Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on June 9th, 2014
For most who have heard about the West Memphis Three, it is because of the HBO documentary Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills. It was a documentary that sparked the interest of many and fueled a movement to free Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley for the murder of three young boys in 1993. It was a documentary that attempted to expose the trial as a witch hunt in which the only things the boys were guilty of were listening to heavy metal, wearing black and participating in Wiccan practices. Numerous documentaries later and with the support of Hollywood A-listers such as Johnny Depp and Peter Jackson and musicians like Metallica, Marilyn Manson, and Eddie Vedder, the West Memphis Three finally were freed from prison in 2011. As for the answers to who is responsible for the murders, many will theorize, but it would seem only the child-killers would know what really happened that night. As for Devil’s Knot, just what does this film present to us, the viewers? Unfortunately it doesn’t seem to carry the same emotional punch as the documentaries, despite the impressive cast that it boasts.
Colin Firth plays Ron Lax, an investigator who comes into the case against the West Memphis Three and attempts to help the defense team as best he can, while Reese Witherspoon comes in playing the role of Pam Hobbs, a parent to one of the deceased children. The film balances back and forth between the characters and how they are dealing with their grief and the investigation, yet despite the efforts of these two Oscar winners, both fail at getting the viewer to care at all about them.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on June 9th, 2014
Despite the atrocities that Adolf Hitler was responsible for, this ruthless visionary had an uncanny way of getting people to not only listen to him, but to follow him, and die for his quest of world domination. We all know the name Adolf Hitler; it’s a name that will forever hold the stigma that it will remind people of nothing but hate and genocide. But what made this man slip into darkness, fueled by hate with the goal of eliminating the Jewish race? Unfortunately the documentary doesn’t give any definite answers, but what it does do is show us the path that Hitler took as he went from soldier, to prisoner, to leading an army that was fueled by pride and hate with their eye on global domination.
The DVD is broken up into five parts, each coming in just under an hour in length. Each part focuses its attention, respectively, on a time period during Hitler’s rise and fall. Part 1 consists of the time following the end of World War 1 as he was detained in prison and where he famously wrote Mein Kampf. During this time the amount of footage of Hitler seems to be fairly limited, and the documentary seems to only show stills of Hitler at this time.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on June 4th, 2014
Following in the footsteps of Taken Gina Carano (Haywire) goes on a revenge rampage in order to discover what has happened to her injured and missing husband in a foreign land. It’s not the most original jumping off point for a revenge film, but as is the case with most revenge films, the motivation is usually always the same, but it’s the journey to the fulfillment of their blood-lust that keeps us in our seats. Coming off of the latest installment in the Fast and the Furious series, Carano has started to make a name for herself ever since she emerged in Steven Soderbergh’s action/thriller Haywire. Many women have tried to step in the role of leading lady and bad-ass fighter, but Gina Carano seems to be the woman who seems right at home in the role of breaking bones and smashing faces, and it doesn’t hurt that she looks good while doing it.
On an island in the Carribean, Ava (Carano) and her new husband Derek (Cam Gigandet) celebrate their honeymoon together. The beautiful beach locations are offset by the ghettos that house the islanders who call this vacation spot home. And it would seem as though Manny (Ismael Cruz Cordova), is nothing more than a hospitable islander showing the newlyweds a good time, that is until he takes them on a breathtaking zip line tour. Unfortunately an accident occurs, causing Derek to be taken immediately to the hospital (all I could think about was the opening sequence of Cliffhanger here), and it is on the way to the ER as Ava tries to follow behind but eventually loses the ambulance in traffic. Not only does Ava have to suffer through the possibility of her husband dying, but when she finally arrives to the hospital, she is told her husband never was brought in.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on June 4th, 2014
Before getting this season to review, my exposure to the show was fairly limited; I had seen a few episodes on Comedy Central, but that was about it. Now that I’ve had a chance to kick back and take in the shenanigans of Blake (Blake Anderson), Adam (Adam DeVine) and Anders (Anders Holm) I can say it was a disservice to myself to hold out for so long. For those that are unaware of the show, I see it as a bit of a hybrid between It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Office Space, as it follows three friends who live together and work together at a telemarketing company. Thankfully this is a show that doesn’t require seeing the previous seasons and can be picked up and watched at any point.
Picking a favorite episode is an easy one for me; not that the other episodes are not funny, but “Beer Heist” is a solid standalone episode that brings a smile to my face just thinking about it. The guys run into a group of sorority girls who are on a beer run. The guys concoct a plan to impress them, and it involves hopping in the back of a semi-truck to steal beer. Their plan quickly unravels as the truck takes off with Blake and Adam still in the truck. As their troubles escalate, the rationale a character uses to explain why his friend doesn’t understand their actions because he’s simply not horny enough is just the right kind of explanation for this show.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on June 2nd, 2014
When Stephen Chow came out with Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle he delivered martial arts in a way like we never had seen before. It’s not just that he blended humor with his action but it was that he was able to manage to make his characters function as you would imagine cartoon characters would in the real world. The road runneresque chase scenes from Kung Fu Hustle are the first visuals that come to mind any time I think of the name Stephen Chow. Now that he has Journey to the West making its way to Blu-ray, does he still have what it takes to make a hit or has he simply returned to the well already?
The film starts off strong as a father is attacked by some unseen monster while his daughter looks on from a dock. As panic strikes the village a “demon hunter” captures a giant sting ray that he believes is the culprit behind the fisherman’s death. Sanzang (Zhang Wen) seems to believe that there is yet another demon responsible for the death, yet to the village refuses to take Sanzangs advice and it is a mistake that will result in the loss of more lives and destruction. This opening goes on perhaps a bit long but it sure is fun and is filled with some beautifully choreographed stunt work as well as some inventive camera work.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on June 2nd, 2014
With the clock ticking till the release of Batman vs. Superman, Warner Bros needs to do all it can to get the fans on board for the arrival of the the Justice League. When it comes to the handling of the DC universe, though fans may be divided on the films, it seems just about everyone will agree the animation is about as good as it gets when it comes to comic adaptations. In the case of the Justice League perhaps the only way to get it right is through animation, considering there seems to always be something massive going on that it would seem nearly impossible to translate in a live-action setting.
The Legion of Doom, headed by Lex Luthor, has managed to reach the Arctic Circle, where Lex sets in motion one of his most fiendish plans, to absorb water from around the globe, increasing the shorelines to which he has previously purchased the land. The Justice League arrives just in time, and in the process of their fight, Lex is trapped in a block of ice where he is thought to have perished.
Posted in: The Reel World by Brent Lorentson on May 30th, 2014
With the exception of Blazing Saddles and City Slickers, it’s not easy to come up with a successful western/comedy. But leave to Seth MacFarlane to venture into this territory with his irreverent humor in tow as he looks to beat the odds and make a successful western with his new film A Million Ways to Die in the West. Following the success of Ted, I was looking forward to seeing what MacFarlane would do next; after all, I feel he’s the comedian who speaks to my generation better than anyone else out there. As one of the comedy greats of the time, I had little doubt about his ability to write and direct another hit, but where my concern mainly fell is on how he would fare as the leading man.
When we first meet Albert (MacFarlane), he’s running late for a duel with a gunslinger to whom he is in debt. He’s no match for the gunslinger, and he does his best to beg and wisecrack his way out of the duel to the town’s disappointment. With a minor reprieve and an even more minor gunshot wound, Albert is sent on his way. Unfortunately Albert’s good fortune doesn’t last long once Louise (Amanda Seyfried) dumps him so she can “work on herself”.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on May 29th, 2014
I have to admit when I first went into this film I went in with some rather low expectations. I turned out to be more than a little surprised by this little underdog story that has a lot of heart as well as plenty of knuckle-crunching fights. Sure, this follows in the footsteps of Rocky and The Karate Kid, as we follow a young fighter who overcomes great odds to achieve victory, and we’ve seen it before. What helps this film stand alone is that it’s also a tale about revenge set in the world of small-time cage fighting.
Ever since witnessing the murder of his parents in a carjacking gone wrong, Michael Shaw (Cody Hackman) has been a bit of a reckless youth. Constantly in and out of trouble with the law and poor grades in school, Michael is given one last chance as he is forced into doing community service at a local dojo. The dojo is run by Reggie (Michael Biehn), a Karate instructor who at one time knew Michael’s father. Stuck with janitor duties, Michael watches from the sidelines as Reggie trains his students, and this sparks Michael’s interest in taking up martial arts again.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on May 26th, 2014
Christian Slater has managed to make a decent career lately by simply appearing in numerous direct-to-DVD productions for several years now. It seems as though every month the former 80s-90s heartthrob is slumming his way through productions as though he never once looked at the script and instead was just adding another lackluster credit to his IMDB profile. As a longtime fan of the actor from the days of Heathers, True Romance, and Pump Up the Volume, I can’t help but hope the guy will make a resurgence (though appearing in Lars Von Triers Nymphomaniac is a good start to that career revival).
As for Slater’s new release Way of the Wicked, he somewhat takes the back seat on this film despite appearing on the Blu-ray box art. Henry (Slater) is a priest who seems to have an obsession with a young boy who is held responsible for the murder of a classmate even though there was no physical evidence to show for it. Several years later Robbie (Jake Croker) returns to the small town, and as he returns to school he immediately seems to embrace the role of outcast.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on May 21st, 2014
Ever since Elijah Wood completed filming Lord of the Rings, it would seem that he has done everything in his power to not be locked down with the label of simply being Frodo. From playing a mute psychopath in Sin City, to voice work in Happy Feet, a suicidal pot-head that is best friends with a talking dog in Wilfred, and even the killer role in Maniac, it’s clear that he’s an actor that likes to challenge himself. With Grand Piano Wood delivers his most dynamic performance as the brilliant concert pianist Tom Selznick who suffers from stage fright. It’s a film that didn’t see much of a theatrical release but shone in the film festivals it did play at, most notably Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas. But it’s not just the performance that sells me on this film; instead, it’s the beautifully shot and constructed thriller that seizes its grip from the opening moments of the film and doesn’t release until the end of its 90-minute-plus running time.
It’s been five years since Tom has performed for the public, ever since his meltdown while trying to perform a piece written by his mentor Patrick Godureaux. The piece titled, “La Cinquette” is believed to be an unplayable piece and is considered to be Godureaux’s master work. But it’s on this one night, an event organized by Tom’s wife Emma (Kerry Bishe), a Hollywood socialite who has bloomed into superstardom during Toms retirement; the event has been put together to help Tom recover from his disastrous performance.
