in the last month, it was announced that Disney would be handing off their physical media stuff to Sony, which is a great idea. Sony knows what the hell they’re doing. But the issue of Disney still remains. They’ve never really put a lot of effort into their physical media. Not for a long time. I honestly think the only reason we are getting these 4k releases AT ALL is because James Cameron is forcing the issue. For better or worse, Cameron is not a guy you really want to say no to. He brings in ALL the money. He has THREE of the highest-grossing films of all time under his belt. Two Avatar movies and Titanic. Do you really want to tell this guy to pound sand? At the end of the day, it IS just physical media and these movies WILL be available in the next week or so, but the fact of the matter is that a lot of people who were anticipating their pre-orders shipping today are going to have to wait longer or cancel their orders because some dumb fuck somewhere completely under-estimated the demand for these movies on 4K discs. There was NO reason to under-estimate the demand. People had been clamoring for these movies on 4K for YEARS, so don’t tell me that you under-estimated the demand. That’s bullshit. It’s also not Amazon that is facing shortage issues. We’re seeing this problem all across the retail industry, online as well as brick-and-mortar. Again, all signs point to Disney screwing things up.
There’s a reason why I DON’T pre-order stuff. The supply rarely meets the demand. I didn’t pre-order the Aliens 4K because I already the movie on Blu-Ray. Yeah, it’s gotten remastered, but when it comes to special features, the Alien Anthology set that I have already has most if not all of these features. 4K is not really a big deal for me as I don’t actually have a 4K TV or monitor. These sets come with Blu-Ray discs in addition to the 4K, so when I finally decide to upgrade, I’ll have them. But like everybody else, I’m having to wait until Amazon/*insert retailer* restocks these discs. Thankfully, Amazon’s not going to charge me until the discs ship, but I shouldn’t have to be waiting for another week or two before I see them. That defeats the entire fucking purpose of pre-ordering this stuff. This will be the last time I pre-order anything. So, my message to Disney and any retailer that didn’t stock enough: Get your fucking shit together.
