THE EPITAPH: VOL. 57 - FAMILY FUN AND CARNAGE EDITION!

THE EPITAPH: VOL. 57 - FAMILY FUN AND CARNAGE EDITION!

DC LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS  (2022) - SWEET TOOTH: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON (2022) - TRICK OR TREAT SCOOBY-DOO! (2022) - BATMAN AND SUPERMAN: BATTLE OF THE SUPER SONS (2022) - 8-BIT CHRISTMAS (2021) - MORTAL KOMBAT LEGENDS: SNOW BLIND (2022) - THE BEAST (2022) 

DC LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS  (2022) 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray  Digital 

Label: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment 

Region Code: A

Rating: PG 

Duration: 105 Minutes 

Audio: Dolby Atmos, True HD 7.1 with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: 2160p UHD Widescreen 

Director: Jared Stern

Cast: Dwayne Johnson,Kevin Hart, Kate McKinnon, John Krasinski, Vanessa Bayer,  Natasha Lyonne, Diego Luna, Marc Maron, Thomas Middleditch, Ben Schwartz, Keanu Reeves 

In the digital-animated DC League of Super-Pets Superman's (John Krasinski) super-pet Krypto the Super-Dog (Dwayne "Don't call me The Rock" Johnson) are the best of friends, a crime-fighting duo, but Krypto is pretty jealous of Supe's new girlfriend Lois Lane (Olivia Wilde), and feels he's second fiddle. Supe's being the cool-guy he is see's this is having a effect on his super-pal, and sets out to find a new animal friend at the per shelter to keep his pal happy. At the animal shelter there's a guinea pig Lulu (Kate McKinnon) with a chip on his shoulder who was once a lab-rat for Lex Luthor (Marc Maron), and who has certainly picked-up a few of Luthor's more villainous attributes. She hatches a plan to do what Lex has been unable to - destroy the Justice League; Batman (Keanu Reeves), Wonder Woman (Jameela Jamil), The Flash (John Early), Cyborg (Daveed Diggs), Green Lantern (Dascha Polanco), and Aquaman (Jemaine Clement). She succeeds in stripping Supes of his power, and Krypto, too, and imprisoning the human heroes, but in the process accidentally imbues her animal shelter cohorts with super-powers. Luckily for the world the strays are more heroic than Lulu, and they team-up with the powerless Krypto to form the rag-tag DC League of Super-Pets. The team is comprised of a size-changing potbellied pig PB (Vanessa Bayer), super-speed empowered turtle Merton (Natasha Lyonne), and the telekinetic squirrel Chip (Diego Luna). I expected to hate this, but I did not. The animation looks quite wonderful and the story, while not original aside from the heroes being pets, is pretty fun stuff with superhero hijinks, physical gags, and the prerequisite heart-string tugs (which actually work). The voice vast here is pretty great as well, but the star for me is the charmingly effective animation and action-sequences. This is not only great family entertainment but if you're a superhero junkie this is kid-friendly catnip. 

Special Features:  

- How to Draw Krypto (7 min) 

- Behind the Super Voices (15 Min) 

- Super-Pets Animation 101 (8 min) 

- Find the Easter Eggs (8 min) 

- The World of Super-Pets (4 min) 

- Deleted Scenes (21 min) 

- Slipcover

- UHD Digital Copy 

SWEET TOOTH: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON (2022) Blu-ray

Label: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
Region Code: A
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 480 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.35:1)
Cast: Christian Convery, Nonso Anozie, Adeel Akhtar, Aliza Vellani, Stefania LaVie, Dania Ramirez, James Brolin

In the Netflix Original Sweet Tooth, based on a DC comic property, an event dubbed "The Great Crumble" wreaked havoc on the world a decade ago, the release of a virus called "The Sick" has caused the emergence of animal-human hybrids to be born causing  humans to both fear and hunt them, unsure if they were the cause or the result of the Crumble. Our protaganist at the start is a hybrid deer-boy named Gus (Christian Convery) who is raised in the relative safety of a remote cabin by Pubba (Will Forte). Things turn sour and Gus is separated from Pubba, and eventually teams-up with a loner named Jepperd (Nonso Anozie) aka Big Man. Together they adventure across what's left of America in search of answers, discovering enemies out to eradicate the hybrids and allies in an hybrid underground. Produced and developed by Jim Mickle (Stakeland), who directed the majority of the eight episodes, this is a gripping adventure tale set in a dystopian and apocalyptic future, but it's not as grim as something like Stakeland, it does get dark (but not as dark as the comic) and it's more hopeful, charming and has a great storyteller narration laid over it by James Brolin. This is top-notch stuff, sadly the 3-disc Blu-ray release is absolutely bare-bones, but it's a bingeable show and holds-up on re-watch, a definite recommend. 

TRICK OR TREAT SCOOBY-DOO! (2022) DVD 

Label: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment 

Region Code: 1

Rating: 

Duration: 78 Minutes 

Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.1 with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1)

Director: Cecilia Aranovich

Cast: Grey DeLisle, Matthew Lillard, Kate Micucci 

Kiddie-friendly TV animation must not sell very well, I say that because it always seems to be going to DVD and not getting HD releases... or is it a just to keep viewers coming back to streaming platforms to see HD content? Hmm.... anyway, here we have the very timely albeit DVD-only Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo Original Movie. I grew up a big fan of the original series Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! and the The New Scooby-Doo Movies, mostly in re-runs, and I think this colorful and well-animated Halloween tale hit a lot of the right notes. In it Mystery Inc. have cracked the case to top all cases - they've taken down Coco Diablo, genius the designer of all the monster costumes of all their greatest capers. The problem is that with her gone the cool cases have all dried up, and poor Fred is going batty looking for a new case to solve. Luckily there's a new villain in town and they're on the case, but they have to team-up with Coco Diablo, who Velma is crushing on hard, to get to the bottom of it. I loved this kiddie-friendly caper, it's got the charm of the older series and some slightly surreal animated moments that pleased me. A big get here for me is having Matthew Lillard back as the voice of Shaggy - this guy just is Shaggy, the best since Casey Kasem IMO. The DVD includes three bonus episodes of Scooby-Doo, over an hour's worth, that will keep the good times coming. This is a solid 78-minutes with those crime-solving Meddling Kids, and would make for quite a treat for the kiddos, and the young-at-heart this month. The series is also currently streaming on HBO Max.

 Bonus Episodes: 

- El Bandito (22 min) 

- Headless Horseman of Halloween (24 min) 

- To Switch a Witch (23 min) 

- Slipcover 

BATMAN AND SUPERMAN: BATTLE OF THE SUPER SONS
(2022) 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + DVD

Label: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
Region Code: Region-Free (UHD), A (BD)
Rating: PG-13
Duration: 79 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 2160p UHD Widescreen (1.78:1), 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1)
Director: Matt Peters
Cast: Jack Dylan Glazer, Jack Griffo, Troy Baker, Travis Willingham, Laura Bailey, Darin De Paul, Tom Kenny, Zeno Robinson, Nolan North, Myrna Velasco

The DCU live-action movie-verse is a bit of a hot-mess but the animated DC films have been, and are, top-notch more often that not. In that more often category is the new Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons, an action-packed  animated film that combines 3-D digital rendering and traditional animation to make for a kick-ass superhero team-up starring the progeny of both Batman and Superman, who have to team-up to save the world from the alien hive-mind threat of Starro, after both their pops, along with the entire Justice League, are mind-controlled by the giant-sized alien starfish. This is pretty kick-ass stuff, some of the 3-D animation wasn't my favorite but the action and character team-up here is top-notch. Having just re-watched The Suicide Squad I was hungry for more Starro action and this animated film delivers the goods. The extras are a bit slim, we get a featurette that explores the Super Sons legacy, plus a pair of Batman The Animated Series episodes. 

Special Features: 

- Rival Sons: Jonathan and Damian (New Featurette) – Legacies collide as Jonathan Kent and Damian Wayne set aside their differences, forming an unlikely alliance to save the world.(15 min) 

- From. The DC Vault: Batman The Animated Series - "The Demon's Quest, Part One" (22 Min) 

- From. The DC Vault: Batman The Animated Series - "The Demon's Quest, Part Two" (22 min)

8-BIT CHRISTMAS (2021)
DVD

Label: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
Region Code: 1
Rating: PG-13
Duration: 98 Minutes
Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 16×9 Widescreen (2.35:1)
Director: Michael Dowse
Cast: Neil Patrick Harris, Winslow Fegley, June Diane Raphael, David Cross, Steve Zahn

Nostalgic Christmas-comedy 8-Bit Christmas (2021) traffics in the same warm nostalgia for days-gone-by as A Christmas, but set in the late-80's, and instead of a Red Ryder BB Gun a kid is freaking out about getting a Nintendo for Christmas. We even get some warm nostalgic narration from Neil Patrick Harris as he regales his daughter with the tale of how he wanted the gaming systems as a kid in the 90's, told in flashback, very much like how she wants a cell phone now. Set in suburban Chicago in the late 1980s, which gives it a John Hughes sort of vibe that shellacked on the 80's veneer just the way I liked it. This was an unexpectedly funny, well-made, and heartwarming ode to the Nintendo gaming systems with a strong cast, that includes Steve Zahn, David Cross, that sell the yearning for something you want so bad, but might not get when you're a kid. Not sure why this is DVD-only, it deserves better, and it's available to stream in UHD on HBO Max. Regardless, I suggest you make this part of your December Christmas movie marathon this year, it's pretty great. 

Special Features:

- 8-Bit Miracles Making-of Featurette (3 min) 

- Character Series: Adult Jake Doyle, Young Jake Doyle, Mikey Trotter, Hodges Twins, Evan Olsen, Jeff Farmer (2 min) 

MORTAL KOMBAT LEGENDS: SNOW BLIND (2022) 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital 

Label: WBHE

Region Code: Region-Free (UHD), A (BD)

Rating: 

Duration: 82 Minutes 

Audio:

Video: 2160p UHD Widescreen 

Director: Rick Morales

Cast: Manny Jacinto, David Wenham, Patrick Seitz, Artt Butler, Debra Wilson, Ron Yuan, Imari Williams, Yuri Lowenthal, Courtenay Taylor, Keith Silverstein, Sumalee Montano, Lei Yin

Inspired by the worldwide video game sensation now celebrating its 30th anniversary, Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind is a blood-drizzled and bone-crunching video game adaptation that delivers not only martial arts action but eye-popping gore-gags that had me howling with glee. I won't lie, I don't know shit about the video game, the characters, or the story - I just watch these animated films to see characters get brutalized and eviscerated in interesting ways, and this flick delivered it, and then some. Honestly, I know a little bit about the world of Mortal Kombat, but not much. This one seems set in the future, far beyond the others films or animated films I've seen, where the more-mechanized-than-not Kano is ruling the apocalyptic wastelands of Earthrealm, while young warrior Kenshi teams-up with the older sage Kuai Liang to take him down - OK, so I know a little, but only a little.  

Special Features: 

- Kenshi: From the Video Game to Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind (Featurette) – An in-depth exploration of fan favorite Kenshi Takahashi from his video game origins to his first sword-wielding animated appearance (9 min) 

 - Adapting Evil: Building the Black Dragon Clan (Featurette) - From King Kano to the evil ensemble of Mortal Kombat’s deep cut characters, the filmmakers reveal the approach to bringing the sinister Black Dragon Clan to life. (8 min) 

- Deleted Animatics – Get a behind-the-scenes look at a few intriguing scenes that were included in the initial assembly of the film, but didn’t quite make it to the final cut.

- Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind Audio Commentary (Audio Only) – Join producer/director Rick Morales and screenwriter Jeremy Adams for a feature-length audio commentary revealing the creative choices used to bring the all-new animated feature to the screen. 

- Slipcover

- UHD Digital Copy 

THE BEAST (2022) 

Collector's Edition Blu-ray + DVD + Digital 

Label: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment 

Region Code: A

Rating: R

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.39:1)

Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, French Canadian DTS Digital Surround 5.1, Latin American Spanish Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 with Optional English Subtitles 

Duration: 93 Minutes 

Director: Baltasar Kormáku

Cast: Idris Elba, Sharlto Copley, Iyana Halley, Leah Jeffries

I'm down for pretty much any animal-attack flick, I'm only snobbish about the SyFy channel style CGI shit-shows, but I love all the low-budget 70's/80's entries like Wild Beasts, Cujo, Grizzly, Day of the Animals, The Birds and more modern fare like Lake Placid, Crawl, and Arachnophobia - but when the animals are too-heavily CGI it's usually a deal-breaker for me. Which brings us to the big(ger)-budget Idris Elba starring Beast (2022). Here Elba plays a recently widowed father Dr. Nate Samuels who takes a bonding/healing trip to South Africa with his teen daughters Meredith and Norah to visit an old friend on a big-game game reserve. The planned healing trip turns turbulent when the girls unleash some emotional vitriol for there father in regard to how he was absent while there mother died from cancer. Things  take a turn for the worse when a rogue lion begins savaging the area, unleashing it's full fur-flying fury on the foursome when they become stranded in the remote African savannah. Shot on gorgeous locations with an eye for action this animal attack flick mostly delivers the goods, there's plenty of rogue lion action, but sadly most of it is digital and the seams are not seamless, with the uncanny predator sticking out like a sore thumb when it pops up in frame. If you can push aside the uncanniness of it there's some solid animal attack thrills to be had, close-quarters fight-for-life scenarios are well shot, including a claustrophobic scenario in a stranded safari vehicle, but the script feels like a half-baked rewrite that should have been scrapped. That's a shame, the cast seems game for the big-game thrills, but they can only do so much with what's on the page. On the plus side the Blu-ray looks pretty fantastic, as a spectacle film it delivers with a solid A/V presentation, plus we get about a half-hour of featurettes exploring the man vs lion battles, creating the digital beast, locations, and special effects.  I probably sound like I'm down on this one, but I actually enjoyed it, I thought it was a solid shut your brain off and stuff your face with popcorn no-brainer. 

Special Features:

- Deleted Scene (1 min) 

- Man Vs Lion: The Final Battle - Go inside the epic final battle between Nate and the beast himself as Director Baltasar Kormákur, star Idris Elba, and key members of the VFX team walk us through putting it all together (4 min) 

- Creating the Beast- The vicious title character of Beast is no ordinary lion. He’s bigger, he’s meaner, and he’s got an axe to grind against humanity. Sit down with director Baltasar Kormákur as he explains what he envisioned for The Beast (4 min) 

- Making it Real: The Wounds– Sit down with prosthetics supervisor Clinton Smith and prosthetic assistant Daleen Badenhorst as they walk us through all the gory details of creating realistic looking slices, gashes, and tears caused by a massive, predatory lion (4 min) 

- Filming in the Beast's Territory - Visit Limpopo South Africa where the cast and crew of BEAST travelled to capture all the vistas, planes, and mountains of Africa authentically on film (5 min) 

- Family Bond: The Cast of The Beast-  Meet the family at the heart of this story as director Baltasar Kormákur and cast members Idris Elba, Iyana Halley, and Leah Jeffries take us inside their characters’ journeys as they come together and heal in the direst of circumstances (6 min) 

- A Lion's Pride - Learn the tragic truth of lion poaching with this factual piece that takes viewers inside the fight to protect the big game of Africa (8 min) 

- Slipcover

- Digital Copy