Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on August 24th, 2016
For years (at this point we can say decades), fans have been holding out hope for a new installment in the Evil Dead franchise. Over the years there have been rumors of a fourth film, even talks of doing a crossover involving Ash (Bruce Campbell) taking on various horror icons. In the end these talks seemed to be nothing more than pipe dreams, but then in 2013 something special happened. A remake/sequel occurred for the series that actually was pretty awesome and gory while also being a financial success…but it was the stinger at the end of the credits that got people excited, the brief appearance of the man with the chainsaw hand himself. Was it a tease for more to come, or was it simply a wink to the fans of the series? As it would turn out, a little bit of both. It’s a fanboy’s dream come true, not just a continuation of the Evil Dead series, but Starz delivers a 10-episode season that packs a gore-soaked punch to my heart.
When we catch up with Ash, he’s pretty much the same as when we last saw him. He’s a man stuck at a dead-end job and living in a trailer park, but this is the lifestyle choice he’s made on his own. He remains haunted by his past battles with The Book of the Dead and of course the deadites, but in true Ash fashion he copes with it through alcohol and easy women. It’s at his job that he meets Pablo (Ray Santiago) and Kelly (Dana De Lorenzo) who reluctantly find themselves mixed up with Ash and the return of the evil that seeks to be reunited with the Necronomicon.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on August 24th, 2016
I think for the most part we can all agree that the 90’s were not so kind to horror fans. Sure, you can find a few gems sprinkled throughout the decade, but as a whole the theater was not where you’d find the good stuff. In the 90’s you’d end up having to go to your local video store to check out the straight-to-video titles and the independent films that had just been released. Unless you lived in LA or New York, there were so many titles you’d be missing out on, but the video store brought films like Carnosaur (1993) to your attention. This was pretty much how I first stumbled upon Bad Moon, while cruising the titles in the horror section and this cool box art called out to me. I never heard of the film, but I recognized the writer/director Eric Red as the guy who wrote Near Dark (for the longest time my favorite vampire film), so I just had to rent this. At the time I had only known of two werewolf films that I had really enjoyed, and they were the staples An American Werewolf in London and The Howling. Now, nearly two decades later, I’m getting to write up the review of the new Scream Factory release.
As much as the film is about a werewolf and it terrifying a single mother and her child, I really see this more as a story about the bond between a boy and his dog. Brett (Mason Gamble) is just a young boy who doesn’t seem to have many friends, but what he does have is Thor, his loyal canine companion that is a large German Shepherd. The dog isn’t simply just the family pet but genuinely is part of the family and sees himself as its protector; what’s kind of amazing is how we can see this through Thor’s actions. While the story doesn’t allow for this to have the heart that many ‘boy and his dog’ films do, the relationship is still well established.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 22nd, 2016
The Vampire Diaries is finally living up to its name. Elena is asleep until Bonnie dies, so the characters have promised to keep a record of all the goings on in Mystic Falls and with their lives. And there's a lot to write about. Mystic Falls has been evacuated so that Lily and her family of heretics won't kill everybody in town. They're living in the Salvatore mansion, and Carolyn is carrying twins that don't really belong to her. And Damon...he's just being...Damon. All of them are either trying to steal or running away from something called The Phoenix Stone. Elena's going to have a lot of catching up to do, and so do you if you haven't been watching all along.
What is Mystic Falls? Who the heck are Damon and Elena, you ask? Bonnie? You've got questions. We've got answers, but not here. You've heard me say this before, and it's become more and more true of television shows these days. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you're just not ready for Season 7 of The Vampire Diaries. But you are in luck. You can check out my reviews for the previous seasons here: Vampire Diaries Reviews. Then you can pick them up and start a mega-marathon session. Once you're up to speed, join us back here for the next thrilling installment.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 22nd, 2016
"We've been on the sidelines too long, missed too many adventures. Now it's embarrassing. How do you think it feels when everyone asks you how the adventure was, and you gotta say that no one asked you to go along?"
Well, you're invited, now gather up your Disney Fastpass and get in line for more television adventures in Storybrooke. Ah, but before you get on the boat for this year's ride you might want to be sure you're all caught up on the adventures of these characters. This is not the place to start. The mythology of Once Upon A Time gets quite complicated over the previous seasons. This is not the place to start if you want to watch the show. Check out our previous reviews of the first four seasons of Once Upon A Time. Bang it here to get caught up: Once Upon A Time Reviews.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on August 19th, 2016
“He's just got a knack for being in the wrong spot at exactly the right time.”
Jack Irish, the disheveled former lawyer-turned-debt collector with a nose for trouble, is at it again. The character is the creation of novelist Peter Temple, but Australian TV audiences got to know Jack thanks to a trio of TV movies starring the great Guy Pearce. The movies were successful enough that Jack Irish returned as a six-episode series that brings the entire gang back together.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 17th, 2016
"Put your game face on."
When you have the highest-rated drama on television, there is a temptation to milk it for all that you can. We've seen it happen with both the Law & Order and CSI franchises. The results tend to be mixed, with some capturing and even exceeding the popularity of the original. Others never quite seem to connect and are gone while their mother ship is still on the air. It's too early to tell if NCIS: New Orleans will fall in the former or latter category. There's certainly plenty of the tight writing and production value that the NCIS label is known for. The cast is better than average, and we have the addition of an iconic city with plenty of personality to help drive the atmosphere of the show. But how does that translate on a week-to-week basis? In its second year, the jury's still out on that one.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 16th, 2016
There has been no shortage of medical dramas dating back to the infancy of television. Many have become classics. Most have dealt with the use of modern (at least for that time) advances and cutting-edge science. That's exactly what you get with The Knick. You get cutting-edge medical advancement... for 1902. The Knick is the fictional Knickerbocker hotel in 1900's New York. The hospital exists in a poverty-stricken neighborhood where few of the patients can pay for their care. This has been a problem the board has been trying to turn around. Now ground is being broken on a new location in a much more affluent part of New York City. It'll be an opportunity to finally turn a profit and also one of corruption for the man handling the new construction. But what of Dr. Thackery, played by Clive Owens?
We left Thackery in a rehab facility. While he is attempting to recover from his addiction, Dr. Algernon Edwards (Holland) is the acting chief of surgery. He hopes to make it permanent and continues to report pessimistically on Thackery's recovery. But it's going to be a struggle for a black doctor to be hired in such a position, particularly when the hospital is about to make its move in the hopes of attracting a more elite clientele. Edwards isn't the only one with schemes. Dr. Everett Gallinger (Johnson) does not want to serve under a black boss. In fact, he's joined a group of doctors who believe that "inferior" people should be sterilized in a twisted form of eugenics. His only hope is for Thackery to return, so he kidnaps him from the facility and keeps him on his sailboat, where he hopes to cure the addiction by making him focus on tying nautical knots. The process works so well that it pushes Thackery to change his thoughts on addiction and consider it a disease and dedicate his research to finding the cause and cure of addiction. This leads to all manner of brain experiments and a chance for the guys who do the incredible makeup effects to deliver the goods again. I even had a chance to talk with Justin Raleigh, who does many of these marvelous creations. You can check out that interview Here.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on August 15th, 2016
“Who do you think I am? Miss Marple?”
Despite his knack for becoming entangled in byzantine plots and conspiracies, no one would confuse Jack Irish for an Agatha Christie character. Instead, Jack is the creation of novelist Peter Temple, and the character's rumpled charm and general aversion to violence means he has more in common with Jim Rockford than Hercule Poirot. The character has been adapted for Australian television and brought to life thanks to a winning performance by the great Guy Pearce. You can now get to know Jack yourself since Acorn Media was nice enough to put three Jack Irish TV movies on Blu-ray.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on August 15th, 2016
Charlie “Charlie Mac” McIntyre (Terrence “Terrence J” Jenkins) is a modern lothario (not much call for that world nowadays) with a seamless ability to remain romantically unattached to the many women that he meets and sleeps with. Now before you begin to hate him, let me clarify that he is not callous, and he does have scruples. He does not date anyone that shares a connection to any of his circle of friends in order to preserve their friendship. Despite him respecting that relationship, his friends wish for him to reform his ways and settle down, something he has no intention of ever doing. Believing his actions are emotionally unhealthy, his two best friends Rick and Victor (Donald Faison and Robert Christopher) take it upon themselves to propose a bet: he must commit to one person until Victor‘s wedding, in order to prove that a prolonged period of time with one woman will not fundamentally change his perspective on relationships. Charlie accepts.
Enter Eva (Cassie), a sultry and successful woman that Charlie has a chance encounter with. Now this is where the story takes a turn. She is fully aware of the bet, and at first is not interested in participating but soon changes her mind on one condition: she is not looking for a full-blown commitment, but rather a no-strings-attached relationship. Thinking that is the perfect circumstances for him, Charlie accepts once again. With every encounter their passion and connection grow, leaving one question lingering: are they falling for one another?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 12th, 2016
"When people see that red cape, they expect to see a certain someone. Someone they know. But this isn't his story. It's mine."
Of course, that "someone" they know is Superman. This is the story of Supergirl. We've seen her story on both the big and small screen, as well. Helen Slater put on the tights and skirt in the Richard Donner film made during the Christopher Reeves Superman years and meant to tie into that filmactic universe. When television told the story of a young Clark Kent in Smallville, it was only natural that his famous cuz would show up there. This time it was Laura Vandervoort who played the Kryptonian. It's nice to see that the new version of Supergirl pays homage to both previous incarnations of the character. Both Slater and Vandervoort have roles in the series that rise a bit above the cameo level.
