Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 5th, 2019
Be honest, who hears the theme music when anyone even mentions The Addams Family? I know I do, and then I have to resist the urge to do the finger snaps. Just in time for 31 Nights of Terror as well as the release of the animated version comes the double release of The Addams Family and its sequel, The Addams Family: Family Values, featuring Raul Julia and Angelica Huston as Gomez and Morticia Gomez, and let’s not forget Christopher Lloyd and Christina Ricci as Fester and Wednesday Gomez respectively. Based on the wildly popular cartoons that appeared in the New Yorker that went on to find success as television series, the The Addamses are a satirical inversion of the ideal 20th-century American family: an odd, wealthy, aristocratic clan who delight in the macabre and are seemingly unaware, or do not care, that other people find them bizarre or frightening. For me, these movies were my introduction to this family, as the TV series was bit before my time, but a gothic family unaware of their difference from other people
-- what’s not to love?
Posted in: The Reel World by Brent Lorentson on October 4th, 2019
“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 who 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.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on October 3rd, 2019
31 Nights Of Terror Continues with a nod to the young ones. Disney knows how to do scary, but not so much. It's a chance to invite the kids into the festivities. From the folks at Disney Junior comes Vampirina. She's the new kid on the block straight from Transylvania. It's 4 episodes of the "fang-tastic" show and it's new on DVD.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on October 2nd, 2019
31 Nights Of Terror is back at Upcomingdiscs. We have another giveaway for you. TNT has given us The Last Ship: The Complete Fifth Season on DVD. It was the final season of the series where the world might finally be recovering from the big bad virus. You can see how it all ended, and it's all on the house for one lucky winner.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 2nd, 2019
"I mean who knows what kind of creatures are out there wreaking havoc on history?"
DC's Legends of Tomorrow has become somewhat the odd man out when it comes to the DC Television Universe, or the Arrowverse, as it is most commonly known. Last season it was not part of the annual crossover, and it aired later in the year with fewer episodes. And while it will be a part of the huge crossover coming in December, it still doesn't appear to get the same respect as the other shows. I like the series, but it is my least favorite of the franchise. Warner Brothers Home Entertainment isn't as high on the show either. They crammed extra episodes on the discs so that all 16 episodes of the fourth season end up on just two discs. Ouch. It doesn't help that every year sees a huge shake-up of the cast, and this season was no exception. The crew of the Waverider change over faster than teens at a fast food joint. Of course, you might be left asking yourself what is this Waverider of which you speak? It's hard enough to keep track of the players without a program, but it's a near impossible feat if you are trying to join the festivities in the fourth season. You might want to check out our reviews of the previous years and then rejoin me for the breakdown of the Blu-ray release of DC Legends Of Tomorrow Season 4. Just bang it here to catch up: Legends Of Tomorrow Reviews.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 2nd, 2019
Every era has their Hollywood good guys and their Hollywood bad guys. Back in the early days we had Nazis to pit against our heroes. When they didn't quite fit the bill, we had the Japanese. For much of the Cold War, we had great Russian villains to test the mettle of our heroes. Terrorists fit the bill a lot today, but perhaps the only group hated by large segments of American audiences more are the 1%ers. Anyone who makes an obscene amount of money must have cheated to get there. It doesn't hurt that financial power companies have been immersed in the last couple of economic disasters. Michael Douglas taught us that greed is good, and while every single one of us wants to be at the top, it's not quite the politically correct thing to express... at least out loud. Billions gives us the kind of power broker who is just too much fun to hate. It's the classic struggle of good guys versus bad guys. Of white hats versus black hats. But nothing is that simple in Billions, and if you haven't yet spent some time with the likes of Paul Giamatti and Damian Lewis as Chuck Rhoades and Bobby "Axe" Axelrod you're missing one of the more compelling dramas on television right now. Get yourself caught up and join us for Billions: The Complete Fourth Season out now on DVD from CBS Home Entertainment.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 2nd, 2019
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: Contests by Gino Sassani on October 1st, 2019
31 Nights Of Terror is back at Upcomingdiscs. It's our 11th annual event. We always like to kick things off with some free stuff for all of our followers out there. We're going to start things off with Bonehill Road. It's out of the frying pan and into the fire for Emily & Eden, who escape an abusive home only to find themselves hunted by a werewolf. It's out on DVD from WildEye, and one lucky winner is going to get it for free.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on September 28th, 2019
"Sometimes I wish upon a star..."
Sometimes the brightest stars shine for the shortest times. That could certainly be said for Judy Garland. 2019 marks the 80th anniversary of the release of The Wizard Of Oz. There have been plenty of celebrations, but it's fitting that we also use this milestone as a chance to do some tribute to Judy Garland, who as a young girl brought the central character of Dorothy to life for generations of movie fans. It's an entirely appropriate time to offer some empathy to her, and that's exactly why Judy couldn't have come at a better time. It's based on the stage play End Of The Rainbow by Peter Quilter. The film offers us a rather intimate look at a time in the life of the actress just a year before she died from a drug overdose.
Posted in: The Reel World by John Delia on September 28th, 2019
”AQUARELA takes audiences on a deeply cinematic journey through the transformative beauty and raw power of water. Captured at a rare 96 frames-per-second, the film is a visceral wake-up call that humans are no match for the sheer force and capricious will of Earth’s most precious element. From the precarious frozen waters of Russia’s Lake Baikal to Miami in the throes of Hurricane Irma to Venezuela’s mighty Angel Falls, water is AQUARELA’s main character, with director Victor Kossakovsky capturing her many personalities in startling cinematic clarity. The film will be shown in theaters at 48 frames-per-second, double the typical 24 frames-per-second, as projectors with the ability to project at 96-frames-per-second are extremely rare today, but when the time comes that the capacity is there, AQUARELA will be one of the first films to be shown at that speed.”
When you turn on the faucet and out comes water, do you really know where it all comes from and how much of it flows on the Earth? Enter the documentary Aquarela, with its lavish cinematography of water in all forms everywhere. The movie was made by Victor Kossakovsky, in which he says that his movie “takes audiences on a deeply cinematic journey through the transformative beauty of the raw power of water.” The film is not a political statement for a cause or even a warning of any kind.
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