Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 27th, 2022
"All I know is that it was a tragedy. A terrible tragedy. I probably shouldn't say this, but some of those kids, eh ... no big loss, if I were honest. But those girls were special. They were champions."
What happens when you take a concept like Lost and sprinkle in a little Lord Of The Flies, the 1993 film Alive, and work in a bit of Pretty Little Liars and a heavy dose of pretty much any reality series out there? You'd get Showtime's latest creepy entry, Yellow Jackets. The new drama is one of those shows where they pack on the secrets and teases and then try to walk that tightrope of giving you enough resolution to keep you from giving up but maintain enough promise of more shockers to come so that you keep coming back for more. It's not an easy thing to navigate, and there are times that Yellow Jackets does that pretty well.
Posted in: Podcasts by Gino Sassani on July 22nd, 2022
There have been many films about World War II. Some have been great. A few are considered classics. We're entering that moment in history where we will soon lose the last remaining fighter from that war. It's a hard subject for a small budget film, but every now and then someone comes along and pulls it off. Wolf Hound is not going to become a classic. That doesn't mean it isn't a stellar film. Director Michael Chait has a passion for the subject that starts with his father who was an award-winning aviator. Everything about Wolf Hound is touched by that passion. The aerial work is first rate and with minimal CGI. Don't take my word for any of this. See the film for yourself. As for that passion. Listen to Michael Chait express that in his own words. I was honored to spend some time talking to the promising young director. Bang it here and you can listen in on my conversation with Michael Chait.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 22nd, 2022
"Sounds like the Mad Hatter is throwing a tea party."
Of all of the Arrowverse shows, I think Batwoman has had the hardest road of it. Ruby Rose was far from the dynamic character the CW or DC could have hoped for, and she spent most of her first season complaining or on the outs in some way or another. In her single season she was constantly outshone by her villain and pretty much everyone around her. It's bad when the one in the cape and cowl can't seem to attract any attention. It was a surprise to no one that Ruby Rose left the show after that first year. What did surprise me was that the show was going to continue. Instead of recasting Kate Kane, the powers that be brought in a completely different person to play the title character. Enter Ryan Wilder, played by Jevicia Leslie. She took the rap for a friend and ended up serving 18 months in prison for drug possession.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 22nd, 2022
"The modern world comes to Downton."
Downton Abbey spent six years on television and has amassed 52 episodes. In that relatively short run the series has also managed to collect over 200 award nominations and several Golden Globes along with other prestigious awards. Let's not forget a rather loyal fan base that has watched each episode with anticipation of the next sharp barb or character revelation. The fans have been vocal and strong enough that a new film franchise has been anticipated to fill the void left by the series and the first film. In one of its years it was the number-one binged series in the world. That's a lot of power, and it's little wonder that all of these ingredients are expected to create a little box office gold. But film franchises from television shows rarely go on to such golden heights. There are some notable exceptions, to be sure. But even here, expectations and changing caretakers often lead to both high points and flops.
Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on July 18th, 2022
"I, like you, have heard the tall tales told about the Marsh Girl. An abandoned child. A little girl surviving on the marsh on her own, reviled and shunned."
Where The Crawdads Sing took a rather unlikely journey to the big screen. It was the first novel from Delia Owens, who spent most of her life as a scientist focusing on Africa and coming up with some rather controversial theories. She went to Africa with her husband in 1996 and before long was embroiled in a situation where a documentary was shot that depicted the murder of a poacher. They left Africa facing murder charges, and now in her 70's Delia has tried her hand as an author of fiction. It shouldn't be too surprising that her maiden novel focused on a woman who was believed to be a killer. There's no question that some of her own life bled into the story, but in her 70's Delia Owens had a bestseller on her hands which was given more attention when Reese Witherspoon made the novel one of her book club selections, something Oprah was also able to do for many titles in her day.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 16th, 2022
"Space ... the funniest frontier?"
Star Trek: The Animated Series first aired in September of 1973, four years after the three seasons of what is now referred to Star Trek: The Original Series. It was a straight sequel that continued the five-year mission of the starship Enterprise. All of the original cast lent their voices to the characters they played in the live-action series with the notable exception of Walter Koenig. Chekov was replaced with an alien that had three arms and legs named Arex, who was voiced by James Doohan, as were many of the other guest characters throughout the two years the series ran. There were episodes that served as direct sequels, and so we were treated to the likes of Harry Mudd, tribbles, and the Guardian of Forever once again. Now Paramount and CBS have brought us a second animated series, and the second season of 10 episodes arrives on Blu-ray straight from its running on the network's streaming service.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 13th, 2022
"There is an old saying that blood is thicker than water."
We've had Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Gene Simmons with his Family Jewels, and even Snoop Dog's Father Hood. It's become a bit of a trend to follow these celebrity families around and watch the drama of their privileged lives unfold on our television screens. You might think it's a relatively recent phenomenon, but would you believe they were doing it back in the infant days of television when we followed around a musician named Ozzie and his wife way back in 1952? No, we're not talking about Ozzie Osbourne and his family. I'm talking about Ozzie and Harriet Nelson. They were television's darling family before we ever heard about Lucy and Desi. The show actually started on radio like many of the fledgling industry’s early hits including the likes of Gunsmoke. Four years after the radio brought us The Adventures Of Ozzie And Harriet, they moved to television.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 12th, 2022
"This rare Texas air will fix you right up."
Until The Exorcist came along in 1973, Giant was Warner Brothers’ highest grossing film at the box office. It was also the last film made by James Dean, who killed himself in a car crash two weeks before production, requiring the services of Nick Adams to step in and provide some of the voice ADR work for Dean. The film earned an at-that-time record 10 Oscar nominations. You would think that a film of this kind of historical importance and success would have been well cared for over the years since 1956. You would have been badly mistaken if you had that belief. Instead the film was allowed to deteriorate to a point where the restoration experts originally thought it could not be salvaged. After great effort and searches for better elements, the film has been pieced back together and given an impressive 4K release, and the result is an image that appears to be something of a miracle, now available to the public with Warner Brothers release of Giant on UHD Blu-ray in its native and natural 4K.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 30th, 2022
"You never kissed me like that before."
Steve March, played by John Agar, is a radiation expert who lives and does research out in the desert. His instruments detect a strange source of gamma rays in an isolated area of the desert. It's a good bet they aren't coming from Dr. Banner, so March decides to investigate, and it turns out you wouldn't like him when he's angry. Along for the ride is red shirt ... I mean lab assistant Dan Murphy, played by Robert Fuller. They discover a brand new cave, and as they follow the radiation scent, they encounter a giant floating brain with eyes. Murphy ends up dead, and March ends up possessed by the giant floating brain, who calls himself Vol from the planet Arous. The name is an obvious riff on Eros, and we soon get the connection when March returns to his fiancée, who finds his passion a little hotter than when he left.
Posted in: Podcasts by Gino Sassani on June 29th, 2022
Long before there was Gene Simmons and his Family Jewels or Living With The Kardashians there was Ozzie and his wife. No, not Ozzie Osbourne but Ozzie and Harriet Nelson. In 1952 they took their popular radio show and brought it to the rather new medium of television. The Adventures Of Ozzie And Harriet starred the entire Nelson family, including David and Ricky. The show became the first series to ever reach 10 years and remains the longest-running live action sit-com in television history. Now MPI is bringing you the first 2 seasons of the show in DVD. The episodes were restored with loving care. How do I know there was loving care? Because it was spearheaded by Ozzie and Harriet's grandson and Ricky's son Sam Nelson. I also happen to know a little bit of the passion he brought to the process because I had the opportunity to talk with him about the show and the new releases. The story about how all of this happened is a truly fascinating tale. Now you can hear it for yourself. Bang it here to listen to my interview with Sam Nelson.
