Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on February 4th, 2016
- “Justice is not about popularity…”
- “…but politics is.”
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews 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 for the sake of telling a good story. It’s one of those things that when you see “Based on true events” or “Inspired by true events”; is there a difference, and does it even matter? Well, if you are watching The Lizzie Borden Chronicles, accept the fact that though the character and her sister are very real, this is hardly biographical, but instead a fun game of “what if” that the creators have done with Lizzie Borden. And it’s a wild eight-episode ride that they have set the viewers on.
In Fall River, Massachusetts, it’s 1893, and it has been four months since Lizzie Borden (Christina Ricci) has been acquitted for the murder of her father and stepmother. Since the trial, Lizzie and her sister, Emma (Clea DuVall) have struggled to restore a life of normalcy and keep their violent past behind them.
Posted in: Tribute by Gino Sassani on February 3rd, 2016
“Can you get me off the hook? For old times’ sake?”
But it was we who were on Abe Vigoda’s hook. He might have been a character named Fish, but he had us hook, line, and sinker. Godfather fans knew him as the dangerous Sal Tessio. To the Barney Miller faithful he was Detective Fish, who eventually moved to his own spinoff. Certainly, he had many more memorable characters over his nearly 70-year career, but these will likely remain his legacy. He was a reliable character actor on shows like The Rockford Files, Mannix, Hawaii Five-0, Cannon, Dark Shadows, Kojak, MacGyver, Law & Order, and even the voice of a mobster in a Batman animated feature. Last week we lost Abe. He was 94 years old. Fortunately, we’ll never lose Tessio and Fish.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 3rd, 2016
“Magic Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?”
Years ago a news magazine, I don’t remember which, conducted a survey. They discovered that more adults knew the names of the Seven Dwarfs than could name seven figures in the federal government, including President, Vice-President, Senate, House of Representatives, and the Supreme Court. They say our educations begin very young. Well, since 1938 our youths have been entertained by Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Dan Holland on February 3rd, 2016
I’ve never been too big a fan of romantic comedies. They are often too quirky for their own good, and they follow a typically cliché story arch. I do not even enjoy rom-coms from famed comedic directors such as David Wain. Although certain directors do attempt to break the mold, it’s as if the genre is nothing more than a memory foam mattress: you will always fall into place, because it is the most comfortable. That being said, when watching a made-for-TV rom-com such as For Better or for Worse, one can assume there will not be much breaking of the genre conventions.
For Better or for Worse tells the story of esteemed wedding planner Wendy (Lisa Whelchel), whose life is turned upside down when her son returns home after quitting law school, and a divorce attorney (Antonio Cupo) moves into the office next to hers on the same day. To make matters worse, her son has brought home a new vegan fiancée who has “changed his ways,” and surprise, her dad is the hot new divorce attorney on the block. When her business partner (Kim Fields) can only offer so much advice, she makes an unlikely team with the divorce attorney in order to collectively ruin their children’s plan for marriage.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 2nd, 2016
"This bird you'll never change."
That seems to be the case with the Southern Rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. Few bands have experienced the level of tragedy this one has. It's somewhat of a miracle that any version of the band would still be standing. But they are thriving and doing their best to keep their particular sound alive. And what better place to demonstrate that nearly 50 years after they were formed than back home in Jacksonville, Florida where the band's original members were formed. (No, they didn't come from Alabama.)
Posted in: Contests, Tuesday Round Up by J C on February 2nd, 2016
Happy, Grumpy, Sleepy, and Dopey…these are just a few of the words I would use to describe my mood over the last couple of months as I bought and moved into my first house. More importantly — and much more famously — those are, of course, a few of the iconic title characters in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which gets a shiny new “Signature Collection” Blu-ray from Disney this week. Cinedigm boards Noah’s Ark, regales us with Extraordinary Tales, and visits Meadowland. Hallmark accepts us For Better or For Worse, and hounds My Boyfriends’ Dogs. HBO comes to the rescue with Show Me a Hero, while Warner Bros. reintroduces us to The Man From U.N.C.L.E.: Season 2 and goes out of this world with Falling Skies: Season 5.
Dreamworks crosses a Bridge of Spies, and Entertainment One pulls an all-nighter with From Dusk Till Dawn: Season 2. Lionsgate charts the Rise of the Krays, battles in a Fight to the Finish, advocates in Freeheld, and breaks the curse of The Last Witch Hunter. Sony cuts to the chase with The Lizzie Borden Chronicles, while RLJ Entertainment celebrates All Hallows’ Eve 2, and lays eyes on The Sin Seer.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 1st, 2016
Steven Spielberg. Tom Hanks. The Coen Brothers. 1957. The Cold War. Mark Rylance. There are a lot of elements to the stew that is Bridge of Spies. Let's start with the most important ingredient. Steven Spielberg has been a household name for decades now as the most reliable producer/director of movie entertainment we may have ever seen. His name is so synonymous with big-screen entertainment that he needs no introduction from me. But he has been trying to get away from pure entertainment for a long while now, often with great success. In more than one interview, Spielberg has said he wants to get away from the really big movies he's famous for and do mostly historical dramas. Not that many of them haven't been really successful, but the two big ones are Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan. Both those had undeniable impact, enormous emotional heft, and were hugely successful. Lincoln from 2012 was maybe Spielberg's most satisfying attempt at recreating history. Now we have Bridge Of Spies.
The Cold War drama has a different feel. It is full of details of the time period and subtle shadings of emotions with an overriding sense of lightness to what could have been a heavy-handed look at a very black-and-white era.
Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on February 1st, 2016
"Never underestimate the impact of dramatic entrance!"
It's hard to maintain the attention of the 21st-century child. Animated movies have to combine enough elements of charm and action to keep their attention for a little under two hours. If you want to keep a franchise going, you have to rip out your sequels in reasonably tight schedules. It's been over four years since Kung Fu Panda 2, and we waited nearly that long between the first and second entry. That's a long time in a culture where we move from fad to fad almost by the hour. But if the films are good enough and leave enough of an impact, you might be able to bridge those years successfully. In 3-4 years you're almost targeting a new generation of your target audience. Kung Fu Panda 3 appears to have found the secret of that kind of franchise longevity.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on February 1st, 2016
With a few slight changes and additions, Sin Seer could have been quite something. As is, it is far from the worst film that I have ever seen, but there were a few areas that upon examination did not make much sense, such as in what world would we ever allow a convicted felon to carry a weapon? There are a few other things; however, I will let you marinate on that question, as it is one that plagued me for much of the movie’s duration. Our story opens up at a prison; convicted felon Grant Summit (Isaiah Washington) is released after serving an undetermined amount of time for the death of at least three people. OK, let’s just pause there. Let that sink in, he killed at least three people, and he is being released while he is still young enough not to require a breathing apparatus to survive. In the film’s defense, the circumstances of the crime are bit muddled, and he was outnumbered. Unpause; after his release he finds work with Rose Ricard (Lisa Arrindell Anderson), a part-time consultant of the police department. Rose is gifted; however, the nature of her gift is not very clear in the beginning. Based on my assessment, Rose is uniquely attuned to the sins of other people. She uses this ability to assist the police as well as earn a living for herself. As you can imagine, her probing into the private matters of others has the capacity to put her in danger; enter Grant. He serves as her protector from those who would do her harm. However, he may not be enough given her new case.
Rose is hired by the wife of a boxer who has been missing for six months. As the two dig deeper into the case, it becomes evident that the once-believed-wholesome boxer had a darker side and was caught up in a conspiracy that will have the pair unsure who they trust, or if they can even trust each other.








