Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on January 4th, 2016
It’s been a long wait for those of us wanting to see Eli Roth’s return behind the camera since Hostel 2 hit the screens. I’ve been more than a little excited since hearing about Roth’s plans to bring the cannibal genre to its jungle roots. It’s been long enough since audiences have been shocked by the ferocity we haven’t seen from the genre since Cannibal Holocaust and Cannibal Ferox. Sadly, the intentions were there, but the execution just fell short. Instead of getting the shock and gore we’ve come to expect since Cabin Fever and Hostel 1&2, this time around we get a film that feels a little restrained.
Justine (Lorenza Izzo) is a college freshman who desperately feels the need to protest against the injustices in the world but hasn’t quite found a cause worth fighting about. That is, until in one of her classes the subject of female circumcision is brought up. It’s a subject that offends and disgusts, and it’s one of Roth’s moments to interject his “agenda” upon the audience. Though for most viewers they will simply pick up on this scene as being a way to foreshadow some of the brutality to come.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on January 4th, 2016
“This road is like a magnet for serial killers.”
There's a difference between paying tribute and ripping somebody off. Wrecker — a high-speed, low-budget actioner — bills itself as “an homage to road classics like Duel.” Unfortunately, that's far from the only nod to Steven Spielberg's 1971 thriller. Wrecker rehashes every significant story beat from Duel, except with a lot less filmmaking skill and a pair of infinitely more annoying protagonists.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Dan Holland on January 3rd, 2016
It is not very often that I am able to say that a film revolving around an extramarital affair keeps me engaged. While the writing in Adulterers became rather unfavorable towards the end, the strength of the conflict and the pacing of the editing and cinematography combine to make a significant force. That being said, I was pleasantly surprised by the intensity of the drama that unfolds among the disturbed trio, but there were many moments that distracted me from that pleasure. Through this review, I aim to be as fair and as spoiler-free as possible. I believe this film is definitely worth the watch, regardless of what does not “work” for me.
Adulterers tells the story of Samuel Deuprey (Sean Ferris), a hardworking man, who comes home to find his wife (Danielle Savre) in bed with her lover (Mehcad Brooks). The events and scenes that follow are rooted in humiliation, depravity, and violence, as Samuel decides to resolve the situation in his own way. The way in which Adulterers heightens the tension is through adding details such as: the events transpire on the couple’s anniversary, Samuel works long hours to provide for his wife, money may or may not be involved, etc. While each of the details introduced into the film’s story may be cliché for dramatic films about affairs, they are absolutely necessary in order to understand Samuel’s rage and mania.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on January 2nd, 2016
“History of man is defined by war. And war is defined by the men who fight it.”
Well, it is definitely more high-tech than the 2007 version, but is that necessarily a good thing? That’s what you are here to find out in this reboot of the popular video game of the same name (minus the Agent 47 part, that is). Rupert Friend is Agent 47 in this updated version, and I will say that despite my initial upset feelings about the recasting of the character, he does an excellent job as the highly motivated and proficient assassin. As far as reinvention goes, I was pleased with this despite it being theoretically ridiculous in some areas, but hey, isn’t that what fantasy is anyway?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 2nd, 2016
"His imperfections were unsettling. But Frank Sinatra was a genuine artist, and his work will endure as long as men and women can hear and ponder and feel. In the end, that's all that really matters."
He was The Beatles before The Beatles were The Beatles. His voice would make women swoon and men want to be him. He romanced some of the most beautiful women in Hollywood history, and he sat at tables with kings, princesses and presidents. He was The Voice. The Chairman Of The Board. He was Old Blue Eyes. His name was Francis Albert Sinatra, but we all called him Frank.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on January 1st, 2016
America’s most dysfunctional family is back for a fifth season. Showtime dramedy series Shameless, based on the popular UK series of the same name, continues with the same level of comedy and drama that has made it one of the network’s all-time popular shows. The Gallagher clan is always full of surprises, and this season is no different, especially when comes to the family matriarch, Fiona, who probably comes through the largest arc this season as always. Usually when a show reaches this point, it begins to show signs of tedium or signals that it is close to its end; however, that is not the case here, as the season 6 is expected to begin in January.
When we last looked in on the Gallaghers, Fiona was just released from jail and is now on probation. Mickey was worried about Ian, who was beginning to exhibit symptoms of his bipolar disorder. When Fiona wishes to hospitalize him, Mickey fights back and asserts that he will look after Ian. Frank the Plank awakens from his liver transplant to discover his marriage to Shelia. Told that the side effects of his transplant won’t be pleasant and he must refrain from drinking, Frank takes off with Carl and shares a drink with his way-underage son. The final scene was probably the most shocking, as a familiar face showed up outside the Gallagher house.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on December 31st, 2015
“We're in hell.”
The Blu-ray cover for Bone Tomahawk features a grizzled Kurt Russell donning a cowboy hat. That image immediately indicated to me that I would be in steady, exceedingly capable hands for the forthcoming Western adventure. What I didn't necessarily expect was for Bone Tomahawk to also deliver one of the more frightening, engrossing, and pulse-pounding movie-watching experiences of the year.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Archive Authors on December 30th, 2015
Does anyone remember Full House? Of course you do. It was recently given a kind of reboot which is supposed to debut on Netflix in 2016. That’s pretty good for a show that debuted in 1987. It ended in 1995 with 192 episodes. That is a very successful run, and it launched the Olson twins as mega-moguls. The twins apparently no longer act, so they will not be in the reboot. I hear they are very, very rich ($300,000,000?). I also hear that Ashley might have Lyme disease, which is a long term ordeal and difficult to overcome. Apparently The Unauthorized Full House came about because Lifetime had success with The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story. I will say that I expected juicy dirt about the various cast members. It isn’t particularly juicy, but it is full of embarrassing details on just about everyone. It is also full of a fair amount of inaccuracies, some due to legal constraints (such as not being able to use sets, theme songs, catch phrases, etc.). It’s more of a behind-the-scenes look at the struggles of producing a network television show. There have been a few alleged scandals, but they did not make the cut of this somewhat friendly look at the show. The original cast included John Stamos, Lori Loughlin, Bob Saget, Dave Coulier, Jodie Sweetin, Candace Cameron, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olson. The actors portraying them are almost entirely unknown faces. The only cast member who I even remotely recognized was Peter Deluise, who plays Stamos’s father. Stamos goes to the pizzeria that his father owns looking for advice about his faltering career. That all changes when he gets the show. We get to see all the cast members as they fret about their futures, but once the show takes hold, we focus on some personal tragedies like both Saget and Coulier suffering the deaths of their sisters. The show’s creator, Jeff Franklin, is depicted as a somewhat stressed out killjoy, constantly having to watch that Saget won’t say bad words in front of the kids. The show’s run is dutifully handled year by year even going to the effort of hiring new actors for the child actors as they grow. I may be giving the impression that I don’t know why they bothered.
The entire effort seems so lackluster and generic that it might have seemed more in place if had been broadcast back in 1987 instead of 2015. Whatever chemistry the original cast may have had is certainly not translated into this version. As a tribute, it seems well-intentioned but substandard. I would say if you are a huge fan of the original series, you might want to see this. If you are a fan of television, in general, you might find some behind-the-scenes information somewhat useful. But if you have any interest in a quality program that stands on its own, it is completely and totally useless. It is boring, dull, and sleep-inducing. The original Full House was probably something of a retread of routine sitcom situations, so this movie is a retread of a retread.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 25th, 2015
Pan is a very big and expensive movie, so when you buy your ticket you are getting a lot for your money. Most movies are not for everyone, but it is safe to say that an expensive movie will offer more entertainment value than an inexpensive or cheap movie. Pan was also put together by an award-winning team of respected filmmakers who have been very successful in the past. That is also a good bet when you are buying a ticket. Pan is an expansion of the story of a beloved children’s classic, Peter Pan. Again, you can’t go wrong there. In fact, it is mostly new material that serves as a prequel to the existing story where Captain Hook is basically a nice guy, and there is a whole new villain instead. The new villain, Blackbeard, is played with tremendous gusto by Hugh Jackman. Again, this is a good thing. Rooney Mara (nominated this year for numerous awards for the film Carol this year) is Tiger Lilly. Garrett Hedlund is the young Hook. Amanda Seyfried is Mary, the mother of Peter. Promising young actor Levi Miller is Peter Pan. Peter starts out in a cruel London orphanage but is kidnapped by the evil Blackbeard and his pirates in his giant floating pirate ship and taken to a place beyond space and time which you probably know as Neverland. Peter is eventually rescued by the young Hook, but the story beyond that gets difficult to summarize. The movie is an amazing visual experience and well worth watching.
Now the bad news. The film was not well received by most critics. The reason is because the film has some issues that might distract from the complete enjoyment that the $150 million budget might lead you to expect. One problem is that the original Peter Pan is perceived as having racist elements, especially with a character like Tiger Lilly. The producers tried to avoid that by hiring Mara, a white actress. Then there was a petition circulated that Hollywood didn’t hire enough actors of color. It seems like a no-win situation to me. You can’t have it both ways, people.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on December 25th, 2015
With their impossibly beefy frames, larger-than-life personas, and familiarity with staged combat (sorry, buddy), pro wrestlers fit the old-school action star mold perfectly. Unfortunately for them, Hollywood isn’t nearly as interested in action flicks that don’t have superheroes, dinosaurs, or Liam Neeson. And while interconnected cinematic universes are all the rage at the moment, Lionsgate and World Wrestling Entertainment have a pretty interesting partnership themselves. Their latest offering is the dopey, compulsively watchable 12 Rounds 3: Lockdown, which is considerably more entertaining than it has any right to be.
You may have guessed by now that 12 Rounds 3 (even the title is wonderfully ridiculous) is the third film in the saga. However, it’s also the second film in the “Action Six-Pack” series, a recent pact between Lionsgate and the WWE to make a sextet of action flicks starring the latter company’s wrestlers. (The first film in the “Six Pack” was Vendetta.) Even before this partnership, the WWE had found a measure of straight-to-DVD success by plugging its superstars into action vehicles that are only vaguely related to each other. (See, The Marine series.)
