Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 20th, 2011
"A picture's worth a thousand words."
James Wan first came to national attention when a short film that he made set the stage for one of the most successful horror franchises in recent years. That short, of course, was Saw, and after no less than 6 sequels that franchise appears to be over, at least for now. Wan has teamed with the writer that also helped to bring about the original Saw film, Leigh Whannell, to try and turn the horror world on its head once again. But, lightning just doesn't strike the same place twice, or does it?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by M. W. Phillips on July 16th, 2011
“The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club. The second rule of Fight Club is: you DO NOT talk about Fight Club!”
Now, let me be the millionth critic to break those rules… Back in 1997, David Fincher received a call from his agent, Josh Donen, who’d just finished Chuck Palahniuk's novel Fight Club and tried to talk Fincher into reading it. Even at a brisk 208 pages, Fincher passed on it, protesting being too busy to read books. So Donen read the Raymond K. Hessel scene over the phone, the one where Tyler puts the gun to the convenience store clerk’s head and tells him, "I know who you are. I know where you live. I'm keeping your license, and I'm going to check on you, Mister Raymond K. Hessel. In three months, and then in six months, and then in a year, and if you aren't in school on your way to being a veterinarian, you will be dead."
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 15th, 2011
"Delivering justice one shell at a time."
Sometimes you look at a movie title and you really can't decide what kind of movie it might be. It could cause you to avoid a movie you might have really liked. Scent Of A Woman was like that for me. I avoided it for years because I thought it must be some hyper-romantic film. Of course, it was anything but. Hollywood has a habit of trying to get too clever sometimes, and it leaves us just wondering what the heck are we in store for here. Then there are films that tell you everything you need to know in the title. When you see a title like Hobo With A Shotgun, you know exactly what it is you're getting.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on July 14th, 2011
Even though I have found my soulmate, I often consider myself to be a loner at heart. If I was born in another time, perhaps I would be roaming the earth searching for a purpose. In some ways, I could consider myself to be like the lead actor in Warrior’s Way. A warrior who is the best swordsman in the land but empty in his heart. That however would change when one day I found my purpose. Will it change in his?
Yang’s (played by Jang Dong-gun) only purpose in his life is to become the greatest swordsman in the entire world. As a member of the Sad Flutes clan, he eventually accomplishes this goal by killing the former greatest swordsman in the land and every one in the opposing clan. However, there is a wrinkle in his future ambitions when he decides to take pity on a small baby who was daughter to one of the members. In deciding to watch over her, he incurs the wrath of his fellow members and he has take refuge.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on July 6th, 2011
Happythankyoumoreplease is centered on a group of twenty something New Yorkers at various levels of transition: love, career, and growing up. The film is written, directed, and also stars Josh Radnor (How I Met Your Mother). Radnor’s directorial debut showcases a colorful side of New York and a variety of colorful characters. The group of young actors all put together solid performances which is essential for an ensemble cast. This is another festival friendly film with a solid group of actors that is definitely worth a look.
All too frequently independent films are stymied by previous failures and clichés. It’s refreshing when a film utilizes prior missteps to shape its story. The multiple narrative is difficult to pull off if the characters are flat. The integral part is that the characters need to be interesting. I found myself drawn to Sam Wexler (Josh Radnor) he’s an aspiring writer that finds himself taking care of a foster child. Sam is the lead of the ensemble cast as well as the character experiences the most development. Radnor’s performance is more than just a guffaw or two. He actually demonstrates some range with his ability to show compassion as well as have some comedic timing. He is undeniably charismatic and had some chemistry with Mississippi (Kate Mara). I found Annie (Malin Akerman) to be the weakest of the cast. Throughout the film, I found myself having to get through her scenes to the more interesting storylines. Most people would chalk that disinterest up to writing. However, I feel like good actors will command the viewer’s attention whenever they are on camera and she just does not do it. As an up and coming actress, she just needs to be better.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 6th, 2011
Liam Neeson has always been somewhat of a versatile actor. From Oskar Schindler in Spielberg's moving Schindler's List to a Jedi master in the rebirth of Star Wars, there don't appear to be very many types of films he hadn't tried. Taken introduced us to a tough-guy character that we hadn't really seen before, even in the film reboot of The A-Team. There he played an intelligence officer trying to rescue his kidnapped daughter. It was a rather powerful performance, so I can't say I was very surprised to see him play the one-man army role once again in Unknown. It's another very fine performance by Neeson, but this time the film itself doesn't quite hold up to the previous outing.
Dr. Martin Harris (Neeson) is a scientist attending a conference in Germany with his wife Elizabeth (Jones). On his way to the hotel he is in a serious car crash that sends his taxi into the water, and the good doctor Harris clinically dead for a short time. He wakes up in a hospital where no one knows who he is. His troubles are about to get worse when the hotel employees do not remember him and his wife denies knowing him. In fact another man is now claiming to be Dr. Harris, and has been accepted by everyone as the real guy. With the help of the cab driver Gina (Kruger) and an old cold war operative (Ganz), he attempts to find out what happened. Of course, there appear to be some folks out there who want him dead. The only man who seems to have any real answers is his old friend Rodney Cole (Langella). But Harris might not like the answers he gets.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on July 6th, 2011
A pair of serial “gawkers” are getting into awkward spots in their marriages until their wives offer them a 6-day “Hall Pass” that grants them freedom to act as single men for that time. As each couple go their separate ways, each do battle with the temptation to act on their freedom, versus learn some sort of lesson about the virtues of domestic monogamy.
Each scene has the actors standing in such a staged manner that nothing feels natural about this film. Not that the token R-rated language and lowbrow gags didn't already give that effect, but there is something to be said about actors being able to deliver their lines without cheating their bodies towards the audience, as if this were a theatre production. If only this were some magical new form of performing where a camera is able to show the audience angles of a performer we cannot see from stage, without the actor having to move at all! My goodness, what a marvel that would be! Alas, the Farrely bros have forgotten what century we live in and let each scene look the first off-book day for amateurs in an Intro to Comedy Acting course.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on July 5th, 2011
Dear John centers around a soldier, John Tyree (Channing Tatum) who falls in love with a college student, Savannah Curtis (Amanda Seyfried) while he is back home on leave. This film is adapted from the Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name and directed by the melodramatic romance aficionado Lasse Hallstrom. If you are looking for a romance tale that offers very little surprises, look no further.
Hallstrom and Sparks seems to be a match made in heaven. For the better part of a decade, Hallstrom has entirely dedicated himself to romantic films: Chocolat, The Shipping News and Casanova. These films do not really demonstrate a form of versatility. Usually, I am fascinated with directors or writers that stay in their proverbial lane. They are not interested in writing or directing anything other than the genre that has garnered them any form of success. Sparks churns out the same romance novels because there is an appetite for them. Hallstrom provides the same service with romance films. Therefore, from a studio’s perspective, why wouldn’t you want to make film with these two?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on June 30th, 2011
I never had a big momma growing up. My mother and each of my grandmothers were never what I would call big. My mom and her mom barely cleared 5 feet tall and my grandma on my dad’s side while pretty tall was very wiry and thin. So I never had the huge momma experience and it was probably for the best. However, I am not foreign to the concept of Martin Lawrence playing a Big Momma as I saw the first movie. Two movies later, does it still have its magic?
Malcolm Turner (played by Martin Lawrence) is a FBI agent who specializes in the art of disguise and witness protection. But today, he is threatening his local mailman (played by Ken Jeong) to pull the postal vehicle over. Eventually he does and then the two get into a fight because the mailman has to deliver the mail. Malcolm gets the letter he was looking for. His son has just been accepted to go to the school he went as young adult, Duke University.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 30th, 2011
"Angry souls will do just about anything to escape their tortured purgatories. That's why they say no rest for the wicked."
And there's no rest for Bloody Mary. That's a good thing for us. We get treated to a rather sweet little bloody film from the folks at Lionsgate called Blood Night. It's a better film than you might think on first look. It never betrays its independent spirit, but that doesn't mean it has to sacrifice a good look and entertaining romp. The acting is all above average for a budget bloodbath. It's a little Lizzy Borden mixed with some familiar elements from other recent horror films to create a bit of horror comfort food. It might not be good for you, and it certainly isn't going to claim any position as a classic. But it goes down nice and easy and leaves you feeling a little satisfied when it's all over.
![Insidious [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/insidious-blu-ray-large.jpg)
![Fight Club (10th Anniversary Edition) [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/fight-club-10th-anniversary-editio-large.jpg)
![Hobo with a Shotgun (Collector's Edition + Digital Copy) [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/hobo-with-a-shotgun-collectors-ed-large.jpg)
![The Warrior's Way [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/the-warriors-way-blu-ray-large.jpg)
![Happythankyoumoreplease [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/happythankyoumoreplease-blu-ray-large.jpg)
![Unknown [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/unknown-blu-ray-large.jpg)
![Big Mommas: Like Father Like Son [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/big-mommas-like-father-like-son-b-large.jpg)
