Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 22nd, 2016
“Let’s go get those stinkin’ hyenas.”
For many years The Lion King was the highest grossing animated film of all time. It remains one of the most beloved films in history. It marked the last of the Disney classic animation triumphs. Combined with the Elton John and Tim Rice songs, it is one of those generational films. While there has never been a feature film follow-up at the box office, there have been a few attempts to keep the franchise alive, and why not? A direct- to-video film told the same story from the unique point of view of the popular characters Timon and Pumbaa. A full-fledged sequel appeared in another direct-to-video feature called The Lion King: Simba’s Pride. Now the baton is being passed to the next generation with a television series on the Disney Channel called The Lion Guard. The new story focus begins with the direct-to-video DVD release of The Lion Guard: The Return Of The Roar.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 22nd, 2016
“Peering out from the dark shadows of America’s death row are the faces of evil. The faces of murderers. Men and women who commot the most heinous of crimes. Some elude capture for years, even decades. But eventually, these lowest forms of humanity find themselves on death row awaiting their final fate… execution.”
There appears to be a lot of controversy when it comes to the death penalty in the United States. I say appears, because even with all of the debate the polls show that Americans overwhelmingly support capital punishment. In fact, only 37% of Americans were opposed in the Gallup 2015 poll. That doesn’t mean there aren’t some concerns shared by most of us. In 1972 capital punishment was suspended by the Supreme Court in a landmark decision called Furman vs. Georgia. Contrary to popular belief, the Court did not find the death penalty to be unconstitutional. An “expert” in this series even makes that mistake. It found there was a lack of “fundamental fairness” in the sentencing guidelines. The worry was that minorities were getting a higher percentage of death sentences. Four years later in Gregg vs. Georgia, the Court was satisfied that such issues were addressed, and the death penalty was reinstated in most of the states in the country. We still have concerns over guidelines and methods of execution. No one agrees with the often decades it takes for most executions to actually happen. We may not agree with methods or system, but over 60% of us still support the practice.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on February 22nd, 2016
My, my, my, it is always interesting to watch established actor leave their comfortable circumstances and explore other areas. I imagine it is easy to be complacent with your work and very difficult to find roles that continuously challenge you, so why not seek out new titles? In the case of Criminal Activities, the actor I am referring to is Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen), who makes his director debut with this tale about four men who end up way over their heads. In my experience, actors either hit or miss when they step into the big chair; you can either end up with soul-crushing reviews or an Academy Award. Although this film is unlikely to reach such meteoric heights, I would still call it a success by a large margin.
Four high school friends (Michael Pitt, Rob Brown, Chris Abbott, and Dan Stevens) reunite at a funeral following the tragic death of another one. It is clear that these four have not spoken for some time and are at different junctures in their lives but decide to spend some time together to relive old memories and catch up. In the midst of their reminiscing, one of them mentions some inside information overheard regarding a breakthrough a company has made that is about to quadruple the value of their stock. Eager to invest and reap the benefits, however short on the parcel, the group unknowingly borrows the money from let’s call it a less than accredited source (i.e. the mob).
Posted in: The Reel World by Brent Lorentson on February 20th, 2016
After Robert Eggers received best director out of Sundance, The Witch became a film that went on my radar. Following the release of the trailer to the film, I was hooked; its startling yet beautiful imagery was enough to get my attention. As buzz built around the film as it continued to awe audiences in various festivals, my anticipation for this film was getting out of control. Could a film really be this great? Is it possible to make a film that still shocks and terrifies audiences? By the time I found myself getting to this screening, The Witch now was a film that unfairly had something to prove to me; I poked the bear and dared this film to blow me away. As the lights dimmed and the film played out, I came away with more than I asked for.
The film transports us to New England in the 1630’s. What is important to keep in mind is the time period; this is a time when scientific reason had no place, and the settlers of the time were ruled by their faith. The land that surrounded the villages was mostly untouched, and in the darkness, evil was believed to lurk. Robert Eggers beautifully captures the time period here, everything from the sets, the costumes, to even the Old English dialect used by the characters is authentic and helps immerse us into this time. One of my few nitpicks with the film is that the language is so authentic I had trouble with some of the dialog, as did others around me, and perhaps subtitles could have been used, but I’m afraid it would have taken me out of this world created for us.
Posted in: The Reel World by Archive Authors on February 19th, 2016
A Pew Research Poll in 2012 said that 84 percent of the world’s population believes in God. A Harris poll in 2013 said that 74 percent of Americans believed in God. I’m making some simple statements up front, because the subject is extremely complicated and confusing the more you dip into the well to try to understand. There are 2.3 billion Christians and 1.7 billion Muslims out of the over 7 billion people on the planet. There are 15 million Jews. Christianity, Islam, and Judaism have overlapping tenets of faith, but you would never know it if you look at the history of the world. Religion has become a big disappointment to many. Still, most people in the world would agree that Jesus was a great man who believed in peace and love. Most Christians also believe that Jesus was both God and man. In fact, the surface simplicity of Jesus’s message is somewhat misleading. Many scholars debate to this day what he was really saying. New hidden gospels have been found in the last 75 years, like the Gospel of Thomas, that suggest new mysterious meanings that might show that Jesus was far more inclusive of all mankind that we might have ever thought before. As I said, this subject is extremely complex and divisive, but as a believer, I think God wants us to love each other. This seems like a ridiculously simple statement, yet the people on this planet cannot seem to embrace what seems so logical. This seems to be driving some people away from religion.
Risen is the story of Clavius (Joseph Feinnes), a Roman tribune, who reports directly to Pontius Pilate (Peter Firth). Clavius’s duties are many. He suppresses insurrections and keeps the peace by any means necessary. Today’s task is to placate Caiaphas (Stephen Greif), the appointed Jewish high priest who has manipulated the people to call for Jesus’s death. Clavius is to ensure that Jesus is dead when taken from the cross and properly sealed in the tomb. Caiaphas wants to suppress rumors that Jesus will rise from the dead and insists that the tomb be guarded. Pilate is even more determined that this should go well, because he is soon to be under scrutiny from Rome.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on February 19th, 2016
“...Be like we were when we were 28. I think that would be awesome, right?”
It certainly seems awesome to the four main characters in Togetherness, who are each dealing with their own set of anxieties as they hover around 40. If that previous sentence doesn't exactly sound like a recipe for laugh-out-loud comedy, then you're on the same wavelength as this impressive HBO dramedy. Togetherness takes a bittersweet, refreshingly humane approach to portraying marriage and friendship.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on February 19th, 2016
Ever since Narc and Training Day became critical and financial successes, it seems everyone has tried to follow the formula of corrupt cops and their partners trying to do the right thing. Factor in the society outlook on dirty cops; Badge of Honor at first glance would appear to be a sure-fire hit. Unfortunately, it’s a misfire that never seemed to have much of a chance. When we first meet Jessica (Mena Suvari), she is a beat cop who is called in with her partner checking in \on a domestic disturbance report. Things get out of hand, and her partner overreacts with extreme force and beats a suspect. The story jumps ahead, and we now see Jessica working for internal affairs. It’s her first case that the film wraps around in a sadly predictable way. Two narcotics officers, Mike (Jesse Bradford) and David (Lochlyn Munro) move in on a bust that goes bad, and in the process an innocent teenager is killed. David seems well-intentioned when he tries to help cover it up for his partner, but things quickly get out of hand.
Even with Suvari as one of the leads, it’s unfortunate we don’t get to see more of her and the life she leads outside of being a cop. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Suvari in a solid leading role, and for the screen time she has here she does a great job at selling the part of being a cop who can handle her own. It’s this execution of the role that has me wishing there was more of her, because everything else just seemed like we’ve seen it all before.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Dan Holland on February 19th, 2016
“Tonight’s special is LEG OF LAMB”
I absolutely love stand-up comedy. It is by far one of my favorite forms of entertainment. I would much rather watch a comic’s one-hour special than watch Hollywood’s latest zany summer comedy. I firmly believe that stand-up comedians are a group of modern day philosophers who have taken their analyses of social interactions and created a highly entertaining and intellectual form of art. While I appreciate all comics, currently my favorites are Tom Segura, Todd Glass, Greg Proops, Bo Burnham, and of course, Brian Regan.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on February 18th, 2016
I was a little hesitant with picking up this film. I wasn’t sure if a film about a grandmother spending the day raising money to pay for her granddaughter’s abortion was a film I could find the humor in. Well, I’m glad I took a chance on this film; not only does this film have so many layers beneath its overall plot, but it never once attempts to have an agenda towards its audience. Considering the potentially heavy subject matter, the film instead keeps its attention on what matters most, the people who come in and out of our lives whether they are friends or family; in the end it’s how we treat them that make us who we are.
Elle (Lily Tomlin) is about as feminist as they come; she’s a proud lesbian who is independent and at one time was a successful poet who wrote about feminist themes. When we first meet her, it is in the middle of her and her girlfriend calling it quits. Like any breakup, it’s ugly and filled with emotion. Despite the tough exterior we see Elle trying to hold up, we know it is all an act, and we understand she is still hurt after the loss of her true love of 30-plus years.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 18th, 2016
“Take hope from the heart of a man, and you make him a beast or prey. And the beast eats away at you if you’re not careful. The beast will eat it all, and you will have nothing, and you are nothing.”
Patrick Swayze stars as Charles Barker, an FBI undercover specialist. He handles the deep cover missions, the kind that require a total commitment to the mission. He’s the kind of agent whoknows where the line is so that he knows where to cross it. He’s a grizzled veteran. His new partner is young Agent Ellis Dove, played by Australian actor Travis Fimmel. Ellis is a bit uncomfortable with Barker’s all-in approach. Still, he’s a loyal student and will do what it takes to catch the bad guys. The two agents are handled by an agent named simply Conrad. Conrad is played by everyone’s favorite comedy relief from the new Mummy films, Kevin J. O’Connor. He was the cowardly rascal Beni in those first two films. Each episode brings us a special set of circumstances where the FBI feels Barker’s special brand of work ethic might work. Still, the feds are a bit worried about just how far he has gone over that line. They try to get Ellis to snitch on his new partner to no avail. Larry Gilliard, Jr. plays Ray, the persistent internal affairs agent who wants the goods on Barker.
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