Catching Up On Cinema

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It's once again time for Catching Up On Cinema's monthly, “Tales From the Shelf” episode!

In this installment, Trevor and Brad from the Cinema Speak podcast are joined by Brian and Michele from the Movies For Life podcast to discuss some “Extreme Editions” from their movie collections!

Brian's Picks:

King Kong (Special Edition DVD, 1933) – 5:20

The Last House on the Left (Arrow Special Edition Blu-Ray, 1972) – 21:30

Possession (Mondo Vision, 1981) – 33:05

Ran (Criterion DVD, 1985) and Dawn of the Dead (Ultimate Edition DVD, 1978) – 59:55

Casablanca (Warner Bros. 75th Anniversary Blu-Ray Box, 1942) – 1:47:05

Michele's Picks:

Child's Play (Scream Factory Collector's Edition, 1988) – 11:25

Psycho: The Complete Collection (Via Vision, 1960 – 1998) – 41:55

Tremors (Arrow Special Edition, 1990) – 1:15:10

Crimson Peak (Arrow Special Edition, 2015) - 1:53:30

Brad's Picks:

The Hills Have Eyes (Arrow Special Edition Blu-Ray, 1977) – 16:30

Menace II Society (Criterion 4k, 1993) – 49:25

Homegrown Horrors: Vol. 1 (Vinegar Syndrome, 1988 - 1992) – 1:23:25

Midsommar (A24 Director's Cut Blu-Ray, 2019) - 2:02:35

Trevor's Picks:

The Patlabor movie trilogy (Collector's Edition DVDs, 1989 – 2002) – 27:25

Kamen Rider V3 Special Edition Boxset (Generation Kikaida DVDs, 1973 – 1974) – 54:45

Flash Point (Deltamac DVD, 2007) – 1:31:50

Ultraman Boxsets (Mill Creek Blu-Rays, 1966 – 1975) – 2:09:25

And make sure to stick around as we wrap things up with a customary “Speed Round” of runner up films that didn't quite make the cut.

Find Brian on Twitter, as well as at Bloody-Disgusting.com.

Find Michele on Twitter.

Check out Brad's podcast, Cinema Speak on Libsyn at Cinema Speak, or on Twitter and Instagram.

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This February at Catching Up On Cinema is “NOT Made in America” month!

All month long we'll be reviewing foreign films that have garnered American remakes.

This week, Kyle and Trevor review Kiyoshi Kurosawa's, Pulse (2001)!

Released during the popular wave of J-Horror films in the early 2000's, the film is bold and quietly unsettling examination of the horrors of loneliness amid technological innovation and increasingly alienating social trends.

Beautifully shot, and edited with a steady hand, the film is short on shocks and thrills, but boasts an oppressive atmosphere that can get under ones' skin when approached with the correct mindset.

While the film's concepts are genuinely chilling, they are also unfortunately it's weakest point, as they are largely ill-defined, and not especially well executed over the course of it's slightly too long runtime.

Remade in America in 2006, (from a screenplay co-written by Wes Craven) the Western version of the film is well shot and far more explicit in it's approach to delivering scares, however it too is perhaps best remembered as little more than a mediocre J Horror film.

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This February at Catching Up On Cinema is “NOT Made in America” month!

All month long we'll be reviewing foreign films that have garnered American remakes.

This week, Kyle and Trevor review Erik Skjoldbjærg's, Insomnia (1997)!

A Norwegian noir from the Criterion collection, as well as director Skjoldbjærg's feature debut, the film is a beautifully constructed and entrancing experience.

Remade for American/English speaking audiences by famed director Christopher Nolan in 2002, both versions of the film have their individual merits, however the Norwegian original proves to be the more layered and thought provoking experience.

Borderline daring in it's execution and presentation, the film is masterfully constructed in a variety of subtle ways that are deeply rewarding to particularly attentive viewers.

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This February at Catching Up On Cinema is “NOT Made in America” month!

All month long we'll be reviewing foreign films that have garnered American remakes.

This week, Trevor forces Kyle to join him in reviewing Pierre Morel's, District B13 (2004)!

The feature directorial debut of Luc Besson protege Morel, this French import is notable for serving as one of the earliest and most prominent showcases of parkour in mainstream film.

Starring one of the founders of the art form, David Belle, as well as fellow as traceur and stunt maestro Cyril Raffaelli, the film is lean, fast paced, and occasionally breathtaking in instances where the dialogue takes a backseat to acrobatics and techno music.

While far from perfect, and difficult to recommend to all but the most ardent of action movie fans, the film is nevertheless memorable as an important bullet point in the history and progression of trends mid-2000's action cinema.

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This February at Catching Up On Cinema is “NOT Made in America” month!

All month long we'll be reviewing foreign films that have garnered American remakes.

First up is a Kyle pick in the form of Michael Haneke's, Funny Games (1997)!

An Austrian film that was remade and shot in English by director Haneke in 2007, the film is an utterly brutal and subversive home invasion thriller that is best described as “an experience” rather than “entertainment.”

Doubling as both a tense thriller and highly complex meta commentary regarding violence and titillation in media/entertainment, the film is deeply challenging, but incredibly rewarding to those that are willing to ponder on it.

Highly judgmental of it's own audience, and intentionally subversive in ways that may prove too frustrating for some, the film is nevertheless a deftly constructed work of art that we here at Catching Up On Cinema quite enjoyed.

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It's once again time for Catching Up On Cinema's monthly Catching Up On Blu-Ray episode!

This time around, Trevor is once again joined by his good friend Brad from the Cinema Speak podcast in reviewing the month's physical media releases.

Check out Brad's podcast, Cinema Speak on Libsyn at Cinema Speak, or on Twitter and Instagram.

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This January at Catching Up On Cinema, we'll be doing a bit of housekeeping and Catching Up On cinema from the year 2021.

In the final installment of our Catching Up On 2021 event, Kyle and Trevor sit down to review Sion Sono's, Prisoners of the Ghostland (2021)!

The first English language production from famed Japanese indie director Sono, the film is truly bizarre experience headlined by the inimitable Nicolas Cage.

A pseudo supernatural samurai Western that is one part Mad Max, one part Fallout, one part Kane and Lynch, and apparently inspired by George Orwell's Animal Farm, the film is packed to the brim with fascinating images and concepts, but falls utterly flat on it's face attempting to convey it's message(s) to the viewer.

Featuring an international cast of likable and capable performers, as well as ambitious and impressive production design, the film is hardly the sum it's parts, resulting in a messy film, clumsily paced film that largely fails to engage.

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On YouTube!

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It's once again time for Catching Up On Cinema's monthly, “Tales From the Shelf” episode!

In this installment, Trevor is once again joined by his good buddy Brad from the Cinema Speak podcast to explore some of the “Terrific TV” and streaming series discs in their respective collections.

Brad's Picks:

Breaking Bad (2008 - 2013)

Stephen King's It (1990)

The Knick (2014 - Ongoing)

Cursed Films (2020 - Ongoing)

Trevor's Picks:

Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995 - 1996)

Bio-Booster Armor Guyver (1989 OVA Series and 2005 TV series)

Gangs of London (2020 - Ongoing)

Netflix Marvel Series (2015 - 2019)

And make sure to stick around as the 2 wrap things up with a customary “Speed Round” of runner up films that didn't quite make the cut.

Shout out to @JayCheel from the Film Junk Podcast for hosting a wonderful show, and directing Cursed Films, one of Brad's picks for this month's episode.

Check out Brad's podcast, Cinema Speak on Libsyn at Cinema Speak, or on Twitterand Instagram.

Follow us on Instagram @catchinguponcinema

Follow us on Twitter @CatchingCinema

Like, share, subscribe, and we'll catch you next time!

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Special thanks to Ben Johnson from Kung Fu Movie Guide Podcast, whose interviews with James Nunn and Lee Charles were referenced prior to recording this episode!

This January at Catching Up On Cinema, we'll be doing a bit of housekeeping and Catching Up On cinema from the year 2021.

This week, Trevor sits down to do a solo review of James Nunn's, One Shot (2021)!

Headlined by martial arts superstar Scott Adkins, the film is an incredibly ambitious military action flick, deftly constructed to look and feel like a single continuous take.

The 3rd collaboration between director and star Adkins, the film represents yet another leap forward in the careers of both professionals, demonstrating that hard work and thoughtful planning can yield incredible results, even with a relatively low budget and a 20 day shoot.

Not merely the product of a production “gimmick,” One Shot is an exceptional action film that executes and adheres to it's premise, conveying legitimate drama as well as violent action spectacle with equal intensity and sincerity.

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This January at Catching Up On Cinema, we'll be doing a bit of housekeeping and Catching Up On cinema from the year 2021.

This week, Trevor and Kyle sit down to review Michael Sarnoski's, Pig (2021)!

A critical indie darling from 2021, the film pulls double duty as both a skillful and confident directorial debut for Michael Sarnoski, as well as an incredible platform for displaying the gentler and more subtle ranges of star Nicolas Cage's acting ability.

Contemplative and thematically dense, like a fine meal, the film demands intimate engagement with it's audience in order to yield the richest results.

Beautifully shot and cut with an even hand, in spite of it's subject matter, the film boasts and elemental and somehow organic warmth to it that manage to buoy the experience and prevent it from feeling weighed down by it's more dour notes.

A layered experience that, again, much like a fine meal, is made further enjoyable via sharing and discussion long after it's conclusion.

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