Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer: Blu-ray

Showing posts with label Blu-ray. Show all posts

Friday, November 27, 2020

Blu-ray Review - 2067 (2020)

The Australian futuristic time-traveling fantasy 2067 landed on DVD and Blu-ray on November 17, 2020, from RLJE Films (part of AMC Networks). Directed by Seth Larney (Tombiruo), the 114-minute film stars Kodi Smit-McPhee (X-Men Apocalypse, Let Me In) and Ryan Kwanten (True Blood).

Set in 2067, Earth is infected by climate change, forcing humans to live on artificial oxygen. To make things worse, an illness is killing the world's population. After receiving a message from the future, the only hope for humanity is a tunnel worker Ethan Whyte (played by Kodi Smit-McPhee), and his adopted big-brother Jude Mathers (played by Ryan Kwantena), who must time travel to the year 2474 to search for the "cure."

Blu-ray Review - The Secret: Dare To Dream (2020)

Billy Burgess Blu-ray , movies

Lionsgate Home Entertainment sent me The Secret: Dare To Dream Blu-ray in late September. The film is loosely inspired by the self-help book and documentary The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, which I'm not too familiar with besides the law of attraction theme. Roadside Attractions and Gravitas Ventures were going to release the film to theaters in April 2019, but it got delayed due to the COVID-19 pademic. Instead it received a VOD release during the summer.

Blu-ray Review - Terry Pratchett's The Color of Magic & Hogfather

Billy Burgess Blu-ray , TV

I’m not a big fan of fantasy novels for many reasons that I won’t list here. My fantasy knowledge is limited, but I'm aware of many popular fantasy authors, such as the late Terry Pratchett, the author of the Discworld series. Over the years, many readers have suggested I should read the Discworld books. I’ve kept my eye out for the books at thrift stores and used bookshops, but I've never come across any of them.

Blu-ray Review - James Cameron's Story of Science Fiction (2018)

Billy Burgess Blu-ray , documentary

Today on Blu-ray (Amazon) and DVD from RLJ Entertainment (AMC Studios) is 2018’s documentary miniseries James Cameron’s Story of Science Fiction, featuring all 6-episodes on a 2-disc set.

There’s no bigger name in the world of science fiction than James Cameron (the director of Terminator 1 & 2, Aliens, The Abyss, and Avatar), so it shouldn’t be a shocker he wanted to make the ultimate documentary about science fiction movie and television series.

Blu-ray Review - Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: The Complete Series

Billy Burgess Blu-ray , comedy

While looking for something new to watch on Netflix, I came across Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and then I realized that I had the series on Blu-ray. Mill Creek Entertainment had sent me the 8-disc Blu-ray set earlier this year, which I had forgotten about. So, for the past week, I've been binge-watching all 51 episodes.

If you're not living under a rock, like me, then you were probably already aware of the series. I had no clue what it was about until I began watching the first season. It's a wacky comedy, just without a laugh-track.

Blu-ray Review - Return of Ultraman

Billy Burgess Blu-ray , television

*This is a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% mine.

Walmart * AMAZON * Best Buy

I've spent the past week binge-watching the 1971-1972 Japanese series Return of Ultraman, which was recently released to Blu-ray ($39.98; 21 hrs 39 mins) from Mill Creek Entertainment, featuring all 51 episodes on a 6-disc set. There are no special feature or bonus extras ,but it set does come with a 24-page episode guide booklet. The series is also available on a Blu-ray Steelbook!

Blu-ray Review - Swamp Thing: The Complete Series (2019)

Billy Burgess Blu-ray , DC Comics

Available on Blu-ray and DVD!

Swamp Thing: The Complete Series will arriving on Blu-ray (+ Digital Code) and DVD today from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. There are no special features or bonus extras.

Based on the DC Comics series by Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, Swamp Thing was created by Gary Dauberman and Mark Verheiden for the DC Universe streaming service. Originally, the first season was given an order of 13 episodes but it was later cut down to 10 episodes. Just after the season premiere aired on May 31, 2019, the series was canceled. While there hasn't been an official reason announced for the cancellation, it most likely had to do with the fact that the promised $40 million tax incentive from North Carolina turned out to be only $14 million.

Set in Marais, Louisiana, the series centers around CDC doctor Abby Arcane (played by Crystal Reed) returning to her hometown to investigate a deadly virus, dubbed the "Green Flu," that has infected several locals, including a young girl, Susie Coyle (played by Elle Graham). Shortly after her arrival, she meets Alec Holland (played by Andy Bean), a disgraced biologist who was hired by her adopted father, Avery Sunderland (played by Will Patton), to study the marsh. After being attacked by Sutherland's hired hands, Alec is shot and left to die in the swamp. The swamp mutates Alec into a plant-like creature — Swamp Thing (played by Derek Mears)

The rest of the cast includes Virginia Madsen, Jennifer Beals, Kevin Durand, and Ian Ziering.

Final Thoughts

After binge-watching all 10 episodes of Swamp Thing over the weekend, I wish the series had continued with a second season. Sure, there are many problems with the story, which I'll get to in a minute, but overall I enjoyed watching it.

Derek Mears gives a great performance as Swamp Thing, who should have been the center character but instead was forced into the background while secondary characters took the spotlight. Crystal Reed does an alright job playing Dr. Abby Acrane but the writers spent too much time focusing on her story arc.

The big baddie, Dr. Anton Arcane, from the '80s Swamp Thing movies and the '90s television series doesn't appear in this adaptation. In his replacement is Avery Sunderland (played by Will Patton) and Dr. Jason Woodrue (played by Kevin Durand), which their characters were left in limbo thanks to the series cancellation.

The Blue Devil subplot was poorly written and felt pointless, especially when you add in Ian Ziering's bad acting.

The picture and sound qualities for all the episodes on the 2-disc set were topnotch. It would have been nice if there were a few special features.

Overall, despite some storytelling problems, Swamp Thing had the potential to improve if the series was allowed to continue. Here's hoping Swamp Thing: The Complete Series does well enough on Blu-ray and DVD so it won't be the last time we see the Swamp Thing on-screen.

Learn About Space Exploration with These Blu-rays!

Billy Burgess Blu-ray , documentary

Once upon a time, space exploration was actually a popular subject our society. I recall reading about NASA in textbooks, weekly readers, and Scholastic books back when I was in elementary school in the late '80s and early '90s. While there are a few companies (Space X) trying to figure out how to get us to the Mars, NASA doesn't get very much mainstream attention these days ever since the government retired the shuttle program.

Personally, space exploration has always been an interesting subject for me and I enjoy reading anything on the subject as well as watching documentaries, such as the Space Station (Space Station 3D) and NASA: A Journey Through Space. Both of these documentaries were released to Blu-rays earlier this year by Mill Creek Entertainment. (FYI: Space Station was released on 4K ULTRA HD Blu-ray!)

Space Station was the first 3D live-action IMAX film to be shot in space. Produced and directed by Toni Myers, the 47-minute film was original released to IMAX screens in 2002 and grossed over $127 million.

Tom Cruise narrates this documentary about the high-flying laboratory ISS (International Space Station) that's 220 miles above the Earth and moves at a speed of 17,500 MPH. Highlights include the station's in-orbit construction and glimpses of crew members as they work.

Special Features include:

Director's Audio Commentary
Adventures in Space - Interviews with Tom Cruise, Director Toni Myers, and the Astronauts aboard.
Astronaut-Guided Tour of ISS

Expedition 7: An Audio Visual Tour of the ISS
STS-108: An Audio Visual Tour onboard Endeavor to the ISS

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray comes with a Digital Code that only be redeemed on the movieSPREE website or app.

Final Thoughts

Saturday Morning Nostalgia: Ultra Q & Ultraman Blu-ray Steelbooks

Billy Burgess Blu-ray , television

*This is a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% mine.

I bet many adults who grew up in the '90s believe the Power Rangers was the first Kaiju American television series, when in fact the Mighty Morphin team is based on the Japanese franchise Super Sentai that began in 1975, and, no, it wasn't the first series to feature giant monsters. Way back in 1966, there was a Japanese children series called Ultra Q that included monsters causing chaos in Japan.

Mill Creek Entertainment; Amazon

Produced by Tsuburaya Productions from special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya (co-creator of Godzilla, Rodan, and Mothra for Toho Studios), Ultra Q was an X-Files-like 24-minute series about a group of supernatural investigators - Mainichi Shimpo photojournalist Yuriko Edogawa (played by Hiroko Sakurai), Hoshikawa Airlines pilot/SF writer Jun Manjome (Kenji Sahara) and his co-pilot Ippei Togawa (Yasuhiko Saijo) - who investigate mysterious events that occur in and near Japan.

Despite only 28 episodes being produced, Ultra Q was a big hit and spawned the Ultraman franchise.

Ultra Q: The Complete Series (Not Rated; 11hrs 56mins; $49.98) was released on a 4-Dsic Blu-ray SteelBook set on October 15 from Mill Creek Entertainment featuring a 24-page Information and Episode Guide booklet. A Digital Code comes with the set that can only redeemed on movieSPREE.com/redeem or on the movieSPREE app. There are no special features or bonus extras.

FYI: Ultra Q is also available to buy on a standard Blu-ray set.

Mill Creek Entertainment; Amazon

Ultraman: The Complete Series (Not Rated; 16hrs 28mins; $49.98) was also released on a Blu-ray Steelbook on October 15th from Mill Creek Entertainment featuring all 39 episodes on a 5-disc set as well as a 24-page Information and an Episode Guide booklet. It comes with a Digital Code that can only be redeemed on movieSPREE. There are no special features or bonus extras.

FYI: Ultraman is also available to buy on a standard Blu-ray set.

The series involves Ultraman, a giant alien from the Land of Light in Nebula M78, chasing a space monster into the Earth's atmosphere when he accidentally collides into a Jet VTOL piloted by Hayata, a member of the Science Special Search Party (SSSP), an international research and defense agency that protects Earth against aliens. To prevent Hayata from dying, Ultraman merges his life force with him, which means when the world is in danger from a giant monster, Hayata will become Ultraman to defend humankind.

Mill Creek Entertainment will be releasing more DVD and Blu-rays from the Ultraman franchise in near feature starting with Ultraman Orb: The Complete Series & Movie and Ultraman Geed: The Complete Series & Movie later this month. More releases will follow in the Spring and Summer of 2020.

Final Thoughts

Blu-ray Review - Fort Yuma Gold & Damned Hot Day of Fire (Western Double Feature)

Billy Burgess Blu-ray , movie

*This is a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% mine.

Mill Creek Entertainment; Amazon

I need to kick my own butt into gear as I have several books and DVDs/Blu-rays piled up on my desk that need to reviewed, such as the Western Double Feature Blu-ray which was sent to me by Mill Creek Entertainment way back in the spring. The two movies on the single-disc Blu-ray (Not Rated; 3 hrs 21 mins; $14.98) are Fort Yuma Gold and Damned Hot Day of Fire. These are films are two of Quentin Tarantino's favorite spaghetti westerns. There are no special features or bonus extras.

Fort Yuma Gold (also known as For a Few Extra Dollars) was originally released in 1966. It's technically the second installment in a trilogy that started with One Silver Dollar and ended with Wanted. Directed by Calvin J. Padget, the film stars Montgomery Wood (a.k.a. Giuliano Gemma) as Gary Diamond, a captured Confederate solider who agrees to lead Union soldiers against Major Sanders, a leader of Southern followers who want to attack Fort Yuma. The cast also includes Dan Vadis, Jacques Sernas, and Sophie Daumier. The film's score is by Ennio Morricone and Gianni Ferrio.

Damned Hot Day of Fire (also known as Machine Gun Killers and Gatling Gun) was originally released in 1968. Directed by Paolo Bianchini, the film stars Robert Woods as Chris Tanner, a Union Captain who must clear his name after bandits kidnap the Gatling gun inventor, Richard Gatling, for a million dollar ransom. To make things worse, the bandits also stole Gatling's new gun with the intention of selling it to the Confederates. The movie also stars John Ireland and Evelyn Stewart. The film's score is by Perio Piccioni.

Final Thoughts

Blu-ray Review: Damages: The Complete Series

Billy Burgess Blu-ray , television

*This is a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% mine.

Mill Creek Entertainment; Amazon

I spent the last few weeks binge watching Damages: The Complete Series ($99.98; 46 hours 17 minutes) which was released to Blu-ray by Mill Creek Entertainment earlier this year. I believe it's also available on DVD.

Created by Todd A. Kessler, Glenn Kessler, and Daniel Zelman, the series starred Glenn Close and Rose Byrne. The series aired from 2007 to 2012 and won four Emmy awards. The first three seasons aired on FX and the last two seasons were on Direct TV's Audience Network.

The series centers around a fresh out of law school Ellen Parsons (played by Rose Byrne) who gets a job at the law firm "Hewes & Associates" which is owned by Patty Hewes (played by Glenn Close). During the first season, she's assigned to work on the Arthur Frobisher case. The only reason she was hired in the first place is because of her soon-to-be sister-in-law, who's connected to Frobisher (played by Ted Danson).

Each season centers around a different case with a slew of cast members and guest stars, including William Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden, Timothy Olyphant, Martin Short, Lily Tomlin, John Goodman, Ryan Phillippe, Dylan Baker, Janet McTeer, Jenna Elfman, and John Hannah.

Final Thoughts

Blu-ray Review: Aladdin (2019)

Billy Burgess Blu-ray , Disney

*This is a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% mine.

Walmart

Does anyone remember the live-action Aladdin in theatres back in May?

I don't recall seeing one single advertisement for the film but, then again, I hardly pay attention to television spots anymore; though I do recall seeing a very bad trailer for Aladdin on YouTube. Anyway, I guess other people knew about the film being in theatres as it made over $1 billion at the box office, despite the fact it received mixed to negative reviews from critics.

Aladdin (PG; 128 minutes) was released a few days ago on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray Multi-Screen Edition, and DVD from Disney Home Entertainment. It's also available on Digital.

Directed by Guy Richie, the film stars Will Smith, Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott, Marwan Kenzari, Navid Negahban, Nasim Pedrad, and Billy Magnussen.

Based on the 1992 animated classic of the same name, which was inspired by the folklore Aladdin and the Magic Lamp, the film centers around a street urchin named Aladdin (played by Mena Massoud). After rescuing Princess Jasmine (played by Naomi Scott), who he believes is a handmaiden, Aladdin runs into the Grand vizier of Agrabah, Jafar (played by Marwan Kenzari), who forces him to steal a magic lamp from the Cave of Wonders. The lamp is supposed to contain a jinn who will grant whoever rubs the lamp three wishes. Jafar betrays Aladdin but thanks to a sneaky pet monkey, Abu, Aladdin is able to prevent him from getting his hands on the lamp.

Aladdin rubs the magic lamp and Genie (played by Will Smith) appears, granting him three wishes. He wishes to become a prince so he can impress Jasmine. Genie has a bit of fun attempting to make Aladdin look like a prince and in the process the two become friends.

Unknowingly to Aladdin, Jafar is just around the corner with an evil plan of taking the magic lamp so he can become the new ruler of Agrabah.

Special Features include:

ALADDIN’S VIDEO JOURNAL: A NEW FANTASTIC POINT OF VIEW – Watch behind-the-scenes moments captured by Mena Massoud (Aladdin) in this fun, fast-paced look at his personal journey.
DELETED SONG: “DESERT MOON” – Experience a moving duet performed by Jasmine and Aladdin, fully shot and edited, with an introduction by Alan Menken.
GUY RITCHIE: A CINEMATIC GENIE – Discover why director Guy Ritchie was the perfect filmmaker to tackle this exhilarating reimagining of a beloved classic.
A FRIEND LIKE GENIE – Discover how Will Smith brings talent, experience and his own personal magic to the iconic role of Genie.
DELETED SCENES

Falling Petals Into OJ
Jafar’s Magic Orrery
Anders’ Gift o Wrong Wishes
Silly Old Fool
Post Yam Jam Debrief

BLOOPERS – Laugh along with the cast and crew in this lighthearted collection of outtakes from the set.
MUSIC VIDEOS

"Speechless" – Music video performed by Naomi Scott
“A Whole New World” – Music video performed by ZAYN and Zhavia Ward
“ A Whole New World” (“Un Mundo Ideal”) – Music video performed by ZAYN and Becky G.

Final Thoughts

Blu-ray Review: Songwriter (1984)

Billy Burgess Blu-ray , movie

*This is a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% mine.

Mill Creek Entertainment; Amazon

Late last night, I watched an old movie starring Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson called Songwriter, a musical drama that was original released to theaters to in 1984. I would have been a three-year-old back then, so I had no clue this movie even existed until it was released earlier this year to Blu-ray by Mill Creek Entertainment, which is part of their VHS Retro-Look Blu-rays.

Songwriter (R; 94 mins; $14.98) centers around country singers Doc Jenkins (played by Willie Nelson) and Blackie Buck (played by Kris Kristofferson). After working together for many years, the duo separate just as Doc's personal life becomes a huge train wreck. His wife, Honey (played by Melinda Dillon) kicks him out of the house and his manager, Rodeo Rocky (Richard C. Sarafian), steals the rights to his music.

In the attempt to get his career back on track, Doc becomes the manager for Blackie and a newbie singer, Gilda (played by Lesley Ann Warren).

Final Thoughts

4K Ultra Blu-ray Review: Godzilla: King of the Monsters

Billy Burgess Blu-ray , Godzilla

*This is a sponsored review. All opinions are my own.

Amazon; Best Buy; Walmart; Target

Arriving tomorrow on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is this year's creature feature Godzilla: King of the Monsters (PG-13; 132 minutes). It's already available to own on Digital HD.

Blu-ray Review: The Hustle

Billy Burgess Blu-ray , comedy

*This is a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% my own.

AMAZON

Wouldn't you've believed a comedy starring Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson would be funny?

Unfortunately, that's not the case with The Hustle which was just released to Blu-ray and DVD this week from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. It's also available on Digital HD and On Demand.

Directed by Chris Addison, the film is a gender swapping remake of 1988's comedy Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, which itself was a remake of the 1964 classic Bedtime Story.

The Hustle centers around Penny (played by Rebel Wilson), a small-time con artist who makes a living by defrauding wealthy men. On a trip to the French Riviera, Penny runs into Josephine Chesterfield (Anne Hathaway) who just happens to also be a con artist. Eventually, the duo make a bet on who can swindle a young tech billionaire (Alex Sharp) out of his money.

The movie was critical failure but it did manage to pull in $95 million at the box office on a $21 million budget.

Blu-ray Special Features include:

Hitting the Mark – We’ll reveal the plans behind the film: from Anne Hathaway’s initial discussions with Jac Schaeffer and Rebel Wilson about updating the story for a modern era to Chris Addison’s collaboration with the cast to craft the comedy on set.
Comedy Class – Every actor in the film brings a very different comedic style to their roles. This comic clash helps sell the conflict between Josephine, Penny, and the other characters in the film.
Con Artists – The artists behind the camera help bring the story to life…in this case costume designer Emmer Fryer and production designer Alice Normington show off their skills.
Feature Commentary by Director Chris Addison

Final Thoughts

Bu-ray Review - The New Kids (1985)

Billy Burgess Blu-ray , movie

*This is sponsored review. All opinions are 100% mine.

Mill Creek Entertainment; Amazon

There were a slew of teens in peril movies released in the 1980s. A few of these titles became classics and many others have mostly been forgotten, such as 1985's The New Kids starring a young Lori Loughlin and James Spader.

The New Kids was released this week to Blu-ray (R; 90 mins; $14.98) for the very first time by Mill Creek Entertainment. There are no special features or bonus extras. It does come with an '80s VHS-style DVD slipcover.

Directed by Friday the 13th's Sean S. Cunningham, the film centers around Loren and Abby McWilliams (played by Shannon Presby and Lori Loughlin), whose parents were killed in an accident. With no were else to go, the siblings pack their bags and move to a small Florida town to live with their Uncle Charlie on his roadside amusement park.

After helping their uncle get the amusement park in working shape, Loren and Abby start school at the local high school, where I guess you can say things don't go so well there. Unknowingly to Abby, Dutra (played by James Spader) and his redneck gang make a bet to who can take Abby's virginity. However, Abby rejects all their attempts to sweep her off her feet. This leads to Dutra and his goons harassing, stalking, and tormenting Abby and her brother.

The film was critically panned and bombed at the box office; taking in under $200,000 on a $6 million budget.

Final Thoughts

Blu-ray Review: Lonesome Dove Steelbook

Billy Burgess Blu-ray , Lonesome Dove

*This is a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% mine.

Mill Creek Entertainment; Amazon

I know for a fact there are many fans of Larry McMurtry's novels, especially the Lonesome Dove series. For those of you don't already know, the 1989 miniseries adaptation of Lonesome Dove was recently released on a Blu-ray Steelbook (Not Rated; 6 hrs 13 mins; $34.98) from Mill Creek Entertainment. Additionally, it comes with a movieSPREE digital code.

Directed by Simon Wincer, the miniseries featured a star-studded cast including Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones, Diane Lane, Danny Glover, Anjelica Huston, Robert Urich, Steve Buscemi, D.B. Sweeney, Rick Schroder, and Chris Cooper.

Told in four parts, Lonesome Dove centers around two former Texas Rangers and lifelong friends, Gus McCrae and Woodrow Call (played by Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones), going on one last adventure together - a cattle drive from Texas to Montana.

Bonus Features include:

The Making of an Epic
Cast Interviews
Original Sketches and Concept Drawings
On Location with Director Simon Wincer
Interview with Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author Larry McMurtry

Final Thoughts

Blu-ray Review - MOTHRA Steelbook

Billy Burgess Blu-ray , Mothra

*This is a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% mine.

Mill Creek Entertainment; Amazon

Long before MOTHRA appeared in this year's Godzilla: King of the Monsters, the giant moth made its debut in 1961's MOTHRA Japanese feature film. It was distributed by Toho Studios in Japan and was released the following year in United States by Columbia Pictures. Like most Toho films released in U.S., MOTHRA's running time was shorten to 90 minutes, which is 11-minutes shorter than the Japanese version. And, of course, the USA version featured an English dub.

Mill Creek Entertainment will be releasing MOTHRA on Blu-ray (Not Rated; $24.98) for the very first time in the United States. And it's not just a standard release either! It's a Steelbook release featuring both the original 101-minute Japanese classic and the 90-minute English version.

Directed by Ishirō Honda, the film centers around an expedition to Infant Island, a supposedly deserted atomic bomb test site. After a typhoon destroyed a ship, the four surviving sailors take refuge on Infant Island. Infected by radiation, the island natives saved them with a juice.

Upon returning home, the survivors tell their story to the media. The Rolisican Embassy quickly assembles an expedition to Infant Island, where they discover two tiny female fairies called "Shobijin" who guard a scared egg. The fairies (played by Emi and Yumi Itō) are kidnapped and sent to Tokyo to perform in the Secret Fairies Show.

The Infant Island natives performs a ceremony that hatches the egg and unleashes a huge caterpillar named MOTHRA. The caterpillar swims across the Pacific Ocean, builds a cocoon, and becomes a giant moth that is hellbent on destroying Tokyo.

Special Features include:

U.S. Version
Japanese Version (11-minutes longer)
Trailer
Audio Commentaries with Authors and Japanese Sci-Fi Historians Steve Ryfle & Ed Godziszewski (U.S. Version Only)
Photo Gallery

Final Thoughts

Blu-ray Review: The Big C: The Complete Series

Billy Burgess Blu-ray , television

*This is a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% mine.

Mill Creek Entertainment; Amazon

I'm mostly clueless when it comes to SHOWTIME as I don't have a subscription to the cable service. Besides from Shameless, Masters of Sex, and Penny Dreadful, I have no idea what programs on air on it. So, it shouldn't be a surprise that I'd never heard of the series The Big C until it was released on Blu-ray ($54.98; 20 hrs 36 mins) way back in April by Mill Creek Entertainment, featuring all 40 episodes.

Created by Darlene Hunt, The Big C stars Laura Linney as Cathy Jamison, a 42-year-old high school teacher who learns she has terminal (stage IV) melanoma. She's doesn't want to burden her childlike husband, Paul (played by Oliver Pratt), their teenage son, Adam (played by Gabriel Basso), or he unemployed and homeless brother, Sean (played by John Benjamin Hickey).

With little time to live, Cathy or more or less has a midlife crises and temporarily kicks Paul out their home because she's tired of taking care of him. She befriends her elderly widowed neighbor, Marlene (played by Phyllis Somerville), as well as her oncologist, Dr. Todd Mauer (played by Reid Scott) and an overweight student, Andrea (played by Gabourey Sidibe). Besides her doctor, Marlene is the only person who knows about her illness for most of the first season.

Despite knowing she's going to die soon, Cathy decides to live each day to fullest!

Final Thoughts

Blu-ray Review: Dumbo (2019)

Billy Burgess Blu-ray , Disney

*This is a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% mine.

WALMART

Back in the spring, Disney released their live-action take on the 1941 animated classic Dumbo to theatrers in-between Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame. Against a $170 million budget, as well as poor marketing, Dumbo didn't impress the mainstream critics and it underperformed at the box office, bringing in near $352 million.

Dumbo landed on 4K Ultra HD, Digital HD, Blu-ray, and DVD this week from Disney Home Entertainment, giving the film a second change to find an audience.

Directed by Tim Burton, Dumbo centers around Holt Farrier (played by Colin Farrell), a WWI amputee who comes home to learn that his wife had died. Along with his two children, Milly and Joe (played by Nico Parke and Finley Hobbins), Holt returns to work at the Medici Brothers' Circus as the caretaker for the newest attraction - a pregnant Asian elephant named "Mrs. Jumbo".

The circus is nearly bankrupt and the owner & ringmaster, Max Medici (played by Danny DeVito), put all his faith on the soon-to-be born calf. Lets just say everyone is in shock when the calf is born with unusually large ears, resulting in the public believing the calf is a fake and naming him "Dumbo."

Still mourning over the death of their mother, Milly and Joe bond with Dumbo, and this is when they learn, with a little help of a feather, that Dumbo can fly!

Dumbo becomes a sensation for the Medici Brothers' Circus and catches the attention of V. A. Vandevere (played by Michael Keaton), a wicked businessman who will do anything to have Dumbo as the main attraction at his "Dreamland" amusement park.

BLU-RAY & DIGITAL HD Special Features:

CIRCUS SPECTACULARS: Dumbo’s cast share their experience of making the film—and get to the heart of a story about family and believing in yourself.

THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM: Explore how one of Disney’s most lovable characters went from an animated classic to a stunning live-action retelling.

BUILT TO AMAZE: Get a closer look at the film’s production and costume design.
DELETED SCENES: A compelling collection of scenes that almost made the final film.

Roustabout Rufus
Pachyderm Plans
The Other Medici Brother
Monkey Business
A Star Is Born
Where’s Dumbo
Elephant Heist
A Seat at the Show

EASTER EGGS ON PARADE: Discover the hidden and not-so-hidden nods to the animated Dumbo in this narrated tribute to the Disney classic.
CLOWNING AROUND: Laugh along with the cast in a collection of big-top bloopers and goofs from the set.
“BABY MINE”: Visual video performed by Arcade Fire.

DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE Featurette:

DREAMLAND – ANATOMY OF A SCENE: From Final Script to Final Scene: The filmmakers and cast talk a lot about the feeling of “grand intimacy” in the film. Step right up as they bring the Dreamland parade to life, accomplishing the rare marriage of a massive spectacle combined with an emotional tenderness.

Friday, November 27, 2020

Friday, October 30, 2020

Wednesday, July 29, 2020

Tuesday, July 28, 2020

Wednesday, June 3, 2020

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

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Friday, December 13, 2019

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Saturday, November 2, 2019

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Saturday, October 12, 2019

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Monday, September 23, 2019

Sunday, September 15, 2019

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Tuesday, September 3, 2019

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Monday, August 26, 2019

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Thursday, August 15, 2019

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Wednesday, August 7, 2019

Thursday, July 11, 2019

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Saturday, July 6, 2019

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Thursday, June 27, 2019

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