Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 8th, 2011
"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. America went from being an industrial power to becoming a world superpower. It came at great sacrifice, and we lost almost half a million people in the effort. The war to end all wars didn't quite live up to its promise, but the sacrifices of the men and women who served shaped the world for the decades that would follow. There have been many films about the war. They run from the patriotic to the bravado. Steven Spielberg perhaps gave us the closest thing to actual combat with Saving Private Ryan. It shouldn't come as any surprise that he would team up with his Ryan star and develop what is perhaps the most important mini-series in television history ... twice.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 8th, 2011
"We skipped the light fandango, turned cartwheels 'cross the floor. I was feeling kinda seasick but the crowd called out for more. The room was humming harder as the ceiling flew away. When we called out for another drink the waiter brought a tray."
The lyrics are about as familiar as any that have been written in the last 60 years of rock music. Whiter Shade Of Pale is one of the most covered songs in history. From The Box Tops to Joe Cocker. The list includes such bands as ASA, The Dells, Willie Nelson and reggae artist Marlene Webber. But the lyrics belong to Keith Reid, and the original version belongs to the band Procol Harum.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 8th, 2011
Greg (Ryan Scott Self) lost his fiancée when he couldn’t match her religious faith. Now he’s written a script based on the relationship, and is going to direct the movie. But the path of indie filmmaking is paved with thorns, as he is plagued by demands from the backers for inappropriate casting, more sex, edgier language, and so on. His ex isn’t too happy about the movie being made in the first place, too.
The film takes the form of a mockumentary. We are supposedly watching the behind-the-scenes doc shot by a camera crew following Greg around as he struggles to get his vision up on the screen. There doesn’t seem to have been a compelling need to adopt this fiction in this case, and the stylistic attempts at realism wind up underlining the improbabilities of the story. An indie film director worrying about landing a PG-13 rating? A scene with a hack script doctor is amusing, but would make more sense if the unfortunate Greg were working on a mainstream release. Furthermore, the plot is too meandering and pedestrian. That the movie industry is a difficult place is hardly a revelation, and so Cinema Salvation is ultimate a very nice, but also rather anodyne, film. Still, Self is a pleasant screen presence, one who engages the audience’s sympathy. We root for him, even if the material fails fully to engage us.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 8th, 2011
This is the DVD release of the film whose Blu-ray incarnation was reviewed by Gino, so I’m going to let him take it away for the review of the film itself. I’ll check back in for the specs.
"It’s back to the 1950?s with its telltale alien invasion science fiction matinees. There’s Doo Wop coming out of the radio. The cars have tail fins and plenty of color and chrome. That’s right. This is 1950?s Americana. Well … almost. You see, the alien invaders are humaniacs. They turn the helpless population into mind-controlled zombies, and they eat brains for breakfast. Those sure are the classic cars, all right. But they’re rounded, and instead of wheels they ride on a cushion of air. And then there’s the “people”. They’re green. They have tentacles for hair. And they have only 4 fingers and toes on each hand or foot. Can anyone say, “Give me a high four”?
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Archive Authors on November 7th, 2011
"For the first time in the history of the world, man has sent a rocket 1500 miles into space. You can't expect such an experiment to be perfect."
There's this home video of my sister as a strawberry blonde toddler at a family picnic. Sticky watermelon caresses her cherubic face as she sings the phrase she captured that day, “And again? And again and again, and again?” Yes, chipmunk-voiced Bela: again and again. That's how often I'd watch Quatermass Xperiment. It's so rich in storytelling and layered delivery that I'll watch it more than once to fully appreciate it, and discover something new every time.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on November 6th, 2011
Somewhere between Iron Maiden and Pink Floyd lies Queensryche's concept albums Operation Mindcrime parts one and two. Part One was released in 1988 and has since been heralded by many as one of the finest heavy metal albums (concept or otherwise) of all time. The sequel arrived in 2006. This concert film is from the subsequent tour that featured the band playing both albums in their entirety, back to back, with actors, animations, and an elaborate stage setup to perform this rock opera.
The plot follows a man who has been coerced into become an assassin of political figures. The sequel is a revenge story after he is jailed for his actions. A small team of actors fill in the roles that lead singer Geoff Tate does not.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 3rd, 2011
"We have 182 patients. Most are horribly deformed, due to inbreeding and birth defects."
If you’re a horror fan at all, then you have more than a passing familiarity with three of those patients. Back in 2003 we were introduced to Three-Finger, Saw-Tooth and One-Eye in the sleeper horror film Wrong Turn starring Buffy and Angel favorite actress Eliza Dushku in her first staring role, capitalizing on her television fame. She was good in the movie, but our three deformed cannibals were something that we just haven't been able to forget. Of course, with four movies now, we get the occasional reminder. The trio have been played by different actors over this 4-movie span, but it's the incredible makeup that has remained consistent enough for us to recognize our favorite family of cannibals.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 3rd, 2011
"Hey everybody, McQueen's back."
Cars is only the second film in Pixar history to have at least one sequel added to the franchise. Of course, all of that is about to change. Monster University will explore the world of Monsters, Inc as a prequel. Brad Bird has recently spoken about plans for a follow-up to The Incredibles. And Toy Story appears ready to continue at least a little longer into the future. Personally, I've been looking forward to the Monsters film. But after watching Cars 2 I'm a little bit worried, and with good reason. This might well be the weakest film from the creative team to date.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 3rd, 2011
"There comes a moment when you look around waiting for the person in charge to help you, and then you realize you’re the person in charge."
Sometimes things get lost in translation, and while I've never read Aimee Bender's An Invisible Sign Of My Own, I know that it has quite a core of fans. So I'm forced to believe that something just didn't make the transition to screenplay and ultimately onto the screen itself. Of course, some things don't really translate to film, and I suspect this is really the case here. So where do I look for blame for the 90 minutes of my life lost on An Invisible Sign?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on November 2nd, 2011
Here are four evenings music fans did not anticipate coming, yet anyways hoped for. In 2005 Cream reunited for the first time since their breakup (save for one performance when they were inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in 1993) for four concerts at the legendary Royal Albert Hall. The bad blood between the members of Cream was almost as famous as their influential music. With that in mind, it is wonderful to see these extremely talented men play just as tightly as they did in the 1960s, and some might argue that they've never played better than at these shows.
The set list is a rich mixture of chart topping originals (White Room, Sunshine of your Love...), classic covers (Born under a bad Sign, Crossroads...) and even some songs that the band had never played live before, such as 'Pressed Rat and Warthog.' The set that appears in this film is cobbled together with clips from each of the evenings, most likely to give us the best possible concert experience. As well, along with the songs, Ginger Baker gets a lengthy drum solo and, of course, Eric Clapton is alloted many opportunities to demonstrate some of the smoothest Blues guitar playing that has ever blessed our listening ears.
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