Basic Instinct 2 (2006/*/**)/Get Shorty (1995/*Shout! Blu-ray)/Her Kind Of Man (1946/Warner Archive DVD)/Out Of Time (2003/*all MGM/**both MVD Blu-ray)/Succession: The Complete First Season (2018/HBO Blu-ray)

Picture: B/B+/C/B/B+ Sound: B+/B+/C/B+/B+ Extras: C/B/D/B/B Main Programs: C/B/B-/B/B

PLEASE NOTE: Her Kind Of Man is now only available from Warner Bros. through their Warner Archive series and can be ordered from the link below.

Up next are amusing tales of crime, all of which have their humor in different degrees, but any laughs in our first title is unintentional at best...

Sharon Stone jumps back into her most seductive character, Catherine Tramell, for the second installment and only sequel to Basic Instinct, Basic Instinct 2 (2006). This time not directed by the infamous Paul Verhoeven, this sultry sequel pits Stone against Dr. Michael Glass (David Morrissey who was The Governor in The Walking Dead). This new edition includes two cuts of the film the original theatrical cut and the extended version that's two minutes longer.

Catherine Tramell is a successful novelist, but also a cold blooded killer. When Scotland Yard sends a psychiatrist named Dr. Michael Glass to evaluate her, he falls into her web of seduction and lies as he plays Tramell's games. Is there a way to escape this queen bee before its victim can escape?

The film also stars Charlotte Rampling, David Thewlis, Stan Collymore, and David Thewlis. The film is directed by Michael Caton-Jones (Rob Roy, The Jackal).

Presented in 1080p high definition with its original 1.85:1 widescreen aspect ratio and a variety of different audio specs: English PCM 5.1 (For the Theatrical Cut Only) and English/French DTS-Hd MA (Master Audio) lossless 5.1 Stereo mixes for the Extended Cut. The film looks surprisingly good here, so if you're a fan, it's a definite upgrade from the previous 2006 release.

Special Features include

"Between The Sheets: A Look Inside Basic Instinct 2" Featurette

Audio Commentary by Director Michael Canton-Jones (Theatrical Version)

10 Deleted Scenes with Optional Director Commentary

Alternate Ending

Original Theatrical Trailer

Looking back on the film, it's a bit silly and not as good as the original. Fans of the Fifty Shades of Grey series may want to take a peak as it may be more up their alley. For more on the original film, try this link...

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/5487/Basic+Instinct+%E2%80%93+Unrated+Director%E

Gene Hackman, John Travolta, Rene Russo, and Danny DeVito star in the beloved comedy Get Shorty (1995). While the film has been released on Blu-ray a few times, this new collector's edition from Shout! Select has been remastered from a new 4K transfer and loaded with extra features. This was during Travolta's golden time in the '90s right after Pulp Fiction and it shows as this is one of his better performances. Based on a novel by Elmore Leonard and now a hit TV series (see link below), the film also has sharp direction by Barry Sonnenfeld, who would later go on to direct the Men in Black trilogy.

The contemporary classic film also features Bette Midler, Dennis Farina, Delroy Lindo, and James Gandolfini.

Travolta stars as a mobster who travels to Hollywood for business and finds out that he fits in pretty well there as a wise cracking fast talking business man. Not afraid to threaten or use violence if needed, Travolta ends up helping out Hackman (whose a struggling film director) and builds a romance with an actress (Russo), while trying to make his own film.

The film has been remastered from a 4K source and is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray with a 1.85:1 widescreen aspect ratio and an English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix. Both of which push the limits of the Blu-ray format.

Special Features include...

Commentary with Director Barry Sonnenfeld

Get Shorty - Look at Me

Get Shortly - Wise Guys and Dolls

Going Again

Party Reel

Page to Screen Featurette

The Graveyard Scene and Featurette

and a Trailer.

For more, you can read about its belated, unnecessary sequel, Be Cool....

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/2446/Be+Cool+(Widescreen

Or the new TV version of the film here...

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/15243/Cinderella+Liberty+(1973/Fox*)/Deadpool+2+4K

Her Kind Of Man (1946) shows Warner Bros. in great form at they try to take genre films they were making well and make them better. Instead of a programmer that runs around an hour, there is a little more money, effort, ambition and fun in this noirish gangster tale (with more humor than expected, albeit a bit dark at times) two men (Dane Clark and Zachary Scott) who both have the interest of a very desirable lounge singer (Janis Paige) who could break out as a major star at any time. However, Steve Maddux (Scott) is interested in criminal activity and making as much money as possible, no matter how dirty.

He's even willing to leave town for bigger bucks, so he partners with a phony backstabbing two-face named Marino (George Tobias, late known for his recurring role on Bewitched) who seems like a workable choice until things start to go even a bit wrong, but Maddux has more important issues. From there, it gets more interesting and though this is not a classic, it has some moments that really hold up 72+ years later and put many current films in the genre to shame. As it is Warner, we get a few complete music numbers, but this is no backstage musical or a backstabbing one. It is just a solid drama with a little more to offer and worth going out of your way for.

With a solid music score by the great Franz Waxman, it is directed by Frederick De Cordova, later known for helming almost all episodes of The Tonight Show in the Johnny Carson era, but De Cordova was usually known for comedy long before his TV days. Here, he proves he knew his way around genres better than he is often given credit for. Fay Emerson, Harry Lewis, future TV mega-producer Sheldon Leonard and an uncredited John Dehner make up the solid supporting cast. As a studio, Warner was in full swing when they made this one.

The 1.33 X 1 black & white image transfer is an older one that shows the age of the materials used, but the print is in good shape and this is really a good-looking film. The lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is also a generation down from the original theatrical optical monophonic sound, but the clever dialogue and interesting music are audible enough. Unfortunately, there are no extras, but Warner Archive should consider a Blu-ray edition down the line.

One of Denzel Washington's more discussed thrillers, Out of Time (2003), joins the ranks of other great films in the new MVD Marquee Collection. Featuring a new HD transfer and plenty of extras, this is a must for Denzel fans up for an action packed classic.

With what at first ends up a sexy highlight to his night shift one night, Chief of Police Matt Whitlock (Washington) gets framed for a crime that he didn't commit in a small Florida town. Pitted against his fellow police staff, and accused of threats involving money and drugs, Whitlock is on a fight for his life to prove his innocence even though everything points back to him!

The film also stars Eva Mendez, Sanaa Lathan, Dean Cain, and John Billingsley.

The feature is presented in 1080p high definition with a 2.40:1 widescreen aspect ratio and a nice sounding English 5.1 DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) lossless mix. The film was released on Blu-ray years ago and this edition has a transfer that's just a little bit sharper than that release.

Special Features include...

Audio Commentary by Director Carl Franklin

"Out of Time Crime Scene" Featurette

Character Profiles Featurette

Outtakes

Screen Tests: Sanaa Lathan, Dean Cain

Photo Gallery

and a Original Theatrical Trailer.

We conclude with a new TV series. Succession (2018) is an interesting new HBO drama that stars Brian Cox as Logan Roy the head of the Roy Family, who happen to own a huge entertainment media conglomerate. Now that Logan is getting older and bit more senile, his extended and immediate family begin to sneak in, and attempt to solidify their own places within the corporate empire before he dies in The Complete First Season (2018).

Succession also stars Jeremy Strong, Kieran Culkin, Hiam Abbass, Nicholas Braun, Sarah Snook, and Matthew Macfadyen to name a few. The show is created by Jesse Armstrong (In the Loop) and executive produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay (who has directed several of his films).

Ten episodes make up season one and include Celebration, S.. Show at the F.. Factory, Lifeboats, Sad Sack Wasp Trap, I Went to Market, Which Side Are You On?, Austerlitz, Prague, Pre-Nuptial, and Nobody is Ever Missing.

Succession is presented in 1080p high definition with a 1.85:1 widescreen aspect ratio and a nice sounding DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix, both of which are of a high standard for Blu-ray. The show is nicely shot and has a nicely saturated and realistic look to it. Digital copy is also included.

Special Features include...

"Anatomy of a Scene" takes audiences behind the scenes of the series' heart-stopping season finale, covering the wedding in Wales, along with intimate interviews and insights from the cast and crew.

Digital download copies will also include character features introducing the many players in the Roy family, including Logan, Kendall, Siobhan, Connor and Roman.

Succession is an interesting examination behind the scenes of a family so rich with power and money. I'm interested in see where it goes from here.

To order the Her Kind Of Man Warner Archive DVD, go to this link for it and many more great web-exclusive releases at:

http://www.wbshop.com/

- Nicholas Sheffo (Kind) and James Lockhart

https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/