Author: Chaz Lipp

Maybe ten years ago Rampage, the new Dwayne Johnson-starring action film, would’ve been a must-see blockbuster. But honestly how many times are studios planning to serve up the same mega-budget, CG-dominated creature features? Though it probably made enough overseas to qualify as a solid recouper, domestic audiences did not flock to Rampage during its spring...

When it comes to direct-to-video movies these days, it’s really a roll of the dice. Even with the presence of major name stars, there’s usually the perception that most of these movies are outcasts for one reason (or many). A different scale of expectations, rightfully or wrongfully, is usually applied to a title falling under...

A tremendous effort by director Lili Fini Zanuck and Eric Clapton, Life in 12 Bars is that rare rock documentary that goes well beyond the hagiography style frequently adopted by “official” filmed bios. Too often we get basically a Wikipedia entry fleshed out with some performance clips, mixed with endless praise by contemporaries and disciples—many...

Gothic horror thriller The Lodgers is new to home video via indie distributor Epic Pictures as a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack. Director Brian O’Malley, previously known for the horror indie Let Us Prey (2014), has crafted a deeply atmospheric ghost story in The Lodgers. Creepy, isolationist twins Rachel (Charlotte Vega) and Edward (Bill Milner) live in...

Marvel Studios’ phenomenal hit Black Panther is still in the box office top ten, closing in on a $700 million domestic gross, as it arrives on Blu-ray (also 4K UltraHD). Of course, the titular character—portrayed by Chadwick Boseman—is a featured player in the biggest movie in theaters at the moment, Avengers: Inifinity War. Safe to...

Maybe these new Planet of the Apes movies, including the new-to-Blu-ray War for the Planet of the Apes are for people who just can’t get past the rubber masks of the original series. The 1968 adaptation of Pierre Boulle that started it all is a multi-layered science fiction masterpiece laced with humor, much of it...

Lifetime has a reputation for having produced some pretty terrible music biopics, among them Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B, Whitney, and Britney Ever After. Let it be known here and now: Michael Jackson: Searching for Neverland breaks the trend with an engrossing depiction of the final three years in the life of its subject. Director...