Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 22nd, 2011
"It's the summer of 1863, more than two years into our nation's devastating Civil War, and the stakes have never been higher. The Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, led by Robert E. Lee, crosses into Pennsylvania. Trailed by the Union's Army of the Potomac, Lee's 75,000-strong army heads toward Harrisburg, but the forces meet instead near Gettysburg, a quiet farm town that would become synonymous with the epic battle that all but decided the outcome of the American Civil War."
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 22nd, 2011
"The body is the proof. It will tell you everything you need to know if you just have the patience to look."
And patience is exactly what you're going to need with this new ABC drama. Body Of Proof was a mid-season entry by the network; it debuted at the end of March and ran for only 9 episodes so far. It has been renewed, so it will have the opportunity to develop into something better than what it is. So far I see a ton of potential, but these first 9 episodes didn't exactly leave me on the edge of my seat.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 21st, 2011
When you think of Sam Peckinpah, Straw Dogs usually isn't the film that comes to most people's minds. For most of us it's the 1967 classic The Wild Bunch. Straw Dogs did little business at the box office in 1971. In fact it was banned in many countries including England where it was shot. The movie was criticized for its unrestrained violence and the rather brutal depiction of a rape. Critics were unimpressed at the time, and the film faded away for a while. It received a bit of a resurrection in the mid-1980's when the film showed up at second run houses and eventually on home video. Perhaps it can be appreciated now,
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 21st, 2011
"Book 'em Danno."
It's been 30 years since we last heard that phrase. Still it persisted in the modern lexicon along with the term Five-0, which is still shouted in high-crime areas in cities all over the country whenever a police presence is felt closing in on the bad guys. Hawaii Five-0 ended in 1980. That's when Tom Selleck took over the sets and production crew on Hawaii to work as Magnum P.I. until 1988 when it all closed down for good, or did it?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 21st, 2011
For the second year in a row Private Practice has decided to tackle a huge and emotional issue for the characters at Oceanside Wellness Group. Last season began when Violet had been brutally attacked. A crazy woman believed Violet was carrying her baby, so she showed up and cut the baby out leaving her to die on the floor. Of course, she survived, but the season was all about the scars left from the attack in her mind. It was quite an intense storyline and one the show decided to try and top in season 4. Charlotte King, played by Kadee Strickland, suffers an equally brutal attack and is sexually assaulted
Posted in: News and Opinions by Gino Sassani on September 19th, 2011
Among the innumerable benefits of updating your television package to include a greater range of shows and programming is the fact that your family viewing experiences will be greatly improved. You are not far from reaching this point. With a simple visit to a website such as Satellite TV Family or DirecTV, you can be just a few quick steps away from setting up one of the premiere programming packages offered by such companies. One example of the ways in which your television experience will improve can be seen in the number of new movies that you will have access to.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 16th, 2011
Grey's Anatomy had one heck of a year in its seventh season. The season begins with the aftermath of the shooting in the hospital that closed out the previous year. It's taken a toll, particularly on Dr. Webber who is catching a ton of heat for the incident. But it isn't that story arc that dominated the talk of the 2010-11 season over at ABC. It was the long anticipated and critically acclaimed musical episode that stole the spotlight this year.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 15th, 2011
"Once, mankind accepted a simple truth: that they were not alone in this universe. Some worlds man believed home to their Gods. Others they knew to fear."
Marvel has rolled out some rather ambitious plans for the next two years. Of course, it has all been leading to the huge Avengers film coming summer of 2012. If you've been watching the scenes after the credits of both Iron Man films, you've already seen the groundwork has been laid. Now comes Thor, and we're talking more than just groundwork here. This is the first in a series of films that lead directly to The Avengers.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 15th, 2011
"It is with profound praise and gratitude that I welcome you new police officers, proud that you have answered the call to service and today join the ranks of New York's finest."
Guess who else answered the call. Tom Selleck has traded in his bright fire-engine-red Ferrari and Hawaiian sun and surf for a desk job at the New York Police Department. And oh, what a desk job it is. CBS has scored a homerun with its freshmen drama series Blue Bloods. It might just have been the best new show of the 2010-11 season.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 15th, 2011
This has been a huge time for the classic series Hawaii Five-0. The show has enjoyed a rebirth with a brand new version of the show that ended up being one of the best rated new shows of the last television season. The DVD releases have continued to the point where we find ourselves seeing the second to last season now out on DVD. The final season is expected to arrive next year, and we'll be closing the books on one incarnation of the show and continuing on in the same tradition with the new series. It's a good time to be a Hawaii Five-0 fan.