Gladiator is a tremendous movie that still holds up so well after all of these years, and this coming someone who really didn’t fully appreciate it upon its initial theatrical release. Seeing the “Extended Edition” version for a second time and thought it was remarkable.
The Deer Hunter makes its debut on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray through Shout Factory’s well done presentation including several new interviews and previously released commentary track. The film features great performances from Robert De Niro and Christopher Walken.
The Invisible Man is a surprisingly well done update to a classic horror icon and a step in the right direction for Universal’s planned monster reboots and Elisabeth Moss is perfect in the lead and almost solely carries a film.
D-Day: Normandy 1944 is a perfectly serviceable overview of the incredible event that changed the tide of the war for the allies. However, there are far better documentaries out there covering the subject more in-depth.
Justice League Dark: Apokolips War is a wonderful conclusion to the New 52 DCAU which had its ups and downs but produced some good features, a few of which rival the live action side.
For as well loved as Zombie is and the cult following it has garnered in the 40 years since its release, I still was genuinely surprised because more often than not, I usually am disappointed in these kinds of movies.
Maniac may not be a favorite of mine nor do I hold it in as high regard as others, but there is certainly something to admire from Joe Spinell creepy performance to appreciation of some of the technical aspects of Tom Savini’s effects work.
Days of Thunder isn’t a great racing film and rather low in the rankings amongst both Tom Cruise and Tony Scott’s resume, but the scenes of the actual races were pretty good and as a whole, was entertaining enough.
Sonic the Hedgehog might not be top-tier family entertainment but even as someone who doesn’t quite have the same sort of nostalgia, I still found it to be a lot of fun, mostly to an almost old-school performance from Jim Carrey.
Top Gun is a wildly entertaining action-romance featuring the ever so charming Tom Cruise, surrounded by a solid supporting cast including McGinnis, Edwards and Kilmer, directed by the late Tony Scott.
War of the Worlds certainly is not top shelf Steven Spielberg and generally I didn’t like it quite as much as I did 15 years ago, however I will say the visual effects mostly held up and I can’t say I was ever bored.
Spies in Disguise is a pleasant animated feature for the entire family, with humor suitable for both kids and adults alike, and really excels with not only some great animation, but the voice talents of Smith and Holland were ideal for their roles.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker isn’t a terrible movie as there are a few entertaining moment and the performance from Adam Driver, the only consistent of the cast throughout this new trilogy.
Knives Out isn’t quite a masterpiece but certainly has roots in a classical Agatha Christie mystery with some modern, topical twists which at times come across as preachy. Other than that, however, this is a wonderful mystery-comedy with a fantastic ensemble.
1917 is a rare movie in these times and even rarer ones taking place during World War I. The performance from George MacKay is great but the biggest takeaway is the one-shot concept from director Sam Mendes which was pretty impressive.