Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on December 14th, 2011
Quick, ask me a question that involves Rock and Roll music. Chances are the answer to that question is either the Beatles or the Rolling Stones. The answer was Nickelback? Oh, then the question must have been: Name a Band that only had two good albums and spent the rest of the time copying their own music repeatedly until you wanted to smash Chad Kroeger in the face. Anyway, our review today takes us to 1978 and the Rolling Stones. See, I told you all avenues lead to the Beatles or Stones.
The Rolling Stones by 1978 were a huge success having released over a dozen albums, many of which reached Gold and Platinum status many times over. Their latest album, Black and Blue went to Platinum in the US and hit #1 on the Billboard charts and stayed on the charts for twenty four weeks. Their two big hits off the album included “Fool to Cry” and “Hot Stuff”. The former song, “Full to Cry” scored as a top ten hit. In addition to Platinum status in the US, France and the UK both reported Gold sales for the record.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by M. W. Phillips on December 13th, 2011
“Oh hidy ho officer, we've had a doozy of a day. There we were minding our own business, just doing chores around the house, when kids started killing themselves all over my property.”
A carload of preppie college kids set off for a Memorial Day weekend of partying deep in the backwoods of West Virginia. They encounter a couple creepy looking hillbillies leering at them on the highway. Stopping to gas up they encounter the two rednecks again, but this time one of the two approaches the girls holding a scythe over his head and laughing like a madman. Feeling threatened, the kids get in the face of the rednecks warning them to back off. Later, deep in the woods, an urban legend is shared around the campfire about the Memorial Day Massacre, a series of unsolved hillbilly murders which took place in that same forest twenty years ago to the day. To shake off the scary story the kids decide to go skinny dipping. Unknown to them, the two backwoods hicks watch from offshore in a small fishing boat…
Posted in: Disc Reviews by M. W. Phillips on December 13th, 2011
“It's impossible, but it would appear that the Spermupermine has had an adverse effect on your system. It's not only strengthening your spermatozoa, but it's causing it to grow to gargantuan proportions.”
I definitely have a soft spot for the horror anthologies; they’re the equivalent of cinema short stories. Some of the best horror anthology movies were Creepshow, Tales from the Crypt, Tales from the Darkside: The Movie, The House That Dripped Blood, Trick ‘R Treat, Asylum, Body Bags, Dead of Night and Black Sabbath. I mention this because if you are fond of horror anthologies, watch these. However, if you have a taste for bad taste (I’m talking early John Waters bad taste), if you can’t get enough of Grindhouse style B-Movie tributes, if you crave countless NC-17 style sex horror gags topped with an insane fecal spectacle, then I am happy to say Chillerama is your Holy Grail… well, er… more like Unholy Grail.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 13th, 2011
"'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring...not even a mouse..."
The poem is a popular one. It was originally titled A Visit From St. Nick and has been a holiday staple since the 1820's. No one knows for sure who wrote it, and there are several schools of thought on its authorship. What is not in doubt is that the lines are about as familiar as Christmas itself. Over the years it has been lampooned and used as an inspiration for many films, plays and songs. In 1974 Rankin & Bass tackled the title, and it has since become a holiday staple. While not quite as popular as The Grinch Who Stole Christmas or A Charlie Brown Christmas, it remains one of those fond memories, particularly with those of us who were children in the 70's.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 12th, 2011
Look up in the sky. It’s a bird. It’s a plane. No, it’s…. well, Clark Kent. And we finally have to say goodbye to the wonderful universe that this show has brought to the Superman mythology. With the show ending on its own terms we expected a lot from this season, and it was something just short of impossible for the cast and crew to deliver on those fans expectations. The season wasn't perfect, and I'm sure that each fan walked away disappointed in something that happened, or more likely didn't happen. It was a tall order, but I think that the show delivered quite handsomely. For me, it was important that Tom Welling get that chance to put on the suit and fly. I wouldn't think it was any kind of major spoiler to tell you that he does. Those last 12 minutes were payoff enough for me. There were also some rather emotional moments that brought back many past cast members including the much-anticipated return of Michael Rosenbaum as Lex.
There were certainly epic story-lines going on here. There's a Watchmen/X-Men-like story that deals with a law to force masked heroes to register with the government amid a surge of anti-hero public backlash. Of course, it's Lois's father played excellently by Michael Ironside who leads the anti-hero legislative push.
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 William O'Donnell on December 9th, 2011
A bar owner hires a hitman to assassinate his wife and her lover upon discovering their affair. What proceeds is a neo-noir packed with ample murder, betrayal and suspicions throughout.
This film is the directorial debut of Joel Cohen, thus making it the first in the line of “Coen Bros.” productions (Joel's brother Ethan naturally contributing as co-writer and co-editor). As well, Barry Sonnenfield is the Director of Photography, which helps to explain the outstanding visual composition of this film. With the combined efforts of the Coens and Sonnenfield, Blood Simple takes a modern, Southern US setting (in full colour I should note) and turns the mise-en-scene into something unmistakably of the noir genre. There are a few more hand held jostling than one would be acclimatized to in Coen Brothers films, which sometimes take away from the strictly “noir” style of framing shots, but do keep it from feeling too stifling or striated.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on December 7th, 2011
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.
Stories often end without complete resolution, but always cap themselves off with a punchline. The conflicts he finds himself in range from the domestic, such as work or relationship issues, to the ridiculous, like Tim needing to break a bond he developed with a circus elephant.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on December 7th, 2011
At one point or another, most all family friendly television programs air some sort of holiday special. Just one special you say? Well smurf that! How about two?! Taken from their TV show, that ran for nine seasons, we are offered two Christmas (not Holiday) specials starring those tiny blue...whatever they are. The animation quality signifies that one special comes from the earliest seasons, while the other come from somewhere later in the nine year run.
The simply titled The Smurfs Christmas Special is the older offering. It is a tale of two lost children whom the Smurfs attempt to save from a mysterious, magical stranger. Meanwhile, Gargamel uses a spell from this same stranger to try and destroy the Smurf village once and for all. The tale is simple and once again, love is used to conquer all (expressed in song).
Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on December 7th, 2011
A small town girl named Lorie Walker is injured, which forces her to abandon her dreams of becoming a professional ballerina. After a chance encounter with an old friend, she is convinced to appear in a rap music video. The director of said video is immediately smitten with her beauty and takes her away to Los Angeles to become a Video Model.
The music video's Lorie appears in are of the lowest common denominator standard (her debut video seems to only consist of the lyrics “I got a big booty cutie” repeated over and over) and her roles only demand that she stand around and look pretty for the camera. If you are not a casual fan of modern (and may I say, low grade) hip-hop, these will be the first hurdles you have to cross to become invested in this film.
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