Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 13th, 2009
“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.”
And so Sony collects 5 of these films as part of what looks like is going to be an ongoing series. But what exactly is film noir? You hear the word used from time to time, but what does it mean?
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on November 13th, 2009
Radio Tag has graciously given us 10 copies of Mike Epps: Under Rated & Never Faded on DVD to give away.
To enter to win a copy of this Totally Epp – Ic Comedy, just follow these two steps...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 13th, 2009
“Out of the night when the full moon is bright comes a horseman known as Zorro. This bold renegade carves a “Z” with his blade, a “Z” that stands for Zorro. The fox so cunning and free, Zorro who makes the sign of the “Z”. “
Zorro first appeared in pulp magazines in 1919 written by Johnston McCulley. He told the story of a talented swordsman who masqueraded as a dull, inept, and spoiled young rich man. But, when he put on his trademark black cloak and mask he took to the countryside of Spanish California in 1820, fighting for the peasants and anyone treated unjustly.
Posted in: Podcasts by Gino Sassani on November 12th, 2009
Last Friday I had the opportunity to talk to first time director, John Hindman. His film, The Answer Man arrives on DVD and Blu-ray this month. We’ll be offering a review of the High Definition release soon. Until then check out what he has to say about the film.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 11th, 2009
“The future is bright at Monsters Incorporated. We power your car. We warm your home. We light your city. Carefuly matching every child to their ideal monster to produce superior scream. Refined into clean, dependable energy. Every time you turn something on, Monsters Incorporated is there. We know the challenge. The window of innocence is shrinking. Human kids are harder to scare. Of course, Monsters Incorporated is prepared for the future. With the top scarers, the best refineries, and research into new energy technologies. We’re working for a better tomorrow, today. We’re Monster’s Incorporated. We scare because we care.”
When you do this job you get asked the same question a lot.You get it from friends, family and people who just met you. They all ask the same thing. “What is your favorite movie of all time?”
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 11th, 2009
“The perpetrator is an expert marksman. He’s an expert in explosives and tactics. Gentlemen, play this one by the numbers. Maintain your fields of fire… We’re blind and he’s seeing in 20/20… We have not contained him. He’s contained himself.”
“He” is Samuel L Jackson in the 1998 action thriller The Negotiator. Jackson stars as Danny Roman. He’s a Chicago Metro hostage negotiator. As the film opens we get to see him in action saving a little girl from a tight hostage situation. He’s obviously good at his job and he has the respect and admiration of his fellow officers and commanders.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on November 10th, 2009
“And now for something totally different…”
I was fortunate enough to get the Fawlty Towers DVDs recently, but as the fates would have it, they were damaged by some careless mail handler. That means I won’t be able to give you a review on the set.
I can, however, guarantee you that it has to be a load of laughs. Cleese based the main character on a hotel manager the Monty Python Troupe had suffered some incredible experiences with over the years. Leave it to Cleese to whip up a big picture of sweet lemonade from the bitterest of lemons.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 10th, 2009
Finally, this show has really gotten to me. I don’t know what it is about this 8th season, but I was far more interested in the show than I had ever been. Maybe I’ve spent so long with these characters that they started to come alive for me. Maybe I was resistant to a slightly different way of telling stories. Maybe it was that the stories became less about who was with who that I was finally able to enjoy the great courtroom drama and investigation elements of the series. Whatever it was, I am finally a fan.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 10th, 2009
It’s been some years since I had seen an episode of Nash Bridges. I had almost forgotten everything about the show except for two things. I remembered how great Johnson and Marin were together and, of course, that ugly-colored Cuda. I watched these episodes and found that my perspective hadn’t changed. Who cares what the story is about? Who remembers any of the cases? I remember the characters and the car, and 10 years later it feels exactly the same way. In many ways Nash Bridges was the last of its kind. The cycle of buddy cop and car chases was pretty much over. What started with James Rockford
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 10th, 2009
I was entirely too young to remember even the syndicated run that my mother was watching in the late 1960’s. Under more normal circumstances that would not matter as I could introduce myself to this world with the DVD release. That was before 1987, and the release of Brian De Palma’s classic film. Honestly, I simply can’t watch these episodes without thinking of that movie. For an entire generation that film has defined these characters and that time. It’s unfortunate, really, because this 1960 series had a lot going for it
![The Answer Man [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/the-answer-man-blu-ray-large.jpg)
![Monsters, Inc. (4-Disc Edition) [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/monsters-inc-4-disc-edition-bl-large.jpg)
![The Negotiator [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/the-negotiator-blu-ray-large.jpg)
