Posted in: The Reel World by Brent Lorentson on October 27th, 2017
As a director, George Clooney just hasn’t managed to reproduce the magic he had in his first effort Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. I keep hoping that we’ll get another film at that caliber, but it seems over and over it is a swing and a miss. Now he has his new film Suburbicon, and this could be his most divisive work to date. There is nothing wrong with adding a social commentary to a film, but sometimes adding it can be a distraction from the film. In the case of Suburbicon, it is a tale of two films that couldn’t be any more different from each other. First we have a tale of a family attempting to keep their lives together following a home invasion, and then we have the story of a black family moving into a white neighborhood and the backlash that follows.
The original script was penned by Joel and Ethan Coen. This was initially what got me curious about the film, since I’ve been a fan of their work for some time. With George Clooney’s history with the Coens in the past, I figured he would be a good fit to bring their work to the screen. The first red flag should have been that George Clooney and his long-time writing partner Grant Heslov have writing credits to the film. This isn’t a jab at their work, but writing-wise they wouldn’t be the go-to pair I’d pick to rewrite the Coens, since they have their own very distinct style. As expected, you can see the jarring difference in style and tone in the film.
Posted in: Site News by Gino Sassani on October 26th, 2017
Anyone who is a fan of horror or science fiction knows who Forry Ackerman was. He gave more to the industry than anyone else. He coined the term sci-fi and inspired the likes of Stephen King, John Landis, Steven Spielberg, and many others. He was the editor of Famous Monsters Of Filmland and held the largest collection of movie memorabilia anywhere in his famed Ackermuseum.
I've been lucky enough to have counted Uncle Forry as a friend since 1991, when I first visited the Ackermuseum. I've spent many hours and meals with him and miss him greatly.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on October 25th, 2017
31 Nights Of Terror Continues with another 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 "fangtastic" show and it's new on DVD.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 25th, 2017
"All of human history has led to this moment. The irony is we created you. And nature has been punishing us ever since. This is our last stand. And if we lose... it will be a Planet of Apes."
I was always a fan of the original Planet Of The Apes series of films. While they often flirted with a camp style, I was impressed with John Chambers' makeup effects and the performances of Roddy McDowall as both Cornelius and Caesar. Then came the television show, and I was just as enchanted, and that was helped along by McDowall's appearance as a third ape, Galen. The show didn't last a season, and before long the Apes franchise was left in some kind of limbo. Then along came Tim Burton, and I was excited to see what he could do with the material. Could this be the beginning of a new series of films? No, it was horrible, and the franchise suffered another lingering death. I had now given up hope that the Apes would ever return. Then came Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, and I was suddenly enchanted once again. Little did I know that combined with Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes and now War For The Planet Of The Apes, science fiction's greatest trilogy would emerge. Where will they go from here?
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 25th, 2017
"Green Acres is the place to be..."
It was 1965, and CBS was enjoying the fruits of the era's fascination with rural sit-coms. Paul Henning was on a roll as a series creator. It started with The Beverly Hillbillies in 1962, where we were all invited to sit a spell with the Clampetts, a rural family who discovered oil on their property and ended up finding out that California was the place they oughta be, more specifically Beverly Hills, complete with "cement ponds" and movie stars. The show was such a success that Henning spun it off into Petticoat Junction a year later. The show covered the happenings at the Shady Rest Hotel which happened to be located at a water stop on the C. & F.W. Railroad in the hick town of Hooterville. Again Henning hit comedy gold. Two years later, Hooterville would be the location for Green Acres, a kind of reverse Beverly Hillbillies. This time a couple from a penthouse apartment in New York City would come to Hooterville and replay the fish-out-of-water routine just as The Beverly Hillbillies had done three years earlier. Green Acres would last until 1971, when all three shows would become victims of the CBS Rural Purge. Under pressure from sponsors who were afraid of losing their urbanite customers, all of these shows were axed. One news reporter at the time reported that "CBS cancelled everything with a tree, including Lassie."
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on October 24th, 2017
For a gritty historical epic to get the green light these days, it has to have some sort of easy-to-understand hook. (“Hey, it's sexy King Arthur!”) And it seems like enough people complained about the prevalence of PG-13 action movies that it led to the current boom of R-rated sensations — like Deadpool and the John Wick flicks — that gleefully go to extremes. There is absolutely nothing gleeful about Pilgrimage, and the movie doesn't seem all that interested in hooking the masses (significant portions of the film are in French, Irish, and Latin). In other words, the most striking and impressive thing about Pilgrimage is also what can make it feel like somewhat of a slog: this movie is dead serious.
Pilgrimage opens with a brief, violent prologue in Cappadocia, 55 A.D., where an unnamed man is brutally stoned to death. It's a startling, disorienting cold open...and not just because I have no idea where Cappadocia is without the help of Dr. Google. The movie doesn't bother to explain either, but we eventually learn how this opening sequence crucially ties into the main story, which takes place in 1209 A.D. in Ireland. The nation has been torn apart by centuries of tribal warfare and currently faces the growing influence of Norman invaders.
Posted in: Tuesday Round Up by J C on October 24th, 2017
This week, we're getting our stinking paws on one of the year's best-reviewed, big-budget blockbusters. War for the Planet of the Apes (4K) swings into UpcomingDiscs HQ, courtesy of our friends at Fox. Elsewhere, RLJ Entertainment battles its way through Brooklyn with the NYC-based action flick Bushwick. Before signing off for the week (and for October), here’s the usual reminder: if you’re shopping for anything on Amazon and you do it through one of our links, it’ll help keep the lights on here at UpcomingDiscs. See ya next week and have a spooktacular Halloween!
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 23rd, 2017
Director James Whale and horror icon Boris Karloff teamed up for one of the most memorable horror films ever made when they filmed Universal's atmospheric classic Frankenstein in 1931. Just four years later they reunited for one of Hollywood's best sequels in Bride Of Frankenstein. Lost in these legendary tag-team efforts, and nestled nicely between the two films, one finds 1932's The Old Dark House. That film launched a horror sub-genre that continues to this very day: the Haunted House movie. The film also stared future Titanic survivor Gloria Stuart. It was one of the first films the actress ever made when her career started that very same year. In a rather nice coincidence the film also stars the man who married the Bride Of Frankenstein Elsa Lanchester, Charles Laughton in his American film debut. It's an historic film, to be sure. But it's also a bit of a forgotten gem. Due to rights issues, the film disappeared in the 1960's when William Castle delivered his remake. It was absent from the Universal packages sold to independent stations for their weekend "creature features" in the 60's and 70's and was all but lost for a few years. Now Cohen Entertainment delivers the film on Blu-ray, and just in time for Halloween and our 31 Nights Of Terror. Will the coincidences ever cease?
It's a torrential rain with landslides making roads impossible to navigate. Those are the circumstances that find three travelers at the doorstep of an isolated house to seek shelter from the storm. The travelers are Penderel (Douglas) and his married couple friends Phillip (Massey) and Margaret Waverton (Stuart). Things take an immediate ominous turn when the door is opened slightly to the deformed face of the house's butler Morgan (Karloff). They are welcomed inside where they meet the masters of the house the bickering Femm siblings Horace (Thesiger) and Rebecca (Moore). They are reluctantly allowed to stay, but "no beds!" Soon they are joined by another pair of travelers. Enter Sir William Porterhouse (Laughton) and his young, attractive companion Gladys, played by Lillian Bond.
Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on October 23rd, 2017
Andy Serkis is mostly known for pioneering the industry of motion capture performance. Most of you may not know that he's worked a bit behind the camera as well. He's led a few second units as director but had not actually directed a feature film. Breathe is his first effort, and while it has some truly nice moments, it looks like a first effort. I have no doubt that Serkis will be eventually demand notice as a director. He demonstrates an incredible base of knowledge when it comes to filmmaking. He certainly understands how to make an emotional connection with characters that aren't really there. The skills are evident. But I suspect Breathe won't be called upon in a future list of Andy Serkis masterpieces.
Robin Cavendish (Garfield) is an active adventurer who revels in physical activity, whether it be tennis or hiking in Kenya. He meets and marries Diana (Foy), who shares his adventurist life. They live a rather idyllic life until Robin is diagnosed with polio and given a short time to live. At first he falls into the expected depression and suicidal thoughts, but Diana manages to inspire him to make something of his life in spite of the terrible diagnosis. His friend Teddy (Bonneville) is a skilled engineer who develops a chair that offers more than just mobility. It has the respiration equipment he requires. Robin uses this new mobility to again travel and have adventures where he eventually becomes an inspiration and advocate for others who are disabled. He ends up living longer than anyone predicted.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on October 23rd, 2017
“Welcome! Everything is fine.”
One of my favorite bits from the dearly departed Inside the Actors Studio involved host James Lipton administering a questionnaire that concluded with "If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?" It's a momentous question that often drew a humorous response. The Good Place opens with its main character waking up in the afterlife and being greeted with bright green lettering that says "Welcome! Everything is fine." It's a reassuring sentiment to be sure, but let's be clear: there is nothing just "fine" about The Good Place. This sharp, hilarious, and goodhearted fantasy/comedy is spectacular!
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