Out on Blu-ray and 4K UHD July 30, 2024
The world of car racing, seen from through the lives of three drivers and the women who love them.
Category Archives: Collector’s Den
Phantoms (1998) [4K UHD]
Now Available from Shout! Factory. The Novel is Also Available.
Believe it or not, in 1998 Ben Affleck wasn’t the biggest star in the world. He was still coming down from being pigeonholed as the “villain” actor, and was working to transition from supporting actor to leading man status. With “Phantoms” he is basically paying his dues for what is a pretty standard horror thriller. Affleck is very good in the role as a local sheriff whose ill fitted cowboy hat is almost a character in and of itself. Like the hat, “Phantoms” is a silly vehicle for a collective of pretty great up and comers including Nicky Katt, Liev Schreiber and Rose McGowan to name a few. There’s also the wildcard veteran a la Peter O’Toole for good measure.
The Fall Guy (2024): Extended Edition [4K UHD/Blu-Ray/Digital]
Now Available from Universal Pictures.
If you told me that they were going to turn a somewhat memorable 1981 action series starring Lee Majors in to a big budget action comedy, I would have been very skeptical. Lo and behold there should have been a market for it, because “The Fall Guy” is all kinds of good Hollywood shenanigans. It’s loud, funny, and action packed, and stacks a respectable cast of big stars. This includes Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, both of whom are still riding the success of their huge movies from 2023. Sadly, that didn’t carry in to big numbers; that’s a shame since “The Fall Guy” has some big franchise potential.
Tchao Pantin (aka So Long, Stooge) (1983) [Radiance Films]
Out on Blu-ray and 4K UHD July 30, 2024
A gas station attendant meets a drug dealer when he hides in his station one night, the two of them strike an unexpected friendship, leading the both of them through unexpected life events.
Crocodile (1979) [Synapse Films]
Currently available from Synapse Films on Blu and DVD.
Following the killing of his wife and daughter, a man goes on the warpath to find and kill the giant killer crocodile responsible.
Challengers (2024) [Blu-Ray/Digital]
Now Available from Warner Home Entertainment.
Luca Guadagnino is a talented filmmaker, one that knows how to handle genre films well, but so far he feels so out of his element with “Challengers.” For all intents and purposes, “Challengers” is a very good movie, it’s just so ill fitted for Guadagnino’s abilities as he struggles between directing a film that bounces back and forth between dark suspense and darkly comedic drama. “Challengers” is a lot of ways about the passion of sports and the lengths we’re willing to go through to remain married to it, even when our prime has passed. “Challengers” isn’t so much a love triangle, as it is a dark drama about three people willing to be as cut throat as possible to remain in the game.
Diary of the Dead (2007) [Blu-Ray/Digital]: Wal-Mart Exclusive Steelbook
Later in his career, George Romero never could win with audiences. If he was too campy, he was berated for not being serious enough. When he was too serious, he was berated for “losing his sense of humor.” With “Diary of the Dead,” Romero has a very unique and important statement to make about the media, misinformation, and the dangers of social media. With “Diary of the Dead,” Romero bounces back and forth between cheeky camp and some stern warnings about misinformation and sensationalism during very real times.
With this iteration of the zombie apocalypse, it isn’t so much the death of death that kills us, but the lack of information for the sake of entertainment.