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If you hear an alarm bell in the back of your mind when you read the phrase "Based on a True Story," listen to it.

Todd Phillips (THE HANGOVER) directs this somewhat comedic "true story" of David Packouz (MILES TELLER), a massage therapist disenchanted with his life who runs into an old friend, Efraim Diveroli (JONAH HILL), and ends up on the ride of his life in the high-paying world of selling weapons to the U.S. Government.

That's really all you need to know about the plot. Jonah Hill does his best Jonah Hill impression in playing Efraim, while the story unfolds from Packouz's point of view -- perhaps due to the fact that the real life Packouz only endured house arrest while the real life Diveroli served actual time, all for selling Chinese-made ammunition to the U.S. Military during a time when there was an embargo against Chinese-made weapons.

Frank Zappa certainly filled his own niche in music. Showcasing his well-known biting social commentary, this video gives a rare (if ever) seen glimpse into the man that was much more than what most people today remember as the fighter who took on Tipper Gore and the PMRC.

Shown through archival interviews and concert/music “videos” from around the world (U.S., England, France, Germany Holland and Prague to name some), the video takes us progressively through his career, although not in a straight line; it was sort of “take two steps forward, take one back” as we are led through the history of the man.

On this election day in the United States, people on both sides of the political aisle are conjuring up visions of a dystopian America should "the other side" win the vote. What better day than this, then, to release THE HUNGER GAMES on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray disc?

As often as we comic fans like to say that Batman is supposed to be a benevolent fascist, and battle whether our favorite is Nolan's "Dark Knight" or Miller's "Dark Knight" or one of the post-60s comic book incarnations, there will always be a special place inside each of us that regards Adam West as the Batman. Alas, as the Caped Crusader is well into his Golden Age, it's unlikely we'll ever see him play the role again.

But wait! What's this!

Could it be?

A new Adam West Batman?

The resurgence of the Boy Wonder?

Catwoman triumphant?

The latest Star Trek film in the rebooted franchise bears the curious title STAR TREK BEYOND. Science fiction fans may have looked at this and thought it might be a peer into the far future of the Federation, akin to BATMAN BEYOND. Others might have expected the Federation to bo beyond...well, something. The galactic rim, perhaps.

If you have a polarizing figure with a history of controversy and thrust him to the forefront of a Presidential campaign, it should be pretty hard to screw up a documentary about him -- but Director Jim Gufferson, Screenwriter BC Furtney and Producer Jason Winn 'J.B. Destiny' Bareford managed to do just that.

ONE NATION UNDER TRUMP sounds from the title like it might be a political prognostication in the vein of Dinesh D'Souza's HILLARY'S AMERICA. Could it be a dystopian view of the rise of a megalomaniacal magnate? Could it be an optimistic view of a nation united under a political outsider who castigates corruption?

Could it at least tell a story?

When I get home from where I've spent the prior ten hours, I like to grab something cold to drink out of the fridge, and sit down in front of the tube to watch cartoons.

Then I look at the cartoon I'm watching and realize that it's celebrating a 50th anniversary -- and my bubble pops. I'm not coming home from school and grabbing a Hi-C anymore. I have a job, and the drink in my hands is one I wasn't allowed until I turned 21. My cartoons are old, and I've gotten old with them.

CHARLIE BROWN'S ALL STARS! is the cartoon in question today, released on DVD for it's 50th anniversary. It doesn't get as much fanfare as the holiday classics (among which I happen to include the Easter and Thanksgiving cartoons), but story-wise I rank it as much better than any of those. There weren't long gaps of no dialogue filled with music and dancing. This was Charlie Brown engaged in one of the things he loved most, and looking at having to give it up: baseball!

Let's not kid ourselves. As much as Batman has been used for merchandising, it's always been that the toys were based off the character. With BATMAN UNLIMITED, it's clearly a case of the story being designed to foster a base for the merchandising. It's an advertisement wrapped in entertainment.

The plot: Mr. Freeze (ODED FEHR) is providing asylum to Penguin (DANA SNYDER) at his arctic retreat. But drilling in the region prompts Freeze to respond by siccing a giant monster of his own creation on the crew.

That Freeze can do this gives Penguin an idea, and he encourages Freeze to return to Gotham City and turn it into an icy wasteland for himself, while creating an impossible enemy for Batman. But first they must break out some Arkham inmates (which do not include The Joker, although he gets two cameos voiced by Troy Baker).

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.