Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 12th, 2013
"Ladies and gentlemen. You are about to see the Naked City. I'm Bert Leonard, the producer. As you can see we're flying over an island, a city, a particular city...and this is the story of a number of people, a story also of the city itself. It was not photographed in the studio. Quite the contrary. The actors played out their roles in the streets and the buildings of New York itself."
On September 30th, 1958 television audiences heard this narration for the first time. They had no way of knowing this, of course, but they were about to watch one of the most influential police dramas in the history of the industry. They were about to watch, for the first time, The Naked City.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on November 12th, 2013
“To this day, there's no record of an orca doing any harm to any human...in the wild.”
Orcas are sometimes referred to as “blackfish,” but Gabriela Cowperthwaite's thrilling, thought-provoking documentary examines why they're most commonly known as “killer whales.” The movie's obvious standout moments involve breathtaking footage of these massive animals violently turning on their trainers. Although some viewers will undoubtedly make the leap to wondering whether it's ok to keep any animal in captivity, the thing that elevates this film is that it serves as an eloquent argument against keeping this particularly majestic, highly-social beast in a concrete pool.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on November 11th, 2013
The most surprising thing about Ambushed is that it's not quite as generic as its completely uninspired title might suggest. (Off the top of my head, I can think of at least 15 movies that could credibly be re-titled Ambushed; I'm sure you can too.) This particular straight-to-DVD action thriller is being sold as The Expendables-lite, with tough guy supporting players (and Ambushed producers) Dolph Lundgren and Randy Couture — along with Vinnie Jones, who really should've been in an Expendables movie by now — glowering from the Blu-ray cover. But this stylish L.A. drama — which liberally borrows from superior crime flicks — has a few tricks of its own.
Despite the presence of Lundgren, Couture and Jones, Ambushed is technically the story of Frank (Daniel Bonjour), who narrates the film. Frank is a strip club owner in downtown Los Angeles who is also involved in the cocaine business along with best friend/brash Scotsman Eddie (Gianni Capaldi). Frank also has a sweet, staggeringly gullible girlfriend named Ashley (Cinthya Bornacelli), who is the only pure thing in his life. Since Frank eventually wants to leave the drug business and make a life with Ashley, he makes a bold, violent play to move up the cocaine food chain.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on November 8th, 2013
Twenty-five years in any business is a feat to be recognized, especially when it is in the field of entertainment. It requires constant dedication, devotion, and a loyal fan base that sticks by you; Morrissey seems to have all three. In his latest concert series, Morrissey 25 Live, the English singer celebrates his latest career milestone at Hollywood High School in Los Angeles. From the very beginning, it is obvious that the singer has a loving and dedicated fan base, which was the most surprising detail for me given that before this disc, I had never heard of the singer.
The concert begins with testimony from two admitted Morrissey fans, who speak about how his music speaks to them. He appears to have the crowd from the very beginning as they go wild as he comes to the stage. He grabs the microphone, utters “Viva Mexico, I never forget my alma mater,” and the band launches right into the first song, “Alma Matters.” It took me a second to realize what his comment meant given that according to the cover art, the concert took place in Los Angeles (His words are equally confusing given that according to his bio, the singer is English.)
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 7th, 2013
"I like people to go away from a Queen show feeling fully entertained, having had a good time. I think Queen songs are pure escapism, like going to see a good film - after that, they go away and say that was great, and go back to all their problems" - Freddie Mercury
I had that very pleasure back in the late 1970's when I attended a Queen concert at the old Spectrum in Philadelphia. It was one heck of a show. Freddie was flamboyant as always. They were also quite good. I still remember an acoustic set they did in the middle. Take away the "plugs" and you really find out what kind of musicians you're dealing with. Apparently, pretty good ones.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on November 6th, 2013
“You think you had a bad day? This guy lost a billion dollars.”
Clear History is ostensibly about hot-shot marketing exec Nathan Flomm, who misses out on a billion-dollar payday after a petty disagreement. But really, this HBO Films original comedy is basically a 100-minute, all-star episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm with prettier scenery. As such, it's another opportunity for writer/star Larry David to profanely and incredulously sound off on a fresh set of social landmines, including insincere apologies and birthday e-card etiquette.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 6th, 2013
Ike Evans (Morgan) owns the most swank hotel in Miami. It's the Miramar Playa. He bought the land at a song from his deceased wife's family, and he's turned it into a luxury city where the likes of Frank Sinatra call home. He's determined to make it without caving to the influence of his minority partner, who happens to go by the name of The Butcher. He's Ben Diamond (Huston), and he wants the hotel to become a kingdom of gambling and other profitable vices. Sure, Ike allows a little prostitution and backroom bookie action, but he wants to keep the hotel pretty much legit. That's hard with a bank nut that runs $65,000 a month.
He has a young wife, Vera (Kurylenko) who was once the sensational Vera Cruz, a Cuban Tropicana dancer. He has two sons. Danny (Cooke) is studying law and doesn't want any part of the hotel business. He's being recruited by the DA's office in order to get a man inside. They don't really want Ike. They want Ben Diamond, and if they have to squeeze Ike to get to him, then that's what you might call collateral damage. Danny's in love with Mercedes (Garcia-Lorido), who is a maid at the hotel and daughter to Ike's hotel manager Victor (Vazquez). Victor's wife was killed in the Castro takeover of Cuba, and Ike's trying to get her ashes out. Stevie (Strait) is Ike's youngest son. Stevie tends bar in the hotel's famous Atlantis Bar (remember that Miami bar in Analyze This)? He does want the life of his father. He's also a bit of a womanizer. But he's fallen in love with Lily Diamond (Marais), who also loves him. They have a rather torrid affair. The only trouble is that Lily is The Butcher's wife, and he is the jealous type.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on November 4th, 2013
Although they were brutally gunned down almost 80 years ago, everyone knows the names “Bonnie & Clyde”, even if they're only familiar with the bank-robbing basics. Don't look now, but Arthur Penn's landmark, definitive Bonnie & Clyde film — with Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway in the title roles — came out 46 years ago, so I imagine there's a large segment of younger movie fans who haven't seen the story of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow play out on screen. The ultra low-budget Bonnie & Clyde: Justified arrives just in time to capitalize coincide with December's star-studded, multi-network miniseries that will surely raise the notorious duo's pop culture profile once again.
“Now the tale I'm about to tell you is the truth, the author's side. And if anyone tells you different, then they didn't know Bonnie & Clyde.”
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on November 1st, 2013
Ever since the release of Step Up and Stomp the Yard, there have been no shortage of sequels or similar dance movies looking to capitalize on the same success, and when Frat Brothers came across my radar, I expected more of the same; that is not what I got. On the back cover of the disc, the tagline reads: “Sometimes you have to create your own destiny.” That is exactly what the film does, going beyond the expected parameters of a dance movie and forging its own play just as its lead character does.
Legacy, tradition, and family: these are the principles that Kyle (Mishon, Lincoln Heights) and Q’s (Richard John Reliford, General Hospital) father instilled in them (in that order) at a young age. Born into the legacy of the Delta Gamma Gamma, the only pathway that has ever been laid out for them is to follow in the footsteps of their grandfather and their uncle, as well as their father and pledge Delta Gamma Gamma. This fate has always been fine with Q, who wants nothing more than to make his father proud and become a Gamma. Kyle, however, has questioned the pathway in front of him for quite some time simply going along to appease his brother and his father. As the time to pledge comes closer, Kyle really starts to believe that being part of his family legacy is not the right path for him, especially considering it would mean being under the thumb of Derrick (Romeo Miller, Madea’s Witness Protection) a pledge-master with a clear vendetta against him.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on October 30th, 2013
“I’m often asked, ‘What do I do for a living?’ And I answer: ‘I do what I want.”
For the better part of the last 20 years, CeeLo Green has ferociously defied musical expectations by zigging when you expect him to zag. (If you thought the former frontman of hip-hop collective Goodie Mob would eventually become one of the judges on TV’s #1 singing competition, then go buy a lotto ticket immediately because you have a gift.) I happened to be in Las Vegas earlier this year when I saw a poster for CeeLo’s Sin City Loberace show. And for the first time I can remember in regards to CeeLoo’s career, I thought, “Hey that actually makes sense.”
