TMR - Video Archivestag:themortonreport.com,2011-04-13://12021-07-15T23:29:19ZWhere Popular Culture Meets Swanky LivingMelody 1.0.1Blu-ray Review: Godzilla vs. Kongtag:themortonreport.com,2021://1.114532021-07-15T19:30:00Z2021-07-15T23:29:19ZAnother entry in the Legacy/Warner Bros. MonsterVerse, a series plagued by uninteresting, F/X-heavy productions. The return of Kong might've signaled a return to the funny, inventive 'Skull Island.' But it's just more nonsense like 'King of the Monsters.'Chaz Lipphttps://chazlipp.hearnow.com/
Godzilla vs. Kong had the promise to restore Legendary Picture's MonsterVerse to its full glory. And by "full glory," we're speaking of the good-but-not-great Kong: Skull Island (2017). "Quality" is a very relative term with this series. This whole Godzilla revival started off pretty shaky with the 2014 reboot, which was fairly solid but pretty forgettable. The 1973-set Skull Island re-introduced us to King Kong with a great ensemble cast and a lot of humor. Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) was an unwatchable mess of spectacular visual sequences paired with emotionless, perfunctory "plot" (and not a lot of it).
So now the two titans of monster-dom meet in Godzilla vs. Kong, but instead of bringing back the loopy charm of Skull Island we get more endless F/X nonsense. Adam Wingard directed it. His work includes a lot of much smaller-scale horror and thriller stuff, scrappy stuff like You're Next (2011) and The Guest (2014). Maybe he should've stuck with that type of thing. Some of the cast from King of the Monsters is back, including Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things) and Kyle Chandler. It hardly matters, because the human cast is completely superfluous here.
We see Kong briefly living his own Truman Show, trapped and under observation under a sky-like dome. Eventually this leads to Kong visiting a place called "Hollow Earth," which is apparently an actual theory held as fact by some folks in real life. There's a portal at Antarctica that leads to a secret landscape where gravity is inverted. Something like that. They take Kong there, which is apparently where the giant ape hails from, to wait out a big blowout battle between him and Godzilla. Godzilla has been wreaking havoc on the Apex Cybernetics facility.
I mean, this is brain-bruisingly irrelevant stuff. Yes, there is a nominal plot. Yes, there are human cast members. No, there's likely not a soul alive who demands anything more from these elements than the scant amount presented. Or at least that's what the film's producers seem to believe. People went to see it because it was nice to have a mega-budget action and F/X movie after the long pandemic-induced cinematic drought. But no one will remember this or be able to tell it apart from Godzilla: King of the Monsters. I guess the F/X are good? I'm not sure, looks like a video game to me (and a very boring one, at that). I could barely drag myself through to the conclusion but this will satisfy some folks with undemanding taste.
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment's Blu-ray has a nice assortment of supplements. I couldn't bring myself to even sample the Adam Wingard director's commentary, but it's here. There's also no less than ten featurettes, each under ten minutes but totaling about 72 minutes of additional content.]]>
Blu-ray Review: Here Are the Young Mentag:themortonreport.com,2021://1.114512021-07-09T12:15:00Z2021-07-09T16:13:35ZMessy, frustrating film about three recent high school grads and the trouble they get up to. But thanks to a fascinating turn by Finn Cole, well worth checking out.Chaz Lipphttps://chazlipp.hearnow.com/
Here Are the Young Men, a thought-provoking drama about a trio of friends struggling with the transition between high school to adulthood. If that sounds vague, it should probably be stated right away that this isn't your ordinary coming of age story. Based on the novel of the same name by Rob Doyle (which I've not read and know nothing about), Macken's film is likely to garner superficial interest for the presence of Ana Taylor-Joy. Fresh off her widely heralded turn in Netflix's The Queen's Gambit, her role—however limited—is sure to garner some looky-loos who otherwise wouldn't have given this a second look.
Taylor-Joy's turn as the smart, confident Jen aside, the main characters are repellent. That's sure to turn off a lot of viewers. There's just no one here to root for. But if you're okay with watching some very morally compromised leads, Here Are the Young Men delivers an interesting (if someone disjointed) tale. The year is 2003. The place is Ireland. Matthew (Dean-Charles Chapman), Joseph (Finn Cole), and Rez (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) are three friends with little in common. They've just graduated high school. While out getting high and generally looking for trouble, they witness the shocking death of a young girl. She's struck down by a speeding car while riding a scooter. No spoiler there, it's early in the story and provides the catalyst for the downward spiral each young man finds himself sinking into.
The "main" character, ostensibly, is Matthew. He's trying to turn a flirtatious friendship with Jen (Taylor-Joy) into something more. He has perhaps the most "normal" or typical reaction to having witnessed the girl's death. It depresses him to a point, makes him apparently more self-reflective, but doesn't appear to dominate his existence. For Rez, drug use plays a big role in his unravelling state of mind, leading to more consequential personal choices.
It's Joseph who commands the most attention. Finn Cole pulls off the impressive trick of layering Joseph with complexity. Many actors would've taken a more conventional route, playing Joseph as a straight-up "bad guy." Even if you don't "like" him, he's easily the most interesting. Right from the occurrence of the child's death, early in the film, Joseph reacts with something approaching exhilaration. As Joseph becomes more unstable, and maybe even homicidal, the push-and-pull between his and Matthew's tenuous friendship becomes a focal point.
Less successful is the running gag (of sorts) that finds both Joseph and Matthew hallucinating that they're guests on a popular TV talk show. It feels odd that they would be hallucinate/daydream about the exact same scenario. And without getting into spoilers, the film's conclusion is morally suspect to say the very least. But while Here Are the Young Men is difficult to "enjoy" in a conventional sense, it is at least stabbing at something relevant, vital, and thoughtful as it examines these disparate individuals and the ways in which they relate to each other. With a knockout performance by Finn Cole at its center, there's a powerful reason to recommend the film. And if you're into Anja Taylor-Joy, she's in it, too.]]>
Blu-ray Review: Voyagers - (2021)tag:themortonreport.com,2021://1.114482021-07-01T18:05:00Z2021-07-01T22:05:43ZTaking a few obvious cues from 'Lord of the Flies,' this outer-space teen drama boasts impressive production values but suffers from undeveloped ideas at its core.Chaz Lipphttps://chazlipp.hearnow.com/
Voyagers is a science fiction thriller that was one of many cinematic casualties of the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally slated for a late-2020 release, it snuck into theaters this past April. As the box office had not yet recovered (of course, it's still not back to pre-pandemic levels), it didn't attract many viewers. Now Lionsgate has issued it as a Blu-ray/DVD/Digital combo pack, tricking it out with the standard array of behind-the-scenes material.
Burger is no stranger to the genre, having helmed the first (and best) of the Divergent film series. That was a runaway success, bolstered by a large budget, lots of hype, and a built-in audience who already loved the Veronica Roth novel. Though he didn't direct the two Divergent sequels, he retained an executive producer credit on both films. Unfortunately, the decision was made to split the third book in the series into two films (hey, it worked for The Hunger Games, right? What could go wrong?!). As the budget for each subsequent Divergent increased, the box office returns decreased. The fourth film was never produced, leaving an unresolved and unsatisfying trilogy.
At any rate, Voyagers doesn't have even half the budget of the first Divergent film, yet it looks fantastic. Since it was intended as a theatrical feature, production values are high. The film doesn't have the cheapo look that so many direct-to-video/streaming sci-fi films are saddled with. Burger wrote the screenplay, in addition to directing. The results are basically Lord of the Flies in space. A young cast dominates (a supporting turn by Colin Farrell is the film's only significant adult role). The year is 2063. As planet Earth becomes inhabitable due to climate change, the decision has been made to cultivate a bunch of test-tube babies and ship them off on an 86-year journey to the nearest habitable planet.
The crew, commanded by quasi-father figure Richard (Farrell), is verging on adulthood when we catch up with them in their journey. Every day they drink a glass of a clear liquid, informally called "the blue," which is discovered to be the opposite of an aphrodisiac. Earth's wisest were determined to keep surging teen hormone levels at bay. It runs contrary to the fact that these young men and women need to reproduce in order to populate their destination. Once the purpose of "the blue" is discovered, some begin to question whether or not it's necessary (or ethical). Anyway, a hormone-fueled, Lord of the Flies-esque power struggle inevitably develops between the alpha males in the crew.
The dialogue is dull and inauthentic. The performances are uninspired. But again, the production design is pretty impressive. Voyagers is ultimately difficult to recommend. There are interesting ideas here, but not well-developed enough to sustain interest throughout what becomes a dragging running time.]]>
Blu-ray Review: City of Liestag:themortonreport.com,2021://1.114452021-06-17T17:15:00Z2021-06-17T21:15:07ZJohnny Depp and Forest Whitaker star in the disjointed, and long-delayed, true crime drama about the alleged involvement of the LAPD in the deaths of Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G.Chaz Lipphttps://chazlipp.hearnow.com/
new) true crime drama City of Lies. First, and most obvious, is the fact that it starts two of the greatest actors working in Hollywood—Johnny Depp and Forest Whitaker. Both are excellent in the film, with the former portraying retired LAPD detective Russell Poole and the latter a probing journalist, Jackson.
Want to see these two acting legends play off one another? City of Lies is worth a look for that opportunity alone. Here's the other key to assessing how much value the film holds for you. It is based on a book about the murders of Tupac Shakur and Chris Wallace, aka The Notorious B.I.G. The source material is Randall Sullivan's long-titled 2002 book LAbyrinth: A Detective Investigates the Murders of Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G., the Implication of Death Row Records' Suge Knight, and the Origins of the Los Angeles Police Scandal.
For reasons that I'll not get into, there are plenty of potential viewers whose eyes will simply glaze over at those previous two sentences. Okay, I'll name at least one main reason: the "I can't stand/don't care about rap music" argument. But for what it's worth, the movie is not about Tupac or Biggie and isn't a music-based film at all. It's about the alleged LAPD cover-up/conspiracy that Sullivan and the real-life Poole elaborate upon in their book. It's about people in power getting away with murder. Is it accurate? I don't know.
Besides the acting display offered by Depp and Whitaker, there are big problems with director Brad Furman's film. The film was shot back in 2017 and saw festival play in 2018. Apparently there were numerous legal issues that delayed the film, reportedly including pressure by the LAPD to keep it from coming out. But unfortunately, there isn't any coherence in the storytelling. Ultimately the film recalls Oliver Stone's JFK a bit (not stylistically, though Furman does offer some bravura sequences) in the way that is doesn't present a story. It presents a series of possibilities that might or might be accurate.
Regardless of how much interest you have in the deaths of two of hip hop's most influential artists, in the end City of Lies isn't much of a movie. It's a collection of scenes bolstered by the acting chops of its Oscar-caliber leads (Whitaker won Best Actor for The Last King of Scotland, Depp has been nominated three times). Deleted scenes, a too-short featurette, and audio commentary by director Brad Furman and source-material author Randall Sullivan supplement Lionsgate's Blu-ray release.]]>
Blu-ray Review: Shoplifters of the World tag:themortonreport.com,2021://1.114412021-06-02T18:00:00Z2021-06-02T22:01:39ZIt's 1987 and The Smiths have just announced their breakup. Pretentious proclamations ensue as a group of teen Smiths megafans explain what the band meant to them (and why you have no taste if you listen to anything else but The Smiths).Chaz Lipphttps://chazlipp.hearnow.com/
Shoplifters of the World. I did not know the title comes from a song by The Smiths. I did not, until examining the cover art, know that the film is chock full of Smiths' songs. Set in 1987, the day after news breaks that The Smiths have broken up, Shoplifters follows a day (and night) in the life of a group of the hardest-core teengage Smiths fans one could imagine. They're devastated over their fave band's breakup. One wants to do something important with her life. One is going into the military. One decides to hold a heavy metal station's DJ at gunpoint in order to get him to play Smiths music all night.
This shouldn't come as a shocker—they more into The Smiths you are, the more likely you are to love Shoplifters of the World. I happen to not only know much about The Smiths, what I do know of them isn't really my bag. The movie didn't do much to change my mind. As an '80s kid who had a lot of friends who crossed over into different music fandoms, I knew some ardent Smiths fans. But it just isn't my sound. Doesn't move me. I don't care for Morrissey's vocals. But for anyone who loves The Smiths, the movie probably warrants a viewing.
That said, it would be easier to like Shoplifters as a non-Smiths if only the characters were more sharply drawn. They're a pretentious lot (brings back memories of some of the Smiths faithful that I grew around), expounding endlessly on why their idols are the only band whose music truly matters. The dialogue doesn't really stick to the ribs, however, making these young friends difficult to become emotionally invested in. Whether or not you like Bruce Springsteen, the main character in Blinded by the Light is likeable and ingratiating enough to make up for any ignorance of (or even outright distaste for) The Boss' music. But the shared personality trait of these Smiths fan is their general annoyingness.
As for hijacking a metal station in order to celebrate/mourn The Smiths, it apparently is an almost-true element of the story. The film is based on "good intentions," an opening title tells us. Back in '88, a Smiths obsessive actually sought to carry out this play but was arrested in the parking lot of the Denver station he was planning to forcibly take over. There's also a really funny and underrated (and today, seemingly forgotten) movie called Airheads (1994). It's about a power metal trio that hijacks a station in order to get their demo played. The DJ in Shoplifters recalls the DJ in Airheads (Joe Mantegna)—both turn out to be hipper than their captors anticipated.
Airheads was savaged by critics back in '94 and bombed at the box office. It is, however, an astoundingly effective satirical comedy with a top-notch cast that included Adam Sandler in an early big-screen role. My favorite thing about Shoplifters of the World is that it reminded me of Airheads, how good it is, and how much it's worth revisiting. If you haven't seen Airheads, I'd highly recommend it over Shoplifters of the World. Unless you're a big fan of The Smiths.
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Blu-ray Review: Spare Parts - (2021)tag:themortonreport.com,2021://1.114402021-06-02T17:55:00Z2021-06-02T21:55:57ZIt's a low-budget horror flick with no stars and a lot of gore. All-female punk band finds themselves fighting for their lives after falling victim to forcible body modification of the most extreme kind.Chaz Lipphttps://chazlipp.hearnow.com/
Spare Parts. I don't recognize any of the faces of this cast. Frankly, the acting overall leaves something to be desired. But for those looking for gross-out, body horror nastiness, Spare Parts delivers the goods. The whole affair has the digital sheen of a modern low-budget effort. A bit of old-school grain, the sort that accompanied underlit, analog film productions of yesteryear, might've looked good on this cult-classic hopeful. But that's not the way filmmaking works these days, so it's okay.
A bunch of gals in a punk rock band get stuck in the middle of nowhere. Their assistance comes in the form of some typically backwoods, shady characters. But they're not cannibals or Satan worshippers. They're a different kind of cult. These sickos re-design human beings they've captured in order to make them more efficient combatants. They pit their Frankensteinian creations (well, not created from dead and reanimated—but rather, operated on in order to give them weaponry where an arm once was, etc) against each other in gladiatorial spectacles.
You probably already know if you're part of the Spare Parts target demo. It's brisk at 90 minutes and it provides a good jolt of inventive make-up effects and overall perversity. Go in with low expectations, come out feeling entertained for an hour and a half.
Director commentary, cast interviews, and fight training videos supplement the Spare Parts on Blu-ray (also DVD).]]>
DVD Review: Son - (2021)tag:themortonreport.com,2021://1.114372021-05-17T22:25:00Z2021-05-18T02:26:08ZHorror movie about a violent kid is bolstered by effective lead performances. Andi Matichak (of the newly-revived 'Halloween' films) is a mother desparate to protect her troubled son. Luke David Blumm is split-personality son.Chaz Lipphttps://chazlipp.hearnow.com/
Son? It's nondescript to the point of inspiring apathy among potential viewers. I mean, really, Son? That could be about anything. In this case it happens to be a horror movie about a demonic/vampiric child, David (Luke David Blumm). Maybe something like "Demon Son" would've been too on the nose, but this is a B movie after all. Let your target audience know, in advance, what to expect. Writer-director Ivan Kavanagh cobbled together various horror tropes and built a rather flimsy story around the basic question (as he poses in the DVD supplements): how far will a mother go to protect her child?
Probably not as far as Laura (Andi Matichak) does in Son. As unconditional as a mother's love generally is, the acts committed by David are probably examples of crossing just about any parent's line. Laura is being pursued by what she believes is the cult who raised her. Her preteen son starts acting super weird, not to mention suffering horrific seizures and convulsions that put him in the hospital more than once. After witnessing what appeared to be a home invasion, Laura contacts the police. A sympathetic cop, Paul (Emile Hirsch), is assigned to protect her.
But as Laura watches David devolve into a sort of Jekyll-and-Hyde-ish personality mashup—normal at times, zombie-like at others—she realizes no one can really help her. Various figures are in pursuit of Laura and her son, while Paul pops up to offer support now and again (mostly insisting that all the weirdness is in Laura's mind; to be fair, he isn't witness to the most violent of David's episodes). It's atmospheric and sufficiently gory for most horror enthusiasts (perhaps even a bit too much so). But it's not especially well-paced, feeling more like a 30-minute episode of... something, rather than a 90-minute feature.
What keeps Son watchable are the strong performances, particularly by Matichak (of the recent Halloween sequel, and it's upcoming sequels). She does far more to craft a believable portrait of a desperate (and deranged) mother than the material really should allow. And as son David, young Luke David Blumm is very effective as well. His sweet-natured, lucid David is endearing (think Linda Blair in The Exorcist), while his creepy, possessed incarnation is certainly the most unsettling aspect of Son.
The DVD (this Shudder Original is also available on Blu-ray) includes a number of deleted scenes (including some flashbacks to help flesh out Laura's backstory, intended emphasis on flesh as there is full-front nudity) and a featurette comprised of behind-the-scenes interviews.]]>
Blu-ray Review: Judas and the Black Messiahtag:themortonreport.com,2021://1.114352021-05-12T02:05:00Z2021-05-12T06:06:53ZNominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and winner of two (included Best Supporting Actor, Daniel Kaluuya of 'Get Out' fame). Nevermind that co-leads Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield are both visibly too old for the real-life figures they're playing. With acting this strong, it's easily overlooked.Chaz Lipphttps://chazlipp.hearnow.com/
Judas and the Black Messiah presents the story of Black Panther Fred Hampton. Many viewers will be unfamiliar with Hampton, who was the chairman of the Chicago chapter of the activist group. The parallel story is that of Bill O'Neal (Lakeith Stanfield, also nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category, though he is arguably the lead here). O'Neal is a car thief who turns FBI informant in order to avoid jail time after getting caught impersonating a federal agent.
The film, directed and co-written by Shaka King (who, some eight years ago, directed a comedy called Newlyweeds), presents a whole lot of history in its two hours. The less one knows about the specifics of Hampton and O'Neal's stories, the more compelling Judas will play. And compelling is an apt description. Not only are Kaluuya and Stanfield's rightly-recognized performances captivating, they're supported by an incisive turn by Jesse Plemmons as Special Agent Roy Mitchell. Mitchell pulls the strings behind O'Neal's highly dangerous, and unofficial, deep cover assignment.
J. Edgar Hoover (Martin Sheen) and the FBI in general are frightened by what they see as a "terrorist" threat in the Black Panthers. As the charismatic Hampton gains power and influence, Hoover wants to shut their Chicago operations down. Rather than rewrite yet another extensive plot summary, which may devolve into a sub-Wikipedia-level entry, suffice it to say that the film itself suffers a bit from pacing issues and uncertain storytelling. Perhaps the relative experience of its director (and previously little-known co-screenwriter Will Berson) is the reason the film sometimes plays more as a collection of scenes (albeit very good scenes) than a flowing, cohesive narrative.
But there's historical import here that will likely inspire interested viewers to seek out the real details of Hampton and ONeal's fascinating story. Without being particularly versed in this chapter of U.S. history, it was interesting to delve deeper into learning about the elements King and Berson portrayed faithfully and the elements that bear the most dramatic license. And again, the powerfully gripping performances should draw in even viewers who may have an allergy to sociologically and politically complex films.
Despite its Oscar accolades, Warner Home Entertainment hasn't tricked out Judas and the Black Messiah with many supplements. The two included featurettes are brief but worthwhile. "Fred Hampton for the People" finds the filmmakers, including co-producer Ryan Coogler, speaking about one of their film's two central figures. "Unexpected Betrayal" focuses on Bill O'Neal. ]]>
DVD Review: The Mortuary Collection tag:themortonreport.com,2021://1.114322021-04-26T14:50:00Z2021-04-26T18:48:32ZSeveral short horror stories tied together by a particularly twisted framing story, this 'Collection' is an oddball combo of whimsy, body horror, and old-school blood and guts.Chaz Lipphttps://chazlipp.hearnow.com/
The Mortuary Collection had its festival debut in fall of 2019. One of its four segments, which are neatly tied together with a clever framing device, dates back to 2015. The highly-praised film now makes its home video bow on Blu-ray and DVD billed as a Shudder Original. There's a surprisingly robust number of bonus features, some of which will be of interest to fans of the kind of old-fashioned practical makeup and gore effects that dominate director Ryan Spindell's film.
Tonally, The Mortuary Collection feels a bit like a low-rent Tim Burton fantasia mixed with a healthy dose of body horror. There's a lot of whimsy and a lot gore. It makes for an unusual combination. While it won't be everyone's cup of tea, it definitely keeps the film interesting. Montgomery Dark (a droll Clancy Brown) is a mortuary owner in need of an assistant. Sam (Caitlin Custer) answers the call for "help wanted" and is granted an interview. She challenges Dark to share some of his most gruesome death stories, hinting that she may have some knowledge of her own to top all of his accounts.
Framed around the death of a young child, and Sam's curiosity surrounding the nature of his death (which Dark seems unwilling to share), the film takes us through some unrelated stories. It circles back to the framing device of the child's death in such a disturbing way that no viewer should be blamed for being turned off. Spindell (who also scripted) plays it all out with such nonchalance that none of the darker themes can really be taken too seriously. But just know, without spoiling anything, that if horrible things happening to children is not your thing, The Mortuary Collection may not be a good addition to your personal collection. But for those with a taste for the sick-and-twisted, it's worth a look.]]>
Blu-ray Review: Wonder Woman 1984 tag:themortonreport.com,2021://1.114282021-04-05T16:40:00Z2021-04-05T20:39:55ZLess superhero and more super-silly, director Patty Jenkins (who once had the gall to suggest her first 'Wonder Woman' feature was an "art film") has crafted a monument to inconsequentiality with this overstuffed DC Comics sequel.Chaz Lipphttps://chazlipp.hearnow.com/
Wonder Woman 1984, the fourth film to feature the titular character in the DC Extended Universe (but the first standalone sequel), is that it is overlong, poorly paced, and corny. It's also retro in ways that go beyond the time period in which it's set. It feels like an '80-era superhero movie—far more Superman III than the best of the DCEU (slim pickings, if we're being honest) thus far.
That said, there's a way to put a potentially more positive spin on WW '84. Think of it as a children's movie. Young kids are likely to enjoy this F/X extravaganza far more than adults, unless you happen to be super easy to please. Gal Gadot is back, of course, and she's likeable as usual. But Jenkins doesn't give her anything particularly interesting to do this time around. Actually, making her so hung up on Steve Trevor, her deceased love from the original film, is really a step backwards for the character. She's been pining away for him since World War I, to the point where she doesn't seem to perform all that many superheroics these days.
Actually, it should be said that Jenkins' first Wonder Woman was not all it was cracked up to be in the first place. It was basically Captain America: The First Avenger, set in WWI instead of WWII. And as for the much ballyhooed "feminist" angle, it's interesting that Chris Pine's doomed Steve Trevor was essential the tragic hero of the piece. Not Gadot's Diana Prince. If you were hoping for the "girl power," hardsold by in the marketing of the first <i>Wonder Woman</i>, James Cameron was entirely correct. His Ripley and Sarah Connor didn't need to rely on a short skirt and cute banter to dish out serious badassery.
Anyway, what really befell Jenkins here in '84 was the same curse that afflicted Joss Whedon with his first two Avengers movies. After single-handedly infusing the DCEU with much-needed critical approval (however undeserved), Jenkins was apparently overindulged, given way too long a leash. Just like Whedon, who bowled everyone over with the spectacular first Avengers before delivering the overstuffed trash-heap that is Age of Ultron, Jenkins was apparently allowed to throw in everything but the kitchen sink.
The basic story involves the discovery of a "dream stone," which is basically a genie in a bottle. It grants wishes. Diana's Smithsonian coworker (that's fight, Wonder Woman works at a museum, only occasionally stepping out in-costume to foil would-be robbers, etc) Barbara (Kristen Wiig) uses the stone to become like Diana, getting far more than the confidence and sex appeal she was initially seeking. Meanwhile local business tycoon Maxwell Lorenzano (Pedro Pascal) essentially plays the ol' "wishing for infinite wishes" routine by using the dream stone to acquire the powers of the stone itself. Between these two supervillains, all sorts of expected world-threatening havoc ensues.
If any of that sounds vaguely silly, trust me—it's a lot sillier than it even sounds. Which is to say, WW '84 is a great way for young kids to spend 2.5 hours. In all honesty, it will probably take them more like four hours to get through, because even the most undemanding youngsters will have their attention spans tested by this one. Note the film does open quite strongly with a flashback to young Diana in Themyscira, competing in a decathlon of sorts. It's exciting and visually-inspired in a way the rest of the movie is not. Too bad the entire movie didn't focus on young Diana in her homeland.
The brand-new Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Blu-ray includes about an hour and a half of special features. The best of the bunch is Expanding the Wonder, a pretty cool look inside the creation of the film that is just the right length (at just over a half-hour, it's informative without wearing out its welcome). "Meet the Amazons" is another worthwhile piece, a multi-participant interview taped at the DC FanDome from 2020. Shorter, bite-sized pieces round out the package with a gag reel and a bunch of mostly-lighthearted featurettes.
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DVD Review: The Reckoning - (2020)tag:themortonreport.com,2021://1.114272021-04-05T10:45:00Z2021-04-05T14:45:21ZCharlotte Kirk is the star and coscreenwriter of this gritty historical horror-drama, directed by Neil Marshall. This witchhunt-driven story is set in Great Plague-era England.Chaz Lipphttps://chazlipp.hearnow.com/
The Reckoning. Marshall delivered a terrifically tense horror thriller back in 2005 with The Descent. As recently as 2019 he was on the mainstream radar with the Hellboy reboot, an underperformer in every way. The Reckoning is set in England, 1665, during the Great Plague. Grace (Charlotte Kirk, Ocean's 8) has lost her husband to the Black Death. Now she's fallen under suspicion of witchcraft as a result.
What follows is basically a dark portrayal of the torture of Grace at the hands of Moorcroft (Sean Pertwee, Pennyworth on TV's Gotham), who has been tasked with hunting down accused "witches." These attempts to purge Grace of evil influences are depicted in rather graphic detail. Eventually, Grace begins turning the tables and commits similarly gruesome acts as she exacts revenge. As the running time pushes past 90 and closer to two hours, the thin plot poses an increasing problem. The Reckoning drags, with the lack of real surprises in the storyline creating a big problem.
On the other hand, for a relatively low budget film, the production design is quite strong. The costuming often looks a little too off-the-rack to convey Plague-era 17th century, but overall the visuals are interesting (the film was shot in Budapest). Also compelling is Kirk's determined, edgy performance (she co-scripted with Marshall, furthering her obvious commitment to the project).
The Reckoning is a mixed bag, really. If grim historical horror-drama interests you (and really this isn't a horror film, per se, but definitely graphic enough to warrant a hyphenate), give it a shot. The film has racked up an impressive litany of wins from various film festivals since premiering last year. It's available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital on April 6.
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DVD Review: Cheer! Rally! Kill! - 5-Film Collectiontag:themortonreport.com,2021://1.114192021-03-15T11:40:00Z2021-03-15T15:40:10ZCheerleaders mix with murder, prostitution, stolen identities, creepy boyfriends, and more in this collection, which includes: Undercover Cheerleader, The Cheerleader Escort, The Secret Lives of Cheerleaders, The Wrong Cheerleader, Identity Theft of a Cheerleader.Chaz Lipphttps://chazlipp.hearnow.com/
something to watch. Those who have a soft spot for cheesy, lowbrow entertainment might enjoy having this collection on standby to throw something on when 90 minutes of cheer-themed intrigue will fill that gap in a hurry.
The films in this collection all aired on the Lifetime network in 2019. It's important to remember the low bar here, with each of these features aiming for a basic level of competency. The nominal best of the bunch is Identity Theft of a Cheerleader, in which 30-something Vicky (Maiara Walsh) steals a student's identity so she can return to high school and relive her dreams of being cheer captain. She also turns out to have a vengeful homicidal streak. Walsh does a commendable job of playing young to fit in with the high school set. She also modulates between semi-sane and totally crazy very well, too.
Kind of keeping in the same vein, Undercover Cheerleader offers a spin on Never Been Kissed, with Autumn (Kayla Wallace) going undercover to expose the secrets of the cheer squad. She winds up embroiled in a wave of violence committed against the squad by a mystery assailant. Various TV actors pop up through this (and the other films in the collection), with Wallace known for The Good Doctor and The Magicians.
In The Cheerleader Escort, Cassie (Alexandra Beaton) joins the cheer squad and soon finds out that it's essentially a prostitution ring. Reluctant to partake at first, after meeting middle-aged Terry (Damon Runyan) she gets more involved than she ever imagined possible. As the relationships become more tangled, Cassie tries to extricate herself—all while the squad's coach is actively serving as the madam.
Aforementioned stars Denise Richards and Vivica A. Fox appear in The Secret Lives of Cheerleaders and The Wrong Cheerleader, respectively. Fox, in fact, produced hers (she has a string of Wrong-something movies that she has produced and starred during recent years). As with all these films, newly-minted cheer queens find themselves in over their heads dealing with obsessive boyfriends and mean-girl competitors.
Lionsgate's two-disc set is bare bones, with no special features to speak of. But for fans of this type of thing will find it a good value with a $24.98 SRP (shop around, as usual, for best price) for more than seven hours of viewing content.]]>
Blu-ray Review: Vanguard - (2020)tag:themortonreport.com,2021://1.114182021-03-12T11:25:00Z2021-03-12T15:25:58ZIt is hard to follow the plot, but this Jackie Chan actioner has enough fun moments to make it effective as a "background" movie. In other words, put it on while you're working on other things and just want something buzzing away in the background.Chaz Lipphttps://chazlipp.hearnow.com/
Vanguard hinges on a simple yes or no question: do you like Jackie Chan? I do, which is why I gave this Chinese import a spin. But we should probably add a follow-up question: how MUCH do you like Jackie Chan? Personally, about halfway through this secret-agent thriller I wished I was watching Police Story, or one of his U.S. hits like Rush Hour or Shanghai Noon. Are you enough of a fan to see anything he's in? A good litmus test—did you manage to get through the recent Iron Mask? If yes, proceed directly to Vanguard.
At 66, the martial arts legend understandably appears to be toning down his involvement in stunt-work. Chan isn't in the movie that much. When he is, he seems to stay mostly at the peripherals. Chan plays Tang Huanting, leader of a firm called Vanguard. They apparently perform security services for the wealthy. When an important client and his wife are apprehended by an international crime syndicate, Tang and his agents spring into action. And action is about all you get. I couldn't begin to summarize the globe-spanning "plot" if I tried. It's extremely difficult to follow. Even trying to read a summary is enough to make my brain shut down.
Basically, Vanguard takes a stab at a Mission: Impossible-type of thing. There is no shortage of action, much of it laced with goofy humor. And as pure onscreen action goes, a lot of it is well executed by director Stanley Tong. But action is all there is. And there's a shimmering artificiality to it that suggests watching a string of video game battle sequences with all the expository cut scenes missing. There's also a bunch of CG wildlife (one of the character's daughters cares for animals in Africa) that would probably look good in an all-animated film, but here they stick out like a sore thumb.
Vanguard is mind-numbing, but it could just be an acceptable time-passer for people who like to half-watch a movie while hanging out with friends or multi-tasking. The action scenes are sometimes compelling enough to hold interest, but this is kind of movie where you can fold laundry, do some cardio, or catch up on social media while it provides a distracting buzz in the background.
There is an English-dubbed track, though that option means a three-minute shorter running time for some reason (I didn't watch the Mandarin track, which offers the full version of the film). Again, Jackie Chan completists will benefit the most from Vanguard.]]>
Blu-ray Review: Wrong Turn - (2021)tag:themortonreport.com,2021://1.114162021-03-07T22:50:00Z2021-03-08T02:50:53ZA brand-new beginning for the venerable horror series. You may be thinking, ANOTHER "Wrong Turn?" But this one is probably quite a bit different than you were expecting.Chaz Lipphttps://chazlipp.hearnow.com/
Wrong Turn. Simple but effective, that abducted-in-the-woods-by-inbred-hillbillies thriller spawned a series of five sequels. The last one, fittingly subtitled The Last Resort, was issued back in 2014. So it really shouldn't be surprising to see a brand-new reboot. The new Wrong Turn gets tripped up over its own ambitious to be more than just a horror movie. The filmmakers, including screenwriter Alan B. McElroy cult(writer of the original film) and director Mike P. Nelson, make great efforts in the supplemental material that their aim here was social commentary.
Even if it's a stretch to think of this Wrong Turn as especially relevant to today's times, it's admirable to see the filmmakers try to inject some real-world relevance. The group of backcountry hikers includes a multi-culti mix (and a gay couple) who find themselves pitted against a cult-like secret society called "The Foundation." All the inbreeding and cannibalism of the original series is gone (though cheekily referenced at one point). An interesting feature of this group of "heroes"—they're not a particularly likeable bunch. Reared on pure snark, these young adults are actually fairly repellant. They've essentially converged on a rural Virginian town, ready and willing to back-talk the locals, flaunt a superior attitude, and mostly ignore what turns out to be good advice.
Most viewers won't be familiar with the majority of this cast, with one big exception. Viewers of a certain age may be shocked by the aged appearance of Matthew Modine, an '80s and '90s stalwart who seems to have largely disappeared from the mainstream in recent years (though he turned up on the Netflix sensation Stranger Things). We're introduced to Modine as Scott, father of Jen (Charlotte Vega, The Lodgers). Jen and her friends are, of course, the missing/abducted hikers, and Scott is determined to find her. There's a bit of interesting backstory, only briefly touched upon, involving Scott's much-younger second wife. Maybe we'll see more of their family dynamic if a sequel ever happens.
Modine invests some actual grit in his characterization. Scott does some detective work as he tracks the missing Jen and company, who have fallen under the command of Venable (Bill Sage), leader/dictator of "The Foundation." Once you're entrenched in this secluded society, you can't get out. No fair spoiling some of the nasty doings executed by Venable, but suffice it to say that it's a bizarre lifestyle. In fact, it's pretty weird that most of "The Foundation" residents appear to have joined willingly.
Ultimately, this new Wrong Turn has only one central problem: it's just not that scary. The original Turn was unnerving in the sense that it was simple enough to be plausible. What if this happens to you the next time you're lost in the middle of nowhere? That's the stuff of nightmares. The higher concept ambitions of the new Turn make for a highly unlikely scenario. In fact, the scenes within "The Foundation" boundaries play more like something out of a post-apocalyptic thriller than a gut-level horror film.
And again without spoiling anything, the climax leaves more than a little to be desired. Let's just say that some fantasy scenes are inserted, feeling like filler—an attempt to compensate for a general lack of true concluding shocks. The "real" ending even unfolds as the end credits are running, almost an afterthought. But take the criticism with a grain of salt. If you have a nostalgic soft spot for the Wrong Turn series, this new one has enough freshness to make it recommendable. But it is hard to shake the feeling that it could've been even better.
Blu-ray features include director's commentary, a half-hour 'making of' (and it's worth the watch—deeper than standard EPK fare), and a selection of deleted scenes.
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DVD Review: The Cleansing Hourtag:themortonreport.com,2021://1.114092021-01-22T20:35:00Z2021-01-23T00:35:21ZIt's another exorcism-themed horror film, but with a couple pretty neat twists. And a lot of old school gore effects sure to please anyone tired of modern digitized effects.Chaz Lipphttps://chazlipp.hearnow.com/
The Cleansing Hour has now been released to DVD. Directed by Damien LeVeck, this exorcism-themed scarefest has been met with considerable acclaim. For old school horror buffs (i.e. those who like their blood and guts tangible rather than digital), Cleansing is a treat. The pacing, even at a relatively scant 90 minutes, becomes an issue but those who dig exorcism flicks will find much to appreciate.
Max (Ryan Guzman, Backtrace, The Boy Next Door) and Drew (Kyle Gallner, Veronica Mars, Big Love) are buddies who regularly livestream a staged exorcism show (same title as the movie itself). They sucker people into thinking it's the real thing, making a lucrative ancillary profit selling merch. Drew's girlfriend Lane (Alix Angelis) is called upon to fill in for an absent actress in an upcoming broadcast. Though intending to portray yet another simulated "possession," she somehow she becomes possessed for real. The Cleansing Hour boasts solid production values (given its low budget) and, at least equally important, strong performances.
Given that, within the movie, "The Cleansing Hour" is a web-based schlockfest, Max and Drew's livelihood naturally hinges upon roping in as many viewers as possible. The "viral video" aspect of the plot veers into somewhat satirical commentary about today's social media-obsessed world. This ends up feeling a bit cliched rather than cutting edge. Web views keep escalating as Max and Drew's real exorcism of the demon possessing Lane gets more and more out of control. And the demon itself appears to have bigger plans. But while Cleansing may not score points based solely on originality, it's sturdily crafted enough to maintain interest.
The DVD contains the original 19-minute short film that served as the basis for the feature. It's an interesting contrast as most, though not quite all, of the footage and actors are different. It offers a different, albeit highly-condensed, look at the same story from a slightly different stylistic presentation. There's also some behind-the-scenes footage and commentary by director LeVeck. For fans of The Cleansing Hour, the bonus features make it worth going for the physical product rather than just streaming on Shudder.
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