Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 9th, 2013
"Hi, I'm Chucky. You wanna play?"
When an unexpected package arrives at the home of Nica (Dourif) and her rather crazy mother Sarah (Quesnelle), they have no idea what it is or who might have sent it. We already know what's in the familiar-shaped package. That's right. After nearly a decade absence, Chucky's back.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on October 9th, 2013
For years it seems DreamWorks Animation has been living in the shadow of Pixar. Sure, DreamWorks has had their success with Shrek and Ice Age, but when you stack the films next to Pixar’s library, you see Pixar just seems to be the best at what they do. That is until The Croods came along; with the new DreamWorks release it would appear the animation studio has stepped up their game and released their best-looking 3D film to date. My expectations were not too high with this release, but I was at least reliEepd I wouldn’t be watching Ice Age Ten: The Ice is Still Melting. With a theater screening filled with what appeared to be thousands of little screaming children (remember in Gremlins when they were watching Snow White?) before the film I had been face- palming myself, feeling this had been a bad idea, but once the lights dimmed and the film began, my worries faded away. The story may be a little weak, but there is something there that hooked me and kept me engaged throughout the Croods’ journey, and it turned out to be good eye candy that the entire family can enjoy.
From the start no time is wasted as Eep (Emma Stone) narrates the dangers of living in this dangerous world. As far as Eep knows, she and her family, the Croods, are the last of their kind. Fearing the night (and everything unfamiliar or unknown) the family takes shelter in a cave until the sun reappears and everything is thought to be “safe” by Grug (Nicolas Cage), the father and leader of the group. Grug is a neurotic, overprotective parent who simply expects at any point something could happen and kill them all, so with the exception of family hunts, they never stray too far from the cave. And as a teenager, living this cramped lifestyle surrounded by her family is becoming overwhelming for Eep, and her sense of adventure (and being a rebellious teen) is just too much. Besides, living in a cave with your overbearing father, mother, brother and grandmother from sunrise to sunset is enough to make anyone want to venture anywhere despite all forms of danger.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on October 8th, 2013
Caroline Esmeralda van de Leeuw didn’t know she was a jazz singer until somebody told her. Growing up in Amsterdam, she was too lazy and impatient to properly learn how to play an instrument. Fortunately, she was blessed with a sultry, soulful and sassy singing voice. Caro Emerald has used that voice to smash chart records in the Netherlands. Earlier this year, her second album, “The Shocking Miss Emerald”, reached #1 in the United Kingdom. And that’s where she happened to be when I was introduced to her funky brand of jazz.
This Blu-ray captures her performance at the art deco BBC Radio Theatre in London as part of the In Concert series. It’s a relatively intimate, 300-seat venue that suits her music perfectly. In fact, if it weren’t for those pesky seats, I could easily imagine the theatre spontaneously turning into a dance hall with everyone in the audience joining in on the fun. I should mention that, in my former life, I was a pretty avid swing dancer. So I’m always looking for potential places to lindy bomb, and cool new music to dance to.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Archive Authors on October 8th, 2013
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on October 7th, 2013
“This story is based on a remarkable but true incident that took place in Africa in 1913 before the Great War, when the world was very different.”
The moviemaking business was also drastically different in 1976, the year this British, pre-WWI romp was released. Today, the risk-averse film industry has made large-scale adventures like Shout at the Devil — starring big personalities trekking across even bigger locations — all but extinct. I get that greenscreens and CGI are more cost-effective. But a movie’s ability to transport its audience gets an extra jolt when we know we’re looking at the real thing.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on October 6th, 2013
You know, it’s odd, I had the strangest feeling of déjà vu while watching V/H/S 2. Just kidding, and that feeling is probably due to the fact that I wrote the review for the original V/H/S. In my original review I spoke about the history of the found-footage technique; this time around I think I will address the fine line that must be walked to make a successful sequel. See, the trouble with sequels is that they tend to stray too far away from what attracted people to the original. The key is to maintain enough of original that attracted the first audience, all the while also providing enough difference to bring in a new crowd. Challenging, isn’t it?
Divided into five separate tales this time (there were six in total in the first one), the style was remarkably similar to the first one, which works in its favor; consistency is an important aspect when it comes to doing a sequel. This time around, the film features a whole new crop of directors and only two returnees, Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett. The movie does an excellent job of maintaining the format; however, the individuals are little weaker than in the original, investing more time into the gore than in the development of each story. Either there is no buildup whatsoever and the audience is thrown immediately into the thick of things, or there is too much buildup to the point the overall story suffers; there is not really any middle ground.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on October 5th, 2013
Have you ever watched a movie that is so insane that when it ends you’re stuck on your couch wondering what just happened? Adam Chaplin: Violent Avenger did just that, and as it turns out, that is not such a bad thing. The film is such a mash-up of crazy visuals and violence, it’ll leave your mind rattled for some time just trying to make sense of it all. This is pure splatter cinema straight out of Italy where the gore runs red and by the buckets.
Adam (Emanuele De Santi, who also wrote and directed the film) is a man that is out for revenge after he finds out his wife has been burned alive by a local crime boss Denny Richards. The police are no use considering Denny controls the city, and this leaves Adam with only one option, to make a deal with a demon that gives him special powers and will help him as best he can to achieve his revenge. Sure, the plot is simple, and the film doesn’t try to pretend it is anything more.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 4th, 2013
There's a saying that in the land of the blind the one-eyed man is king. No one would have expected that a one-eyed man could become the king of 3D. But that's exactly what happened with House Of Wax. The film has become one of the definitive films in the 3D format. To look at it on Blu-ray now, it holds up quite nicely in a day where 3D has become almost passé. Still, it's hard to believe that Warner Brothers would choose a man with only one eye to shoot their 3D film. That man was Andre' De Toth, and he was at the forefront of 3D filmmaking. He had written a 1946 article on the potential of the format, and it's likely what got him the job. The result is a horror cinematic masterpiece.
Vincent Price plays Henry Jarrod, co-owner and the genius behind a small wax museum. His figures are so lifelike that patrons almost expect them to reach out and touch them. Unfortunately, the public mind has drifted to the macabre, and the museum is losing money. Jarrod considers the figures to be real enough that he has developed a fatherly love for them, particularly that of his Marie Antoinette. Business partner Matthew Burke (Roberts) has a different feeling for the museum pieces. They are worth more to him burned in a fire for the insurance money. Unable to convince Jarrod, he burns the museum down along with Jarrod.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on October 4th, 2013
Although he’s only mentioned briefly in the Bible, the man known as Barabbas was a key figure during the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. According to the Gospels, Pontius Pilate gave the crowd in Jerusalem the choice of either sparing Jesus’ life or saving the rebel/thief Barabbas during Passover. (No “Spoiler Alert” necessary; I’m sure you can guess which one they picked.) Since very little is known about Barabbas, his life story has basically been transformed into the first documented case of “survivor’s guilt.”
Swedish author Par Lagerkvist won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1951, the year after the release of “Barabbas,” his best-known novel. The book was most notably turned into a 1961 film starring Anthony Quinn and directed by Richard Fleischer. “Barabbas” has most recently been adapted into this intriguing, wildly-uneven (and occasionally painful) two-part miniseries, which debuted on ReelzChannel in March.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on October 3rd, 2013
It’s only the first of October, and already the Christmas spirit is being thrust upon us. It’s not that I’m trying to be a Grinch about it, but for me my true Christmas is in October when we get to celebrate the ghouls and goblins that lurk in the shadows. But I did what I could not to let the season we’re in get in the way of a movie; after all, Die Hard was a Christmas movie in the summer; same goes for Iron Man 3. Sure, those are action titles, but they are still great no matter what time of year you watch them. So perhaps So This Is Christmas may turn out to be this under-theradar gem that will surprise me.
Things open up with a brief flurry of excitement as a young man and woman are rushed into the hospital suffering from multiple gunshots. Ashley (Lexi Ainsworth) is pulled aside by an officer to get her statement about what she saw; instead of just a statement about the shooting instead her story starts further back, explaining her early party days, and so the story really begins.
