Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 14th, 2023
"Do you give people hope? Are you moving through your city like a guardian angel? Do you make a difference? That bolt of lightning chose you. Don't ever forget it."
There's one thing about being the fastest man alive. You get to the end faster than anyone else ... the finish line, if you will. But not so for Barry Allen, best known in the world of comic books as The Flash. When Arrow debuted back in 2012, no one could have foreseen where it was all going to lead. Greg Berlanti and a few others had created what we all thought was just another comic book hero television show. The Green Arrow wasn't one of the better known heroes, but he was part of the Justice League for many years, and he had a rather interesting origin story that could be told over the longer form of a television series. But it didn't end there. Within a couple of years we had Supergirl, Batwoman, The Legends Of Tomorrow, and, of course The Flash. All of these shows became quickly interconnected, and within another couple of years we all looked forward to a huge crossover event that would involve the casts and crew of all of these shows. These events usually involved some kind of a "crisis" and spread the story out over the various shows themselves. Now Arrow has ended, and the other shows are all gone as well. The Flash was the last hero standing, and that's as it should be, because it was also the best of the shows. Still, all good things come to an end, and after nine seasons, Barry Allen and Team Flash are finally coming to an end. But how can you do something epic when you're the last show standing? You do a crossover all within the confines of your own show and say goodbye with a bang. The final season of The Flash has certainly done that and more. Warner Brothers is now bringing it to a close by releasing the final season of The Flash on Blu-ray, and it's the last one you're going to get, so make sure you savor it a bit. I did.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 24th, 2023
Anna May Wong might be one of Hollywood's biggest stars that most film fans have never heard of. Thanks to KL Studio Classics, you now have the opportunity to get to know the actress a little better and sample three of her films. For those of you who take the time to add this to your collection, you won't be disappointed. She's not the kind of name who appears in many conversations these days, but she left behind a body of work that is more impressive than many of the golden era names you do know. Her real name was Wong Liu Tsong, and she appeared in about 50 films from 1920 in the Silent Era until about 1950 when she made her way to television screens for another 16 years, appearing in such hit shows as Mike Hammer with Darren McGavin and I Spy with Robert Culp and Bill Cosby. In the Silent Era she was frustrated that she had been typecast in the typical, often stereotypical roles of Asian women and left Hollywood for Europe where she continued to be disappointed. Throughout her career she went back and forth between Europe and America and even toured China for several years. While she fought to get prominent parts, she was often thwarted by her heritage and ended up in mostly budget films throughout her career. But these budget films have found their way back to the surface, and you get to catch three of them here.
"Nobody disobeys me. My word is law. I am king of this river. They are all savages, but they are like little children, and I know how to handle them. I will say, 'I am your king so back to the jungle. Let peace return to the river.'"
Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on August 19th, 2023
"Batman's a fascist!"
Let's address the elephant in the room, shall we? Hello there, big guy. How ya doing? There now let's continue. I have to tell you it was hard to get motivated to watch Blue Beetle. I didn't want to like it, and I wanted to try to watch it without letting myself get too involved in the whole thing. This had nothing to do with the character. I know little about him and have only read a few comics featuring the character, mostly the Ted Kord character along with his buddy Booster Gold. But none of this had anything to do with my reluctance on the part of the film. It's Warner Brothers/DC and James Gunn. All we've been hearing lately is how this new regime is going to change EVERYTHING. It all starts with the upcoming Superman film, and everything we see before then is merely filler, I guess. Yes, the Snyderverse had a ton of issues, and I'm frankly glad to see it go away. But the franchise had some solid moments and pretty strong characters and actors starting with Gal Gadot as a powerfully compelling Wonder Woman. Yeah, the second movie sucked, but that had nothing to do with the actress or the character. I should be looking forward to Jason Momoa in the next Aquaman film. I'm currently watching old Stargate: Atlantis episodes and just can't believe how far the actor has come. And I guess the final straw was the dismissal of Henry Cavill as Superman. He's the best Superman since Christopher Reeve, and Gunn is throwing the baby out with all of that bath water. So why should I care about anything Blue Beetle has to offer? Yes, he hinted that the character will likely return, and even with the same actor, but none of this story will likely make it to the other side. I ask again, why should I care about anything Blue Beetle has to offer? The short answer is because there's actually a lot of heart here, and I now kind of feel bad for all of these guys. So let's just pretend that Gunn isn't even here, and try and enjoy a pretty good film just for what it is.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 18th, 2023
"It's always open season on princesses."
Roman Holiday is one of those classic films that had an extremely hard time getting made. Frank Capra had the rights to the story for several years. Most of what he had was based on a screenplay by Dalton Trumbo, but that was extremely problematic, as Trumbo was one of the original Hollywood Ten and was blacklisted. They were a group of Hollywood people who refused to answer questions before the Joe McCarthy-led House Un-American Activities Committee that was pretty much rooting out communist with little regard to whether they were there or not. The committee ruined thousands of lives, and in 1947 the group had turned their attention toward Hollywood. Many played along by attending the hearings, and some even passed on names of others to avoid trouble for themselves. The Hollywood Ten stood up to the madness, and it got them blacklisted. They couldn't work for any studio in the country. That meant Trumbo could not be given credit for his screenplay, and it was Ian McLellan Hunter who acted as a beard for Trumbo and took the credit and sold the rights to Frank Capra, who planned on directing the film with Gary Cooper and Elizabeth Taylor in 1949. By then at least eight other writers took shots at revisions, and the piece truly suffered under the "too many cooks" situation. The budget appeared to skyrocket, and Capra ended up selling it to Paramount for $35,000. Paramount also spent too much money and time going through various rewrites. Finally the project ended up with William Wyler, who went back to pretty much the script that Trumbo wrote under Hunter's name, and in 1991, Trumbo's writing credit was deservedly restored.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 17th, 2023
"In northern California, the Santa Lucia Mountains, dark and brooding, stand like a wall between the peaceful agricultural town of Salinas and the rough-and-tumble fishing port of Monterey, fifteen miles away It's 1917 just outside of Monterey."
James Dean was somewhat of a brief candle. Very much like Marylin Monroe, he came upon Hollywood so bright and hot only to burn for a short time. And while Norma Jean had a few good years in which to shine, Dean would have less than a handful. In those few years he made three incredible films. His last was Giant, and before that was perhaps his best known, Rebel Without A Cause. East Of Eden was the first of this trilogy of films that would pretty much make up the career of James Dean. All three films were made in the years 1955-1956, and just as suddenly as Dean had come upon the scene, billed as the next Marlon Brando, he was gone. One car ride into eternity and it was all over just as it had begun: Explosive and brief. Through Warner Brothers 100 years of movies restoration and release celebration, we have already seen and reviewed Giant and Rebel Without A Cause. Now the trilogy is complete in the place where it began: Elia Kazan's masterpiece, East Of Eden.
Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on August 16th, 2023
Been waiting on this one for some time, ever since we were introduced to the character in the Justice League movie and it was announced that the film would cover the Flashpoint Paradox storyline, which is one of my favorite comic storylines. My enthusiasm was tempered a bit with the film being delayed and the actor’s subsequent troubles (for the purposes of staying on the topic at hand, that will be my only mention of that situation). However, it is finally here, and after viewing it I can say that it was well done and well received. It is also a bit bittersweet, as it signifies the conclusion of the DCEU as we know it. While I have complete confidence that the future of DC is safe in James Gunn’s hands, it is difficult to say farewell to the only thing that we’ve known since Cavill first donned the suit. Back on topic: in my opinion, while this adaptation does have some slight deviations from the source material, I can confidently say that the film does the source material justice (pun intended).
Speaking of justice, The Flash served as a mini Justice League reunion, as several prominent members of the previous film make cameo appearances. Affleck’s reprisal as Bruce Wayne/Batman is well known given his inclusion in the film’s promotional material. He attempts to act as a voice of reason for Barry, cautioning him about the dangers of time travel. In this respect, Affleck was in top form and fully embodies the mentor role for Barry. He drops some real gems, most notably about the responsibility that comes with gifts and that the cost of their gifts are their tragic pasts. While his role in the film is minimal, Affleck casts a large shadow. The other cameos I won’t spoil, as both took me by surprise, and I want the same for those who intend to see the movie.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 14th, 2023
"Hello. My name is Robert Montague Renfield. And just like these decent folks, I'm in a destructive relationship. When I met him, I was a real estate lawyer hoping to make a deal that would change my life and my family's lives forever. Oh, and it certainly did."
After nearly 90 years, the Universal horror cycle stands as one of the most enduring collection of horror movies today. Their influence on modern horror is unmistakable. There have been literally thousands of incarnations of Dracula, the Wolf Man, and Frankenstein's Monster, but the first image that comes to your mind will always be the nightmare creations of those Universal films. Studio head Carl Laemmle, Jr. was trying to break away from his father's control and create a studio culture of his own. The results would start in 1931 when an unknown Hungarian actor named Bela Lugosi jumped from the stage to the screen in Dracula, directed by Tod Browning. Laemmle's niece, Carla Laemmle, is the girl in the coach headed for Borgo Pass as the film opens to the musical strains from Swan Lake. She is reading a travel brochure about vampires and thus speaks the very first lines ever spoken in a horror film in the era of sound. Lugosi was mesmerizing, and the film was a hit. There was a depression on, but that didn't stop crowds from lining up around theater blocks to be hypnotized by Lugosi's Dracula. The cycle of horror films that followed literally saved the studio from bankruptcy by the time it had all come to an end, and the horror baton was passed along to England's House of Hammer. Since then Universal hasn't really known exactly what to do with these prize IP's.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 11th, 2023
“In the 1940’s, a new genre – film noir – emerged from the world of hard-boiled pulp magazines, paperback thrillers, and sensational crime movies. These films, tough and unsentimental, depicted a black and white universe at once brutal, erotic, and morally ambiguous.”
Film Noir officially started in the 40’s, but the movement was well underway by the early 30’s. You can trace its roots to the Great Depression and the arrival of the dime pulp magazines. These were highly stylized, mostly mystery stories that provided cheap escapism for the masses who were not having a good time of it. Writers like Raymond Chandler crafted the mold that was easily transferred to the silver screen. These were low-budget films that were intended to be second billing with the more mainstream releases. They were shot quickly. Many have a very flat look, created intentionally. The lighting was often minimal, crafting odd shadows and unusual textures. The dialog wasn’t intended to be natural or realistic. These characters usually spoke in clichés and had names like Mac, Griff, or Dollface. There was often a shade of gray to these characters. Good and evil were not always so clear-cut. Gangsters became common themes of the genre. And while the dialog might have been cheesy, the cinematography was often gritty and almost ultra-realistic. At times the films played out like documentaries, often including narration. The narrator would always be a voice of authority; often film-reel stars were used. The films were heavily influenced by German Expressionism, perfected by the likes of Fritz Lang in the silent era and carried over to more modern themes. The films always contained a steady supply of stock characters and actors. It was smoky rooms and neon lights. It was a reflection on the times. It was Film Noir.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 11th, 2023
"There ain't any jail of steel or stone that can hold a body prisoner as tight as one built of old age ... and lack of money."
If I Had A million is a rare kind of film for 1932. The industry was barely out of the silent era, and stories needed to be tight and usually short. Short was the word of the day for this film. It became the first feature film to be released as an anthology with plenty of A-list stars and several directors, each taking on their own little piece of the pie. It was a rather brilliant idea for the time, but sadly this style of filmmaking wouldn't really start to catch on until the 1970's, starting almost exclusively with horror films and later creating its own little niche genre in mainstream filmmaking. It's still somewhat popular today with directors like Wes Anderson embarrassing certain elements of the format. It was a brave choice that wasn't quite rewarding enough to see the format flourish ... yet. This is the perfect film for all of you with short attention spans who want to get a taste of the films of the period. It's a nice collection of stars from the period, to be sure. KL Studios adds this awkward little gem on Blu-ray, and I must insist that you give it a try. You just might have a great time with it all.
Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on August 9th, 2023
"Of all the threats you've faced from your past and future, you've never faced anything like this."
In 2018 the Transformers franchise began something of a ... well ... transformation. Michael Bay stepped down as the franchise director while maintaining a producer role. The focus also shifted from the continuing story started with the first film and transitioned to the idea of standalone films set within the general continuity established from the beginning. The new focus also allowed the films to go to different times in the mythology. So Bumblebee became more than just a Transformers film. It was a rather charming 1980's period piece and it was actually a better movie than some of the original run. That tradition is continued with Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. The film is rather loosely based on the Beasts Wars story from the early cartoons and takes us back, but a decade later than Bumblebee. Now we're in 1994, and a couple of your film favorites have returned for the next chapter in the Transformers legacy.
