Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 18th, 2015
"The wilds of Sri Lanka, land of myth and legend where rocky pinnacles overlook cast tropical forests. And an abandoned city lies shrouded in the jungle. The kings who once reigned here are long gone. These days, there's a new dynasty in residence. But this one is governed by the law of the jungle."
From such a majestic intro told against a backdrop of beautiful vistas we find our tranquility broken by an invasion of primates rushing across the landscape to the voice of Micky Dolenz singing the theme song to the 1960's comedy classic The Monkees. Hey, Hey, it's Disney Nature's latest adventure into the life of a family of animals. Enter Monkey Kingdom.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on September 16th, 2015
If something seems too good to be true, then it probably is. It’s a lesson that’s hardwired into our brains, yet often proves impossible to resist. That idea is also what jumpstarts the action in The Legacy, which is equal parts stylish, campy, and compulsively watchable. The 1978 thriller, directed by future Return of the Jedi helmer Richard Marquand, now makes its Blu-ray debut courtesy of Shout! Factory.
Margaret Walsh (Katharine Ross) can hardly believe her luck when she receives a $50,000 check from an anonymous client in England to take on a mysterious interior design gig. Meanwhile, her strapping boyfriend Pete Danner (Sam Elliott) flat-out can’t believe it, but Margaret insists they check it out since her family has blood ties to England. The Los Angeles couple is enjoying a motorcycle ride on the picturesque English countryside when they’re accidentally run off the road by a car. The man in the car is Jason Mountolive (John Standing), and he invites Margaret and Pete to hang out at Ravenhurst — his lavish estate — while Pete’s bike is being repaired. As soon as the couple arrives, they sense something is not quite right. Mountolive is nowhere to be found and creepy Nurse Adams (Margaret Tyzack) isn’t exactly forthcoming with answers. (And what’s up with the creepy cat that always seems to be hanging around?)
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on August 27th, 2015
“This film was inspired by a court case, the public stages of which have been filmed, broadcast, reported and commented on throughout the media worldwide. Nonetheless, the characters portrayed in the film and all sequences depicting their private lives remain entirely fictional.”
The disclaimer that appears at the top of Welcome to New York is only the first indication that this flawed, unflinching drama — based on the Dominique Strauss-Kahn affair — seeks to blur the line between fact and fiction.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on August 24th, 2015
Today, the term “blue collar comedy” is likely to conjure images of rednecks and Larry the Cable Guy. However, this new double feature from Shout! Factory reminds us that wasn't always the case. The heroes of Easy Money and Men at Work are, respectively, a sleazy children's photographer and a pair of rebellious garbage men, so the label certainly applies. Let's see how these two blue collar comedies hold up in their Blu-ray debuts.
Rodney Dangerfield stars as Monty Capuletti, a charismatic slob of a children's photographer who loves to drink, smoke, and gamble. This puts him at odds with his rich, domineering mother-in-law Mrs. Monahan (Geraldine Fitzgerald), who never approved of Monty marrying her daughter Rose (Candy Azzara). When Monty and Rose are notified that Mrs. Monahan has died in a plane crash, they get an extra shock. The old lady has left Rose her $10 million fortune on one condition: Monty has to whip himself into shape and abstain from all his bad habits for an entire year. With support (sort of) from his best friend Nicky (Joe Pesci), Monty begrudgingly embarks on a healthier lifestyle. But is all that money really worth giving up who Monty really is?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on August 10th, 2015
“Sometimes the truth isn't believable. That doesn't mean that it's not true.”
Talk about truth being stranger than fiction! That proverb absolutely applies to the real-life story of Mike Finkel and Christian Longo, two men from seemingly disparate backgrounds who were thrust together by extraordinary circumstances. Their relationship is the basis for True Story, a drama about duality and deception. But while the truth is often stranger than fiction, that doesn't necessarily mean it's more entertaining.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on August 4th, 2015
“Who would ever suspect a kid?”
When I glanced at the Blu-ray cover for Barely Lethal — with its groan-worthy pun of a title, girl power, and generous splashes of hot pink — I didn’t really expect it to be my thing. (Ok, fine…groan-worthy puns are *totally* my thing.) So while I may not be the intended audience for this independent action/comedy, I have to admit its charms snuck up on me the same way one of the film’s disarming young killers might catch a target by surprise.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on June 2nd, 2015
“That’s what you get when you hire a con man.”
As much fun as it is to watch clever, cagey characters try to outsmart one another on screen, the real appeal of movies about con artists is watching filmmakers try to pull the wool over the audience’s eye. It’s an especially tricky proposition when you consider that — thanks to the Internet — moviegoers might be more sophisticated than ever in terms of knowing how movies are supposed to work. (Or at least *thinking* they know how movies are supposed to work.)
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on May 21st, 2015
At this point, it’s pretty difficult to find a play by William Shakespeare that hasn’t been produced for the stage or adapted for the screen many times over. So imagine my surprise when I came across Cymbeline, a Shakespearean play I’d never even heard of. (Though maybe that says more about me than it does about the play’s popularity.) Filmmaker Michael Almereyda transplants the action to the present day, but the tablets, cell phones, and other anachronistic touches aren’t enough to inject life into a languid, lurching film that largely squanders a pretty impressive cast.
“For years, Cymbeline — King of the Briton Motorcycle Club — has maintained an uneasy peace with the Roman Police Force.”
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on May 14th, 2015
“To truly know a man, you must walk in his shoes.”
On the lone special feature of any substance included on this Blu-ray, director/co-writer Thomas McCarthy admits The Cobbler was inspired by the well-known idiom listed above. I’m all for getting as many original ideas on the big screen as possible. But even if you don’t think basing a feature film on a popular saying is a shaky proposition, The Cobbler severely underwhelms because it totally fails to capitalize on its high-concept premise in an intriguing way.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 29th, 2015
Inherent Vice is the kind of movie I personally love to watch over and over again, partly because it is always tantalizing you with content that you can't quite get your head wrapped around. Almost anyone would want to see this more than once, even if only to make sure they weren't stupid for not connecting all the dots. The film has a classy, fun pedigree combing the talents of Paul Thomas Anderson and Thomas Pynchon. Paul is the beloved director of modern classics like Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and There Will Be Blood. Thomas is the novelist of unfathomable masterpieces like Gravity's Rainbow and V. Both are titans in the cultural zeitgeist of the academic and the bohemian. They both are supremely confident to put together a plot that flies high above our heads. It is also a detective story, but the gumshoe or private dick in this case is a hippie. The story takes place in 1970 and is immersed in the smoke of the period. It is also immersed in a period authentic string of 70's tunes and wild psychedelic set decoration and groovy duds. It would be pointless to start to outline the plot, partly because the plot is beside the point. The point is to feel the vibe. To settle back, take a deep breath, and hold it in. Hippies are not likely candidates to be private eyes, but it is the perfect way to get a cross section of a time and place. This time and place is as foreign to us today as is Moses in the desert.
If I won't give you a plot, I will give you a cast of characters. Larry “Doc” Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix) gets a visit from his ex, Shasta Fay Hepworth (Katherine Waterson). She wants his help with a problem. Shasta is the mistress of Michael Z. Wolfmann (Eric Roberts) and he seems to be the target of a plot to get his money. Tariq Khahlil (Michael Kenneth Williams) stops by the dentist’s office where Doc works to give him a job, that also ties to Wolfmann. Our unreliable narrator, Sortelege (Joanna Newsome) seems to float through the story as character as much as a ghost. Jade (Hong Chau) is a sweet Asian hooker who helps out when she can, especially when trying to warn him about “The Golden Fang”. Lieutenant detective Christian F. “Bigfoot” Bjornsen (Josh Brolin) has a bit of a man crush on Doc when he isn't slapping him around and kicking his door in. Sauncho Smilex, Esq. (Benicio Del Toro) shows up to “help” Doc (but sometimes you're not so sure). Hope Harlingen (Jena Malone) hires Doc to find her dead husband, Coy (Owen Wilson). They are all mutual acquaintances of Shasta, who has also gone missing, as has Wolfmann. Deputy D.A. Penny Kimball (Reese Witherspoon) is involved because the F.B.I. is involved, but she is also Doc's current squeeze. A little later, we meet Dr. Rudy Blatnoyd, D.D.S. (Martin Short). He is a dentist but also the probable head of a heroine syndicate ensconced in a high rise that looks like a golden fang. Don't think anything I have told you is in any way a summary.
