Star Trek Short Treks is an excellent portray in experimental science fiction that connects to a much larger scale. The performances are all powerhouse including a rare glimpse of Rainn Wilson doing some serious drama and nails it in his episode.

Noting the episodes are only 15 minutes each in Short Trek’s this review won’t be long at all. I loved the fact each episode toned down the scale and felt really intimate with the budget and being isolated science fiction which is some of my favorite about the genre.

Each episode does a hell of a job telling a story in five scenes and each episode comes with a making-of special feature which dives deeper into each episode.

The sound was phenomenal on the Dvd transfer and one of the best I’ve heard on a DVD in quite some time with everything being released on Blu-ray and 4K it’s amazing to hear the sound on this. The picture transfer is equally astounding. CBS did an excellent job with this release!

Dementer is probably the independent film of the year, and by independent film I mean shoe-string budget independent film. It was masterful to see this all unfold in front of you. The atmosphere and moodiness of the film will remind you of a major release from A24, if that turns you off by now you probably won’t appreciate this slow-burn that is awe-inspiring.

When I spoke to the director he spoke to me how much it meant to him to work with his sister who has Down Syndrome; he was throwing around ideas in his head how to make it work… Would it be a short film, would it be an actual feature. I’m glad he made this feature it’s especially touching to me to see all the actors with real disabilities act as themselves in Dementer. As someone who is on the spectrum for Autism it spoke levels to me the good intention Chad had in making this film.

He also had to put his own money into this to make it work and Chad I hope you see how much it really pays off once people have the chance to see this. I would love for a streaming service like Shudder to pick this up, or even something like Tubi would be perfect. The acting in this feels so grounded and powerful because there’s only one person in the cast that is a “Professional Actor” the cast all deliver something special here, you can tell by now I really enjoyed this one and it may be a close favorite from the Chattanooga Film Festival which also features Eat Brains Love and F For Fulci.

Overall grade:

5/5 stars

Dementer is probably the independent film of the year, and by independent film I mean shoe-string budget independent film. It was masterful to see this all unfold in front of you. The atmosphere and moodiness of the film will remind you of a major release from A24, if that turns you off by now you probably won’t appreciate this slow-burn that is awe-inspiring.

When I spoke to the director he spoke to me how much it meant to him to work with his sister who has Down Syndrome; he was throwing around ideas in his head how to make it work… Would it be a short film, would it be an actual feature. I’m glad he made this feature it’s especially touching to me to see all the actors with real disabilities act as themselves in Dementer. As someone who is on the spectrum for Autism it spoke levels to me the good intention Chad had in making this film.

He also had to put his own money into this to make it work and Chad I hope you see how much it really pays off once people have the chance to see this. I would love for a streaming service like Shudder to pick this up, or even something like Tubi would be perfect. The acting in this feels so grounded and powerful because there’s only one person in the cast that is a “Professional Actor” the cast all deliver something special here, you can tell by now I really enjoyed this one and it may be a close favorite from the Chattanooga Film Festival which also features Eat Brains Love and F For Fulci.

Overall grade:

5/5 stars

Tigers Are Not Afraid was one of my favorite foreign films of last year. I was pretty stoked to get the steel book for review. The picture and sound quality transfers are amazing in this release.

It’s one of the best fairy tales movies of its kind since Pans Labyrinth. I would even place it with the early works of Del Toro like The Devils Backbone and Cronos. The storytelling is strikingly brilliant, Issa López does such a fantastic job with directing this movie it’s a must-see for any genre fan.

The only knock I would give this release is the English dubbed version which really sounds awful. You’re best bet is to watch the original version with subtitles.

Synopsis:

When a girl’s mother disappears leaving her on her own, she goings a gang of street children, leading to a tragic chain of events .

Overall grade:

4/5 stars

This one is a little bit of a mixed bag for me, at first, it was really great with excellent performances. It had everything going for it in the first act, midway through the second act of the movie it turned down familiar roads with romantic comedies cliches and it never truly bounced back to what it made in the first act.

The visuals in this movies are something to behold that could give La-La Land a run for its money. However, in the end, it had one stand out performance from Beanie Feldstein(Booksmart) who really gives it her all and elevates the movie more than it needs to be.

If it wasn’t for Beanie Feldstein, I think this would be just another typical romantic comedy. That no one would bat their eyelashes at. I wish the supporting cast had more to chew on. If they did, it would have been more sustainable.

Overall grade:

2.5/5 stars

Whoa, what an documentary this was! The story behind this is so batshit you have to see it to believe it. I can’t believe I didn’t hear about this story till now. Which is why I’m telling the younger generation to seek this one out. Especially if you want to witness something that’s practically like a “cult” but in the end was just scientist trying to live in a biosphere.

What could have possibly went through the minds of these people to try this out? Some answers are best left unanswered in this review as you watch this documentary your jaw will drop multiple times to the point you have to keep picking it up.

This should be one of the Oscar Nominees for Best Documentaries this year. An open letter to NEON you should start your campaign for this now! It’s too surreal to miss!

Synopsis:

In 1991 eight visionaries embark on a two-year experiment to quarantine themselves inside Biosphere 2 — a self-engineered replica of Earth’s ecosystem.

Overall grade:

5/5 stars

Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band is one of the most satisfying and entertaining documentaries of the year that is a sure-fire shoo-in for a best documentary Oscar nomination come year-end.

Ever since High School, I’ve been engaged in spreading my knowledge of music and one of my best friends was introducing me to bands like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Who The Band. While at the time I was into stuff like the Beastie Boys and Slipknot. The Band stuck with me.

I never claimed to have full knowledge of the history of The Band so it was extremely insightful to watch this documentary which will entertain even the die-hard fans of The Band. One of my favorite clips was about the concert they had a hypnotist on the stage with The Band.

It’s such a fascinating and well-done documentary, it is, in fact, one of the rare re-watchable docs out there that you can’t get enough.

Overall grade:

5/5 stars

Let’s be frank here, I would not have been able to do a timely review on the collection if I had chosen to do it season by season for there are twenty series in the complete collection of Gunsmoke courtesy from CBS Television.

The audio transfer here is probably the most impressive distinction made that I noticed. However, I have never seen any episodes of Gunsmoke before so I have no clue how it sounded or looked before putting it in my Xbox One, the episodes I chose to review guest-starred Jodie Foster and the other one starred John Saxon(Nancy’s father from A Nightmare on Elm Street) which were both exceptional episodes.

I would love to go back someday and watch the series but with all the stuff constantly coming in for review I have no clue when I’ll have the chance to do it. Overall I enjoyed what CBS gave me I think fans of Gunsmoke will be happy with the complete series if it is even a tad pricy.

Overall grade:

3.5/5 stars