Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on October 4th, 2012
I don’t believe anyone could have predicted not only Family Guy being on the air for over a decade but how big a power player Seth MacFarlane (creator of Family Guy and American Dad) would become. With several shows currently in production, the release of his first live action feature Ted earlier this summer, and now the recently announced hosting of the upcoming Oscars, I believe it’s safe to say MacFarlane is about as big a name as Oprah. And to think he didn’t have to give his fans cars to do it; he’s just that talented.
What MacFarlane has done with the Griffin family is something of a miracle. In so many ways these are some of the rudest, crude, obnoxious characters ever put to the small screen, but we can’t help ourselves but love them. Every week the line of moral decency is pushed to the edge and crossed, but it’s all in good fun, because we the viewer can tell ourselves it is OK because they’re animated.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on October 4th, 2012
It took some time, but alas, Joe Dante’s movie The Hole is finally available for us all to see. The impact Dante’s films had on my childhood is something I am thankful for. I can’t imagine surviving the Christmas holiday without watching Gremlins. I’ll still never be able to look at a tilt-a-whirl without imagining it being a spaceship because of Explorers. Then there are the fond memories I have with Matinee, The ‘Burbs, Small Soldiers and few others. Basically I hold Dante with high esteem and believe he’s one of our best working genre directors from whom I wish we were seeing more.
When I did get the title to review, I was a bit hesitant with this one. Part of me wanted to hurry home and slide this into my player, while another part of me was cautious not to get my hopes up for this one. Waiting was the best thing I could have done for this film, so as my stack got thinner I knew the time had come to give this movie a gander.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on October 2nd, 2012
It’s been quite some time since The Chappelle Show went off the air, and it would appear Comedy Central has finally found its replacement. I wouldn’t go so far as to say the two shows are on the same par, but what Keegan Michael Key and Jordan Peele bring to the small screen is something that has peaked my interest and shows some potential. Both Key and Peele got their big breaks from working on the sketch comedy show MADtv, and it would seem they are taking their talents and what they learned to bring us something that is a little familiar but still fresh, and keeps its audience laughing.
To be fair, though, the only endorsement the pair will ever take notice of is that of President Obama, who has actually seen their show and has publicly given it his approval. Not many sketch comedians can put that in their resume.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on October 1st, 2012
"800,000 children are reported missing each year in the USA. Most are found within a few days. 1000 children disappear without leaving a trace."
After seeing Pascal Laugier’s first film Martyrs, I instantly became a fan. It’s not often I can recall the exact emotions and thoughts I felt as I emerged from a theater years after the experience. He’s a director I also have no problem calling an artist, and I’ve patiently been waiting for him to assault my senses with his follow-up project. There was a time he was attached to do a remake of Hellraiser. Usually the thought of remaking such a classic would send me into an outrage, but if there was ever a director who could handle the material, I believed he’d be the perfect choice. Sadly the production fell apart, and his follow-up became The Tall Man.
Posted in: The Reel World by Brent Lorentson on September 28th, 2012
"Time travel has not been invented. But thirty years from now, it will have been."
What I like most about writer and director Rian Johnson is his ability to tackle a genre that has been recycled and done to death and deliver a film that is fresh and unique. His first film Brick reimagined film noir and his second feature outing The Brothers Bloom gave us a heist film that was smart, sweet and classy. In his third feature outing he is setting out to deliver his most ambitious film but also his most accessible film. What makes Looper unique is that it’s not just a film about time travel and hit men, but the question about the value of one’s life against the lives of many others.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on September 27th, 2012
When you pick up a movie with the title Strippers vs. Werewolves, to expect anything more than schlocky B-movie horror is a mistake by the viewer and the viewer alone. This foray into cheesy cinema is best viewed after a few drinks or just as random fun late at night when you can’t sleep. It’s never a movie trying to change the way we view cinema but instead just something to have some fun with, a simple escape where our brains can shut off and simply enjoy the show.
While giving a private dance, Justice (Adele Silva) kills a well-dressed gentleman who changes into a werewolf. Little does Justice know that he is connected to a powerful pack of werewolves that will stop at nothing to avenge their fallen pack member. But this isn’t the first run-in with werewolves by Jeanette (Sarah Douglas), the owner of the Vixens strip club; she’s fought and killed werewolves before and is ready to do it again to protect her club and the girls.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on September 27th, 2012
When I first got this DVD with my stack to review I treated it like I do with most films; I go in with little to no expectations, and whatever the result is at least I can’t be left too disappointed. I love action films, and I’m a big fan or martial arts films, so when I see the name Gordon Liu in the credits, well, I at least know I have a little something to get excited about. After all, Liu kind of has a cool pass in my book since doing The 36th Chamber of Shaolin movies. But to deliver a good movie, you need more than just an appearance by a martial arts legend, and really that’s all Blood Money brings to the table.
The plot consists of members of the Columbian crime family trying to move a couple tons of cocaine. The move is a little complicated since it has stops in Miami and Australia, then eventually it should make its way to Hong Kong for the Triads to do with as they please as soon as the Columbians get their money. The drug dealers/kingpins are throwing around numbers that just are too unreal. Really, one dealer apparently fetched over 700 million in one year? Where are these guys when Forbes is putting out their magazine with most successful business leaders? I’m sure these guys make some good money, but this just seemed too fairy-tale for my taste.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on September 21st, 2012
One of the first rules I’ve set for myself when writing reviews that I’ve managed my best to follow has been to avoid bringing up politics and religion. After all, this is a site dedicated to cinema, but sometimes these topics are injected into the films we review, and like it or not it’s something I was bound to encounter at some point. To simply spit it out, October Baby is a movie the tackles the subject of abortion and delivers a very pro-life message. So for those of you who are very passionate about this topic, I mention this not to offend or start a debate but simply give a disclaimer.
When we first meet Hannah (newcomer Rachel Hendrix) it is just before curtain call, and she is nervously going through her lines. She’s the star of the play, and it’s opening night. All the seats are full, most notably by her parents and her friends, so of course it’s fair to say she has a case of the jitters. But as the curtains rise, something is wrong as Hannah collapses on stage. After numerous tests and it is discovered it’s not just the stress of the show that got to her, but that she is sick and it is due to some complications surrounding her “birth”.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on September 21st, 2012
Revenant: one who returns from the dead in corporeal form
Back in 2009 when I was in Austin, Texas for the Fantastic Fest (a genre film festival they hold every year) I was lucky enough to catch this film and it was one of the standout films of the festival. Since that night I’ve been waiting and waiting for this to finally get a theatrical release, and now three years later The Revenant has finally found its way onto DVD. With all the vampire and zombie films that have been released over the past few years ,it is still a mystery why it took so long for this film to find a wide release. This isn’t your standard zombie or vampire film. This is a horror comedy that gives us genre fans something fresh and simply outrageous and awesome.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on September 19th, 2012
“Juan of the dead we kill your loved ones”
This is one of those movies I had heard about but was beginning to wonder if I’d ever get a chance to watch. The notion of Cuba releasing a zombie comedy just kind of shocked me. To be honest I didn’t even know they had a production company down there. So when I noticed this title had come in to be reviewed at the Upcomingdiscs headquarters, I jumped on this, willing to fight off hordes of zombies if need be. Thankfully there were no masses of the undead to be dispatched, and this title was mine to review.
