Month: January 2023

I’ve been thinking about doing a topic like this for the better part of a week.  Basically, my intention with I Want To See, is to talk about movies or shows that I would absolutely love to see.  They’re probably not even in production at all, and if they are, it could be years before we see anything on it.  One thing you should be aware of about this topic is that this is what I would like to see, and it may not be what YOU want to see, and that’s just fine.  We’ve all got those stories that we would love to see made into a movie or a series.  Some folks got their wish, while others have yet to see it fulfilled.  Some should be made while others probably shouldn’t for one reason or another.  So, to start off this new topic, I would love to see a movie or series based on The Year Without A Summer of 1816.  Why?  Here’s a bit of background on that:  On April 10, 1815, Mount Tambora, which was on the island of Sumbawa in Indonesia, erupted.  The mountain’s height was a little over 14,000 feet.  After the eruption, Tambora dropped to about 9,354 feet.  The mountain had basically liquified and collapsed into a massive caldera that you see in the picture above.  The resulting pyroclastic flows and lahars(mud flows) went down the mountain on all sides, wiping out the nearby village of Tambora in the process.  10,000 people were instantly killed.  And over 100,000 in the region would lose their lives.  However, the damage from the volcano’s eruption would end up having far-reaching consequences across the globe.  The amount of material that was blasted into the air caused what is known as a volcanic winter.  A volcanic winter is the result of an eruption that causes global temperatures to drop. The summer of 1816 in the Northern Hemisphere saw the globe cool by .53 degrees Celsius(.95 degrees Fahrenheit).  The resulting climate change resulted in massive and devastating weather changes that resulted in one of the worst famines of the 19th century.  Entire crops were destroyed and the abnormal amount of rainfall caused lakes and rivers to overflow across Europe.  North America would also see one of the coldest years and decades on record.  A lot of diseases included typhoid and cholera were blamed on this event.  The effects of Mount Tambora’s eruption were felt for decades and they’re still being felt today.  It’s regarded as the most powerful eruption in recorded history.

While I would love to see this as a movie, I think it would work better as a mini-series because of the aftermath of the eruption.  There was so much that happened afterwards, that I don’t think you could do in a 2-3 hour movie.  I’m sure that somebody like Roland Emmerich would try, but there are a number of reasons why a series would be a better format.  There are documentaries about this event, but I want to see a full-blown narrative.  So, there would have to be some kind of central narrative thread that could a group of people through the events of Mount Tambora, all the way until after things started settling down.  I would see The Year Without A Summer as a limited-run series of 6-8 episodes in length.  I would obviously see the first episode start with a group of people/explorers making their way around the world and with the episode to end with the eruption of Mount Tambora.  Episode 2 would continue with that eruption and subsequent destruction of everything around the mountain.  The following episodes would take place over the following year with our main characters trying to observe and survive the effects, while avoiding other events like the Napoleonic Wars.  Finally, the series would eventually culminate in the final shot of one Mary Shelley as she begins to write her infamous novel, Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus.  Yes, she started writing that book during the summer of 1816, and would publish the book 2 years later.  In a way, the events and weather anomalies would have an impact on Mary Shelley and her book.  The concept of this is epic in scope.  There’s a lot of things happening during this period in history, and I think it would be kind of neat for this show to touch base with some of that.

Would it really work, though?  Would be people be interested in it?  Maybe.  I think it would be an important story to tell, because the eruption of Mount Tambora proves what happens when the climate changes rapidly, through one force or another.  The evidence collected from soil and ice samples from the time period prove it.  This would not be an easy or cheap venture to start.  If you want to do something like this with the best quality possible, you’re looking at WELL over 200 million to make.  You have to consider the visual effects involved, location scouting, casting, and everything else that goes into making a movie or TV show.  It’s a long and complicated process.  The visual effects alone would probably take the most amount of time.  You couldn’t do it the same way that Dante’s Peak did it back in 1997.  It would have to be CG.  Research would have to go into finding out what the mountain actually looked like before it blew its top, and then there’s the eruption itself.  You want it to look as real as possible and not like something from Paul W.S. Anderson’s Pompeii.  Narratively, you need a story that ties the events to our main characters, so some liberties will need to be taken for dramatic purposes, as is the case with most historical pieces.  Aside from the major logistical issues surround a project like this, you would a place to distribute the project.  The only place that I could really see this ended up at is Amazon.  They’ve got more money than God, so they would be able to fund this thing.  It also would not be a family-friendly affair.  This is a pretty brutal period in history, so there’s going to be some fairly graphic imagery being shown.  They would need to be.

Would something like this get made today?  Perhaps, with the right director and writer, it could be spectacular.  At it’s core, it would a disaster movie/show, but the focus would be on people, not just the events.  Whether it gets made or not, the events surrounding Mount Tambora and its eruption are important.  It’s a story that I believe needs to be told.  I just don’t know if anybody would be willing to take on something of such scope.  Then again, we shows like Rome, Game of Thrones, and Peaky Blinders.  With the right people, The Year Without A Summer could an outstanding drama.  But with the logistics involved, it could be a very, VERY expensive undertaking.  That’s what I would love to see.  Will it get made?  I don’t know.  Probably not, but someone somewhere is thinking about this very same idea.  You never know.

Greetings and salutations, my fellow Space Cadets and physical media collectors.  You’re out there, you’re just being quiet.  In all seriousness though, this is the first Blu-Ray/DVD Haul of 2023, and I brought home a decent amount of goodies this time.  As is my method for each of these posts(with the exception of the last two), I try to reach at least 4 discs that I bought before making one of these.  It can get pretty pricy, especially if you’re ordering direct from certain boutique labels like Arrow or Criterion, but it’s usually worth the money.  What you’re getting in return is a movie that looks and sounds better than it ever has, plus there are supplements and special features that are outstanding…mostly.  So, let’s dig into what I recently nabbed:

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie – Shout! Factory

This one took the longest to get.  I had ordered this one early in December, but it was taking so long, so I got a hold of Shout! Factory about it.  They told me that because Jason David Frank had passed away a week and a half before I ordered the movie, sales for the disc skyrocketed to the point where they ran out and had to manufacture more.  When they told me that, I understood completely.  Frank’s death had come out of nowhere, so it made a lot of sense for fans to pick up the best quality version of the film that was available, and that was through Shout! Factory.  It’s goofy movie based on a goofy show that took the world by storm.  Jason David Frank played the most popular Power Ranger, Tommy.  The disc doesn’t have much to it, but it does have the original featurette that was on the DVD and a new retrospective feature that had new interviews with the cast, director, and stunt people.  It’s a pretty decent feature that runs almost an hour.

Titanic – Paramount Pictures/20th Century Fox

James Cameron’s epic disaster film is set to be re-released in theaters on February 10th in celebration of the 25th anniversary of it’s release.  Honestly, I hadn’t seen this movie before.  It wasn’t in my wheelhouse back in 1997.  I was more interested in movies where things were blowing up and people being shot at, not love stories on doomed voyages.  As I’ve gotten older, I’ve expanded my horizons on movies like this.  It’s been said by a lot of people that you should never underestimate James Cameron.  I’m a huge fan of his work, but I underestimated him with Titanic.  This 4-disc set that I picked up earlier this week was my first viewing of this movie, and let me tell you:  It’s a remarkable achievement.  The love story at the heart of the film between Kate Winslet’s Rose and Leonardo DiCaprio’s Jack is one of the most iconic love stories in the last 30 years.  The chemistry between those two actors feels incredibly genuine.  But the film is also about the conflict between social classes: the rich people that are at the top and the poor that are at the bottom.  But let’s not forget the actual sinking of the ship.  It’s one of the most spectacular disaster sequences ever put on screen.  The whole ship is a character in itself, so when you see it break in half, it’s as heart-breaking as it is thrilling.  There’s over 6 hours of special features on this set that makes it a must-own among physical media enthusiasts.

Tarantula – Universal Studios

I’ve had this one on VHS for YEARS.  You know what’s funny?  I hate spiders.  I really do.  I’m not necessarily scared of them(except the poisonous kind), but there’s something about spiders that feels unnatural, even though they are among the most natural creatures in existence.  So, what happens when you take a spider and make it the size of a mountain?  You get Tarantula!, that’s what.  It’s one of those classic 50s science-gone-amok science fiction pictures.  The acting in the film is decent, but we all come to see the titular monster wreak havoc, and it does.  At 82 minutes, this film moves along at a break-neck pace.  Instead of using puppets for the creature(except for close-ups), they used a real tarantula that was super-imposed on to the background, giving it this truly larger-than-life feel.  If you’re an arachnophobe, stay away.  The disc I bought starts the movie immediately when you put the disc in and is on a loop, meaning when the movie is over, it starts again.  I would’ve gone for the Shout! Factory release, but there isn’t much in the way of special features, making it not worth the 23 bucks.

Them! – Warner Bros.

Here’s another blast from the past!  Unlike Tarantula, Them! doesn’t involve science going awry.  Nope, the monsters in this movie are a result of radiation from the testing of nuclear bombs.  The monsters in this case are giant ants.  There’s something incredibly endearing about these old 50s monster movies.  Obviously, the technology available means that the visual effects don’t necessarily stack up that well against more modern creature features.  That said, the effects in this movie are amazing.  They were so good in fact, that the film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Special Effects.  As for the rest of the film?  The acting’s pretty good.  The late James Whitmore is surprisingly good as a cop that’s in over his head, and having to deal with a fairly pretentious science professor.  It’s just a lot of fun.  The disc that I bought barely has any special features on it.

Nosferatu(1922) – Kino Lorber Classics

What’s this?!  A silent movie?  Yes.  Yes, it is.  It’s one of the more famous silent movies, to be exact.  Nosferatu was an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula.  This is the very first vampire movie ever made, so it’s place in film history is extraordinarily significant.  Even though I hadn’t really seen it before, it’s creepy.  Max Schreck’s performance as Count Orlock, is simply haunting.  The teeth, the ears, the eyes, his stature, EVERYTHING about this character sends chills down your spine.  The fact that the movie is a hundred years old just adds to its mystique.  Being creeped by 100-year old vampire movie is nothing to sneeze at.  It’s a classic in every single way.  Sure, it’s in the public domain, but I decided to pick up the Kino Lorber release, which has a decent amount of stuff on it, including the option to watch the film using the original 1922 soundtrack by Hans Erdmann.  If you’re a fan of vampire movies, this is clearly a must-own.  If you haven’t seen it before, you’re in for a treat.

Pearl – Lionsgate Studios/A24

Pearl is a prequel to Ti West’s X which was also released in 2022.  The thing is, I’m not the biggest fan of X.  I found to be plodding and slow, with the horror aspect of the film only happening an hour into the film.  Pearl is an origin story of X‘s main villain, but it’s not a slasher movie.  This is very different.  I love this movie.  I really do.  It’s very interesting from a visual standpoint.  The color palette is very reminiscent of old school technicolor movies.  It’s bright, it’s flashy, but that’s why the horror element hits so damned hard.  The story is surprisingly tragic.  This movie works even if you haven’t seen X.  It’s that far removed, but if you’ve seen X, Pearl answers quite a few questions.  I was ready to pass on this movie because of X, but I’m glad I gave it a shot.  Mia Goth puts in the performance of a lifetime here.  She carried the original film as both the hero AND villain, but here she’s allowed to really flourish as the character of Pearl and dive in to the character’s damaged existence.  The disc has a few special features, but nothing out of the ordinary:  Typical EPK featurettes, that’s pretty much it.  Still, I enjoyed this one.

Prey For The Devil – Lionsgate

When The Exorcist hit the big screen back in 1973, it shook the horror movie landscape.  It was mostly realistic in its approach to exorcism, but a lot of controversy stemmed from the violence involved with the possessed.  I like these movies because the idea of something evil taking control is inherently terrifying.  You’re not in control.  You’re a prisoner in your own body.  When they’re done right, these kinds of movies are intense.  When they’re not, they’re laughable.  Prey For The Devil falls somewhere in between.  It’s not a bad movie.  I think it’s a lot of fun, but it relies heavily on the standard tropes that you now find in movies that deal with exorcism, although I do like seeing the mechanics of exorcism at work.  The special feature are pretty standard for a release like this.  It’s got audio commentary, and behind-the-scenes footage, but it does have a conversation between a real exorcist and a church psychologist.  There’s interesting stuff here.  Prey For The Devil is worth a look.

The Dunwich Horror – Arrow Video

I really dig H.P. Lovecraft’s work.  His imagination was way out there and incredibly terrifying.  But, he was also racist, so there’s a degree of controversy about how that affects his stories.  The Dunwhich Horror is widely considered to be one of his most accessible stories.  There have been different adaptations of the story over the years.  The story involves a man who was the son of a woman and an ancient god who wanted to use the Necronomicon to bring forth “The Old Ones” to reclaim the earth.  This movie was released back in 1970 and features a VERY young Dean Stockwell as the main villain.  It’s campy to be sure, but it’s incredibly atmospheric.  It’s perhaps one of the most faithful adaptations of Lovecraft’s work.  This being an Arrow Video release, there’s a lot of good stuff to be had in the features department.  Audio commentary, a two hour conversation between Stephen R. Bissette, a film historian and horror author Stephen Laws.  There’s other stuff that includes a small booklet.  It’s pretty damned goofy overall, but it’s kind of amazing that it got made.

The Beast – Arrow Video

Here we are at last,the sleaziest movie on this list.  I didn’t put a trailer up, because this movie is very…provocative in a lot of different ways.  The story of this movie?  Think Beauty and the Beast, but a lot hornier.  It’s essentially about this woman who is engaged to a French aristocrat who discovers that the grounds have been haunted by a mysterious “beast.”  The woman finds some very…erotic material and this leads to a dream sequence that is really bizarre.  It’s the “pièce de résistance” of the entire film.  I don’t know what Walerian Borowczyk’s intent was, but if it was to shock, he succeeded.  To put it delicately, this entire movie is sexually charged.  In fact, one could argue that it’s somewhat pornographic.  In my opinion, it’s too damn goofy to be erotic, and too blatantly on the nose and over-the-top about its “message” to have any sort of meaning.  The creature itself with it’s…well-endowed features is too bonkers to be taken seriously.  It’s just…there for the shock value.  It was a huge hit in Europe, but it had obvious problems in France and the US due to its erotic nature.  When it comes to the more “extreme” movies that came out during the 70s, I’ve found The Beast to be the least vicious.  In truth, I got a kick out of it.  It’s silly beyond belief.  Could a movie like this be made today?  Oh, not a chance in Hell.  There were a lot of erotic films that came out in the 70s, but The Beast was at a whole different level.  I might do a full-blown review on this one at some point, I don’t know.

Well, that concludes this particular episode of Recent Blu-Ray Hauls.  Hope you found something interesting at least.  This is Major Tom, signing off, have a good weekend.

Welcome to 2023, fellow Space Cadets.  I hope y’all had a good New Year.  2022 was not the greatest year for movies in my opinion, but it was for from the worst.  There were a lot of really fantastic highlights that included The Batman, The Woman King, Terrifier 2, Top Gun: Maverick, Elvis, and Prey, just to name a few.  But there were definitely some real bombs that included Morbius and Jurassic World: Dominion.  That’s going to happen with any year, though.  It won’t be any different this year, but the stuff coming out THIS year looks incredible.    There’s way too much for me to delve into, but I’m going to list the ones that really caught my eye.  Be aware that release dates may be subject to change.

Renfield – April 14

Dracula has been a staple in the horror genre for a long time, starting with Bram Stoker’s infamous novel.  In 1922, an adaptation of Stoker’s novel was made in the form of Nosferatu.  Since then, the infamous Count has been played by MANY actors including Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee, Frank Langella, Gary Oldman, and Luke Evans.  NOW, the vampire is being played by the myth and the legend that is Nicolas Cage.  When it was announced that a movie about Dracula’s assistant was being made, people wondered who would play Dracula.  Now that Cage is playing Dracula, you probably figured out what kind of movie this is going to be.  With actors like Nicholas Hoult and Awkwafina, this looks like an absolute blast.  Is it going to be good?  Probably not, but it’s going to be a hell of a time at the movies.  I’m there.

The Last Voyage of the Demeter – August 11

This is the second movie about Dracula on this list, and this one’s a weird one.  If you haven’t read Bram Stoker’s book or seen any of the movies, Dracula had purchased Carfax Abby in London, but he had to sail there.  Dracula loaded a ship, the Demeter, with boxes of Transylanian soil so that Dracula could get to his destination.  On the way to England, the crew of the Demeter started going missing one by one, until there was no one left on board when the ship arrived.  Judging from the title, obviously, this movie takes place primarily on the Russian schooner.  I’m of two minds about this.  One: Why make a movie about an event to which we already know the outcome?  Where would the tension be?  My second thought: This could be a very Alien-esque thriller.  You have this mysterious force picking off hapless sailors one at a time, while spooking the hell out of everybody.  This could be very intense if handled properly.  I don’t know if this is going to theaters, but one way or another, my interest is considerably piqued.

Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey – February 15

I’m not looking forward to this movie because it’s going to be good, but because it’s going to be an unbelievable train-wreck.  Basically, the story in the movie is what happens when Christopher Robin abandons his childhood friends, Winnie the Pooh and Piglet.  They turn into murderous psychos.  This is NOT going to work, but it’s going to be so batshit crazy that I can’t wait.  As long as they try to stay away from CGI effects and rely more on practical ones, this could be enjoyed with an ample amount of alcohol.

Cocaine Bear – February 24

Yes, please.  And thank you.  Just watch the trailer.

Creed III – March 3

Obviously, this is the third movie about Adonis Creed, the son of Apollo Creed who was killed in Rocky IV.  Creed is played by Michael B. Jordan, who was absolutely fantastic in the previous two films, but this marks his debut as a director, and I think he’s got what it takes to make this movie incredible.  The character of Adonis is at the height of his popularity when somebody from his past comes knocking, threatening everything he’s built.  Of course, I’m going to see this.  It could be the last film in the entire franchise, but it looks like it could be one hell of a final film.

A Good Person – March 31

Florence Pugh is a force to be reckoned with as an actress.  She’s only been on the scene for less than a decade, but Florence has been incredibly successful with a wide array of roles that she’s taken.  Teaming her up with the legendary Morgan Freeman is a no-brainer, in my opinion.  This looks like a very charming movie that has equal amounts of humor and drama.  Florence plays a young woman who was involved with a tragic accident that took the life of her future sister-in-law.  This tragedy brings her together with Morgan Freeman’s character, who was the father of the woman that was killed.  I’m surprised at how interested I am in this film.  So, yeah, I’m looking forward to it.

Oppenheimer – July 21 

I love history, and I love movies about historical figures.  I’ve also had an unhealthy obsession with nuclear weapons when I was a kid.  I’ve grown out of that, thankfully.  But I’ve always had an interest in the creation of the original atomic bomb.  Well, leave it to Christopher Nolan to make a movie about the man who invented the bomb that helped end World War II.  Cillian Murphy plays J. Robert Oppenheimer, a physicist who had an incredibly important role to play in the Manhattan Project, which created the first atomic bomb.  This looks incredibly fascinating, and it’s also the first movie the Christopher Nolan has made outside of the Warner Bros. studio.

Barbie – July 21

Not once in my life did I ever think that a movie about a girl’s doll would be a good idea.  How could they possibly make it compelling?  Judging from this teaser, it looks almost like a parody.  Obviously the movie is geared towards a certain demographic, and I’m definitely not a part of that demographic.  But I’ll be damned if this doesn’t look bonkers.  I have no idea what the story in the film is, we’re not given enough information, but it’s strangely intriguing.  You’ve got a solid cast here with Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, respectively.  This looks like a musical comedy.  Honestly, I don’t see this being worse than the G.I. Joe movies that the boys got a few years back.  It looks a lot better, actually.

Evil Dead Rise

If there’s one franchise out there that has always delivered for me in one form or another, it’s Evil Dead.  This venerable franchise that was created by Sam Raimi took on a life of its own after 1981.  Evil Dead Rise is the fifth film in the franchise, and it takes the action out of the forest and into a high-rise apartment building where somebody reads from the Necronomicon ex Mortis.  You would think people would know better, but there would be no movie.  I really dig the make-up effects, as they are not as over-the-top as in previous movies.  I love the previous movies as well as the show, so I’m totally on board with this.

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

I have a confession to make:  I like Michael Bay’s Transformers movies.  Except for Revenge of the Fallen.  That one was awful.  But I did like Dark of the Moon, Age of Extinction, and The Last Knight.  Nobody wrecks things the way Michael Bay does.  But Bumblebee was more than just a mindless action movie.  There was some real character development in that one, and it was pretty damned good.  This new one looks to side-step the last few and take the franchise in a new direction, which it needed to go.  I still have no idea what the story is, but the trailer looks amazing, and for fans of Beast Wars, this could be really cool.  So, yeah, I’m on board.  Autobots: Roll out!

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Honestly, how was this movie NOT going to be on the list?  While we don’t necessarily have the story details, Dial of Destiny is clearly going to involve some form of time travel, because Indy’s going up against Nazis again.  Again, the cast is outstanding.  Mads Mikkelsen is playing the main villain.  John Rhys-Davies is coming back as Sallah, and we’re getting appearances from Antonio Banderas and Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Helena.  This is the first Indiana Jones movie that’s not being directed by Steven Spielberg, but James Mangold is no slouch.  I think he’s got what it takes.  This is also going to be the last appearance of Harrison Ford as Indy, so the pressure is on to make this movie as awesome as possible.

Dune Part 2

THIS is the movie that I’m looking forward to the most, as is a lot of people.  Denis Villeneuve’s Dune was incredible.  As someone who loved the 1984 movie, I loved how more expansive Denis’ film was.  It delved more into the political and religious aspects more and it was simply spectacular on a visual level.  I couldn’t recommend this movie enough.  It’s one of the best science fiction movies of the last 5 years.  While Part 1 was about setting up the conflict between the Atreides and the Harkonnens, Part 2 is going to see that conflict explode with the Emperor caught in the middle.  The cast has expanded with Austin Butler playing Feyd Rautha, Florence Pugh playing Princess Irulan, and Christopher Walken playing Emperor Shaddam IV.  THIS is the movie to beat this year.  If it’s successful, we could see Denis Villeneuve take on the next book in Frank Herbert’s series, Dune Messiah, and possibly Children of Dune.  Expectations are very high for this one.

These are my big picks for the year, but they’re not the only movies coming out.  There’s also bound to be a number of movies that’ll come out of nowhere.  That’s what happened with The Woman King which ended up being my movie of last year.  So, you never really know what’s coming.  Still, 2023 is looking to be one of the best years for movies since 2018.  I’m excited.