Author: Keith Stevenson

Those pesky cyclones of destruction return for Lee Isaac Chung’s sequel-in-spirit Twisters. An indirect followup to the ‘90s fan-favorite disaster flick, we find a new generation of tornado chasers with Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, and Anthony Ramos on the hunt to tame the most destructive force on the planet. On 4K UHD Twisters wins with an excellent Dolby Vision / Atmos combo and plenty of extra features.

If Hollywood loves to do one thing it’s make the same movie again with twice the budget. If there’s a thing most sequels lack it is originality. It’s easier to play it safe, do a version of the same thing again, shell out a gargantuan amount of cash, and hope audiences go for it. They do that because most often it works… unless they turn it into a jukebox musical. Now with Jan de Bont’s Twister, the film was a modest albeit not HUGE hit at the box office. It made money, but the film also wrapped things up well enough that a sequel wasn’t altogether needed or necessary. Attempts were made, but indy-darling Lee Isaac Chung got Twisters to the big screen without any returning original characters. In our sort-of pseudo-sequel, we have intrepid would-be tornado-tamer Kate (Daisy Edgar-Jones) living in New York. Years earlier she was part of a team of chasers with the dream of being able to stop a tornado, but tragedy destroyed their group. Now fellow survivor Javi (Anthony Ramos) turns up with new tech and an opportunity for redemption if Kate comes back to Oklahoma. But the chasing game has changed. On the scene are any number of amateur storm chasers including the YouTube famous Tornado Wrangler Tyler Owens (Glen Powell) ready to chase down the biggest twisters.

It’s weird to think of Twister as a franchise now, but it is. A long time coming, there were several attempts over the last 28 years to get a new film up the funnel. As he effectively edged into writing and directing, Bill Paxton had his own idea based on the notorious 1925 tri-state tornado that killed nearly 700 people. The plot would have been similar to this sequel where Paxton would be back behind the wheel of the red Dodge Ram with a space-aged material designed to stop tornadoes. But that pitch sadly didn’t get far before his untimely death. Then as of a few years ago Helen Hunt had her own plan to write and direct a sequel – but I’m not entirely sure of the plot, but obviously that didn’t get picked up. And now we have this spiritual sequel from director Lee Isaac Chung and writers Mark L. Smith and Joseph Kosinski (Maverick). I call this a spiritual sequel because it doesn’t pick up where the last one left off. It doesn’t feature any of the original characters, but this one doesn’t entirely ignore the first film either. During the very exciting opening sequence, we see a “field-tested” Dorthy 5 hooked up to Kate’s barrels of absorbent polymer to get important data. And that’s all the acknowledgment this film offers of the original. Unlike so damn many recent legacy sequels, this one isn’t saturated with constant callbacks or nostalgia bombs. It’s certainly not entirely original, but it wisely doesn’t try to do the exact same plot twice. I mean both films are about people trying to give tornados a scientific instrument suppository, but how they achieve that mission is very different.

Best of all, it’s just as cornball, it’s just as silly, and just as much fun as the first. What I really enjoyed about Twisters was how it ramped up the amount of death and property destruction. Each tornado gets bigger and more deadly with people caught in the path and sucked up to meet their makers. With the big budget and advancements in visual effects, they could afford to do more destructive chaos right through to a thrilling climax at a small-town movie theater. That said, what holds this one back is we’ve seen CGI tornadoes before. There’s already a sense of familiarity going into this film and even with bigger more deadly and more flammable tornadoes, Twisters just can’t quite muster up the same sense of dread and primal terror of the 1996 original. To be fair, this film has its share of great and memorable sequences, the best hits a rodeo (with a cameo from Bill Paxton’s son). Also working in this film’s favor is it avoids trying to ape the romance/drama of the Paxton/Hunt dynamic. There’s an obvious chemistry between Powell and Edgar-Jones, but this film wisely avoids going down that road again. However I personally found it more interesting regarding the plot.

So sure, not an incredible film, not as great as the first, but I enjoyed the hell out of it. It was great seeing this on IMAX with my fiancée, who actually was more excited to see it than me. And while I enjoyed the hell out of Twisters in the theater, it’s just as much fun at home with my 4K screen and Atmos rig. The action is big and loud. The characters are colorful and fun. The titular cyclones are plenty windy and destructive. About all you need for a tornado flick.

 PICTURE

 Smashing onto 4K disc, Twisters devours 2160p with an excellent Dolby Vision transfer. From frame one all the way through to the end, this is a crisp, clean, detailed image. Shot on 35mm and finished with a 4K Digital Intermediate, the image maintains a film-like appearance with a naturally cinematic grain structure. Fine lines, facial features, and production design details are razor-sharp. I was really impressed with how well the CGI effects appear here. Time and technology have worked in this sequel’s favor for creating some big-scale tornado destruction. A lot of effort was used to combine practical effects with digital counterparts so a lot of the time the big wow moments have true weight to them. A few pieces here and there can look a tad cartoonish – Powell running from the disabled tram car always looked janky and still does on disc. The rest of the time the film looks great. Colors are right where they need to be, big bold with great saturation. Thanks to Dolby Vision those reds, blues, and yellows really pop nicely. Whites are well-balanced against the dark ominous shadows. Again that rodeo sequence is a highlight moment that hits all those marks. All around a damn near-perfect transfer.

SOUND

On the audio front, Universal delivers a rousing wall-to-wall Atmos mix to match their impressive Dolby Vision transfer. I mean, it’s a disaster movie with massive tornados, it’d be a huge failing on Universal’s part to crap the bed here. I really enjoyed the mix for this one because it really played with the creepy silence that happens during a big storm where you think everything is going to be fine before all hell breaks loose. And when hell comes it hits on all channels. Shipping wind effects beautifully circulate throughout the soundscape rising upwards into the heights. Heights are thankfully not only reserved for wind or rain, any time a hapless NPC gets sucked up their screams fly into the heights. Likewise, the bursts of fireworks are a fun highlight. Dialog isn’t lost, but like any disaster movie, we’re not here for the quality of the flowery speeches, we want to enjoy the chaos on screen rattling our walls, ceilings, and floorboards! The big El Reno finale delivers all of that. As each tornado escalates in intensity, so does the mix. By the end, the LFE is rattling away while the front/center, side, rear, and height channels do their work. Crank the volume and let ‘er rip!

SPECIAL FEATURES

What’s particularly nice to see is Universal didn’t skimp on the extra features. You get a great director’s commentary track, some fun gag reels, some deleted scenes, and plenty of featurettes to gnaw through once the main feature is done. The commentary is probably the most informative piece you can enjoy if you’re really into “how it was done, what it took to do this, yadda yadda” but the featurettes are still enjoyable even if they lean a little more EPK fodder. The Deleted Scenes aren’t all that extensive and feel likewise pacing cuts rather than missing subplots or character development. Bonus features are on both discs.

FINAL WORD

I went to the theater for big tornado destruction fun and got exactly what I wanted. It helps that Lee Isaac Chung, the writers, and the solid cast actually made a solid pseudo-sequel to the 1996 original. It might not be better (but it’s more interesting), but it thankfully doesn’t repeat itself or saturate it with numbing nostalgia callbacks. Twisters has its own wildly entertaining fun to have on the big screen letting it stand alongside the original without feeling like a complete repeat. On 4K UHD, Twisters storms (pun intended) onto disc with an excellent Dolby Vision transfer with a fantastic Atmos mix to match. Tag in about an hour of genuinely interesting extra features on top of a commentary track and you’ve got a damn good home release. Highly Recommended!

Film ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Picture ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sound ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Extras ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

(out of five stars)

The Despicable Me franchise has kind of had a rough ride. After the success of a pair of movies, Illumination decided to spin-off the series with a movie centered entirely around those lovable, mischievous yellow, blue-coveralled minions. While the movie performed well at the box office, it wasn’t received quite as well, and ended up being kind of a mixed bag in the end. A third Despicable Me followed, which ended up being pretty fun (although unnecessary), and then 2022 saw the return of the minions in the COVID-delayed sequel, Minions: The Rise of Gru — which actually ended up being pretty good. This takes us to 2024 where we have Despicable Me 4… and while I love these characters, I’m starting to get that Shrek Forever After vibe that the franchise may be running out of steam. I can’t even quite put my finger on what it is about Despicable Me 4 that lacks so much. Is it just more of the same? Too different? All the best parts shown in the trailer? Maybe it’s a little of all the above. In the previous movies, it was largely Gru’s show, and maybe part of the problem is there are so many characters to follow now, the focus is divided too much. Probably the best sequence of the movie is when Gru is part of a heist, and he ends up having to use the contents of a diaper bag in a clever way to get the job done. The minions are still funny, fun and lovable, but so much of their hijinks were spoiled in the trailers, that it often feels like “This? We saw this already, give us something new!” I didn’t revisit the previous movies before watching this one, so doing that may have given me more insight, but with Gru having a family now – and one that is growing, it’s starting to feel a lot like The Incredibles, and you can definitely sit down and draw more than a couple comparisons between the two movies.

This time around, we have another villain who wants revenge on Gru, and this one is voiced by comedy legend Will Ferrell. However, it really could have been anyone providing the voice of Maxime, because it sounds absolutely nothing like Ferrell. 

Clearly, he had fun with the character, but it was so hard to recognize it was him that after seeing his name in the opening credits, I was never able to pick out which character he was playing. (For example, picking out Stephen Colbert and Sofia 

Vergara was pretty easy to do.) For a kids movie, too, Maxime is a pretty intense villain. For one, it’s kind of silly to have a French villain who wants to turn people into cockroaches – including himself – and when he reveals his own physique has been mutated into a cockroach form, it’s kind of intense (and maybe a little disturbing for kids?). Another scene shows him turning a gas station attendant 

into a cockroach-human mutant, and we see his face twisted and twitching. Later, another character is transformed and threatens to kill a main character, and it’s also pretty intense for young viewers (then again, I suppose a lot of The Incredibles was too?). Not too much of the content is crude necessarily, but there’s a gag where Agnes commands her pet baby goat to sit. It then expels 

little poops, to which Agnes says, “No, I said sit!” Ha, I was a little surprised they went there.  Also, can we address the elephant in the room here? 

While it’s commonplace for shows like The Simpsons to never let the children characters age, it’s especially weird to see Gru’s adopted children not age when clearly he and Lucy have a baby now which would mean at least 2 or so years have gone 

Little Agnes should be considerably older – especially after the other movies are also taken into consideration in the timeline. Sure, it might be tough to see these cute characters grow, but it worked for How to Train Your Dragon, and it could possibly work here. I guess it wouldn’t be such an obvious issue if the family hadn’t added a baby to the mix, which clearly shows time has passed and their newborn is aging.

I suppose if you’re a diehard fan of the franchise thus far, Despicable Me 4 should scratch the itch for a new story (and a return of lovable characters), however, it just feels like its lost its spark. Steve 

Carell’s performance as Gru is on-point, and everyone else seems to be all-in here, but there wasn’t much to really draw the viewer in. Around the climax of the movie, it begins to show some heart, but it just might be too little too late, as it just isn’t enough to elevate everything that came before it. I suppose, when all is said and done,

Despicable Me 4 is a fairly forgettable sequel that isn’t nearly as fun as the previous films, and lacks enough heart to make up for it. If you’re a fan who’s a bit easier to please with these movies, by all means, don’t miss this one. But if you’re a bit pickier, and was maybe a little on the fence about the other Despicable movies, you should probably just pass it by.

VIDEO

Despicable Me 4 is a gorgeous looking animated film. When they show clips from the previous three (especially the first one) during the featurettes, it’s amazing to see just how far the quality of animation has evolved. With that said, the color really pops with this movie in 4K, so it’s pretty much a no-brainer when deciding whether or not to spring for the 4K release or not.

SOUND

The Dolby Atmos track is quite amazing. Even the Dolby Digital track on the Blu Ray is reference quality. Also included are tons of extras including 2 hilarious four minute mini movies. 

MOVIE ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️

PICTURE ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SOUND ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

(out of five stars)

Every once in a while, a movie comes out that redefines “cool.” It seems to have a ripple effect on every piece of pop culture in its wake–from other movies paying tribute to it, to music, to TV, and everything else under the sun. Think of the waves of parodies to follow movies like The Matrix or Pulp Fiction. They had their own unique look down pat. In 2011, that movie was Drive. The silent antihero. The 80s synth-wave. The slow-mo. Drive was iconic and we’re still feeling its effects to this day – Stranger Things, The Guest and every type of vaporwave nostalgia owe Drive a huge debt of gratitude.

Drive is totally self-aware and knows how clever it is, but never devolves into a parody of movies that it lovingly homages. If anything, its self-awareness is part of its overall earnestness. Drive is a movie with heart. The reason the movie is thrilling isn’t because of car chases, action or mayhem. It’s thrilling because we care about what happens to its characters.  When the nameless Driver (played by Ryan Gosling) stomps a man’s head in, it’s not a “Whoa, cool!” moment. It’s layered with tragedy, knowing that his quickness to employ gruesome violence is part of his nature and represents a point of no return for him.

Driver is a stunt driver for the movies by the day, and at night he’s a getaway driver for robberies. His rules are simple: “You give me a time and a place, I give you a five-minute window. Anything happens in those five minutes and I’m yours. No matter what. Anything happens a minute on either side of that and you’re on your own.” In the opening chase sequence (in a movie called Drive, I think it’s awesome that there are only two car chases), Driver, instead of punching the car like Bullitt and swerving through crowded streets, plays a game of cat and mouse with the police. He accelerates to punch out his car to an advantage, waits in the shadows, listens to the police scanner, and keeps ahead of his pursuers by a couple of steps psychologically. And in a moment of too-coolness, he pulls the car into a crowded area, puts on a hat, takes off his jacket, and blends in with the crowd. Job done. Cue the main title sequence.

Irene is his neighbor in an apartment complex you don’t normally see in the movies.  In the movies, if a character doesn’t have a lot of money, they still always live somewhere with a nice view and modern appliances. The apartment complex in Drive is something realistically and quintessentially LA.  It looks lived in. It looks real. Drive is to LA as Star Wars is to its own fantastical sci-fi universe.

When Driver meets Irene, they have an instant attraction. He falls for her, but she has one problem: A husband named Standard (Oscar Isaac, who continues to be one of the best living actors today) is due to be released from prison. Driver agrees to help Standard with some problems he’s having, with gangsters who say he owes them money. Driver arranges a means of pulling off a heist, a one last heist, to get the gangsters the money that they say is owed to them, and then after that, the agreement is that they leave Standard, and his family, alone for good. There’s internal strife between organized crime soldiers Bernie (Ron Perlman) and Nino (Albert Brooks) and the “family” back home. Driver unwittingly gets in the middle of it and becomes a complication that would be better off erased.

Drive remains Winding Refn’s most accessible movie, while still rife with the directorial trademarks and flourishes he’s known for. There are long, hallucinatory stretches of silence. Apparently, huge swaths of dialogue were done away with when he signed on as director, taking a red pen to the script.  Refn loves to tell a story visually, to the point of obsession. There’s an expression sometimes in writing that he seems to have taken to heart: Why tell it when you can show it?

As focused on visuals as it may be, Drive actually seems to be having fun with the actors and performances, watching someone like Bryan Cranston as Driver’s good friend and mentor, Shannon, limp around, chain smoke and espouse life lessons in a gravelly voice.  The ensemble cast is amazing.  Christina Hendricks shows up in a bit role to help with the heist to get Standard out of trouble.  Albert Brooks plays against type as a sympathetic villain.  Ron Perlman plays Ron Perlman, beautifully so.

Drive is one of those “love it or hate it” movies. If you’re expecting it to be a movie in the tradition of the Fast and the Furious series, only more serious, and with Ryan Gosling as the lead, you’re probably going to be incredibly disappointed. If you go in to the movie knowing that it’s going to be an offbeat, show-offy work from a European director and is less concerned with cars and more of a contemplation on violence, you’ll have a better idea of what to expect.

VIDEO

Drive is gorgeous, bathed-in-neon picture from start to finish. And while it’s always been an attractive movie, from its theatrical release to previous Blu-ray editions, this 4K master, courtesy of Second Sight, takes it to another level. The dark/light levels are incredibly adept, Drive will have scenes take place during the darkest of nights and during the brightest of days in sunny Los Angeles. No matter what extreme, it always looks natural and balanced.

AUDIO

Second Sight’s release on 4K features a Dolby Atmos mix that helps elevate and widen the soundstage a bit. It’s not leaps and bounds above its predecessor Blu Ray release, but in certain scenes, the enhancement is noticeable and welcome. In the beginning cat-and-mouse chase scene, the front, height speakers and rear speakers work in a wonderful unison to simulate a circling police helicopter. When the main title sequence blasts to life, “Nightcall” by Kavinsky fires across the entire soundstage, (front, back, and from above) enveloping the listener in a bubble.

EXTRAS

Like its previous Blu-ray release, while there aren’t hours and hours of features to keep you entertained, or a booklet with essays like you’d find in a Criterion release, the features that are there will help deepen your understanding of the film and familiarize you with the process of making this modern-day masterpiece.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Drive is an oddity, in that it’s a hypnotic contemplation on violence in reality, and violence in film, with action sequences few and far between, but boasting demo-worthy visuals and audio during those tense, white-knuckle moments. It’s both a thinker and a shower, allowing quiet moments to simmer with seriousness and louder moments to be more impactful and consequential. Second Sight’s work here is, as usual, incredible and their release of Drive on 4K Blu-ray is Highly Recommended!

FILM ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

VIDEO ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SOUND ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

EXTRAS ⭐️⭐️

(Out of five stars)

Is there a group of creative filmmakers in Hollywood that barely get recognized for making some of the most memorable and coolest sequences in movies and television? Yes, there is a group of brave individuals called stunt performers (or Tom Cruise) who are responsible for those long falls off buildings, impossible jumps over mountains, and wild car chases in movies. There’s not a major award show that recognizes the genius of these people, but there should be one in the sea of dull acceptance speeches for sound editing or documentary shorts. There should be a segment that honors the coolest parts of cinema. That’s where the new film The Fall Guy blazes its way into the arena, covered in sweat and high wires that will hopefully change every award show in the future with an award for Best Stunt in a movie. Not to mention, The Fall Guy is a blast from start to finish with Gosling once again oozing charm, comedy, and general badassery. 

Director David Leitch is the perfect person for the job here, where he was a former stuntman turned director who gave the world John Wick, Deadpool 2, Bullet Train, and Hobbs and Shaw. He and writer Drew Pearce have perfectly conjured up a wonderful story that takes its cues from the ’80s show of the same name and brings that energy and action to life in the present day with an all-star cast that subtly breaks the fourth wall to showcase the ins and outs of stunt work on movies. But Leitch adds a wonderful love story to the mix along with some hilarious comedy that serves as some insider stunt jokes that also appeal to the masses. And the jabs at the Hollywood industry in the form of wacky producers, and egocentric actors are spot on with how over-the-top they are. But The Fall Guy manages to have it all in one movie, the comedy, the action, the romance, the one-liners, and the thrills all led by Ryan Gosling.

Leitch’s career has driven him to this place where Gosling plays a stuntman for a Tom Cruise-like actor (Aaron Taylor Johnson of Kick-Ass fame), where after an accident on set, puts Colt Seavers (Gosling) out of commission for a year, ghosting his romantic interest and camera-girl Jody (Emily Blunt) without any word of his well-being. A year later, Colt gets called back into action, and he reluctantly accepts to board a brand new big-budget movie when he finds out that Jody is directing her first big gig. Little does anyone know that the producer (Hannah Waddingham) and the ego-centric actor (Johnson) have nefarious plans for Seavers that will put his stunt game to the test in real life. With cheesy ’80s and ’90s romantic quips and stellar action sequences – The Fall Guy never disappoints. 

Each action scene is meticulously planned and real, as the end credits show all of the real stunts that were performed in the movie by either Gosling or a stunt team. From falling down stairs, jumping onto a moving car, being smashed by a truck, or hanging off of a helicopter, this movie shows it all. It executes its narrative of the movie industry, making a movie, and two people falling in love all over again in such a sweet and comical way that Leitch can probably add romantic comedy to his resume. The chemistry between Blunt and Gosling is very infectious, but is there a situation where anyone does NOT have chemistry with Gosling? The man is a gentle comedic god with a penchant for beating people up. The Fall Guy has a ton of surprises and is some of the most fun you can have in a theater with laugh-out-loud moments, inside jokes, top-notch action scenes, and a great romantic tale with Ken. 

The Fall Guy delivers an impressive UHD 4K image with Dolby Vision. The streaming version looks amazing, however, this physical copy allows more room to breathe with its wide gamut of colors and detail. The soundtrack comes with an exquisite Dolby Atmos track that could be the new demo in any media room. Sound effects are loud and boisterous with tons of nuanced noises from the surrounding speakers as well as plenty of subwoofer LFE activity. As for extras, there are about 91 minutes of supplements included in this release which includes the 20 minutes of the extended cut. All of these bonus features are highly entertaining and worth watching. There is also an audio commentary included. 

Lastly The Fall Guy has risen to be one of the biggest and best action flicks in years. The amount of fun, heart, soul, and the ability to finally pay homage to the impressive stunt people throughout the years is fantastic. This 4K image with Dolby Vision looks excellent and is a definitive upgrade from the 1080p version and even the 4K streaming option. The Dolby Atmos track is demo-worthy. The bonus features are a ton of fun to watch as well. Highly recommended!

Movie ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Picture ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sound ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Extras ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Out of five stars 

‘Tarot’ tells the haunting tale of a group of friends who rent out an ancient mansion in order to celebrate a friend’s birthday and in the course of the evening’s festivities uncover a secret room packed with ancient artifacts. After finding an eerily hand-painted deck of tarot cards and convincing their friend to do readings for each of them which violate the sacred tarot rules, the friends start mysteriously dying in gruesome fashion. As the surviving friends attempt to uncover the truth behind the deaths they soon realize that they are being killed off in the manner described in their readings. But stopping the curse will be significantly harder than triggering it, especially if they hope to end it before any more of them perish.

Written and directed by Spenser Cohen & Anna Halberg who each make their feature length directorial debut and do a solid job at the helm of ‘Tarot’ capably guiding along the creepy and violent fun. The film’s cast includes Harriet Slater (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny), Adain Bradley (Wrong Turn 2021), Avantika (Mean Girls 2024), Wolfgang Novogratz (The Half of It), Humberly González (Slumberland), Larsen Thompson (Bloodline) and Jacob Batalon (Spider-Man: No Way Home) with the majority offering capable or at the very least fitting performances in each of their respective roles.

‘Tarot’ is a fun, over the top and surprisingly bloody teen-centric horror offering that may not be an Oscar contender or a remarkable film by any means, and is often lacking in cleverness and originality but ends up delivering a significantly more enjoyable PG-13 horror film than you might expect. It’s a fairly goofy and silly concept to begin with and it takes the story and twists further than expected, while also delivering some surprisingly violent and bloody deaths that even while they never reach the level of outright gory seem to repeatedly push the boundaries of the rating. Somehow the goofy concept itself helps to make this one as fun as it is by the filmmakers repeatedly going so far with the material while playing it off in a serious manner at the same time; allowing it to almost maintain a tongue-in-cheek style without actually portraying it as such.

The key characters of ‘Tarot’ are fairly basic and it’s difficult to become too attached to most of them, although that only helps to make it even more entertaining when they are killed in one gruesome manner after another, while many of the other characters within seem unable to accept the reality of the situation as others couldn’t be more done with it. It’s a curious approach and I honestly can’t say whether it was intended or not, but it certainly makes for a fairly solid and engaging ride into darkness that genre fans who don’t mind a little bit of cheese (albeit possibly unintentional) should enjoy this one a fair amount, especially if you can go in expecting as much.

Overall, ‘Tarot’ is an entertaining and somewhat over the top supernatural horror film that plays things fairly straight but ends up becoming almost silly at times due to the out there story and reasoning behind the chaos, as well as the bloody and violent ways the characters are eliminated throughout which almost feels reminiscent of a tamed down version of ‘Final Destination’ at times. Even while it may not be intentionally silly and never portrays the events in that way, its serious approach and the almost surprisingly brutal moments end up forming into a slightly above average ride that’s somehow way more enjoyable than it should be. If you’re a fan of similar horror films and are at all interested in ‘Tarot’ then it’s definitely worth giving a chance, although I would encourage first time viewers to rent it before purchasing a copy just to be safe.

The Blu-ray release of ‘Tarot’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation with the film’s original Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks tremendous and offers a clean, sharp and richly detailed presentation from start to finish that never suffers from any notable faults or glitches to be uncovered along the way. Detail is sharp and impressive on everything from character faces and clothing to the sprawling mansion and almost everything else appearing onscreen at one point or another, which is all complemented by rewarding black levels that benefit this often very dark film and keep any artifacts or anything else from negatively affecting the darker moments which never disappoint. Overall, this is a great high definition video presentation that holds up wonderfully at all times and shouldn’t disappoint fans or newcomers.

The Blu-ray release features a 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. This multichannel soundtrack makes a splendid complement to the onscreen fun and provides a clean, crisp and frequently aggressive audio presentation throughout. It repeatedly utilizes all five available channels in order to send music, creepy and violent sound effects along with nature elements and plenty more whipping throughout the various speakers whenever appropriate, while never resulting in any dialogue or other audio elements becoming negatively affected or rendered problematic in the process. Overall, this is a fantastic 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack that repeatedly benefits the film and should easily excite viewers.

Conclusion 

The Blu-ray release of ‘Tarot’ features a few brief extras. Included on the release are the Behind the Scenes Featurettes ‘A Twist of Fate: Making the Film’ (running approximately 6 minutes in length) and ‘Circle of Friends’ (running approximately 7 minutes) which feature interviews/comments with the cast and crew, plus behind the scenes footage and more. Also included are ‘Killer Outtakes’ from the film (approximately 2 minutes). I had fun with ‘Tarot’ but as aforementioned, it’s not cleverly executed. But sound and picture are absolutely amazing. Incidentally, ‘Tarot’ is presently a major hit on Netflix! Not surprising since it is a good watch with friends.

Film: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Picture: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sound: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (out of five stars)

Godzilla Minus One has become a genuine phenomenon even in America, where it quickly became the highest-grossing Japanese language film of all time. That’s impressive by any metric, especially for the 30th live action installment in a seventy-year-old franchise. While Godzilla movies can be a little divisive, with everyone having their own favorites, the reaction to Godzilla Minus One has been uniformly positive. It’s been something of a revelation to many people, which is interesting considering that it’s undeniably derivative of all the films that came before it. The genius of writer/director Takashi Yamazaki is that he took all those familiar elements and combined them in a way that manages to feel fresh, even to hardened fans of the franchise. It’s more of a refinement than a revelation, and where Godzilla Minus One really shines is in its execution rather than its conception. Yet the key to making all of that work is still a conceptual choice on the part of Toho and Yamazaki.

When Toho rebooted the entire franchise in 1984 with The Return of Godzilla, it did so by effectively erasing all of the Shōwa era sequels and offering a direct sequel to the 1954 Godzilla instead. The rest of the Heisei era films followed that new continuity. When Toho performed another reboot with Godzilla 2000, they once again reset everything that happened after 1954, and for a time they did that with every Millennium film that followed suit (up until Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S., anyway, which was a direct sequel to Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla.) That offered a bit more freedom for filmmakers to pursue the stories that interested them the most—all under Toho’s watchful eye, of course. Yet when Hideaki Anno launched what would become known as the Reiwa era series with Shin Godzilla, he took the more radical step of not just disregarding all of the previous continuities, but the 1954 original as well. This new Godzilla represented the re-imagined first appearance of the King of Monsters, offering the opportunity to once again show the reaction of the Japanese people to a previously unheard-of threat. Anno also crafted the most radical alteration to Godzilla’s origins since Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack.

Godzilla Minus One does something similar to Shin Godzilla, but by taking the additional step of a giant leap backwards before 1954. It’s another standalone origin story, yet it still honors the films that preceded it in a way that Anno’s film didn’t. In a nutshell, Godzilla Minus One is the 1954 Godzilla mixed with Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah mixed with Godzilla vs. Destroyah mixed with Giant Monsters All-Out Attack mixed with an inversion of Giant Monsters All-Out Attack. To elaborate slightly: it’s the basic setting of the original Godzilla mixed with the retconned origin story of King Ghidorah mixed with the pissed-off Godzilla of Destroyah mixed with the “Japan dealing with the ghosts of what it did during WWII” of GMK mixed with an individual dealing with the ghost of what he actually didn’t do during WWII. Whew. (It even throws in a generous dose of Jaws for good measure.)

Appropriately enough, Yamazaki’s script for Godzilla Minus One opens on the fictional Odo Island, although this particular version of it has more in common with the Lagos Island of Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah. Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) is a kamikaze pilot who puts his plane down at a repair base on Odo Island in the waning days of World War II, ostensibly because of mechanical issues, but the reality is that he can’t go through with his mission. While he’s there, the island is attacked by a small proto-Godzilla, leaving everyone at the base dead except for Shikishima and the lead mechanic Tachibana (Munetaka Aoki). Both of them end up scarred from the attack in very different ways, with Tachibana resenting Shikishima for once again failing to act. After the war ends, Shikishima ends up working on a civilian minesweeper to clear out both the Axis and the Allied mines that fill the waters around Tokyo. It’s a dangerous job, but he’s suffering from survivor’s guilt, and he feels compelled to work in order to support the woman who he lives with (Minami Hamabe) and the orphaned child that they’ve both unofficially adopted. When the U.S. nuclear testing at the Bikini Atoll reawakens and mutates Godzilla, the larger and much more powerful monster sets course for the mainland. That sets Shikishima and Tachibana on a collision course with each other once again, but this time, Shikishima will finally have to exorcise his own demons once and for all.

The way that everything resolves is predictable enough, with any potential twists being telegraphed well in advance (literally so, in one case). Again, though, it’s all about the execution. While there’s still a bit of humor in Godzilla Minus One, Yamazaki chose to eschew most of the sillier and more fantastical elements of past films in order to focus on the horrific nature of the beast (so to speak). The stakes are high, the casualties are enormous, and this particular iteration of Godzilla is playing for keeps. It’s not quite the avenging angel of Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, and Godzilla isn’t being driven by the pain of an internal meltdown like in Destroyah, but this is still one mean green mother from inner space. It’s the living embodiment of pure rage.

That appears to be the primary element of Godzilla Minus One that audiences are responding to the most: Yamazaki managed to make Godzilla scary again. That’s no mean feat, but he also muddied up the thematic waters a bit in the process. As ham-handed as Shikishima’s redemption arc may be, Godzilla ends up being a bit more enigmatic. While Operation Crossroads is still at least partly responsible for Godzilla’s (re)birth, the nuclear metaphors from Honda’s Godzilla are missing here. So are the Fukushima metaphors from Shin Godzilla, as well as the ghosts of WWII from Giant Monsters All-Out Attack. Godzilla doesn’t really represent anything in Godzilla Minus One other than perhaps a manifestation of Shikishima’s guilt, but that’s a heavy burden for an entire nation to bear on his behalf, so the metaphor becomes a bit strained. The reality is that some monsters just want to watch the world burn.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course. Godzilla has proven remarkably resilient over the decades, changing with the times, and no one version of the King of Monsters can truly be considered definitive. Godzilla Minus One’s rendition is memorably malicious, and that’s good enough. Yamazaki staged some remarkable set pieces in support of that, including the Jaws-inspired minesweeper chase that’s already become the stuff of legend—it’s legitimately one of the best sequences in the entire history of the Godzilla franchise. Proving, of course, that it’s all about the execution. Still, that execution is far from perfect in Godzilla Minus One. The digital Godzilla works reasonably well despite the limited means at Yamazaki’s disposal, but there are still a few weak spots like an awkward hitch in the walk cycle and some other animation that doesn’t scale well. There are also a few moments during the finale that strain suspension of disbelief past the breaking point, especially when a logistical nightmare that would have taken all day to execute is dispatched in a split second by a single jump cut (all while Godzilla sits beneath the waves, patiently waiting for everyone to finish). Yamazaki is guilty of exploiting a few too many narrative conveniences in order to keep the story moving, and he does rob some of the suspense by telegraphing the twists too far in advance. Those are minor quibbles, though. Godzilla fans are a tolerant lot (Roland Emmerich’s American remake notwithstanding), and they’ve grudgingly accepted a lot of worse things over the decades. Yet many of them have still longed for a darker, more serious take on the material, and Yamazaki delivered that in spades. There’s a damned good reason why Godzilla Minus One has struck such a chord worldwide: imperfect as it may be, it’s still the best representation of the Godzilla that many fans have wanted but rarely received prior to this.

While Godzilla Minus One was eventually re-released in a black-and-white version (more on that later), it’s important to remember that it was conceived of and shot as a color film, albeit one with a muted color palette. It’s not really desaturated to any significant extent, however; it’s just that the costuming and production design favors grays, browns, and dark blues. The opening shots of Shikishima landing on Odo Island look much richer, with the green grass and the deep blue of the ocean providing more visual variety, but once Godzilla makes his first appearance, greens, reds, and even whites are at a kept at a minimum for the rest of the film. Yet those intentionally drab colors are still offset by the warm hues of the flesh tones—the environmental details of Godzilla Minus One may appear bleak, but the people don’t. Browns may dominate, but there’s a wide variety of shades of brown on display. In other words, there’s still plenty of depth to the colors, just not much breadth, and that look has been replicated perfectly in this HDR grade.

Primary audio is offered in Japanese Dolby Atmos, with optional Japanese barrier-free subtitles (which is the Japanese equivalent of SDH). It’s a wildly aggressive and highly immersive mix, and it’s not shy about advertising the fact that it’s Atmos during the opening shot when Shikishima’s plane passes over the camera and through the overhead channels. There are plenty of subtle environmental effects that also provide envelopment, like the way that rain dripping on the roofs can be heard above the viewer. Yet it’s some of the panning effects that are the most interesting. When Shikishima gets back into his plane and freezes while Godzilla passes by to the left, the sound of the monster’s growling can be heard panning overhead from the front left height channel to the rear left one, as if you’re sitting in the cockpit with him. The death and destruction that follows offers plenty of channel engagement and dynamic impact. Most of that happens in just the first few minutes of Godzilla Minus One, but it sets the stage for what follows for the rest of the film. It’s consistently immersive and exciting from beginning to end. The ambient score by Naoki Satō tends to get buried in the mix sometimes, although it’s still effective, but Akira Ifukube’s legendary fanfare and march are both front and center when they make their inevitable appearances. (There’s even a snippet of the Island theme from King Kong vs. Godzilla at one point.) The only minor disappointment is that the bass doesn’t dig as deep as it could, but there’s still enough of a low end to provide some appropriate rumble whenever Godzilla is on the rampage. That minor caveat aside, this is still a reference-quality Atmos track.

Toho’s Region-Free 4K Ultra HD release of Godzilla Minus One is a four-disc set that includes a Blu-ray with a 1080p copy of the original film, a second Blu-ray with the Minus Color re-release version, and a third Blu-ray with the bulk of the extras. They’re packaged in a fold-out case that displays a different spread of Big G on each side, doing what he does best: leveling a city. It also includes two different booklets, the first of which offers production photographs, promotional materials, and multiple essays. The second booklet is a mock vintage “Special Disaster Countermeasures” handout, showing off the various plans for dealing with a potential appearance by Godzilla. (The maps and some of the diagrams are re-creations of the ones that are seen in Godzilla Minus One.) Everything is housed inside an embossed hard keep case that’s genuinely striking—even the most ardent complainers about cover art will be at a loss for words when they get their hands on this one. Depending on which version that you order, there may be a variety of swag items included as well, like stickers, art cards, and other tchotchkes. (In addition, there’s also a Steelbook option.) I had to personally order my copy from China.

Per standard Toho policy, neither the film nor any of the extras offer English subtitles. That’s not necessarily an insurmountable obstacle, however. Some players like the Oppo UDP-203 and UDP-205 offer the ability to load external subtitles. You’ll have to do a little Googling to see if your particular player does so as well. If it can, all you need to do is take the English subtitle file (with an .srt extension), rename it “sub.srt,” create a folder on a USB drive called “sub,” and place the file in that folder. Insert the drive into the USB port on your player, then when playing the disc, use the subtitle button on your remote to select “other,” and Bob’s your uncle. You may have to adjust the sync to get it to line up properly. On the Oppos, that’s accessible using the Option button. However Netflix does indeed stream a copy with English dub!

While there hasn’t been an official announcement regarding a North American release as of my review, it’s always possible that a domestic 4K set could include Godzilla Minus One on UHD as well, but that’s still up to Toho. If they only produced a Blu-ray master for their Japanese release, that may well be what they provide to a domestic licensee. Time will tell. In any event, it’s unlikely that all of these extras will be ported over, so hardcore G-fans will probably still want to pick up this set and then double dip later. It’s a fantastic release that’s worth owning. Not cheap, of course, but still worth the investment for anyone who has a player that can load external subtitles. It’s the best set that Toho has ever produced for any of their Godzilla films, and it gets the highest possible recommendation from me.

Movie  ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5)

Extras ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5)

Sound ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)

American Fiction was a great time indeed. Without revealing too much, it was often hilarious whilst taking on some serious issues. It’s a different kind of film.

The kind of film which will hook you from its cracking opening dialogue – pre-credits – American Fiction has arguably been done a disservice by trailers and, indeed, reviews, which reveal far too much about a story that unfolds organically and expertly, and really needed no telegraphing, let alone descriptions that explain events that don’t happen until towards the start of the second act.

The story follows the character of Thelonious Ellison (everybody just calls him Monk) a struggling writer who has just been given a temporary leave for his blunt approach to racial “issues” in his classes, returning home to his ageing mum only to find her ailing health and requirements for medical care demanding the kind of money that zero book sales simply won’t cover. Taking a different approach to his work, Monk suddenly finds himself in an increasing series of cascading, complicated manoeuvres which offer him potential monetary rewards but only appear to fuel the bitterness in him.

Jeffrey Wright’s had some excellent roles, but is also an actor clearly capable of elevating even the less obvious ones – he’s a great Jim Gordon in The Batman; a great Felix Leiter in Bond, and he managed to impressively fill the gaping void left by Anthony Hopkins in later seasons of Westworld. Seldom gifted a leading opportunity, however, American Fiction is the perfect vehicle to showcase his weathered, cynical, but eminently intellectual charms.

It’s pure Wright, and whilst he gets a decent roster of chewy supporting cast members (This is Us’ Sterling K. Brown has a ball, Black-ish’s Tracee Ellis Ross steals her scenes, The Lovebirds’ Issa Rae challenges expectations, and a few nice cameos from the likes of Keith David and even Adam Brody sweeten the pot), the film is defined by Wright’s Monk and his fabulous use – and misuse – of language. Though the film throws a whole bunch of heady topics and themes into the melting pot, Wright’s Monk helps you not to get lost in some kind of messy sociopolitical quagmire and instead remain firmly focused on this one man, and his identity, and his ideals.

The directorial debut of writer Cord Jefferson (Master of None, The Good Place, Succession, HBO’s Watchmen, Station Eleven), it’s immediately impressive how smoothly Jefferson manages to navigate a potentially more aggressively racially bent landscape without hitting any landmines, all the while working in masterful subversion into a narrative that’s so staunchly satirical that you don’t even stop to question the motivations of its author – because he’s the lead character. Launching headfirst into quick-witted put-downs, but unspooling that almost immediately courtesy of some sibling honesty, American Fiction constantly bats back and forth between the unreal and the real, never so sublimely as a drunken shot at a manuscript that cleverly sees the characters brought to life before Monk’s eyes.

There’s a lot under the bonnet of this debut work, subtly dissecting its lead character(s) whilst lightly commenting – again through the veil of that very dissection – on the literary landscape and genre expectations (not just of books, but movies too), it has a lot of fun with the story-within-a-story approach, but mostly holds your attention through its commitment to real characters, given depth and lived-in lives. You’ll be sold (or not, as the case may be) from the opening lines, but you’ll hopefully stay for the underlying resonance, and pleasantly organic food for thought. And for the long overdue standout lead performance of Jeffrey Wright. Absolutely superb film.

Movie ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️  out of five stars

There are no extras as this is a digital copy

The Raid: Redemption, a high-octane action thriller released in 2011, redefined martial arts cinema’s boundaries. Directed by Gareth Evans, this Indonesian masterpiece captivates with its raw intensity and breathtaking fight choreography, offering an adrenaline-pumping experience you’ll never forget!

Set in the heart of Jakarta, the film follows an elite SWAT team’s mission to infiltrate a high-rise building run by a ruthless crime lord. With limited resources and overwhelming odds, the team must navigate a maze of danger and deception. It’s a race against time and survival, where every floor presents a new challenge. All this culminates in a swarm of heart-stopping action sequences.

That is to say, The Raid: Redemption is a masterclass in action choreography. Each fight sequence is a symphony of brutality and grace, showcasing the Indonesian martial art of Pencak Silat. The relentless nature of these sequences keeps you on the edge of your seat, making The Raid an unforgettable experience for action lovers. Also, the close-quarter combat scenes are mesmerizing, displaying a blend of speed, power, and precision. Cinematographers Matt Flannery and Dimas Imam Subhono capture every bone-crushing hit and agile movement, immersing the audience in the relentless pace of the battles. Watch the hallway fight scene if you want a perfect example of this. It’s thrilling and artistically executed, elevating it beyond mere action into cinematic art.

The movie isn’t just about style; The Raid also has some substance — the dramatic stakes are also at play here. Each scene intensifies the peril, with the protagonist facing increasingly formidable foes in a claustrophobic environment. The film cleverly uses its limited setting to heighten tension, transforming the building into a character itself — an obstacle course of traps, challenges, and foes. This ingenious use of space amplifies the action, making each encounter a physical battle and a strategic play for survival. Sort of reminding me of the Bruce Lee film Game of Death, where Bruce faced a more lethal combat as he progressed up in the building.

While primarily action-driven, The Raid doesn’t skimp on performances. Iko Uwais delivers physically and emotionally, portraying a compelling hero with determination and vulnerability. Though limited in character development, the supporting cast adds depth to the narrative, making each character’s struggle in this high-stakes environment feel genuine and urgent. Overall, The Raid: Redemption is a groundbreaking action film, setting a high bar for the genre. It’s a must-watch for action enthusiasts and those who appreciate movies that push the envelope.

VIDEO

The Raid: Redemption hits Ultra HD Blu-ray with an upscaled 4K color corrected picture. The Ultra HD Blu-ray release of The Raid: Redemption presents a significant upgrade in video quality over its Blu-ray predecessor. Scenes are illuminated with a brightness that adds depth without any issues. At the same time, black levels are notably deeper, ensuring darker scenes retain detail and texture. With the film’s limited and mostly mute color palette, Dolby Vision can’t showcase its power.

Nevertheless, the colors that do appear on-screen look more vibrant and accurate, adding to the film’s intense aesthetic. Additionally, the clarity of detail is remarkably improved. Every sweat droplet, facial expression, and intricate background detail is rendered stunningly sharp. Film grain is present but handled carefully, preserving the film’s original texture without becoming distracting.

AUDIO

The Raid: Redemption hits Blu-ray with a Dolby Atmos or a 7.1 Dolby TrueHD audio presentation if Atmos is not supported. This review will cover the Blu-ray’s Dolby Atmos mix. While The Raid: Redemption‘s Dolby Atmos mix on Ultra HD Blu-ray might sound like an immersive feast for the ears, it’s more of a front-loaded mix. It’s not all that surprising since most of the film’s action takes place front and center. Thus, it doesn’t allow for any sense of dynamic sound because that’s how the movie is. Regardless, the object placement is precise — aligning perfectly with the on-screen events, putting you in the middle of the action.

EXTRAS

The Raid: Redemption doesn’t have any bonus features on the Ultra HD disc. However, there is plenty of bonus features on the HD Blu-ray Disc including a very immersive Director’s Commentary and Anatomy of a Scene breaks down key scenes, providing an in-depth look at the cinematic techniques and storytelling strategies employed in the film.

FINAL THOUGHT

Finally, this limited-edition steelbook packaging pays homage to the film’s iconic imagery, featuring key imagery of Rama in the back and the film’s key art in the front. The design captures the essence of the movie in a beautiful, matte metallic finish.

Overall, The Raid: Redemption is a groundbreaking action film, and it’s still one of the best action films since its debut thirteen years ago. Additionally, the video and audio quality surpasses the Blu-ray version, making it a must-have for fans of the film. Unfortunately, there aren’t any brand new bonus features included in this release. But you get previously released features.

Film… ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Presentation…⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Extras…⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Before I launch into – spoiler alert – a rave review for what I consider to be the best film of 2023 (sorry Barbie), I want to say right up front that I am a huge Christopher Nolan fan. I respect Nolan immensely as a director and writer, I find his movies to be epic creations. I love Memento and the Batman trilogy and appreciate the visceral power of Dunkirk, and the dazzling Inception continues to amaze me and Intersteller left me spellbound. Tenet was a big hit for me, too, so inspired by all the hype for Oppenheimer, I went into the IMAX screening this past summer with great anticipation, Excited of how this massive epic about the man who spearheaded the development of the atomic bomb would hit me.

To say Oppenheimer blew me away would be not only a bad pun and tired cliché but also a gross understatement. Nolan outdoes himself, crafting an ambitious, innovative, and beautifully constructed film that absorbed me from the get-go and held me spellbound for three solid hours. (I can’t recall a more enriching cinematic experience over the past decade.) Intelligent, intricate, thought-provoking, emotional, visually stunning, and brimming with potent performances, Oppenheimer is the complete cinematic package, a movie that satisfies on multiple levels and demands repeat viewings to absorb all the nuances. Of course, the big bang that occurs about two-thirds of the way through is the film’s central component, but it’s the small, intimate moments that reverberate the loudest and make this movie so memorable.

Oppenheimer isn’t just a biopic about an arrogant genius who’s driven by ambition, wracked by demons, and tortured by guilt. That would be enough. But Nolan goes further. The most fascinating parts of Oppenheimer actually occur after the bomb goes off. The repercussions and fallout (and I’m not talking about radiation) resonate so much more strongly than the intrigue surrounding the weapon’s development. Yes, this is a tale about scientific breakthroughs, crossing dangerous boundaries, grappling with weighty moral issues (like the potential destruction of mankind), and creating a beast that can’t be controlled, but more importantly, it’s about political persecution, unbridled ego, and the petty jealousies and insecurities that fuel small-minded men and inspire them to destroy the lives of others.

The bomb is the elephant in the room, but the crux of Oppenheimer is the bitter conflict between J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) and government official Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.). As the film opens, both men face critical trials that will ultimately scrape away their smug veneers and expose their faults, frailties, and carefully guarded secrets. Oppenheimer meekly battles a biased group of political operatives seeking to revoke his security clearance due to his prior association with the Communist party, while Strauss (pronounced Stroz), President Eisenhower’s nominee for Secretary of Commerce, must endure the probing questions of a Senate confirmation committee to secure his crowning career achievement. Nolan the writer, who based his screenplay on the book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, deftly and lyrically tells their parallel and intertwining tales, while Nolan the director keeps their stories distinct by filming Oppenheimer’s perspective in color and Strauss’s in black-and-white. The device may be off-putting at first, but it’s a stroke of genius that not only helps simplify the challenging narrative structure, which continually jumps forward and backward in time, but also adds even more style to an already visually arresting film.

One character calls Oppenheimer “a dilettante, a womanizer, a suspected Communist, unstable, theatrical, egotistical, neurotic,” and that’s all true, but he also possessed one of the most brilliant minds of the 20th century. Other films like A Beautiful Mind and The Imitation Game have explored such brilliance and shown it to be a burden and a curse. Oppenheimer treads similar territory but on a larger scale and broader canvas. The stakes are higher here and some of the film’s themes strongly resonate in our current social climate. We can relate to a world in crisis that’s hurtling toward chaos and possible destruction, where political enemies are targeted and attacked. And with the dawn of Artificial Intelligence, we now have our own debate about a new technology that can potentially threaten human existence.

Oppenheimer asks important questions: How far do we take science and how do we deal with the consequences of what we unleash? One of the film’s most powerful scenes shows a shell-shocked Oppenheimer addressing his colleagues after the A-bomb test. As he delivers his remarks, we see how the weight of what his team has produced and the devastation it will soon deliver hit him with almost the same force as the world-changing detonation he just witnessed. That detonation, the lead-up to which instills palpable dread, fear, and uncertainty despite the fact there’s no mystery about the test’s success, is breathtakingly depicted. I won’t spoil it, but it’s just one more example of Nolan’s brilliance. He leads us down a well-worn path, then rips the rug out from under us. It’s tough to creatively depict a seminal event, especially one as monumental as this, but Nolan finds a way to combine artistry with the sobering gravity and sheer awe of the moment.

While I often enjoy seeing films with star-studded casts, sometimes the plethora of high-profile personalities can be distracting and take me out of the movie. “Oh, there’s so-and-so. Wow, I didn’t know he/she was in this! What a great cameo!” I had none of those feelings here. Yes, the initial glimmer of recognition causes a spark, but the roles are so well cast, the actors disappear inside them. The list of luminaries in Oppenheimer is large. In addition to Murphy and Downey, there’s Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Kenneth Branagh, Rami Malek, Casey Affleck, Gary Oldman, Jason Clarke, Tom Conti, Matthew Modine, Tony Goldwyn, and others. All of them nail their parts (though Pugh is saddled with a sketchily drawn role), but Murphy and Downey shine the brightest. Both men deserve Oscars for their finely etched portrayals of complex, fascinating, and deeply flawed men who scale massive heights, but must live with the consequences of their deeds and misdeeds. Murphy is riveting throughout, never striking a sour note, and Downey is a revelation. After far too many Marvel movies, he reminds us what a terrific actor he can be when given the opportunity to sink his teeth into a juicy part.

Oppenheimer isn’t perfect. Some of the story’s time shifts can be confusing and with so many characters popping in and out of the story – often for only a few fleeting moments – remembering all the names and how they relate to the narrative can be a challenge. Like almost every biopic, there are historical inaccuracies and liberties taken with facts for dramatic effect. The pivotal exchange between Oppenheimer and Albert Einstein upon which much of the story hinges is complete invention, but it’s nevertheless an inspired device to set up the division between Strauss and Oppenheimer and define the finer points of Strauss’ character.

Nolan bites off a lot here, but never more than he can chew. Yes, Oppenheimer is long, but unlike its fellow 2023 epics Killers of the Flower Moon and Napoleon, it doesn’t feel long. The pacing has a lovely ebb and flow as it mixes massive scope with searing drama, bits of humor, and a whole lotta visual stimuli. With insight, deep commitment, and tremendous care, Nolan has made a movie for history buffs, science nerds, political junkies, and – most importantly – movie fans. Oppenheimer is what cinema is all about. I Dug in and enjoyed it.

The video presentation of the 4K disc is flawless. Sound will shake your house and certainly give your system a true workout. The 1080p Blu-ray is certainly acceptable, but definitely a big step down from the exceptional 4K rendering. Flatter, duller, and a bit murkier, Oppenheimer on Blu-ray keeps the viewer at arm’s length. When I ejected the Blu-ray and went back to 4K, I felt as if I was looking at a totally different movie. The 4K disc is reference-quality stuff and anyone who enjoyed Oppenheimer in any theatrical format will be dazzled by this A-plus presentation.

The bonus featurettes are housed on a separate Blu Ray and they are aplenty. Included are all teasers and trailers. So much to delve into, that you could spend time on the bonus disc as much as the length of the film! 

2023’s best film is a slam-dunk on 4K UHD. This epic portrait of both a controversial scientist and turbulent era in American history is enlightening, entertaining, and exquisitely mounted by a master craftsman at the very top of his game. With a breathtaking HDR transfer, potent audio, and hours of supplements, Oppenheimer demands a spot on every movie-lover’s shelf. Must Own. Film ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Film Extras ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (out of five stars)

 Some become legends through all-American grit and determination. For college football fans, the story of Dan “Rudy” Ruttiger is well known. Even if you’re not a sports fan. If you were a kid growing up in the 80s or if you didn’t read his book about his determination to play football for Notre Dame, he may have dropped by your school as a motivational speaker. Reuniting the team behind another classic sports drama Hoosiers, Director David Anspaugh and writer Angelo Pizzo with composer Jerry Goldsmith set out to tell the tale of how one poor working-class kid fought his way to play for the Fighting Irish.

We first meet Rudy (Sean Astin) as he’s finishing high school. From a steel-working family, his father Dan Senior (a lovely turn from Ned Beatty) loves Notre Dame football, but can’t believe his young son or any Ruttiger could ever attend the university. But little Rudy has a dream and he’s ready to prove himself to anyone and everyone that doubted him. Beyond getting accepted into one of the most prestigious universities in the country, he’ll also have to make it onto one of the hardest-hitting most competitive football teams in the country.

I personally come from Wolverine country and the sight of the Irish blue and gold is usually a rage-inducing eyesore. But for Rudy – I love this film. Rudy is to college football as Rocky is to boxing. It’s a human drama first with sports as a backdrop. A classic underdog story, it’s a movie that inspires you to try to achieve your dreams and then in the face of repeated failures – keep trying. I saw this film in theaters and I’ve watched it countless times since. It’s remained a rousing inspirational film three decades later. It also happens to feature one of my very favorite Jerry Goldsmith scores.

Now when this film was announced for 4K, I was just happy to have the version of the film I’ve known and loved for three decades (DVD). But to sweeten the pot, Sony includes Anspaugh’s new Director’s Cut (via seamless branching) for a longer and I have to admit more fulfilling film. Not just frivolous scene extensions, the new cut gives more weight to a variety of characters. We see more of Robert Prosky’s Father Cavenaugh, he doesn’t just disappear now in the second act. We see more of Rudy trying to fit in with the Notre Dame team setting up their antagonistic struggle earlier while also giving them more time to ease into their redemptive actions in the final stretch. More interesting and meaningful, we see more of Greta Lind’s Mary. Thankfully this cut doesn’t force Rudy and Mary into a silly weightless romance but instead bolsters a more valuable friendship through to the end.

The film looks and sounds absolutely wonderful for the age that it has. Skin tones come alive and the football field has never looked so green! The set comes with a Blu Ray copy as well but that only contains the theatrical version. The extras come with a bit of old and new features. For the new stuff, Director David Anspaugh and writer Angelo Pizzo team up for a new Director’s Cut exclusive audio commentary. It’s a lively discussion about making the film, their long working relationship, and comparing the versions of the film. Then we come to a little over three minutes of deleted scenes that are separate from the new cut. They’re interesting in their own right, but I can see why they wouldn’t make it on either cut. Then we have the film’s trailer all on the 4K disc. Then we come to the archival material that’s housed on the included Blu-ray. 

As big a fan as I am, in the crowded pantheon of sports films, Rudy may not be the greatest of the pack, but it’s an emotional heavy hitter. Truthfully one would need to be a pretty jaded individual to not connect to this story in some way. Sean Astin is amazing as he headlines an excellent cast for this true (mostly) story of grit and determination winning the day. I’ve loved this film for three decades now and it’s a genuine pleasure to see it look and sound this good in 4K – in two cuts no less! For fans of the film, this is a no-brainer essential pickup. Newcomers will need to invest in a few boxes of tissues.

Movie ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Extras ⭐️⭐️⭐️

(Out of five stars)

Matthew Broderick takes on the biggest beast of his career with Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin’s 1998 special effects creature feature Godzilla. Celebrating its 25th Anniversary, the film is still a delightful collection of 90s blockbuster ideas and a lot of the visual effects haven’t aged well, but it’s still a good hunk of hammy fun. Secondly, the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray yields a new SteelBook, a slightly improved Dolby Vision transfer, but otherwise the same package as before. If you didn’t buy it already. However, 25 years later this film remains a piece of good dumb summer movie fun. From Broderick and his earthworms to Jean Reno’s chewing gum to every New Yorker reminding everyone they’re from Newe Yawk, it’s an entertaining show even if it doesn’t always succeed at hitting what it’s aiming for. Watching it again after all these years I almost wish we got those sequels! But considering all of the great kaiju action we’ve had the last few years, it’s probably for the best the franchise moved on.

Godzilla is released onto 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray for the second time thanks to Sony. Celebrating the film’s 25th Anniversary, we get a new SteelBook packaging for the 4K UHD and Blu-ray discs to sit in. The 4K is again pressed on a BD-100 disc while a BD-50 showcases the 1080p picture. The 1080p disc is the same old disc that’s been on the market for a while now. Also included is a digital copy slip. The disc loads to Sony’s standard static image main menu with bonus features panel along the right side.

At Sony, the motto seems to be “If we did it great in HDR10, let’s do a new Dolby Vision disc with SteelBook packaging!” Similar to some of their previous efforts in this arena like Air Force One. The Dolby Vision grade is sharp and clear as before and film grain still retains its natural cinematic appeal with just a little extra barely discernable improvement. I did feel like depth was a little improved for this disc, but that largely extends to live-action sequences. I now have both the older 4K release and this new Steelbook version. Bitrate has a healthier average overall but not so high as to blow the doors off what we saw before. Dolby Vision adds a little extra refinement most felt in the black levels and shadows. This film is fairly dark, rainy, and steeped in shadows and that little extra nuance in the HDR grade is appreciated. The third act where they’re trying to find Godzilla’s nest and the full sequence in Madison Square Garden really felt better there. However, as before, the film’s heavy CGI use has its visual drawbacks. The entire chase scene through the city or any of the CGI babies still feel weightless or just outright soft or poorly rendered. Not even Dolby Vision and a higher bitrate can compensate for that. So yes, this presentation is technically better, but the mileage isn’t going to get most viewers far enough to warrant a double dip purchase.

On the audio scale we get the same very aggressive Dolby Atmos audio track. Playing back through several sections on both discs, I didn’t notice any difference. Now I liked this mix better than the previous release, however my biggest issue with this Atmos track was more with volume than element placement. While height channels hear plenty of action and the whole surround soundscape is quite expansive, I also felt like volume was used to compensate for nuance. When big action set-pieces kick in, big explosions do still sound a little distorted or tinny. In the end, that’s a fairly mild complaint. It’s a big loud movie and this audio track matches that effort. The DTS-HD MA 5.1 track is an alternate option but in all honesty, flipping between the two sounded rather silly. If you’re rolling Atmos, stick with that.

Bonus features are pretty much the same bag as before. Sadly, nothing new was added for this film’s 25th Anniversary effort. Once again, the audio commentary is still only available on the Blu-ray disc. However, on the 4K disc we get all of the teaser and theatrical trailers.

Coming off the high-flying intergalactic success of Independence Day, Devlin and Emmerich were the go-to filmmakers for big-money special effects summer blockbusters. 1998’s Godzilla seemed like the perfect fit for their sense of cinematic destruction and mayhem, but the film was savaged by critics and longtime kaiju fans, and was ultimately profitable but still underperformed. 25 years later, we have Toho punching out their own new Godzilla flicks while Warner Bros. keeps cooking up new ways for the big beast to fight Kong or some other giant creature. Now celebrating its anniversary milestone, 1998’s Godzilla scores a new 4K UHD SteelBook release. The new Dolby Vision transfer offers up a slightly better image but probably not enough of an improvement to push for a double-dip. However, if you haven’t already bought this on 4K disc, this is the set to snag.

Movie ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Special Features ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (out of five stars)

As a fan of the iconic gaming franchise, I had cautiously optimistic expectations about Gran Turismo. Thankfully, it didn’t disappoint. Neill Blomkamp delivers a visually stunning and emotionally charged racing experience. At the same time, the cinematography beautifully captures the sleek curves of the racing cars, the intensity of the tracks, and the breathtaking landscapes that serve as the backdrop for the races. The sound design also deserves special mention, with the roar of engines, screeching tires, and Lorne Balfe and Andrew Kawczynski’s score combined to create an auditory experience that complements the visual spectacle.

While the plot may follow some familiar underdog movie tropes, it doesn’t shy away from exploring Jann’s journey and his sacrifices for the thrill of the race. The screenplay successfully weaves together elements of competition, friendship, and the pursuit of excellence, adding depth to the film beyond its fast-paced exterior.

At the heart of the film is Archie Madekwe, whose charismatic performance adds depth to the character and serves as a compelling guide through the high-stakes world of professional racing. The supporting cast, including Orlando Bloom and David Harbour, sweetens the ensemble with incredible performances that capture the camaraderie and competition inherent in the racing culture.

Unfortunately, it’s a shame that we didn’t get more extended sequences of the races and only watch bite-sized versions of these exciting tracks. Instead, the film gets slightly bogged down by an unnecessary love story. That run time that was used to cover the love story could’ve been used to provide us with more racing sequences. After all, that’s what you’ve come to see. Maybe that’s a minor complaint since I personally have so much experience playing Gran Turismo on PlayStation 2.

Overall, Gran Turismo is a triumphant celebration of the beloved gaming franchise wrapped in an inspiring underdog story. It captures the essence of the virtual and real-life racing experience, delivering a cinematic joyride that will resonate with fans and entertain audiences seeking an adrenaline-fueled escape. Watching the film I noticed some visuals and sound effects that I recognized from GT3. A total joyride to say the least!

The Blu-ray picture is stunning! The brightness levels are finely tuned to enhance realism without sacrificing details in this area. The picture also has inky blacks that create dramatic and immersive visuals. Colors burst forth with brilliance and intensity in the Gran Turismo Blu-ray. Also, the video renders each color with stunning accuracy and realism as the colors pop off the screen. Whether it’s the fine textures of road surfaces, the reflection of surroundings on car exteriors, or the subtle weathering effects, the detail quality in this release is excellent. I can imagine if the Blu Ray looks this good. How does the 4K look?

Gran Turismo hits Blu-ray with a Dolby Atmos audio presentation. Prepare for an auditory racing experience as the Dolby Atmos takes Gran Turismo straight into your living room. The precision of dynamic pans adds a layer of immersion to the movie. Also, the audio dynamically shifts as vehicles move across the landscape, creating a three-dimensional auditory experience that places you right in the heart of the races.

Gran Turismo has some excellent overhead effects, from the thunderous roar of the engine to the subtle sounds of weather elements. Lorne Balfe and Andrew Kawczynski’s musical score adapts seamlessly to the pace of the race, enhancing the drama and excitement. The dialogue in Gran Turismo is delivered precisely, and every word is crisp and intelligible.

The Blu-ray has some interesting and unique elements, including how the games were made. The painstaking process of detailing the tracks around the world and the cars themselves. Real- life physics are applied to the games. If you spin out in real-life due to improper driving, you’ll spin out using that same technique in the games! The Plan featurette  uncovers the intricacies of adapting this compelling real-life story to the screen. Additionally, it looks at the role of simulators in the training process. Unfortunately, you don’t learn more about Jann—only what you find in the film.  Budding filmmakers will get a kick out of The Engine featurette. The feature delves into the film’s cinematography styles and Blomkamp’s vision for the film. The deleted scenes feature five scenes that offer a different perspective on pivotal moments in the movie. These scenes add an extra layer to the narrative. The Pit Crew featurette goes behind the scenes, showcasing the adrenaline-fueled choreography and usage of practical effects that make the racing sequences so exhilarating. With The Wheels, this featurette looks at the ensemble behind Gran Turismo, featuring interviews and insights into the actor’s experiences on set. The Garage featurette looks up close to the stunning cars that take center stage.

Overall, this is a must have for any gaming or racing fans. Gran Turismo is simply stunning.

Movie ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Special Features ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (out of five stars)

 ‘Insidious: The Red Door’ rejoins the Lambert family nearly ten years after the events of the second film. Shortly after the death of Josh’s mother, he and a now college-aged Dalton begin experiencing mysterious flashes and broken memories as the terrifying events they suffered years prior begin fighting their way back into the consciousness of each. Initially believing these curious visions and broken pieces to be nothing more than imagination, Dalton soon begins to realize that there is much more going on as his college experience kicks off on a horrifying note, soon leading to him fighting to recall what it is his memory is trying to hide which will eventually lead to a new fight for survival once he again begins to embrace his traveling ways.

Directed this time around by Patrick Wilson (marking his directorial debut) from a screenplay written by Scott Teems (Halloween Kills) and a story by Leigh Whannell and Scott Teems, Wilson does a quite capable job at the helm of ‘Insidious: The Red Door’ capturing much of the tone and aura that the franchise is beloved for. The film’s cast includes Ty Simpkins (The Whale), Patrick Wilson (The Conjuring), Sinclair Daniel (TV’s The Other Black Girl), Hiam Abbass (TV’s Succession), Rose Byrne (TV’s Physical) and more with the majority offering decent or at least fitting performances for the most part in each of their respective roles. ‘Insidious: The Red Door’ reunites viewers with the Lambert family almost ten years after the events that concluded ‘Insidious: Chapter 2’ and the result is a decent enough film that often has its heart in the right place and tries to establish a fitting conclusion for the family with a new, yet largely unnecessary chapter in their saga. The new film takes a more psychological approach than its predecessors with far less notable frights or terrifying moments occurring throughout and explores the concept of loss and struggle within the lives of Josh and a now adult Dalton who are once again plagued by the terrors that were believed to be eradicated from their mind years prior. Patrick Wilson takes on directing duties this time around in addition to reprising his role as Josh and he manages to bring the right vibe and overall tone to the latest installment, but unfortunately its lack of anything important or necessary to contribute to the family’s arc weighs it down at times and ends up making much of the film seem unnecessary or forced.

Those who have been following the franchise since the beginning and fans like myself will surely still want to make a point of checking this one out and should enjoy it quite a bit, especially if you don’t go in expecting anything groundbreaking or crucial to be added to their tale. Overall, ‘Insidious: The Red Door’ is a decent and enjoyable new installment in the beloved horror franchise that continues the story of the Lambert family and serves up some intriguing concepts and a handful of creepy moments while also taking a more psychological look at the characters and their internal struggles, but largely fails to contribute anything truly important or notable to their story in the process. While it may not be one of the most noteworthy installments in the franchise as a whole, ‘Insidious: The Red Door’ is still definitely recommended for fans of the franchise who will surely want to give this potentially final chapter a chance and form your opinion, especially with the majority of the original cast returning this time around. At the very least this one should be worth your time and the price of a rental whenever you have the opportunity.

The Blu-ray release of ‘Insidious: The Red Door’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation. The video presentation looks tremendous as a whole and delivers a clean, richly detailed presentation from start to finish that never suffers from any noticeable troubles or glitches to be uncovered along the way. The video presentation shows great detail in clarity on everything from characters, backgrounds and the creepy, gloomy environments during the Further-focused moments, all nicely balanced by clean, deep black levels that hold up splendidly. Overall, this is a great high definition video presentation that looks very good every step of the way and should more than satisfy fans and newcomers alike.

The Blu-ray release features a 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. This multichannel soundtrack serves up a crisp, clean and often quite aggressive audio presentation throughout. It repeatedly takes full advantage of all five available channels in order to send music, creepy effects and random noises along with plenty of other fitting tidbits throughout the various speakers at every reasonable opportunity, while never allowing any dialogue or other audio elements that might be occurring simultaneously to become distorted or negatively affected in the process. Overall, this is a very solid 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack that makes a great complement to the film and shouldn’t have any trouble pleasing viewers.

The Blu-ray release of ‘Insidious: The Red Door’ includes a couple extras in the way of two brief Behind the Scenes Featurettes that include interviews/comments with the cast and crew, plus behind the scenes footage and more. The included Featurettes are ‘The Family: Past, Present and Further’ (running approximately 3 minutes in length) and ‘A Possessed Director’ (running approximately 5 minutes).

I personally give the film three out of five stars. Presentation of sound and picture I’d give four out of five stars. And extras, although interesting but anemic. I’d give two out of five stars.

Film ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Sound/Picture ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Extras ⭐️⭐️