Posted in: The Reel World by John Delia on January 12th, 2018
Several movies have been released over the past three decades that defend the press or show the importance of the media to inform the public. This is one of them that for the most part does reveal the inner sanctum of one newspaper as it deals with exposing the government for wrong decisions leading to the death of thousands in the Vietnam War. While the script does reveal the sadness of human life losses that could have been avoided, unfortunately the film uses it to glorify newspapers using old news. A platoon starts taking heavy fire in a wooded area, and the body bags start to fill at a high rate.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on January 11th, 2018
“I'm not saying women are better...I'm saying we deserve some respect.”
Battle of the Sexes chronicles a watershed moment for the women's liberation movement. And given the very bad behavior by very powerful men in Hollywood and other high-profile industries that has come to light in recent months, the movie suddenly feels particularly timely despite being set 45 years ago. But even if that weren't the case, this film — which dramatizes the 1973 exhibition match between top-ranked female player Billie Jean King and former male champion Bobby Riggs — would still be a funny, heartfelt winner.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by John Delia on January 9th, 2018
The crime drama Brawl in Cell Block 99 makes its way onto Blu-ray, DVD and 4K. The film tops the charts as one the most excruciatingly brutal movies to be released this year. If you are not offended by extreme violence and don’t get queasy from the sight of blood and cruelty, then this film may be your cup of java. That said, the crime story does have some vindication behind all the willful chaos. Getting laid off from his job at a towing company, Bradley (Vince Vaughn) cleans out his locker and heads home. When he gets there things start getting worse when he finds out that his wife Lauren (Jennifer Carpenter) has been seeing someone.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on January 6th, 2018
That's right Lucky 13th Day Of Christmas. Ok it turns out our pals over at Film Movement might not know how to count. But that's good news for you guys. it looks like we have 4-film grab bag from Film Movement. And we have 3 of these to give away. Each winner gets: The War Show ( a group of artists and activists in Syria live the nightmare of that country's bloody civil war), The Settles(see what life is like for the Jewish settlers who live in the occupied territories of The West Bank), Be Right Back (Meet one of the most controversial artists of all time) and Karl Marx City (a filmmaker visits the what was the German Democratic Republic 25 years after the collapse seeking answers to her father's suicide). These films represent groundbreaking foreign films and you can win all 4 with just one entry. We're giving away 3 sets. Enter today before somebody over there finds out these DVD's are missing.
Contest is now closed Winners are Bill Norris, Jim Gardner & Carol
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on January 5th, 2018
The Red Skelton Hour In Color: Deluxe Edition on DVD. Time-Life started this whole 12-day celebration with a mega-set of Bob Hope. Now they're closing it out with another super collection. This one will have you seeing Red -- Red Skelton, that is. Fans of this classic show will be wanting to get their hands on this mega-set. This is a 22-disc set that includes the rare color episodes and tons of bonus material. Everything fans want? This set's got it. And we've got one to give away thanks to our best buddies at Time-Life.
Contest is now closed Winner is Ronald Oliver
Posted in: The Reel World by J C on January 5th, 2018
“You can't get rid of me that easy.”
Elise Rainier was the only casualty in 2010's Insidious, but the character has proven to be impossible to kill. In fact, Lin Shaye's sympathetic psychic quickly evolved into the main character of this low-budget, high-box office horror franchise. Chapter 2 brought her back in spectral form, while Chapter 3 went back in time to show us an earlier run-in with a restless demon. The Last Key goes even further back in time while simultaneously inching closer to the first film. While the series has pretty much run out of interesting ways to scare audiences, this film does explore the connection between real-life monsters and malevolent spirits.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 4th, 2018
The longest running show in prime time doesn’t feature cops, doctors, or lawyers. It’s hard to believe that The Simpsons have existed as long as the Fox network. While the series didn’t really begin until Fox’s second year, the characters were part of The Tracey Ullman Show, which did start the first year of Fox. Who could have guessed that an animated short from an otherwise horrible and doomed variety show would explode into such a phenomenon? The Simpsons have not only dominated the pop culture; they have placed everything else into context with their show. Like Doonesbury, it could be said that the only thing worse than being made fun of on The Simpsons is not being made fun of on The Simpsons. With that said, you’ll understand my warm feelings and appreciation for this show.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on January 4th, 2018
The Boss Baby on Blu-ray. Universal didn't want to get left out of our giveaways so they sent over The Boss. No, it's not Bruce, it's Alex Baldwin voicing that lovable Boss Baby. Remember that cookies are for closers, and I've had more than enough cookies in the last month. So put down that extra cookie and enter to win The Boss Baby on Blu-ray.
Contest is now closed Winner is Pauline Milner
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Dan Holland on January 3rd, 2018
“Backslidin’, how do you do? These slippery people gonna see you through.”
It has been a long while since I have witnessed a pop song’s lyrics fit so poetically into a feature film. “Slippery People” is a track off the groundbreaking Talking Heads album, Speaking in Tongues, released in 1983. Not only does this song fit the plot of American Made within its lyrics (hints of backsliding with a lot of slippery people), but it also represents a specific aesthetic for one of the many years shown throughout the film. Which, by and large, is what American Made does very well: appreciates the nostalgia of the 70’s and 80’s without exaggerating to extremes. More often than not, the “nostalgia aesthetic” very quickly becomes a parody of itself.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on January 3rd, 2018
The classic American Westerns of the 1940s and '50s directed by the likes of John Ford and Howard Hawks famously inspired filmmakers like Sergio Leone to put their own stylish and revisionist spin on the genre. But while Spaghetti Westerns — genre films produced and written by Italians — are the most famous foreign example, plenty of other countries started making their own horse operas in the 1960s. That includes Mexico and filmmaker Arturo Ripstein, who made an outstanding feature film debut with 1966's Time to Die/Tiempo de Morir.









