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29 Apr

Hollywood Review (Spoiler-Free)

New DVD release, ,
This Hollywood review contains no spoilers is based on all seven episodes. There are two ideas that sum up what Hollywood means to Ryan Murphy, both the place and the new television series he named after it. The first is stated with cynicism by Dylan McDermott, who previously starred in Murphy’s American Horror Story: “The movies hawk an image of wholesome American virtue, right? But the folks making those movies [are] rotten to the core.” And yet, in the same episode, Darren Criss (who starred in Murphy’s Glee) dreams aloud, “Movies just don’t show us how the world is; they…
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22 Apr

Extraction Review: Chris Hemsworth Can’t Save This

New DVD release, , ,
The first line of dialogue Chris Hemsworth has in Extraction is literally “hold my beer.” He says it because, tired of brooding behind sunglasses, he’s about to jump off a breathtaking cliffside into a rock quarry’s reservoir—so he can brood some more beneath the surface. He also says it because it’s exactly that kind of movie. For better and definitely worse. Clearly hoping to present itself as something akin to the Sicario movies and other cynical realpolitik action-thrillers, Netflix and director Sam Hargrave’s Extraction actually functions more like the type of Sylvester Stallone or Chuck Norris action movies that used…
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10 Apr

Trolls World Tour Review

New DVD release, ,
It’s ironic in a way that a movie as evanescent and inconsequential as Trolls World Tour — the sequel to the 2016 hit Trolls, based on the cute little Danish dolls — could have potentially earthshaking ramifications for the movie business. Trolls World Tour was once set to open today (April 10) in a normal, wide theatrical release, but those plans were crushed by the onset of the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent closing of movie theaters worldwide. Universal Pictures, distributor of the Dreamworks Animation-produced film, decided to stick with the release date anyway, launching the film primarily online as an…
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06 Apr

Homeland Season 8 Episode 9 Review: In Full Flight

New DVD release, , , ,
This Homeland review contains spoilers. Homeland Season 8 Episode 9 The penny finally dropped, like a presidential chopper plummeting out of the sky. Yes, I am partially referring to physical evidence that proves President Warner and his unnamed Afghan counterpart died in a purely accidental helicopter crash. However, it also applies to Yevgeny and Carrie’s relationship developing (or devolving?) in the only direction it could: manipulation and betrayal. I will admit that I was wrong in my evaluation of Yevgeny these past weeks as being purely Machiavellian in his motivations. Indeed, the big scene of the night finally breaks down…
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19 Mar

Altered Carbon: Resleeved Review

Netflix, New DVD release, , ,
This review contains spoilers for Altered Carbon: Resleeved. Is Altered Carbon: Resleeved an anime in an Altered Carbon sleeve or Altered Carbon in an anime sleeve? On the one hand, this animated tale incorporates plenty of elements we’ve come to recognize in a story involving the last Envoy, Takeshi Kovacs, including digital consciousnesses, hotel AIs, and even some underlying backstory involving Kovacs’ long lost sister, Rei. On the other hand, the organized crime story involving a Yakuza boss and rituals of succession, honor codes, and sword battles dives deep into the Japanese origins of the story form and appeals to…
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13 Mar

Lost Girls Review: Netflix Takes on the Long Island Serial Killer

New DVD release, , , , , ,
Netflix feels like the right home for this compelling but low-key feature about the Long Island Serial Killer which wisely opts to focus on the families of the victims rather than the unsolved case itself. Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone) is sympathetic as Mari Gilbert, a hard-working and harassed single mother whose somewhat estranged eldest daughter Shannan goes missing after making a panicked 911 call from a gated community near Ocean Parkway, NY in the early hours of the morning. But the police take almost an hour to respond to the call, fail to request CCTV footage which might have…
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11 Mar

The Hunt Review

New DVD release
I really want to like The Hunt. As an object of scorn and right wing media smears, not to mention a one-time shiny distraction for our ever distracted president, the horror-comedy in which liberal elites hunt red state “deplorables” was maligned and distorted by Fox News’ funhouse mirror. But despite all that, The Hunt just really wants to be liked by everyone on both sides of the aisle with its straight down the middle “you’re all nuts” commentary.  Granted the movie is certainly the product of liberal filmmakers turning election cycle politics into blood sport, but only in the most…
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11 Mar

Bloodshot Review

New DVD release,
“You don’t have to have a history to have a future,” Guy Pearce’s Dr. Emil Harting says to Ray Garrison (Vin Diesel), the titular hero of director David S.F. Wilson’s Bloodshot. Garrison is a soldier whose shattered body has been restored to life by Harting via microscopic robots called “nanites” that all but replaced Garrison’s blood. With enhanced strength, speed, durability and healing powers, Garrison is all but indestructible–yet his memories are the one thing he cannot seem to retrieve. But Bloodshot does, of course, have a history as one of the flagship titles of Valiant Comics, a long independent…
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07 Mar

Saint Maud Review: Elevated Horror That’s a Revelation

New DVD release, , , ,
If God exists then so must The Devil in Rose Glass’ stunning debut Saint Maud which sees a pious young nurse who experiences beatific visions become obsessed with saving the soul of her dying patient Amanda (Jennifer Ehle). Saint Maud is a strange, gorgeous, and deeply disturbing chiller which mixes psychological, religious, and body horror to form something that feels utterly original. Very definitely a genre movie, this is “elevated” horror that messes with your perceptions of what’s real and what isn’t and comes with an ending that’s so simultaneously euphoric and horrific it feels like a punch in the heart.…
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07 Mar

Calm With Horses Review: A Bruising Crime Drama

New DVD release, , , ,
“I don’t think violence is the work of hateful men, sometimes it’s just the way a fellow makes sense of his world,” says Cosmo Jarvis’ former boxing-champ-turned-enforcer for the drug dealing Dever family. He’s a man whose life has been defined by violence in one form or another and he’s at something of a crossroads, torn between his love for his five-year-old son and the obligation he feels to the Devers. Calm With Horses is a confident, brutal, and poignant feature debut from Brit director Nick Rowland. It’s technically impressive, boasting extraordinary performances, although as a crime thriller it’s less…
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06 Mar

Spenser Confidential Review

New DVD release, ,
There’s nothing confidential about the fact that for every movie as quality as The Irishman that Netflix releases, they drop about five as mediocre as Spenser Confidential. Based on the series of novels by Robert B. Parker, later adapted as a television show starring Robert Urich, Spenser Confidential is the kind of movie that you’d be livid spending money to see at the cinema, but you’ll shrug off and forget about five minutes after streaming it. Even Mark Wahlberg, who stars as the titular Spenser, seems bored with the film. Set in Boston (because where else would a Mark Wahlberg…
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05 Mar

First Cow Review

New DVD release,
There are few better metaphors for American capitalism than the faintly satirical (and deeply bittersweet) conflict at the heart of Kelly Reichardt’s First Cow. Ostensibly a story about friendship between Cookie (John Magaro) and King Lu (Orion Lee) in early 19th century Oregon territory, the title of the film actually refers to a prized bovine living near their rudimentary fort. Not that the cow belongs to the cook or the Chinese immigrant. Rather it’s the property of a gilded moneyman (Toby Jones). With affected airs of decidedly non-American origin, Jones oozes entitlement as he devours a cake made by Cookie…
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04 Mar

The Way Back Review

New DVD release
Ben Affleck has been such a major figure in tabloid culture for years now that a) the lines between his real life and his cinematic one have gradually gotten fuzzier and b) the ongoing turmoil in his personal life has made it easy to forget that with the right role, he can still be an extraordinary actor. In The Way Back, those two aspects of this talented man’s life intersect in a way that turns what could merely be a rote weepie into something much more affecting, anchored by Affleck’s powerful, raw performance. Affleck plays Jack Cunningham, a one-time high…
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02 Mar

My Hero Academia The Movie – Heroes: Rising Review

New DVD release, , , ,
My Hero Academia has only been around for a few years, but it’s already gained mass acclaim and become one of the most popular anime series in years. The series consistently pushes its characters to challenging new places, but it can be difficult for supplemental feature films to capture the same level of importance and feel like they’re not stuck inside of some non-canonical bubble. My Hero Academia’s first film, Two Heroes, was considered a success by fans, but the series is now in a more complex place where its endgame is increasingly on its mind. Thankfully, My Hero Academia: Heroes: Rising isn’t just an…
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05 Jun

Batman Vs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles review: a fun concept that plays it too safe

New DVD release, , , , , ,
Batman Vs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles review: a fun concept that plays it too safe The Caped Crusader meets the Heroes in a Half Shell in an entertaining toon that, if anything, isn't bonkers enough Review Jun 5, 2019 From https://www.denofgeek.com/uk/movies/batman/65707/batman-vs-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-review-a-fun-concept-that-plays-it-too-safe
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DVD Guide reviews current dvd releases of movies and TV shows. The reviews of these dvd releases are my thoughts and understandings of the movie, dvd releases or TV show and not be taken as fact.

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