Disc Reviews

Never underestimate the power of the internet and the sociopathic tendency of college kids; the truest statement I can make about horror flick Smiley. Only college kids would hear a story about a would-be killer who could be summoned by repeating a certain phrase three times (I will not say the phrase simply due to that fact that I am a bit superstitious). Now, what if you knew that cost of summoning this murder was that the person you directed the phrase to would be killed; would you summon him? Well, I’m sure you already know the answer to the question.

Ashley is just striking out on her own: starting college, moving into her own place, and summoning a ruthless killer to murder a unwitting stranger (I’m getting ahead of myself, I’ll get to that). There’s an urban legend about a killer known as Smiley; it is said that if two people are web-chatting on the internet and one of them types the summoning phrase (still not going to say it) three times, Smiley will appear behind the other person and kill them. News of this legend spreads like wildfire. While at a party one night, Ashley witnesses the phenomenon firsthand as a group of partygoers intentionally summon the legendary killer. Brushing the entire thing off as a gag, Ashley tries to move on, but the suspicion that the legend could be true nags at her. Finally at the insistence of her roommate, she resolves to find out the truth for herself; bad idea.

From the opening title card, Mafia does its best to fit in with the blaxploitation films of the 70’s, and even with Pam Grier in one of the key roles the film just doesn’t hold up.  It seems a lot of filmmakers and fans have on rose-colored glasses to the exploitation era (I’ll lump myself in with this group as well), but the filmmakers who attempt these films forget a lot of these films of the past had a strong political or sociological message they were trying to send.  Just making a film set in the 70s and throwing on some filters doesn’t mean you made an exploitation film; it simply means you captured the cheap low quality of the pictures they made back then.  Look at Jackie Brown (also starring Grier); that film captures the essence of exploitation cinema and looks beautiful, but Tarantino knew to focus on writing a strong ebony female to capture the heart of the genre.

Looking past the cosmetic style of Mafia, there is actually a lot to like here, and that somewhat makes its attempt to look like an exploitation film rather frustrating.  This is a film that could have taken place during any decade and still could work just fine.  The film opens with Renzo (Ving Rhames) locked away in his prison cell awaiting execution.  Haunted by the demons of his past, he recalls the events that brought him into custody.

Gossip Girl ran six years on the CW and is based on a series of books written by Cecily Von Ziegesar. It is about the very rich and young of the upper east side of New York City. The gossip girl of the title has remained secret throughout the series but is revealed in the final episode. I won't be revealing the secret. The series is best described as glossy fun. It is a soap opera in the extreme with a heavy emphasis on fashion and all of the expensive toys of the ridiculously rich. It also deals primarily with teenagers who are “maturing” while trying to deal with the difficulties of a life that has no boundaries.

When the show started, the idea of blogging was still relatively new, before Perez Hilton, TMZ, and a legion of internet dirt mongers became popular. It could be said it was ahead of its time, but we are not talking Nobel-prize-winning innovations. It became a sensation and highly rated on the network, but that is relative to ratings in general. In other words, the ratings weren't very high when compared with shows on other networks but still were always popular with teens. It won Teen Choice awards a few years running. It also ran in 196 countries.

“When lives are on the line, it’s hero time!”

What would you do if you had a gadget that allowed you to transform into different alien creatures? Think about it. If a good and virtuous person found it, they would use it to help others and protect the planet. If it fell into evil hands, they would use it to gain power and cause havoc. Everything comes down to the question of how that power is used. Unfortunately for Earth, Ben Tennyson found the alien gadget in question.

I remember watching Heavenly Creatures and believing Melanie Lynskey would break out and become a star.  I never would have guessed her co-star Kate Winslet would be the one to emerge from the film and be the A-list actress she has become.  After all, when you watch Heavenly Creatures, it’s hard to believe this was the first role Lynskey had in front of a camera; I would have imagined she was destined to play some great roles through her career.  Unfortunately that’s not the case, but I’m glad to see at the very least she has a career up on the screen.

In Lynskey’s new release, Hello I Must Be Going, we see her playing Amy who is recovering from a sudden divorce.  For her the divorce took away everything she believes she had made for herself, because she did everything she could to be the perfect wife.  This rejection has done more than crush her, and it has deflated her to the point of returning to live at home with her parents where she sleeps and mopes around most of the day.  Since we’ve all been through rejection at some point, it’s easy to relate to Amy on some level, and with Lynskey’s quirky portrayal of Amy, it’s hard to not be sucked in by her charm.

When this DVD found its way into my hands, I felt  this could go one of two ways; either this is going to be awful, or this is going to be fun as hell.  I have to admit I had a little more concern when I saw that the show aired on Cinemax and had never even heard of the show.  Despite my concern, the idea of an anthology series inspired by pulp novels and film noir revolving around badass chicks simply sounded too good to resist.  The result is a late-night trashy blend between The Twilight Zone and The Red Shoe Diaries.

Each 30-minute episode is introduced by the provocative host, Lilith (Tanit Phoenix) whose involvement in the show’s storyline may take some time to unfold but is worth the wait.  Lilith does what she does best, teasing the male audience with the promise of the sex and violence that will follow.  The lurid, violent scenes deliver throughout the series with one of the most beautiful ensemble of actresses thrown together.  Unfortunately beauty seems to win out over talent in the acting department. With this late-night erotica you can forgive the bad acting long enough to embrace the cool sleazy fun.