Posted in: News and Opinions by Gino Sassani on August 29th, 2012
We closed out another month of contests and here's to the winners:
The Jodi Picoult Collection - Ron Crouch
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 28th, 2012
"This is where society dumps its worst nightmares."
In 1978 John Carpenter created a landmark horror film in Halloween. While it certainly can't be called the first slasher film, it was absolutely the first commercially successful slasher movie and set up the pattern that we're still following today. Carpenter created a new kind of Hollywood monster: the mindless human-shaped killing machine. Michael Myers with his William Shatner rubber mask would eventually give birth to the likes of Jason and Freddy.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 28th, 2012
"They should ban Halloween in this town."
By the time we got to the 5th installment of the Halloween film franchise, there might have been fans thinking it might be time to ban its sequels. Even the return of young Danielle Harris and Donald Pleasence couldn't save this train wreck of a movie. It ranks as the worst of all 10 Halloween films at the box office and has been conveniently forgotten by the fans of the franchise. Yes, it even made less money than Season Of The Witch. It looks like we're about to be reminded of just how horrible horror can really be.
Posted in: Random Fun by Gino Sassani on August 27th, 2012
ABC’s popular thriller Revenge follows the story of Emily Thorne [played by Emily VanCamp], a new arrival in the Hamptons. By all appearances, Emily is a friendly and sophisticated ‘girl next door’, whose disarming charm and generosity allow her seamless access to the restricted circles of Hamptons’ high society. But the affluent, exclusive world she’s immersed herself in is tied to a dark family history, and Emily Thorne is anything but what she seems. When Emily was just nine years old, her father was framed for a horrific crime by neighbors he trusted, and was sentenced to life in prison. Emily never saw her father again and spent her childhood consumed by rage, loss and betrayal.
Now, 17 years later, she has returned under an assumed identity with one endgame: REVENGE. Emily’s goal is unwavering, and her sharp mind is always five steps ahead. However, when her past begins to catch up, her true heart may get caught in the crossfire as she prepares to battle with Victoria and Conrad Grayson [played by Madeleine Stowe and Henry Czerny]; the high-brow Hamptons couple that hide many of the secrets about the events that destroyed Emily’s life.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 27th, 2012
When you see a cast that includes names like Robert DeNiro and Forest Whitaker, you have justifiable high expectations for a solid experience. Add 50 Cent to the mix and past experience will tell you that not even a teaming of Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino can save the picture. The rapper-turned-actor has certainly found himself cast with enough Academy Award power that the transition should have been more successful than it has been. The fact is that 50 Cent hasn't appeared to have learned anything from rubbing elbows with so many Oscar statues. Freelancers is another example of a bad actor bringing down considerably better talent to a less than mediocre range.
Malo (50 Cent) is a street kid who has had a few scrapes with the law growing up. He's a child of the streets, but he and two of his street friends managed to clean up their lives enough to enter the police academy. Now he's graduated and following in his dead father's footsteps. He's immediately taken under the wing of his father's old partner Captain Joseph Sarcone (DeNiro). Suddenly he skips directly to plainclothes and introduced to his "birthright", a world of elite corrupt cops led by Sarcone.
Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on August 22nd, 2012
It did not surprise me at all to hear Dax Shepard admit in a recent interview that he loved Smokey And The Bandit. While there have been plenty of bad imitations, including a couple of misguided sequels, no one has really captured that special something that made Smokey And The Bandit comic gold. Now that's not to say that Hit And Run is a rip-off of Smokey And The Bandit. They are actually very different films. But there is an obvious homage element throughout that can't be ignored. The truth is, if you liked one, you're probably going to enjoy the other.
Charlie Bronson (Shepard) is living in a small rural town as part of the Witness Protection Program. He's been living with girlfriend Annie (Bell) who knows he's in the program but doesn't really know any of the details. He's "protected" by inept Marshall Randy (Arnold) who can't seem to contain those "accidental" discharges of his weapon or runaway incidents, not by a fugitive, but his own mini-van. They appear to have a good life together with a future until Annie is offered the job of a lifetime. She's offered a job to start the nation's first conflict resolution graduate program. But the job is in L.A., which is where Charlie's problems still live.
Posted in: Contests, Expired Contests by Gino Sassani on August 22nd, 2012
Our friends at A& E want to bring you some exciting Philadelphia Phillies action. It's The Essential Games Of The Philadelphia Phillies 4-disc DVD collection. Relive 4 of the team's most historic moments and even listen to the legendary Harry Kalas and his memorable radio broadcasts. It's the sights and sounds of classic Summers.
To win just follow these instructions.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 22nd, 2012
Sylvester Stallone has had his share of up and down films over the years. After suffering a bit of a career letdown in the 90's, he started the new millennium by tacking on wonderful codas for two of his most iconic characters. Both Rocky and Rambo benefited from superior sequels that brought some class and closure to the franchises. He's followed that feat with his love letter to action fans, The Expendables, and the second film in that franchise is hitting now. It's really no surprise that Lionsgate wants to get in on some of that comet ride and they've done it with a Blu-ray package of three Stallone films. The most obvious choice was First Blood, the film that launched the Rambo character. Not so obvious are Lock Up and Cop Land. Neither set fire to the box office but both really do deserve a second look. If you don't have any of these films in your collection, this is a pretty good deal.
First Blood (1982)
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 22nd, 2012
Even the best have a bad day. Look at the cover art for the Perry Mason Season 7 Volume 1 release and you'll see the unexpected newspaper headline: Burger Defeats Mason. No, this isn't a Dewy Defeats Truman grand mistake. It happened, and you get that very episode in this rather historic Perry Mason release. This is one you are absolutely going to want to have in the collection. No Mason fan should be caught dead without it.
Erle Stanley Gardner wrote crime fiction, and while many of his 100 or so works are unknown to most of us, he created a character who has become as identified with criminal lawyers as any other in fiction. It was in these crime novels that Perry Mason first faced a courtroom. He developed a style where he would investigate these terrible crimes his clients were on trial for. He would find the real killer, and in what has become a Hollywood cliché, reveal his findings in a crucial moment during the trial. While we may not remember the novels, we all remember the man in the persona of Raymond Burr. Burr had a commanding presence on our screens and enjoyed a well deserved 11-year run as the clever lawyer. What makes this run so amazing is that the show followed pretty much the same pattern the entire time. We always know what’s going to happen, but we wait eagerly for that gotcha moment when Perry faces the witness on the stand. We know when he’s got the guy squarely in his sights, and we can’t sit still waiting for him to pull the trigger. OK, so maybe that’s a little over the top, but so was Perry Mason. From the moment you heard that distinctive theme, the stage was set. To say that Perry Mason defined the lawyer show for decades would be an understatement. Folks like Matlock and shows like The Practice are strikingly similar to Perry Mason. If you haven’t checked this show out, this is your chance. See where it all began.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 21st, 2012
The show differs in several ways from NCIS or JAG. While LA is still a military show, that angle is downplayed here. The atmosphere for the team is more civilian-looking all the way around. There are seldom folks walking around in uniforms. The operations utilize more of the standard surveillance and undercover work. In the back-door pilot, the leader of the group was an agent who had history with Gibbs. Her name was Macy, and she was played by CSI alum Louise Lombard, who was gone when the series premiered in its own right. Later we are told she was killed. There's a lot more street work to be found here. That means car chases and lots of shootouts. The cases often deal with terrorists, so these guys break a lot of the rules. They don't let any silly Constitution stand in their way.
The role of head honcho went to Linda Hunt as Hetty. You might remember her as one of the prominent judges from The Practice. She plays a character with a rich back story. She appears to have once been a Hollywood costume designer and has plenty of stories about the big celebrities she knew, and hints at sleeping with. She's a strong mother hen for the group, both nurturing and demanding. The lead undercover officer is Callen, played by former Batman sidekick Robin, Chris O'Donnell. He doesn't know his first name, only that it starts with a G. He's a little Jason Bourne. He knows little of his own past but has those mad instincts and ability to think on his feet. He was orphaned and has some security issues. He moves a lot, never staying in one home more than three months. He's a natural undercover with great instincts that allow him to blend into any situation. His partner is Sam Hanna, played by rapper LL Cool J. He's a former Navy Seal with the brains to go with all of that bulk. The team also includes Kensi Bly, played by Daniela Ruah, who was born in the US but spent most of her acting career on Portuguese television shows. She's the prerequisite supermodel that it seems every cop show has to have. Fortunately, she also has solid acting chops. The character is the CSI-styled forensic expert on the team. She's the one who combs the crime scenes for those hidden clues. In season 2 her former partner Nate Getz, played by Peter Cambor, leaves the show. He is replaced by LAPD liaison Marty Deeks, played by Eric Christian Olsen. The two have better chemistry than Kensi had with Nate. There's the expected sexual tension and a lot of banter that keeps the partnership interesting. Eric Beal, played by Barrett Foa, is the tech guy of the group. He does all of that computer hacking that every show does these days. He also has a partner, of sorts. Nell Jones is played by Renee Felice Smith. She's a bright young rising star who has a lot of the same tech knowledge that Eric has.
