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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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).
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.
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.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on February 7th, 2020
“You'll die right here. On a frozen, blood-soaked battlefield, the moans of a generation of young men in your ears, dying in agony around you, for a lost cause. For a vile and wicked idea! For the sin of slavery! Can you hear them? God don't mean people to own people, Gideon!”
Harriet Tubman, born Araminta Ross, is a staple of black history. Her deeds have been told and retold in history books for generations as one of the most successful conductors of the Underground Railroad, a network of anti-slavery activists and safehouses. Aside from her contributions to history, I knew very little about her individual history; that is a failing of mine. I’m not sure that an autobiographical film is the best avenue to correct this failing, given the propensity for things to be altered and sensationalize in order to draw crowds. However, even a sensationalized film has to have some basis in fact. Therefore, I am glad that this film made it into my queue, as it gave me a better understanding of Tubman’s accomplishment than I had previously. Bad Times at El Royale’s Cynthia Erivo takes on the monumental task of representing the historical figure on the silver screen, joined by Leslie Odom Jr. and Janelle Monae.
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