Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on October 29th, 2017
"Once upon a time there was a great war that brought so much sadness to so many people. Hardly anyone could remember what happiness was like. But something happened that changed all that..."
“Winnie the Pooh doesn't know what to do …” starts a popular song written by Kenny Loggins, recorded first in 1970 by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band with a more popular and enduring version by Loggins And Messina a year later. Hundreds of millions of children since the 1920's know who Winnie the Pooh is. He's the happy-go-lucky bear who lives in the 100 Acre Wood with Piglet, Tigger, Owl, Rabbit, Eeyore, Kanga, and Roo. But Pooh's best friend of all was a young boy named Christopher Robin.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on October 27th, 2017
31 Nights Of Terror delivers it's final contest. Our very good friends over at Barron’s want to share some reading that’s to die for. Yes, we’re giving away a copy of their wonderful book: 101 Horror Movies You Must See Before You Die. We’ve reviewed 2 editions of their 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die. It’s a perfect companion for your frightening book shelf. These Barron’s books are a ton of fun and are sure to start the debates flying when you share it with your friends. A new edition of the 1001 book is here and we'll be reviewing it just in time for Christmas.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
Posted in: Site News by Gino Sassani on October 26th, 2017
Anyone who is a fan of horror or science fiction knows who Forry Ackerman was. He gave more to the industry than anyone else. He coined the term sci-fi and inspired the likes of Stephen King, John Landis, Steven Spielberg, and many others. He was the editor of Famous Monsters Of Filmland and held the largest collection of movie memorabilia anywhere in his famed Ackermuseum.
I've been lucky enough to have counted Uncle Forry as a friend since 1991, when I first visited the Ackermuseum. I've spent many hours and meals with him and miss him greatly.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on October 25th, 2017
31 Nights Of Terror Continues with another nod to the young ones. Disney knows how to do scary, but not so much. It's a chance to invite the kids into the festivities. From the folks at Disney Junior comes Vampirina. She's the new kid on the block straight from Transylvania. It's 4 episodes of the "fangtastic" show and it's new on DVD.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 25th, 2017
"All of human history has led to this moment. The irony is we created you. And nature has been punishing us ever since. This is our last stand. And if we lose... it will be a Planet of Apes."
I was always a fan of the original Planet Of The Apes series of films. While they often flirted with a camp style, I was impressed with John Chambers' makeup effects and the performances of Roddy McDowall as both Cornelius and Caesar. Then came the television show, and I was just as enchanted, and that was helped along by McDowall's appearance as a third ape, Galen. The show didn't last a season, and before long the Apes franchise was left in some kind of limbo.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 25th, 2017
"Green Acres is the place to be..."
It was 1965, and CBS was enjoying the fruits of the era's fascination with rural sit-coms. Paul Henning was on a roll as a series creator. It started with The Beverly Hillbillies in 1962, where we were all invited to sit a spell with the Clampetts, a rural family who discovered oil on their property and ended up finding out that California was the place they oughta be, more specifically Beverly Hills, complete with "cement ponds" and movie stars. The show was such a success that Henning spun it off into Petticoat Junction a year later. The show covered the happenings at the Shady Rest Hotel which happened to be located at a water stop on the C. & F.W. Railroad in the hick town of Hooterville. Again Henning hit comedy gold. Two years later, Hooterville would be the location for Green Acres, a kind of reverse Beverly Hillbillies. This time a couple from a penthouse apartment in New York City would come to Hooterville and replay the fish-out-of-water routine just as The Beverly Hillbillies had done three years earlier. Green Acres would last until 1971, when all three shows would become victims of the CBS Rural Purge. Under pressure from sponsors who were afraid of losing their urbanite customers, all of these shows were axed. One news reporter at the time reported that "CBS cancelled everything with a tree, including Lassie."
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 23rd, 2017
Director James Whale and horror icon Boris Karloff teamed up for one of the most memorable horror films ever made when they filmed Universal's atmospheric classic Frankenstein in 1931. Just four years later they reunited for one of Hollywood's best sequels in Bride Of Frankenstein. Lost in these legendary tag-team efforts, and nestled nicely between the two films, one finds 1932's The Old Dark House. That film launched a horror sub-genre that continues to this very day: the Haunted House movie. The film also stared future Titanic survivor Gloria Stuart. It was one of the first films the actress ever made when her career started that very same year.
Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on October 23rd, 2017
Andy Serkis is mostly known for pioneering the industry of motion capture performance. Most of you may not know that he's worked a bit behind the camera as well. He's led a few second units as director but had not actually directed a feature film. Breathe is his first effort, and while it has some truly nice moments, it looks like a first effort. I have no doubt that Serkis will be eventually demand notice as a director. He demonstrates an incredible base of knowledge when it comes to filmmaking. He certainly understands how to make an emotional connection with characters that aren't really there. The skills are evident. But I suspect Breathe won't be called upon in a future list of Andy Serkis masterpieces.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on October 22nd, 2017
31 Nights Of Terror continues a big year for giveaways. Our scary pals at Warner Brothers have given us a copy of Kong: Skull Island in 3D to give away. Important to understand that you have to have a 3D television in order to view this film in 3D. Not many out there these days.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on October 22nd, 2017
Based on a true story. We see those words preceding a lot of films these days. It's almost as if we've started to chronicle our big moments via the cinema. If a story is tragic enough or portrays outstanding bravery or courage, you can expect it to eventually get a feature film. I can almost predict the big films of 2020 or so just by looking at the headlines in 2017. It's become a little overdone for my tastes and can often appear exploitive in nature. These films are often devoid of originality. Of course they are. They're based on something that real life has already written. I've seen bumper stickers that say "God is my co-pilot". I'm waiting for him to get some screenplay credit or a chair in the writer's room. Of course, he'd be expected to start paying dues to the Writer's Guild. There's also the added problem that the audience already knows how the film is going to end.
