Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on October 1st, 2012
Look, I don’t take pleasure in being the guy who slams a religious movie. It’s not that I’m afraid I’ll go to hell. (If someone can go to hell for writing a scathing movie review, then the system is broken.) I just don’t particularly enjoy tearing down any well-meaning movie with a positive message. However, when a film is as thoroughly inept as The Holy Roller, I’m afraid I have no choice.
The New Zealand dramedy follows Pastor Luke (Angus Benfield) who leaves his modest countryside congregation — although calling one person a “congregation” might be too generous — in favor of the big city because he wants to witness a miracle. (The Holy Roller was filmed in Christchurch, the country’s third largest urban area, right before a series of severe earthquakes in 2010 and 2011.)
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on October 1st, 2012
"800,000 children are reported missing each year in the USA. Most are found within a few days. 1000 children disappear without leaving a trace."
After seeing Pascal Laugier’s first film Martyrs, I instantly became a fan. It’s not often I can recall the exact emotions and thoughts I felt as I emerged from a theater years after the experience. He’s a director I also have no problem calling an artist, and I’ve patiently been waiting for him to assault my senses with his follow-up project. There was a time he was attached to do a remake of Hellraiser. Usually the thought of remaking such a classic would send me into an outrage, but if there was ever a director who could handle the material, I believed he’d be the perfect choice. Sadly the production fell apart, and his follow-up became The Tall Man.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 1st, 2012
"Everything old is new again."
If the CSI franchise were a sports team, we would say that season 12 was a rebuilding year. It's the most radical change since the show began. Certainly loosing Grissom was a big change, but he was just one guy. In the 12th season we say goodbye to two of our characters and welcome in three. It's going to take some getting used to, to be sure. Overall, it's actually a good thing for the series and the franchise. I don't think it's been this good for a number of years. It's a family again. That's no dig on anyone who has left. It's just that the series has seemed in turmoil since the departure of Grissom. The show has lacked direction, and no one appeared to have the confidence that seems to have returned to the series in its 12th year. For the first time I'm not looking for this "tired" show to finally run its course. It has new legs, and I think we just might be in it for the long haul.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 1st, 2012
All good things must come to and end. Fortunately, the same can be said for the not-so-good things as well. I've been calling it the weakest link in the CSI franchise since the year it first hit our television screens. It looks like the ratings and your opinions have supported that feeling, and CSI: Miami is finally going the way of the dinosaur, both on television and in reality... extinct.
The series followed the CSI model set forth in the original Vegas version of the franchise. The lead CSI here was Horatio Caine, played by former NYPD Blue actor David Caruso. Caruso left that series because he fancied himself better as a big movie star. Several failed leading roles later he finds himself back playing virtually the same character here. It’s the same Caruso odd speaking pattern, only this time he has a lab coat to go with that gun. Adam Rodriguez plays Caine’s favorite among his lab partners, Delko. He shares a bit of history with Delko. They’ve had a few off-the-reservation missions together and have bonded somewhat. Delko wants to be just like Caine. Next in the pecking order is Ryan Wolfe, played by Jonathan Togo. Togo is the Greek-tragedy character here. It seems that every year this guy is getting the worst of it, from losing his hearing to getting roughed up by the Russian mob. He was a cop and transferred over to the CSI unit in season 2 under Caine’s wing. Emily Procter plays Calleigh. She’s the ballistics expert and all-around tough girl with a disarming southern accent. She makes a living by being underestimated. By far the most annoying character is Eva La Rue’s Natalia. Her love lives and former life baggage turn her more often than not into the helpless whimpering damsel in distress. She’s by far the most frustrating character in the entire franchise. Now I won't have to hear her whine one more season… Rex Linn plays the crew’s uniformed cop buddy, Frank Tripp. He’s getting more and more screen time and acts as the audience’s representative on the show. He’s a good tough cop, but the science just goes over his head. New to the 7th season was Megalyn Echikunwoke, please don’t make me spell that last name again, as the new medical examiner on the series, Dr. Tara Price. She’s a huge change from the previous pathologist whom I’m sure fans are already missing. She’s got a bit of a ‘tude. She also flirts too much, while Alex always had this almost unnatural respect for the dead. The best new character and one I will see sorry to go is young Omar Benson Miller, who played Walter on the show for just the last couple of seasons. He brought the freshness the show so desperately needed. I will miss him a lot.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on September 30th, 2012
Oregon may have been the 33rd state to join our union — and Portland may be its most populous city — but Portlandia is a state of mind. And according to the surreal IFC sketch series created by stars Fred Armisen, Carrie Brownstein and director Jonathan Krisel, that state of mind is happily stuck in the simpler time represented by the '90s.
Armisen and Brownstein co-star in almost every sketch, and each segment lasts no more than five minutes. That shrewdly gives the audience multiple opportunities to laugh within one episode even if a particular concept isn’t working or is too bizarre. (One especially painful skit consisted of Armisen and Brownstein repeatedly calling out “Sacagawea!" Thankfully, it was over relatively quickly.)
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 27th, 2012
"Now this is going to be so much fun."
They've just saved the world, yet again. If you watch Supernatural, you know I'm talking about the Winchester brothers Sam and Dean. You also know by now that saving the world is never the end of the story. Each time they put themselves out there to stop the big evil from putting a major hurt on planet Earth, it comes at a cost, and this season is no exception.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on September 27th, 2012
When you pick up a movie with the title Strippers vs. Werewolves, to expect anything more than schlocky B-movie horror is a mistake by the viewer and the viewer alone. This foray into cheesy cinema is best viewed after a few drinks or just as random fun late at night when you can’t sleep. It’s never a movie trying to change the way we view cinema but instead just something to have some fun with, a simple escape where our brains can shut off and simply enjoy the show.
While giving a private dance, Justice (Adele Silva) kills a well-dressed gentleman who changes into a werewolf. Little does Justice know that he is connected to a powerful pack of werewolves that will stop at nothing to avenge their fallen pack member. But this isn’t the first run-in with werewolves by Jeanette (Sarah Douglas), the owner of the Vixens strip club; she’s fought and killed werewolves before and is ready to do it again to protect her club and the girls.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on September 27th, 2012
When I first got this DVD with my stack to review I treated it like I do with most films; I go in with little to no expectations, and whatever the result is at least I can’t be left too disappointed. I love action films, and I’m a big fan or martial arts films, so when I see the name Gordon Liu in the credits, well, I at least know I have a little something to get excited about. After all, Liu kind of has a cool pass in my book since doing The 36th Chamber of Shaolin movies. But to deliver a good movie, you need more than just an appearance by a martial arts legend, and really that’s all Blood Money brings to the table.
The plot consists of members of the Columbian crime family trying to move a couple tons of cocaine. The move is a little complicated since it has stops in Miami and Australia, then eventually it should make its way to Hong Kong for the Triads to do with as they please as soon as the Columbians get their money. The drug dealers/kingpins are throwing around numbers that just are too unreal. Really, one dealer apparently fetched over 700 million in one year? Where are these guys when Forbes is putting out their magazine with most successful business leaders? I’m sure these guys make some good money, but this just seemed too fairy-tale for my taste.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on September 27th, 2012
If the phrase “You got served” only conjures up images of wait staff or a notice to appear in court, then Battlefield America may not be for you. The film comes “from the writer, director and creator of You Got Served” — the hip hop-flavored dance drama that became a modest hit in 2004 — but offers up a child-centric twist. For fans of You Got Served, the best way to enjoy this inferior film may be to pretend the dancers in that movie were tragically shrunk down to kid size.
Sean Lewis (Marques Houston) is a successful and arrogant agent at a Los Angeles marketing firm. After celebrating a professional victory, he gets busted for DUI and sentenced to perform 120 hours of community service. His lawyer gets him a supposedly cushy gig working at an inner-city community center run by the impossibly attractive Sarah Miller (Mekia Cox). Sarah tasks Sean with teaching a group of misfits how to dance in preparation for the prestigious Battlefield America dance battle. (At least we learn the title refers to the competition and not a misguided sequel to Battlefield Earth.) The fact that Sean can’t dance and hates kids (of course he does) doesn’t seem to matter to anyone.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on September 27th, 2012
The presidential election is right around the corner. We have two candidates where either one could realistically win. We just hope that there is no funny business and that all of the voting is on the up and up. Regardless, the History Channel has produced many specials over the years that deal with different facets of the presidency. Let’s take a look at three of those specials in this 3-disc set.
Air Force One (44:51): This hour long (with commercials) specials focuses on the most famous plane in the United States, Air Force One. The first thing we learn is that Air Force can be any plane the president flies (it is a call signal). However, the plane most associated with Air Force One is a Boeing VC-25. A very heavily modified Boeing VC-25. But there is a lot more to Air Force One than just a big fancy plane with special cargo inside.
