No major release for us this week despite a major title coming out, but I’ll be nice and not say anything bad about that. Instead I’ll start with the best of what I did get and that is The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil. I’ve been saying for years that Asia, especially Korea, has been putting out some of the best crime dramas around and this latest flick is no different. The awesome Don Lee, the dude who literally punches zombies in Train to Busan, plays a gangster who is stabbed multiple times when his car is hit from behind. He thinks a rival gang is out to get him, but a cop thinks it’s the work of a serial killer. The cop and the gangster must team up to take down the devil hence the title and it’s a solid crime drama. Don Lee is a personal favorite and he’s great as the gangster. It’s not quite two hours long which helps too because any longer and it might have felt drawn out. If you like cop/gangster movies from Asia, definitely look this one up.
Sticking with overseas dramas, second we have The Truth Will Out Season 1, a Swedish series about a serial killer. This follows Detective Peter Wendel as he returns to work after a breakdown. He’s working in cold cases and finds evidence that a convicted killer might not be the right man. He’s handed some low level co-workers and butts heads with higher ups who don’t want to see their cases reopened. It says it’s based on true events and I can see that being the case. His ex-wife works with the higher ups and his daughter is afraid he’s having another breakdown when he goes looking for a knife in his kitchen after what he claims is a break-in. I binged the season over 3 days and it’s a pretty easy watch. It reminded me of the movie In Order of Disappearance a bit with its setting and backdrop. I recognized actress Louise Peterhoff from Midsommar, but the rest of the cast I don’t believe I’m familiar with. But it’s a solid drama as well and easy to get through. I’m curious to see where any follow up seasons go.
Third we have FLCL: Progressive and I’m so lost when it comes to today’s anime style shows. This is a sequel to something I haven’t seen so that’s a strike against it. But if you are familiar with it, I’m sure you’ll love it. This is 6 episodes that aired on Adult Swim and involves 14-year-old Hidomi, her classmate Ide, and two beings, Jinyu and Haruha Raharu. I honestly have no idea what’s happening in these shows, but I know they have followings especially cult followings. In a weird way it reminded me of Scott Pilgrim with the music and action and non-stop nonsense. Not my sort of thing, but I can see the Steven Universe crowd being into it.
Next we have Robin Williams Comic Genius. This is a 5 disc set with all of Robin’s HBO specials plus a whole lot more. The best is the footage of his early performances. If you are a fan of his, you probably know most of his routines so hearing his early stuff was cool. This is over half a day of material so fans will enjoy this quite a bit. I always liked his stand up more than his movies (yeah I said that) so I enjoy a set like this more than a box set of his films. The man was always “on” and this reminds you of how fast he was too. He had super quick comedic timing (might have had some help with the quickness if you know what I’m saying), but the promos and and non planned highlights in this really showcase his comedic prowess. If you don’t own any of the Time/Life releases yet, this is a great one to own since it’s a bit cheaper compared to the monster box that came out before.
Maiden is a documentary about the first all-female sailing crew to sail in the Whitbread Round the World Race. I kind of remember this story, but didn’t know if they won, lost, or even finished so at least I learned something from it. They became pretty famous at the time and I’m surprised there hasn’t been a fictional movie about them yet (maybe there is but I don’t know about it). This uses interviews with the crew today and footage of the race to tell you the story. I know nothing about sailing so I can’t tell you if being a man or woman is an advantage or not. It’s an uplifting film that is pretty family friendly and great for young girls. I wish there was a bit more about their lives and even the ship after the race though.
Last we have Gunsmoke The Fifteenth Season, Volume One and Two. For shows like this I tend to go with what my parents think more than myself. Gunsmoke was one of the longest running TV shows of all time and was a favorite of my parents. They still watch reruns to this day. There’s something to be said for a show that’s decades old yet still gets watched. Episodes in the fifteenth season involve Josh Stryker, a former U. S. Marshal, returning to Dodge City after years in prison for murder, half-breed lawman Sgt. Hawk returning to see his mother who hates him, Merry Florene returns as a schoolteacher, Jake MacGraw comes to Dodge City after 20 years in jail, Dr. Herman Schultz comes to Dodge City to experiment with hypnotism, a gang tries to kill one of their members but he joins with Marshal Matt Dillon to get justice. If you are a fan and own the first 14 seasons, no reason to stop now.
The Nerds Templar 