Charlie's
Angels (2019) 4K
(Sony 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray w/Blu-ray)/Twin:
The Complete First Season
(2019/mHz DVD Set)/Verotika
(2019/MVD/Cleopatra Blu-ray w/DVD & CD)
4K
Ultra HD Picture: A- Picture: B+/C+/B+ & B- Sound:
A/C+/B+ & B- Extras: B/C-/C Main Programs: C/C+/C
Here's
some of the wackier action genre releases we have seen of late, even
if they do not work, they are different...
First
off, another reboot (and too soon?) that nobody really asked for,
Charlie's
Angels (2019)
was one of last year's big duds and seeing it now on 4K UHD disc, I
can see why.
While
it recognizes past incarnations of the property via a wrap-up scene
in the first act, the film is pretty stale and shoves the feminist
agenda down your throat even more than previous outings. The film's
biggest problem is that it is just not fun. At least McG brought a
retro, almost music video feel to his Charlie's
Angels
reboot which had the chemistry of Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, and
Lucy Liu going for it. This one stars Kirsten Stewart (who isn't
necessarily known as an action lead), Naomi Scott (who was also in
last year's Aladdin
as Princess Jasmine), and relative newcomer Ella Balinska (this
year's Run
Sweetheart Run)
all three of which never seems to really gel as intended. The plot
is painfully predictable and things happen to the leads with no
consequence... but what else do you expect from a Charlie's Angels
movie?
Directed
and co-starring Elizabeth Banks, the film also features Sir. Patrick
Stewart, Djimon Hounsou (Blood
Diamond),
Sam Claflin (The
Hunger Games: Catching Fire),
and Noah Centineo (To
All The Boys I've Loved Before).
The film is of course based on the classic 1976 television series of
the same name.
Private
detective super spies from across the globe come together to foil
murderous plots before they become a threat. Under the guidance of
Bosley (Banks), these Charlie's Angels report to the mysterious
millionaire Charles Townsend and must stop a revolutionary energy
source from becoming weaponized. As the plot thickens, it becomes
clear that not everyone on the inside can be trusted.
Charlie's
Angels 4K (2019)
does have a fantastic home video presentation here in 2160p on 4K UHD
disc with a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.39:1. This 2160p
HEVC/H.265, IMAX-enhanced, HDR (10; Ultra HD Premium)-enhanced Ultra
High Definition image features digitally remastered content presented
with High Dynamic Range and incredible sounding DTS:X 11.1 lossless
audio mix (with a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit) mixdown for
older systems). Also included is a 1080p Blu-ray version of the film
with a more compressed image and similar sound mix. The film has a
very hip soundtrack that may cause your speakers to cry out in pain
with its occasional horrid musical choices, however, the film itself
looks fine enough. There are a few exotic locations and interesting
production design, but nothing too earth shattering.
Special
Features include (per the press release):
Gag
Reel - Check out these fun and never-seen-before bloopers saved from
the cutting room floor!
5
Deleted Scenes
4
Behind-the-scenes Featurettes
Stronger
Together: The Sisterhood of the Angels
featurette
Elizabeth
Banks: As BOSSley
featurette
Warriors
on Set: Angels in Action
featurette
Tailored
for Danger: Styling the Angels
featurette
"Don't
Call Me Angel"
Music Video featuring Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus & Lana Del Rey
This
Charlie's
Angels
reboot will likely remain a one-off and probably won't get a sequel.
After the dreadful Charlie's
Angels: Full Throttle
and now this, let's hope the next inevitable reboot of the franchise
will have a bit more personality and spunk to it. As for the 4K UHD
presentation, however, top notch!
At
the same time, Sony licensed the original series (and one of its
poor, thankfully short-lived reboots) to Mill Creek to release The
Complete Series
on Blu-ray, which we look forward to seeing down the line, looking
and sounding as good as it possibly can, but it total lack of any
extras is totally unacceptable. As for those Drew Barrymore films,
you can read more about them at this link...
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/15579/Charlie's+Angels+4K+(2000/Sony+4K+Ultra+HD+
Next
up is the U.S. arrival of a hit Norwegian TV show with Kristofer
Hivju of Game
Of Thrones
called Twin:
The Complete First Season
(2019) now issued by the fledgling mHz Home Video label in a 3-DVD
set. Very recently, we covered the Australian import of this debut
season at the end of this review of genre releases:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/15663/Art+Of+The+Dead+(2019*)/Bliss+(2019*)/Chain+
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image and lossy Norwegian Dolby
Digital 5.1 sound mix on all the episodes are about on par with the
import set, though this might have a tad more motion blur, it also
has some extras, whereas the import had none. We get some Behind
The Episode segments in English, so this is probably the set to
own until a Blu-ray set rolls around. We'll see if the show picks up
globally, but it still has its issues.
Finally,
if you are a fan of heavy metal music then you are no stranger to
Glenn Danzig and The Misfits. Based on a graphic novel he created a
few decades ago, Verotika
(2019), is Danzig's directorial debut following in the tradition of
other rock artists taking a crack at filmmaking. Compared to The
Room,
Verotika is a much talked about cult movie that will remain relevant
based on its obscurity alone. Some hail it as one of the 'worst
films ever made' and the equivalent of a modern day Ed Wood
production. Behind the scenes it was full of drama, but the end
product is a strange acid trip with over the top sex and gore. I
admit the first time I saw this film I didn't like it as much as
seeing it a second time. It's definitely worth checking out if
you're a genre film fan and like weird cinema.
The
film stars Ashley Wisdom, Rachel Alig, Alice Tate, Kayden Kross,
Scotch Hopkins, and Sean Kanan. Kind of smart for him to not go with
any name actors for this outing as the whole thing kind of seems like
an experiment to begin with.
The
anthology horror film centers around a few different ghastly tales
that feature the macabre and grotesque. Sexuality is at the
forefront of these stories as each one presents scantly clad women
that are as crazy as they are beautiful. The wraparound story
features a scantly clad hostess who intros the stories with a visual
gag.
The
first story involves a busty vixen with, ahem, eyeballs for nipples
that gives birth (in tears?) to a human spider creature. Soon, the
human spider creature goes on a murderous rampage and targets
beautiful women Jack the Ripper style.
The
second story is about a weird goth girl who collects faces of women.
She then likes to wear them while dancing at the strip club she works
at. Soon, the souls of the women come and pay her a visit.
The
third story is about a merciful Queen who really likes bathing in
human blood. In fact, I would say that she's obsessed with it. Many
gorgeous women are slain to provide a bath for her where she bathes
in blood for about ten minutes or maybe longer.
And
that's Verotika
in a nutshell.
Verotika
is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with a
widescreen aspect ratio of 2.35:1 with lossy 5.1 Dolby Digital and
2.0 Stereo mixes when it ought to have lossless sound, unless the
soundmaster had issues. The color grading done on the film in post
is definitely nice and comes across with heavy contrast levels. The
film has a great heavy metal soundtrack that features a score by
Danzig himself and other heavy metal artists included in the CD
that's included here. Also included is a standard definition,
anamorphically enhanced DVD with the choice of watching the film in a
5.1 Dolby Digital mix or 2.0 stereo.
Special
Features:
Slideshow
and
a Trailer
I
wouldn't say Verotika
is a good film, but it's recommendable to watch if you enjoy bizarre
cinema. The Blu-ray presentation here is surprisingly good and has a
lot of detail in the image that comes across on a 4K upscale.
-
Nicholas Sheffo (Twin)
and James
Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/