Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on December 7th, 2017
“Sounds like you don't have a lot of faith in faith.”
You know how sports teams retire the jerseys of their most beloved, outstanding players so that no one can ever wear their number again? Well, we are well past the point where movies about exorcisms need to be hanging from Hollywood's rafters. Simply put, no one has ever come close to doing it as well as William Friedkin did almost 45(!) years ago with his adaptation of The Exorcist. If anything, The Crucifixion is an even more egregious misfire than other head-spinning stabs at the genre because this movie is actually based on an intriguing, horific real-life case.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by John Delia on December 6th, 2017
The Despicable Me series that includes Minions never seems to get tiring as they extend their comedy one more time with Despicable Me 3, opening this weekend. The key to the filmmaker’s success is the handling of the characters and inserting them into the animated movie with a plan in mind. That plan consists of starting with a little comedy involving the Minions, then working into some intense action that leads to a champion who either succeeds or fails. In the meantime there are multiple stories going on with each one targeting certain audience members. Sounds complicated? Well, the best comedy adventure is intricate, and Illumination Studios does that very well.
The lovable characters are back again with a new twist on Gru’s (Steve Carell) employment. It seems that the government has hired him as a partner for Lucy (Kristen Wiig) in the Secret Service following their marriage. Gru, now an agent looking for the bad guys instead of being one himself, seems to have found his goal in life.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on December 5th, 2017
It is difficult to become invested in a group of characters in just six episodes, but I can say in the case of The Good Karma Hospital, by the time we reached the season finale, I was definitely invested. The story of a big city doctor who leaves her life behind in favor of a journey of self-discovery in a foreign locale is not precisely a new tale, but it is unfolded in such a charming way that you will find yourself willing to overlook its sometimes predictable nature. With a backdrop in south India, the show takes place in a public and underfunded hospital unofficially run by a strong-willed and surly matriarchal character. Mix that with our fish-out-of-water junior doctor, and you get a dynamic reminiscent of the relationship between J.D. and Dr. Cox. Extremely charming and unafraid, they tackle serious issues that plague an underfunded hospital. The Good Karma Hospital is a worthwhile watch.
Following a breakup, Dr. Ruby Walker finds herself overwhelmed and overworked, which prompts her to make the decision to change her life completely and apply for a job with a hospital in south India. Shortly after her arrival, she comes to find that the job she applied for is not the one she got. She finds herself outsourced to the Good Karma Hospital, an underfunded public hospital run by the blunt and no-nonsense Dr. Lydia Fonseca. Unlike what she experienced at the previous hospital, there is no advanced equipment to aid in her diagnoses, and she will need to rely solely on her intuition and the intuition of her colleagues; of course, that is easier said than done. Shortly after meeting Dr. Fonseca, Dr. Walker finds herself insulted and learns that before even being considered for the position she applied for, she must complete a year at a public institution. She quickly finds herself out of her comfort zone as she finds that she will be expected to perform surgery despite her predisposition to pediatrics.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on December 4th, 2017
Coming along the heels of Straight Outta Compton, the new HBO documentary series The Defiant Ones takes a more in depth at the life and career of Dr. Dre as well as famed musical producer Jimmy Iovine. The 4-part series comes out to over four hours of interviews and stock footage that spans over the course of both of their careers, and as a result we get a comprehensive look at the music industry like we’ve never seen before. Whether you are a fan of hip-hop or rock, there is something here for everyone, but for those who seem to have zero tolerance for rap, it’s the story about these two and where they came from to their joint venture in a 3.2 billion-dollar deal with Apple that transcends all taste in music. This is a rags-to-riches story about a Brooklyn boy and a kid straight out of Compton who had a passion to create music, and in the process they changed the industry forever.
Part 1 is our introduction to Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre, where we get their birth stories and how they were as kids. What stands out the most here is seeing how much this pulls back the curtain to the myth about gangster rappers, and we see how Dre was simply a kid with a passion for music and how he had a unique ear to create something different. As for Iovine, we see how he did all he could to not have to work the boat docks and went from creating a failed band to eventually getting a job working at a recording studio. Personally, the highlights of this part were seeing old studio footage of Jimmy being an engineer for the Bruce Springsteen album “Born to Run” and how he got a song Springsteen decided not to use and Jimmy ends up giving it to Patti Smith to create the son “Because the Night”. Follow this by seeing old footage of Dr. Dre working with Easy E for the song “Boys N the Hood”, well, it is incredible that someone thought to bring a VHS camcorder to document these moments that would become part of music history.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on November 29th, 2017
“Cauliflower.”
When Steven Soderbergh announced his retirement from directing films in 2013, it was an announcement that was followed by shock and disappointment for fans and others in the industry. He was a workhorse who managed to deliver a variety of art house titles (The Girlfriend Experience) and then numerous successful blockbusters (Ocean’s 11, 12 & 13) that seemed to always allow him to make films by his own rules. Soderbergh makes his return to film with a heist film that uses West Virginia as its backdrop and NASCAR as its target. It’s familiar subject matter, but it’s the characters that separate this film from the rest of the pack.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 29th, 2017
Of the many films based on books by prolific writer Stephen King, Misery ranks near the top. Falling somewhere between the horror and thriller genres, this film about a twisted obsession is frightening because the premise seems very real. Directed by Rob Reiner (A Few Good Men), who first visited King territory with his 1986 film Stand By Me, Misery tells the story of romance writer Paul Sheldon (James Caan, Elf) and the fan who rescues him after a car accident.
Paul wakes to find himself in the care of Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates, About Schmidt), who’s obsessed with his “Misery” romance series. At first she seems caring, nursing him while he recovers from the accident, which left him with two broken legs and a dislocated shoulder. Soon, though, it becomes apparent that Annie is quite disturbed, and Paul realizes he’s in captivity. When his latest book in the Misery series comes out, Annie is outraged to discover that Paul, who wants to do more serious work, has ended the romance series and killed off the protagonist. She forces Paul to begin writing a new Misery book to fix things, and in his crippled state he has little choice – he’s at Annie’s mercy, until he can escape or be rescued. But is anyone out looking for him?
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Dan Holland on November 26th, 2017
Afterimage is the final film of Andrzej Wajda, prior to his death in late 2016. Though I am not familiar with the cinematic stylings of Wajda, I researched enough to know that he typically helms projects that are historical and biographical, and cover very controversial topics taking place in Poland. Specifically, the ways in which occupation affected Poland during WWII. If this film has done anything for me, it has given me a curiosity to seek out more films from Wajda’s oeuvre. Afterimage is very methodic in its narrative and its set designs. Which is necessary given the film’s source material.
The film studies the twilight years of internationally renowned abstract painter, Wladyslaw Strzeminski (Boguslaw Linda), as Stalin’s socialistic ideologies permeate Poland, leaking into the world of fine arts. Not only is Strzeminski a gifted visionary, he teaches Art History and Analysis at the Academy of Fine Arts in Lodz, Poland. His charisma and teaching style causes his students to develop into an almost cult-like group of followers. However, these followers are interested in keeping the tradition of abstract art alive through the difficult times of Stalin’s call for socially uniform realism among all of the fine arts, including painting. As the film progresses, Strzeminski faces many bouts of artistic discrimination and he continuously rebels, no matter the cost.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on November 16th, 2017
“We did it again!”
I can still remember sitting in a movie theater in Puerto Rico watching Home Alone 2: Lost in New York for the very first time. (With Spanish subtitles, of course.) I was basically the same age as Kevin McCallister — the precocious, pint-sized pre-teen played by Macaulay Culkin — and I’d pretty much worn out my VHS copy of Home Alone by the time the second movie was released. So it’s wild to think that this film is now old enough to rent a car! Fox has released a 25th anniversary Blu-ray of the blockbuster comedy sequel, and it’s a fun, fascinating re-watch for a variety of reasons.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on November 16th, 2017
John Wick was an action film that seemed to sneak up on everyone. Sure, it had a great trailer, but I don’t think anyone expected just how great it actually was. What made it so effective weren’t just the well-choreographed fights and the stylish look of the film, but it was the characters who while over the top, were also ones the audience could relate to. Atomic Blonde is helmed by half the directing team that gave us the first John Wick, and from what the trailers first teased us with, I came into it with hopes we’d get something special. While on the surface I can’t say that this film surpasses John Wick, what it does is stand alone for being a culturally and socially important film as it delivers not just the ultimate badass female in an action film, but I believe the first that belongs in the LBGT community. It’s a big deal what this character represents, but how does the rest of the film fare throughout the fistfights and shootouts?
It’s the fall of 1989 in Berlin when we are introduced to Lorraine Broughton (Charlize Theron). She’s bruised and battered as she enjoys an ice bath. The Cold War is coming to a close as the Berlin Wall is closer than ever to coming down. She is an agent with MI:6 and is being debriefed by her superior, Eric Gray (Toby Jones), and a member of the CIA, played by John Goodman. The debriefing is a combative one. Obviously we can tell she’s been through hell, and she begins to tell her story from the previous days as she attempted to complete her mission.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 16th, 2017
"I'm going to tell you a story. Maybe it'll sound familiar. There was this kid. Sixteen, alone and running for his life. He couldn't see them but he could hear them getting closer. They had guns, crossbows. They were hunting him. It came on the night of the full moon. Something came at him. Something bit him, and it changed his life. It changed everything."
And it's all about to change once again. Teen Wolf started in 1985 as a horror/comedy film featuring then-rising Michael J. Fox as a high school basketball player who discovers that he's a werewolf. It was one of those awkward coming of age films with a lycanthrope twist. Then in 2011 Jeff Davis adapted the name for an MTV original drama series. The concept went from comedy to straight horror akin to shows like The Vampire Diaries. Now six years later the show is coming to a close with these, the final 10 episodes of its run. But this will not be the end. The franchise is already slated for a reboot and will return to television again shortly. I don't know much about the tone or connection of that show to either the series or original film. I guess we're all about to find out together. Until then we have 10 more episodes to sort through as Teen Wolf ends with exactly 100 episodes.
