Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on March 2nd, 2014
There is something charming and irresistible when it comes to the characters of Mordecai and Rigby. The slacker duo that consists of an oversized blue-jay and a raccoon have a charm about them that seems to appeal to all ages, but for me I find them to be the most relatable of animated characters. Perhaps not so much now but back in my teen years these two sadly remind me a lot of myself, the obsession with film, slacking off about work, and most notably the awkwardness around girls. With this DVD release we get a collection of episodes that explore the love lives of not just Mordecai but Rigby and even Muscle Man as well.
With 16 episodes together in the pack and coming in just under three hours of content, for fans of the show there are plenty of episodes to sit back and enjoy. Muscle Woman would be the first in the collection that I’d consider really follows the “romantic” theme of the collection. Rigby and Mordecai have to work together to help get Muscle Man out of the depressed funk he’s in since his girlfriend Muscle Woman has broken up with him. This isn’t so much something they are doing out of the kindness of the hearts, but rather to get Muscle Man back to work. Unfortunately the plan that seems to work is getting Muscle Woman to go out with Mordecai, only he needs to break her heart in order for her to see what she had with Muscle Man. Sadly Mordecai gets nothing but the bad end of the stick in this episode, though it does have its sweet moments. The Muscle Man and Muscle Woman relationship is followed up in the episode Fancy Restaurant where Muscle Man is asked by his girlfriend to meet her parents and to do it at some place that is fancy. Once again it’s up to Rigby and Mordecai to help make this date go off without a hitch, but there is only so much that can be expected of a character like Muscle Man who enjoys ripping off his shirt and having a punch line that tends to end “…like my mom”. When the date goes bad and Muscle Man and the gang have to take on the stuffy wait staff, well, that’s the kind of fun you come to expect from the show.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on February 27th, 2014
Let’s be honest, anytime you hear about a SyFy original movie, expectations are lowered, and you settle in for what is most likely going to be a forgettable, cheesy film. But sometimes a film comes along, and it manages to take you by surprise, and you just have a good time with it, and not at the film’s expense (Sharknado, I’m looking at you). When it comes to where Scarecrow falls, well, this is one of those fun little films that captures the spirit of some great 80’s monster films; Pumpkinhead continually came to mind while watching this.
It’s almost time for the town’s annual Scarecrow Festival where everyone gathers around to celebrate the tale of an urban legend that goes back over a hundred years. Unfortunately for a few students who are in detention, they get to spend their time helping clean up an old farm. Stuck looking after the students is Aaron Harris (Robin Dunne) who just so happens to have dated Kristen (Lacey Chabert), the current owner of the farm he and the students are going to work on.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on February 27th, 2014
At first glance, Legit simply looks like an amalgamation of every successful (non-animated) comedy on FX. It’s got the bro-humor of The League along with the willingness to push the boundaries of good taste of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and it’s all centered around a comic playing a loosely-fictionalized version of himself (like Louie). So what does comedian Jim Jefferies bring to the table that’s new? I’d say it’s a refreshing amount of sloppy, unshowy heart. The show is nominally about the Aussie comic trying to make it big in Los Angeles, but it’s really about Jefferies and his inner circle becoming “legit” human beings.
“I just have a fondness for prostitutes and disabled people.”
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on February 27th, 2014
They say you can't choose your family, but apparently that well-known phrase never made its way to France. At the very least, no one bothered to tell Paul de Marseul, the legacy-obsessed vineyard owner at the center of You Will Be My Son (Tu Seras Mon Fils.) Cohen Media Group gave this tasty 2011 French offering a theatrical release last year, and now the film — which alternates between being a picturesque delight, a tense family drama, and a thriller — arrives on Blu-ray.
Niels Arestrup stars as Paul, who has a great nose (and palette) for winemaking. His adult son Martin (Lorant Deutsch) is a hard worker, but he didn't inherit his father's natural abilities. (Much to Martin's chagrin, Paul never misses a chance to cruelly remind his son of this fact.) Since the vineyard's longtime manager Francois (Patrick Chesnais) is terminally ill, Martin is eager to become a bigger part of the family business. Enter Francois's son Philippe (Nicolas Bridet), a charismatic, successful California winemaker who returns home to be with his ailing father. After Paul enlists Philippe's help with the upcoming harvest, he realizes he'd rather hand the family business over to someone else's son rather than his own flesh and blood.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 26th, 2014
"Let me tell you a story."
Remember the tagline in Alien? "In space no one can hear you scream." Gravity begins, appropriately enough, with complete silence. We're treated to a rather spectacular view of the Earth from orbit. Eventually chatter begins to intrude upon our revelry. We soon meet the crew of a space shuttle mission to do repair work on the Hubble telescope. We quickly learn that this is the final mission for retiring astronaut Matt Kowalski, played by George Clooney, although I certainly consider it a bad sign when he's told to enjoy his last walk. He's acting as a mentor of sorts to younger astronaut Ryan Stone, played by Sandra Bullock. There are others on the mission, but we're treated to very little time with them. In a short time, they won't really matter.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on February 26th, 2014
Prison films seem to work as one of the perfect examples of characters in life confronting the crossroads in their lives to either continue down the road they are going and amount to nothing, or seize the opportunity to make a change and make something of themselves. Most often the character needs to overcome personal demons whether they are emotional or drug-related, but it is still a demon that has dragged them to a dark place in their life, and it’s behind bars where these characters find their redemption. The Shawshank Redemption is perhaps one of the most popular films that explores this belief of personal salvation from behind bars, and Jamesy Boy appears to followed suit.
The film is based on a true story, and newcomer Spencer Lofranco steps into the lead role of James. James is the poster child for what a troubled youth is, bouncing in and out of juvenile detention to the point that no public school wants to accept him as a student. He’s a boy without a future as he continues down this troubled path, but his mom, played by Mary-Louise Parker, struggles to find a school that will take him. The trouble for James is that the longer he’s out of school the easier it is for trouble to find him, and that’s just what happens when he meets Crystal (Rosa Salazar) who is just as troubled, only she has friends who deal heavily in drugs and numerous other illegal activities.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 25th, 2014
"Don't mess with a man of God."
It has been said that an old vaudevillian was on his deathbed and was asked how he was doing. He replied, "Dying is easy. Comedy is hard". And no, it wasn't Shia LaBeof. The fact is that comedy is easy. Horror comedy is hard...very hard. One needs only to look at the lame attempts each year to make us laugh at the carnage. For every Shaun Of The Dead there are 100 Vampire In Brooklyn's Let's not even talk about the last Scream entry. Needless to say I was quite a bit overwhelmed when I received Hellbenders 3D. Not only was this some cheap Exorcist knockoff, but it was going to be low-budget 3D. I watched it the night before a surgery figuring it was the most likely film to make me actually look forward to the surgery. Let's face it. You see this stuff coming from a mile away. What I never saw coming was that I had one hell of a good time watching. I'm not going to call it a classic by any means. But Hellbenders delivers like few horror comedies I've seen in a very long time.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 24th, 2014
Bruce Dern is the one generating the greatest praise. June Squibb (About Schmidt) who plays Dern's wife has also gotten multiple nominations. Woody Grant (Dern) is seen at the start of the film walking the winter roads of Billings, Montana. It is his intention to walk to Lincoln, Nebraska. The local police pick him up, and we are introduced to his son, David (Will Forte). The heart and soul of the movie is watching Dern and Forte interact. Forte is best known for acting silly as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, but his performance in this film is perfect. He is dour and forlorn and takes it on himself to be the only family member who tries to care about his father's feelings. He takes his father on a road trip because he believes he is slowly sinking into dementia. His dad believes he has won a million dollars because he received a magazine subscription sweepstakes letter. Everybody but Woody knows that it's a scam, but David wants the chance to spend some time with his dad. Woody's wife Kate (Squibb) thinks they are both insane and doesn't ever mince words for one minute. The film turns into a reunion with many people from the past and an unexpected journey to forgotten places. David doesn't know much about his dad, and he will start to learn a lot. They take an extended stop in Woody's home town of Hawthorne, Nebraska where much of his family still lives. For a time, many people in Hawthorne believe Woody really is rich including his former business partner, Ed Pegram (Stacy Keach). Many members of the family members and friends start to come up with stories about how they lent Woody money over the years.
Through it all David is by his father's side, tenderly finding ways to support him and make him feel good about himself in what is clearly near the end of his life. The whole film is handled with such finesse and subtle wit, filmed in pristine black and white that beautifully makes nearly every image like a classic photograph. Bob Odenkirk (Breaking Bad) as the other brother, Ross, adds ably to a continuous stream of humorous vignettes.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 24th, 2014
"There is nothing more relaxing than knowing that the world is crazier than you are."
When Disney Studios bought the Marvel line, what they were buying was really a printing press that printed freshly-minted money. That doesn't mean it was automatic, however. It was done right. Starting with the first two Iron Man films, the franchise that would lead to Joss Whedon's superior Avengers film was one of creating a universe. God made the universe in seven days. It took Marvel five movies. What we end up with is not just a fine collection of treats for the geeks and fanboys. We're left with an entire world, a world that we are all invited at about the pace of two films a year to come and play within. No one is pretending that they're making serious cinema here. What they're doing is making serious cash. To do that, there is only one order of the day. Thou shalt entertain. After two hours visiting with Thor: The Dark World -- I'm entertained.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on February 24th, 2014
“My name is Michael Westen. I used to be a spy…”
How fitting that this single statement be both the introduction and conclusion of a momentous series. If you can’t tell, I’ve been a fan of the show since the very first episode, but it’s actually much more than that. I’ve been a fan of Jeffrey Donovan since his first USA network Touching Evil. More to the point, in my opinion Burn Notice was the series that made it possible for the flurry of original programming that came after it. Perhaps I give the show too much credit. Maybe the shows that followed it would have each have become a breakout in their own right; however, the one thing that cannot be taken away from Burn Notice is that during its entire seven-year run, it remained one of the highest rated primetime shows the network has ever had.
