New Release Tuesday

 

The Dollars Trilogy- I have bought this set more times than I care to admit and I really do not know how many I have bought but anyway the Holy Trilogy of Trilogies comes out in a brand-new sparkling edition from Arrow Video and the reviews are magnificent.  The colors are finally right as this new 4k set is quite the stunner.  I already have my copy and will see for myself soon.

The Yeti- Merriell Sunday Sr. and Hollis Bannister vanished in Alaska. Ellie and Merriell Jr. mount a search, but an ancient threat stalks their expedition into the wilderness, hunting them as they seek the truth behind the disappearances.  Oh what a great little horror movie.  This has a nice looking snowy outside stage area where the film was shot and features mostly practical effects.  It is a good-looking Yeti.  It’s a monster not a cooler.

Avatar: Fire and Ash- Jake and Neytiri's family grapples with grief, encountering a new, aggressive Na'vi tribe, the Ash People, who are led by the fiery Varang, as the conflict on Pandora escalates and a new moral focus emerges.  I just could not make myself go to the theater for this one.  I am sure it’s a much better experience in the theater but it just seemed like a chore so I did not make it, but I will gladly watch it at home.

The Bride!- In 1930s Chicago, Frankenstein asks Dr. Euphronius to help create a companion. They give life to a murdered woman as the Bride, sparking romance, police interest, and radical social change.  You do not get many movies and with an ! at the end.  It is not The Bride it is The Bride!  This movie was shot over a couple of years ago so maybe it went thru some issues during postproduction so it had a bad wrap attached to it already.  Now when the trailer premiered I noticed it it’s the monster and the bride as Bonnie and Clyde in the 30s so my interest was piqued.  But reviews were not kind to this monster tale and it crashed and burned on arrival.  I am still interested in it and word is it will be a cult classic sooner rather than later.

Dicknado- A strange weather phenomenon causes dread and desperate behavior. The storm has a vulgar shape, but this is not new to nature; some mushrooms and snakes also bear this form. The winds of change push some people toward desperate acts while others take less drastic measures.  I got no words on this one.

Movie Poster Monday- Missing in Action 2: The Beginning

 

New Release Tuesdays

 

Good Boy- A loyal dog moves to a rural family home with his owner, only to discover supernatural forces lurking in the shadows. As dark entities threaten his human companion, the brave pup must fight to protect the one he loves most.  A nice little movie with a great puppy dog.  It is like Evil Dead happening at a country house and you are seeing it from the dog’s perspective.

Primate- A group of friends' tropical vacation turns into a terrifying, primal tale of horror and survival.  I cannot say enough good things about this one.  This is a great horror movie because you do not know where this monkey is and he is anywhere and everywhere in this flick.  It also features a great John Carpenter like score, check it out.  Highly recommended.

Deathstalker- A remake of the cult classic 1983 sword and sorcery film.  Ah yes, the 80s Roger Corman swords, sorcery, sandals, and boobs movies.  This remake features all of these except the boobs.  This is a nice little fantasy flick that just like back then has a little He-Man and Star Wars in it.  This was very enjoyable.

Send Help- When an employee and her insufferable boss become stranded on a deserted island, the only survivors of a plane crash, they must overcome past grievances and work together to make it out alive.  One of my favorite movies of the year so far.  Great to see Sam Raimi making a semi-horror movie here with all the usual Evil Dead shots.  Can you spot Bruce Campbell and the Delta 88?  Let me know!

The Strangers: Chapter 3- In the series' most brutal chapter, Maya collides with the masked killers and finds the only way out of the nightmare...is in.  This trilogy started out promising but just unraveled with each new chapter.  This was a meh.

Uncommon Valor- Ten years after his son went M.I.A. in Vietnam, U.S. Marine retired Colonel Jason Rhodes assembles a private rescue team to find Americans held in P.O.W. camps in Laos.  The movie that started the Vietnam craze of let’s go get our soldiers and bring them home.  This is the smarter version of Rambo 2 or Missing in Action and it has a great cast of ensemble character actors that are very likable.  Highly recommended.

Shelter- Michael Mason is a recluse on a remote Scottish island who rescues a girl from the sea, unleashing a perilous sequence of events that culminate in an attack on his home, compelling him to face his turbulent history.  Jason Statham is on a good run of action flicks lately and you can add this one to that list.

Soldier- A soldier trained from birth is deemed obsolete and dumped on a waste planet where he is reluctantly taken in by a community of defenseless, stranded wayfarers.  Arrow Video has been releasing some good WB titles lately and this one has become a cult classic over the years after a rather poor run in theaters.  Kurt Russell is an absolute beast in this movie that takes place in the Blade Runner world.  

Blue Thunder- The cop test pilot for an experimental police helicopter learns the sinister implications of the new vehicle.  Another Arrow Video release that is a fantastic political action movie.  It is showing its age because of the technology in it then but that does not harm the story one bit.  Highly recommended.

Bambi: The Reckoning- A car wreck strands a mother and son in the deep woods where a mutated, vengeful deer stalks them. As local hunters and an obsessive grandmother converge, the forest becomes a bloody arena for a grieving creature's primal rage.  This is part of the Pooh Verse where all of our childhood favorites will team up in the near future.  

Movie Poster Monday- Missing in Action

 

Movie Poster Monday- Lone Wolf McQuade

 

Movie Poster Monday- The Octagon

 

Movie Poster Monday- An Eye for an Eye

 

Movie Poster Monday- Slaughter in San Francisco

 

R.I.P. Chuck Norris 1940-2026

More to come...

 

New Release Tuesdays

 

TAG: The Assassination Game- College assassination game turns deadly as someone starts playing for real.  This title has been in the works for years.  It has never ever been issued on DVD.  Back when I saw it at the theater it was called Kiss Me, Kill Me and I remember catching it on cable at one point later on.  It is way better than I remember and it has a very nice noir style to it.  Directed by the OG Michael Myers himself, Nick Castle.  Give this a spin, recommended.

Silent Night, Deadly Night- After seeing his parents killed by someone dressed as Santa, a grown man later wears a Santa suit himself and seeks violent revenge.  I caught this in the theater and I was blown away.  It was a great early Christmas gift.  Take the classic version and add some Dexter and Venom to it and you get this new version.  I was very impressed. So if you enjoy the original, give this one a spin.

Predator: Badlands- A young Predator outcast from his clan finds an unlikely ally on his journey in search of the ultimate adversary.  If you thought the last Predator movie Prey was good then you are going to love this new one.  For the first time it makes a Predator the protagonist and shows what he has to deal with his race known as the Yautja.  Here the Predator teams with a synthetic from the Weyland Corporation (You know they are gonna take another crack at Predator vs Aliens again) on an alien planet to capture a trophy.  This is action packed and I loved it, highly recommended.

SISU: Road to Revenge- A man returns to dismantle his family's house, where they were murdered in war, to rebuild it elsewhere. When the killer, a Red Army commander, tracks him down, a brutal cross-country pursuit begins.  These movies are The Fast and the Furious/ John Wick/ World War 2 flicks that defy all gravity but man they are a ton of bloody fun.  

The Man Who Wasn’t There- A laconic, chain-smoking barber blackmails his wife's boss and lover for money to invest in dry cleaning, but his plan goes terribly wrong.  A Coen Brothers movie I really do not remember much about it but I like them and Billy Bob so will get this when the Criterion sale hits this summer at Barnes and Noble.

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2- One year after the supernatural nightmare at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, Abby runs away to reconnect with her animatronic friends, uncovering dark secrets about the true origins of Freddy's and unleashing a horror hidden for decades.  This is not near as good as the first one but still enjoyable and I imagine there will be at least one more to make it a trilogy.

Excalibur- Merlin the magician helps Arthur Pendragon unite the Britons around the Round Table of Camelot, even as dark forces conspire to tear it apart.  I remember seeing parts of this on cable back in the day but have never committed to watching all of this movie.  Arrow has put a new edition, and people are loving it so it has piqued my curiosity. 

Force: Five- A martial-arts expert leads a team of fellow martial artists to rescue a senator's daughter from an island ruled by the evil leader of a fanatical religious cult.  A generic but entertaining martial arts movie with a bunch of Chuck Norris’s buddies.  From the director of Enter the Dragon so you know the action scenes are good.

Movie Poster Monday- Three the Hard Way

 

R.I.P. Tom Noonan 1951-2026

 

R.I.P. Robert Duvall 1931-2026

 

Dad Strong

 

New Release Tuesday

 

Keeper- A romantic anniversary trip to a secluded cabin turns sinister when a dark presence reveals itself, forcing a couple to confront the property's haunting past.  Director Os Perkins has been on a roll with Longlegs and The Monkey and now comes his latest that will get a viewing soon.

Cursed Hearse- When a down on his luck hipster buys an old hearse with the hopes of converting it into a limousine service, he soon finds out that there's a lot more to the hearse than he bargained for.  It sounds like a solid plan but did he check the back before purchasing it?

Osiris- Special Forces commandos are abducted mid-operation by a mysterious spacecraft and, upon awakening, find themselves prey to a relentless alien race in a fight for survival.  This supposedly came out a while back but I just found it at the Wal Mart new release section.  I had the pleasure of seeing this in theaters last year with the director and much of the crew in attendance.  It's a cool sc-fi action flick with nods to Alien, Predator, and a Star Wars shot in there.  Check it out.

Movie Poster Monday- Rocky II

 

New Release Tuesday

Wicked For Good- Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West and her relationship with Glinda, the Good Witch of the North. The second of a two-part feature film adaptation of the Broadway musical.  I still think the monkeys from the 1939 OG look better than the ones on this movie.  I will watch this at some point.

One Battle After Another- When their enemy resurfaces after 16 years, a group of ex-revolutionaries reunite to rescue the daughter of one of their own.  Love me some PTA but I always love my PTA at home.

Springsteen: Deliver from Nowhere- Bruce Springsteen's journey crafting his 1982 album Nebraska, which emerged as he recorded Born in the USA with the E Street Band. Based on Warren Zanes' book.  I am not a big Springsteen but I do like his songwriting.  Most of his music is like a four minute screen play.  

Roofman- A charismatic criminal, while on the run from the police, hides in a hidden space of a toy store. There, he adopts a new identity and becomes involved with an employee, beginning a relationship as unlikely as it is risky.  I read people seem to like this so I might get around to it.

Suspect- When a homeless man is accused of murdering a Justice Department file clerk, a public defender is tasked with mounting his legal defense.  A good 80s whodunnit court room drama.

Hellhounds- A pack of werewolves known as the Hell Hounds wage a shadow war against a fanatical order of werewolf hunters called the Silver Bullets. The Hounds and the Bullets now roam the country appearing to the outside world as rival biker gangs.  Werewolf biker gangs!?  Now that is an enticing premise that must be visited.

 

Movie Poster Monday- Whiteout

 

Movie Poster Monday- No Escape

 

Don't Forget Your Cardio

 

New Release Tuesday

 

Tron: Ares- A highly sophisticated program, Ares, is sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission.  I walked out of the theater really likng this movie.  Looks cool, the NiN soundtrack was awesome, and the story was good. This movie did not do well at the box office and I think the blame has to go to the cast here.  All the leads are not the kind of actors to carry a big budget movie and Disney has put Tron in the digital retirement home maybe forever.  Give this a spin.

The Smashing Machine- The story of mixed-martial arts and UFC champion, Mark Kerr.  I am always interested to see what the Rock is cooking and it is about time he did a dramatic movie and got away from all the Disney/Jumanji stuff.  Those type of movies almost ruined his career back in the days.  This is a good drama with a great performance by Dwanye.  See it.

Under Seige- Ex US Navy Seal turned cook, Casey Ryback, is the only person who can stop a group of terrorists when they seize control of the US battleship The Missouri to obtain it's nuclear warheads.  Seagal's best movie finally gets the Arrow 4k treatment.  Thanks WB!  Seagal could have kept making good action movies like this for a long time if he was not such a jerk to people.

Icefall- The story revolves around a young Native American game warden who captures a notorious poacher only to learn that the poacher is aware of the location of a plane carrying millions of dollars that has crashed in a frozen lake.  You know I am sucker for DTV movies and this is the best looking one of the ones listed here.  See more below.

Afterburn- After a massive solar flare destroys the Earth's eastern hemisphere, an emboldened treasure hunter for hire adventures to Europe to uncover the coveted Mona Lisa, only to learn the world needs a hero more than it needs a painting.

Exit Protocol- An assassin whose specialty is killing other assassins trying to get out of the business decides to try to get out himself and must then team up with his former mark to escape the hired killers now gunning for them both.  Dolph and Michael Jai?  Sign me up.