Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 15th, 2026
"You know. Girls, drugs and rock 'n' roll."
On the surface, that's exactly what you might expect from Elijah Peel. The film is based on the real-life story of writer and co-director Kevin D. Sepe. He was a musician who pretty much did the whole rock-star scene. The drugs, sex, and rock 'n' roll world. At some point he changed his ways. He found Jesus, and he managed to course-correct his life. Yes, this is a faith-based film. Kevin Sorbo is one of the film's stars, and he has dedicated his more recent career to faith-based and family kinds of films over the years. He's actually a pretty good fit for Kevin D. Sepe and the film. He's even left California to join us not-so-much party people here in Florida. OK. Roll your eyes if you must. Just know the kind of film you're getting with Elijah Peel, and I think you'll have a better chance of also being entertained.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 13th, 2026
"...Til the one day when the lady met this fellow, and they knew that it was much more than a hunch that this group must somehow form a family. That's the way we all became the Brady Bunch."
Has it really been nearly 60 years? Nothing make me feel as old as when a film or television show I watched as a kid celebrates some grand anniversary milestone. It's like birthdays without the ice cream cake. On September 26th, The Brady Bunch celebrated its 57th anniversary. The 20-disc collection features the entire series. You get all five seasons of the original television itself with some commentaries by creator Sherwood Schwartz himself as well as members of the Brady clan. That's 117 episodes of Brady. For me, going back to those very first episodes was a bit of a culture shock. The show was planted firmly in its time. From 1969 to 1974, the series was very much anchored into its place in time. More than that, the show began to influence and insert itself just as firmly in becoming a part of that very same culture. The theme song is pretty much known by anyone who has ever lived from that era to today.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 9th, 2026
"We have lost our center as a family, and I have to be honest that we have lived a fairly blessed life to this point, so the contrast. Mine is not a family designed to withstand tragedy. In fact, it's quite the opposite."
From Madison Avenue in Manhattan to the Madison River in Montana there is somewhat of a wide gulf of culture and standards of living. That's exactly the kind of setup that is perfect for a guy like Taylor Sheridan. His entire life has been about thriving within that contrast. He's created a new genre that one could call the modern western series. The man himself is cut from both worlds, so he understands the territory. He planned to be finished a bit ago, but he fell in love with a $300 million ranch, and to pay for it he's cut a deal with Paramount+ to be doing this for quite a while longer. That means fans of shows like Tulsa King and Landman can rest easy, because they're going to be around for a while yet. It also means that his television universe is also likely to continue to grow. The latest example of that growth is The Madison, starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell. Give the man his props; he knows how to attract big talent to the small screen. It's mostly because they know the part will fit like a glove on anybody's hands but O.J. Simpson's.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 1st, 2026
"Now look, the DA's office just put out a press release saying that boosting from department stores and high-end fashion outlets will be receiving more aggressive attention from their office."
This almost sounds like a soundbite from an evening news broadcast. There has been a national debate about how the law should treat these kinds of thefts. Some cities have taken the approach that they aren't really going to prosecute these kinds of crimes, and that's led to retail outlets fleeing places like that. But that's not really what Boots Riley's latest film is about. It's somewhat based on a song from the writer/director's rock band, but I'm not familiar with the track. The problem is that's about all I really know about the film ... even after I've finished watching it, and that's a problem for me. Some of you will approach this more like an art film, and others will pretend to understand it because they think it makes them look stupid if they don't. And that's exactly what Boots Riley is hoping will happen.
Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on September 26th, 2026
"Long ago there was a forgotten island filled with filled with magical creatures beyond your wildest imagination."
Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado deliver a colorfully animated story that leans heavy on Filipino mythology and culture in their new film, Forgotten Island. I didn't come to the film with a lot of knowledge of Filipino culture or mythology but really felt like I left with a taste of something new and exciting. As a film critic for over 30 years, there really aren't a lot of new things that come my way these days. In a way the job leaves you a little bit jaded and more than a little bit cynical. So imagine my enjoyment to see something that really wasn't like anything else I've ever seen. Forgotten Island is a magical journey that you don't have to really understand in order to enjoy. And yet I left with a little more understanding and a healthy appetite for more. The last thing I'd seen from the co-writers and directors was Puss In Boots: The Last Wish. That film was much more conventional, and while entertaining, it wasn't half as charming as Forgotten Island.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 22nd, 2026
“The oil and gas industry makes $3 billion a day in pure profit, generates over $4.3 trillion a year in revenue. It’s the fourth largest industry in the world, ranked ahead of food production, automobile production, and at $1.4 trillion the pharmaceutical industry doesn’t even crash the top 10. The industries ranked ahead of oil production are all completely dependent on oil and gas. The more they grow, the more we grow. That’s the scale. That’s the size of this thing, and it’s only getting bigger …”
If Taylor Sheridan does not own a big chunk of stock at Paramount+, then he should be a major shareholder, because he’s bringing in more bucks than everything else combined except for Star Trek. I’ve enjoyed every one of his shows to date, some more than others. I think that Landman has to be the best of them yet. Yellowstone has been the great amber-captured jewel of the kingdom for over five years, but his split with Costner brings all of that to an early end, with the exception of spin-offs. I think I’ve found the new champ, and it’s Landman. Landman is absolutely as good as television gets or has ever gotten.
Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on September 19th, 2026
"Hey, you got time for another run?"
That's exactly what it felt like getting the invite to screen the new Resident Evil. Lately the franchise has been on a rather steep decline. The 2021 film Resident Evil: Welcome To Racoon City didn't even register as a blip on the box office radar. There was the television series Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness that didn't light up too many streaming hits. But I was intrigued that the new film was directed by Zach Cregger, who had a pretty good sleeper hit with Weapons, and he was reteaming with that film's Austin Abrams. A little confession before I go on any longer. I love video games, but somehow I managed to never play a single Resident Evil video game. Not sure how that happened. It wasn't intentional. I just never got to it. I did see all of the films from director W.S. Andersson and his wife Milla Jovovich, and, for the most part, I have enjoyed the film franchise. Hard to believe it all started with the first game title 30 years ago, and there's already been so much of the franchise that's come and gone. What possible new and clever idea could Cregger bring to the table? Yeah, I'm a pretty big cynic. What I saw actually took a little time to digest. It's not a great film, and it's certainly no Weapons. What it is happens to be a somewhat fresh angle for both the franchise and the general video game to movie genre. It entertains. There's quite a few well-timed laughs, and yeah, it's got some intense horror genes in there, but the funny thing is that I hardly noticed any of those points while I was watching the film.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 17th, 2026
"Protect me today in all my travels along the road's way. Give me your warning sign when danger is near that I may stop while the path is clear." Prayer of intercession of Saint Christopher, patron saint of travelers.
There's been a lot of talk in the last few years that Saint Christopher had been stripped of his sainthood. Of course, that isn't true at all. He had his feast day taken away, as all saints do at one time or another. You see, there are only 365 days to a standard year, and there are far more saints than there are days of the year. His feast day was given up to Saint James, the apostle. Why go through this bit about Saint Christopher, you might be asking. You see, the old boy is quite the center of the latest horror film by director Andre Ovredal. His last hit was the Dracula spin-off film The Last Voyage Of The Demeter, which was one of the best horror films of that year. He's returned to his somewhat folk-horror roots with Passenger, and once again it's the best horror film I've encountered this year. It's now out on Blu-ray out from Alliance Home Entertainment. It's got everything a good horror film should have and doesn't lean too heavily on the standard tropes of jump scares or manic editing to mask the bad f/x. This one is a keeper, and you'll get far more enjoyment out of taking home the Blu-ray than you will through streaming. Sometimes streaming is enough. This is not one of those times.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 16th, 2026
"It's always the same in any orchard. You plant your trees. The trees grow tall. Then sooner or later they begin to get mangled, and before you know it the apples start to rot. And that, Harry, my son, is pruning time."
There's nothing like a good mob drama on television/streaming. Sometimes there ends up being some drama that wasn't quite scripted but gets plenty of a show's attention. That's exactly what has happened with Guy Ritchie's attempt at the long form of television/streaming. This one has to do with the cast. It's a pretty big deal ... unless it isn't. Mobland has had some of the best streaming numbers in the history of Paramount +, but that's not what brought it to the attention of the news cycle. There has always been talk that Tom Hardy is a difficult actor to deal with. The talk was intense after Mad Max Fury Road when Charlize Theron made some accusations and will reportedly be unwilling to work with him again. No one really gave it much mind, because feuds happen in this business all of the time. But when word came out that Hardy was being fired for the upcoming third season of Mobland, it was noticed.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 10th, 2026
"Space ... the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. Its 5-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before!"
Star Trek: The Original Series finally makes it to high definition. If you’re anything like me, you’ve been waiting for this day for what seems like centuries. They’re here. One of the best features about this set is the multi-angle option. Remember how we were promised all of this control way back when DVD’s first hit the market? We got the same promises when Blu-ray arrived, but we weren’t going to hold our breath. Hey, I still have a red, yellow, blue, and green button on my Blu-ray remote. What are they ever going to be good for? Anyway, we finally have a use for the angle button. You can use it to toggle between the new digital f/x Paramount recently created for the show, or you can watch the original f/x if you’d rather. With that button you now have the ability to toggle between the two. Through the use of branching technology you can go between them as often as you like and never stop the show.
