Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 7th, 2019
I'm constantly told that streaming services like Netflix are the way of the future. But it appears that to build that future it is necessary to look to the past with a television series from the 1960's that looked to the future, but itself was based on material from the past. If you're becoming a little dizzy, I get it. Of course, I'm talking about Netflix's reboot of the Irwin Allen television milestone Lost In Space. Allen originally pitched a serialized version of the famous Swiss Family Robinson story and was rejected. So he took that story and set it into the future and marooned the Robinson family not on a contested pirate's treasure island, but on a flying saucer marooned far from Earth. It lasted three seasons and introduced several phrases into the pop culture like "danger, Will Robinson" and "the pain, oh, the pain". Even if you've never seen an episode of the original show, you've heard these little references. And that's exactly what Netflix is counting on by delivering a modern take on Lost In Space now out on Blu-ray from Fox Home Entertainment.
There are as many differences in this version of the show as there are common elements. In this series John Robinson (Stephens) is not the mission commander. This time it's wife Maureen Robinson (Parker) who is not only in charge but designed the ship that they are lost within. The relationship couldn't be more different. John has been away most of the time as a soldier, and they are in the middle of splitting up. Things change when an object crashes to Earth on a Christmas Eve and is dubbed The Christmas Star. The impact triggers a series of ecological disasters, and the Earth is now becoming uninhabitable. Maureen Robinson becomes part of a program that designs a huge starship that carries hundreds of individual ships and thousands of colonists to a planet orbiting Alpha Centauri. That is also the destination of the original show. Of course, they never tell you they're going to a planet in either show. They merely use the star's name, which itself likely wouldn't be a safe place to land. The large ship the Resolute is attacked by a mysterious creature during it's 24th group of colonists. Ships are ejected, and many of these "Jupiters" crash on a fortunately sustainable planet. One such ship is the Jupiter 2 with the Robinson family aboard.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on June 7th, 2019
It hasn’t quite been four months since A Star is Born was released on Blu-ray and 4K and already we have a new release, only this time the film is about 11 minutes longer. For some this might seem like a double dip, while others this is exactly what fans of the film have wanted. For me, I’ve always been a fan of extended cuts of films where we get to see how certain deleted scenes actually fit in the film. Sometimes the extended cuts of films can improve the experience. The Lord of the Rings series is one set that comes to mind. As for A Star is Born, does it breathe new life into the Oscar-nominated film, or does it drag it down?
When I first heard that Bradley Cooper would be making his directing debut with A Star is Born, honestly I kind of groaned. It’s not because I didn’t believe he’d have the chops; after all, he’s worked with many successful directors over the span of his career. I groaned because I believed the world didn’t need yet another remake of the film. This will be the fourth incarnation of the film, and while many can debate on which version is their favorite, the film was pretty much a relic I felt should have stayed in the past. I mention this and want to also put out there even after some of the trailers I had caught for the film; my excitement level was pretty low going into this. Well, this turned out to be the sleeper hit of the year for me. Sure, many could have told me this would be a hit, and because of the cast I wouldn’t dispute it, but when I walked out of the auditorium I felt like I had experienced something special (even if it had been made three times before).
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on June 7th, 2019
When it is revealed that a person who has touched the lives of many people turns out to be a fraud, what impact does that have on the people who were inspired? That is something that addressed in the semi-biographical film, J.T. Leroy. Kristen Stewart and Laura Dern star as Leroy and Laura Albert respectively. Albert is the true artist behind three best-selling novels, and Leroy is actually nothing more than a literary persona that she created. I know what you are thinking. If J.T. Leroy is not real, who is Stewart playing? That is one of the things that make this film so interesting. In order to sell the persona that she has been advertising for years, Albert convinces her sister-in-law to pose as Leroy in public. I’m not sure how getting a younger woman to go out in public posing as a boy fixes the problem, but as it turns out it worked for a period of time, as it is based on a true story where that is exactly what happened.
Laura Albert is an aging writier, who by her own omission spent her twenties waiting to be discovered. She has a unique voice and intriguing stories to share, but it is only after she takes on the persona of a fictional young man she names J.T. Leroy that her books get the attention that she craves. This goes on for years with the success of the novel, but she is forced to keep a low profile, only able to conduct phone interviews in order to keep her secret from being exposed. However, the demand from the public to see Leroy is ever growing, and the chances of Albert being able to keep up the façade as it is are dropping.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 5th, 2019
Witness the birth of -- actually make that rebirth of --one of the most popular action heroes in literature. Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan has been a character of many jobs and many faces over the years. Baldwin, Ford, Pine, and Affleck have all stepped into the role of the man who has been a soldier, an analyst, an operative, and a president. What might appear as a clear advantage for this Amazon Prime streaming television show can be just as much a liability. When you throw in the Tom Clancy novels, comic books, and fan fiction, there is a ton of Jack Ryan history that pretty much gives us a story arc from his humble beginnings to extraordinary exploits and wearing the face of a few good performers. It's a tall order for the series and perhaps an even taller order for actor John Krasinski, who has created a nice little horror franchise with wife Emily Blunt on the side. I don't really have the time or energy to watch streaming shows and films. There's always a backlog here of discs that need to be , and I've created a rather comfortable viewing experience with my home theatre I call The Reel World. Our motto: Here there be monsters. So I have not had the opportunity to check out this show even though I've heard pretty solid things from my colleagues. Thanks to Paramount's production of the series and their release of the first season on Blu-ray, I've finally had my chance to see what all the talk's been about. Let's just say, I get it.
This series obviously has to update the character from his 1980's Cold War novel beginnings just as a couple of the films have had to. It's the current year, and Jack Ryan (Krasinski) is really just an analyst for the CIA. He checks financial transactions and has come upon some serious activity. He believes he has stumbled onto the biggest terrorist activity since 9/11. Now he has to convince his new team commander, James Greer, played by The Wire's own Bunk Wendell Pierce. Greer has recently been demoted, and his new post is really something of a censure for him, so he's not as receptive to Ryan's enthusiasm. It doesn't help that their first inadvertent meeting occurred on the streets with a bit of a near crash. Ryan goes over his head to freeze some bank accounts, and the resulting investigation puts the two uneasy coworkers in the field on the trail of a huge asset.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on June 5th, 2019
This is Oliva Wilde like you haven’t seen her before. Not only is she expanding in the world of screenwriting, but she sheds her previous typecasting as a vixen or seductress, becoming nearly unrecognizable. A Vigilante tackles the very large issue of domestic abuse, pulling back the curtain and showing the immense devastation that such acts leaves on the victim. Not only physically, but emotionally as well. It also shows empowerment, as Wilde embodies the role of Sadie, a woman who suffered horrific scars and devasting loss at the hands of the man who is supposed to love and protect her, her husband. Instead of letting what she has endured destroy her, she goes on the hunt, training in martial arts and learning to cover her tracks in order to fight for those who are unable to fight for themselves. The intensity in this film is palpable, and though there is not as much action or violence as I was expecting, this was one of the most powerful pieces of cinema that I have seen this year.
As I previously mentioned, Wilde plays Sadie, and when we meet her, she is preparing to encounter her next target. She changes her appearance to look frail and older, lulling her prey into a false sense of security. This is to her advantage, as when it comes to fighting, the element of surprise can make all the difference. Instead of killing the man, she forces him to sign over a hefty chunk of change to the victim of his abuse (i.e. his wife) and runs him out of town. It is clear that this man is not her first target, as she is very methodical and controlled. This opening sequence is rife with tension and drew me deeper into this world. This was a surprise for me, as I only saw the aftermath of what she did to him. My initial thoughts were that I felt cheated, but with more time to digest the film, I realized that this actually played better. By only showing me the aftermath, I was forced to use my imagination regarding the ordeal the man was forced to face. Based on what was left of his face, it’s very clear that he did not get off easy.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 4th, 2019
"Welcome to Benghazi."
It shouldn't matter what your politics might be. The events in Benghazi on September 11th, 2012 bring up some very important questions. Contrary to one 2016 presidential hopeful's declaration, it does make a difference. It did to the people who were there. It does for the families of the four who lost their lives. And it should make a difference to you. With such a political hotbed issue, you'll find that 13 Hours goes out of its way to avoid the political questions. Some might view this as an oversight, but I think it gives the film a greater sense of credibility and makes its impact on the audience to fill in their own political blanks.
Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on June 2nd, 2019
"My name is Elton Hercules John."
When I was a kid he was Captain Fantastic, and I spent a lot of time and money on Elton John records since the early 1970's. I was a 12-year old kid when Goodbye Yellow Brick Road came out, and I've been a pretty huge fan ever since. I'm a veteran of about 50 concerts over the years, and I was looking forward to this movie in the same way I used to anticipate a new Elton record for decades. Most of the time I was rewarded with brand new songs that would quickly become part of my own story growing up. Once in a while I was disappointed. I hated Victim Of Love so badly that I threw the record across the room, and there is still a stain of peach paint on my copy. I wish that I could say that the film Rocketman was more like those wonderful vinyl treasure chests, but it was more like the latter, and no one is more frustrated than I am. I wanted terribly to love this film. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a middle finger to Elton's fans, and I think it's going to be a long, long time before I get over it.
Posted in: The Reel World by Brent Lorentson on May 31st, 2019
Back in 2014 when Godzilla came out, I had a blast with the film, though one of the major complaints people had seemed to have been that there was not enough fights or not enough of Godzilla. Personally I didn’t see how this could be a complaint to take too seriously; after all, if you watch some of the older films, we’d only get maybe 15 minutes of screen time, but thankfully this wasn’t always the case. Now with the release of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, the human story is a bit of an afterthought, and it’s the titans that carry this blockbuster bonanza. Is this a good thing? You bet it is, though I’m sure there are plenty of stuffy critics who will complain about there being too many monster fights; for those critics, this movie wasn’t made for them. This is a movie made for the kid in all of us who wanted to believe in the possibility that giant monsters could exist, and seeing these hulking giants duke it out while destroying cities in the process just made us smile.
Right from the get-go we get to see Godzilla in action, though it’s back in 2014, and Mark Russell (Kyle Chandler) is trying to find his son during the chaos of the final fight from the previous film. Then we get a 5-year time jump where we meet up with Madison (Millie Bobby Brown) and her mom, Dr. Emma Russell (Vera Farmiga), who are living in a Monarch facility in China. Emma and Mark are clearly having difficulty handling the loss of their son, and Madison is simply doing what she can to maintain a happy balance between the two. But the film doesn’t waste much time with this, as we are immediately introduced to the ORCA device, an invention Emma and Mark created that was originally meant to communicate with whales, but Emma has figured out a way to use it to communicate with the MUTO’s of the world (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organisms). And it’s early on where we get to meet one of these new organisms, and it’s none other than Mothra. But just as we’re enjoying getting to see this new incarnation of Mothra, a group of environmental terrorists led by Jonah Allen (Charles Dance) come into the Monarch facility and kidnap Madison and Emma along with the ORCA device. Yeah, basically this film is not messing around when it comes to story as it keeps things at a nice fast pace so we can get to the monster action.
Posted in: The Reel World by John Delia on May 31st, 2019
If you think the movie Get Out was shocking, wait until you see the diabolical Ma. You won’t have a clue to what this party woman has cooked up until just the right moment. Then, as it unravels, even some of the hints are misleading. When you do know the truth, then it’s just one sick scene after another. Being transferred from LA to a new school in her mom Erica’s (Juliette Lewis), small hometown in Ohio, Maggie gets noticed by a clique. The in-group members, Haley (McKaley Miller), Andy (Corey Fogelmanis), Darrell (Dante Brown), and Chaz (Gianni Paolo) are the wild bunch of the school crowd who like to get drunk and smoke pot. But, Maggie likes that they were the first to greet her and makes friends with them. She also has an instant connection to Andy.
Maggie gets invited to a gathering at the rock pile, but first the group needs to get some booze. When Chaz fails to convince someone to purchase it for them, Haley tells Maggie to try. Approaching Sue Ann (Octavia Spencer), the woman just pushes her off, but as luck would have it she recognizes some of the other group and decides to purchase liquor for them. But the second time it happens she tells the kids that they have to drink it at her house so she knows that the driver will not drive drunk when they leave.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 31st, 2019
"So much has happened. I don't know where to start. First it was all the school shootings. Then these WiFi scooters showed up. And now we know that Manbearpig is real and we could all be dead in a matter of years."
That's true, but I suspect that when we are all dead and gone there will be two things we can count on continuing beyond the end of human civilization. The cockroaches will inherit the world, and they will all be watching South Park, the only television show still running. It's already been 22 years, and doesn't it feel like 50? I don't mean that in a mean way. I love South Park, but I'm starting to find it hard to remember what life was like without it. I'm convinced it will survive us all, and AI versions of Parker and Stone will be producing it until the planet is finally vaporized... and I'm not sure even that will stop this show.
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