Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 7th, 2016
"There's always room for improvement."
Banshee is one of those improbable plots that finds a way to pull us into the action all the while ignoring how unlikely any of this might really be. Of course, we do that all the time. It's certainly unlikely we're going to face a zombie apocalypse or run into a super-powered hero. That's a different kind of unlikely. This kind of real-world fantastic is usually a bit harder to accept. Credit folks like Allan Ball for keeping us engaged with some of the most entertaining sleight of hand on television.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 5th, 2016
Earlier for our Maude Review I talked about the All In The Family "coaching tree” and the number of spinoff that show produced. Maude was the first, but the most successful by far has to be The Jeffersons. The family moved into the house next door to Archie Bunker early in the first season of All In The Family. While Norman Leer always intended Sherman Hemsley to play Archie's black nemesis, the actor wasn't available for the role. Thinking ahead, the show introduced another actor as Uncle Henry to spar with Archie for a while. The son Lionel would also change actors over the years. There is no doubt that when Hemsley finally appeared as George Jefferson, the chemistry between him and Carroll O'Connor was instant magic.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 5th, 2016
"NYPD BLUE wishes to dedicate its season to the memory of the New York City police and firefighters who sacrificed their lives on September 11th, 2001. Their heroism will never be forgotten, and we extend our deepest sympathies to their families and loved ones."
As NYPD Blue entered its ninth season, there were tragic circumstances both on the screen and in real life. On the show Andy's former partner Danny Sorenson ends up dead, and in the real world New York City experiences the devastating events of 9/11. Both are addressed as the season opens.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 4th, 2016
When you see the name Kiefer Sutherland and Jon Cassar together, you might well expect that you're going to get another helping of the popular television series 24. There Sutherland made a pretty big name for himself in the television landscape as the gritty and "get it done" cop Jack Bauer. In the director's chair for a good many of those episodes was Jon Cassar, who also shared executive producer duties on the long-running show. But you won't find the ticking-clock-modern world of Jack Bauer here. Instead you'll find a thoughtful western that actually avoids a lot of the genre-typical violence and delivers one of the better westerns I've seen in many years.
Posted in: Podcasts by Gino Sassani on April 2nd, 2016
She might very well be the hardest working actress I've ever had the pleasure of speaking to. One thing is for certain. Tanna Frederick has been a lucky charm for director/writer Henry Jaglom for several films now. I got a chance to see her in Ovation, which takes us back stage and inside show business. It's a natural place for Tanna, because she's got this love-affair thing going for the stage. It all game out in our friendly conversation. Bang it here to listen in on my chat with Tanna Frederick.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 30th, 2016
"From the chaos of the New York City streets rises a legion of visionary gangsters. Vicious killers and criminal geniuses determined to create their own version of the American Dream."
If you are looking for an actual documentary on the evolution of the mafia and famous Five Families of New York, this is absolutely a bad place to start. I'm a bit uneasy with AMC's use of the word documentary next to drama on this series. It pretty much follows the book The Last Testament Of Lucky Luciano by Martin A. Gosch and Richard Hammer.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 29th, 2016
For over 15 years the CSI franchise has been a solid stable of programming for the Eye Network. The original show blasted through all initial expectations and lasted for 15 years. CSI: Miami went on for a decade, and CSI: New York for a little over five years. Now the original has bowed out of the game, and after 30 years of seasons, the franchise's future hangs with newcomer CSI: Cyber. All dynasties eventually come to an end. Some pass quietly in the night. Others do so quite horribly. After watching the short 13 episode run of CSI: Cyber, I'm afraid it's the latter path for a once-brilliant franchise.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 29th, 2016
"A long time ago in a galaxy far far away..."
It sure does seem like it was a long time ago since Star Wars was actually very good. It doesn't matter if you thought Empire or Jedi was the last good film; few people that I've encountered mentioned the more recent trilogy in the same sacred breath as those original films. Star Wars gave us swashbuckler adventure in the spirit of the early serials. Then it was about a mythical epic story that swept a generation into its colorful universe. What George Lucas created in the late 1970's will never die. But before long it became more about the creator and less about engaging the fans. The attitude turned into "this is my franchise and I'll do whatever the heck I want to do with it."
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 29th, 2016
Perry Mason officially ended in May of 1966, but that wasn't going to be the end. Twenty years later the surviving cast members reunited for Perry Mason Returns. It was Perry and Della back together again. Both Raymond Burr and Barbara Hale returned to their roles. William Hopper had died in 1970, so William Katt joined the reunion as Paul Drake, Jr. Katt might not have really been Drake's son; he was Hale's son. When Katt left the films he was replaced by William R. Moses as Ken Malansky. Ken was a young law student helped by Perry once when he was framed in law school for a rival's murder. He ends up being both a legal assistant and investigator for Perry in the reunion films. The films also often starred James McEachin as Lt. Brock, the cop on many of the cases.
Posted in: Podcasts by Gino Sassani on March 28th, 2016
Quentin Tarantino might find himself in a controversy every now and then. But we're all waiting for the release of The Hateful Eight on Blu-ray this week. In the meantime I had a chance to talk to Dana Gourrier who plays Minnie Mink in the film. Minnie, of course owns everyone's favorite haberdashery. She was so kind and sweet I wish I had more time to chat with her, to be sure. Bang it here and you can listen in on my conversation with Dana Gourrier.
