In fairly high demand since its release years ago, Time Life has begun to re-release the Complete series of “The Wonder Years,” the immensely popular nineties drama that introduced a decade to the sixties. One of the underdogs of the decade, “The Wonder Years” premiered with small fanfare, and ended up becoming one of the most celebrated primetime dramas ever made. I originally reviewed the Deluxe Locker Edition, and now I review the blue box set that features mostly the collection of the entire series on DVD. The series has been restored and featured uncut after almost twenty years out of print and without a proper release.
Tag Archives: Drama
Father’s Day (2017)
A recently widowed father visits his daughters in Los Angeles for Father’s Day with the hopes of saving them from their tortured artists’ lives.
Written and directed by Betty Ouyang, this short film explores family relations between two artist sisters and their more down to Earth father through one meal together. The family dynamics on display here are interesting to watch develop as more information is revealed about each member. Ouyang takes this subject and makes it distinctly hers by putting herself in the lead as well as in the writing and directing style. Here the subject is taken head-on and shown through intimate conversations. The way she approaches each discussion, each interaction is honest and done in a manner that is up close and personal for the characters thus pulling the viewer into their lives.
TV On DVD: Fear the Walking Dead: The Complete Third Season [Blu-Ray/Digital]
After suffering a major identity crisis for the last three seasons, “Fear the Walking Dead” finally finds it footing. By throwing everything it’s established out and keeping only a few main characters here and there. What began as an urban retelling of the zombie apocalypse involving two families, the Manawas and the Clarks, is now really nothing more an immigration allegory with characters basically bumping back and forth. “Fear the Walking Dead” managed to have the opportunity to really unfold an epic tale of a mixed race family, and how they learned to get along with get to know each other. Their mixed and uneasy union would have to be tested. Except, all we get is a lot of goofy switches of the premise, and wastes of some good characters.
Luba (2018) [Cinequest Film and VR Festival 2018]
As a mother attempts to keep her life together, her ex, the father of her child, falls back into drugs and becomes problematic.
Purdah (2018) [Cinequest Film and VR Festival 2018]
A young woman is given the ok to remove her burka to pursue her dream of becoming a professional cricket player. As she fights to get her dream in one way or another, her sisters also fight to get their lives to where they can be happy. As challenges and problems keep coming, they keep fighting to get the best lives they can, even against all odds at times.
Night of the Living Dead (1968) [Criterion Collection] [Blu-Ray]
Although George Romero wasn’t as particular or gung ho with his filmmaking as Stanley Kubrick was, you can’t really sit through “Night of the Living Dead” without feeling like everything is so deliberate. Like what is the significance of Barbara looking through the music box? Why did Johnny approach Barbara with his gloves on? And why did Romero blatantly film one of the dead with its eyes moving? Was it was considerably faint attempt to humanize the monsters that we’d see be hit with fire and shot to death throughout the film? Or was it his reminder that through and through these were once people with human impulses and their urges for human flesh are still a part of some human impulse? “Night of the Living Dead” is so nightmarish and intricate that I love picking it apart every single time I’ve seen it and it leaves me stunned every single time.
November (2017)
In an Estonian village, people attempting to survive and love steal from all sources and give their souls away for protection. In a village where werewolves, magic, and disease are everywhere, love is hard to receive and creatures named kratts help and hinder them. What is a soul worth? Does one need a soul to live? To love?