Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on September 1st, 2016
I wouldn’t go so far as to say that I have a fear of clowns, but more of the people beneath the paint. I’m not sure if anyone has recently seen in the news, but there are reports of people dressing up as clowns behind an apartment complex in South Carolina attempting to lure children into the woods. First off I immediately think this is a prank, but also there is the side of me that is curious as to there being something more sinister at play; after all, it seems like a good start to a horror film. Going back through my childhood, I can’t think of any one moment that caused me to despise clowns, but I do remember a trip to Circus World that left me convinced all the clowns there were bad. Yes, I know this fear/hatred is unwarranted if not an overdramatic response from my imagination; after all, I do have an extreme phobia of the Amish that I have trouble coming to terms with. So when Clown was up for grabs to review, I figured this could be a fun experience to sort of face my fear. Well, let me just say (gulp) it didn’t work out so well.
Kent (Andy Powers) is a dad who just wants to see his son have a happy birthday, so when the clown scheduled to appear at the party fails to show up, Kent decides to improvise. After finding an old clown suit that was hidden inside his new home, he does what any dad would do to save the day. He suits up and puts on a show for the kids. Just one tiny problem; after the show when he attempts to take off the suit, it won’t budge. At first family and friends just believe this is no more than a silly joke, that is until Kent asks his wife, Meg (Laura Allen) to help with removing the suit. Already Kent has accumulated a series of injuries while using several sharp instruments to remove the suit, but when Meg ends up ripping off the tip of his nose when attempting to remove the red ball at the end, well, things only grow more intense from here on.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 1st, 2016
"In 2166 an immortal tyrant named Vandal Savage conquered the world and murdered my wife and child. I've assembled an elite team to hunt him throughout time and stop his rise to power. Unfortunately, my plan was opposed by the body I had sworn my allegiance to: The Time Masters. In the future my friends might not be heroes, but if we succeed, they will be remembered as legends."
Marvel may have beaten DC to the superhero team-up film. But while Marvel continues to blow away the DC filmatic universe, DC has had its best and most brilliant successes here on television. DC Legends of Tomorrow is pretty much the first television comic book team-up, and it's a direct spinoff from both Arrow and The Flash shows. In fact, Warner should have delayed this release until after those shows showed up at your video store. It's in the early episodes of The Flash, and particularly Arrow, that this show has its setup. That works out even more crucially as the end of this 16-episode season leads directly into the season finale for Arrow, creating a bit of a spoiler alert if you haven't watched those shows.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 31st, 2016
"The bad guys in this town are changing. They're not playing by the old rules, or any rules. We need every measure at our disposal, and I'm not just talking more guns..."
The first season of Gotham was pretty much a straight criminal story told in a film noir environment where just a hint of the future comic book heroics is uncovered. The bad guys were pretty much standard mob guys. Were they eccentric? Yes. There were really no meta-humans or gadgets to speak of. This season we get a flood of the more familiar kinds of villains you know so well from this universe.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on August 31st, 2016
Writer/Director Shane Black (Lethal Weapon, Iron Man 3) has a way of writing flawed characters who manage to leave more lasting impressions than the films they populate. But where he shines is when he can thrust these flawed individuals into the confines of a detective story. Most people grew their fondness for Black and his quick-witted dialog when he first penned Lethal Weapon, but for me it goes back to The Monster Squad and The Last Boy Scout, where I found myself becoming a fan even in my early years of film watching. So is the fanboy in me excited to see what Black brings to the table this time around? You betcha. In a summer popcorn season filled with comic book movies, sequels, and other films targeting the teenage demographic, it’s nice to have an action film that harkens back to the good old days (the 80’s and early 90’s) for a fun comedy/action romp that has a foul-mouthed edge.
It’s 1977 Los Angeles, where the headlines at the time were filled with the dangers of all the smog in the air. This is the backdrop to the story that kicks off with the mysterious death of a famous porn star, Misty Mountains (Murielle Telio). Despite all the headlines, her mother refuses to believe she’s dead, so she’s hired Holland March (Ryan Gosling) to find out what really happened to her precious little girl. Working on a case of his own, Jackson Healy (Russel Crowe) is a muscle for hire who is put on a job to help a young girl, Amelia (Margaret Qualley) get rid of some men who are after her. It doesn’t take long before both March and Healy find themselves working together, as their cases seem to be connected.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on August 30th, 2016
“You're about to witness a Helena duel...a most noble affair of character and honor.”
A “Helena duel” is also a brutal, bloody ritual where two combatants are joined at the wrist before engaging in a knife fight to the death. That combination of genteelness and barbarity is at the heart of The Duel, a Texas-set Western that reaches for grandiosity and doesn't quite get there, but is nevertheless thoroughly entertaining.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 29th, 2016
"This is the law of the jungle..."
Disney appears to have a law that all of its classic cartoon features must now be made into live-action films. As I've mentioned in my review of the original classic The Jungle Book, the animated feature was the end of an important era at Walt Disney Studios. It was released about a year after Walt's death and was the last film he supervised from beginning to end. In the wake of Walt's death the studio experienced a sharp turnover and complete retooling of the animation department. With only the nine old men to carry the traditions of Walt into the future, The Jungle Book would forever mark a distinct milestone in the history of animated feature films.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on August 24th, 2016
“There is another story. One that comes long before…happily ever after.”
An unseen narrator — an uncredited Liam Neeson, wisely choosing not to show his face in this film — intones these words at the start of The Huntsman: Winter’s War. He’s talking about the saga involving a certain magic mirror and Ravenna (a still-captivating Charlize Theron), the wicked antagonist from 2012’s Snow White and The Huntsman. But as this flat, uninspired prequel/sequel hybrid unfolds, it becomes clear that this “other story” is essentially an unimaginative mish-mash of Disney (shades of Frozen and Brave are added to the Snow White framework) and Tolkien.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on August 24th, 2016
For years (at this point we can say decades), fans have been holding out hope for a new installment in the Evil Dead franchise. Over the years there have been rumors of a fourth film, even talks of doing a crossover involving Ash (Bruce Campbell) taking on various horror icons. In the end these talks seemed to be nothing more than pipe dreams, but then in 2013 something special happened. A remake/sequel occurred for the series that actually was pretty awesome and gory while also being a financial success…but it was the stinger at the end of the credits that got people excited, the brief appearance of the man with the chainsaw hand himself. Was it a tease for more to come, or was it simply a wink to the fans of the series? As it would turn out, a little bit of both. It’s a fanboy’s dream come true, not just a continuation of the Evil Dead series, but Starz delivers a 10-episode season that packs a gore-soaked punch to my heart.
When we catch up with Ash, he’s pretty much the same as when we last saw him. He’s a man stuck at a dead-end job and living in a trailer park, but this is the lifestyle choice he’s made on his own. He remains haunted by his past battles with The Book of the Dead and of course the deadites, but in true Ash fashion he copes with it through alcohol and easy women. It’s at his job that he meets Pablo (Ray Santiago) and Kelly (Dana De Lorenzo) who reluctantly find themselves mixed up with Ash and the return of the evil that seeks to be reunited with the Necronomicon.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 22nd, 2016
The Vampire Diaries is finally living up to its name. Elena is asleep until Bonnie dies, so the characters have promised to keep a record of all the goings on in Mystic Falls and with their lives. And there's a lot to write about. Mystic Falls has been evacuated so that Lily and her family of heretics won't kill everybody in town. They're living in the Salvatore mansion, and Carolyn is carrying twins that don't really belong to her. And Damon...he's just being...Damon. All of them are either trying to steal or running away from something called The Phoenix Stone. Elena's going to have a lot of catching up to do, and so do you if you haven't been watching all along.
What is Mystic Falls? Who the heck are Damon and Elena, you ask? Bonnie? You've got questions. We've got answers, but not here. You've heard me say this before, and it's become more and more true of television shows these days. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you're just not ready for Season 7 of The Vampire Diaries. But you are in luck. You can check out my reviews for the previous seasons here: Vampire Diaries Reviews. Then you can pick them up and start a mega-marathon session. Once you're up to speed, join us back here for the next thrilling installment.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 22nd, 2016
"We've been on the sidelines too long, missed too many adventures. Now it's embarrassing. How do you think it feels when everyone asks you how the adventure was, and you gotta say that no one asked you to go along?"
Well, you're invited, now gather up your Disney Fastpass and get in line for more television adventures in Storybrooke. Ah, but before you get on the boat for this year's ride you might want to be sure you're all caught up on the adventures of these characters. This is not the place to start. The mythology of Once Upon A Time gets quite complicated over the previous seasons. This is not the place to start if you want to watch the show. Check out our previous reviews of the first four seasons of Once Upon A Time. Bang it here to get caught up: Once Upon A Time Reviews.
