We start this week off with the return of one of the biggest movie stars of all time, King Kong in Kong: Skull Island. After getting financing for an expedition to a previously undiscovered island, Bill Randa (John Goodman) and his partner Houston Brooks (Corey Hawkins) hire former Captain James Conrad (Tom Hiddleston) and a group of soldiers to head to the island and hopefully gain fame for their discoveries. But upon arrival they find themselves attacked by a giant gorilla and stranded. Now scattered across the island the survivors must find a way not only to survive but escape the ancient world and its deadly inhabitants.
I am a HUGE fan of Peter Jackson?s King Kong but this take on the King Kong legend doesn?t really try to redo what has been done before instead opting for an action based adventure movie that is full of spectacle, amazing visuals, great humor and stunning action set pieces. The cast is stellar, also featuring Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, and John C. Reilly, but nobody tries to take the spotlight away from Kong, the real star of the show. Fire up the home theatre for Kong: Skull Island.
Next up is Free Fire. In 1978 Boston, a motley group of criminals show up in a deserted warehouse for an arms deal including two Irish-American brothers, Stevo (Sam Riley) and Bernie (Enzo Cilenti), IRA guys Chris (Cillian Murphy), Frank (Michael Smiley), and their mediator Justine (Brie Larson), Ord (Armie Hammer), a rep for arms dealer Vernon (Sharlto Copley). But no sooner does the deal begin than personal issues erupt and cause the entire group to scatter and start shooting at each other. Now it becomes a game of who can survive until the end to claim all the goods.
Free Fire is a flat out explosive good time of an action-comedy. The amazing cast are all in top form and the dialogue is snappy, fast and hilarious. But it is equal in quality to the fantastic action that is pretty much all through the entire running time. It is almost an Agatha Christie style story of survival as all the players try to knock each other out of the running. For a really great movie night with friends, Free Fire is perfect entertainment.
Lastly this week is a little seen crime drama from 1990 debuting on Blu-ray, The Last of the Finest. Brian Dennehy stars as Frank Daly, the leader of an elite group of vice cops fired from the L.A.P.D. for their line crossing methods in their war on drugs. But knowing some high-ranking officials are involved in the drug ring, they band together to tear down the cartel themselves using money and weapons stolen from dealers.
The Last of the Finest is an exceptionally good crime thriller packed with a fantastic cast led by Dennehy and including the late Bill Paxton, Joe Pantoliano, and Jeff Fahey. The story is well played out and fast paced and the action is plentiful. This is a great example of the stream of great crime thrillers that permeated the late 80s/early 90s. If you have never heard of The Last of the Finest I highly recommend checking it out.
Also of note this week is Rami Malik in Buster?s Mal Heart, the Blu-ray debut of the great flick No Man?s Land starring Charlie Sheen and D.B. Sweeney, and the new animated feature Resident Evil: Vendetta.
Until next week movie lovers.
DVD and Blu-ray Releases for Tuesday July 18, 2017
Beaches
Busters Mal Heart
Camp Cool Kids
Father Knows Best: Season Six
Feed
Free Fire
Freeway*
K Return of Kings
Kong: Skull Island
Love by the 10th Date
Max 2: White House Hero
New Battles Without Honor and Humanity: The Complete Collection*
No Man?s Land*
Pray for Rain
Queen Sugar: Season 1
Resident Evil: Vendetta
Savage Dog
Shark Week: Shark ?n? Awe Collection
Stalker* - Criterion Collection
Stormy Monday*
T.J. Hooker: The Complete Series
The 100: The Complete Fourth Season
The Bat People*
The Expanse: Season Two
The Last of the Finest*
The Last Ship: The Complete Third Season
The Night of the Sorcerers and The Loreley's Grasp*
The Promise
The Seduction a.k.a. La Seduzione*
The Untouchables: The Scarface Mob
Tommy?s Honor
*Catalog Blu-ray debut