Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 2nd, 2011
"Everybody here has become very rich, or else they are dead."
In 1964 things were very different from the way they are now. The Hollywood western movie was winding down. The genre had pretty much played itself out and was struggling to maintain even on television. Few people knew who Clint Eastwood was. He had a pretty sweet gig on the television series Rawhide but wasn't anywhere near a household name. Sergio Leone was a name almost no one had heard of. And there was no such thing as a Spaghetti Western. With the release of one very low budget film, all of those things changed practically overnight.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 2nd, 2011
"You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension -- a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You've just crossed over into the Twilight Zone."
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 1st, 2011
In many ways Cougar Town appears to be Friends 20 or more years later. It's not just the fact that the former Friends star Courtney Cox heads the call sheet on the new situation comedy. There are a ton of other elements that appear to tie the shows together. Like the old NBC show, the core of this show is a tight group of friends. They have a lot of the same kinds of adventures and conversations as the old gang used to have. The big difference here is that the adventures and the talk come from an older, if not more mature, perspective. They still talk a little too much about sex, except now the characters are in their 40's, so the tone of that conversation has changed up a bit. Call it a 40's version of Friends meets Sex And The City.
I actually hadn't been familiar with the term Cougar until recently. I listen to Minnesota sports radio so that I can keep up with the Vikings even here in Tampa. One of the hosts a year or so ago got in trouble at a club event when he referred to the ladies in the audience as Cougars. He later did a show segment where he was trying to find out from listeners if the term was an insult or not. The audience was divided, so I still don't know if most women in this position consider the term derogatory or not. It basically refers to a woman at least in her 40's who dates men younger than herself. But there does appear to be some controversy over the show's title. Apparently there was a rumor that the series was going to change its name for season 2. I'm not sure if the show's runners had seriously considered the move, but that doesn't stop them from having a blast with the idea. Each episode features a comic remark above the title. The remarks include: "It's okay to watch a show called..." or "Titles are hard".
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 1st, 2011
"It's a question we all ask ourselves. Do I trust the people who live next door? Will that couple across the street be there when I need them? Can I count on the woman who lives down the block? Yes, good neighbors are people we can rely on. But if we discover our neighbor can't be trusted, then it may be time to move."
What you can count on from the neighbors of Wisteria Lane is another season of secrets, betrayals, and fashionable housewives.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on August 31st, 2011
Congratulations to all of our August Contest winners.
Don’t forget we already have a ton of September Giveaways running right now.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 31st, 2011
"This is a picture of Walter Black, a hopelessly depressed individual who becomes The Beaver, who becomes a phenomenon."
When I first heard about this film, it was hard to keep the Mel Gibson story out of my mind. It almost seemed as if his casting was related to his off-screen situation. After all, this is a story of redemption, and there isn't anyone in Hollywood searching for that more than Mel Gibson. But as I watched the film, it became surprisingly easy to let go of that baggage and direct all of my attention to the performances and character delivered by the film. And while a lot of credit goes to Jodie Foster and her exceptional job of directing the film, the real credit belongs to Mel Gibson himself who creates a compelling character who you just can't take your eyes away from. It might be the best performance of his career, and it doesn't appear that very many people will ever see it. The film was never given a wide release. It never appeared on more than 200 screens for any given weekend and made less than $1 million at the box office. Unfortunately, I don't see it doing any better on video, and that's a bit of a shame, I think.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 30th, 2011
"He is the unique high-seas hero. A man of unshakable courage, unwavering principles, and extraordinary skill. Joining the Royal Navy at the outset of the bloody Napoleonic Wars, Horatio Hornblower rises quickly from new recruit to seasoned sailor, and his exploits become the stuff of legends."
When Gene Roddenberry was preparing his "Wagon Train to the Stars" that would become Star Trek, he turned to the historic hero from the books of C.S. Forester. Horatio Hornblower would be the inspiration and genesis for Captain Kirk. Like Kirk, Hornblower became one of the youngest officers in the fleet and rose quickly to the point where he was commanding the flagship of the Royal Navy. His adventures have been the stuff of radio drama and feature films. Now A&E brings us two of their film series.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on August 27th, 2011
Our very good friends over at A&E came to bat for us and we scored big. That means you've scored big. A&E and Major League Baseball have combined to release some of the greatest games in baseball history on DVD. We have all 11 of these fantastic games on DVD to giveaway. Here are the historic games you can win:
Pirates & Yankees (1960 World Series, Game 7) Dirk Smit
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 26th, 2011
"You cannot run from a vampire."
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 26th, 2011
The American Film Company is a new venture that intends to tell historical dramas. There are several stories on the way. They are particularly interested in the lesser known elements of historical events that are, in themselves, rather huge and universally known. One is left with the kind of film that we saw last year in The King's Speech. While we all know about the global events of that time, few knew the story of the struggle over public speaking that the King had during that fateful moment in world history. I think you can say the same for the material in The Conspirator. There's likely not an American alive who doesn't know something of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. We all know the location was Ford's Theater and many even know the name of the play that was being performed at the time. But there are lesser known facts about the event. That Lincoln didn't want to go is one some of you already know. But how many know that his murder was part of a larger plot to take revenge on the government for the defeat of the South? This film goes even farther than that. It tells the story of one of the more controversial accused in the plot that included the attempted murders of the Secretary of State and Vice-President Johnson. That defendant was Mary Surratt, and she would become the first woman executed by the Federal government. And she may not have even been guilty of a crime.
The film begins at the conclusion of the Civil War where we meet Frederick Aiken (McAvoy) who is a wounded captain. He orders the medics to care for his fallen friend, Baker (Long) who appears to be as good as dead. While the scene plays no real role in the story to unfold, it attempts to set two stages. It's a chance to touch upon the brutal war that has triggered the film's main events. It's also intended to help us get to know how good a guy Aikens happens to be. From there the film quickly moves through the execution of the plot to kill three members of the federal government. Only President Lincoln is mortally wounded, and his killer John Wilkes Booth (Kebbell) is soon captured and killed. All that is left for the struggling government now is to put the entire experience behind them by burying the conspirators themselves.
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