Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 14th, 2021
"It's alive!"
After nearly 90 years the Universal horror cycle stands as one of the most enduring collection of horror movies today. Their influence on modern horror is unmistakable. There have been literally thousands of incarnations of Dracula, The Wolf Man and Frankenstein's Monster, but the first image that comes to your mind will always be the nightmare creations of those Universal films. Studio head Carl Laemmle, Jr. was trying to break away from his father's control and create a studio culture of his own. The results would start in 1931 when an unknown Hungarian actor named Bela Lugosi jumped from the stage to the screen in Dracula, directed by Tod Browning. Laemmle's niece, Carla Laemmle, is the girl in the coach headed for Borgo Pass as the film opens to the musical strains from Swan Lake. She is reading a travel brochure about vampires and thus speaks the very first lines ever spoken in a horror film in the era of sound. Lugosi was mesmerizing, and the film was a hit. There was a depression on, but that didn't stop crowds from lining up around theater blocks to be hypnotized by Lugosi's Dracula.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 13th, 2021
"He's dangerous, amoral, he pathologically flaunts authority. He's reckless to the point of suicidal. But all of this ... everything we've done. None of it would have been possible if it weren't for him."
Him, of course is James Spader as the enigmatic Raymond "Red" Reddington. The show is NBC's breakout hit The Blacklist, created by first-time show-runner Jon Bokenkamp. Bokenkamp is truly a newcomer to the business. He has literally only a couple of very minor writing credits to his name. Perhaps that's why The Blacklist is able to contain quite a few of the cliché elements running through television today and still feel like one of the freshest shows in a long while. Or maybe it's really Spader.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on October 13th, 2021
“They are coming to get you, Barbara.”
Step aside, Gus Van Sant’s 1998 remake of Psycho; there’s a new most useless remake (of all time) in town. Seriously, to whoever is responsible for getting this film green-lit, I seriously hate you and all that you’ve done to George A. Romero’s classic and not to mention groundbreaking film. The fact that his name isn’t even in the credits on the Blu-ray is equally a blessing and a low blow. George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead is pretty well known for being the first film to depict zombies as undead, flesh-eating beings and literally kick-started its own subgenre in horror. It’s also perhaps known for one of the biggest blunders involving copyright protection, which resulted in Romero losing out on millions and the distributors pocketing most of the financial gains the film had. In 1990, Tom Savini would go on to remake the film, but this time shoot the film in color and also update it with new and improved special effects. The remake is good, but not great, but it would introduce many horror fans to Tony Todd before he took on the now iconic role of Candyman. So in the age where Hollywood is obsessed with reboots and remakes, what makes this film stand out as the dumpster fire that it is? Simply put, this was obviously not a passion project, but instead an obvious cash grab that has the artistic integrity of an amateur porn film.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on October 13th, 2021
Justin Long chose an interesting film for his directorial debut. Lady of the Manor is Casper meets For a Good Time Call ..., which is not a dig, as I found both those films enjoyable. The best way to categorize the movie is as a raunchy ghost story, which is an interesting combination. My skepticism was high going into the film, and while I did enjoy the film, I will say that it ran a little long. There are several scenes that could have been cut out, and I feel like for the most part it wouldn’t have sacrificed quality. Melanie Lynskey of Two And A Half Men fame played to her niche, embodying another quirky character, but this time a rated-R version. Rounding out the cast, Judy Greer as the aforementioned lady of the manor, Ryan Phillippe, Luis Guzman, Patrick Duffy (Dallas), and of course, the director himself, Justin Long. Interesting tidbit I learned: principal photography and filming for the movie took place in the Tampa and Saint Petersburg area. I thought certain areas looked familiar.
The film centers around Lynskey’s Hannah Kolinsky, a lazy and directionless stoner who manages to get herself in trouble with the law when she somehow ends up at the wrong address for her weed delivery and ends up ensnared in a To Catch a Predator-esque sting. I will say that this was something I did not expect. Based on the preview, I foresaw the trouble with the cops, but the circumstance really was funny, especially the reverse sexual harassment from the paid actor who ensnares her. Even the cops had to shake their heads about it.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 6th, 2021
We first came to know Paul Hogan as the "Shrimp On The Barbie" guy. He was doing television and radio ads for Australian tourism. A smart fellow, he saw that the ad character was popular and rode an enormous wave of an Australian fad that hit America in the 1980's. Suddenly there were Australian bands like Men At Work teaching us about vegemite sandwiches on the top of the music charts. We got steak, not shrimp, on our barbie with a chain of Australian-themed steakhouses appropriately called Outback "no rules, just right" started up by a Florida group. Pop culture became inundated with catch phrases like "no worries" and "G'Day". Australia was cool, and we even had an "Australian" neighbor we all later found out was faking it for years. No doubt anything Aussie was considered cool. It was in that light that Hogan parlayed his tourism ads into an over-the-top Aussie character named Michael J. "Crocodile” Dundee.
The film was an almost instant hit. It pulled in a rather sweet $175 million at the domestic box office. Remember, this was a 1987 comedy with no real known American stars. Of course there was going to be a sequel. That film pulled in considerably less, but still a respectable $110 million. Those three films have now been brought to Blu-ray as a three-disc set from Paramount. The third film was called Crocodile Dundee In Los Angeles and tanked big time with an embarrassing $25 million box office total. That was 2001, and the Aussie fad has long since passed.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on October 5th, 2021
To watch Bugsy Malone you’ve got to remind yourself what it was like when you were a kid, and that’s something I feel is the most difficult thing to do when kids today have video games, the internet, and so much technology at their fingertips that to play and pretend is just not what it used to be. In 1976, writer and director Alan Parker gave us a gangster film like no other; it was a musical and a parody and most importantly was completely cast with children, all around the age of 12. It’s hard to imagine a film like this could ever take place now, not that there is anything offensive about it, but the film’s charm and its innocence I just feel couldn’t be captured anymore. The idea of kids shooting one another with guns firing marshmallows and cream would certainly rile up parents, not to mention the “sarsaparilla” bootlegging going on. Alan Parker took a risk with this film, and though it wasn’t a success in the states, it’s developed a cult following over the years. For me this was one that I discovered on VHS not long after seeing Warren Beatty take on the role of Dick Tracy and thus kicking off my love for prohibition-era gangster films.
Scott Baio plays the title role of Bugsy Malone, a hired hand who will do a job for the mob if the money is right, but if anything he’s more of a romantic than any good at playing the heavy. He’s got eyes for Blousey (Florence Garland), a lounge singer who has big dreams of making it to Hollywood. The relationship is charming and relatively innocent throughout, and mostly it works because it’s a pair of kids in these roles. It makes it easier to embrace these notions of big dreams and Bugsy’s grand gestures of them travelling together to Hollywood, but he just needs to do one big job first.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on October 2nd, 2021
Ever since The Purge came out back in 2013, I think with each passing year it seems like it can become a terrifying reality. Some fans, I’m sure, have even thought about what deviant activities they’d get into or how they’d defend themselves if it ever became a reality. The films in their own blunt way have been an examination of our government and how society is treated by class and by race. It’s not a big surprise that these films have been hits at the box office, but my big complaint has been are they really horror films? For me they are just modern takes of a world that John Carpenter created with his Escape from New York and Escape from LA films, like a hard-edged dystopian sci-fi survival film. At least with the first installment The Purge felt more grounded as an intense home invasion film, but as the sequels followed and the world opened up, it just started to feel more like an action film. Suspense and atmosphere have been replaced by gunfire and over-the-top costumes, and it’s just lost its impact. But then this idea of The Forever Purge came along, the idea that the bloodshed and chaos doesn’t have to end, that the government has lost control, and the blood thirsty lunatics have taken control. This direction seemed to offer some potential. The bleakness could be a sobering look at what could occur.
The film opens with a family sneaking across the border for a potential for a new life in America, a family seeking to live the American dream and flee the violence of the cartels and no longer live in poverty. Things then shift a year later, and we’re on a ranch in Texas. The ranch is run by the Tucker family and has its share of Mexican ranch hands. There’s a little tension between the son Dylan (Josh Lucas) and Juan (Tenoch Huerta), who seems to be better at handling the horses than the good old Texan cowboy. At first glance it seems like simple racism, but later in the film the two end up discussing their differences, and we see it’s a little more complicated, but at least doesn’t come from a place of hate. Honestly, I wish this was explored more. Even if it is a touchy subject, I felt it at least showed how discrimination and culture clash doesn’t necessarily have to come from a place of hate. Of course we know these two will need to set aside their differences in order to survive, but really, there is never any tension between these two again, which I found little frustrating.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 2nd, 2021
"There's a war coming to Gotham, and now there's no Batwoman stop it."
Well ... that's halfway true. After just one season in the cape and cowl, Ruby Rose rather abruptly quit the show. That's a pretty big red flag when you lose your titular star and character after just one season. For many shows that might have been the end of the road. Not true for Batwoman. They had several choices. They could have recast the part and just pretend it's the same character with a new look. They could have killed the character off and found a new one to replace her. Of course, with the multiverse now closed down, the most likely option of replacing her with another Earth's Kate Kane might have been the best option. The announcement came pretty much on the heel of Rose's departure that they would not recast the part. That turned out to be partially true, but more on that later. The choice was made to put an entirely new character into the suit.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 2nd, 2021
"18 years of sustained combat. I learned a long time ago to remain calm in the chaos, so that the fighting doesn't bother me. But when things go quiet, I hear Father Time coming for me. A new battle on the horizon, and for the first time in my life I'm feeling an enemy I don't know how to fight."
What David Boreanaz does is create iconic television characters. He has had no trouble getting work over the years. He has had the ability to jump from one successful series to another and enjoy longevity in those roles. Unlike many actors who have had big television roles, he doesn't get at all pigeonholed or typecast. In Buffy The Vampire Slayer he originated the role of the vampire Angel, who spun off to his own series for several years. Immediately after that he took on the role of an FBI agent and partner to the title character on Bones. That job lasted a decade. Before the remains of Bones could be laid to rest, he was already working on his next new series. Now he's the field leader of a Navy SEAL team, and if the first three seasons of SEAL Team is any indication, he's going to be dodging bullets and RPG's for the foreseeable future. CBS has a big tradition of long-running shows, and I wouldn't be surprised if a decade from now I'm talking to you about the 14th season of SEAL Team.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 2nd, 2021
Revamping old shows and movies is the latest trend in television. CBS has made several endeavors at this with varying success. Such was their attempt when they tried to convert Rush Hour into a TV series; however, the Macgyver reboot gaining a fourth season shows that the practice is not without its merits. CBS’s recent reboot of the popular series Magnum P.I. is the newest foray into this genre of television, and the fact that it has earned a second season bestows credit onto the show. Starring Jay Hernandez in the titular role, the character that Tom Selleck made famous, is breathing new life with new action. Minus the mustache, of course. Staying true to its source material, Hernandez’s Magnum is a former Navy Seal, and his best friends T.C and Rick are Marines. While staying true to its source, the series also digs deeper into the characters’ connection by illustrating the three as former POWs along with a fourth compatriot whose death serves as the catalyst for the pilot episode.
With the exception of this arc, every episode unfolds in a Monster of the Week format, which is best suited for the show in my opinion. It makes every episode a standalone, assuring that audience members can enter the show at any episode without fear of being completely lost, as well as guaranteeing that each mystery will be wrapped up by episode end, reducing anxiety attributable to curiosity over what will happen next. Like the original series, each episode features a voice-over narration from Magnum. T.C. and Rick also draws parallels to their original characters, with T.C. owning and operating a helicopter business that Magnum uses as his own private chauffeur service, while Rick is a club owner with connections that Magnum uses to solve his cases.
