Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on August 20th, 2012
"When I was a child, my father was framed for a crime he didn't commit. Before he died, he left a road map for revenge that led me to the people who destroyed our lives."
Daytime sudsers may be going the way of the dodo and video stores, but the nighttime soap is alive and well. TNT's successful revival of Dallas this past summer reminded us that something old could be new again. However, ABC's excellent Revenge first began scratching our soap opera itch last fall, providing all the deliciously devious drama — including double identities, convenient amnesia, a high-profile murder trial and even a surprise pregnancy — we could ever want on its way to becoming a hit.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on August 17th, 2012
“I guess I kinda always liked cutting stuff up.”
Maybe it’s a little weird to admit this, but I dig movies where the characters are put in the position where they need to dispose of a body. This is something of a sub-genre plot device that worked so well in Shallow Grave as well as Very Bad Things. Sure, most of us would go ahead and call the police and report the body or the accidental homicide, but I always found these films amusing when they decide to let their characters do the wrong thing. In the case of Breathless we get to see how far a jilted housewife is willing to go to keep the 100 thousand dollars her husband robbed from a neighboring town’s bank. It’s a dark comedy and not for the squeamish, but it’s a fun ride with only a few hiccups that keep this from reaching its full potential.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on August 17th, 2012
From the title alone it will either induce an eye roll or peak your curiosity. I have a soft spot for fun cheesy horror, and with the tease of potential nudity well, this seemed like it would be a good time. Turns out I had way more fun watching this movie than I expected; it was actually pretty good. By no stretch of the imagination is this a brilliant slasher, but a solid B-movie that would have made Roger Corman and Lloyd Kaufman proud.
The story follows Rebecca (Katie Peterson) who has returned home from college to spend her Spring Break with her ex-cheerleading friends from high school. Rebecca is looking forward to getting away and has hopes for all the parties and drinking that should follow, but her religious zealot of a mother more than disapproves of her daughter’s decision. The girls end up staying at Missy’s (Shea Stewart) dad’s rental home for some girls-only fun. Thankfully for the viewers the fun consists of drinking and tiny bathing suits that have tops that conveniently manage to come off when the story’s pacing slows. None of the girls are all that likeable here, but when you’re watching a movie called Girls Gone Dead you’re not here for rich character development, you’re here for the boobs and gore.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on August 16th, 2012
The wife and I have spent quite a few weekends within the last year going to antique shops and malls, flea markets and basically any place where we might go through a pile of stuff to find that one special item for our collection. The search has produced many interesting items and it brings us joy to see all of the items that simply do not show up in a retail store. Today, we are reviewing American Pickers volume 4, a show that lives on the art of finding that next treasure by going through America’s backyards.
For those who are not familiar with what exactly is American Pickers about, here is a short synopsis There are these two guys, Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz who roam the United States in search of knick knacks, car parts, collectibles, anything that will bring them money. A picker. Their method is somewhat unorthodox as they actually visit people’s homes, storage sheds, and any other place where somebody might store their collection.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on August 16th, 2012
"I play chess in the park every Tuesday, Thursday afternoon. I restore cars from the ’70s, pinball machines from the ’90s, and if you pay me enough, I’ll probably kill anything that breathes."
Pop quiz! There's a new straight-to-DVD action flick about two highly-skilled assassins wreaking havoc in Eastern Europe: can you guess the two actors who star in this movie? If you're an action film — or a straight-to-DVD — connoisseur, Dolph Lundgren would easily be on your Top 10 list of suspects. (Maybe even Top 2.) But how long would it take for you to get to Cuba Gooding Jr? 50 guesses? 200?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on August 16th, 2012
Dan Tanna is a private investigator whose home-base is on and off the mains strip of Sin City itself, Las Vegas. Every week saw Tanna in some sort of deadly adventure chasing bad guys down with his '57 Thunderbird, or firing at them with his signature Magnum pistol.
Perhaps it was the influence of Las Vegas, that inspired many of the stories in this series to be a bit more over-the-top than a typical crime drama would venture. Sure, CSI and all their kindred programs offer up plenty of silly plots, but not all would go so far as to have stories involving partnerships with psychics, battling body doubles (on more than one occasion), and other outrageous characters. Sometimes this silliness throws a little zest into, what can sometimes be a tired genre. Sometimes though, it simply keeps the audience from fully investing in the characters. Robert Ulrich, who plays Tanna, is largely forgettable in his own series when pitted against these sorts of cartoonish villains, but he comes off as a perfectly acceptable leading man in the end.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on August 15th, 2012
I can still remember the day I first rented the movie Say Anything from the mom and pop video store that I used to hang out at through most of my childhood. It was a movie that stuck with me over the years, and it was that movie that introduced me to Peter Gabriel because of the infamous boom box scene. Ever since that movie “In Your Eyes” has been what I equated to the go to song to play for a girl any time I do something stupid (which is often) or when I say something stupid (happens more often). And for those of you old enough to remember when MTV actually played just music videos, it was hard to resist the awesomeness of the animated video Gabriel had for “Sledgehammer”. I wouldn’t call myself a super fan of the artist, but “Solsbury Hill” is one of those songs that could squeeze into my desert island top 10 songs if I was forced to actually make a list of favorites. So needless to say, when given a chance to review this concert I took it with open and eager hands.
When I put in the Secret World Live Blu-ray, I expected to get a well-shot concert with some good live performances, but instead I got so much more. This isn’t simply a man with his band belting out a few hits. This is a production filled with elaborate production numbers that take place on two stages with a long catwalk connecting the two. From the moment Gabriel emerges from a red telephone booth to perform “Come Talk to Me”, the man sets out to put on a show for the audience that is simply incredible. The opening number, done as a duet with a young Paula Cole, is beautifully choreographed, and this is only the beginning.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 15th, 2012
"I'm Rick Harrison, and this is my pawn shop. I work here with my old man and my son, Big Hoss. Everything in here has a story ... and a price. One thing I've learned after 21 years? You never know what is going to come through that door."
Pawn Stars returns with another volume set. It's the 5th, and it features episodes from the 3rd & 4th season. We're still about a year behind the current air schedule, so expect these sets to continue every month or so for a while. This set has two discs with 16 episodes total.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on August 14th, 2012
Living here in Texas, I have to be blunt and admit I do not spend much time outdoors. This is mostly due to the fact that it seems to be summer for almost ten months out of the year and somehow I just don’t dig 90 and 100+ degree temperatures. When I can afford it, I would love to go somewhere with respectable temperatures and be able to walk around in decent weather. Perhaps the Beautiful Planet set is for me, where I get to see beautiful high definition video of some of the planet’s most wonderful places.
Beautiful Planet: England & the Low Countries:
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on August 14th, 2012
Living here in Texas, I have to be blunt and admit I do not spend much time outdoors. This is mostly due to the fact that it seems to be summer for almost ten months out of the year and somehow I just don’t dig 90 and 100+ degree temperatures. When I can afford it, I would love to go somewhere with respectable temperatures and be able to walk around in decent weather. Perhaps the Beautiful Planet set is for me, where I get to see beautiful high definition video of some of the planet’s most wonderful places.
Beautiful Planet: England & the Low Countries:
