Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on February 4th, 2016
Following the Lifetime original movie Lizzie Borden Took an Axe, The Lizzie Borden Chronicles is a continuation of the tale about the young woman accused of killing her stepmother and father with an axe. It’s tricky enough to do a feature length film about real people involved in real events; liberties seem to be taken for the sake of telling a good story. It’s one of those things that when you see “Based on true events” or “Inspired by true events”; is there a difference, and does it even matter? Well, if you are watching The Lizzie Borden Chronicles, accept the fact that though the character and her sister are very real, this is hardly biographical, but instead a fun game of “what if” that the creators have done with Lizzie Borden. And it’s a wild eight-episode ride that they have set the viewers on.
In Fall River, Massachusetts, it’s 1893, and it has been four months since Lizzie Borden (Christina Ricci) has been acquitted for the murder of her father and stepmother. Since the trial, Lizzie and her sister, Emma (Clea DuVall) have struggled to restore a life of normalcy and keep their violent past behind them.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 3rd, 2016
“Magic Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?”
Years ago a news magazine, I don’t remember which, conducted a survey. They discovered that more adults knew the names of the Seven Dwarfs than could name seven figures in the federal government, including President, Vice-President, Senate, House of Representatives, and the Supreme Court. They say our educations begin very young. Well, since 1938 our youths have been entertained by Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Dan Holland on February 3rd, 2016
I’ve never been too big a fan of romantic comedies. They are often too quirky for their own good, and they follow a typically cliché story arch. I do not even enjoy rom-coms from famed comedic directors such as David Wain. Although certain directors do attempt to break the mold, it’s as if the genre is nothing more than a memory foam mattress: you will always fall into place, because it is the most comfortable. That being said, when watching a made-for-TV rom-com such as For Better or for Worse, one can assume there will not be much breaking of the genre conventions.
For Better or for Worse tells the story of esteemed wedding planner Wendy (Lisa Whelchel), whose life is turned upside down when her son returns home after quitting law school, and a divorce attorney (Antonio Cupo) moves into the office next to hers on the same day. To make matters worse, her son has brought home a new vegan fiancée who has “changed his ways,” and surprise, her dad is the hot new divorce attorney on the block. When her business partner (Kim Fields) can only offer so much advice, she makes an unlikely team with the divorce attorney in order to collectively ruin their children’s plan for marriage.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 2nd, 2016
"This bird you'll never change."
That seems to be the case with the Southern Rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. Few bands have experienced the level of tragedy this one has. It's somewhat of a miracle that any version of the band would still be standing. But they are thriving and doing their best to keep their particular sound alive. And what better place to demonstrate that nearly 50 years after they were formed than back home in Jacksonville, Florida where the band's original members were formed. (No, they didn't come from Alabama.)
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 1st, 2016
Steven Spielberg. Tom Hanks. The Coen Brothers. 1957. The Cold War. Mark Rylance. There are a lot of elements to the stew that is Bridge of Spies. Let's start with the most important ingredient. Steven Spielberg has been a household name for decades now as the most reliable producer/director of movie entertainment we may have ever seen. His name is so synonymous with big-screen entertainment that he needs no introduction from me. But he has been trying to get away from pure entertainment for a long while now, often with great success. In more than one interview, Spielberg has said he wants to get away from the really big movies he's famous for and do mostly historical dramas. Not that many of them haven't been really successful, but the two big ones are Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan. Both those had undeniable impact, enormous emotional heft, and were hugely successful. Lincoln from 2012 was maybe Spielberg's most satisfying attempt at recreating history. Now we have Bridge Of Spies.
The Cold War drama has a different feel. It is full of details of the time period and subtle shadings of emotions with an overriding sense of lightness to what could have been a heavy-handed look at a very black-and-white era.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on February 1st, 2016
With a few slight changes and additions, Sin Seer could have been quite something. As is, it is far from the worst film that I have ever seen, but there were a few areas that upon examination did not make much sense, such as in what world would we ever allow a convicted felon to carry a weapon? There are a few other things; however, I will let you marinate on that question, as it is one that plagued me for much of the movie’s duration. Our story opens up at a prison; convicted felon Grant Summit (Isaiah Washington) is released after serving an undetermined amount of time for the death of at least three people. OK, let’s just pause there. Let that sink in, he killed at least three people, and he is being released while he is still young enough not to require a breathing apparatus to survive. In the film’s defense, the circumstances of the crime are bit muddled, and he was outnumbered. Unpause; after his release he finds work with Rose Ricard (Lisa Arrindell Anderson), a part-time consultant of the police department. Rose is gifted; however, the nature of her gift is not very clear in the beginning. Based on my assessment, Rose is uniquely attuned to the sins of other people. She uses this ability to assist the police as well as earn a living for herself. As you can imagine, her probing into the private matters of others has the capacity to put her in danger; enter Grant. He serves as her protector from those who would do her harm. However, he may not be enough given her new case.
Rose is hired by the wife of a boxer who has been missing for six months. As the two dig deeper into the case, it becomes evident that the once-believed-wholesome boxer had a darker side and was caught up in a conspiracy that will have the pair unsure who they trust, or if they can even trust each other.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on February 1st, 2016
The 100-year anniversary of the Jack the Ripper murders is quickly approaching, and a copycat serial killer is looking to make his mark in Los Angeles. With only one murder left, the LAPD is in a rush to prevent this madman from completing his across-the-pond murder masterpiece, and the prostitutes of LA are shaking in their heels and miniskirts. It’s a great way to start off a film, and I’ll admit I was hooked early on with this film, but if you were hoping for a true modern tale of Jack the Ripper, I’m sorry to say you’ll feel more than a little hoodwinked by this film.
John Wesford (James Spader) is a young doctor who is struggling to make a difference with his patients while working in a low income area. He’s the humanitarian type, seeing all his patients as equals as he deals with the homeless, the elderly, and prostitutes. It’s the type of hospital where he can cut his teeth while honing his skills and make a name for himself. Everything is looking up for him until he manages to get himself killed by a man who may or may not be the modern Jack the Ripper.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on February 1st, 2016
My first All Hallows' Eve experience was an unexpected fright delight. The 2013 horror film featured a trio of stories tied together by a creepy clown and a familiar “babysitter-in-peril” plot line; it was a fun, unsettling, and grungy throwback to low-budget scares. So you can't blame me for actually being pretty excited when I found out they'd made another one. Unfortunately, this sequel is a disappointing, thoroughly unsatisfying mish-mash that undoes practically everything that was good about its predecessor.
Things start out familiarly enough: a lonely woman (Andrea Monier) who conveniently owns a VCR find herself in possession of a ratty-looking videotape. The first film had a babysitter find the tape among her two young charges' trick or treat haul, and the action was tied together by Art the Clown, who brought back unpleasant memories of the first time I can remember being terrified. This time around, the woman is stalked by a pumpkin-masked, knife-wielding Trickster (Damien Monier) who deposits the tape at the woman's doorstep. Naturally, she pops it into her VCR and away we go.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 31st, 2016
"Stealing from the Pope is suicide."
We're not talking about that pope. We're talking about Robert DeNiro in his latest direct-to-video feature film Heist. It's true that DeNiro hasn't exactly been picky lately with his parts. He commands a big paycheck, often for just showing up on the credits. It's common among actors particularly those like DeNiro who have made quite a name for themselves and find themselves in the back nine of their career. You have to at least give him a little more credit than most. He's the kind of actor who always puts in the effort for a project no matter how big or small the film or part happens to be. You could say that gangster parts like Pope come naturally, and he doesn't really have to act. If you believe that, you've just glossed over the actor's best talent. He always makes it look easy. More than giving his best, DeNiro is an actor that appears to bring the best out of everyone else, as well. Most of the cast and crew refer to him as Mr. DeNiro in the bonus material here. That's the kind of respect he's earned from his peers. If he wants to have a little fun on a direct-to-video film from time to time while padding the bank account, I say what's the harm. Keep doing them and I'll keep assigning Robert DeNiro movies to myself every time.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 30th, 2016
Shout Factory is churning out the 1980's horror films to provide us with a steady diet of schlock-o-rama. Through their Scream Factory series we've been getting many double-header collections along with the occasional horror film that stands alone, if not standing out. The films are the kind of thing you gather a bunch of friends together and have yourself a marathon of films that make you laugh as much as make you scream. The latest in this series is the 1987 Zombie High. Of course, the film doesn't have a single zombie, at least not in the classic Romero style, and it appears to take place at a college instead of a high school. But let's not let plot points get in the way of a good title. In fact, Zombie High is remembered more for how it was made than for the final product.
The filmmakers literally invaded the campus of USC in L.A. In what many describe as a pretty cool con, they were able to convince the school's staff and students that a major film was being shot there, and the crew was given a ton of cooperation from the school. USC has the oldest film school in the nation, and you might understand why everyone would be eager to help out a big film that wanted to use its locations and resources. Those resources included everything from camera equipment to providing the labor both behind and in front of the camera. The movie was made for very little money, because so much of the cost was picked up by USC in their attempt to "cooperate". Zombie High just might be the only completely stolen film to be released to any kind of a wide audience.
