Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has announced the upcoming home video release of “Creed III”. This brand-new combo pack features the film in crisp 4K with HDR and includes both a Blu-ray and digital copy. “Creed III” is the third chapter in the Rocky spin-off story of Adonis Creed who’s memorably played by a returning Michael B. Jordan. The film also marks Jordan’s directorial debut. In addition it features a powerful supporting performance from Jonathan Majors. You can read my full review of the film HERE.
This new 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital edition of “Creed III” is light on bonus content, but the visual and sound quality is superb. It hits shelves on May 23rd, 2023. See below for a full synopsis and breakdown of the bonus features.
OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS:
Year: 2023
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 116 Minutes
Directed by: Michael B. Jordan
Screenplay by: Keenan Coogler & Zach Baylin
Story by: Ryan Coogler and Keenan Coogler & Zach Baylin
Produced by: Irwin Winkler, p.g.a., Charles Winkler, William Chartoff, David Winkler, Ryan Coogler, p.g.a., Michael B. Jordan, p.g.a., Elizabeth Raposo, p.g.a., Jonathan Glickman, Sylvester Stallone
Executive Producers: Sev Ohanian, Zinzi Coogler, Nicolas Stern, Adam Rosenberg
After dominating the boxing world, Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) has been thriving in both his career and family life. When a childhood friend and former boxing prodigy, Damian (Jonathan Majors), resurfaces after serving a long sentence in prison, he is eager to prove that he deserves his shot in the ring. The face off between former friends is more than just a fight. To settle the score, Adonis must put his future on the line to battle Damian – a fighter who has nothing to lose.
“Creed III” stars Michael B. Jordan (“Just Mercy”, “Black Panther”), Tessa Thompson (“Thor: Love and Thunder”, TV’s “Westworld”), Jonathan Majors (“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania”, “Devotion”), Wood Harris (TV’s “Winning Time”), Mila Davis-Kent, Florian Munteanu, and Phylicia Rashad.
“Creed III” is the third installment in the successful franchise and recently set a franchise record and scored the biggest domestic box office opening for a sports film in history.
BONUS FEATURES:
Creed III4K UHD and Blu-ray combo packs contains the following special features:
Michael B. Jordan: In the Ring/Behind the Camera – featurette
There’s No Enemy Like the Past: Donnie and Dame – featurette
Ron Shelton’s 1992 basketball comedy “White Men Can’t Jump” lived and breathed off of the electric personalities and hilarious chemistry between its two leads, Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes. When hearing a remake was on the way I immediately wondered if there was any way it could recapture that kind of energy? In a word, no. And in many ways not even close. In fact, it’s accurate to say this “update” barely resembles its inspiration.
This bland and frankly needless remake comes from director Charles Kidd II aka Calmatic. In it Sinqua Walls plays Kamal Allen a former high school basketball phenom who was projected as a “can’t miss” player. He was heavily recruited by colleges and NBA teams alike. But an arrest for assault during his senior year tarnished his reputation and scared away every interested party. So now he’s stuck in a minimum wage job driving a deliver truck, barely scraping by and trying to support his wife Imani (Teyana Taylor) and their young son. He can still hoop, but he’s given up on ever playing professional basketball.
Jeremy (played by rapper Jack Harlow in his acting debut) once had a promising basketball future of his own and was a standout player at Gonzaga University. But two blown ACLs sidetracked his dreams. So now he’s selling cheap bottled health drinks and hustling streetball games for cash. He desperately wants to play basketball again and he has the wild idea that “regenerative medicine” is his ticket to the NBA G League. But his girlfriend Tatiana (Laura Harrier) wants him to focus more on their future together.
The two former ballers cross paths at a neighborhood gym where Jeremy promptly hustles Kamal out of $300. It understandably leaves a sour taste in Kamal’s mouth. But with both of them in desperate need of money, they end up teaming together to play in a two-on-two streetball tournament with a massive payout going to the winners. First, they’ll have to hustle a few neighborhood games to pay for their entry fee. Second, they’ll have to do it without killing each other. That proves to be a tough ask.
From the very start, the story just doesn’t have the energy or the spirit of the 1992 original. And at times it doesn’t even seem try. The script occasionally attempts (but falls terribly short) at recreating the playful banter, the culturally tinged back-and-forths, and the hilarious insults that Snipes and Harrelson fired off so naturally. A lot of it has to do with the lukewarm chemistry between Walls and Harlow. Individually their performances are fine, but neither have the charisma of a Snipes or a Harrelson. And together there simply isn’t much of a spark between them.
To compensate, the movie ventures off into some more dramatic directions, none of which work particularly well. Co-writers Kenya Barris and Doug Hall attempt to cook up some interest in Kamal and Jeremy’s home life. But these side dishes consist of little more than Imani and Tatiana understandably losing patience with their bone-headed beaus.
We find some hope in these family scenes in the form of the late Lance Reddick who plays Kamal’s father, Benji Allen. At first he comes across as an overbearing LaVar Ball type. But over time we get a sense that there’s actually more to his character. Unfortunately we’re left to wonder because Reddick doesn’t get much screen time and the father-son relationship is left painfully underserved.
So we’re left with everything else, nothing of which will stick with you past the closing credits. The humdrum humor certainly won’t as it rarely registers. And there’s definitely not enough personality or charm to leave any kind of mark. Even the basketball scenes fall flat. And I’m still trying to figure out why they even bothered calling it “White Men Can’t Jump” considering how little it has in common with the considerably better original. Maybe the idea looked better on paper. Maybe it’s a cash grab. Either way, it doesn’t make for a good movie. “White Men Can’t Jump” is now streaming on Hulu.
While none of us can make sense of their hilariously arbitrary titles (“Fast Five”, “Fast & Furious 6”, “Furious 7”, “The Fate of the Furious”, “F9”, etc.), one thing is for sure – the Fast and Furious movies have fully embraced what has made the franchise such a hit. Since taking a dramatic turn in 2011 with its fifth installment, the series has grown into one of the most expense and most profitable popcorn franchises in big screen history.
The latest chapter is “Fast X” and it’s being advertised as the first film in a possible trilogy that will bring the adrenaline-fueled saga to an end (it even sports the tagline “the end of the road begins“). Vin Diesel returns as the series centerpiece Dominic Toretto. Pretty much everyone else is back as well for this $340 million last ride.
“Fast X” doesn’t do anything to break the mold. So if you like the previous movies this one will deliver the same over-the-top, fuel-injected action spectacle you’ll be looking for. The reverse is also true. If you didn’t care for the other films in the franchise there’s nothing new in “Fast X” that will suddenly win you over. Well maybe Jason Momoa who plays the story’s giddily diabolical antagonist. He’s a blast and goes for broke in delivering a villain like none other we’ve seen in the franchise.
Image Courtesy of Universal Pictures
“F9” was a little wobbly with several nagging issues keeping it from living up to expectations. Still it had the crazy set pieces and most (not all) of the characters we have grown to love. As you might guess, “Fast X” amps up nearly everything. It’s not as distractingly absurd as “F9”, but it still features the franchise’s signature reality-defying action and it miraculously finds time to give everyone some meaningful moments. It’s pure fan food, made from start to finish with fans in mind.
One thing is for sure, “Fast X” is far from a standalone movie. In fact you’re guaranteed to have more questions after the movie than you did at the start of it. Director Louis Leterrier, working from a screenplay by Dan Mazeau and Justin Lin, puts a lot of things in motion and their cliffhanger ending leaves several loose story threads dangling. But that’s okay for a tale of the size and scope.
Diesel gives one of his better performances of the series, portraying Dom as both tough-as-nails yet vulnerable. He loves his wife Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) and his young son Brian (Leo Abelo Perry) more than anything else and he has worked so hard to keep them and his extended family safe. But the constant worry is clearly taking an emotional toll on him.
But once again the past comes back to haunt Dom. This time its in the form of the flamboyant and maniacal Dante Reyes (a hysterical and unnerving Momoa). He’s the son of Hernan Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida), a violent drug kingpin who was killed during 2011’s “Fast Five”. Dante is intent on paying back the man he holds responsible for killing his father and stealing their family fortune – Dominic Toretto. And what better way than by taking away what’s dearest to Dom – his family.
Of course in the Fast & Furious movies family isn’t just blood kin. It also includes loyal friends like Roman (Tyrese Gibson), Tej (Chris “Ludacris” Bridges), Han (Sung Kang), and Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel). Dom’s sister, Mia (Jordana Brewster) and his little brother, Jakob (John Cena) also find themselves in the mix. That’s a lot of people to protect and the sadistic Dante knows it. So he hatches a meticulously crafted plan aimed at separating Dom’s loved ones and luring them all across the globe. Not even Dom can be five places at once. So the danger ratchets up and the personal stakes get higher and higher.
Image Courtesy of Universal Pictures
As the story takes shape Leterrier ushers us around the globe, making stops in London, Los Angeles, Rio de Janeiro, Portugal, and Antarctica among others. At each stop we meet old friends like Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) and some old enemies like Cipher (Charlize Theron). And there are plenty of new faces as well played by the likes of Brie Larson, Daniela Melchior, and Alan Ritchson. Yes, it’s a massive cast.
By the end it feels like this final story is only getting started. We’re left shocked by certain outcomes, wondering about certain fates, and curious for what lies ahead. And what can I say – I enjoyed the ride. Even more, Diesel and company did their job of leaving me genuinely looking forward to the next film. As with all the FF movies you have to endure a rather large amount of silliness, and buying into some of the plot machinations can be a challenge. Those are baked-in issues that have been around for years.
But the franchise freed itself from the restraints of reality a long time ago. “Fast X” is openly self-aware yet it has an undeniably big heart. And Momoa brings a blithely psychotic energy that you can’t turn away from. It’s hard to get a good read on the film since so much is left for later. But the movie sets the table well, all while delivering just the kind of big budget popcorn entertainment it advertises. In the end, it’s hard to knock it too much for being exactly what its fans want it to be. “Fast X” is now showing exclusively in theaters.
Apple Studios and Paramount Pictures have finally given us our first peak at the highly anticipated Martin Scorsese period crime drama “Killers of the Flower Moon”. A new teaser dropped today for the filmmaker’s much talked about follow-up to his acclaimed 2019 hit “The Irishman”. The film is based on David Grann’s best-selling 2017 non-fiction book “Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI”. The captivating new teaser leaves a striking impression.
Scorsese directs from a script he co-wrote with Eric Roth. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Jesse Plemons, Lily Gladstone, Brendan Fraser, John Lithgow, and Tantoo Cardinal. It follows the FBI’s investigation into the mysterious murder of Osage tribe members in 1920s Oklahoma. The film is set to have its world premiere this weekend at the Cannes Film Festival and will get a wide theater release before streaming on Apple TV+. That’s exciting news because this looks custom-made for the big screen.
“Killers of the Flower Moon” hits theaters October 20th. Check out the teaser below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has announced the upcoming release of “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” on home video. This feature-rich combo pack features the film in crisp, beautiful 4K with HDR, on Blu-ray, and on digital. Directed by David F. Sandberg, the film is the follow-up to the 2019 surprise superhero hit “Shazam!”. It’s a fun, exciting, and visually stunning step up from the first movie that sees Zachary Levi reprising his role as the titular DC Comics character. Read my full review of the film HERE.
This terrific new 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital edition of “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” hits shelves on May 23rd, 2023. See below for a full synopsis and breakdown of the bonus features.
OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS:
Year: 2023
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 130 Minutes
“Shazam! Fury of the Gods” continues the story of teenage Billy Batson (Asher Angel) who, upon reciting the magic word “SHAZAM!,” is transformed into his adult Super Hero alter ego, Shazam. Bestowed with the powers of the gods, Billy Batson and his fellow foster kids are still learning how to juggle teenage life with having adult Super Hero alter-egos. But when the Daughters of Atlas, a vengeful trio of ancient gods, arrive on Earth in search of the magic stolen from them long ago, Billy—aka Shazam (Zachary Levi)—and his family are thrust into a battle for their superpowers, their lives, and the fate of their world.
The film is directed by David F. Sandberg, written byHenry Gayden and Chris Morgan, based on characters from DC; Shazam! created by Bill Parker and C.C. Beck, produced by Peter Safran with Walter Hamada, Adam Schlagman, Richard Brener, Dave Neustadter, Victoria Palmeri, Marcus Viscidi and Geoff Johnsexecutive producing.
The ensemble stars Zachary Levi (“American Underdog”) as Shazam; Asher Angel (TV’s “Andi Mack”) as Billy Batson; Jack Dylan Grazer (“It Chapter Two”) as Freddy Freeman; Adam Brody (“Promising Young Woman”) as Super Hero Freddy; Ross Butler (“Raya and the Last Dragon”) as Super Hero Eugene; Meagan Good (“Day Shift”) as Super Hero Darla; D.J. Cotrona (“G.I. Joe: Retaliation”) as Super Hero Pedro; Grace Caroline Currey (“Annabelle: Creation”) as Mary Bromfield / Super Hero Mary; Faithe Herman (TV’s “This Is Us”) as Darla Dudley; Ian Chen (“A Dog’s Journey”) as Eugene Choi; Jovan Armand (“Second Chances”) as Pedro Pena; Marta Milans (TV’s “White Lines”) as Rosa Vasquez; Cooper Andrews (TV’s “The Walking Dead”) as Victor Vasquez; with Djimon Hounsou (“A Quiet Place Part II”) as Wizard, Rachel Zegler (“West Side Story”), with Lucy Liu (“Kung Fu Panda” franchise) and Helen Mirren (“F9: The Fast Saga”).
BONUS MATERIALS
“Shazam! Fury of the Gods” 4K disc contains the following special feature:
Director’s Audio Commentary with David F. Sandberg
“Shazam! Fury of the Gods” Premium Digital Ownership and Blu-ray disc contains the following special feature:
SHAZAM! Let’s Make a Sequel – featurette
The Rock of Eternity: Decked Out – featurette
The Shazamily Reunion – featurette
The Zac Effect – featurette
The Sisterhood of the Daughters of Atlas – featurette
Pay By Play: Scene Breakdown – featurettes
Ben Franklin bridge collapse
Rooftop battle of the gods
Unicorn ride in Philadelphia
Epic showdown at the baseball stadium
The Mythology of Shazam! – featurette
Director’s Audio Commentary with David F. Sandberg
Today Paramount Pictures dropped a new trailer for the highly anticipated blockbuster “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One”. The edge-of-your-seat franchise is apparently coming to an end with an action-packed two-movie finale set to hit theaters. The two films were shot back-to-back with part one releasing this July and part two tentatively aiming for June 28, 2024.
Of course Tom Cruise returns as Ethan Hunt as does writer-director Christopher McQuarrie who has been a pivotal part of the franchise’s enduring success. There are many other returning faces including Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Angela Bassett, Frederick Schmidt, and Henry Czerny. And then there are the exciting new names that include Hayley Atwell, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, and Shea Whigham among others.
One thing the series has become known for are the incredible spare-no-expense action scenes that are highlighted by some incredible practical stunt-work often performed by Tom Cruise himself. In the new trailer we see the film’s star driving a motorcycle off the top of a mountain, fighting on top of a speeding steam train, and driving at breakneck speeds through the streets of Rome. And this is just a taste of what’s to come.
“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” bursts into theaters on July 14th. Check out the new trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.
Keith & the Movies 