FILM FRENZY

Xolo Maridueña in Blue Beetle (Photo: Warner & DC)

By Matt Brunson

(View From The Couch is a weekly column that reviews what’s new on Blu-ray, 4K and DVD. Ratings are on a four-star scale.)

BLUE BEETLE (2023). As a superhero film, DC’s Blue Beetle isn’t anything special, but as a domestic drama, it’s actually pretty good. Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña) is the unassuming hero-to-be, a young man who returns home from college and learns that his family is struggling financially and might end up losing its home. Circumstances find Jamie landing a menial job at the estate of ruthless CEO Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon), who has just acquired an otherworldly bauble known as the Scarab and plans to use its power to create an army of super-soldiers. The Scarab ends up in the hands of Jamie, and, faster than you can say “Venom,” the sentient doohickey forms a symbiotic bond with Jaime and turns him into the mighty Blue Beetle. Practically everything related to the superhero saga — the origin story, the battles with another strongman (Raoul Max Trujillo), the doubt-filled downfall before the inevitable rebirth and rise, the awkward attempts at humor — is so formulaic that the dialogue track to these scenes could get swapped with that of a dozen other superhero flicks and no one would know the difference. Where the film scores is in its more ordinary moments, with the notion of family registering far more forcefully than in other pictures that yammer on about the subject (e.g. The Fast & the Furious series, the Shazam! twofer). Populating the picture with mostly Latino characters is also a plus, allowing the filmmakers to add some pointed sociopolitical subtext.

Extras in the 4K + Digital edition consist of making-of featurettes; an examination of two scenes; and a look at the character of Nana (Babel Oscar nominee Adriana Barraza), Jaime’s grandmother.

Movie: ★★½

BLUE CRUSH (2002). This surfing flick is one of those movies that could reasonably have been advertised as having “something for everyone.” Teenage girls will enjoy seeing a film populated by heroines of a like age, while teenage boys will enjoy beauteous blonde lead Kate Bosworth decked out in skimpy bikinis. Women will enjoy the movie’s “you go, girl” sensibilities, while men will enjoy beauteous blonde lead Kate Bosworth decked out in skimpy bikinis. And beach folk (my camp) will enjoy the gorgeous footage of the ocean while mountain folk will enjoy beauteous blonde lead Kate Bosworth decked out in skimpy bikinis and wonder exactly why they’re mountain folk anyway. If nothing else, Blue Crush certainly had all the makings of a guilty pleasure, but even guilty pleasures have to rise above a pedestrian script on some level, and this eye candy never quite makes the climb. The cinematography by Don King (billed as “water camera operator”) is spectacular — viewers are placed on top of, in the middle of, and under the waves — and, as Bosworth’s best friend, Michelle Rodriguez again impresses with another of her gruff, take-no-prisoners performances. But the story of a high school drop-out (Bosworth) who has to decide between following her dream by entering a big surf competition or following her fantasy by shacking up with a hunky NFL quarterback (Matthew Davis) is a narrative wipeout almost from the start.

Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by Bosworth, Rodriguez, and co-star Sanoe Lake; audio commentary by director John Stockwell; a making-of featurette; and deleted scenes.

Movie: ★★

CUJO (1983). For the third consecutive year (following 1981’s The Howling and 1982’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial), Dee Wallace gave a terrific performance in a genre flick, proving yet again that she deserved a longer, more high-profile career in the spotlight (although she certainly hasn’t lacked for work, as IMDb lists 274 film and television credits!). In this adaptation of the novel by Stephen King, Wallace stars as Donna Trenton, a housewife with a husband in ad executive Vic (Daniel Hugh-Kelly) and a young son in Tad (Danny Pintauro). With Vic away on business for 10 days, Donna, with Tad in tow, takes their sputtering automobile to the remote farm of a local mechanic (Ed Lauter) whose own family is out of town. Enter Cujo, a formerly friendly St. Bernard who has been turned into a rabid beast, one who keeps Donna and Tad pinned in the sweltering, suffocating — and now completely immobile — car. Director Lewis Teague (Alligator) does what he can in an attempt to maximize tension, but there’s only so much he can do with such a limited setting and such a sparse story. The screenplay by Don Carlos Dunaway and Lauren Currier (aka Barbara Turner, Jennifer Jason Leigh’s mom) is wholly faithful to the book — that is, until the end, when the filmmakers alter the novel’s grim climax and thus allow each viewer to turn that frown upside down.

Extras in the 4K + Blu-ray edition include two audio commentaries by director Lewis Teague (2007 and 2013); audio commentary by author Lee Gambin (Nope, Nothing Wrong Here: The Making of Cujo); a making-of featurette; and interviews with Wallace and composer Charles Bernstein.

Movie: ★★½

MAD CITY (1997). Here’s a motion picture that initially hit theaters about four decades too late — given the continued march of time, it now seems even more obvious than ever. A rare dud for director Costa-Gavras (Z, Missing), this seemingly has its roots in Billy Wilder’s excellent 1951 drama Ace in the Hole (aka The Big Carnival), with its story of a journalist who resorts to sleazy means to break a major story. There, it was Kirk Douglas as a newspaper reporter named Chuck Tatum; here, it’s Dustin Hoffman as a TV reporter named Max Brackett. When unemployed security guard Sam Baily (John Travolta) decides to hold a group of people hostage at a museum, it’s Max who’s on the scene, attempting to advance his own career by controlling the story and, by extension, manipulating Sam himself. Mad City is a straightforward slog through predictable terrain, a movie so narratively threadbare that its idea of cutting-edge topicality is to have Larry King and Jay Leno pop up as themselves to comment on the proceedings (because, God knows, we’ve never seen those two whoring themselves out in such a capacity before). Ultimately, the movie flubs its own message about the evils of media misconduct (exemplified by such lines as a journo talking about a fatality and stating to his colleagues, “We killed him!”), because, by his own volition, Sam enters the museum with a loaded weapon, takes its patrons hostage, and shoots and kills (albeit accidentally) another guard — all before Max even figures into the action. Even the dimmest of jurors might balk before fingering Max as the true villain of the piece.

The only Blu-ray extra is the theatrical trailer.

Movie: ★½

MEG 2: THE TRENCH (2023). The title may suggest that this is a sequel to the 2018 global hit, but its content hints that the makers swiped a fistful of script pages from such deliberately dopey efforts as Sharknado, Mega Shark Versus Crocosaurus, and Sharktopus vs. Whalewolf. Not that The Meg (reviewed here) wasn’t imbecilic in its own right, but it looks as sobering as the classic documentary Blue Water, White Death when compared to Jason Statham’s latest expendable offering. Directed by Ben Wheatley (whose Free Fire made my 10 Worst list a few years ago; go here for Film 2017: The Best & Worst) and based on another book in the Meg series by Steve Alten, this finds rescue diver and environmental superhero Jonas Taylor (Statham) having to contend with several Megalodons (aka Jurassic sharks), a gigantic octopus, and a handful of Velociraptor wannabes known as Snappers. As if that’s not taxing enough, he also has to deal with a villain from his past — that would be a mercenary named Montes (Sergio Peris Mencheta), who’s presently engaged in illegal undersea mining with the help of traitors within the Mana One oceanographic facility with which Jonas is aligned. Pippin the Dog, The Meg’s shout-out to Jaws, returns (although that film’s performer, Kelly the Dog, has been replaced with a master Method mutt named Macho), and there’s one scene that directly rips off a notorious moment in Deep Blue Sea (minus the shock value, alas). In other words, it’s all about as fresh as shark chum, although it’s an easy way to kill a couple of hours.

Extras in the 4K UHD + Digital Code edition consist of a making-of featurette and a look at the film’s various new creatures.

Movie: ★★

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – DEAD RECKONING PART ONE (2023). The seventh in the TV-based film series that began back in 1996, this one involves a rogue AI known as The Entity, which has the power to sabotage any intelligence network in the world. A special key tied to The Entity becomes the focal point, as everyone tries to gain possession of both halves — that would include Impossible Missions Force agent extraordinaire Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) as well as a shadowy figure named Gabriel (Esai Morales). As with most espionage endeavors, certain formulaic steps must be taken, usually involving the search for a MacGuffin, a few car chases, some hand-to-hand scuffles, a switching of sides by a hero and/or a villain, and an ultimate sacrifice. Good movies know how to make the predictable unpredictable (or at least absorbing); bad ones only bore. In most regards, this film delivers the goods and then some. I’ve always grown fidgety with the car chases in this series, and the centerpiece one here is no exception: With some judicious trims to this segment, we could have had a movie that didn’t clock in at a series-record 163 minutes (indeed, none save Brian De Palma’s original have been under two hours). Then again, cinematic car chases have almost always bored me, so your, uh, mileage may vary. The rest of the action? Thrilling stuff, with the best saved for last. It involves a train — yes, it’s utterly preposterous (do the laws of science not work in the M:Iverse?), but it’s also utterly exciting and breathtaking.

Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Christopher McQuarrie and editor Eddie Hamilton; featurettes on the location shooting; and pieces on select stunt-heavy scenes.

Movie: ★★★

NATIONAL LAMPOON’S ANIMAL HOUSE (1978). Would it be overstating the case to declare that National Lampoon’s Animal House is one of the most influential movies ever made? Sounds overreaching, but when one reflects on the ungodly amount of slob comedies / teen sex farces released by Hollywood over the ensuing decades — everything from A (American Pie) to Z (Zapped!) — nope, it’s not overstating it one bit. But make no mistake: Director John Landis’ riotous comedy, one of the blockbusters of ’78 (only Superman and Grease grossed more), ranks miles ahead of its (mostly) pathetic imitators. That’s thanks in no small part to an excellent cast headed by the inimitable John Belushi as slovenly Bluto Blutarsky, one of the members of the Delta House frat that constantly causes trouble for the campus snobs as well as for Dean Wormer (John Vernon). Endlessly quotable (“Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?”; “Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son”), populated by actors on the ascendancy (Tom Hulce, Karen Allen, Kevin Bacon, and more), offering endearing and unique characters (the rip-offs tended to include only generic dullards), and blessed with a great score that mixes Elmer Bernstein’s orchestral maneuvers with catchy oldies (the “Shout” sequence with Otis Day and the Knights is a standout), Animal House has lost none of its appeal over the past 45 years.

Blu-ray extras in the remastered edition include a retrospective featurette; the mockumentary Where Are They Now? A Delta Alumni Update; and two Scene It? Animal House interactive games.

Movie: ★★★★

ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK (1956). Just as Bill Haley and His Comets’ “Rock Around the Clock” was considered in some circles to be the first major rock song (or at least the first rock song to become a cultural phenomenon and introduce the masses to this groovy new sound), Rock Around the Clock was considered to be the first rock ’n’ roll movie, capitalizing on the title tune’s opening-credits placement in the previous year’s drama The Blackboard Jungle. Reportedly banned in some cities (particularly in England) for causing auditorium aisle jams by seemingly possessed teenagers and vigorous pearl-clutching by their frightened parents, this finds band promoter Steve Hollis (Johnny Johnston) discovering Bill and his boys performing in a Podunk town and, with the invaluable assistance of legendary disc jockey Alan Freed (as himself), attempting to transform the act into a national success. Of course, the story isn’t the story here — the film’s real value is in the amazing assemblage of various musical outfits performing their hits. Among the highlights are the Comets belting out “See You Later, Alligator” and “Rudy’s Rock,” The Platters with “Only You” and (my favorite number in the picture) “The Great Pretender,” Tony Martinez and His Band with “Mambo Capri,” and Freddie Bell and His Bellboys on “Giddy Up a Ding Dong.” Lisa Gaye delivers an appealing performance as the Comets dancer and confidante who catches Steve’s eye; later that year, her real-life sister Debra Paget would star opposite Elvis Presley in his film debut in Love Me Tender.

The only Blu-ray extra is film historian audio commentary.

Movie: ★★★

Short And Sweet:

DOUBLE TROUBLE (1967). Given that title, film fans would be forgiven for believing this to be the Elvis Presley vehicle in which he plays two roles. But that would be 1964’s Kissin’ Cousins — the title here refers to the two British women who are determined to put a ring on the King. Elvis is Guy Lambert, an American singer whose European tour is interrupted not only by the persistent ladies (The Curse of the Werewolf’s Yvonne Romain and Annette Day in her one and only film) but also by a pair of bumbling thieves (Chips Rafferty and Norman Rossington), a trio of fumbling detectives (the spectacularly unfunny Wiere Brothers), and an unknown assassin. Elvis was insulted that he was forced to record “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” for this film — honestly, it makes for one of the more pleasurable interludes in this stridently mediocre movie.

Blu-ray extras consist of the 1967 Tom & Jerry cartoons Rock ‘N’ Rodent and Surf-Bored Cat, and the theatrical trailer.

Movie: ★★

MESSIAH OF EVIL (1974). Best known for their collaborations with George Lucas — co-writing American Graffiti, penning Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and writing and directing Howard the Duck — the husband-and-wife team of Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz took a less conventional path with this eerie indie effort in which a woman (Marianna Hill) travels to a seaside California town in search of her father. There, she and a trio of hedonists (Michael Greer, Joy Bang, and Anitra Ford) encounter pale residents who enjoy munching on human flesh. Released under various titles (Dead People, Night of the Damned, Revenge of the Screaming Dead, etc.), this maintains its aura of unease and contains a pair of genuinely creepy sequences. That’s future writer-director Walter Hill (The Warriors, 48 Hrs.) as the victim in the opening scene.

Blu-ray extras include film historian audio commentary; a video essay; and an audio interview with Huyck.

Movie: ★★★

FROM SCREEN TO STREAM

THE GREAT GATSBY (1974). In the same year that Francis Coppola was writing and directing both The Godfather Part II and The Conversation, he also set aside three weeks to whip out the screenplay for this adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s great American novel (this was after Truman Capote was fired for turning a couple of major characters into blatant homosexuals). With British director Jack Clayton at the helm, the film was acknowledged as a technical triumph — it won Academy Awards for its costume design and Nelson Riddle’s scoring — yet dismissed on most other counts, resulting in disappointing reviews and middling box office. Yet I’ve always had a soft spot for this third film version of Fitzgerald’s Jazz Age tome, which at least makes a reasonable attempt to be faithful to its source material. The picture’s near-insurmountable flaw is the grotesque miscasting of Mia Farrow as Daisy Buchanan — she turns her character into such a simpering nerd that it’s inconceivable so many men would be falling all over themselves to bask in her company. (First choice Ali MacGraw would have been even worse; personally, I’d like to have seen Faye Dunaway give it a shot.) Yet Robert Redford offers an interesting take on mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby, Bruce Dern and an award-worthy Karen Black offer juicy support as illicit lovers Tom Buchanan and Myrtle Wilson, and Sam Waterston is perfect as narrator/Gatsby pal/moral center Nick Carraway.

Movie: ★★★