Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 18th, 2020
This is the film that literally started a trend. Within a decade, submarine films would make a huge comeback in the big-budget film industry. Titles like Crimson Tide, U-571, and K-19: The Widowmaker all took a little from Red October. Maybe the Cold War is over, but our fascination with that modern version of cowboys and Indians doesn’t seem to have waned much in the last nearly 20 years. While our relationship with Russia might be up and down over the last two decades, there is still a part of our culture that can’t seem to let go of that classic game of good guys and bad guys. It’s not unique to the former Soviet Union by any means. World War II has been over for more than 60 years, but the occasional Nazi bad guys still make their presence known from time to time. Maybe it’s those accents. Whatever the reason, the seemingly dated subject matter of Red October is never a liability to the film. When Red October came out, the Soviet Union had just fallen a mere two years earlier, and there were some who suggested the film was an inappropriate reminder of those recent bygone days and might even be considered a slap in the face to the new regime in Russia. Fortunately this was not one of those instances where Hollywood let its often hypocritical sense of political correctness get in the way of a great film.
Jack Ryan (Baldwin) is a CIA analyst. When he comes across a spy photograph of a new Russian submarine, the Red October, he becomes concerned about a new feature. It appears two very large doors, too big for torpedoes, have been added to the standard Typhoon class vessel. He travels to Langley and meets with his boss (Jones) to have the pictures studied. When it’s discovered that the pictures could be a “caterpillar drive”, a silent running technology, Ryan finds himself advising the President’s National Security Advisors. The ship is now out to sea, and the Russians appear to have gotten suddenly very nervous. Is the ship run by a rogue commander with glorious visions of nuking the US? Ryan thinks he wants to defect, and now he must convince an entire chain of command to give Ramius the chance to do just that. Ramius must avoid the entire Russian fleet and convince the Americans of his intentions.
Posted in: The Reel World by John Delia on February 18th, 2020
"When I saw the photo he took of me, I didn't see myself. I saw someone who looked happier than me."
This little romance, The Photograph, tugs at the heartstrings and should work well with a female audience. Lost love and missed opportunities set the tone for this storyline, and the complications resonate with today’s social values. The film plays out like a Saturday matinee, where a release on Lifetime would have been a better choice. While the theater experience is the norm, the budget for the movie would have fared better had they chose a more apt venue. The acting is very good, direction pinpoint, but the storyline is ordinary to timeworn. Michael Block (LaKeith Stanfield), a writer for The Republic, is doing a story on Christina Eames (Chante Adams), a famous photographer who had recently died, for his column. To get some background he interviews her daughter Mae (Issa Rae), who lives in New York City. Their romance gets steamy and genuine, but Mae is cautious so she won’t get hurt. From a letter Mae finds out about her father Isaac Jefferson (Rob Morgan )who she never knew. Told with flashbacks we see young Christina and Isaac’s relationship and how she broke off with him to seek a career as a photographer in New York. When the relationship between Mae and Michael starts to run into difficulties, Mae goes to New Orleans to find her father.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on February 14th, 2020
This movie truly took me by surprise; I was expecting another vapid romantic comedy tale without any original thoughts or concepts, but actress Emma Watson showed that she had something else in mind for this story that she penned herself. Based on the popular song by Wham! (yes, the exclamation point was necessary), Last Christmas follows the story of a girl who goes in the opposite direction of a new lease on life following a confrontation of her own mortality, and it takes a handsome stranger to help her see and appreciate the gift that she has been given. I know that it is not one hundred percent original, but it isn’t a premise that has been beaten to death, and there are some elements that keep it fresh. The manner in which the story unfolds is unique, and there is a twist that that took me by surprise. Not only did it take me by surprise, it utterly devastated my wife, who become a little bitter afterwards. Despite the effect the twist had on her, she couldn’t deny that this film starring Emilia Clarke and Henry Golding was very enjoyable. Writer/Actor Emma Watson also rounds out the cast as Clarke’s mother from the old country.
Kate works a dead-end job at an all-year-round Christmas-themed store in central London. She is basically homeless, bouncing from one friend’s couch to the other after wearing out her welcome wherever she lands. All the while she is chasing her dream of being an actress; however, even with this endeavor, she doesn’t fully put her heart into it. One day, she notices a handsome stranger (Henry Golding) standing outside the store looking up. When she confronts him as to what he is doing, he charms her with his unusual observations about there surroundings, causing her to chalk him up to being a random weirdo.
Posted in: Super Round-Up by Archive Authors on February 14th, 2020
"Every small town has a story. But my hometown has a legend. Roswell was a sleepy cowboy settlement in postwar America. Full of farmers and military men, until one day something extraordinary happened, or so the legend goes."
Roswell High was a series of 10 books written by Melinda Mentz in the young adult genre. That's the same place where book franchises like Harry Potter and Hunger Games thrived. These books were first adapted in 1999 on the CW as Roswell. Developed by Jason Katims, the series ran for three seasons and 61 episodes. The series didn't quite catch on in its first season, but the few fans the series did have were rather vocal. It's somewhat ironic that a Star Trek-like campaign involving fans sending bottles of Tabasco sauce to network executives gave the series its first reprieve. That's when Ronald Moore, a veteran of Star Trek, joined the team and brought the series into more respectable numbers. The relationship stuff was pushed to the back burner, and more of the aliens and their science fiction stories carried the series. But it also took the show more away from the books. The ratings bump just wasn't enough to save the day, and like the original Star Trek, it lasted just three seasons.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 13th, 2020
The setting for Gunsmoke was the by-now-famous Dodge City, circa 1870’s. Phrases like “get out of Dodge” would enter the popular lexicon as a result of this resilient series. Marshall Dillon (Arness) was charged with keeping the peace in Dodge City. The only other character to see the entire 20-year run was kindly Doc Adams (Stone). Star Trek’s own Doc, Leonard McCoy, took many of his traits from Doc Adams. He was the humanitarian of the city, always looking to help someone. Like McCoy, he had a taste for bourbon and a soft heart underneath a rather gruff exterior and was always ready with free advice. Dillon’s love interest throughout most of the series was Miss Kitty Russell (Blake). While there were certainly a few romantic undercurrents, the romance never came to fruition. Miss Kitty was a prostitute on the radio and was likely one here as well, but CBS chose to underplay that aspect of her character as a “saloon girl”. Finally Dillon’s faithful sidekick deputy was Chester (Weaver). Chester often found himself in trouble and was the naïve son figure to Dillon.
Gunsmoke was the longest-running scripted live-action television show in history until just this year when Law & Order Special Victims Unit started their 21st season. The series ran from 1955 to 1975. It still has the most episodes of any live-action scripted shows in history with 635 compared to SVU's 480. You have to understand that in the show's earlier years a series would roll out 35-40 episodes a year compared to a network average of 20 in 2019. A great number of shows air considerably less episodes in a season. At first it was a half-hour black-and-white show that evolved into a color hour by 1967. It actually started before the days of television, premiering on radio in 1952. Then it was William Conrad as the tough-as-nails Marshall Matt Dillon. When television came into its own, Gunsmoke made the jump to the bright living room box and made history. Westerns would ride across our small square screens for the next three decades, making it the most successful genre of that time, and it was Gunsmoke that started it all. The television version of Gunsmoke was originally conceived as a vehicle for John Wayne, who opted to remain in movies. Yet it was Wayne himself who suggested James Arness, and it turned out to be a career for the one-time “carrot” monster from The Thing. Gunsmoke started before all of the big westerns and was around when most of them had departed.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on February 12th, 2020
A common thread in fairy tales and stories of long ago is for there to be a perfect female that is amazingly romanced by a not-so perfect male. In fact, he is usually average, clueless, and clumsy beyond belief. During the narrative, we realize that the female is only perfect on the outside and is somehow flawed on the inside. In the end, they live happily ever after. The story changes sometimes in details, genders, and other minor pieces of information, but is overall the same in theme. Today, we explore White Snake, which is a prequel to the Chinese fable, Legend of the White Snake. Let's take a look.
Feathers fall to the earth and sea; a giant snake slithers along the ground below. The reptile goes behind a rock, and out the other side comes a beautiful girl named Blanca. She starts to float and then chants magic words as she falls into white nothingness. Strings with hands reach out to grab her from all sides and she struggles to break free.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on February 11th, 2020
It would seem like audiences are suffering from a bit of Stephen King fatigue, as 2019 saw three theatrical releases of his films and each of them seemed to under-perform at the box office. Pet Sematary was a lackluster adaptation, and It Chapter 2 was fun, but still disappointing when considering how good the first was, and then there was Doctor Sleep, the long awaited sequel (depending who you ask) to The Shining. When it comes to The Shining, I’m a fan of both King’s book but also of Stanley Kubrick’s take on the material. King has always had his problems with the Kubrick version due to the many liberties taken with the material, and many people tend to forget how personal that story was for King and how it dealt with his own personal struggles with alcohol and addiction. Because of all this, I believe it’s why the announcement of Doctor Sleep as a book and eventually a film was so shocking and even polarizing for some. When I read the book, it was a fun and unexpected journey that eventually leads back to the Overlook, but most enjoyable was the journey on getting there as King created a sequel that delved more into what “the shining” is rather than simply return to a haunted hotel. So how was the film, and how does the director’s cut differ from the theatrical cut?
For those unfamiliar with the story of Doctor Sleep, it follows Dan Torrance (Ewan McGregor), who is all grown up now but remains mentally and emotionally damaged from the previous events at the Overlook Hotel. He’s followed in the footsteps of his father and has become an alcoholic and has done some horrible things along the way. It’s when he hits rock bottom that he meets Billy (Cliff Curtis), who helps him and takes him to an AA meeting which begins his long journey towards sobriety. We also have a tribe of vampire like killers that call themselves The True Knot who are led by a powerful psychic named Rose “The Hat” (Rebecca Ferguson). What makes The True Knot so terrifying is that they are a group, each with their own psychic skill type who prey upon those who also have psychic abilities, and to survive they literally feed on their psychic “steam”. This “steam” is what makes them strong and helps prolong their lives, and to make this “steam” last, the more pain and fear they inflict on their victim the better it is. As it turns out, “steam” is strongest in children, and this means that The True Knot is doing some horrible things to children as they travel in a caravan across the US. This is where Abra Stone (Kyliegh Curran) comes in. She’s a young girl with powerful abilities who happens to psychically see the horrible death of one of the “steam” victims, and she reaches out to Dan for help.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on February 11th, 2020
John Cena is following in the footsteps of many wrestlers making the transition to be film actors. Previously we’ve seen him in Bumblebee and in the comedy Blockers. It’s a good move to attempt to show he’s more than a just wrestler with beefy muscles, but comedy is a tough nut to crack even for the seasoned veterans. With Playing With Fire, we get to see Cena in the role of a smokejumper who leads his team of ragtag misfits into fires by leaping out of helicopters and into the middle of the blaze. Unfortunately, having “Uptown Funk” by Bruno Mars does nothing but take away all the tension of the scene despite all the heroics and danger on display. But really, the opening simply sets the tone for what’s ahead in this film, and it is not necessarily a good thing. When the story gets back to the station, most of the smoke-jumping crew is bailing on Jake Carson (Cena) so they can go fight fires with another crew. This basically leaves Carson with Mark (Keegan-Michael Key), Rodrigo (John Leguizamo), and Axe (Tyler Mane). With the smaller smoke-jumper crew, this obviously frees up the film’s budget and allows for more screen time for the cast that also includes the underused Judy Greer, who is inserted here to be nothing more than a potential love interest for Cena’s character. The smoke jumpers get a call about a cabin that is on fire, and they go out to check for survivors, and here is where we are introduced to the trio of kids who end up in the care of Carson and his crew. I get it; this is a movie, but the absurd buffoonery on display in this rescue sequence is troublesome. I mean, they can’t even dump water on a burning cabin, not to mention other issues that go wrong during this rescue, BUT Carson gets a call about this impressive rescue from a high-profile commander. Yes, there is a lot of logic that will need to be suspended here, and really, it only gets worse.
As for the kids, it doesn’t take long to find out they are siblings who are on the run from the facility they were at because they were concerned they were going to be separated. This is supposed to help us sympathize about the destructive shenanigans these kids get into, but really it only frustrated me more. Sadly, the talent that has been put together here has been wasted. Greer is one of the bright spots of the film. She’s giving this role everything she’s got and doesn’t seem to be slacking off just because it’s a kids’ film. As for Key and Lequizamo, the pair is doing what they can, but they are obviously doing what they can while being restricted within the confines of PG humor.
Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on February 8th, 2020
"I'm the one they should be scared of! Not you, not Mr. J! Because I'm Harley Freaking Quinn!"
For too many years now, the DCU (DC Universe) of films has been guilty of an overwhelming sense of foreboding and darkness. Of course, Chris Nolan pretty much started the trend, while Zac Snyder completely embraced the idea. The Chris Nolan Dark Knight films were a great success, and they should have been. The darkness works wonderfully with a character like Batman. But then Snyder and his DC film gang allowed this brooding darkness to inhabit all of their characters in feature films and never quite appeared to understand why the sometimes camp of the Arrowverse (The TV DC Universe) is so much more appreciated by fans. Wonder Woman stands out as the lone exception to this trend, and that's why it's so much better than the others. Now it seems the folks at the DCU are attempting to showcase their ability to be more flexible and less cookie-cutter. It started with Joker, which was one of the more disturbing comic book films to come along. Now DC has taken us in a completely opposite direction with the cumbersomely titled Birds Of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn. Working as a sort of apology for Suicide Squad and attempting to forge a DC version of Deadpool so that they can play in the R-rated waters of comicbookdom, Birds Of Prey manages to throw a ton of fun our way, even if the characters are obviously winking at the audience the entire way through.
Posted in: Podcasts by Gino Sassani on February 7th, 2020
Michael Starr is the director, writer and producer for the new drama feature film Cicada Song. The film stars Lindsey Lantz as Karen, a small town woman who asks the wrong questions and finds herself struggling to survive. It's a powerful film with a limited budget but not a limited imagination. It's an ambitious film, to be sure. The man behind it all is Michael Starr, a fellow musician who just might have hit it out of the park with his first feature film. I had a wonderful time with Michael talking about the film. He provided some nice insights into Cicada Song and the filmmaking process itself. You can listen in on our conversation. Just bang it here to hear my interview with Michael Starr.
After the interview make sure you check out the film.
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