Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on October 17th, 2013
“Zoe Hart, you went from no boyfriends to two in one night… which one you gonna keep?”
That’s the burning question at the heart of this charming dramedy's second season. Most of the fish-out-of-water shenanigans from the previous year are done now that city girl Zoe Hart has settled into her medical practice in fictional BlueBell, Alabama. As a result, season 2 of Hart of Dixie focuses heavily on the many romantic entanglements of BlueBell’s citizens, led by the least convincing doctor since Dr. Pepper.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on October 12th, 2013
A New York city homicide detective is haunted by the night where her mother was murdered by two gunmen, who themselves were killed by a mysterious being. A decade after that night she finds out that the mysterious being is still around. As this “Beauty” and her “Beast” finally meet, they start investigating the truth behind their secret ties to each other.
The similarities between this adaptation of Beauty and the Beast and any others begins and ends at the title. Originally slated as a reboot of the 1987 series that starred Ron Perlman and Linda Hamilton, this series trades the romance and battle of misfits for crime investigations and military conspiracies.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on October 10th, 2013
This latest incarnation of “90210” ending in its fifth season means it ran for half the length of the original series (which ran for ten). Like the original, the stories of these sexy Beverley Hills residents began in high school. Now we see the sorts of adults they've become and the absolutely ridiculous success they've had. They all started on the top, and somehow manage to claw their way...to the top. Yup...real growth here.
What is this “ridiculous Success” I speak of? Oh, how about the fact that amongst the main characters is a successful club owner (which would warrants even more bragging rights since it's located in California), a software guru (yes, the word “guru” is actually used) and a freaking movie star whose film is #1 at the box office. Incredibly relatable stuff, no?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on October 4th, 2013
Although he’s only mentioned briefly in the Bible, the man known as Barabbas was a key figure during the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. According to the Gospels, Pontius Pilate gave the crowd in Jerusalem the choice of either sparing Jesus’ life or saving the rebel/thief Barabbas during Passover. (No “Spoiler Alert” necessary; I’m sure you can guess which one they picked.) Since very little is known about Barabbas, his life story has basically been transformed into the first documented case of “survivor’s guilt.”
Swedish author Par Lagerkvist won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1951, the year after the release of “Barabbas,” his best-known novel. The book was most notably turned into a 1961 film starring Anthony Quinn and directed by Richard Fleischer. “Barabbas” has most recently been adapted into this intriguing, wildly-uneven (and occasionally painful) two-part miniseries, which debuted on ReelzChannel in March.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on September 23rd, 2013
“To begin with, all the incidents and characters in this story might be fictitious, and any resemblance to you or me might be purely coincidental.”
Right off the bat, the unseen, all-knowing narrator of A Letter to Three Wives lets her audience know the characters in the film aren’t the only ones who are about to have their heads profoundly messed with. That sort of smart playfulness is one of the many reasons you should check out this terrific romantic dramedy from legendary writer/director Joseph L. Mankiewicz now that it’s on Blu-ray for the first time.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on September 18th, 2013
If you’ve ever asked someone, "What kind of music do you listen to?", chances are you’ve heard the phrase “I like everything…except country.” By that logic, a significant portion of television audiences automatically dismissed ABC’s Nashville as soon as they saw the first commercial for the show (or heard its title). Well those people missed out on an entertaining, flawed drama with an impressive pedigree. Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere might be the headliners, but the star of the show is usually the great music.
True confessions time: I was one of those “I like everything…except country” people during my more close-minded teenage years. I’m still not what you’d call a country music aficionado, but I am a Friday Night Lights obsessive who would watch almost anything starring Britton. (If the actress signed on for a TV adaptation of Gigli, I’d check out the first five episodes…especially if it co-starred Kyle Chandler.)
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on September 17th, 2013
Is the idea of a “low-budget epic” an oxymoron? I realize an ingenious filmmaker like Neill Blomkamp was able to make the $30 million District 9 look like it cost about five times that much, but I’m talking about really working with scraps. Heck, for $30 million, the filmmakers behind Viking drama Hammer of the Gods could’ve probably made this film 10 times. The Blu-ray case makes it seem like a SyFy-level production, but director Farren Blackburn admirably had his sights set considerably higher.
Viking ruler Bagsecg (James Cosmo) has been mortally wounded during his war against the growing Saxon resistance. From his deathbed, the king orders his son Steinar (Charlie Bewley) to locate banished oldest brother Hakan (Elliot Cowan) so that Hakan can take his rightful place on the throne. (Steinar has another older brother named Harald, played by Finlay Robertson, who also appears to have his sights set on the crown.) Steinar embarks on this mission flanked by his loyal crew: right-hand man Hagen (Clive Standen), superstitious Jokul (Guy Flanagan), and crass savage Grim (Michael Jibson). The foursome, along with a few unexpected allies, soon find themselves venturing into the heart of darkness.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 17th, 2013
Rick Castle (Fillion) is a very successful mystery pulp-fiction writer with over 26 books hitting the best seller list. He’s rich, and he’s spoiled. He lives with his mother (Sullivan) who is pretty much a has-been actress who thinks she’s just one part away from stardom. He has a young teen daughter (Quinn) who is more responsible than he is. After having so much fun and inspiration tracking down his fiction copycat killer, he decides to pull strings and become an unpaid consultant for the team. At first that wasn't so good for team leader Detective Kate Beckett (Katic). Of course, now the whole sexual tension thing has been discarded, and they are an official couple these days. The team is also filled by a pair of detectives. Detective Javier Esposito is played by Jon Huertas and is the macho member of the team. Detective Kevin Ryan is played by Seamus Dever and is the more reserved member of the team, now trying to start a family. The team is led by the rough Captain Victoria Gates, played by Penny Johnson. She likes to think she's in charge, but she's not.
Nathan Fillion is one of those actors that are hard to pin down. He reminds me a lot of Bruce Campbell. He has a sudden disarming quality to him, even if he is not always the most likable guy in the show. Most fans will remember him as the fearless and cocky captain of the Serenity in Joss Whedon’s short-lived but critically loved Firefly series. He has that kind of charming smile and way about him that gets him out of a lot of trouble and makes you want to love him even as you hate him.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on September 12th, 2013
Modernizing Sherlock Holmes has been a popular trend in film and television lately. We have seen two slick action film adaptations courtesy of Guy Ritchie (Sherlock Holmes and its sequel), a contemporary BBC adaptation (Sherlock) and now there is Elementary, which transplants Sherlock Holmes and his loyal companion Watson from Victorian Era England to modern USA (New York, more specifically).
Jonny Lee Miller's portrayal of Holmes makes me want to start drawing comparisons to the title character in the medical drama House. Both shows surround an eccentric, drug-addict savant who blazes beyond socially acceptable behavior to a series of “aha!” moments. Granted, said “aha!” moments are much less contrived and formulaic than they are in House. It takes a little while for the show to get it's legs, but it does. The creators are clearly hoping the eccentric charm of Holmes can shoulder the burden of maintaining audience interest. Said eccentricity can come off a bit aimless at first. Sherlock has the ability examine people almost perfectly, yet the writers do not seem to have the character fully figured out, and there are too many moments where Holmes' odd behavior seems a bit tacked on, such as when he hypnotizes himself to get through an addiction support group meeting.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on September 6th, 2013
“It’s not a good thing to find oneself living by an outmoded code of conduct. People take you to be a fool.”
Christopher Tietjens, the furiously principled Englishman at the center of this early 20th century drama, is simultaneously a man ahead of his time and part of a dying breed of gentleman. The most frustrating part of Christopher’s predicament is that he also has enough intelligence and self-awareness to realize exactly how out of place his behavior is.
