Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 14th, 2016
"What we do has consequences, intended and unintended. The decisions we make, the actions we bring have weight."
When upcoming heavyweight contenders like Brian Koppelman, David Levien, and Andrew Ross Sorkin get together, you have reason to expect big things. And Billions is very much about heavyweights. The entire show is one big metaphor for a heavyweight prizefight. In one corner you have U.S Attorney Chuck "The Scholar" Rhodes, played by Paul Giamatti. He's the reigning world champion with a record of 80+ to 0. In the other corner is Bobby "Axe" Axelrod, played by Damian Lewis; he could also be considered undefeated. He runs a sexy brokerage firm. He's the people's champion because he gives very freely to notable charities and particularly to first responders because his wife's brother was a fireman killed at ground zero on 9/11. Both of these guys walk and talk like champs. There's a lot of trash-talk between them, but both have very lurid and potentially devastating skeletons in their perspective closets. And most of the first season plays out like the traditional preliminaries of the big fight. They are headed to an ultimate collision, and it's even-money who, if anyone, walks away with the belt.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on November 10th, 2016
“No rules, no ref. Just your wit and skill to keep you alive.”
Last year, Creed became a critical and audience favorite by reviving a beloved dormant franchise and re-casting its brawny original star in a supporting role as a mentor. I'm not going to pretend that 1989's Kickboxer (starring Jean-Claude Van Damme) is anywhere near as beloved — or as good — as Rocky. But Kickboxer: Vengeance, a reboot/remake of Van Damme's campy action favorite, hits some of the same notes as Creed...except for the part where it's a critical and audience favorite.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 4th, 2016
"This train don't stop." That's what we're told in an Elton John ballad. But it doesn't matter if it's that Midnight Train to Georgia or a freight train, you can bet the farm that it's going to run out of track. That's for sure, and you can expect more than a little crying over it all. The saddest news, however, is the show's final year. You really should not even think about joining the series from this point. I suspect it will still be quite entertaining, but for the full experience you do have to start from the beginning. The evolution of the Cullen character from Civil War veteran out for vengeance to the man who we see in the fifth season is a rather nice journey to witness. So saddle up for the first four. You can find the reviews for other seasons here.
We start with the second part of the final season. These are basically the last seven episodes of the show's run. It's a rather interesting place to start. I'd say this is the episode where things begin to be resolved. Cullen must race to protect his family from The Swede, who has been defeated and will lash out by killing his wife and son. This marks the final confrontation between the two enemies. It won't go where you think it is going, and it's a turning point in the Cullen character. We then turn to his final confrontation with Chang (Mann), so that within just a couple of episodes Cullen's enemies are no longer a problem.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on November 3rd, 2016
“You're no spring chicken anymore.”
It's been more than four years since Jackie Chan — the legendary Hong Kong superstar who has been kicking butt and scoring scoring laughs on screen since the 1970s — announced he was retiring from action movies. Sure, Chan quickly backpedaled, but I don't know that anyone would've held it against the actor (who is now 62) if he'd stuck to his word. After decades of grueling injuries, Chan has noticeably slowed down. That being said, the old man still has a few tricks up his sleeve in Skiptrace.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 2nd, 2016
"Space... The final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission, to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no one has gone before."
Every Star Trek fan knows the words by heart. For 50 years they've heralded the promise of something special. From the television show that couldn't but did anyway to 12 feature films. Would #13 be the lucky one? The trailers left many of us worried that it would more than likely be unlucky. And we needed so much for this one to be great. Since the last film we lost Leonard Nimoy, who was most certainly the heart of the franchise on the screen. He was also the gateway between the two incarnations. That loss was eventually expected. Then we tragically lost Anton Yelchin, who was one of the industry’s rising stars. It's the 50th anniversary, and with all this we really needed something good. Trailers said we were out of luck. They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. I'm here to tell you that you can't judge a film by its trailers. Star Trek Beyond turns out to be not only what the fans wanted... but what we desperately needed.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on October 30th, 2016
This is one of those titles that came along where I had no idea what to expect. I knew it was a horror title, and really that is about it. The problem with doing films in a single location, though it may save you money when it comes to the actual production, is that in return you put an added pressure on your performers and the story to not be boring and keeping the story moving. It can be done; after all, 10 Cloverfield Lane is one of my favorite films of the year, and most of it takes place in a bunker. When it comes to The Id, how did the film turn out? Well, I feel it was a victim of its own design.
Meridith (Amanda Wyss) has pretty much spent her entire life at home, and her youth has been spent taking care of her father. Her father, Mr. Lane (Patrick Peduto) is far from the loving father who appreciates what his daughter has sacrificed to take care of him. He’s a mean old coot, and very early on in the film we wouldn’t blame Meridith if she snapped and killed him one day. Well, that’s actually all this film seems to really be about, a woman being brought to her breaking point where she can justify to herself that it’s OK to kill her father.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on October 28th, 2016
“There's a black man in our kitchen cooking eggs!”
The kitchen-bound black man in this case is Eddie Murphy in Mr. Church, which on the surface appears to be the latest in a sneakily long line of movies (Driving Miss Daisy, The Help, The Butler) where saintly, subservient African Americans enlighten their white counterparts. Those movies can be cloying at best and downright insulting at worst if placed in the wrong hands. But if done right, they can really resonate with audiences. (As evidenced by the fact that the movies I mentioned earlier were pretty big hits.) Mr. Church falls somewhere in between.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on October 28th, 2016
When it comes to spy novelist John le Carre (Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy, The Night Manager), his books seem to produce great films and mini-series but are far from being box-office darlings. Each production of one of his novels seems to be filled with talent in front of and behind the camera. When it comes to the release of Our Kind of Traitor, despite the impressive cast it’s a film that managed to slip through the cracks and seems to have limped its way to a DVD/Blu-ray release when really it’s a film that deserves to be appreciated more on the big screen. While it may not be filled with the spectacle of special effects and explosions, it’s a film that garners some impressive performances throughout and has a story that quickly pulls the viewer in.
Perry (Ewan McGregor) and his wife Gail (Naomie Harris) are supposed to be on a romantic holiday. It’s the kind of holiday a couple takes together to try to salvage their relationship before throwing in the towel and heading to divorce court. Perry is a professor with infidelity issues, while his wife is the breadwinner of the family as an overworked attorney. For them it seems the vacation has worked and the intimacy in their relationship has been rekindled, that is until Perry accepts an invitation from a Russian stranger. Dima (Stellan Skarsgard), is an overpowering presence as he convinces Perry to tag along with him as he goes to a lavish house party and later for a morning tennis match. What Perry believes is nothing more than generous hospitality is instead a charade to pull him into doing something very dangerous.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 27th, 2016
“The countless lives we lost in the War Of '96 did not perish in vain. They inspire us to rise from the ashes as one people of one world. For 20 years the world has seen no armed conflict. Nations have put their petty differences aside. United, we rebuilt our families, our cities and our lives. The fusion of human and alien technology not only enabled us to defy gravity and travel at unimaginable speeds. It also made our planet finally safe again."
Not so fast there, cowboy. There would be no need for a sequel to the 1996 hit film Independence Day if the big bad aliens weren't coming back. Unfortunately, the aliens made the same mistake that Dean Devlin and Roland Emerich made with the film's sequel. They both waited too long.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on October 23rd, 2016
“Everyone is afraid of the dark…and that’s what she feeds on.”
Despite rumors to the contrary, I am a full-grown adult. That means I can’t in good conscience admit to being afraid of the dark. The most I’ll concede is a sense of uneasiness if I’m in a dark space because I might bump into something. And if I hear a strange noise in the middle of the night, my mind might start creating sinister shapes out of shadows. (Hold on…am I afraid of the dark?!) Either way, that primal and unshakable fear of what could be hiding just out of sight is what powers Lights Out, one of the leaner, nimbler, and flat-out most enjoyable low-budget horror flicks in recent years.
