Archive Authors

by Normandy D. Piccolo

What happens when you mix the movies Stand By Me and Star Wars? You end up with a family-friendly flick called The Stream that benefits the Boys & Girls Club of America. In addition to watching a great movie, you are supporting a great cause too. I dig that. The Stream was created by Estlin Feigley and written by Colin Costello. It stars Mario Lopez (Saved By The Bell, Nip/Tuck), Christopher Gorham (Covert Affairs, Ugly Betty), Kelly Rutherford (Gossip Girl, Melrose Place), Rainn Wilson (The Office, Six Feet Under) and a cast of upcoming child actors; Jacob M Williams, Michael Capperella, Noura Jost, CJ Diehl and Sabrina D. Carter.
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Are you bored? Then Boredom may be the most important thing you ever watch. You should know, boredom kills. Many riots occur because people are bored. People jump off mountains with parachutes because they are bored. People engage in unprotected sex because they are bored. People even kill themselves because they are bored. I personally think there are worse things to be than bored, but maybe I’m wrong. After all, things are always rosier on the other side of the fence.
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The outside of the DVD box says, ”Warning: The information you are about to see will result in hives.” It is true that the documentary Bee People is a very passionate polemic meant to get people excited about the idea of having their own backyard beehives. Bees are one of the most important parts of the ecological network, because they pollinate most of the foods and flowers across the planet, and bees are disappearing. It is actually a very alarming fact that bees are disappearing, because we don’t know why, nor what the eventual outcome will be if they cease to exist.
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Vampires have been popular since Bram Stoker and Sheridan Le Fanu started writing about them nearly 200 years ago, but vampires have been around much longer than that. That seems to be how the story goes. That’s part of the problem. In Only Lovers Left Alive, it’s difficult for a vampire to overcome his boredom and disappointment with “zombies”, as he calls the human mortals. These vampires try to subsist on blood banks. Not only is it more humane, but that way they know the blood is tested. They don’t like blood-borne pathogens.
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by Normandy D. Piccolo

When I first saw the title, Ja’mie: Private School Girl, I thought, “Cue the bow chicka wow wow music.” Did I have it wrong. What came to mind after looking at the DVD cover instead was more, “Dude Looks Like A Lady.”  To some Ja’mie may be the hottest, funniest chick to prance across the screen since Divine or Candy Darling. To others, she may be an unbearable, annoying train wreck to watch.  Ja’mie: Private School Girl is a spinoff show based on a character created by popular Australian comedian, Chris Lilley.
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by Normandy D. Piccolo

“In this prison your soul will do time.”

What’s not to love about an arrogant defense attorney being sent off to prison, where good and evil are going to battle it out for possession of his soul? Eric Balfour (24, Saving Grace, Texas Chainsaw Massacre) plays the unlucky attorney, Michael Gray, who spends his time screwing the legal system in more ways then one. He’s not exactly a choir boy.
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by Normandy D. Piccolo

“The shark is an evolutionary marvel that should be respected and revered.”

You will definitely need a bigger boat for this adventurous “Sharkathon”, featuring three separate documentaries about sharks all packed onto one DVD like sardines in a can. Everything you could possibly want to know about sharks, from their feeding habits, to the deterioration of their population due to overfishing, to mercury levels consumed by humans, to what makes sharks tick can all be found on, Smithsonian Channel Shark Collection.
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There are people who love horror films and only horror films. For these people, they can never get enough. They will look at anything and everything. There are the people who like movies about high school and sports. Then there are people who like to see hot chicks. All Cheerleaders Die wants to make everybody happy. It starts out with a girl making a student movie about the cheerleading squad. The girls on the squad show off what cool witches with a B they are since they look out for their dogs on the football team.
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by Normandy D. Piccolo

“Magnum, Rockford and Marlowe never had to rake leaves before a case.” 

~ Sam Steele Junior

Whoever said homework can’t be fun never met Writer/Director Tom Whitus. Mr. Whitus has donned the fedora once more and penned another adventurous Sam Steele detective movie aimed at children. The Junior Spy Agency (2014) (aka: Sam Steele and the Crystal Chalice (2011)) follows in the gumshoes of Mr Whitus’ previous work, Sam Steele and the Junior Detective Agency (2009).
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by Normandy D. Piccolo

“We are that which we are really seeking.”

Back in the early 80‘s, Grandmaster Mantak Chia stepped outside of traditional Chinese rule and shared a very guarded secret with the world. The Universal Healing Tao System. Where the body, soul and spirit learn to live in balance and harmony with the universe through an understanding of energy
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by Normandy D. Piccolo

“She’s the damsel. He’s in distress.”

What happens when a stand-up comedian turned actor writes, stars in and produces his very first murder/mystery movie? Either a timeless classic or a case of wishing Colonel Mustard had greeted him in the Conservatory with a Candlestick before typing the title page.  Actor Brent Butt (Corner Gas/Hiccups) and director, Carl Bessai (Sisters and Brothers/Hiccups) have teamed up once again for, No Clue, a campy murder/mystery set in present day with a 1950’s feel.
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by Normandy D. Piccolo

In 2011, four men, Larry Black (big cat expert), Ben Black (cinematographer/Larry’s brother), Budi (a local) and Adi (a government tracker) ventured into the jungles of West Java, Indonesia in the hopes of finding and filming a documentary about the endangered Javan leopard. Unfortunately they crossed paths with something deadlier, and it was all caught on film.  The Jungle, a documentary/found footage film, was written/directed/produced by Andrew Traucki.
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Godfrey Reggio made Koyaanisqatsi in 1983. It was followed by two other films, Powaqqatsi and Naqoyqatsi. The trilogy of films were all scored by Phillip Glass and filmed by John Kane. They are the Hopi Indian words for imbalance, transformation and war. Nothing like them has penetrated the culture to such a pervasive extent. Their subversive content is unchallenged. They stand alone, and to say they are unique is a massive understatement. If you have seen them, you know what I mean.
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By Zach Abati

Telling a story that takes place in one location isn’t the easiest thing to do. Films like Clerks, 12 Angry Men, and Saw show that it is possible to do, as long as you have the writing and direction to pull it off. Alpha Alert was able to do just that, even though it still had its ups and its downs. When a terrorist attack hits the streets of D.C., Cpt. White (Jennifer Morrison), Pfc. Diego (Stephen Rider), and Sgt. Oldsman (Josh Stewart) become trapped as an innocent elevator ride now becomes an escape mission
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