Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 28th, 2011
Ken Burns has achieved a rare feat in the world of filmmaking: he makes clean, concise, uncontroversial documentaries and yet has somehow become a household name, or as close as any documentarian can get in this society. It also depends, I suppose, on the ratio your household's television is tuned in to PBS compared to, say, Spike TV.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Archive Authors on October 25th, 2011
By Natasha Samreny
“Now don't get me wrong, you'll see very many impressive things on this tour. But there are no aliens to be found in Area 51.”
The general lies. There are aliens, and when they get loose the reporters are there to catch everything on camera. Good aliens, bad aliens, guns and journalists – all you need for a rockin' alien movie.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Archive Authors on October 22nd, 2011
By Natasha Samreny
“General, he was stronger than the others. That's why he lasted so long. I don't know why General, but he seems to be getting stronger all the time.”
The next time you want to scare yourself on Halloween without guaranteed nightmares, watch The Incredible Melting Man. It’s melty, scary and you get to watch his whole body decompose into slimy glisten.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Archive Authors on October 20th, 2011
Comedians like to use bad words. Late night talk show hosts don’t. They are not supposed to because the people who pay them get very mad at them if they do. Craig Ferguson is a late night talk show host. The person who pays him is David Letterman, who is paid by CBS. So when Craig says a bad word on CBS they put a flag over his mouth and a recording of ooh-la-la to cover up the offending vocabulary.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Archive Authors on October 18th, 2011
The film isn’t billed as Kevin Smith’s Red State. It’s just Red State, but Kevin Smith is an independent counterculture auteur diva so to speak. It’s pretty widely thought that Kevin Smith has a cool and honest and don’t-give-a-crap attitude. Kevin Smith is a brand, but he knows he’s not a mainstream big blockbuster brand. He is indie.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Archive Authors on October 15th, 2011
By Natasha Samreny
South of Heaven carried far too much violence and gore for me to look past. Maybe enjoy isn't the best word, but I had a hard time stomaching and therefore appreciating the film fully because of its nature. If you're not a fan of such horror movies, even with beautiful design, cinematography and acting elements, don't watch this.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Archive Authors on October 13th, 2011
By Natasha Samreny
In a world where people still got land-line phone calls in restaurants and $1 cocktails were considered expensive, Boris Karloff is detective James Lee Wong. Better known as Mr. Wong, the Chinese sleuth is based on author Charles Wiley's mystery series character. In Doomed to Die, Wong works the case of a shipping magnate's mysterious death.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Archive Authors on October 13th, 2011
By Natasha Samreny
Terrorist. Revolutionary. Activist. Each word is charged with emotional and political meaning. Advocate. Leader. Liberator. How could they all refer to the same person? This documentary tells the story of the Earth Liberation Front (ELF), an international movement dedicated to oppose and expose profit-driven practices that destroy the environment. By the turn of the 21st century, the FBI said it considered the ELF the major domestic terror in the United States.
Posted in: The Reel World by Archive Authors on October 12th, 2011
Written by John Delia
Most everyone would like to be the boss, but in most instances there’s only one. I hope my readers don’t have a boss as despicable as the ones in Horrible Bosses, a nicely funny comedy directed by Seth Gordon. Filled with a lot of hilarious situations, this film is perfect for mature adults. If you are not offended by sexuality and a lot of crude language, then run to see Horrible Bosses.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Archive Authors on October 9th, 2011
In Treatment is one of HBO’s least flashy and lowest profile series. That doesn’t prevent it from being amazing in many ways. Large parts of America are not used to a show that is essentially two people sitting in a room talking. Those kinds of people are considered to have short attention spans. HBO’s The Sopranos served up the idea of regular therapy sessions, but those shows were enlivened by brutal behavior and gruesome killings. That is no knock on The Sopranos, because it was a great and intellectually complex show. In Treatment is a special case that deserves to be nurtured because it is not flashy or easy. It is uncompromising in its way, and that is a good thing.
