Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Archive Authors on January 31st, 2013
Comedy Central is the main access for exposure for most comedians today. They regularly broadcast up and coming comedy specials, and Amy Schumer seems to be one of their latest favorites. She has a new sketch comedy show coming out this spring on Comedy Central called Inside Amy Schumer. She was also featured on the celebrity roasts of Charlie Sheen and Roseanne Barr with a number of better-known performers. Her material is fairly fearless, targeting anyone and everyone. Her material in this comedy special is a good example. When it says mostly sex stuff, it is completely accurate. She leaves very little to the imagination about her sex life. This DVD is clearly NSFW or not safe for children or probably not safe for your mother or grandmother. Funny enough, but Schumer has her mother and sister there while she says lots of bad words about them.
It is pretty much impossible to say too much about what she says in this stand-up concert. It was done for Comedy Central, but you would have to buy this DVD to hear it without hundreds of bleeps. She comes off looking very sweet on stage, and she knows that's part of the appeal. Her uncle is Chuck Schumer, one of the most powerful members of the Senate. I can imagine he is going to want to keep a distance from that wing of the family.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on January 31st, 2013
No matter how much you hated Prometheus — parts of it were startlingly dumb, but people who seriously talk about it like it’s the worst film of all time need to take a deep breath — Ridley Scott has a pretty strong case to be included on any list of Top 10 Living Directors. His work has helped redefine genres (Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator) given us indelible images (that final still from Thelma & Louise) and even provided a few smaller-scale delights (Matchstick Men is my favorite of this group). So I’m proposing we take a quick break from trashing his last movie to discuss his very first one.
The Duellists follows a pair of officers in Napoleon’s Army during the early part of the 19th century. The film opens in Strasbourg with the mercurial Lt. Feraud (Harvey Keitel) critically injuring the mayor’s nephew during a duel. An even angrier general orders the dutiful Lt. D’Hubert (Keith Carradine) to place Feraud under arrest. Feraud is an avid duelist and thinks he did nothing wrong, so he feels insulted by D’Hubert's accusation. The fact that Feraud is with a woman when D’Hubert arrives to arrest him only adds to his embarrassment. Naturally, Feraud has no choice but to challenge D’Hubert to a duel.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on January 30th, 2013
How exactly do you make a superhero movie without the powers? Answer: Have them wake up with their powers being stripped from them. All Superheroes Must Die is a superhero tale that from the title you can tell is fated not to end in the traditional way that superhero films end: with the righteous prospering and the wicked suffering. What the film title doesn’t let you know, however, is how underwhelming the film is. It does have an interesting startup, I’ll give it that. Our heroes: Charge (Jason Trost, writer/director), The Wall (Lee Valmassy, THE FP), Cutthroat (Lucas Till, X-Men First Class), and Shadow (Sophie Merkley) wake up in an abandoned town (I have to be honest; I didn’t understand many of the chosen monikers). Seeing each other comes as a shock to each of the heroes as the once-powerful unit has been separated for what the audience is forced to assume is years. Personal issues forced them apart, and now a common enemy has brought them back together: Rigshaw, a methodical sociopath with an axe to grind against the group, especially Charge, who was thought to be responsible for his supposed downfall.
Rigshaw has created a complex series of trials for the team heroes to go through, the objective for them to experience what it is like to be on the losing side for once; a series he has aptly named Role Reversal. To survive the game and save lives, the heroes will have to get past their differences and work together, but will they be able to let go of the past and work together, or will their past be the deciding factor in their destruction?
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jonathan Foster on January 30th, 2013
Do you have what it takes to win a video game championship? That’s the question Noobz asks and the Reign Clan tries to answer. The Reign Clan consists of four guys obsessed with Gears of War 3. There’s Cody (Blake Freeman, also the film’s co-writer and director), the anger-prone leader, and Andy (Jason Mewes of Clerks, Mallrats and pretty much every Kevin Smith movie), who is Cody’s best friend and a game store manager. There’s also the sexually confused Oliver (Matt Shively, TV’s The Troop) and “Hollywood”, who the rest of the clan believes to be Casper Van Dien.
When Cody loses his job and his wife in the same day due to his excessive game playing, he is reluctant to go compete in the CyberBowl, the nation’s premier gaming championship. It takes some doing, but Andy finally convinces him that the $400,000 prize is worth it. From there, they must overcome hilarious obstacles — including other clans, a mace-wielding mom and finding out that “Hollywood” is really a teenager (Moises Arias, TV’s Hannah Montana) — in order to win, not only the prize money, but the respect of the online gaming community.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 28th, 2013
Here’s the thing. Fans of the franchise should be pleased with the latest entry. The series has been a solid October tradition for some time now. When you consider the low cost of creating one of these films with the proven box office numbers, this was all really a no-brainer, to say the least. You’re going to get more of what you are expecting, and the film throws in enough new angles and tricks to keep the idea as fresh as possible. However, there is a flip-side to all of this. I don’t think it’s very likely that you can enjoy this film quite so fully if you have not seen any of the previous films. The history is of vital importance if you’re going to appreciate where all of this is going. That isn’t to say newcomers won’t be entertained. There are enough jumps and shocks to have a relatively good time. Still, if you haven’t gotten yourself caught up in the franchise’s mythology, you might want to make that effort before going to see this film. It was my intention to watch the first three again before I saw this one. I couldn’t find the time. I wish I had. I did see the first three films, and I still feel like I needed to refresh myself before the journey into number four. Alas, that was not meant to be, and this review will suffer somewhat because of that. I very strongly encourage you to take in the story so far before venturing to your local multiplex.
You say you don’t have the time either? Here’s a quick history lesson to get you caught up. You should be warned that here there be SPOILERS of the first three films:
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on January 28th, 2013
Warwick Davis many may remember as the dwarf that played Wicket the ewok in Return of the Jedi or as the leprechaun in the Leprechaun franchise. The role younger audiences may be more familiar with is that of Professor Flitwick in the Harry Potter franchise. In the new HBO series Life’s Too Short, Davis steps away from the fantasy world and into a faux reality show about none other than Warwick Davis. I have to admit Davis is far from the top of my list of celebrities I’d like to see star in their own “reality” show. Seeing the show is produced by and co-stars Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant (both also worked together on Extras and The Office) did ignite my interest. I understand Ricky Gervais is not for everyone; after all, he does seem to take pleasure in making his audience feel uncomfortable, but I happen to be a fan and believe he’s one of the most consistently funny comedians working currently.
I didn’t know what to expect coming into the show; sure, I figured Davis would end up the butt of many dwarf jokes, but what I wasn’t ready for is how much I really began to care for the portrayal of Davis in the show. Davis does not simply just play himself in this faux documentary that follows him around. Instead we see a man on a downward spiral as he gradually loses control of his life. We not only watch as he goes through the heart wrenching effects of divorce but also we follow along as he struggles to get work as he tries to avoid being charged for tax evasion. But even beyond these giant hurdles, Davis still has to deal with his day to day life as a dwarf and how it hinders him.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jonathan Foster on January 28th, 2013
“The most important thing about being a drummer is the ability to hit hard.”
Fat Kid Rules the World tells the story of Troy Billings (Jacob Wysocki), a high school student who lives a lonely life because he’s, well, fat. Despite his large size, Troy is pretty much invisible. Unable to stand the monotony of his life, he steps in front of a bus. At the last minute, Marcus (Matt O’Leary, Domestic Disturbance, Brick), a dropout and punk rock musician, knocks him out of the vehicle’s path.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 25th, 2013
We've seen action films like Taken enough times that we've become a little immune to the formula. But then again, Liam Neeson wasn't your typical action figure, and so the movie was able to take audiences by surprise. It's not that Neeson hadn't already established himself as a fine actor. He just didn't fit the mold we are so used to seeing. Things have changed in the couple of years since Taken had its box office run. Neeson has now done more action films, and he's started to look more the part. The clever antics of the first film are now behind us, so a sequel isn't going to really be able to take us unaware again. And perhaps that, more than anything else, is the reason Taken 2 comes across as a bit of a disappointment.
The story itself is one of the most clever I've ever seen in an action film sequel. How many times do we watch an action hero rack up the body count in his or her quest to save the day? There's enough shooting in these films to give Uncle Joe Biden nightmares. Sequels come along and our hero is back in action against new bad guys. But what about the aftermath of the first film? Don't these guys have friends and family who might take it badly that they were killed? Of course they would, and Taken 2 starts with that very premise.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on January 25th, 2013
A mouthful of a title but still quite a unique and clever title, if only the movie was that interesting. Is it just me, or does it seem like a parody film is worthless unless the Wayans family is making it? From Craig Moss, the guy that brought you The 41 year old Virgin Who Knocked up Sarah Marshall and Felt Superbad about it comes another pointless parody with no sense of direction. Parody films reached as far back as the 1940’s with Abbott and Costello; they were made famous with such films as Spaceballs and Monty Python, and with A Haunted House at the box office now, they look to be carving out a place for themselves in cinema. However it only takes one to ruin the crop, and this could be it.
From the title, you can assess that the main films referenced in this movie are 30 days of Night, Paranormal Activity, The Devil Inside, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. This cross-breed of genres uses the found-footage technique from Paranormal Activity to detail the story of Dana Rosti, a recently married woman who with her new family moves back to her family home. Dana hasn’t been back to her childhood home since her father murdered several people (including the entire cast of The Artist including the dog) in the basement. Not long after their arrival, the family begins to experience strange occurrences that threaten to destroy the entire family. Other films and television series referenced: Ghost Hunters, Ghost, American Beauty, The Bachelor, The Dark Knight Rises, and many more.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on January 24th, 2013
I see an Oscar nominee, an Emmy nominee, an actor who has carried two successful TV shows, and the bad guy from the highest-grossing movie of all time. In other words, I see more talent than you would ordinarily expect from a straight-to-DVD drama. Then again, I also see Soulja Boy, but he’s not the problem. Instead, Officer Down squanders a few fine performances and a solid premise due to some seriously (and unnecessarily) muddled storytelling.
Det. David Callahan (Stephen Dorff) may as well have “Dirty” in front of his name, but it’s not because he tears through bureaucratic red tape in his pursuit of justice; it’s because “Cal” always looks like he desperately needs a shower. Callahan is a former crooked cop/drug addict/philanderer who changed his bad boy ways after narrowly surviving a gun shot wound during a drug bust gone wrong. Cal never knew the identity of the man who saved his life until the Good Samaritan comes forward one year later.
