Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 21st, 2011
For the second year in a row Private Practice has decided to tackle a huge and emotional issue for the characters at Oceanside Wellness Group. Last season began when Violet had been brutally attacked. A crazy woman believed Violet was carrying her baby, so she showed up and cut the baby out leaving her to die on the floor. Of course, she survived, but the season was all about the scars left from the attack in her mind. It was quite an intense storyline and one the show decided to try and top in season 4. Charlotte King, played by Kadee Strickland, suffers an equally brutal attack and is sexually assaulted. It's quite an intense episode that digs deep into the emotional trauma as well as the physical. It will change some of the characters forever. One thing you can't say about the folks running Private Practice. You can't accuse them of being unwilling to take chances and push the boundaries of our own limits as members of the audience. The show also suffers the death of one of its beloved characters in the previous season finale. Dell's death has an impact on the beginning of the season. But the man who killed him ends up coming to Pete to save his life.
Shonda Rhimes had a big hit on her hands with Grey’s Anatomy, so after five years she did what comes naturally in her situation. You spin the success off in the hope that the fans can’t get enough in just one night. At first it appeared to me she had chosen the wrong character to put out on her own. I mean, I never considered Kate Walsh as Addison to be one of the show’s more compelling characters. The show was presented as what the business calls an imbedded episode on Grey’s. What that means is that the situation is set up during one of the original show’s episodes. In this case a two-parter called The Other Side Of Life. The idea is that you want to be sure that your existing show’s fans at least watch the pilot in the hope that they will consider it a part of their beloved series. I got to watch that episode when I was called upon to review the fifth season of Grey’s.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Archive Authors on September 21st, 2011
By Natasha Samreny
Fans of Airwolf will recognize the DVD as a version of the movie that launched 1980s TV series of the same name. For those who aren't familiar with the show, director Don Bellisario also created Magnum, P.I., JAG, Quantum Leap and more recently NCIS.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Archive Authors on September 21st, 2011
By Natasha Samreny
Dear Lemon Lima is the story of a girl who loves a boy and realizes what a jerk he is. But there's more, and if the story doesn't keep you, the characters will.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by M. W. Phillips on September 20th, 2011
“You're like the maid of dishonor.”
Bridesmaids, from director Paul Feig, producer Judd Apatow and based on a script by Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, became the highest grossing R-rated female comedy of all time, edging out Sex and the City. Although coined by many as the female version of The Hangover, and there are certainly similarities, this does the movie a certain injustice. Where The Hangover is funny in a mean-spirited, rude-boy way, Bridesmaids taps into Apatow’s gift for producing comedies with human characters we care about and balancing the comedy with a touch of pathos without crossing into dramedy territory. Both movies are structured around an upcoming wedding and deal with sex and body functions in a frank and explicit way, but that’s where the similarities end.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Archive Authors on September 20th, 2011
Written by John Delia
If you are a Keanu Reeves fan, then you won’t want to miss Henry’s Crime, now out on DVD. The movie, released in 2010, has a thin storyline, but the good acting overshadows this downside. His support cast includes nice performances by Vera Farmiga and James Caan, so the film can’t be all that bad. The film is directed by Malcolm Venville.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Archive Authors on September 20th, 2011
Written by John Delia
This television movie fits into the hackneyed cinema mold of predictable storyline ordinary camerawork, low-budget talent and the absence of any realistic special effects. If you can’t find anything else to rent, however, then it will do in a pinch. Geared for the terror crowd, the insipid acting, unimpressive script and implausible actions are all downsides for this film genre.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Archive Authors on September 20th, 2011
Before I review the DVD copy of The Last Godfather, I should mention that the previews that preceded it had me scratching my head. They played Bad Santa and Scary Movie, and I’m going, “What the heck?” Then they played Everything Must Go and I say, “Oh, Okay.” It was just disconcerting to see films from such divergent time periods slapped together like that.
The film stars Harvey Keitel, Michael Rispoli and Jon Polito, who are respectable actors we would expect to see in a Mafia movie. It also stars Jason (Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back) Mewes, John (You go NOW! )Pinettte, and our writer/director/star Hyung Rae Shim. Here it is again, divergent disparities.
So you come into this film knowing it is a goof just by seeing the cast list. The question then becomes, “Is it a good goof or a bad goof?” It’s not important that we know that Hyung Rae Shim is a big fat Korean superstar (he does like to show off his belly) because since this is an English language film set in New York City it is meant to broaden whatever international appeal he may have. They are probably hoping for the next Jackie Chan.
I’ll tell you up front that Hyung is a comedian, but the kind of comedian that would probably make Jerry Lewis blush with embarrassment. I’m not necessarily saying this is a bad thing, but I’m just saying that he would make Ace Ventura Pet Detective look like The Merchant of Venice. This is a Mafia story, and they are relatively faithful to the tradition but in a broad comedic fashion.
Still, I’d hate to see what would happen if the heads of the families saw this.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Archive Authors on September 20th, 2011
Disco Worms
Disco Worms is animated film featuring Jane Lynch of Glee. When I first saw the title of this film, I was rather skeptical about another animated movie singing old hits all over again. I was surprised to see that it was actually very well done. The animation is fairly enjoyable. I especially liked the brilliantly-designed body language of the worms whose tail-gestures make up for the lack of arms.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on September 18th, 2011
Fight Fans welcome. We have for you today in the center of this ring, the story of four young men from different backgrounds but who have all come to fight in the Beatdown. The Beatdown is a place where passion can fuel the desire of the fighters to become the very best. But, there are many obstacles in their way in life and in the ring. What exactly will happen and how many broken bones will take place? Join me in the cage and we shall experience, Never Back Down 2: The Beatdown.
Are you ready?, I said are you ready? Then for the thousands in attendance (or just me and two nervous cats) and the millions (or possibly dozens) watching around the world (okay domestic United States and possibly Canada), let's get ready to go down the cast page and story plotline. We have some interesting characters tonight and there is no way you can follow the action if you don't have a program to go by. Programs are sold at the door and are available at www.donttakethisseriously.com.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on September 17th, 2011
One of my favorite “kiddie” type cartoons is Fairly Odd Parents. A giant size of wit (surprisingly adult in nature on occasion) and a ton of charm make the cartoon a boatload of fun to watch. It was created by Butch Hartman who has a long list of popular toon credits including Johnny Bravo, Cow and Chicken and Dexter's Laboratory. Eventually Hartman started to do more than storyboard or write cartoons. He created cartoons, including one such cartoon named Danny Phantom which is our subject today.
Danny Phantom was created in 2004 by Butch Hartman mostly based on the popularity of Fairly Odd Parents. (Basically, Nickelodeon wanted another cartoon from Hartman and asked him if he had an idea. Before “Danny Phantom” came out of his mouth, he had a contract). The show would run for a mild 45 episodes, 4 specials and roughly 3 seasons of work. But in doing so, he certainly generated a fan base who are still looking for new episodes until this very day. But before we get nose deep in some ghost hunting, lets go over the characters.
