Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on September 30th, 2010
Most people who actually know me can say that I do love to sing. Much of my singing is relegated to a combination of karaoke and Xbox 360 games (Lips/Rock Band). But a long time ago, I wasn’t very comfortable with my singing. Had I been comfortable, I might have joined my school’s glee club. Fast forward a few years and we have a show about a high school glee club. Its funny how you can miss an experience you have never had.
William McKinley High School is in need of a new director of their glee club. The last one was a bit too handy and had to be dealt with. Luckily, there is a Spanish teacher named William Schuester (played by Matthew Morrison) who wishes to take over the position. Principal Figgins (played by Iqbal Theba) lets him know they have almost no budget but he still must place them in regionals for them to continue.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on September 23rd, 2010
This might be a newsflash to some, but I can’t dance. I can’t groove, shimmy or even lay down some dope moves. As such, a whole generation of movies is probably lost on me. In it, young hip kids move around and perform moves that would have made Fred Astaire jealous. It is a showcase of talent on the most basic level. One such movie appeared on my review plate named Stomp the Yard: Homecoming. Hopefully with some fresh moves, we can get an interesting story to boot.
Atlanta, Georgia. A dance competition goes down in the hood and newcomer Chance Harris (played by Collins Pennie) is doing quite well. However, when the chips go down, the local favorite is deemed the winner in a very questionable decision. Later that night, Chance is introduced to a plethora of fist sandwiches at the hands of Jay (played by David Banner) and his band of merry thugs. Chance pleads with them that he will pay them back, just give him some time.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 16th, 2010
Elvis Presley is often referred to as The King Of Rock And Roll, at least to his fans. There's no denying the impact that he had on the music scene. He was the first rock and roll star, to be sure. Colonel Tom Parker, his long-time manager and partner, created many of the marketing traditions that are commonplace in the industry today. He knew the value of his star, not only as a performer, but as a brand. For the first time, a musician's image and name started to appear on everything from bath towels to women's underwear. Fans are often split on their feelings for the self-styled Colonel, but Elvis would not have become the name brand he still is today, without him.
One of those brand expansions tapped into Elvis's own boyhood fantasy. Elvis had worked as an usher at a local movie theater as a teen. He's often related that he would linger in the auditoriums, watching those movies and fantasizing that he was James Dean or Marlon Brando, two of his idols. With the help if Colonel Parker, Elvis would get to see that dream become a reality. The King was to expand his realm to include the movie business and Hollywood. No experience? No problem. After all, if Elvis could go from failing music in high school to becoming the highest paid musician on the planet, he could certainly tackle the world of acting. And he did just that.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 10th, 2010
A short time ago I had the unexpected pleasure of watching and then reviewing Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself. I say unexpected, because I was looking for the typical Madea antics and ended up drawn into a compelling gospel musical that was inspirational and entertaining without ever feeling like I was sitting in mass listening to a long homily. Now I've just had the opportunity to see Stan Foster's The Preacher's Kid. There's no doubt that Foster has been inspired by the Black Theater productions of guys like Perry. There appear to be a couple of inside swipes at Perry in the film. I call them swipes, but it's more likely they are loving jabs. I get the impression that Foster is a fan of Perry's and, unfortunately, has tried hard to imitate his style. The result is certainly not a terrible film at all. It's just not a very good one, either.
The plot is based on the biblical parable of The Prodigal Son. In this case it's the Prodigal Daughter. Bishop King (Williams) is a hard taskmaster for the Lord. He has a thriving community congregation that features one of the nation's best gospel choirs. Of course, the choir stars his own daughter Angie (Luckett) as the soloist. They are on their way to a huge competition in New York City, and everyone expects that Angie's going to lead them to the promised land, so to speak. But Angie is getting restless. She has dreams of a recording contract and fame and fortune. She's tired of giving up so much for the Lord and longs for a little Angie time. Her rigorous schedule doesn't even allow time to catch a movie from time to time. She and close friend Marcia (Kelly) sneak away to a club where a has-been recording artist Devlin (Tank) is partying. The girls make his acquaintance, and he is taken with Angie. He invites them to attend a performance of his gospel play called Daddy, Can I Come Home. Angie loves the production and is invited to a diner to eat with the cast and crew, where she loudly declares that she absolutely must be a part of the production. An impromptu audition wins her the part of understudy to the lead. It's her father, the Bishop, who she can't convince. She leaves even after he warns her that he wants nothing to do with her, should she go. Not very Christian, for a Bishop that constantly asks everyone around him: What would Jesus do? Certainly, he wouldn't disown his kin. So Angie goes on the road with the production. She is seduced by player Devlin and quickly falls into the temptations of the road. Before very long, she's drinking, taking drugs, and sleeping with the abusive star. Meanwhile, her church must prepare for the competition without their star singer. Angie soon discovers that the life she coveted isn't all that she hoped it would be. She must endure betrayal and abuse from Devlin while finding her dream of one day singing the lead doesn't look very promising at all. And, like The Prodigal Son of the Bible, Angie wants to go back home.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on January 27th, 2010
The original movie production of Fame came out in 1980 and followed a group of students as they progressed four years through the New York High School of Performing Arts. It was gritty, it was harsh, but it was a very deep portrayal of budding students trying to get into the world of singing, dancing and acting. Nearly 30 years later, somebody gets the bright idea of doing a remake. Let’s find out if it is anywhere close to the original.
It is another year at PA or the New York High School of Performing Arts, there is a brand new crop of students trying their best to get into this elite school. The teachers are professionals at figuring out who has talent and who doesn’t. Teachers like Mrs. Fran Rowan (played by Megan Mullally) who works on vocals, Ms. Lynn Kraft (played by Bebe Neuwrith) on dance, Mr. Alvin Dowd (played by Charles S. Dutton) as drama coach and Mr. Joel Cranston (played by Kelsey Grammer) who takes on music.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 13th, 2009
Written by Adrienne Ambush
Before there was American Idol, before there was So, You Think You Can Dance and definitely before there was Dancing with the Stars, there was Fame.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 13th, 2009
Written by Adrienne Ambush
Before there was American Idol, before there was So, You Think You Can Dance and definitely before there was Dancing with the Stars, there was Fame.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 30th, 2009
Written by Adrienne Ambush
Anyone who has tuned into MTV or VH1 in the last 10 years has probably seen at least one music video that is featured in this collection of videos by Brett Ratner, but they probably couldn't place a name or face to the man that is behind the camera--that is, until now.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 3rd, 2009
Director Rene Daalder is best known in cult film circles as the man who gave us Massacre at Central High. But now Cult Epics has released a pair of his films (this and Here Is Always Somewhere Else) that seem more in keeping with his real interests. A long and twisting road led to this effort, starting with an abortive collaboration with Russ Meyer and the Sex Pistols, which brought Daalder into the world of punk rock. In that field he met Tomata Du Plenty, vocalist for The Screamers. After funding for their proposed collaboration Mensch collapsed and Du Plenty’s HIV-positive status became apparent, they put together the present film out of a mixture of footage from the abandoned project, plus new elements. The striking result is Du Plenty as the last survivor of nuclear holocaust, holed up in his bunker, declaming/singing poetic rants about the history of the United States, all the while surrounded by a phantasmagoria of bizarre sights. Whether the result is compelling or pretentious (or both) will depend on one’s sympathies with respect to the art scene from which it emerges, but that it is a work that rigorously works out its conceptual and artistic premises all the way to the end cannot be denied.
Audio
![Glee: The Complete First Season [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/glee-the-complete-first-season-bl-large.jpg)
![Preacher's Kid [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/preachers-kid-blu-ray-large.jpg)
![Fame (Extended Dance Edition + Digital Copy) [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/fame-extended-dance-edition-digi-large.jpg)
