Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on April 10th, 2018
When you are about to sit down for a comedy with Ed Helms and Owen Wilson, you pretty much know what you’re getting yourself into. Sometimes you just want to watch a movie for a few good laughs; then when it’s over, you return to your day-to-day routine. When it comes to Father Figures, the problem is that the film from the get-go is trying to get you to believe that Helms and Wilson could possibly be fraternal twins. Yeah, we’ve seen this before with the film Twins, only this time around we have a film about brothers attempting to overcome their differences as they work together to find their real father. When you have Glenn Close, Christopher Walken, and J.K. Simmons filling out your cast, the potential for a solid drama with great performances could be expected. Unfortunately, it seems everyone here for the most part showed up to the set to phone it in, and the film suffers for it.
Things get started when Peter (Helms) and Kyle (Wilson) meet up at their mother’s wedding. Peter is a successful yet lonely proctologist, while Kyle is the life of the party, making money off of residuals for having his likeness on a bottle. It doesn’t take much to get the joke that despite being twins, these guys couldn’t be any more different. As an odd twist of fate would have it, while watching an episode of Law & Order Special Victims Unit, Peter sees a character in the show that looks a lot like his dad. When he confronts his mother (Glenn Close) about this, she reluctantly confesses that she had lied, and that their real father is none other than Terry Bradshaw. This in turn has the brothers setting off on a trip together to confront and meet their dad for the first time. Since this is a movie, things obviously don’t go as planned.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on April 6th, 2018
Ever since Jon Bernthal left The Walking Dead, he has managed to create quite the impressive resume over the years. From having some standout performances in Fury, Baby Driver and recently taking on the role of Frank Castle in The Punisher, he is easily making a name for himself. Now we get to see him take on the role of Sam in the new small town indie thriller, Sweet Virginia. In a film that is filled with well-crafted characters matched with some terrific performances by the cast, it’s a shame the film didn’t reach Blu-ray with more of a buzz around it. From the film’s violent opening, the film percolates with menace and unease to the final climax.
When we first meet Elwood (Christopher Abbott), it’s obvious there is something a little off about this guy, and it doesn’t take long before we see what the man is capable of. To put it simply, this may be the most intimidating hitman we’ve seen on screen since the Coen Brothers gave us Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men. A bold statement, but as we see Elwood unravel on screen, we see a man who is desperately wanting to be accepted, whether it’s being a son or simply a friend, but the guy is a pillar of rage and violence. And it’s when we see him show up to the motel as a guest and he’s trying to befriend Sam, you just know this will only end badly.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 5th, 2018
"And so we ran on. Into Summerland and the place they said did not exist. And all the while, wolves were at our heels. Black masks, boots and the one they called The Eye. We had come to do the work that must be done. To strip ourselves of the fog of life before."
If the first season of Legion was intended to lift any fog, it failed miserably. In fact, keeping you in a fog is series creator Noah Hawley’s superpower. He was also the creator of the television adaptation of Fargo, which was often more than a little confusing. But with Legion Hawley has taken these "skills" to the next level, and how you respond to the series will absolutely depend on how much you like your brain messed with while you're watching a show. If the answer is a lot, this is the perfect show for you.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on April 4th, 2018
John Cena continues to attempt to branch out from the WWE, this time with an animated film featuring a peace-loving bull in Spain. Granted, John Cena is not first person I envision when I think about nonviolence, but it is an interesting choice nonetheless. Ferdinand tells the story of a bull raised to participate in the matador competitions featured in Spain. Disney continues to buck against the grain, creating a character that contrasts with his circumstances. Naturally, this is an animated film, and being well into adulthood, I am clearly outside the target audience. However, I am fortunate enough to have a daughter who does fit that demographic, so I enlisted her services for this film. Ironically, I actually ended up enjoying the story a lot more than she did. Too be fair to the film, my daughter only possesses a 20-minute attention span. To her credit, she stuck out the entire film, and we can both provide you with the benefit of our experience.
Continuing my earlier statement about the character, Ferdinand (John Cena), unlike the other bulls, does not desire the glory of competing in the matador competition (at this point, the bulls are unaware that they will be killed in the competition). He would much rather spend his time grazing and smelling the flowers. This also contrasts with his size, as he has grown to be a large and intimidating-looking animal, but he remains a gentle giant.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on April 4th, 2018
When The Sandlot first came out 25 years ago, I connected to the coming-of-age baseball story as strongly as Babe Ruth connected with one of his titanic, 400-foot homers. I grew up in baseball-obsessed Puerto Rico and I happened to be the exact same age as dorky protagonist Scotty Smalls. I’ve kept in touch with the film over the years, but Fox’s new 25th Anniversary Blu-ray re-release of The Sandlot was a great excuse to watch it from start to finish.
An adult version of Scotty Smalls recounts the story of his most memorable summer. As a fifth grader, Scotty (Tom Guiry) moved to a new town with his mom (Karen Allen) and stepdad (Denis Leary) just before the end of the school year. Scotty’s mom wants her sweet, nerdy son to actually get into a little bit of trouble during the summer, so he falls in with a group of kids who play baseball in a raggedy patch of grass called The Sandlot. The only problem is Scotty doesn’t even know how to throw a baseball. Fortunately, Scotty is taken in by Benny (Mike Vitar), the group’s leader and the best baseball player by far. During that one remarkable summer, the kids encounter a dream girl, arrogant Little Leaguers and a legendary canine menace known as The Beast, which swallows up any baseball that finds its way into his yard.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 28th, 2018
"A long time ago in a galaxy far far away..."
It was exactly 40 years ago that we first saw those words flash across the screen. Star Wars was born, and it has become one of the most enduring franchises in film history. The franchise survived a long drought when it didn't seem likely we would ever see those words again. The franchise survived the throes of George Lucas, who created it all and then went a little rogue when he finally did follow up his iconic trilogy. If The Last Jedi and the two previous films are any measurement at all, the best thing George Lucas ever did for the universe he created was to give it up. Of course, I wouldn't necessarily call $4 billion quite giving it up. Since then he's been a bit critical of the path Disney has taken and feeling somewhat left out of the decision process and has openly shown concern for his child under the Disney flag. And after the soap opera that has become the Han Solo film, the fans were getting a little worried as well. It's still too early to know what will become of that particular journey, but that's next year's concern. For now just sit back and revel in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on March 24th, 2018
“I respect that you love your group, but it’s time for you to move on.”
The first Pitch Perfect movie arrived in Fall 2012 as a goofy, energetic, underdog surprise that charmed audiences with its funny jabs at (and genuine affection for) a capella music. But as the trilogy (allegedly) comes to a close a little more than five years later, the only quality that this popular, profitable franchise managed to retain from that previous sentence was “goofy.” The saucy tagline for this movie is “Last Call Pitches,” and everyone involved seems ready to hang up their pitch pipes.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on March 22nd, 2018
“Now I’m awake to the world. I was asleep before. That’s how we let it happen...nothing changes instantaneously. In a gradually heating bathtub, you’d be boiled to death before you knew it.”
The most amazing thing about The Handmaid’s Tale — other than a powerhouse lead performance from the best actress working in television right now — is that this harrowing, suddenly timely cautionary tale about what happens when society falls asleep at the wheel is based on a story that was published more than 30 years ago. Of course, the show has a lot more going for it than impeccable timing.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 21st, 2018
"If I spoke about it - if I did - what would I tell you? I wonder. Would I tell you about the time? It happened a long time ago, it seems. In the last days of a fair prince's reign. Or would I tell you about the place? A small city near the coast, but far from everything else. Or, I don't know... Would I tell you about her? The princess without voice. Or perhaps I would just warn you, about the truth of these facts. And the tale of love and loss. And the monster, who tried to destroy it all."
A couple of years ago I talked to Joe Dante about a variety of subjects. One of them was The Creature From The Black Lagoon. Dante along with several other directors like John Carpenter had once been attached to a remake of the Universal classic. I asked him why it never worked out. He told me it was the suit. We agreed that no one could ever improve upon the original design and that the temptation would be to go computer-generated, and that would be a bit of a shame no matter what it looked like. Andy Serkis has changed my mind a bit over the years, but along came Guillermo del Toro to restore my faith in the idea of a man in a costume once again. Del Toro is a self-avowed fan of the Universal horror films and has thrown his hat into the Creature ring in the past. Universal didn't quite see it then. They had their own Dark Universe plans. Now I've had the chance to see The Mummy as part of the Dark Universe and was instantly underwhelmed. But after seeing del Toro's The Shape Of Water, I think it's time Universal took another look at their Creature From The Black Lagoon plans. Bang it here to listen to that Joe Dante chat: Joe Dante Interview.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 21st, 2018
"We have to be ready. You, me, the others... there's an attack coming from far away."
The DC and Marvel rivalry can be quite fierce at times. I never completely understood the polarized fan base, however. Some of us are just fans of the genre and will welcome a good comic book movie from either and preferably both studios. When it comes to a cinematic universe, however, DC has had some real issues with trying to bring together a combined hero world. Most of the films leading up to Justice League have been dark and filled with brooding heroes. With Batman that kind of thing is appropriate and works. With Superman it has been a severe letdown. When the two came together in Batman vs. Superman, the disappointment started to lead to a resigned conviction that DC was doomed to repeat the same mistakes over and over again. Then came Wonder Woman, and it was no surprise that she was the single standout of the caped-hero duel. Wonder Woman, both the character and the film, appear to have changed something in the DC landscape, and she is, once again, the single most hopeful character in Justice League. And while Justice League isn't quite the movie that Wonder Woman was, there are signs that things are changing. Justice League is not a great movie. But it's not a bad film, either. Superman actually smiles and has begun to return to the "golly" innocent of his best comic years. This film may not be everything we fans of both brands were hoping for, but it's actually a good start.
