Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 15th, 2017
"There are days that define your story beyond your life. Like the day they arrived..."
The problem is that this starts out with the kind of story we've seen a thousand times before. The alien invasion theme is nothing new. H.G. Wells was describing it back in the 19th Century with War of the Worlds. Unrelated Orson Welles scared the crap out of a depression-era radio audience with the same story. Independence Day gave us a brilliantly visual story that also begins the same way: alien ships begin to take strategic positions around the world. Here we go again, right? Wrong. We should have guessed from the beginning that when director Denis Villeneuve tackles a genre, he's going to turn it on his head. We’d seen him do it before. Last year's Sicario gave us a "war on drugs" film that wasn't like anything that came before it. Prisoners could have looked like a Taken sequel. I mean, how many ways can a tough guy deal with a kidnapped daughter? Of course, Villeneuve showed us there was at least one more way. He does it again with an alien first-contact film that is a blend of The Day The Earth Stood Still, 2001 A Space Odyssey, and maybe a little bit of the Twilight Zone classic To Serve Man, without the special sauce recipe. But mostly it's a cerebral journey that mines much of the same ground that Christopher Nolan did with Interstellar. Except that Villeneuve did a better job. Oh, and he spent $120 million less to do it. You still might be scratching your head when you leave, but you will also have some wonderful themes to ponder on the drive home. Arrival might well be one of the best films I'll see in 2016.
Posted in: Uncategorized by Gino Sassani on January 11th, 2017
On Feb 17th, 2017 Warner Brothers will release the comedy Fist Fight starring Ice Cube and Charlie Day. The two teachers come into conflict when one gets the other fired. An old-fashion afterschool fist fight between the stars is the consequence. I'll have a chance to tell you my thoughts on the film when it comes out. I had the rare opportunity to sit down with Ice Cube to talk about the film. Fortunately, he didn't challenge me to a fight after our talk. You can check out the film in Feb. Click here to watch the video with Ice Cube
Posted in: Podcasts, Uncategorized by Gino Sassani on December 22nd, 2016
We already told you about Mission: Jimmy Stewart And The Fight For Europe. I couldn't put it down. It was an extra treat for me because I knew I was going to be talking to author Robert Matzen. I finally reached the end and had my conversation with the writer. I found him just as engaging in person as he was in the book. We could have talked for hours. Unfortunately we didn't have that kind of time. Now you can hear what all the excitement was about. Bang it here to listen in on my chat with Robert Matzen.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by John Delia on December 19th, 2016
The sci-fi horror thriller Morgan turns brutal when a scientific experiment goes awry, turning a lab into a blood-fest. Now on Blu-ray and DVD in a combo pack that includes an HD download, the film has all the trappings for a nighttime couples’ shocker. You will not want to see this one alone, especially if you want to get the best out of your video choice. So turn the lights down, get the popcorn ready, maybe your favorite beverage, and expect the unexpected. Lee Weathers (Kate Mara), the Risk Manager of SynSect, a genetics research company, arrives at a secluded lab surrounded by a forest following a reported incident of violence. She’s there to check out the company’s newest L-series modified human organism labeled Morgan (Anya Taylor-Joy) who attacked Dr. Kathy Grieff (Jennifer Jason Leigh).
Getting to the bottom of the problem that caused Morgan to crack, Weathers realizes that the employees at the lab are sympathetic to their humanoid project. They call her a member of their family and have looked after her since a baby. Not in agreement with the staff, Weathers is determined to take the case into her own hands.
Posted in: Uncategorized by Gino Sassani on July 25th, 2016
The first rule of Fight Club is you never talk about Fight Club. So it's a good thing we're talking about Fight Valley instead. I got to hang out on the phone with Rob Hawk who both wrote and directed Fight Valley and the upcoming Fight Valley 2: Lockdown and we had a lot to talk about. The New Jersey native gives us an idea of what it was like to grow up on the tough streets of Jersey. Fight Valley tells the story of one woman who enters the underground female fight game to find out how her sister died. It's lady's night at the fights. You talkin' to me? Rob Hawk did and it's all here. Bang it here to listen in on my chat with Rob Hawk.
Posted in: Uncategorized by Gino Sassani on July 25th, 2016
That's right. We're heading back to The All American Bikini Car Wash once again. Seems my car keeps getting dirty these days. This time we're talking to the guy who started it all (in the film). Tom McLaren plays Professor Dugan. He's the one who offers the extra credit if Jack can turn a profit with his car wash. Obviously, the prof. wasn't expecting this... I had the opportunity to spend some time talking with Tom. He was also involved in the marketing which has driven this little title into the top 15 in home video sales. He talks about that and his many other projects. He's got a wonderful book out with classic continuity pictures from the Fox vaults. It's co-written with Angela Cartwright. You're going to want to hear this. Bang it here to listen in on my chat with Tom McLaren
Want to learn more about Tom?:
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on July 12th, 2016
“You have a convenient way of remembering things.”
Buried somewhere deep in The Adderall Diaries — a hybrid family drama and true crime thriller centered around a blocked writer — there's an interesting exploration of how the past isn't necessarily set in stone and how two people can recall the same exact event in divergent ways that serve their needs. Unfortunately, the film almost entirely muddles that message beyond recognition, and we're left with a movie that is neither convenient nor particularly memorable.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 22nd, 2016
"Space...the final frontier. These are the continuing voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its ongoing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before!"
Every Star Trek fan has had that phrase beaten into their brain about as many times as Uncle Ben's mantra about great power and great responsibility. Who knew that the tagline was appropriate to filmmaking? When J.J. Abrams signed on to direct the reboot/remake/reimagining/rehash (insert your own word here) of Star Trek, he quickly made it known that he was not really that into the franchise. He considered himself a Star Wars man, and a chill went through the spine of every Trek fan on the planet. I approached the 2009 effort with dread.
Posted in: Uncategorized by Gino Sassani on June 18th, 2016
If you recognize the name Jeremy Butler, it's because you've seen it hundreds of times...200 times, to be exact.
When he's not busy out there defending us from the bad guys... he's defending us from bad movies.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 26th, 2016
I have just binge-watched 34 ½ hours of television. That’s 47 episodes and two seasons’ worth. That’s a lot more episodes than most TV shows today. The binge was season three and season four of an acclaimed series from 1991 to 1996. It received eight Emmy nominations, and it is considered the first demographic hit because of its strong female viewership. It revels in all the glories of wonderful Winnetka, Illinois. The deceased father of the Reed sisters named them Alex, Teddy, Georgie, and Frankie. The father was obviously expecting boys and was severely disappointed. If you haven’t guessed yet, the show was Sisters.
Of course, no man should watch this show, because you might get an estrogen overdose. It is a maximum dose of over-the- top melodrama, humor full of corn and cheese, and lots of warm family love. Everything that can happen to four sisters is likely to happen to these sisters over six seasons. I am writing about season three this time. But check back in the very near future about more excitement from season four.
