Of all the comic books Batman has headlined over the decades, perhaps no single title has proven as influential, especially to movie adaptations, as Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns. For better or worse, the 1986 graphic novel set the template for every “dark” and “gritty” depiction of the character to follow. The comic was… Read More Read-Only File | The Dark Knight Returns (1986) Graphic Novel
For a TV show whose premise is supposedly all about “putting right what once went wrong,” NBC’s new Quantum Leap reboot seems curiously uninterested in fixing any of the weaknesses or failures of the original series it’s based on. Ultimately, the show is exactly what I expected it to be from the ads. Unfortunately, I… Read More Oh Boy… | Quantum Leap (2022) NBC Series Premiere
As modern interpretations of the Batman character grow increasingly dark and grim and morose, I find myself drawn back toward older adaptations of the comic book hero, especially those that didn’t take the idea of a guy who dresses up in a bat costume to fight a clown so damn seriously. The 1966 Batman: The… Read More Holy Unholy Alliances! | Batman: The Movie (1966) Blu-ray
A convergence of several recent events put me in the mood to start a Batman marathon. I’m not sure exactly how far I expect to go with this, as DC Comics’ famed Caped Crusader has of course been the subject of numerous movies, TV shows, cartoons, video games, and more over the decades (not to… Read More The Batathon Begins | Batman (1943)
The new Showtime drama series American Gigolo is technically neither a remake nor a sequel to the 1980 film by Paul Schrader, yet almost bends over backwards to tie itself to that movie in ways that don’t always make sense. With just one episode to judge by, I’m not exactly sure what the show wants… Read More Life Goes on Without Me | American Gigolo (2022) Showtime Series Premiere
Somehow, I’d never previously given much thought to the fact that Richard Gere starred into two very different (yet both iconic in their own ways, rightly or wrongly) movies about prostitution a decade apart. The earlier film, Paul Schrader’s 1980 American Gigolo, is currently serving as inspiration for a new TV series on the Showtime… Read More Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere, Any Way | American Gigolo (1980)
By the time I hit high school at the end of the 1980s, the Nintendo Entertainment System was at the peak of its cultural domination. I owned a bunch of games and rented at least two or three more every week from the local video store. The 1991 release of G.I. Joe: A Real American… Read More 8-Bit Replay | G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (1991) for NES
Following two previous attempts that performed acceptably at the box office but were little loved among fans of the original property, Hasbro and Paramount framed their third live-action G.I. Joe movie as a solo outing for the franchise’s most popular character. Unfortunately, Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins has little in its 121-minute length recognizable as… Read More Strident Interlude | Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins (2021) 4K Ultra HD
I’ve been a movie collector for close to thirty years, and have seen the evolution of the home theater hobby across multiple video formats. During that time, I have bought into every new state-of-the-art format as it came along, and regularly upgraded my favorite movies hoping to gain some measurable improvement in quality. As a… Read More From DVD to Blu-ray, 4K, and More – Is “Good Enough” Ever Good Enough?
Almost two decades since Peter Jackson’s much-loved and Oscar-winning Lord of the Rings trilogy concluded, and just shy of one decade since his much less-loved Hobbit trilogy, Amazon Prime Video brings viewers back to J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic fantasy world in the new streaming prequel series The Rings of Power. Reportedly the most expensive television production… Read More Amazon’s Power Play | The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022) Amazon Prime Series Premiere
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