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4K Blu-ray Review: Dark City - A Noir-Soaked Sci-Fi Masterpiece of Identity and Illusion

Alex Proyas’s Dark City is a noir-infused science fiction mystery that blends philosophical musings with striking visual storytelling. Released in 1998, it came just a year before The Matrix, and though less commercially successful, it remains a cult favorite and a profoundly influential work in its own right. With a dense atmosphere, shadowy aesthetics, and themes of identity and reality, Dark City is a fascinating meditation on what it means to be human—wrapped in a pulpy detective tale with science-fiction flair. The film opens with protagonist John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell) waking up in a bathtub in a grimy hotel room, suffering from amnesia. A dead body lies nearby. He quickly discovers he’s being pursued—not only by the police, led by the world-weary Inspector Bumstead (William Hurt), but also by a group of pale, sinister figures known only as “The Strangers.” As Murdoch scrambles to uncover the truth about his identity and his past, he begins to notice peculiarities about the city ...

Blu-ray Review: The Wedding Banquet (2025) – A Joyful Reimagining of Queer Love and Family Legacy

Andrew Ahn’s 2025 reimagining of The Wedding Banquet breathes vibrant, contemporary life into Ang Lee’s 1993 classic, proving that some stories—when handled with heart, humor, and vision—grow deeper with time. While the original film offered a poignant reflection on gay identity and familial obligation in a pre-marriage equality era, Ahn’s version builds upon that foundation, crafting a richer, more complex tapestry of queer experience, immigrant culture, and chosen family in a world where acceptance still carries weighty caveats. At its core, The Wedding Banquet (2025) is a screwball comedy of errors built on a foundation of very real, very modern anxieties: reproductive healthcare, green card limbo, generational trauma, and the fear of never being enough for the people we love. But what distinguishes Ahn’s version from so many modern remakes is that it doesn’t chase nostalgia. Instead, it revisits the soul of the original—its humanity, messiness, and quiet subversion—and expands it w...

Review: Mr. Blake at Your Service!

Gilles Legardinier’s Mr. Blake at Your Service! is a whimsical, heartwarming film that melds English wit with French charm in a story about grief, healing, and rediscovery. Adapted from Legardinier’s own best-selling novel ( Complètement Cramé! ) and brought to life under his directorial guidance, the film offers a compelling blend of comedy, emotional depth, and feel-good nostalgia. With the legendary John Malkovich in the title role, the movie leans into its strengths—rich character interactions, quirky humor, and a universal message about second chances. At the center of this tale is Andrew Blake, a widowed English businessman who finds himself aimless and emotionally adrift after the death of his wife, Diane. Seeking solace, he travels to France to revisit the manor where he and Diane first fell in love. However, a misunderstanding turns his quiet pilgrimage into something far more unexpected—he ends up being mistaken for a domestic job applicant and is “hired” as a butler at the...

4K Blu-ray Review: Swordfish

Some films don’t just ask for your attention—they seize it. Swordfish, Dominic Sena’s slick 2001 cyber-thriller, is one of those unapologetically brash entries in the action genre that embraces the excesses of the early 2000s while packing enough adrenaline, style, and intrigue to remain a fascinating watch even decades later. At the time of its release, Swordfish arrived in theaters with a storm of controversy and polarized critical reception. But from a modern lens, it’s easier to appreciate what the film was trying to do—and, in many ways, succeeded in doing. This is not a meditative character study or a grounded depiction of cyber-espionage. Rather, Swordfish is a kinetic, neon-lit opera of bullets, code, and moral ambiguity that explores the gray spaces between patriotism, terrorism, and the price of freedom. It’s ambitious, daring, and surprisingly layered if you’re willing to dive beneath the surface gloss. At its core, Swordfish spins a high-stakes tale of hacking and high-tech...

Blu-ray Review: HONG KONG 1941

Directed by Po-Chih Leong and released in 1984, Hong Kong 1941 is a historical drama set during the harrowing months leading up to the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong during World War II. Starring Chow Yun-Fat, Alex Man, and Cecilia Yip, the film blends personal drama with political upheaval, offering a bittersweet meditation on love, friendship, and the human cost of war. While not as internationally known as some of Chow Yun-Fat’s later films, Hong Kong 1941 remains a powerful piece of Hong Kong cinema, notable for its emotional depth and social commentary. The film begins in the months leading up to December 1941, just before the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong. The city is on edge—tension lingers in the air, and rumors of war swirl. Amid this backdrop, the film introduces three central characters: Nam (Cecilia Yip), a wealthy young woman confined by family expectations; Fei (Chow Yun-Fat), a charismatic and ambitious aspiring actor from the mainland; and Keung (Alex Man), Nam’s loy...

DVD Review: The Drew Carey Show - Complete Series

Premiering in 1995 and running for nine seasons, The Drew Carey Show was a staple of ABC’s late-‘90s sitcom lineup. It delivered a quirky, working-class perspective laced with absurdist humor and musical numbers that set it apart from its peers. Starring comedian Drew Carey as an everyman caught in the corporate grind of a Cleveland department store, the show was never a critical darling, but it carved out a loyal fanbase and left behind an unusual legacy in the sitcom canon. Season 1: Establishing a Blue-Collar Charm The show began with a relatively grounded tone, chronicling Drew Carey’s life as an assistant director of personnel at Winfred-Louder, a fictional department store. Surrounded by a cast of lovable misfits—his cross-dressing brother Steve (John Carroll Lynch), best friends Lewis (Ryan Stiles), Oswald (Diedrich Bader), and Kate (Christa Miller)—the first season set the foundation for the show’s offbeat voice. What made the early episodes refreshing was the commitment to por...

Blu-ray Review: Icons Unearthed: James Bond – A Fascinating Peek Behind the Martini and the Myth

The name’s Bond—James Bond. A character so iconic that even uttering the line evokes tuxedos, gadgets, Aston Martins, and the suave charm of generations past. With over six decades of cinematic history behind him, 007 remains one of the most enduring figures in pop culture. The documentary series Icons Unearthed: James Bond aims to unmask the myth, bringing viewers behind the velvet curtain to examine the evolution, triumphs, and turbulence behind the world’s most famous spy. Spread across six episodes, this installment of the Icons Unearthed series—helmed by Brian Volk-Weiss, known for his nostalgic deep-dives in The Toys That Made Us—dives headfirst into the shadowy, stylish world of Bond. The series presents an engaging chronicle of how a fictional British secret agent became a global cinematic titan, weaving in stories of creative vision, casting gambles, studio politics, and the occasional scandal. Where the series truly shines is in its access to firsthand perspectives. Interview...

DVD Review: SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3

The blue blur is back, and this time he’s bringing the whole squad—and then some. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is the kind of sequel that doesn’t just continue the story; it launches the franchise into even more ambitious, bizarre, and genuinely entertaining territory. It’s a colorful mix of chaotic action, heartfelt character moments, and some of the most gleefully unhinged performances you’ll see in a family film this year. Director Jeff Fowler returns to the helm and shows no signs of slowing down. If anything, he leans into the series' weirdness even harder than before, delivering a film that feels like a sugar rush of nostalgia, 2000s-style action, and cartoonish energy—just with better CGI and more emotional weight. Let’s get the obvious out of the way: Jim Carrey once again steals the show. Not content with simply playing Dr. Ivo Robotnik, Carrey also steps into the role of the villain’s grandfather, Professor Gerald Robotnik. The dual performance could have been a cheap gimmick, bu...

Film Review: THE AMATEUR – Rami Malek Transforms Grief into Grit in This Gripping Espionage Thriller

THE AMATEUR , the latest addition to 20th Century Studios’ slate of thrillers, is an unflinching, globe-trotting ride of vengeance, loss, and redemption—anchored by a riveting performance from Rami Malek. Directed with clinical precision by James Hawes and adapted from Robert Littell’s novel by screenwriters Ken Nolan and Gary Spinelli, this espionage thriller smartly straddles the line between cerebral spy drama and pulse-pounding action. Malek plays Charlie Heller, a brilliant but socially withdrawn CIA decoder working in the shadowy corners of Langley—quite literally, as his office is buried in the agency’s basement. Living a life of quiet purpose, Charlie is no field agent—he’s the kind of man whose superpower is linguistic logic and algorithmic fluency. But everything changes when his wife is killed in a terrorist bombing in London, a gut-wrenching sequence that hits like a sucker punch in the film’s opening act. The tragedy pushes Charlie out of his intellectual shell and into a ...

Film Review: A Minecraft Movie – A Movie That Reminded Me Why I Fell In Love With Movies

It wasn’t made for me. Let’s get that out of the way right from the start. A Minecraft Movie is unapologetically, unmistakably a film for the fans — for the generation that grew up mining diamonds, avoiding creepers, and building infinite worlds one block at a time. But despite it not being aimed at me, this movie did something extraordinary. It reminded me why I fell in love with the magic of cinema in the first place. Let me paint the picture: I wasn’t expecting much more than an overly branded, mildly chaotic, attention-span-challenged adventure. I thought I’d check my watch every 20 minutes, mentally calculating how much popcorn we had left and wondering if the sugar crash from my 9-year-old afterward would be survivable. But when the lights dimmed, something happened. Not just on the screen — but in the seat next to me. My son’s eyes lit up with a kind of wonder that can’t be faked. He leaned forward, completely entranced. He laughed out loud. He clutched my arm during the scary p...

TWISTERS - Review

Twisters is the kind of film that knows exactly what it is: a big, boisterous, effects-laden spectacle designed to be enjoyed on the biggest screen possible. Yet, as the summer blockbuster season winds down, the film has found a new home on VOD, offering viewers the chance to experience its thrilling storm chases and heartfelt moments from the comfort of their own living rooms. Director Lee Isaac Chung, best known for the intimate drama Minari, takes a surprising detour into the realm of disaster cinema with Twisters. The film follows a familiar formula established by its predecessor. Kate Carter (Daisy Edgar-Jones), a haunted meteorologist, returns to tornado alley to confront her past and potentially change the future. Her path intersects with the charismatic and reckless storm chaser Tyler Owens (Glen Powell). The dynamic between the two, a blend of rivalry and attraction, provides a compelling emotional core amidst the chaos. What Twisters lacks in originality, it makes up for in s...

V/H/S 94 Blu-ray Review

  Written and directed by an ensemble filmmaking team including : Jennifer Reeder (Knives and Skin), Chloe Okuno (Slut), Simon Barrett (The Guest), Timo Tjahjanto (Impetigore), Ryan Prows (Lowlife), Steven Kostanski (PG: Psycho Goreman) Produced by : Josh Goldbloom, Brad Miska and Kurtis Harder (Spiral), Executive Produced by : David Bruckner (The Night House) and Radio Silence (SCREAM, Ready or Not) Starring : Anna Hopkins (“The Expanse”), Christian Lloyd (“American Gods”), Kyal Legend (“Backstage”) and Budi Ross.  The Film(s) In V/H/S/94, after the discovery of a mysterious VHS tape, a brutish police swat team launches a high-intensity raid on a remote warehouse, only to discover a sinister cult compound whose collection of pre-recorded material uncovers a nightmarish conspiracy. Holy Hell - Directed by Jennifer Reeder A story about dirty cops getting what they deserve. A satisfying wraparound that ties all the films together and gives the piece an overall sense of thematic...

Mammoth Film Festival 2022: THE ABANDON Review

2022 Director: Jason Satterlund Starring: Jonathan Rosenthal and Tamara Perry A bottle episode is a device most commonly associated with television that limits locations to only one room or set. Famously, episodes of SEINFELD, BREAKING BAD, and THE SOPRANOS have used a limited scope to create some of their most memorable episodes. Films as diverse as 12 ANGRY MEN, MY DINNER WITH ANDRE, and ROPE have all played in this claustrophobic sandbox. Going on three years of pandemic-induced isolation, it makes sense that filmmakers are gravitating towards limited scope in their narratives. Not only is it a way to help ensure safety on a set it's a logical way to reflect the loneliness and dread we are all experiencing.         Miles Willis, a wounded Army soldier, is having a bad day. Not only has he been shot but he finds himself trapped in a gray tiled room that defies his basic understanding of physics. Gravity appears to be subjective if not manipulated, the tempera...

WEREWOLVES WITHIN Blu-ray Review

  2021 Directed by: Josh Ruben Written by: Mishna Wolff Stars: Sam Richardson and Milana Vayntrub It is incredibly difficult to get one thing right when you are making a film be it a horror, comedy, or mystery. To get all of those right and execute a horror/comedy/mystery that delivers on all fronts is a Herculean task and should only be attempted by someone with a clear vision and a complete lack of risk aversion. WEREWOLVES WITHIN is a screwball comedy with enough horror to satisfy the Fango crowd and a whodunit mystery that in no way feels tacked on or arbitrary. Forest ranger Finn Wheeler (Sam Richardson) is having a tough time with his girlfriend and sees his new assignment to Beaverfield as the perfect way to be less available. He is introduced to the residents of this small mountain community through the local mail carrier Cecily Moore (Milana Vayntrub). To say the townsfolk are eccentric would be understating it. After a blizzard takes out the town's power...

Following Films Video: Rick and Morty Seasons 1-4 Blu-ray Review

  “Rick and Morty: Seasons 1-4 - Now Available On DVD & Blu-ray From creators Justin Roiland (“Adventure Time”) and Dan Harmon (“Community”), go on an intergalactic journey across the multi-verse with the release of Rick and Morty: Seasons 1-4 boxed set, now available on DVD & Blu-ray from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.  Binge on one of cables #1 watched comedies - and follow the misadventures of America’s favorite crazy scientist and his grandchildren with this outrageous boxed set which includes all 41 episodes from the first four seasons of the award-winning series, along with copious special features, including audio commentary, deleted scenes, “Inside the Episode” segments, numerous featurettes, past animatic sketches, and more.. Rick and Morty: Seasons 1-4 is priced to own at $79.99 SRP for the DVD ($89.99 in Canada) and $89.99 SRP for the Blu-ray ($99.99 in Canada), which includes a Digital Copy (U.S. only).