Batman (4K) (Blu-ray) <small>by Ian Jane</small><hr /> The Movie: When Tim Burton's Batman was released in 1989 (a bygone era when there wasn't a new superhero movie hitting screens every few months), it was, to use a clich , a game changer. Prior to this, Gotham's finest had been portrayed in campy and humorous ways in the TV series that starred Adam West. While that show was, and still is, a whole lot of fun, comic book fans knew that it wasn't a particularly accurate depiction of the character. Burton's picture fixed that, bringing a grim, seriousness to the film but still managing to work some welcome humor into the production. It was done with just the right amount of maturity and with an all-star cast. The film opens with the now familiar murder of Bruce Wayne's parents, the event that would cause him to want to use his considerable wealth and resources to fight crime as an adult. From here, we meet the adult Wayne (Micha...Read the entire review »

Yakuza Law (Arrow Video) (Blu-ray) <small>by Ian Jane</small><hr /> The Movie: Better known in North America as Yakuza's Law: Lynching, director Teruo Ishii's 1969 film for Toei opens with what is basically an atrocity exhibition, showcasing what should happen to those either unlucky or foolish enough to cross the Yakuza. From there? We essentially journey through time as the film offers up three different short stories that showcase the cruelty and violence that the Yakuza has been known for throughout the ages. The first story is set in feudal times, the Edo Period to be exact, where we learn the story of a man played by iconic Japanese film star Bunta Sugawara. The second story takes place in the Meiji Period and follows an exiled man named Ogata (Minoru Oki) as her returns after a stint in jail to his home town to face up to the punishment that he knows will be meted out to him because of what he's done in the past. The third story take...Read the entire review »

Reign of the Supermen (Blu-ray) <small>by Francis Rizzo III</small><hr /> <style></style> In 10 Words or Less Lose one Superman, gain four more The Movie Back when I used to work in a comic shop, I got to experience, first-hand, the hype that was the death of Superman. This was in the midst of the co...Read the entire review »

Road to Zanzibar (Blu-ray) <small>by Francis Rizzo III</small><hr /> <style></style> In 10 Words or Less Crosby and Hope are back on their schemes The Movie Last time we saw Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, they were playing a couple of ne'er do wells in Road to Singapore, pulling scams, getting...Read the entire review »

Greta (2018) (Blu-ray) <small>by William Harrison</small><hr /> THE FILM: Those looking for subtle ruminations on obsessions and neuroses may be disappointed by Neil Jordan's genre thriller Greta, which at minimum offers campy, B-movie trappings for genre fans. Largely superficial and often implausible, the film nonetheless entertains thanks to the cat-and-mouse dance of its two stars, Isabelle Huppert and Chloe Grace Moretz. The latter plays young New York City waitress Frances McCullen, who finds a handbag on the subway and returns it to French widow Greta Hideg (Ruppert), who is eager for her company. The pair begins spending time with one another, but Frances soon discovers Greta is more than a little bit obsessed with her. This material is trashy, especially for talents like Ruppert and Jordan, but that is kind of the point. I wish Jordan, in his first film in nearly seven years, had kept the tight, psychological twirl...Read the entire review »