War for the Planet of the Apes Blu-ray Review

•  Cast: Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson
• Director: Matt Reeves
• Language: English (DTS 5.1)
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Dubbed: French, Spanish
• Region: Region A/1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: PG-13
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• Release Date: October 24, 2017
• Run Time: 130 minutes

        Even though War for the Planet of the Apes fit in with nearly every tent-pole franchise release that came out in theaters this summer, it may have been the only one that didn’t leave me under-whelmed and disappointed.  Yes, it was a prequel/sequel, filled with flashy special effects and a large budget, but it is also one of the most thoughtful films of the year, elevated by its themes and performances to be far more than just a summer blockbuster. And if special effects and studio genre films are your thing, this is not only among the best of the year, and it also concludes the most consistent trilogy to come out of Hollywood in a long while.

Warrior 4K Ultra HD Review

• Actors: Joel Edgerton, Tom Hardy, Jennifer Morrison, Frank Grillo, Nick Nolte
• Director: Gavin O'Connor
• Disc Format: 4K, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: PG-13
• Studio: LIONSGATE
• Release Date: October 24, 2017
• Run Time: 140 minutes

        Sports movies have become somewhat generic in their support of underdog narratives and the hopeful resolution that is nearly always presented by the final frame, especially those centered around boxing or other styles of fighting. Warrior is no exception, in some ways, but it also remembers what made Rocky one of the greatest films of its kind, before the franchise’s sequels swallowed up the elements that made it stick out. Not only did Rocky have an ending that was more interested in the journey taken by the fighter than the outcome of the battle within the ring, but it was also a film more interested in the gritty realism than flashy spectacle. Warrior sets up a scenario where we can have the best of both worlds, and does so by providing us with two protagonists.