Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on September 18th, 2014
In case you’ve been hiding beneath a rock the past few years, The Big Bang Theory isn’t just a hit TV show, but instead it’s a show that has ingrained itself into pop culture. You can go out to most major retailers and find shirts with “Bazinga”, and I’m willing to bet at least one of your Facebook friends has posted a GIF on their feed about the show. It’s a show I told myself I wouldn’t get caught up in because I was so sure it was nothing more than a fad. It took being sick with the flu a couple years back and a determined friend lending me the first four seasons of the show for me to sit back and give it a chance. Before I was finished with the first season I found myself embracing the show and just feeling like a dunce for waiting so long. After all it’s a show about movie and comic book geeks, aka “my people”. In other words, for those who have missed out on this show, believe the hype; it really is that good.
It’s been seven seasons since we first met roommates Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and\ Sheldon (Jim Parsons) along with their beautiful neighbor across the hall, Penny (Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting). Over the years we’ve watched these characters evolve and take leaps in their relationships and other avenues in their lives. Sure, we’ve all been on board for the rollercoaster relationship between Leonard and Penny, but for fans the most shocking was when Sheldon (who just may be one of the funniest quirky characters written in years) finds himself in a relationship with Amy (Mayim Bialik).
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 18th, 2014
"The city still needs saving. But not by the Hood. And not by some vigilante who's just crossing names off a list. It needs... something more."
That someone, that something more ...that something else is the DC Comics character Green Arrow. Not to be confused with the same-colored Hornet or Lantern. In season 2 Oliver Queen finally sheds the name and reputation of the Hood or Vigilante. He has vowed not to kill, and he no longer has the list to guide him. His job now is to go after any bad guys in Starling City.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 17th, 2014
"Spartacus' mongrel horde has swelled with each passing victory since Glaber's defeat at Vesuvius. They added thousands to rank liberating the mines of Lucania. Slaves across the Republic, humble and grateful to their masters for so many years, have broken to treachery in the wake of the ever-expanding legend of Spartacus."
Starz has had a pretty good run with their Spartacus series. Coming off the style of blood and violence that was popularized with Zach Snyder's 300, Spartacus brought that comic book/graphic novel intensity to television. The presentation was both original and effective for a television series. Instead of presenting a typical ongoing story, Starz used a serialization method that made each season a separate collection of shows while maintaining the continuity that fans could appreciate and follow.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 12th, 2014
"There's virtually nothing the Winchesters can't do if they work together."
But that's the rub, isn't it? The tradition has been that each of the last several seasons end up beginning with the brothers separated for one reason or another. Often one of them is trying to escape Hell, purgatory or some fantasy mental land. There are at least two times a year they split up over an argument. But the truth is that they know just as the fans do that when the chips are down and there's an apocalypse around the corner, these guys are going to come together and kick some evil behind. Like that old energizer bunny, they just keep going and going and going. It's been nine years now, and the boys are about to enter a tenth season on the CW. With no end in sight, it's time to look at the ninth season of Supernatural.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 11th, 2014
"One must regard the 30 years of strife, turmoil and suffering in Europe as part of one story. One story of a 30 years war." - Winston Churchill
He was exactly correct, and one of only a few people of the time who had the vision to understand that concept. Before the end of World War II the first world war was known as The Great War. The idea of two separate world wars came later. I can foresee a day when history will once again change its perspective and refer to the entire period as The Great War. It's the tactic that this History mini-series has taken.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on September 11th, 2014
Some of the most iconic stand-up comics of all time have famously wrestled with personal demons while simultaneously mining them for material on stage. Few have done so more successfully — and for a longer period of time — than Richard Lewis. His neurotic, self-flagellating act earned Lewis his “Prince of Pain” nickname, but his longevity is just as impressive. The fact is a lot of great comics don't last as long as Lewis because they lose that battle with their demons too soon. So it's great to see that, at age 67, Lewis finally gets his due with a DVD set that covers some of his most seminal work.
The career-spanning Richard Lewis: Bundle of Nerves, now available courtesy of Video Services Corp., offers the full Lewis experience by showing the comedian on stage, on the small screen, headlining a movie, and in his beloved, memorabilia-packed house. Disc One contains 1979's Diary of a Young Comic and his Magical Misery Tour HBO special from 1997. (Both of those titles are making their DVD debuts.) Disc 2 has the 1995 drama Drunks and House of a Lifetime, a Cribs-style documentary created exclusively for this set. Let's break them down in the order in which they are presented on this set.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 10th, 2014
"It's been a long summer."
And my how things have changed in Mystic Falls. Elena is a vampire, and Katherine is now a human, and doing a pitiful job of that, to be sure. Bonnie is a ghost who only Jeremy can see, and they're trying to keep it all a big secret from everyone so they all think Bonnie is out globe-hopping and having a great time. Stefan is at the bottom of a lake in a safe where everyone else thinks Silas is. He's drowning, dying and then waking up again and again and again. In between he's hallucinating conversations with Damon and Elena. Meanwhile those two are hitting the sheets together again and again and again. All the while big bad from last season Silas is masquerading as Stefan. Turns out that's his true form, and this season is going to make you sick and tired of the whole doppelganger thing. That is, if you weren't already. Yes, it's been quite a long summer, but it's time to head back to Mystic Falls once again.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 2nd, 2014
"My siblings and I are the first vampires in all of history. The Original Family. Three centuries ago, we helped build a town called New Orleans. Now a plot by witches has lured me back, hoping that I will defeat a tyrant, a vampire I created. My brother hopes I will find redemption through the power of family, a miracle child, part werewolf, part vampire, a hybrid. My sister is doubtful; she thinks I am beyond redemption. Despite my brother's best efforts, I have a plan of my own. I will take back my home and reclaim what was mine. I will be king."
If you're a fan of The Vampire Diaries, you need no introduction to Klaus Mikaelson and his family of original vampires. They were cursed by a powerful witch, their mother, to live forever as vampires. Klaus was her bastard son and also a werewolf. His cruelty and brutality are a millennium-long Grand Guignol of the most graphic kind. Can you build a spinoff show around a creature who has pretty much been the vicious villain of the mother show? That was my biggest question going in. The answer was a very resounding yes.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on September 1st, 2014
Oregon may have been the 33rd state to join our union — and Portland may be its most populous city — but Portlandia is a (beet-eating, Bigot Parade-hosting, 3D printer-buying) state of mind. And four seasons into lovingly mocking upper middle class indulgence along with the denizens of the Pacific Northwest, the show — created by stars Fred Armisen, Carrie Brownstein and director Jonathan Krisel — continues to feel more like a fully-realized destination than ever.
Armisen actually picked up a Best Supporting Actor Emmy nomination for his work this season. It was great for the show because it marked Portlandia's first nod in a major category, but it was also strange to see him slotted into the "Supporting" race given that he and Brownstein appear in almost every scene of every episode. Armisen keeps on finding genuine shades of weirdness in every character he plays, but I continue to be impressed by Brownstein's work as a comedic actress. (The former Sleater-Kinney singer/guitarist isn't an actress by trade.) Her subtler goofiness is a great match for — and no less funny than — what Armisen does.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 29th, 2014
The first thing you should know about The Walking Dead is that it's unlike any television series you have ever seen before. The images here are intense, and the crew has been given a blank check to create this vision without the burden of censors looking over their shoulders. There are plenty of blood-and-gore effects that rival any of the Hollywood zombie films you've seen in the last few years. The makeup effects are handled by the very capable hands of KNB and supervised personally by Greg Nicotero (the N from KNB). KNB isn't treating this like a television production, and while I personally get tired of the cliché about making a movie each week, this one lives up to the hype. They aren't doing anything different here than they would do for a big-budget film. The zombies look incredible, and the effects are completely first-rate.
If you need to know more before considering the fourth season, you need to go back to the beginning. It will be well worth the time and money to do so. You can check out our reviews of the previous seasons by banging it here: Walking Dead Reviews. These will quickly get you hungry for the first three seasons and get you caught up with the rest of us and into the breach with Season 4.
