HBO

The Sunset Limited (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 22nd, 2012

“The darker picture is always the correct one. When you read the history of the world you are reading a saga of bloodshed and greed and folly the import of which is impossible to ignore. And yet we imagine that the future will somehow be different.”

One thing that is absolutely different is HBO’s The Sunset Limited. I can assure you that this film is unlike any movie you’ve ever seen before, or are likely to see again. There are a lot of reasons for this, of course.
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The Tuskegee Airmen

Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on February 3rd, 2012

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Forgive the impending fun-with-words but, hot on the TAIL of the theatrical release of Red Tails is the Blu Ray release of this 1995 interpretation of the same story. Based on the actual group of airmen who were the first African-American fighter pilots in the United States Army Air Corps. This film follows the first cadets through their training and onto their various combat and mission in North Africa and Italy during World War II.
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Boardwalk Empire: The Complete First Season (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 20th, 2012

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“As you know, in less than two hours liquor will be declared illegal by decree of the distinguished gentlemen of our nation’s Congress. To those beautiful, ignorant bastards. Rest assured that, dry though the country may be, I am in the midst of concluding arrangements that will keep Atlantic City wet…”

Lately, you might have heard a lot of folks talking about getting home for a little Nucky. Well… it’s not what you think.
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Mildred Pierce (2011) (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 10th, 2012

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James M Cain wrote Mildred Pierce in 1941 and based the character on a woman he was seeing at the time. It’s said that she offered much of the insight into women’s plights of the depression era from undisclosed women. Not that Cain needed help in writing a compelling story. He’s had a few hit novels that include The Postman Always Rings Twice. Mildred Pierce was an almost instant hit and was soon optioned for a film in 1945 staring Joan Crawford, for which she won an Oscar
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Big Love: The Complete Fifth Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by M. W. Phillips on January 4th, 2012

“I’ve gone and torn my family apart and I’m truly sorry.”

I have a confession to make; I first started watching Big Love for what I thought would be the salacious subject matter. Polygamy seemed tawdry and unnatural. I wanted to see how HBO handled it. Soon after watching I was touched by the depth of love and commitment this family had for each other.
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The Life & Times of Tim – The Complete Second Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on December 7th, 2011

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Tim is the lone passive, sane voice in an insane world that whirls around him. Take the kooky scenarios you might find in an episode of Seinfeld, animated them (barely) and pepper it with some HBO-acceptable crassness, and you’re looking at this show. Done in a minimalist 2D animation, each episode consists of two separate stories. By splitting the episodes in half, the two chapters make the show resemble the current trend of 10 to 15 minute long cartoons, popularized by Cartoon Network’s “Adult Swim” programs.
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Band of Brothers / The Pacific (Special Edition Gift Set) (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 8th, 2011

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“Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force: You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. Good Luck! And let us all beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.” – General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces.”

World War II was a turning point in American history unlike any other in the 20th century.
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Bored to Death: The Complete Second Season (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by M. W. Phillips on October 24th, 2011

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“For what it’s worth, I read your first book. I’m not Jewish, but I liked it.”

In the spirit of disclosure, the first time I tried watching Bored to Death, I gave up early in the first season. The title described the experience of this viewer. Jason Schwartzman has never really clicked with me. His schtick always seemed a little too precious and self-aware for my tastes. Pressure from friends who insisted the show got better in the second half of the season got me back.
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How to Make It in America: The Complete First Season (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by M. W. Phillips on October 20th, 2011

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“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.
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In Treatment: The Complete Third Season

Posted in No Huddle by Archive Authors on October 9th, 2011

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In Treatment is one of HBO’s least flashy and lowest profile series. That doesn’t prevent it from being amazing in many ways. Large parts of America are not used to a show that is essentially two people sitting in a room talking. Those kinds of people are considered to have short attention spans. HBO’s The Sopranos served up the idea of regular therapy sessions, but those shows were enlivened by brutal behavior and gruesome killings. That is no knock on The Sopranos, because it was a great and intellectually complex show. In Treatment is a special case that deserves to be nurtured because it is not flashy or easy. It is uncompromising in its way, and that is a good thing.
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Hung: The Complete Second Season (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by M. W. Phillips on October 4th, 2011

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“I am in the oldest profession in the world.”

Ray (Thomas Jane) is a middle-aged divorcee knocked to his knees by the recession. His home is fire-damaged, he lives in a tent in his backyard, the school he works for as a coach keeps slashing his department’s funding and threatening layoffs, he’s still in love with his neurotic ex-wife, Jessica (Anne Heche) and is struggling as a single father to raise social-misfit teen twins, Damon (Charlie Saxton) and Darby (Sianoa Smit-McPhee).
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Eastbound & Down: The Complete Second Season (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 10th, 2011

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“This is me now. A man haunted by the sacrifices he’s had to make. A man who ran and never looked back. I left my country to begin a new life, one where I could finally blend with those I was living amongst, become just another face in the crowd.”

Well… anyone who has seen even one episode of HBO’s half-hour comedy Eastbound & Down knows that isn’t going to happen. Former major league pitcher Kenny Powers could no more easily blend into a crowd than Charlie Manson at a law enforcement convention.
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Entourage: The Complete Seventh Season (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by M. W. Phillips on July 25th, 2011

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“Look, you got what you wanted, I’m officially out of control.”

Based loosely on (Executive Producer) Mark Walberg’s meteoric rise to fame, Entourage has always been a male bonding fantasy; it plays like a boys-will-be-boys version of Sex in the City. Following Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier) and his posse’s misadventures through the decadent lifestyles of the hyper-rich and fabulously famous carried with it a certain insider’s credibility and made for fun, if not slightly debauched TV voyeurism.
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Hijos Del Carnaval

Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on July 4th, 2011

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The story begins with the immediate validation of superstition. Anesi Gebara is the head of an illegal lottery and so numbers are crucially linked to his life, both in his work and in the aforementioned superstitions that haunt his life.
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Capadocia: Primera Temporada

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on July 3rd, 2011

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Capadocia: Un Lugar Sin Perdon is an HBO Latin America Original that showcases both the political and social angles of an experimental penitentiary in Mexico City. The penitentiary exploits the inmates as a form of cheap labor for the government. A riot begins that uncovers the violent truths behind the experimental prison and viewers are thrust into the lives of these female inmates. This series depicts the complexities of prison life as well as the political posturing that takes place. There is plenty of emotion in this series and it is executed at a very high
level.
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Shot in the Dark

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on June 30th, 2011

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Written by Bamboo

Shot in the Dark is a very well done documentary by Adrian Grenier (before he starred on HBO’s Entourage) about what it means to be a father. The film starts as a series of interviews with random people in New York, as well as Adrian’s friends and family members. Adrian has not seen his father in over eighteen years. He feels as though he doesn’t know what it means to have a father or how he should feel about not having a father around while he was growing up. Adrian hopes to gain some insight through this documentary.
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When it Was a Game: The Complete Collection (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 20th, 2011

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“There was a time in baseball when there were only eight teams in each major league. They played an orderly balanced schedule visiting each city four times. A trip out West meant St. Louis or Chicago. There was a comfortable rhythm to the season… That time is gone now.”

I might be from the last generation who understands exactly what that means. Some of the best memories of my life were of the lazy afternoons I spent with my grandfather at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Philadelphia.
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61* (Blu-ray)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 16th, 2011

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On first glance it might seem like a rather odd choice to have the likes of Billy Crystal direct a movie about the 1961 drive to beat Babe Ruth’s sacred homerun record by teammates and friends Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle. When the film first aired on HBO,,I recall doing a bit of a double take myself. But, once you’ve seen the man talk about his memories of the game and the absolute reverence and respect he has for its history you begin to understand why he was the perfect choice to direct 61*
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True Blood: The Complete Third Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on June 4th, 2011

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The other day, I was taking a look at my past reviews and I realized that I have been reviewing on this site for over six years. If you have been reading my reviews for that long and you aren’t married to me, bless you for sticking it out that long. Heck, I’ve only known my wife for almost 4 of those years. Anyhow, I have reviewed a plethora of subjects. One of the hardest things to do is to review a dvd season in the middle of its run. It becomes even harder when that show is True Blood
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Taking Chance

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 14th, 2009

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Taking Chance gives audiences another perspective into the Iraq war. Lt. Colonel Michael Strobl (Kevin Bacon) volunteers to escort the remains of a recently deceased Lance Corporal Chance Phelps. During the trip across America’s heartland, Strobl gets to see how the Iraq war is implicating not just the families involved, but the nation as a whole. The film is also based on true events, which adds to the stories levity. The film manages to give alternative perspectives on the war and also manages to be objective at the same time.
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Chris Rock: Kill the Messenger

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 1st, 2009

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Last year, Chris Rock hit the road with new material for Kill the Messenger, his latest comedy tour. HBO captured three of the performances – in London, Johannesburg and New York – and edited them together into one big comedy special. Now on DVD in this three-disc set, Rock fans can see the HBO special and the full-length shows at each of the locations above. If you love his stuff, that might be great news. But after more than a decade at the top, does Rock still have it? Read on.
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Little Britain USA (Season One)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 7th, 2009

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“There are more fat people in American than there are people.” That’s the dry wit of Tom Baker, Little Britain USA’s narrator, introducing a sketch about “Fat Fighter” Marjorie Dawes. If the series stuck with that brand of humor, I’d have enjoyed it thoroughly. Instead, it goes places so crude I was continually startled by its outrageous comedy. I’m of the opinion that blue humor is a love-it-or-hate-it genre. If you enjoy the nasty stuff, Little Britain USA : the complete first season is definitely up your alley. Mine? Not so much.

Curb Your Enthusiasm – The Complete Sixth Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 16th, 2008

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I now realize that the funniest funny is found in awkwardness. This is why Curb Your Enthusiasm is so popular. The main characters do things that make you cringe, often to the point where you even cover your eyes because it’s just too painful to watch. You say aloud to yourself, “Oh my god, no he didn’t just get a boner while hugging that old woman,” or “why are you talking to the TiVo guy when your wife might die?!” But with all due respect to the people that hate Larry’s character (Larry David) because he’s so rude and does stupid stuff, he often gets the short stick and apologizes when he shouldn’t have to.

Bill Maher: The Decider

Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on January 14th, 2008

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Political humor has been around since the dawn of time. Just go look at History of the World Part One. Of course, these days, comedians aren’t getting fed to the lions. In fact, on some occasions they are even invited to the White House. Bill Maher has been doing leftist political comedy for quite some time. I had not watched him on standup in nearly 20 years (One Night Stands) prior to receiving this dvd but I have enjoyed his show Politically Incorrect fairly recently. I honestly hoped that it wouldn’t be all political humor but we shall soon see.
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The Sopranos – Season 6, Part 2

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 2nd, 2007

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The Sopranos, called by some the greatest TV show in history, is over. With a much-publicized fade-to-black finish, the series finale aired June 10, 2007, leaving fans to forever speculate about the fate of Tony Soprano. Many were disappointed at this ambiguous ending, but I’m sure a similar number enjoyed having some major loose ends.

It’s all academic for me, because I hadn’t watched the series since its season three finale, and only caught the end when this DVD set came my way for review. After catching up on seasons four, five and six (part one) through synopses, I sat down to experience The Sopranos‘ closing act.

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