Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on June 5th, 2019
This is Oliva Wilde like you haven’t seen her before. Not only is she expanding in the world of screenwriting, but she sheds her previous typecasting as a vixen or seductress, becoming nearly unrecognizable. A Vigilante tackles the very large issue of domestic abuse, pulling back the curtain and showing the immense devastation that such acts leaves on the victim. Not only physically, but emotionally as well. It also shows empowerment, as Wilde embodies the role of Sadie, a woman who suffered horrific scars and devasting loss at the hands of the man who is supposed to love and protect her, her husband.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 4th, 2019
"Welcome to Benghazi."
It shouldn't matter what your politics might be. The events in Benghazi on September 11th, 2012 bring up some very important questions. Contrary to one 2016 presidential hopeful's declaration, it does make a difference. It did to the people who were there. It does for the families of the four who lost their lives. And it should make a difference to you. With such a political hotbed issue, you'll find that 13 Hours goes out of its way to avoid the political questions. Some might view this as an oversight, but I think it gives the film a greater sense of credibility and makes its impact on the audience to fill in their own political blanks.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 31st, 2019
"So much has happened. I don't know where to start. First it was all the school shootings. Then these WiFi scooters showed up. And now we know that Manbearpig is real and we could all be dead in a matter of years."
That's true, but I suspect that when we are all dead and gone there will be two things we can count on continuing beyond the end of human civilization. The cockroaches will inherit the world, and they will all be watching South Park, the only television show still running. It's already been 22 years, and doesn't it feel like 50? I don't mean that in a mean way. I love South Park, but I'm starting to find it hard to remember what life was like without it. I'm convinced it will survive us all, and AI versions of Parker and Stone will be producing it until the planet is finally vaporized... and I'm not sure even that will stop this show.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on May 29th, 2019
Did you ever wonder what it would be like if on the many journeys Forrest Gump took, one of them involved him trying to solve a young boy’s disappearance and eventual murder? I didn’t think so. I’m not trying to be funny, but for the most part that is basically the gist of A Dark Place, where we see a young man who is on the spectrum become obsessed with solving a murder. It’s not that people who are on the spectrum can’t be highly intelligent and problem solvers, but this film takes things to another level, to where disability or not, no one could get away with what occurs in this film. Sure, there are movies that are about escaping reality, and one shouldn’t judge it for its realism, but when a film is attempting to be a slice of life in this small town that is devastated by the loss of a missing child, well, there comes a point where the audience should be allowed to call BS.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 21st, 2019
"It's been five months since Hannah Baker killed herself. We never thought this trial would happen. We thought we could move on. But when I got called to testify, all of a sudden it made me realize we can't move on. Life is different now."
And that's pretty much the best way to sum up the second season of Netflix/CBS teenage drama 13 Reasons Why. The series started out as a novel in 2007. It didn't catch the world on fire and went largely unread until something appeared to cause the novel to pick up steam in 2011. It hit the New York Times Best Seller list and started to become a teen phenomenon around middle and high school campuses throughout the nation. If Harry Potter didn't provide enough proof that kids were still reading and doing it for their own enjoyment, this novel should do the job. There are no wizards or superheroes or distant alien worlds to explore here.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on May 18th, 2019
"Legend says that when the ground quakes or lava spews from the earth, it's the dragons letting us know they're still here. Waiting for us to figure out how to get along. Yes, the world believes the dragons are gone, if they ever existed at all. But we Berkians, we know otherwise. And we'll guard this secret until the time comes when dragons can return in peace."
It is surreal to know less about a subject than your six-year-old daughter, but that was the case going into How to Train Your Dragon: Hidden World. Aside from a knowledge of this franchise’s existence, I knew next to nothing about the films as a whole.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 16th, 2019
Three-time widower Ben Cartwright (Greene) runs his famous Ponderosa Ranch with the aid of his three grown sons from three different mothers. There’s Little Joe (Landon), Adam (Roberts) and Hoss (Blocker). Set some time in the mid 1800’s, this long-running series followed the family’s many exploits. In the late 1950’s, westerns accounted for six of the top ten programs on TV. Only Gunsmoke had a longer run than Bonanza. From 1959 to 1973, Ben Cartwright and his boys rode across the small screen. Years later in syndication the series re-emerged as Ponderosa, and a handful of TV movies continued the tale into the 90’s.We never have grown tired of the genre that gave us such heroes as John Wayne and Clint Eastwood.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on May 14th, 2019
Hayao Miyazaki is an amazing Japanese animator and filmmaker. His films include Kiki's Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro, and Howl's Moving Castle among other legendary pictures. I can safely say I have enjoyed most of his films but unfortunately only owned a couple at the time of writing this review. That's why I was quite astonished when this collector's edition of Princess Mononoke came across my desk. I was ready to dive in with both feet and re-visit this movie that I had not seen since, well, almost twenty years ago.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 11th, 2019
"A clean girl is always attentive and dutiful. A clean girl embraces obedience. A clean girl is always humble and patient. A clean girl embodies sweetness. A clean girl is always temperate. A clean girl is honest and forthcoming. A clean girl gives the school loyalty."
... and is thrifty, healthy, and wise. Watching the beginning of Level 16 reminded me a little bit of that Boy Scout Oath we used to stand and deliver in the gymnasium of Saint Margaret's when I was a young teenager. There are also several aspects of the film that reminded me a little of the disciplined regiment at Saint Margaret's Elementary School. But there's something more sinister afoot at Vestelis Orphanage than a few sadistic nuns packing yardsticks or a scout leader who smelled of stogies.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on May 11th, 2019
I’m not a big fan of documentaries, and this one did nothing to disabuse me of that feeling, as the focal point of the documentary is not exactly a pleasant individual when he is not wallowing in self-deprecating despair, though he does have one thing going for him, an imaginative and elegant ability to create beloved and award-winning animation. Hayao Miyazaki has been heralded as one of Japan’s greatest animation directors. His notable works included Princess Mononoke, which was the first animated film to win the Japan Academy Prize for Picture of the Year; his film Spirited Away took home the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 75th Academy Awards, and the critically and commercial successful Ponyo, as well as many others. In 2013, he announced his retirement, and the documentary covers the period after his retirement as well as his return to animation in 2016.
