Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on February 2nd, 2015
Despite Stephen King’s place in modern literary history, Hollywood continues to be hit-or-miss at successfully adapting King’s work for the big screen and television. Personally The Mist is one of my favorite films based off of King’s work, but one can never forget The Shawshank Redemption. Unfortunately, though, there are many more duds than there are successes when it comes to adapting “the Master of Horror’s” work. Big Driver is the most current work to be brought to the screen. While it may not hold up to some of his more “classic” films, i.e.: Misery, Stand By Me, or Carrie, it is a relief to say it fares better than many of the duds that have been produced.
Maria Bello takes on the lead as Tess Thorne, a mystery book writer who seems to appeal mostly to retired housewives. It’s a career that has brought Tess plenty of success, and in a way to reach out and meet some of her fans she goes on a book tour. Bello eases into this role nicely as the quirky mystery writer, talking to her pet cat and characters from her book that follow her around. She even goes so far as to strike up a conversation with her Tom Tom device. It is crucial that the viewer likes Tess early on, because it doesn’t take long before things go horribly wrong for her.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on January 22nd, 2015
Whether you believe in horoscopes or not, just about everyone out there knows their “sign”. I never really put too much stock in astrology; it always seemed like harmless fun people can have for a few moments each day as they read their horoscope for the day to see what possible good fortune can come their way. In the new film, Zodiac: Signs of the Apocalypse, the film takes a different look at these astrological signs. Rather than be signs that help reveal one’s personality, these symbols instead are supposed to be warnings for the upcoming apocalypse.
Neil Martin (Joel Gretsch) is a single father who is also a scientist who seems to be the only man that can save the world after a series of disasters occur across the globe. For those who have seen Day After Tomorrow, Volcano, Twister, and the one…the only Sharknado I’m pretty sure you know what you are getting yourself into with this film. It’s frustrating how the fate of the world seems to always depend on some rogue scientist that of course no one will listen to. To leave no cliché unturned for this disaster film, helping dad reluctantly save the world is Colin (Reilly Dolman), Neil’s rebellious son.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on January 22nd, 2015
Thanks to Chappelle’s Show, Comedy Central has helped pave the way for comics on the cusp of breaking out to produce their own sketch comedy shows to springboard themselves to a larger audience. Key & Peele has flourished in the sketch comedy scene, and now there is Nick Kroll with his own sketch comedy show Kroll Show. But in the world of sketch comedy, is there really a need for more shows? After all, NBC still has Saturday Night Live; well, to be fair, it has been a while since SNL has been consistently funny.
Unlike the former shows mentioned, Kroll Show at no point has Nick Kroll coming out to address the audience. Instead the few setups we do get are recorded with the rest of the show. Not that this deflects any attention from the sketches we see performed, but the added touch of seeing Key and Peele interacting with the audience is part of what makes their show work. Kroll instead lays the sketches out for the audience at home.
Posted in: The Reel World by Brent Lorentson on January 16th, 2015
While writing up this review the Oscar nominations are going to be announced in a few hours and for Foxcatcher, any nominations it receives will be yet another footnote in this films journey as it widens its release to a larger audience. Ever since director Bennett Miller won best director at Cannes in 2014 for the film Foxcatcher has become one of the most buzz worthy films of 2014 with a trio of actors that have had more than their fair share of praise for their performances. But is it a film worthy of all its acclaim or is this simply award show fodder for a film no one will remember a year from now (looking at you The Artist)?
The film centers around Mark Shultz (Channing Tatum) an Olympic wrestling champion who lives in the shadow of his older brother David (Mark Ruffalo). Though the two brothers share their love for the sport that seems to be the only similarity you’ll find between the two. Where David is well spoken family man, Mark seems to be only driven to wrestle and manage to one day live a life outside his brother’s shadow. The jealousy we see portrayed against David is more than simple brotherly rivalry, after all David seems to rake in all the cash with personal appearances and has a family, whereas Mark struggles through making speeches to elementary kids for a few bucks. So it becomes no surprise that when John du Pont (Steve Carell) approaches Mark about joining team Foxcatcher, Mark seizes the opportunity to make a name for himself.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on January 15th, 2015
When I think about the swamps of the Louisiana bayou, with the exception of hungry gators lurking beneath the murky depths, I can’t help but think about the connection it has to the supernatural. I blame seeing Lucio Fulci’s The Beyond for this. It’s a film that haunted me when I was a kid, and the imagery has stuck with me over the years. There have been numerous films over the years that have explored the supernatural of the bayou; most successfully we saw this in the Kate Hudson thriller The Skeleton Key. The bayou just seems to be a location that equates to doom for all those naive enough to relocate to it. Jessabelle follows suit in this southern gothic thriller that may look the part of a horror film but simply doesn’t deliver.
In the span of just a few minutes we meet Jessie (Sarah Snook) and her boyfriend, before we even have the chance to get to know or care about this couple, we watch as they are involved in a tragic car accident that not only kills the boyfriend but also Jessie’s unborn child. The tragedy isn’t missed by the viewer, but what is missed is any opportunity to become attached to this couple.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on January 9th, 2015
Even though in this documentary we may not get to experience T-Rexes chasing after unfortunate paleontologists while running amuck in a theme park, Dinosaur 13 still manages to be an engaging adventure from start to finish. This is a film that reaches out to all the young kids inside all of us who while growing up dreamed about what life was like when dinosaurs once ruled the world. It taps into that adventurous bug that was once inside all of us as kids about exploring and discovering worlds that have not yet been discovered and creatures that now can only survive in our imaginations. Dinosaur 13 follows one man’s journey as he went from making a discovery of a lifetime that would also in turn deliver the most crushing heartbreak of having a dream torn from his grasp.
In 1990 Peter Larson and his team made a discovery of a lifetime when they found a near-perfectly-preserved T- Rex. They would go on to name it Sue (after one of the female members of the Black Hills Institute of Geological Research), and Sue would go on to become one of the greatest discoveries not just in South Dakota but in the United States. But where the documentary goes on to give a closer look is the controversy that surrounds Sue and simply who really does own the rights to this grand archeological discovery.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on January 1st, 2015
OK, so I have a confession to make, ever since I was a kid and saw Children of the Corn, I’ve been terrified of the Amish. Does this fear make any sense whatsoever? Of course not, but I figure I can’t be too crazy, since people are afraid of numerous things like rabbits. I still remember the day my parents hung a large picture frame filled with B&W photos of seemingly innocent Amish folk partaking in their day to day activities. This frame I hold responsible for numerous night terrors and only reinforcing my fear. When it came time to settle in and watch The Devil’s Hand, little did I know this would only reignite a fear I felt I had conquered.
Revolving around the lore that the commune of New Bethlehem believes, when six girls are born on the sixth month this sets in motion a prophecy that one of the girls will become a soldier for the devil upon her 18th birthday. We’ve all seen these kinds of stories before, but it’s the setting that helps set this film apart. Instead of filling this with characters that don’t believe in these kinds of prophecies, what makes the film work is that the people of the community all seem to believe at least partially in this, so as the girls begin to go missing, everyone becomes a suspect.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on December 31st, 2014
It’s just about impossible to not know who Grumpy Cat is; the loveable grumpy-faced cat that has been the subject of numerous memes has become an internet sensation that has its own product line. I love cats, so I didn’t see anything wrong with the celebrity this feline has gained, but the moment I heard Grumpy Cat would be getting to star in a movie – well, I was about to say maybe a movie would be a bit much…then again I was easily reminded that such pop culture dregs such as the Kardashians have their own show; perhaps a film about a cat would be a step up from them. Before even watching the film, I could say yes, Grumpy Cat is a far more respectable celebrity, heck, even role model, than anyone with the last name Kardashian or West, but how does the movie fare? Well, to put it nicely, it’s a stinker, but what more could you expect?
Growing up in the 80’s I had a lot of films starring various animals in the leads, everything from Benji, The Bear to Disney classics like The Cat From Outer Space, and the Shaggy DA. The one thing all these films had in common is that they at least attempted to care about the characters and not talk down to the audience. The films I mentioned still hold up, whether it be because of their charm or artistic merit, whereas Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever is nothing more than a shameless cash grab to target kids and fans of Lifetime films.
Posted in: The Reel World by Brent Lorentson on December 26th, 2014
“I need to know what you are worth when I leave you nothing.”
These are the parting words that Jim Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) is left with from his dying grandfather. At first these words may seem a bit harsh but after the more time we spend with Bennett we start to understand the grandfather’s intentions. The Gambler, a remake of the 1974 film with same title, follows Bennett along his downward spiral as his gambling addiction drags him down to the point where death is imminent, yet death seems to be the escape Bennett so desperately craves. In other words this is not exactly the film you watch to get into the holly jolly spirit of the holidays.
Posted in: The Reel World by Brent Lorentson on December 24th, 2014
Well, it’s that time of year when the studios make that extra push for awards season, and with Angelina Jolie at the helm directing her second film, Unbroken is the kind of film where after one viewing of the trailer you just know this is Oscar bait. I love this time of year, and I love seeing the best of what the studios have to offer, but sometimes these films with high hopes just don’t deliver as expected. Unbroken takes us on a journey through the life of Olympian Louis Zamperini (Jack O’ Connell) from his early years as a troubled child on through his torturous years as a prisoner of Japan during World War 2. The front portion of the film jumps from Louis as a soldier and working inside a bomber to flashing back in time to what inspired Louis to become America’s fastest high school runner. Having Louis reflecting back on his early years is understandable while his plane is taking fire, but the scenes we flash back to just don’t seem to have any real connection with the story, but seem to only serve the idea of putting action in the front half of the film to get the viewer’s attention. As the film progresses, and the flashbacks seem to suddenly cease. If this jumping back and forth through time isn’t too jarring, what turns out to be most off-putting is the film’s script. Even with Joel and Ethan Coen (Fargo, No Country For Old Men) as well as Richard LaGravenese (The Horse Whisperer) and William Nicholson (Gladiator) sharing writing duties, what seems to work best for this film is when the characters are saying little to nothing at all.
Very little attention is paid to Zamperini and his journey to receive a medal in the Olympic games in Germany. Instead most of the film focuses on the physical and mental abuse Zamperini endures from the moment his plane crashes into the Pacific on through the punishing time he is prisoner in a detention camp. Fellow soldiers come and go throughout the film, but the one constant, and in my opinion the most intriguing character in the film, is that of The Bird (Mutsushiro Watanabe), a ruthless commander of the detention center Zamperini first arrives at. It doesn’t take long to see that all The Bird wants to do is break Zamperini’s spirit, but as we know by the title of the film, this man just can’t be broken.
