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Showing posts from September, 2019

Midnight Music: "Moratorium" by Earl Van Dyke

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As I work my way through the absolutely-stellar "Motown Unreleased: 1969" digital collection that was released just days ago to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Motown Records, aka Hitsville U.S.A., I'm continually amazed by the stellar quality of the music. I'll probably be doing a written review with links to some of the highlights that have blown me away, but none of them have slapped me sideways like the song "Moratorium" by Earl Van Dyke. Van Dyke was the keyboardist and bandleader for the group of session musicians that played on so many Motown tracks in the sixties, sometime collectively called the Funk Brothers. This track features the Funk Brothers breaking down a new Motown sound, and really shows an evolving era. The wailing guitars, electric organ, bongos, tamborines, and shuffling drums represent the coming of the seventies and this track feels, frankly, a lot more dangerous than the Motown sound as it had existed for the previous--and fir

Dick Tracy 1990 Action Figures from Playmates

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Let's talk toys! In this video, we travel back to 1990 to spotlight the Playmates toy line for what was planned to be the biggest movie of the summer. Dick Tracy may not have been the smash hit that some were expecting, but it still had a huge impact on a young Heath. This one's dedicated to the action figures of our childhood and the fantastic summer of 1990!

Review: Day of the Panther / Strike of the Panther Double Feature Blu-ray from Umbrella Entertainment

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Two cult classic action flicks from director Brian Trenchard-Smith have arrived on Blu-ray at last, and the story behind the films is every bit as interesting as the action on the screen!

Exploitation Movie Education: Not Quite Hollywood, Electric Boogaloo, & Machete Maidens Unleashed!

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In this video, we take a deep dive into the documentaries of Australian filmmaker Mark Hartley, the man behind the massively-popular films Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation, Machete Madiens Unleashed, and Electric Boogaloo: the Wild Untold Story of Cannon Films! These three documentaries combine to offer an education in the history of exploitation cinema, charting entire decades of grindhouse, drive-in, and VHS-era movies from all over the world. All three films are available on hugely-expanded Blu-ray editions from Umbrella Entertainment, and feature hours and hours of special features! Join us as we explore the wild Outback of Australia, the humid jungles of the Philippines, and the bizarre world of low-budget Hollywood!

Ad Astra Five Minute Review (Cereal At Midnight)

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In this Five Minute Review, we travel across the stars (in IMAX!) with Brad Pitt in the movie Ad Astra! Co-starring Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland, and Liv Tyler, and directed by James Gray, Ad Astra is an existential science fiction film that has audiences divided, including the Cereal At Midnight crew!

Batman (1989) Cereal At Midnight Commentary

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Heath is joined by Joshua Jabcuga, IDW Comics writer and All Elite Wrestling journalist, for this audio commentary of 1989's Batman, a movie that changed everything and kicked the comic book movie into overdrive! This commentary was originally recorded in March of 2019 for Patreon to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Batman. We're releasing it wide to celebrate Batman Day 2019! We hope you enjoy this loving look at Tim Burton's landmark film, which stars Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, and Kim Bassinger. Follow Joshua Jabcuga on Instagram and Twitter @Jabcuga! You can check out Cereal At Midnight's review of his comic adaptation of Bubba Ho-Tep and the Cosmic Blood-Suckers HERE!
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In this Five Minute Review, we have a spoiler-free discussion about Rambo: Last Blood! How does Sylvester Stallone embody the heart of this aging wounded warrior? Is this a fitting end to the near-four-decade franchise? Apologies in advance for the wind!

Review: Guns (1990) and Do or Die (1991)

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Mill Creek Entertainment has delivered two more Andy Sidaris films on Blu-ray! This time, we're treated to 1990's  Guns  and 1991's  Do or Die , both newly-restored and featuring all the hallmarks of the director's low-brow masterpieces!

Review: The Jetsons on Blu-ray from Warner Archive! (Hanna-Barbera)

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Meet the Jetsons, a future family that really is nuclear! Warner Archive brings the original 1962-1963 episodes of Hanna-Barbera's classic animated series "The Jetsons" to Blu-ray with an all-new 2K restoration, and we've got a full review!

Doctor Who: Complete David Tennant Collection Blu-ray Unboxing and Thoughts

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David Tennant's entire tenure as the 10th Doctor has come to Blu-ray in one single package, and we've got your release-day unboxing! Hang out while we open the Doctor Who box set on camera, discuss the revival of Doctor Who, the unique spirit and energy of series 2, 3, 4, and the Tennant specials, and what it was like to be an American Doctor Who fan in 2005 and 2006!

Mail Call: Beaucoup Books and KISS Kollectibles!

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In this mail video, we unbox a mountain of sweet paperbacks (and one hardcover) from Lura and some killer KISS kollectibles from Leontyne! Thanks so much to both Lura and Leontyne for the thoughtful and wonderful packages!

Hustlers Five Minute Review (Jennifer Lopez, Constance Wu, Cardi B)

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In this Five Minute Review, we discuss the movie Hustlers! Inspired by true events that were reported on by New-York-Magazine-writer Jessica Pressler, this is the story of exotic dancers that discover a way to turn the tables on their wealthy Wall Street clients. Starring Constance Wu, Jennifer Lopez, Cardi B, Julia Stiles, and Lili Reinhart, and written and directed by Lorene Scafaria, this is a movie that people may be talking about for a long time.

Review: True Believer (1989)

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"Someone got away with murder...until now!" 1989's  True Believer  has arrived on Blu-ray from Mill Creek Entertainment as part of their growing "Retro VHS" title library, which we love for combining high definition transfers with an old school aesthetic. Prior to screening this title for the purposes of this review, I had never seen the movie, which is a legal drama starring James Woods as Eddie Dodd, a down-on-his-luck civil liberties lawyer and Robert Downey Jr. as his young, idealistic protege. Someone has been murdered, and the person who has sat behind bars for the crime claims he didn't do it. When Woods begins to investigate the case, he discovers a cover-up that goes higher than he could have possibly imagined.

Star Wars Bookself Episode II: The Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn

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In our second trip to the Star Wars Bookshelf, we explore importance of Timothy Zahn's "Thrawn Trilogy" and discuss how Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command changed everything!

Mill Creek Entertainment Announces Next Wave of Ultraman!

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Mill Creek Entertainment has revealed the details of their next wave of Ultraman releases! Cereal At Midnight has all the details on Ultraseven, Ultraman Orb, and Ultraman Geed , complete with dates, details, and pre-order links!

Thrift Store 19 - You Only Thrift Twice!

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After a months-long hiatus due to deal drought, the bargains are back with Thrift Store 19! Check out the previous 18 entries HERE

Midnight Music: Johnny Cash - "Solitary Man"

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From the 2000 album American III: Solitary Man , produced by Rick Rubin, the Man in Black covers Neil Diamond with Tom Petty on background vocals. Doesn't get much better than this.

A Very Physical Media Birthday!

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Come along as a slightly-sick Heath guides the viewers through a tour of some of the wonderful physical media gems that he was gifted for his birthday! Apologies in advance for the clipping audio. We're aware and have tried to minimize it through editing.

Labor Day Live Stream!

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Join us for our two (!!!) part Labor Day Live Stream as we overcome technical issues to answer YOUR questions and unbox a MOUNTAIN of physical media sent by the Cereal At Midnight community! This one is filled with music, VHS, horror, DIY cult awesomeness, and comics! Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?