Posted in: The Reel World by Jeremy Butler on June 15th, 2019
So, the announcement of this film was of particular interest of me. Of course, I have familiarity with the character of Shaft from childhood. Not to mention the remake that wasn’t really a remake that premiered in 2000 starring Samuel L Jackson. The most interesting thing about the film is that it brings three generations of the character under the umbrella of one film, with Richard Roundtree and Samuel L Jackson reprising their roles as the titular character and introducing Jesse T Usher into the franchise as the latest addition to pick up the mantle. Another interesting thing is that despite it being a sequel it shares the same name as the 2000 version. Though this does introduce a certain level of confusion, it just proves just how bad a mother- shut-your-mouth Shaft is; he can name his movies whatever he wants.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on June 15th, 2019
Revamping old shows and movies is the latest trend in television. CBS has made several endeavors at this with varying success. Such was their attempt when they tried to convert Rush Hour into a TV series; however, the Macgyver reboot gaining a fourth season shows that the practice is not without its merits. CBS’s recent reboot of the popular series Magnum P.I. is the newest foray into this genre of television, and the fact that it has earned a second season bestows credit onto the show. Starring Jay Hernandez in the titular role, the character that Tom Selleck made famous, is breathing new life with new action. Minus the mustache, of course.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 13th, 2019
"Does announcing your identity help with the covert part of the job?"
Let me begin by saying that actress Brie Larson doesn't want me to write this review. It's not that I didn't like the film and intend to cut it down. Actually I rather liked the movie, and while it isn't going to crack my top five Marvel films, it's a very entertaining film that adds wonderfully to this always evolving world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or as we fan geeks like to refer to it, the MCU. So she wouldn't take much if any umbrage with my evaluation of the film. It turns out that I happen to be a white male, and she has made it known that she doesn't want to see reviews for this film written by white males. Sorry, Brie. I suggest you skip this one.
Posted in: The Reel World by Brent Lorentson on June 13th, 2019
“Something weird is going on.”
If you’re having a bit of zombie fatigue, you’re not alone. From movies to TV shows and video, we’ve had well over a decade of being blasted with the undead. Basically it’s the sub-genre that just won’t die. I love zombie movies, but I feel audiences could use a bit of a break from them for a little bit and let another monster indulge in the spotlight. With that being said, when a good one comes along, I’m still going to want to give it a try. Already this summer we have Black Summer on Netflix that is worth giving a binge, and now hitting the cinemas we have The Dead Don’t Die. Never in a million years would have guessed that writer and director Jim Jarmusch (Dead Man, Broken Flowers, Stranger Than Paradise) would ever tackle this kind of horror film, but it is a welcome surprise.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 12th, 2019
For many years Acorn Media has been the best source for a lot of those classic British drama shows that you've seen reviewed here and elsewhere. They've brought us some of the best British stars in some landmark work spanning decades of British broadcast. These shows were always something produced by someone else, most notably the BBC itself. So while we can be thankful to Acorn for distributing these shows particularly here in the United States, they haven't actually been responsible for the actual content. That all changes with the release of London Kills Series 1 from Acorn Media. For the first time the company has created its own straight-to-series production. If this first effort is any indication of what we might expect in the future, I'd say there is great promise here, and while I didn't find it quite as compelling as favorites like the George Gently series, I saw a ton of potential. There are some very good reasons why I didn't enjoy this as much as many others, and I'll get into that in a moment.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 11th, 2019
In the late 1980’s Batman was in trouble. No, he wasn’t tied to a table saw by The Joker. Catwoman didn’t have her claws on him. It was the camp residue of the 1960’s television series. The idea of a Batman film was clamored after by fans, but the studios couldn’t get the Adam West series out of their minds. And, while the success of Superman might have awaken the studio bosses to the appeal of comic book films, there was surprisingly very little interest in a Batman film. Since DC Comics had become a part of the Warner Empire, it seemed only logical that they would want to do the film. But even Warner resisted for several years as a team tried to get the Caped Crusader back on the movie screen.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 11th, 2019
"What happens in Palm Springs stays in Palm Springs."
That's not exactly true. Since the 1950's, the small town of Palm Springs has been home to many celebrities looking to escape the bustle of Hollywood, yet remain close enough to work there. It was 1947 when Jimmy Van Heusen introduced Frank to the desert community, and he fell in love with the town. His own home was built in time for his wedding to Ava Gardner, and while that relationship lasted only seven years, Sinatra's relationship with Palm Springs lasted 50 years. He was the best advertisement a town could have. In 1954 he built the massive Rancho Mirage and invited all of his close friends to join him.
Posted in: Release Announcements by Gino Sassani on June 9th, 2019
"...One day when the lady met this fellow, and they knew that it was much more than a hunch
That's this group must somehow form a family. That's the way we all became the Brady Bunch."
Has it really been 50 years? Nothing make me feel as old as when a film or television show I watched as a kid celebrates some grand anniversary milestone. It's like birthdays without the ice cream cake. On September 26th, The Brady Bunch will celebrate its 50th anniversary, and the folks at Paramount/CBS have given yours truly a little homework to do before that date hits. We're talking about The Brady Bunch 50th Anniversary TV & Movie Collection. They call it the Bradiest collection ever, and that's no exaggeration. The 31-disc collection features just about anything that was ever associated with the name Brady. I'm surprised there isn't a complete collection of New England Patriot games for the last decade or so. What you will get is pretty impressive:
Posted in: The Reel World by Brent Lorentson on June 9th, 2019
When the first trailer of the Secret Life of Pets film came out I thought that the Illumination and Universal Pictures were onto something. I think every kid and even adult wonders at some point what their pets’ lives are like when they are not around. This was what I felt could have been the pet equivalent to the Toy Story franchise. As it would turn out, the first film started out strong, but for me it quickly fizzled into an absurd storyline. Kids seemed to like it, and really that’s all that mattered, but personally I felt there was enough strength in the material where we could have gotten something great. Now we have Secret Life of Pets 2. Does the film manage to pull off something great, or is this a big pile of stale kibble?
Posted in: The Reel World by Jeremy Butler on June 9th, 2019
“The mind is a fragile thing. Takes only the slightest tap to tip it in the wrong direction.”
The simple reality is that this franchise should have ended with Days of Future Past. That would have been a good point to call it quits; it had a good resolution and all, but the chasing of additional box office revenue has forced us to have to endure two more mediocre additions to the franchise. Though Dark Phoenix is better than Apocalypse, and it is a better telling of the Dark Phoenix Marvel Storyline, Fox’s second bite at the apple is still not the film that I hoped it would be. Fortunately, with Marvel recovering the property we are undoubtedly due for another reboot, and perhaps the third time will be the charm.
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