4K-UHD/Movie Review: The Bourne Identity

 

The Bourne Identity is a 2002 action thriller directed by Doug Liman and adapted from Robert Ludlum's novel of the same name. It stars Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Brian Cox, Chris Cooper, Gabriel Mann, Julia Stiles, Clive Owen and Adewale Akinnouoye-Agbaje. Sharp-eyed viewers will also recognize Walton Goggins (from the excellent series Justified) in a minor role. The movie starts with Damon's character being pulled out of the ocean by the crew of a fishing vessel. He has been shot in the back and has no memory of who he is or where he comes from, and the only clue to his past is a small laser projector embedded in his hip with the name and address of a bank in Switzerland on it. He discovers that his name is Jason Bourne, and throughout the movie, he realizes that he speaks multiple languages and is highly skilled in fighting and counterintelligence. Potente is a woman he meets at the American consulate in Zurich who agrees to help get him to Paris in exchange for $20,000. The two are then pursued by local authorities and shadowy assassins with the same skills as Bourne. Bourne ultimately discovers that he is part of a CIA black ops program called Treadstone, which is run by Cooper's character, Alexander Conklin, who works for the deputy director of the CIA, Ward Abbott, who is played by Cox. 

The 4K set is a two-disc set containing a UHD disc and a regular Blu-Ray disc. The UHD disc's A/V quality is good. The audio is outstanding, but the video transfer is not as good as it should have been. The only bonus feature on the UHD disc is the director's commentary track. The other bonus material, which includes an alternate opening and ending, deleted and extended scenes, and about two hours of behind-the-scenes material, is on the regular Blu-Ray disc. The movie itself is a good blend of action and drama with a couple of humorous moments mixed in. Damon does a good job in the lead role, and although he is not extremely physically imposing, he does an excellent job in the action sequences. It is well-written and very well-acted, and while you do have to suspend your disbelief to accept that Bourne could survive everything he goes through in the movie, it is entertaining. If you are a fan of action thrillers or the spy genre, the movie is absolutely worth seeing. The A/V quality of the UHD disc is not a major step up from the regular Blu-Ray, so if you already own it on Blu-Ray, you may want to stick with that version, especially if you are a big A/V wonk.

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Godzilla: King of the Monsters

 

King of the Monsters is the 2019 sequel to the 2014 remake of Godzilla. It stars Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobbie Brown, Bradley Whitford, Sally Hawkins, Charles Dance, Thomas Middleditch, and Ken Watanabe. It is what I would call a tangential sequel to the 2014 movie; it has a couple of the same characters from the Monarch Corporation returning (Ken Wanatabe and Sally Hawkins reprise their roles from the prior film). The corporation is tracking several giant monsters (which are known as Titans). Several of the Titans are wreaking havoc under the command of King Ghidora, an alien who seeks to terraform Earth and wipe everything out. The humans (who tried killing Godzilla) determine that Godzilla is the only thing strong enough to stop King Ghidora and have to figure out how to help Godzilla heal. The movie ultimately evolves into giant monster fights with humans ( mostly Millie Bobbie Brown and Vera Farmiga's characters) getting in the way.

The 4K set is a two-disc set, with a UHD disc and a regular Blu-Ray disc. For those who get the 4k blu-ray, the movie looks and sounds excellent in the format. Aside from the commentary track, all the bonus features are included on the regular blu-ray disc. There is over an hour's worth of bonus material, including previews, several making-of, behind-the-scenes featurettes, movie trailers, and character profiles. A decent amount for a movie that was not one of the mega-blockbusters.

Overall, the movie is faithful to and pays homage to the various Godzilla stories that came before it, adding a modern twist. The director and co-writer, Michael Dougherty, is an admitted Godzilla nerd and really wanted to incorporate material from various incarnations of the Godzilla mythology into the movie. I think (I am admittedly not an aficionado of Godzilla lore) he did a good job doing so. While I cannot say that everyone will love the movie, it is an enjoyable action movie with good acting and writing, and worth a look.

4K-UHD/Movie Box Set Review: Back to the Future: The Ultimate Trilogy

 

Back to the Future: The Ultimate Trilogy is a box set containing the three Back to the Future movies: the iconic 1985 original film starring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thomson, Crispin Glover, and Tomas F. Wilson in the main roles and Claudia Wells, James Tolkan, Wendie Jo Sperber, Billy Zane, and Marc McClure in the primary supporting roles; 1989's follow-up Back to the Future Part II, which brought back Fox, Lloyd, Wilson, and Thomson to reprise their roles with Elisabeth Shue replacing Claudia Wells as and Jeffrey Weissman replacing Crispin Glover (and includes Elija Wood's first acting credit in a very small role); and 1990's Back to the Future Part III, which added Mary Steenburgen to the cast. All three movies were written by the duo of Robert Zemeckis (who also directed all three films) and Bob Gale (who was an executive producer on all three movies).

Chances are, most people know the plots of the movies, but for anyone who does not, in the original film, a local scientist in the fictional town of Hill Valley, California, named Emmit "Doc" Brown (Lloyd) invents a time machine in 1985 that he built into a Delorian. A local teen named Marty McFly (Fox), who has befriended Doc Brown, helps him film the first time travel experiment, which is interrupted by Libyan terrorists from whom Doc stole Plutonium to power the time machine, and during which Marty is transported back to 1955. In 1955, Marty accidentally interrupts his parents' (Glover and Thomson's) first meeting, causing his mother to fall in love with him, which starts erasing his existence. Marty must help his parents get together, deal with the town bully, Biff Tannen (Wilson), and get the younger version of Doc Brown to help him get back to 1985. In the 1989 sequel, Marty, Doc, and Marty's girlfriend, Jennifer (played by Shue), first travel to 2015 to prevent Marty's son (also played by Fox) from doing something criminal with Biff's grandson, Griff (also played by Wilson). Biff steals the time machine in the future and travels to the past to give himself a sports almanac so that his younger version can use it to bet on every major sporting event, making him a millionaire in a new version of the future. Marty and Doc then have to go back to 1955, into the events of the first movie, to get the book back from young Biff and restore the timeline; in the 1990 conclusion to the trilogy, Marty has to travel back to 1855 to rescue Doc from the old west.

The 4K set is a six-disc set containing three UHD discs (one for each movie) and three regular Blu-Ray discs (also one for each movie). The 4K discs and the regular Blu-Rays have the same content, the movie and the bonus material. There are hours of bonus content for each movie. The bonus material includes archived behind-the-scenes material shot while the movies were being filmed, material created for the original DVD release, and material filmed in 2010 for the original Blu-Ray release. No new bonus content has been created for the 4K release. The extras include deleted scenes, a three-part documentary called Tales from the Future, which features interviews with the cast and crew, promotional material, the trailers, and more. Each movie also has two commentary tracks, one featuring a Q&A session with Zemeckis and Gale at USC, which plays for a portion of each movie. The longest is in the first movie, and the shortest is in Part III. Then, each movie has a feature-length commentary track with Bob Gale and another producer, Neil Canton. What knocks the set down a star for me is the packaging. It comes in a nice-looking digibook case, but the discs are all in tight slip notches, which makes them hard to get out and susceptible to scratching. 

The three movies are well-written and very well-acted. Even though the first movie is nearing 40 years old, it (and the sequels) hold up reasonably well. The bonus features offer a lot of insight into the filming process, including how Michael J. Fox came on board (he was initially not going to be allowed to film the movie by the showrunners of Family Ties, which was the wildly popular 1980s sitcom he starred in), the firing of Eric Stolz who was originally hired to play Marty when Fox was allowed to film the movie, and the producers side of why Crispin Glover did not return for the sequels (they claimed he was making unreasonable demands because he did not like how the first movie ended). There is no discussion of Glover's lawsuit because of the use of archival footage featuring him in Part II. There is also an interesting insight into how they envisioned what things would be like in 2015. Gale said they were trying to think of the most unrealistic things they could (hence flying cars and hoverboards), which makes things they got right (e.g., biometric identification and locks, video conferencing/calling, etc.) even more impressive. It is interesting that they thought fax machines would be prevalent and that every home would have multiple fax machines.

While it is easy to think that the movies are totally derivative of each other (and they do recycle some jokes in all three movies), they are really very different. In the first, Marty's parents are arguably as important to the story as Marty is, and the story is about George McFly's transformation from a lovable loser to a confident success. In the second movie, Biff is the more important character, and we see the first movie's events from a different perspective. The third movie is about Doc Brown's character, with Marty almost as a supporting character in Doc's story. The movies are mostly family-friendly, although there is quite a bit of swearing (the worst of which is the word "shit") in each film, a couple of cleavage shots of Lea Thompson in Parts I and II, and a butt shot of Michael J. Fox in Part III. While the movies are a bit dated, and some things would probably be changed if they were made today, they generally hold up well and are definitely worth watching, especially for 1980s kids who grew up with the movies. 

4k-UHD/Movie Review: John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum

 

John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum is the 2019 entry (and the third chapter) in the John Wick series of action/thrillers. It was directed by Chad Stahelski and again stars Keanu Reeves as the titular John Wick. It picks up immediately where the last movie leaves off. John has an hour until he is excommunicated from the Assassin's Guild, and every assassin/bounty hunter is looking to collect the seven-million-dollar bounty on his head. I will not give too much away, but the story again involves John fighting for his life, brings in Halle Berry, Mark Dacascos, Asia Kate Dillion, and Anjelica Huston as new characters, expands the roles of Lance Reddick and Ian McShane, and slowly expands Laurence Fishburne's role. And, of course, manages to make another nod to The Matrix.

4k  set is a two-disc set containing a UHD disc and a regular Blu-Ray disc. But, with this release, the UHD disc has both the movie and all the extras. Those include about an hour's worth of making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes, which are akin to what was put out for Chapters 1 and 2, with some focusing a bit less on Keanu because of the ever-expanding cast, including Hallie Berry, who really lobbied to be in the movie. Then there are also featurettes on the video game that was put out, and two trailers for the movie. Again, a great amount of material, especially these days when movies and shows are being released on physical media is going the way of the dodo bird, and when they are put out on disc, are bare-bones with little to no extras.

Chances are, if you liked the prior two movies, especially if your main reason for doing so is the action scenes, then you will like this. They are expanding the story in this movie and making it far less simple and straightforward, which was one of the things I liked about the prior movies, especially the first one. That said, it is still a fun but very violent action movie. And, John is finally not indestructible in this movie. Even so, what he manages to survive would kill all ordinary people and most "superhumans, " so you need to continue suspending your disbelief big time.

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Barbie

 

Barbie is a 2023 comedy written and directed by Greta Gerwig starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. Robbie (who was also a producer) stars as Barbie (or "stereotypical Barbie"), the perfect blonde version of Barbie, and Gosling plays that version of Ken. There are also the different versions of Barbie and Ken who are played by actors such as Emma Mackey, Simu Liu, Hari Nef, Issa Rae, Alexandra Shipp, Nicola Coughlan, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Ritu Arya, Dua Lipa, and John Cena. Michael Cera plays Allen (the only version of the other male doll in the Barbie world), and Helen Mirren is the narrator. Rhea Perlman plays Ruth Handler, the creator of Barbie. America Ferrera plays Gloria, an employee of Mattel, and Ariana Greenblatt plays her moody teenage daughter, Sasha. The main cast is rounded out by Will Ferrell, who plays the CEO of Mattel, and Kate McKinnon, who plays "Weird Barbie," who is the version of Barbie who has been played too hard. 

The main storyline is that Robbie's Barbie starts to not be perfect anymore and has to go from Barbieland into the real world to find the person who is playing with her (whose emotions she is beginning to feel). Ken ends up going with her and finds that the real world is ruled by men. When he returns to Barbieland, the Kens take over, and Barbie, Gloria, and Sasha have to get Barbieland back to the way it was. 

The 4K release is a single-disc release, just containing the UHD disc. Unlike most 4K releases, this does not have a regular Blu-Ray. There are just under an hour's worth of extras consisting of several behind-the-scenes featurettes on everything from the casting to the costume designs. This is a much different movie than people may expect. Yes, it is a comedy (sometimes a dark comedy). Still, it gets very dramatic and makes a point about the roles of men and women in society, relationships, growing up, and the like, all in an absurdly funny storyline. There is a hilarious battle between the various Kens at the end of the movie that starts out as a battle on the beach with volleyballs and tennis rackets and turns into a dance battle. It is well-written and very well-acted. The writers hilariously break the fourth wall a couple of times and include some great jokes about Barbie and Ken's lack of genitals. All of the actors are great in their various roles, but Gosling steals every scene he is in. It is a movie that absolutely should not have worked as well as it does, but is it great and is absolutely worth watching.

4k-UHD/Movie Review: IT: Chapter Two

 

IT: Chapter Two is the 2019 sequel to 2017's IT. It is the second part of the adaptation of Stephen King's novel IT. In this movie, the adult versions of the children who vanquished IT/Pennywise in the first movie are introduced into the story. The film stars Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Bill Hader, Isaiah Mustafa, Jay Ryan, James Ransone, Andy Bean, and Bill Skarsgard, reprising his role as Pennywise from the first movie. 

This movie is a double-edged sword because it allows for using well-known actors (Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Bill Hader, etc.) and more violent and gory imagery than in the first movie. Still, it is (in my opinion) the weaker part of the story. This is partly because they have to reintroduce and develop the characters as adults and essentially have them go through the same horrors with Pennywise until they do (mostly) the same thing in the final confrontation with him as they did as kids. That said, the movie does add new elements, so it is not just a total carbon copy of the first movie. It is also great to see the young actors alongside their older counterparts in different scenes. Bill Skarsgaard delivers another wonderful performance as Pennywise, this time with part of it being done via motion capture, as used in movies like Lord of the Rings, Avatar, the new Star Wars movies, etc. Steven King also has a cameo as the mean shopowner Bill repurchases his bike from.

The 4K set is a three-disc set with a UHD disc and two regular Blu-Ray discs. The movie looks and sounds excellent in UHD. The UHD disc just has the film and the commentary track if you want to listen to it. Then, there are two regular blu-ray discs, one with just the movie and one with all the extras (over an hour's worth). Those include chapters 1 and 2 of making-of and behind-the-scenes material, the first either taking a lot from or reusing the same feature that was an extra on the release for the first movie and the second new for the second movie. They are the longest of the bonus material. Then, there are a few shorter features. A very good amount for those who still like getting the physical disc releases.

While I cannot say everyone will love the movie, it did a good job of wrapping up the story. Of course, it is much different than the TV miniseries done in the 1990s, and even with a nearly three-hour running time, it still could not incorporate everything from the book. It is worth checking out if you can accept those things about it.

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw

 

Hobbs and Shaw is an action/adventure film from 2019 starring Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Idris Elba, Vanessa Kirby, and Elza Gonzalez. It also features appearances by Roman Reigns, Helen Mirren, Ryan Reynolds, and Kevin Hart. It is an ancillary story that may or may not be tied in with the larger Fast & Furious franchise. The basic story is that Hobbs and Shaw are recruited by the CIA to team up to recover a virus that an organization with a mysterious "Director" who has some kind of past with Shaw is trying to unleash. It also brings Shaw's sister (played by Vanessa Kirby) into the mix, and she does a great job playing off the chemistry between Statham and Johnson. The main point of the movie is the three of them have to team up, all while Hobbs and Shaw try to one-up each other (as seen in the trailer) and stop Idris Elba's character, who is basically an enforcer for "The Director."

The tone and feel of the movie are a bit like the Fast & Furious movies, with over-the-top stunts, fights, and chase sequences. The acting is better than what has been in the other movies, but it is never going to win an Oscar. The cinematography is wonderful, especially at the end when they are in Samoa. And, there are a couple of hilarious cameos by Ryan Reynolds and Kevin Hart.

The 4K set is a two-disc set with a UHD disc and a regular Blu-Ray disc. The movie looks and sounds great in the UHD format. There is well over an hour's worth of bonus material, including an alternate opening and deleted scenes. And, the bonus material is included on the UHD disc, not just on the regular blu ray that is also included in the set.

Overall, this is a movie that you know what you will get. It is action-heavy, with a blend of humor and a bit of drama. It, like the other F&F movies, is a bit tongue-in-cheek and does not take itself too seriously, aside from the family vibe that the other movies have. If you like the other movies, while I cannot guarantee you will like this one given that none of the other characters show up or are even hinted at in this one, chances are good you will find this one enjoyable even if you do not love it. It is definitely worth a couple hours if you are in the mood for an action movie.

4k-UHD/Movie Review: John Wick Chapter 2

 

John Wick: Chapter 2 is the 2017 sequel to 2014's unexpected hit, John Wick. It stars Keanu Reeves as the titular John Wick. It includes, in supporting roles, Common, Laurence Fishburne, Ricardo Scamaricio, Ruby Rose, Lance Reddick, Peter Stormare, Franco Nero, John Leguizamo, Ian McShane, and Claudia Gerini. It is titled "Chapter 2" because it continues the story from the first movie. It starts with Wick getting his car back from the brother of the mobster he killed at the end of the first movie. Then it takes a turn that is reminiscent of the line in Godfather Part III, "just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in," when another member of the group tries to cash in a favor that Wick owes him. Of course, everything goes sideways (ending up with Wick's house burned down), and mayhem ensues.

The movie continues the over-the-top violence of the first movie, with lots of martial arts ("gun-fu," as Reeves calls it) and car chases. Laurence Fishburne has a great extended cameo in the movie, in scenes that make not-so-subtle winks and nods to the Matrix movies. Ruby Rose is the badass female character who has a great fight scene with Wick at the end of the film in a sequence that overall has a very Enter The Dragon feel to it. The movie ends in a way that sets up the next one, not quite a cliffhanger, but more like setting up what comes next and leaving the fate of some characters up in the air.

The 4K set is a two-disc set with a UHD disc and a regular Blu-Ray disc. The movie looks and sounds excellent in the UHD format. While there is not a ton of CGI, it does have some great visuals. There are a decent amount of bonus features, including about 45 minutes or so of behind-the-scenes and making-of featurettes, the trailer, and a commentary track by Reeves and the movie's director, Chad Stahelski. All the bonus features are on the UHD disc, so you do not have to switch to the regular blu-ray to watch them. Like the first movie, it does not try to be anything more than a violent, fun, and sometimes funny action movie. It does not take itself too seriously, but it does not try to be campy and stupid either (which movies like this can quickly become). Ultimately, if you like the first movie, then you will like this one. On the other hand, if you did not like the first one, there is likely nothing in this one that will appeal to you.

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Babylon

 

Babylon is a 2022 movie about Hollywood in the 1920s starring Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Diego Calva, Jean Smart, Jovan Adepo, and Li Jun Li in the main roles. It also has a large ensemble supporting cast, including P.J. Byrne, Lukas Haas, Olivia Hamilton, Katherine Waterston, Tobey Maguire (who was also one of the producers), Flea, Eric Robert, Ethan Suplee, Samara Weaving, and Olivia Wille (among others). In it, Pitt plays Jack Conrad, the biggest silent-film star of the time, and Robbie plays Nellie LaRoy, an aspiring actress who gets her big break into silent films when she is seen dancing at a lavish party at the beginning of the film. Calva plays a gopher for the studio who eventually becomes a studio executive after Jack takes him under his wing. Li plays Lady Fay, a cabaret singer who also writes title cards for the silent movies, and Adepo plays a Jazz trumpeter named Sidney Palmer.

The 4K set is a two-disc set with a UHD disc and a regular Blu-Ray disc. The UHD disc just includes the movie, and the regular Blu-Ray disc has the movie and the bonus features. The movie's A/V quality is outstanding. It was shot on film to recreate the look of older Hollywood films, but it looks and sounds great in the UHD format. The extras include a half-hour-long making-of featurette featuring interviews with the cast and crew, about ten minutes of deleted and extended scenes, and a couple of shorter featurettes about the movie's costumes and score. All totaled, the bonus features run about 45 minutes. 

Ultimately, the movie is very good. It starts as a dark comedy and turns into a dark drama by the end. One of the movie's central themes is the transition from the silent movie era to the "talkies," and how adding sound to movies was challenging for the studios and the actors, and how the transition ended some careers and caused others to flourish. The other central theme is the excess of the Roaring 20s, especially in Hollywood. The storyline spans several decades, starting in the 20s and ending in 1952, but most of the movie is set in the late 1920s and early 1930s. It also deals with racism and homophobia. It is absolutely not a family-friendly film, as there is a lot of swearing, drug use, nudity, sex, and smoking throughout. The movie is very long, lasting just over three hours, but does not really drag. It is funny at times, sad at times, and downright weird at others. It is well-written and very well-acted and is absolutely worth watching.

4K-UHD/Movie Review: Avatar: The Way of Water (Three-Disc Edition)

 

Avatar: The Way of Water is the 2022 sequel to 2009's massive and groundbreaking hit, Avatar. It is again written and directed by James Cameron. In it, Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana reprise their roles as Jake Sully and Neytiri. The rest of the cast includes Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Britain Dalton, Trinity Bliss, Bailey Bass, Jack Champion, Flip Geljo, Jamie Flatters, Scarlett Fernandez, and Edie Falco. Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Joel David Moore, Giovanni Ribisi, CCH Pounder, and Dileep Rao, who all appeared in the first movie, also appear in this one. It would give away too much to reveal exactly how their characters appeared. Still, it is not spoiling anything to say that some of the appearances are very short cameos (e.g., through video footage), and others are more substantial.

The movie is set sixteen years after the events of the first movie and sees the return of the "sky people," aka the Resources Development Administration (RDA), to Pandora. Their mission is to colonize Pandora but to do so, they realize they will have to take out Jake. We learn that Jake and Neytiri have a family. When their family is attacked, they flee the forest and take refuge with a Na'vi clan called the Metkayin, who live next to the ocean and have a symbiotic relationship with the sea-dwelling creatures. We also learn that the Metkayin have a different physiology and a completely different way of life than the forest-dwelling clans. Of course, they cannot stay hidden forever, and another epic battle with the sky people ensues.

There are a couple of different versions of the 4K sets. This one is a three-disc version with a UHD disc and two regular Blu-Ray discs. The UHD disc and the first regular Blu-Ray disc contain the movie, while the second regular Blu-Ray disc has all of the bonus features. The most extensive bonus feature is a series of making-of featurettes that can be played together or individually, totaling almost three hours. The behind-the-scenes material covers the new characters, the returning characters, the casting process, the advances made to the motion capture technology, the stunt work, and more. Then, there is a music video and some promotional spots for the movie. So, this set has well over three hours of bonus content. There is a four-disc set that includes a second bonus disc, and that one has over eight hours of bonus features. It sucks that there are two different 4K releases, but if you want all of the bonus content, you need to pay attention to what 4K set you are purchasing. They did a similar 4K release for the first Avatar movie, but the difference is that the upgraded set for the original movie also had the expanded edition of the movie, whereas, for the sequel, both sets just have the theatrical release (which is on its own over three hours long). 

Ultimately, this is a good sequel. It touches on many of the same themes as the original movie and expands the world of Pandora beyond what we saw in the first film. The acting and writing are very good, and the motion capture and CGI technology have advanced so much and look so good that it is almost hard to tell what is practical and what is computer-generated. The A/V quality is top-notch, and the video and sound are reference-quality. If you enjoyed the first movie, this is absolutely worth watching.

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Spiderman: Far from Home

 

+++Warning, this contains spoilers from Homecoming and Endgame, but no major Far From Home giveaways.+++

Spiderman: Far From Home is one of the 2019 films in the massive MCU slate of movies. It stars Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Marissa Tomei, and Jon Favreau (reprising their roles as Peter Parker, MJ, Ned, May, and Happy). It also features MCU alumni Samuel L. Jackson and Cobie Smulders (in smaller roles) and brings in Jake Gyllenhaal as the film's antagonist, Quentin Beck/Mysterio. It picks up months after Endgame when the world knows Iron Man, Black Widow, and Vision (and thinks Captain America) are all dead. The snap is referred to in the movie as "the blip" because the people who were snapped out of existence came back to the same place they were instantaneously, as far as they were concerned. May (who, of course, learned Peter's secret at the end of Homecoming) and Peter are using his identity as Spiderman for charitable fundraising, and he is getting ready to go on a summer trip to Europe with his class and has an entire plan to tell MJ how he feels about her. In the process, Peter gets sucked into a mission from Nick Fury involving the character Mysterio, played by Jake Gyllenhall. I will not say too much about the movie itself to keep from giving too much away, even though the trailer gave away a lot, both with footage that ended up in the film and footage that was cut. However, I will say it strikes a good balance between mourning Endgame's events and the first movie's comedic elements. The writing and acting were again great, and it sets up a lot of what is to come.

The 4K set is a two-disc set that includes a UHD disc and a regular Blu-Ray disc. The AV quality of the movie in UHD is wonderful, and it looks and sounds great as you would expect. The extras include previews that play after the disc loads before the main menu pops up. There are some different previews on the 4k disc vs. the regular blu-ray disc, which has all the other extras on it. Then there are deleted/alternate scenes, a gag reel, and multiple behind-the-scenes and making-of clips. It amounts to a little over an hour's worth of material. Overall, it is an excellent continuation of the MCU storyline. Thankfully, the spat between Sony and Disney was resolved so Spiderman stays in the MCU because the movie was clearly setting up a direction for the character which would have had to be scrapped if Marvel lost the rights again. I definitely recommend it.

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Jumanji: The Next Level

 

Jumanji: The Next Level is a 2019 action/comedy starring Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Jack Black, Nick Jonas, Madison Iseman, Alex Wolff, Morgan Turner, and Ser'Darius Blain from the original movie. Awkwafina, Danny DeVito, Rory McCann, and Danny Glover join the cast for this movie. It is a direct sequel to Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, which was partly a sequel and partly a reboot of the 1995 Robin Williams movie Jumani. It begins after a time jump when Spencer is in college in NY in a long-distance relationship with Martha, but feeling depressed and cut off from the group of friends. He returns home for Christmas break to find that his grandfather Eddie, played by Danny DeVito is staying in his room while recovering from hip surgery. It is not giving away anything to say he ends up in the game and the rest of the group goes back in to get him out, with unexpected consequences. One of which (again not giving anything away) is that Eddie and his frienemy Milo (played by Danny Glover) also end up in the game.

All of the main cast of characters who appear in the game, Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, and Nick Jonas all appear. But, this time The Rock and Kevin Hart have to play DeVito and Glover's characters (to hilarious results) and Jack Black has to play Fridge. There are also new characters in the game, including Rory McCann (The Hound from Game Of Thrones, and one of the few outside pro wrestling who can make The Rock look small) playing the big-bad, Jurgen The Brutal, and Awkwafina. Colin Hanks also reprises his role, in a larger role than he had in the first movie (but not much).

The 4K set is a two-disc set containing a UHD disc (with the movie) and a regular Blu-Ray disc (with the movie and the bonus content). The film looks and sounds excellent in the UHD format. The UHD disc includes previews that play after the disc loads and the movie itself. The extras on the regular blu-ray disc include approximately an hour's worth of making-of and behind-the-scenes material, a gag reel, and the same previews as on the UHD disc. A good amount of extras, especially since fewer extras are being included on the physical disc releases these days.

Overall, the movie uses the same formula as the first, a blend of comedy, action, and a bit of drama. Yes, there is quite a bit of bad language and some off-color jokes. So, if you would be driven nuts by that, this is not for you. From what I remember, the first movie was not exactly squeaky clean either, but this is definitely not a movie for young kids like the original 1995 movie. The Rock and Kevin Hart are awesome playing old geezers, and once Awkwafina shows up, she steals every scene she is in. A mid-credits scene clearly sets up a third movie, that will definitely take things in a different direction. While I cannot say that everyone will like the movie, but if you were a fan of the 2017 movie, this is definitely worth checking out.

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

 

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is the fifth and likely final installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Before the allegations made against Johnny Depp by  Amber Heard were exposed, it was hard to tell if the Pirates franchise would ever truly be over until Johnny Depp decided he did not want to do any more of them. It seems, however, that this will be the final movie. This one was released in 2017 and starred Depp, Javier Bardem, Geoffrey Rush, Brenton Thwaites, Kaya Scodelario, and Kevin McNally. The main focus of the story is the search for Poseidon's trident, which allows whoever wields it, power over the seas. Javier Bardem is the new "big bad", Captain Espinoza, who has a history with Jack Sparrow. Geoffrey Rush reprises his role as Barbosa, and many of the original supporting characters appear as well (e.g., Kevin McNally as Gibbs). Thwaites plays Henry Turner, the son of Will and Elizabeth, and Scodelario plays an astronomer (who is accused of being a witch) who is trying to find the trident to follow a map her father left for her. 

The 4K set is a two-disc set containing a UHD disc and a regular Blu-Ray disc. The movie looks and sounds great in the UHD format, and it is a reference-quality release. There are awesome visuals that are a mix of practical and CGI, and they really pop in the UHD format. The UHD disc has just the movie, and the regular Blu-ray disc has the extras. The extras include over an hour of making-of and behind-the-scenes material, a gag reel, deleted scenes, and a couple of previews. A pretty good amount, especially with less and less bonus material being put out with the physical discs these days.

Overall, I think the movie is good, even if it is derivative (at times) of parts of the other movies. Assuming this is the final movie in the series, it does a good job telling its own story while having callbacks to and essentially finishing the Will and Elizabeth story (both Orlando Bloom and Kiera Knightly have cameos in the film). The younger actor's roles were clearly meant to mirror, but not outright copy, the roles of Bloom and Knightley in the first movie. Depp can easily step back into what has become an iconic character without missing a beat. It would have been nice to incorporate Orlando Bloom into the movie more, as there was certainly a pretty easy way to do so, but from what I remember reading back when it was announced that the movie would be made, he was not really interested in more than a cameo role. While I do not think that the movie is as good as The Curse of The Black Pearl, I do think that it was on par with, or better than, the other sequels. I do think with a running time of just over two hours, it did not feel like the movie was dragging on too long. I definitely think it is worth checking out.

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Avengers Endgame

 

Endgame is the 2019 MCU entry that was the direct sequel to Avengers: Infinity War and a conclusion to the first decade of Marvel movies, which started in 2008 with Iron Man. It stars the main Avengers cast members, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, and Jeremy Renner, all of whom survived Thanos' snap in Infinity War. I will not spoil any specifics for any of the few who may not have seen it by now, but the basic plot is that the team tries to find a way to undo the effects of "the snap," which wiped out half of all life in the universe at the end of Infinity War. It is a great blend of action, dramatic moments, and comedy (mostly involving Thor), and finds a way to tie in many of the moments and characters that have been involved in the MCU throughout the course of the 23 movies. And, even finds a fun way to do a quick shout-out to one of the TV series.

The 4K set is a three-disc set with a UHD disc and two regular Blu-Ray discs. The UHD disc only includes the movie, which looks and sounds outstanding in the UHD format. One of the regular Blu-Rays has the movie with an intro by the directors and can be played with a commentary track featuring the directors and writers of the film. The other regular Blu-Ray disc has all of the extras. There are seven different featurettes, the longest of which is a featurette on Captain America, and the shortest of which is about Thor. Then, there are about five minutes of deleted scenes and a short gag reel. If you are a fan of the other movies, this is a must-get. It is one of the best (if not the best) of the entire group of 23 movies. It is well-written and acted that is funny at times, emotional at times, and action-packed from start to finish.  It is a good send-off for some characters and a good reset point for others. I will not spoil which characters fit into which category, but chances are anyone who has read about the future plans (or attended comic-con) will know.

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Venom

 

Venom is a 2018 Sci-Fi action movie starring Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, Scott Haze, and Jenny Slate. It is an MCU-adjacent movie that exists in the world of Spiderman, but the decision was to use it as a stand-alone movie without using the black suit version of Spiderman to introduce Venom (as was done in Spiderman 3). Therefore, in this version, multiple symbionts were brought to Earth from a space mission that killed all but one of the astronauts. They were discovered by the head of the company that funded the mission called Life Sciences (played by Ahmed), who then began experimenting with bonding the symbionts with homeless and drug-addicted humans. Tom Hardy plays Eddie Brock, a former reporter who was fired and now doing freelance work. Of course, one of the symbionts joins with him to form Venom.

The movie is a great blend of action and very dark humor. Because they did not use Spiderman, Venom is introduced as the anti-hero version of the character, doing bad things (mainly eating) bad guys. Michelle Williams plays the ex-wife of Eddie Brock. She does a really great job playing off Tom Hardy and brings a lot of comedy to the movie, which is outside her usual acting roles. The best part of the movie is the discussions/arguments/bickering that goes on between Brock and Venom, mostly in Brock's mind which makes it look to everyone else like he is talking to himself. It also requires Hardy to do a lot of physical comedy, which he turns out to be great at.

The 4K set is a two-disc set containing a UHD disc and a regular Blu-Ray disc. On the UHD disc, there is only the movie and a preview of the movie Into the Spiderverse. All the other extras are on the regular Blu-ray. Those include several deleted scenes, including an extended version of the end credits scene which teases where the next movie will go, assuming it gets made, then about an hour's worth of making of and behind-the-scenes material mixed with some featurettes on the history of the Venom character. So there are a lot of good extras.

I cannot say everyone will like the movie, and it definitely pushes the PG-13 rating to the limit, mostly because of the language. There is a lot of swearing and some sexually suggestive jokes. It is closer to Deadpool than it is to, say, Avengers. But it puts a different twist on the MCU movies and sets up a good possible franchise to exist in that universe. It is worth checking out.

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Aliens

 

Aliens is a 1986 Sci-Fi action/adventure/horror film written and directed by James Cameron as a sequel to the 1979 Ridley Scott film Alien. It stars Sigourney Weaver (reprising her role as Ripley from Alien), Carrie Henn, Bill Paxton, Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, Jenette Goldstein, Paul Reiser, Al Matthews, Mark Rolston, and William Hope. The movie is set 57 years after the events of Alien. At the beginning of the film, Ripley's spacecraft is discovered with her and Jones the cat still in stasis. We learn that the exomoon LV-426 has been colonized by a terraforming colony with no reports of hostile aliens. When Earth loses contact with the colony, Ripley is asked by a representative of the Weyland Corporation named Carter Burke (played by Reiser) to act as a consultant for a group of Marines sent to investigate the loss of communication. Once they arrive on the moon, they find the colony destroyed and evidence of an attack.

The 4k set is a three-disc set containing a UHD disc and two regular Blu-Rays. The UHD disc and one of the regular Blu-Rays just include the two versions of the movie (the theatrical edition and the 1990 remastered expanded edition). There are commentary tracks on each version of the movie by Cameron and members of the cast and crew. Some of the people providing commentary were recorded together, and some were recorded on their own, so the commentary jumps between conversations. The second regular Blu-Ray disc contains bonus features. The bonus disc has over four hours of extras. The most extensive is a three-hour-long making-of documentary (that can be watched in individual segments or in a play-all mode) that includes interviews with the cast and crew from the time the movie was being made, along with interviews made later on. There is also a discussion with Jim Cameron that was made very recently. Finally, there are some stills galleries, trailers, and TV spots.

Ultimately, the movie is very good, with a lot of action and suspense. The longer version of the film adds about 20 minutes of additional footage, mostly at the beginning of the movie before the team arrives on LV-426, which adds a bit more context for Ripley's motivations. The bonus content and commentary tracks provide a lot of interesting information, including the contentious filming process (Cameron, who has a reputation for being hard to work with anyway, butted heads with much of the initial crew that was forced upon him by Pinewood studio), how Weaver ended up getting a massive payday because she was not signed until after the script (which was centered around the Ripley character) was written, and how Cameron was only allowed to direct the movie after The Terminator was a hit. The A/V quality of the UHD disc is good. This movie looks grainier than many of Cameron's other 4k restorations because of how the movie was shot. Cameron notoriously hates film grain and uses a lot of digital noise reduction to make his older movies look like they were shot digitally with today's cameras, which some people hate. But because of the equipment they used to film Aliens, some of the grain is left in (although it is much less grainy than the VHS or original DVD release). Since CGI was not a thing back in 1986, in the UHD format, you can definitely tell when models or matte paintings were being used to create effects, and some of the effects do look a bit cheesy. Even so, the movie is still very enjoyable and well worth the time to watch.

4k-UHD/Movie Review: John Wick

 

John Wick is a 2004 action/adventure thriller starring Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyquist, Alfie Allen, Adrianne Palicki, Bridget Moynahan, Dean Winters, Lance Reddick, John Leguizamo, Willem Dafoe, and Ian McShane. It is a fairly "simple" story. Keanu Reeves plays an ex-assassin who left the profession to get married. His dying wife gives him a puppy so he will not be alone when she dies, and the son of a Russian mobster, not knowing who he is, breaks into his house, beats him up, steals his car, and worst of all kills the dog. From that point, it is Keanu killing everyone in sight to get revenge.

Of course, every action movie Keanu does is going to be compared to the Matrix movies. This does have very similar fight scenes with a lot of martial arts and shoot-em-up "gun-fu," as they call it. The fight scenes are more realistic than in The Matrix, obviously, and Keanu is not quite as indestructible as he is in those movies. Almost, however. The supporting cast includes a great mix of notable and character actors, including Alfie Allen, Adrianne Palicki, Lance Reddick, Ian McShane, John Leguizamo, and Willem Dafoe. It seems like everyone involved was having fun with the movie, being serious about it without taking it too seriously.

The 4k set is a two-disc set. It includes a UHD disc and a regular Blu-Ray disc. The UHD disc has the movie and all the extras (so the regular Blu-Ray is pretty much redundant). The bonus material includes about 45 minutes or so of making-of and behind-the-scenes material, the best of which shows that Reeves is still committed to doing as many of his own stunts as possible. So, it has a good amount of material, especially since the movie is only about an hour and 40 minutes long.

Overall, if you are looking for a good action movie that flows well and is a fun ride, this is definitely worth it. It is very violent and bloody, but that works for the type of movie it is. I absolutely recommend it.

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Tomb Raider

 

Tomb Raider is a 2018 action/adventure film starring Alicia Vikander, Dominic West, Walton Goggins, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Daniel Wu. It reboots the Tomb Raider movie franchise from the two movies starring Angelina Jolie. It serves as an origin story for a young Lara Croft (played by Alicia Vikander) who goes in search of her father (played by Dominic West), who disappeared seven years earlier when he went in search of a tomb on an island near Japan. The supporting cast is made up of Walton Goggins (who does a great job as the main villain), Daniel Wu (who is being set up as an ally for Lara should the franchise continue), and Kristin Scott Thomas.

Like the other movies, this is heavy on action, with a little bit of drama mixed in. There is not as much humor as in the original two movies (on the whole). Alicia Vikander does a good job making the role her own and not copying what Jolie did. That said, I do think Jolie was better overall in the role (although she was playing Lara in her 30s as opposed to her early 20s), so by definition, hers was a more mature version of the character. It should be noted, however, that this is a total reboot, not a prequel to the Jolie movies. It is set in the modern day, not a decade (or so) before the original two movies. So, die-hard fans of those films may be upset by that fact.

The 4k set is a two-disc set containing a UHD disc and a regular Blu-Ray disc. It does seem like there are different 4k sets pit there, but the version I have has a UHD disc (with just the movie on it) and a second regular blu-ray, which has the movie and the bonus materials. For those who get that one, the bonus features are three short behind-the-scenes and making-of featurettes and then a slightly less than 10-minute feature on the evolution of the video game franchise. Good for what is there, but not a ton. Ultimately, the movie is good but not great. It is worth watching if you are in the mood for an action movie that is not too deep and that you don't necessarily have to pay attention to every second of it in order to follow along.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Hustlers

 

Hustlers is a 2019 film starring Constance Wu, Jennifer Lopez, Julia Stiles, Lilli Reinhart, Keke Palmer, Lizzo, and Cardi B. It is about a group of strippers who drug their clients (mostly wealthy Wall Street types) and run up their credit cards. Lopez stars as Romona, the ringleader of the crew, and Constance Wu plays Destiny, a stripper that Romona takes under her wing. It is basically a story about greed, friendship, and family, blending a mix of drama and comedy. Despite being a movie about strippers, all the main characters keep everything covered. Cardi B and Lizzo have a couple of shots where they are in pasties, and Jennifer Lopez has sported some major cleavage throughout the movie and has a couple of shots of her in a thong, but that is really the extent of the nudity.

The 4k set is a two-disc set with a UHD disc and a regular Blu-Ray disc. The UHD disc has just the movie and the commentary track with the director, Lorene Scafaria. The only other bonus material is two trailers for the movie, which are included on the regular Blu-ray disc. It is really quite weak in extras, so if you only get the physical discs when there are a lot of bonus features, then you will probably want to just stream this. Overall, it is a good movie with a decent story. Despite being almost two hours long, the movie flows well and never seems to drag on. It is quite funny in parts, and the outfits they put Jennifer Lopez in (who still looks phenomenal at 50) are not bad either. It is definitely worth checking out.

4k-UHD/Movie Review: It's a Wonderful Life

 

It's a Wonderful Life is, of course, the beloved holiday movie from 1947 directed by Frank Capra and starring Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed, and Lionel Barrymore. It gets played on television around Christmas every year, but this is a totally restored 4k upgrade of the film. The restoration was necessitated due to the fact that the original 35 mm film negatives were deteriorating and were not going to survive much longer. So, in the process of converting the film to digital, it was upgraded to 4k.

I am sure most people who are considering purchasing this already know the story and have probably seen the movie many times over the years. It tells the story of the life of George Bailey (played by Stewart) as he grows up and resents his life over time, to the point where he is considering committing suicide until his guardian angel intervenes and shows him what would happen to the people in his life had he never been born. The movie is definitely a classic, even with some of the cheesiness and hokeyness that movies of that age are known for. That said, the acting and writing were very high-quality, and Stewart did a great job in navigating the character of George to becoming more of a jackass as his life went on. While the story does require you to believe that Stewart (who was in his late 30s when the movie was made) was just out of high school at the beginning of the movie and may have worked with a younger actor playing that part, Stewart made it work.

The 4k set is a two-disc set containing a UHD disc and a regular Blu-Ray disc. The UHD disc has the restored 4k black and white version of the film, and the regular Blu-Ray disc includes the colorized version in 1080p. Of course, some would see watching it in color as akin to blasphemy, but it is there for those who want it. The 4k restoration is wonderful, and the movie looks and sounds the best it has on physical media in UHD. There are about 45 min of extras, including a featurette on the restoration of the movie, secrets from the vault segment that gives insights into how the movie was made, and then a short 8-minute home-movie reel of the wrap party. Note that prior physical media releases of the film included a making-of featurette and the trailer, which are not included in this release. Ultimately, this is a reference-quality UHD release. If you do not yet own the movie on physical media, it is worth picking up. If you do own a prior release and really love the movie, it is worth double-dipping to get the 4k set as it is a significant upgrade to the A/V quality of the movie.