Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on April 7th, 2024
"The world is changing."
Maybe not as fast as you might think. It was the first days of summer 1976, and The Omen joined a crowded decade of satanical films that started with Rosemary's Baby in 1968 and following through The Exorcist in 1973, and by 1976 it was time for the ol’ Antichrist himself to be born in The Omen. All three of these became classic films. The Omen went on to have a couple of sequels that saw Damien, the Antichrist himself, grow up into Sam Neil and attempt to use his great political power to fulfil the Biblical prophesies of the End Days. It didn't work out so much for Damien, and Sam Neil ... well ... he went on to fight some dinosaurs in a little island park attraction called Jurassic Park. The franchise has been idle for decades, and when I heard it was going to be revised with a prequel called The First Omen? Let's just say my Spidey senses were tingling, and I was more worried about a cash grab that would really have very little to do with the first film and likely become a forgettable chapter in the whole business. I couldn't have been more wrong. The fact is that The First Omen is a pretty wonderful film on its own, but it doesn't stop there. The film pays high honor to the original film, and while not shot on film, it was shot with care to make it all feel like it has a connection to the earlier works not only in theme and subject, but in texture. It wouldn't hurt to take a look at The Omen first, but it's not necessary. This is a completely standalone film that pays off pretty nicely at the end if you are indeed familiar with the 1976 film.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 19th, 2024
"There is a doorway in the universe. Beyond it is the promise of truth. It demands we question everything we have ever been taught. The evidence is all around us. We are not alone. We have never been alone."
Ever since Eric von Daniken released his speculative book and its subsequent 1970 film Chariots of the Gods, there has been an entire field of study created around something commonly called Ancient Astronaut Theory, the idea that extraterrestrials have visited many of our ancient civilizations. The theory continues that these visitors had a hand in shaping our development, whether it be through technology or even manipulation of our very DNA. These believers point to a world of evidence to support their claims. There are tons of images from earlier civilizations that could certainly be interpreted as depicting modern devices, concepts, or even spacemen. There is plenty of speculation that some of the knowledge and accomplishments of these peoples could not have been possible without some outside interference. There are even those who believe that aliens best explain our religious beliefs and that God himself was/is an extraterrestrial being. Whatever your own beliefs on the subject, there are certainly some fascinating points to be made. There is no question that the speculations and observations bring up some interesting queries that deserve our attention. This series attempts to document much of this evidence and the beliefs these findings have inspired.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 14th, 2024
"You know your weapons. It's a lever-action breech-loader. Usual barrel length's thirty inches. This one has an extra four. It's converted to use a special forty-five caliber, hundred-and-ten-grain metal cartridge, with a five-hundred-forty-grain paper patch bullet. It's fitted with double-set triggers, and a Vernier sight, marked up to twelve-hundred yards. This one shoots a mite further."
It almost happened again. Lightning almost hit Tom Selleck for a second time, and I don't mean in a good way. Tom Selleck was having fun and a tremendous amount of success playing Magnum P.I. on television. It was a character he got on the strength of a recurring character on The Rockford Files, and it was a huge hit. But in 1981 it didn't seem so much like a blessing. Casting calls went out, and he was approached to play an archaeologist trying to beat the Nazis to some kind of a McGuffin or another. The Magnum commitment kept him from taking the role, and it went to Harrison Ford, who turned it iconic. But Selleck still had Magnum. Then a few years later he was approached to play an American sharpshooter in the Aussie Outback but once again had to turn the role down. That was 1984, and Warner Brothers was working on a John Hill script called Quigley Down Under. There were some delays, and the film ended up leaving Warner Brothers for MGM and losing director Lewis Gilbert for Simon Wincer. With that kind of turnaround issues, the film took until nearly 1990 to go into production. By then Magnum was off the air, and he checked in on that film again to find it had a new staff and new life, and yes, it was still available. Selleck finally got his swashbuckling part, but it's really more Pale Rider (Eastwood) than Indiana Jones, and the new director would later know more than a little bit about Indiana Jones when he went on to direct several episodes of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. He would also return to the outback with the last Crocodile Dundee film, so this ended up being one heck of a circle. And in 1990 we got to check out Quigley Down Under.
Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on March 1st, 2024
"Consider what you are about to do."
I first read Frank Herbert's initial Dune book back in the mid 1970's. I was introduced to one of the most complicated and extraordinary universes of literature I have still ever encountered. It's a masterpiece followed by several more books over the years that have more completely brought this world to life. The material's cinematic journey as been somewhat less captivating and quite a disappointment. The 1984 David Lynch film was a train wreck and quite possibly one of the greatest film failures in history. Since then a lot has changed. Today computer-generated images have progressed to the point that with enough money and artistic expertise a filmmaker can depict anything the mind can conceive. Images have become photorealistic, and the worlds of Herbert's Dune universe can finally be brought to the silver screen with almost no limitations. But is that enough? In 2021 Denis Villeneuve gave us the first film in an expected trilogy. Would he be able to capture literature lightning in a bottle in the same way Peter Jackson brought to life the Middle Earth worlds of Tolkien? It was a bit of a strange time. The world was hit with a pandemic that brought our lives to a standstill, and people were finally looking to be coaxed back into the multiplexes ... and they came. Dune delivered an exciting new experience, but it wasn't quite up to par in my book. The film was far too involved in exposition. The characters talked a lot more than they did ... anything. So I was a bit unimpressed even in the face of the technological marvel that the film certainly was. Now it's Part II, and the chances of the trilogy getting a conclusion depends heavily on what happens here. So what does happen here?
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 5th, 2024
Taylor Sheridan is back at it again. You have to admire the ever-growing body of work he's brought to the television/streaming screens. He's really the first one to dominate that landscape the way the likes of Dick Wolf and Steven Bochco have dominated our network television screens for decades. As a writer I often find him a little weak in plots and overall storytelling. But what he does very well is world-building and creating authentic and compelling characters. He did it with the likes of Kevin Costner in Yellowstone. There's Jeremy Renner in The Mayor Of Kingstown and Sylvester Stallone in Tulsa King. He has the ability to bring the best actors to these projects because they know he's going to create something compelling and fun to watch. He talked Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren into doing the awesome Yellowstone spinoff 1923. Once again Sheridan has put together a top-notch cast and put them into authentic environments that we just can't look away from. This time he's bringing those talents to the military and the special forces kind of series. The result is Special Ops: Lioness, and it's another winner.
Zoe Saldana plays Joe, a special forces expert who is in charge of a program called Operation: Lioness. She works with her own rapid-response team in the Middle East where she fights terrorists from the inside. She recruits women to get close to a target and pretty much set them up for a surgical strike. As the series begins, we discover there's a downside to her work. One of her operatives failed to disclose a tattoo she had, and Joe didn't verify the fact. It led to her Lioness becoming compromised, and she had to make the horrible choice of launching missiles against the location, killing her operative. She's deep in guilt, but the show must go on. There's another target on the list, and she has to recruit a new Lioness.
Posted in: Podcasts by Gino Sassani on January 27th, 2024
Every now and then we talk about books on this site. It's rare, and it really has to be something I'm interested in reading. You see, a book takes up far more of my time than any single film. We get solicited at least once a week. Once in a while something will look interesting enough for me to give it a try. And once in a while the book turns out to be more than worth my while, and I'll want to talk to the author and share that with all of you. Such is the case with The Execution, Life & Times Of Patrick O'Donnell by Gavin O'Donnell. The book is part historical and part fancy. Most of all, it's 100% entertaining. It was a quick and easy read and left me thinking all the way up to the end. I can't recommend the tome to you enough. Read it. You're going to learn a few things. I promise you're going to be talking about it. I got to talk to the man behind the words. Now you get to hear what he had to say. Bang it here to eavesdrop on my conversation with Gavin O'Donnell all the way from the UK: Gavin O'Donnell.
Once you've heard the interview, make sure you hit the link to your right and pick up a copy for yourself.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 24th, 2024
If you're a fan of some of the old almost-forgotten films, then you're a fan of Film Masters. For a few years now they've been digging up a lot of these old "classics" and spending the time and resources to give them the full 4K restoration treatment. It appears that lately they've had their sights on some of the early films from The Filmgroup, which of course is the moviemaking machine of Roger Corman. Corman became the king of making quality low-budget films that almost always made at least a little money. In the 1960's and 1970's you could watch these wonderful budget horror and science fiction films doubled up at your local drive-in theaters. I certainly have memories of those days, and they were completely made up of Roger Corman or Hammer films. Corman gave their first break to some of the biggest names in the filmmaking industry: Francis Ford Coppola, James Cameron, Joe Dante, Peter Bogdanovich, Martin Scorsese, Jack Nicholson and Ron Howard. They all got their first breaks directing films in what has become known as The Roger Corman Film School. Thanks to Film Masters, we have a couple of those golden oldies on Blu-ray looking better than they ever did before. This time our double feature presents The Devil's Partner and Creature From The Haunted Sea. Let's take a look at what's inside, shall we?
"A town terrified by an unknown killer, and the killer hunt is on. Is it the village belle or her sweetheart? Is it the beloved doctor or the town drunk? Could it be the accomodating waitress or the stranger? Whoever the stranger is, he's raising the Devil in town. The Devil's Partner is busy, too. A blood-marked trail will take you into shocking terror. Half man/half beast, he sold his soul to the Devil."
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 19th, 2024
"You are now the property of Erewhon Prison. A citizen of nowhere. The Geneva Convention is void here; Amnesty International doesn't know we exist. When I say your ass belongs to me, I mean exactly that."
I am a huge John Woo fan, especially his earlier classics like Hard Boiled. I’ll admit it’s been several years since I last seen Face/Off, but I don’t have a reason why, as I remember really liking this movie then. At either rate now I have a copy of the movie to call my own, and a special two disc release at that. Let’s just hope that it is what I remember, but as a big fan of Nick Cage I don’t think I’ll be let down. In order to catch him, he must become him. I couldn’t put it any better myself, Face/Off tells quite the eccentric story of revenge, devotion, and of course crime. Sean Archer (John Travolta, Wild Hogs) is an extremely devoted FBI agent, obsessed with catching terrorist Castor Troy (Nicholas Cage, Ghost Rider). Several years earlier Troy killed Archer’s son, since then it’s been his goal in life to put Troy to justice. He gets the opportunity one day when Troy ends up in a coma after boasting about a massive terrorist attack he has planned on Los Angeles.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 17th, 2024
"I know what you're thinking. "Pain is coming. Will I take it like a man?" Well, let me put you at ease. You won't -- but none of them do. Men, women, children, they all weep, they all beg, they pass out, they piss themselves, they attempt negotiation. You wouldn't believe how many men I've seen lying right where you're lying right now, grown men with wives and children at home, offering all kinds of sexual gratification for a five-minute reprieve. It's pathetic."
Suspect Zero follows the contradictory teacher/student relationship between serial killer Benjamin O’Ryan (Ben Kingsley) and FBI Agent-in-Pursuit Tom Mackelway (Aaron Eckhart, sporting as much chin as Bruce Campbell). O’Ryan is a tormented refugee of a government program to tap psychic powers for military intelligence, and Mackelway is a borderline-rogue agent, tormented by visions and headaches. Without letting slip any spoilers, the movie sees O’Ryan draw their paths together in pursuit of justice for himself, his victims, and Mackelway.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 24th, 2023
Every family has their holiday traditions. Christmas is probably the king of family traditions. We all have our favorite Christmas songs and our favorite foods and methods of celebrating. A part of that has long been the Christmas movie. I'm talking about those films that somehow represent the spirit of the time of year, and not merely movies that take place during Christmas time. Yeah, John McClain, I'm talking about you. For me it's been A Christmas Story since its release in 1983. There are others high on the list for me. The Man Who Invented Christmas and It's A Wonderful Life along with almost every version of the Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol all have a special place in my heart. But none of them come close to Ralphie's quest for a Red Ryder air rifle. Jean Shepherd's In God We Trust All Others Pay Cash is as classic a slice of Americana as Norman Rockwell paintings or summer picnics and fireworks. The tale told in A Christmas Story is only a small part of that book, but it's just Christmas to me and always shall be.
It's 1973, and the boy who wanted that Red Ryder air rifle has grown with children of his own. It's been a big year for the adult Ralphie (Billingsly) who has been given a year by his wife Sandy (Hayes) to quit his job and write that great American novel. As Christmas approaches, his year is nearly up. If he can get the novel picked up before the year ends, he can keep writing. If not, it's back to the salt mines he goes. What he's written is a too-long science fiction nightmare, and he's on his final publisher. He remains the same Ralphie who once brought his teacher a huge fruit basket to bribe her to reward his theme with a good grade and hopefully align herself in the pro-air-rifle brigade. This time it's premium bottles of booze, but the results haven't changed. Ralphie has been foiled again, and time is running out. It sure seems like the more things change, the more they stay the same.
