Editorial: Why Mill Creek Entertainment Is the Film Buffs Best Friend

    I can’t tell you how many films I know have yet to be released on blu-ray (or even DVD for that matter).  It can be very frustrating for a movie buff to not have access to certain films except on VHS.  Thankfully, there are certain film distributors who cater to movie collectors with a wide array of rare releases but the company I feel is leading the pack is Mill Creek Entertainment.

    With films like “The Abyss” without a blu-ray release, smaller films such as “High School High” seemed unlikely to see anything better than it’s original standard definition full screen release.  It was a funny film and a movie I remembered fondly but it was hardly a film on the level of “The Abyss”.  Imagine my delight when I found out that Mill Creek Entertainment was releasing “High School High” on blu-ray.  Now, Mill Creek Entertainment isn’t the only company producing obscure titles, but they do produce more catalog titles than some of their peers.  I love Arrow, Kino Lorber, MVD, and other boutique labels like them as well as Mill Creek Entertainment but they simply do not release films on the level of Mill Creek.  One could argue which company has the ‘best’ films, but that boils down to personal opinion so there are no right answers.  In the end, regardless of which companies titles are ‘better’, we as movie buffs are grateful for all of these labels for providing rare catalog titles to us.

    Mill Creek Entertainment has a large selection of cult hits available on blu-ray and DVD and seem to unearth many forgotten classics.  From the films of Andy Sidaris to cultural phenomenons like “Ultraman”, Mill Creek Entertainment continues to provide some of the best underground hits available to film buffs.  Speaking of “Ultraman”, Mill Creek Entertainment just announced several blu-ray season sets starting with “Ultra Q” and “Ultraman” in October.  I am eagerly looking forward to both releases (especially the steelbook editions).

    As a television fan, Mill Creek Entertainment has become the top distributor of classic television sets on DVD and Blu-ray.  As a blu-ray fanatic, I love their sets of classic shows like “Quantum Leap” and “Miami Vice”.  They have also released an incredible set for the last great American sitcom, “That 70s Show”.  How can you not love a company who provides physical media releases of some of the greatest shows ever?  The company is even releasing a full series set of “Charlie’s Angels” to coincide with the release of the upcoming movie.

    Unlike other film distributors, Mill Creek Entertainment has also managed to stay ahead of the curve with their release of a new streaming service called ‘Movie Spree’.  Movie Spree is offering a ton of their catalog titles instantly through their streaming service right now.  Movie Spree offers those obscure titles that Netflix and Hulu would never bother to stream.

    While I do love other film distributors like Arrow and Kino Lorber, they often want quite a lot for their releases.  As an individual not swimming in cash (cashiers don’t tend to make a fortune), I very much appreciate the fact that Mill Creek Entertainment has always provided their titles at super reasonable prices.  How many studios have tons of titles available for $15 or less?  I don’t know of many off the top of my head.

    Lastly, I do admit that Mill Creek Entertainment has been generous enough to provide me review copies but that is part of what makes the company so great.  They are extremely costumer focused and hugely supportive of the film community.  My blog, for instance, may not be much for now but they understand the importance word of mouth among us film buffs is.  I can’t tell you how many film buffs I work with and how often we talk about new video releases, yet alone how many film buffs I connect with online.

    Mill Creek Entertainment has come along way in the last few years from when they primarily released public domain titles.  I am just so happy to have a company how understands the importance of physical media and the power of the film loving community as a whole.  Thank you for bringing a smile to my face countless times Mill Creek Entertainment, you guys are the best!

“High School High” Movie Review

    So I am not going to lie, when I saw that Mill Creek Entertainment was releasing “High School High” on Blu-ray, I got very excited.  I fondly remember the movie from years ago and I even owned a copy of the film on DVD (which was just a Full Frame presentation).  Thankfully this film is presented in Widescreen format and in 1080p (thank you Mill Creek Entertainment).

    The film focuses on Richard Clark as he leaves his job at an established academy to teach at an inner city high school.  The school is rundown and the students lack direction.  Richard is ever the idealist and wants to improve the school and the education the students receive.  Richard’s class, particularly a student named Griff, start to believe in him and more importantly, themselves.  Richard also has the support of fellow school staff member Victoria.  Richard and Victoria even begin a romantic relationship while the school begins to get cleaned up.  Richard is met with resistance in the form of high school gang leader Paco however.  Paco (and the mysterious individual he is working for) will stop at nothing to stop Richard.

    Does this plot sound familiar?  Well, don’t panic if it does.  Countless movies in the 90s dealt with teachers trying to better an urban area school and this film is a parody on that craze.  Through satire (and sometimes just stupid humor) “High School High” provides plenty of laughs and chuckles to make it worth a watch.  “High School High” was one of those films that got panned by critics even though I thought the film had a lot of laugh out loud moments. I am honestly surprised it never got to be a cult classic at the very least.  Parody mastermind David Zucker co-wrote and produced this film.  Zucker decided to parody films like “Stand and Deliver”, “Dangerous Minds”, and my personal favorite “The Substitute” with this.  It works just as well as his other parody films in my opinion.

    “Saturday Night Live” veteran Jon Lovitz plays Richard Clark in the film and it proves to be one of his best roles outside of SNL.  Tia Carrere plays his love interest and is a natural in such comedic roles after “Wayne’s World”.  A pre “8 Mile” Mekhi Phifer plays Griff while a pre “Half Baked” Guillermo Diaz plays Paco.

    “High School High” isn’t a comedic masterpiece but it never pretends to be either.  Instead, it’s goal is solely to make the audience laugh and leave you feeling happy after leaving the theater/living room.  In my book, “High School High” joins movies like “Strange Wilderness” and “Starsky and Hutch” that should have been seen by more people but got buried by critics.  It’s definitely worth a watch if you need a laugh and help get your mind off of your troubles.

Grade: B

Buy the “Mo’ Money” and “High School High” Double Feature Blu-ray Here!!!