Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 27th, 2010
I'm reminded of my innocent childhood days when Mr. Rogers would come on my black & white television to change his shoes and put on a sweater. I have to say that I always found the guy a little creepy. He would sing to us in a soft hypnotic voice: "It's a wonderful day in the neighborhood, a wonderful day in the neighborhood. Could you be mine. Would you be my neighbor." Mr. Rogers had quite a fanciful neighborhood indeed. The place was mostly populated with puppets and strange creatures of all sizes. And while today he'd look and sound like a pedophile, Mr. Rogers welcomed everyone to his neighborhood. So, I can't help thinking how he'd feel about "The Girl".
"The Girl" is played by America Olivo, and while her name may sound like a country and a margarine substitute, she's actually pretty wickedly phenomenal in the new direct to video horror film Neighbor.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 26th, 2010
"Would you give up 20 years to prove a stranger's innocence?"
That's the question that is asked and answered, at least for one person, in the docudrama The Wronged Man. The film is a made-for-television movie that appeared originally, and still does from time to time, on Lifetime.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on July 26th, 2010
As the name suggests, this is a collection of ten movies on LGBT themes. In chronological order, here's what we have:
The Children's Hour (1961): Shirley MacLaine and Audrey Hepburn are the headmistresses of a girl's school, and their lives are turned upside down when one ghastly little child accuses them of being romantically involved. It is clear, though, the MacLaine would very much like to be. This was director William Wyler's second stab at adapting Lilllian Hellman's play, and this time was able actually to deal with the play's central issue, rather than disguise it as he had to
Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on July 23rd, 2010
Several years ago comedian Doug Benson made a joke about wanting to parody the film Super Size Me, after watching it while high, by smoking pot continuously for 30 days. A filmmaker heard that joke and decided to make it a reality. Upon making the film, there was an added catch to Benson's plan of 30 days being “Super High,” as he would have to be stone sober for the 30 days leading up to it.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 23rd, 2010
Let's see if you can follow any of this. Jesse Warren is a wannabe actor/director/gofer. He's taking acting classes like a million other Hollywood hopefuls. During his classes he begins to write the "way cool" story about a character named Neil Bannen. As luck would have it, he runs into another aspiring star in Mark Gantt. Gantt appears to be exactly like the character in Warren's fledgling script. So, he approaches his classmate and both agree that the story is "way cool". They know someone at a major studio with more development money than good sense, a guy likely parking cars at The Hollywood Bowl these days. The script gets greenlit, and before you know it the a couple of B list actors along with other film students gather for what is described as an internet series that will also be cobbled together to form a feature film, direct to video, of course. Cut to a hapless reviewer who, as luck would have it, is not an aspiring Hollywood actor. He's given an advance copy of that "way cool" film and sits down in his home theater to watch the movie. As the curtain falls, we find the reviewer sitting down to his computer terminal as he begins to type. He begins his review: "Let's see if you can follow any of this. Jesse Warren is a ..."
Sounds like it might be the plot of the new Sony direct to video release The Bannen Way. No such luck. That might have at least made an interesting comedy. Instead, the above isn't quite the plot of the film. It isn't exactly based on a true story. It IS a true story.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 15th, 2010
Parasomnia is a broad term that covers a lot of sleep disorders. I even ran into the term in association with restless leg syndrome. But there is a severe disorder called Kleine-Levin Syndrome, also known as Sleeping Beauty Syndrome, where the sufferer spends a very large part of their lives asleep. In reality, it usually amounts to days at a time. In William Malone's new thriller Parasomnia, we meet Laura, who sleeps about 90% of the time, making her a true Sleeping Beauty. Malone's had a bit of an inconsistent history. He was responsible for the extremely disappointing remake of The House On Haunted Hill as well as the unfairly maligned feardotcom. His style is almost always over the top and often dominates anything that the story is trying to say. Much of that can also be said of Parasomnia, except here there is a wicked sardonic tale that manages to blend perfectly with the overactive style components. Is it possible that Malone has finally found a gene-splicing technique that has created the perfect stylish thriller? After spending some time with this DVD, I have to say that he has.
Laura (Wilson) is a teenaged girl who has spent most of that time asleep. She has no known family, so she spends all of that slumber time in a corner of a mental hospital. Her next-door neighbor happens to be one of the most notorious serial killers ever known. He has a strange hypnotic power that he has used to mesmerize others to do his diabolical deeds. His name is Byron Volpe (Kilpatrick), and the only way he can be safely contained is chained in a room with his face covered by a black hood. His cell looks like something out of a medieval torture chamber. Enter Danny (Purcell), a young artist who is at the hospital visiting his friend who is in rehab there. The two neighboring rooms make quite an emotional impact on the young man whose girlfriend has just left him. Volpe he finds morbidly fascinating and terrifying at the same time. Laura he is drawn to. He develops an overwhelming desire to protect her. When he discovers that an unethical researcher is about to take her away to use as a guinea pig, he swings into action and kidnaps, or rescues, depending on your point of view, the girl from her fate. It's not easy taking care of a girl who is only awakes for minutes at a time. She is pretty much a blank slate, since she's never been awake enough to experience everyday things like a car ride. To make things worse, Volpe appears to have a hold on her, able to dominate her dreams. It is here that she lives a terrifying life taunted and tormented by the killer. When his hold is able to control her few waking moments, the result puts both her and Danny on the radar of the police, particularly Detective Garrett, played by sci-fi genre favorite Jeffrey Combs. Danny decides that the only way to truly free Laura is to kill Volpe, but that won't be easy. Still, there must be a showdown.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on July 12th, 2010
Marvel Superhero cartoons come and they go. For every Spider-Man cartoon, there is an X-Men cartoon, or Wolverine or perhaps even Iron Man gets one. Some of them last more than one season but more often than not they are replaced by shows telling the same stories but in a different style. Marvel Superhero Squad show attempts to break the mold by providing fresh stories with a rather interesting and unique animation style.
Super Hero City is a vast metropolis full of super-heroes and civilian life but chaos has taken hold. It seems that Doctor Doom and his Lethal Legion are looking for scattered Infinity fractals which hold great power. With each one collected, they are closing to building an Infinity Sword, a source of ultimate power. However, standing in their way is the Super Hero Squad and consists of six primary members.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 8th, 2010
"The rocket belt was first developed by Bell Aeronautics in the 1950's with financial backing from the U.S. military. The Bell Rocket Belt flew successfully for the first time in 1961. Upon seeing the test, the U.S. military found the device so impractical that they promptly withdrew financing and dropped all support for further development."
Unless you’re a regular at the film festival circuit, chances are you haven't even heard of the movie Pretty Bird. Even after picking up the distribution rights to this quirky comedy, Paramount left it sitting somewhere in a cold canister for about two years. Finally the movie arrives in a bare-bones direct-to-DVD format. Is it possible that the studio found the film so impractical that they didn't see any upside to further financial support that releasing the film at the box office would entail? After watching the movie for the first, and likely last time, I suspect there is more truth to that theory than not.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on July 6th, 2010
Nick Twisp (Michael Cera) is a 16-year-old in terminal virgin mode. His home life with his mother and piggish boyfriend (The Hangover's Zach Galifianakis) is a nightmare, but when said boyfriend runs afoul of a trio of sailors, an enforced vacation is mandated. At the trailer park, Nick meets Sheeni (Portia Doubleday), a girl who not only speaks to him but shares his tastes. But Nick has a rival for Sheeni's affection, and in order to win her heart, he must be bad. Conjuring suave alter ego François as his guide, he embarks on an escalating campaign of mayhem designed to unite him with his beloved.
Michael Cera turns in a patented Michael Cera performance: the sensitive, intelligent, shy teen. What could feel too familiar, though, is kept fresh by his hilarious incarnation of François, and the humour depends to no small degree on bouncing off the Cera's established screen persona. And work the humour does. There are great sight gags here, some terrific slapstick, and no end of sharp verbal wordplay. The script is an intelligent delight, and the characterizations are quirky and sharply drawn. I have essentially two reservations: Sheeni is a pretty unsympathetic character, unworthy of Nick's devotion, and the more we see of her, the more his love becomes inexplicable; and there are a number of appealing characters who simply drop through cracks in the plot, never to be seen again. Still, all told, this is one sharp, funny comedy.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on July 5th, 2010
Meg Ryan arrives at her country home a day early, catching hubby Timothy Hutton in the middle of writing her a note telling her that he wants out of their marriage. Knocking Hutton out, Ryan duct-tapes him to a chair, and declares that he will remain her prisoner until he loves her again. Hutton is understandably skeptical that this tactic will work. He is also furious and freaked out. He is even less happy the next day when Ryan heads out to do some grocery shopping, and a thief (Justin Long) breaks enters the house.
Fans of Meg Ryan hoping for a romantic comedy will be disappointed. This is a much darker piece of work, and one that defies viewers to like anyone on the screen: Ryan is nut, Hutton is a jerk, his mistress is a dolt, and Long is a thug. Realizing from the start that we are in the realm of the black farce helps, and there is fun to be had in the performances. Still, what with most of the film taking place in a bathroom, there's a bit of a filmed-theater feel to the experience, and the ultimate denouement is obvious to all but the characters, leaving frustrated viewers to wait impatiently for the pennies to drop.
