Author: John Spry

I am a reviewer of films and television at Spryfilm.com and I upload stories to thisissouthtaranaki.com.

Final Trailer: “Indiana Jones & the Dial of Destiny” (2023)

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Final Trailer: "Indiana Jones & the Dial of Destiny" (2023) Set in 1969 New York, the film will somehow tie in with Operation Paperclip (Nazi scientists given amnesty by the U.S. Government in exchange for their scientific knowledge) and the space race against the Soviet Union. https://videopress.com/v/ErqfdGKV?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true American archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is now …

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Blu-ray review: “Pig” (2021)

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“Pig” (2021) Drama Running Time: 92 minutes Written and Directed by: Michael Sarnoski Featuring: Nicolas Cage, Alex Wolff and Adam Arkin Rob: "We don't get a lot of things to really care about." "Pig" is a 2021 drama film directed by Michael Sarnoski and starring Nicolas Cage. The film follows Cage's character, a truffle hunter named Rob, …

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Blu-ray review: “As Good as It Gets” (1993)

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“As Good as It Gets” (1993) Drama/Comedy Running Time: 139 minutes Written by: Mark Andrus and James L. Brooks Directed by: James L. Brooks Featuring: Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, Greg Kinnear, Cuba Gooding Jr., Skeet Ulrich and Shirley Knight Melvin Udall: “Now, I got a real great compliment for you, and it's true.” Carol Connelly: “I'm so afraid you're about to say something awful.” Melvin Udall: “Don't be …

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Trailer: “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (2023)

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Second Trailer: “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (2023) Sony Pictures Animation has released the new full-length trailer for the highly anticipated animated sequel “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”. https://videopress.com/v/zhgMaYN5?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man Miles Morales is catapulted across the Multiverse where he encounters Spider-Force – a group of Spider-People who aim …

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Blu-ray review: “The Out-of-Towners” (1970)

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“The Out-of-Towners” (1970) Comedy  Running Time: 98 minutes Written by: Neil Simon Directed by: Arthur Hiller Featuring:  Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis Gwen Kellerman: “George, what are we doing wrong? We can't ride, we can't walk, we can't eat, we can't pray.” George Kellerman: “Well, we can think. As long as we got our brains, we can think.” Gwen Kellerman: “Oh, they'll …

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Blu-ray review: “Nitram” (2021)

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“Nitram” (2021) Drama Running Time: 112 minutes Written by: Shaun Grant Directed by: Justin Kurzel Featuring: Caleb Landry Jones, Judy Davis, Essie Davis and Anthony LaPaglia Mum: “He was laughing at my pain... laughing like it was the funniest thing in the world.” "Nitram" is a 2021 biographical drama film directed by Justin Kurzel. The movie tells the story of Martin Bryant, a …

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Trailer: “Extraction 2” (2023)

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Trailer: “Extraction 2” (2023) Netflix has premiered the first trailer for “Extraction 2,” the sequel to one of 2020’s biggest success stories. The Chris Hemsworth-led action arrived in April 2020 which became one of the biggest streaming hits of the pandemic. https://videopress.com/v/UpRGUkjP?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true In the sequel, Hemsworth will reprise his role of Australian black-ops mercenary Tyler …

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Trailer: Marvel’s “Secret Invasion” (2023)

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Trailer: Marvel’s “Secret Invasion” (2023) Marvel Studios has released the full-length trailer for its “Secret Invasion” series, a six-episode espionage thriller based on the crossover comic event showcasing a faction of shapeshifting Skrulls having infiltrated Earth for years. https://videopress.com/v/130crY2D?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true Samuel L. Jackson reprises his role as Nick Fury and teams up with Captain Marvel’s Ben …

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Blu-ray review: “House of Cards” (1968)

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“House of Cards” (1968) Drama Running Time: 105 minutes Written by: Irving Ravetch and Harriet Frank, Jr. Directed by: John Guillermin Featuring: George Peppard, Inger Stevens and Orson Welles Critical Commentary "House of Cards" is a thrilling adaptation of Stanley Ellin's novel, directed by John Guillermin in 1968. Set in 1960s Paris, the film follows Reno Davis, a former boxer who becomes the …

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Trailer: “Asteroid City” (2023)

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Trailer: "Asteroid City" (2023) Focus Features has premiered the first trailer for Wes Anderson’s new film “Asteroid City” which will score a limited release on June 16th before expanding a week later on June 23rd through Focus Features. The trailer showcases Anderson’s usual style of meticulously crafted shot compositions and high color saturation, but this …

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Trailer: “Master Gardener” (2023)

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Trailer: “Master Gardener” (2023) Magnolia Pictures has premiered the full trailer for Paul Schrader’s new thriller feature “Master Gardener”. https://videopress.com/v/uvtFFPQd?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&posterUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fvideos.files.wordpress.com%2FuvtFFPQd%2Fmaster-gardener-official-trailer-2023-joel-edgerton-sigourney-weaver-quintessa-swindell_mp4_std.original.jpg&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true The story follows Narvel Roth (Joel Edgerton), the meticulous horticulturist of Gracewood Gardens. He is as much devoted to tending the grounds of this beautiful and historic estate, to pandering to his employer, the wealthy …

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Blu-ray review: “The Country Girl” (1954)

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“The Country Girl” (1954) Drama Running Time: 104 minutes Written by: George Seaton based on The Country Girl by Clifford Odets Directed by: George Seaton Featuring: Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly and William Holden Georgie Elgin: “Let's say I try my small way to help.” Bernie Dodd: “That's what my ex-wife used to keep me reminding of, cheerfully. She had a theory that behind every …

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DVD review: “Van der Valk” (1972 – 1992) 

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“Van der Valk” (1972 - 1992)  Television Thirty Two Episodes Created by: Nicolas Freeling  Featuring: Barry Foster, Michael Latimer, Susan Travers, Martin Wyldeck, Sydney Tafler, Joanna Dunham, Nigel Stock, Meg Davies, Richard Huw and Ronald Hines “Van der Valk” (1972 - 1992) Van Der Valk was a British detective television series that originally aired on ITV between 1972 and 1977. The show was based on …

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Film review: “John Wick: Chapter 4” (2023)

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“John Wick: Chapter 4” (2023) Action Running Time: 169 minutes Written by: Shay Hatten and Michael Finch Directed by: Chad Stahelski Featuring: Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgård, Laurence Fishburne, Hiroyuki Sanada, Shamier Anderson, Lance Reddick, Rina Sawayama, Scott Adkins and Ian McShane Shimazu: “Have you given any thought to where this ends? The Table will never stop. You know this. No one, not even you, can kill everyone.” …

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Final Trailer: “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” (2023)

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The buzz is building for “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves,” the live-action film adaptation of the famed role playing franchise. With one week to go before the film’s official release, Paramount Pictures has released one final trailer for the film to help convince people to get out to cinemas to see it. The tone …

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Blu-ray review: “Carrie” (1952)

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“Carrie” (1952) Drama Running Time: 106 minutes Written by: Theodore Dreiser, Ruth Goetz and Augustus Goetz Directed by: William Wyler Featuring: Laurence Olivier, Jennifer Jones and Edward Albert Julie Hurstwood: “Will you give her up?” George Hurstwood: “I'm not like you, Julia. I don't make threats, and I don't make promises.” Julie Hurstwood: “Well, I make them. And I keep them.” William Wyler’s 1952 melodrama Carrie, …

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Blu-ray review: “The Mountain” (1956)

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“The Mountain” (1956) Drama Running Time: 105 minutes Written by: Ranald MacDougall based on La neige en deuil by Henri Troyat Directed by: Edward Dmytryk Featuring: Spencer Tracy and Robert Wagner Father Belacchi: “They're getting up a rescue party to climb the mountain.” Zachary Teller: “Why, if everybody's dead?” "The Mountain" is a 1956 drama film directed by Edward Dmytryk and starring Spencer Tracy …

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Blu-ray review: “Hurry Sundown” (1967)

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“Hurry Sundown” (1967) Drama Running Time: 146 minutes Written by: Horton Foote and Thomas C. Ryan Based on Hurry Sundown by K.B. Gilden Directed by: Otto Preminger Featuring: Michael Caine, Jane Fonda, John Phillip Law, Diahann Carroll, Robert Hooks, Faye Dunaway, Burgess Meredith, Robert Reed, George Kennedy, Frank Converse, Loring Smith, Beah Richards, Madeleine Sherwood, Rex Ingram, Steve Sanders, John Mark, Doro Merande, Luke Askew, Donna Danton and Jim Backus Julie Ann Warren: “It wasn't until I was ten …

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Blu-ray review: “Resurrection” (1980)

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“Resurrection” (1980) Drama Running Time: 103 minutes Written by: Lewis John Carlino Directed by: Daniel Petrie Featuring: Ellen Burstyn, Sam Shepard, Richard Farnsworth, Roberts Blossom, Clifford David, Pamela Payton-Wright, Jeffrey DeMunn and Eva Le Gallienne Esco Brown: “Go carefully, with peace in your heart, with love in your eyes, and with laughter on your tongue. And if life don't hand you nothing but lemons, you just make …

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Blu-ray review: “About Last Night…” (1986)

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“About Last Night…” (1986) Drama Running Time: 113 minutes Written by: Tim Kazurinsky and Denise DeClue Directed by: Edward Zwick Featuring: Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, James Belushi and Elizabeth Perkins Debbie: “Bullshit. You don't know what love is. You've gotten everything you have always wanted and now you're feeling sorry for yourself because there's something you want and you can't have it. But you …

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