SCARY MOVIE is an Homage to Itself

SCARY MOVIE (4K UHD)

2026 / 95 min

Paramount

Review by Stinky the Destroyer😾

Were there really that many people pining for a legacy sequel to a franchise that was instrumental in killing the parody genre in the first place? Apparently so, because the latest Scary Movie film (arriving 13 years after the last one), was a big hit, even though it mostly plays like a high-five to itself and its creators, the Wayans brothers.

I’m old enough to remember when these guys were actually funny. If you’ve never seen the classic sketch comedy, In Living Color, or Keenen Ivory Wayans’ hilarious directorial debut, I’m Gonna Git You Sucka, you owe it to yourself to seek them out. Now that was some funny shit, even if the viewer wasn’t always familiar with what they were satirizing.

Then the original Scary Movie came along, which was largely a satire of a slasher film (Scream) that was already a satire of slasher films. It had its moments, but mostly dumbed things down with lots of dick jokes, drug humor, the “N” word and pop culture references that wouldn't be relevant in a year or two. The sequels were even worse, though.

Marlon reacts to his Oscar snub.

The brothers are back for the first time since Scary Movie 2, bringing with them a cast of new and familiar faces. But the more things change, the more they stay the same. Though horror itself has changed a lot over the years, Scary Movie (2026) is largely content to keep making fun of the Scream franchise (which itself has long-since descended into self-parody). A few modern films are referenced here and there, so if the idea of M3GAN breakdancing has you in stitches, you’ll love the Get Out-inspired hypnosis scene (where Marlon Wayans being stoned is the actual joke). And let's not forget the scene recreating the “birth” sequence from The Substance, where out of a character’s back pops the Epstein Files (huh-huh…it’s funny because it’s the Epstein Files). 

It soon becomes clear that the Wayans brothers are their own biggest fans, even giving a shout-out to White Chicks (which they seem to remember more fondly than anyone else). Elsewhere, the movie packs in white jokes, black jokes, dick jokes, gay jokes, drug jokes, gratuitous cameos and gobs of “N” bombs, all set to a hip-hop soundtrack, which we all know is the hallmark of every movie parody. Most of the gags on display would’ve been eye-rolling 20 years ago. Today, they feel like pandering, simple-minded attempts to amuse undiscriminating 13-year-old boys…or the Wayanses themselves.

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTES - Scream Together features interviews with some of the veteran cast; Fresh Meat focuses on the newer cast members; Wayans World shows the brothers on-set; Scene Dissection takes a closer look at specific sequences of the film.

DIGITAL COPY

How To Watch SUPERGIRL

SUPERGIRL (Blu-ray)

2026 / 108 min

Warner Bros

#InPartnershipwithWB

Review by Stinky the Destroyer😺

Somewhat notoriously, Supergirl was not a hit with critics or moviegoers, and certainly raised the ire of militant fanboys ready to stick their forks in it before even buying their tickets. One guy even posted a meme saying “Here’s the real Supergirl” along with a screenshot of the 1984 film, blissfully unaware that it was one of the decade’s biggest dumpster fires. And he probably posted it with the same confident smugness that MAGAts have when ‘owning the libs’ by dwarfing their pick-ups with a giant flag.

Far be it from me to declare anyone’s opinion wrong, but if I may be so bold, maybe some of them are simply watching movies wrong. After The Phantom Menace came along to briefly kill my will to live, I’ve never-again approached a single movie fully expecting to love or hate it. If it confounds any pre-conceived expectations, that’s on me. So it didn’t bother me that Supergirl was aesthetically grimy, with a plot built on the same foundation that initially turned John Wick loose on his enemies. Nor did it bother me that the titular character was a bitchy, self-absorbed Gen Z-er who drank too much and wasn’t traditionally beautiful (which also chapped the asses of a few basement-dwelling incels armed with a laptop and Hot Pockets).

So is Supergirl actually a misunderstood masterpiece? Hell, no…not even close. In fact, I wasn’t really all that interested in seeing it, even though I found last year’s first entry in DC's rebooted franchise (Superman) to be a pleasant surprise. The main reason Supergirl became part of date night one evening was because my wife wanted to see it. Still, I didn’t sit there in the theater with a stern face and crossed arms daring the film to try entertaining me.

Dog is My Co-Pilot

With no expectations over how it stacks up against other comic book movies (even within its own franchise), I had a good time. While certainly no out-of-body experience, I enjoyed Milly Alcock’s cynical, down-to-earth portrayal of Kara Zor-El/Supergirl, as well as the catalyst for this adventure…she’s trying to save her dog, Krypto, whose been poisoned by Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts), the leader of a band of brigands and is also in possession of the antidote. Along the way, she reluctantly teams up with Ruthye (Eve Ridley), a young girl seeking revenge on Krem for murdering her parents. 

Comparatively speaking, there isn’t a hell of a lot at stake (unless you’re a serious dog lover, of course), but with the world’s fate hanging in the balance in damn near every other superhero movie, having a story built around character growth and a personal vendetta is a refreshing change of pace. Not that Supergirl is devoid of spectacle…there’s loads of fights, chases and plenty of ka-boom, all pulled off with adequate special effects. As for Jason Momoa’s highly publicized turn as bounty hunting biker, Lobo…he’s fun, but mostly playing an extension of his real life persona (and not really in the film all that much).

Just under two hours later (how’s that for efficiency?), I walked out of the theater thinking I probably would have enjoyed Supergirl just as much at home, but at least I didn’t feel ripped off. Speaking of home, the film is now out on Blu-ray (as well as 4K and DVD), sporting a good transfer and big batch of bonus material (some of which might have you appreciating the movie a little more). Now having seen it a second time (I’m wagering many of you won’t), my assessment is unchanged. Supergirl ain’t gonna save the DC Universe, but being an undemanding stand-alone adventure, it’s still better than anything Zack Snyder croaked out.

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTES - The longest of the bonus features, The Making of Supergirl is a pretty good 25 minute production overview with various cast/crew interviews; Flying off the Page takes a look at Supergirl’s comics history; Girl’s Best Friend is all about Supergirl’s scene-stealing dog, Krypto; A Practical Legacy…yes, some of the FX were done practically; A DC Team: Lobo focuses on Jason Momoa’s character; Showdown at Everly Square takes a look at a major action sequence; Mixtape for a Hero is about the music score; You Are Here looks at the various planet locations where the film takes place. Most of the featurettes run from 4 to 11 minutes in length.

SHORT - “Krypto Saves the Day! Coastal Catastrophe" features Krypto and Superman.

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I LOVE BOOSTERS: Shiny New Boots

I LOVE BOOSTERS (4K UHD + Blu-ray)

2026 / 113 min

NEON

Review by Princess Pepper😺

Having now seen both of writer-director Boots Riley’s films (his first being the gloriously bonkers Sorry to Bother You), I can be assured of a few things…

• Sharp satire and cultural commentary.

• An unusual visual aesthetic.

• Narratives that begin conventionally, but grow increasingly bizarre and genre-defying.

• A twist you won’t see coming.

• At some point, an unexpected dive into sci-fi territory.

• And finally, at least one WTF moment that you can’t believe you just saw. More likely two or three.

Riley’s new, criminally underseen film, I Love Boosters, boasts all those traits. It doesn’t quite reach the delirious heights (or depths) of Sorry to Bother You, but is still one of the more conceptually original movies of the year. And for this writer, it proved to be somewhat educational. Until now, I was unfamiliar with the term, “booster.”

For those equally lacking in street smarts, a booster is someone who steals things from stores and resells them, usually at half the retail price. The film’s protagonists are a trio of them, collectively known as The Velvet Gang, whose clothing thefts have become so notorious that they regularly make the news, earning the wrath of famous fashion designer/store chain CEO Christie Smith (Demi Moore). One of the gang, Corvette (Keke Palmer) is a struggling designer herself who actually admires Christie, at least until it’s revealed that the woman stole her most recent design.

Helletubbies.

So of course, a little payback is in order. Not only do the girls start hitting Smith's Metro Designers store chain, they plan on boosting her most recent creation…a suit that allegedly retails for $100,000. But they also have a little competition from Jianhu (Poppy Liu), a disgruntled Metro employee intent on robbing every store until Smith ends slave-labor factory conditions. That’s the nutshell summary of the basic plot, which doesn’t do it justice, but to reveal more would spoil some great, sometimes amusingly shocking twists. I will say the narrative eventually throws in teleportation, a sexually-driven, soul-sucking demon and a batch of skinless antagonists. 

While Riley doesn’t weave the wilder elements into the film as seamlessly this time around, he still puts together a great story and throws in plenty of perceptive satire. Especially amusing is the depiction of trend-driven retail chains as creatively vapid and indifferent to its employees. Both visually and through Will Poulter’s hilarious performance as a store manager, Metro Designers is simply an exaggerated version of any real store where the music’s too loud and employees are needlessly equipped with headsets.

The film also benefits from amusing performances all around, with Poulter, Naomi Ackie and a WTF turn by LaKeith Stanfield being particular standouts. Elsewhere, I Love Boosters is visually arresting and features another strange-but-fitting score by Tune-Yards (who also did Sorry to Bother You). More or less ignored in theaters, this one deserves to find a wider audience at home.

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTE - The Making of I Love Boosters

INTERVIEWS - Three individual interview segments featuring Boots Riley & LaKeith Stanfield, Keke Palmer & Demi Moore, and the “Velvet Gang.”

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By director Boots Riley

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INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE: Tom Cruise Sucks in 4K

INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE (4K UHD)

1994 / 122 min

Warner Bros

#InPartnershipwithWB  

Review by Josey, the Sudden Cat😼

After revisiting Interview with the Vampire for the first time in…geez 30 years, a nagging question began to vex me like an unscratchable itch. Perhaps someone reading this can answer it for me, but more on that in a minute.

Based on Anne Rice’s uber popular novel, this movie was highly anticipated back in the day, and subjected to plenty of pre-release grousing (including some by Rice herself) over the casting of Tom Cruise in the lead role of Lestat, the insatiable, salacious and remorseless vampire who turns Louis (Brad Pitt) into an undead companion. Of course, the story is more thematically complex than that, but I’ve never found it particularly interesting…or scary.

Cruise nailed it, though, and in my humble opinion, he remains the best part of the entire movie. While the rest of the cast is wallowing in misery or being sucked dry, here’s ol’ Tom making the most of a rare opportunity (for him, anyway) to chew up the scenery. Whenever he’s onscreen, Interview with the Vampire is a hell of a lot of fun. But even though he’s top-billed, the main character is actually Louis, who’s so relentlessly morose throughout the thing that his plight becomes rote. And to be frank, I occasionally found Pitt's somber performance unintentionally funny, not helped by some goofy dialogue ("Actually, I'm quite fond of looking at crucifixes."). He's very pretty, though.

But that’s just me. A lotta folks love this one, and I can certainly see why. As modern vampire flicks go, you’d be hard-pressed to find one more atmospheric and aesthetically gorgeous (which could also describe most of the cast). Though I prefer my vampire films to have more of an emphasis on actual horror, a movie with a sympathetic bloodsucker as its main protagonist was pretty unique for the time. And admittedly, I do love how this one ends…with a final scene that’s both cryptic and funny (on purpose).

Not-so-casual Friday.

Interview with the Vampire has been given an outstanding 4K restoration, nicely preserving Philippe Rousselot’s moody cinematography and the vivid production design. There are also two audio options, a new Dolby TrueHD mix and the original theatrical mix. Both sound good, though I personally preferred the boost that the new track offers. Additionally, a couple of brand new bonus features are included, as well as some vintage material from previous releases. Fans of the film should be very pleased with this upgrade…

…and hopefully, one of 'em can answer my nagging question…

Anyone who’s seen the film knows it chronicles poor Louis’ sad, remorseful life ever since being turned into a vampire by Lestat in 1791. Throughout the years, Louis shares a mansion with Lestat (until he burns it down, anyway), travels to Europe in search of others like him (until burning down their digs), then wanders the world in sorrow all the way up to the present day. But as far as I can ascertain, neither Louis nor Lestat ever struggle financially, despite never holding jobs or having any other discernable income. So my question is, how do these guys continue to afford swanky homes, fancy threads and travelling the world? Who the hell is paying their bills?

I know we probably aren’t supposed to question such things, but hey…even the vampires in The Lost Boys were reduced to living in a cave.

EXTRA KIBBLES

NEW KIBBLES - Eternal Night and Deadly Light features director Neil Jordan looking back at the work of cinematographer Philippe Rousselot; Interview with the Vampire: Creating the World is about the film’s visuals, with Jordan and production designer Dante Ferretti.

OLD KIBBLES - In the Shadow of the Vampire and Lestat, Louis and the Vampire Phenomenon are a couple of archival featurettes.

INTRO - Archival intro by director Neil Jordan, author/screenwriter Anne Rice and actor Antonio Banderas.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By director Neil Jordan

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STOP! THAT! TRAIN! Is. Kinda. Funny.

STOP! THAT! TRAIN! (Blu-ray)

2026 / 92 min

Bleecker Street

Review by Princess Pepper😽

Stop! That! Train! sort of plays like a parody film without any specific target in-mind. Oh sure, there’s the disaster movie plot, but this isn’t another Airplane!, which is ultimately a good thing because that ship sailed (or flew) decades ago. Nor is it a lunkheaded collection of pop culture references passing itself off as satire. Another good thing, since that’s ultimately what killed the genre in the first place.

I guess the big deal here is that the primary cast consists of famous drag queens. But interestingly enough, the actors’ real-world profession and/or lifestyle is not a major source of the humor. Yet-another good thing, because movies coasting on a one-joke premise are generally pretty shitty. So once the novelty wears off - roughly five minutes in - there are still plenty of gags in store.

The plot, such as it is, has a couple of stewardesses, DeeDee and Tess (Jujubee and Ginger Minj) who finagle new jobs aboard Glamazonian Express, a garishly-decorated luxury train filled with a variety of oddball crew & passengers (a virtual cornucopia of famous faces). Unfortunately, the train is heading straight for a massive storm (“Stormaganza”) that’ll kill them all. With the conductor incapacitated (stung by a passenger’s emotional support scorpion), it’s up to DeeDee and Tess to stop the train…with help from RuPaul as President Judy Gagwell.

RuPaul channels his inner Faye Dunaway.

Of course, the crisis is just a clothesline on which to hang all the gags…verbal gags, visual gags, running gags, raunchy gags, clever gags, dumb gags, etc. Some are funny, some aren't. The movie never approaches the brilliance of the classics made by Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker, but while never uproarious, it’s generally pretty amusing, aided in no small part by a cast that appears to be having a good time. The jokes start wearing thin near the end, but overall, I’ve seen far worse parody films (this year, in fact, but more on that in an future review).

I do have one major beef, though. Most of the sequences featuring the actual train are AI-generated, a creatively-lazy and obnoxious distraction that sucks you right out of the movie on numerous occasions. In fact, I came close to rage-quitting on general principle. Watching a model train made with Legos is preferable to this AI slop, which has no place in any movie. 

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTES - Director’s Vision; Production Design. Both run under three minutes and are mostly promotional.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By director Adam Shankman

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OPERATION HADAL is Lost at Sea

OPERATION HADAL (Blu-ray)

2025 / 130 min

Well Go USA

Available at MovieZyng.com

Review by Mr. Bonnie, the Boat Captain😾

It was with considerable anticipation that I approached this third installment in director Dante Lam’s tenuously linked “Operation” series. The first film, Operation Mekong, pitted the Chinese police against ruthless drug smugglers, while the follow-up, Operation Red Sea was about an elite Navy squad taking on terrorists in order to rescue Chinese dignitaries. Like Sergio Leone’s “Dollars” trilogy, the connecting threads between them were largely aesthetic. The stories and characters were different, but in terms of style, pacing, some of the same actors and gobs of bloody, bonkers violence…yeah, this was a franchise, and a damned entertaining one (especially Operation Red Sea, one of 2018’s best action films). 

Unfortunately, the third time is not a charm. Despite boasting many of the same elements (and returning actors) as the first two films, Operation Hadal is a crushing disappointment...and sometimes unintentionally funny.

Gosh, where to start. How about the most obvious one…the characters. I’ll be the first to concede that characterization was never a high priority in this franchise, but here, it’s nearly non-existent. What we mostly learn about the major players are their names and titles. Beyond that, they’re either talking heads or defined by action. There’s almost no middle ground. But that’s arguably the least of the movie’s problems…

The other two films may not have always smacked of realism, but were at least grounded enough to seem plausible. Conversely, Operation Hadal dives head-first into sci-fi territory with an outlandish plot that evokes some of the more ridiculous, Roger Moore-era Bond films…with a bit of The Hunt for Red October thrown in. The Chinese Navy becomes engaged in a game of cat and mouse between their submarines and those from the fictional country, the State of Siekerman (presumably Americans), who plan to detonate a powerful nuke capable of triggering underwater volcanoes, resulting in earthquakes and tsunamis that’ll wipe out most of Asia.

Well, this guy certainly missed the boat.

Wait, it gets better (and by that I mean worse). Some of our heroes don flying jet-packs to engage the enemy, descending upon an oil rig like a batch of Avengers. Later, it’s revealed that the State of Siekerman has a secret underwater base (seriously), which is not only guarded by soldiers, but killer robot dogs armed with machine guns and guided missiles. Rather than awe, these scenes elicit eye-rolling, along with a few chuckles.

Even forgetting the ludicrous sci-fi aspects of the film, the narrative is a baffling mess, so convoluted that there are numerous points where the viewer isn’t exactly sure what’s going on, compounded by an overall lack of visual distinction among the various underwater locations. Most of the time, we’re only aware of where an action scene is going down because a title card tells us so. 

And speaking of action, there’s enough for two or three movies…guns, fists, knives, blood, destruction, explosions, all powered by a perpetually moving camera and marginally convincing CGI. But right from the get-go, it’s so relentless, hyper-edited and repetitive that the effect is ultimately numbing (especially with that deadly running time). Even a cinematic chest-thumper like Michael Bay sometimes knows when to slow things down to let a movie breathe. 

Those who get their kicks watching someone else game a video game might find Operation Hadal fairly amusing. For others, especially those of us who enjoyed Dante Lam’s first two “Operation” films, this one is a soulless, dramatically anemic letdown.

EXTRA KIBBLES

MAKING-OF FEATURETTE

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FORBIDDEN PLANET: The Id is Back...in 4K

FORBIDDEN PLANET Limited Edition (4K UHD)

1956 / 98 min

Arrow Video

Review by Mr. Paws😸

Forbidden Planet has the distinction of being the first movie that ever scared the shit out of me when I was a kid. Even on an old hand-me-down black & white TV, the “Id” monster was total nightmare fuel. For me, that horrifying creation made the flying monkeys from The Wizard of Oz look like a basket of puppies.

And if you don’t know what I’m talking about, shame on you for never having seen one of the greatest science-fiction movies ever made. And if not the greatest, it’s certainly one of the most influential. This wasn’t typical 1950s sci-fi drive-in fodder. With its generally serious tone, cerebral concepts and a huge budget for the time, Forbidden Planet was intelligent, thought provoking and visually spectacular. If not for this one, we may have never gotten the likes of Star Trek, Solaris or 2001: A Space Odyssey. 

A perfect marriage of story and spectacle, Forbidden Planet has held up remarkably well over the years, both narratively and visually. Without revealing too much that would spoil things for those shameful few who still don’t know what they’re missing, the film uses Shakespeare’s The Tempest as the foundation for a story about the crew of United Planets space cruiser C57-D, led by stoic commander John J. Adams (Leslie Nielsen). Their mission is to check-in on a colony sent to the distant planet of Altair IV. 

When they arrive, however, the only survivors are supergenius Dr. Morbius (Walter Pigeon) and his nubile-but-naive daughter, Altaira (Anne Francis, who might have been this writer’s first celebrity crush). Everyone else was slaughtered 20 years earlier by “some devilish thing that never once showed itself.” Adams ignores Morbius’ pleas for the ship to leave for fear of it happening again. Later, Morbius grudgingly reveals his decades-long research of the Krell, a long-extinct race that ended up being a little too technologically advanced for its own good. 

The film culminates in a plot revelation that remains potent today, though beyond the grasp of my tiny mind when I first watched it. But even without its thematic complexities, Forbidden Planet has always been a visual wonder, a triumph of visual effects and elaborate production design. Some of its imagery has since become iconic, such as the C57-D ship and especially Robby the Robot, the latter rendered so charming that he’s billed in the credits right along with the rest of the cast (and as the bonus features remind us, he even enjoyed something of a TV and film career outside of Forbidden Planet).

"That bastard just called me Shirley!"

Only a bit of cornball comedy and the superfluous romance between Adams and Altaira serve as glaring reminders of the decade from which it sprang. As for the dreaded Id monster that once haunted my dreams…it may have lost its power to terrify over the years, but still remains rather menacing (especially within the context of the story) and brilliantly animated.

An acknowledged science-fiction classic, Forbidden Planet was long overdue 4K release. Fortunately, Arrow Video comes through with a great limited edition set. This is one of the few films I’ve seen in every format, and can attest the 4K restoration is excellent (and framed in its original 2.55:1 aspect ratio, which the previous Blu-ray wasn’t). There are also three audio options, a DTS-HD MA mono track, a DTS-HD MA 5.1 track, and best of all, the theatrical “Perspecta” stereo track. The last option is the way this one should be heard, especially regarding the film’s groundbreaking electronic score (the first of its kind)...

…which reminds me…I once bought the Forbidden Planet soundtrack on vinyl, which is an experience unto itself. Not only do parts of it make my dog tilt her head, I had a record player in my classroom during my middle school teaching days, and there was a time I had this playing as kids were filing into class. One of them stopped in the middle of the room, regarded the turntable, and said in total seriousness, “Mr. Anderson, this is worse than that Slayer shit you listen to.” His grave comment had me laughing so hard that I didn’t have the heart to write him up for swearing (or hating on Slayer).

The 4K disc includes an excellent new audio commentary (I always enjoy listening to Kim Newman), while the rest of the bonus features are on an accompanying Blu-ray. Most of them are archival and have been featured on previous Blu-ray and/or DVD editions, but they’re pretty substantial and very entertaining (see below). Forbidden Planet fans will find a lot to love here, the technical aspects alone making it worth the upgrade. As for those who’ve ever seen it, here’s a great chance to end your shame.

EXTRA KIBBLES:

NOTE: Free Kittens Movie Guide was provided with a promo disc for review purposes. Physical supplemental material included with the final product (booklets, artwork, inserts, etc) were not available for review.   

UNEARTHLY AURA - This is a new appreciation of the groundbreaking (and really bizarre at the time) electronic score by Bebe & Louis Barron, by music historian Neil Brand. Aside from the commentary, it is the only totally new bonus feature.

ARCHIVAL FEATURETTES - Watch the Skies!: Science Fiction, the 1950s and Us is an hour-long retrospective documentary about sci-fi films of the era, and features interviews with some of the genre’s best-known directors; Amazing!: Exploring the Far Reaches of Forbidden Planet is a very entertaining look back at the film’s production and enduring impact; Robby the Robot: Engineering a Sci-Fi Icon looks back at the creation and construction of the film’s most endearing character.

THE INVISIBLE BOY is a second feature film featuring Robby. A fun little curio.

“ROBOT CLIENT” is an episode of the Thin Man TV series featuring Robby, and another strong argument that The Thin Man should never have been made into a TV show in the first place.

EXCERPTS FROM MGM PARADE

DELETED SCENES AND LOST FOOTAGE - The latter largely consists of alternate special effects shots.

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