McCARTNEY: NOW AND THEN: What Did He Just Say?

McCARTNEY: NOW AND THEN (Blu-ray)

2021 / 52 min

From Rising Sun Media

Available at www.MovieZyng.com

Review by Stinky the Destroyer😾

There’s certainly no shortage of documentaries, articles and books on the Fab Four, both as a band and as individuals. And why not? The Beatles continue to fascinate and entertain millions, so the backstories will probably keep coming long after all four of them are gone.

That being said, McCartney: Now and Then is short, superfluous and offers absolutely nothing any self-respecting Beatlemaniac doesn’t already know. It’s a Cliff’s Notes summary of McCartney’s career (mostly his time with The Beatles), jumping from one highlight to the next with less insight than a detailed Wikipedia article, accompanied my interviews with McCartney himself, as well as producer George Martin, sad sack Pete Best and other musicians of the era. However, I don’t believe the interviews were shot for this particular film.

"The one song I wish I'd written? Balls to the Wall, of course."

While Now and Then purports to be an authorized documentary, such authorization apparently doesn’t apply to Paul's or The Beatles' music. Instead, the soundtrack consists of generic instrumental rock & roll that plays over photos and archive footage. Worse yet, its so bloody loud in the mix that it drowns out most of what the interviewees are saying. Even if the viewer is fine with the same Beatles factoids over and over again, good luck hearing most of ‘em.

Additionally, the “Now” of the title should be taken with a grain of salt. This film was released in 2021, but unless Paul McCartney suddenly discovered the fountain of youth, it’s obvious all of the interview footage is at least 20 years old (and looks it). I doubt director Robin Bextor even met his subject before patching this thing together. If you really want to hear from the horse’s mouth, stick with The Beatles Anthology.

THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT (4K) and the Great Dog Monologue

THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT (4K UHD)

1996 / 120 min

From Arrow Video

Review by Mr. Bonnie, the Brain Smasher😺

If nothing else, The Long Kiss Goodnight features the greatest inspirational speech ever given in a film. Brian Cox’s character, Dr. Nathan Waldman, is sitting at the dining table with his wife and dog, the latter of which is bathing himself. It’s during this scene that Nathan says to his wife:

“He’s been licking his asshole for the last three straight hours. I submit to you that there’s nothing there worth more than an hour’s attention. I should think whatever he is attempting to dislodge is either gone for good, or there to stay. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Those lines come courtesy of screenwriter Shane Black, and if he never typed another word afterwards, he more-than-earned a place among the pantheon of legendary Hollywood writers. As for the rest of the movie…most of it faded from my memory over the years, though I do remember enjoying it. Back then, director Renny Harlin was still cranking out solid action films, Genna Davis was still an adorable A-lister and Samuel L. Jackson was still Samuel Motherf**king Jackson (then again, he's always been Samuel Motherf**king Jackson, hasn’t he?).

Married to Davis at the time, Harlin tried turning her into an action heroine, first with the historically disastrous Cutthroat Island, followed by this. Though a much better film, it did little for either of their careers. Davis went into the Stuart Little business, while hubby Harlin had one last decent movie in him (Deep Blue Sea) before descending into mediocrity. So as a power couple, The Long Kiss Goodnight could be seen as their legacy. And like a lot of movies written (and sometimes directed) by Shane Black, it developed something of a cult following thanks to home video.

The greatest speech...ever.

This 4K disc is the first time I’ve sat down to watch the movie in at least two decades. The story of amnesiac suburban mom Samantha Caine (Davis) slowly realizing she was once a government assassin named Charlie Baltimore is a solid foundation to build an action flick, albeit a familiar one. But it’s ultimately Black’s witty screenplay that makes it crackle, especially when heard through co-stars Samuel Motherf**king Jackson and Brian Cox, both who steal the movie right from under Davis’ nose. Elsewhere, there’s plenty of the usual kaboom, but like Black’s The Last Boy Scout, the dialogue is the movie’s most memorable aspect.

And you know what? Almost 30 years later, I still laughed my ass off during Cox’s tirade about his anally-obsessed pooch. In fact, I rewatched that scene twice. 

Speaking of rewatching, fans of The Long Kiss Goodnight will certainly enjoy revisiting it in 4K. I’ve never seen the film on DVD or Blu-ray, so I can’t draw any upgrade comparisons, but the picture and sound here are both excellent. Additionally, Arrow Video has thrown in a big batch of new bonus features, along with a few older ones.

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.

NEW INTERVIEWS - Symphony of Destruction features stunt coordinator Steven Davdson (not Dave Mustaine); Long Live the New Flesh features make-up artist Gordon J. Smith (not David Cronenberg); Girl Interrupted features actress Yvonne Zima, who played Samantha’s eight-year-old daughter (not Angelina Jolie).

3 VISUAL ESSAYS - Amnesia Chick is by film scholar Josh Nelson, who discusses a long line of films with amnesiac protagonists; The Mirror Crack’d is by Howard S. Berger (not Agatha Christie); A Woman’s World is by author & film critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas.

2 AUDIO COMMENTARIES - 1) By critic Walter Chaw; 2) By Bloodhaus podcasters Drusilla Adeline and Joshua Conkel.

ARCHIVE INTERVIEWS - Featuring director Renny Harlin, actors Geena Davis, Samuel Motherf**king Jackson and Craig Bierko (whatever happened to that guy?)

MAKING-OF FEATURETTE

BEHIND-THE-SCENES EPK

DELETED SCENES

IMAGE GALLERY

TRAILER

Looking Back at EARTH II

EARTH II (Blu-ray)

1971 / 97 min

From Warner Archive Collection

Available at www.MovieZyng.com

Review by Mr. Paws😺

In addition to bringing hundreds of old classics to Blu-ray, Warner Archive seems well aware of an entire generation who grew up on made-for-TV movies of the 1970s. Some of this writer’s first exposure to horror, science-fiction and thrillers came courtesy of the ABC Movie of the Week and CBS Tuesday Night Movies.

One of them I vaguely recall is Earth II. Like such similar TV movies from the era as Genesis II and The Questor Tapes, it was originally produced as the pilot episode for a potential series, but never found an audience. As a kid with a growing interest in science-fiction, I remember tuning in to watch it, but almost nothing about the actual plot

Revisiting Earth II on Blu-ray was an interesting experience. The special effects and space sequences that kept me glued to the set when I was eight years old are obviously antiquated, but an enjoyable trip down memory lane nevertheless. Conversely, having remembered nothing about the story beyond the basic premise, much of the film felt completely new to me.

Earth II is an orbiting space station (predating the ISS) that is declared a sovereign nation with its own democratic government, so committed to peace that even toy guns are forbidden. Though commanded by David Seville (Gary Lockwood), all decisions affecting its thousands of citizens are voted on by everyone. This idyllic existence is threatened when the Chinese park an orbiting nuclear weapon nearby, threatening war if anyone tinkers with it.

Gary suddenly realizes how much he misses Stanley Kubrick.

David wants to leave it alone, but goaded by hawkish new arrival Frank Karger (Anthony Franciosa), the citizens vote to capture the bomb and deactivate it. But Frank wants to go one step further and keep the bomb to make Earth II a nuclear superpower, to the chagrin of his distraught wife, Lisa (Mariette Hartley), who wants to keep the station a peaceful society to raise their son. So she launches the weapon, thinking it will fly into the sun (which was originally suggested by David). Instead, it heads toward Earth. So now David and his team must retrieve and disarm the bomb, which is growing increasingly unstable.

Conceptually, I can see how Earth II could’ve been a decent series (if somewhat short-lived, like most sci-fi shows of the era). Though not particularly thrilling, the movie’s teleplay is pretty well written and occasionally thought provoking. With a cast consisting primarily of television actors, the overall performances are decent. And despite obviously being created with future episodes in mind, the pilot works well enough as a standalone story.

Of course, the primary appeal of Earth II today is purely nostalgic. Its quaint ‘70s aesthetic and TV origins would probably be lost on anyone who didn’t grow up with this stuff. For those who did - like yours truly - watching this is an agreeable look back at a bygone era of TV science-fiction.