Fans have long awaited the proper third film in the “Ghostbusters” series, and while it’s become very apparent that the original cast is much too old to carry the series further, “Afterlife” is a great step in to a new world. Like most legacy sequels of beloved movie series, “Afterlife” pays great reverence to the original, while also carving out a path for a new direction and brand new cast of ghost fighting heroes. While “Afterlife” is very light in laughs and levity, it stills comes out in the end as a fantastic follow up that clicks right in to the first two films beautifully.
Rocky IV: Rocky vs. Drago – The Ultimate Director’s Cut (2021) (Digital)
We’re in an age of modern filmmaking where audiences and even directors are demanding that studios allow them to re-cut their past works. In all of the director’s cuts and recuts I’ve seen, “Rocky vs. Drago” is exactly how the Director’s Cut should be done. I say that with immense surprise as I fully expected to dislike “The Ultimate Director’s Cut.” For fans that viewed “Rocky IV” religiously since 1985, when we get down to it, the film is recut to click better with “Creed II.” That’s either great or disappointing, depending on how you value the original 1985 film.
Boiling Point (2021)
A chef dealing with problems in his personal life arrives at work as the health inspector is starting his tour of the restaurant. As they are given a lower-than-expected grade and have an overly full evening ahead of them, he tries to keep the restaurant running smoothly and deal with what is waiting for him at home.
Passing (2021)
Nella Larsen’s 1929 provocative and emotionally unsettling novel about two light-skinned Black women who are able to pass for White has been adapted into a dismal and emotionally enervated film.
The Films of Richard Pryor: A Second Look
Richard Pryor is widely regarded as the greatest stand-up comic, yet his film output was erratic and he often showed himself to be a better dramatic actor than a movie funnyman. On this episode of “The Online Movie Show,” ArmchairCinema.com’s Jerry Dean Roberts discusses Pryor’s strange but often invigorating film career.
Middle Earth 31-Disc Ultimate Collector’s Edition: Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit [4K UHD/Blu-Ray/Digital]
If you missed the last edition of the “Lord of the Rings” movies, or the Edition before that, or the Edition before that, well then, Warner has you covered. This year, Warner has unleashed the “Middle Earth” 31 Disc Ultimate Collector’s Edition which brings together the epic “Lord of the Rings” trilogy in both Theatrical and Extended editions. And there’s also those “Hobbit” movies with the same deal, but you can just read the book and call it a day, if we’re going to be honest.
You Have to See This! Space Mutiny (1988)
Streaming On: Tubi, Amazon Prime Video
I’m surprised that “Space Mutiny” came out so late in the eighties, as it feels like it could have easily been dropped in 1985 when “Star Wars” was a juggernaut. In the decade, so many studios were eager to jump on the “Star Wars” band wagon and they did it whether they had the resources or not. “Space Mutiny” is that epic product of the decade that takes everything bad about the “Star Wars” craze and plops it on to one messy, festering pile of nonsense.