Month: September 2022

I’m making a slight change to the name of this series to Recent Blu-Ray Haul.  It sounds less pretentious to me.  As always, I do one of these whenever I pick up 4 or more Blu-Rays/DVDs because I’m a physical media collector.  I’ll keep doing it as long as physical media exists.  As with last month, I’m bringing in the Horror Pack thingamajig.  I’m going to start with the Horror Pack first, because there was an issue with this month’s pack that I feel needs to be brought up.  I’ve picked up quite few things very recently, so let’s dig in to what I got, shall we?

Horror Pack #3

Pet Sematary

I’m going to get this one out of the way.  The issue that I mentioned was with Pet Sematary.  The disc that I got was for the original 1989 movie, but the slip cover indicated both the original movie and the 2019 remake.  Here’s the problem, there was a code for the 2019 movie that was supposed to be included with this disc, but there wasn’t one, so I contacted Horror Pack about it and they got back to me about the issue and they didn’t realize that there was a problem until a day or two ago, well after the packs had shipped.  They were apparently misled by their supplier, but there’s no remedy for this situation.  Obviously, I’m not going to blame Horror Pack for this.  It’s not their fault, so it is what it is.  That said, I hadn’t seen the original movie in years.  In fact, I don’t even remember finishing the movie at all.  It’s a creepy movie befitting a Stephen King adaptation, I loved it.  I’ll check out the 2019 movie at some point.

Crabs!

And now for something different!  I believe it was Sam Raimi that coined the term “splatstick.”  What that means is that the gore in a particular movie can be used to comedic effect.  Crabs! definitely falls under that category.  I think it’s perfectly fine for a horror movie to be as silly as it wants and as stupid as it wants.  Crabs! is a very stupid movie.  But it’s stupid in the best way possible.  Irradiated horseshoe crabs attacking people?  The jokes almost write themselves.  It’s bonkers.  There’s a lot more practical effects involved here than I was expecting for such a low-budget horror flick.  Yeah, the CGI is awful, but that’s part of the charm.  The film even turns into a Kaiju monster movie towards the end.  It’s surprisingly hilarious, especially with a character specifically saying that he’s going to poke something with a stick.  It’s VERY self-aware.  I LOVE IT!

Paranormal Activity 2

The first found footage movie that I saw and liked was Cloverfield.  But I never really took the genre seriously until I finally saw The Blair Witch Project about 2 years ago.  It made waves in the horror genre, and rightfully so.  It was revolutionary, terrifying, and incredibly well-made.  Paranormal Activity became the poster-child for the found-footage genre when the first movie was released back in 2007.  I never saw it, because again, I was skeptical of the genre.  So, my first exposure to this franchise just began with the second movie, which I guess acts as a prequel of sorts to the first movie.  I know it has its detractors, but I really enjoyed it.

The Winter Hunger

Now here is the Limited Edition Blu-Ray this month.  I haven’t watched The Winter Hunger yet, I’ll check it out this weekend.  So far, Horror Pack has been 1 for 2 with their limited editions.  The first one that I got about two months was awful, but The Woman in the Chair was actually pretty good, so I’m interested in seeing this one.

Regular Movie Haul

Star Trek: The Motion Picture Director’s Edition

Technically speaking, I already owned the Director’s Edition of Star Trek: The Motion Picture on DVD, but that version came out 22 years ago.  The version I just picked up IS the Director’s Edition, but it’s been remastered with updated visual effects and better picture and sound.  Is it the definitive version of the film?  In my opinion, yes.  If you’re not a fan of The Motion Picture, this isn’t going to change your mind.  But, if you love this movie as much as I do, this is absolutely a must-own for your collection.

Sniper: The White Wolf

There are timely movies and then there’s Sniper: The White Raven.  Considering the unprovoked war that Russia has been conducting against Ukraine over the past 6 months or so, it is no surprise that a movie like this would show up.  It’s a Ukrainian war movie that’s as much of a character study as it is a propaganda piece.  The film is set in 2014, shortly after Russia annexed Crimea.  I reviewed this film about a week ago, but it’s really good.

Elvis

Baz Luhrmann is a unique director.  His movies have a visual flair unlike anything I’ve ever seen, regardless of whether the movie is good or not.  But Elvis just might be my favorite movie of his.  If nothing else, Austin Butler’s performance as Elvis Presley is one for the history books.  When he’s on screen, you’re not looking at an Elvis impersonator, you’re looking at Elvis.  It’s not a movie without issues.  I’m not digging Tom Hank’s performance as Colonel Tom Parker.  He comes across as a very cartoonish individual, and in a movie about the single most important figure in Rock ‘N Roll history, Tom Hanks’ performance is wildly out of place.  That said, this is an outstanding movie with a really good story and amazing visuals.  The music?  Oh, my god.  It’s amazing.  Butler is clearly channeling Elvis here.  It has to be seen to be believed.

Mimic

This one’s a bit of a cheat.  I already had this movie on Blu-Ray.  But the version I had from 2010 was the director’s cut.  It was the version where Guillermo Del Toro basically cut out 95 percent of second unit footage.  It has a very different pace and feel to what was released in theaters back in 1997.  The DVD that I recently picked up is the version that was released to theaters.  I did it to compare the two versions.  The director’s cut is a much better film, with better character development.  The theatrical release was more fast-paced and opted for more jump-scares.  It’s a giant bug movie.  What else can I say?

Ferngully: The Last Rainforest

Ferngully is a movie that I hadn’t seen since I was a kid.  It’s one of those movies that obviously has an environmental message.  It’s so blatant, that some might consider it “environmentalist mumbo-jumbo.”  But for kids, it kind of needs to be a little heavy-handed.  It’s got some outstanding voice-work from actors like Samantha Mathis and Christian Slater, but the real stars of the show are Robin Williams as Batty and Tim Curry as the villain, Hexxus.  It’s a good movie.

Well, that’s it for this haul of physical media.  I just ordered the first 6 Paranormal Activity movies on Blu-Ray, so I’ll be talking about that particular franchise next weekend…hopefully.  That’s quite a bit of stuff that I picked up.  So…I hope y’all found something to check out.

Released: September 2022

Rated R

Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood

Run Time: 135 Minutes

Distributor: Sony/TriStar Entertainment

Genre: Drama/Historical

Cast:
Viola Davis: Nanisca
Thuso Mbedu: Nawi
Lashana Lynch: Izogie
Sheila Atim: Amenza
John Boyega: King Ghezo
Hero Fiennes Tiffin: Santo Ferreira
Jimmy Odukuya: Oba Ade

You know what I love about history?  It always surprises me.  It’s a goldmine for story-telling, especially on the big screen.  Over the course of thousands of years, there are so many stories that have yet to be discovered by the general audience.  There are great historical films out there, and not some great ones.  In my opinion, the best history-based movies are ones that try to be honest about the story they’re telling.  I used to be a huge fan of the movie Braveheart, until I started actually reading about William Wallace.  The movie got so much wrong, it’s not even funny.  Yet, a movie like Gladiator is still a great movie, even though it’s largely fiction.  To me, I guess the issue is one of authenticity rather than accuracy.  If a movie can be accurate, authentic, and engaging at the same time, that’s the best of all worlds, but the conundrum is how to keep an audience glued to the screen.  Accuracy becomes even more of an issue the further back in time you go, so you have to take liberties to make sure that the story is engaging.  If film-makers can get the period right with the dates, outfits, and the world surrounding the event or character, then the film-makers can work their magic from there.  The historical epic that I bring you today is The Woman King.

The Woman King takes place during the 19th century in the West African kingdom of Dahomey.  The film opens as Nanisca and her army of all-female warriors called Agojie take down a camp of slavers and rescuing the prisoners.  King Ghezo has been part of the international slave trade, but Nanisca is having issues with selling slaves to help her kingdom prosper.  But she has an encounter with an opposing tribal leader, Oba Ade, who is openly attacking villages for slaves.  Oba Ade is a figure from her past that did something terrible.  A new recruit to the Agojie, Nawi, is also making waves.  The story of the Agojie is one that I had never heard of before.  When the trailer for this movie came out, I got really interested.  A movie about an all-female soldier unit?  Why not?  There have been a lot interpretations over the years.  In fact, Black Panther modeled the Dora Milaje women after the Agojie.  There has been some backlash to the film about its accuracy and how it deals or DOESN’T deal with slavery.  Well, those people must not have watched the movie, because there’s clearly a focus on trying to eliminate slavery as a source of income for Dahomey.  In fact, the anti-slavery thing is all over this movie.  I know some people are sticklers for historical detail, but as I said above, you also want to get the audience engaged in the story, so some liberties needed to be taken.  I’m actually okay with that, because the story in this film is absolutely phenomenal.  While it does fall into the typical third-act finale that you get from these kinds of movies, the character and world-building are outstanding.  I really enjoyed the story here.

I’ve seen some really strong performances over the years, but there’s something truly special about The Woman King.  Viola Davis is simply magnetic as Nanisca, showing indominable strength and a degree of vulnerability at times. Ms. Davis is one of the best actresses on the planet right now.  Not only can she handle the dramatic and emotional moments with grace, she can handle herself physically as well.  She throws everything that she’s got into this.  Lashana Lynch is her second-in-command, Izogie, and she’s just as good.  While I don’t think Ms. Lynch got enough to do in No Time to Die, she’s AMAZING here.  But the real standout is Thuso Mbedu as Nawi.  She’s a fierce young woman who not only butts heads with Nanisca and Izogie, but her story is equally compelling.  I think Thuso has an amazing career ahead of her.  John Boyega plays King Ghezo with a nobility and grace that surprised me.  While Star Wars give Boyega a serious boost in terms of star power, he’s been making his own way up the ladder with movies like Detroit.  Regardless of how you might feel about the rest of the movie, you can’t fault the actors for giving 150 percent to a story that is important for them to tell.

I have to give Gina Prince-Bythewood some serious credit here.  This is one of the most beautifully made movies I’ve ever seen.  From the sets and costumes, this is amazing to watch.  The cinematography is gorgeous as the film is shot on location in South Africa, which lends the film even more credibility.  The cinematography also helps with the battle sequences which are epic and brutal.  The Agojie were truly formidable warriors and they are portrayed as such.  There’s a reason they lasted as long as they did.  I guess the last true Agojie died in 1978.  But that’s beside the point.  The fight sequences are truly chaotic and incredibly satisfying.  I hadn’t seen Bythewood’s The Old Guard on Netflix, so I had no idea what to expect from this movie.  She handles the action incredibly well.  Also, the music by Terence Blanchard is incredible.

There’s something to be said about timely movies.  In an time where women are under attack from extremely conservative elements, The Woman King has the audacity to show the world how strong a woman can be.  This is not just a movie about black women, but women in general and how powerful they are.  By looking into the past, we can see how women can and should shape our future, because quite frankly, men have made a bit of a mess.  While I think the movie runs a little too long, The Woman King is one of the best movies I’ve seen this year.  This is movie of the year material.  Not that I watch the Oscars anyway, but if this movie doesn’t get any nominations, it would be just another nail in the coffin for the Academy’s relevance.  Seriously, Viola Davis, Lashana Lynch, and Thuso Mbedu are the driving force behind this movie and it needs to be seen by everybody.  Highly recommended.

Released: December 2009

Director: James Cameron

Run Time: 162 Minutes(Theatrical)

Rated PG-13

Distributor: 20th Century Fox(Now 20th Century Studios/Disney)

Genre: Action/Science Fiction

Cast:
Sam Worthington: Jake Sully
Zoe Saldana: Neytiri
Sigourney Weaver: Dr. Grace Augustine
Stephen Lang: Colonel Miles Quarritch
Giovanni Ribisi: Parker Selfridge
Joel David Moore: Norm Spellman
CCH Pounder: Mo’at
Wes Studi: Eytukan
Laz Alonso: Tsu’tey
Dileep Rao: Dr. Max Patel

The world of visual effects is a constantly evolving one.  We’ve come a long way since the use of stop-motion animation and miniature work.  Those are still used even today, but a lot of that work has been replaced via computer and digital enhancement.  It used to be that building worlds actually required building them physically.  Now, with CGI, we can create all new worlds without lifting a hammer.  Over the course of the last 50 years, there have been some really significant milestones in visual effects.  Star Wars is the movie that would probably come to mind, but it wasn’t just visual effects that Star Wars changed.  It was the entire film-making landscape.  Nothing would ever be the same.  Because of that film, there have been massive strides made in the visual effects world.  Aside from George Lucas, one other film-maker has pushed visual effects to the absolute limit and beyond.  James Cameron, the legendary director of movies like The Terminator, The Abyss, Aliens, True Lies, and Titanic, had an idea for a world called Pandora in the late 90s.  The problem was, was the technology available wasn’t anywhere near ready enough for what Cameron had in mind.  It would be almost a decade before he would begin real production on Avatar.  The wait paid off and Avatar would become the highest-grossing movie of all time.  And it still is.  Avatar was released back in 2009.  Over a decade later, we’ll be getting our first sequel to that movie: Avatar – The Way of Water in December.  Not only are we getting the sequel, but the original movie is being re-released into theaters later this month.  What better time is there to review the biggest film in cinematic history?

Avatar follows former marine Jake Sully, who was made a paraplegic in combat.  After learning about the death of his twin brother, who was a scientist, Jake is offered a chance to take his brother’s place on a ship headed for Pandora.  After arriving on Pandora, Jake learns that he has to “link” with an avatar of the native Na’vi, a native race of tall, blue-skinned humanoids.  He’s also ordered by Colonel Quarritch to learn the ways of the Na’vi so that the corporation that employs the marines can get their hands on the planet’s natural resources.  Over the course of the film, Jake not only learns the ways of the locals, but he eventually falls in love with Neytiri, the daughter of the chief of the Na’vi.  As a result, he’s torn between his duty as a marine and the love that he’s developed for the world that he’s now become a part of.  If that plotline sounds familiar, that’s because it’s been used many times before.  Dances With Wolves, Pocahontas, and Ferngully: The Last Rainforest use the same vehicle as their narrative.  People had often complained about the movie being Dances With Wolves in Space, but James Cameron would be the first one to tell you that the skeletal structure of the story is very similar to what’s been done before, but it’s always been a good story to begin with.  It’s the WAY that this story’s being told that sets it apart from the rest.

James Cameron is one of the few directors alive that can revolutionize the visual effects industry with each movie he makes.  He pushed the technology as far as it can go before he’s forced to invent something to push the envelope even further.  Look at The Abyss and Terminator 2: Judgment Day for example.  While those movie used mostly practical and miniature effects, the CGI that used took the world by storm, especially in T2.  Nobody had done anything on that scale before.  Even Titanic took things to whole different.  If nothing else, James Cameron knows how to use scale to show us the size of a world.  Avatar is one of the most beautifully made movies ever.  Yeah, it uses a lot of CG, but it’s all done incredibly well.  It also holds up 13 years later.  The use of motion-capture for the actors to portray the Na’vi was used in a way that nobody had ever seen.  All you need to do is look at the environment of Pandora.  It’s clearly an alien world, but it’s incredibly beautiful.  The floating mountains are photo-realistic.  That’s how good it looks.  The world looks and feels like a real place.  It’s not just that, but the creature designs are amazing.  The banshees are awesome.  The flight sequences in this movie are absolutely majestic.  Also, this is one of those movies that is really enhanced by the 3D experience.  It gives the world a depth that makes you want to fall into it.

The acting in the film is really top-notch.  Sam Worthington plays Jake Sully with a bit of a snarky attitude at first, but he changes over the course of the film.  I’ll be honest here, the real star of this movie is Zoe Saldana as Neytiri.  She throws everything she’s got into this role.  Her character is tough, fearless, but also vulnerable at times.  Zoe just nails the emotional range of the character to a tee.  We’ve also got a pretty good supporting cast.  Wes Studi plays Neytiri’s father, Eytukan.  It doesn’t matter what he plays, Wes Studi lends more legitimacy to whatever he’s playing, and it also helps that he’s of Native American decent, so that helps considerably.  Joel David Moore plays Norm, a giddy new recruit to the team who eventually has issues with Jake’s lack of scientific know-how.  Sigourey Weaver plays Dr. Grace Augustine, the scientist in charge of the Avatar program.  The character starts off as pretty stern, but she does begin to open up over the course of the film.  There are additional scenes in the 178 minute cut of the film that explains more about how she feels about the corporation she works for and the Na’vi that she’s become attached to.  Ms. Weaver absolutely nails it.  Giovanni Ribisi plays Selfridge, the sleazy corporate scumbag that’s more interested in profits than anything else.  Is there any other kind?  But the real immediate threat comes in the form of Stephen Lang’s Quarritch, a hard-as-nails marine that has no problems slaughtering the natives if it meant getting paid.  Stephen Lang can play a villain like it’s nobody’s business.

There had been a lot of complaints about this movie being too on the nose about its environmental messages.  You have to understand, though, James Cameron is an environmentalist.  Few people care about the natural as much as he does.  So, yeah, it does come across as heavy-handed, but it’s for a reason.  Honestly, I really liked the idea that the Na’vi were literally connected to their own world.  It’s an idea that most people these days simply don’t care about anymore.  There’s obviously the message against corporate greed and pollution, but I have a question to ask: Have people SEEN Ferngully?  You want to talk about a movie that’s on the nose, that’s a movie where the villain is literally polluted slime.  This is not as heavy-handed as that.  People were also commenting on how primitive species like the Na’vi were able to beat the more technologically advanced humans.  I guess nobody saw Aliens.  All the tech in the world isn’t going if you’re going into a world that you know nothing about.  It’s going to slap back very hard, and that’s what happens in some of the most spectacular action sequences that Cameron’s ever put on screen.  Also, the music by the late James Horner is some of the most beautiful music I’ve heard from a movie’s score.  James Cameron and James Horner had always worked well together, save for issues on Aliens, but Horner has always delivered incredible music.

When I first saw Avatar back in 2009, AND in 3D, I was blown away by what I had seen.  It’s one of the most visually arresting movies ever made.  Obviously, a lot of people agree because the movie ended up making more money than Titanic.  James Cameron now has the two highest-grossing movies in history under his belt.  Will Avatar 2 do the same?  Hard to say.  It’s absolutely going to be successful, because people like me will always go to see these movies.  Fact of the matter is, Cameron’s not done yet.  He’s in the process of filming the FOURTH movie.  So, there’s clearly more stories to be told in this particular universe.  I hadn’t seen this movie in years, so I decided to pull out the special extended edition that had 16 minutes of additional footage.  It’s still holds up and I absolutely recommend it.  I might even go see it in theaters again when it re-releases in 13 days.

When the Covid pandemic hit in 2020, it did a huge number on economies around the world.  No industry was safe.  Retail, construction, restaurants, hotels, and even trains and planes were affected.  Even the film industry got slammed.  Movies that were expected to be released in 2020 had to either be pushed back until the pandemic subsided or they were released on streaming services.  For the movie theater industry, it was cataclysmic.  With no new movies being released and the pandemic running rampant, theaters were forced to close their doors for months and months.  A lot of smaller movie theaters had to close permanently because they weren’t bringing in ANY money, whatsoever.  Even when theaters started opening back up in September of 2020, people were hesitant to go back and rightfully so.  But with proper safety protocols and social distancing regulations, movie theaters started to seeing business again.  But with no new movie being released, what could they put in theaters to bring people back?  Older movies.  Yeah.  It was in October that I got to see the best Star Wars movie in theaters: Empire Strikes Back.  It was a movie that I’d never seen on the big screen.  Well, another movie that I never saw on the big screen because it was before my time was Jaws.  I’ve always loved this movie.  It came out in 1975, so it’s older than me.  But seeing it on the big screen for the first time was awesome.  When I was in London a few years back for the Fighting Film Festival, I got to see Enter The Dragon on the silver screen.

See, movie theaters were bringing back huge blockbusters like Avengers: Endgame to the big screen, despite them being released on home video.  It was a way to signal to audiences that they were coming back.  Did it work?  Yes, it did.  Now, certain events have been happening over the years that allowed people to go see older movies in theaters.  Fathom Events tend to do that a lot, even though those are far more limited releases, and each theater chain has their pick of what movies they can show, provided that the movie studios are in agreement.  As I said above, I got to see Jaws in 3D today and it was awesome, but it wasn’t the only older movie playing.  At other theaters during Fathom Events, movies like Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan got to have another go at the big screen.  It may have had something to do with today being National Cinema Day where tickets are 3 dollars across the board, but I noticed some movies being played at a nearby Megaplex Theater: Grease, starring John Travolta and the late Olivia Newton-John and The Blob.  Not the 1988 remake mind you, but the original Steve McQueen monster movie from 1958.  They’re going back to the 50s!!  That’s awesome!

I really like this trend.  Let’s be honest: August was not the greatest month for theatrically-released movies.  Most of them ended up on streaming like Prey. I hadn’t been to the theaters since I saw Thor: Love and Thunder, and that was not a particularly good movie.  From a business standpoint, it makes sense why movie theaters would screen older movies.  It brings in money.  Not as much as you would expect, but more than you would think.  But in my opinion, it’s a chance for older generations to relive those moments that they experienced so long ago.  At the same time, it’s a chance for younger audiences to experience films that our parents and grandparents grew up with, creating a whole new generation of fans.  It’s a win-win situation if there ever was one.  Sure, some of these older movies I have in my collection, but I wouldn’t hesitate for a second to see these movies in theaters, either again or for the first time.  While I’m not saying that the older movies should take priority over the new stuff that’s coming, but I think it’s a great way to say “thank you” to movie fans of all generations while bringing in new blood.  This is why I love movies.  It’s an experience that can bring people together, especially in times of uncertainty.  What would I want to see in theaters for the first time?  Lawrence of Arabia, Ben-hur(The Charlton Heston film),The Ten Commandments.  All the old-school epics.  SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!  I would like to say Happy National Cinema Day.  For 3 bucks a ticket, now’s the best time to get out to the movies.  The only thing I ask is that you be respectful of other people in the theater so you all can enjoy the film.