Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment is bringing the biographical crime drama “The Alto Knights” to home video. Robert De Niro takes on dual roles in this underseen and underappreciated telling of the complex relationship between New York crime bosses Frank Costello and Vito Genovese. Unfortunately the movie failed to make a splash at the box office, grossing just $9.6 million worldwide. But “The Alto Knights” is well worth seeing and now you’ll have the chance at home. Check out my full review of the film [HERE].

This Blu-ray edition of “The Alto Knights” comes packed with a digital copy and will be available to purchase on May 27th. See below for a full synopsis of the film as well as release information including a list of special features.

About the Film:

Year: 2025

Runtime: 94 Minutes

Director: Barry Levinson

Screenwriter: Nicholas Pileggi

Cast: Robert De Niro, Debra Messing, Cosmo Jarvis, Kathrine Narducci, Michael Rispoli, Michael Adler, Ed Amatrudo, Joe Bacino, James Ciccone, Anthony J. Gallo, Wallace Lagham, Louis Mustillo

Rating: R for violence and pervasive language

Starring legendary actor Robert De Niro in a dual role, and from the dream team of mafia movie filmmakers, such hitmakers as director Barry Levinson, writer Nicholas Pileggi and producers Irwin Winkler and Jason Sosnoff, “The Alto Knights” explores one of the most pivotal moments of organized crime history. 

This compelling story of friendship and betrayal, jealousy and greed, corruption and an epic power struggle reveals the deadly decades-long battle between notorious mob bosses Frank Costello and Vito Genovese—both portrayed by De Niro—and unravels the truth behind the near downfall of organized crime in America.   

De Niro’s Frank and Vito are childhood friends whose lives take different paths, but whose destinies as powerful mob bosses are forever intertwined.  When we meet the two men, Frank is respected as a highly influential yet diplomatic mafia boss in New York City; and Vito, formerly a boss who once handed over his position when forced into a sort of exile, is a violent, ambitious man who will stop at nothing to regain his seat at the top.  Ultimately, it is their differing ambitions combined with their hugely contrasting personalities that will set the former friends against each other for good. 

Special Features:

• One Legend, Two Mobsters – Featurette

Say what you want about the state of the now unwieldy Marvel Cinematic Universe, but the folks at Marvel Studios have done a bang-up job promoting what is easily the most compelling movie on their release schedule. “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” has the potential to overcome the MCU fatigue that has grown due to the oversaturation of subpar big screen and television projects. The film looks genuinely intriguing and the brilliant promotion is a big reason so many of us are looking forward to it.

“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” is the second reboot for Marvel’s First Family. Directed by Matt Shakman and written by a team of SIX, this 37th entry into the MCU is set on a 1960s-inspired retro-futuristic Earth somewhere in the seemingly never-ending multiverse. Bypassing another retelling of their origin story, the family (played by Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach) are forced to defend their world against a planet-devouring cosmic entity known as Galactus (Ralph Ineson).

The marketing has been fantastic from the early teases to the full trailer releases. But best of all may be the retro-styled poster campaign. Since the early days of the movie’s announcement Marvel Studios has delivered a series of cool posters and they’re still going strong. Recently they dropped new character posters inspired by classic bubblegum card packs. Check them out below and tell me what you think.

“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” releases exclusively in theaters on July 25th.

I openly admit to not being well-versed in the “Final Destination” franchise. In fact, it legitimately surprised me to find out this was the SIXTH movie in a film series that began twenty-five years ago. “Final Destination 5” released in 2011 and was a modest commercial success. Enough so that plans for a sixth installment were quickly set in motion. It took fourteen years, but now we have “Final Destination Bloodlines”.

So did we really need another “Final Destination” movie? Was anyone really asking for one? Those are two questions that are often thrown around with movies like this and I’ve never liked them. Why restrict creatives with arbitrary ideas of what we “need” or limit them to giving us strictly what we want. Here’s a better question – Does the movie bring enough fun ideas and/or fresh energy to make it entertaining? To my surprise, “Bloodlines” does just that.

The movie kicks off with a bang. In 1968 Paul (Max Lloyd-Jones) surprises his girlfriend Iris (Brec Bassinger) with opening night reservations at the swanky Skyview Restaurant. It sits atop a staggeringly tall tower that’s only reachable by a cramped glass elevator or an endless spiral staircase. Once at the top, the privileged patrons are met with top-quality dining, a fancy bar, a dance floor, and an energetic band. Paul is planning to propose while Iris is hiding that she’s pregnant. But any dreams for their future are crushed after a chain of events causes the tower to collapse, killing everyone inside.

Some 50 years later, college student Stefani (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) suffers from gruesomely detailed reoccurring nightmares about the Skyview catastrophe. She hasn’t been able to sleep which leads to her being put on academic probation. Stefani ends up leaving school and going home in hopes of finding out what may be causing her terrifying dreams. But first she needs to reconnect with her family who she hasn’t been close to since she left for college.

But Stefani faces a bigger and far deadlier problem with the revelation that her family has a direct link to the Skyview incident. Without giving away too much, her estranged and reclusive grandmother (Gabrielle Rose) cheated death on that day and later had a family who should never have existed. Now death has come to collect and it has Stefani’s family in its grisly crosshairs.

Of course the movie’s gimmick is in how it shows the chain of seemingly chance events that can lead to a person’s fatal end. Co-directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein lean into the anxiety-ridden, gore-drenched craziness of it all, delivering some shockingly gnarly deaths that are often laced with twisted dark humor. Death proves to be a devilishly crafty antagonist with Lipovsky and Stein stoking our paranoia through tense and cleverly envisioned buildups before delivering some savagely satisfying payoffs.

I would be lying if I said I knew how all of the story stuff works. And I can’t say I found the characters all that compelling. But they’re defined well enough to make good victims for the merciless Death. It all makes for a morbidly fun and inventive horror feature that can make you laugh and grimace, often at the same time. And to top it off, we’re gifted with seeing the late Tony Todd in his incredibly fitting final big screen role. His brief scene alone makes the movie worth seeing. Rest in peace Mr. Todd.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS

We’ve seen teasers and a first trailer for the upcoming film “F1”. Yesterday we were given what Warner Bros. has called the “Main Trailer”. And just like before, this thing looks terrific. Apple Studios has poured a ton of money into this action sports drama centered around the world of Formula One racing. Some have estimated as much as $300 million which is a lot of money to make back. I’m hoping it pays off because it would be nice to see a successful blockbuster that isn’t linked to existing franchises.

Brad Pitt gets top billing playing Sonny Hayes, a former Formula One driver who retired following a horrible crash. He’s convinced to return to racing after an F1 team owner and old friend (played by Javier Bardem) offers him a spot mentoring a hotshot prodigy (Damson Idris). The always compelling Kerry Condon also stars. The film is directed by Joseph Kosinski who’s coming off the enormous success of “Top Gun: Maverick”. There’s no way “F1” does those kinds of numbers. But hopefully people will give it a shot, especially after seeing the killer new trailer.

“F1” races into theaters on June 27th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass (awful pun intended).

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is bringing Steven Soderbergh’s exhilarating spy thriller “Black Bag” to home video. Released in theaters in mid-March, “Black Bag” remains one of the best films of 2025 thanks to David Koepp’s razor-sharp script and two dynamic lead performances from Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett. But ultimately it’s Soderbergh, whose signature style and pinpoint precision energizes every facet of the storytelling. And now you can bring this gem home.

This new Blu-ray edition of “Black Bag” comes with a digital copy and will be available to purchase on May 13th. See below for a full synopsis of the film as well as release info including a list of special features.

About the Film:

Year: 2025

Runtime: 94 Minutes

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Screenwriter: David Koepp

Cast: Michael Fassbender, Cate Blanchett, Pierce Brosnan, Regé-Jean Page, Marisa Abela, Tom Burke, Naomie Harris, Kae Alexander, Ambika Mod

Rating: R for language including some sexual references, and some violence

From Academy Award-winning Director Steven Soderbergh, “BLACK BAG” is a gripping spy drama about legendary intelligence agents George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender) and his beloved wife Kathryn (Cate Blanchett). When she is suspected of betraying the nation, George faces the ultimate test – loyalty to his marriage or his country.

Special Features:

• Deleted Scenes
• “The Company of Talent” – In the world of spies, there are no small players. Join the ensemble cast and learn about their distinct character motivations, secrets, and overall creative approach to bringing each role to life under the direction of Steven Soderbergh.
• “Designing BLACK BAG” – Enter the world of espionage and collect intelligence on the production design, costumes, makeup, and special effects that came together to embody the looks of each character and the aesthetic of each space they inhabit.

Debuting in 1997, the Thunderbolts were created for Marvel Comics by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley. The idea was a cool one – a team of antiheroes/supervillains taking on missions in their search for something resembling redemption. To no surprise they’ve seen several iterations over the years. Creatives Warren Ellis and Mike Deadato Jr. delivered my favorite which came in the wake of “Civil War” and saw none other than Norman Osborn take the reins.

Now the Thunderbolts have found their way into the Marvel Cinematic Universe through a movie that feels much more in tune with the current MCU product than the comic book source material. Directed by Jake Schreier, “Thunderbolts*” features a handful of MCU leftovers who lack the drawing power to headline their own show or movie. Aside from Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes, all are post-Endgame second and third stringers who range from moderately interesting to mostly forgettable.

In many ways “Thunderbolts*” is yet another superhero team-up movie with many of the same tricks and tropes we’re accustomed to. But Schreier, along with screenwriters Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo, attempt to add some originality by taking the story into some darker directions. Aside from the obligatory action and another uneven MCU villain (more on him in a second), “Thunderbolts*” could easily be considered a two-hour superhero therapy session where a group of damaged misfits semi-wrestle with issues such as trauma, loss, depression, and loneliness.

But sadly the movie’s silliness too often clashes with the seriousness. We get a lot of petty arguing and forgettable banter meant to add layers of humor to the story. At the same time, the filmmakers want to say something serious, relying on fairly obvious metaphors and emotionally wrought flashbacks to present its heavier themes. Unfortunately neither are all that effective, mostly because the characters and their relationships fail to resonate as they’re meant to.

At this juncture in the MCU’s ever-changing timeline, embattled CIA Director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) finds herself facing impeachment for ordering a series of unsanctioned operations. In an effort to clean up any incriminating evidence, de Fontaine individually dispatches her top covert operatives to a secret mountaintop bunker. Each are given their own mission and are left in the dark about the others.

Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko) surprise each other at the bunker and begin fighting it out. Taskmaster is quickly killed with little effort and even less fanfare, further emphasizing how badly Marvel Studios botched this great character. But with the help of Bob (Lewis Pullman), a mysterious man who suddenly appears in the bunker with them, the group realizes they are the evidence de Fontaine means to clean up.

The five are forced to work together in order to escape as de Fontaine and her forces converge on the bunker. Of course the experience quickly and inorganically develops them into a team, especially after they’re joined by Bucky, who is now serving as a freshman congressman, and Red Guardian (David Harbour), Yelena’s estranged father who’s mainly around for comic relief. Meanwhile de Fontaine sets her sights on the troubled Bob who we learn is extremely powerful even if he doesn’t fully realize it.

That’s the main story in a nutshell – a ragtag team going after de Fontaine with Bob caught in the middle. Again, the movie attempts to deal with weightier issues involving mental health, putting the bulk of its focus on the two characters it loves the most. But it never digs deep enough to say much. As for the characters, Pugh is clearly positioned as the lead but at times looks bored and struggles to mine personality out of Yelena. The rest of the team barely register on their own, even Stan’s grumpy Bucky who’s easily the most established of the bunch.

“Thunderbolts*” tries hard but it can’t pull the MCU out of the rut it has been stuck in for some time. It’s a very familiar movie that works hard to be unfamiliar. But the list of nagging issues gets pretty long. The team’s camaraderie often feels more fabricated than natural. Characters get shortchanged. Certain plot developments crumble. And the action tops out at lukewarm. Even its big ending is as shamelessly unremarkable as the asterisk in the film’s title. It left me longing for the MCU’s better days, when heroes were super, action was thrilling, and phases could be remembered without a Wikipedia visit.

VERDICT – 2 STARS