Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on October 16th, 2012
Started off rocky but pulled it together in the end. That’s my assessment of Suddenly Single, the latest play from established playwright David E. Talbert. Plays are a difficult field to be successful in, as an actor as well as a director; much more challenging than making a film. With a film, thousands if not millions of dollars are spent creating several different detailed environments to better illustrated the fictional world in which the characters live. With a play however, you get one set, and you have to tell an entire story within the confines of that one set.
Play productions of this day and age are also hampered by a rigid and predictable storyline that many must follow; A good individual is wronged by someone, usually a loved one, and suddenly down on their luck. The person wallows in self-pity briefly but usually with the help of friends or family, gains a clear perspective on their former life and realizes that it wasn’t as perfect as it had seemed. Eventually, this person rises above their circumstance and overcomes adversity and the story comes full circle with the person that wronged them usually suffering some karmic payback of some kind .That’s the storyline but in recent years, it has become less about the story and more about the journey. Much of that in no small portion is owed to the newly crowned king of playwrights, Tyler Perry. The downside to that is many new plays run the risk of instantly being compared to Perry’s work, many of which simply not being up to the task. David E. Talbert however, is.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on October 16th, 2012
“This movie will be a cult classic.” –Kevin Hart
That’s the quote on the front of the Budz House DVD cover. Well, I never thought I’d see the day that I’d be willing to disagree with Kevin Hart, but here it is. I was hoping that my first official review for this site would be a positive one, but sadly that is not the case. I try to go into every movie without expectations; however, when I picked up Budz House I couldn’t stop myself. I’ve seen Wesley Jonathan in other projects, most notably the basketball drama, Crossover, where he gave a rock-solid performance. Faison Love has a reputation for gracing films with his special brand of comedy. However, when it comes to Budz House, I found very little to make it worth the time spent watching it.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on October 15th, 2012
There have been numerous DVD releases of Spongebob episodes that are linked together by a theme. Holidays are obvious choices and Halloween is an inevitable choice for any series that has multiple seasons under their belt. As expected as it may be, that does not dampen the loony fun that comes along with Sponebob.
Spongebob Squarepants is the children's show that seems geared more for the college-age crowd than toddlers. This is not a revelation in cartoons, but I feel like this particular DVD set emphasizes this fact about Spongebob more than previous DVD releases of this show. The zaniness translates to all ages (just as it has from Tex Avery right through Ren & Stimpy) but this particular assembly of episodes displays some unnerving imagery that younger viewers may not be able to appreciate as much as older ones. Yes, there are subtle jokes spliced in that kid's will not catch (such as Spongebob's best friend Patrick explaining that looking at clouds helps to calm his “inner demons”), which is perfectl harmless, but it might be a bit much for someone just entering grade school to see Spongebob's eyes melt before bursting into a pile of spiders or being infested with the ghosts of snakes. Such imagery, to me, is a testament to how little concern this show for being stricly for youngsters, and how much it wants to be lapped up by that media hungry 14-30 crowd.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on October 13th, 2012
Ever wonder what a martial arts epic directed by Baz “Moulin Rouge” Luhrmann would look like? Me neither. But that’s pretty much what we get with Legendary Amazons, (loosely) based on the exploits of the Yang family during the Song Dynasty. The story has an intriguing hook — the men of the Yang clan are massacred in battle, leaving their women to throw on armor and take to the battlefield — but is ultimately bogged down by its cartoonish tone and embarrassingly bad production values.
For the cartoonish tone, we can probably thank/blame producer Jackie Chan since the Hong Kong superstar has crafted a wildly successful career out of injecting comedy into the martial arts genre. (Legendary Amazons even has Chan’s signature bloopers during the end credits; although the actress who fell off a horse and hit the ground hard didn’t seem to be laughing.)
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on October 13th, 2012
“I thought this was a family show.”
“Well, it depends on your family.”
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 11th, 2012
"Every ambition has a dark side."
And that includes the world of the cable television series. The world of cable series has brought us some of the most ambitious and compelling television shows we've ever seen. There's no censor board to answer to, so that means the shows have the freedom to expand into visual areas that have long been taboo on network shows. Nudity, sexuality, language, and even violence are often huge parts of these kinds of shows. Because there isn't really a ratings pressure, the shows can also cater to more specialized audiences. Of course, it's not completely true there are no ratings issues. For these networks it's getting the carriers to distribute their networks, and for some it's signing up premium members. There's little doubt that HBO did enjoy subscriptions completely tied to having The Sopranos. But that kind of programming is no longer rare. It no longer shocks us with its novelty, and the standards for quality have been established at a high level. When you watch a cable show, you don't just expect R material. You expect film-quality production values on the small screen. You also expect quality writing and compelling drama. In the case of Starz new Magic City, you'll have to settle for 2 out of 3. You get the edgy R material and outstanding production values. Unfortunately, the series misses more than it connects on the compelling drama front.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 11th, 2012
Among the more unjustly ignored performances was Jack Nicholson’s turn as union boss Jimmy Hoffa in Hoffa. Fox finally decided to put out the Danny DeVito-directed, David Mamet-written film on DVD. Mamet’s script seems to romanticize Hoffa, portraying him as more of a union man, as one who was forced to make deals that could compromise his integrity, but he overlooks his integrity in order to help benefit the American working man. The story is told in the point of view of Hoffa aide Bobby (DeVito), a fictitious character whose flashbacks are used to help us see how Hoffa perhaps should be viewed, as opposed to the punchline in some jokes we may make now.
As is usually the case with Mamet’s screenplay, the dialog is well-written and engrossing, and Nicholson’s portrayal of Hoffa is both powerful and persuasive. You see him with a prosthetic nose and hairpiece, along with a couple of dental devices that get the look of Hoffa down to a T. In DeVito, a longtime real-life friend, one who knows his ins and outs, Nicholson pulls out all the stops. Recent Nicholson performances seem to glide along on a gentle stride, using the occasional (and very effective) use of his noteworthy eyes. But in Hoffa, he’s a guy who is clearly more animated, as the role dictates, and it’s a much more dynamic performance than you’re used to seeing. Is Hoffa historically accurate? Probably not, and God knows there are more informed people who will tell you so. However, DeVito does manage to use the time period where Jimmy feuded openly with Robert Kennedy to great effect, using the congressional hearings as an interesting start of a plot device that helps provide an interesting hypothetical on Hoffa’s possible Mafia ties. With an outstanding supporting cast including Robert Prosky (Hill Street Blues), the late JT Walsh (Sling Blade), Armand Assante (Q & A) and a very young John C. Reilly (Chicago), the movie’s overall impact is very clearly felt.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on October 11th, 2012
Director Jennifer Lynch’s camera winds its way through a dingy house with tragically outdated décor during the opening moments of Chained. It’s almost as if the filmmaker is encouraging the audience to get nice and cozy with this depressing setting because we’re going to be spending a lot of time here.
Thankfully, we don’t spend nearly as much time in that sad hell hole as poor little Tim. The nine year old boy (Evan Bird) and his mother (Julia Ormond sporting a busted American accent) are abducted by Bob (Vincent D’Onofrio), a cab-driving serial killer who targets women and takes the two of them back to his house.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on October 10th, 2012
Ever since I first saw John Carpenter’s The Thing, I’ve had a soft spot for movies that take place in cold, snowy climates. I’m guessing it’s because living in Tampa, there is little to no chance of seeing the white stuff. Frozen was the last chiller-thriller that had me grimacing at the sight of what frostbite can do. So when I saw the title Hypothermia I figured it was time to crank up the A/C and warm up some Swiss Miss, because I was ready to check this movie out.The Pelletier family is heading out for a weekend of ice fishing; this has been a yearly tradition for as long as the family can remember. But with David (Benjamin Forster) about to finish school, he and his girlfriend Gina (Amy Chang) have plans to volunteer in Africa, which means this could be the last ice fishing trip they’ll have together, as a family. Ray (Michael Rooker), David’s father, couldn’t be any more proud of his son, so they decide to make this family trip the best it can possibly be.
It’s at this point they begin to realize something isn’t right with the lake and the fish are not biting. To put another kink in the family’s relaxing trip, Steve and Stevie Jr. decide to come out and do some fishing themselves, while annoying the Pelletier family with their loud music and roaring engines from their snowmobiles. All this noise ends up attracting the attention of a large creature that is lurking beneath the ice.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 10th, 2012
“Did you pick your feet in Poughkeepsie?... Have you ever been to Poughkeepsie?... When you were in Poughkeepsie, you sat on the edge of the bed, didn’t you? You put your fingers between your toes and you picked your feet…. If I can’t bust you on this other thing, I’m going to bust you for picking your feet in Poughkeepsie.”
There can be no argument on this point. The 1970’s was a golden age for the cinema. When you think about the iconic characters and films the decade produced, it’s hard to contradict the point. Films like The Exorcist, The Godfather (both parts), Jaws, Dirty Harry, Star Wars, Superman The Motion Picture, The Sting, Rocky, Deliverance, Apocalypse Now, Alien, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, and yes, The French Connection. They redefined film genres. The slasher film was born in the 1970’s. Their influence is felt on nearly every film today, and inspired nearly every new filmmaker to come along in the years since. Yes, there were golden eras before then, but I’m not sure there’s been one since. Of course, there have been truly great movies since, but can you remember a decade with that kind of a run?
