Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on September 30th, 2013
Suburbia has always been presented as an otherworldly place to city folk. In The Neighbors — ABC’s underrated gem of a sci-fi sitcom — a New Jersey family moves from the city to the suburbs and discovers their new community is comprised entirely of placid, color-coordinated aliens. Each episode delivers fish-out-of-water planet laughs and a lesson in what it means to be human, in all our imperfect glory.
Debbie Weaver (Jami Gertz) always wanted her husband Marty (Lenny Venito) to take some initiative. Unfortunately, Marty overcompensates by hastily moving his entire family — which also includes surly teen Amber (Clara Mamet), and rambunctious younger children Max (Max Charles) and Abby (Isabella Cramp) — into an exclusive suburban community. What Marty doesn’t know is that the new neighbors in matching golf attire are friendly extraterrestrials disguised as humans.
Posted in: The Reel World by J C on September 27th, 2013
I honestly expected to be bummed watching Enough Said. The film marks the penultimate screen appearance by Sopranos icon James Gandolfini following his untimely death from a heart attack in June. So while I always looked forward to watching Gandolfini, there was an undercurrent of sadness in knowing this was one of the last new performances we’d ever be getting from the immensely talented actor. Thankfully, Gandolfini’s work here is as lively and funny as the rest of this romantic comedy, so you’re more likely to walk away with a smile on your face than a tear in your eye.
Enough Said is the story of a masseuse named Eva (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), who begins dating likable, low-key TV historian Albert (Gandolfini) after meeting him at a party. Eva and Albert bond over their shared status as lonely, divorced parents whose daughters are about to head off to college. Meanwhile, Eva’s new favorite client is Marianne (Catherine Keener), a poet she met at the same party who appears to be perfect in every way…except that she can’t stop ragging on her ex-husband. So imagine Eva’s horror when she realizes the “loser” and “slob” of an ex-husband Marianne has been mercilessly slamming is actually “Fat Albert.”
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on September 25th, 2013
Everyone on TV has nicer clothes and a bigger house than you do. And I’m not just talking about fictional doctors or lawyers. Even small-screen characters with relatively modest incomes manage to live in palatial apartments. Need proof? The 2 Allegedly Broke Girls in CBS’s hit sitcom live in an apartment that is literally big enough to fit a horse. (Hi, Chestnut.) Of course, the show isn’t exactly going for gritty realism. The most important thing here is the terrific comedic chemistry between stars Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs, which continues to carry this uneven show.
Max Black (Dennings) and Caroline Channing (Behrs) are best friends, despite the fact that they appear to be polar opposites. Caroline is blonde, skinny and sweet, while Max is dark haired, busty and sour. (Or, as one character put it during the second season, “That’s your brand…the Double D’s and the Ditz.”) Last season, Caroline (the disgraced daughter of a Ponzi schemer) convinced Max (a talented baker) to start a cupcake business together.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on September 24th, 2013
It’s easy to forget how important it was for 2008’s Iron Man to be great. After all, the film was only asked to A) properly introduce a B-list comic hero to the movie-going masses and B) successfully kick off what turned out to be Phase One of Marvel’s March Toward Global Domination Cinematic Universe. “Good” would’ve been a letdown; Iron Man needed to be great. Fortunately, it delivered in spades; its critical and commercial success paved the way for an unprecedented run of films that culminated with The Avengers last summer. With a release date for the Avengers sequel already on the horizon, Tony Stark and Co. have once again been asked to set the tone.
“I’m different now. I’m…well, you know who I am.”
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on September 23rd, 2013
“To begin with, all the incidents and characters in this story might be fictitious, and any resemblance to you or me might be purely coincidental.”
Right off the bat, the unseen, all-knowing narrator of A Letter to Three Wives lets her audience know the characters in the film aren’t the only ones who are about to have their heads profoundly messed with. That sort of smart playfulness is one of the many reasons you should check out this terrific romantic dramedy from legendary writer/director Joseph L. Mankiewicz now that it’s on Blu-ray for the first time.
Posted in: The Reel World by J C on September 20th, 2013
“You made me feel so safe. You told us that you could protect us from anything.”
Prisoners poses a lot of provocative questions. Chief among them is, “Who ultimately bears the responsibility of protecting one’s family?” Is it enough to leave these matters completely in the hands of dedicated, but hopelessly overwhelmed law enforcement officials? And, in a life or death situation, would you ever take the law into your own hands to save someone you love? My favorite thing about Prisoners, one of the best movies I've seen this year, is that the film respects its audience enough to withhold any easy answers.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on September 18th, 2013
If you’ve ever asked someone, "What kind of music do you listen to?", chances are you’ve heard the phrase “I like everything…except country.” By that logic, a significant portion of television audiences automatically dismissed ABC’s Nashville as soon as they saw the first commercial for the show (or heard its title). Well those people missed out on an entertaining, flawed drama with an impressive pedigree. Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere might be the headliners, but the star of the show is usually the great music.
True confessions time: I was one of those “I like everything…except country” people during my more close-minded teenage years. I’m still not what you’d call a country music aficionado, but I am a Friday Night Lights obsessive who would watch almost anything starring Britton. (If the actress signed on for a TV adaptation of Gigli, I’d check out the first five episodes…especially if it co-starred Kyle Chandler.)
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on September 17th, 2013
Is the idea of a “low-budget epic” an oxymoron? I realize an ingenious filmmaker like Neill Blomkamp was able to make the $30 million District 9 look like it cost about five times that much, but I’m talking about really working with scraps. Heck, for $30 million, the filmmakers behind Viking drama Hammer of the Gods could’ve probably made this film 10 times. The Blu-ray case makes it seem like a SyFy-level production, but director Farren Blackburn admirably had his sights set considerably higher.
Viking ruler Bagsecg (James Cosmo) has been mortally wounded during his war against the growing Saxon resistance. From his deathbed, the king orders his son Steinar (Charlie Bewley) to locate banished oldest brother Hakan (Elliot Cowan) so that Hakan can take his rightful place on the throne. (Steinar has another older brother named Harald, played by Finlay Robertson, who also appears to have his sights set on the crown.) Steinar embarks on this mission flanked by his loyal crew: right-hand man Hagen (Clive Standen), superstitious Jokul (Guy Flanagan), and crass savage Grim (Michael Jibson). The foursome, along with a few unexpected allies, soon find themselves venturing into the heart of darkness.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on September 16th, 2013
I have a prediction about reality shows: with a new one seemingly sprouting up like a weed every few minutes, the number of people on television will eventually be greater than the number of people watching at home. Granted, some of these shows are amusing, educational and even inspirational. But too many of them reward negative, repulsive behavior with fleeting fame. Speaking of rewarding negative, repulsive behavior with fleeting fame, The Morton Downey Jr. Show was on the air for less than two years, yet that was long enough to earn its host the title of “Father of Trash Television.”
Evocateur chronicles the meteoric rise and spectacular fall of Downey’s controversial, wildly successful talk show in the late 1980s. Documentary filmmakers Seth Kramer, Daniel A. Miller and Jeremy Newberger frame their subject’s life story as an outrageous psychological drama. As a result, the film also delves into Downey’s past, including his childhood as the son of neglectful showbiz legend Morton Downey and an alcoholic mother, as well as his surprising ties to the Kennedy family in the 1960s. In fact, the film dedicates so much time to the past, the final act of Evocateur — and the final act of Downey's life — feels rushed. (He died of lung cancer in 2001.)
Posted in: The Reel World by J C on September 13th, 2013
“Personally, I prefer the ghosts to people.”
The biggest reason Insidious became a surprise smash was because of its astoundingly straightforward and effective approach to delivering scares. The 2011 film came at the height of the "found footage" craze (and counted Paranormal Activity mastermind Oren Peli as one of its producers), yet it managed to resist the gimmick. It was also released less than six months after the Saw franchise limped to its bloody conclusion, so the fact that Insidious had a grand total of one fatality made it seem downright revolutionary. Unfortunately, the sequel doesn’t seem nearly as interested in standing out from the pack.
