Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on January 21st, 2018
"We just shoot you. Less paperwork."
Most of us like a good heist film. It's fun to watch clever crooks work out complicated plans and then execute them. It's not hard to root for the crooks if they're likable enough characters. With me I almost have a kind of reluctant respect for criminals who are able to outsmart sophisticated systems. There's something about the perfect crime that fascinates a film lover like me. Logan Lucky was one of the better heist films I've seen in years, and I was ready to spend an hour and a half being impressed by ingenious crooked plan that runs like clockwork once again. What I ended up with was a horribly overlong 2 hours and 20 minutes. And the only thing that was running like clockwork was my impatience to get to the end. Logan Lucky was clever and a lot of fun. Den Of Thieves? Let's just say I was not amused.
Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on January 19th, 2018
"Afghanistan is the graveyard of empires."
You will hear it said several times throughout 12 Strong: For over 2000 years invaders and conquerors throughout history have attempted to bring the mountainous country under a foreign flag. The Russians had been the latest power to attempt to fight there, and in the 1980's that war quickly became their own Vietnam. Such was the plight of the American armed forces after Bin Laden sent planes crashing into buildings on September 11, 2001. It was in that same harsh wilderness, the one that stopped czars, kings, emperors and even gods, where Bin Laden entrenched himself after the brutal attack on American soil. It was there that the first teams of soldiers went to stop his terrorist group from having the ability to do anything like that again. And yes, if we're completely honest with ourselves, to exact a measure of revenge. 12 Strong is the story of the first 12 men who began to fight the war on terrorism on the ground, on horses and with little in the way of conventional warfare resources at their disposal.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 17th, 2018
"Believe it or not, anyone can be famous. And you don't really need God-given abilities to do it. That doesn't mean you go out and shoot up a crowded theater. That's wrong. If you're motivated you can get yourself on a reality TV show or jump cars on a motorcycle, or marry a movie star. Or simply find a wife willing to have 20 kids. As for myself, my best shot at the limelight is to buddy up to the President. I just need the attention of the media first."
It was artist Any Warhol who said that in the future everyone would be famous for 15 minutes. The quote has been lampooned and is now a part of our pop culture. Crazy Famous is a low-budget film written by Bob Farkas and directed by Paul Jarrett. So do they get their 15 minutes, or is it Time's up?
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on January 6th, 2018
That's right Lucky 13th Day Of Christmas. Ok it turns out our pals over at Film Movement might not know how to count. But that's good news for you guys. it looks like we have 4-film grab bag from Film Movement. And we have 3 of these to give away. Each winner gets: The War Show ( a group of artists and activists in Syria live the nightmare of that country's bloody civil war), The Settles(see what life is like for the Jewish settlers who live in the occupied territories of The West Bank), Be Right Back (Meet one of the most controversial artists of all time) and Karl Marx City (a filmmaker visits the what was the German Democratic Republic 25 years after the collapse seeking answers to her father's suicide). These films represent groundbreaking foreign films and you can win all 4 with just one entry. We're giving away 3 sets. Enter today before somebody over there finds out these DVD's are missing.
Contest is now closed Winners are Bill Norris, Jim Gardner & Carol
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on January 5th, 2018
The Red Skelton Hour In Color: Deluxe Edition on DVD. Time-Life started this whole 12-day celebration with a mega-set of Bob Hope. Now they're closing it out with another super collection. This one will have you seeing Red -- Red Skelton, that is. Fans of this classic show will be wanting to get their hands on this mega-set. This is a 22-disc set that includes the rare color episodes and tons of bonus material. Everything fans want? This set's got it. And we've got one to give away thanks to our best buddies at Time-Life.
Contest is now closed Winner is Ronald Oliver
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 4th, 2018
The longest running show in prime time doesn’t feature cops, doctors, or lawyers. It’s hard to believe that The Simpsons have existed as long as the Fox network. While the series didn’t really begin until Fox’s second year, the characters were part of The Tracey Ullman Show, which did start the first year of Fox. Who could have guessed that an animated short from an otherwise horrible and doomed variety show would explode into such a phenomenon? The Simpsons have not only dominated the pop culture; they have placed everything else into context with their show. Like Doonesbury, it could be said that the only thing worse than being made fun of on The Simpsons is not being made fun of on The Simpsons. With that said, you’ll understand my warm feelings and appreciation for this show.
This thing has been on forever. Still, it never gets old. The show has a charm yet edginess to it that can’t be beat. Let’s not forget that while kids might love the show, this stuff is intended for adults. We’re not talking South Park trash talk here; every episode is a veritable treasure hunt of subtle and not-so-subtle cultural references. Even after seeing an episode several times, it’s not uncommon for me to find something that I missed before.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on January 4th, 2018
The Boss Baby on Blu-ray. Universal didn't want to get left out of our giveaways so they sent over The Boss. No, it's not Bruce, it's Alex Baldwin voicing that lovable Boss Baby. Remember that cookies are for closers, and I've had more than enough cookies in the last month. So put down that extra cookie and enter to win The Boss Baby on Blu-ray.
Contest is now closed Winner is Pauline Milner
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on January 3rd, 2018
Gun Runners and Angry Inuk on DVD. Lucky for you we have a guy on the inside over at Film Movement. Agent MK has loaded us up on some of the best in independent film from 2017. We start things off with a bit of a Canada theme. If the thought of all of that Canadian Winter air doesn't keep you in the Holiday mood I'm afraid there's just no hope. Maybe this will help. We have 3 copies of both of these films. Each of three winners will get a copy of both films on DVD. Don't thank us. It's Agent MK at Film Movement who is playing Santa this year. Let's just keep this between us or we might blow his cover.
Contest is now closed Winners are Tom Wellerson & Gary Smith
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on January 2nd, 2018
On The Ninth Day Of Christmas Anchor Bay gives to you:
Spartacus: The Complete Series on Blu-ray. This set contains all of the show’s 39 episodes on 12 discs. There is a 13th disc with limited extra features that were not found on the original individual season releases. This is a huge release and one heck of a prize for a lucky Upcomingdiscs winner.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on January 2nd, 2018
Miracle On 34th Street on Blu-ray. Our friends at Fox are getting ready to ship their classic film library to Disney. They didn't forget us at Upcomingdiscs. They sent a copy of the Christmas classic Miracle On 34th Street for us to give away. It's the 70th Anniversary Edition.
Contest is now closed Winner is Christina Wharmund
