Shadow is a masterful spectacle of human frailty and intellectual dishonesty that only grows in resonance as it goes along, its haunting final image of a pained decision in the process of being made one that will stick with me for quite some time to come.

In typical Hammer fashion the actual climax is a bit sudden (and, in this instance at least, slightly underwhelming), and I can’t say all of the East-meets-West storytelling elements work as comfortably as I frequently wanted them to. None of which makes The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires any less entertaining, discovering this Hammer/Shaw Brothers production a true joy and am glad the folks at Scream! Factory took the time dig this one out of the vaults for all of us to see.

Avengers: Endgame is a solid adventure that fans will go nuts for. As for me, the last assembling of the original team of Avengers brought a smile to my face, this curtain call a satisfying final bow for a team of comic book heroes who all deserved this moment in the spotlight standing at the center of the stage.

Shazam! is a story where the children literally lead the way, teaching all of us to look inside our hearts for the potential hero within whether we think they reside there or not.

The Street Fighter films have stood the test of time for a reason as Sonny Chiba’s magnetic ferocity simply cannot be denied. Shout! Factory’s three-disc set features magnificent presentations of all three motion pictures, and while special features are relatively sparse, what is here is still pretty great. A collection that fans of the series certainly will want to add to their personal libraries.

I loved Captain Marvel. More than that, I can’t wait to see it again.

Alita: Battle Angel has its own sense of purpose and moves with a cagily confident self-awareness that’s wonderful.

Aquaman is an unhinged undersea thrill ride I enjoyed immensely, and the next time this hero picks up his trident I’ll eagerly take that leap into the cinematic ocean in order to see just what injustice he intends to remedy wielding it.

There’s so much to love, so much that held me spellbound, the fact I’m sitting here annoyed that Mortal Engines never works nearly as well as it by all accounts early on looks as if it is going to has me lingering in a state perilously close to anger.