Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 16th, 2017
They know who you are. They know how you think. They have mastered the nuances of your language. Most important, they know exactly what it is you like to do in that little dark room you have tucked away in a corner of your home. They know all about that private little collection, and they know how you use it. It's not the NSA. They're an electronics company called Oppo, and if you are an audio-videophile like me, they know you cold. And the reason they pay so much attention to what you want is because they are committed to giving you the best home video player of any kind, hands down. I'm talking about the Oppo UDP-205. It's been only months since Oppo entered the world of UHD Blu-ray and they quickly dominated it. Now Oppo is already delivering what I consider a second generation (but not really) player before most companies have figured out their first players.
Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on July 14th, 2017
"All of human history has led to this moment. The irony is we created you. And nature has been punishing us ever since. This is our last stand. And if we lose... it will be a Planet of Apes."
I was always a fan of the original Planet Of The Apes series of films. While they often flirted with a camp style, I was impressed with John Chambers' makeup effects and the performances of Roddy McDowall as both Cornelius and Caesar.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 14th, 2017
"Freedom has a price. I died 7 years ago. Left behind a brother, a wife, a son, but the dead talk if you listen. They're there with you. Reaching out. Trying to tell us something. Because not all deaths are the same. Some are real. Some are a story. Question is: do you believe the story? Was the man who died who you thought he was? The dead talk. If you listen..."
The same can be said for dead series. Fox has been riding a wave of series revivals that have brought shows back from the dead in a limited-run event series format, and it has actually been doing well for the network
Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on July 6th, 2017
"If you're nothing without the suit, then you shouldn't have it."
Email hacks have taken over a big part of our nation's conversation in recent times. Lost in the election leaks is the fact that Sony executives were also hacked, with many embarrassing emails released on the internet. The result was that the Sony Spider-Man plans for an extended universe of their own fell victim to the reveals. Executives were out of jobs, and suddenly Marvel and Sony were at the negotiating table, and while Sony still retains certain film rights to the friendly neighborhood
Posted in: Podcasts by Gino Sassani on July 5th, 2017
The Candy Factory has been churning out the sweets of late. You must have noticed the many reviews we've had for the studios recent output. One of those films is the horror movie Wichita by first-time filmmakers Matthew D. Ward and Justyn Ah Chong. It's a claustrophobic thriller that combines a bit of cinema verite with serial killer character study. I had a chance to talk to the two filmmakers, and they were eager to share their experiences on the film. While the audio is a bit rough (cell phone conference call) it's worth a listen, to be sure.
Bang it here to listen in on my chat with The Boys
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 3rd, 2017
"What have you been up to in your little zoo?"
It appears that we have been due for one of those untold stories amid the many tales of courage and bravery both fact and fiction, real and imagined, that have been told of the World War II era. There have been plenty of the battlefield hero films that include last year's exceptional Hacksaw Ridge from Mel Gibson. Then there are the quiet and unlikely heroes. These are people who did incredible things that were often unknown during the war and often even after it was all over. Schindler's List has become the gold standard for these kinds of emotional war movies. The Zookeeper's Wife is set in the mold of that kind of a film, telling essentially that very kind of tale.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 28th, 2017
"I believe you. Trust me. Listen, you know what, we're gonna help you. You understand? You've served your time."
We've all served 12 years together. Bones has proven itself to be the little show that could. While it has never been exactly a ratings superstar, the show pulled in quite a loyal fanbase that kept it on the air for a surprising 12-year run. There were few years the show didn't finish on the bubble, and they were starting to wrap up everything last year in what was going to be the last. The characters actually went different ways but were brought back together for a shortened Season 12 encore.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 23rd, 2017
If there is a television series in the history of the industry as American or timeless as The Andy Griffith Show, I haven't seen it. You'd be hard-pressed to find someone with strong negative feelings about the series. It was one of those organic and comfortable productions that reached deep into the core of rural America. Even if we lived in a bustling city, there were aspects of the show that still rang true. It was populated with the kind of familiar faces so that it wasn't hard for anyone in the audience to smile in remembrance of a character they've known in real life. And even after 50 years, the series still speaks to that certain aspect of the friendly small southern town. A lot of the credit for that peaceful easy feeling must be credited to the titular star Andy Griffith himself.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 22nd, 2017
"You wanted me back. I'm back."
Keanu Reeves has enjoyed somewhat of a career renaissance thanks in no small part to the success of John Wick in 2014. There he teamed up with some stunt friends of his going back to The Matrix, and together they brought a new action hero to the screen that was as much graphic novel as it was action film. It would become the directing debut of the stunt team of Stahelski and David Leitch. Along with their action star, everyone stuck to what they knew and refused to overcomplicate the whole thing.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 21st, 2017
"Going on down to South Park and meet some friends of mine."
After 20 years or more, they really do feel like friends. I've known Cartman, Stan, Kyle, and Kenny longer than most real people in my life. Only the Simpsons have been around longer these days. Over those years, South Park has always been a series of stories that rarely connect with each other in any significant way. There have been multi-part episodes, and certain experiences have come back up over the years. Still, we're talking about a universe where killing Kenny had become a running joke and happened pretty much in every episode.
