Posted in News and Opinions, Site News by Gino Sassani on February 5th, 2010
If you think you might like to write for the site, click on the rest of this post for more information. Please read the entire post carefully before you apply.
Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on February 8th, 2010
Recently, my parents moved to Tennessee in their attempt to enjoy retirement. We actually lived there about six months when I was in the 8th grade. So, apparently there was something in the water that made them want to go back. After the movie Glitter, I never wanted to see anything with Mariah Carey that involved anything where she actually had to speak. For some reason, I also came back to Tennessee.
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Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 6th, 2010
“One year ago, the MOD test system at Eskmeals confirmed radioactivity of above normal background levels at the Corry Reservoir, Craigmills, Yorkshire. The usual emergency procedurals were activated under NAIR arrangements, and the reservoir was shut down. An independent inquiry was set up under the chairmanship of Dr. Anthony Marsh.”
Edge Of Darkness is something of a classic to the British. It cleaned up in the 1986 BAFTA awards, taking almost every award they have with the possible exception of Best Coffee In Craft Services. The mini-series has apparently stood the test of time, maintaining such high regard for nearly 25 years.
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Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 4th, 2010
“There are many among us who in the past closed their eyes to the events of war, because they believed that what was taking place in Europe was none of our business. That we could maintain our physical safety by retiring within our continental boundaries. Obviously, a defense policy based on that is merely to invite future attacks. For those who would not admit the possibility of the approaching storm, the past weeks have meant a shattering of past illusions.”
No, that quote wasn’t George W. Bush. It was Franklin D. Roosevelt on May 26th, 1941.
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Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 4th, 2010
“There are stories a river can tell. And truths it cannot hide. There are ways it brings us together that we may never see, connecting us with places never suspected. Places like fear, like betrayal, like murder.”
One thing you have to say for Clint Eastwood. In his later years as a director and producer of films, maybe from Unforgiven onward, he has selected some of the most compelling stories for his film projects. You get the sense that he hasn’t been in this for the money in a long time. You easily believe that he doesn’t make a film unless it reaches him completely and deeply.
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Posted in Disc Reviews by Jay Macdonald on February 4th, 2010
Muhammad Ali could be the greatest athlete of all time. Facing Ali is a documentary that interviews ten of Ali’s former opponents throughout his career. All of the retired fighters offer some brilliant insight into Ali’s career, personality and break down their memories of their individual bouts with him. The fights that are being recounted mark the pinnacle of personal achievement for these fighters and each fight is equally as significant to each fighter. The idea and execution of this documentary are exceptional and this film provides substantial entertainment for the duration.
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Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on February 3rd, 2010
Planet Hulk started out as a storyline from Incredible Hulk #88-#95 (2006). The Hulk was too strong for the planet Earth and so the Illuminati under the direction of Iron Man and Doctor Strange sent him to a planet where he can cause harm to nobody except himself. Of course, things don’t go exactly as the Illuminati probably hoped for. The direct to video movie deals with Hulk’s stay on planet known as Sakaar.
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Posted in Podcasts by Gino Sassani on February 3rd, 2010
Hey Gang. I had the honor of talking with the extraordinary Cult director Jack Hill.
You’ll be happy to know he’s doing well and working on a new script among other things. You can listen to the entire interview right here.
Bang it here to listen to our Jack Hill interview: Jack Hill Interview
I want to thank him for taking time out of a very busy schedule to chat with us.
You can check him out at his web site: Jack Hill Web Site
Enjoy!
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 3rd, 2010
I grew up on the Peanuts creations of Charles M. Schulz. Most of us have, in one way or another. His newspaper comic strip is one of the longest running and most successful strips of all time. The work has been translated into every language currently spoken on the planet. The images of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, and the rest of the Peanuts gang have appeared on just about any kind of product imaginable. Our pop culture contains too many references to the strip to mention briefly. For me, it was the television specials starting in the mid 1960’s that brought the gang into my life. The classics are running annually, still after nearly 50 years
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Posted in Dare to Play the Game, News and Opinions by Michael Durr on February 3rd, 2010
The Tester, Capcom in the Green, & Dante’s Inferno at The Superbowl? – Welcome to the column that has seen hell and has the purple dinosaur marks to prove it known as Dare to Play the Game.
Welp, as many of you know I do play the World of Warcraft. I had fiddled around with my dwarf priest here and there. This past Monday, he hit level 70.
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Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 1st, 2010
Before SpongeBob SquarePants, before The Family Guy, before South Park, before even The Simpsons, there was Mighty Mouse. This revival of the Terrytoons character was a short-lived, but creatively vital series that ran in 1987-88. It wasn’t an adult show, like many of its spiritual successors would be, but it was something that hadn’t been seen in the world of television animation in a long, long time: it was witty, smart, and expected its audience to be smart, too (and that includes smart kids, at whom the series was ostensibly aimed).
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Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on February 1st, 2010
As the resident video game expert for the site, certain movies will always fall into my lap. Any movie that includes something about video games, good or bad I will get the chance to review. Sometimes, I’m not so thrilled and sometimes I’m simply elated to take on the task. But then every once in a while, I get a movie where I’m not sure what to expect. The movie Gamer seems to take that tone. But perhaps the journey will lead to some rather unexpected but pleasant surprises.
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Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 1st, 2010
Sterling Silliphant, in the latter days of his career, gifted the world with the deliriously schlocky screenplays to the likes of The Poseidon Adventure, The Towering Inferno, and that apotheosis of the Expensive Badfilm, The Swarm. So it is sometimes hard to remember that he also penned the script of In the Heat of the Night and some 74 episodes of Route 66. I confess to a being a complete newcomer to the series, and though I was rather baffled at first, I was also struck by the quite beautiful prose being spoken. Anyone who thinks highly literate scripts are impossible (or just about) on network TV should cock an ear (and an eye) in the direction of this series.
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Posted in Podcasts by Gino Sassani on January 31st, 2010
Hey Gang.
This week I had a chance to talk to a couple of folks connected with the new Planet Hulk Blu-ray and DVD release.
Rick D. Wasserman provided the voice of the “Mean Green” himself in the animated feature.
Greg Johnson wrote the screenplay.
We’ve provided Podcasts of those chats for you right here. So, Bang it on the Podcast that you want to hear and enjoy the interviews.
Rick D. Wasserman and Greg Johnson
I want to thank Lionsgate and Marvel for allowing them to sit and chat with us. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. We have more interviews coming from Marvel. So, if you’re a comics or animation fan, keep checking back. It will be worth your time.
Enjoy!
Posted in Disc Reviews by Matthew Spencer on January 31st, 2010
There’s a quote by author Kent Nerburn that says: “It is much easier to become a father than to be one.” The Boys Are Back, based on a memoir by Simon Carr, is the best example of that sentiment on film that I’ve personally seen in a few years. Clive Owen plays sportswriter Joe Warr. He’s good at becoming a father, but not at being one. His one-the-go job keeps him from spending any real quality time with his family, leaving his wife Katy (Laura Fraser) to raise their son Artie (Nicholas McAnulty). When Katy becomes fatally ill, Joe must step up to the plate to take care of his 6-year-old son.
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Posted in Disc Reviews by Matthew Spencer on January 31st, 2010
If there was a recipe book for the modern romantic comedy, it would undoubtedly include a checklist of the following: group of girlfriends in their late twenties/early thirties with neurotic ideologies revolving around dating and clothes, a writer’s quota of at least one catch phrase per scene, product placement, and the charming leading man. Maneater receives checks across the board, and so much more.
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Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on January 30th, 2010
This is the story of two young twins who are living completely different lives, one in a boarding school who is caught up in a child smuggling ring and the other is living with his struggling artist father, but are able to share their physical pain and emotions as if telepathically. Thomas, who is with his father, knows of Tom, the boarding school “orphan,” but everyone believes Tom is just his imaginary friend. Through a chance encounter the two are reunited and both must find a way to escape the smugglers who wish to take them sell them outside of England.
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Posted in Contests by Gino Sassani on January 29th, 2010
Our good friends at Lionsgate have been kind enough to give us a copy of the Planet Hulk on DVD to giveaway to our readers.
We are going to do something a little different for this contest.
We are trying to build our on-line community over at Feature Forum. This is a place where all home theater enthusiasts can meet and talk about whatever’s on their mind.
To win a copy of Planet Hulk, this is what you have to do.
First you must register for an account at our Forum. It’s absolutely free. You can get there by following the Forum link at the top of our home page.
Once your account has been activated, all you have to do is participate.
At the end of Feb. I will pick, at random, a winner from all posts made from now until Feb 28th.
That means the more posts you make, the better your chances of winning.
Only posts that offer relevant conversation will be considered. Please do not post “I want to win” or anything of that nature. Those posts, and the person who made them will be disqualified. We are trying to build a community and this prize will be an incentive for you to try it out.
Good luck and enjoy our Forum.
Contest is open only to residents of The United States and Canada.
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 29th, 2010
Madea’s been everywhere. She’s even been to jail. But I Can Do Bad All By Myself is not actually a Madea film, per se. She has a cameo, of sorts, but this film is based on a series of stage acts that Perry has collected under the single title of the film. So much of this movie has been out there on stage. I’m not really a fan of Perry’s Madea character and the collection of films she/he’s been involved in. I had a friend once who used to get them for another friend of his, and he used to joke about making me a copy. Now you know why we’re not friends any more.
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Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 29th, 2010
Metaphors are often effective tools in filmmaking. They can be used in a variety of unique and clever ways to either highlight a particular aspect of story and/or character. They can be used to add an artistic flourish to a movie. They can even be used to drive a plot, if you’re careful enough to avoid becoming too abstract. Then there are films like The Burning Plain which attempt to create a film that is metaphor itself. What you often end up with, and certainly here, is something difficult to follow and more acceptable at the festival circuit than at the box office
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Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on January 27th, 2010
The original movie production of Fame came out in 1980 and followed a group of students as they progressed four years through the New York High School of Performing Arts. It was gritty, it was harsh, but it was a very deep portrayal of budding students trying to get into the world of singing, dancing and acting. Nearly 30 years later, somebody gets the bright idea of doing a remake. Let’s find out if it is anywhere close to the original.
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Posted in Dare to Play the Game, News and Opinions by Michael Durr on January 27th, 2010
Farmville Addicts, Xbox Indie Game Sales, & Mass Effect 2 will make you swap discs? – Welcome to the column that gets freaky with the geeks and wipes up afterwards known as Dare to Play the Game.
For a few months now, I have been playing WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2010. Honestly, when I first got the game I didn’t think I was going to get anywhere close to 1000 achievement points. Then a funny thing happened. I kept with it.
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Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 27th, 2010
The time is the 1930s, the setting Africa, as Mussolini attempts to recreate an Empire through the colonization of Abyssinia. An officer and poet Elio (Al Cliver) returns from the campaign with the spoils of conquest, one of which is Abyssinian princess Zerbal (Laura Gemser, of D’Amato’s Black Emanuelle films). The erotic heat in his home is already pretty torrid, what with wife Alessandra (Lilli Carati) carrying on with secretary Virma (Annie Belle). Zerbal’s arrival upsets the emotional apple cart, passions flare, and the supposed slave starts to exert more and more influence over the putative masters.
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Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 26th, 2010
“Look at yourselves. Unplug from your chairs, get up and look in a mirror. What you see is how God made you. We’re not meant to experience the world through a machine.”
Since the time we were kids, we were warned that you can’t tell a book by its cover. That has never been more true in our modern world of the internet. We play in chat rooms where almost no one is who they pretend to be. We lie about our age, looks, and even our gender, and rationalize it as harmless escapism or merely exaggeration. Everyone does it, or so we believe, so it’s actually expected.
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Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 26th, 2010
“Hello. I want to play a game.”
Like the Beatles used to sing, when Jigsaw says hello, most folks are about to say goodbye. Jigsaw might very well be dead, but his legacy is alive and thriving. If you don’t know who Jigsaw is by now, this might not be the best place to start. He’s the Rube Goldberg of horror movies. He develops sinister contraptions and traps that force people to confront something immoral within themselves. The traps aren’t necessarily intended to kill. In fact, some do survive.
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