Posted in Podcasts by Jeremy Butler on April 22nd, 2024
“What can I say? I like playing with my food.” I have to say, I was expecting more blood. When the cast speaks out and calls the film “the bloodiest thing they’ve ever worked on in terms of volume,” or “the most traumatic experiences,” and the director describes it as “just a bloodbath,” I guess […]
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on May 5th, 2022
Edgar G. Ulmer started his career working for the early German masters of Expressionism like Fritz Lang and F. W. Marnau. He set out on his own doing ethnic films in the Ukraine before coming to America and trying his hand here. His most notable film has to be the 1934 The Black Cat, which […]
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on May 19th, 2016
Bob Newhart is one of the last in a dying breed of comedians, at least on television. He had a reserved, almost deadpan delivery that drew your attention not because of raunchy material or manic display of hijinx. He was obviously comfortable with being the brunt of all of the jokes. His half embarrassed and […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 7th, 2016
“There’s always room for improvement.” Banshee is one of those improbable plots that finds a way to pull us into the action all the while ignoring how unlikely any of this might really be. Of course, we do that all the time. It’s certainly unlikely we’re going to face a zombie apocalypse or run into […]
Posted in No Huddle by Brent Lorentson on February 4th, 2016
Following the Lifetime original movie Lizzie Borden Took an Axe, The Lizzie Borden Chronicles is a continuation of the tale about the young woman accused of killing her stepmother and father with an axe. It’s tricky enough to do a feature length film about real people involved in real events; liberties seem to be taken […]
Posted in The Reel World by Archive Authors on December 27th, 2015
Football is extremely important to many (or most, or all) Americans. That would be an understatement, since football is a national obsession that can reach the level of mania at times. Football is close to a religion for some people. You don’t mess with football, but that is what Will Smith’s new film, Concussion, does. It […]
Posted in Holiday Gift Guides by Gino Sassani on November 28th, 2015
I think I see your problem. You have this list. It’s a list of people you need/want to buy a Christmas gift for. The trouble is that they’re into home theatre, and you don’t know Star Trek from Star Wars. You couldn’t tell a Wolf Man from a Wolverine. And you always thought that Paranormal Activity was something too […]
Posted in No Huddle by Archive Authors on October 6th, 2015
The most cynical people in the world are Madison Avenue advertising executives. There are probably some other types that would be in the running, but I think they would probably concede I’m right. Thom Payne (Steve Coogan) is a modern-day ad exec who immediately takes shots at the show Mad Men in his frequent narrations. […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 25th, 2015
“There have been many authors throughout time. It’s a job, not a person… Tasked with the great responsibility to record. To witness the greatest stories of all time and record them for posterity. The job has gone back eons from the man who watched the shadows dance across cave walls and developed an entire philosophy […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on July 23rd, 2015
“When you get four vampires in a flat, obviously there’s going to be a lot of tension.” The set-up for What We Do in the Shadows makes it sound less like your typical vampire movie and more like some kind of twisted season of The Real World. (Well…slightly more twisted than usual.) But besides finding […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 19th, 2015
“As you know, in less than two hours liquor will be declared illegal by decree of the distinguished gentlemen of our nation’s Congress. To those beautiful, ignorant bastards. Rest assured that, dry though the country may be, I am in the midst of concluding arrangements that will keep Atlantic City wet…” HBO has finally released […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 14th, 2015
“There will be casualties” Alan Ball got my attention in 2001 with HBO’s black comedy Six Feet Under. It was one of the most original shows I had ever seen, and to this day I find it hard to characterize the series when asked to do so. It was there that he also introduced me […]
Posted in Holiday Gift Guides by Gino Sassani on December 11th, 2014
When it comes to getting the current shows out in high definition, no one does it better than Warner Brothers. I am impressed each year with the number of shows they release on Blu-ray every year. Readers to this site know what I’m talking about. If you have TV fans on your list who also […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on October 5th, 2014
In 1996 it was a brave new world for Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez. Tarantino was still riding the wave of Pulp Fiction’s fame, while Rodriguez was going strong with his follow up to El Mariachi, Desperado (which went on to be a bigger hit). The two had crossed paths at various film festivals, and […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 14th, 2014
The television landscape has been flooded with shows about the supernatural. Vampires have been particularly hot topics in recent years, but werewolves are starting to get their own sub-genre going. MTV’s Teen Wolf manages to pull the theme off quite well. It’s no surprise that pretty much every network out there wants to throw their […]
Posted in No Huddle by J C on June 24th, 2014
“In 1956, a nationally-renowned fertility specialist met a former nightclub singer. Ten years later, they published a scientific study, which revolutionized our understanding of human sexuality.” You can’t call your TV show Masters of Sex and not expect to elicit a few chuckles. (You also can’t be surprised if people go looking for it on […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 23rd, 2014
“Congratulations! You have been selected to take part in a once-in-a-lifetime game show. Of a long list of candidates in financial need, you have been chosen to compete for a fantastic cash prize.” Elliot Brindle (Webber) is having a tough patch in life. He wants to marry the woman who is about to have their […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on May 20th, 2014
The line between romance and stalking is much blurrier at the movies. Behavior that routinely leads to restraining orders or arrests in real life tends to elicit “awws” from moviegoers and earns the romantic hero a kiss in the end. The Right Kind of Wrong is one of the more egregious examples I can remember, […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on April 2nd, 2014
“…I’m packing an ounce of killer shrooms, and there be monsters in need of pummelin’.” When I first think of how to explain Knights of Badassdom, what comes to mind is that it’s Evil Dead 2 meets LARPing. The only experience I’ve had with LARPing came in the form of watching Role Models and having […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on February 4th, 2014
“I’m match for any man.” The idea that “behind every great man, there’s a great woman rolling her eyes” far predates its adoption as a feminist slogan in the middle of the previous century. The White Queen — a sumptuous, rushed combination of Game of Thrones-style high-stakes scheming and Tudors-style regal bodice ripping — uses […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 17th, 2013
“Mystic Falls. I was born here. This is my home. For centuries, supernatural creatures have lived among us. There are vampires, werewolves, doppelgangers, witches and even hybrids. There are those who protect them. And those who want them dead. They’re our friends. Our enemies. The ones we love. And the ones we’ve lost. And then […]
Posted in No Huddle by Brent Lorentson on September 5th, 2013
There are so many vampire films, it’s hard to get excited any time a trailer for one comes along. The Twilight series as well as shows like True Blood and The Vampire Diaries have managed to take everything I once enjoyed about the menacing creature and turned it into a joke. Let the Right One […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 8th, 2013
“With a name like Banshee how can you not be drawn in?” Alan Ball got my attention in 2001 with HBO’s black comedy Six Feet Under. It was one of the most original shows I had ever seen, and to this day I find it hard to characterize the series when asked to do so. […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on August 7th, 2013
For those who don’t know, I have been married twice in my life. I am currently going through my second divorce. At nearly thirty eight years old, I have lived the relationship life of arguably several lifetimes but something usually keeps me coming back. Am I done with love? Only time will tell. Today’s blu-ray […]
Posted in Podcasts by Gino Sassani on October 8th, 2012
Some horror directors just start out with a bang. That’s certainly the case in point for Darren Lynn Bousman. He directed Saw II, III and IV to start his career. He’s also responsible for the remake of Mother’s Day and the quirky cult favorite Repo! The Genetic Opera. This time around it’s True Blood’s Stephen […]
