Monster Collection (Blu-ray) by Ian Jane The Movieppleganger Releasing's The Monster Collection is documentary double-feature that brings together two horror-themed works by French filmmakers Alexandre Poncet and Gilles Penso in one impressive, deluxe package. Here's a look at the two features…2019's Phil Tippett: Mad Dreams and Monsters is an eighty-three minute piece that explores the life and career of its titular subject, widely regarded as one of the best creature creators in modern horror moviedom. Made up of interviews with its subject as well as with contemporaries Joe Dante, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Paul Verhoeven and Dennis Muren, the film does a nice job not only of delving into Tippet's background and early days but also in exploring both the films and filmmakers that influneced him as well as those who would go on to be influenced by his own work. Having won an Oscar for hi...Read the entire review »

The Daydreamer (Blu-ray) by Stuart Galbraith IV The Daydreamer (1966) was one of the first theatrical features of Videocraft International, better known today as Rankin/Bass, the little company behind some of the best-loved holiday specials, including Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) and Frosty the Snowman (1969), plus the occasional feature or TV-movie, of which Mad Monster Party? (1967) and the made-in-Japan King Kong Escapes (1967) and The Last Dinosaur (1977) are perhaps the most familiar. Based for many years in New York City, Rankin/Bass operated somewhat outside normal entertainment channels which, in turn, gave their productions a distinctive house style. That and the fact that most of the key talent remained a constant throughout their peak years: Romeo Muller wrote many of their scripts, while Maury Laws composed most of Rankin/Bass's musical scores. Though the company hired big Holl...Read the entire review »

Your Honor by Ryan Keefer The Show: I assume the opinion on Bryan Cranston is strongly consensus are better at this point; the actor who started as a comic Dad then moved to a much more serious one on (Breaking Bad) that earned voluminous praise and awards has slowly continued elevating his talents, mostly acting in movies with television show work scattered throughout, with the latest one being Your Honor, an adaptation of an Israeli miniseries. Cranston plays Michael Desiato, a New Orleans judge whose law interpretation is matched only by his compassion on the bench. Near the anniversary of his wife's death, his son Adam (Hunter Doohan) is involved in a hit and run, resulting in the death of a young boy. But the boy is the son of Jimmy Butler (Michael Stuhlbarg, A Serious Man), a...Read the entire review »