Five more days until 'Scary Movie Month 2026' begins! 🥳🤩
PRIMETIME (2026, AMC PRIME) If people have been feeling nostalgic about movie versions of old TV dramas ("Starsky & Hutch," "21 Jump Street," any "Star Trek," etc.) and sitcoms ("The Brady Bunch," "The Beverly Hillbillies," "Bewitched," etc.) for decades, why not a film about a 20-year-old newsmagazine catching sexua! predators coming into a house wired with cameras/microphones thinking they're about to score with a young-looking decoy they've chatted with online? I don't know how it plays on a half-empty theater in Peoria but, with a receptive sold-out NYC opening night crowd, "Primetime" delivered huge waves of laughter the few times it simply re-enacted scenes/moments from the Chris Hansen-hosted "Dateline NBC: To Catch A Predator" specials. This being an 'R' rated A24 production, showing the 'junk' the TV show had to blur and/or hearing explicit dialogue censored by broadcast standards was enough to turn a TV guilty pleasure into a cinematic laugh riot.
The problem with "Primetime" is its behind-the-scenes pretensions of being deeper and more disturbing than it actually is, the same flaw that ultimately sank 2019's Fox News movie "Bombshell." Robert Pattinson (who is having a hell of a year with "The Drama" and "The Odyssey," with "Dune: Part Three" on tap) is wasted playing Hansen as a single-minded TV pretty boy, obsessed with catching the big fish (which would prove to be his show's eventual undoing) at the expense of a family he clearly ranks third behind his work and fame. Thank God Merritt Wever, as Chris' producer, lifts the movie whenever the narrative focuses on how underappreciated she feels as the one keeping everything (network, budget, casting, etc.) together; without Weaver's very human performance, "Primetime" would be entirely populated by stock character types (including former NBC President Jeff Zucker playing a cartoony version of himself). Skyler Gisondo makes the most of his puzzling role as Dan, an actor playing an underage male decoy who is never told what he is signing up for (yeah, right! 🤨🙄). I enjoyed "Primetime," but there's a reason my theater didn't applaud or cheer when the credits rolled. The amount of made-up crap ultimately overwhelms the few instances it allows the "TCAP" formula to shine through as a crowd-pleasing spectacle. Worth seeing for Merritt Wever alone. 🥰🙂
MORTAL KOMBAT (1995)/MORTAL KOMBAT: ANNIHILATION (1997, ARROW 4K UHD) I'm used to 4K upgrades not blowing my mind compared with 1080p Blu-rays, with most movies only looking marginally better on 4K. But holy crap on a stick, both "Mortal Kombat" movies from the mid-1990's look phenomenal on Arrow's 4K UHD remastered transfers. I've only owned them on DVD, but have seen both movies streaming in HD. The 4K transfers blow any previous video version out of the water, with some grain here and there but mostly delivering a sharp, colorful picture (with booming 5.1 sound to match). The CG special effects looked like crap in '95/'97 for both "MK" flicks, and that's true here as well... but they're at least better integrated into the live-action portions so they don't stick out as much. Even "MK: Annihilation," a horrible sequel to a much better "MK" original movie that has a flavor of mid-90's cheese of its own, comes across as a slightly better movie because it has never looked/sounded this good. Even the Arrow menu videos for both 4K discs (set to The Immortals' memorable techno music) are edited in such a way they really pump you up to watch either one. 10 out of 10 for visual presentation. 😎👍
Paul W.S. Anderson's first "MK" is still the best cinematic adaptation of the fighting videogame series, which is surprising given its sanitized 'PG-13' violence compared with the newer, 'R' rated versions indulging in all the gore/violence the "MK" games are known for. While acting never rises above passable, and often falls into silly/bad (Linden Ashby's Johnny Cage, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras' Sonya Blade, Christopher Lambert's Lord Raiden), some actor/character combos (Robin Shou's Liu Kang, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa's Shang Tsung, Trevor Goddard's Kano) are engaging as life-or-death opponents with something to prove. I'll take the Goro puppet and framey special effects from '95 over the CG fest this year's "Mortal Kombat II" turned into, and the fight choreography/Thailand location cinematography still holds up. The budget limitations and crazy stunt casting (Lambert steals every scene he's in) lift this "MK" movie over the slicker, bloodier 2021 reboot that lacked the palpable love for the game felt throughout "MK '95."
Two years later "Annihilation" shat the bed royally, losing most of the original cast (only Robin Shou and Talisa Soto's Kitana came back from the prequel) and feeling like an underfunded sequel trying to cram as many characters from the game into a thin story that couldn't support a haphazard narrative. I'd rewatch the new "MK II" movie over "Annihilation" anytime, but I'd still have more fun hate-watching this '97 cinematic disaster than tolerating the dumb humor of the newer sequel. "Annihilation" is crap, but now thanks to Arrow, it's 4K-enhanced crap that goes down easier when watched back-to-back with its superior '95 predecessor. Recommended for "MK" fanatics only. 🤠🤑
WITHOUT BLOOD (USA/ITALY, '26, THEATER) Angelina Jolie writes/directs/produces (but doesn't appear on-screen in) this adaptation of Italian author Alessandro Baricco's novel about lessons of revenge and forgiveness forged through civil war atrocities. A lengthy flashback establishes that young Nina (played as an older adult by Salma Hayek) was spared from death by young revolutionary Tito (Demián Bichir as an older man), who nevertheless helps kill Nina's father and burn their house after the end of a local war. Reunited decades later for a "My Dinner With Andre"-type intimate conversation in a crowded restaurant, Nina and Tito share their completely different recollections of the past. Though it has good intentions (exploring the cost of revenge, the strength of forgiveness, the rules of war, etc.) "Without Blood" suffers from narrative inertia. Hayek and Bichir try their best, but the younger versions of their characters (played by no-name young Italian actors) do most of the dramatic heavy lifting in flashbacks. It's left to us to figure the country (Spain?) and decades (early 30's to late 1960's/early 1970's?) depicted in the Spanish-speaking world of the movie, where everyone speaks perfect English. Worth a look for effort (made in 2022, screened in 2024, released theatrically this year), but wait for it to hit free streaming. 🫤🧐
JOHN CARPENTER'S THEY LIVE (1988, SHOUT FACTORY BLU-RAY) Watching/discussing "They Live" in real time with fellow Jury Room 4.0 members during our weekly Discord watchalong, it dawned on me for the first time that the movie peaks early when construction worker Nada (Roddy Piper) puts on the dark glasses he stumbles upon at a burned-out-by-police church. That reveal around the 30-minute mark, and its immediate aftermath ('Formaldehyde face!' reaction in the supermarket, 'Bubblegum' one-liner in the bank, etc.), are not topped by any dramatic reveal or action sequence for the remainder of the film. Not to say there aren't moments of fun action (the classic alley fight between Piper and Keith David, the shootouts at the rebel warehouse and TV station, etc.) or interesting characters to advance the plot (where else do you get George 'Buck' Flower in a tuxedo waxing philosophical about the virtues of selling out? 😁). Other than the pleasant-for-guys ending and the shock of Meg Foster's betrayal (you know the one! 🥵😭), "They Live" is front-loaded with the good stuff and left with breadcrumbs for the last two acts. Still a fun John Carpenter flick from a decade where he was still relevant, but one that sadly feels more relevant in the 2020's than it did in the 1980's. 😠😔
RUNNER (AUSTRALIA/USA, '26, THEATER) My second Alan Ritchson leading man feature (after "Motor City"), an Angel Studios action drama that suffers from a 'PG-13' rating that forces director Scott Waugh ("Expend4bles," "Need For Speed," "Act of Valor") to get creative about cutting around a ton of 'R' rated violent spectacle. A drug dealer boss (Rodrigo Santoro) will stop at nothing to steal a rare transplant organ meant for a little girl on her deathbed, with 'runner' Hank (Ritchson) and charity executive Ben Bishop (Owen Wilson, doing unfunny comic relief schtik for 90% of his scenes! 😡😤) determined to deliver the life-saving cooler (which will render the organ useless if it rises above 85 degrees Fahrenheit) to the hospital on time. Set and shot in Australia, "Runner" at least keeps the preachy morality lessons Angel Studios films are known for to a single character's act of selfless sacrifice. If it wasn't forced to be 'PG-13' the stylized action (an ER hospital fight to the death with axes!) would stand out more, and Ritchson is always compelling to simply look at. Owen Wilson really drags "Runner" down, but if you can tolerate his whining then "Runner" is worth a look for action junkies... whenever it hits streaming.
MANHATTAN (1979, BLU-RAY) Had a couple of hours to kill and didn't feel like taxing the old brain, so I threw in this Woody Allen cinematic love letter to New York City (my hometown since 1996... 30 years! 🥰😎) that suffers from comparisons to 1977's "Annie Hall" (my favorite romantic comedy of all time) because Diane Keaton plays such a completely different character from the one I fell in love. Not the actor's fault, just par for the course in Allen's relationship-heavy drama about his Isaac character falling in and out of love with Keaton's intellectually stimulating, socially awkward woman who is also being lusted after by Allen's best friend (Michael Murphy's Yale). Isaac's relationship with teenager Tracy (Mariel Hemingway) doesn't bother me because it's made clear (through acting/writing) that Tracy is wise beyond her years. That Isaac spends most of the movie trying to get rid of Tracy only for him to realize at the end she was the love of his life ends the movie on a bittersweet note, a nice contrast to the epic Gordon Willis B&W cinematography (and George Gershwin needle drops) that makes Manhattan look as beautiful as the closing credits of "Spider-Man: Brand New Day." 😉🙃 Highly recommended if you can get past the not-insignificant 'art imitates life' May-December romance between Woody and Mariel.
THE FIX ('26, THEATER) An expensive indie military action/heist feature ($32 million budget, all of it on the screen for its 141 min. running time) about a group of ex-CIA operatives who can't adjust to civilian life after their tours of duty in Afghanistan ended with the sacrifice of local Afghanis that supported the U.S. military. Getting wind from his dementia-ravaged retired commander (Liam Neeson, who gets to sit out most of the movie and only appears at the start/end; ditto for Titus Welliver as a CIA boss) that a slush fund of $25 million was left hidden in a wall of an old Tehran hotel in Iraq, team leader Tucker (Zachary Levy, channeling Ben Affleck in "Argo" right down to the beard/sideburns) reassembles the unit and plots a way to sneak into the Middle East, get the money and live happily after with his neglected son. Nothing goes as planned (duh!), so Tucker and his men have to rescue female political prisoners just to know where the money's hidden. 'It's fine,' but between Neeson pulling a "Battleship," Levy's pretend badassery and the spy agency movie tropes (double/triple betrayals galore!), "The Fix" outstays its welcome. Glad I saw it in theaters because I never plan to see it again... unless I rewatch "Argo." 😏😇
BY ANY MEANS ('26, THEATER) Remember 2018's "Green Book"? "By Any Means" is basically the dumbed-down, bastardized version of that basic premise (two men of completely different backgrounds/cultures, one white and one black, driving through the racist American South in the 1960's during the Civil Rights movement) mixed with a seasoning of "Mississippi Burning" drama. The stuck-in-a-rut investigation of the real-life murder of MS civil rights activist Vernon Dahmer Sr. (Giancarlo Esposito) by Blogger-won't-let-me-spell-it 'K!an' members prompts Special FBI Agent Roy K. Moore (David Strathairn) to call his ace in the hole, mafia enforcer Greg Scarpa (Mark Wahlberg), to crack some skulls and get names/witnesses Moore's men cannot legally obtain. A by-the-book rookie black FBI agent (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) is teamed up with Scarpa, but it's not until very late in the narrative (after his Chicago-born wife, Nicole Beharie, is almost killed), that Wayne Strider and Scarpa work as a unit. It's a little bit of fun watching a jacked Marky Mark beat the snot out of rac!st good ol' boys and shooting rude cops on the side of the road, but the narrative's dour tone and seriousness of Abdul-Mateen II's performance contrast sharply with Wahlberg's cartoony take on a 60's era Civil Rights-friendly mob leg breaker. 'It's fine.'
Two reasons: sick of hitting the 4,096 character-limit per post too often, and because l don't want Blogger to blacklist 4-5 reviews because only one has censored material. Last few times Blogger wouldn't let me re-post text that had censored words removed. Trying to minimize chances of losing OG text. 🤓🧐
When Blogger develops a grudge against you, it can be very annoying. Thankfully I have not had any trouble recently, but there are many memories of posts being deleted. That is why I now alter any words that I suspect could be viewed negatively by Blogger.
THE RIVALS OF AMZIAH KING ('26, THEATER) In his first theatrical movie role since 2019's "The Gentleman" (excluding music video appearances, an Apple TV+ streaming feature and voice-over work, including his cameo in "Deadpool & Wolverine"), Matthew McConaughey chooses a most unusual vehicle to display his talents for folksy charm. Playing a successful Oklahoma beekeeper, accomplished bluegrass musician and pillar of his small rural community, the first third of "The Rivals of Amziah King" sucks you in as a quirky hang-out movie. A little bit of story slips by (including a scalping accident that borders on gross-out horror but ends up being hilarious), mostly the reconnection between Amziah and a foster daughter (Angelina LookingGlass) that has returned to town, but you're mostly watching likable characters enjoying each other's company as they play music. I'll leave for you to find out what happens next because I wouldn't dream of revealing where this unpredictable narrative goes. Writer/director Andrew Patterson (in only his 2nd feature) creates a cinematic world where Kurt Russell can both be repellent and a likable human being, with McConaughey's charm the glue holding the entire thing together. Highly recommended, especially since it got lost in the late summer release schedule and went mostly unseen. A genuine low-key charmer. 🙂👍
First of all, for all the Babylon 5 out there, there's now an official Youtube channel, started about 8 months ago. It's mostly scenes from the show, but they just release a Q&A between J. Michael Straczynsky and Bruce Boxleitner. It's questions from the fans, and JMS is a master storyteller, so his answers are always good. I actually learned things about the behind the scenes. Bruce even talk a little bit about Tron.
Super Troopers 3 (2026): I love the first movie, watched it way more often than I care to admit. The sequel was... a movie... apparently. This new one is better, I kind of return to form, but it suffers from what most low-ish budget movies suffer from... green screen. They can't do a shot of 2 people in a car without sh!tty green screen, or any green screen shot. In itself it's not bad, but it looks so bad every time they do one, it's very annoying.
Bob Trevino Likes It (2024): I don't see John Leguizamo in a lot of drama, so that was a nice surprise when I found this recently. It's also starting Barbie Ferreira (from Mile End Kicks and Faces Of Death), which is only a recent discovery for me. She's really good at playing a young adult looking for direction and making all the wrong decisions all the time. Then there's French Stewart, who has a very small role, but nothing like I've ever seen him, I almost didn't recognize him.
Living in Oblivion (1995): Another one of those movies that I was somehow compelled to watch. I'm pretty sure I saw it a long time ago, but my memory is failing. There's nothing I can add that wasn't already said in the podcast. It's a good movie, everybody should watch it.
Accepted (2006): It's a fun movie and I like Justin Long. Jonah Hill was way more fun before he became a super douche.
Coyote Vs Ugly (2000): (partly because I wanted to do the joke) The opening scene features Melanie Lynskey who really seem to be wondering what she's doing there. And that poor John Goodman, what he had to do. It's funny that they act like Piper Perabo is moving across the country, when she's moving maybe a couple of hours away. I won't pretend it's a secret masterpiece, but who can say no to a bunch of pretty girls dancing on a bar. Magic Mike for men... about time we got our own sexy movie 🤪
John Leguizamo gives great dramatic supporting work in Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey," which goes largely unnoticed because it's such a stacked cast. 🙂
ONLY 4 MORE SHOPPING DAYS TILL SCARY MOVIE MONTH! CANT WAIT! LETS GO! HOPING TO FIND LOADS OF NEW GREAT HORROR FLICKS! WOOT! WANNA SEE SOMETHING REALLLLLLLY SCARY?
Me too, Kunider. I don't only watch new stuff (what's the point of having a large physical media collection of movies you like if you're not going to rewatch them? 🫠), but l've seen setting aside a few new-to-me 4K horror pics over the past few months for October viewing. 😎🥶
CLASH OF THE TITANS (1981) More movies should have robot owls.
THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS (2026) The book was such a sensation that of course I had to check out the movie. It’s… fine? I would have preferred it to be more science-y and less cutesy, but that’s probably just me.
MULHOLLAND DRIVE (2001) David Lynch goodness!
HIGHLANDER (1986) We’re the princes of the universe.
TOY STORY 5 (2026) This was a big improvement over 4, which I must admit I thought was a confused mess. But I still think the series ended at 3.
I liked "Toy Story 5" a lot more than l expected, mostly because Jessie was front and center for the first time since her introduction. I'd rank the "TS" series 2, 1, 5, 3 and 4. 🥰🙂
Dredd (2012): My comic book lovong friend never saw it, so it was time to fix that. I've obviously seen it more than a few times, loved it every time. Awesome movie. Apparently, the real director was Alex Garland, who's been doing great stuff in the last couple of years.
Munich (2005): Following a video essay by Patrick H Willems, my friend asked to rewatch it with what Willems said in mind. And I wanted to wash Disclosure Day from my mind and have a reminder that Spielberg can do good stuff. It's not perfect, I could do without the flashback scenes of the september attack. Of course, most of the things going on didn't happen in real life. We still got a great spy movie made by masters of their craft.
Hardware (1990): We all love a low budget sci-fi flick with killer robots. Richard Stanley should've made more movies like that. The funny part, the Severin blu-ray was apparently programmed wrong, so the runtime wouldn't show up on the display or on-screen.
That's 3 for 3 with the buds, all bangers. 😎 "Munich" is Spielberg at his directorial/dramatic peak. "Hardware" is a super low-budget charmer, and "Dredd 3D" (the 3D version rocks) gives us Karl Urban at his most intense without removing the helmet. Kudos on a AAA hat trick. 🤓
What prompted us to watch (rewatch for me) Hardware, was another youtube video that listed good low-budget sci-fi flicks. Cube and Primer was also part of the list
"Cube," "Primer" and "Hardware" all share miniscule budgets, which their respective filmmakers managed to overcome and deliver decent sci-fi spectacle for their respective eras. "Primer" is the GOAT (my opinion), bit "Hardware" ain't too far behind. 🤓
I remember watching Hardware on VHS. Having my father out of the room made watching a specific scene less awkward. Last year, Hardware was featured in a post-apocalyptic marathon at The Gap Theatre. Besides being a fun film, the print shown was pristine.
I love Cube. Saw it in the theatre back when you would just go and watch whatever was starting next. Had no idea what genre of of movie it was. The sequels (Hypercube!) are okay. I don't think I'll ever revisit them, but the original I would watch right now.
With the horror marathon starting soon, this week was all about getting films off on my watchlist. Life got busier than expected, so I hope to have the time in the next few days to watch a couple of films.
One thing that will be different this October is that more things are happening than is usually the case for this time of the year. A movie a day might not be an option, so I will try to be happy with getting to the films that time allows me to see.
SAMURAI 2: DUEL AT ICHIJOJO TEMPLE (1955) and SAMURAI 3: DUEL AT GANRYU ISLAND (1956) – Hiroshi Inagaki’s trilogy about the wandering swordsman Musashi Miyamoto continues as he takes on an entire swordsmanship school and faces the most accomplished swordsman in Japan for a duel to the death. Although the action does get ramped up for these entries, the focus is on Musashi’s personal and artistic development. After all, the life of a samurai was more than just being a fighter. The melodrama goes on as the women who love Musashi follow him around Japan. It is that melodrama and the style of the swordfights that dates these films to the 1950s the most. The location shooting in the third film does create some memorable scenes, though. I am glad that I finally watched the Samurai Trilogy, but there are far more dynamic movies in this vein to recommend.
UNABOMBER (2026) – After dinner last night, a friend wanted to watch this new Netflix film. Unabomber comes off as a clumsy effort to try to explain Ted Kaczynski’s path to violence. One part of the film is the events that led to his capture while the other storyline depicts a psychological experiment he was a part of as a young student at Harvard University. I am guessing this was an attempt to tie the experiment to his later crimes. It fails to make a convincing argument about that, and the experiment section is dramatized in a very heavy-handed way. The style of the filmmaking is very sterile, too.
THE BAD GUYS (2022) – I really desired to see something to get my mind off of the disappointment of Unabomber. This animated feature popped up in the recommendations on the Netflix homepage, so I gave it a shot. With all of the nods to heist movie tropes, the self-awareness was amusing. The banter among the gang is engaging. It is the suspension of disbelief aspect where things get challenging. How do the human characters not see that the wolf is a wolf, a snake is a snake, and a shark is a shark? It probably is supposed to be metaphorical, particularly since the characters talk about how they are the stereotypical “bad guys” of stories. The secret identity reveals are undoubtedly on the absurd side as well. As a kid’s movie, it was entertaining enough. One thing that I have noticed with the 2020s animated films I have watched is that the pacing is very fast.
I see that Hiroshi Inagaki's "Samurai Trilogy" is streaming on HBO Max, and Toshiro Mifune plays Miyamoto. 😎 I'm tempted, but l enjoy Japanese 'chanbara' in B&W widescreen AR (which became more popular in the 60's). These are academy ratio (1:33:1 or 1:37:1), which are tolerable for '50's foreign cinema but are a little harder sell for me to watch. Why yes, I'm delicate like that. 😉🫤
Five more days until 'Scary Movie Month 2026' begins! 🥳🤩
ReplyDeletePRIMETIME (2026, AMC PRIME)
If people have been feeling nostalgic about movie versions of old TV dramas ("Starsky & Hutch," "21 Jump Street," any "Star Trek," etc.) and sitcoms ("The Brady Bunch," "The Beverly Hillbillies," "Bewitched," etc.) for decades, why not a film about a 20-year-old newsmagazine catching sexua! predators coming into a house wired with cameras/microphones thinking they're about to score with a young-looking decoy they've chatted with online? I don't know how it plays on a half-empty theater in Peoria but, with a receptive sold-out NYC opening night crowd, "Primetime" delivered huge waves of laughter the few times it simply re-enacted scenes/moments from the Chris Hansen-hosted "Dateline NBC: To Catch A Predator" specials. This being an 'R' rated A24 production, showing the 'junk' the TV show had to blur and/or hearing explicit dialogue censored by broadcast standards was enough to turn a TV guilty pleasure into a cinematic laugh riot.
The problem with "Primetime" is its behind-the-scenes pretensions of being deeper and more disturbing than it actually is, the same flaw that ultimately sank 2019's Fox News movie "Bombshell." Robert Pattinson (who is having a hell of a year with "The Drama" and "The Odyssey," with "Dune: Part Three" on tap) is wasted playing Hansen as a single-minded TV pretty boy, obsessed with catching the big fish (which would prove to be his show's eventual undoing) at the expense of a family he clearly ranks third behind his work and fame. Thank God Merritt Wever, as Chris' producer, lifts the movie whenever the narrative focuses on how underappreciated she feels as the one keeping everything (network, budget, casting, etc.) together; without Weaver's very human performance, "Primetime" would be entirely populated by stock character types (including former NBC President Jeff Zucker playing a cartoony version of himself). Skyler Gisondo makes the most of his puzzling role as Dan, an actor playing an underage male decoy who is never told what he is signing up for (yeah, right! 🤨🙄). I enjoyed "Primetime," but there's a reason my theater didn't applaud or cheer when the credits rolled. The amount of made-up crap ultimately overwhelms the few instances it allows the "TCAP" formula to shine through as a crowd-pleasing spectacle. Worth seeing for Merritt Wever alone. 🥰🙂
MORTAL KOMBAT (1995)/MORTAL KOMBAT: ANNIHILATION (1997, ARROW 4K UHD)
ReplyDeleteI'm used to 4K upgrades not blowing my mind compared with 1080p Blu-rays, with most movies only looking marginally better on 4K. But holy crap on a stick, both "Mortal Kombat" movies from the mid-1990's look phenomenal on Arrow's 4K UHD remastered transfers. I've only owned them on DVD, but have seen both movies streaming in HD. The 4K transfers blow any previous video version out of the water, with some grain here and there but mostly delivering a sharp, colorful picture (with booming 5.1 sound to match). The CG special effects looked like crap in '95/'97 for both "MK" flicks, and that's true here as well... but they're at least better integrated into the live-action portions so they don't stick out as much. Even "MK: Annihilation," a horrible sequel to a much better "MK" original movie that has a flavor of mid-90's cheese of its own, comes across as a slightly better movie because it has never looked/sounded this good. Even the Arrow menu videos for both 4K discs (set to The Immortals' memorable techno music) are edited in such a way they really pump you up to watch either one. 10 out of 10 for visual presentation. 😎👍
Paul W.S. Anderson's first "MK" is still the best cinematic adaptation of the fighting videogame series, which is surprising given its sanitized 'PG-13' violence compared with the newer, 'R' rated versions indulging in all the gore/violence the "MK" games are known for. While acting never rises above passable, and often falls into silly/bad (Linden Ashby's Johnny Cage, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras' Sonya Blade, Christopher Lambert's Lord Raiden), some actor/character combos (Robin Shou's Liu Kang, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa's Shang Tsung, Trevor Goddard's Kano) are engaging as life-or-death opponents with something to prove. I'll take the Goro puppet and framey special effects from '95 over the CG fest this year's "Mortal Kombat II" turned into, and the fight choreography/Thailand location cinematography still holds up. The budget limitations and crazy stunt casting (Lambert steals every scene he's in) lift this "MK" movie over the slicker, bloodier 2021 reboot that lacked the palpable love for the game felt throughout "MK '95."
Two years later "Annihilation" shat the bed royally, losing most of the original cast (only Robin Shou and Talisa Soto's Kitana came back from the prequel) and feeling like an underfunded sequel trying to cram as many characters from the game into a thin story that couldn't support a haphazard narrative. I'd rewatch the new "MK II" movie over "Annihilation" anytime, but I'd still have more fun hate-watching this '97 cinematic disaster than tolerating the dumb humor of the newer sequel. "Annihilation" is crap, but now thanks to Arrow, it's 4K-enhanced crap that goes down easier when watched back-to-back with its superior '95 predecessor. Recommended for "MK" fanatics only. 🤠🤑
So you caved on the boxset. Was there a deal? Either way, good stuff, it's still an awesomely stacked Arrow release
DeleteGot it for less than $20 from a half-off sale and some coupons at B&H. Great deal for what turned out to be above-average 4K remasters/transfers. 😁
DeleteWITHOUT BLOOD (USA/ITALY, '26, THEATER)
ReplyDeleteAngelina Jolie writes/directs/produces (but doesn't appear on-screen in) this adaptation of Italian author Alessandro Baricco's novel about lessons of revenge and forgiveness forged through civil war atrocities. A lengthy flashback establishes that young Nina (played as an older adult by Salma Hayek) was spared from death by young revolutionary Tito (Demián Bichir as an older man), who nevertheless helps kill Nina's father and burn their house after the end of a local war. Reunited decades later for a "My Dinner With Andre"-type intimate conversation in a crowded restaurant, Nina and Tito share their completely different recollections of the past. Though it has good intentions (exploring the cost of revenge, the strength of forgiveness, the rules of war, etc.) "Without Blood" suffers from narrative inertia. Hayek and Bichir try their best, but the younger versions of their characters (played by no-name young Italian actors) do most of the dramatic heavy lifting in flashbacks. It's left to us to figure the country (Spain?) and decades (early 30's to late 1960's/early 1970's?) depicted in the Spanish-speaking world of the movie, where everyone speaks perfect English. Worth a look for effort (made in 2022, screened in 2024, released theatrically this year), but wait for it to hit free streaming. 🫤🧐
JOHN CARPENTER'S THEY LIVE (1988, SHOUT FACTORY BLU-RAY)
ReplyDeleteWatching/discussing "They Live" in real time with fellow Jury Room 4.0 members during our weekly Discord watchalong, it dawned on me for the first time that the movie peaks early when construction worker Nada (Roddy Piper) puts on the dark glasses he stumbles upon at a burned-out-by-police church. That reveal around the 30-minute mark, and its immediate aftermath ('Formaldehyde face!' reaction in the supermarket, 'Bubblegum' one-liner in the bank, etc.), are not topped by any dramatic reveal or action sequence for the remainder of the film. Not to say there aren't moments of fun action (the classic alley fight between Piper and Keith David, the shootouts at the rebel warehouse and TV station, etc.) or interesting characters to advance the plot (where else do you get George 'Buck' Flower in a tuxedo waxing philosophical about the virtues of selling out? 😁). Other than the pleasant-for-guys ending and the shock of Meg Foster's betrayal (you know the one! 🥵😭), "They Live" is front-loaded with the good stuff and left with breadcrumbs for the last two acts. Still a fun John Carpenter flick from a decade where he was still relevant, but one that sadly feels more relevant in the 2020's than it did in the 1980's. 😠😔
RUNNER (AUSTRALIA/USA, '26, THEATER)
ReplyDeleteMy second Alan Ritchson leading man feature (after "Motor City"), an Angel Studios action drama that suffers from a 'PG-13' rating that forces director Scott Waugh ("Expend4bles," "Need For Speed," "Act of Valor") to get creative about cutting around a ton of 'R' rated violent spectacle. A drug dealer boss (Rodrigo Santoro) will stop at nothing to steal a rare transplant organ meant for a little girl on her deathbed, with 'runner' Hank (Ritchson) and charity executive Ben Bishop (Owen Wilson, doing unfunny comic relief schtik for 90% of his scenes! 😡😤) determined to deliver the life-saving cooler (which will render the organ useless if it rises above 85 degrees Fahrenheit) to the hospital on time. Set and shot in Australia, "Runner" at least keeps the preachy morality lessons Angel Studios films are known for to a single character's act of selfless sacrifice. If it wasn't forced to be 'PG-13' the stylized action (an ER hospital fight to the death with axes!) would stand out more, and Ritchson is always compelling to simply look at. Owen Wilson really drags "Runner" down, but if you can tolerate his whining then "Runner" is worth a look for action junkies... whenever it hits streaming.
MANHATTAN (1979, BLU-RAY)
ReplyDeleteHad a couple of hours to kill and didn't feel like taxing the old brain, so I threw in this Woody Allen cinematic love letter to New York City (my hometown since 1996... 30 years! 🥰😎) that suffers from comparisons to 1977's "Annie Hall" (my favorite romantic comedy of all time) because Diane Keaton plays such a completely different character from the one I fell in love. Not the actor's fault, just par for the course in Allen's relationship-heavy drama about his Isaac character falling in and out of love with Keaton's intellectually stimulating, socially awkward woman who is also being lusted after by Allen's best friend (Michael Murphy's Yale). Isaac's relationship with teenager Tracy (Mariel Hemingway) doesn't bother me because it's made clear (through acting/writing) that Tracy is wise beyond her years. That Isaac spends most of the movie trying to get rid of Tracy only for him to realize at the end she was the love of his life ends the movie on a bittersweet note, a nice contrast to the epic Gordon Willis B&W cinematography (and George Gershwin needle drops) that makes Manhattan look as beautiful as the closing credits of "Spider-Man: Brand New Day." 😉🙃 Highly recommended if you can get past the not-insignificant 'art imitates life' May-December romance between Woody and Mariel.
THE FIX ('26, THEATER)
ReplyDeleteAn expensive indie military action/heist feature ($32 million budget, all of it on the screen for its 141 min. running time) about a group of ex-CIA operatives who can't adjust to civilian life after their tours of duty in Afghanistan ended with the sacrifice of local Afghanis that supported the U.S. military. Getting wind from his dementia-ravaged retired commander (Liam Neeson, who gets to sit out most of the movie and only appears at the start/end; ditto for Titus Welliver as a CIA boss) that a slush fund of $25 million was left hidden in a wall of an old Tehran hotel in Iraq, team leader Tucker (Zachary Levy, channeling Ben Affleck in "Argo" right down to the beard/sideburns) reassembles the unit and plots a way to sneak into the Middle East, get the money and live happily after with his neglected son. Nothing goes as planned (duh!), so Tucker and his men have to rescue female political prisoners just to know where the money's hidden. 'It's fine,' but between Neeson pulling a "Battleship," Levy's pretend badassery and the spy agency movie tropes (double/triple betrayals galore!), "The Fix" outstays its welcome. Glad I saw it in theaters because I never plan to see it again... unless I rewatch "Argo." 😏😇
Neeson barely there. Starring Zach Levy. Over 2 hours. I'll probably skip this one.
DeleteIt's not a waste of time (the other guys in the military unit are a fun bunch), but it doesn't live up to its pedigree or star power. 🫤
DeleteBY ANY MEANS ('26, THEATER)
ReplyDeleteRemember 2018's "Green Book"? "By Any Means" is basically the dumbed-down, bastardized version of that basic premise (two men of completely different backgrounds/cultures, one white and one black, driving through the racist American South in the 1960's during the Civil Rights movement) mixed with a seasoning of "Mississippi Burning" drama. The stuck-in-a-rut investigation of the real-life murder of MS civil rights activist Vernon Dahmer Sr. (Giancarlo Esposito) by Blogger-won't-let-me-spell-it 'K!an' members prompts Special FBI Agent Roy K. Moore (David Strathairn) to call his ace in the hole, mafia enforcer Greg Scarpa (Mark Wahlberg), to crack some skulls and get names/witnesses Moore's men cannot legally obtain. A by-the-book rookie black FBI agent (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) is teamed up with Scarpa, but it's not until very late in the narrative (after his Chicago-born wife, Nicole Beharie, is almost killed), that Wayne Strider and Scarpa work as a unit. It's a little bit of fun watching a jacked Marky Mark beat the snot out of rac!st good ol' boys and shooting rude cops on the side of the road, but the narrative's dour tone and seriousness of Abdul-Mateen II's performance contrast sharply with Wahlberg's cartoony take on a 60's era Civil Rights-friendly mob leg breaker. 'It's fine.'
Did you start to post your reviews individually to bypass Blogger? 😎🤣
DeleteTwo reasons: sick of hitting the 4,096 character-limit per post too often, and because l don't want Blogger to blacklist 4-5 reviews because only one has censored material. Last few times Blogger wouldn't let me re-post text that had censored words removed. Trying to minimize chances of losing OG text. 🤓🧐
DeleteWhen Blogger develops a grudge against you, it can be very annoying. Thankfully I have not had any trouble recently, but there are many memories of posts being deleted. That is why I now alter any words that I suspect could be viewed negatively by Blogger.
DeleteTHE RIVALS OF AMZIAH KING ('26, THEATER)
ReplyDeleteIn his first theatrical movie role since 2019's "The Gentleman" (excluding music video appearances, an Apple TV+ streaming feature and voice-over work, including his cameo in "Deadpool & Wolverine"), Matthew McConaughey chooses a most unusual vehicle to display his talents for folksy charm. Playing a successful Oklahoma beekeeper, accomplished bluegrass musician and pillar of his small rural community, the first third of "The Rivals of Amziah King" sucks you in as a quirky hang-out movie. A little bit of story slips by (including a scalping accident that borders on gross-out horror but ends up being hilarious), mostly the reconnection between Amziah and a foster daughter (Angelina LookingGlass) that has returned to town, but you're mostly watching likable characters enjoying each other's company as they play music. I'll leave for you to find out what happens next because I wouldn't dream of revealing where this unpredictable narrative goes. Writer/director Andrew Patterson (in only his 2nd feature) creates a cinematic world where Kurt Russell can both be repellent and a likable human being, with McConaughey's charm the glue holding the entire thing together. Highly recommended, especially since it got lost in the late summer release schedule and went mostly unseen. A genuine low-key charmer. 🙂👍
First of all, for all the Babylon 5 out there, there's now an official Youtube channel, started about 8 months ago. It's mostly scenes from the show, but they just release a Q&A between J. Michael Straczynsky and Bruce Boxleitner. It's questions from the fans, and JMS is a master storyteller, so his answers are always good. I actually learned things about the behind the scenes. Bruce even talk a little bit about Tron.
ReplyDeleteSuper Troopers 3 (2026): I love the first movie, watched it way more often than I care to admit. The sequel was... a movie... apparently. This new one is better, I kind of return to form, but it suffers from what most low-ish budget movies suffer from... green screen. They can't do a shot of 2 people in a car without sh!tty green screen, or any green screen shot. In itself it's not bad, but it looks so bad every time they do one, it's very annoying.
Bob Trevino Likes It (2024): I don't see John Leguizamo in a lot of drama, so that was a nice surprise when I found this recently. It's also starting Barbie Ferreira (from Mile End Kicks and Faces Of Death), which is only a recent discovery for me. She's really good at playing a young adult looking for direction and making all the wrong decisions all the time. Then there's French Stewart, who has a very small role, but nothing like I've ever seen him, I almost didn't recognize him.
Living in Oblivion (1995): Another one of those movies that I was somehow compelled to watch. I'm pretty sure I saw it a long time ago, but my memory is failing. There's nothing I can add that wasn't already said in the podcast. It's a good movie, everybody should watch it.
Accepted (2006): It's a fun movie and I like Justin Long. Jonah Hill was way more fun before he became a super douche.
Coyote Vs Ugly (2000): (partly because I wanted to do the joke) The opening scene features Melanie Lynskey who really seem to be wondering what she's doing there. And that poor John Goodman, what he had to do. It's funny that they act like Piper Perabo is moving across the country, when she's moving maybe a couple of hours away. I won't pretend it's a secret masterpiece, but who can say no to a bunch of pretty girls dancing on a bar. Magic Mike for men... about time we got our own sexy movie 🤪
John Leguizamo gives great dramatic supporting work in Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey," which goes largely unnoticed because it's such a stacked cast. 🙂
DeleteThat's true, but it was a fantasy-type movie. I mean, it's clear he's a good actor in everything he does, but he rarely does straight drama
DeleteWait... you mean "The Odyssey" wasn't based on a true story? 😳😮😭
DeleteYou know how biopics are, they change so many things it becomes fiction 🤣
DeleteONLY 4 MORE SHOPPING DAYS TILL SCARY MOVIE MONTH!
ReplyDeleteCANT WAIT!
LETS GO!
HOPING TO FIND LOADS OF NEW GREAT HORROR FLICKS!
WOOT!
WANNA SEE SOMETHING REALLLLLLLY SCARY?
I got a few thing recently i've been holding on for october
DeleteBlack Christmas
The People Under The Stairs
Audition
Hostel 1 and 2
And more....
Me too, Kunider. I don't only watch new stuff (what's the point of having a large physical media collection of movies you like if you're not going to rewatch them? 🫠), but l've seen setting aside a few new-to-me 4K horror pics over the past few months for October viewing. 😎🥶
DeleteYeah I picked up so many 4k horror movies this summer but I've been waiting until October to watch all of them. Can't wait!
DeleteCLASH OF THE TITANS (1981)
ReplyDeleteMore movies should have robot owls.
THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS (2026)
The book was such a sensation that of course I had to check out the movie. It’s… fine? I would have preferred it to be more science-y and less cutesy, but that’s probably just me.
MULHOLLAND DRIVE (2001)
David Lynch goodness!
HIGHLANDER (1986)
We’re the princes of the universe.
TOY STORY 5 (2026)
This was a big improvement over 4, which I must admit I thought was a confused mess. But I still think the series ended at 3.
THEY LIVE (1988)
Two words: Alley fight.
I liked "Toy Story 5" a lot more than l expected, mostly because Jessie was front and center for the first time since her introduction. I'd rank the "TS" series 2, 1, 5, 3 and 4. 🥰🙂
DeleteSaturday movie night with the buddies...
ReplyDeleteDredd (2012): My comic book lovong friend never saw it, so it was time to fix that. I've obviously seen it more than a few times, loved it every time. Awesome movie. Apparently, the real director was Alex Garland, who's been doing great stuff in the last couple of years.
Munich (2005): Following a video essay by Patrick H Willems, my friend asked to rewatch it with what Willems said in mind. And I wanted to wash Disclosure Day from my mind and have a reminder that Spielberg can do good stuff. It's not perfect, I could do without the flashback scenes of the september attack. Of course, most of the things going on didn't happen in real life. We still got a great spy movie made by masters of their craft.
Hardware (1990): We all love a low budget sci-fi flick with killer robots. Richard Stanley should've made more movies like that. The funny part, the Severin blu-ray was apparently programmed wrong, so the runtime wouldn't show up on the display or on-screen.
That's 3 for 3 with the buds, all bangers. 😎 "Munich" is Spielberg at his directorial/dramatic peak. "Hardware" is a super low-budget charmer, and "Dredd 3D" (the 3D version rocks) gives us Karl Urban at his most intense without removing the helmet. Kudos on a AAA hat trick. 🤓
DeleteWhat prompted us to watch (rewatch for me) Hardware, was another youtube video that listed good low-budget sci-fi flicks. Cube and Primer was also part of the list
Delete"Cube," "Primer" and "Hardware" all share miniscule budgets, which their respective filmmakers managed to overcome and deliver decent sci-fi spectacle for their respective eras. "Primer" is the GOAT (my opinion), bit "Hardware" ain't too far behind. 🤓
DeleteUmbrella just announced Cube 4k. I jumped on it so fast.
DeleteI remember watching Hardware on VHS. Having my father out of the room made watching a specific scene less awkward. Last year, Hardware was featured in a post-apocalyptic marathon at The Gap Theatre. Besides being a fun film, the print shown was pristine.
DeleteHardware was a big success with my 2 friends. They loved every minute of it
DeleteI love Cube. Saw it in the theatre back when you would just go and watch whatever was starting next. Had no idea what genre of of movie it was. The sequels (Hypercube!) are okay. I don't think I'll ever revisit them, but the original I would watch right now.
DeleteWith the horror marathon starting soon, this week was all about getting films off on my watchlist. Life got busier than expected, so I hope to have the time in the next few days to watch a couple of films.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that will be different this October is that more things are happening than is usually the case for this time of the year. A movie a day might not be an option, so I will try to be happy with getting to the films that time allows me to see.
SAMURAI 2: DUEL AT ICHIJOJO TEMPLE (1955) and SAMURAI 3: DUEL AT GANRYU ISLAND (1956) – Hiroshi Inagaki’s trilogy about the wandering swordsman Musashi Miyamoto continues as he takes on an entire swordsmanship school and faces the most accomplished swordsman in Japan for a duel to the death. Although the action does get ramped up for these entries, the focus is on Musashi’s personal and artistic development. After all, the life of a samurai was more than just being a fighter. The melodrama goes on as the women who love Musashi follow him around Japan. It is that melodrama and the style of the swordfights that dates these films to the 1950s the most. The location shooting in the third film does create some memorable scenes, though. I am glad that I finally watched the Samurai Trilogy, but there are far more dynamic movies in this vein to recommend.
UNABOMBER (2026) – After dinner last night, a friend wanted to watch this new Netflix film. Unabomber comes off as a clumsy effort to try to explain Ted Kaczynski’s path to violence. One part of the film is the events that led to his capture while the other storyline depicts a psychological experiment he was a part of as a young student at Harvard University. I am guessing this was an attempt to tie the experiment to his later crimes. It fails to make a convincing argument about that, and the experiment section is dramatized in a very heavy-handed way. The style of the filmmaking is very sterile, too.
THE BAD GUYS (2022) – I really desired to see something to get my mind off of the disappointment of Unabomber. This animated feature popped up in the recommendations on the Netflix homepage, so I gave it a shot. With all of the nods to heist movie tropes, the self-awareness was amusing. The banter among the gang is engaging. It is the suspension of disbelief aspect where things get challenging. How do the human characters not see that the wolf is a wolf, a snake is a snake, and a shark is a shark? It probably is supposed to be metaphorical, particularly since the characters talk about how they are the stereotypical “bad guys” of stories. The secret identity reveals are undoubtedly on the absurd side as well. As a kid’s movie, it was entertaining enough. One thing that I have noticed with the 2020s animated films I have watched is that the pacing is very fast.
I see that Hiroshi Inagaki's "Samurai Trilogy" is streaming on HBO Max, and Toshiro Mifune plays Miyamoto. 😎 I'm tempted, but l enjoy Japanese 'chanbara' in B&W widescreen AR (which became more popular in the 60's). These are academy ratio (1:33:1 or 1:37:1), which are tolerable for '50's foreign cinema but are a little harder sell for me to watch. Why yes, I'm delicate like that. 😉🫤
Delete