Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on June 24th, 2014
It’s hard to believe it was way back in 2001 when Joy Ride was first released. You can lump me in with the crowd that didn’t expect there to be a sequel, much less a third entry into this series. The second Joy Ride I seemed to have missed altogether, so when I was given Joy Ride 3, I have to admit I was a little hesitant about checking this film out. Now that I have checked out the Blu-ray and all its extras, all I can think is that I had a good time with this film.
The film starts out strong, bringing us into a seedy motel room where a couple of meth addicts are up to no good. When the two are tapped out of meth, they decide to use their CB radio to lure in an unsuspecting driver. It’s no surprise that the trucker they end up getting is Rusty Nail, and he seems to be more than happy to oblige these two addicts. How the rest of the opening sequence plays out is better seen than ruined in a review, but I will say this is one of my favorite openings for a horror film in some time. It’s fun, it’s brutal, and it’s bloody. It’s the perfect way to kick off this kind of film.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 23rd, 2014
"Congratulations! You have been selected to take part in a once-in-a-lifetime game show. Of a long list of candidates in financial need, you have been chosen to compete for a fantastic cash prize."
Elliot Brindle (Webber) is having a tough patch in life. He wants to marry the woman who is about to have their baby, but his financial situation isn't going to support a new family. He's behind on his bills, he's supporting his brother's stay in an assisted living facility (instead of an insane asylum), and his father is about to be evicted from his own apartment. If that wasn't all enough, he just got fired from his sales job because his boss doesn't think he has the killer instincts to succeed. It looks like the end of the line for Elliot with no way out until he gets a mysterious call on his cell phone.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on June 23rd, 2014
What would you do if you spotted your exact duplicate? Would you take a closer look so that your brain could try to confirm what your eyes were seeing? Check with your parents to make sure you didn’t have a long-lost twin they never told you about? And how long before you pinched yourself to ensure you weren’t dreaming? These were the sorts of questions that popped in my head as I watched Enemy, a stylish and mind-bending psychological drama.
The movie, which re-teams French-Canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve with his Prisoners star Jake Gyllenhaal, is based on Jose Saramago’s 2002 novel “The Double.” It’s the story of Adam Bell (Gyllenhaal), a bored history professor who gives the same lectures — and appears to make love to his girlfriend Mary (Melanie Laurent) in the same way — over and over again. While watching a movie recommended by a colleague, Adam notices one of the actors playing a minor role looks exactly like him. After a little online research, Adam figures out the actor’s name, visits the talent agency that represents him, and eventually calls him at home.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 22nd, 2014
"A mouse can only be friends with a bear in a fairy tale."
And that's exactly what we have here. Ernest And Celestine is a charming little tale told through a wonderful watercolor world of animation. It certainly looks very much like the storybooks I remember reading from as a small child. Indeed, the film is based on a series of book from Belgian artist Gabrielle Vincent. The first book appeared in 1981 and continued for 20 years, delighting children the world over. As an artist it makes some sense that the books had a very unique visual style. The stories were brought to life as much if not more by the images than the words of the stories themselves. It's a world that is captured perfectly by the feature film.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 19th, 2014
"You're either gettin' or gettin' got".
It's very tricky to make an historical drama. Writers and directors have to carefully balance the needs of entertainment over facts and authenticity. There comes the inevitable moment when they will be in conflict, and a decision must be made as to which direction will have priority in the telling of the tale. It might have been an unfair expectation on my part, but when an historical drama mini-series comes to a place like The Discovery Channel I tend to look for any conflict to be resolved in the favor of historical accuracy. If you were hoping for the same from The Discovery Channel's first scripted production Klondike...well...you'd be, shall we say, inaccurate. We got "gotten".
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on June 17th, 2014
First I just have to say that the cover art design for this film is one of the best looking covers I’ve seen in a long time. The fact that they actually took the effort to get an artist to design their cover is simply the first step in sucking the viewer into this 80’s sci-fi/ horror realm. Looking at this cover simply reminded me of the days working in a mom-and-pop video store when most of the horror titles were not just a collage of pictures thrown together in Photoshop, but instead an artist would be assigned and create these beautiful and amazing covers.
When it comes to Almost Human, writer/ director Joe Begos seems to know exactly what it means to make an 80’s throwback film, and he welcomes the viewer to come along for the ride. It seems to be a trend with the new up and coming guys in horror to look to the 80’s horror genre, Ti West (House of the Devil) and Adam Green (Hatchet) are just a few of these throwback directors who seem to have a love and appreciation of the time period in horror and embrace it. Almost Human is a film that belongs on VHS, back in the era when practical effects still ruled the genre.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on June 17th, 2014
“You are the most talented, most interesting, and most extraordinary person in the universe. And you are capable of amazing things.”
There’s a worthwhile message in The LEGO Movie about the importance of deviating from life’s instruction book and indulging your imagination. But for me, the biggest thrill came from the way it became the first film without Toy Story in its title to tap into the anarchic (and anachronistic) spirit of playing with toys.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on June 16th, 2014
I hope everyone had a fantastic Father's Day! I've actually been lucky enough to have two strong paternal figures in my life (my dad and stepdad), which is much more than I can say for the young protagonist in Joe. The latest Southern Gothic drama from director David Gordon Green — adapted from the Larry Brown novel of the same name — features one of the very worst dads you'll ever see. To balance things out, the title character is one of the unlikeliest father figures in recent memory.
The movie's opening scene drops us right into the toxic relationship between 15-year-old Gary (Tye Sheridan) and his no-good alcoholic father Wade (Gary Poulter). Gary has been forced to become the provider for his family, which also includes his mom and sister. He goes looking for a job with a crew of workers tasked with deadening trees. (Poisoning weak trees so they die and can be cut down.) The crew is run by Joe (Nicolas Cage), a personable, authoritative ex-convict. Gary convinces Joe to give him a job, and the teenager proves to be a relentlessly hard worker. The same can't be said for Wade, and Joe gets a first-hand look at the abusive relationship between father and son. As Joe's bond with Gary continues to grow, the ex-convict — who struggles with his violent nature on a moment-by-moment basis — finds it increasingly difficult to resist getting involved in the young man's family drama.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 12th, 2014
"You got a chapter in one of those books on jumping to conclusions?"
It's easy to jump to conclusions with a name like True Detective. The moniker conjures up images of the true crime pulp magazines of the 40's and 50's. You might get a sense that this is one of those "based on a true story" type of shows. There was even a second when I expected we might have our first "found footage" television shows. Whatever ideas you have going in, expect your perceptions to change. Whatever else it is or is not, True Detective is one of the most unique and atmospheric shows I've had the pleasure to watch. And that's just the opening credits.
