Welcome to December! We are already off to a better start than we left November with. A solid week with blockbuster franchises for the grown ups, big animated titles for the kids and even something for that cousin no one is ever really sure of. These are your new releases for December 6, 2016.
First up this week is the latest instalment of a huge franchise, Jason Bourne. Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) has been in hiding since the events in The Bourne Ultimatum and has joined a hacker group that stumbles upon the Treadstone program during a Black Ops hack. Parsons aims to let Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) know the information she uncovered but the CIA is determined to stop both of them and prevent the damaging intel from going public.
The Bourne series has been an action lovers dream with stellar directors progressing the story of rogue operative Jason Bourne through three films and even exploring the world through a connected film starring Jeremy Renner. Jason Bourne will not disappoint fans of the series even though it may not bring a whole lot of new stuff to the series. But the action is fantastic, everyone in the cast brings it wholeheartedly and Damon is perfect in the role as always. Jason Bourne will definitely not disappoint.
Next up is a new animated film from Illumination Entertainment, The Secret Life of Pets. Max (Louis C.K.) is a Jack Russell Terrier living in a Manhattan apartment building with a whole host of other pets from other apartments. When Max’s owner brings home another dog, Duke (Eric Stonestreet), a bitter rivalry ends with both dogs being captured by Animal Control. After being rescued by a renegade rabbit named Snowball (Kevin Hart) the two dogs set out on an adventure through the city learning to work together to get back home.
The Secret Life of Pets is a hilarious movie that will keep all the kids and adults in the house entertained with a ton of great characters and situations. Being from the studio that brought us the Despicable Me movies and Minions, you know the laughs are going to be high quality and frequent. All the voice work is top notch from C.K., Stonestreet and Hart as well as Ellie Kemper, Albert Brooks, Lake Bell, Dana Carvey, Hannibal Buress and more. It’s worth picking up just for Hart’s deliciously evil Snowball the bunny.
Lastly this week is a movie that ends a storyline started in 1979 by ingenious director Don Coscarelli with the unique and wholly entertaining horror film Phantasm. Phantasm: Ravager picks up with Reggie (Reggie Bannister) still on the trail of the elusive Tall Man (Angus Scrimm). But when Reggie wakes up in a hospital sitting with Mike (A. Michael Baldwin), who tells him he has dementia, Reggie starts telling a huge tale of his adventures and his mission to stop the Tall Man. As he jumps back and forth through time to tell his whole story, Reggie must face the Tall Man one last time to try and save the world from certain destruction.
For anyone who has not seen a Phantasm film, it is hard to explain them. The world that Coscarelli has created is a truly bizarre and unique one that is full of charm. The characters are memorable, heroic and often hilarious and Scrimm’s The Tall Man stands proudly as one of the greatest horror movie villains of all time. For this last outing it is painfully obvious that Coscarelli and co-writer/director David Hartman only had about a 100th of the budget they really could have used but if you don’t mind some cheesy effects combined with truly original vision and wonderfully creative storytelling, you will still find plenty to love in Phantasm: Ravager.
Also of note this week is the new film from Ricky Bates Jr. (Excision, Suburban Gothic) called Trash Fire starring Adrian Grenier, two classic Bruce Lee films being given the special edition treatment, The Chinese Connection and Fists of Fury, and the 30th Anniversary edition of one of the most disturbing serial killer films ever made, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer starring Michael Rooker.
Until next week movie lovers.
DVD and Blu-ray Releases for Tuesday December 6, 2016
2016 World Series Champions: Chicago Cubs
A Girl Like Grace
A Miracle on Christmas Lake
Angry Birds Toons
Beauty and the Beast: The Final Season
Borderless
BrainDead: Season One
Brazil*
Call of Heroes
Cheers for Miss Bishop
Dead Rising: Endgame
Decommissioned
Don’t Think Twice
Doomwatch*
Elena of Avalor: Ready to Rule
Family Guy: Season 14
Fists of Fury: Collectors Edition
Goodfellas 4K
Greenleaf: Season 1
Heart of a Dog – Criterion Collection*
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer: 30th Anniversary
Howard’s End: 25th Anniversary*
I Am Bolt
I Am Legend 4K
Jason Bourne
Joe and Caspar Hit the Road: USA Edition
Kicks
Last Christmas
LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures: Complete Season One
Luna*
Mad Max: Fury Road – Black & Chrome Edition (US Only)
Mad Max High Octane Collection
Never Open the Door
Ordinary World
Phantasm Remastered
Phantasm: Ravager
Porky’s II: The Next Day/Porky’s Revenge Double Feature*
Prison Break: Season 2*
Prison Break: Season 4*
Pulse*
Scream Queens: Season One
Something for Everyone*
The Call Up
The Chinese Connection: Collectors Edition
The Devil’s Dolls
The Exterminating Angel – Criterion Collection*
The Fight Within
The Frontier
The Great Gilly Hopkins
The Hollars
The Neptune Factor*
The Perfect Weapon
The Remains
The Secret Life of Pets
The Shannara Chronicles: Season One
The Town 4K
Trash Fire
Zoo: The Second Season
*Catalog Blu-ray debut