New Releases:
Napoleon – An epic that details the checkered rise and fall of French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte and his relentless journey to power through the prism of his addictive, volatile relationship with his wife, Josephine.
Expectations: In what seems like a biopic that was a long time coming, Ridley Scott finally gets his take on this piece of history with Academy Award winner Joaquin Phoenix leading, in a Gladiator reunion. The film is getting blasted a bit for historical inaccuracies, one which Scott has said “who fucking cares” about but I’m in it for Vanessa Kirby’s performance as Josephine and the volatile and cuckolding relationship he had with Napoleon. Ever since I saw the trailer, I knew she’d be the draw for me.
Wish – This film is an all-new musical-comedy welcoming audiences to the magical kingdom of Rosas, where Asha, a sharp-witted idealist, makes a wish so powerful that it is answered by a cosmic force–a little ball of boundless energy called Star. Together, Asha and Star confront a most formidable foe–the ruler of Rosas, King Magnifico–to save her community and prove that when the will of one courageous human connects with the magic of the stars, wondrous things can happen.
Expectations: Celebrating its one-hundredth anniversary, Disney is really hoping for a win here at the end of the year as box office wins have been few and far between in 2023. It looks beautifully made and features the tried tested and true voice of Alan Tudyk as another animal character so it looks all on the up and up. The audience is more finicky these days so being the only kid’s film in theaters may not be enough to give it the boost it needs and the reviews are middling right now.
Dream Scenario – Hapless family man Paul Matthews (Nicolas Cage) finds his life turned upside down when millions of strangers suddenly start seeing him in their dreams. But when his nighttime appearances take a nightmarish turn, Paul is forced to navigate his newfound stardom, in this wickedly entertaining comedy from writer-director Kristoffer Borgli (Sick of Myself) and producer Ari Aster.
Expectations: Yes, I know I have a penchant for celebrating everything Nicolas Cage but the rest of the critic contingent agrees with me on this one as it is a Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. This is the side of Cage I really love too, the weird one where he takes huge leaps with his ideas and they work out. This movie is so deliciously odd and I’ve heard such amazing things about it. Can’t wait till I can finally see it.
Good Burger 2 – Dexter Reed is down on his luck after another one of his inventions fails. Ed welcomes Dex back to Good Burger with open arms and gives him his old job back. With a new crew working at Good Burger, Dex devises a plan to get back on his feet but unfortunately puts the fate of Good Burger at risk once again.
Expectations: There are many kids of the Nickelodeon television of the nineties generation that have been waiting more than twenty-five years for this sequel to the cult 1997 hit and now, here we are on Paramount+. Kenan Thompson has been a long-serving cast member on Saturday Night Live but Kel Mitchell has been relatively quiet so it’s great to see these two return to something that made them so popular. I also love that Jillian Bell is the villain of the film as I’m a huge fan of her.
Blu-Ray:
Oppenheimer – The story of American scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer and his role in developing the atomic bomb.
Review: Your chance to see one of the best films of the year is a lot easier now as the film has made its way to home viewing. Easily the front runner for many Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor Cillian Murphy, Best Supporting Actor Robert Downey Jr., Best Supporting Actress Emily Blunt and a slew of technical categories, yes, this film is a total masterpiece. Smart, awe-inspiring and with an incredible score to match, this is a film that boldly says that big-time cinema is alive and well.
Saw X – John Kramer (Tobin Bell) is back. The most chilling installment of the Saw franchise yet explores the untold chapter of Jigsaw’s most personal game. Set between the events of Saw I and II, a sick and desperate John travels to Mexico for a risky and experimental medical procedure in hopes of a miracle cure for his cancer — only to discover the entire operation is a scam to defraud the most vulnerable. Armed with a newfound purpose, John returns to his work, turning the tables on the con artists in his signature visceral way through a series of ingenious and terrifying traps.
Expectations: After Chris Rock resurrected the Saw franchise a bit with the last film, Spiral, we now get a full-on resuscitation of the once-popular horror franchise with a prequel here and I’m sure that more are to follow. This is a franchise that was always directed to a very focused torture porn fanbase and this one is definitely no different but there is a box office reception twist. This movie got great reviews! That’s right, the first since the first film! . Blood, guts, gore and so much more are certainly on display but something just clicked with this one and people really liked it. I know! Even as a fan of the genre, I’m just as surprised as you!
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 – After traveling to Greece for a family reunion, a woman attempts to locate her deceased father’s childhood friends.Expectations: I don’t think I’m the only one calling this one an unnecessary sequel and not only that, this film that is the second “Why did you make this?” in the franchise. Nia Vardalos is charming and I enjoy her on screen but all these movies do is try to capitalize on a remarkable first movie by diminishing the returns every time. I like and even own the first film but this is where I stop and, hopefully, it’s where the studio stops too because no one is even talking about this one.
The Fugitive 4K – Wrongfully accused of murdering his wife, Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford) escapes from the law in an attempt to find her killer and clear his name. Pursuing him is a team of U.S. marshals led by Deputy Samuel Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones), a determined detective who will not rest until Richard is captured. As Richard leads the team through a series of intricate chases, he discovers the secrets behind his wife’s death and struggles to expose the killer before it is too late.
Review: This has to be one of the greatest thrillers in the last thirty years and it’s ignited by fantastic performances from both Ford and Jones. I have early memories of seeing this film in theaters, possibly with my dad, and I know that this informed me of exciting cinema, especially on a bigger adult blockbuster level. The film still holds up too and looks amazing on the 4K picture upgrade, another bonus about the rereleases of Warner Bros. treasured catalogue as part of an anniversary year. I love this movie still, a must see if you’ve never experienced it.
Steve’s Blu-Ray Geekouts:
Cocaine Bear 4K – 1985, Chattahoochee National Forest, Georgia. When a duffel bag crammed with cocaine bricks falls from the sky, a massive American black bear eats $14 million worth of nose candy. And as a pair of drug dealers comb the tangled woods to retrieve the goods, the coked-up beast goes on a rampage for more white powder, carving a bloody path of destruction along the way. In the next few hours, the black-haired mountain of muscle and razor-sharp claws will be the most dangerous apex predator on any continent. Do the intruders have what it takes to confront the unstoppable Cocaine Bear?
Review: In a Tarantino-esque romp through a Georgia state park with a myriad of characters, this movie manages to be entertaining, bloody and pretty damn funny, a complete surprise from director Elizabeth Banks who has seemed to find an interesting storytelling stride in the big studio B-film department and I am totally ready to see her do more of them. Multiple actors have scene-stealing moments in it, like The Wire’s Isiah Whitlock Jr. and one-time Han Solo actor Alden Ehrenreich who prove their importance every time they are on screen. I had such a fun time with this movie in theatres and am so happy that it got the push up to the next level in 4K.
The Exorcist 4K – A visiting actress in Washington, D.C., notices dramatic and dangerous changes in the behavior and physical make-up of her 12-year-old daughter. Meanwhile, a young priest at nearby Georgetown University begins to doubt his faith while dealing with his mother’s terminal sickness. And a frail, elderly priest recognizes the necessity for a show-down with an old demonic enemy.
Review: Yes, I know it’s almost Christmastime and the scary should be put away until the end of the year I guess, but I received this one a few weeks back and I couldn’t not say anything about it. It is one of the greatest horror films of all time, a masterpiece from top to bottom all orchestrated by the late and truly great director William Friedkin. This is special movie magic here and an experience I can always get behind and take in all the thrills and chills it has to offer with the same effect.
Yellowjackets: Season 2 – Part survival epic, part psychological horror story, and part coming-of-age drama, this series is the saga of a team of wildly talented high school girls soccer players who become the unlucky survivors of a plane crash deep in the remote northern wilderness. This series chronicles their descent from a complicated but thriving team, to savage clans, while also tracking the lives they’ve attempted to piece back together twenty five years later, proving that what lies in the past is never really past, and what began out in the wilderness is far from over.
Review: Mere episodes into the first season of this series and you know why it was called one of the best shows of last year and hit Twitter like fandom wildfire. I was already a huge fan of actresses Christina Ricci, Melanie Lynskey and Juliette Lewis and now Jasmine Savoy Brown from Scream and Scream VI but even I was unprepared for the awesomeness of this show. The show definitely has a sort of Lord Of The Flies seasoning to it but the originality and depth of character blew me away. Both the young and older cast are fantastic and the intrigue of the storyline gives me a Lost level feel. This is the must see series right now in my opinion.
Television:
Fargo: Season 5 (FX) – Various chronicles of deception, intrigue, and murder in and around frozen Minnesota. All of these tales mysteriously lead back one way or another to Fargo, North Dakota.
Expectations: It may have started with a brilliant mid-nineties comedy thriller from the Coen Brothers that netted Frances McDormand her first Oscar but television creator Noah Hawley has taken the ball and ran with it for four great seasons and now a fifth. As always, the cast is deep with this season featuring Jon Hamm, Juno Temple, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Stranger Things actor Joe Keary and many more and moves the story into a modern era after the seventies set previous season. I feel like it’s been a while since the last installment on FX and I know people have been waiting for this glorious return.
Steve Stebbing 