Invasion of The DVD & Blu-ray Reviews!

Here’s a batch of reviews for titles that might be of interest.  There’s something in here for everyone and there might be some unique choices for that hard to shop for person on your Holiday List.

Note, in most cases a free copy was provided from the studio in exchange for an honest review. The opinions shared on Forces of Geek are those of the individual author.

Jungle Cruise

Jungle Cruise (directed by Jaume Collet-Serra- The Shallows, Orphan) is EXACTLY the kind of movie you want to see on a Saturday afternoon when all you want is to have a fun time. It is subtext-free, doesn’t assault you with pathos, nor does it try to be anything other than a throwback to the fantasy adventure movies of the 30s filled with humor, swashbuckling and a mythic battle between man and mysticism.

You know, the quintessential popcorn movie.

And Disney knows how to make these movies well. Let’s be honest here, when the Mouse announced it was going to make a movie based on their ride Pirates of the Caribbean, we were all thinking it was going to be the worst movie ever made (and we weren’t being pessimistic, I mean have you seen Tower of Terror or Haunted Mansion?) but it was a rousing success, partly because of excellent casting but also because Disney built the film in the subgenre it does really well in (other than animation), the adventure flick (think: the National Treasure movies, the Witch Mountain flicks, the Herbie franchise and of course, the aforementioned Pirates films among tons of others).

Jungle Cruise knows what it is and follows that established Adventure Movie playbook well with a plot that is petty standard fare for this genre: Dr. Lily Houghton, a strong-willed botanist (Emily Blunt- Quiet Place 1 and 2), wants to be taken seriously by the Royal Society (a British scientific organization) and tries to entice them into supporting her quest to obtain the mythical flower that blooms on a tree known as the Tears of the Moon (which will supposedly heal any illness on the planet and found deep inside the Amazon river). She uses her brother MacGregor Houghton (Jack Whitehall- Fresh Meat, Good Omens) as her presenter due to the rampant misogyny of the Society (the story takes place in 1916 so having your male relative speak on your behalf seems about right). Getting the stinky boot from the menfolk, Lily decides to take matters into her own hands and thusly steals a sacred relic from the Royal Society (of course) , ends up having to fight off a German Royal named Prince Joachim (Jesse Plemmons- Varsity Blues, Fargo) who wants it in order to help Germany win WW1 (of course), and heads off to the Amazon with her brother in tow, hiring a Riverboat captain (Dwayne Johnson- Fast and Furious franchise, Jumanji films) to take her to the most remote area of the Amazon. From there: Chaos ensues, Dad-jokes are enthusiastically thrown around, secrets are learned, myths are revealed and love blossoms.

You know, your standard Fantasy-Adventure movie plot points.

And like a comfortable old friend, Jungle Cruise delivers. The chemistry between Blunt and Johnson is great. It’s obvious that they both had a great time working with one another and it comes through. Whitehall plays the upper-crust, diva brother with a wonderful aplomb that pays off at the end of the movie, and Plemmons relishes his baddie character, having a lot of fun with a pretty one-dimensional adversary (side note: Prince Joachim was an actual prince in Prussia and interestingly shows up in this reviewer’s family line- yes, my family were total asshats, I’m sorry). There’s even a fun cameo from Paul Giamatti (Sideways, Billions) who obviously said yes to a super small role because he knew it was going to be fun.

Extras include a handful of featurettes, deleted scenes, and outtakes.

Like I said before, Jungle Cruise is the kind of movie you want to see when you want nothing more than to sit back and enjoy yourself with junk food. Which is certainly the kind of easy fun we need every once in a while. If you are looking for depth of any kind or intellectual stimulation, you will be disappointed, this movie isn’t interested in being anything more than a two hour movie filled with easy-to-follow plot points and a formula that is as well-worn and soft as a fleece blanket that’s been washed and dried a million times.

And that’s a huge comfort.

I highly recommend it. (–Elizabeth Weitz)

The Green Knight

The Black Widow

While the pandemic put an abrupt end to cinema-going in most territories for a good long while, the MCU did not slow down as Marvel Studios instead looked to Disney+, where their series have continuously managed to enthrall audiences as the superhero entertainment giant kept building their live action universe on the streaming service.

As the world has started to open up again, however, cinemas have reopened as well, and Black Widow is the first MCU feature film to welcome us back with that familiar opening theme.

With Black Widow, the MCU provides its take on the likes of Ethan Hunt and Jason Bourne, and the film delivers respectable action set pieces, which makes it clear that Black Widow deserves its big screen release in that regard.

Natasha’s toughness is emphasized throughout the film as Scarlett Johansson delivers a solid performance, but the true star is Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, whom we have certainly not seen the last of.

Sarcastic and snappy, Pugh serves as both a reminder of the Black Widow of the MCU films of the earlier phases as well as making the character of Yelena completely her own.

In terms of their chemistry, the two leading ladies spar well, making their connection as surrogate sisters engaging to watch as they set out to settle old scores, which have plenty of references to Natasha’s escapades previously mentioned in the MCU, just as Yelena gets to add some self-awareness to the film as she mocks her sister’s mannerisms.

As for their surrogate parents, Rachel Weisz does well with what she is given, and while David Harbour is still as watchable as ever as the Soviet super soldier, the choice to overwhelmingly use his character as comic relief will not sit well with most fans of the Red Guardian.

Harbour has some action scenes, but whereas effort was made with the action scenes involving Johansson and Pugh, Harbour feels underutilized, both action-wise and dramatically, and the humor used in his scenes largely grates and reduces him to an oafish Russian stereotype.

On the villainous side of things, the film unfortunately largely fails to impress as well.

Ray Winstone’s portrayal of the unscrupulous General Dreykov leaves a lot to be desired, as it relies heavily on the audience having preconceived notions about the degree of Dreykov’s dastardliness based on all the other brusque characters Winstone has portrayed over the years. Similarly, while Taskmaster provides some of the very best action sequences in the film, the character ultimately feels squandered.

As a whole, Black Widow is perfectly serviceable, but it simply lacks sufficient narrative punch and sense of urgency because we already know what comes next for the main character. With Natasha’s arc having long since concluded in the MCU, it is frankly difficult to genuinely invest in her when we know that the events of her solo film have no bearings whatsoever for the outcome of her story in the MCU.

Similarly, the film would have been better served by the original release order, where it would have been shown prior to the Disney+ shows.

Here, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier had many impressive action set pieces and emotionally impactful narrative elements, and Black Widow simply does not surpass The Falcon and the Winter Soldier in terms of action sequences or narrative stakes, which sadly makes the film fall short on both counts.

As the story goes, had Ike Perlmutter not repeatedly thrown a spanner in the works for the production of the likes of Black Panther and Black Widow due to his archaic perceptions of what superhero movies should be, Kevin Feige would have brought both of these characters’ solo movies to the big screen sooner. Black Widow in particular would have been a perfect addition to the second phase of the MCU, as we were still only getting to know the Avengers at that point, and her solo story would have been infinitely more compelling within that context.

Unfortunately, that is not how things played out, and one regrettably has to conclude that Black Widow is, as feared, a case of too little, too late. The Blu-ray release features a director’s introduction, featurettes, deleted scenes and a gag reel.  ( – Leyla Mikkelsen)

Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins

It’s been eight not quite long enough years since reigning Hollywood paycheck player Bruce Willis slept-walked his way through Retaliation in a sequel that managed to put the wanna-be franchise by toymaker Hasbro and Paramount Pictures on creative life-support. And with the Law of Diminishing Returns all but guaranteed with its latest entry, Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins somehow manages to buck the trend. Barely. Easily besting its predecessor, yet not quite delivering on the self-effacing fun of the original, Rise of Cobra.

After his father’s murder, an orphaned boy grows into a vengeful man who will stop at nothing to find the killer. And before you can say “Yo, Joe!” he’s screwing over his Yakuza boss and helping a traitor escape with his life. In return for this kindess, Snake Eyes (a self-proclaimed moniker due to a fateful roll of the dice) is invited to join an ancient ninja clan dedicated to fighting evil. Alliances are made to be broken. And loyalties are put to the test.

An origin story nobody really asked for, it’s all a fairly forgettable affair. But that’s not to say it doesn’t entertain, even with a bloated running time. If anything, it’s more-than-capable cast; led by a surprisingly solid Henry Golding, Andrew Koji, and Haruka Abe, significantly elevate the ho-hum material while managing to make it feel like they’re somehow vibing in the same spiritual waters as James Mangold’s far superior The Wolverine.

But that goodwill is undone by the decided lack of playful self-awareness that prevents the movie from kicking it up a notch. It’s not until Joe mainstays; The Baroness (Ursula Corbero) and Scarlett (Samara Weaving) join the fray late in the game, seemingly stepping off the set of a completely different G.I. Joe movie, does the film finally give in to the inherent goofiness we wish it had embraced from the outset.  Extras include featurettes and deleted scenes.

Overall…I say roll the dice. Chances are they’ll come up Snake Eyes. (–B.S. Walker)

Werewolves Within

I find it harder and harder to find movies that I find “fun.”

I watch a lot of stuff, but to be honest, I find myself more and more craving nothing more than entertainment from a movie. With the exception of the phenomenal Ted Lasso, I haven’t watched anything in some time that makes me want to rewatch it immediately.

Then comes Werewolves Within.

First thing, I love werewolf movies.  They are unquestionably my favorite movie monster.

Second, ensemble who-dunnits are also a favorite trope.

Third, I know nothing about video games post-Tetris.  And even that I came to late.

So, when a film based on a video game that had I never heard of starring an ensemble cast trying to solve a mystery with werewolves came to my attention, I was more than a little intrigued.

Werewolves Within is basically Knives Out meets The Howling.

Starring a stellar ensemble cast led by Sam Richardson (Veep, Detroiters) and Milana Vayntrub (This is Us, Lily in the AT&T commercials), Werewolves Within is one of the most joyful movie watching experiences that I’ve had in some time.

Richardson plays Finn, a forest ranger and the newest resident to the small town of Beaverfield.  Befriending postal worker Cecily (Vayntrub), the two find themselves trapped with several of the town’s more colorful residents snowed in together in a local inn. A proposed gas pipeline has created divisions among these people and the tempers and trust are both bordering on the edge.

And one of them might very well be a werewolf.

From there the film takes off.

Successfully providing equal parts of silly and suspense, director Josh Ruben never holds back from providing an extra comic beat or a sudden jump cut, keeping the viewer on their toes. Charming, suspenseful, and ultimately satisfying Werewolves Within is likely to gain a cult audience and deservedly so. (–Stefan Blitz)

Naked Singularity

John Boyega stars in this slight but diverting existential drama/heist flick as a young but already burned out public defender who can’t seem to keep his mouth shut when he should.

He especially has a hard time doing so with Judge Cymbeline, played with ice in her veins by Linda Lavin (a long way from Alice).

It’s hard to blame him.  One egregious example of the utter injustice of the system concerns an addict who Boyega rescues from jail time due to his ill health.

Upon his reevaluation with Cymbeline, the user shows up in court having kicked his habit and looking quite healthy.  His hard work is actually derided by the judge, who feels now he is fit to go to jail.

Wouldn’t rehab be more fitting, Your Honor?   He needs punishment, she retorts. Besides they have therapeutic programs in prison.

He discusses these matters with his friend and colleague, Dane (Bill Skarsgård, Pennywise from the IT films), who is way more resigned and cynical than Boyega.

However, when a convoluted series of events involving his friend Lea (Olivia Cooke), who works at the LAPD Tow service, leads to the knowledge that one of the impounded cars has $15 million worth of drugs in the trunk, the friends ponder a plan to bid on the car at the Tow Auction and change their frustrating lives.

Meanwhile, there’s a thread throughout the film where Boyega feels he’s the only one who notices that things in the universe are askew – such as the local bank thermometer consistently reading 150 degrees.  These observations are reinforced by his stoner friend, Angus, who insists that the fabric of the universe is coming apart.

So, do all these elements jell into a satisfying whole? Not even close. The script feels haphazard and herky-jerky and the big buildup to the heist, which is nicely handled by the occasional caption reading “____ Days to Collapse”, results in an okay ,but hardly memorable third act.

Still, this is reasonably entertaining, with another Boyega performance displaying why he’s leading man material. Skarsgard is fine, but tries too hard to be “wacky” and self-consciously funny, perhaps to prove he can portray characters other than psychotic clowns…?

The supporting cast is overall fine if unremarkable.

The film is brief and rarely dull, with a decent soundtrack and a satisfying denouement, but one wonders if another rewrite or perhaps even a complete overhaul might have brought all of these elements together. (– William Cutshaw)

Free Guy

Space Jam: A New Legacy tried to thrill audiences by not only mixing classic animation and live action like its predecessor, but also injecting digital elements into an unengaging story that was overshadowed by a cornucopia of half-baked pop culture references about as substantial as the nutritional value of your average cinema snack.

While Free Guy certainly does not shy away from referencing the tropes of the gaming world.

Unlike Space Jam: A New Legacy, these tropes do not overshadow the story here, as Free Guy largely keeps these references as background elements to create texture and tone rather than rely on them to make the movie interesting.

As for the plot, Free Guy can easily be described as The Truman Show meeting the world of gaming, and while the story hardly leaves an earth-shattering impact on the viewer, it nonetheless has a certain degree of heart at its core that is necessary to make such a simple narrative worthwhile.

Not unlike 2019’s Pokemon Detective Pikachu, Free Guy boasts Ryan Reynolds getting away a surprising amount of his trademark snappy lewdness within the film’s family-friendly rating.

Additionally, the film also has a sufficiently well-crafted blend of live action and CGI that helps sell the ingame portion of the film, which is where we largely find ourselves.

The action is decent, with the emphasis being on zany gaming violence, but there is an unusual underlying sense of sweetness to many of the action sequences thanks to Reynolds’ Guy being a hopeless romantic disgusted by violence.

This leads to some refreshing plot elements about NPC’s, their autonomy and AI in general, which manages to stand in opposition to how NPC’s are traditionally perceived and treated, however, this is achieved without sanctimoniously lecturing the audience, which would have been all too easy to do.

It should also be noted that the choice to film the ingame elements as live action with some fantastical elements – instead of digitally stylizing them entirely a la Ready Player One– works exceedingly well; by largely keeping the film live action, the real world and the ingame world feel more connected, and it also elevates the stakes of the interpersonal relationships between the human and digital characters.

In terms of the non-gaming characters, the film utilizes a somewhat formulaic dynamic, but the protagonists portrayed by Jodie Comer and Joe Keery and their motivations are sincere enough to allow the viewer to invest in them and their struggles.

As for the antagonist, while Taika Waititi is usually guaranteed to be entertaining, his greedy CEO douchebag character is unfortunately incredibly flat and predictable, and it is rather the overarching theme of indie game developers versus soulless corporations that makes the characters’ conflict interesting.  Extras include featurettes, deleted and extended scenes, and trailers.

All in all, Free Guy easily places itself as one of the better films dealing with the world of gaming, and while not being an adaptation of a game and rather a story about gaming and AI likely is part of what makes the film work, it nonetheless shows that it is not impossible to make gaming-centric films that are fun and engaging without reinventing everything we know about either medium. ( – Leyla Mikkelsen)

Wrath of Man

It’s been twenty-three years since I saw Guy Ritchie’s debut film, Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, a clever crime comedy that introduced the world to Jason Statham. The director and star collaborated on Revolver and Snatch and now, reuniting for the first time in fifteen years, Wrath of Man.

Based on the 2004 French film Cash Truck by Nicolas Boukhrief, Wrath of Man is a film with a simple plot that tries to be complicated.

Utilizing a non-linear structure with many scenes avoiding dialogue altogether, Ritchie tries to peel away the story like an onion, but instead dices it.

Statham plays H, who despite his obvious claims, is more than a man who signs up to work for a cash truck company.  H has an agenda, and whether or not he’s a good or bad guy, it really doesn’t matter.

When his truck is attacked at gunpoint, H unleashes his combat skills and single-handedly saves the day.

Who is H and what does he hope to accomplish?

The solid supporting cast includes Holt McCallany, Jeffrey Donovan, Josh Hartnett, Laz Alonso, Scott Eastwood, Post Malone, Rob Delaney and Andy Garcia.  This movie is a constant reminder that without a good screenplay, it’s impossible to make a good film.

As the plot revels itself, it’s fairly uninspired and predictable, much like Ritchie’s filmography of recent years.  Running almost two hours, Wrath of Man delivers a tired, overlong execution, which is appropriate since if I had to watch it again, I’d kill myself.  (– Stefan Blitz)

F9: The Fast Saga

Few things are certain in life, but one thing you have been able to depend on for a good long while is that the release of a new installment in the Fast & Furious franchise every few years is an inevitable pop culture event, with the franchise growing ever larger in terms of both the number of installments and the scale of its bombastically ridiculous stunts and purposefully paper-thin excuses for plots.

In the ninth installment of the main film series, our heroes once again struggle with threats to their core concept of family, just as they yet again have to save the world from a dastardly villain who wants to achieve an equally dastardly goal by using a MacGuffin of some description.

As such, the film fulfills its brief as a feature designed solely for switching your brain off and completely forgetting about reality for a couple of hours.

However, not all ridiculousness is good ridiculousness, and even die-hard fans of the franchise may be getting more ridiculousness than they bargained for this time around.

While the Fast & Furious franchise has long since become aware of itself – and as a result created a loyal fan base who are fully in on the joke – the franchise is unfortunately starting to become something of a victim of its own self-awareness. It may seem that anything goes when dealing with purposefully ludicrous action movies, but even when the laws of physics are completely ignored and a franchise deliberately showcases more and more absurd scenarios with increasingly hammy dialogue, a franchise should still have a certain degree of belief in its own premise, and F9 simply does not have the sincerity of its predecessors.

Not only has the franchise taken a turn toward flat-out slapstick comedy with F9, but the latest film also lacks the finesse and grandeur that made the latter half of films so successful. Deliberately silly as the films may be, they are nonetheless well-executed with a knowing charm that is hard to resist, and F9 largely fails to deliver genuinely entertaining action set pieces when our heroes do things with vehicles that the laws of physics do not support.

The melee also leaves something to be desired, with the fight scenes not only being few and far between but also quite underwhelming, something that is considered a cardinal sin in the world of action. With the likes of the John Wick and Mission: Impossible franchises having set a high standard for fight choreography in Hollywood, a larger-than-life franchise like Fast & Furious should not be pulling its punches in this department either, but it sadly does not manage to pack its usual punch neither literally or figuratively.

Fans of the franchise who know the memes and understand that the Fast & Furious franchise is about pure, unadulterated fun will likely still have a good time with the ninth installment, but for those who are looking to start their descent into the wild world of Dom Toretto & Co., F9 is much too hammy for its own good and it simply does not convey the same type of vibrant recklessness that the franchise is known for.  Extras include an additional Director’s Cut, commentary, featurettes and a gag reel.

Nonetheless, F9 is a fun experience that brings plenty of laughs, but where the laughs of the previous films were due to one’s inner child being thoroughly entertained, the laughs this time around are more a result of a disbelief of how awkwardly absurd the franchise has become, and the filmmakers need to put more effort into the upcoming installments lest they become cinematic car wrecks of the worst kind. (– Leyla Mikkelsen)

Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard

The desire to hit action-comedy gold is high in these days of seemingly endless sequels.

Who knows which summer hit will turn into the next incredibly lucrative Lethal Weapon series? But a bad sequel fails to replicate the magic balance of violence and laughs, giving the impression of a longform TV special. Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard has a cast designed for the big screen working with writing from a TBS primetime event.

The swagger and confidence from unaccredited executive bodyguard Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds) is gone, and he is a shadow of the man whose last scenes were cracking jokes at the charming contract killer Darius Kincaid (Samuel L. Jackson) from a stretcher after saving the day. In therapy, he details daily nightmares and an obsession for getting back his accreditation that is only vaguely addressed past surface level.

While on a therapist-mandated no-kill vacation, he is swept up by Kincaid’s equally foul-mouthed wife Sofia (Salma Hayek), who needs Bryce’s help to save Kincaid from a kidnapper so they can continue their honeymoon and have a baby.

We have not even introduced the main villain, pompous Greek mafia leader Aristotle Papadopolous (Antonio Banderas) or his ludicrous “destroy the world” plan. This is a decided step down from Gary Oldman’s turn in the original, which gave some weight to an otherwise goofy storyline. The first tried to create some ties to reality, pulling back the more ludicrous elements in favor of well-choreographed action sequences and chummy back and forth between Reynolds and Jackson.

Unfortunately, the same chemistry does not exist between Hayek and Reynolds, making many of their scenes quite awkward.

Sofia is a character that is fine in small doses, but becomes grating in longform. Where comedy fails, we turn to the action. The sequences are louder, more fiery, and significantly more bloody than the original. It veers into the kind of body count you’d expect from a strictly action movie, which might be jarring for those hoping for more jokes than killshots.

Rounding out a cast full of wasted potential are supporting roles from Morgan Freeman, Tom Hopper, and Frank Grillo. Even though the sequel is almost 20 minutes shorter, it somehow feels the same length if not longer.  In all this there are some bright spots, and genuine laughs to be had. They just come too few and far between to make up for the rest of the film.

Extras include featurettes, trailers, and a gag reel.  (–Kristen Halbert)

The Suicide Squad

In 2016, Warner Bros. tried their hand at something slightly different with the first Suicide Squad film.

Receiving overwhelmingly negative reviews, the PG-13 effort also failed to impress audiences at large thanks to a flat storyline, underwhelming character development and downright criminally terrible editing.

Few expected there to be any follow-up to the muddled mess that was the first Suicide Squad, but once James Gunn was brought on board to direct an R-rated sequel that many perceived to be a soft reboot of sorts, it seemed that this second chance could allow some obscure DC Comics baddies to shine after all.

And shine they do.

Being back in his true element with an R-rating and minimal studio interference, Gunn is allowed to creatively utilize the type of language and gore that filled his efforts before he became a household name thanks to the surprise success of Guardians of the Galaxy.

The humor is dark, the laughs are plenty and the gore is sufficiently over-the-top without becoming completely ridiculous in this sequel that completely blows the 2016 film out of the water, as the escapades of the new team makes The Suicide Squad sit somewhere between Guardians of the Galaxy and The Expendables tonally.

A handful of fan favorites from the first film return, including Jai Courtney’s surprisingly enjoyable Captain Boomerang, Joel Kinnaman’s team leader Rick Flag, Viola Davis’ callous Amanda Waller, and of course Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, whom she continues to embody with vigor and panache.

In terms of the new additions to the team, these characters not only serve a practical purpose of forming a team with the right combination of skills needed for the mission at hand, but their individual arcs are also fulfilling on both a narrative and emotional level.

While the hilariously petty rivalry between Idris Elba’s surly Bloodsport and John Cena’s douchey Peacemaker ensures that the internal rivalries in the group are amusing, it is the heartfelt nature of the likes of Daniela Melchior’s unshakably positive Ratcatcher 2 that truly makes the film come alive.

Much like Gunn made us care about a snarky raccoon and a tree with a very limited vocabulary in Guardians of the Galaxy, the brilliance with which Gunn’s writing imbues his characters with humanity and relatability enables us to emotionally invest in a human-eating anthropomorphic shark voiced by Sylvester Stallone, just as many viewers may find themselves thinking of rats with a newfound fondness after watching the film.

As for the antagonists of the film, anybody but Gunn would likely have stayed far away from the likes of Starro the Conqueror, and while the absurdity is palpable, it is nonetheless intentional, resulting in the extra-terrestrial starfish being used to great effect when the entity is eventually unleashed. Until we reach that point in the story, however, the film deals with more standard human villains, which always stands the risk of diminishing the narrative sense of urgency, but Gunn has thankfully made sure to make the characters self-aware enough that tired, problematic tropes are largely avoided.

In terms of the action, the aforementioned gore and humor serves the film well in this regard, as the action set pieces are not only plentiful and creative, but also strike a healthy balance between pure entertainment and propelling the story forward at a brisk but steady pace.

Extras are plentiful, with commentary, deleted/extended scenes, featurettes, trailers, and a gag reel.

All in all, James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad easily places itself as a highlight of the countless offerings from the ever expanding superhero genre thanks to a fun and self-aware script that is expertly realized. As for Warner Bros. and the DCEU in particular, this film will hopefully help to finally drive home the point that the studio needs to take more risks and learn to trust the creatives instead of trying to play it safe by churning out more Batman remakes – much like The Suicide Squad relies on a rowdy band of unknowns to save the world, Warner Bros. also needs to continue to trust in the unknown to save their hopes of competing with Disney’s MCU at the box office.  ( – Leyla Mikkelsen)

 

Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain

My first exposure to Anthony Bourdain was almost twenty years ago when I read his autobiographical manifesto, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly.

Not long after I started following his various tv shows including A Cook’s Tour, No Reservations, and ultimately, Parts Unknown.

Bourdain was smart, opinionated, empathetic, but what set him apart was his blunt honesty.

Blunt honesty seems to be the theme of Morgan Neville’s new documentary, Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain.

At times, the film is difficult to watch.

Bourdain’s blunt honesty wasn’t particularly kind if you were on the receiving end.

Through the interviews in the film including fellow chefs Éric Ripert and David Chang, artist David Choe, ex-wife Ottavia Bourdain, and various members of his production crew including Helen M. Cho, Christopher Collins, Tom Vitale and Lydia Tenaglia, we see that to love Bourdain was to be hurt by Bourdain.

In recollection of their former friend, many are driven to tears by his absence, yet all are somewhat understanding of Bourdain’s demons and how they contributed to his eventual suicide.  As revealed through the conversations of those who knew him best, his complicated and intense personality led to an his inevitable ending.

After meeting actress/director Asia Argento, Bourdain seemed to change his personality considerably.  Longtime friends were shunned, co-workers fired, and his obsession with Argento (an untrustworthy and unreliable narrator in my opinion) seemed to be the cause.

Watching this with the knowledge that Bourdain would take his own life makes this film even more bleak.

Bourdain was adored, and feel that this film served as not only an opportunity to provide a sense of closure for those who loved him, but also as an acknowledgement that Bourdain often reciprocated his feelings back with a detachment and a cold heart.

Despite the unhappy ending, it’s a must watch. ( – Stefan Blitz)

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It

In the 1980s, the slasher was without a doubt the predominant type of horror film available to audiences.

Later, as the popularity of Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers dwindled, the zombie genre overran the horror landscape with its hordes of reanimated corpses before taking a backseat to supernatural horror with the likes of Paranormal Activity and the Insidious series taking the lead with scaring audiences senseless.

Part of this new wave of paranormal horror was James Wan’s 2013 effort The Conjuring.

Taking its inspiration from the case files of real-life charlatans Ed and Lorraine Warren, the first film boasted a sincere sense of dread and solid scares, which were balanced out by a certain degree of groundedness thanks to Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson’s compelling performances as the impeccably coiffed psychic and her God-fearing husband.

Naturally, as is the standard for the horror genre in particular, a sequel was soon in the works, and James Wan returned to direct once again, as the sequel handled the case of the Enfield poltergeist in a manner that the real-life subjects of the incident were less than pleased about.

Still, the film was almost on par with its predecessor in terms of production value, atmosphere and intensity, and the so-called Conjuring Cinematic Universe was now in full swing with two main films and a continuous stream of spin-offs of decreasing quality making their way to theaters at steady intervals.

While The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is certainly better than the multiple spin-offs the horror series has spawned, it is undoubtedly the weakest of the three The Conjuring films.

As before, Farmiga and Wilson’s chemistry goes a long way to somewhat ground the story and allow the audience to invest in the protagonists, but the lack of James Wan’s undeniable flair does affect the end result, which is ultimately more Scooby-Doo than The Exorcist.

Whereas the two previous films about the exploits of the Warrens concerned supernatural occurrences that inspired great terror without loss of life, in the case of Arne Johnson’s supposed demonic possession, however, life was lost.

Much like the motives of the real-life Warrens have been called into question many times over the years, once a film takes the route of handling real-life murder within a horror movie setting – a genre that is by default exploitative – one must further scrutinize how the subject matter is handled, as it is all too easy to lose sight of the humanity of the real-life victim when their tragedy is used as a means to entertain rather than educate.

Due to the increased focus on mystery in this installment, the film is thankfully not as overtly exploitative as it could have been, but much like the rest of the series – and arguably the claims of the real-life Warrens themselves – it is of course a sensationalist exacerbation of actual events.

As such, there should then at least be good entertainment value to be found, but while the aforementioned shift in focus to mystery over outright horror works to some extent, the film simply lacks the finesse in writing and execution that made its predecessors so successful. The motivation of the antagonist is not established well enough, and the pay-off when all is revealed is missing the trademark atmosphere and intensity of the first two The Conjuring films, making The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It a forgettable affair.  Extras include featurettes and a digital comic book.

While not unwatchable, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It nonetheless has a severely lessened sense of dread and tame scares compared to its predecessors, and while the whodunnit flavor of the third installment is not necessarily a negative turn, it may be time for the supernatural horror film to pass the popularity torch to another horror subgenre. (– Leyla Mikkelsen)

Snowpiercer: The Complete Second Season

At the end of season one, the survivors of the revolution are trying to pick up the pieces and maintain a fragile peace amongst the now merged classes with Layton (Daveed Diggs) emerging as the train’s leader. Discovering Mr. Wilford (Sean Bean) is alive and headed their way on a rival train, Melanie (Jennifer Connelly) risks going outside to prevent him from invading Snowpiercer. While she’s out there, it’s revealed that Alexandra (Rowan Blanchard), Melanie’s daughter, who she thought had died, is alive and has become Wilford’s dedicated protegee. In season two, an entirely new power struggle emerges, causing a dangerous rift as people are divided between their loyalty to Layton and to Mr. Wilford, who has a new train, new technology and a game plan that keeps everyone guessing. While Layton battles Wilford for the soul of Snowpiercer, Melanie leads the charge on a shocking new discovery that could change the fate of humanity.  Extras include featurettes and cast & crew roundtable discussion.

Stillwater

There’s a certain amount of predictability in Stillwater, loosely inspired by the Amanda Knox case. The film follows unemployed, blue-collar worker Bill Baker (Matt Damon) as he travels from Stillwater, Oklahoma to Marseille to visit his incarcerated daughter, Allison (Abigail Breslin), who is serving time for a murder that she claims she did not commit. When Allison reveals to her father that there might be a sliver of evidence that could exonerate her, Baker remains in France trying to find assistance within the courts who consider the case closed. Befriending an actress and her young daughter, Baker falls in love and builds the family that he never had while obsessively searching for clues that might free Allison from her murder sentence.

Stillwater, directed by the great Tom McCarthy (Win Win, The Visitor) is anchored by stellar performances from Damon, Camille Cottin (Baker’s love interest Virginie), and Lilou Siauvaud (Camille’s daughter, Maya). Extras include featurettes.

Although there’s a certain amount of predictability as the story unfolds, Damon disappears into the role, turning Stillwater from an otherwise stereotypical story and resolution into one of the year’s best. (– Stefan Blitz)

Old

The more films M. Night Shyamalan makes, I think he’s slowly moving away from his attempts to be the heir of Spielberg, and instead developing his own little niche centered around his interests.

Inspired by the graphic novel Sandcastle by Oscar Lévy and Frederik Peeters, Old tells the story of a vacationing family that visits a secluded beach that’s somehow causing them to age rapidly — reducing their entire lives into a single day. Essentially a one location thriller, Old includes many of Shyamalan’s usual tropes including his usual distracting cameo and twist reveal.

Old is a ridiculous film, often without logic, but it is a very entertaining, albeit unmemorable watch. And frankly, that’s what most of Shyamalan’s output has become; serviceable and entertaining, but ultimately forgettable. Extras include featurettes and deleted scenes.

Certainly not a “must buy”, but if you’re looking for something to watch that will keep you distracted for an hour and a half, you can’t go wrong with Old. (– Stefan Blitz)

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow: The Complete Sixth Season

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow continues to trudge along as the equivalent of the Arrowverse’s redheaded step-child. It’s light and entertaining, but as this season ended, in many ways I feel like it might have been time to cap off the adventures of the Waverider.

Having spent last season trying to track down the Loom of Fate, the Legends must now save history from a foe like none they’ve encountered in the past or future. The timeship Waverider’s crew have dealt with monsters, time anomalies, and most recently, villains from Hell, but this season they will face something even more challenging and bizarre … space aliens!

Now with only four established heroic characters (Caity Lotz’s Sara Lance, Nick Zano’s Steel, Dominic Purcell’s Heat Wave and Matt Ryan’s John Constantine), the series feels less and less like an offshoot of the DC Universe and more like Doctor Who Meets The Young Adventures of Indiana Jones. By the end of the season both Constantine and Heat Wave exit the series, while the Legends encounter one historical icon after another. Extras include featurettes, deleted scenes and a gag reel.

Now, with Sara Lance as the series’ only remaining character from the first season, it might be time to reinvent the series or let it join it’s fellow Arrowverse series Arrow and Supergirl and close the chapter on a high note. (– Stefan Blitz)

The Show

Alan Moore and Mitch Jenkins have collaborated on a new psychological drama/thriller that attempts to beguile and intrigue viewers with a dreamlike scenario coupled with a film noir setup.

A detective who goes by many aliases investigates the death of an older “silver fox” and runs into many oddball characters along the way. That’s the long and the short of it.

Let me cut to the chase and admit I think that while Moore is considered a god among many comic fans, I haven’t been especially impressed.  I dig Watchmen…but that’s about it. And in interviews he comes across as an unrepentant ass.  This new film will not make any new fans of Moore, and I can’t imagine his most diehard supporters defending this film.

I’m being completely honest when I write that this is one of the worst films I’ve seen in years.  Astoundingly tedious, self-consciously quirky, pretentious and insanely overlong, The Show is a train wreck. But not the fun kind á la The Room.

The film tips its hand with an “is it a dream or reality??” schtick early on.

Stunningly, the film never builds upon this premise and in fact boringly just follows suit to a dull ending.  Along the (LONG) way, we get to meet “quirky” characters such as Mr. Conquerer, played by an African American woman.  How clever!

We also meet a wacky, wealthy superhero wannabe (I think?) who observes all the action on his laptop while wearing Aquabats headgear.  I stuck it out, hoping in vain for some cool payoff.  It doesn’t happen, trust me. This is student film level philosophical filmmaking.  To clarify, this is BAD student film level philosophical filmmaking, with technical merits to match. Extras include short films, a trailer, and a featurette with Moore and Jenkins.

Sloppily edited, unevenly acted, pointless, endless and just plain bad, The Show should be avoided at all costs.  (– William Cutshaw)

Superman & Lois: The Complete First Season

Tyler Hoechlin made several appearances in the Arrowverse establishing himself as the latest incarnation of The Man of Steel.  When Bitsie Tulloch appeared in two crossovers (Elseworlds and Crisis on Infinite Earths), television’s definitive Superman and Lois Lane were established.  Not long after, it was announced that comic’s first couple were returning to television, not only as a married couple, but also parents to twin teenage boys.  At this point, I was prepared for the worst.

And fortunately, not only was I surprised, but also elated.  Hoechlin and Tulloch have become, for me, the definitive interpretation of these characters.  Christopher Reeve’s interpretation takes a slight edge as his Superman and Clark Kent personas are completely different, but Hoechlin’s Superman smiles, inspires, and protects his family and the world in general time and time again. To be honest, I wasn’t crazy about Tulloch at first, but her evolution has turned me into a fan.

With internet news replacing traditional journalism, Lois, Clark and their sons Jonathan and Jordan move from Metropolis to the Kent Farm in Smallville.  Fortunately, both of the sons are well defined characters, and the performances from actors Alex Garfin and Jordan Elsass deliver.  The first season includes other characters from the mythos including Morgan Edge, Lana Lang, John Henry Irons, General Sam Lang, Joe-El, Martha Kent, Perry White, John Diggle, and Ron Troupe.  In addition, the series incorporates The Fortress of Solitude, The Superman signal watch, Kryptonite, The Phantom Zone, and the Fleischer costume.

Extras include featurettes.

It’s been said that Superman’s powers make him a dull character and this interpretation not only disproves that theory, but also provides one of the best incarnations of him to date.

Invasion of The Body Snatchers

Like the original, this 1978 remake has a good reputation, and deservedly so. I prefer the original, and I strongly suggest watching it first so that you will catch the various references and similarities, but this skillful remake will be well worth your time. The plot sticks closely but not completely to the original, so there is room for surprises.

The biggest substantive difference is the setting: San Francisco, rather than a small close-knit town. It’s very amusing to see the city that prides itself on being the bastion of diversity transformed into conformist blandness. The other obvious difference is stylization with ultra-precise cinematography, pronounced visual motifs (such as the web patterns that repeat in the plants, the broken window, the wall tapestry, and elsewhere), and repeated use of unusual and frightening sounds to build the tension. The direction from Philip Kaufman reminded me of both John Carpenter (whose movies never let you shake the feeling that something bad is just around the corner) and Brian De Palma (with jump-cuts, shock-sounds, and surprise visual revelations). One might criticize the director for being a bit too precise, almost contrived, and one might note that things take a bit too long to conclude, but overall this scary downbeat film is quite a trip.

Extras are plentiful with two commentary tracks on the 4K disc and on the accompanying Blu-ray, the same commentaries plus interviews, featurettes, and promotional materials.

Donald Sutherland is great as the strong-willed and vaguely menacing Dr. Bennell. Leonard Nimoy contributes what is probably his best non-Trek performance. Jeff Goldblum is good in support. Robert Duvall appears uncredited as a priest in a schoolyard. Brooke Adams appeared also in Shock Waves. Kevin McCarthy (star of the 1956 version) has a cameo where he repeats his famous line, “You’re next!” If occasionally overdone, it’s still exciting and frightening. (– David E. Goldweber)

The Nevers: Season 1, Part 1

August, 1896. Victorian London is rocked to its foundations by a supernatural event which gives certain people — mostly women — abnormal abilities, from the wondrous to the disturbing. But no matter their particular “turns,” all who belong to this new underclass are in grave danger. It falls to mysterious, quick-fisted widow Amalia True (Laura Donnelly) and brilliant young inventor Penance Adair (Ann Skelly) to protect and shelter these gifted “orphans.” To do so, they will have to face the brutal forces determined to annihilate their kind.

And so begins the challenge of The Nevers.  Can you truly separate the creator from the work?  After allegations of workplace harassment from a number of collaborators over the years, Whedon not only left The Nevers, but his name was not used in promoting the series in any capacity.

In this case, yes.  The Nevers is reminiscent of a number of comic book titles, notably The X-Men.  The series is brimming with concepts and ideas, which although as a whole come across as overstuffed, messy, and at times incomprehensible, are nevertheless extremely entertaining.  With only a half dozen episodes released, it’s hard to tell if it will come together, or if it will just be a series that simply doesn’t pay off.  Extras include featurettes (– Stefan Blitz)

Shang-Chi and the Legend of The Ten Rings

As the MCU’s fourth phase has begun to unfold, aside from the franchise’s first handful of small screen offerings being well-received, the pandemic has left audiences waiting for worthwhile theatrical content. As such, Destin Daniel Cretton’s first foray into blockbuster territory with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is therefore long-awaited, and with its release we finally get a strong foundation upon which the theatrical portion of the fourth phase can be built.

Born from the martial arts craze of the 1970s following the untimely death of Bruce Lee, Shang-Chi may have largely escaped the notice of the mainstream, but he has been a firmly established presence in Marvel’s comics since his inception.

However, much like other western depictions of Asian characters at the time, Shang-Chi also fell victim to problematic portrayals, not least thanks to the deeply racist character of Fu Manchu being both his primary foe and his father. With Marvel long having wanted to distance themselves from the racist stereotype of the Fu Manchu character, the MCU’s take on Shang-Chi’s parental archenemy is instead Wenwu, who is revealed to be the true identity of the live action franchise’s take on the Mandarin.

With the history of this MCU character also being problematic, Wenwu finally puts this name to rest by unambiguously denouncing the Mandarin moniker as what it always was, namely a prejudiced westerner’s name for a foreign boogeyman. Similarly, the emphasis of the narrative is also less about a caricature of an evil warlord and criminal, but instead a story about a family torn apart by grief and the burden of the expectations parents have of their children.

However, while the film is driven by its narrative, it is certainly not lacking in the action department either. Being an amalgamation of wuxia fantasy and Hong Kong-style action as seen through a Hollywood lens, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is easily among the better half of MCU films as a whole.

More specifically, the film is among the very best of the franchise’s origin films, thanks to a healthy balance of nuanced performances and the best choreographed action in the franchise yet. Having an amount of emotional gravitas unusual for the MCU, a lot rests on the quality of the acting, and Simu Liu makes for a compelling leading man. Delivering a solid performance not only as an action star who is ready to pick up the mantle as an Avenger, but also as an actor who conveys his emotions with a sincerity that makes his character both complex and immensely likable, Liu proves that he has the acting chops to hold his own against the likes of the legendary Tony Leung.

As for Leung, he does what he does best and not only steals every scene he is in, but also elevates them with his usual understated but deeply soulful presence. Again, this is hardly a surprise for anyone familiar with Leung’s body of work, but much like the film will probably be many westerners’ segway into a wider spectrum of Asian cinema from China and Hong Kong in particular, it will also specifically introduce people to the filmography of Leung, which will be an enrichment for any cinephile not already familiar with his work.

With the trademark MCU humor at times being a detriment to some moviegoers’ experience, Awkafina thankfully fits in well due to both her signature style of casual, quick-witted snark and her chemistry with Liu. With the filmmakers knowing when to use her as comic relief and when to uphold the seriousness of a scene, the tone of the film is for the most part more on the serious side, which may also be why the introduction of another comic relief character in the second half of the film will be rather grating to some viewers.

And the second half of the film is unfortunately not quite as strong as its first half. Not only does this secondary comic relief outstay their welcome, the film also struggles ever so slightly with its pacing and the finesse of its action choreography. Going a more fantastical route in the latter half of the film, there is still plenty of spectacle to behold, but the film’s final threat feels somewhat shoehorned in due to a very late introduction. That being said, the finale of the film is nonetheless well realized, and it offers one of the more original final showdowns of the franchise.  Extras include commentary, featurettes, deleted scenes and a gag reel.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings may not be as mind-blowing to those who are already fans of Asian cinema as it will be to those who only have a very limited knowledge of how the medium is used outside Hollywood, but the film nonetheless works as an excellent ambassador for non-Hollywood cinema.

Giving the MCU one of its most compelling villains to date with Tony Leung’s excellent performance as Wenwu, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has its own distinct identity, and the film breathes new life into the behemoth that is the MCU, setting the fourth phase of the franchise up to be even more nuanced and fantastical and than what came before. (– Leyla Mikkelsen)

The Flash: The Complete Seventh Season

After a sixth season cut short by the pandemic, The Flash returned with it’s seventh and sadly worst season to date.   At one point, the heart of the Arrowverse, The Flash suffers a similar fate that befell Supergirl, namely giving every character super-powers.

At one time chronicling a heroes adventures surrounded by friends and colleagues, The Flash is showing it’s lack of ideas by enhancing most of it’s supporting cast with secret identities.  At one point one of the most charismatic casts on television, the actors don’t even pretend not to be bored with the material.  To make matters worse as both a fan of the comic and the television series, most of the time I not only wasn’t quite sure what the story was about, but also, simply didn’t care.  With the best actor in the cast, Jesse L. Martin only making brief appearances, and actors Carlos Valdes and Tom Cavanaugh exiting at the end of the season, one wonders why the network is so intent on destroying the legacy of this formerly fun series.

Fortunately, Arrow‘s David Ramsey and former cast members Jessica Parker Kennedy and John Wesley Shipp make far too brief appearances, which serve as a sad reminder of how great the series once was.  Extras are slight with deleted scenes, featurettes, and a gag reel.  Coming in at only 18 episodes, I hope the series regains some of it’s past glory leading it to a respectable ending sooner than later. (– Stefan Blitz)

Kung Fu: The Complete First Season

A quarter-life crisis causes a young Chinese-American woman, Nicky Shen, to drop out of college and go on a life-changing journey to an isolated monastery in China. But when she returns to find her hometown overrun with crime and corruption, Nicky uses her martial arts skills and Shaolin values to protect her community and bring criminals to justice — all while searching for the assassin who killed her Shaolin mentor and is now targeting her.

Sharing little more than the name of the original series, Kung Fu mixes family drama with Wuxia adventure.  What truly sets this series apart from the previous David Carradine series is the establishment of strong women characters, beginning with Olivia Liang who plays Nicky.  Her performance is strong and charismatic, which helps elevate Kung Fu into one of television’s best secrets.  Extras include featurette and deleted scenes (– Stefan Blitz)

Universal Classic Monsters: Icons of Horror Collection

From the era of silent movies through present day, Universal Pictures has been regarded as the home of the monsters. Universal Classic Monsters Icons of Horror Collection showcases four of the most iconic monsters in motion picture history including Dracula, Frankenstein, The Invisible Man and The Wolf Man. Starring Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr. and Claude Rains in the roles that they made famous, these original films set the standard for a new horror genre with revolutionary makeup, mood-altering cinematography and groundbreaking special effects.  One of the best and most important releases of the year.

Dracula
As is well known, this pioneering film from director Tod Browing has a wonderful atmospheric opening replete with craggy mountain peaks, superstitious gypsies, dusty castles, clattering carriages, spider webs (one as big as a wall!), creaking doors, rolling mist, howling wolves, and, of course, screeching bats. It is here, even more than in the superior Nosferatu, that vampire archetypes are established. A vampire is charming and suave for the first time. But after the first 21 minutes, everything slows to a snail’s pace. There is no soundtrack and much deliberation. It feels far longer than it is.

Like the stage version from which the movie was formulated, the story follows Bram Stoker’s original book with surprising closeness, at least by Hollywood standards. Unfortunately, the on-screen Wilhelmina lacks the punch and aggressiveness of the original character, and Van Helsing has little of his mystical grandfatherly charm. And there are only a few brief remaining moments of sexual suggestiveness. More sexuality, as David J. Skal notes in his commentary, was in the original screenplay. Skal feels the film is “underappreciated” although he admits some awkward moments such as the shot in the theater, around 25:00, where Lugosi looks about 5’5″ (he was really 6’1″).

Whatever the flaws, every horror fan must see it. The unforgettable highlights are the shots of the grinning, drawling, unblinking Bela. Browning originally wanted Lon Chaney to play the part (Chaney died unexpectedly in 1930), but once the film is seen it is hard to imagine anyone matching Lugosi. It is also great fun to watch Renfield’s transformation from stuffed shirt to raving freak. His best lines involve rats… rats… rats! Extras include commentaries, alternate score, featurettes, trailers and the Spanish version of the film.

Dracula Spanish Version
Because dubbing was untested in these early talkie days, Universal decided to film a separate Spanish version at the same time as Browning’s.

The English-speaking crew worked daytimes, and the Spanish-Mexican crew (except George Melford, the non-Spanish-speaking director, most famous for The Sheik) worked overnight. The scenes were even blocked similarly, with similar camera movements, and some identical establishing and long shots. Some scenes feel similar. But – with one exception – this Spanish version is more intense, with wardrobes flamboyant and sexy, a vivacious heroine, extra special effects, more dynamism and movement as a whole. Bite marks appear for the first time on screen. It’s much longer than Browning’s but feels the same length.

Most commentators feel it is at least as good as Browning’s and probably better. But the one exception, of course, is Bela Lugosi, and I generally agree  that Lugosi alone gives the Browning version the edge:  Carlos Villarias isn’t bad, but Lugosi’s performance in the Browning version is so unforgettable, that Melford’s lesser-known effort is inferior, despite being superior technically and aesthetically.

Frankenstein
Many critics believe that Frankenstein is “the finest horror film ever made.” I put it at least into the top five. It works like a tragic horror-adventure, but there’s a strange campy subversiveness simmering underneath. It has a spooky, otherworldly atmosphere. The sets, especially Frankenstein’s lab, are spectacular. The monster’s face is unnerving, yet also sad and sympathetic thanks to Jack Pierce’s makeup skills. Every shot in the movie is superbly framed and composed. Add to the mix a host of unforgettable scenes: the little girl by the lake, the burning windmill, and of course the electric moments when the creature comes to life.

A few notes on influences and connections. First: there is a scene in both Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein where someone comes knocking at the castle doors and a crude servant rambles over, complaining about having to answer. Is there something symbolic here? Is this a reference to the famous “knocking at the gate” interlude in Macbeth?  Second: Frankenstein himself is a wealthy baron living in an isolated castle in an unnamed Bavarian province; he is honorable and maniacal at once. Is he a prototype for Marvel Comics’ Doctor Doom, foe of the Fantastic Four?  Third: the entire Frankenstein series departs markedly from the original book (written by Mary Shelley in 1816 when she was 19). The book gives even more credit to the monster; indeed, it makes him more human than his creator.

The little introduction and the opening scene at the graveyard are tipoffs that Frankenstein is not entirely serious (e.g. dirt in the statue’s face). But the mood darkens as the movie progresses, and the climax is harrowing. Whale, Karloff, and Pierce all understood that the core of the story is the audience’s mixed emotional response to the Monster: initial fear and revulsion must turn to pity and finally to understanding. Extras include commentary tracks, featurettes, trailers, and a short film. The epilogue is superfluous (it was apparently added at the last minute), and a soundtrack would have helped here and there, but everything else is perfect.

The Invisible Man
Some people consider Whale’s Invisible Man to be the greatest genre picture of the 30s. I wouldn’t want to argue. Claude Rains is jarring and unforgettable as the cackling invisible maniac who never lets up. This movie made him a star. (I just wish we could see his slow descent into madness and not simply the madness itself.) The action is almost non-stop. Things are funny and frightening at once. In one scene, the villain knocks the hat off the head of an old drunk, but in another scene he murders helpless innocents. Gloria Stuart, age 23, is unimpressive as the girlfriend, but she nearly won an Oscar for her role in James Cameron’s Titanic, 64 years later. The back-projection special effects are average for the time period, but the real fun comes from the objects that seemingly fly about by themselves. There are many such moments, all of them masterful: cups, books, brooms, garments, even a bicycle riding on its own.

Although it is more consistent and more believable than Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein, I have a hard time considering The Invisible Man the best James Whale picture. This is because it is not as stylized as those others, not as readily identifiable as a Whale production, lacking his usual choreographed transitions and framed images. At any rate, I love this movie and recommend it highly. It got me to rethink an ice-breaker question I got asked once at a party: would you rather have the power to fly? or to turn invisible? At the time I immediately picked flying. I imagined myself soaring among the birds, with the little people and houses far below me. But I reconsider that pick every time I see The Invisible Man.  Extras include commentary, trailer, featurette, and production photographs.

The Wolf Man
I rank this movie fourth out of five on the list of monster classics, beneath Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, and The Mummy, but above Dracula. It is a very good looking film with its Old World atmosphere of rustic villages, fire lit castles, and misty primeval forests. Lon Chaney Jr. (billed as Lon Chaney) was not a great actor until the 1960s, but he has some great moments here when he first realizes what has happened to him, grasping for some clue or remedy to solve his helpless desperation. Claude Rains should have been better, but at least he is strong and likeable. Bela Lugosi has a small role, one that usually annoys big Lugosi fans.

For most viewers, the most memorable character is the old gypsy woman played straight by Maria Ouspenskaya. This film has not aged well – i.e. there are few surprises, the action scenes lack impact, and Chaney looks slightly comical with his “Wolf Afro.” But it is short, briskly paced, and well worth watching for any classic monster fan. Curt Siodmak wrote the script after intensive research; his additions (such as the old gypsy rhymes) have now become accepted werewolf folklore. The story does not explain why Bela turns into an actual wolf while Larry turns into a half-half wolf-man. There are no shots of the moon, full or otherwise.  Extras include commentary, featurettes, and trailers.  (– David E. Goldweber)

Don’t Breathe 2

It’s been five years since co-writer/director Fede Álvarez helmed the taut thriller, Don’t Breathe, which featured Stephen Lang, as Norman Nordstrom, a blind veteran targeted by a group of house thieves (including Jane Levy and Dylan Minnette), searching for the Nordstrom’s fortune, a settlement in the accidental death of his daughter).  Nordstrom takes on the gang, using his handicap to his advantage, taking them out one after another in his dark domain.

Now, in a nonsensical sequel which nobody wanted (especially without Álvarez directing), Nordstrom returns, embracing his role as surrogate father to Phoenix, a young girl who he saved from the ashes of a fire that killed her mother.  Kept away from the outside world, Phoenix has learned from Nordstrom the art of survival.  This proves to be extremely helpful when her biological father and a gang of thugs show up to bring Phoenix home.  Suffice to say, things don’t go well.

Whereas Don’t Breathe was scary and suspenseful, Don’t Breathe 2 is simply excessive violence and gore laid upon a skeletal plot with a nonsensical twist.  Extras include two commentary tracks, featurettes, and an extended ending.  Don’t Breathe 2 is uninspired and brutal with Lang as little more than an imposing presence.

Batwoman: The Complete Second Season

One wonders what the powers that be were thinking when original series lead Ruby Rose walked away during the first season hiatus.  Instead of recasting the role (we’ll get to that in a moment), the creators introduced a brand new lead, Ryan Wilder (Javicia Leslie), an African American woman with her own challenging backstory who lives in her van.  With Kate Kane (Rose) presumed dead in a plane crash under the orders of Bruce Wayne doppleganger Tommy Elliott, Kate’s supporting cast is left with more questions than answers.  Living out of her van, Wilder discovers Kate’s Batwoman costume on the beach, which leads to her to taking on the crimefighting secret identity. In other words, a whole new mess of a story.

Rachel Skarsten as Beth Kane/Alice provides the series’ continued best performance and the remainder of the ensemble does serviceable work as the series ultimately has to deal with the “Kate Kane” issue.  Enter Wallis Day, who plays an amnesiac Kate Kane.  Not only is she far more believable in the role than Rose ever was, she also strongly resembles Skarsten, who is supposed to be her twin sister.  Unfortunately, Day’s time on the show is limited, keeping Leslie in the lead role (It’s important to note, Leslie does a fine job in her performance, but by recasting, the story really doesn’t need any of Kate’s supporting cast).  There are plenty of nods to the Batman mythos including Alfred’s daughter Julia Pennyworth, Victor Zsasz, Black Mask, Cluemaster, Bruce Wayne, Lucius Fox, Stephanie Brown, Batwing, and Arrow‘s John Diggle.  Extras include featurettes, deleted scenes and a gag reel.  Although Batwoman: The Complete Second Season is a bit of a mess, season three’s mini reinvention might finally take full advantage of the series’ potential. (– Stefan Blitz)