Media Notes: Roundup for January 2026

 

  

 

Welcome to my somewhat random selection of the movies and series on DVD and/or online I watched during January 2026.

Movies and films (links to IMDB.com for basic information unless noted otherwise). Some of these I watched via TubiTv.com or other online source. The DVDs come from the public library (unless noted otherwise). In addition, I will try to add other trivia notes, such as when a film is based on a book adding the information about the book (at least the WorldCat record if available).

• Battle Royale (2000. Dystopian. Action. Thriller. Japanese). Plot description: "In a dystopian future, a group of students from a Japanese high school are forced by the government to compete in a battle, killing one another until only one is left standing." I have been meaning to watch this for a while now since I did read the manga. I finally decided to do it now. This particular edition has English dub. The movie is seriously intense in terms of the violence, but it is also a very good drama with suspense and action throughout. Once it gets started, you keep on watching until the very end. This is the classic story that other later dystopian works of fiction wish they could be or try to keep up with it. If you have not seen it, worth a watch. Sure, it takes some liberties from the novel, but still worth it. 5 out of 5 stars. Saw it on Tubi 1/3, but went on and got the DVD a bit later. 
• The film is based on the novel of the same title. The novel has also been serialized in a manga, and as noted I did I read the manga some time ago, which I highly recommend. I probably should reread it to review here on the blog down the road. 
• On actors you may have seen elsewhere, Takeshi Kitano, who portrays the teacher/host, is also the protagonist and director of the Outrage yakuza films, which I did watch and review in this blog. He is also the Takeshi of Takeshi's Castle the game show. You may have seen footage of that show in the American spoof game show Most Extreme Elimination Challenge, which I have also watched and commented on in the blog previously. 
• Speaking of similarities between this story and later works, in the film adaptation of Stephen King's The Running Man, the one with Arnold, Richard Dawson is the host. Both films basically employed an actor known as a game show host for their host roles. 
• Execution Squad (1972. Crime. Italian. Drama. Also known as La polizia ringrazia).  Plot description: "An inspector pursues a secret society of former police officers who go beyond the law by killing notorious criminals without trial." If I recall, I saw someone on social media mention this, and I got curious enough to go look. On first impression, it brought to mind Magnum Force, the Dirty Harry film where he has to go after a group of rogue cops who go vigilante and start killing criminals. Magnum Force was released a year later in 1973. The movie does take a bit to get to the main plot of the secret executioners. We get a picture of a corrupt city with rampant crime, the inspector under siege from criminals and a hostile press while investigating a homicide and trying to keep order. It is 40 minutes into the film when the first execution happens. So now, the inspector has to investigate this crime along with the other crimes. After the first execution, the pace picks up as the squad gets to work, so to speak. The inspector soon figures out what is happening but naturally his superiors don't believe, or want to believe, there is a vigilante group out there. The film is a fairly straightforward police drama, but it does have a twist at the end that I admit caught my attention fully as we see how deep the police corruption goes. Good performance from Enrico Maria Salerno as the honest inspector in a corrupt police department and by Mario Adorf as the shady assistant district attorney. Overall it is a pretty good drama that goes dark fast in the last act. I liked it so willing to give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars. Watched on TubiTv on 1/10. 
• Film is also listed in the Grindhouse Cinema Database.  
• Film is an example of the Poliziotesschi genre. This is the first film in this Italian genre I've seen, and based on it I am curious enough to seek out others. GCBD has a decent list of these films.
• Alienator (1990. Science Fiction. Action). Plot description: "Kol, an alien escapee, lands in American woods. The commander sends The Alienator to terminate him. Kol joins teens and Ward Armstrong, evading The Alienator's relentless hunt." For starters, it does open with a small scrolling text to set up context and somewhat cheesy musical score. Jan-Michael Vincent is in this one as the commander, and he hams it up as the sadistic executioner. Teagan Clive is the Alienator, and I'll say she is easy on the eyes. Sadly she does not get much to do other than walk around being fierce,  mostly silent, and shooting lasers. The alien has the bad luck after landing to get hit by Rick's family RV, and they end up in a ranger station. To be honest, the family are a fairly typical bunch of obnoxious people, the kind you would not mind if they get eliminated sooner rather than later. Overall, it is a somewhat cheesy science fiction movie. A bit slow in some spots, the acting is so so, and as I mentioned, some of the characters like Rick are seriously irritating. This could have been better. It is nowhere near great, but it is watchable. I've seen much worse. As it is it is mostly OK, so 2 out of 5 atars. Via TubiTv. Watched 1/10. 
• You may have seen Clive in films like Armed and Dangerous and Jumpin' Jack Flash.
• Rampant (2018. Horror. Action. Drama. South Korean film). Plot description: "Lee Chung is a Prince of Joseon, but he has been taken hostage to the Qing Dynasty. He enjoys boozing, womanizing and gambling. He is also an excellent swordsman. His older brother Lee Young will succeed to the throne and brings Lee Chung to Joseon. He returns after more than 10 years. Soon, Lee Chung faces monsters that run rampant in the night." A zombie invasion in the Korean feudal era. Just for that I decided to take a chance on this one. I tend to like Asian films, so this seemed a good bet. Film opening is simple yet horrifying as we see how the outbreak begins. If you are expecting a full blown zombie apocalypse style film, this is not quite it. While one of the village of Joseon has fallen to the zombie plague, in the royal palace conspiracies are happening to depose the king as well as get rid of Lee Chung, all the while the zombie danger grows but no one in the royal palace really wants to believe it nor worry about it. Much of the film is more a political intrigue and suspense film with the threat of the zombies hanging over their heads. Things then get complicated when an infected concubine bites the king, just before envoys of the Qing Emperor are due to arrive to collect tribute. Then the horror really breaks out. Overall, the movie is pretty good. It does have some slow moments, but the drama and action are pretty good, and it keeps you watching to the end. Pretty solid if you like a blend of political intrigue, plotting, and some zombies to complicate things. It certainly is better than a lot of the dreck Hollywood puts out these days. I really liked it despite a slow moment here or there.  I'd say 4 out of 5 stars. Watched 1/17. Via TubiTv.
• Some folks compare this to the South Korean film Train to Busan, so I need to check that out sooner rather than later.  

 

Television and other series (basic show information links via Wikipedia unless noted otherwise). Some of these come in DVD from the public library. Others may be via YouTube, which, as noted before, I keep finding all sorts of other old shows in it, often full episodes:

• I finished my current rewatch of  Iron Chef (Japan. 1993-1999) this month and watched the 7th season via TubiTv.  As I have written before, this is a comfort watch for me I enjoy watching every so often. I've commented and reviewed the series previously on this blog.  
• Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares (2004-2007. Reality. Cooking). I also did a rewatch of the original  British version of Gordon Ramsay's restaurant rescue show that ran before the U.S. version. Via TubiTv. I do like the original as it does not have the excessive drama the American version adds, and as I have commented before, I do enjoy seeing the different places he visits.