Disc Type

I definitely give the creators points for shying away from the usual cast of creatures that are associated with a cabin in the woods. However, the fact that scenario is a bit cliche does take away from some the points given: a cabin in the woods, seriously? It’s getting a bit old, don’t you think? Don’t get me wrong, it does provide an isolated area where controlling the chaos is easier, and I supposed there is something to be said for being cut off from the populace. I suppose when thinking about further, it does create a chill factor; however, my opinion remains the same. I would love to once, just once, see the big scary in attack a major city (and before anyone contradicts, yes, I know Godzilla is the exception to the rule).

Exist follows a group of friends as they travel into the woods for a weekend of fun and debauchery in a family cabin; unbeknownst to them, lurking in those very woods is a creature of legend, spoken about meaning people wager whether said beast is real or simply the figment of someone’s terror-filled imagination: Bigfoot. As I previously stated, I have rarely came across horror films starring this particular monster, so the idea of it being cast as the big bad held a great deal of intrigue for me. The problem, however, is given that no has ever had a clear look at the beast (not one that can be authenticated), its appearance can only be speculated. Exist finds a good way around that for the majority of the movie, by using a go-pro-like camera perspective. It provides shaky camera, making it near impossible to get a clear look at the creature. The audience is treated to good look at the Bigfoot towards the climax of the film, but in my opinion that undid the magic for me. I much would rather to have only seen brief glimpse of it as it attacked rather that seen it. Part of the mystique of the Bigfoot’s legend is the idea that no one has ever got a good look at him; however, people continue to insist that he is real. By giving him an appearance, you ruin the mystique.

I have to admit, seeing Ralph Macchio in any role other than in The Karate Kid is a bit jarring for me.  Growing up in the 80’s, it’s hard to see Macchio and not hope for him to randomly balance on one leg and do a crane kick, but alas, decades have passed and Macchio has come a long way.  Now we get to see Macchio all grown up step into the role of dad in his new film A Little Game.  While Macchio may share the headlines of this all-star cast that includes F. Murray Abraham, Janeane Garofalo, and Olympia Dukakis, the real star of the film is a name many would be unfamiliar with, Makenna Ballard.  You may not know her name now, but after this debut performance I’m willing to bet this is only the first step in a bigger and promising career.

Max (Ballard) goes through the unfortunate hurdle of being removed from her school where she was once surrounded by her friends to being thrust into a new school so she can get a “better” education.  Though the school may look good on transcripts when applying for ivy league schools, right now Max is simply a 10-year-old girl who simply wants to be accepted by her classmates and have fun like any other 10-year-old girl would.  Unfortunately being the new girl at school attracts the attention of a rival classmate who sees Max as nothing more than competition.

Despite Stephen King’s place in modern literary history, Hollywood continues to be hit-or-miss at successfully adapting King’s work for the big screen and television. Personally The Mist is one of my favorite films based off of King’s work, but one can never forget The Shawshank Redemption. Unfortunately, though, there are many more duds than there are successes when it comes to adapting “the Master of Horror’s” work.  Big Driver is the most current work to be brought to the screen. While it may not hold up to some of his more “classic” films, i.e.: Misery, Stand By Me, or Carrie, it is a relief to say it fares better than many of the duds that have been produced.

Maria Bello takes on the lead as Tess Thorne, a mystery book writer who seems to appeal mostly to retired housewives.  It’s a career that has brought Tess plenty of success, and in a way to reach out and meet some of her fans she goes on a book tour. Bello eases into this role nicely as the quirky mystery writer, talking to her pet cat and characters from her book that follow her around. She even goes so far as to strike up a conversation with her Tom Tom device.  It is crucial that the viewer likes Tess early on, because it doesn’t take long before things go horribly wrong for her.

Who Killed Alex Spourdalakis sounds like a murder mystery. The cover of the DVD says, “Ignorance, negligence, indifference”. The documentary was produced by the Autism Media Channel, and the cover also says, “Autism and the US healthcare system”. The implication is that things are not going well for the growing number of parents of autistic children. In March of 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded that the rate of autism had risen to 1 out of 68 births in the United States, and that was nearly double from ten years prior. That sounds like a major problem, and that doesn't even get to the heart of exactly how tragic that really is. Death rates are high for children with autism, and that too tends to get swept under the rug. The problems of dealing with an autistic child are unimaginable to those who live a normal life.

Alex Spourdalakis had two extremely devoted caregivers who would literally do anything to relieve the problems that he dealt with. He was a normal, happy baby until 18 months. Dorothy, Alex's mother, and Yolanda Agata Skrodzka, Alex's godmother, doted on him every moment when he started to show problems, often never leaving his bedside when he wound up in various hospitals. The story that movie tells is a heartbreaking tragedy of an arrogant and misguided healthcare system, not able to accept the changing state of autism in America. Dorothy and Yolanda trusted the doctors as Alex went through numerous changes, assuming the doctors knew best. Over time, it became clear that the doctors mostly didn't know what they were doing. Eventually, at age 14, Alex died.

I give James Franco a lot of credit. He works very hard for a big-shot Hollywood actor. He is ambitious in ways that no one from his generation even comes close to being. He's fearless in his choices and will do practically anything that sparks his creative muse. He is constantly working on film projects, making sure that he includes big-budget blockbusters, but his real passion is a string of micro-budget experiments. He just starred on Broadway in Of Mice And Men. He has won Golden Globes, and he has been nominated for Oscars. He also pursued simultaneous degrees at numerous institutions. While pursuing his acting career he graduated from UCLA with a GPA of 3.5/4.0. He moved to New York City and pursued course work at Columbia University, completing his MFA in writing. He also attended New York University Tisch School of the Arts in filmmaking, Brooklyn College for fiction writing, an MFA for poetry at North Carolina's Warren Williams College, Rhode Island School of design for art, and PhD studies in English at Yale. Many people consider this an insane amount of hubris. I have to believe he is serious, but I don't see how he does it. He does lots more than that besides. He has directed movies like Child of God, and plans are in the works for much more. I'm just trying to set the scene for the movie The Color of Time.

The Color of Time, also known as Tar, is an experimental film portrait of the Pulitzer and National Book Award winning poet, C.K. Williams. It grew out of a course on turning poetry into film that Franco was teaching at NYU, so the film was actually directed by 11 graduate film students. Their work is presented as a unified whole instead of separate segments, and they all seem to have been influenced by Terrence Malick. I guess the film’s cohesiveness can be attributed to the two editors, but it does have the feel of a Malick film. The footage has that dreamy, somewhat fuzzy flow through time and space. The years flow back and forth on each other, and the poet is played by four actors at different ages including Franco, and C.K. Williams is also seen from time to time reading his poetry. It also stars Mila Kunis, Jessica Chastain, Zach Braff, and Bruce Campbell.

Art And Craft is a documentary about an off-kilter mind. That is not necessarily a bad thing. To have an off-kilter mind, that is. Many great geniuses and many great artists have had off-kilter minds, like Van Gogh and Kafka and others too numerous to mention. Art And Craft is about a man who painted many of the great works of art. The only problem is his paintings are nearly exact copies of the originals by famous artists. Mark Landis is one of the most prolific art forgers of the last 30 years. The other thing that should be noted is that he gives all the art away to museums as original works of the great masters. Mark is a Truman Capote sound-alike and lookalike who is on various mental health medications because he has been diagnosed with various mental conditions including schizophrenia and catatonia. His journey through life is unique, remarkable and somewhat lonely. He spent a year in a mental institution when he was 18. He was devoted to his mother for the rest of his life, but she died. His painting was a way to gain approval from his mother and pay tribute to his father, but he frequently betrays the fact that his mother knew it was all a sham. Mark reveals himself to have been a mischievous child. But Mark is a slave to his obsessions and continues his painting projects with a meticulous perfectionism, but he's also fairly cavalier with his work, often tossing it carelessly around his cluttered apartment.

Art And Craft is also the story of Matt Lenninger, who was a relentless pursuer of Mark's exploits. Matt is Javert to Mark's Jean Val Jean. Aaron Cowan is a third character who is also pursuing Mark but with a different motivation.

"Who are the Mythbusters?" 

You know who the Mythbusters are, don't you? They've been a staple on the Discovery Channel for over 12 years now. Yes, this 10th year anniversary release is a little late, but a welcome title all the same. If you really don't know who the Mythbusters are by now, I can't think of a better way to get acquainted than to pick up 50 of their best episodes in one collection. The episodes were hand-picked by the 'Busters themselves. You want to know more? Who you gonna call? Upcomingdiscs, that's who, because we've got the goods right here.