In The Godfather III, Michael Corleone lamented, “Just when I thought I was out…they pull me back in!” But while that’s also the situation that Kratos finds himself in at the beginning of the new God Of War (PlayStation 4, PlayStation 4 Collector’s Edition), the game’s seamless mix of updated and classic mechanics into an epic and effortless third-person action extravaganza won’t have you making any similar complaints.
Given how she’s an engaging, multi-layered character whose games are exciting and cinematic, you’d think it would be easy to make a good Tomb Raider movie out of the adventures of Lara Croft. And yet here we are again, watching as yet another attempt goes down in flames.
Though it had flaws which kept it from being DC’s answer to Marvel’s Avengers, the super hero team-up movie Justice League did end up being a halfway decent superhero action flick. Not surprisingly, the home version — which is available as a Blu-ray, DVD, digital combo pack; a 3D Blu-ray, DVD, digital combo pack; a 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, digital combo pack; and on DVD — also ends up being fun but flawed. Or maybe that should be flawed but fun.
If I was a girl between the age of 8 and 10, I would love A Wrinkle In Time, the live action adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s classic sci-fi fantasy novel of the same name. And if I was the parent of a girl between the age of 8 and 10, I’d want her to see this movie for all of the positive encouragement it would give her. But as someone who is neither a girl, that young, nor the parent of a girl that young, but is a fan of the book, it pains me to say that A Wrinkle In Time is just awful.
While it was far from perfect, Thor: Ragnarok was still an exciting and unapologetically fun action movie.
Not surprisingly, you can say the same about the home versions — the Blu-ray, DVD, Digital combo pack; the 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, Digital combo pack; and the DVD — which have a lot of fun extras…but should’ve been better.
In 2014, the iconic jazz trio of pianist Keith Jarrett, double bassist Gary Peacock, and drummer Jack DeJohnette announced that their association was coming to an end nearly forty years after they first worked together on Peacock’s 1977 album Tales Of Another, and more than thirty years since their official debut as a threesome on 1983’s Standards, Vol. 1.
This was especially disheartening given that their last album, 2013’s Somewhere, was one of their finest collections in a career that spawned nearly two dozen great albums.
But it seems the mourning may have been a little premature, as the trio are back — virtually, that is — with a cool new live archival double album, After The Fall (CD, digital).
For the last few years, the bar against which I’ve judged all racing games is the high one set by the Forza games. So you know it’s a good thing when I say that the arcade-style, off-road racing game GRAVEL (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC) is rather Forza-esque.
In honor of the movie Jurassic Park turning twenty-five this year — and, of course, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom coming out June 22nd — the good people at Zen Studios have put together Jurassic World Pinball, a trio of new virtual pinball tables for Pinball FX 3 (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Switch), Zen Pinball (iOS, Android), and Zen Pinball 2 (Mac).
It’s just too bad that, as with the movies, not all of them are keepers.
Between its cover shot of the iconic jazz saxophonist in a cowboy outfit, and songs titled “I’m An Old Cowhand,” “Wagon Wheels,” and “Way Out West,” Sonny Rollins’ album Way Out West probably seemed a bit odd when it came out in 1957. Or maybe a bit cheeky. But in the sixty years since it has emerged as one of the sax master’s best. Thankfully, the new Way Out West: Deluxe Edition (digital, vinyl) corrects many of the mistakes of previous editions, while adding some welcome new outtakes (and, er, some mistakes) as well.