Genre

Yes formed in 1968 and instantly became a pioneer in the area of progressive rock. The band utilized classical trends and ideas to create epic musical pieces that were often over 10 minutes in length. While that made AM radio success more fleeting, the band was huge at its peak, joining the ranks of Emerson, Lake and Palmer in the genre as one of the most endearing and enduring bands of the era.

Previously on this site I had reviewed Season 4 of this legendary program (https://upcomingdiscs.com/2010/10/15/gunsmoke-season-4-volume-1/) and Season 5 still predates the major changes that occurred over this show's 20 year run, primarily consisting of supporting cast changes so that review can just about double as fair coverage of this season as well; which I hope conveys a testament to this show's consistency of quality and not to my personal laziness as a writer. Indeed, this season continues to provide entertaining evidence as to why this show lasted so long and remains beloved to this day.

“It's worse than I thought, but it's even worse upstairs… It’s dangerous. Do not go there.”

Uruguayan director Gustavo Hernández claims to have shot the first 78 minutes of The Silent House in one continuous unbroken take. Personally, I don’t believe that to be true, as there are plenty of times the camera goes to black passing furniture or into shadows which could hide a cut, but he does pull off the illusion with some incredibly long uninterrupted shots, and that is very impressive indeed.

It is concert time folks and I got another good from the folks at Eagle Rock Entertainment. Hope my audience today likes the Eighties rock and roll because we got a doozie of a band tonight. They are The Pretenders famous for such songs as Message of Love and Back on the Chain Gang. Like many bands of their time, they are formed from the heart of England but they have fully embraced the American way. But without further adieu, let's go to the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles. Maybe they can “Bring out the Biker” in all of us (once I figure out what that means).

Written by John Delia

The action thriller Fast Five with its hot rod theme leaves the past four episodes of Fast & Furious in the dust.  Now on Blu-ray the high-on-energy, exhilarating plot and amazing chase scenes make this a must-see adrenaline pumper. Within the opening 20 minutes it gets so wild it took my breath away.

“I am in the oldest profession in the world.”

Ray (Thomas Jane) is a middle-aged divorcee knocked to his knees by the recession. His home is fire-damaged, he lives in a tent in his backyard, the school he works for as a coach keeps slashing his department’s funding and threatening layoffs, he’s still in love with his neurotic ex-wife, Jessica (Anne Heche) and is struggling as a single father to raise social-misfit teen twins, Damon (Charlie Saxton) and Darby (Sianoa Smit-McPhee).

"New York City 1958: In these concrete canyons, everybody's got an angle. The beauty with the sob story who killed her old man. The harmless geezer who's in bed with the mob. The kidnapped broad who's really a fraud. When a case gets too twisted for the cops, only one man can straighten it out: two-fisted gumshoe Mike Hammer."

My earliest memories of Darren McGavin are the tough reporter that stumbled upon supernatural creatures in Kolchak: The Night Stalker. That short-lived series had a huge impact

John Candy has always been one of my favorite movie comedians. Something about Candy, regardless of whether he was doing a sketch in SCTV, playing Uncle Buck, or a private investigator in Who’s Harry Crumb, he just seems like a guy that is the friendly uncle everybody loves. It could be the meanest character on paper but he comes across as a big teddy bear. Today, we explore a title called Planes, Trains and Automobiles. He plays a Shower Ring salesman, that sounds like a teddy bear to me.

Leslie Nielsen was once a serious actor. He starred in one of the most important science fiction films ever made, Forbidden Planet. He was a staple on the 1950’s television dramas. His unique features and voice made him a busy character actor all the way until the 1980’s. That’s when the cornball kings Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker cast him as the “don’t call me Shirley” Dr. Rumack in Airplane. From that moment on Nielsen went from being a serious actor to becoming the face of an entire comedy genre of corny films.

The spoof film means something different to audiences today than it did in the early 80s. Anything, if done enough times over, starts to become stale. For instance, the first Scary Movie, while having a couple of really lame scenes, was actually pretty funny overall. With each sequel, however, came diminished returns. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a film that spoofs spoof films (though I’m not sure how one would do that).