Author Archives: Keith Garlington

New on Home Video: “The Patriot” Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD Steelbook

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Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is bringing “The Patriot” to home video in an exciting new limited edition steelbook. Originally released in 2000, “The Patriot” remains an absorbing and entertaining Revolutionary War epic directed by Roland Emmerich and starring Mel Gibson as conflicted veteran Benjamin Martin. It also features a great turn by a young Heath Ledger, the always dependable Tom Wilkinson, and a deliciously vile villain role for Jason Isaacs. “The Patriot” would go on to be a box office success and eventually earn three Academy Award nominations.

“The Patriot” will be available in this special 4K Ultra HD steelbook edition on June 9th. See below for a full synopsis of the film as well as release information including a list of special features.

About the Film:

Year: 2000

Runtime: 165 Minutes & 175 Minutes

Director: Roland Emmerich

Screenwriters: Robert Rodat

Cast: Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger, Jason Isaacs, Tom Wilkinson, Chris Cooper, Joely Richardson, Rene Auberjonois, Gregory Smith, Trevor Morgan, Bryan Chafin, Mika Boorem, Logan Lerman, Skye McCole Bartusiak, Tcheky Karyo, Lisa Brenner

Rating: R for Strong War Violence

In 1776 South Carolina, widower and legendary war hero Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson) finds himself thrust into the midst of the American Revolutionary War as he helplessly watches his family torn apart by the savage forces of the British Redcoats. Unable to remain silent, he recruits a band of reluctant volunteers, including his idealistic patriot son, Gabriel (Heath Ledger), to take up arms against the British. Fighting to protect his family’s freedom and his country’s independence, Martin discovers the pain of betrayal, the redemption of revenge and the passion of love.

Special Features:

DISC DETAILS & BONUS MATERIALS4K ULTRA HD DISC 1

  • 165-minute Theatrical version of the film presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision
  • English Dolby Atmos + English 5.1
  • Special Features:
    • Director & Producer Commentary
    • The Art of War Featurette
    • The True Patriots Featurette
    • Theatrical Trailer

4K ULTRA HD DISC 2

  • 175-minute Unrated version of the film presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision
  • English Dolby Atmos + English 5.1
  • Special Features:
    • 7 Deleted Scenes with Commentary
    • Visual Effects Featurette
    • Conceptual Art to Film Comparisons

REVIEW: “Dreams” (2026)

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Michel Franco has never been one to shy away from challenging his audiences with provocative subject matter. He attempts it again with his latest film, “Dreams”, a strangely confounding psychodrama that seems to have several things it wants to say but no firm grasp on how to say them. It’s cold, sometimes aimless, and borderline absurd at times in its attempts to find a steady pulse.

“Dreams” sees Franco reuniting with his star, Jessica Chastain. The two first collaborated in 2023’s superior “Memory”, a deeply affecting adult drama that saw Chastain give one of her best performances to date. She’s certainly the highlight of “Dreams”, although neither her character or her character’s journey carry the same dramatic or emotional weight.

“Dreams” opens with a young Mexican dancer named Fernando (a somewhat dry Isaac Hernández) being smuggled into the United States in the back of a sweltering semi-trailer. After finally being released by cartel traffickers, Fernando makes the long, arduous journey from San Antonio to San Francisco where he surprises his older and wealthier former lover, Jennifer (Chastain). With practically no build-up whatsoever, the two instantly pick up where they (apparently) left off.

Jennifer’s feelings for Fernando remain murky for the duration of the movie. She is the daughter of a prominent philanthropist named Michael McCarthy (Marshall Bell) and helps run her father’s thriving foundation with her brother Jake (Rupert Friend). Her privileged and pampered life is in stark contrast to Fernando’s which sometimes seeps through when they’re together. At times she treats him like her pet, scratching him behind his ear and saying things like “I want to take care of you.”

Yet Jennifer is also obsessed with him in a way that goes beyond mere entitlement. This intensifies after Fernando grows tired of keeping their affair secret and leaves her. As he finds his independence she sinks into despair, eventually shadowing him with the voracity of a stalker. It ends up steering the movie away from its themes of immigration and class disparity and towards a story about power dynamics within an unconvincing couple.

Despite being handed a character who never feels fully formed, Chastain carries the movie on her back via a committed performance that elevates the material. But she can only do so much. The film’s Achilles’ heel is the central relationship which never comes off as authentic or rooted in anything other than unabated lust. And any swing at something weightier is muddled in the film’s jarring final twenty minutes that pulls a wild twist out of the air. It’s meant to shock us. But it’s too contrived and abrupt to have the impact Franco clearly wants. Kinda like his movie as a whole.

VERDICT – 2 STARS

EDFF 2026 REVIEW: “Honeyjoon”

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One of big treats of the 2026 El Dorado Film Festival was the screening of writer-director Lilian T. Mehrel’s “Honeyjoon”. This is an emotionally rich, life-affirming dramedy that had its world premiere at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival. Now as it continues to make its way along the festival circuit, more people are getting to experience this impressive feature debut from a filmmaker with a number of compelling interests on her mind.

Set and filmed in the gorgeous Azores islands off the coast of Portugal, “Honeyjoon” tells a mother and daughter story that has its own unique flavor. It’s a story with deep-rooted humanity that is conveyed in a variety of ways. It’s mostly seen through the two fully defined lead characters. Their individual experiences, their emotional complexities, their vastly different philosophies – it all fuels the heartfelt drama while setting the table for some smart and often unexpected humor.

The sensual June (Ayden Mayeri) and her more modest mother Lela (Amira Casar) travel to the Azores islands for the one-year anniversary of their husband and father’s death. Years earlier he had visited the islands and he had hoped to one day take his family. But he was diagnosed with cancer and died before he had the opportunity. So June and Lela make the trip themselves as a way of honoring his memory.

But the mother and daughter are at two dramatically different points in their lives. They have sharply contrasting views on how to grieve, how to move forward, and how skimpy June’s wardrobe should be. That last bit feeds one the film’s best running jokes, but it also adds some clarity to their clashing perspectives. To her credit, Mehrel doesn’t judge either of them. She simply explores what has shaped their points of view.

June and Lela arrive at there hotel to find themselves surrounded by honeymooners. To get away from all the intimacy, they book a private island tour that’s guided by a hunky surfer named João (José Condessa). The aggressively flirty June tries to get João’s attention. But he seems much more interested in philosophical conversations with Lela. Ultimately their time with João opens their eyes, allowing them to see each other in a new light.

Things start to come unglued in the final act as Mehrel dilutes the film’s theme of moving forward by linking it with sexual pleasure. It leads to a strange and unwieldy turn that probably looked better on paper than it turned out on screen. But Mehrel gets things back on track with a moving final sequence that really speaks to what “Honeyjoon” is all about.

With “Honeyjoon”, Lilian Mehrel balances a wealth of themes through her intimate and grounded mother-daughter story. It’s a funny and affecting drama that would never work without the sparkling chemistry between Mayeri and Casar. Her film is also a visual feast, from the breathtaking scenery to the impressive camera choices (crisp digital, an iPhone, and best of all, vintage Super 8). It all makes for a strong first feature and it will be exciting to see what Mehrel does next.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS

EDFF 2026 RUNDOWN: Southern Made Shorts Block

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It was nice to see the El Dorado Film Festival bring back one of its best short film categories. As its name reveals, the “Southern Made” selections shine the spotlight on a wonderful variety of short films that come seasoned with a uniquely Southern flavor. This year brings another entertaining collection that once again promotes a diverse range of visions.

Here are a few impressions out of the films included in this year’s block...

Written and directed by Cathlin McCullough, “The Oldest” tells a bittersweet story of a young girl forced into adulthood well before her time. Young Kate (played with heartwarming sincerity by Meara Wallace) is the oldest of her tight-knit siblings living in a rural home with their alcoholic father (Kristian Day). As the oldest, Kate steps in to take care of the house and her sisters. But deep down she dreams of a normal kid’s life. McCullough vividly defines Kate’s reality yet for a brief period she’s allowed to escape through a beautifully captured montage that hits like a ton of bricks. Honest, evocative, and deeply impactful.

VERDICT – 4.5/5

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Rob Senska brings his skills as a cinematographer to the director’s chair with his visually driven and quietly powerful “Ashes”. Senska slyly blends genre elements with his own wildly original ideas, all in an effort to tell an affecting yet uplifting story about overcoming childhood trauma. The story is not one you summarize. Instead you experience it – allowing the images to transport you as you pick up carefully placed clues along the way. A mysterious cat, a ravenous werewolf, and one determined young boy (Maximilian Good) all play key parts in this impressive visual fantasy that’s firmly grounded in real-life experience.

VERDICT – 4/5

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“Emma’s Social Battery” is a love letter of its own wacky kind to introverts who just need some alone time to recharge from social fatigue. That’s certainly the case for Emma (Olivia Peck) who has a new job and is afraid her social exhaustion may push away her newly made friends and colleagues. Co-written and co-directed by Jannet Lopez and Carlos Jimenez, the film takes a turn after Emma invites her new friends over for a dinner party. And as Emma’s social battery drains, the interactions only get zanier. Peck clearly has a blast while Lopez and Jimenez surround a resonating message with some proudly silly humor.

VERDICT – 3.5/5

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The sister duo of Marquel Skinner and Blair Skinner team up to make “Bot”, one the funnier and most maddeningly relatable films I saw at this year’s El Dorado Film Festival. Blair directs while Marquel writes and stars in this swift yet pointed short about a woman who begins to question her humanity after getting stuck in an endless parade of CAPTCHA tests while trying to order concert tickets online. Blair’s crisp and fluid direction propels the story while Marquel’s hysterical script is only matched by her quick-witted performance. Keep your eye out for this one.

VERDICT – 4/5

EDFF 2026 RUNDOWN: Short Film Block #2

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A true highlight from Day 3 of the 2025 El Dorado Film Festival was Short Film Block #2, yet another curated collection of shorts created by inspired filmmakers from near and far. Block #2 featured an exceptional group of short films that explored a wide range of themes through various interesting genres. It was the strongest top-to-bottom block of the festival.

Here are a few impressions out of the films included in the block…

Director Sam Henderson’s astonishing “Ado” is an intensely affecting short film that uses incredibly heavy subject matter to speak to the infinite value of school teachers. As a husband to a teacher of nearly thirty years, Henderson’s film is profoundly effective and necessary. He and his co-writer Ryan Romine tell a sobering story about a middle school drama teacher named Mrs. Hopkins (Jenifer Lewis) who has her class interrupted in the most unimaginable way. It’s equal parts moving and terrifying with Henderson handling his material with seriousness and sensitivity. And while his direction is superb, the film wouldn’t be what it is without the sensational central performance from Lewis. She will leave you speechless.

VERDICT – 4.5 STARS

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The straightforward title “Em and Selma Go Griffin Hunting” pretty much sums up the story nicely. Yet to no surprise, there is a lot more going on under the surface of writer-director Alex Thompson’s thematically rich and visually captivating experience. The story is set in the 1930s but has a dark fantasy element that Thompson shrewdly uses to press his film’s deep-running themes. Selma (Pollyanna McIntosh) accompanies her daughter Em (Milly Shapiro) on a hunt to kill a dangerous griffin as part of some warped rite of passage. But Em’s reluctance puts her at odds with her mother and in danger of incurring the creature’s wrath. The film is shot in stunning black-and-white and features spectacular visual effects, all of which Thompson skillfully uses to amplify his film’s overall meaning.

VERDICT – 4.5/5

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In 1893 Cornwall, a fisherman’s wife named Betty (Beatie Edney) shocks the medical world by being the first person to cure someone of Consumption (aka Tuberculosis). A determined doctor and relative Gregory (Ali Cook, who also writes and directs) is sent to her village to investigate and potentially disprove the claims. But rather than receiving a logical medical explanation, Gregory is told a fantastical tale from Betty that’s too preposterous for him to believe. That’s a general introduction to “The Pearl Comb”, a brilliantly conceived and crafted short film that surprises at every turn. The film is strengthened by top-to-bottom stellar performances, not to mention terrific costume and production design. But it’s Cook’s audacious vision that makes “The Pearl Comb” an engaging and immersive delight.

VERDICT – 4.5/5

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Pulling inspiration in Ivan Turgenev’s 1850 Russian short story, director Sam Davis finds hope, humanity, and communion in his warm-hearted Oscar-nominated short film “The Singers”. It’s set late at night in a remote dive bar where a number of blue-collar, world-weary men bare their souls to fellow drinkers. The film features a small yet colorful batch of characters including a broke construction worker who continues to hound the other patrons for some beer money. Tired of his begging, the bartender offers him $100 and a beer if he can out-sing an elderly regular. Before long nearly everyone joins in which takes the film in a whole new smile-inducing direction. “The Singers” is currently streaming on Netflix and it shouldn’t be missed.

VERDICT – 4.5/5

REVIEW: “Scream 7” (2026)

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Back in 2026 the slasher sub-genre got a jolt of fresh energy in the form of Wes Craven’s “Scream”. Horror fans immediately responded to the movie’s overt meta treatment that embraced the long-standing slasher clichés both within the film and in the filmmaking. In many ways it revitalized the genre and inspired a new wave of imitators. “Scream” immediately spawned a well-done sequel followed by two considerably lesser films.

Then in 2022 the franchise was revived with the lazily titled “Scream” (again) and then “Scream VI” one year later. This latest era has attempted to blend the nostalgic pull of the older films with its own fresh new spin. But they mostly just give lip service to the superior original film. And neither the new storylines nor the new characters could escape the scripts’ numerous lapses in logic and overall absurdity.

Still, the last two movies made good money at the box office which all but insured a seventh Scream. But pre-production was halted after star Melissa Barrera made incendiary comments which the studio deemed to be antisemitic. The controversy that followed led to the departure of director Christopher Landon and co-star Jenna Ortega. It drove a small segment of online fans to call for a boycott. Meanwhile a considerably smaller and shamelessly inconsiderate group started a campaign to spoil the film’s ending online.

Image Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

With all of that aside, here’s the good news. Once you move past the ongoing drama, “Scream 7” is an entertaining return to form…of sorts. It takes a very back-to-the-basics approach which works both for the movie and in some regards against it (more on that in a second). A big reason it clicks is not only the return of the original star Neve Campbell, but also the return of Kevin Williamson, the screenwriter of the franchise’s first and best films. He not only co-writes the “Screen 7” script, but this time he also directs.

After declining to return to “Scream VI” due to a pay dispute, Campbell is back as Sidney Prescott. She has made a new life for herself in Pine Grove, Indiana. She’s married to the local police chief, Mark (Joel McHale) and together they have a 17-year-old daughter named Tatum (Isabel May). She has even opened her own coffee shop. She has done everything she can to distance herself from her traumatic past. But Sidney’s efforts have driven a wedge between her and Tatum who has grown frustrated with her evasive mother.

But of course Sidney’s life is turned upside down with the return of Ghostface, a mysterious killer sporting a popular Halloween costume and a voice changer who has a new identity in each film. This time the killing starts at the Macher house, the place of the first film’s murders which has been turned into some kind of museum/Airbnb. Shortly after, Sidney gets a call from Ghostface claiming to be a familiar face from her past. At first she dismisses it as a shameless joke. But when the killer begins targeting Tatum and her friends, Sidney’s mother bear instincts kick into gear.

Image Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

The story that follows sticks close to the classic slasher formula, and its simplicity turns out to be one of its strengths. Die-hard fans of the popular horror sub-genre will get exactly what they’re looking for from screaming teens to buckets of blood. The same goes for devoted fans of the Scream franchise. Williamson soaks his sequel in fun nostalgia and cool callbacks with the best being the return of Sidney Prescott herself. Those wanting something dramatically different or coming at it with an ax to grind will most likely leave disappointed.

The mother-daughter dynamic is a nice addition and it gives the story heart. Campbell gives her best performance of the series while May is a nice new addition. Meanwhile the supporting cast features a slew of fresh faces and old favorites, some of whom fare much better than others. Unfortunately, much like the previous two films, “Scream 7” ends with a thud. The big reveal doesn’t leave any real impact and it feels plucked out of nowhere. It’s a disappointing payoff.

Still “Scream 7” is a nice return to form for a long-running film series that needed to be reminded of what made it popular. It’s hardly groundbreaking and it’s yet another entry that fumbles its finish. But it nails the basics, from its gloriously gory kills to its classic killer and all-star final girl. For most fans that will be more than enough to remind them of why these movies still have a following some thirty years since its Genesis.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS