Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on February 14th, 2012
It really does seem like certain movies are created for the sole purpose of winning a boatload of Oscars. I don't really have a problem with this: I'd personally rather see studios and filmmakers make a shameless grab for prestige than make no attempt at all and revert to their de facto sequel/prequel/reboot mode. The problem is — despite that one clueless, rude person who insists on taking phone calls and texting during the feature presentation, and is somehow always seated directly in front of or behind you — movie-going audiences are more sophisticated than ever. More specifically, moviegoers are hipper to the way movies are sold and presented.
As a result, we usually end up resenting and rejecting these Oscar catnip offerings because who the hell is anyone to tell us what the best movies of the year are going to be before we even see them?! (Please observe a moment of silence for the Oscar prospects of Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar.)
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 14th, 2012
"Millions of people around the world believe we have been visited in the past by extraterrestrial beings. What if it were true? Did ancient aliens really help to shape our history? And if so, what if there were clues left behind, something hiding in plain sight? What if we could find that evidence?"
Ever since Eric von Daniken released his speculative book and its subsequent 1970 film Chariots of the Gods, there has been an entire field of study created around something commonly called Ancient Astronaut Theory. The idea is that extraterrestrials have visited many of our ancient civilizations. The theory continues that these visitors had a hand in shaping our development, whether it be through technology or even manipulation of our very DNA. These believers point to a world of evidence to support their claims. There are tons of images from earlier civilizations that could certainly be interpreted as depicting modern devices, concepts, or even space men. There is plenty of speculation that some of the knowledge and accomplishments of these peoples could not have been possible without some outside interference. There are even those who believe that aliens best explain our religious beliefs and that God himself was/is an extraterrestrial being. Whatever your own beliefs on the subject, there are certainly some fascinating points to be made. There is no question that the speculations and observations bring up some interesting queries that deserve our attention. This series attempts to document much of this evidence and the beliefs these findings have inspired.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Bob Ross on February 12th, 2012
It followed Annie Hall by two years, once again reshaping the mass market’s notion of serio-comic romance. With its bittersweet plotting and cynical one-liners, Woody Allen’s Manhattan was an even bigger commercial success than its Oscar-winning predecessor. Its current incarnation on Blu-Ray offers the best chance yet to revisit its eccentric brilliance.
With spectacular picture-postcard compositions (shot by the great Gordon Willis), spine-tingling George Gershwin orchestrations, and a plot line that would freak out most parents with teenagers, Manhattan is as unlikely a hit as any Allen work. Indeed, the filmmaker himself was reportedly unhappy with the final product. We have no idea why, and you won’t get any hints on the new disc. As usual with the Wood-man’s videos, there are no extras beyond a theatrical trailer. So the film must speak for itself, and it does so most eloquently.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Bob Ross on February 10th, 2012
This April will mark 35 years since Woody Allen emerged as a world-class comic filmmaker. Although Annie Hall was his seventh feature (if you include the voice-over spy-spoof What’s Up, Tiger Lily?, which you certainly should), and although Allen already had a sizable group of admirers (including this longtime fan), his 1977 mainstream smash gave him commercial clout and a little something called the Best Picture Academy Award.
What kind of movie wins major awards, earns big box-office, and puts its writer-director-star in position to make a feature a year for the next 35 years? Here’s the catch: You can’t cram this gem into one easy category. Sure, it’s essentially a romantic comedy, and you can call it that without getting huge arguments. But the story of neurotic, selfish comedian Alvy Singer (Allen, of course) and his up-and-down affair with equally neurotic, selfish Midwesterner Annie Hall (Diane Keaton in a bravura, signature performance), is much more than your basic boy-girl three-act love story.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on February 8th, 2012
First was the play, then came the film, and now we're 140 episodes deep in Meet The Browns sitcom. Like a lot of Tyler Perry projects, the family dynamic can be a bit bamboozling at times. So...it's an elderly man living with his daughter and his niece and her husband and their adopted kids, with regular appearances by his neighbour who is also Aunt to...oh heck, let's just get on with the review...
My mind immediately wanted to draw comparisons between this and another Tyler Perry sitcom, House of Payne (a volume of which I have panned on this very site: https://upcomingdiscs.com/2011/07/23/house-of-payne-volume-8/). To my relief, this show is nowhere near as stereotype ridden nor aggravating as “Payne.” That being said, this is, by no means, a great comedy. The stories are rehashed (the season opener even uses the heavily treaded Flintstones gimmick of having someone become a new man after being bashed on the head), the character dynamics confusing (one of the adopted children looks nothing like his “family” and is interacted with so little at times that I thought his character might have been a ghost living in the house), and the laughter often only comes when they resort to some sort of slapstick when a punchline couldn't be conjured up.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on February 8th, 2012
Some music due to my age and music exposure, I just do not quite get. Led Zeppelin, Eagles (once I got out of college) or Black Sabbath, I love. Rush? I can not stand them. Pink Floyd? Way over-exposed to the point where I just do not want to listen to them except one in a while and only to certain songs. The Doors? Hrmmm, well I do like some of their songs. As it just so happens, the Blu-Ray review I have for you today involves my favorite Doors song, L.A. Woman.
The Doors always envisioned themselves as a four man band, a modern jazz quartet of rock and roll. They were working on intellectual levels higher than a lot of bands. In 1970, they were working on their six studio album. Previous albums had been the same, an almost standard rock and roll band with guitarists, drummers, keyboards, and Jim Morrison. They want to try and do something different: bluesy, with horns and elements of jazz. Work started in the December of 1970 to produce: L.A. Woman.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 8th, 2012
"Gentlemen, I assure you she's the perfect type for the job. She's good at making friends with gentlemen, and we want somebody inside his house who has his confidence."
Say what you will about Alfred Hitchcock, but one thing he never lacked was confidence. Today filmmakers and film fans alike still worship at his altar. His church was the darkened neighborhood cinema, and no one held court better than the man fans affectionately refer to as Hitch. The flicker didn't come from candles as you might expect in such a place of worship. They emanated from the silver screen. He was canonized as the Master of Suspense, but Hitch was more than that, much more. He was actually quite a romantic at heart. Most of his films are romance stories. But Hitch placed these commonplace romances in uncommon environments. His lovers possessed all of the passion you would expect from a romance film, but their lives were usually in danger...and sometimes there were higher causes. Such is the case in Hitch's 1946 spy thriller Notorious.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on February 7th, 2012
Recent Academy Award nominee Jessica Chastain famously appeared in a whopping six movies released in 2011. These include two Best Picture nominees (The Help, The Tree of Life), and two other movies that briefly generated a small measure of Oscar buzz (Take Shelter for Michael Shannon's performance, and Coriolanus for Vanessa Redgrave's work). Unfortunately, when people try to recount Chastain's outstanding breakout year, Texas Killing Fields is destined to become the sixth movie no one can remember. Heck, it's not even her best 2011 movie co-starring Sam Worthington. (That would be The Debt.)
Inspired by true events, the film derives its name from an area just outside Texas City where more than 60 dead bodies have been found since 1971. Worthington (Avatar) and Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Watchmen) co-star, respectively, as Texas City homicide detectives Mike Souder and Brian Heigh. Though Souder and Heigh have their hands full trying to solve the Texas City murder of a young girl, Heigh allows himself to be pulled into a case involving another missing girl whose abandoned car was found in the killing fields, despite the fact that it's out of his jurisdiction. Chastain co-stars as a detective from the neighboring county (and Souder's ex-wife) while the gifted Chloe Grace Moretz (Kick-Ass, Hugo) plays a troubled Texas City girl who Heigh protects.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on February 6th, 2012
“I was dumb enough to think I'd be joining some elite police officers here. I don't know who these people are.”
Those words come from Kathryn Bolkovac (Oscar winner Rachel Weisz), a Nebraska cop who accepts a high-paying gig as a United Nations peacekeeper. The film, inspired by true events in 1999 post-war Bosnia, follows Bolkovac as she discovers a human trafficking/sexual slavery ring with an insidious connection to International Police Task Force personnel, including some from the United States.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on February 6th, 2012
Evidence has revealed the possibility that a Soviet Assassin code-named “Cassius,” thought to be long dead, is still at large after a US Senator is murdered. A veteran CIA operative (played by Richard Gere) is teamed up with an enthusiastic young FBI agent (played by Topher Grace) who has studied and obsessed over Cassius' actions since his days at Harvard.
This is the sort of film that cannot be talked about at great length without revealing the many important secrets it contains. This is especially frustrating because it is those same secrets that only add to my appreciate of the film because it adds layers to all of actor's performances when you know the lies they have been, and continue to have. That being said, multiple viewings could make for some interesting observations for those that enjoy this sort of spy thriller film.
Cold war rivalries and spy games are resurrected for the central plot of this film. The CIA and FBI are forced together to investigate the actions of Russian spies, both new and old. There are conversations outside the White House, War room style meetings, cat-and-mouse games between dangerous men and many other hallmarks of the spy genre.
