Now Exclusively in Theaters. “Deadpool and Wolverine” is that example of what happens when young boys take their action figures and spend hours just smashing them in to one another. There’s not much of a narrative, but there are appearances from other action figures, and maybe even a transformer or two. That’s what watching “Deadpool ..read more

BOOTLEG FILES 873: “Look-Out Sister” (1947 musical starring Louis Jordan). LAST SEEN: On YouTube. AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: On public domain labels. REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: A lapsed copyright. CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Nope, it is doomed to public domain hell. During the 1940s, singer/songwriter and bandleader Louis Jordan was among the most ..read more

Having its world premiere at the LA International Short Film Festival, director Felipe Marinheiro’s short romance is a cute but interesting short about the ideas of fate, and whether or not destiny exists. There’s always that concept of ignorance being bliss and the protagonist of “Fuck You, Cupid” decides to tempt fate. Ultimately upset by ..read more

Out on Blu-ray and 4K UHD July 30, 2024    When a CIA agent and a KGB agent find themselves on a joint mission to stop an organization from getting nuclear weapons in the wrong hands, they butt heads, but find a way to make things work.  Based on the television series created by Sam ..read more

Out on Blu-ray and 4K UHD July 30, 2024  The world of car racing, seen from through the lives of three drivers and the women who love them.   Written by George Kirgo, Howard Hawks, and Steve McNeil, with Hawks directing, this 1960s car racing film is one that has clearly influenced more recent(ish) ones ..read more

Three generations of a family living in a fortified compound have a secret they cannot let out.  Written by Greer Ellison and Alexander J. Farrell and directed by Farrell, the film’s story here revolves around the family unit at hand, but the center of the story is the father who has something wrong with him it seems, something not quite right. The story here mostly shows the effects of this and of living so remotely on the daughter and mother, both of whom are engaging characters with the grandfather being there as a supporting character who doesn’t get enough to do or say here. Th ..read more

Out on Blu-ray and 4K UHD July 30, 2024  A gas station attendant meets a drug dealer when he hides in his station one night, the two of them strike an unexpected friendship, leading the both of them through unexpected life events.  Written by Alain Page (based on his novel) and Claude Berri with Berri directing this French crime drama is a solid film across the board. The writing and direction are just about perfect, building a story that is is gripping and touching at times with darkness under it all, something that is just a little off (or a lot) in each of the characters’ lives ..read more

Having had its world premiere at the LA Shorts International Film Festival, Dennis Flippin’s short comedy is a bizarre tale of being careful what you wish for. “Flatters” excels a lot at weird, absurdist comedy that lampoons the whole system of conspiracy theorists, while also putting its main character in to a hole that he might not be able to escape any time soon. In “Flatters,” Lenny’s mundane life takes a quirky turn when he falls for the eccentric and captivating Georgia. As their romance blossoms, Lenny is thrown into a world of bizarre beliefs that challenge his understanding of reality ..read more

Big House Bunny (1950)Directed by Friz Freleng Written by Tedd Pierce Animation by Virgil Ross Music by Carl Stalling I know that I compare a lot of the premises for Bugs Bunny shorts to Tex Avery, but there’s no doubting that a lot of his influence remained on the Looney Tunes long after he left for MGM. Not only did he have an unusual albeit genius formula, but he was funnier in MGM because he was pretty much allowed to be as insane as possible. With “Big House Bunny” it feels like a plot for one of Droopy’s shorts where Droopy ends up at the wrong place while the warden would normally be th ..read more

Two men go on a forest hike where it’s soon obvious that this is not a simple hike, their goals are more than sightseeing and communing with nature.  Written and directed by Josh Potrykus, this exploration of human nature, legacy, what makes people tick, and suicidality is one that plays like a woodsy take on Gerry (2002) and eventually turns into an exploration of new subjects (no spoilers here) that takes one of the leads beyond what he expected. As opposed to Gerry, the men here aren’t lost, but similar to watching Gerry, this viewer’s interest dwindled fast in that first 30 minutes ..read more