Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on February 9th, 2016
Tragedy has a way of taking a toll on us in a way that is far more devastating than a physical injury. Some tragedies occur, and they go on to haunt us till we have passed on from this mortal realm. Meadowland is a small film that dares to take a peek at the dangerous repercussions that can follow depression when not properly treated. Sure, we’ve seen films before that show the aftermath of a family who has tragically lost a child, but Meadowland is a film that isn’t afraid to show us the ugliness of depression and the things people are willing to do in an attempt to be who they were once again before the tragedy ever took hold.
Phil (Luke Wilson) and Sarah (Olivia Wilde) are the husband and wife who seem to have the perfect life. Phil is an officer for the NYPD and Sarah is a public school teacher, both responsible adults who are caretakers of the community in their own unique ways, so the thought of them having their son kidnapped seems all the more unthinkable. His disappearance is nothing dramatic but simply losing sight of him as used the restroom while making a pit stop for gas. It’s an unthinkable nightmare I can imagine so many parents have thought about and hopefully never have to endure.
Posted in: Contests, Tuesday Round Up by J C on February 9th, 2016
Round Up...Tuesday Round Up. By now, our friendly little weekly post should need no introduction, and neither does a certain super spy who highlights our latest slate of offerings. That would be Bond...James Bond, who returns to action in Fox's Spectre. This week’s Round Up is also shaping up to be somewhat of a family affair. Lionsgate/CBS Films shows us how to Love the Coopers, which finds four generations of the titular family gathering for the holidays. Meanwhile, Sony pays a visit to Grandma, which stars Lily Tomlin as a scrappy senior. Lionsgate also spies MI-5 and tames Mountain Men: The Rules of the Wild Have Changed. Finally, Dark Sky Films moves heaven and earth with Convergence, while Cinema Epoch exhibits Sociopathia tendencies.
Just so you know, the Denver Broncos aren't necessarily the only big winners this week. Once a month we’re going to give away a surprise DVD title from our archives to a lucky winner who comments in our weekly Round-Up posts. All you have to do is comment in a Round-Up post — like this one! — and tell us which of the featured titles you’re most curious to read about. (Quick reminder: You're not telling us which title you'd like to win; your free DVD will be a surprise.)
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on February 9th, 2016
Season one of From Dusk Till Dawn gave us a ten-episode remake of the hit original movie while setting up a mythology to stretch its story over numerous seasons. Season two wastes no time in blazing its new path as it continues the blood-soaked adventure that departs from the famed Titty Twister and takes us deeper into the vampire syndicate. How does season two fare? After making it through the 10-episode season, I can say I survived this bloody, testosterone-laced thrill ride, but it does have a few missteps along the way.
When we first meet Richie Gecko (Zane Holtz) and Santanico (Eiza Gonzalez), they are working together with the goal of taking down all the powerful vampire clans. The first episode is a telling glimpse of the direction Robert Rodriguez and his team plan to take the series as the episode unfolds around a heist that doesn’t go as planned. Separated from his brother, Richie now has a chance to make a name for himself, and as the season plays out, we get to see just how ambitious he really is.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on February 9th, 2016
The story is the star in Freeheld, which chronicles a same-sex couple's fight for equality. The film is based on the Oscar-winning documentary short of the same name and follows Laurel Hester, a New Jersey cop with terminal lung cancer, as she attempts to pass her pension benefits to domestic partner Stacie Andree. Despite being a modest production, Freeheld was able to enlist some top-drawer acting talent. Unfortunately, it also attracted a risk-averse team of filmmakers who tell Laurel and Stacie's story in a thoroughly rote and uninspired manner.
The movie begins in 2002 with Laurel (Julianne Moore) bailing her partner Dane (Michael Shannon) out of a jam during a sting operation. This opening is meant to illustrate that Laurel is an exceedingly capable police officer, but the clumsily-staged sequence has the unfortunate side effect of shining a light on director Peter Sollett's limitations. (Same goes for a subsequent storyline involving a double homicide that is equally clunky.) Laurel is also a lesbian who worries about someone at her job finding out about her sexual orientation, so she drives to Pennsylvania to take part in social activities. That's where she meets Stacie (Ellen Page), a younger woman who sparks Laurel's interest.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 8th, 2016
“Witches live among us. Their magic passed from an ancient race, diluted, half-forgotten but dangerously powerful. After centuries of conflict, a truce was forged. Witches would be allowed to live and govern themselves if they followed one strict rule: that magic never be used against humans. But a truce is a fragile thing…”
Vin Diesel has made the Fast and Furious franchise into a massive global behemoth, but Diesel is not a global behemoth on his own. He has had successes and failures. He is someone who seems to be an unlikely star. He tried to make Riddick (Pitch Black, The Chronicles of Riddick, Riddick) into a multi-film franchise and accomplished it through sheer force of will, but his stardom largely rests on Fast and Furious. Diesel bristles at being typecast, so he has always tried to find new vehicles that will demonstrate his range. XXX was a big success, but Diesel did not appear in the sequel. XXX: The Return Of Xander Cage is on the schedule for 2017. He walked away from Fast and Furious for a few installments because he was so intent on diversity but eventually relented and came back. The Last Witch Hunter is his latest attempt to start a new franchise. The film was attacked by some critics when it was released, but it is a pretty decent attempt to create a new legend out of a cauldron of Dungeons and Dragons ideas. That was the inspiration, and a group of script writers did a decent job, and the director Breck Eisner (son of Michael) also does a good job. The cast includes Sir Michael Caine, Elijah Wood, and Rose Leslie (wildling Ygritte from Game of Thrones). It also includes excellent actors such as Isaach De Bankole as a male witch who runs a restaurant that sells pastries that includes ingredients such as hallucinogenic bugs. All the elements are in place to make a great movie experience. The problem is that there is a weak link. It’s Diesel.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Dan Holland on February 8th, 2016
Any person who has attended Sunday school for a length of time is most likely familiar with the story of Noah’s Ark. This tale was recently brought to the mainstream with Darren Aronofsky’s Noah, which took quite a few creative liberties in retelling the story (including strange rock monsters). Given my recollection of the actual Bible story, I want to say that there really isn’t enough content to create a feature film. God warns Noah that there will be a catastrophic flood and asks him to build an ark. Noah builds the ark and suffers ridicule from the people he tries to save, and in the end, the flood takes the world and Noah and the few people who believed him are spared.
Kenneth Glennaan’s made-for-TV production of Noah’s Ark maintains the basic structure I described above, but extends the events that occur in the rising action of the story tenfold. Noah (David Threlfall) lives with his wife Emmie (Joanne Whalley) and their sons. A good majority of the film expands the drama within the family and the resistance of the family to the building of the ark. There is also an additional story arch involving Noah’s youngest son, Kenan (Nico Mirallegro), who becomes obsessed with pursuing his own selfish desires in the city. Only after an hour and twenty minutes into the film do we get to see the flood begin, which really makes the film that much better.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 8th, 2016
“My name is Henry Morgan. My story is a long one. It might sound a bit implausible. In fact, you probably won't believe it, but I'll tell you anyway, because beyond all else I have lots, lots of time.”
Unfortunately for the cast and crew of Forever and their fans, time was something this show wouldn’t have much of at all. Created by Matthew Miller, Forever combines the deductive crime solving of Sherlock Holmes with the genre twist of immortality. There's quite a bit of potential here that just doesn't ever live up to the promise. It couldn't conquer the ratings, and now fans will have to be content with this Warner Archive Collection release of the entire first season... the entire series.
Posted in: The Reel World by Archive Authors on February 7th, 2016
Hail, Caesar is a typical example of a Coen brothers movie, which means it is completely atypical. The Coen brothers are revered for not only being different from everyone else but also making films that are different from each other. It would easy to say there is a Coen brothers style, but you would be reaching, because the two men are committed to exploring things differently each and every time they make a movie (or produce a television show like Fargo). The most characteristic identifying factor is quirkiness and individuality. They are among the few filmmakers working in Hollywood who do whatever the freaking heck they want. What I mean by that is that the movies they make would not be allowed if proposed or pitched by anyone else. They almost take delight in coming up with properties that are daring you to dislike them. At the same time, they make movies that are ridiculously entertaining and smart. Their films are also big Hollywood productions which are usually filled with big stars begging for any part they can get. But I must stress one thing. They don’t care if you like what they do. They could give a flying fig (probably).
Hail, Caesar is about depicting a fictional version of old Hollywood sometime in the 1950’s in a studio that is something like Metro Goldwyn Mayer but called Capital Studios. Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin) is the studio head busy running things and constantly talking to his boss in New York. He does just about anything and everything from keeping the movie stars out of trouble to changing plot points in troubled productions. He is also being courted by a corporate headhunter trying to fill a top slot at Lockheed. The film is packed with a crazy collection of characters including George Clooney, Channing Tatum, and Scarlett Johansson as three movie stars playing movie stars. My guess is they are playing Victor Mature types, Gene Kelly types, and Esther Williams types. Then there is this other fella that’s kind of, sort of playing a Roy Rogers type (Alden Ehrenreich, who steals every scene he’s in).
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 6th, 2016
"My father told me about these men, about their natures. All I knew were the stories I was told of monsters and the valiant men sworn to slay them. I fear the stories I've heard may have been clouded, the truth more than clouded. It would seem these monsters are men, sons, brothers, fathers. And it would seem these men face their own monsters..."
Move over, Captain Jack Sparrow. There are some new pirates on the block, and they sail into our living rooms on a regular basis in the Starz sophomore series Black Sails. The high seas adventure series combines historical people and places with the fictional characters of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic Treasure Island. I am a little disturbed that Stevenson gets no mention in the credits for having created many of these characters. What's up with that, Starz? Likely the material is in public domain, but credit where credit's due, yes?
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on February 5th, 2016
“Our final fight didn’t go as planned. But one thing was clear…this would be the bloodiest battle yet.”
TNT's post-apocalyptic, alien invasion war drama has never been short on casualties. So hearing that the last episodes in the show's run would result in even more losses — human and otherwise — wasn't exactly a shock. Following a fairly ludicrous cliffhanger, the final season starts off quite promisingly before falling back on some bad habits. Unfortunately, it all culminates with a semi-disastrous series finale.
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