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Tarzan. There are so few legends sprung up from American literature that are so rich with potential as the story of John Clayton, Lord Greystoke, orphaned infant raised by apes in the jungles of Africa. And there are so few moviegoers who really know much beyond the Ron Ely and Johnny Weissmuller films of bygone days. Not many know the Tarzan who learned to read English from a primer but speak French from a jungle explorer.

I'll give Director David Yates and his writers this credit -- they at least tried to put as much of the Edgar Rice Burroughs character as they could into THE LEGEND OF TARZAN -- and they couldn't have cast a better Tarzan than TRUE BLOOD's Alexander Skarsgård for sheer rippling abs combined with a gentle voice.

The adventures of Simba's son Kion continue with this episode compilation, THE LION GUARD: UNLEASH THE POWER.

Kion (Max Charles) and his young friends work together as the Lion Guard to protect the Pride Lands, helping out during natural disasters and assisting other animals in trouble -- and, of course, fending off Janja the Hyena (Andrew Kishino) and his crew as they forever try to creep into the Pride Lands and disrupt the Circle of Life.

A year after the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles took down their nemesis, Shredder (Brian Tee), and sent him to prison, they are still living under the radar in the sewers, sneaking into basketball games and enjoying pizza. It's not a perfect existence, but more or less they are happy. However, their friend April (Megan Fox) learns that scientist Baxter Stockton (Tyler Perry) is somehow planning to help Shredder break out during a prisoner transfer. Despite Donatello (Jeremy Howard), Leonardo (Pete Ploszek), Michaelangelo (Noel Fisher), and Raphael (Alan Ritchson) racing to stop this, Shredder manages to escape with the help of Stockton's teleportation device. When the Turtles realize Shredder's plans to open a portal and ensure his rising power, they race to stop him.

When I volunteered to review THE CONJURING 2 on Blu-ray, I went into it without having seen the film to which this is titularly a sequel. As it turns out, that's quite okay, because in a broader sense it's not only a stand-apart film, but it's also the latest in a long sequence of stories, from different directors and production companies, stringing back to THE AMITYVILLE HORROR. That's because the protagonists of this film are Ed and Lorraine Warren (portrayed as they were in THE CONJURING by PATRICK WILSON and VERA FARMIGA), the same investigators who were called in to investigate the house in Amityville, New York in the 1970s.

The second season of CW's breakout superhero show (and two-time winner of Critical Blast's Best Television Show of the Year) THE FLASH is now available on for home video on Blu-ray and DVD, including the crossover with ARROW (but not the crossover with SUPERGIRL). Maybe next year.

Shane Black's THE NICE GUYS is a retro-cool foray into the seedy seventies. And nowhere were the seventies more seedy than in smog-choked, porn-brimming Los Angeles, where our two not-exactly-heroes, Jackson Healy (RUSSELL CROWE) and Holland March (RYAN GOSLING) meet up.

The pre-Batman stories of Gotham City continue in the second season of GOTHAM, now on Blu-ray and DVD.

Ben McKenzie (SOUTHLAND) continues his role as Gotham City Police icon James Gordon, now busted down to traffic cop after his stint last season taking down corruption within the ranks. But when he is finally ousted by the crooked Police Commissioner Loeb (Peter Scolari -- in an outstanding dramatic contrast to BOSOM BUDDIES and NEWHART), Gordon makes a deal with the devil in the form of the Penguin, Oswald Cobblepot (Robin Lord Taylor), who now finds himself with a tenuous hold on the throne of all Gotham City crime. All Gordon has to do is collect a debt for Penguin and he'll see that Commissioner Loeb is fired and he gets his old job back. But things go horribly wrong in a way that will haunt Jim forever.

DC Super Hero Girls: Hero of the Year is a fun adventure for the whole family. Whether you're young or old, a comic book reader or not, this movie has appeal for the entire family.

On the surface, HERO OF THE YEAR appears to be another story about villains trying to rule the world. But when you dig a little deeper into the characters, there's so much more to it. Each character has their own developing story arc that allows them to grow as the movie progresses. The movie was extremely entertaining, funny and action packed. The cameos were fun to see and the voice talent will be recognized by fans of other DC animated properties.

The Kornfield Kounty citizens and their classic cornpone routines -- not to mention some of the most outstanding country music performances ever recorded -- are now available (at least in part) in this 14-disc collector's edition from Time-Life, proving again that picking and grinning never go out of style. Buck Owens and Roy Clark kick off and wrap up each episode as well as give their own musical performances and comedy contributions, standing alongside some of the legends of country music who guest-starred on the series. And it's always heartening to see the musical guests partake in the comedy aspects -- it humanized some of these towering figures. Seeing Johnny Cash participate in the silly, running gag song "You Were Gone" is one of the highlights of the long-running series, and one of the many skits included in this boxed set.

The Care Bears are back! Coming this November, the Care Bears and Care Bears Cousins return in an all new series, from Lionsgate, debuting on DVD (plus Digital) and Digital HD.

In this brand new series, the Care Bears reunite with their cousins to retrieve the Cousins’ stolen ship. Care Bears™ & Cousins: Take Heart – Volume 1 will spread caring and sharing on DVD for the suggested retail price of $14.98.

"The Last Day on Earth" extended version makes this 5-disc Blu-ray set worth buying all by itself. In listening to the commentary it's discovered the dialog from Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) to Rick's group is taken word-for-word from the comics. If you're a fan of TWD comics, you'll enjoy that Morgan's Negan is something the comic book series would be proud of.

With the first GOD'S NOT DEAD movie, the setting was the college campus, a forum of relatively free discourse even when pitting student against teacher. In GOD'S NOT DEAD 2, the stage shifts to the high school, where an A.P. history teacher known for her optimism is asked a question comparing the non-violent teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi to Jesus. When the teacher, Grace Wesley (Melissa Joan Hart, MELISSA & JOEY), answers the question, quoting the teaching that would align with the philosophy, it gets recorded and sent to the world.

***Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-Ray I reviewed in this Blog Post. The opinions I share are my own.***

I know what you're thinking: Oh, look at that disclaimer in bold lettering, he's totally going to suck up to WB; this reviewer is in their back pocket!

LEGO NEXO KNIGHTS introduces LEGO fans to a world that's a combination of high-tech and medieval poverty. The Kingdom of Knighton has computers, television broadcasts, and lasers, but the people who live in the surrounding villages -- all named after their respective features -- all seem to dress like your typical middle ages serf pushing carts of vegetables. But that's beside the point.

The story focuses on a team of graduate knights: Clay, who lives and breathes knight's honor and rules; Lance, who lives to be a self-centered celebrity; Aaron, a skater dude who shows no fear; Axl, the hulk of the group who's forever hungry; and Macy, the King's daughter who fights against her father for the right to be a knight.

**review includes spoilers for seasons 1&2, and mild spoilers for season 3**

I’ve been a huge fan of The 100 for the last couple years. There is so much to love about this show, including a suspenseful dystopian / post-apocalyptic world, moral grayness, diverse characters, and strong and complex women.

When we last saw everyone at the end of season 2, Clarke and Bellamy just radiated Mount Weather in order to save their friends, who were being harvested for their bone marrow. Unfortunately, killing the bad guys also meant radiating a few good guys – including Jasper’s girlfriend, Maya. Clarke left camp in order to deal with her guilt, while Jaha and Murphy went on a trek in search of the mysterious “City of Light.” The Grounders violated their pact with Clarke by abandoning the “Sky People” at the last minute, fracturing the friendship/maybe more relationship between Clarke and Grounder Commander, Lexa.

Probably not since LORD OF THE RINGS have expectations for an extended edition of a film been so high as it has been with BATMAN V SUPERMAN:DAWN OF JUSTICE Ultimate Edition. With fans in a schism over their reviews on the theatrical release of the film, running the gamut from Batman's body count to Wonder Woman's too-short screen time, people are waiting to see if an extra 30 minutes of footage alters their perception of what they've already seen.

The answer? Probably not. If you liked it, there's more to like. If you hated it, there's more to hate. People are rather intractable about things once they've already made their minds up. (GHOSTBUSTERS, anybody?)

“Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan” from Arrow Films is a documentary directed by Gilles Penso on the storied career of undoubtedly the greatest special effects icon the world of motion pictures has ever known, and perhaps ever will know.

The video is chock full of memories and interviews with not only Ray (all the way up to his 90^th birthday!) but a veritable “Who’s Who” of great modern movie magic creators, all of whom have the same central theme running through their interview: Ray was not only instrumental in fostering their love of special effects; he was for many their initial spark, and to this day they consider what he did to be in many ways better than anything being done today.

BELLADONNA OF SADNESS is the acid dream of ASTRO BOY creator Osamu Tezuka. Directed by his collaborator, Eiichi Yamamoto, this psychedelic, psychosexual dose of cinematic psilocybin was, believe it or not, an early influence on much of the anime seen today, although in places it appears more like a violent porn version of YELLOW SUBMARINE meets WIZARDS.

The story is of Jean and Jeanne, two lovers who get married but cannot pay the tribute to the lord of the land. So he takes payment in the form of droit du seigneur. The violence of the act is probably more disturbing in its metaphorical depiction than any literal depiction could ever make it.

It is after this invasive injustice that Jeanne has a nighttime encounter with an imp (who looks like a bit of male anatomy), who seduces her and promises to give her the power she craves. She resists, but allows for just a little bit of power -- enough to save her ailing husband.

It's another winning team-up between DC Comics and LEGO in their latest release, JUSTICE LEAGUE: GOTHAM CITY BREAKOUT.

When Batman gets an unsurprising surprise party for the anniversary of his first appearance, he's gifted with a vacation trip, along with Nightwing and Batgirl. (The party includes LEGO appearances of Cyborg, Beast Boy and Starfire, hinting that maybe a Teen Titans LEGO set might be in our futures.) The real surprising part to everyone is that Batman accepts the vacation, leaving Gotham in the protective hands of Superman. Of course this will be no challenge for Superman at all, as Batman's villains aren't of the super-powered variety. How hard could it be?

Hired To Kill

Tag Line: A-Team meets Charlies Angels meets Miami Vice.

So what do you get when you mix A-Team’s macho-ness, Charlies Angels’ beauty and toughness and Miami Vice’s sexiness? The answer is a 90’s movie shot direct to video that has risen to cult status.

This 2-disc director approved Special Edition Blu-ray+DVD starring America’s answer to Jean-Claude Van Damme, Brian Thompson, along with big name draws (at the time) like George Kennedy, Jose Ferrer and Oliver Reed, the latter two of which I consider to be two of the finest actors in cinematic history.Which has me asking myself: Why are they in this movie?