Holding true to the geek credo of the series, “The Big Bang Theory” celebrates May the 4th in style with official Star Wars props and sets that help the writers give a very entertaining glimpse in to the appeal of the iconic movie series. I don’t normally review single episodes of many shows these days, but “The Big Bang Theory” really helped remind me why I used to love “Star Wars.: No matter what you think of the prequels or how it’s being tailored these days, “Star Wars” has a meaning to everyone whose ever seen it, and it’s an important saga for anyone that’s followed it since its release. I was afraid “The Proton Transmogrification” was going to be one of those lazy scenario episodes like “Blue Harvest,” where the gang re-enacts the entire series in one episode. Especially since the news broke that Lucasfilm allowed the series to use many costumes and props for the episode.
Gamera: Ultimate Collection – Volume 1 [Blu-Ray]
Mill Creek Entertainment brings Gamera to Blu-Ray in their original Japanese Cuts and titles, with Volume 1 of the “Gamera: Ultimate Collection.” Bringing the fourst four films of the Gamera saga, Volume 1 a great re-visiting of Daiei Film’s answer to Toho’s Godzilla. Gamera, unlike Godzilla, is a consistently changing big screen kaiju who is originally introduced as a gigantic menace who eventually becomes an intergalactic guardian. “Gamera: The Giant Monster (1965)” is the first film in the saga that is known by many for being spoofed on “Mystery Science Theater 3000.” On its own, it’s a solid giant monster film about a gargantuan fire breathing turtle with rocket packs in its shell, and abilities that seemingly pop out of nowhere whenever a sequel deems it convenient.
Stage Fright (2014)
We’ve had horror musicals before, and rock operas aplenty, but it’s not often we get slasher musicals. “Stage Fright” is a very niche horror film, and one that runs the risk of alienating its audience, but for experimental audiences and for folks that appreciate horror comedies with an eighties twist, “Stage Fright” is an excellent and occasionally brilliant bastard child of many sub-genres, that works well as a truly memorable cocktail of madness and gore. Director Jerome Sable really creates a unique and genuinely raucous horror musical that takes “Phantom of the Opera” and builds a very refreshing revenge story from its roots.
Godzilla: The Complete Animated Series (DVD)
Sony really overplayed their hand in 1998 with “Godzilla.” Not only did they overestimate the appeal of a Godzilla unlike Toho’s Godzilla, but they also accompanied the movie with a bunch of merchandise no one liked, and a series that lasted forty episodes total. So if you have fourteen hours to kill, you can check out what happened after the end of “Godzilla.” Whether you call him Zilla, Godzilla, Notzilla, or GONI (Godzilla In Name Only), the extension of the 1998 Roland Emmerich is given more mythos than it deserves, with its focus more on genetic monsters and underwater creatures than anything.
Mr. Jones (2013) [Blu-Ray]
I’m not about to call “Mr. Jones” a scary horror film. It didn’t garner any chills from me, and I never really found myself on edge during it, but director Karl Mueller is able to compensate by creating a real mind fuck of an atmospheric film. Granted, the film can never decide on what kind of format it is. Is it found footage? Is it a mock documentary? Is it a straight up narrative? Is it a meta narrative? “Mr. Jones” really doesn’t seek to stick to one format when it really sinks in to the crux of its narrative. It’s an amalgam of “Resolution” and “The Blair Witch Project,” and really has a blast throwing its audience in to a spiral of nonsense.
Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (2014)
The dilemma that the writers for the “Paranormal Activity” series now find themselves in is that “Paranormal Activity 3” was a prequel that told us everything we needed to know about this mythos. We began with Katie, continued with her sister, and then found out why they were so special. The third film ended the saga. Now, the continuing sequels are really just running on fumes and scrambling to find ways to continue a story that doesn’t really need continuing. “The Marked Ones” is a great effort, but a sub-par horror film.
Girls Against Boys (2012)
Director Austin Chick’s “Girls Against Boys” is not just a polemic about the crime of rape and gender inequality, but is never afraid to depict men as anything but horny monsters that prey on women, when they’re not degrading them. Never has a movie been so hell bent on making men feel bad about their danglers. “Girls Against Boys” is a typical rape revenge movie, that’s also a mopey, whiny, and very homophobic thriller that can never seem to decide if it’s exploitation or melodrama. Sometimes it’s “Thelma and Louise,” sometimes it’s “I Spit on Your Grave,” and sometimes it’s “Ms. 45.” And never remotely as good as the aforementioned titles.