Chaz Lipp - TMRtag:themortonreport.com,2011-10-04://12021-08-02T16:23:03ZWhere Popular Culture Meets Swanky LivingMelody 1.0.1Blu-ray Review: A Quiet Place and A Quiet Place Part II - Two-Movie Collectiontag:themortonreport.com,2021://1.114582021-08-02T12:20:00Z2021-08-02T16:23:03ZThe excellent 'A Quiet Place' sequel is available on its own, but if you passed on adding the 2018 original to your collection, now is the time to grab this great twofer.Chaz Lipphttps://chazlipp.hearnow.com/
A Quiet Place two-movie collection from Paramount Home Entertainment. Make no mistake, if you already have the original 2018 film, no problem. A Quiet Place Part II is also available on the full array of formats: DVD, Blu-ray, 4K UltraHD, and Digital HD. If you're like me and haven't seen A Quiet Place since theaters, or just haven't picked up the standalone home release, then this twofer is the way to go.
The original film was a truly exciting and unique moviegoing experience. Quick reminder (and probably an unnecessary one): aliens have invaded earth and quickly go about with the standard annihilation of human life. Here's the catch. They can't see. But they have super-acute hearing. Earth's remaining humans have trained themselves to live silently. The film's largely subdued audio scheme left cinema-viewers rapt in silence. Even the crunching of popcorn or rattling of ice cubes proved to be untenable.
Writer-director-star John Krasinski crafted a wholly enjoyable horror-thriller with heart. It's the simple story of the Abbott family (Krasinski is patriarch Lee, Emily Blunt is Lee's wife Evelyn), just one small group of individuals attempting to evade the monsters lurking everywhere. No spoilers for those who have yet to see the first film, but the ending is one of the more dour, tragic, and seemingly hopeless endings of a major-studio theatrical release.
In fact, there didn't seem to be room for a sequel. At least not a plausible one. But Krasinski, this time forgoing co-writers and scripting entirely himself, has come up with something far more than merely serviceable. Among the brilliant moves Krasinski makes is opening Part II with a concise "prequel" sequence that sets up the events of the first film.
Okay, now we have to touch upon spoiler territory for anyone who really hasn't seen the first film. Due to the unfortunate fate of Lee in the first film, the "prequel" sequence allows Krasinski the opportunity for a cameo appearance. Cynics can probably be forgiven for writing off this opening act as somewhat self-serving. In a way it is, but Krasinski directs with such skill that it winds up transcending any criticisms.
Once we catch up with Evelyn and kids Marcus (Noah Jupe) and Regan (Millicent Simmonds; deaf in real life, once again turning in show-stealing work), we're into what feels like well-worn territory. Now with a newborn sibling in tow, Marcus and Regan help their mom with everyday life as they continue to evade the monsters. But whatever feels old-hat in this sequel is compensated for by Krasinski's tight-wire direction. So taut is the tension that you find yourself paralzyed by the suspense just as much as in the first film.
Cillian Murphy is the major addition to the cast (Djimon Hounsou is bizarrely wasted in a thankless, nameless role late in the film). Murphy's Emmett is introduced in the "prequel" section (another brilliant storytelling touch by Krasinski) as a friend of the Abbott's. Having lost his family, he's a loner who is challenged by the Abbott's to re-discover his deeply buried compassion. Yes, he's sort of a surrogate for Lee but Murphy invests the character with deeply-felt , believable emotion.
Continuing with the spoilers—there's the ending. The biggest (maybe the ONLY) issue with A Quiet Place Part II is its non-ending. Without getting into specifics, suffice it to say the credits roll after a perfunctory, makeweight, de facto "ending" that deflates the proceedings in an unsatisfactory manner. So disappointing was this abrupt ending the first time around in theaters, I left the auditorium feeling more negatively toward the film than anything else. It seemed like a cheat. And to a degree, now that I've revisited the film on the new Blu-ray, I still do. It's a setup for a third chapter, rather than a true resolution to the events depicted throughout the second.
But knowing in advance that the film is just going to stall to a sudden halt definitely helps. The film seems to still hold up remarkably to repeat viewings. Now that I know there isn't much of an ending, this second film leaves me breathlessly waiting for the third installment.
Special features from the previously-available first film Blu-ray are carried over. Part II has about a half-hour's worth of featurettes, including a great (but too-brief) "director's diary" with Krasinski. The other under-ten-minutes-each featurettes focus mostly on F/X, though "Regan's Journey" offers a nice, if not terribly insightful, examination of the saga's most compelling character.]]>
Blu-ray Review: Wrath of Mantag:themortonreport.com,2021://1.114572021-08-02T11:10:00Z2021-08-02T15:07:29ZJason Statham stars in a high-adrenaline heist thriller directed by Guy Ritchie.Chaz Lipphttps://chazlipp.hearnow.com/
Wrath of Man
Wrath of Man is now available from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD. Is this heist thriller up your alley? Ask yourself the following questions: 1) Do I like movies starring Jason Statham?, 2) Do I like movies directed by Guy Ritchie?, 3) Do I like convoluted "puzzle-like" thrillers that require a second viewing in order to put all the pieces together?
A 'yes' answer to one or more of the above pretty much guarantees you fall within the target audience. Lest anyone mistake this formulaic approach as snark, Wrath of Man is a lot of fun and simmering with intensity. Ritchie keeps the tension amped up throughout. He co-scripted, adapting the novel Cash Truck. The story of a team of armored truck drivers facing a series of mysterious armed robberies is told in dramatically non-linear fashion.
So dramatic, in fact, that it becomes a bit hard to follow. This works as a blessing and a curse. While there aren't many aspects of Wrath's plot that can be discussed without getting into spoiler territory, it's worth pointing out that the storytelling demands close attention. I'll be honest, I lost track of certain plot points. Statham's Patrick Hill, dubbed "H" by his co-workers, has a burning purpose behind his new job on the armored truck crew. He has nerves of steel and shows absolutely no fear or apprehension when the crew is confronted by what appears to be a repeat robbery attempt by the same or similar operatives that claimed lives the first time.
Wrath is the kind of movie that is fun to watch. You have to work a little to keep up with the plot twists—but unfortunately if you start to lose track a little, it becomes a challenge to remain interested. It's testosterone-fueled pulp. Go with it and have a good time. Again, answering yes to one or more of those questions is going to be a pretty good indicator of whether this is a must-see for you.
Surprisingly, Warner Bros.' Blu-ray edition doesn't include any special features at all. As a result, anyone looking for a little help in untangling the plot twists from writer-director Guy Ritchie in the form interviews and/or commentary will be left wanting. ]]>
4K UltraHD Blu-ray Review: Space Jamtag:themortonreport.com,2021://1.114562021-07-31T16:20:00Z2021-07-31T20:20:24ZThe Michael Jordan live-action/animated hybrid from 1996 gets a visual upgrade to coincide with the release of the long-overdue sequel.Chaz Lipphttps://chazlipp.hearnow.com/
Space Jam: A New Legacy, starring LeBron James, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has dusted off the original 1996 megahit Space Jam. They've spruced it up with an outstanding new 4K UltraHD edition that looks great, even if it exposes the limitations of the era's live-action/animation combo.
The original film, directed by Joe Pytka, was a showcase for the G.O.A.T.—Chicago Bulls immortal, Michael Jordan. If you don't know the basic premise, take one glance at any of the advertising materials. It's Jordan meets the Looney Tunes. Fun for kids, but maybe a bit thin for older viewers. The film was a knockout success in '96, based on Jordan's superstardom and the enduring popularity of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and the rest of the Looney Tunes gang.
Early on, the film has fun with a fictional portrayal of Jordan's short-lived foray into pro baseball during his first retirement from the NBA. This quasi-docu-drama stuff surrounding Jordan's abrupt career change is pretty fun, as is Wayne Knight as MJ's publicist. An extended cameo by Bill Murray as Jordan's golf buddy also provided some amusing moments. But to call Space Jam lightweight is an understatement.
The plotting is at once basic, yet mind-numbingly complicated. Something about an animated amusement park in space that's verging on bankruptcy. A monstrous group called the Nerdlucks begins possessing NBA players (tons of then-current players make appearances, including the likes of Why? Does it matter? The second half of the movie is the game between the Nerdlucks and the possessed NBA all-stars and the Looney Tunes with Jordan.
And this is where R. Kelly's megahit "I Believe I Can Fly" originated. So there's that.
Look, writing about this movie has actually hurt my brain a little. Not that it's that bad really. It just doesn't need to be written or thought about. If you like all things Looney Tunes or all things Michael Jordan—or better yet, both—then this 4K UltraHD spruce-up is for you.]]>
Blu-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.]]>
DVD Review: Rugrats: The Complete Series - 26-Disc Settag:themortonreport.com,2021://1.114492021-07-02T17:00:00Z2021-07-02T21:01:33ZOver 67 hours of old-school animation, this set marks the first time ever that all nine seasons of the venerable '90s-era favorite have been collected together.Chaz Lipphttps://chazlipp.hearnow.com/
Rugrats was all the rage. I don't know what today's youth will make of this hand-drawn animated show, if they even bother with it. But for anyone looking to revel in a little bit of '90s-era nostalgia, this Rugrats: The Complete Series box set if your ticket. Maybe you have kids of your own now and want to introduce them to what the old folks enjoyed back in the day. At $55.99 MSRP, this behemoth is a great bargain (you won't have to look too hard to find discounts, cough—Amazon!—cough).
But the complete adventures of Tommy, Chuckie, Phil & Lil, and the rest of the gang doesn't come without caveats. This clamshell case houses no less than 26 DVDs. That's nine full seasons of Rugrats that totals over 67 hours of content. Presumably in order to keep overall production costs down, the packaging is not exactly deluxe. In fact, it's downright unwieldy. I've had my share of experience with similar too-many-discs-crammed-into-one-box releases, but if you don't, now's a good time to break some bad news.
Plastic hinges holding the discs might be broken. Some discs are likely to arrive loose. And to fit all the DVDs in, each spindle has at least two (sometimes three) discs stacked literally on top of each other. So the chances are not insignificant that there may be a scratched disc or two. But for what it's worth, my set survived transit without any fallout. Everything was intact and none of the discs appear to have scuffs or scratches.
Rugrats still holds a great deal of charm after all these years. There's a smattering of bonus features here as well. Hopefully you luck out with the packaging, as it can be a real crap shoot when ordering these overstuffed box set packages.]]>
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.
]]>
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.