New on Blu: MAD MAX: FURY ROAD (Black and Chrome Edition), THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS, DON'T BREATHE

Do you even care to know how "gorgeous" the 1080P or 2/4 K scan transfer looks, or how cool the extra features are? By now, you are well-versed in what transfers look like and you know what's coming with the release. You're (hopefully) here because you want to know the experience I had watching this/these film(s). 

New on Blu is a new column from film pundit Chase Whale, exploring studio, arthouse, underground, exploitation and cult cinema released on Blu-ray and DVD from some of the most cutting-edge independent distributors around the U.S. He talks about the movie and whether it's worth a buy or rent. 

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD (Black and Chrome Edition)

Director: George Miller
Cast: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Keays-Byrne (who played the villain "Toecutter" in 1979's Mad Max which starred and boomed Mel Gibson's career)
Film Rating: ★★★★★
Special Features: ★★★★★
Buy/Rent: BUY

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD is one of the best films of this decade. Filled with batshit crazy stunts and sparse CGI when required, George Miller, 71, is a wunderkind made one of the best movies of 2015. You won't find many 71-year-olds making movies like the high-octane MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, well, ever.

This is why the Black and Chrome edition is so important -- it's what Miller wanted from the get-go. 

On the Blu-ray, Miller introduced the Black and Chrome edition by saying it's the better version of the film. I wholeheartedly disagree because the dusty sepia color palette gives FURY ROAD the feel of a wasteland. However, something monstrous about Black and Chrome version -- you can't see the obvious CGI moments. That's not the intention why they sucked out the colors and hyped up black and chrome -- Miller had this vision for a long time. It's tough to put up an argument with the director who made the film you love, but there's a gray area in there for every voice. (excluding the ones in your head.)

It's a necessary buy just to have the option to watch in either version. Invite your BFFs over for a back-to-back FURY ROAD extravaganza, then debate which is better. It'll drive you all mad. 

The cover of the Black & Chrome edition is slick, symmetrically splitting Immortan Joe's soulless face -- half in color and the other, black & chrome.

Special Features:
Miller's brief introduction to the Black & Chrome version
Featurettes: Maximum Fury: Filming Fury Road, Mad Max: Fury on Four Wheels, The Road Warrior: Max and Furiosa, The Tools of the Wasteland, The Five Wives: So Shiny, So Chrome, Fury Road: Crash and Smash
Deleted Scenes

THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS

Directors: Chris Renaud, Yarrow Cheney
Cast: Louis C.K., Kevin Hart, Jenny Slate, Lake Bell, Albert Brooks, Hannibal Buress, Dana Carvey, Steve Coogan
Film Rating: ★★★★
Special Features: ★★★
Buy/Rent: BUY

THE SECRET LIFE TO PETS is there is not secret: it's exactly how you imagine it to be -- dogs running amuck around the house, cats knocking over things, both eating everything in sight, and animals acting how we know them. Their decorum emphasizes jokes adults will appreciate, and there are enough gratifying gags that will surely make the kids laugh.   It's a cunning animated film on why pets act they way they do and how they act and feel in certain situations. Say, when a dog and his best friend, as well as caretaker, brings in another dog and they start to get territorial with their owner and things turn topsy-turvy. "They" being a Jack Russell Terrier, Max (Louis C.K.) and a Duke (Eric Stonestreet), a brown breed that's unknown but perhaps the filmmakers thought it would be funny to put Chewbacca on all fours. (It works because it's funny.) For this household, there can be only one. 

While on a routine dog walk from a dog walk (a super popular job in New York), Max and Duke get themselves captured by the pound. To their rescue are animals from all over the city. But not so fast, no all come in peace. A game of cat-and-mouse becomes the central focus when Max and Duke upset a bunny with a 'tude named Snowball (Kevin Hart). (There's no irony that Kevin Hart plays the smallest animal in the film, I'm sure.)
I think my favorite character is the pig, who's all tattooed up. It doesn't say "Pig' on IMDb, but a wild guess would be the character "Tattoo" (played by Michael Beattie).

We know from the beginning where the relationship of Max and Duke is going to go, but their journey to get there is what's gratifying to watch. Sure, a lot of animated movies follow a conventional plot that always works, but it's the second act that's the most important. 


Blu-ray Exclusive Features:
-- How to Make an Animated Film.
-- Anatomy of a Scene.

More Special Features:
-- Mini-Movies:
-- All About The Pets – Kevin Hart and Eric Stonestreet, with the help of animal trainer Molly Mignon O’Neill take you on an educational journey to learn more about your average and not-so average, household pets.
-- Animals Can Talk: Meet The Actors – The comedy superstars who give voice to the film’s menagerie of characters talk about their roles and the process of bringing them to life.
-- Hairstylist To The Dogs – Inspired by “Hairspray Live!,” Eric Stonestreet, with the help of a professional dog groomer Jess Rona, will take you through the basic steps to help your pups look as awesome as possible when they’re hanging out with their pet pals.

Director: George Miller
Cast: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas
Film Rating: ★★★★
Special Features: ★★★★★
Buy/Rent: BUY

DON'T BREATHE is full of shocking surprises. It takes the conventional home invasion-gone-wrong trope but throws in a lot of twists and turns you won't see coming. This is the best and most violent in the HOME ALONE series. Kevin McCallister grew up and went off the deepend.  

This Blu-ray release comes with a mountain of special features, but the most important one is the sound. If you have surround sound, it feels like you're put right in the middle of the invasion. You hear all creeks and cracks and sounds that will make you shit your pants where you stand. 

It's mind-bending watching how The Blind Man (Stephen Lang, in a victim-turned-villain hyper-menacing performance) how the blind man takes out his burglars and reveals his own horrifying secret. 

I didn't expect DON'T BREATHE to be as good as it is. This is my favorite kind of movie,  ones that catch me off guard and tell people, "see it." 

Special Features: 
-- Eight deleted scenes with Director's Commentary
-- No Escape
-- Creating the Creepy House
-- Meet the Cast
-- Commentary with Director Fede Alvarez, Co-Writer Rodo Sayagues and Actor Stephen Lang
-- Man In The Dark
-- The Sounds of Horror

Movie Review: LA LA LAND

LA LA LAND La La Lavishes with joy and warmth. This is a movie I want to live in. It's a perfect homage to the Golden Age of Hollywood and pays deep admiration of the musicals during that era. 

After a failed audition, Mia (the super gifted Emma Stone) walks passed a mural of Hollywood legends -- Chaplin, Monroe -- people who don't need to be introduced by their full name, people actors want to be, people she wants to be but can't nail the right audition. As she drifts along the avenue, she hears the soothing sounds of a piano and walks into the bar. The pianist is the dreamy Sebastian (played by the dreamy Ryan Gosling). He lives and breathes jazz, a dying breed of music. 

These two characters keep having chance encounters — one very humorous and very L.A. — and finally end up as a couple, *the* couple with whimsical love so powerful; it’s the kind people dream of having. These two float, and sing and dance their happiness together, despite their ongoing struggles. 

As Sebastian, Gosling carries suave and pizazz of Gene Kelley, and the energetic legs and feet of Fred Astaire, while Emma Stone captures a fierce hustle and bounce delivery of Audrey Hepburn, with a sweet tone of Judy Garland. 

LA LA LAND is a musical and one of the most lively and enjoyable of its genre. It’s not your conventional musical — watch Björk’s “It’s Oh So Quiet” music video for a taste of this magical gem. This movie is beautiful in so many ways. Writer-director Damien Chazelle (WHIPLASH) shows what he knows: celebrating music in an effortless slick style. 

From memory, a few films pulse throughout LA LA LAND, including Woody Allen’s ANNIE HALL, revered musicals from the Golden Age such as George Sydney’s SHOW BOAT, GIGI, A STAR IS BORN, HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING, Chazelle’s first feature WHIPLASH — about strict determination — and the dance numbers and tunes are as remarkable and catchy as 2011’s THE MUPPETS. You’ll be singing long after leaving the theater.  

Chazelle banged on the scene in 2014 with his hard-hitting debut feature film about being the best and nothing less, WHIPLASH, which won three Oscars: Best Supporting Role (J.K. Simmons, in a powerful and monstrous performance), Film Editing, and Sound Mixing. I saw this at its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. It was the opening night film, nobody heard much of it, and after, I wished the other films screening good luck! because we had all just seen the best of the festival.  

And he kept that rhythm going.

For better or worse, LA LA LAND is going to be Chazelle’s best film. From the song and dance numbers to his tongue-in-cheek mockery and glamorizations of the conventions of living in L.A. 

So what is LA LA LAND really about? Decorating and disfiguring surviving in L.A.? Or, the truth and consequences of following your dream? I’m not too sure, but I do know LA LA LAND is a well-planned, well-executed story of love, the reality of disappointment, and what happens when we stop worrying and learn to accept life and its strange designs. LA LA LAND is the backdrop of movies and why we see them. It’s magical.

New on Blu: PTA's PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE, SPACE JAM 20TH ANNIVERSARY STEELBOOK, DEAD RINGERS, FINDING DORY, DEATH OF A SALESMAN, LEGEND OF BRUCE LEE: VOLUME ONE (DVD)

"I have a love in my life. It makes me stronger than anything you can imagine."  
-- Barry Egan

After making his masterpiece, MAGNOLIA, writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson said his next movie would be a comedy starring Adam Sandler. People laughed. He was serious. PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE was made with Sandler, and it became one of PTA's most beloved films. It's one of the idiosyncratic love stories and shows Sandler will win you over when he takes acting serious. 

I'm an avid PTA fan, and this is my second favorite in his oeuvre. It's not his second best, or third, but it's my second favorite. It makes me want to fall in love; it makes me want to believe happiness strikes at any moment, and it makes me miss scene-stealer Philip Seymour Hoffman.

PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE has been only available via a shitty DVD transfer since 2002, and Criterion Collection came to save the day (better late than never). This edition comes with the hilarious Mattress Man commercial Hoffman hilariously spoofed. You may have seen it, already, but if not, watch it and then watch this, "the real mattress man." commercial. Hoffman bravely mirrored exactly what the Mattress Man foolishly thought was a good idea. There's another cool bonus I've never seen, an interview with David Phillips, the “pudding guy." 

In this PTA-approved edition, special features are:

  • Restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised by director Paul Thomas Anderson, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray
  • Blossoms & Blood, a short 2002 piece by Anderson featuring Adam Sandler and Emily Watson, along with music by Jon Brion
  • New interview with Brion
  • New piece featuring behind-the-scenes footage of a recording session for the film’s soundtrack
  • New conversation between curators Michael Connor and Lia Gangitano about the art of Jeremy Blake, used in the film
  • Additional artwork by Blake
  • Cannes Film Festival press conference from 2002
  • NBC News interview from 2000 with David Phillips, the “pudding guy”
  • Twelve Scopitones
  • Deleted scenes
  • Mattress Man commercial
  • Trailers
  • PLUS: An essay by filmmaker, author, and artist Miranda July

Why are you still reading this? Now "SHUT UP! SHUT THE FUCK UP! Shut up; will you SHUTUP SHUTUP! SHUT SHUT SHUT SHUT SHUTUP... SHUTUP! NOW" and BUY THIS NOW NOW NOW.

Remember when brilliantly bizarre Bill Murray tried to join the NBA? These days his behavior not considered wacky, but back in 1996, it one one of the funniest gossip treasures. He got his wish to bounce a basketball on the court against an opposing animated team of giant monsters alongside basketball's greatest player of all time, Michael Jordan, in the super weird SPACE JAM.

I hadn't seen SPAM JAM since it was in theaters long ago. I was 13 and everyone want Air Jordan's so they could fly. Everyone. We didn't care about the story; we just wanted to see Michael Jordan fly, and that he does. 

When I re-watched it for the 20th anniversary Blu-ray release, there are two things I'm curious how parents took: Why are parents taking their kids to a themed park called Moron Mountain owned by giant bozo Swackhammer (voiced by the beloved professional functioning alcoholic Danny Devito), and why isn't everyone freaking out that Michael Jordan got sucked into a golf hole and is missing? It is a Looney Tunes film, which means anything goes. 

I still love watching this movie, and as an adult, there's a line I caught that made me laugh out loud, and that's when Bill Murray shows up at the game at the end and is asked, "How did you get here?" His dry and austere response? "A producer is a friend of mine dropped me off." This wink-at-the-audience moment is where SPACE JAM is giving the parents something to laugh at, and let the audience know that SPACE JAM itself knows its a silly movie, but just go with it and embellish the goofiness, or get out of town. 

Related: Please watch the below short clip of a press conference when Murray announced he wanted to try out for the NBA. Murray's last word to the reporter's question is solid gold. 

Special Features

  • Audio Commentary from director Joe Pytka, Bugs Bunny (voiced by Billy West) and Daffy Duck (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker)
  • Jammin with Bugs Bunny and Michael Jordan
  • Music videos including Seal's "Fly Like an Eagle" and Monstars' anthem "Hit 'Em High"

Ah, yes, Scream Factory is rolling out two collector's edition of horror guru David Cronenberg's films. The first is DEAD RINGERS, which blesses us with two Jeremy Irons, and brings us back to a time when payphones were crucial in movies and plot twists, and Beverly was a masculine name. 

This is an release is super important because it's the first time DEAD RINGERS is on Blu-ray, so the quality isn't shitty on TVs bigger than 40" like the PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE version mentioned above. 

And as always, Scream goes for broke with the delicious artwork, making it a necessity for the collection. Since this is Cronenberg, fans will be clawing to get their hands on this release.

Special Features

DISC ONE

  •  High-Definition Transfer Of The Film (1.78:1 Aspect Ratio)
  •  NEW Audio Commentary With Writer William Beard, Author Of The Artist As Monster: The Cinema Of David Cronenberg
  •  Audio Commentary With Actor Jeremy Irons

DISC TWO

  • NEW 2K Scan At The Director's Preferred Aspect Ratio (1.66:1)
  • NEW Carey's Story – An Interview With Heidi Von Palleske
  •  NEW Working Artist – An Interview With Stephen Lack
  •  NEW Connecting Tissues – An Interview With Special Effects Artist Gordon Smith
  •  NEW Double Vision – An Interview With Director Of Photography Peter Suschitzky
  •  Vintage interviews With Jeremy Irons, Director/Co-writer David Cronenberg, Producer Marc Boyman And Co-writer Norman Snider
  •  Vintage Behind-The-Scenes Featurette
  •  Original Theatrical Trailer

Ellen Degeneres has a natural, lively ability to make people laugh on her talk show. She's approachable and warm. Now she proves her voice alone is still a beloved character of its own. In FINDING DORY, she reprises her role as Dory from FINDING NEMO. This time, it's Dory's story. She's has had "short term remember loss" since she was young, and remembers when she is all grown up she is missing her parents. Off she goes to find them. She meets a lot of characters from FINDING NEMO, so it makes for a great back-to-back watch. There are crossovers and moments that will make you say, "oh yeah! I remember that!"

FINDING NEMO is for you, for me, and for everyone. Pixar is astute when it comes to making animated movies and teaching family values. Separated, it's hard to survive, but with a team, anything is possible. 

Special features (hold your breath for this)

  • Theatrical Short: "Piper" – A hungry sandpiper hatchling ventures from her nest for the first time to dig for food by the shoreline. The only problem is that the food is buried beneath the sand where scary waves roll up onto the shore.
  • Marine Life Interviews (All-New Mini Short) – Meet the inhabitants of the Marine Life Institute as they remember our favorite blue tang.
  • The Octopus That Nearly Broke Pixar – Pixar's "Team Hank" unravels the challenges, frustrations, and rewards of bringing to life the studio's crankiest and most technically complicated character ever.
  • What Were We Talking About? – This piece showcases the complex routes Dory's story took as the filmmakers worked to construct a comprehensive narrative involving a main character with short-term memory loss.
  • Casual Carpool – What's it like to commute with the voices of Marlin, Charlie, Bailey and Hank? Join "Finding Dory" writer/director Andrew Stanton as he drives Albert Brooks, Eugene Levy, Ty Burrell and Ed O'Neill to work.
  • Animation & Acting – How do you create a connection between a human audience and a fish? This behind-the-scenes look behind the curtain examines the process of constructing believable performances through a unique collaboration between the director, voice actors and animators.
  • Creature Features – The cast of "Finding Dory" share cool facts about the creatures they voice in the film.
  • Deep in the Kelp – Disney Channel's Jenna Ortega guides us on a research trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium to show how far the "Finding Dory" crew went to make Dory's world feel real.
  • Skating & Sketching with Jason Deamer – "Finding Dory" character art director Jason Deamer talks about how he got to Pixar, how he draws the characters in the film, and how falling off a skateboard teaches you lessons you can use in art and life.
  • Dory's Theme – A spirited discussion among the composer, music editor and director of "Finding Dory" about the musical elements that shape Dory's quirky and joyful theme.
  • Rough Day on the Reef – Sometimes computers make mistakes. Here you'll see some of the funny, creepy and just plain bizarre footage the crew encountered while making "Finding Dory."
  • Audio Commentary – Director Andrew Stanton, co-director Angus MacLane and producer Lindsey Collins deliver their personal perspective on "Finding Dory."
  • Deleted Scenes (introduced by director Andrew Stanton)
    • Losing Nemo – While watching the stingray migration, Dory starts to follow two fish that remind her of her parents, leaving Nemo all alone.
    • Little Tension in Clown Town – In this alternate version of the film, Dory tries to "follow her fins" to her parents, but ends up in a strange place with even stranger fish fashion.
    • Dory Dumped – In this early version of the story, Dory's parents had short-term memory loss as well.
    • Sleep Swimming – Dory begins to talk and swim in her sleep, revealing what seem to be clues to her past.
    • Meeting Hank – Wandering the Marine Life Institute's elaborate pipe system, Dory happens upon the abode of Hank the cranky octopus.
    • The Pig – Frantically navigating the pipes of the Marine Life Institute in search of her parents, Dory crosses paths with a terrifying cleaning device.
    • Starting Over – Director Andrew Stanton presents four different versions of the movie's opening scene to illustrate the filmmakers' search for the best way to introduce Dory's backstory and to connect this new film to "Finding Nemo."
    • Tank Gang (Digital exclusive) – After a close encounter with a squid leaves them separated from Dory, Marlin and Nemo unexpectedly meet up with the Tank Gang from "Finding Nemo," who make it their mission to get to the Marine Life Institute … by any means necessary.
    • Hidden Seacrets of Finding Dory (Digital exclusive) – Take a deep dive to catch secret Easter Eggs throughout the movie. And just like Hank, they're hidden in plain sight.

BUY...if you can find it. 

Dustin Hoffman first starred on broadway as Willy Loman in Arthur Miller's beloved play, Death of a Salesman, then when on to play the character in this TV movie, which got him and Emmy Award, as well as a Golden Globe for Best Lead. Death of a Salesman has been given the TV-movie treatment five times, and this is the best of the bunch. I mean, look at that cover. There's not much more glorious in this world than Hoffman holding John Malkovich's tweeks, smiling and showing their colossal height gap. It's also pretty amazing they pulled off as father-son, which means Hoffman's LomanhadJohn Malkovich's Biff (a popular name in 80s movies) at 17.

If you like to read, I highly recommend reading Miller's original play first, then re-visiting this gem, but if you're tolerance for reading left to right, top to bottom is very low, this film the next best thing. Moreover, Malkovich is named Biff and "butthead" is not used once. An important 80s fact you need to know. 

Special Features

  • Private Conversations: A Candid Look Behind The Scenes At The Filming Of This Powerful And Compelling, Award-Winning Production Of Death Of A Salesman

There are seven volumes, so you have a lot of ahead to look forward to, soldier. 

Volume One takes place during Lee's high school years in Hong Kong, where he faces racial tension and learns to box and kick some ass, all the way until he leaves for America where he will forever be known as the greatest fighter to have ever lived. (His philosophy on martial arts, patience, and when to strike is brilliant.)

I'm an avid Bruce Lee fan, so his films are satisfy me plenty. I'm also a huge fan of DRAGON: THE BRUCE LEE STORY, so I don't need more backstory, even if it's more accurate. Jason Scott Lee did such an exceptional job in Lee's biopic DRAGON, I can't imagine the praise Jason would get if it were made today. 

This series is super popular and there are six more, so if you want to get to know more about Bruce's upbringing that got him to his legendary status, buy these. I prefer rental because I'm not sure I'd revisit again. 

RENT.

New on Blu: MORRIS FROM AMERICA, BUBBA HO-TEP, THE INITIATION, KICKBOXER: VENGEANCE, OUT OF PRINT (DVD)

Do you even care to know how "gorgeous" the 1080P or 2/4 K scan transfer looks, or how cool the extra features are? By now, you are well-versed in what transfers look like and you know what's coming with the release. You're (hopefully) here because you want to know the experience I had watching this/these film(s). 

New on Blu is a new column from film pundit Chase Whale, exploring studio, arthouse, underground, exploitation and cult cinema released on Blu-ray and DVD from some of the most cutting-edge independent distributors around the U.S. He talks about the movie and whether it's worth a buy or rent. 

MORRIS FROM AMERICA

What I love about comedians, is when they tackle drama and nail it. Craig Robinson (THIS IS THE END, The Office) stars as Curtis Gentry, who was recruited to Germany to be a soccer coach. His son, Morris (Markees Christmas in a gifted theatrical debut), wishes to be a rap superstar, is going to a German school, and can't fit into the status quo until fitting in until he meets Katrin, a girl who enjoys his company and spends time with him. Eventually, he starts to hang out with her, goes to parties and lies to father, and this is where the father/son routine comes in. 

I love that Robinson took on this role. While watching him, I didn't see Darryl Philbin from The Office or a blissfully dramatized version of himself in THIS IS THE END, or any of his wacky and wild comedies -- it's a nice departure from raunch-com he's known for. I hope he gives more sober roles like Mr. Robot and MORRIS FROM AMERICA in the future a shot. It's working. 

IMDb bills this as a "Romantic and coming-of-age misadventures of a 13-year-old American living in Germany," but's so much deeper than that. It's also about a father/son relationship, and how they cope with each other while living in Germany, a country neither are familiar with and only have each other to rely on. 

Special Features:
“Making Morris from America” Featurette
Bloopers
Deleted Scenes
Casting Tapes
Audio Commentary with Director Chad Hartigan and Actors Craig Robinson and Markees Christmas

BUY. 

BUBBA HO-TEP

BUBBA HO-TEP is one of Bruce Campbell's best films. He's an elderly Elvis who made a deal with an Elvis impersonator long ago and got duped. Now he's in a nursing home, has a pimple on his penis and his best friend is JFK (Ossie Davis), who's black who believes there's a conspiracy against him from long ago.

This is only the beginning. 

Evil lurks at the nursing home, a western mummy gunslinger, and giant cockroaches, out to hurt the poor ole elderly. Campbell has battled evil dead before, so he's the man for the job, except he has to do it as a bitter old Elvis who walks with a cane and his pal JFK is in a wheelchair. Can they stop the madness? 

Special Features
NEW Audio Commentary With Author Joe R. Lansdale
NEW All Is Well – An Interview With Writer/Director Don Coscarelli
NEW The King Lives! – An Interview With Star Bruce Campbell
NEW Mummies And Make-up – An Interview With Special Effects Artist Robert Kurtzman
Audio Commentary By Don Coscarelli And Bruce Campbell
Audio Commentary By "The King"
Deleted Scenes With Optional Commentary By Don Coscarelli And Bruce Campbell
"The Making Of Bubba Ho-Tep" Featurette
"To Make A Mummy" Make-up And Effects Featurette
"Fit For A King" Elvis Costuming Featurette
"Rock Like An Egyptian" Featurette About The Music Of Bubba Ho-Tep
Joe R. Lansdale Reads From Bubba Ho-Tep
Archival Bruce Campbell Interviews
Music Video
Theatrical Trailer
TV Spot
Still Gallery

BUY BUY BUY. 

THE INITIATION

 

"Delta Ro Kai, never will die" -- The Sister

THE INITIATION is one of the many films a part of the slasher film boom from the early 80s. It doesn't take itself too seriously and has a bit of fun, which is perhaps why Arrow Video picked it up.

THE INITIATION stars Daphne Zuniga in her debut feature as Kelly Fairchild, who's rushing to be a part of Delta Ro Kai. Something is bothering her -- since she was a child, she's had a recurring dream about a man on fire in her parent's bedroom courtesy of the fireplace. There's a psych ward, and sorority  end up in the mall to break into Kelly's dad's department store for some reason (initiation!). I don't know how they got in the mall, but they wonder around, and each get picked off one by one. Psych wards, malls, and Delta Ro Kai -- nobody is safe in THE INITIATION.  

The film follows conventional slasher tropes: a bitchy lead you fist-pump when she gets what's coming to her, amazing taglines, the whodunit?, gratuitous nudity, guys being dicks and rightfully getting brutally butchered, horny gives, the final girl, a big twist, silly but-so-good one-liner puns like "sometimes I think that man would forget his head if his head wasn't attached" right after it's cut off by a hatchet, the the four words you never say in a horror film, "I'll be right back,"  and more familiar conventions that were popular and made slashers in that time real money thanks to greats like HALLOWEEN, PSYCHO, and FRIDAY THE 13TH, NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. 

What's odd about the dialogue is the tagline. Someone in the film says, "...to being young, saying young, and dying young." Not sure about you, but I definitely don't want to die young. I want to live until at least 103. 

THE INITIATION has gained a cult following just like almost all the slashers from that time: SLEEPAWAY CAMP, NIGHT SCHOOL, FINAL EXAM, MADMAN,  THE BURNING, THE PROWLER, NEW YEAR'S EVIL, CHRISTMAS EVIL, SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT, APRIL FOOL'S DAY, MY BLOODY VALENTINE, EVERY HOLIDAY, EVER NIGHT/DAY/ETC., COLLEGE KIDS GETTING KILLED,  and anything with Jamie Lee Curtis, to name a few. 

This film should be shown to seniors pledging for a sorority that it isn't worth it. Don't buy friends, make them! (Or, if you're like me, just be alone every day because you have trouble making friends.)

Alfred Hitchcock and John Wayne favorite, Vera Miles (PSYCHO, THE SEARCHERS) shows up a few times, and there's also a cool shot with a poster of Tom Selleck in the background, so there's that, too. 

Fun tidbit: There's a shot I that I thought the cradled from Wes Craven's A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, but according to Wikipedia, "The Initiation was released in December 1984, but was overshadowed by Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), released the month before." Crazy coincidence. 

Malls, sorrority girls, nothing is safe in THE INITIATION. 

Special Features
Brand new restoration from original film elements
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
Original Uncompressed Mono PCM audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Brand new audio commentary by The Hysteria Continues
Brand new interview with actor Christopher Bradley
Brand new interview with actress Joy Jones
Original Theatrical Trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Justin Osbourn

BUY.

KICKBOXER: VENGEANCE

KICKBOXER: VENGEANCE gets a facelift from its origin, the acclaimed KICKBOXER, starring then-superstar Jean-Claude Van Damme. Thankfully, the filmmakers were smart enough to bring in JCVD: the student becomes the teacher, and it works well.

I was worried about this film -- the original KICKBOXER is sacred to me -- but this upgrade is really good. They chose the right Kurt Sloane (Van Damme's role from the 1989 film, now played by Alain Moussi.), and a beast scarier than the original Tong Po, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY's David Bautista. 

Van Damme looks fresh and slick in his dress up and plays his role as Sloane's teacher remarkably. 

The only upset about KICKBOXER: VENGEANCE is the very few scenes with fighting legend, Gina Carano. She plays the kind of role where if you blink, you miss her. Her fans (I included) love seeing her fight, whether as a good or villain character. She's bad to the bone

Rent and watch KICKBOXER and KICKBOXER VENGEANCE back-to-back. 

OUT OF PRINT

OUT OF PRINT is a labor of love from one of cinemas most beloved women. Her name is Julia Marchese, and she loves movies more than you. So much, that she raised over $75,000 to shoot her first film on 35mm print about 35mm and cinemas greatest repertory theater, The New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles. 35mm is how a movie should be seen, but it's very rare these days with digital fucking it up. (To be fair, digital has given us a lot of great filmmakers: Joe Swanberg, Robert Rodriguez, The Duplass Brothers, James Cameron, Matt Reeves, Neill Blomkamp, to name a few of the wild bunch.)

This theater is so famous; Patton Oswalt wrote a book about how it helped him love and appreciate films, all kinds. 

OUT OF PRINT stars many directors and actors you love, talking about their church, the New Beverly. This is one of the only theaters in the world that only plays repertory cinema on 35mm for only eight bucks. 

I love this film because it shows how important 35mm is and why cinephiles need to keep supporting a repertory theater to keep 35mm alive.

It does shift into personal stories about the New Beverly and its employees, which kind of takes the viewer out of the film for a moment since we weren't there for the fun times and jokes, but that's the only criticism for the film. Marchese did a hell of a job making her first feature-length film on 35mm. I can't even make a short film worth watching on digital. She had one shot, no rewinding or enough money to get more stock to reshoot. I hope she dabbles with filmmaking more. Most start their filmmaking career making cheap short films, then good short films, then get grants to make a feature. She skipped all that and dominated. 

BUY HERE NOW. It's worth the price of admission. 

New on Blu: STAR TREK BEYOND, BAD MOMS, CARNAGE PARK, and IMPERIUM

Do you even care to know how "gorgeous" the 1080P or 2/4 K scan transfer looks, or how cool the extra features are? By now, you are well-versed in what transfers look like and you know what's coming with the release. You're here because you want to know the experience I have watching this/these film(s). 

New on Blu is a new column from film pundit Chase Whale, exploring studio, arthouse, underground, exploitation and cult cinema released on Blu-ray and DVD from some of the most cutting-edge independent distributors around the U.S. He talks about the movie and whether it's worth a buy, rent, or avoid.

STAR TREK BEYOND

It was tough to watch STAR TREK BEYOND. I didn't see it in theaters since it was Anton's death was still fresh on the mind. And fans of the series also had Star Trek legend Leonard Nimoy's death on the mind, as well. Death has worked overtime in 2016, but we must move forward, and we must continue to support the fallen we watched conquer the big and small screen. 

While I don't agree with quote whore Scott Mantz that it's the best action movie of the year -- he must have missed Key & Peele's KEANU -- I do think STAR TREK BEYOND is one of the best action films of 2016 and director Justin Lin (who is responsible for making the Fast & Furious franchise an ongoing cashcow) keeps the excite from the get go to the finale. It's also so good to watch Idris Elba be so bad (in some insane prosthetics).

BUY. 

BAD MOMS

The easiest way to describe BAD MOMS is "a Seth Rogen raunch-com for women," but that's lazy. Seth Rogen's deranged mind should be for both men and women. Neighbors is one of my favorite comedies and both Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne crush it. 

BAD MOMS (co-written and directed by two guys!) is great. Why? There's heart in it and not just raunch for the sake of being raunch. (Something a lot of Rogen's film are missing.) 

Like all comedies, some jokes are hit and miss, but there are more hits than misses. Some of my favorites I jotted down when watching: Jada Pinkett Smith talk about wanting anal in front of her PTA teacher sqaud, when lead Amy (Mila Kunis) is finally going on a date after dumping her dirtbag husband. It's been decades and she's not really up-to-date on what is sexy. Her friends to her about her bra she plans to wear on a date, "This bra will be the death of your vagina."  

I'm curious how difficult or easy it was to convince the studio to have two dude write and direct a movie about women behaving badly. They must have been very convincing, because everyone in the film plays their part with all they've got and go full raunch. BAD MOMS is pure fun. 

Something special about BAD MOMS: it was independently financed and grossed more than 100 million at the box office. 

BUY.

CARNAGE PARK

There's not a lot more entertaining than watching Pat Healy (Magnolia, Cheap Thrills) play a psychopath: cotton candy, sleeping, Tour of Italy at Olive Garden quickly come to mind. 

Have you ever been to a theme park where the only way out is to survive? Hopefully, the answer is no, but this world is the Wild West, and nothing surprises me, anymore. 

This is the cinematic world of CARNAGE PARK. A few no-goods botch a robbery and end up at Carnage Park, where there's only one ride: dodging bullets blasting from Vietnam War sniper vet Wyatt Moss' rifles. CARNAGE PARK is a solid throwback to 70s action thrillers (it helps the film is set in the 70s, giving the atmosphere of Sam Peckinpah, Walter Hill, Don Siegel, and George Miller films).

BUY.

IMPERIUM

IMPERIUM opens with a quote from Adolph Hitler. That's already a hat tip this is going to be an uneasy movie to watch. Radcliffe has had a good year letting his fans know he doesn't want to just be known as Harry Potter. In 2016, he's played a dead farting corpse looking for love, and here, an FBI informant who signs up with the nazis to take down a group planning something big. 

IMPERIUM doesn't go as far as I expected it to, and it's rather light on the violence that comes with being a white supremacist and planning on killing people. The greatest takeaway is watching Radcliffe go all in on his performance. He really wants you to know he's put Harry Potter far behind him. 

RENT.

New on Blu: LIGHTS OUT, THE EXORCIST III, and Luis García Berlanga's THE EXECUTIONER

Do you even care to know how "gorgeous" the 1080P or 2/4 K scan transfer looks, or how cool the extra features are? By now, you are well-versed in what transfers look like and you know what's coming with the release. You're here because you want to know the experience I have watching this/these film(s). 

New on Blu is a new column from film pundit Chase Whale, exploring studio, arthouse, underground, exploitation and cult cinema released on Blu-ray and DVD from some of the most cutting-edge independent distributors around the U.S. He talks about the movie and whether it's worth a buy, rent, or avoid.

LIGHTS OUT

During an era where we are getting remakes, reboots, "spiritual sequels," and "blood relatives," there's a filmmaker bring fresh screams to the screen: James Wan (The Conjuring franchise, Insidious franchise, and the first and best Saw, which spawned six more films in the box-office hit franchise). He's now expanding his oeuvre into other genres -- Furious 7 and the much anticipated Aquaman feature. Wan is a name you can trust, which is why the cover of LIGHTS OUT has his name instead of the writer or director. 

It's hard for me to be scared of studio films these days, but first-time feature-length director Lights Out did an exceptional job with a few great jump scared. This film seems to be more tailored for a younger audience with it's PG-13, but many directors have shown you can create great frights with having to make it bloody (The Sixth Sense will always be the best go-to for this argument). What I do value is how the scares are constructed. It sticks with you and makes the audience think twice about electricity and how often we take some of America's greatest inventions for granted. There's always a formula to every genre of film, and it's always a treat when films like LIGHTS OUT stray from that formula. 

Horror fanatic? BUY. 

THE EXORCIST III [Collector's Edition]

George C. Scott (Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, Patton, Hardcore) stars as in the third round of THE EXORCIST, this time hunting down a possible copycat of famous serial killer The Gemini Killer, a baddie executed years before. We learn over time, the wicked soul of the Gemini Killer is possessing other bodies and killing off whom it pleases, then passes on to another human vessel. The passing-to-another-human-vessel formula has been used in quite a few horror films but rarely in inventive ways. THE EXORCIST III has a lot of fun with this formula. 

I remember how disappointed I was when JASON GOES TO HELL used the transformation of Jason's demon to regular folks to carry out the killing, and we don't get the real masked maniac until the very end of the film. That's not a way for Jason Vorhees to go out, but Hollywood thought up other formulas to keep him going (Freddy vs. Jason and a solid reboot). 

Some of the best kind of horror films are the ones that know they won't be taken serious, but the team clearly had fun as possible making it, it either becomes a bomb or a cult hit. THE EXORCIST III is a cult hit.  

Plus, this is from Scream Factory, who spend a lot of time making kick-ass artwork, forcing your heart to buy it.

Special Features:
DISC ONE: The Exorcist III (Theatrical Cut)
NEW 2K Scan Of The Interpositive
Vintage Featurette
Deleted Scene/Alternate Takes/Bloopers
Deleted Prologue
Vintage Interviews (Featuring Behind-The-Scenes Footage) With Writer/Director William Peter Blatty, George C. Scott, Jason Miller, Ed Flanders, Grand L. Bush, Executive Producer James G. Robinson, Production Designer Leslie Dilley, Larry King And C. Everett Koop
Theatrical Trailers
TV Spots
Photo Galleries

DISC TWO: Legion (Original Director's Cut) 105 minutes
NEW Audio Interview With Writer/Director William Peter Blatty
NEW A "Wonderfull" Time – Interviews With Producer Carter DeHaven, Actors Clifford David And Tracy Thorne And Production Assistant Kara Reidy
NEW Signs Of The Gemini – An Interview With Brad Dourif
NEW The Devil In The Details – Interview With Production Designer Leslie Dilley, Assistant Designer Daren Dochterman And Illustrator Simon Murton
NEW Music For A Padded Cell – An Interview With Composer Barry DeVorzon
NEW All This Bleeding – A Look At The Re-shoot And Makeup Effects With Production Manager Ronald Colby, Editor Todd Ramsay, Effects Artists William Forsche, Mike Smithson, Brian Wade And Actor/Body Double Charles Powell

BUY.

THE EXECUTIONER

Criterion Collection led the pack on making the artwork so killer, you're going to buy the film whether you've seen it or not. They started the trend Scream/Shout! and many others followed, which is helping keep physical product alive.  Criterion stacks extra features for each release iTunes can't touch because some are physical -- essays written by prolific film historians or the director himself. 

Take a look at Luis García Berlanga's THE EXECUTIONER. No giant famous faces on the cover you find on most U.S. releases. Criterion figured out people don't browse video stores a long time ago. (In fairness, I owe a lot to Blockbuster. Most cult hits and olds films I've seen are because of this place.) There are some video stores still around today, but they specialize for a niche audience. 

THE EXECUTIONER (aka NOT ON YOUR LIFE aka EL VERDUGO) is Berlanga's 8th feature and considered in Spain as one as its countries masterpieces. It centers on, you got it, an executioner (played by José Luis Rodríguez), who's reaching the age where his old hands losing their grip when it comes to slicing off heads. He's got two things on his mind: who's going to take over his killer job, and will anyone marry his daughter -- currently his profession scares all the boys away from the yard. He's worried she'll grow old and alone.

Not in this story. The town's undertaker (mortician/funeral director) comes into the picture and is burdened with the adversity as the daughter -- no father wants to give their daughter away in this line of work.

THE EXECUTIONER cuts deeper than being just a story of replacement and finding a man for his daughter to marry. It's about broken dreams of finding in peace that you'll never achieve them. Sounds  sad as weeping willow but Berlanga does a terrific job bringing in black comedy sprinkled throughout the film, poking fun at the act of executing a human, and other oddities that come with the job, giving us an abundance of laughs at the seriousness of death. A great title to add to Criterion. 

Special Features:
New, restored 4K digital transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
New interview with filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar
New program on director Luis García Berlanga, featuring interviews with his son José Luis Berlanga; film critic Carlos F. Heredero; writers Fernando R. Lafuente and Bernardo Sánchez Salas; and director of the Berlanga Film Museum Rafael Maluenda
Spanish television program from 2012 on The Executioner, featuring archival interviews with Berlanga
Trailer
New English subtitle translation
PLUS: An essay by film critic David Cairns

BUY. 

New on Blu: Robert Altman's SHORT CUTS, NIGHTHAWKS, and CHILD'S PLAY

Do you even care to know how "gorgeous" the 1080P or 2/4 K scan transfer looks, or how cool the extra features are? By now, you are well-versed in what transfers look like and you know what's coming with the release. You're here because you want to know the experience I have watching this/these film(s). 

New on Blu is a new column from film pundit Chase Whale, exploring studio, arthouse, underground, exploitation and cult cinema released on Blu-ray and DVD from some of the most cutting-edge independent distributors around the U.S. He talks about the movie and whether it's worth a buy, rent, or avoid. 

SHORT CUTS.

Paul Thomas Anderson owes a lot to cinematic pioneer Robert Altman. I guess I do, too. MAGNOLIA is my favorite film of all time, and PTA pretty much based it on SHORT CUTS. Hell, he even used a lot of the same actors. Because of PTA, Altman is one of my favorite directors, and it took me some time to figure out PTA's obsession with Altman, which makes sense with my obsession with both, equally. 

SHORT CUTS is one of Altman's best films, and I'm not saying that because of MAGNOLIA --  a lot of Altman's films are hit or miss -- but he nailed building a large cast of characters intertwining and strange coincidences so large, they are hard to believe. Ok, with that sentence, I am biased on this film because of its influence on MAGNOLIA, but it's still one of the best films in Altman's oeuvre.

It's worth the buy just to watch a young Robert Downey, Jr. elbow-punch a couch.   

BUY. NOW. 

NIGHTHAWKS.

There's not a many great Sylvester Stallone scenes cooler than the opening to NIGHTHAWKS. This film is one of Stallone's most criminally underseen, and I'm here to tell you it's a must-own and must-see ASAP. (It's hard to resist watching Stallone versus Rutger Hauer (HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN). 

In  NIGHTHAWKS’, a very bearded and young Stallone is Sergeant Deke DaSilva.

DaSilva is one tough cop who makes up his rules as he goes and is resistant to others except for his partner-in-justice, Sergeant Matthew Fox (Billy Dee Williams). DaSilva is also a badass who will go to great lengths to catch his criminals and has zero concern how he looks in the process.

In the first ten minutes of the opening scene, DaSilva is dressed in drag, chasing down a would-be purse snatcher. When cornering the thief, the thief pulls out a knife and DaSilva taunts him by repeating, “cut me, badass.” Stallone fights in a 1980s nurses uniform. Solid gold. 

DaSilva finally meets his match when international terrorist Wulfgar (Rutger Hauer in his first American feature film) crosses over to American soil to wreck some shit. He’s smooth, likes to party and smother beautiful women with compliments and a pillow. One of the most intense scenes in the film is when DaSilva first sees Wulgar in a popular nightclub. With The Rolling Stones’ “Brown Sugar” blaring in the background, our two rivals stare down one another for close to three minutes before. It's the longest three minutes you'll see in cinema. 

Here's that opening scene I gawked about -- it'll sell you.

BUY. (Thank you Shout! Factory for restoring and putting on Blu-ray!)

"Sorry Jack, Chucky's back."

Yeah, I know that's the tagline from CHILD'S PLAY 2, but it still works here -- Chucky hasn't been around for a while but Scream! Factory has brought the mass-murdering doll back to the small screen with their Collector's Edition of CHILD'S PLAY, stuffed with all the extra features you buy Blu-rays for. 

I grew up on CHILD'S PLAY, and you may have to. So you don't feel alone in this, I had also had a My Buddy doll, which unfortunately came out around the same time as the CHILD'S PLAY series. Chucky gave me nightmares and scared me so profoundly; I made my dead cut the head off my My Buddy to prove he wasn't alive and took the honors of tossing the head in the dumpster. (We kept the body for a while so I could make sure it wouldn't be able to to see without the head and get me.)

I digress.

Something I've mentioned before and will always bring it up: Scream Factory never fails put the competition to work with their beautiful cover art. It's 50% of the reason why you buy these films. This company is doing well on keeping the physical product alive.

BUY. 

New on Blu: THE WAILING, SWISS ARMY MAN, X-MEN: APOCALYPSE

Do you even care to know how "gorgeous" the 1080P transfer looks? By now, you are well-versed in what transfers look like.

New on Blu is a new column from film pundit Chase Whale, exploring studio, arthouse, underground, exploitation and cult cinema released on Blu-ray and DVD from some of the most cutting-edge independent distributors around the U.S. He talks about the movie and whether it's worth a buy, rent, or avoid. 

This is a solid week for Blu-ray, but I’m only going to tell you about three I was sent, starting with THE WAILING, one of the best films of 2016. 

THE WAILING
 

Writer/Director Na Hong-Jin is untouchable. So far he’s three for three. His debut THE CHASER, left me chilled for days. THE YELLOW SEA, his sophomore feature, did the same. And now Hong-jin-s third, terrifying THE WAILING goes well above that trend. It will haunt you for days, maybe even weeks. 

THE WAILING doesn’t rely on many jump scares but what makes it so horrifying is the story itself. It challenges Heaven and Hell, good versus evil, God and the Devil. I’m certain this would be John Milton’s favorite film if he were alive today. 

That’s all I should say about THE WAILING. It’s best if you go in cold and watch the story unfold. This is one of the best films of the year and a must-own. Watch with a group of friends, so at the end y’all can argue over about the underlying message of this movie. I’m still trying to figure it out myself. 

Ps It's one of the only films in Rotten Tomatoes history that's at 100% Fresh with over 40 reviews. 

BUY. 

SWISS ARMY MAN

You can file SWISS ARMY MAN under “super fucking weird cinema.” Hank (THERE WILL BE BLOOD’s Paul Dano) is stuck on a small island and instead of discovering a volleyball, he finds a washed up corpse (played by Harry Potter himself). His name is Manny and he’s deader than Ja Rule’s career and farts a lot, and eventually starts…talking. Manny’s brain is like a child’s and Hank teaches him things, like what poop and masturbation are, and Manny still farts a lo. And they sing a catchy song together. Yeah, it gets weird. 

It’s wildly entertaining if you can put up with the relentless farting — Paul Dano bangs out a really charming performance as a desperate, maybe delusional, man trying to get off the purgatory of an island he’s stuck on. 

RENT. 

X-MEN: APOCALYPSE

 

I watched this for the first time on Blu-ray. All movies should be seen in a theater, but sometimes it’s just not possible. 

When I watched Bryan Singer’s X-MEN: APOCALYPSE on Blu-ray for the first time, expecting to be blown away considering his X-MEN films keep getting better and better, but this film is empty and ugly. I would go as far as saying it’s the worst X-Men movie in the franchise (yes, Brat Ratner's movie is more entertaining this one). 

X-MEN: APOCALYPSE is slow, then bloated, and explodes with boredom, and will probably lull you to sleep before you even get to the end. I don’t know where it went wrong since the director is the one who made the X-Men franchise super popular, but we all have our bad days. 

Avoid. (Unless you are a die-hard X-Men fan, which means you’ve probably already seen it.)

New on Blu: THE SHALLOWS, WARCRAFT, THE NEON DEMON,

This week on home entertainment there are two young ladies battling sharks, both of a different breed. Duncan Jones (MOON) very passionate WARCRAFT has also released, and here are some thoughts. 

I didn't think visionary Nicolas Winding Refn could make a worse movie until I saw THE NEON DEMON. This is a film I can't go back and give it another try to see if my feelings change. I do this with ONLY GOD FORGIVES once a year and the results are the same: I hate you. I know Refn was under a lot of pressure after the massive success of DRIVE, and he didn't want people to think he was making DRIVE 2, but casting Gosling as the silent anti-hero again kind of chopped and screwed everything. ONLY GOD FORGIVES has one of the best titles in cinema, and a few cool scenes (The quick "Wanna fight?" moment is amazing), the movie forgot to have a plot and is just scenes cut together. 

In NEON DEMON, Jesse (Elle Fanning), young and naive, runs away to LA to become a model. She's got natural beauty and seems to be on the right track. Then she starts to hang with a group of vicious models Ruby (Jena Malone), Gigi (Bella Heathcote), and Sarah (Abbey Lee), who understand how cutthroat the modeling business is. 

Keanu Reeves makes an appearance as a pedophile apartment complex owner and his role is criminally underused. I want to see more of this vile Reeves, but we get just a glimpse. 

The PR company in control of handling NEON DEMON sent press eyeballs, and you will learn why at some point in the movie. Great marketing. 

NEON DEMON was co-written by two women, so I'm curious if the modeling world is really this ugly. (I sure hope not.)

If you are a Refn fan and/or model, I would say give this a rent. 

 In THE SHALLOWS, Blake Lively is battling a shark and it ain't gorgeous, conniving models like the ones Dakota fanning has to face in NEON DEMON.. It's one, smart, big hungry shark. This is a film that took me by surprise. In an industry that have …

 

In THE SHALLOWS, Blake Lively is battling a shark and it ain't gorgeous, conniving models like the ones Dakota fanning has to face in NEON DEMON.. It's one, smart, big hungry shark. This is a film that took me by surprise. In an industry that have sharks in tornadoes and doing other stupid shit, THE SHALLOWS is a true horrifying observation at the possibility of death at sea. it's scary, and tension runs high once the action gets going. 

BUY. 

I didn't see this the way all movies are supposed to be seen -- in a theater -- but I still had a blast watching it. Some of it I couldn't follow because I didn't play the game, but I did enjoy the action and incredible Oscar-worthy CGI. This is one…

I didn't see this the way all movies are supposed to be seen -- in a theater -- but I still had a blast watching it. Some of it I couldn't follow because I didn't play the game, but I did enjoy the action and incredible Oscar-worthy CGI. This is one of many Blockbusters that got crushed by critics, and I'm not sure why. The real voices of film criticism have passed on, and I'm curious how they'd feel about this movie. Is it worth smashing because the story is a bit hard to follow, or deserves praise because of the non-stop entertainment?

BUY.

Movie Review: EMBERS, Visceral Cinema with a Small Budget and Colossal Imagination

“Now is now. Now is now…Now is here.”

Imagine waking up one day with every memory zapped. I can only think of a few more things more terrifying than losing my memory: death, going blind or deaf, and not being able to eat pizza ever again.

In co-writer and director Claire Carré's terrific science fiction indie, Embers, we follow a handful of strangers as they wake up without memory of their past, so they maneuver through the neighborhoods trying to piece together what they can’t remember and don’t understand. The two leads are Jason Ritter (A Bag of Hammers) who plays Guy and Iva Gocheva as Girl (who is a marvel to watch. I hope we see more of her in the future.).

As the story progresses, we learn about Miranda (Greta Fernández), who is living with her father in a super-cool futuristic bunker (fancy lights, delicious furniture, and a Siri-like companion wired throughout the place which asks the same questions so Miranda will always remember important dates and events). These two may or may not know the what caused this epidemic.

Embers was co-written by Charles Spano (who also produced) and Carré (who edited the film as well), with Carré taking the director’s chair. What’s wildly impressive about Embers is it’s a crafty monster without J.J. Abrahams’ help, robots, space travel, aliens, or a major studio behind it.

It’s a transcending look at human connection during a chaotic and alarming time. 

I’ve seen a lot of low budget science fiction films and most fail hard because they rely on special effects to impress and tell their story, which ultimately makes the whole movie look cheap and unwatchable. This is where Carré outshines them all. She uses intelligent storytelling with dreary and pretty landscapes, as well as exceptional actors to lead us through their journey of discovery. I was bowled-over after watching this because it reminded me of one of my favorite science fiction films, Take Shelter (which did use CGI, but very minimal). Both films just use the actors to tell the story, which leads to a victorious finale. 

Moreover, every shot in the film is mesmerizing (this will be the handy work of a whole magnificent team of people). Carré and her team used locations that make it feel like the world did hit a reset button. Perhaps a post-apocalypse happened, but nobody got hurt, just reset. Every location is beautiful, even when they’re in a broken down church or collapsing building.

If you watch any movie this weekend, make it Claire Carré's wildly impressive science fiction indie, Embers -- visceral cinema with a small budget and colossal imagination.

Final thought: Carré is a director Hollywood needs. Give her creative freedom, a budget, and let her imagination run wild.

Embers is now available to rent and buy on iTunes: http://bit.ly/embersmovie

NEW ON BLU: WORKAHOLICS S6, KNIGHT OF CUPS

New on Blu is a new column from film pundit Chase Whale, exploring arthouse, underground, exploitation and cult cinema released on Blu-ray and DVD from some of the most cutting-edge independent distributors around the U.S.

*Note: More titles release every Tuesday, but I only am able to review what I am sent.

Adam Devine, Blake Anderson, Anders Holm are three of the funniest dudes working in Hollywood right now. They are on season six now and only one of them has broken into an in-demand film star (Devine), but all bring an equal share of hahas to the show. 

Workaholics is like The Office on crack. And mushrooms, lots of mushrooms. Like The Office and Curb Your Enthusiasm, Workaholics gets repetitive, but the clever gags keep the laughs pounding the chest and the show is always fun to watch with a group after a fun night at the bar. 

Note: DVD only

KNIGHT OF CUPS is one of Terrence Malick's new anomalies that have come out as of late, and it's probably the best. With a stellar cast -- Christian Bale as the lead, Cate Blanchett, and Natalie Portman -- it helps with CUPS TREE OF LIFE-esque style of film. It's very quiet, and we watch as the the protagonist (Bale) tries to figure his place in this world while trying to figure out the world itself. 

Most Malick fans are going to eat this up like his others, but this isn't one from his oeuvre that's not for me. I will always have faith in him and his new films, some just don't hit me as hard as the others. 

New on Blu: HELLO, MY NAME IS DORIS, 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE, JEEPERS CREEPERS

New on Blu is a new column from film pundit Chase Whale, exploring arthouse, underground, exploitation and cult cinema released on Blu-ray and DVD from some of the most cutting-edge independent distributors around the U.S.

*Note: More titles release every Tuesday, but I only am able to review what I am sent.

It's here! It's here! It's here! I've been gawking about HELLO, MY NAME IS DORIS ever since I first saw it at its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival. This is a terrific movie and will probably be my number one film of the year. I like to call it HOW SALLY FIELD GOT HER GROOVE BACK. She never lost it, but my God is she a tour-de-force of everything in this. 

DORIS will make you laugh, cry, laugh more, and fall in love with Sally Field all over again. If the Academy Award doesn't give her a nod for Best Actress, I'm going to riot. So far nobody has held a candle to her performance. 

Watch this movie and don't worry about thanking me. I'm just doing my job. 

10 CLOVERFIELD LANE took me by surprise. Like you, I didn't know what I was in for. By the end, I just wanted to talk about it all night. Like mastermind J.J. Abrahams has said, it's a "spiritual sequel" (a new phrase in Hollywood guaranteed to be soon watered down by goons wanting to make sequels or spin-offs of hit movies), and he held to his word. This is nothing like is predecessor CLOVERFIELD. Both John Goodman and Mary Elizabeth Winstead are dynamite, and their odd chemistry makes the movie more eerie and nail-biting than it's supposed to be. 

Like DORIS, this is a must own and I do hope I see both Goodman and Winstead's names come big, bad awards time. 

Review: DON'T THINK TWICE, A Sweet and Poignant Examination of Finding Solace in the Art World Hustle

“Don't think twice, it's all right.” -- Bob Dylan

As an ambitious writer, I know the struggles of trying to live my dream -- laboring tirelessly at my art for a small audience, working depressing side jobs to make ends meet, living with friends and family because I don't have enough for rent, and watching colleagues I helped get started zoom past me at lightning speed. Don't Think Twice is a beautiful portrait of these struggles and finding solace in it. I love this film.

Mike Birbiglia writes, directs, and leads as Miles in Don't Think Twice, about an improv comedy troupe called The Commune. In his gang are some of the best comedians working today: Keegan-Michael Key as Jack, Chris Gethard as Bill, Gillian Jacobs as Samantha, Garfunkel and Oates’ Kat Micucci as Allison, and Tami Sagher as Lindsay. 

All six key players work whatever job they can get to keep the money flowing, but what keeps their spirit alive is their weekly improv show at Improv of America. Their comedy troupe is one of the most crafty there, which gives each member colossal dreams of making it on “Weekend Live,” which is an obvious caricature of Saturday Night Live. (The hard-as-nails, mean-as-hell owner of the show pops in a few times, and he's no doubt supposed to resemble SNL's Lorne Michaels, but I’m sure this was in good fun.) 

Well, good things always come to an end, and when one of the members of the group gets cast on “Weekend Live,” tension and fear set in with the rest of the troupe. 

Everyone pulls their comedic weight -- as well as some poignant moments -- to the movie, but the real standout of the film is Chris Gethard. Gethard has a spoken very publicly about his depression and has even mocked it on his own show, and here you can see the sadness in his soul when he's hard at work to make people laugh for just a few minutes. (Side note: Gethard's biggest fear is death of a family member and in the film, he has to lay someone close to him to rest. I imagine that couldn't have been easy, even it was just make believe.) There’s a moment in the film when he’s given up hope that he’s going to make and speaks a line that cut right through my soul: “I feel like your twenties are all about hope, and your thirties are all about realizing how dumb it was to hope.” A feeling many know too well. 

As the filmmaker, Birbiglia is just as natural and hilarious in front of the camera as he his behind it. Don't Think Twice is his second time in the writer-director's chair, and he's two for two. He nails his vision of the struggle and pain of turning improv into a full-time career flawlessly. His first feature, Sleepwalk with Me, was one of the best films of 2012, and now, Don't Think Twice is one of the best of 2016. What's prolific about this film is you don't need to love or care for improv to understand the film’s underlying message. This movie isn't about improv; it's about working hard at your art and finding peace in the struggle, and the harsh reality that you might not make it. 

Don't Think Twice isn't just a comedy -- Birbiglia directs all comedians to show their humanistic, vulnerable side -- it's about the fear of pursuing your dreams and facing the risk of failing. This is a bold move. This is what makes Don't Think Twice one of the best films of the year. 

The film opens in select theaters in the U.S. on Friday, July 22.

 

Review: HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE, the Most Endearing Buddy Comedy Adventure You’ll See This Year

Meet Ricky (a young, funny-as-hell newcomer, Julian Dennison). He’s a bit of a bad egg, but there’s hope for the little runt. He’s adopted by two farmers who live in the middle of nowhere: Hec (Sam Neill, like you’ve never seen him before; he’s never been better.), and Bella (Rima Te Wiata, one of New Zealand’s hidden treasures).

When child welfare and a cop pull up, they run off a long list of offenses Ricky has committed to make sure these two are aware of his run-ins with the law before fully committing: disobedience, stealing, spitting, running away, throwing rocks, kicking stuff, defacing stuff, burning stuff, loitering, and graffiti. And these are the only offenses they’ve caught him doing. He’s reminded “Nobody else wants you,” so he’s got no choice but to stick around. Luckily, Bella embraces Ricky with open arms. She’s thrilled to have him. Hec? Not so much. 

To Bella, Ricky looks like a delight. He’s short and as round as a plumb. The back of his jacket says “All Eyez on Me" and he dresses like he just walked off the set of a Kanye West music video. Bella and Hec get him a dog, and Ricky names him 2Pac. Nature is a place he probably only believed existed in books. 

This life isn’t for him and he tries to run away, only to be caught 218 yards away by Bella, who was hanging out and enjoying the scenery. 

Hec doesn’t want anything to do with him, and when Ricky tells him, “You're supposed to give me something to do,” Hec responds, “Yeah, leave me alone.” Cool with Ricky. 

However, tragedy strikes and these two clashing characters must come together when they both decide to live out in the forest while being hunted by police and child welfare. 

Every line spoken in this film is a knockout and goddamn hilarious. Taika Waititi is one of the best deadpan comedic writer-directors working today. If you’ve seen What We Do in the Shadows, Boy (where a kid dreams of meeting Michael Jackson), or his directorial debut, Eagle vs Shark, you’ll know what I’m talking about. He uses a lot of American pop culture references to nail those punchlines, and my face hurt from laughing so much. An excellent example: When Ricky is arguing with the child welfare witch, she calls him Sarah Connor, “but before she started doing pull-ups in Terminator 2.” It’s her way of calling him weak, but in one of the funniest ways possible using universally understood pop culture. Brilliant. 

Hunt for the Wilderpeople is based on Wild Pork and Watercress by Barry Crump. I haven’t read this book, but I bought it right after seeing this film. I want to relive this adventure in its natural form and come back to Waititi's vision, which is a masterful comedy. 

Waititi is currently trying out Hollywood and directing the third installment in the Thor franchise, Thor: Ragnarok, and I’m both excited and fidgety about it because I don’t want Tinseltown to stain his humor — it’s too perfect. I’m hopeful he brings something new to the assembly line of superhero movies. 

Hunt for the Wilderpeople is like a road trip comedy but set in the woods. It has all the wit, and its crafty humor that will keep you laughing and entertained from beginning to end. See this movie as soon as you can.

New on Blu: THE WITCH, IP MAN TRILOGY, SONGS OF LAHORE

New on Blu is a new column from film pundit Chase Whale, exploring arthouse, underground, exploitation and cult cinema released on Blu-ray and DVD from some of the most cutting-edge independent distributors around the U.S.

*Note: More titles release every Tuesday, but I only am able to review what I am sent.

THE WITCH is a film that I didn't lose my shit over when I first saw it, but it kept itching at me, so I gave it two more viewings when I got my press copy on Blu-ray. It's well crafted, and even though I didn't live during the time it takes place (that I know of -- Chase Whale could be the second or fifth reincarnation), the time setting and atmosphere feels surgically accurate. THE WITCH is a mood piece that doesn't rely on jump scares, which is nice for a change. This movie wants to get inside your head and dance. And it does. The sound mix (English 5.1 DTS HD-MA) is also perfected to help the visuals already creeping through your brain. 

There aren't many special features for THE WITCH but it does come with a cool featurette on the folklore during the Puritan era. 

BUY. 

I didn't receive a copy of this, but I love IP MAN, and with my review last month's wild IP MAN 3, I wanted to give it some love. A must-own for IP MAN enthusiasts. 

NOTE: RELEASES MAY 20 ON DVD. 

There are quite a few reasons why you need to see SONGS OF LAHORE. The first being it's one of the few films with a 100% Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The second is that it's still making festival rounds and racking up well-deserved awards. The final is the documentary itself, about music. How many rock docs about musicians you know have you seen? A lot, I would guess. 

Time for something new. 

SONGS OF LAHORE is a refreshing take on the music documentary subgenre. A bonus is it doesn't run of 90 minutes, which seems to be the trend for documentaries these days, which can be overbearing and tiring. 

Step outside the Metallica docs, the White Stripes docs, and give a doc on profound music you've never heard of a chance. You'll be glad you did. 

New on Blu: THE REVENANT, IP MAN 3, THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2

New on Blu is a new column from film pundit Chase Whale, exploring arthouse, underground, exploitation and cult cinema released on Blu-ray and DVD from some of the most cutting-edge independent distributors around the U.S.

*Note: More titles release every Tuesday, but I only am able to review what I am sent.

THE REVENANT is one of the wildest of the west movies ever made. The team behind it could not have been more foolproof. 

THE REVENANT at times can be a hard watch because of the sudden hyperviolence, but the journey is worth the ride. Watching a man alone, dying, in the freeze cold do what he cans to survive, just so he can get his revenge for his son's unjustified murder (done by a superb Tom Hardy.) 

The score in THE REVENANT is haunting as well as beautiful, and will stick with you for a weeks, perhaps months after. 

Verdict: This better already be on pre-order.

 

Is there anything more enjoyable than watch Donnie Yen beat the hell out of people when grand master Yuen Woo Ping (THE MATRIX TRILOGY, KILL BILL Duology) is one of the fighter choreographer? Not much, but in IP MAN 3, IP MAN 1-3 director says fuck it and throws, yes, Mike Tyson in the mix for Donnie Yen to go rounds with. If you already own IP MAN 1 and 2, I don't have to sell you, but if you haven't seen these films -- which I think is a crime -- do yourself a favor and get them. They fun, action-packed, and it's always a blast watch an energetic Donnie Yen on screen throwing fist faster than the eye can see. 

Some cool bonus features: behind-the-scenes, and interviews with Yen and Tyson, as well as a making-of. 

BUY BUY BUY. 

Last and certainly not least is THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2, my favorite in the series. (Yes, I like this film better than part one. Wanna fight?)

Director returns to the director's chair for TCM 2, and turns its world upside down. This is the same rodeo you saw in part one (which really pissed off investors). TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2 goes for the goofs, laughs, and is a straight comedy, which is part of it's charm. It doesn't take it serious and spoofs the God-awful horror movies that tried to mimic the original CHAINSAW MASSACRE but with boobs, bad kills, and worse dialogue.

TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2 is one of my favorite movies and I'm jazzed Scream Factory re-released it for us Blu-ray fans. Something you have no-doubt noticed about Scream Factory -- they go all out with the artwork, which is helping fanboys stock up on physical product during the time when you can get everything on digital. (It's just not as fun watching a movie without being able to put it in your collection on the wall. 

TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2 comes with a killer amount of special features but you need to buy it for the movie and watch it over and over and over. When you need a break, watch it again. I love this movie so much. 

New on Blu: STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS

New on Blu is a new column from film pundit Chase Whale, exploring arthouse, underground, exploitation and cult cinema released on Blu-ray and DVD from some of the most cutting-edge independent distributors around the U.S.

*Note: More titles release every Tuesday, but I only am able to review what I am sent.

Most distributors were smart to let STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS release this week without competition. This title is going to rack up the sales and rightfully so. I'm not the biggest Star Wars fan, and I would go as far as saying I'm not a Star Wars fan, but J.J. Abrams just knows how to lit fire in excitement in any franchise. This title I will be watching over and over, just like I do with his take on STAR TREK, another franchise I'm unfamiliar with. I don't even need to write a review for this because you are already set on buying it, but it's my job and I'm here to tell you it's worth every penny. 

THE FORCE AWAKES comes with featurettes, behind-the-scenes, deleted scenes, and a lot more you Star Warriors are going to love. I'm sure you probably already have this on pre-order, but if you haven't do that now. The Rebels with thank you. 

The Revenant Review

What is The Revenant? A rip-roaring revenge adventure? A tale of survival? Or, perhaps a narrative on the firm bond between father and son. If I had to choose, I would say the very last one. The Revenant is about the power of love. (Don't worry, dudes, there's plenty of blood and guts that will leave you agape.)

This film does have revenge; it does show surviving in below zero temperature while bleeding out, but it boils down to hanging onto hope because of that electrifying jolt of love to keep going. Adam Sandler's Barry Egan perfectly sums it up in Paul Thomas Anderson's wacky and wonderful Punch-Drunk Love: "I have a love in my life, and it makes me stronger than anything you can imagine." I could end this review now with that quote. But I like to talk, so I'm going to keep going. Stay with me. 

The Revenant is set around the 1820s in fur trading expedition lead by Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio, in his best performance to date). With him is his half-Indian son Hawk, John Fitzgerald (a hardly recognizable Tom Hardy), Captain Andrew Henry (Domhnall Gleeson), Bridger (Will Poulter, whose career is growing fast and furious), and a bunch of others who get slaughtered in grisly, violent ways. Disclaimer: The Revenant is extraordinarily violent and fiercely intense. It's necessary because everyone during the time period it's set: whites, blacks, Indians, and anyone you crossed paths with, were savages, and this movie shows how brutal some will go to survive. It's nasty, but blood is not spilled throughout the 156 minutes running time, so there are plenty of scenes just to stare at in pure amazement. 

After a brief but vicious battle (enriched with photography by Children of Men, Gravity, and Birdman's maestro Emmanuel Lubezki,) Glass and his crew are in a temporary safe zone, and he's on the hunt for more fur. The name of the game here is more fur, more money for their team when they get back home. This, dear reader, is when the shit hits the fan. As he's hunting, Glass sees a few cubs in shooting range. He points, and as he's about to fire, he hears a growl strong enough to make the hairs on your neck stand up and turns around to see one of the biggest grizzly bears ever put on screen and perhaps real life, which charges and attacks him. The camera doesn't cut once as we watch this beast tear Glass to shreds. This is the most slack-jawing part of the movie and must be seen on the big screen. Glass does make it out alive, barely, and you must see how yourself. This man is a warrior. Mentally and physically. 

I know it's been pirated, but the effect of this scene is not the same on some shitty compressed version. I have a DVD screener of the film because I'm a voter, but I have still gone to the theater again to see it because this movie is so mesmerizing on a giant screen and in the quality it is supposed to be seen in.  

I digress.

Glass' team finds him, and they carry him as long and far as they can. After deciding Glass is going to eventually bleed out and die, Captain Andrew Henry pays three people to stay with him until his last breath and give him a proper burial. One of those who stay back is Fitzgerald. This is a man who was once half-scalped and it's clear his brain was knocked loose in the process. He's not all there, but he's alive and functions enough to join a team and hunt.

Warning: Slight Spoilers Ahead. If You've Seen The Trailer, You Know What Happens. If you Have Not, Come Back And Read After Seeing The Film.

When the rest of the team leave, Fitzgerald throws a wrench in the promised plans and Glass is abandoned. He's alone and left with just a water canteen from Bridger that will come in handy later in the film.

The majority of the film is Glass' survival, but he hangs on through memories of the only two important people he had and lost (and let's be honest, luck and his infinite survival skills). His memories are what keep him fighting to stay alive.

This movie is based on real events, but I can't imagine the real Hugh Glass going through everything Leo's version does. Both the film and the story it's based on are jaw dropping. However, with precise directing from Alejandro González Iñárritu, striking photography from Lubezki, a beautiful score from Ryûichi Sakamoto, Carsten Nicolai, and Bryce Dessner, and one hell of a hypnotizing performance from Leonardo DiCaprio, who really goes for it in this film and shows he's will to get his hands dirty and isn't the pretty boy the media has made him out to be. All of this together makes The Revenant the most transcending film you'll see in theaters in perhaps your whole life. It's that great.

 

The Hateful Eight Review

The cinematically deranged Quentin Tarantino once again brings the wild back to the west. If you’ve you seen his wacky western Django Unchained (which you probably have or else you wouldn’t be reading this review, unless you’re my mom), then you know Tarantino’s West is like no other. It’s wild, it’s filthy, it’s dangerous, it’s hilarious, it’s bloody as hell, and it strays from the western norm. In Unchained, a Tupac mashup with James Brown supplies the music for the big bang finale — nobody can get away with that but Tarantino. Nobody. That’s the beauty of a Tarantino movie — you never know what the hell you’re getting yourself into. He has a big bag full of tricks. The Hateful Eight is no less batty than the rest of his catalogue, and is, in fact, just as glorious.

The Hateful Eight‘s story seems simple on the surface, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg. Underneath is arrogance, madness, and death. Bounty hunter John “The Hangman” Ruth (Kurt Russell) is escorting criminal Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh, in a lethal scene-stealing supporting role) by stagecoach to Red Rock, where she’ll be hanged by the neck until she is dead, dead, dead for being a ruthless, cold-blooded killer. John Ruth is called The Hangman because he is a bounty hunter who doesn’t shoot his criminals to death, that’s too quick and easy; he likes to watch them hang until their neck breaks or their eyes become hollow.

It’s snowing outside, and Hangman hired a stagecoach driver (Tarantino now-regular and Michael Parks’ son, James Parks) to get them to Red Rock before a massive blizzard catches up to them.

On the journey, he bumps into Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson in one of his best roles to date), a former fighter for the North-turned-bounty hunter. Warren is famous for two things: burning down a jail cell with a bunch of white folks in it and having a letter written by Abraham Lincoln himself (which he holds close to the chest).

We are not sure of when the film takes place, but we do know that it’s a few years after the Civil War. The “N” word isn’t cool to use anymore but racial tension is still high, and since it’s a Tarantino film, he finds a humorous way to fit the word into the film. (Perhaps as a big "fuck you" to Spike Lee and all the others who give him trouble for using it so much in Django Unchained, a film that took place when that word was said daily on every plantation.)

Warren, with a pile of dead, wanted men, hitches a ride with Hangman and his prisoner to Red Rock to collect his bounty. After some attractive dialogue exchange and hilarious moments, they pick up another straggler, the alleged new sheriff for Red Rock, Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins, who also gives a fascinating and spectacular supporting performance), whose horse also gave out in the snow trying to get giddyup to Red Rock. After he’s welcomed aboard, off to Red Rock they go.

Losing the battle to beat the blizzard to Red Rock, their course is altered, and they end up at Minnie’s Haberdashery. The plan: have a few drinks and hang around until the blizzard passes. But this is a Tarantino film, so fate has other mischievous plans for this possibly fortuitous situation.

Also killing time at the haberdashery is Oswaldo Mobray (Tim Roth, doing his best Christoph Waltz impersonation that’s undoubtedly on purpose — it would have been better just to cast Waltz but I’m sure he’s burned out on Tarantino roles and winning Oscars), Joe Gage (Michael Madsen), General Sandy Smithers (the great Bruce Dern), and Bob (Demian Bichir). Now, my friends, you have met all of the hateful eight.

The Hateful Eight is a more conventional western, not as wacky as Django Unchained, but it’s everything you want from a Tarantino movie: high tension, deft and intuitive dialogue, and sudden, grisly violence. He’s also becoming more stable at throwing you completely off. The Hateful Eight is like a hip session of the board-game, Clue. Something isn’t right, and Warren knows something fishy is going on; but hold onto your horses, partner, right when you think you’ve figured it all out, Tarantino empties his big bag of tricks.

I’m going to stop there with plot details because this is a Tarantino film and there’s a hell of a lot more to it, and this review is already too long. Plus, I’m not going to be the fool who ruins the surprises for you.

It’s known Tarantino is a maestro at reviving careers and picking the right people for the role. One of the greatest casting decisions he’s ever made in his career was putting Jennifer Jason Leigh in this film as Daisy Domergue. She’s a scene-stealing maniac who shows us a side of her we’ve never seen before. Her Daisy is unhinged, complex, and completely insane. Tarantino’s films have never had a female antagonist (well, except for Kill Bill, which is a whole team consisting of three women and two men) and now he finally has his first female Basterd with comparable screen time to the other villains in the Tarantino universe. And Leigh chews up the screen. Nah, she devours it whole. This movie belongs to her. She’s a foul-mouthed muskrat in a brute, filthy man’s body. She’s sporting a black eye that Hangman gave her and every time he — or someone else — knocks her around, she doesn’t wince once in pain. She can take a punch better than most people you’ve seen on screen. Daisy is a real asshole who relishes in her punishment and pain. The best way to put it: she is a real badass.

Something peculiar that caught me eye was the opening shot of the film. It’s a wooden statue of Jesus on the cross covered in ice. The ice on his head is shaped like a KKK mask, and the film takes place not so long after the civil war. Coincidence? I think not. Tarantino is very meticulous and that shot was there for a reason.

My best guess is because lots of former slave-owning white folks are pissed they lost the war and still have that burning desire to punish African Americans, and even more since it’s now illegal. Remember what I told you, the “N” word is still used, but this time in a very comical way.

Every Tarantinoian© knows he’s a huge dork. He wanted to make Kill Bill into one long movie with an intermission but didn’t have enough clout then, but here he got his way. The Hateful Eight‘s running time is 167 minutes with a 15-minute intermission. It’s great for people with a small bladder and have to pee a lot, but this is a bold and possibly very bad move because once the average moviegoer learns of the running time, they may pass or walk out wanting a refund. Tarantino’s movies have made more money with each release, but this could be the one that backfires for being way too damn long. We will know soon.

What supports the above detractor of The Hateful Eight is that it’s very slow and takes some patience for the payoff. “Let’s slow this wayyyyy down,” Warren says while telling a story that will blow your mind; another character mentions patience too. I believe this is a little wink at the audience. Tarantino knows his film is long, but just wants us to wait patiently because he knows it’s worth it (and it is).

One thing is for certain: Tarantino is bringing back the western genre in whole new uncommon ways. (I can’t help but think that Monte Hellman would love this acid western.) Aside from his Django Unchained, I haven’t seen a western that was such a blast to watch since Kim Jee-woon’s The Good, the Bad, the Weird. There are more solid westerns that have floated around over the last few years, but none of them compare to the originality, excitement, and creativity as Tarantino’s.

Sure, the long running time makes The Hateful Eight Tarantino’s least accessible film, but if you are tolerant and can sit through the almost unbearable 167-minute tension, the third act will blow you away. This is Tarantino’s western bloodbath opera. He’s still got the goods in him because this Basterds’ work isn’t done.

[Note: This review was first published on Smells Like Screen Spirit.]