Here we go again! More physical media in the form of Blu-Rays. 17 volumes of this. That’s a lot of physical media I’ve picked up since I started this shindig. No regrets, though. I never have regrets about buying stuff on physical media…except for that one movie that one time recently…what was it? Oh, yeah, it was the 2019 version of Black Christmas. Yeah, I rightly threw that one away, and I don’t do that. But I was NOT going to donate it. I don’t believe in cruel and unusual punishment. Also, throwing that thing away made room for cooler stuff. I picked up about 5 for this round, so let’s dive right in.
Nemesis – MVD Rewind
Nemesis is one of Albert Pyun’s better science fiction movies. It’s got some interesting ideas that do set it apart from other movies of its kind, even if it does seem like a cross between Terminator, Blade Runner, and Robocop. While I can’t say that Olivier Gruner is a great actor, he’s still fun to watch. Tim Thomerson steals the show, though. This movie is packed to the hilt with high-octane action. It’s good action, and it’s shot incredibly well. The visual effects are also pretty damned good for a low-budget indie film. If you’re a fan of these kinds of movies, this one is worth checking out. It’s got a director’s cut and a Japanese cut as well. There’s a lot of special features, especially on the second disc, which is a DVD, sadly. Pretty decent, actually. The sequels, though?
Nemesis 2,3 and 4 – MVD Rewind
Had these come on separate discs, I would’ve junked numbers 3 and 4. Nemesis 2 is the only one of the bunch that’s half-way decent. There’s SOME stuff in number 3 that I like, specifically Tim Thomerson. Nemesis 4, though, is a complete waste of time. The entire movie was filmed in 4-5 days during reshoots of Adrenaline, which I don’t have as of yet. Narratively, number 4 has NOTHING to do with the previous 3, and the third film ended on a cliffhanger that went nowhere. Unfortunately, all three movies came on one disc. What are you going to do? It was probably easier for MVD to save money by doing that. Watch Nemesis 2 and pretend 3 and 4 don’t exist. Special features-wise, there’s not much hear except for brief commentary on each film by Albert Pyun.
Black Adam – Warner Bros.
There’s a lot of issues that I’ve got with Black Adam. The acting isn’t great(the kid’s annoying AF), the villain is incredibly mediocre, the story is half-baked, and the post-credit scene teases a confrontation between Black Adam and Henry Cavill’s Superman that will never happen. What the movie does get right is the Justice Society, which is awesome. Pierce Brosnan makes a great Doctor Fate(hey, I rhymed!), and Aldis Hodge is great as Hawkman. The action is spectacular. Seeing Dwayne Johnson go Darth Sidious on fools is great. Johnson is always fun to watch. If you can ignore the annoying kid, there’s a decent action movie here. I might actually do a Second Look for Black Adam at some point. There’s some decent special features on this one.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Disney/Marvel
The passing of Chadwick Boseman was a shock to a lot of people. He kept his illness out of the public eye until he died. His death had a major impact on a lot of people. But it also impacted the sequel to the first Black Panther. Wakanda Forever had to be entirely re-written to account for Boseman’s untimely passing. It was a hard thing for the film-makers to do and do it right. I think they did the best job that they could under the circumstances. It’s a solid sequel with real heart and emotional heft. Not just for Boseman’s character, but also for Shuri, Queen Ramonda, and the film’s villain, Namor. Strangely enough, this movie works better as a piece of drama than an action movie. Good character-work is not easy to come by in comic book movies these days. I really like this one. It’s not the greatest entry into the MCU, but it’s pretty solid. The special features on the disc are anemic, though. Aside from a commentary by the film’s director, two EPK features, a short gag-reel and some deleted scenes, there’s not a whole lot here. Disney and Marvel have been getting real stingy on special features for their physical media, and it sucks. The production of this film could’ve easily warranted an hour and a half-long documentary. But such as it is, you’ll just have to deal with what the disc comes with. Movie’s fantastic, the disc is kind of disappointing.
Triumph of the Will – Synapse
Some of you are going to wonder why I have a Nazi propaganda film in my collection. It’s very simple: Historical preservation. One of the reasons why I collect physical media is that a lot of the older movies out there aren’t being put onto streaming services. If they are, it’s not easy to find them. Leni Riefenstahl’s Triumph of the Will is an important piece of not just film history, but history itself. This film was commissioned by Adolf Hitler in 1933, and followed the Nazi Party rally in Nuremburg in 1934. THIS is the mother of all propaganda films and is the blue-print for making them. If you look at it from a purely technical level, it’s incredibly well-made. The cinematography is spectacular. In a number of ways, this film is terrifying. I think I’m going to have a discussion on this film and why it’s so important for it to not be censored or thrown out. I might do that this weekend. The disc comes with a commentary by Dr. Anthony Santoro, an expert on National Socialist German history, and a short film called Day of Freedom, also by Riefenstahl. Do I recommend it? If you’re a history and film buff, sure, but this is NOT for the average consumer.
Well, that’s going to do it for this volume of Recent Blu-Ray Hauls, so hopefully, you found something of interest. I certainly did. Like always, I’ll see you in 4 or 5 Blu-Rays.