Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on August 27th, 2013
Carlos Santana is too cool for words. When I say that, I refer to both his widely-acknowledged status as a “Guitar God” and to the fact that he doesn’t utter a single word until the 30-minute mark of Invitation to Illumination, his 2011 reunion with John McLaughlin. Having another rock deity on stage appears to have inspired Santana, who performs with an extra little bounce in his step during this Montreux Jazz Festival show. This Blu-ray also has the unintended consequence of serving as a tribute to the festival’s late founder.
Claude Nobs, the festival’s general manager and founder, died earlier this year following a skiing accident. The Montreux Jazz Festival was established in 1967, and Nobs crossed paths with both Santana and McLaughlin in the early 1970s. That was also around the time the rock/jazz fusion-loving duo collaborated for 1972’s “Love Devotion Surrender” album, which was followed by a tour the next year. Exactly 40 years later, their first full-length concert in decades makes its Blu-ray debut.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on August 26th, 2013
Any story about a hidden world that exists just outside the view of human eyes is bound to fire up your imagination. It helps explain why the Toy Story movies and Monsters Inc. are some of the most beloved family films of the last 20 years. Epic — the latest offering from Blue Sky Studios — seeks to capture some of the inventive magic of those Pixar films, but too much of the movie winds up playing out like a generic hero’s journey. Thankfully, there are still plenty of things to like in this animated hit, which suggests there’s a big world of little people out there.
“Many leaves, one tree. We’re all individuals, but we’re still connected.”
Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on August 25th, 2013
Chicago Law firm Lockhart & Gardner is facing bankruptcy so each attorney works harder to reel in high profile clients so that they can save themselves from being sold, or shut down. Meanwhile Alicia Florrick (played by Juliana Margulies), who is an attorney at this firm, is caught amidst her husbands election campaign for the office of governor, as well as the temptation to become either an Equity partner in her current firm, or leave to be a name partner in a brand new one.
The fight against bankruptcy eats up at least half a season's worth of storytelling. I'll confess that I find it a bit hard to root for people that talk in terms of millions of dollars, and never have to relinquish their luxurious homes or lifestyles at any point during their struggle to lose their debt. Thankfully the trustee appointed to aid them is played by more subdued by still very charming Nathan Lane, and the cases the attorneys take on during their duress get increasingly engrossing. Said cases keep their topics very current with political references like the gun control debates and the actions of Anonymous (the protest group) becoming key issues.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 23rd, 2013
“It’s been a long time getting from there to here.”
Thirty-five years to be exact. Enterprise is the fourth spinoff from the original 1960’s hopeful series. The Earth is finally ready to send its first starship to explore the vast galaxy. This first starship Enterprise is smaller than the ships we’ve become used to. There are no shields or photon torpedoes. The transporter has only been cleared for inanimate objects. Not that this stands in the way of its occasional “emergency” use. The ship is very much like the cramped spaces of today's submarines. It adds an even greater sense of reality to the show. The crew is composed of Captain Jonathan Archer (Bakula), First Officer and Vulcan High Command liaison, T’Pol (Blalock), Chief Engineer Charles (Trip) Tucker (Trinneer), Tactical Officer Malcolm Reed (Keating), Denobulan Dr. Phlox (Billingsly), Pilot Travis Mayweather (Montgomery) and Linguist/Communications Officer Hoshi Sato (Park).
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on August 23rd, 2013
Sigourney Weaver running for the presidency? Come on, I can’t be the only one who saw that coming. No, no just joking; Mrs. Weaver herself is not running for president, but she played someone who did on TV. I am of course referring to the USA Network miniseries Political Animals, where she stars as Elaine Barrish, the former First Lady and current Secretary of State. Filled with crisis after crisis, scandal after scandal, the six-part miniseries delves into the personal and professional lives of its characters, leaving no stone unturned and no secret untouched.
The series starts off depicting the end of former First Lady, Elaine Barrish’s failed presidential run. Moments after delivering her concession speech, she tells her philandering husband, former 42nd President of the United States Bud Hammond (Ciaran Hinds) that she wants a divorce. Fast forward two years; many things have changed; Elaine now serves as the Secretary of State to the very man she ran against in the Presidential Primaries, President Paul Garcetti (Adrian Pasdar); her former husband has been raked over the coals for infidelities and has now gone from beloved public figure to political pariah. During their marriage, Elaine was considered a cold and calculating political animal, and afterwards, her approval went through the roof. Her divorce as well as her decision to serve alongside the man who beat her has been the cause of much political speculation, with one question on everyone’s mind: Will she make another run at the presidency?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 21st, 2013
"Everybody's got guns."
Lately, you might have heard a lot of folks talking about getting home for a little Nucky. Well... it's not what you think. They're talking about Nucky Thompson, played by Steve Buscemi on HBO's latest gangland series, Boardwalk Empire.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 21st, 2013
"There is a town in Maine where every storybook character you've ever known is trapped between two worlds, victims of a powerful curse. Only one knows the truth, and only one can break her spell."
ABC has had a very important asset going for it for years. It's one that the network has seldom taken any advantage of. That asset is its parent company. You see, ABC is part of the Walt Disney family. With the rich history of stories the studio has in its arsenal going back to the 1920's, it was only a matter of time before some clever people decided to find a way to use that rich history into a television series. That time has arrived, and the result is Once Upon A Time. It's the most clever and original series to hit the tube in a long time.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on August 21st, 2013
“Everything you've heard... about monsters, about nightmares, legends whispered around campfires. All the stories are true.”
Has anyone notice the fire sale that has been going on among film studios and young adult novels? Since Twilight neared its end (and before), the market is has become flooded in recent years with adaptation after adaptation, and it doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon, especially with announcements of plans to adapt novels like Divergent, Ender’s Game, and Vampire Academy; everyone is looking for the next big phenomenon to fill the void left by Twilight. If there was a series that could accomplish that goal, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones was the one that had my vote. However, after seeing it, I have some doubts. I’m not saying it can’t ultimately accomplish it, but the series will definitely need to make a few adjustments and will have its work cut out for it.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on August 21st, 2013
What an accurate title for this stand-up, “Whelmed But Not Overly.” The title of the stand-up resonates with me the most because it perfectly reflects my opinion of Nealon’s stand-up. I think that is reasonable to say that by now everyone has an idea of who Kevin Nealon is; you may not know him by name, but my guess is if he were to show up on your TV screen you’d go, “Hey I know him from somewhere.” For most, it would be that you recognize him from his tenure on Saturday Night Live, or as the corky resident funny man on the Showtime series Weeds, or perhaps in the background of a couple of your favorite Adam Sandler films. However, is it much harder to be the funny man in stand-up vs. on a TV show or movie; it requires impeccable comedic timing and charisma that moves the crowd. Although I am sure this not Nealon’s first rodeo, he did not deliver what was need to keep my interest.
Part of the problem for me was that during his set, Nealon came out and only briefly touched base on a wide array of subjects. No real time was spent on the importance of subject. Why is this topic worth discussing and how is it relevant to me? These are questions that the audience asks themselves during stand-up; the audience looks to comedians to be the voice for all the things that are unable to say in everyday life, but with subjects like Remember When, a subject essentially about how people’s voices raise an octave when reminiscing, he is not acting as their voice. Nor does talking about the different celebrity’s that he has crop-dusted (I did not know what crop-dusting was before this special, which either makes me innocent or entirely clueless, not sure which one yet); however, it did turns out to be one of the more enjoyable sections of the set, not really sure what that says about me, but it’s true. Ultimately the topics that Nealon discusses are not things that I really spend time thinking about, which at least in my case makes them kind of pointless.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on August 20th, 2013
When you read that Eli Roth is part of the production team, the first thing you probably think about is the potential gore that will be associated with the project, and Aftershock is no exception, but there was also an interesting twist with this disaster flick: the involvement of a director who’s most known for his work in the romantic comedy genre, Nicolas Lopez, who’s most notable for his Que Pena Tu (translation: F*** my (blank)) trilogy. He tries his hand at something new with this dark tale based in reality that highlights that the most frightening part of a natural disaster is not necessarily the disaster itself.
Two groups of travelers venture to Chile seeking a good time and get more than they could have ever expected. In the first group, Gringo (Eli Roth’s character, no real name given), an American, is led around the city by two natives: Ariel, who is recovering from a recent breakup, and spoiled rich kid Pollo. The two natives take it on themselves to show Gringo around and give him a trip that he will never forget.
