Equalizer
3/Gran
Turismo
(both 2023/Sony Blu-rays)/The
Toxic Avenger Collection 4K
(1984 - 2000/MVD/Troma 4K Ultra HD Blu-rays w/Blu-rays)
4K
Ultra HD Picture: A- Picture: B-/B-/B+ Sound: B/B/B+
Extras: C-/C+/B Films: C-/C+/B+
C+ C C
Now
for the latest group of remakes, sequels, videogame movies and
otherwise...
When
the spy boom happened in the 1960s, primarily from the James Bond
film series, the other films and TV shows that followed tried to be
wilder, more fantastic and more clever than the others, when they
could afford to. This also led to more comical spy romps, but there
were also very serious spy dramas that were far more serious and
realistic on the big screen (The
Spy Who Came In From The Cold,
The
Ipcress File)
and on the small screen as well.
On
the small screen, U.S. TV gave us the original Mission:
Impossible,
while overseas, Patrick McGoohan delivered The
Prisoner
and Associated British Corporation, who gave us the brilliant classic
The
Avengers,
delivered Callan.
The rawest spy show ever made, only rivaled by The
Sandbaggers
years later, Edward Woodward played the title character, an special
assassin for a special subdivision of British Intelligence with a
past who has to deal with killers and undercover enemies, including
within his own organization. That show would be the primary
inspiration a fee decades later for The
Equalizer,
a surprise U.S. TV hit Universal made for a desperate-in-the-ratings
CBS that landed up being one of the few great show they offered that
decade.
The
rights to the franchise landed up at Sony/Columbia, who immediately
launched a feature film series with Denzel Washington as a very
different Robert McCall, which was also a hit. They also launched a
separate TV show with legendary rap artist and underrated actress
Queen Latifah as the title character, but the Washington films were
not finished, which is how we got to The
Equalizer 3
(2023) as McCall is now in his stage of deeper regrets and more ugly
realities hitting him at an older age. Washington can play this as
well as anyone and comparisons to the last Wolverine films are valid
enough, but the screenplay is very flat and has him in Italy, where
he lands up taking on the home grown Italian Mafia there.
It
has a few nice shots and it is a nice change of scenery for
Washington and the genre, where most spy films made there since the
1960s are of the B-movie variety, but mobsters and spies rarely mix
well (think the mob goons in Diamonds
Are Forever,
the beginning of The
Man With The Golden Gun,
or even Roger Moore's pre-James Bond Simon Templar in Vendetta
For The Saint)
so this outing starts out fighting against that.
Yet
ultimately, Antoine Fuqua is just on flat auto-pilot here, doing zero
and less to being any of this to life, with Washington also seeming
like he is in an isolated, separate film. Maybe this is just one
film too many, though I did not like the last two films, at least I
could see the appeal to a given audience for a different time.
Cliches and predictability fly faster than the bullets and fight
sequences, resulting in it underperforming (for now, we guess) like
the latest, but far better Mission:
Impossible
film (reviewed in 4K elsewhere on this site) shows that the
post-Daniel Craig spy films are having a tough time finding their
audience.
Thus,
this is for only the most patient, hardcore fans.
The
1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer is on the weak
side, though we gather the 4K edition likely looks better, this is
one of the few HD-shot films Washington or Fuqua have made and it
makes it a little more out of their element than I expected, odd in
ways a separate essay would require. The
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix is a mixdown of the
12-track soundmaster, which the 4K edition has. Its better than the
image and standard, but nothing special.
Extras
include
Digital Copy, Over 15 Minutes of Deleted Scenes (exclusively on 4K &
Blu-Ray)
Blood
Brothers:
The Collaboration of Denzel Washington & Antoine Fuqua
Call
To Action
Robert
McCall: A Man of The People
Denzel
and Dakota: A Reunion
Postcards
from the Amalfi Coast
and
Jacob Banks 'Monster'
Lyric Video.
Neill
Blomkamp is a solid filmmaker, and directing Gran
Turismo
(2023) is an interesting, highly commercial choice for a new project,
but it is one of the better movies based on a videogame by default
and has one of the few directors who actually has some formidable
talent to helm it. This one tries to tell the story on how the game
was created, though it is far form any kind of documentary or
docudrama, nor does it pretend to try to be such.
We
have the man who created the game, then the real race car event that
helped inspire it, with David Harbour (Stranger
Things)
and Orlando Bloom (Black
Hawk Down,
plus The
Hobbit,
Lord
Of The Rings
and Pirates
Of The Caribbean
franchises) offer their star power in casting that makes sense and
helps the film. In all this, we have seen much of this before, as it
is a sport competition movie (in line with so many such baseball,
football, hockey and similar sports) and is trying to work in having
the audience sort of be in the game, if not as explicitly as the Tron
films or two very different Super
Mario Bros.
films.
The
result is a fans-only film that at least does not insult the
intelligence of the rest of us, but does not exceed any of the genre
intended, as intended we gather. See it if you are really curious
and or interested, but otherwise, only expect so much.
The
1080p 1.90 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer is a slightly
unusual framing, but after a few decades of 1.85 vs. 1.78, not as
wacky as it might have been. It does look softer than I would have
liked, but again, probably looks better on the 4K disc. The
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix is a mixdown of the
12-track soundmaster, which the 4K edition has. Its not bad, but for
a film about a hugely successful videogame, true fans will want the
full 12-tracks and not this mixdown.
Extras
include Digital Copy, while the disc adds Deleted & Extended
Scenes plus...
At
long last, Lloyd Kaufman's infamous Toxic
Avenger
film series has made its way onto 4K UHD disc with The
Toxic Avenger Collection 4K
(1984 -
2000). This is obviously a vast improvement over any old release as
the films look and sound fresher than ever. In the past, all four of
these films haven't exactly been easy to find and so it's welcome
that they are finally available in a box set and with both 4K UHD and
Blu-ray presentations for hardcore fans or make anew for those who
maybe missed it on VHS or DVD infamously.
While
the original 1984 independent cult film remains the best of the
series, there are still fun moments throughout the franchise that are
sure to entertain people who like films a bit on the R-rated foul
mouthed, gory, and silly side in a way that only Troma Entertainment
can provide.
This
set also precedes the upcoming Hollywood remake of the Troma classic,
which promises to capture some of the same spirit on full display
here. In some ways looking back, the original Toxic Avenger film
reminds me a little bit of the original Robocop
in some places as the filmmakers go out of their way to make the bad
guys REALLY bad so that when the hero comes back and gets his
revenge, the brutality can be taken up a notch. Of course for
today's general audience, this franchise may be a bit too over the
top. The film doesn't hold back on sexual humor, child murder, and
poking fun at demographics, which wasn't as big of a deal when the
film was made as it is now.
The
Toxic Avenger (1984)
is a superhero origin story like no other that is part revenge film
and part superhero film. A nerdy janitor at a New Jersey gym gets
tricked by some bullies and ends up falling into toxic waste and
transforming into the ugly but strong superhuman that becomes known
as The Toxic Avenger. As he meets the love of his life, a sexy blind
woman who sees him for his inner beauty and not his horrible
exterior, he ends up rescuing her, and his small town of Tromaville
which is home to sleazy crime and evil politicians hell bent on
turning it into hell on Earth. All of the naughty violence and not
so tasteful humor is redeemed at the end, as the film packs a few
good morals for the audience to chew on.
The
Toxic Avenger Collection 4K
is presented in 2160p on 4K UHD disc with HDR10, an HEVC / H.265
codec, and different widescreen aspect ratios depending on the film,
but mainly either a 1.33:1 full frame or a 1.85:1 widescreen aspect
ratio along with an audio track in English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio)
2.0 Stereo. It goes without saying that this is the best release
that these films have seen with these 4K restorations with clear
colors and texture not apparent on even the also included 1080p
Blu-ray editions.
Special
Features:
Prologue
by Director Lloyd Kaufman
Introduction
by Director Lloyd Kaufman
Interviews
with Cast Members Jennifer Baptist, Robert Prichard, Mitch Cohen, and
Dan Snow
Interview
with Co-Director Michael Herz
"Mark
Torgl Talks About The Toxic Avenger" featurette
Behind
the Scenes Photo Gallery
Trailers
Commentaries
featuring casts and filmmakers
and
a Collectible Toxic Avenger Postcard.
The
Toxic Avenger II
(1989)
An
Evil corporation Apocalypse Inc. tricks the monster hero, Toxie, into
traveling to Japan to find his father so his hometown of Tromaville
will be open to conquering. As he returns back to Tromaville, he
finds his blind girlfriend in peril to whom he must save and uncover
the true identity of his father. The second film isn't as strong as
the original, but has plenty of laughs along the way and some
impressive independent filmmaking accomplishes that aren't to be
overlooked. You can tell that the film was made with heart and
passion even if it is a bit silly.
Special
Features:
New
introductions for each film from Lloyd Kaufman, President of Troma
Entertainment and creator of The Toxic Avenger
Prologue
by Director Lloyd Kaufman - Introduction by Director Lloyd Kaufman
"At
Home with Toxie"
Mockumentary
Interview
with Cast Member Lisa Gaye
Japanese
News Report On The Filming of The Toxic Avenger Part II
"Radiation
March"
Short Film Directed by Lloyd Kaufman
The
American Cinematheque Honors 40 Years of Troma
Trailers
Commentaries
featuring casts and filmmakers
and
a Collectible Toxic Avenger Postcard.
The
Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie
(1989)
In
the third outing from 1989, Toxie gets caught up in the rat race when
he starts working for Apocalypse Inc. Will he return to his
superhero ways once it becomes apparent the greedy corporation
threatens the existence of his beloved Tromaville?
Special
Features:
New
introductions for each film from Lloyd Kaufman, President of Troma
Entertainment and creator of The Toxic Avenger
Prologue
by Director Lloyd Kaufman
Audio
Commentary with Director Lloyd Kaufman
Audio
Commentary with Cast Member Joe Fleishaker
Behind
the Scenes of the "Return
to Nuke 'em High Vol. 1"
screening at MOMA
The
American Cinematheque Honors 40 Years of Troma
"Make
Your Own Damn Horror Film"
- Behind the Scenes of Old 37 with Kane Hodder and Bill
Moseley
"A
Halloween Carol"
Short Film
Infomercial
for "Rabid
Grannies"
Blu-ray Release
"Radiation
March" Short Film Directed by Lloyd Kaufman
Optional
English Subtitles for the deaf or hard of hearing on all discs
and
a Collectible Toxic Avenger Postcard
Citizen
Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV
(2000)
The
fourth entry is the 2000 sequel, in which the Toxic Avenger must
defend his friends from his own evil alternate universe doppelganger
The Noxious Offender.
Special
Features and Technical Specs:
New
introductions for each film from Lloyd Kaufman, President of Troma
Entertainment and creator of The Toxic Avenger
Prologue
by Director Lloyd Kaufman
Audio
commentaries featuring cast and filmmakers
"Apocalypse
Soon: The Making of Citizen Toxie"
Behind the Scenes Documentary
Tribute
to Lemmy Kilmister
The
American Cinematheque Honors 40 Years of Troma
and
Trailers.
For
more on Toxie, try this link to our Part
II
Blu-ray w/DVD
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/13673/The+Toxic+Avenger+-+Part+II+(1989/Troma+Blu
-
Nicholas Sheffo and James Lockhart (4K)
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
