Media Notes: Roundup for February 2026

 

  

 

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

• Destruction Force (1977. Crime. Police Procedural. Italian film, also known as La banda del Trucido). Plot description: "A shoot out after a robbery ends with the death of the Chief of Police. Police detective Ghini goes in search of a suspect, Lanza, to avenge the death of his boss." The action pretty much starts right away with a hostage situation the cops need to defuse. The movie has a decent pace and action, but the plot is a bit all over. One moment the crooks are planning a heist, the next another crook takes a cop's girl hostage to ambush him, but he manages to overcome the situation, and then on to something else. Entertaining as it can be in moments, the plot goes from one moment to another with little apparent connection. Main case is some jewel thieves and the fallout of their robbery. "Trashy," the restaurant owner who is sort of a middle man for criminals and leads a group of thieves, also has a child and at times has to baby sit. A couple of moments with him and the baby can be amusing. Trashy, as much as possible, avoids violence and teaches his thieves to work without violence. However, his clients who get a driver from him do not hesitate to be violent in their crimes. Note also that, at least on this edition, some parts of the Italian dialogue did not get dubbed, mostly some domestic scenes such as Trashy with his wife. By the way, movie does have a somewhat catchy soundtrack. Note the revenge plot is not as the movie's description states: Trashy is the one who goes to seek vengeance when the driver he provided gets killed. By the way, the English movie title does nothing for the movie. As typical in these films, there is plenty of action, violence, and shooting. The ending is, well, a bit on the light side after all that went before, but it works. Overall, the film does keep your attention as we want to see how it all comes down. I liked the movie, though I wish the dub was complete. Willing to give it 3 out of 5 stars. Via TubiTv. Watched 2/7. 
• Film also listed in Grindhouse Cinema Database.
• Mortal Game (2024. Horror. Made for television film). Plot description: "A group of hunters travel to a mysterious island to track down a legendary forest creature. They soon realize their guide has set them up as bait, forcing them to confront a highly intelligent predator that terrorizes them one by one." This is pretty clearly a knock off of other films featuring some kind of specially skilled group of warriors (soldiers, commandos, hunters, etc.) taking on some monster in the middle of nowhere. We get three hunters, and one photographer, which I am curious why he is there as he does not seem as well trained nor skilled as others, plus the guide. Turns out the photographer has a show, one of those influencers on social media, so yes, fairly useless and a bit cowardly to boot. While the character development is not great, we eventually get hints why they are all there. One for a last thrill, another for the reward money, and another because it is a hunt. The monster effects are not that good, basic furry monster kind of thing. Once they figure out their situation, it becomes a matter of surviving long enough to get off the island, killing the monster if they can. The movie is pretty much by the numbers. Terror is not that much to be honest, little gore. Not that much suspense either, just a matter of seeing the final girl survive. Hey, it is a horror movie, and it keeps that trope of the last girl. In the end it was OK, not bad, so 2 out of 5 stars. Via TubiTv. Watched 2/7. 
• Weapons of Death (1977. Action. Crime. Drama. Italian movie aka Napoli Spara!). Plot description: "A police commissioner tries to bring a gangster to justice as the kingpin's out-of-control crimes set even his own underworld allies against him." The movie starts at a fast pace, and it keeps a steady pace of action throughout as the detective has to deal with various crimes. He knows who the gangster is, but as often the case knowing and proving it are different things. The gangster is quite resourceful to stay ahead of the law. The movie does keep your attention from beginning to end, and it adds some light humor here or there thanks to a street urchin the detective deals with now and then. Overall a good drama with plenty of action, a bit gritty, and intense at the end. I will note there is at least one pretty disturbing prison yard scene. I'd say 4 out of 5 stars. Via TubiTv. Watched 2/13.
• Film is also listed in the Grindhouse Cinema Database.  

 

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:

• Hell's Kitchen (2005-). Description: "Twelve aspiring restaurateurs compete before chef Gordon Ramsay." I commented on this show last in May 2024 for season 21. This month I am watching season 22. Theme for this season is "The American Dream" and has 16 episodes. Contestants are either immigrants or may be from outside the U.S. Via TubiTv, which is running a bit behind, but for me, I watch it when I get to it 
• Prize is to become head chef to Hell's Kitchen restaurant in Las Vegas and a $250,000. 
• On this season, they start the drama early on. By second episode they're already at each other's heads, and the one asshole (there is always one) pretty much comes in right at the start of the show.  
• Among the celebrity guests in the dinners are Paula Abdul and Dolph Lundgren.
• The formula for the most part remains the same. This season they added some challenges to reinforce the American Dream theme, but otherwise pretty much the same in terms of format.  
• Kojak (1973-1978. Action. Crime. Drama).  The classic police drama procedural with Telly Savalas in the title role as Lieutenant Detective Theophilus "Theo" Kojak. I continued with Season 2 starting with episode 9 and made it to Season 2 episode 19. 
• In actors you've seen elsewhere. In Season 2, Episode 9, Abe Vigoda makes an appearance as a jailed mobster.
• Daniel J. Travanti appears in Season 2, Episode 10 as a rival detective.   
• In season 2, episode 11, an interesting detail. The wife of a private eye reads horoscopes for clients. She gets their charts from a friend who uses a computer to enter the data like birthday, so on to get the astrological chart of a person, which she then would interpret for clients. This was before now where you can get your own birth chard online in various places, some even free. Also, this was early days of computers, so they are not universally everywhere yet.  
• Leslie Nielsen makes an appearance in season 2, episode 15. He is one half of an illicit love affair trying to do a diamond heist, and he is pretty ruthless. On what may be an interesting detail, to some, the female partner is a Black woman.  
• In season 2, episode 16, we get a young Erik Estrada, initially a suspect of an arson but soon the cops realize it was not him.