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Showing posts from November, 2019

Happy Thanksgiving From Cereal At Midnight!

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Happy Thanksgiving! Hello, Friends! Cereal At Midnight has been working hard and doing what we love: covering and discussing movies, TV, music, video games, books, and more! Now, we will take a short break to spend some much-needed time with our friends and family. We are so grateful for you and your constant engagement and support! We will return in a few days, feeling refreshed and with new content. For those of you celebrating, we sincerely hope that you enjoy your Thanksgiving and create wonderful memories with your friends and family. We are thankful for you! -Heath and Bree

Voices of Star Wars Fandom - Tom, aka Comic Book Creature!

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Heath is joined by Tom, aka Comic Book Creature on YouTube, for a discussion about Star Wars, growing up in time of the Original Trilogy, and holding on to the optimism and fandom that means so much to us! Stay tuned as Cereal At Midnight continues to spotlight different perspectives and voices from Star Wars fandom! Tom writes "The Creature Columns" each week at CerealAtMidnight.com and also be found on his "Creature" YouTube channel! Follow comicbookcreature on Instagram and @herocreature on Twitter!

The Creature Columns: The Remarkable Journey of Turkish Star Wars by Tom "Creature" Jeffers

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When I sat down to watch Dünyayı Kurtaran Adam (The Man Who Saves the World) , lovingly known as Turkish Star Wars , the last thing I expected was to be completely entertained. Honestly, this film continues to hurl one bizarre moment after another at the viewer. It is a relentless romp of absurdity. It is cheesy to the extreme. It also takes great liberties with copyright infringements. And, it is absolutely wonderful.

Cereal At Midnight, COPPA, and the FTC

In the last few days, we've been contacted many times asking us about Cereal At Midnight and COPPA, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. Bree and I appreciate your concern and all your comments, advice, and suggestions. Cereal At Midnight has not, nor ever will, make content targeted at children, which is the main concern of the COPPA act. Yet, with YouTube's violation of COPPA, which resulted in a fine of $170 million dollars, the platform has rolled out vast, over-reaching changes that include penalties to be enforced by the FTC. These penalties, if left as they currently stand, will drastically alter YouTube and silence thousands, if not millions, of channels and fan voices. We have not been contacted about any of our content, and we believe that there's simply no case to be made that our videos, articles, and news items are geared toward those under 13. However, the language of the act itself is concerning in its vagueness. We stand with creators and th

Showdown MVD Rewind Collection Blu-ray Review

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What do you get when you combine the creator of Tae Bo, a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, a cop in exile, and an illicit high school kickboxing tournament? You get Showdown, an obscure 1993 martial arts movie starring Billy Blanks! This movie has now gotten the deluxe treatment as part of the MVD Rewind Collection, and in this video, we discuss why it's a must-watch!

Ultraman Orb: The Origin Saga and Return of Ultraman Headed to Blu-ray February, 2020!

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Mill Creek Entertainment has officially announced the release dates for the next two entries in the Ultraman Blu-ray library! Ultraman Orb: The Origin Saga  arrives on February 11 in a two-disc set collecting all twelve episodes plus bonus features, which include the 2017 special Ultra Fight Orb . Two weeks later on February 25th,  Return of Ultraman, the fourth series in the iconic franchise, arrives in a six-disc set collecting al 51 episodes and featuring a choice of Steelbook and Standard packaging. Both shows will also feature a digital redemption voucher for MovieSpree, Mill Creek's proprietary streaming service. Ultraman Orb: The Origin Saga is a prequel to the popular Ultraman Orb  series (which marked the 50th anniversary of Ultraman  and is one of our favorites here at Cereal At Midnight) and shows how the characters came to possess the powers we see in Orb. The special, Ultra Fight Orb , picks up right after the events of the Ultraman Orb movie, Let Me Borrow t

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt:The Complete Series Headed to DVD and Blu-ray from Mill Creek Entertainment

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Mill Creek Entertainment has announced that they will be bringing all four seasons of  Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt  to DVD and Blu-ray on February 4, 2020 in a "Complete Series" box set! The show was created by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock ( 30 Rock ) and stars Ellie Kemper ( The Office ) in the title role as the former member of a doomsday cult who finds a new life in New York City, which she embraces with wide-eyed enthusiasm. Tituss Burgess ( Dolemite is by Name ), Jane Krakowski ( 30 Rock ), and Carol Kane ( Taxi, Gotham ) co-star, while guest stars include Amy Sedaris, Jon Hamm, Josh Charles, Fred Armisen, David Cross, and Tina Fey. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt  is critically-acclaimed and was nominated for 18 Primetime Emmy Awards, including a nomination for Outstanding Comedy Series for each of its four seasons. Mill Creek Entertainment's announcement comes just weeks after the news that they will be bringing The Mindy Project starring Mindy Kaling (also from th

Charlie's Angels: The Complete Series on Blu-ray - Full Review!

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Charlie's Angels remains one of the most iconic and recognizable shows in pop culture history. Now all five seasons have arrived on Blu-ray from Mill Creek Entertainment! Charlie's Angels in High Definition is a thing of beauty, and the transition to HD has made the show more vibrant than ever before, as evidenced in our screenshots comparing the new Blu-ray discs to the original DVDs! Please join us as we celebrate all the fashion, hair, bikinis, and and guest stars of the landmark TV show! Please be sure to check out the companion piece to this video, I Still Believe in Angels, written by Eric Grigs. It's a viewer guide, a top ten, and an appreciation, all in one! Find it HERE!

I Still Believe in Angels by Eric Grigs

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With the Mill Creek Blu-ray release of the original series that ran for five seasons and 110 episodes from 1976 - 81, we get to experience all the ass kicking and hair flipping of Charlie’s Angels in glorious high definition. Despite the network brass initially not having faith in a show with three female leads, it was a ratings juggernaut right out of the gate. America found itself in the grips of Angel fever—and at its peak in the late 70s, it was unstoppable. The appeal cut across demographics: women wanted to look like the Angels, men wanted to be with them. The hair, makeup, and fashion budget for each episode was astronomical. Critics would derogatorily describe the show as “jiggle TV”—peddling sex and style over substance. And while our Angels do spend plenty of screen time in bikinis, there was much more at play here than simply depicting beautiful women as objects—just look to the opening credits. Of course they were beautiful, but in a time when the system only saw them

Charlie's Angels (2019) and Ford V Ferrari Movie Reviews! (Spoiler Free!)

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In this video, we discuss and review Charlie's Angels (2019) and Ford V Ferrari! Spoiler-Free!

The Creature Columns: "The Head Hunter: Fantasy Horror at its Finest" by Tom Jeffers

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The fantasy genre is often overlooked in cinema. Of course, we have huge stories like The Lord  of the Rings. However, for the most part, fantasy remains the least used genre. In recent years, Game of  Thrones broke down the doors to many possibilities, yet fantasy still remains firmly on the fringe. One must certainly consider that many movies have fantasy elements, but in general, those elements are rarely acknowledged. After all, what are Freddy Kruger and Jason? They are horror icons to be sure, but they could not gain this status without the use of fantasy. When thinking about this genre, I generally find myself nostalgic for films like Conan the  Barbarian, Red Sonja, Dragonslayer, Willow, or even something like Ralph Bakshi’s Fire and  Ice. Most of these film types hail solidly from the ’80s and have a tremendous following. I am one of those devotees, and I often think modern fantasy is deficient in fundamental ways. The films of yesteryear did lack big budgets, and the

Ultraman Orb and Ultraman Geed Blu-ray Review: "Anime Brought to Life!" (Mill Creek Entertainment)

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Just a matter of weeks ago, Mill Creek Entertainment launched Ultraman on Blu-ray in North America with the two shows that started the franchise over 50 years ago. Hot on the heels of those stellar releases comes Ultraman Orb and Ultraman Geed, two of the most recent Ultraman shows to sweep Japan! In this video, we give you a COMPLETE package run-down AND series review, showing what makes these two recent tokusatsu shows so special!  Cereal At Midnight remains your resource for all Ultraman news, reviews, and more!  

Fox Film Noir - Complete DVD Collection Overview and Tour (Noirvember)

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Let's talk about Fox Film Noir! Between 2005-2008, 20th Century Fox released over two dozen film noir classics from their vaults to DVD, complete with restored picture and video, new and archival special features, and audio commentaries by some of the finest noir historians in the field. In this video, we cover EVERY release and look at the lasting legacy of Fox's contributions to noir! Happy Noirvember!

Bob Dylan - Travelin' Thru Complete Review (Johnny Cash, Bootleg Series Vol. 15)

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Bob Dylan's brief time in Nashville and the work he created there reflect one of the most enigmatic and surprising eras of his entire career. Travelin' Thru: The Bootleg Series Volume 15 chronicles this unexpected country period with three discs of alternate takes, unreleased tracks, and over TWO DOZEN collaborations with The Man In Black himself, Johnny Cash. In this video, we take a deep dive into the music, provide context for what makes it unique in Dylan's catalog, and recommend some further listening to keep the experience going!

Raro Video Spotlight and Collection Tour (Giallo, Spaghetti Western, Euro Crime)

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Raro Video specializes in releasing films from Italy's rich cinematic heritage, including horror, giallo, spaghetti western, and Euro crime films from some of Italy's finest and most prolific filmmakers. Directors like Fernando Di Leo, Umberto Lenzi, Antonio Margheriti, and Franco Prosperi are all featured by Raro Video, and in this episode, we give a background and overview of the label and a guided tour of our Raro Blu-ray collection!

Let's Talk About Star Wars! Fandom, Rise of Skywalker, The Mandalorian!

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As The Rise of Skywalker and The Mandalorian loom mere days and weeks away, Heath and Patreon-supporter Ross have an open discuss all things Star Wars! From growing up on the Classic Trilogy, to the impact of the Prequels and the Clone Wars, and finally to the new Disney era and the apparent end of the Skywalker Saga, It's all out in the open in this long-form conversation about the the current state of Star Wars and the health of its fandom!

The Creature Columns: See For Yourself: A Review of the Apple TV+ Show by Tom "Creature" Jeffers

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As of this writing, Apple’s TV+’s new show SEE sits at 42% from critics and 82% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. IMDB has the show at 7.7.  Many people have already written the show off as a failure. I find this sort of attitude to be a bit, no pun intended, apocalyptic. SEE is trying to fill some very big shoes. There are a lot of shows coming out that are Game of Thrones hopefuls. I wanted to give SEE a try for a variety of reasons. The star power of Jason Momoa, who plays Baba Voss, was the number one draw for me. I like this man as an actor and as a person in general. I have met him, and he is truly a great guy. Despite all of that, I feel like I have remained reasonably objective in my examination.

Motherless Brooklyn Review (2019) Edward Norton Neo-Noir

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In this video, we take a spoiler-free look at the neo-noir/crime film "Motherless Brooklyn," written for the screen and directed by Edward Norton! Co-starring Bruce Willis, Willem Defoe, Alec Baldwin, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Bobby Cannavale, this is the first large-scale period crime film of this scope to come along in years. Filled with beautiful cinematography, outstanding performances, and wall-to-wall jazz, it's no wonder that this impressive tour of the darker side of 1950s Brooklyn is reminding audiences of L.A. Confidential.

Terminator: Dark Fate SPOILER-FILLED DISCUSSION!

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In our second (and last) look at Terminator: Dark Fate, we discuss in full spoilerific glory the film's plot points and the backlash against them! Featuring MORE unfiltered positivity! Be warned.

The Creature Columns: Star Wars: Master and Apprentice Book Review by Tom "Creature" Jeffers

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*This review is mostly spoiler free.  Mild spoilers will be announced. Claudia Gray has done something remarkable with this novel in the fact that she has managed to capture the ever-elusive spirit of Star Wars. Most readers must acknowledge that Star Wars novels rarely hit the marks that serious literature attains. They are not meant to. These works are meant to embody a spirit of adventure and pull us into a place of nostalgia that makes us warm and happy. While not all offerings in the Star Wars genre manage to tap into these feelings, Master and Apprentice does so in such a special way that it transcends Star Wars and becomes something even larger. This novel has the goods.  

Terminator: Dark Fate Review - Heath Unfiltered and Unscripted!

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In this video, Heath takes a look at the latest entry in the Terminator franchise, Terminator: Dark Fate, which sees the return of James Cameron's creative involvement for the first time in years. The conversation about this movie prompts an unscripted and completely uncensored discussion by Heath about the way we talk about movies on the internet. Twitter trolls, prepare to be terminated! If you've ever wondered what Heath is like with no filter, this video is for you!