Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 10th, 2017
I was first introduced to The Who through the original Tommy album. It was one of my mother's favorites when I was young, and she had actually written out by hand her interpretation of the story the rock opera appeared to tell. I can't remember those scribblings, and I'm not even sure if they're still tucked away in that Decca album I have around here somewhere. But the music always stayed with me. Now, I didn't ever become a huge fan of the band. I always liked them and collected a couple of their albums over the years. I did play a lot of pinball, however. I fell more in with the likes of Elton John. So you can imagine how excited I was in the summer of 1975 when my favorite musician was cast to play the Pinball Wizard in a movie from the music that had been stuck in my head for years. And while the soundtrack version has been the version I've often found stuck in my head, the original album was never far away either. Apparently that's also the case with Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey.
The decision to do a live version of Tommy 50 years after the album's release is tied to a worthy pet project that Daltrey has been running since 2000. He has recognized that teens have been a big part of the band getting its start back in the 1960's and worked to create Teenage Cancer Trust, which helps teens deal with cancer not only on the medical side but by providing them with unique experiences and activities. The Tommy performance in April of 2017 was the 100th performance from musicians all over the world in support of the cause. One of the parts of this show that I wish we'd seen is only talked about in the Behind the Scenes extra. Kids were provided with instruments and access to the Royal Albert Hall where they were encouraged to write songs inspired by The Who. After the concert they took the stage and got to present them to the band. That must have been a moving event.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 9th, 2017
"Welcome to The Vault, the most amazing library ever. An archive of the incredible. A repository of the impossible. A storehouse of secrets great and small. This is the untold history of America."
Things have not been going so well for Ichabod Crane and his fight against the supernatural. The show has had trouble finding an audience as well as a footing. Season Four marks the second time the show has been re-tooled in order to tweak whatever keeps it from completely catching on. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite enough. The CW's Supernatural is going into its 13th season, so we know there's a market out there for this stuff. But it's hard to pull off, as the many efforts that never made it out of their first few episodes could bear witness. But for these witnesses they made it to four short seasons, and you are now about to bear witness to the end of the fight as Fox delivers the last 13 episodes of Sleepy Hollow on DVD. Faith in the show had fallen so far that the show hasn't been available on Blu-ray since Season Two. So DVD's all you're going to get here, and it's going to have to be enough.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on October 8th, 2017
“Try to call for help…there’s no one for miles.”
The horror stories I tend to enjoy make me empathize with the ill-fated characters on screen instead of making me yell at them for their stupidity. In other words, “What would I do in this situation?” is a much more compelling question than, “Are you a freakin’ idiot?!” We don’t need to get into whether or not I’ve ever found myself handcuffed to a bed. But suffice it to say that Gerald’s Game — Netflix’s brutal and thrillingly taxing adaptation of Stephen King’s 1992 novel — kept me absolutely riveted from start to finish.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 8th, 2017
"History doesn't repeat itself, but it rhymes. - Mark Twain"
Last year Leonardo DiCaprio walked away with an Oscar for his performance in the winter wilderness survival film The Revenant. The film also took statues for its amazing cinematography and also for direction. By the time I was finished screening The Mountain Between Us, I had already started to have flashbacks. Consider this movie to be a Revenant built for two. The film has a great many of the same strengths as last year's epic. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see at least nominations for Hany Abu-Assad for director in his first English-language film. Mandy Walker could very well win for her breathtaking cinematography. And both Kate Winslet and Idris Elba should at least get a good look in the best actress and best actor categories respectfully. There's no question that The Mountain Between Us should at least be nominated for the same hat-trick that The Revenant scored in 2016. Still. As much as these films are the same, there is a world of difference to be found as well.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 6th, 2017
"Turns out we've had a hellish night. Peyton, kidnapped by Seattle's criminal kingpin, saved by a new amnesiac version of Blaine, which doesn't seem to be sitting well with Ravi. Major, suffering because he promised a zombie named Natalie she'd wake up to a new and beautiful world. And now he can't find her. And poor Clive. 48 hours ago, he had no idea that zombies were a real thing. What I need to tell him may send him over the edge."
And by now you might be either over the edge or at the edge of your favorite television seat. But if you're just confused, it's because you missed the first two seasons of iZombie, and this is not where you want to start your journey. Check out our reviews of Seasons 1 & 2, then watch the episodes and join us back here once you're caught up. Bang it Here for my look at the first two seasons.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on October 6th, 2017
“In our conversation, he seemed relaxed, unfailingly candid, earnest, and trustworthy. That is his talent and his curse.”
You probably know the name Bernie Madoff, the notorious fraudster who used a Ponzi scheme to steal almost $65 billion dollars from his victims. (Yes, that's “billion” with a B!) But if you were hoping to gain some insight into the man and his methods, this HBO film isn't really the place to look. The Wizard of Lies features a fantastic cast, some effective directorial touches, but is too often guilty of telling rather than showing.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on October 5th, 2017
“This is a corpse infected with the plague. It is uncaring, unfeeling.”
When it comes to the overwhelming majority of zombie fiction, it’s all about brains (or rather, BRAAAINS!!!) It’s what the undead hunger for, and a well-placed headshot is usually the only way to kill them (again). And that doesn’t even cover the popular device of using the walking dead as an allegory for an increasingly mindless society. Warm Bodies stands out because it’s more concerned with an entirely different bodily organ. Based on Isaac Marion’s popular novel of the same name, the zombie romantic comedy deals directly with matters of the heart.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 4th, 2017
"And now, folks, it's sock-it-to-you time."
Few television shows have had as much influence on the pop culture as did Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. The brainchild of George Schlatter the series has left behind a rich legacy. Even if you've never seen an episode of Laugh-In, you've heard the catch-phrases, or you've watched another show that was directly influenced by it. Lorne Michaels, who created the iconic Saturday Night Live, began as a writer on Laugh-In, and once you've seen Laugh-In, you are going to instantly recognize many of the same ideas. Shows like Hee Haw and the British Benny Hill have admitted to taking material directly from Laugh-In. Best of all, it was a family show that didn't need to be on at midnight so the kids wouldn't be around. Laugh-In thrived for six seasons in prime time, and I can still remember evenings where the entire family gathered to watch. It was something none of us had seen before but we all have seen since. But as the old song goes: "Ain't nothing like the real thing". And Time-Life put it all together in one massive box set. All 140 episodes on a massive 38-disc set. And don't forget that holiday shopping begins soon. Don't worry; I suspect we'll find a way to remind you.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on October 4th, 2017
“This may seem a peculiar request...but could someone explain why I'm here?”
That question is posed slurred by Jack Sparrow, Johnny Depp's perpetually sloshed swashbuckler, during his very first appearance in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. Given that this is the fifth film in a faded franchise — and that Depp probably needs the money — the answer for why any of this is happening appears to be painfully obvious. Which is why I was delighted (and frankly a little shocked) by how much fun I had watching this latest entry, which manages to entertain while openly plundering the original movie's winning formula.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on October 2nd, 2017
“You love this type of drama.”
When Fox’s Empire premiered in early 2015, it became an instant sensation that re-wrote the ratings record books. The show’s mix of high drama and hip-hop obviously struck a chord with an underserved segment of TV viewers. Of course, that sort of otherworldly buzz and ratings success was never going to be sustainable. So while Empire has inevitably lost some of the sizzle from its unprecedented debut, this unapologetically over-the-top soap rap-era continues to entertain by leaning into its Twitter-shattering craziness.
