Though it lasted a mere 22 episodes, the comic-book superhero adaptation series The Flash, starring John Wesley Shipp as the speedy crime-fighter, garnered a devoted cult following. This set contains every episode from the brief run of the show that found Flash trying to keep Central City free from various nefarious baddies.
It's not the best show, but the aesthetics and the guest stars make it worth a look, for dedicated superhero fans. Mark Hamil shows up in two episodes as The Trickster, and he lays almost all of the groundwork for Jim Carrey's performance as The Riddler a few years later in Batman Forever. It's astonishing.
When Steven Spielberg, our greatest living popular filmmaker, and Tom Cruise, our most dedicated living movie star, pooled their talents to to make a movie about how quickly everything falls apart in the face of sudden, overwhelming terror and how important it is to hang on in spite of it all, well, it's going to be a great movie, and it is. Thankfully, it's been reevaluated in the last few years, and finally getting the regard it's always deserved.
If you've been viewing these movies sem-regularly for years now, you're probably invested enough that Days of Future Past'll mean something to you (despite Singer's bland direction and the lackluster costume design). For an average moviegoer who might wonder why there are so many blue people in one movie, this might not be the best use of their time...
Everything changed with the arrival of the Traveler. It sparked a Golden Age when our civilization spanned our solar system, but it didn't last. Something hit us, knocked us down. The survivors built a city beneath the Traveler, and have begun to explore our old worlds, only to find them filled with deadly foes.You are a Guardian of the last safe city on Earth, able to wield incredible power. Defend the City. Defeat our enemies. Reclaim all that we have lost.
The Winter Soldier brings Cap's past back to haunt him, and the entire world, in a number of fun and terrifying ways. The cast is uniformly great this time out: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, and Anthony Mackie all inhabit their characters and gell nicely from the moment they step onscreen together, Robert Redford and Samuel L. Jackson deliver the great performances that are their calling cards, and Sebastian Stan... let's say he gets to go to some dark places. Really, aside from the music (which doesn't come anywhere close to approaching the melodic, iconic heights of Alan Silvestri's score from The First Avenger), there's not a complaint to be leveled here.
Though, it is tremendously disappointing to see Marvel break from recent tradition and not include a "One-Shot" short film on this home release.
My Best Buy number: 2353496455
My Best Buy number: 2353496455
What's great about it: story, characters, cinematography, stunts, pacing
It must kind of suck to be Jack Reacher, because you're living in a world where every other person on the planet is either A) apathetic, B) well-meaning but incompetent, or C) straight-up evil. And, whoever you are, you're pretty darn stupid. Thank the lord we have Jack Reacher to set us straight, though, stepping off the bus and onto our crime scenes, unraveling criminal conspiracies as easily as he changes his wardrobe at the local Goodwill.
If you're a thriller aficionado, if you like your noir action hard-boiled, and/or if you can buy into 'Jack Reacher' as a character, there's an exceptional amount of fun to be had here. With the exception of the height disparity between the lead actor and the character from the books, I think this is the best Tom Cruise casting decision I've ever seen. So much of what we've come to believe about his personality runs parallel to Reacher's - the drive, the singleminded focus, the superiority complex - that I was able to buy into it from the first minute to the last.
And, the music! There were actual themes relating to the characters, and melodies, not just tones used to enhance the mood!
My Best Buy number: 2353496455
My Best Buy number: 2353496455
What's great about it: characterization, plot, photography, music
What's not so great: leans a little too heavily on some tropes that are well-worn and offensive by this point
Having watched this movie at least once a week since it came to digital early release (not to mention this long-awaited blu-ray release), I may not have the most objectivity when it comes to writing about it. But, what the heck? The Lego Movie is fun, funny, zippy and whip-smart, with so many jokes working on enough levels to satisfy virtually any conceivable audience member. It's got an enormous amount of heart at its core, too - the movie's conclusion is one of the best things I've seen in years.
Also, the commentary from the directors & much of the voice cast is not to be missed, partially because they spend a huge chunk of time pointing out little sight gags you might have missed otherwise.
My Best Buy number: 2353496455
My Best Buy number: 2353496455
What's great about it: Animation, story, performances, extras, transfer quality
Players, start your engines. It's time to once again get on the racing circuit and compete against characters from the Mushroom Kingdom that you know and love. For the first time on the Nintendo Wii U console, you get to experience the racing action that has been a fan favorite for years, with a few added features to keep things interesting. So buckle up, push the pedal to the floor and get ready to turn this classic racing experience upside down.With new racing circuits, new gameplay features and a stunning new look, Mario Kart 8 certainly lives up to the legacy. The new anti-gravity feature will have you suddenly finding yourself racing on walls in a haunted mansion or upside-down over Princess Peach's castle — not to worry, the wheels on your kart will automatically rotate and shift into antigravity gear for an awesome racing element that allows mind-blowing new circuit designs. The previous games in the Mario Kart franchise introduced some amazing features, so they're back for more in Mario Kart 8. You can still see who's got what it takes in 12-player online competitive play. Hang gliders and motorbikes are back, as well as underwater racing and mid-air tricks, while Waluigi and Toadette rejoin the cast of characters. As the icing on the cake, the crisp, high-definition graphics and 60-frames-per-second frame rate of your Nintendo Wii U ensure a visually stunning and vibrant gameplay experience that you won't soon forget.
In my book, this film of Tarantino's benefits the most from revisiting at home - the more acquainted I am with its world, the better I can pick up on its nuances and flourishes.
My Best Buy number: 2353496455
My Best Buy number: 2353496455
What's great about it: visionary and singular experience
The Rami Spider-Man movies remain tremendously watchable - good characters, engaging effects, and such heart worn so thoroughly on its sleeve you worry it might fall off.
My Best Buy number: 2353496455
My Best Buy number: 2353496455
What's great about it: 1 good movie, 1 great movie & 1 ridiculous movie