Catching Up On Cinema

By Trevor HartTV & Film

Catching Up On Cinema episodes

January 23, 2024 Blade (1998)
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This month is “Dark Hero” month at Catching Up On Cinema
All month long, Kyle and Trevor will be reviewing superhero movies
of the antihero or dark hero variety!
This week, Trevor and Kyle review Stephen Norrington's, Blade
(1998)!
Both popula and financially successful at the time of its release,
Stephen Norrington's, Blade (1998), is an early live-action Marvel
comics film that at one point faded into obscurity, but has since
seen its cultural footprint grow in recent years.
Released just prior to The Matrix (1999), as well as the comic
book/superhero movie boom of the 2000's, beginning with 20th
Century Fox's, X-Men (2000), Blade stands as the forerunner for many
of the trends that would become ubiquitous in Hollywood action cinema
in the coming years.
Starring Wesley Snipes, who would represent the character to such
a crowd-pleasing degree that subsequent iterations of the titular
Blade would be altered to match his appearance and mannerisms, Blade
is a high-energy action film that is distinctly of its time, yet
remains quite charming for those with a strong tolerance for
late-90's aesthetics.
In actuality more of a supernatural action film than a superhero
movie, in the long history of Big 2 (DC and Marvel) comic book
adaptations, Blade holds the distinction of being both one of the
earliest Marvel films (bearing an African American protagonist no
less, as well as being a nasty and gritty), as well as being a rare,
R-rated Marvel film, produced well before the rise of Marvel Studios'
more homogenized branding and aesthetic.
A cultural artifact of late 90's aesthetics and trends, as well as
the crown jewel of director Norrington's very short filmography,
Blade is an energetic and brutal superhero flick that is well worth
revisiting.
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1 hr 42 min
January 16, 2024 Spawn (1997)
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This month is “Dark Hero” month at Catching Up On Cinema
All month long, Kyle and Trevor will be reviewing superhero movies
of the antihero or dark hero variety!
This week, Trevor and Kyle are joined by the latter's brother,
Nik, to review Mark A.Z. Dippe's, Spawn (1997)!
Adapted from Todd McFarlane's comic of the same name, Spawn (1997)
is a messy and often boring superhero film from the nu metal school
of aesthetics and tone.
Debuting via publisher Image Comics in 1992, Spawn's popularity
continues to endure to this day, leading to guest appearances in
video games like Mortal Kombat 11, and a long rumored 2nd
live action film currently being pitched to Blumhouse and other film
studios.
Starring Michael Jai White as the titular Spawn/Al Simmons, the
film represents the feature directorial debut of Mark Dippe, whose
experience in CGI animation and compositing likely served as the
impetus for putting him at the helm of an effects intensive film like
Spawn.
Uneven in pace, tone, and consistency of effects quality, Spawn is
a frustrating film that's fleeting positive elements are so scant,
and zip by with such rapidity, that the film's trailer may very well
consist of every worthwhile shot in the film.
Financially successful (after rental and VHS sales), Spawn, much
like the comic from which its, for lack of a better term, spawned,
retains a mixed legacy, of being alternately reviled, or lauded
as a cult classic, depending on who you ask, and more importantly,
how big a fan they are of Korn or Marilyn Manson.
Follow us on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@catchinguponcinema⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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1 hr 18 min
January 09, 2024 The Crow (1994)
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This month is “Dark Hero” month at Catching Up On Cinema
All month long, Kyle and Trevor will be reviewing superhero movies of the antihero or dark hero variety!
This week, Trevor and Kyle review Alex Proyas', The Crow (1994)!
Adapted from James O'Barr's indie comic of the same name, The Crow (1994) is a visually astounding Gothic revenge thriller.
Starring Brandon Lee as the titular Crow/Eric Draven, the film holds the unfortunate distinction of being Lee's final screen role, as he tragically lost his life due to an accident during production.
A magnificent showcase of director Proyas' capable eye for production design and cinematography, The Crow is lovingly lit and framed, employing a wide variety of special effects techniques to bring its nightmarish and borderline supernatural vision of Detroit to life.
Possessed of a terrific cast of noteworthy character actors, but hamstrung by a simplistic narrative and thin characterizations, The Crow is a film that is unfortunately far from the sum of its parts, however its aesthetic charms are truly remarkable.
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1 hr 15 min
January 02, 2024 Darkman (1990)
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Happy New Year!⁠
This month is “Dark Hero” month at Catching Up On Cinema
All month long, Kyle and Trevor will be reviewing superhero movies
of the antihero or dark hero variety!
This week, we kick things off with a review of Sam Raimi's,
Darkman (1990)!
Released hot on the heels of the resounding box office success of
Tim Burton's Batman (1989), Sam Raimi's Darkman (1990) is an original
superhero film that was partially inspired by the enduring pulp icon,
The Shadow.
Possessed of director Raimi's trademark visual style and comedic
flair, Darkman was a financial success, and served as an important
stepping stone in establishing Raimi as a valuable director in the
eyes of major Hollywood studios.
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2 hr 2 min
December 31, 2023 Catching Up On Cinema Presents: Tales From the Shelf - Holiday Haul
Join Trevor and his buddy Brad from the Cinema Speak podcast as they talk about blu-rays and 4ks that they added to their collection this holiday season!
Brad's Picks:
(VINEGAR SYNDROME UNBOXING) - 3:30
Don't Answer the Phone! (1980)
The Lamp (1987)
Gorgo (1961)
Made in Hong Kong Volume One
The Boogeyman (1980)
Invisible Maniac (1990)
Curucu, Beast of the Amazon (1956)
Freeway (1996)
Freeway II: Confessions of a Trickbaby (1999)
Blood for Dracula - 28:00
Faceless (1988)
All the Haunts Be Ours
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) - 55:45
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023)
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)
Barbie (2023) - 1:21:00
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)
Oppenheimer (2023)
Trevor's Picks:
(VINEGAR SYNDROME UNBOXING) - 15:30
Ebola Syndrome (1996)
Bio Zombie (1998)
Righting Wrongs (1986)
Battle Kaiju Series 01: Ultraman vs. Red King - 38:30
Memories (1995)
The Big-O (1999 - 2001)
Dragons Forever (1988) - 1:06:00
The Princess Bride (1987)
Check out Brad's podcast, Cinema Speak on ⁠Libsyn at ⁠Cinema Speak⁠⁠, or on ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠.
Follow us on ⁠Instagram ⁠@catchinguponcinema⁠⁠
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1 hr 36 min
December 31, 2023 Catching Up On Blu-Ray: December 2023
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It's once again time for Catching Up On Cinema's monthly Catching Up On Blu-Ray episode!
Join Trevor as he takes a look at the blu-ray releases for December 2023!
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1 hr 14 min
December 26, 2023 Enemy Mine (1985)
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Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!⁠
This week on Catching Up On Cinema, Kyle and Trevor review
Wolfgang Petersen's, Enemy Mine (1985)!
An over-budgeted box office flop with a checkered production
history, Enemy Mine (1985) is a charming, if uneven, sci-fi fable.
On the subject of “checkered production history,” the story
goes that director Wolfgang Petersen was courted to take the helm of
Enemy Mine over 5 weeks into the films' production, after original
director Richard Loncraine apparently failed to meet the producer's
expectations.
After director Petersen paused and rewound production to begin
anew and remake the film from whole cloth, the production budget of
Enemy Mine would essentially double.
To make matter worse, the film failed to generate interest at the
box office, and Enemy Mine would go on to be regarded as a financial
failure.
Despite failing to find an audience during its theatrical run,
Enemy Mine has since gone on to become somewhat of a cult classic,
largely on the strength of its handsome production design, and
winning performances from both Louis Gossett Jr. and Dennis Quaid.
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57 min
December 19, 2023 Timecop (1994)
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This week on Catching Up On Cinema, Kyle and Trevor review Peter
Hyams', Timecop (1994)!
A time travel action thriller from director Peter Hyams, Timecop
(1994) is often thought of as Jean-Claude Van Damme's most profitable
film, released in what would go on to be a very successful year for
“The Muscles from Brussels”.
Produced by Sam Raimi and Dark Horse Entertainment, Timecop is an
oddly tepid action film, lacking the flair or dynamism of many of its
contemporaries.
While the performances and dialogue are on point, executed and
delivered with aplomb by a very capable cast of familiar faces and
character actors, Van Damme himself often comes across as slightly
checked out.
While director/cinematographer Hyams' signature stark production
design and murky black lighting schemes are of a high degree of
craftsmanship, in some ways they hamper the tone, forcing the film to
be perhaps more serious than it ought to be.
Featuring some nifty CGI effects work for its vintage,Timecop
generally has a high degree of polish in its presentation, however
much of the action feels weightless and low stakes, with very few
action beats being worthy of Van Damme's highlight reel.
A middling JCVD film that likely earned its box office success
through riding the 90's wave of sci-fi “techno thrillers”, and
the promise of its star's muscular buttocks being featured
prominently as co-star.
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1 hr 37 min
December 12, 2023 Talk to Me (2022)
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This week on Catching Up On Cinema, Kyle returns to talk to Trevor about Danny and Michael Philippou's, Talk to Me (2022)!
Produced by acclaimed studio, A24, Talk to Me (2022) is a supernatural horror from directors Danny and Michael Philippou.
Coming from a background in YouTube content creation, Talk to Me is the Philippou brother's feature film debut, as well as one of most financially successful films in A24's catalog.
Violent and not short on contemporary thematic material, the film is at times energetic and slickly produced, though unfortunately lacks cohesion in its second half.
Anyone else think of Flatliners (1990) when they were watching this?
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57 min
December 05, 2023 Godzilla Minus One (2023)
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*SPOILERS BEGIN AROUND THE 29 MINUTE MARK*
This week Trevor is joined by Richie AKA MdntAgntRAW from the ⁠Super Media Bros.⁠ Podcast to review Takashi Yamazaki's, Godzilla Minus One (2023)!
Released domestically in October, Godzilla Minus One (2023) is the the most recent Japanese produced Godzilla film since Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi's critically acclaimed, Shin Godzilla (2016).
A post-war period film, Godzilla Minus One returns the franchise to its roots, exploring not only horrors of nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but also the painful process of rebuilding following the nation's unconditional surrender.
While Godzilla Minus One exceeds expectations in terms of the quality and breadth of its effects driven destruction sequences, in truth, the film's greatest strength comes in the form of it's very raw, and compelling characterizations and themes.
At times feeling like an apology to the Japanese public for the intentions and actions of the long since defunct Empire of Japan, Godzilla Minus One boldly confronts many of the traumas endured by the Japanese, both civilian and military, during and immediately after the Pacific War.
Horrifying, beautiful, uplifting, and occasionally quite funny, Godzilla Minus One is a fantastic film that deftly utilizes the franchise framework to unexpectedly deliver a compelling human drama that exceeds all expectations.
An truly exceptional Godzilla film, fit for the Big G's 70th anniversary.

Check out Richie's podcast at ⁠https://www.supermediabrospodcast.com/⁠
Follow them on Twitter ⁠@SuperMediaBros_⁠
Follow them on Instagram ⁠@SuperMediaBrosPodcast⁠
Also, check the ⁠Odd Pods Media Network⁠ while you're at it!

Follow us on Instagram ⁠@catchinguponcinema⁠
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Like, share, subscribe, and we'll catch you next time!
2 hr 24 min

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A comedic film analysis podcast wherein friends introduce one another to their favorite movies, and Catch Up on their Cinema.

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