Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on January 9th, 2012
My mother was born in Poland thus making me 50% full Polish. Growing up, I was often told stories about the Second World War and how my grandfather primarily was affected by it. So much so, that he never really spoke of it (I got my stories second hand through my grandmother and mother) most likely due to the horrors endured to the Polish invasion and other unspeakable depictions of violence. Today’s review takes us to an interesting Anime that is set in Russia during the same war with a supernatural feel.
1942, Russia. The Eastern Front. The Soviet Union is trying to withstand Germany’s attacks and avoid defeat at any costs. We change our focus to a battle inside Russian lines with one of the Russian commanders yelling instructions at his troops. As he does so, he does not notice a giant black knight on a horse swinging about to swing a sword at his head. The commander’s head goes clean off in a brilliant fashion. Blackness. Then a little girl named Nadya wakes up who is traveling with a troupe to entertain the troops.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on December 10th, 2011
As one could probably surmise from reading many of my reviews, I don't know a thing about women. I am after all a man, that is really the only reason I need. But then again, we are slow witted creatures. But I do know I like watching women (that does not sound too perverted does it?). So perhaps when I saw a list of titles to review, I gravitated towards one called Tanner Hall which follows the story of four teenage girls becoming women. I probably still will not learn a thing.
They say the first time in life you have a chance to do something wrong, you end up doing it anyway. Fernanda finds out first hand that bad things can happen to people on purpose when she witnesses her childhood friend, Victoria release a pet bird that is not hers. But that was many years ago and we rejoin the present day. Fern (played by Rooney Mara) is taking the five hour journey to Tanner Hall, a boarding school for young women.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on December 5th, 2011
As some might be able to figure out from my personality, I tend to stay away from political and war type movies. Political movies (except for the special ones) tend to confuse the viewer until the final curtain is drawn. War movies on the other hand tend to be more about explosions and male bonding which is usually enough to put me to sleep. What happens when you combine the two of them? Well then you might get a movie like 5 Days of War directed by the one and only Renny Harlin .
Hiram Johnson, a US Senator once said that “The first casualty of war is truth.” We join the movie in Iraq, year circa 2007. Thomas Anders (played by Rupert Friend) is an American reporter. He is riding along with his camerman, Sebastian Ganz (played by Richard Coyle) and his fellow reporter/girlfriend, Miriam (played by Heather Graham). Sebastian is recording the two and asking them all sorts of relationship type questions.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 1st, 2011
"You have been activated."
You've got to hand it to Robert Rodriguez. Since he came onto the film scene in 1992 he has earned a reputation for delivering some very innovative films. His specialty appears to run toward more adult fare with such cult hits as Dusk To Dawn, Sin City, and his recent splashes into grindhouse territory. Anyone who has seen those films might find it strange that the writer/director is also responsible for a somewhat beloved children's franchise with the Spy Kids films. First introduced in 2001 the film pulled in a respectable box office and became a hit for the younger crowd who have fantasies of being James Bond spies with all of the terrific gadgets and the extra benefit of making evil adults look bad.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 1st, 2011
John Bonito has had very little experience in filmmaking. He's done a few wrestling tidbits and one earlier film called The Marine, and that was nearly six years ago. Chances are you haven't heard of either. If Carjack is any indication of his limited ability, the new film out on Blu-ray isn't going to help with that name recognition. So, with a no-name director and a direct-to-video release, the film really left small expectations. We might go into a film like this expecting a rather dull, "been there, done that" feel to it. In that sense Bonito doesn't disappoint at all. But take a closer look at the cast and hope emerges for something perhaps a little better than that. The only response I can offer for that is that a car wasn't the only thing jacked here. Someone made off with nearly a couple hours of my life. In that Bonito is guilty of grand theft, while some of you might plead it down to petty larceny.
Lorraine (Bello) is trying to put together the pieces of a broken life. Her husband has left her and is threatening to take her son away. She was once negligent and he wondered off into the night alone. She's in group therapy trying to work out those kinks in her life. Her therapist tells her she needs to take control more, and that aspect of her development is about to be tested.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 9th, 2011
"All things are intrinsically connected, no matter how different they may appear. Hi. You know me -- Robert Axle. As a fabricator, I bring existing, often different, items together, maximizing their atomic and molecular potential. Making ordinary inventions infinitely more prolific."
Kevin Spacey has been quite prolific himself in the last couple of years. It seems no matter where I go these days, I see him in another movie I'm reviewing. In just the last 6 months I've seen him in Horrible Bosses, Margin Call, Casino Jack and now Father Of Invention. In fact just since 2009 he's appeared in 10 films. One might expect the energy to be a bit sapped in that much production. But he continues to provide wonderful performances. At times he carries the entire burden on his own shoulders and makes a moderately average film just a little bit better. And while there is a pretty good supporting cast here, that's exactly what happens in Father Of Invention.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 2nd, 2011
"You lose. You die."
In 2005 Russian-born writer director Gela Babluani had a bit of an Eastern Europe success with his film 13 Tzameti. The film took the Grand Prize Jury at Sundance and a few other film festivals, winning also in places like Venice and Transylvania. The film made quite a splash, and it wasn't long before it attracted the attention of American distributors. An English-language version was inevitable at this point. Thankfully Babluani was able to work out a deal where he got to direct his own remake. Babluani has received more than a little heat for essentially remaking the exact same film with only a few changes to cater to the American audience. I never saw the original film, but now I have seen his remake. It would become his first American film and what a film it has turned out to be.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on October 20th, 2011
There are some things in life I will never be able to relate to. Famous sports athlete, sorry missed out on that boat when I walked off the baseball team in high school. President of the United States, I need more than the votes of my wife and parents. But there are other things on a smaller scale I can’t relate to either. Like children. I will never how it is to have my own children. While I have certainly accepted this fact and I am okay with it, sometimes movies come along with themes that are foreign to me. Enter Beautiful Boy.
We open up to some home videos at the beach. A family can be seen in what would be their last vacation together before the son would eventually go off to college. We slowly pan in to Sam (played by Kyle Gallner) who is reading his essay to a very disinterested class. Dejected, Sam finishes and sits back down. Life is difficult at the new college and Sam is finding it hard to adapt.
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 M. W. Phillips on October 15th, 2011
“I find that the only way to get through life is to picture myself in an entirely disconnected reality.”
15 year old Welsh schoolboy Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts) has an amazing amount of self esteem for a kid his age. He fantasizes about his own funeral and the tragic impact it would have on his community and Wales in general. In reality, Oliver is severely socially retarded and unpopular. His mother, Jill (Sally Hawkins) is a neurotic, frustrated housewife, and his father, Lloyd (Noah Taylor) a bipolar marine biologist. His two goals for the summer are to lose his virginity (while it is still illegal) and save his parents’ marriage from reintroduction of one of his mum’s former flames, Graham (Paddy Considine), a lecherous, self-help scam artist. Somehow, against his best efforts to sabotage the courtship, he meets and falls for fellow quirky class mate, Jordana (Yasmin Paige). She quickly takes control and leads him on his coming of age summer tour.
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