RETIREMENT...

 The Weapon (2023):

Dallas is not happy. Dallas is making a Vegas mob boss angry because Dallas is consistently attacking biker gangs and drug labs, and the mob boss isn’t exactly certain why this is happening. That’s the basic premise of this action thriller that stars Tony Shiena in the lead role as the beyond-tough-guy who has set everything in motion with his disrupting attacks on organized crime. The mob boss has Dallas’s girlfriend as a hostage, but that doesn’t seem to make much difference. They want to know for whom Dallas is working, but he won’t talk even when they threaten the girlfriend. Tony Shiena is an undefeated world karate champion, so doing his own stunt work on this project just comes naturally. He was discovered by a producer while working as a security guard, and his early work consisted of Shakespearian projects such as “The Merchant of Venice” in 2004 with Leo DiCaprio, but his talents on direct-to-video releases in Europe and Asia, got people on this side of the ocean thinking that maybe they were missing something, and Shiena is now working on more violent action pics. This is a hyperviolent movie that follows the exploits of Dallas as he becomes a one-man killing machine, and it works well for action buffs who don’t want to much plot and story to get in the way of the mayhem. Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Bruce Dern also star. Rated 18A.

Kids VS Aliens (2022):

the original idea for this 1980s-set sci-fi thriller was a found-footage short film that inspired the action here. Every stereotype ever put into a teen-oriented Spring-Break-type movie shows up as a raging house party is taking place at the home of a kid whose parents are away. We have the nerd, the cool guy, the jerk, the jock, and the class clown, and they are all played up with gusto. In the middle of the night, when most of the revellers have passed out, those who are still conscious are shocked when the party is crashed by evil aliens from space bent on world domination. Young Gary (Dominic Mariche from “Are You Afraid of the Dark”) and his smarter-than-your-average-teen sister Samantha Phoebe Rex spring into action to try to head off the bloodthirsty space invaders at the pass. The director here is Jason Eisner whose major claim to fame is the Grindhouse movie, “Hobo with a Shotgun” from the Quentin Tarantino stable of unusual movies. The actors here have limited experience with not much on their resumes, so the slightly amateurish nature of the film is easily explained. Rated 14A.

Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham (2023):

Not a live action film, but rather a stylized version of the graphic comic book that spawned it, this Caped Crusader tale has a sci-fi twist with a little horror on the side as we settle into the Gotham City of the 1920s. This version of Bruce Wayne features him as a world explorer, and he unwittingly, after having been away from his home city for nearly 10 years, unleashes an ancient evil. There was no intent on Wayne’s part, but when he realizes what has happened, and sees the horror of demonic proportions going to work on Gotham, he needs to recruit some help in order to put things right. That means dealing with allies and enemies including Green Arrow, Mr. Freeze, and Two-Face, as well as his long-time friend and colleague, James Gordon, not yet the police commissioner. The distinctive voice of Batman is provided by David Giuntoli who was the star of the successful TV series “Grimm,” and continues on television on the series “A Million Little Things.” Rated 14A.

That '90s Show (2023) (TV Series):

Two decades have passed since a teenaged Eric Forman (Topher Grace), living with his family, and enjoying a life of 8 track tapes, the music of Led Zeppelin, and Farrah Fawcett posters, was the perception many had of what those days were like. To help make the transition to the '90s, a much more grown-up Topher Grace reprises his role of Erik in the first episode of this new series, not to be seen for the balance of the episodes of season one. The actors who played his parents, Red and Kitty Forman (Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp) are back for the full 10 segments of this new show however. Wilmer Valderrama who played Fez in the original series also makes an appearance in the initial episode. The venue is still the State of Wisconsin, and it's 1995. Leia Forman, daughter of Eric and Donna (Laura Prepon) pays a summer visit to her grandparents and is introduced to a whole new generation of friends, not-so-friendly teens, and some that will become friends for life in the town of Point Place. Rated 14A.

Slumberland (2022):

A good cast shows up for this adventure story that will appeal to children 8 or 10 and up. Based on the comic book series "Little Nemo in Slumberland '' by Winston McClay, we follow the adventures of a tweenage girl named Nemo and her eccentric companion Flip (Jason Mamoa) who come together after Nemo's father Peter (Kyle Chandler goes missing at sea. Set in the Pacific Northwest, but shot in Toronto, we follow Nemo as she is sent to live with relatives in the big city, a place foreign to her after the coastline life she had been living. While struggling in a new school with new people all around her, Nemo finds a secret map which hooks her up with Flip, and begins a challenging journey through lands of dreams and nightmares that she believes will help reunite her with her lost father. Rated PG.