Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 22nd, 2018
"Predators don't just sit around making hats out of rib cages. They conquered space."
In 1987 Predator became somewhat of a milestone film for many reasons. The movie would anchor a franchise, thanks mostly to a wonderfully original Stan Winston creature design and the performance of Kevin Peter Hall under the suit. Both Winston and Hall have since passed, but the alien hunter that they created together is still going strong. The film also featured two stars who would later go on to become governors of their states. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jessie Ventura made their mark in politics. The film also featured Rocky's Carl Weathers. It also featured Shane Black in a small role that might not have contributed to the blossoming franchise then, but he has made his own impact by writing and directing the latest installment of that franchise The Predator.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on December 21st, 2018
Hardbodies is a sex comedy; there is no other way of putting it. This is a hard R movie; I wasn’t really expecting that. However, between the gratuitous nudity, there is a love story unfolding, and to be honest, the other subplots are secondary to this point. Not exactly my kind of film, mainly due to it being from before my time, but I still found it to be moderately entertaining. Needless to say, this is more of a guys’ movie, as I don’t know of a woman who would not have an opinion or two about this movie, especially given the current climate. Then again, Fast Times at Ridgemont High remains a classic to this day. I’m not putting this on that same level, but in my opinion it deserves a fair shake and to be paid the respect of the time period.
Scotty is your typical California beach bum, doing whatever he can to get along. That is until he is evicted from his apartment for not paying his rent.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on December 21st, 2018
one of the biggest action stars in Hollywood. He got his start in martial arts films; The Way of the Dragon was his big coming out as we got to see him go toe to toe with the legend Bruce Lee. So in 1982 when Silent Rage came out, people knew what to expect out of Norris even though this was still before some of his biggest hits. I remember seeing the movie when I was a kid. It was part of a Chuck Norris marathon, where I also got to see Firewalker, a film that for some reason I became obsessed with. (Upon re-watching it years later, the film didn’t hold up at all). That’s sort of the thing with a lot of films that you adore as it kid; they don’t quite hold up as much as you would like them to, so I was a bit hesitant when Silent Rage was offered to review. Would it hold up as a fun action romp, or would it let me down?
Sheriff Stevens (Norris) is the lawman in a small Texas town that doesn’t seem to ever have much trouble, and that seems to be fine for the sheriff. The film opens up with Jack Kirby (Brian Libby) waking up and obviously on the edge of losing it. As it turns out, he’s completely gone insane and goes on a mini killing spree at the home where he is staying.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by John Delia on December 20th, 2018
Children’s fairy tales have taken a new drift with the film The House with a Clock in Its Walls. Packed with exciting action adventure, the movie, based on the book by John Bellairs, envisions the story with an incredible amount of CGI. You could almost call the film animated, but that’s a good thing here as things go bump in the night, magic forms the basis, and solving the mystery becomes the prominent focus for older youngsters. Orphaned due to a car crash that took his parents, young Lewis Barnavelt (Owen Vaccaro) gets invited to live at his Uncle Jonathan’s (Jack Black) magical mansion. He’s a bit fearful of the old house with its grand stairway and many mysterious rooms, but Lewis sort of likes the flamboyance of the magician-turned-warlock. There he’s introduced to Jonathan’s neighbor and best friend, Florence Zimmerman (Cate Blanchett), who assures Jonathan that he will enjoy living with his uncle.
Uncle Jonathan has only one rule for Lewis: he mustn’t open a special cupboard, ever.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on December 20th, 2018
“Oh, he’s better than good…he’s a Crumb!”
Our parents always told us that we shouldn’t have too much Candy. The late comedy legend John Candy spent most of the 1980s either playing a scene-stealing sidekick (Splash, Spaceballs) or sharing top billing with fellow funnymen like Steve Martin (Planes, Trains & Automobiles) and Dan Aykroyd (The Great Outdoors). In 1989, Candy released four films and graduated to solo leading man status. One of those movies was Who’s Harry Crumb? a kooky caper that hasn’t aged very well but still serves as a showcase for Candy’s talents.
Harry Crumb (Candy) is the bumbling black sheep in a long line of private investigators who established a successful agency in Los Angeles. Eliot Draisen (Jeffrey Jones) is the slimy current head of the agency who assigns Harry to a case involving the kidnapping of multi-millionaire P.J. Dowling’s (Barry Corbin) favorite daughter. Why would Eliot assign an inept private eye like Harry to such a high-profile case?
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on December 20th, 2018
The story is loosely based on a real incident called “The Newton Massacre”, which was basically a brutal shootout that took place in a saloon back in 1871. Though we do get to see the incident in the film, the story places most of its focus on the events that in theory led up to this violent showdown. It’s a good idea, and after reading up on the actual shootout, this could have been a tale that would have suited Eastwood, John Ford, or Howard Hawks. Deadman Standing has all the right parts to make a great independent western; unfortunately, by the time you’re ten minutes into the film, you’ll see that this film was a misfire.
The film wastes no time in setting up the political divide that has struck the small boomtown of Hyde Park. There is an election that is going to take place, and basically it’s a battle over land between the cattlemen and those who work for the railroad.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 19th, 2018
"These young men and women are going on a long journey. One that goes around the globe and back to the foundations of our nation. Once you're in the Corps, you're in the Corps all your days on Earth."
Gene Hackman narrates an IMAX look into what it means to be a United States Marine. He's the perfect choice, and not because he has such a distinctive and authoritarian voice, but because he was also once a Marine. There's an element of pride in the narration that just can't be faked.
The film begins with a short history of the Marine Corp that was established in 1775 to act as gunboats to watch over Navy vessels and landing troops. They were instrumental in winning the Revolutionary War and continue to be a crucial part of America's defense.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 19th, 2018
When Star Trek: Discovery was announced, I was quite happy to hear it. There had been a long gap since Star Trek had been on television, and I figured it was long past time to fly through the galaxy on a starship once again. The show finally aired after some real issues getting off the ground, and before I knew it I was back in a starship having a blast once again. Except it wasn't on Star Trek's Discovery I was having all of this fun. It was aboard Seth MacFarlane's Orville that the true spirit of Gene Roddenberry was exploring space once again. Who would have thunk it? Yes, The Orville is considered a comedy, and there are plenty of silly moments and ideas. But even with all of that spoof atmosphere, MacFarlane manages to capture the real spirit that Trek fans have come to feel for that franchise. Honestly, I'm not sure The Orville would have gotten through its first season if not for Alex Kurtzman destroying yet another beloved franchise. Trek fans turned to this show in droves out of frustration and desperation, and MacFarlane welcomed them aboard with a laugh and some alien adventures. It's a great example of that whole nature-abhors-a-vacuum thing. When Discovery went off the rails The Orville filled the void left behind. If you missed the first season, you can get them now on DVD from Fox.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 17th, 2018
"There's no such thing as luck, but I sure as hell believe in stupid."
We're a visual people, and so most of you will recognize Taylor Sheridan from his role as a chief of police in Sons of Anarchy when the controlled puppet regime had finally left the scene. It's not a remarkable role, and it's not a complete surprise that Sheridan found his calling more recently behind the camera. As a writer his first script did hit it out of the park. Sicario is an awesome film populated with compelling and interesting characters who thrived on a broken system. That theme appears to have stuck with him, because the first season of Yellowstone appears to take us back in time to the days of open frontiers and cattle barons who struggled to keep their land amid lawless communities and raiding parties of American Indians who were portrayed as savage beasts who kill women and children in the middle of the night to become to shadows of nightmares and the stories told to keep children in line.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 17th, 2018
"My name is Dylan Reinhart. Not long ago, I was an operative in the CIA known as Agent Reinhart. When I left the Agency and started teaching, I became Professor Reinhart. I wrote a book about abnormal behavior and criminals which was so successful a serial killer used it as clues for his murders. That's when the NYPD reached out to me to help catch him, which I did. So they hired me and I became consultant Reinhart. So now I'm working with this woman, Detective Lizzie Needham of the homicide division, catching killers. Looks like I need a new name...Professor Psychopath."
If this is all sounding a little bit familiar, it should be. ABC did the idea with great success in Castle starring Nathan Fillion. This time many of the folks behind The Good Wife have gotten together for their own version of the idea starring Alan Cumming, and the result isn't near as charming, but it has its moments. You'll get a chance to check them out at home, because CBS has released the first 13-episode season on DVD.
