Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on July 23rd, 2014
When I first picked up this title to review it was a film I knew nothing about other than what the DVD cover revealed, which as it turns out was very little. I like going into most films cold so there is no room for expectations to get in the way. With such a generic title and a cast that had a few names that rang a bell and knowing nothing about the story, I figured the film had equal chances to be good or simply a stinker I’d forget by the weekend. As it turns out, Gangster is a gritty little drama that not so much took me by surprise but instead left me wanting so much more.
Paul Ferris (Martin Compston) had it rough as a kid, always the target of bullies, while also developing a quiet admiration for the local Glasgow crime boss. Witnessing an execution before even turning a teenager, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that this admiration would soon develop into emulation towards the bullies in his neighborhood.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on July 23rd, 2014
The fact that we haven’t gotten a movie about Cesar Chavez until now is both surprising and not all that shocking. It’s surprising because the Mexican American labor leader was arguably as big of a civil rights icon to Latino workers as Martin Luther King, Jr. was to the country’s black community in the 1960s. On the other hand, the extended wait for a Chavez movie isn’t all that shocking when you consider his efforts took place in the largely un-cinematic realm of grape boycotts. The bland, well-meaning Cesar Chavez makes the case for his impactful deeds, even if it doesn’t totally present him as a vibrant, complex man worthy of the biopic treatment.
The film opens with Chavez (Michael Pena) explaining his life story to an unseen interviewer; so he’s really addressing us in the audience. He talks about being born in Yuma, Ariz., and his family losing its farm during the Great Depression. They subsequently migrated to California, where Cesar began working the fields at age 11. (Farmworkers had been excluded from the National Labor Relations Act, which had been enacted in 1936.) This sort of “tell-don’t-show” sequence is not what you’d typically want to see out of a movie. But here it’s a brisk way of running through the early part of Chavez’s life and sharpening the film’s focus.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 22nd, 2014
It happens all the time. It's just as common on large-budget films as it is on the small films. Someone comes up with a great hook. It's a clever idea with all of the potential to be very good. It might even start off that way. Too many times the road traveled is a road to nowhere, and potential was lost somewhere along the path. That's exactly the issue with Open Grave. The opening sequence is one of those scenes that really sticks with you. A guy wakes up in a huge pit filled with dead and rotting human beings. He has no memory of who he is or how he got into this mess. It's a terrifying thought. It's a visceral nightmare that can touch those hidden fears in even the most stoic among us. What a promising start. Soon our character is given a rope and helped out of the pit. It's all downhill from here. It's bad... really bad... when your film peaks at two minutes in.
We eventually find out the guy who woke up in the mass grave is Jonah, and he's played quite well by Sharlto Copley. With not much dialog to work from (he is among dead people, after all) he manages to do a perfect job of portraying the emotions we would expect from this terrifying situation. When he's rescued from the pit, he's led to a house where there are several characters suffering from the same limited amnesia. They maintain knowledge and skills from their lives. ID cards even provide them with their names. The rest is the proverbial blank slate. There are some clues, however. A date circled on a calendar portends some ominous event. There is also an Asian girl, played by Josie Ho, who knows what's going on. Unfortunately, she can't speak and doesn't understand English.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 22nd, 2014
"There are over 120,000 juveniles incarcerated in detection centers across the United States. Upon release 75% will either return to prison or die in the street. What follows is based on the true story of Camp Kilpatrick and the people there who tried to make a difference."
The Rock -- sorry, Dwayne Johnson, sure has come a long way from his melodramatic days as a WWE superstar. His first major film role, as the Scorpion King in 2001's The Mummy Returns was more about his physical presence than any acting ability. Two years later, he proved he could handle action comedy with The Rundown. Now, with Gridiron Giants, Johnson has added the drama notch to his genre belt.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Archive Authors on July 22nd, 2014
by Normandy D. Piccolo
“Magnum, Rockford and Marlowe never had to rake leaves before a case.”
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on July 22nd, 2014
- “Are you some kind of big deal?”
- “Yeah, I’ve been around.”
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on July 21st, 2014
"Maybe it was all inevitable. An unavoidable collision between mankind and technology."
Just about any project that Christopher Nolan has any attachment to is going to get my attention. And from the first glimpses of the film in the early teasers, Transcendence always felt like a film Nolan would seem right at home making. Instead, taking the helm for the first time as director is Wally Pfister. Though this may be his first time in the director’s chair, Pfister is no stranger to working on pictures of large scale; after all, he’s been Nolan’s director of photography since Memento back in 2000. So how does Pfister do with his first at bat? Well, it could be a lot worse…
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 21st, 2014
Pacino and Depp in a mob drama about an undercover fed and his unknowing Mafioso mentor? Fuggedaboudit. Donnie Brasco is based on the true story of F.B.I. agent Joe Pistone (Johnny Depp, Blow), who spent six successful years undercover in the New York Mafia, as one Donnie Brasco. The film opens with Lefty Ruggiero (Al Pacino, Heat), an aging made man, connecting with Donnie about a diamond ring. Donnie’s cover is he’s in the jewelry “business”, and Lefty wants to unload a ring some guy …gave him as payment for a debt. When Donnie insists the ring’s a fake, Lefty goes back to see the guy, bringing Donnie along. The guy still claims it’s the real deal, but Donnie asks for a minute to “talk to him.” Permission from Lefty granted, Donnie smacks the guy around, threatens murder and makes the guy give up the keys to his Porsche.
So starts a tight relationship, between made guy Lefty and Donnie, his connected underling and chosen pupil. Lefty, a killer with 26 hits under his belt, eventually vouches for Donnie to his bosses – a big move, because it means he’s responsible for Donnie. If something goes wrong – like Donnie turning out to be a cop – the mob veteran will die with his protégé. With Lefty standing up for him, Donnie is allowed into the fold of a mafia crew led by Sonny Black (Michael Madsen, Kill Bill), a violent, ambitious leader.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 20th, 2014
"Let me know when the governor gets here."
Well, he's in the house, and I'm going to get a lot of razzing for this review of Last Action Hero. The person who thought I should see a shrink for looking forward to the next Saw film is going to be calling for my outright commitment to an institution dedicated to covering walls with nice padding so we won't hurt ourselves. I know this film is generally considered "bad" by critics and moviegoers alike. It swept the Razzies in 1993 and has since been only the kind of film 10-year-olds would really like to see. Me, I've always simply loved this film. From the first time I saw it at the box office, I was hooked. It was one of the first new laserdiscs I bought back in the day, and I watched the heck out of that disc. I'm not ashamed to admit it. I love this movie.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on July 20th, 2014
Not to be mistaken for the much anticipated Ant-Man that should release next year from Marvel, Antboy is the latest import out of Denmark that shows that the worldwide box office is becoming a more level and diverse playing field. For the longest time foreign films were a thing that belonged in art house cinema and found in a tiny section at the mom-and-pop video store. Now in a generation of the internet and most notably Netflix, the wide range of foreign cinema is being made available, and in my opinion this is a great thing.
For the parents out there worried about their kids having to read subtitles, no worries, the film comes with a dubbed track that is the default option on the DVD. As for the film itself, I’ll be honest, from the cover art I set my expectations low and prepared for the worst. Thankfully my concerns were quickly alleviated.
