Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on November 12th, 2013
“To this day, there's no record of an orca doing any harm to any human...in the wild.”
Orcas are sometimes referred to as “blackfish,” but Gabriela Cowperthwaite's thrilling, thought-provoking documentary examines why they're most commonly known as “killer whales.” The movie's obvious standout moments involve breathtaking footage of these massive animals violently turning on their trainers. Although some viewers will undoubtedly make the leap to wondering whether it's ok to keep any animal in captivity, the thing that elevates this film is that it serves as an eloquent argument against keeping this particularly majestic, highly-social beast in a concrete pool.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on November 11th, 2013
The most surprising thing about Ambushed is that it's not quite as generic as its completely uninspired title might suggest. (Off the top of my head, I can think of at least 15 movies that could credibly be re-titled Ambushed; I'm sure you can too.) This particular straight-to-DVD action thriller is being sold as The Expendables-lite, with tough guy supporting players (and Ambushed producers) Dolph Lundgren and Randy Couture — along with Vinnie Jones, who really should've been in an Expendables movie by now — glowering from the Blu-ray cover. But this stylish L.A. drama — which liberally borrows from superior crime flicks — has a few tricks of its own.
Despite the presence of Lundgren, Couture and Jones, Ambushed is technically the story of Frank (Daniel Bonjour), who narrates the film. Frank is a strip club owner in downtown Los Angeles who is also involved in the cocaine business along with best friend/brash Scotsman Eddie (Gianni Capaldi). Frank also has a sweet, staggeringly gullible girlfriend named Ashley (Cinthya Bornacelli), who is the only pure thing in his life. Since Frank eventually wants to leave the drug business and make a life with Ashley, he makes a bold, violent play to move up the cocaine food chain.
Posted in: The Reel World by J C on November 8th, 2013
“For me, it was always going to be about love.”
The best time travel stories don’t endure because people really like thinking about wormholes and paradoxes. No, it’s the idea of reliving the past or getting a peek at what’s next — before realizing we’re better off just living each day to the fullest — that captures our imagination. That’s why a filmmaker like Richard Curtis, best known for writing and directing romantic comedies like Love Actually, as well as his Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill screenplays, can take on a fantastical concept like time travel so naturally. Based on Curtis’ filmography, you’d expect his take on the subject to be about a boy…standing in front of a girl…asking her to love him…by traveling back in time and finding out all the stuff she likes. But you’d only be mostly right.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on November 6th, 2013
“You think you had a bad day? This guy lost a billion dollars.”
Clear History is ostensibly about hot-shot marketing exec Nathan Flomm, who misses out on a billion-dollar payday after a petty disagreement. But really, this HBO Films original comedy is basically a 100-minute, all-star episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm with prettier scenery. As such, it's another opportunity for writer/star Larry David to profanely and incredulously sound off on a fresh set of social landmines, including insincere apologies and birthday e-card etiquette.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on November 4th, 2013
Although they were brutally gunned down almost 80 years ago, everyone knows the names “Bonnie & Clyde”, even if they're only familiar with the bank-robbing basics. Don't look now, but Arthur Penn's landmark, definitive Bonnie & Clyde film — with Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway in the title roles — came out 46 years ago, so I imagine there's a large segment of younger movie fans who haven't seen the story of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow play out on screen. The ultra low-budget Bonnie & Clyde: Justified arrives just in time to capitalize coincide with December's star-studded, multi-network miniseries that will surely raise the notorious duo's pop culture profile once again.
“Now the tale I'm about to tell you is the truth, the author's side. And if anyone tells you different, then they didn't know Bonnie & Clyde.”
Posted in: The Reel World by J C on November 1st, 2013
“In the moment when I truly understand my enemy — understand him well enough to defeat him —then in that very moment, I also love him.”
It’s no accident that both soldiers and football players are fashioned to look indistinguishable from one another on their respective battlegrounds. We create a personal detachment between ourselves and our adversaries because we believe that will make it easier to annihilate them. That’s one of the many provocative ideas in Ender’s Game, the consistently dazzling and occasionally rushed adaptation of Orson Scott Card’s beloved science fiction book. (Of course, the author himself is considerably less beloved these days.) I can mostly forgive the film for feeling a little hurried because fans have waiting a long time for this one.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on October 30th, 2013
“I’m often asked, ‘What do I do for a living?’ And I answer: ‘I do what I want.”
For the better part of the last 20 years, CeeLo Green has ferociously defied musical expectations by zigging when you expect him to zag. (If you thought the former frontman of hip-hop collective Goodie Mob would eventually become one of the judges on TV’s #1 singing competition, then go buy a lotto ticket immediately because you have a gift.) I happened to be in Las Vegas earlier this year when I saw a poster for CeeLo’s Sin City Loberace show. And for the first time I can remember in regards to CeeLoo’s career, I thought, “Hey that actually makes sense.”
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on October 29th, 2013
The world of Bounty Killer is a barren wasteland that has been decimated by the unchecked greed of nefarious corporations. In other words, I can’t believe this movie is only set 20 years in the future! I’m not the kind of guy who uses exclamation points very often, so the fact that I threw one at the end of the previous sentence wasn’t an accident. This silly, stylish, thoroughly enjoyable revenge fantasy/satiric action flick is basically one giant exclamation point in movie form.
“The bounty killers compete for body count, fame, and a fat stack of cash.”
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on October 28th, 2013
Those of us who love horror movies can remember the first great scare we ever got. (To be fair, those of you who hate horror movies probably remember the first scare you ever got too, since it’s probably why you stopped watching them.) Stephen King’s It wasn’t my first scary flick, but the image of Tim Curry’s Pennywise coaxing poor Georgie into the storm drain seared itself into my brain and became my original childhood freak-out. What I enjoyed most about All Hallows’ Eve is that it tapped into the unique impact a genuinely scary clown movie can have.
The film quickly introduces us to babysitter Sarah (Katie Maguire) and her two bickering young charges, Timmy (Cole Mathewson) and Tia (Sydney Freihofer), on Halloween night. As they go through their trick or treat haul, Timmy discovers an unmarked VHS tape in his bag. The kids convince a hesitant Sarah to let them see what’s on the tape. What follows is a trio of unsettling, woman-in-peril horror tales. Each segment also features appearances by the mute, diabolical Art the Clown (Mike Giannelli). As if that weren’t scary enough, Sarah and the kids start noticing strange happenings in their own house. Is it their active imaginations playing tricks on them or something far more sinister?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on October 25th, 2013
Hugh Laurie is not the first — and he certainly won’t be the last — actor who decided he wanted a career in music too. The move might come as a surprise to people who primarily know Laurie from his sterling eight-year run as the misanthropic title character on House M.D. (Though not if you watched the show carefully.) In the past, Laurie has rocked out with some of his small-screen comrades for charity. But it turns out that after eight years of playing one of the crankiest characters in television history, Laurie was ready to sing the blues.
Hugh Laurie: Live on the Queen Mary aired on PBS in August. The concert finds the actor and the first-rate Copper Bottom Band performing aboard the legendary luxury liner, which is permanently moored in California. For Laurie, dressed for the occasion with a captain’s hat as he took the stage, the show was the realization of a lifelong dream. You wouldn’t necessarily expect an Oxford-born Englishman to be obsessed with New Orleans jazz/blues, but Laurie acquired a passion for that music as a teenager. Laurie was especially dazzled by blues legend Professor Longhair, who had recorded his own “Live on the Queen Mary” album in 1975.
