Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter

 

The Final Chapter is the 1984 entry in the Friday the 13th series. It was directed by Joseph Zito and starred Kimberly Beck, Corey Feldman, Crispin Glover, Judie Aronson, and E. Erich Anderson. The film picks up immediately after the events of Part III, with a seemingly dead Jason being taken to the morgue. Of course, he is not dead; he escapes and returns to Crystal Lake, where a new group of teenagers has rented a house next to a family living on the lake. From there, the usual shenanigans ensue. It was originally intended to be the final movie in the series, but that clearly did not end up being the case. 

As with the other films, there are several different releases of this one. I have the Shout! factory version, which is a single-disc release. The extras on that one include two commentary tracks: one by Zito, screenwriter Barney Cohen, and editor Joel Goodman. The other is a fan commentary by Adam Green and Joe Lynch. There are also deleted scenes, a retrospective on the film filmed for the 25th Anniversary, the alternate ending, the trailer, and a stills gallery. 

Like the other films in the series, you know what you get. It is a low-budget film with relatively unknown actors (at least at the time). One thing it has going for it is that it was not a carbon copy of the first movie, as the first three films were. The acting and writing were still pretty bad, which is unfortunate given that it had the potential to have a much stronger story. If they had focused the story on the brother of one of Jason's victims hunting Jason, the plot would have been a lot stronger. The film definitely earns its R-rating, as there is a lot of violence and swearing, and some sexual content and nudity. Ultimately, for a low-budget horror film, it is okay. If you like the genre and the series, it is worth watching. 

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Friday the 13th Part 3

 

Friday the 13th Part 3 was the 1982 entry in the iconic horror franchise. It was directed by Steve Miner and starred Dana Kimmel, Paul Kratka, Tracie Savage, Jeffrey Rogers, Larry Zerner, and Richard Brooker. The film picks up directly after the events of Part 2 (Betsy Palmer, Ginny Field, John Furey, and Steve Daskewisz all appear via archived footage, but did not film new scenes for Part 3), with Jason going on another killing spree after recovering from his wounds. This is the film in which he dons the iconic hockey mask, and is the version of the character that permeates through the rest of the series. In this entry, a group of friends plans a vacation to Kimmel's character's family homestead on Crystal Lake, where she has not been since being attacked by a disfigured man in the woods (of course, Jason) two years prior.  

The blu-ray is a single-disc release that includes both the 2D and 3D versions of the film. The extras will again vary depending on which release you get. I have the Shout! Factory version, which was released in the limited-edition box set. That version also includes a commentary track featuring several cast members, a few making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes, the theatrical trailer, one of the TV spots, and a stills gallery. 

The film follows almost exactly the same format as the first two. It starts slowly, then ramps up the action. Of course, most of the characters make very dumb decisions, which lead to Jason catching them. One thing I do like is that this version of Jason was not totally indestructible, although he was getting closer to that version. The movie does earn its R-rating, as there is a lot of violence (although not a ton of gore), swearing, and the obligatory nudity and sex scene. You know what you get with the movie. It is a B-level horror film that was never going to win an Academy Award. Ultimately, it is pretty much a carbon copy of the first two movies, just swapping out the victims. If you like the genre and can accept it for what it is, then it is worth checking out.  

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Ghostbusters / Ghostbusters II

 

This is the limited-edition 4k steelbook release of Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters 2, released in 2023. It was released right around the time Afterlife was coming out, and included a bunch of new bonus content (which the big appeal for many physical media collectors).  The set contains both the original 1981 film and the 1989 follow-up. Ivan Reitman directed both films, and Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis, Annie Potts, Sigourney Weaver, and Ernie Hudson star. Peter MacNicol was the big addition to the cast in the second film, and the supporting cast members between the two films included William Atherton, Reginald VelJohnson, David Margulies, and Harris Yulin. Most people are aware of the plots of both films.  The original was a huge hit, and the second was more widely panned when it was released, but it has gained a larger following over the years. I have reviewed them separately and will not repeat what I have already said.

This release is a 5-disc set, containing two UHD discs (one for each film) and three standard blu-ray discs (one for each film and one with just bonus content). The A/V quality of each of the UHD discs is outstanding, especially for Ghostbusters 2, which never received a standard blu-ray release before being released on 4k. So, this is a huge upgrade from the DVD. The original film looks and sounds great in UHD as well, and both films received a great transfer. The only bonus content on the UHD discs are some cast and crew bios. There is bonus content on each of the standard blu-ray discs for each film (including commentary tracks on each film, and interviews with the cast and Reitman), and the bonus disc has additional content, which appears to be mostly archived material carried over from prior physical media releases, such as deleted scenes, a bunch of making-of and behind-the-scenes material, the trailers, etc. So, if you like going through the bonus material, there is a lot (several hours' worth) to go through.

Overall, this is a great release. The movies are both good. Yes, the second one is a bit cheesy, but it is not as bad as some critics made it out to be. Ultimately, if you collect physical media, especially if you like watching bonus content, this is a must-add to your collection.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Friday the 13th Part 2

 

Friday the 13th Part 2 is the 1981 follow-up to the original 1980 hit film. It stars Amy Steel, John Furey, Kristen Baker, Lauren-Marie Taylor, and Stu Charno. Adrienne King and Besty Palmer also reprise their roles, although Palmer had more of a cameo appearance. 

The original intent was to do what John Carpenter had tried to do with Halloween III, and not make it a continuous story, but an anthology series with different movies tied to the Friday the 13th superstition. However, when the ending to the original movie was as well received as it was, they decided to continue the story centered around Jason. The story picks up two months after the events of the original film, with Alice trying to recover from her experience. Later, the film time-jumps five years to a new group of prospective camp counselors attending a school for camp counselors at a different camp near Crystal Lake, which has been shut down. From there, it becomes the typical slasher film that the series has become famous for. 

There are a few different versions of the blu-ray disc out there. I have the Shout! Factory version, which is a single-disc release that can be purchased individually or as part of the complete collection box set. The A/V quality is very good. The audio includes a 2.0 channel track that may not work on some sound systems. It does, however, also include a 5.1 lossless audio track that should work with a surround system, but you may have to change the audio setting once the film starts playing to hear it, even if you select it from the disc's main menu. The extras may vary depending on which edition you get, but most will include an interview with the author of the book "Inside Crystal Lake Memories", the second chapter of the Lost Tales from Camp Blood short, and a featurette on one of the horror conventions. Mine also includes a podcast interview with Amy Steel, the theatrical trailer, radio spots, and a couple of different stills galleries.  

The movie is very much a carbon copy of the first film. Most of the action happens in the second half, and the third act has the most going on. You pretty much know what you get with these films: the acting and writing will be okay, but not stellar; there will be some gratuitous nudity and a lot of violence. This version of Jason is definitely not who we get in later films when he is basically unstoppable and wears the hockey mask. Ultimately, if you like horror movies and you enjoyed the first film, you will probably like this one (even though there is not much new about this one other than who the killer is). It does, however, set up what will come in the later films, so it is worth watching. 

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Friday The 13th

 

Friday the 13th is the 1980 horror film directed by Sean S. Cunningham and written by Victor Miller. The film stars Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Jeannine Taylor, Robbi Morgan, Kevin Bacon, Harry Crosby, and Laurie Bartram. The supporting cast includes Mark Nelson, Peter Brouwer, and Walt Gorney.

The plot involves Camp Crystal Lake reopening after being closed for several years. A group of counselors arrives early to get the camp ready for the kids, despite warnings from locals that the camp should remain closed. As they work to get everything ready, the counselors start being killed off one by one. I will not go into too much detail about the story for those who have not seen it, since the identity of the killer is supposed to be part of the mystery.

There have been several Blu-Ray releases of the film, so the features will vary depending on which edition you get. I have the deluxe box set released by Shout Factory, which includes all 10 original films, along with Freddy vs. Jason and the 2009 remake. In that collection, the first film is a two-disc set, with both discs in a keep case inside the decorative box. One disc contains the theatrical cut, while the other contains the uncut version. Both versions run just over an hour and a half, with the uncut version running only slightly longer. There are no substantive differences in the story between the two cuts, as the additional footage mostly extends some of the gore. The A/V quality is very good, especially considering the age of the film and the fact that it was a very low-budget movie when it was released. There are bonus features on both discs. The theatrical disc includes the US and international trailers, TV and radio spots, and two different stills galleries, one with pictures from the film and the other with posters and promotional material. On the uncut version, there is an audio commentary on the film which includes the director, writer, and members of the cast and crew, a short film set in the Friday the 13th universe, a featurette on the director, a reunion panel discussion including the director, writer, and some members of the cast and crew, and fan fiction articles that can be accessed if you put the disc in a computer's CD drive. 

The film definitely feels dated. It was a low-budget 1980s movie, and it very much looks and feels like one. It was made to capitalize on the popularity of Halloween, and Miller admits in the bonus content that he was basically told to write a script that ripped off Halloween. It is certainly not as good as Halloween, and parts of the writing and effects are extremely cheesy by today's standards. I also think the script would have been better if the killer had been shown interacting with the group earlier in the movie. The film tries to use misdirection to make you think the killer could be someone else, but once you actually see the killer, you know pretty much immediately. It does earn its R-rating, with some gore (although not as much as many of today's horror movies), swearing, sexual content, and brief nudity. It will always be notable for launching the franchise and for being one of Kevin Bacon's early films. Ultimately, even with its flaws, it is an iconic horror film that helped define 80s horror movies and is worth watching if you are a fan of the genre.

DVD/Movie Review: Ghosts Can't Do It

 

Ghosts Can't Do It is the 1989 film that was billed as a romantic fantasy comedy. It is debatable whether it was romantic and was certainly not a comedy, at least not in the traditional sense anyway. It was written and directed by John Derek, and it was his final movie. The film stars Bo Derek, Anthony Quinn, and Don Murray in the leading roles. The supporting cast includes Leo Damian and Julie Newmar, and features a cameo appearance by the orange genital wart itself (IYKYK), which earned it a worst supporting actor nomination. 

The plot involves a wealthy elderly man named Scott (played by Quinn) who is married to a much younger woman named Katie (played by Bo Derek). After Scott suffers a heart attack that leaves him physically incapacitated and unable to consummate their relationship, he commits suicide, but returns to Katie as a ghost that only she can see and hear. Together, the two plot to find a young, attractive man whose body Scott can possess so he can be with his wife physically once again, leading to a series of bizarre encounters in various exotic locations.

The DVD set is a single-disc, bare-bones release that offers little in terms of physical media quality. The DVD's A/V quality is horrible, and the overall image looks much more like a standard VHS transfer than a proper digital release. Not surprisingly, there are no bonus features or extras on the disc; you simply get the movie itself.

The film is awful, with a stupid script and horrible acting, which is pretty much par for the course for most of the movies that John Derek wrote and directed. It is only funny in the comically bad sense. It is another movie that was clearly just a vehicle to show Bo Derek nude. While she looked spectacular, the nude scenes in this one made absolutely no sense. The scenes where it would have made logical sense to have nudity often did not, and in other scenes she would just randomly take her clothes off for no apparent reason. Ultimately, the movie absolutely deserved all the "Razzie" nominations it received, and unless you like watching cheesy old movies in a "Mystery Science Theater 3000" kind of way, you will not miss anything by skipping this one.

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Flashdance

 

Flashdance is the 1983 romantic drama directed by Adrian Lyne, based on a screenplay by Tom Hedley and Joe Eszterhas. The film stars Jennifer Beals and Michael Nouri in the leading roles. The supporting cast includes Lilia Skala, Sunny Johnson, Kyle T. Heffner, Lee Ving, Ron Karabatsos, and Belinda Bauer. The plot follows an 18-year-old woman named Alex Owens (played by Beals) who works as a welder at a steel mill by day and as a dancer at a local bar by night. Alex dreams of being accepted into a prestigious dance conservatory, but she lacks formal training and is intimidated by the audition process. While she is not a stripper, she and some of the other dancers at the bar are constantly being recruited to work at a local strip club by its owner, Johnny C. (played by Ving), who is a regular at the bar. Along the way, Alex catches the eye of her older boss at the steel mill, Nick Hurley (played by Nouri), and the two begin a relationship that helps her find the courage to pursue her goals.

The 4K set is a two-disc set containing a UHD disc and a standard Blu-Ray. It also comes with a digital code that can be redeemed on Movies Anywhere. The A/V quality of the UHD disc is okay, but not great. It did not receive a high-quality transfer and is not a huge upgrade over the 1080p version. All of the bonus content is located on the standard Blu-Ray disc and totals about a half hour of runtime. Those extras include a short interview with director Adrian Lyne, a couple of making-of featurettes, and the theatrical trailer.

While the movie was a massive commercial hit when it was first released, it remains a very uneven film. The story does eventually get from point A to point Z, but it gets there in a very haphazard manner, with some of the characters' actions making absolutely no sense. The movie also feels very much stuck in the 1980s, relying heavily on several music montages, including a very out-of-place, cheesy workout sequence that slows down the narrative. Additionally, the storyline of an 18-year-old employee who starts dating her older boss feels a bit creepy nowadays and would not make for a romantic story in the modern day. The acting across the board was okay, and the writing was definitely uneven. Beals did a decent job given that this was her first major acting role, after having done some modeling and having a very small part in one movie before she was cast in this film. It was a pretty big deal to have a biracial lead actress in her first major role, which still makes the movie somewhat groundbreaking. Ultimately, the movie's soundtrack, which features several popular 80s songs, is much better than the film itself, which is dated and does not hold up particularly well. However, it is still worth checking out for fans of 1980s movies, as long as you accept it for what it is and do not expect more than that.

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Ninja III: The Domination

 

Ninja III: The Domination is the 1984 martial arts film that is the third in what fans call the "Ninja Trilogy," released by Cannon Films in the early 1980s, featuring real ninjutsu practitioner Sho Kosugi. The film stars Kosugi, Lucinda Dickey,  and Jordan Bennet. The supporting cast includes David Chung, Dale Ishimoto, James Hong, and John La Motta. Like the second installment of the trilogy, it was directed by Sam Firstenberg. This movie was fast-tracked after the success of the second film, Revenge of the Ninja. This movie, however, is not a continuation of that one. Kosugi plays a totally different character, and while he did receive top billing, he was more of a secondary character. He does not appear in the movie until about a third of the way through it, and does not really get involved in the action until about two-thirds of the way in. 

The movie begins with a huge fight scene in which an evil Ninja (played by Chung) assassinates a scientist and his security team on a golf course. Police respond and end up mortally wounding him. He manages to escape and transfer his spirit into the body of a telephone company worker named Christie (played by Lucinda Dickey) to take revenge on the cops. She begins dating one of the cops (who was hidden from the Ninja's view), and when she sees one of the other officers who shot the Ninja, his spirit takes over her body, and she kills them. Kosugi plays Yamata, a good ninja from Japan who comes to stop the evil ninja, and when he discovers his spirit has possessed Christie, he tries to get it out of her and into his own body so he can stop the evil ninja for good. 

The 4k set is a two-disc set containing a UHD disc and a standard Blu-Ray. The A/V quality of the UHD disc is outstanding. There are two audio tracks: a 2.0-channel track and a 5.1-channel track. The 2.0 track may not play on some sound systems, but switching to the 5.1-channel track will. However, even if you select the 5.1-channel track in the menu, the movie will play the 2.0-channel track, so you will need to switch the audio on your remote to get the sound to play correctly. There are two commentary tracks for the film, each available on the UHD disc and the standard Blu-Ray. The first is a director's commentary featuring Firstenberg and stunt coordinator Steven Lambert. It is much like their track on Revenge of the Ninja, which breaks down various scenes and discusses the film's production. The second plays the movie with a score over the dialogue and features interviews with the composer and production designer. Unfortunately, unlike the 4k releases of Enter the Ninja and Revenge of the Ninja, there is no commentary track by film critics Mike Leeder and Arne Venema. The other bonus features include a 19-minute interview with Lucinda Dickey, an 11-minute interview with Jordan Bennet, and a 12-minute interview with producer and stuntman Alan Amiel, which were carryovers from the 2018 blu-ray release of the film. The same trailers that were on the Enter and Revenge discs are here as well.

There are good and bad things about the movie. There was much more action in this movie than in the first two, but the plot was much worse than in Revenge of the Ninja. This movie blends genres and is basically a mash-up of 1970s and early 80s films like Flashdance, Poltergeist, and The Exorcist combined with a martial arts movie. In fact, in the commentary, Firstenberg states that the film was heavily influenced by Poltergeist. However, it seemed that everyone thought it was silly, and Kosugi was unhappy about being relegated to a secondary character.  One interesting fact is that this was actually Dickey's first movie. She went from filming this to filming the movie Breakin, which became a minor hit. Breakin, however, was released before Ninja III, and her career took a hit as she was seen as having star potential, only to flop with her second movie. Ultimately, you have to take the movie as it is. It is a low-budget ninja movie that is totally unrealistic (it gives ninjas superhuman strength and supernatural abilities) and can be a bit silly. That said, the action is good, and if you do not overthink it, it is entertaining. For those who were fans as a kid and collect physical media, it is worth adding to your collection. 

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Revenge of the Ninja

 

Revenge of the Ninja is a 1983 martial arts action film directed by Sam Firstenberg,  starring Shi Kosugi, Arthur Roberts, Ashley Ferrare, Kane Kosugi, and Keith Vitali. The supporting cast includes Virgil Frye, Grace Oshita, Mario Gallo, and John LaMotta. It is the second film in what is known as the "ninja trilogy" (along with Enter the Ninja and Ninja III: The Domination), released by Cannon Films and featuring Sho Kosugi. They are only considered a trilogy because Kosugi appears in each of them (he was not the lead in Enter the Ninja), and the storylines of the three movies are not related to each other. In this one, Kosugi plays Cho Osaka, a resident of Japan who is being pressured by an American Businessman named Braden (played by Roberts). Cho is reluctant to leave until the majority of his family is attacked and killed by evil ninjas; he agrees to move to America and open an art gallery with Braden's backing. We find out that Braden is in deep with the local mob and is running drugs through the gallery, using Japanese dolls to smuggle them into the country.

The 4k set is a two-disc set containing a UHD disc and a standard blu-ray. The UHD disc just contains the film itself, which can be played with the commentary tracks. The A/V quality of the film in UHD is excellent. Despite being a low-budget 1980s action film, it received a very good 4k transfer and is definitely worth the upgrade. The bonus features include the two previously mentioned commentary tracks. The first includes the director, Sam Firstenberg, and the stunt coordinator, Steven Lambert (who also played one of the characters in the cheesiest fight in the entire film), in which they talk about the movie's production and behind-the-scenes events during filming. The second is by film critics Mike Leeder and Arne Venema. Theirs is more of a MST3K viewing in which they talk about (and sometimes make fun of) the scenes, but also talk about the history of martial arts films (particularly ninja movies), the history of Cannon Films, and more. The other bonus content is on the standard blu-ray and includes an introduction to the movie by Firstenberg, a behind-the-scenes stills gallery, and trailers for other 80s action films (the same trailers that were included with the Enter the Ninja release). 

The movie is very cheesy and definitely feels like it is stuck in the early 80s. The action is much better in this movie than in Enter the Ninja, due in large part to the fact that the main evil ninja wore a mask, so Steve Lambert could do the action in the costume. The movie still has many of the same continuity issues that Enter the Ninja has. For example, in the climactic battle, the two ninjas begin fighting just with swords, but different weapons (and decoy dummies) appear out of nowhere throughout the fight. It is clear from the commentary tracks that continuity was not something that really mattered on set (or matters in these movies in general). It absolutely earns the R-rating, as there is a lot of swearing and violence, and some brief nudity. Ultimately, it is a movie you have to accept as it is and not overthink. If you can, it is entertaining, sometimes in a "so bad it's good" way. And if you were a fan of the movie as a kid, it is definitely worth checking out and adding to a physical media collection. 

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Enter the Ninja

 

Enter the Ninja is the 1981 action film starring Franco Nero, Sho Kosugi, Susan George, Christopher George, Alex Courtney, and Constantine Gregory that arguably launched the resurgence of martial-arts movies in the 1980s, specifically the Ninja genre. It was the first of what is called the "Ninja Trilogy," consisting of this film, Revenge of the Ninja, and Ninja III: The Domination. This film has no ties to the other two films, aside from featuring real-life ninjitsu practitioner Sho Kosugi (although he plays different characters in each film). In this film, Nero plays an American who goes to Japan to study ninjitsu. Kosugi plays Hasegawa, a ninja whose family lineage traces back to the ancient samurai, and does not believe an American should be allowed to be trained as a ninja. The film opens with a massive fight scene, which we eventually find out is Cole's final test to become a ninja. Once he graduates, Cole goes to Manila to visit his old war buddy, Frank Landers, who owns a plantation and is being pressured to sell his land by a wealthy CEO named Charles Venarious (played by Christopher George). When Cole dispatches his goons with ease, Venarious hires a ninja (Hasegawa) to take Cole out. 

The 4k release is a two-disc set containing a UHD disc (which just contains the film) and a standard Blu-Ray, which contains the film and the bonus content. The A/V quality of the UHD disc is excellent, and it is an upgrade over prior releases. The bonus content includes a commentary track by film historians Mike Leeder and Arne Venema, and trailers for several other films, including Koshugi's other movies. 

The movie itself is very cheesy and not particularly well-written or acted. It very much has the feel of a low-budget action film with some cheesy comedy sprinkled in here and there. The commentary track is quite interesting as Leeder and Venema give a pretty good breakdown of the film's interesting production history, including the fact that martial artist (and the guy who broke up Elvis and Priscilla), Mike Stone, was originally supposed to play the role of Cole. However, when the producers found out that Franco Nero was in the Philippines, they offered him the role despite the fact that he had no martial arts experience (which absolutely shows when he is doing action scenes), and Stone was relegated to being his stunt double and the fight coordinator. Having Stone in the role would have at least made Cole look the part, as Nero was hilariously bad during the fight scenes and could not even do a proper front kick, much less do anything that came close to looking like a trained ninja. You can also tell the movie did not have anyone paying attention to continuity, because in the opening sequence alone Cole would have a bow and arrow in one scene, then have two swords, then have one sword and a dagger, then would magically have the bow and arrows again, only to have them disappear after shooting an arrow and starting to run without actually dropping the bow. And all the ninjas that it looks like Cole is killing during his test are magically okay despite being run through with a sword or having throwing stars stuck in their forehead.  

Of course, nothing in the movie is all that realistic, and it presents a very over-the-top and exaggerated representation of ninjutsu (which is a real style of martial arts). But it is not really a movie that you watch because you are looking for it to make sense, have great acting, or for the continuity. For many people who were kids in the 80s and into martial arts, this will absolutely be a blast from the past (even if you notice the flaws you did not notice then). Ultimately, if you can accept it for what it is, it is entertaining, even if it is in a Mystery Science Theater 3000  "so bad it's good" way and worth checking out in 4k. 

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Desperately Seeking Susan

 

Desperately Seeking Susan is a 1985 comedy starring Madonna, Rosanna Arquette, Aidan Quinn, and Mark Blum in the lead roles, and John Turturro, Laurie Metcalf, Robert Joy, Will Patton, and Steven Wright in supporting roles. Giancarlo Esposito also had a very minor speaking role. It was directed by Susan Seidelman and was filmed in New York and New Jersey. In it, Arquette plays an unfulfilled upper-middle-class housewife named Roberta who reads the personal ads and becomes fascinated by communications between Susan (played by Madonna) and her boyfriend, Jim (played by Joy) that often begin with the line Desperately Seeking Susan. When one of the ads proposes they meet in Battery Park, Roberta goes to spy on the meeting and becomes fascinated by Susan's freewheeling lifestyle. Roberta ends up getting hit on the head, losing her memory, and believes herself to be Susan, and finds herself in danger when she is mistaken for Susan.

This is a single-disc release. It has a decent, but not great, A/V transfer. For the audio-nerds out there, the audio tracks are 2.0 digital tracks, which may not easily play on a 5.1 or 7.1 surround system without messing with the audio settings on your blu-ray player. The bonus content includes the film's trailer and alternate/extended ending. There is also a commentary track on the film by the director and the two main producers. The most interesting part of the commentary was hearing about the decision to cast Madonna, how her mega-stardom really hit as the movie was filming, and how they had to hire more security toward the end of filming because she was getting mobbed every time she was in public. When she was originally cast, she was still mostly popular in the NY dance club scene where she would perform. However, she released the Like a Virgin album while the movie was filming, and that, along with the release of this film really moved her from a star that had a couple of songs with radio play and videos on MTV into the superstar she became. One funny item from the commentary was one of the producers saying Madonna wanted to get into acting because she did not think she would be able to do the kind of performances she did in the clubs when she was 40, but she would be able to act. Of course, she was playing stadium shows well into her 50s and has only been in a handful of movies after making this one. 

The movie is a good comedy, but it is a bit dated. It very much has the feel of a 1980s romantic comedy, but it had a good enough script that it is enjoyable even years later. It is rated PG-13, but it could have easily earned an R-rating. Rosanna Arquette is topless in a couple of scenes, but in shadow and obscured so you do not see much; Madonna is in a see-through bra in a couple of scenes, and there is a lot of swearing and smoking. It is also interesting to see Laurie Metcalf, John Turturro, and Giancarlo Esposito early in their careers. Madonna was okay, despite never having acted before. But she was almost playing a fictionalized version of herself, so she did not have to do a lot. Arquette did most of the heavy acting work, even though she became overshadowed by Madonna's growing popularity. Ultimately, while it is not the best comedy of the 1980s, it is still worth checking out.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Excalibur

 

Excalibur is a 1981 film telling a variation of the legend of King Arthur, co-written, co-produced, and directed by John Boorman. It stars Nigel Terry, Nicol Williamson, Helen Mirren, Liam Neeson (in his first film role), Patrick Stewart (in one of his early film roles), Cherie Lunghi, Robert Addie, and Nicholas Clay. The supporting cast includes, Gabriel Byrne, Boorman's children, Katrine and Charles, and Clive Swift. Over the years, there have been many variations of the Arthurian legend. This is definitely one of the darker ones. Merlin (played by Williamson) was not the noble, wise wizard that he is in other variations, and this version of Arthur (played by Terry) grew up as a commoner only to discover who he was when he pulled Excalibur from the stone. It is very violent and there is some sexual content and nudity in the film. 

The blu-ray release is very substandard. It did not receive a good HD transfer at all, and as a result, the A/V quality is quite bad. The video quality is barely better than a DVD, and the audio is out of sync at times. Also, the menu pages are very hard to navigate and barely respond when you push buttons on the remote. I initially thought the batteries in my remote were dying, but I confirmed they were fine, and the issue was with the disc itself. As a result, depending on what blu-ray player you have, it may be hard to turn on captions or change the audio setting. The only bonus feature is a director's commentary by Boorman. It is also hard to access, given the issue with the menu pages, but once you do, Boorman provides a lot of good information about the film and behind-the-scenes information. 

The movie is okay, but not great. It is actually better to watch it while listening to Boorman's commentary track, because you get a better idea of what he was going for. Without that context, it just seems like the movie never really figures out how it wants to tell the story and does not present a cohesive one. There are time jumps in the movie that make it hard to follow at times. But they had to be used because Boorman wanted to tell the entire story of Arthur's life in a two-hour-and-twenty-minute film. The dialogue was not particularly well written, so despite featuring many great actors, they did not have much good material to work with. It is interesting to see Liam Neeson in his first film, Patrick Stewart early in his film career, and Helen Mirren relatively early in hers. However, there are many other versions of the story that are much better than this one out there. Ultimately, you are not missing much if you skip this, but if you are a big fan of any of the actors or are really into the story of King Arthur, then it is worth checking out.

4K-UHD/Movie Review: E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial - 40th Anniversary Edition

 

E.T. is the iconic 1982 film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg about an alien who becomes stranded on Earth and befriends a young boy and his family. It stars Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore, Robert MacNaughton, Dee Wallace, and Peter Coyote in the main roles. The supporting cast includes C. Thomas Howell, K.C Martel, Sean Frye, and future original Baywatch babe, Erika Eleniak. In the film, an alien becomes stranded on Earth after his ship leaves without him. He hides in the shed of a family who live near where he was stranded and is discovered by a young boy named Elliot (played by Thomas), who befriends E.T. and helps him attempt to contact his species so he can get back home. 

The 40th Anniversary 4k set is a two-disc set with a UHD disc and a standard blu-ray disc. Both contain the same content. The original theatrical edition of the film, and several hours of bonus features. Note that this release does not include the 2002 re-release with the additional footage and the CGI enhancements, which is the only thing that knocks it down a star for me. The bonus content includes two new featurettes made for this release, original making-of and behind-the-scenes footage filmed during production, and content created for the film's 20th Anniversary. The bonus content also includes the trailer and promotional content, as well as multiple picture galleries featuring photos taken during the film's production and promotional stills. The A/V quality is very good, and the movie looks and sounds great in UHD. Neither the audio nor the video transfers are quite reference-quality, but if you have a large screen and/or a multi-channel surround-sound system, you will probably not be disappointed.

This is an extremely good, but not great, release. Of course, the movie is wonderful and holds up well even (as of this writing) 44 years after it was made. Some of the cultural references in the movie are dated; however, the overall story holds up very well. It does have a little swearing and includes things that probably would not be included (like the teenagers smoking at the beginning of the movie) if it were made today, but overall it is very family-friendly, mixing drama, humor, and action. And, of course, John Williams' score is outstanding. The bonus content is excellent. The highlight of the archival material is a young Drew Barrymore (who was six when the film was shot) hamming it up on set and being interviewed at the movie's premiere. If this release had included both versions of the film, it would absolutely be a five-star set. Hopefully, when Universal releases a 45th- and/or 50th-anniversary edition, they will include both versions of the film. That is the only thing that would get me to double-dip for a new edition. Ultimately, it is a wonderful film that takes you on an emotional roller coaster, going from suspenseful to funny to dramatic to sad to uplifting. It is well-written, very well-acted, and absolutely worth watching.

Magazine Review: Playboy: May 1982

 

The May 1982 edition of Playboy is a fascinating look into the past when read today. That month's interview, which, aside from the pictorials, was always the highlight of any particular month's release, featured Billy Joel, who was probably not quite at the height of his fame, but getting there. It was a wide-ranging interview that discussed his life growing up in the NY suburbs and how he broke into the music business, and the criticism he received from many sides. He was in his early 30s at the time, and still had the brash, tough-guy persona that he would mostly shed by the 1990s when he was in his 40s. The other interesting articles included one on Bobby Inman, who was the deputy director of the CIA at the time, one on the process of getting the movie The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas made, specifically what it took to get Burt Reynolds, Dolly Parton, and Willie Nelson on board with the film, an article about a study of the differences between men and women, and one about personal computers (which were in their infancy at the time). The article about men versus women is not quite what you might expect from Playboy; it discusses the differences between genders in how they handle stress, mathematical aptitude, how male and female bodies are formed in the womb, predisposition to different diseases, and how our brains process information. The article about computers is very interesting, given how they are used today versus how they were used back then. The 20 Questions interview featured the cast of SCTV, including John Candy, Rick Moranis, Eugene Levy, and Catherine O'Hara.

There are three pictorials this month. A celebrity pictorial featuring actress Rae Dawn Chong, the Playmate of the Month pictorial featuring Kym Malin, and one featuring an Ohio policewoman named Barb Schantz. Malin was definitely not one of the more notable playmates, but she did parlay her appearance into an '80s B-movie career, and Schantz's appearance in the magazine would get her temporarily suspended from her job and loosely inspire a TV movie the following year. 

Probably the most interesting thing about reading the magazine almost 44 years after its printing is the differences and similarities of things being discussed/argued about back then (for example, in the reader comments) versus things that are argued about today. Readers were submitting comments on topics such as drug use, gun control, and the political climate (which was not nearly as divided back then as it is now). The advertisements are quite something as well. There are a ton of car ads, and the cars that were supposed to be the top-of-the-line/futuristic vehicles were hilariously awful-looking (but inexpensive compared to today's mid-tier vehicles), and there were a ton of cigarette ads. Some of the jokes in the cartoons throughout were funny, and some made no sense (and probably required a knowledge of early 80s pop culture or news). Playboy was always controversial and never really shied away from controversy. There are definitely things throughout the issue that do not hold up well today, including a comment by Billy Joel in the interview that would cause major backlash if he said it today. Of course, opinions on Playboy have been divided for as long as it has been in existence, with some saying it exploited women (as certainly some of that criticism has validity, especially in light of recent documentary series about some of the behind-the-scenes stuff) and others saying it was a cultural phenomenon. Ultimately, the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle. If you do bother to do more than just look at the pictures in this issue, you will find it has content that makes for interesting reading, even years later. 

CD/Music Review: 10,000 Maniacs: Hope Chest

 

Hope Chest, released in 1990, is a remix album by the group 10,000 Maniacs that compiles and remixes the tracks from their early albums, Human Conflict Number Five and Secrets of the I Ching. Natalie Merchant, who is probably the group's most popular member, sings lead vocals on most of the tracks, but John Lombardo sings lead on the track "Anthem for Doomed Youth."

The album comprises 14 tracks, totaling just over 46 minutes in run time. The tracks are okay if you are into 1980s alternative rock (which is much different than what alternative rock would become in the 1990s), but none are as good as the group's biggest hits, like "Because the Night," which were popular as the group drifted a bit more toward mainstream pop and became more polished. The CD liner includes a couple of pages detailing the band's history, pictures, and lyrics and production notes for the tracks. Ultimately, it is not one that I would call a must-listen, but if you are a fan of the group, it is worth checking out.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Cheers: The Complete Series

 

Cheers was the long-running sitcom that aired for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993, starring Ted Danson, Rhea Perlman, George Wendt, John Ratzenberger, Shelly Long, Nicholas Colasanto, Woody Harrelson, Bebe Neuwirth, Kirstie Alley, and Kelsey Grammer. Long left the series after five seasons (in the classic 'trying to move on to greener pastures' move that did not work out as planned), save for a guest-starring role in the series finale. Alley joined the series in the sixth season to essentially replace Long's character. Grammer joined the series as a recurring character in season two and was promoted to a series regular in season five. Harrelson joined the cast in season four after the death of Nicholas Colasanto toward the end of season three. Ratzenberger appeared in every season and most episodes, but was not promoted to a series regular until the second season. Neuwirth joined the series in season four, making a couple of guest appearances, then was a recurring character in seasons five through nine and a main character for the final two seasons (although her role in the final season was significantly scaled back). 

The series also featured many recognizable actors in guest and recurring roles, including Dan Hedaya, Jean Kasem, Fred Dryer, Jay Thomas, Roger Rees, Tom Skerritt, Frances Sternhagen, John Cleese, Emma Thompson, Leah Remi, Tom Berenger, Kate Mulgrew, Christopher Lloyd, Marcia Cross, and Harry Anderson. Many celebrities and politicians also made cameo appearances in the series, including Harry Connick Jr., Bobby Hatfield, Bill Medley, Wade Boggs, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Alex Trebek, Arsenio Hall, Dick Cavett, Robber Urich, Johnny Carson, Gary Hart, Tip O'Neil, John Kerry, and Michael Dukakis.

In the series, Danson played Sam Malone, a skirt-chasing ex-major league pitcher for the Boston Red Sox and recovering alcoholic. Depending on the season, he either owned or was an employee of the Boston bar, Cheers. The series was primarily a story-of-the-week procedural about the goings-on at the bar, the lives of the employees and patrons, and so on. It did, however, include serial storylines and occasionally referred back to prior episodes or had running jokes throughout the series (such as the Bar Wars episodes). During the first five seasons, the prominent serial storyline involved the relationship between Sam and know-it-all waitress Diane Chambers (played by Long). They had one of the original toxic love-hate relationships (at least from the 1980s onward), and the writers constantly teased the tension between them. After Long left, Alley came in to play Rebecca Howe, the manager of the bar, who initially despises, but then eventually warms up to Sam. Perlman plays a snarky waitress named Carla who hates (or is at least annoyed by everyone, and Ratzenberger and Wendt play regulars who seem to almost live at the bar (which becomes a running joke throughout the series). Grammer plays Frasier Crane, who is initially brought in as a rival for Sam and a love interest for Diane, who eventually becomes a regular patron, and Neuwirth (who steals nearly every scene she is in) is brought in as a love interest for Frasier.

The blu-ray set is a 33-disc set. Each season is packaged in its own keep case consisting of three discs, and then the keep cases are packaged in a decorative outer box. As of this writing, the seasons are not available individually on blu-ray, just as a part of this set. The A/V quality of the set is excellent, especially for an older TV series. The HD transfer, although not always perfect, is extremely good, and the difference in quality is noticeable when watching the bonus features, which are in standard definition. The only weakness in the set is the bonus features. All the bonus content from the previously released DVDs is included with this set. Most of the bonus content is located on the discs for seasons 1-3 and features cast interviews, behind-the-scenes material, a trivia game, and featurettes on specific characters. The discs for Season 11 include episode promos for each episode, which would play at the end of the prior week's episode as a "next time on Cheers" promo. What the set does not include, however, are things like the Super Bowl promo or the 30th anniversary reunion special.

Some parts of the show and the writing are very dated. There were some jokes (especially in the early seasons) that would never make it to air today. Other aspects of the show are remarkably timeless. Some cringeworthy moments have not aged well, but there are many laugh-out-loud moments to be found. The writers did a good job of balancing the storylines for the large ensemble cast, and every main character received at least one episode per season centered on them. In a prophetic twist, the writers inserted several jokes about the (unfortunately, the 45th and 47th) president, essentially mocking him as a joke. Alley's character (who was portrayed as a loser) was always saying how she wanted to marry him. In the final season, Fraiser was horrified when he helped get Woody elected to the Boston City Council because of how stupid and unqualified Woody was. Of course, both Alley and Grammer would go on to become t***p supporters. Ultimately, it is an iconic series that, whether you have never seen it before, were very young when it originally aired, or have seen every episode, is worth watching and adding to a physical media collection. 

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Cheers: Season 11

 

The 28-episode 11th and final season of Cheers aired during the 1992/1993 TV season. In it, the writers both continued to develop the various characters and incorporate new storylines, while also wrapping up existing storylines and bringing many cast members from prior seasons back. All of the primary cast members returned; however, Bebe Neuwirth's role as Lilith was reduced to a recurring role (she was included in the main credits in the episodes she appeared), with her last appearance being in the 17th episode. The guest cast this season included Eddie Jones, John Mahoney, and Peri Gilpin (who would both go on to play different characters in the spin-off series), Dana Delany, Pat Hingle, Peter MacNicol, Tom Berenger, and Spanky McFarland (from the Little Rascals TV Series). They also brought back Dan Hedaya, Jean Kasem, Leah Remi, Roger Rees, and Harry Anderson to reprise their recurring characters. And, of course, Shelly Long made her long-awaited return in the series finale. 

The blu-rays are again, as of this writing, only included in the complete series release and are not available individually. The blu-ray set is a three-disc set. The only bonus features are promos for each episode that play in standard definition. The episodes can also be played with English captions.

The final season wraps up the series very well. There are some very good storylines, such as the bar partially burning down, the group tearing apart the rebuilt bar to look for another one of Robin Colcord's money belts, Lilith cheating on Frasier and running away with a colleague to live in a bio-dome and Woody running for city council, much to Frasier's horror since he considers Woody totally unqualified to hold any political office (which is a bit ironic or at least humorous since Kelsey Grammer is a huge t***p supporter in real life and there is no bigger unqualified buffon in the history of politics than him). Rebecca finally finds love (kind of), Cliff gets promoted, and Norm finally gets a job (and finds out that Woody is not as much of a pushover as he seems). And, the final resolution to Sam and Diane's relationship, where they continue to try to one-up each other, and we learn why Diane did not return after six months as she promised. Ultimately, the writers do a good job of wrapping up the series and sending it out on a good note. While it wasn't a perfect season, if you liked the series up to this point, it is worth watching to see how it ends.

Blu-Ray/Movie Collection Review: Police Academy 1-7: The Complete Collection

 

Police Academy was a rather prolific series of comedy movies (at least at first) during the 1980s. They were put out in rapid succession every year from 1984-1989, and the final movie (yes, there are actually seven in all) was released in 1994, at which point the series was (thankfully) put out of its misery after the final two horrible entries.

The first movie, starring Steve Guttenberg, Kim Cattrall, G. W. Bailey, Bubba Smith, David Graf, Michael Winslow, Leslie Easterbrook, George Gaynes, and G.W. Bailey, is by far the best movie of the bunch. The subsequent movies varied in quality, with two and three being the best of the sequels (in my opinion), and the last two movies being the worst. The seventh movie was just plain stupid, with a bad plot, stupid sound effects inserted, and a feeling that what was left of the original cast was really just going through the motions. Steve Guttenberg stopped returning to the movies after Police Academy 4, which is the point where they should have really stopped.

This set is a seven-disc set, packaged in three keep cases (three discs in the first case and two in each of the other two) that can be kept in a decorative outer box. While it is a UK release, it seems like the set is region-free. I did not try playing them on a Region 1 player, but I have a region-free player, which, aside from one exception I have come across so far, can play DVDs and Blu-ray discs from anywhere, and it plays this set just fine. The extras vary from movie to movie. Each disc has a behind-the-scenes feature, which includes interviews with the cast and filmmakers. The length of them varies, with the longest being the one for the first movie (at about 25 minutes, give or take), and the others being around 7- 8 minutes. Then some of the discs may or may not include commentary tracks on the films, deleted scenes, trailers, specific character profiles, etc. It seems most of the interviews were conducted around 2004, before Bubba Smith and David Graf passed away, as they were both included in the interviews.

Overall, this set is a good, inexpensive way to get all of the movies in one collection. Even the best of them never tried to be more than they were, used very tongue-in-cheek comedy, and never took themselves too seriously. Over time, they became more and more slapstick and almost a caricature of themselves. The movies do have a lot of swearing, some violence, sexual jokes, and some include brief nudity, so the films definitely earned their R ratings. But, for those of us who grew up with the original movie, it is a fun blast from the past. Ultimately, if you are a fan of 80s comedies and/or a fan of the series, this is worth adding to a physical media collection.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Bolero

 

Bolero is a 1984 romantic drama starring Bo Derek, George Kennedy, Andrea Occhipinti, Ana Obregon, Olivia d'Abo, and Greg Bensen. It was written and directed by Bo Derek's husband, John. The plot involves an orphan heir to a massive fortune named Ayre "Mac" McGillvary (played by Bo Derek) looking for the right man to take her virginity after she graduates from college. She travels the world with her best friend, Catalina (played by Obergon), and chauffeur, Cotton (played by Kennedy), looking for the perfect man.

The A/V quality of the blu-ray is good, but not outstanding. Given that it was a low-budget B-movie when released, it is not surprising that it did not receive a high-quality HD restoration. There are no bonus features with the release, just the movie itself, which can be played with English captions.

It was a very controversial movie for its time, because of sex scenes that rival the soft-core "Skinemax" movies, and the fact that d'Abo, who was 14 when the movie was filmed, appeared nude (although not close up, and not in sex scenes). It could not get a traditional release because it would have received an X-rating (even though there are no explicit sex scenes) since the NC-17 rating did not exist at the time. The movie itself is bad. The acting and writing were horrible, but anyone who is old enough to remember Bo Derek's heyday knows that her movies were not made because of their award-winning content. They were made because she was hot and willing to get naked at the drop of a hat. It was a bit funny to have Derek, who was almost 30 when the film was released, playing a 23-year-old recent college grad, but again, the details were not important. The movie does have a lot of nudity and several sex scenes, so it is not family-friendly. Ultimately, it is not a movie that you would watch because you want to see quality acting and writing, but if you are into cheesy 80s movies that show a lot of skin, it is worth checking out. 

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Cheers: Season 10

 

The 26-episode penultimate 10th season of Cheers aired during the 1991/1992 TV season. All of the series regulars returned for the 10th season, and Bebe Neuwirth was finally promoted to a series regular. The recurring cast this season included Jackie Swanson, who played Woody's girlfriend, Kelly, Paul Wilson, who is another regular patron of the bar, Frances Stenhagen, who played Cliff's mother, and newcomer to the show, Keene Curtis, who played John Allen Hill, the new owner of the restaurant Melville's above Cheers, who delighted in making Sam's life miserable and having a love-hate relationship with Carla. The guest cast this season included Leah Remi, Emma Thompson, Milo O'Shea, and Harvey Fierstein. The show also included several guest appearances and cameos by celebrities and politicians, including Harry Connick Jr., Kevin McHale, John Kerry, Johnny Carson, and Doc Severinsen.

The blu-ray set is a three-disc set. As has been the case with the previous seasons, the A/V quality is good overall, but varies from episode to episode or even within episodes. There are no bonus features, but the episodes can be played with English captions. As of this writing, the seasons are not available individually on Blu-ray, only in a complete series release. 

The series continues to be a blend of procedural stories-of-the-week and serial arcs. The biggest arc this season involved the continuation of the Season 9 ending storyline, in which Sam and Rebecca agreed to have a child. There were a handful of funny moments around that storyline throughout the season. As in prior seasons, the writers do a good job of balancing the storylines of the various characters and providing each cast member with good material throughout the season. Bebe Neuwirth continued to shine as Lillith, but did not have as many standout moments as she did when she was a recurring character. This season, Keene Curtis was the one who stole most of the scenes he appeared in. The season finale is a hilarious two-part wedding episode that is one of the best episodes of the series. Ultimately, the series continued to be good. Although the writing was still somewhat dated, it did not feel as dated as it did in the earlier seasons. So, if you liked the prior seasons, this one is worth watching.