Movie Review: "The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee" (2020, Transmission Films/Lionsgate)

...ya' know, folks?? There's a classic line from the 1985 apocalyptic actioner, "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome", where the Tina Turner character, Auntie Entity says 'tsk, tsk' resignedly to Max..."...my, how the world turns, doesn't it?? One day...cock of the walk...and the next, a feather duster...". Now, I only mention that line in parallel with "The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee", in a sort of positive, albeit melancholy way. After all, until he surprisingly showed up in an Australian travelogue Super Bowl TV commercial spot, a couple years ago (...a delightful piece of comical whimsy, which rampantly sparked a rumor of a fourth 'Dundee' movie), most folks out there probably assumed that Paul Hogan had quietly retired, faded away, and even outright let loose his mortal coil. Which makes THIS lightweight, slapstick funny 'slice of life' (...what was the line in Blake Edwards' 1988 mystery/comedy?? Something like '...hey, it's all true...give or take a lie or two!!'), all the more surprising...and well, quite amusing actually...

...yes, folks...Paul Hogan proves himself still quite well alive and kicking (...expressively, Paul Hogan and his inescapable 'Crocodile Dundee' character have never really been that far removed from each other...albeit, the latter had the more daredevil/thrill-seeker side to him), and herein this film...playing himself, of course...totally realizes that his legendary 'Crocodile Dundee' celebrity glory days are long-since past (...there ARE the occasional ribs 'n' pokes, here and there, aimed at his other films...and despite the critical naysayers...hey, I LIKED "Lightning Jack", thank you very much!!). All he seems content to do, by this time, is to fully retire, relax, embrace his golden years, and in the course of this film's events, try to make an appearance at his loving grand-daughter's holiday school recital...

...however...Hollywood itself (...gotta love that gawl-darn city of dreams) absolutely loves nostalgia, and equally loves a comeback. And so, with the help of a doting, closely attending, though quite insistent agent (...a sort of 'hand-me-down' agent, actually...the 'daughter' of Paul's supposed original agent), Paul is reluctantly convinced into not only a proposed knighthood by the Queen of England (...seems that "Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles" is her favorite movie), but the prospects of yet another 'Dundee' movie (...quite candidly, I loved the bumbling 'faux' movie sequel concept, in that Super Bowl ad...hell, bring THAT on!!). And it's the slapstick aftermath of the announcement of those two lucrative prospects, which Paul finds himself inexplicably caught up in, that invariably ensues...

...what's quite interesting about this film...it's not only about an almost forgotten 'legend', chasing down his glory days (...uh, nope, probably the wrong term...something more like '...for good, or for bad...being reluctantly pushed back into the limelight'), it's also about how our dearly dedicated, albeit quite invasive press and media, just LOVE to exploit a reportable situation...especially if it's not in the best of light. Comeback news is good news...but as history has often dictated, negative comeback news and negative behind-the-scenes behavior makes for even better coverage, as far as journalism goes. And so, with each and every slapstick pratfall, which Paul gets caught up in, the press invariably twists each of the accidentally instilled incidents, so that it makes Paul look like...well, makes him look like an asshole. Something which Paul and/or 'Dundee' himself might have simply shoulder-shrugged off, with a resounding 'eh'...if not for the fact that the negative press is threatening to adversely affect how his dear grand-daughter sees him...

...here...naturally looking older, more weathered (...like, as if he didn't already look weathered enough, some 30-plus years ago), and somewhat slower...nonetheless, Paul Hogan's irreverent, down-under savvy, charm and personality still manages to exude an embraceable sense of both nostalgia, as well as the welcome notion of 'yeah, I might be older and more weathered, but hey...I'm still kickin'. Actress Racheal Carpani is typically affecting enough as Paul's frazzled, albeit dedicated agent/manager, without going overboard on the standard character (...as opposed to the ol' stereotype of '...daw-leen...you look faw-bulous'), as she repeatedly/exasperatedly buries her face in her hands, with each and every bit of trouble that Paul inadvertently gets into. Nate Torrance, as a bumbling photographer, trying to get any inside 'dope' on Paul, and instead ends up palling around with him, seems sort of negligible in the sense that he appears to be playing the same type of bumbling character that actor Jonah Hill used to play, early in his career. And upcomer Jacob Elordi is charming, albeit somewhat ill-used as Paul's live-in son, who seems to come off here looking like a handsome yuppie adult version of John Cusack's smarmy and talented lil' brother, in the 80's flick, "Better Off Dead", with Paul (...who accepts and loves the lad, but really doesn't know a lot about him) inadvertently walking in on him, or bumping into him, entertaining the ladies in his room, or cooing poolside guests with a light-strumming guitar riff...

...but then, the overall sense of nostalgia in this little trite of a film, amusingly stretches beyond that of Paul Hogan himself. Playing themselves...Olivia Newton-John, Wayne Knight (...as an unexpected house guest of Paul's), and Reginald VelJohnson (...remember 'Gus', the limo driver in the original "...Dundee"...and of course, his cop role in "Die Hard"??) seem little more like quick '...hey, that's (fill in the blank)' roles, but it was still rather fun and nice to see them. The funniest cameo bits here, however, can be attributed to Chevy Chase...here, exaggeratedly playing up the supposed 'asshole' persona that the press has often reportedly attributed him as...and at the same time, he's amusingly thumbing his nose at the notion...as well as John Cleese, herein exasperatedly resigned to string out his remaining post-comedic twilight years as an unlicensed, chase-happy Uber driver. Heck, even fellow Aussie Mel Gibson gets in a quick jab, in a fleeting piece of what appears to be recent archival interview footage, with Mel looking as if he just stepped off the set of his recent irreverent Christmas flick, "Fatman"...

...having foregone and bypassed any sort of theatrical release...uh, thanks to the wretched pandemic..."The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee" has instead been unceremoniously dumped onto streaming venues. which is a bit of a shame, as it may not find the whole of the audience who would appreciate the overall warm sense of nostalgia, which the film assuredly has. As such, this trite and warmly affecting bit of comical muse...may well pass by with little notice. On the whole, 'Excellent' might well be too strong a word for this one...perhaps more like a funny and charming tip of the hat...and that makes it good enough to warrant checking this one out.....

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Movie Review: Tarzan (2013; Constantin Film/Lionsgate)

...yep, these days, the legendary Lord of the Apes...well, he ain't gettin' no love, film-wise. No siree, bob...in this day and age of super-powered, gadget-toting iron men, bat men and spider men, and/or other-worldly super men, ol' muscle-bound, grunting, vine-swinging Tarzan, for the most part, seems to be getting the ol' shaft-o-roonie. Eh, understandable, one might suppose, considering today's superhero-worshipping audience might well take one look at a celluloid-rendered version of Edgar Rice Burrough's classic literary character, shrug their shoulders, and think, '...eh, no powers?? Just muscle, animal 'magnetism' and the typical sense of right, wrong & justice...besides all that, who and what the heck is he, and what can he actually do, compared to...say, the likes of Wolverine, or The Hulk??" In fact, getting less respect, these days, than even the often heckled Aquaman...and heck, we don't even need to go there, right??...

...and to think, at one time, Tarzan was much more respectfully revered, as a savage 'hero amongst heroes'...at least, cinematically (...all due credit to athletically-vigorous Johnny Weismuller, or even via early TV broadcast (...oh, that muscle-bound Ron Ely). So what gives, as far as contemporary depiction of the once-iconic character, who pretty much hasn't seen proper representation, since...uh, can you say 'Christopher Highlander Lambert', in the heavily dramatic 1984 compeller, "Greystoke, the Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes"?? Who knows?? But in the advent of Disney, having let their rights to the character expire, and recently, those rights having been deftly picked up by a German computer animation production company...well, let's just say that our intrepid, vine-swinging Lord of the Apes, isn't exactly faring particularly well, of late, and has definitely seen better days...

Movie Review: "Sheriff of Contention" (2010; Rock Wayne Org./High Frontier Vent./Lionsgate)

...from studio to studio...from distribution company to distribution company...they say that for every great film script, pull out from the endless sea of extensive literary meanderings & cinematic hopefuls, and given it's due, there are at least two dozen or so others...some good, most bad...left to languish, lost and unnoticed. Occasionally, the cinematic powers-that-be, do take a gamble on a forlorn concept...one of those thought lost and discarded scripts, which most have turned their discriminant nose up at...save for that rare and singular moment of unconvention, who keenly eyes a laid-aside script of potential...something which elicits a thought-provoking 'hmmm, that's interesting'. A story interesting enough to warrant engaging, even in the midst of what might be considered muddled thespian in performance, and untried in direction & editing. Such might well have been the case, with the respectably thrilling and intriguing 2010 old-westerner, "Sheriff of Contention", which sat collecting dust on a shelf...that is, until Liongate, of all surprising distributors, recently saw fit to shed an indiscriminate and opportunist spotlight on the little film...to the delight of us devotees of the type of period Wild West melodramas, which in this case, unconventionally assume contemporary conventions, albeit on a forgiveably less-than perfect level of presentation...

...Sheriff Peavy is in the throes of almost overwhelming pressure; the people, whom he serves in the dusty frontier town of Contention City, have expressed a growing loss of faith in his abilities, saying that he is 'used up and burnt out'. The sheriff's gun-happy right hand man, Deputy Conley, has made no secret of his ambitions, in possibly replacing the sheriff, in view of his seemingly diminished stature...and even the town's mayor himself has expressed and encouraged such a prospective changing of hands. And in the midst of such personal turmoil, the sheriff...as well as the townspeople...are horrified and perplexed at a ever-increasing series of heinous and ruthless killings, which have targeted the town's womenfolk...

Movie Review: Nurse 3D (Blu-ray, 2014)

The whole “nurse” fantasy has been played out numerous times in films. Most notably, genre fans may remember Roger Corman’s prolific output in the “nurse” sexploitation department with late-night cable staples The Student Nurses and Candy Stripe Nurses. We’ve also seen the other angle with the killer nurse in the slashers Nurse Sherri and the Death Nurse films. Writer / Director Douglas Aarniokoski takes both motifs and combined them in making really sexy (and often naked) psycho nurse with his feature Nurse 3D.

Boardwalk Empire’s Paz de la Huerta plays Abby Russell, a pouty-lipped, scrumptiously bottom-heavy killer nurse looking to make sleazy, cheating men an endangered species. She uses her skill as a nurse to off these unpleasant fellows in a variety of ways – some even cringe-inducing for those with anything swinging in their trousers.

Movie Review: Hellbenders (2013, OffHollywood/Lionsgate)

...you've heard this one before, right?? The angst, burnt-out and vulnerable priest, having wrestled with his own inner demons, as well as a profound loss of faith, manages to find within himself, a kindling and unswerving righteous justice, in attempting the near impossible task of exorcising a soul devouring demon from a hapless victim. Giving the last bit of strength within him, he grabs and throttles the demon-possessed human vessel...begging, pleading for the hellish spirit to 'come into' him; naturally, in the priest's weakened and vulnerable state, the demon obliges the pleading man of the cloth. However, as the evil spirit attempts to take over, the priest musters just enough of his waning consciousness to let out one last angst and anguished cry...as he jumps out the window, taking the spirit with him...falling several stories, tumbling down a long flight of stairs, and breaking his neck, at the foot of the stairway...thus sacrificing himself, and sending the demon back to it's fiery hellish underground domain...

Movie Review: Cole Younger and the Black Train (2012)

I've never been a big fan of Westerns. It takes a really good one to grab my attention. On the same note, a really bad one will also get my attention. Unfortunately, that's what happened with Cole Younger and the Black Train. I love Michael Madsen. I could watch that guy whittle. Honestly, I would rather see that than this. In spite of Madsen's inclusion in the movie, Cole was an abysmal mess.

In a movie that borrows from history, we see the Cole Younger / Jesse James gang as they take on the town lawmen and a few vigilante volunteers. Oddly, the background story revolves around a man named Emmit, who pulls in on a black ghost train. Emmit is a grim reaper, for lack of a better term. Younger saw him as a kid when his sister died, and he's been haunted ever since.

MAD MONSTER PARTY- Starring Boris Karloff, Gale Garnett and Phyllis Diller Arriving 9/4

What better way to get in the Halloween sprit than by celebrating with a monster party? Lionsgate Home Entertainment makes Mad Monster Party available for the first time in High Definition with the release of the Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD) as well as HD Digital Download and On Demand arriving just in time for the spookiest holiday of the year as well as the theatrical release of the similarly themed Hotel Transylvania. From the team who created the stop-motion and animated holiday classics “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” and “Frosty the Snowman,” Mad Monster Party stars the voice talents of Boris Karloff (Frankenstein) and Phyllis Diller (Eight on the Lam). The Blu-ray Combo Pack bonus materials include a “making of” featurette, plus two featurettes that look at the animation and the music of the film, as well as two bonus sing-along tracks. The Mad Monster Party Blu-ray Combo Pack arrives on September 4^th for the suggested retail price of $14.99.

Baron Von Frankenstein (voice of Boris Karloff) has decided to retire as the head of the Worldwide Organization of Monsters. But first, he must inform the other monsters about his plans. How to deliver the news? How else - through a Mad Monster Party! Von Frankenstein’s guests include a who’s who of Halloween favorites, including the Werewolf, Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the Mummy, the Invisible Man and more. But who among them is fit to be the new head of the monsters?

TV on Blu-ray Review: Boss - Season One (2011)

Network television has been inconsistent at best over the past 20 years with its output of hard-hitting, truly dramatic TV. Blame it on reality TV, just weak writing or just a lack of backbone to create something that's not cookie cutter. Along with HBO, AMC and other cable stations, Starz has taken the torch with the popular shows Spartacus: Blood and Sand and the recently unleashed political drama starring Kelsey Grammer called Boss.

Newly issued to DVD and Blu-ray via Lionsgate and Starz, Boss is a tale that seems all too real with what goes on in today’s headlines with the influential men and women in various political offices. In what is a huge departure from his character “Frasier”, Kelsey Grammar plays power-hungry Thomas Kane, the fictional mayor of one of the great cities on our planet, Chicago.

Movie Review: Total Recall (1990, Blu-ray)

Arguably one of the best early 90's sci-fi/action films, Total Recall, is seeing a release to the Blu-ray format thanks to the folks at Lionsgate films. This classic Arnie vehicle is also seeing a remake starring Colin Ferrell and Jessica Biel. Next to Terminator and Terminator II: Judgment Day it's my personal favorite movie starring the "Governator" himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger. To put it mildly, I'm very pleased to see this film in High Definition.

Based on Philip K. Dick's short story We Can Remember It For You Wholesale, Paul Verhoeven's Total Recal has Arnie as our titular charachter Douglas Quaid. A hard-working construction worker and loyal husband to his wife (Sharon Stone, Basic Instinct) just looking for a little escape.

Movie Review: Casa de mi Padre (2012, Blu-ray)

Directed by Andrew Steele

Starring Will Ferrell, Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna

Armando Alvarez (Will Ferrell), is a simple man living a simple life on his fathers vast Mexican rancho. A complete disappointment to his father, he would rather be with the hired hands rounding up stray calves, as opposed to his brother who is out making a name for himself. When Armando’s brother Raul (Diego Luna) returns home with his bride-to-be, things start getting dicey as feelings between Armando and his brothers woman begin to heat up. As this is going on, a drug cartel is making its way onto the rancho, and Armando soon finds out the reason why- because his brother is actually a drug dealer who is challenging the cartel.  The love triangle and drama then turn to tragedy and it is up to Armando to bring honor back to his disgraced family and save the woman he loves from the clutches of the vicious Onza cartel.

Meatballs Rolls Onto Blu-ray June 6th!

Bill Murray’s First Starring Role Debuts on Blu-ray Disc!

Features All-New Commentary With Director Ivan Reitman!

     Street Date: 6/12/12

Blu-ray Disc SRP: $14.99

Pack up and head to Camp North Star this summer as Lionsgate debuts the wacky comedy Meatballs on Blu-ray Disc, Digital Download and On Demand for the first time. Directed by Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters), the hilarious summer camp adventure stars Oscar® nominee Bill Murray (Best Actor in a Leading Role, Lost in Translation, 2003) in his first leading role. The film also stars Harvey Atkin (TV’s “Law & Order: SVU”) and Kate Lynch (New Year). Featuring a new audio commentary with director Ivan Reitman, Meatballs makes its high-definition premiere on June 12^th, for the suggested retail price of $14.99. The DVD will also be available for the suggested retail price of $9.98.

Tripper (Murray) is about to have a summer he will never forget. As head counselor at Camp North Star, an off-the-wall summer getaway, Tripper guides his loveable campers and spirited staff members on a quest for fun in the sun. But when the season begins with a runaway camper, an accidental blackout and Tripper's amorous attack on a female counselor, everyone knows that the tales by the fireside will only get more outrageous as the summer goes on.