Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 16th, 2010
“The name's Brogan, Lieutenant Brogan. For 20 years I was with the NYPD. Now? Well ... let's just say I'm transferring to another precinct.”
That Precinct is the 88th, which serves Demeter City from an orbiting station around the planet Altor. Demeter City is one of the toughest cities in the universe. There's tons of slums and every kind of scumbag criminal you could ever expect to find in the worst of Earth's hoods. The planet is primarily populated by three species, although there are literally hundreds of known species that might be found in one of the darkest corners of the city. Humans make up about a third of the dominant population. The Tarns are a species with a third eye that grants them varying degrees of telepathy and telekinesis. The Creons are the dominant species. They look a little like hammerhead sharks with their bulging eyes extended outward on either side of their face. This species is high on ritual and tradition. The three species are well represented in the officers who serve at the 88th.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 16th, 2010
KISS fans will likely feel like they’re in heaven with this quasi-intimate look at the long-tongued demon of rock. All others might be tempted to stay away, and yet, that might be a mistake. Let me first admit that I’m no fan of reality television or KISS. With that said, you might be expecting me to trash this particular program. Wrong! Honestly, as an outsider I have the unique ability to judge the show without all of the trappings of the band’s fame and history.
I’m not sure if it’s a case of morbid curiosity, but I ended up somewhat liking the show. At about 21 minutes an episode, it’s just the right length. Even if I did find this stuff entertaining, there was only so much of Gene’s family I could take in one sitting. The premise is simple and has been done to death by now. Cameras follow some famous person or family in the hopes of providing compelling drama for millions of viewers. OK, so that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but so is the idea that we’re going to get an intimate inside look at these folks while the cameras are rolling. It’s a lot like wrestling. If you don’t buy into that what you’re seeing is actually real, you can get a few laughs out of the whole thing. I will also admit this show destroyed a lot of the Gene Simmons mystique for me. Let’s face it. Can you ever watch the stage persona in the same light again after watching Gene scoop kitty litter or wash his dog by throwing him in the pool? Let’s not even talk about an attempt to get semen from a bull. Still, Gene turns out to be an interesting character very much removed from the one we’re so used to seeing. While Gene dominates the show, there is plenty of time given to wife Shannon Tweed, from Playboy and soft-porn films.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 13th, 2010
You can’t really pin down the success and endurance of many Disney films to any one thing. But there's an element that can’t be ignored here. The songwriting Brothers Sherman share considerable credit for the many a film’s appeal. Even if you’ve never seen one of their films, and it’s hard to imagine there is anyone who hasn’t, you do know many of the unforgettable songs from them. Just A Spoonful Of Sugar, Chim-Chin-Cher-ee, Let’s Go Fly A Kite, and, of course, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious from Mary Poppins alone. Add songs from Winnie The Pooh, Bedknobs And Broomsticks, and The Jungle Book. The melodies are simple but catchy. Once you get them into your head, it’s an awful chore to try to remove them. The Sherman Brothers are responsible for many of Disney’s famous melodies from most of the musical films. If Walt Disney himself came with a soundtrack, you can bet the Sherman Brothers would have written it, and you’d still be singing it today. The songs captivate children, but somehow even adults can’t seem to help but be enchanted by them.
The troubling fact is that these brothers were not as close as their 30-year partnership would suggest. Their families were always apart, and they almost never spoke to each other out of the office. The animosity went beyond simple sibling rivalry. It's almost as if fate had forced them together completely against their will because there was just too much of a contribution to society to give here. The film is quite candid in covering the differences. The movie was made by one of each of their sons in an attempt to not only tell the important story but to possibly bring their fathers together in the last years of their lives. Well, they got half of what they were hoping to accomplish. The film tells a very compelling story indeed.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 13th, 2010
"Far from a fairytale, Waking Sleeping Beauty is an unprecedented eye-opening look at the conflict, drama and tension that ushered in the second chapter of Disney's animation legacy, a decade of unparalleled creativity..."
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 13th, 2010
In the 1940’s Walt Disney was asked by President Roosevelt to take a goodwill tour across Latin America as an ambassador of sorts. He declined the invitation, protesting that he wasn’t the handshaking kind and that the cause would be better served using someone else. Not to be deterred, Roosevelt made a counteroffer. What if Walt would go to Latin America with a film contingent and then create some kind of a production out of the tour. A government subsidy was even offered. Walt accepted the invite but turned down the subsidy. And so, with a large party of animators, writers, and production crew, they took a whirlwind tour and left with what Walt himself described as a wealth of material. The footage obtained and the experience gained would feed into Disney productions for decades.
Posted in: News and Opinions by Gino Sassani on December 10th, 2010
Friday and the end of the week brings us to the last of our Gift Guide editions for this week. Today's studio is Lionsgate. Over the last year there have been plenty of solid titles from the roaring studio. I'll bet you have at least one someone on your Christmas list who is into either action or horror. Lionsgate is going to have just the ticket to get that adrenaline going. You better prepare an extra hearty man helping of holiday dinner when you put these titles under the tree, because someone's going to get one heck of a workout. Of course, the only real workout is going to be that home theater system. Too bad you can't lose some of those pounds watching someone else flexing their muscles.
"I don't think you understand. I didn't come to rescue Rambo from you. I came here to rescue you from him."
Posted in: News and Opinions by Gino Sassani on December 9th, 2010
Our fourth edition of the Upcomingdiscs Holiday Gift Guide takes us to Warner Brothers. For this edition I'm going to help you tackle those people on your Christmas list that have Blu-ray players and love genre television shows. Warner has the best selection of Blu-ray supercharged television shows and seasons to pick from. From the small screen to that big screen hanging in that certain someone's home theater, Warner Brothers is the place to shop. Look at it this way. If you buy them any of these full seasons, that's longer you get to hang out and enjoy their sweet equipment.
With these high-definition favorites there's always something good on television, and it's in high definition.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 9th, 2010
"The war between sorcerers was fought in the shadows of history, and the fate of mankind rested with the just and powerful Merlin. He taught his secrets to three trusted apprentices, Balthazar, Veronica and Horvath. He should have trusted only two."
It was one of the most memorable Walt Disney moments in the long history of animation. The Sorcerer's Apprentice segment in Fantasia would become the most recognizable piece of the film. It would be released many times over the years since 1940, so that even people who had never even heard of Fantasia recognized Mickey Mouse as the sorcerer's apprentice who abused the power he had learned to bring a broom to life and do his chores while he slept. The magic got out of his control and mayhem ensued. The images linger still. Now the combination of Jerry Bruckheimer, Jon Turteltaub, and The Walt Disney Studios has teamed up for a new adventure film very loosely based on that original material. This is the same team that brought us the National Treasure films and part of the team that continues to bring us the Pirates Of The Caribbean films. If you liked those franchise films, you can expect more of the same in The Sorcerer's Apprentice.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 9th, 2010
"Nobody thinks of it from the whale's point of you."
I think this is the very first film I've ever seen that was made in Iceland. Of course, Iceland isn't one of those movie-making meccas known throughout the world for their movie magic. The truth is, there haven't been too many films set in Iceland and even fewer shot on location there. Now that Harpoon has come along, I don't expect that is going to change any time soon.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 9th, 2010
In December of 1980, John Lennon was gunned down by a crazy man who was trying to get the attention of yet another celebrity. In 2010, the BBC assassinated the man's character in this dreadful television film called Lennon Naked. I had such high hopes for the film. I rather like star Christopher Eccleston. I enjoyed his take on The Doctor from Doctor Who. He was also quite good in the zombie thriller 28 Days Later with a run as a man who can become invisible on Heroes. What made such a fine actor stoop so low as to take a gig like this is beyond my understanding. If it was the temptation to maybe play an idol from his childhood, I would have hoped he would have stopped short once he'd read the script. As the aforementioned warning tells us, this film is actually a hodgepodge of speculation that doesn't fail to kick the singer at every point.
I'm not a huge John Lennon fan. In fact, I only have mild feelings about The Beatles in general. I respect what they have done but have leaned more toward Paul and George in their years after the super-band. I have no illusions that Lennon was anything but a spoiled brat, particularly at the height of his career. His famous, "We're bigger than Jesus Christ" statement said a lot about his immaturity at the time. It should be expected. The "lads" were mere teens when their music caught fire. Before they had a chance to start shaving, women were throwing themselves practically faint at the band, and money was coming in as if it were the most common thing in the world. It's really no wonder that the band members had a feeling of entitlement and were a bit rough around the edges. There is certainly a bit of fairness to some of this portrayal.
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