WEREWOLVES: The Purge with Pooches

WEREWOLVES (Blu-ray)

2024 / 94 min

From Universal

Available at www.MovieZyng.com

Review by Josey, the Sudden Cat🙀

I’m a werewolf! You’re a werewolf! Deep down inside, we’re all werewolves! All it takes is a supermoon to bring out the beast in us. 

That’s the basic premise of Werewolves, which plays more like an entry in the Purge franchise than your usual lycan horror film. And that’s just fine because it seems like we’ve been getting quite a few werewolf movies lately, and none managed to make them scary again. Neither does this one, but at least there’s an attempt to think outside the box.

It even features Purge alumnus Frank Grillo as Wesley Marshall, part of a CDC team trying to find a lycanthropy cure after last year’s supermoon turned a billion people into bloodthirsty beasties. The movie opens with Wesley fortifying the home of widowed sister-in-law Lucy (Ilfenesh Hadera) and his niece, arming it with a variety of deadly booby traps before heading off test an experimental spray called ‘moonscreen,’ which is supposed to protect people exposed to the moon’s effects.

Meanwhile, the public is urged to stay in their homes all night as a new supermoon approaches. Naturally, not everybody listens. Naturally, things go catastrophically awry at Wesley’s facility when their test subjects kill nearly all his colleagues and escape. Naturally, he and fellow doctor Amy Chen (Katrina Law) must make their way on-foot through a city crawling with critters in order to save his extended family. The good news is they’re protected by moonscreen. The bad news is that it’s only effective for an hour, so there’s no time to fart around.

"Hey...Dunkin' Donuts. I could sure go for a maple bar right now."

Despite a dead serious tone, Werewolves is a pretty silly film with plenty of lapses in plausibility, goofy dialogue and ludicrous plot turns that often depend on the stupidity of its characters. Steven C, Miller’s direction is perfunctory at best, not helped by occasionally atrocious editing and an obnoxious amount of lens flares. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it. There’s an emphasis on bloody action over pure horror, and as such, it delivers. I suppose it goes without saying that Grillo is more convincing as a werewolf asskicker than a viral expert. And for a guy pushing 60, he’s absolutely ripped, which the filmmakers exploit at every opportunity. Still, he’s entertaining in a role that essentially requires him to channel Leo Barnes from The Purge: Anarchy.

Werewolves is junk, but if you’re in the right frame of mind, it’s amusing junk built on a wild premise. Like most werewolf movies, it isn’t remotely scary (and seldom tries to be), but the action, violence and transformation effects are well done. With tempered expectations, you might have a good time.

EXTRA KIBBLES

DELETED SCENES

DIGITAL COPY

JUROR #2: A Living Legend's Swan Song?

JUROR #2 (Blu-ray)

2024 / 114 min

From Warner Bros.

#InPartnershipwithWB

Review by Princess Pepper😺

It’s widely assumed that Juror #2 is going to be Clint Eastwood’s last film as a director. If that does indeed turn out to be the case, he’s going out on a high note. A very high note.

Juror #2 is a compelling courtroom thriller with an irresistible premise. Justin Kemp (Nicholas Hoult) is summoned for jury duty and selected to serve on a murder trial, which seems like a slam dunk case for assistant DA Faith Killebrew (Toni Collette). James Sythe (Gabriel Basso) is accused of murdering his girlfriend following a drunken argument in a local bar. After she stormed out and headed down the road on-foot during a rainstorm, Sythe chased her down in his car and bludgeoned her to death, then pitched her body off a bridge. 

But as the prosecution and defense recount their versions of the crime - along with witnesses - Kemp begins to realize that not only was he in the same bar that night, he might have been the one who actually killed her, albeit accidentally. Driving home, Kemp was briefly distracted (by his phone, of course!), and hit what he thought was a deer. Now, sitting in the courtroom, he realizes Sythe is innocent. However, he’s the only one, and during deliberations, his is the sole ‘not guilty’ vote, much to the consternation of other jurors (leading to moments that echo 12 Angry Men).

Kemp attempts to cast reasonable doubt on the case without revealing his guilt. And in a way, it’s understandable. Kemp has a lot to lose. A recovering alcoholic, he’s worked hard to change his life. Not only that, he and his wife are expecting, which has considerable significance because, just a year before, she miscarried their twins. Conversely, Sythe is depicted as short-tempered, unlikable and, as another juror later explains, has an unsavory history. 

"Change your vote or you don't get any water."

Nothing makes a thriller crackle like throwing in a heaping helping of moral ambiguity, which the story has in abundance. Even Killebrew is somewhat motivated by the prospect of this high-profile case cementing her bid for District Attorney. Among the jurors, Harold Chicowski (J.K. Simmons) is a retired cop who also becomes convinced of Sythe’s innocence, but only after violating the judge’s instructions not to do any investigating on his own. 

But it’s ultimately Kemp who gains both the viewer’s sympathy and ire. He’s a wonderfully realized character, tormented by guilt, yet not willing to come clean, especially after his friend and AA sponsor, Larry (Kiefer Sutherland), gravely informs Kemp that, because of his past, no jury in the world would believe he wasn’t drinking that night. Hoult is excellent in the role, and wisely displays growing uncertainty more through expressions than words. If more people had actually seen Juror #2 prior to the Oscar nominations, perhaps he might have even made the cut.

Alas, the film was released in only 50 theaters nationwide before ending up on MAX, which is kinda shocking considering it's supposedly a living legend's swan song. It’s also a little ironic because most of Eastwood’s other recent films were hardly worth seeing at all. But Juror #2 is easily his best since Sully…engaging, tension-filled and well written, with a final scene that packs a wallop. Fortunately, it’s one of those movies that arguably plays just as well at home, and more importantly, is worthy of repeated viewings. Don't miss this one.

THE CELL: Sometimes Looks Are Everything

THE CELL (4K & Blu-ray)

2000 / 107 & 109 min (3 versions)

From Arrow Video

Review by Josey, the Sudden Cat🙀

Sometimes looks are everything…

Take 2000’s The Cell, for example. When you strip away the accouterments, you essentially have a sci-fi/horror variation of The Silence of the Lambs, with psychologist Catherine Deane (Jennifer Lopez) using an experimental device to enter the mind of serial killer Carl Rudolph Stargher (Vincent D’Onofrio), who has fallen into a coma after abducting and imprisoning his latest victim. It’s her task to learn her location before she dies. 

A fairly straightforward story, it’s generally bereft of surprises and comes to a fairly predictable conclusion. Ditto the characters…who are mostly standard-issue, including its twisted antagonist (a trope we’d come to expect by then). Overall, the performances are good but unremarkable. I know D’Onofrio has frequently been singled out for particular praise, but really, he’s always excelled at playing weirdos. Stargher’s the kind of guy he can do in his sleep, and aside from some early scenes, D’Onofrio is buried under so much make-up that he could have been played by anybody.

However, The Cell is such a visual marvel that the aesthetics alone make it worth seeing…probably repeatedly. More so than any horror film since Suspiria, it’s beautiful - sometimes grotesquely beautiful - just to look at, with scores of individual scenes that are works of art unto themselves (some were actually inspired by works of art). The cinematography, production design, costuming make-up and special effects are the work of imaginations run wild. Those aspects, more than anything, are arguably the primary reason the film remains revered today.

"You know, Jen, I've have enough of your nonsense."

Arrow Video has done right by the film with an excellent limited edition release, which is offered in 4K and Blu-ray editions. They feature outstanding 4K restorations of both the original theatrical version and the director’s cut (which runs about two minutes longer). Additionally, the second disc includes a yet-another version, put together by director of photography Paul Laufer and presented in a different aspect ratio (1.78:1) with alternate grading. Not necessarily an improvement, but an interesting new way to view the film.

Additionally, there’s an abundance of new and archival bonus features that, unsurprisingly, tend to be geared more toward the film’s visual and technical aspects. It’s all outlined below, and fans of The Cell should find most of it pretty interesting. This set also includes new packaging, artwork and a supplemental booklet, but those weren’t made available for review.

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.

THEATRICAL & DIRECTOR’S CUTS

ALTERNATE VERSION - This is in a different aspect ratio than the original, overseen by director of photography Paul Laufer.

NEW INTERVIEWS - Projection of the Mind’s Eye is a feature-length interview with director Tarsem Singh (the best of the bonus features); Between Two Worlds features director of photography Paul Laufer.

VISUAL ESSAYS - Art is Where You Find It, by film scholar Alexandra Heller-Nicholas; The Costuming Auteur, by critic Abby Bender.

FEATURETTES - Paul Laufer Illuminates features the director of photography’s purpose and process of creating the alternate aspect ratio & grading version; Style as Substance: Reflections on Tarsem is an archival featurette.

4 AUDIO COMMENTARIES - 1) By Josh Nelson & Alexandra Heller-Nicholas; 2) By screenwriter Mark Protosevich & critic Kay Lynch; 3) By director Tarsem Singh; 4) By director of photography Paul Laufer, production designer Tom Foden, makeup artist Michele Burke, costume designer April Napier, FX supervisor Kevin Tod Haug and composer Howard Shore.

8 DELETED SCENES - With optional commentary by director Tarsem Singh

6 MULTI-ANGLE FX VIGNETTES

IMAGE GALLERY

U.S. & INTERNATIONAL TRAILERS

OMNI LOOP Defies Expectations

OMNI LOOP (Blu-ray)

2024 / 110 min

From Magnolia Pictures

Available at www.MovieZyng.com

Review by Stinky the Destroyer😽

Omni Loop turns out not to be the movie its premise suggests. Depending on your expectations, that’ll be either a pleasant surprise or a depressing disappointment.

On one hand, it’s an oddball science-fiction film in which its main character, quantum physics author Zoya Lowe (Mary-Louise Parker), is diagnosed with a black hole growing in her chest. No explanation is offered, though it’s suggested that this phenomenon occurs from time to time like a rare form of cancer. She’s given a week to live before the black hole completely consumes her, during which time her loving family plans to make her as comfortable and happy as possible.

However, Zoya is stuck in a time loop - triggered by mysterious prescription pills she found as a 12 year old - so she keeps reliving that same final week over and over. Feeling personally and professionally incomplete, Zoya is determined to figure out how these pills work to order to alter her past, eventually enlisting the help of a young researcher, Paula (Ayo Edebiri), with access to a college campus lab…as well as a “nanoscopic man,” who’s kept in a box and continually shrinking.

On the other hand, Omni Loop is a somber character study of Zoya herself. With every time jump, it’s revealed that her life has not turned out how she (and others) once expected. Through flashbacks and encounters with people who impacted her life, such as Professor Duselberg (Harris Yulin), her invalid mother and ex-colleague/old flame Mark, she views her past as a series of missed opportunities and failing to achieve her potential. Consumed by revisiting (and maybe fixing) her past, Zoya neglects the present, namely husband Donald (Carlos Jacott) and daughter Jayne (Hannah Pearl Utt).

Paula adds Zoya to her shit list.

Both aspects of the film are pretty well conceived. The effects of “time looping” are intriguing, each jump providing an essential piece of the narrative (including a sobering revelation about Paula’s motives for helping Zoya). The logistics behind the science are intentionally murky, and one of the film’s strengths is that we simply accept the concepts of personal black holes and microscopic men without further scrutiny. But it also reflects what the film is really about…Zoya’s personal journey and her epiphanies along the way.

These themes eventually dominate the film, and while affecting, they cause a big shift in the overall tone. Not that Omni Loop was ever a barrel of laughs to begin with, but it grows more dispiriting (if not meandering) as the story progresses, the sci-fi elements taking a backseat to a gloomy sense of inevitability, to the point where the audience is likely to know the outcome before it actually plays out.

Still, Omni Loop is a thought provoking experience, even if some viewers may not necessarily appreciate the thoughts it provokes. A small film with weighty themes, what it lacks in mind-bending thrills is compensated by a relatable protagonist and a haunting denouement. But viewers expecting another low budget brain scrambler like Primer or Coherence should take a pass.

MY NAME IS ALFRED HITCHCOCK: A Legend Resurrected

MY NAME IS ALFRED HITCHCOCK (Blu-ray)

2022 / 120 min

From Cohen Media Group

Review by Princess Pepper😺

What makes My Name is Alfred Hitchcock a unique retrospective film is we’re hearing it from the horse’s mouth (sort of). One of cinema’s most iconic and influential directors offers a fresh new perspective on his life, career and approach to his craft. Surely a legend of Hitch’s stature still has something relevant to share. Who cares if the man’s been dead for 45 years?

Director Mark Cousins doesn’t let such a minor technicality deter him from letting Hitch have his say, not when he’s got narrator Alistair McGowan doing a spot-on impression of him. So it really isn’t Hitch we’re listening to, nor are these his actual words. Cousins, whose career mostly consists of documentaries, wrote the screenplay, which he claims is based on what the real Alfred Hitchcock has said and done during his life…

…meaning this isn’t a documentary in the purist sense, which is fine because don’t we have enough of those already? Instead, its subject is the film’s somewhat reliable narrator. Jovial, a tad arrogant and sometimes pretty funny, Hitch frequently breaks the fourth wall and engages the audience directly while discussing what makes him tick (both personally and professionally).

The film is made up of five “chapters”...Escape, Desire, Loneliness, Time, Fulfillment and Height. Hitch states these are recurring themes throughout his body of work (and life). His observations are supported by a huge collection of clips from his films, both classic and obscure, dating all the way back to the silent era. Hitchcock himself is occasionally depicted through vintage photographs, some enhanced through subtle animated touches. 

If our narrator is to be fully trusted, we learn more about the man behind the movies than the movies themselves, which is okay because most reading this probably know everything about Vertigo anyway. Besides, this Hitchcock certainly knows how to tell a good story and, as one-sided conversations go, he’s very engaging. 

EXTRA KIBBLES

CINEMA Q&A WITH CHUCK ROSE - Rose interviews director Mark Cousins.

ALISTAIR McGOWAN’S VOICE TEST - Audio only.

GRAPHICS ANIMATION TESTS

INTRODUCTIONS - Director Mak Cousins introduces three of Hitch’s classics, Notorious, Rope & Saboteur.  

TRAILER & ALTERNATE TRAILER - The latter is narrated by director Mark Cousins.

MOVIES TURNING 50 IN 2025

This’ll make some of you feel ancient. The following is a list of noteworthy movies celebrating their Golden Anniversary this year. Some are now classics, others were blockbusters of their time, and a few still retain a certain amount of cultural relevance. To put the passage of time in perspective...back in 1975, 50-year-old movies were all silent. As for this crusty old cat, I remember seeing most of them for the first time like it was yesterday. How many have you seen?

JAWS - Once the highest grossing film of all time, it remains as thrilling as ever and a cultural milestone. Even today, you see the iconic logo and image everywhere.

ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST - It swept the Academy Awards that year, winning Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actor (Jack Nicholson), Best Actress (Louise Fletcher), Best Director (Milos Foreman) and Best Screenplay (Lawrence Hudson & Bo Goldman).

THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW - The quintessential cult film, it’s been playing every weekend in my hometown for 50 years.

DOG DAY AFTERNOON - “Attica! Attica!”

ROLLERBALL - In the not-to-distant future (2018), wars will no longer exist. But there will be Rollerball. I still wish this was a real sport.

TOMMY - Actually, this one felt dated even back in 1975.

NASHVILLE - One of eclectic director Robert Altman’s greatest (and longest) films.

DEEP RED - The ultimate giallo film, and along with Suspiria, the high point of director Dario Argento’s career. 

DEATH RACE 2000 - Back when the year 2000 still seemed like the distant future. Kids don’t know how good they have it these days. Now they can mow down pedestrians themselves with their PS5.

THE STEPFORD WIVES - This one still gives off a creepy vibe.

MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL - People quote this movie even today, including those who weren’t alive in the '70s.

FRENCH CONNECTION II - Never approaching the greatness of the original, it’s still a solid sequel.

THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR - One of the most paranoid movies ever made.

ROOSTER COGBURN - John Wayne’s penultimate film. 

BARRY LYNDON - This three-hour epic isn’t Stanley Kubrick’s best film, but it is arguably one of his prettiest. 

THE GIANT SPIDER INVASION - If you ever wondered what the Skipper was up to after being rescued from Gilligan’s Island, here you go. I actually paid to see this junk in a theater. On the plus side, it inspired one of Mystery Science Theater 3000’s best episodes.

THE POOP SCOOP: Upcoming Kibbles!

🧛NOSFERATU is now available on Digital and coming to 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD on February 18, 2025 from Universal.

As audiences continue to succumb to the darkness in theaters across the nation, Focus Features’ NOSFERATU debuts exclusively on digital platforms to own or rent today from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. The hauntingly suspenseful horror film will be available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray™ and DVD on February 18, 2025. Own NOSFERATU with an extended cut never-before-seen in theaters, bonus content including deleted and behind-the-scenes footage as well as Robert Eggers’ exclusive director’s commentary only when you purchase from participating retailers nationwide. NOSFERATU is a gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman and the terrifying vampire infatuated with her, causing untold horror in its wake. Starring Bill Skarsgård, Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, and Willem Dafoe.

🦔SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 debuts on Digital January 21st and on 4K UHD/Blu-ray/DVD April 15th from Paramount.

Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails return for their most epic adventure yet in the blockbuster hit SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3, arriving to buy on Digital January 21, 2025 from Paramount Home Entertainment.  The film will also be available on Digital as part of a 3-movie collection that includes the first two feature films.  SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 will arrive on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on April 15, 2025.  The 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray Combo will also be available in two collectible SteelBooks while supplies last. Directed by Jeff Fowler, who has directed all three films in the series, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 stars Jim Carrey, Ben Schwartz, Krysten Ritter, Natasha Rothwell, Shemar Moore, with James Marsden with Tika Sumpter with Idris Elba and Keanu Reeves, who joins the all-star cast as Shadow the Hedgehog. Fans who purchase the film on Digital** or 4K Ultra HD will have access to over 50 minutes of fun-filled bonus content.  Go behind the scenes with the cast and crew as they speed from London to Tokyo, listen to entertaining commentary by director Jeff Fowler and the wildly funny Ben Schwartz, watch hilarious bloopers and on-set antics, check out deleted scenes not shown in theatres, and much more!

😺Jackie Chan and Jet Li in THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM 4K/Blu-ray SteelBook Coming February 25 from Lionsgate.

A MARTIAL ARTS EXPLOSION! Individually, they’ve starred in the most adrenaline-pumping martial arts adventures ever. Together for the first time, Jet Li and Jackie Chan join forces to create the greatest epic of them all – The Forbidden Kingdom. As ancient Chinese warriors, they must train and mentor a 21st-century kung fu fanatic who’s been summoned to fight a centuries-old battle and free the imprisoned Monkey King. If you’re a fighting fan, the wait is over. The team is ready. The Forbidden Kingdom arrives on 4K + Blu-ray SteelBook February 25 from Lionsgate. 

😺THE THIRD MAN 4K SteelBook Coming February 25 from Lionsgate.

Widely regarded as the greatest British film of all time, and making its 4K debut, director Carol Reed's noir The Third Man, brilliantly scripted by Graham Greene – and set to Anton Karas's evocative zither score – is a justly celebrated classic further enhanced by Orson Welles in one of his most iconic roles. After writer Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) arrives in post-WWII Vienna to meet his old friend Harry Lime (the incomparable Welles), he discovers Lime has been killed in a suspicious accident. As the accident's witnesses disappear, the sardonic Major Calloway (Trevor Howard) and Lime's mistress, Anna Schmidt (Alida Valli), complicate Martins's search for answers regarding his friend's death. But will his relentless curiosity lead him to discoveries about Lime he'd rather not know? This release also comes with many bonus features, including a 56 page booklet, art cards and numerous featurettes.