Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 9th, 2013
When one thinks of The Dick Van Dyke Show it's hard not to think of its star Dick Van Dyke. After all, it's his name on the opening credits, and he does play the lead character in this groundbreaking television comedy. There's little question that the show became a wonderful vehicle for his many comedic talents. But the genius behind the show wasn't really Dick Van Dyke at all. It was Carl Reiner (yes, Meathead's father) who is the true brains behind the show.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 4th, 2013
"Life's A Long Song"
That has certainly been true for the iconic British invasion band, Jethro Tull. Their first album came out in 1968, and they made their maiden tour of The United States the next year as the opening act for Led Zeppelin. From that point on the band has experienced both ups and downs, to be sure. Still, they continue to play nearly 100 shows a year throughout the world. Jethro Tull: Around The World offers a peek at their traveling minstrel show over the span of 35 years from 1970 to 2005.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 2nd, 2013
And then there was only one. More than a decade after CSI began to spin itself off to Miami and then New York, the last standing series is the original. And while even the franchise flagship has undergone cast and even style changes, it remains a ratings winner and appears to maintain an appeal the other shows never could quite capture. Not that we can call either of these spinoff adventures a failure. Both saw pretty much a decade, which is far longer than 90% of television shows ever see
Posted in: Podcasts by Gino Sassani on July 1st, 2013
Most of you know Ricky Schroder. He was the child actor from Silver Spoons in the 1980''s. In the 1990's grew up fast and took on NYPD Blue. All along the way he has redefined his image. Now he's a family man. The entire Schroder clan has recently put together the Hallmark film Our Wild Hearts. The film stars Ricky, two sons, and his daughter Cambria in her first staring role. He co-wrote the film with wife Andrea and directed the movie. I recently had the opportunity to chat with him about his family and the latest film. Bang it here to listen in on my chat with Ricky Schroder
Posted in: Podcasts by Gino Sassani on June 29th, 2013
I got the chance recently to chat with Calvin Reeder. Reeder's a relative newcomer to the filmmaking game, and he certainly has developed his own storytelling style. The Rambler is his second feature-length film. Bang it here to listen to my chat with Calvin Reeder
Unfortunately, I must apologize for a series of beeps that interfere with the quality of the audio.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 26th, 2013
"My ears hear what others cannot hear; small faraway things people cannot normally see are visible to me. These senses are the fruits of a lifetime of longing, longing to be rescued, to be completed. Just as the skirt needs the wind to billow, I'm not formed by things that are of myself alone. I wear my father's belt tied around my mother's blouse, and shoes which are from my uncle. This is me. Just as a flower does not choose its color, we are not responsible for what we have come to be. Only once you realize this do you become free, and to become adult is to become free."
If you are a fan of director Chan-wook Park, you are used to the kinds of bizarre images and somewhat enigmatic story elements
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 25th, 2013
"The body is the proof. It will tell you everything you need to know if you just have the patience to look."
Body Of Proof was a mid-season entry by the network two years ago; it debuted at the end of March and ran for only nine episodes that year. It was renewed, so it had the opportunity to develop into something better than what it was. After a full season last year, it was decided to retool the show considerably for the third year. It was all an obvious sign that the show with so much potential was having trouble drawing in enough viewers to keep it alive. The end has finally come, and those last episodes are now available on DVD.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 24th, 2013
"Welcome to the wonderful world of magic."
They say that the hand is quicker than the eye. Through the art of misdirection and skillful manipulation we have been awed by magicians ever since Glog made Ooof's club disappear somewhere in Mesopotamia circa 20,000 BC. It's not all skill, really. The truth is we've always wanted to be fooled. We're begging for "magicians" to tamper with our sense of reality. I don't know how fast the hand happens to be, but today we're fooled at the speed of 24 frames per second (unless you happen to be Peter Jackson)
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 24th, 2013
“Midnight is the most evil part of the night. If someone dies at 23:59 hours, his soul will not rest in peace and will return to the mortal world.”
Every culture has its own set of ghost stories. They’re usually passed around very late at night by a group of very impressionable young people. That’s precisely where 23:59 — an atmospheric and thoroughly effective Malaysian/Singaporean horror flick — picks up, with a group of army recruits on an island training camp sitting around telling spooky tales. The only thing missing was the campfire.
Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on June 21st, 2013
The boys are back, and I only have one question. What the heck took so long? I have a lot of respect for Pixar and the groundbreaking films they've created over the last couple of decades, but I have to question someone's marketing good sense when they get a sequel to Cars out before anyone bothered to look towards what is arguably the studio’s best creation to date. For me it's all about Monsters, Inc. I hadn't fallen so hard for an animated film since The Lion King, and so I was thrilled when I got the invitation to graduate early from Monsters University.
