Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 20th, 2011
"Now children, are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin..."
A good ghost story is actually pretty hard to pull off. Unlike a typical slasher or monster movie, ghost stories can't really depend on visual elements to carry the burden. Certainly, there have been those films where apparitions take on some pretty creepy forms, and that can go a long way. The Asian horror market has explored that world often enough. Still, some of the best ghost stories make their impact on what you can't really see. It's the tale and the telling that makes a film like The Others come to life. It's a film that hasn't really gotten the attention or credit it has deserved over the years. Perhaps with Lionsgate's new Blu-ray release of the 2001 film some of that can be corrected.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by M. W. Phillips on October 20th, 2011
“I'm just a hard working man trying to get by.”
HBO has a way of making series that feature cities like one of the major characters, and How to Make it in America showcases New York City. Not the NYC of Sex and the City, which was all uptown preppie, How to Make it in America takes it to the streets. Not since Woody Allen have the boroughs been so lovingly represented. Much like the hustle of the NYC, How to Make it in America crackles with street-savvy vigor and style.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 20th, 2011
"This is not the opening of a TV show. This is real life."
If you had to describe the fourth season of Chuck in one word it would be Mother. This season Chuck learns that his mother was also a spy and that she didn't really just abandon her family. She went deep undercover and now may or may not be one of the bad guys. It helps that Momma is played by genera favorite Linda Hamilton who makes some sweet references to her earlier works on Terminator and Beauty And The Beast. The man she went undercover to get was Alexei Volkoff, played by one of my favorite and incredibly underrated James Bonds, Timothy Dalton. This is the story that really dominates the season, but there are some other events of note to be found:
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Archive Authors on October 20th, 2011
Comedians like to use bad words. Late night talk show hosts don’t. They are not supposed to because the people who pay them get very mad at them if they do. Craig Ferguson is a late night talk show host. The person who pays him is David Letterman, who is paid by CBS. So when Craig says a bad word on CBS they put a flag over his mouth and a recording of ooh-la-la to cover up the offending vocabulary.
It is harder and harder to understand the standards and practices that deal with offensive material on the old boob tube. Over the years attempts have been made to mold these rules to conform to community standards. That is where the problem comes in. What are community standards anymore? They certainly are not what they were 20 years ago…or 50 years ago. Yet sometimes attempts are made to take a stand. Just recently a national group took credit for the cancellation of the NBC show The Playboy Club. Was it any worse than dozens of other shows on the air? No, probably not, but it was an easy target. Parents have always hated Hugh Hefner for reducing the moral standards of the country, so it was time for payback.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 20th, 2011
"In May 1980, Fidel Castro opened the harbor at Mariel, Cuba with the apparent intention of letting some of his people join their relatives in the United States. Within seventy-two hours, 3,000 U.S. boats were headed for Cuba. It soon became evident that Castro was forcing the boat owners to carry back with them not only their relatives, but the dregs of his jails. Of the 125,000 refugees that landed in Florida an estimated 25,000 had criminal records."
One of those refugees was Tony Montana.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 19th, 2011
Just look at the title, A Horrible Way To Die, and I'll bet you pretty much know what you're in for. You could very well be expecting a gore-fest that borders on the torture-porn genre, and you might be preparing yourself for some imaginative and bloody kills. Looking at the title you'd have every reason to believe that's what you were going to get. You might expect it, but that's not really what you're going to get. The title is quite misleading, in fact. Yes, it's a horror tale about a brutal serial killer. No, it's not the kind of film that lingers on mutilated victims or covers the surroundings in blood and guts. Instead, this is a surprisingly good tension boiler with tons of atmosphere and a few clever twists and turns. Your disappointment could turn into a rather pleasant surprise if you give this one a chance.
There are two stories going on here that are heading toward a climactic collision. The first involves incarcerated serial killer Garrick Turrell (Bowen). He's about to be released for bad behavior. Okay, so "released" isn't quite the word I was looking for. He kills a few guards and manages to escape. He attempts to change his appearance, but he can't quite shake the habit of killing people. Habit is exactly the word I'm looking for here. Garrick doesn't appear to kill in some passionate rage. He's actually quite polite and even-tempered, for the most part, except for the ....you know... killing part. He's working his way back home and leaving bodies along the way.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 19th, 2011
In case you were not already aware, the makers of Cinema Paradiso wanted you to know just how acclaimed their film happens to be. So, before the film itself starts there's something akin to a credit roll with a long list of awards and acclaims the film has received since its release in 1988. To say that it is a film held in high regard would be a terribly unfair understatement. The movie is an undisputed classic and for good reason.
The film tells the story of one Salvatore "Toto" Di Vita, played by three different actors representing three stages of his life. Salvatore Cascio plays the young boy. Marco Leonardi plays the teenage years. And Jacques Perrin plays the elder version of Toto.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 18th, 2011
"This is a simple story, but not an easy one to tell. Like a fable, there is sorrow. And, like a fable, it is full of wonder and happiness."
Roberto Benigni has been somewhat of a staple in Italian cinema for nearly 40 years. He has a solid reputation not only as a talented actor but as a writer and director, as well. He has been known mostly for his comedy, and that's exactly how many people see Life Is Beautiful. On first glance you might read the description and be somewhat skeptical about watching a comedy about the Jewish Concentration Camps during World War II. But Benigni manages to mix just the right amount of whimsical comedy into a very serious backdrop. It isn't very easy, and I know of only a handful of cases where serious material has successfully translated into comedy. Hogan's Heroes and M*A*S*H stand out as notable examples.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Archive Authors on October 18th, 2011
The film isn’t billed as Kevin Smith’s Red State. It’s just Red State, but Kevin Smith is an independent counterculture auteur diva so to speak. It’s pretty widely thought that Kevin Smith has a cool and honest and don’t-give-a-crap attitude. Kevin Smith is a brand, but he knows he’s not a mainstream big blockbuster brand. He is indie.
I think of Quentin Tarentino and Kevin Smith as similar. They both are super-smart geeks who educated themselves and saved themselves due to their writing. They both embrace their roots and stick close to what they grew up on. They both are names or brands or whatever name best describes an independent force. They make different kinds of films, but they are kindred spirits. They do things from the gut. They wear their heart on their sleeve. They do what they do for people who are like they are. Geeks.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by M. W. Phillips on October 16th, 2011
“Rush Week just became Death Week!”
Let me say first off that director Alex Pucci knows something about production values. For a film shot on Super 16mm for a reported budget of around $1 million, Pucci delivered a film that looks and sounds far more expensive. Reportedly attempting to be a homage to the seventies grindhouse slasher/revenge flicks, Pucci’s focus on detail is amazing, even if his seventies period piece comes with a few anachronisms.
![The Others [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/the-others-blu-ray-large.jpg)
![How to Make It in America: The Complete First Season [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/how-to-make-it-in-america-the-comp-large.jpg)
![Chuck: The Complete Fourth Season [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/chuck-the-complete-fourth-season--large.jpg)
![Scarface Limited Edition Steelbook [Blu-ray + Digital Copy] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/scarface-limited-edition-steelbook-large.jpg)
![A Horrible Way to Die [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/a-horrible-way-to-die-blu-ray-large.jpg)
![Cinema Paradiso [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/cinema-paradiso-blu-ray-large.jpg)
![Life is Beautiful [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/life-is-beautiful-blu-ray-large.jpg)
