Mike Spring
Recap
Review
What’s New in Home Video & Pop Culture – March 18th, 2025
What an exciting week of home video releases! A massive box office blockbuster, an underperforming but well-received horror movie, a classic Kaiju movie, a cult classic musical, two graphic novels, and even an old-fashioned prose novel! Phew! Where to even start…? At the beginning, I guess!
Also, check out my new book on ’80s Cult Classic Movies called I Want My Two Dollars, live on Kickstarter NOW!! Click here: tinyurl.com/80scultclassics
In This Week’s Column:
- Moana 2 (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital)
- Wolf Man (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital)
- Godzilla Vs. Biollante (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
- Tommy (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
- Thief (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
- Kolchak: The Night Stalker (Novel)
- Shadowplay: Midnight School (Graphic Novel)
- Devil’s Stay (Blu-ray)
- Shred or Dead (Graphic Novel)
Moana 2 (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital)
The Movie:
My understanding about Moana 2 from the reports that I’ve read is that it was originally intended to be a TV series for Disney+, but was changed mid-production into a feature film. I’m not a behind-the-scenes expert, so I can’t swear to that, but that’s the word on the street. I bring this up because, while I did enjoy Moana 2, it does feel a little underdeveloped, and I wonder if that has to do with the fact that originally it was going to be a much longer narrative.
The story starts with Moana becoming her people’s sort of de facto spiritual leader (at least from an exploration point of view). When she receives a vision stating that she must unite all of the people of the sea or her island’s society will come to an end, she sets out to find a mysterious island, this time with a few new members of her island family. Along the way, they reunite with Maui, battle the Kakamora, and face off against an angry god.
And while on paper that sounds like a lot, the story feels very slight when you’re actually watching it. It seems like a lot happens, but really, not a lot happens. The film is still enjoyable because the characters are endearing and the dialogue and visual humor is still sharp, but there’s a lack of depth to the storytelling as a whole. Will little kids probably care? I doubt it. But for adult viewers, it’s definitely not as engaging as the first film, which is a movie I truly love.
Also, the addition of a good amount of gross-out humor this time around felt unexpected and, frankly, unnecessary. Again, will kids mind it? Probably not. Heck, they’ll probably love it. But there were way too many things spitting up way too many substances for my liking.
The Bonus Features:
- Sing Along With the Movie
- Call of the Wayfinder
- A New Voyage
- Songs of the Sea
- Join the Crew
- Kakamora Chronicles
- Fun in the Booth
- Deleted Scenes
Digital Copy Included: Yes
The Wrap-Up:
I loved the first Moana and I’m glad to see the franchise continue. There’s a mid-credits sequence that indicates plans are afoot for a third film and I welcome it. I did enjoy Moana 2, I just wish it had been a little stronger.
Wolf Man (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital)
The Movie:
There’s a meme I came across recently wherein an online commenter posts, “I am totally willing to accept unexplained light sources in movies if it means those movies won’t be dark as **** for the 90+ minutes they run,” to which another commenter responds, “The Light! Comes! From! The Same! Place! As! The Music!” and it’s one of my favorite things that I’ve ever seen. Because too many movies these days are way too dark to easily discern what’s happening onscreen, and it drives me nuts.
The reason I bring that up is because Leigh Whannell’s Wolf Man, which is a pretty darn good take on the werewolf genre – a genre that has been plagued by bad films way more often than good ones – strives for realism in a way that makes the last 20 minutes or so almost unbearable to watch. More on that in a minute.
Wolf Man sees father Blake, mom Charlotte, and daughter Ginger heading into the remote Oregon countryside to pack up Blake’s deceased father’s house and farm. On the way there, they’re attacked by a mysterious creature, and it isn’t long before Blake starts to change as well. That’s not a spoiler, pretty much everything I just told you is in the trailer. What the trailer doesn’t make as clear is that the entire movie takes place in one night, which gives it a sense of immediacy and intensity that I found really enjoyable. In fact, for the first two thirds of the movie, I was right there with it every step of the way, especially for the way Whannell shows the perspective of Charlotte and Ginger and then of the transforming Blake, which is done in a pretty novel way.
Then the problems start. In an effort to make a realistic movie, Whannell decides to use natural lighting (or at least simulated natural lighting) for the entire climax of the film. There’s a good 10-15 minutes of the movie where I had literally no idea what was happening on screen because I COULDN’T SEE A DAMNED THING! At one point Charlotte apparently traps the creature with a chain or something, but how she accomplishes this I have no idea because you can only hear what’s going on. Now, maybe for some people, that heightens the tension, but all it did for me was heighten my blood pressure because I was so frustrated and annoyed at not being able to see anything. It’s a huge let-down for what had up until that point been a really good movie.
The 4K Video/Audio:
Overall, Wolf Man looks and sounds as I believe Leigh Whannel wants it to look in 4K. The color palette is rather limited but the colors do appear natural and vibrant when it needs to be (although large parts of the film focus largely on blues and blacks as the color palette). Image clarity is razor sharp, so there’s little to complain about. The overwhelming darkness in the third act is not a transfer issue; it’s clearly the way the movie was filmed. The surround soundtrack creates a constant atmosphere, and it does a great job of giving your speakers a full workout. Sometimes its deathly silent and sometimes it’s an explosion of sound, but it’s never not effective.
The Bonus Features:
- Unleashing a New Monster (9 minutes)
- Designing Wolf Man (8 minutes)
- Hands On Horror (7 minutes)
- Nightmares and Soundscapes (6 minutes)
- Audio Commentary with Leigh Whannell
Digital Copy Included: Yes
The Wrap-Up:
Despite my complaints, I did actually enjoy Wolf Man. I think Leigh Whannell is an interesting filmmaker and he’s trying to do things that are different and unique, which I respect. I just wish maybe he’d get out of his own way a bit and not sacrifice clarity for novelty. This could have been a truly great movie, an instead it’s just a solidly good one.
Godzilla Vs. Biollante (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
The Movie:
I’m far from a Godzilla historian, but my understanding is that the original era of Godzilla movies ran from the 1954 original to the early 1980s. In the mid-1980s the franchise was revamped with films that featured upgraded special effects and more grounded storytelling (relatively speaking; there’s still some weird-ass stuff going on in these movies.)
Godzilla Vs. Biollante hails from 1989 and is one of the first entries in this second era of Godzilla films. In it, a new creature called Biollante springs up in a harbor in Japan. At first, it seems like just a large plant, but as it keeps growing and mutating, it attracts Godzilla’s attention. And Godzilla, of course, attracts humanity’s attention as he stomps across Japan to get to Biollante.
It’s one of the more entertaining Godzilla movies I’ve seen from the era; not only does G-man himself get a lot of attention, but the Biollante creature is utterly fascinating in design. The creature effects are outstanding, and the movie has no shortage of action and sci-fi elements to keep things interesting. There are also some early computer graphics special effects, mostly in the form of computer simulations and stuff, not the more nuanced effects we get today, but it still makes for a slick-looking film.
This week, The Criterion Collection releases Godzilla Vs. Biollante as a 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray combo pack, and it’s a welcome addition to their hallowed halls.
The 4K Video/Audio:
For an older film, Godzilla Vs. Biollante looks and sounds very good in the premium format. The color saturation is quite vibrant, image clarity is sharp, and shadow delineation is very strong, helpful in a film that features many dark moments. You won’t think it’s a brand-new movie, but the usual Criterion restoration and remastering has worked its magic here.The soundtrack isn’t the most immersive ever, but it does a great job of maximizing what it has to work with and extending the sounds of mayhem into your living room.
The Bonus Features:
- Audio Commentary with film historian Samm Deighan
- Making of Godzilla Vs. Biollante from 1993 (50 minutes)
- Short Documentary Film from 1993
- Deleted Special Effects
- TV Spots and trailers
- Essay booklet
Digital Copy Included: No
The Wrap-Up:
I’m always happy when the Criterion Collection shows Godzilla some love. I recognize that a lot of Godzilla movies are not exactly high art, but they are culturally important; after all, the big guy’s been a part of pop culture and cinema for over 70 years. Godzilla Vs. Biollante is a really fun release to add to your collection.
Tommy (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
The Movie:
If you had asked me before I received my review copy of the new 50th Anniversary Edition 4K Ultra HD release of Tommy, I would have told you it was a musical about a kid who plays pinball that has some songs by The Who in it. And I would have been very, very wrong.
Yes, Tommy is a musical. Yes, Roger Daltrey from The Who plays the lead role and plays pinball. But that’s where the similarities end. The film sees young Tommy witnessing his mother and her new boyfriend murder his father (long thought missing in the war). As a result, he becomes deaf, blind, and mute. He then spends the next decade or so being tormented by pretty much everyone except for his doting mother. Then he discovers pinball (which I don’t know how you play blind) and becomes the idol of millions.
Now, I have to make this VERY clear: what I just described to you is A MILLION TIMES more coherent than the movie itself is. This is not a narrative film; it is an acid trip strung together by music. And not particularly good music, in my opinion. There isn’t a single spoken word of dialogue in the entirety of the film, it’s literally singing and music in every single scene. And not rock songs, but musical-style dance number music with maybe a hint of rock ‘n’ roll overtones. It is – quite honestly – one of the most ridiculous and unpleasant movie experiences I’ve ever had. The fact that the movie was nominated for two Academy Awards and three Golden Globes makes me assume that not only were the filmmakers on drugs in the ’70s, but so was everybody else in the world.
The 4K Video/Audio:
Tommy has been restored and remastered for 4K UHD and overall it looks and sounds very good in the premium format. The color saturation isn’t quite what I would call overly vibrant, as the film is 50 years old. Having never seen the movie theatrically, I have to imagine this is how it looked originally; it kind of feels like a vinyl record, if that makes sense. Image clarity is sharp, however. The surround soundtrack isn’t the most immersive ever, but it does a great job of bringing the music into your living room. Obviously, the show tunes and songs drive the proceedings here, and it sounds lush and full as you would expect. Meanwhile, the powerful bass channel ensure there’s an occasional rumble through your bones. All in all, this is a pretty solid A/V presentation.
The Bonus Features:
I’m a little surprised by this, but there are no extra features. That’s unusual for a Shout Factory release of the Anniversary Edition of a well-known movie.
Digital Copy Included: No
The Wrap-Up:
I’d obviously never watched Tommy before this release, and honestly – as someone who’s not a The Who fan – I was never all that interested in it beyond a slight curiosity. But when I got the 4K review, I went into it thinking, “Well, I can finally see what all the fuss is about.” Unfortunately, I found it almost completely unwatchable, and the movie that I’ve pictured in my head over the past several decades and the reality of the film I’ve watched are two entirely different things. Maybe that’s on me, but I doubt there’s anything that could ever help me like this film, except for maybe a huge dose of the same drugs everyone was doing in the 70s.
Thief (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
The Movie:
The first feature film from director Michael Mann (Heat, The Insider), Thief stars James Caan as a diamond thief who gets caught up with a bigger crime organization that may or may not be a good career move for him.
Frank is a car salesman by day, crack diamond thief by night. When his fence is murdered with $185,000 of Frank’s money in his pocket, Frank takes on another crime syndicate to get it back, which leads to them offering him a job. While he’s getting pulled into their world, he’s also building a life with his new wife, Jessie.
Michael Mann is a singular director, and all of his usual trademarks are there: steely characters, serious tone, strong visuals, and some tense action scenes. There’s also a strong sense of realism; there’s a safe cracking scene towards the climax of the film that will make you sweat just by watching it. James Caan is terrific in the lead role, and the film is a somewhat more raw and visceral effort from a director who may have become over-polished in more recent years.
This week, Thief makes its 4K Ultra HD debut from The Criterion Collection, who add it to their previous Blu-ray and DVD releases of the film.
The 4K Video/Audio:
Thief has been restored and remastered as is usual for Criterion and this release comes with both a 4K Ultra HD disc and a Blu-ray Disc. The 4K Ultra HD adds some punch to the proceedings, notably in terms of the colors taking on more vibrant hues and the image clarity looking as good as a film from 1981 could. The soundtrack is a 5.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio that largely focuses on dialogue and the synth-heavy soundtrack by Tangerine Dream, which is surprisingly effective. All in all, it’s a strong presentation for a film that is over 40 years old.
The Bonus Features:
- Audio Commentary with Michael Mann and James Caan
- Interviews with Mann, Caan, and Johannes Schmoelling of Tangerine Dream
- Trailer
- Essay booklet
Digital Copy Included: No
The Wrap-Up:
I like Michael Mann as a filmmaker sometimes; but sometimes I also think he can be deadly over-serious. Thief is a serious movie, but it has a heart and a rhythm to it that feels organic and alive. I don’t know if I’d rank it as one of my favorites of his movies, but it certainly closer to the top of the list than the bottom.
Kolchak: The Night Stalker (Novel)
The Book:
Okay, first, a little bit of history here. In the 1970s, there were two TV movies, The Night Stalker and The Night Strangler, that were something of a cultural phenomenon, setting huge ratings records. They led to a TV series that only lasted one season but that spawned a devoted fan following called Kolchak: The Night Stalker. It was so influential that Cris Carter famously quotes the Kolchak movies as major sources of inspiration for his hit show The X-Files.
Most people who are into pop culture may be familiar with all of that, but what a lot of people don’t realize is that the original TV movie was based on a book called The Kolchak Files by Jeff Rice that was purchased by ABC and made into the TV movie before it ever saw print. While it did eventually make it to bookshelves, there were some political issues behind the scenes and a series of planned follow-ups by Rice never materialized.
Sadly, the author passed away in 2015, but now, Monstrous Books has republished the original book (with some minor clean-up editing) as a new trade paperback sized tome called Kolchak: The Night Stalker. Featuring a new cover illustration and several interior illustrations by famed comic book artist Russ Braun (The Boys, and also a cover artist for my own comic book series Red White & Broke, available at OuttatimeComics.com), this is the first time the novel has seen print in many years.
And it’s outstanding! It’s written as if Jeff Rice himself was contacted by Kolchak, who gave Rice access to his files about these “real” cases t hat he investigated. From there, it’s written as Kolchak’s journal, with occasional notes from Rice as if he’s annotating Kolchak’s real files for the reader. It’s not only a clever conceit, but it also reads really well and is fast-paced for a supernatural journalism mystery story. As a special bonus, the book also features a foreword by actor/writer David Dastmalchian and an afterword by Rodney Barnes, creator of The Boondocks.
The Specs:
Publisher: Monstrous Books
Paperback ?
254 pages
Retail Prince: $19.99
The Wrap Up:
While I’m not a die-hard Kolchak fan (the TV movies and show were a bit before my time), I have a moderate appreciation of the character. But I really enjoyed Kolchak: The Night Stalker; it’s a terrific read and a well-designed book. Definitely track it down whether you’re a fan of the character already or new to his world.
Shadowplay: Midnight School (Graphic Novel)
The Book:
Now, I’m not hard to please when it comes to comic books and graphic novels. I’m not known for tearing them apart or writing a bunch of bad reviews as clickbait. So I want to be clear when I discuss Shadowplay: Midnight School that I’m not saying it’s a bad book, just that I am clearly not the audience for it.
I’ll let the official description give you the general gist of it, because I’m not sure I can. “This class is a nightmare. Violent teachers, barbed wire fences, torture devices, and gruesome suspensions… How did these students get trapped here? Why can’t they remember? And once they realize the truth, are they strong enough together to escape? A mind-bending work of psychological horror about creativity, self-doubt, and the battles we all face to endure a world where shadows only grow stronger. This is the first part of a mind- bending horror adventure full of mystery and despair, friendship and hope, light and darkness. Join the students of the Midnight School at the start of their macabre odyssey.”
I should also state that one of the tropes of fiction that is my absolute least favorite is dream sequences. I hate them, and any time I encounter one in a movie or a book, it instantly loses me. And Shadowplay may or may not be one big dream sequence. (I honestly didn’t quite understand the story enough to know for sure.) Even if it’s not a dream sequence per se (which I suspect is the case), it has that feel, as there’s very little concrete or real action happening at all.
Author artist Sam Fonseca is an outstanding illustrator and he clearly has a lot to say – the book is a whopping 400+ pages! — and I am sure there’s an audience out there who will connect with whatever that message is, I just didn’t get it myself. But people who are into this kind of storytelling are sure to find a lot to like.
The Specs:
Publisher: Top Shelf Productions
Paperback
424 pages
Retail Price: $24.99
The Wrap Up:
I feel bad that Shadowplay: Midnight School didn’t work for me because it’s clearly a labor of love from an artist with a lot of talent. It’s just, quite simply, not my cup of tea. I do believe there’s a fan base out there for it, though.
Devil’s Stay (Blu-ray)
The Movie:
I’m not saying that it’s impossible to make a good exorcism movie anymore – although recent movies as evidence would indicate that might be true – but if you’re going to make one, maybe try not to populate it with every cliché we’ve come to expect from the genre?
The Korean film The Devil’s Stay was filmed in 2020 but delayed by COVID and is just now making its home video debut in the US and other territories. In it, a cardiac surgeon who performed a heart transplant on his own daughter finds her possessed by a demon and brings in a Mysterious Priest With a Difficult Past to exorcise her. She unfortunately dies during the rite, but during her traditional three-day funeral, strange things begin to occur, leading both men to come to odds on how to proceed with potentially saving the girl’s life and/or soul.
It’s not that The Devil’s Stay is a bad movie; it’s well-shot and well-acted. It just never really feels like anything we haven’t seen before. Aside from some cultural differences between Korean funeral traditions and other parts of the world, a lot of what we see here feels familiar. I just never got into it with anything more than a passing interest.
The Bonus Features:
There are no bonus features.
Digital Copy Included: No
The Wrap-Up:
The Devil’s Stay will appeal to fans of Asian horror films, and hey, if you like a good exorcism film, it will fit that bill. It just never got to the point of being interesting or special for me.
Shred or Dead (Graphic Novel)
The Book:
I am not a skateboarder, but I’ve always been a wannabe skateboarder. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater is pretty much my favorite video game of all time. I used to read Thrasher magazine in middle school. I loved Image Comics’ hit series Grommets last year. So even though I’m not in the tween audience that the new graphic novel Shred or Dead is aimed at, I figured I’m as primed as anyone else to really enjoy it.
But, much as I hate to have to resort to the “I just didn’t get it/I’m not the target audience” reasoning twice in one column… well, I’m clearly not the target audience for Shred or Dead. Author/artist D. Bradford Gambles either has a much better handle on teenage lingo than I do – and I have teenagers, so I feel like I stay pretty current – or he’s just making stuff up. Whether it’s cromps, spuz, or garfing, there’s a lot of phrases in this book that made my brain hurt.
The book is about a group of young skaters who just want to belong to a skateboard crew whose territory is encroached on by the Too Cool Crew, who are, frankly, not very cool. As they battle for supremacy, they also have to take on a mad skate god, weird woodland creatures, and an amped-up security guard. It’s all very frenetic and very linguistically challenging for an old like me, so it wasn’t quite my thing. I do like Gambles’ art a lot, though, as it has sort of a Phineas-and-Ferb-on-acid kind of vibe to it that I dug.
The Specs:
Publisher: Top Shelf Productions
Paperback
296 pages
Retail Price: $19.99
The Wrap Up:
If you are a younger reader or have younger readers in your house who like skateboard culture, action and adventure, wacky hijinks, and characters with names like Gearhead, Shred or Dead should be right up your alley.
