Drama

Dick Tracy (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on December 13th, 2012

At the turn of the millennium, we seemed to collectively decide that we wanted our heroes to be dark and gritty. The X-Men traded in their yellow spandex for black leather in their first big-screen adventure. Batman went from exchanging quips and painful puns with Mr. Freeze to brooding magnificently for director Christopher Nolan. And Hollywood almost completely stopped making candy-colored spectacles like Dick Tracy.
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Hope Springs

Posted in No Huddle by J C on December 4th, 2012

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Help me out here. I know the traditional gift for a couple’s 25th wedding anniversary is silver and that gold is supposed to mark 50 years. But what do you get a spouse to commemorate your considerably less ceremonial 31-year wedding anniversary? I’m not sure what the answer is, but I don’t think one week of intensive marriage counseling is the conventional way to go.
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Mannix – The Final Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on November 29th, 2012

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This is the eighth and final season of this slightly offbeat crime drama. Nothing has brought me more joy than seeing that instantly recognizable CBS packaging that is used for older programs being revived onto DVD releases such as Perry Mason or Barnaby Jones. Now Mannix has the opportunity to wow me as I have been before. Will this be a pleasant experience or surprisingly disappointing?
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The Odd Life of Timothy Green (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on November 29th, 2012

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Some movie titles are almost comically blunt. Recent examples that didn’t leave much to moviegoers’ imaginations include Cowboys & Aliens, The 40-Year-Old Virgin and, of course, Snakes on a Plane. So when I saw the title of Disney’s latest live-action, family-friendly offering, I wondered just how odd this movie could really be. (At the end of the day, we’re still talking about a Disney film here.) Turns out, The Odd Life of Timothy Green is a strange little flick for a variety of reasons.
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Catch Me If You Can (Blu Ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on November 29th, 2012

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Before his 19^th birthday, Frank Abagnale Jr. posed as a pilot, doctor, lawyer and secret service agent in an uncanny crime spree that saw him forging millions of dollars worth of fraudulent checks. This film chronicles the fantastic yet true adventure with large doses of fun injected into the 2 and a half hour long chase.
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Lawless (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on November 28th, 2012

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“In 1920 they passed the prohibition act making the sale of alcohol illegal. Well… at least it was supposed to be.”

I know what you’re thinking, and I was also incredibly disappointed to learn this film was not a biopic of Xena: Warrior Princess actress Lucy Lawless. (This hypothetical film would obviously star the ageless Kiwi, because the actress still looks incredible.) Fortunately, Lawless makes up for its startling lack of Lawless by being one of the better films I’ve seen this year.
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Kiss Me

Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on November 26th, 2012

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Mia is a successful architect who has recently become engaged to her boyfriend Tim. While attending her father’s own engagement party she starts a flirtation with her soon-to-be sister in law. From there, a full on romance blossoms that looks to tear apart all she had established with her fiancée, and the rest of her family.
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The Love You Save

Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on November 17th, 2012

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A wealthy mother of three has a secret revealed about her past when her well-meaning son brings a homeless man over for dinner. This production is a play that has been filmed (not adapted) with a laugh-track spliced in, making it resemble a television show. It’s meant to be inspirational but it’s really just a big mess.
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We Can’t Go Home Again & Don’t Expect Too Much

Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on November 14th, 2012

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There are two films that are on the main disc; an experimental film by Nicholas Ray and a documentary by Susan Ray about the making of said film. They are perfect companions on this release and I feel one is crucial for the other, therefore I’m going to treat neither as simply a “Bonus.”
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Fire With Fire (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on November 12th, 2012

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“Every man’s got his dark side”

This is the most fitting quote to describe the exploration of Fire with Fire. My intrigue began with the film’s title, I just love that title. Nowadays most film titles have been reduced to using the name of one of the characters or including “the” in the title; it’s refreshing to have a title that encompasses the overall plot of the film. TV director and reputable stunt coordinator David Barrett takes the director seat for his first feature film (a quick IMDB search would tell you that this step was long overdue)
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Ruby Sparks (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on November 4th, 2012

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“Quirky, messy women whose problems only make them endearing are not real.”

On the surface, Ruby Sparks could be mistaken for the Manic Pixie Dream Girl biopic no one asked for. In case you’re not familiar with this particular cinematic archetype, MPDG derisively describes any unabashedly artsy, quirky young female character that inevitably brightens the life of a brooding, young male protagonist. However, the quote at the start of this review only hints at the fact that this whimsical romantic comedy isn’t afraid to stare down the ugly side of relationships.
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Sound of My Voice (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 30th, 2012

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“Somewhere in the valley, there is a woman living in a basement. She’s actually amassing followers. These people believe that she will actually lead them to salvation, or whatever. And yes, she’s dangerous – but we have to see this thing through. All the way.”

When The Sound Of My Voice opens you really don’t know what to expect. We watch a group of people acting almost as though they have been taken hostage. They are given drab clothes to wear and ordered to clean themselves very thoroughly
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Gone in 60 Seconds – Car Crash King Edition (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on October 23rd, 2012

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The best thing about Gone in 60 Seconds is that the film knows exactly what it is. Just take a look at the breathless blurbs on the Blu-ray case for the latest release. “Over 500 crashes!” “93 cars wrecked in the 40-minute car chase!” No one involved with this movie thought they were making an intimate character piece. I mean the top-billed star is “Eleanor.” Did I mention that Eleanor is a 1973 Ford Mustang?
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Bones: Season 7 (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 23rd, 2012

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Dr. Temperance Brennan, or Bones (Deschanel) is the world’s leading bone specialist. She works in Washington, D.C. for the famous Jeffersonian (I assume it’s intended to be the Smithsonian). Her talents have proven themselves very helpful in solving crimes where skeletal remains are all that there is to go on from the victim. Her FBI agent/liaison is Seeley Booth (Boreanaz). Together they have an uneasy relationship that grows into a kind of friendship. The problem is that Bones doesn’t have a ton of social skills. She relies on Booth to guide their social interactions. More on that later.
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Touch – The Complete First Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on October 21st, 2012

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“Patterns are hidden in plain sight. You just have to know where to look.”

You don’t have to be into numbers to enjoy Touch, but it certainly helps. Numerology deals with the mystical or divine meaning behind certain numbers. Detractors believe that people who place too much faith in such things will foolishly find significance in just about anything. Similarly, cynical TV viewers will scoff at some of the coincidences and connections in this Fox drama. Either way, it looks like your high school math teacher was right: you WILL be using some of this stuff as an adult.
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Mad Men – Season Five (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on October 18th, 2012

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“When is everything gonna get back to normal?”

Is a happy, well-adjusted Don Draper a good thing? That’s one of the biggest questions posed during Mad Men’s excellent fifth season, and it’s aimed at the other characters in the show as well as a passionate TV audience that has become seriously invested in Jon Hamm’s suave antihero.
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Wall Street (Filmmakers Signature Series) (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 16th, 2012

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“Greed is Good.”

No other cinematic phrase described the 1980’s better. And no other movie captures the financial corruption of the 80’s better than Oliver Stone’s Wall Street. Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen) is a small-time stockbroker, making cold calls to businessmen who won’t give him the time of day.
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Legendary Amazons (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on October 13th, 2012

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Ever wonder what a martial arts epic directed by Baz “Moulin Rouge” Luhrmann would look like? Me neither. But that’s pretty much what we get with Legendary Amazons, (loosely) based on the exploits of the Yang family during the Song Dynasty. The story has an intriguing hook — the men of the Yang clan are massacred in battle, leaving their women to throw on armor and take to the battlefield — but is ultimately bogged down by its cartoonish tone and embarrassingly bad production values.
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Magic City: The Complete First Season (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 11th, 2012

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“Every ambition has a dark side.”

And that includes the world of the cable television series. The world of cable series has brought us some of the most ambitious and compelling television shows we’ve ever seen. There’s no censor board to answer to, so that means the shows have the freedom to expand into visual areas that have long been taboo on network shows. Nudity, sexuality, language, and even violence are often huge parts of these kinds of shows. Because there isn’t really a ratings pressure, the shows can also cater to more specialized audiences.
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Hoffa (Blu-ray) (Signature Series)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 11th, 2012

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Among the more unjustly ignored performances was Jack Nicholson’s turn as union boss Jimmy Hoffa in Hoffa. Fox finally decided to put out the Danny DeVito-directed, David Mamet-written film on DVD. Mamet’s script seems to romanticize Hoffa, portraying him as more of a union man, as one who was forced to make deals that could compromise his integrity, but he overlooks his integrity in order to help benefit the American working man. The story is told in the point of view of Hoffa aide Bobby (DeVito), a fictitious character whose flashbacks are used to help us see how Hoffa perhaps should be viewed, as opposed to the punchline in some jokes we may make now.
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French Connection – Signature Series (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 10th, 2012

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“Did you pick your feet in Poughkeepsie?… Have you ever been to Poughkeepsie?… When you were in Poughkeepsie, you sat on the edge of the bed, didn’t you? You put your fingers between your toes and you picked your feet…. If I can’t bust you on this other thing, I’m going to bust you for picking your feet in Poughkeepsie.”

There can be no argument on this point. The 1970’s was a golden age for the cinema.
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The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on October 7th, 2012

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“I don’t want to grow older, to become marginalized and ignored by society. I don’t want to be the first person they let off the plane in a hostage crisis.”

Normally, a movie has to have the words “Harry” and “Potter” in its title to attract the caliber of British acting talent assembled for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. The characters in the film may be in the twilight of their lives, but the performers who play them are at the top of their game.
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Hart of Dixie – The Complete First Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on October 5th, 2012

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“All the food here is fried. The whole town smells like mold. But they could use a good doctor; one who cares about her patients.”

And that’s how a cynical New York doctor courageously puts aside a few (mostly true) stereotypes about the South and decides to stick around fictional BlueBell, Alabama. I’m just grateful the people behind Hart of Dixie exercised some restraint and didn’t call their show Southern HOSPITALity.
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Desperate Housewives: The Complete Eighth and Final Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 3rd, 2012

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“It’s funny. Some people never get to know the folks next door. They share a fence and nothing else. And we’ve shared everything. How did we get to be so lucky?”

Fans of Desperate Housewives have considered themselves lucky to have shared many a night with their television neighbors on Wisteria Lane. But like all good things, the ride has come to an end, and it’s time to take up residence somewhere else.
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CSI: NY – The Eighth Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 2nd, 2012

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The 8^th season of CSI: New York begins with the strongest and most emotional CSI episode ever. The show flashes back to what the team members were doing during the 9/11 attacks. It’s very tastefully done. They never actually show the planes hitting the buildings, but they do show the disaster as it unfolds on the streets of New York. We get to see Mac spending what will be the final moments with his wife, who was killed during the attacks. We always knew that these people were likely working that day. Now we get to see what they were doing and understand the impact it must have had on their lives.
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