Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on January 13th, 2020
For a while it was looking like 2019 was going to be a lackluster year for films. Once fall rolled around, we seemed to get bombarded with some quality award-worthy films, but aside from Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, nothing jumped out at me as Best Picture. Sure, Joker was great, and I had a great time with Uncut Gems, but when 1917 rolled around, this was the film that left me in awe. Sure, there have been some great war films over the years. Platoon and Apocalypse Now are great Vietnam films; Saving Private Ryan is definitely a contender as the best film about WWII. Really, it would have been difficult to say what’s the best war film out there … well, that is, until now. It’s a bold statement, and I know many will disagree with me, but after two screenings of 1917, I’m feeling pretty confident when I say this is the best and my favorite war film. What’s even more impressive is how 1917 manages to stand out from the big blockbusters, sequels, and comic book films and stand alone as a film that can remind viewers about that magic that comes with seeing a movie on the big screen and in Dolby sound.
The film’s setup is relatively simple. Lance Corporal Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) and Lance Corporal Schofield (George MacKay) are tasked with the mission to cross into enemy territory to deliver a message to prevent an attack that will lead 1,600 men into a trap. The pair has to complete their mission before daybreak the next day; failure will pretty much mean certain death for Blake’s brother and most of the troops. No time is wasted in getting the story in motion, and once the two men set off on their journey, the film simply doesn’t slow down. The film takes along their journey from deep into the trenches, to across a blood-soaked, corpse-riddled battlefield, to boobytrapped dugouts, and cities in ruin from the war. I couldn’t help but think to myself the second time around how the journey that Blake and Schofield isn’t all too different from the journey the Frodo and Sam took on their adventure to destroy the ring by taking it to Mordor, only the distinct difference is 1917 is set during WWI.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on January 9th, 2020
“Art is dangerous.” It’s a quote that has been passed around over the decades, and it’s something I tend to agree with. Over the weeks building up to the release of the film, there seems to be a manufactured panic about what could happen when Joker releases onto the big screen. In Aurora, Colorado they’ve elected to not show the film as a way to not trigger local residents that were involved in the 2012 shooting. This I can understand considering the shooter did indeed dress as the Joker when he committed his act of violence. As for other parts of the US, the local police and military have been placed on high alert, all because people are worried about the gun violence and how it may motivate deranged fans to go on shooting sprees. This obviously is not what the studios or filmmakers ever intended, but it is unfortunately a sign of the times that we are living in. No one should have to fear going to the movies. The theater for many is the place for audiences to escape for two hours and forget the troubles and the horrors of the real world, and my hope is audiences will be able to do so without violent incidents.
To be fair, Joker isn’t the first film to have the spotlight thrust upon it due to its violence, nor will it be the last. A part of me even wonders if the controversy was even manufactured to create more buzz for the film. After all, scaring audiences has always been a powerful tool in marketing, when you look back at the films of William Castle and Roger Corman. For some of their films audiences would have to sign waivers to ensure the studio wouldn’t be at fault if anything were to happen to audience members while watching the film, while having ambulances parked outside the movie house. Is it a stretch to believe the studios would do this? Maybe. But is it possible, considering how the box office is underperforming, that people will attempt to create buzz for the film? And then there are the political motivations, attempting to use a film in the fight for control. So many possibilities, so much controversy, and still as I write this, the film hasn’t even been released to the masses for them to judge for themselves.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on January 8th, 2020
When it comes to B action films, there is a threshold for what your expectations should be for the film. In the grindhouse era there were some pretty good quality action films, but as the sub-genre stretched into the 80’s and 90’s, the quality just got worse, though they’d always find some star whose celebrity was on the verge of fading. Dolph Lundgren has managed to hang in there and continue to get roles even though it’s been more than a couple decades since he last had the top billing for a Hollywood blockbuster. Personally I’ve always liked the guy; he can still be a charming badass or also play the heavy when need be for a film. Sure, he’s aged, but I can still believe he’d have no trouble kicking some onscreen ass. The one thing that the filmmakers of Acceleration got right was to cast Lundgren in their film where we get to see him play the good guy as well as the bad guy. As for the rest of the film, well, they had a good idea and a nice lineup of B-movie action stars as well as former UFC fighters, but the result falls well short of its potential.
One of the biggest mistakes this film makes is having an opening that makes little to no sense to the viewer as we are seeing Vladik (Lundgren) and Rhona (Natalie Burn) gearing up to kick some ass. The film then backpedals eight hours to where Rhona is having to go on these five mini-missions while Vladik is watches her from the privacy of a room filled with monitors; to watch Rhona, he has a camera in her car. Basically this film has no concept of three-act structure and has decided viewers don’t need to have characters set up or plot set up; they just throw us into the action. It takes a while till we learn Rhona’s son has been kidnapped, and the only way to get him back alive is to complete these five tasks in the span of eight hours. Then there is the side plot of Kane (Sean Patrick Flanery), who is the big crime boss who is trying to figure out who has stolen from him. The threads connecting all this together are thin, and despite how hard they try to make Kane seem like a menacing threat, it’s just hard to take him seriously because of his actions. An example of his menacing actions … sexual innuendo involving pie at a café where he randomly runs into Rhona … then there is a terrible scene that seems to want to recreate the tension of the Russian roulette game in The Deer Hunter. I don’t blame Flanery for this, because his performance is one of the things that saves this character, but it’s the situations the character is put into where I could never believe he was a successful crime boss.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on January 8th, 2020
Family Guy has reached a level of impact upon the American pop culture where I believe the characters need little to no introduction. Is there anyone, really, who doesn’t recognize Stewie? After all, he’s reached the status of icon and has even become a fixture of the Thanksgiving parade as one of the many floats. Where The Flintstones, then later The Simpsons, were at one time the dominating animated family on television tackling day to day struggles of the modern American (each in their own and unique way), Family Guy (love it or hate it) now seems to be the go-to animated family. In this collection of 20 episodes, the creative force, Seth Macfarlane, and his team continue to deliver the laughs along with their twisted moral messages. In today’s culture, it seems like it is harder and harder to be a comedian and manage to not offend anyone, and for the first time I feel the show is restraining itself too much, and it’s hurting the product. Family Guy has always been a show that was self-aware and would break the fourth wall, so it was not a big surprise when a character mentions how they’ve eased up on their jokes against the gay community. Is this a move brought on because Disney now is writing the checks for those involved, or is this decision made by the writing team? I want to believe this was a choice made by the writers where they felt they could still be funny without offending a group of people, but I kind of doubt it. The appeal of Family Guy is that it’s a cartoon; it’s not a show that you should take seriously, though at times they do inject some nice social commentary. Besides, after 17 seasons you would think viewers would know what they are getting into when watching the show, and if it offended them too much, they could easily change the channel.
I understand not every season can be great; even a bad episode of Family Guy can manage to be more entertaining than a show about celebrities dressed as rejected Muppet characters. But … I was a bit disappointed with this season. Starting off with “Married With Cancer”, where Brian thinks he meets the woman of his dreams who is dying with cancer only to find out her treatments have worked and she’s not dying after they are married. It’s a fun idea as we see Brian go through his bouts of regret, but really, the jokes just didn’t seem to hit their mark. Sure, I may have chuckled, but they really milked the slightest bit of humor of “cancer farts” to the point where it just got annoying. Later in the season there is an episode “You Can’t Handle the Booth!”, and while I do appreciate the unique perspective, I feel this is one that missed its mark, but I still feel it has potential. Basically they took an episode of Family Guy and had the Family Guy characters come in and do a commentary for the episode; here the humor is in what you hear and not so much what you are watching. As someone who enjoys commentaries, there were elements I liked about this, but for the casual viewer I’d imagine this episode would be a chore to enjoy. It’s a smart move that the DVD has a version of the episode without the commentary.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on January 7th, 2020
I think most people have had the fantasy of what a film of their life would look like through the camera lens. The high points, the low moments, and everything in between. Perhaps it would be boring (probably most of us), or just perhaps it would be brimming with excitement. Whatever the situation, we just hope that somebody else would find it interesting or at least star our favorite actor or actress. Today, we bring to you a review of an anime that tells the story of Chiyoko Fujiwara, an experienced actress, through one filmmaker Genya Tachibana's passion and the lens of his cameraman, Kyoji Ida.
We are in space where a female astronaut says her goodbyes as her crew pleads with her not to go. The countdown starts. The screen shifts back to Genya Tachibana, who is watching this presentation, which we now realize is a film staring the great Chiyoko Fujiwara. An earthquake shakes the film room where Genya is watching. It stops after a minute, and Kyoji Ida comes in and tells him that they need to go. The filmmaker gets up and starts to follow. He stops and then decides to rewind the tape he was watching. As he leaves, we watch the monitor display various moments of Chiyoko's film career. Cue credits and emotional music.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on January 5th, 2020
Imprisoned on Blu-ray. Cinema Libre Studios has joined the list of contributors to our Christmas contests. We just made some new friends over there, and to celebrate they sent us over a copy of Imprisoned with Laurence Fishburne. Jeremy will be reviewing the disc soon, but now's your chance to jump on the last of our holiday contests. We all look forward to a brand new year of bringing you the best home theater coverage and beyond.
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Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on January 4th, 2020
Ralph Breaks The Internet on Blu-ray. We already set up the first film now you can take a shot at the sequel. This time Ralph has a mission and we get to see the world expand. It's a great family film that works for the kids with plenty of references to make adults smile. Thanks to our buddies at Disney.
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Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on January 3rd, 2020
Murdoch Mysteries: The Christmas Cases. You get a triple-dose of Detective Murdoch with three Christmas cases on DVD. The specially festive package includes A Merry Murdoch Christmas, Once Upon A Murdoch Christmas and Home For The Holidays. If you thought those Christmas shopping crowds were murder wait until you get your hands on this little package. It’s a decidedly British Christmas full of mystery and thrills. All from our pals at Acorn.
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Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on January 2nd, 2020
Widows on Blu-ray. What happens when a group of criminals get killed in a daring heist? The women take over. That's what happens in Widows featuring Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez and Liam Neeson. It all comes to one lucky winner thanks to our pals over at Fox.
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Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on December 31st, 2019
The Omen Collection: Deluxe Edition on Blu-ray. This is a big one, folks. Those friendly elves over at Shout Factory want to make you scream for the holidays. You get the original film The Omen and all three sequels: Damien: Omen II, The Final Conflict and The Omen IV: The Awakening. Then you get the remake film The Omen. There are a ton of features in this 5-disc Blu-ray collection.
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