Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer: movie

Showing posts with label movie. Show all posts

Saturday, October 12, 2019

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

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

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: 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