Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 13th, 2016
"You have got a tricky day ahead of you."
It's safe to say that Daniel Craig peaked as James Bond with Skyfall. Sam Mendes was the man who figured out how to make Craig work in the part. The secret wasn't in the classic images of Bond's past, but in the future. Instead of trying to mold Craig into Bond, Mendes molded Bond into Craig. It was the right thing to do as long as Daniel Craig was going to continue in the role. With Mendes repeating as director and John Logan from Gladiator and Penny Dreadful fame handling the script, expectations were through the roof for this one.
Posted in: The Reel World by J C on February 12th, 2016
“Hi...it's been a long time.”
If Project Runway has taught us anything, it's that “in fashion, one day you're in and the next day you're out.” To a lesser extent, that adage can also be applied to comedy stars, since audience's tastes seem to shift almost as often as style trends. (There was a point in time when Pauly Shore was a movie star...that really happened!) As a result, any sequel to 2001's Zoolander — Ben Stiller's really, really, really, ridiculously good looking absurd fashion satire —had the odds stacked against it.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 12th, 2016
"Most women like a man with a bad reputation. Mind you, I'm not really bad. It's just I'm not troubled by my wicked thoughts. In fact I rather enjoy them. It's all perfectly natural. Man may have evolved from the trees, but his eyes still swing from limb to limb."
Years before he became the iconic suave British secret agent with the license to kill, Roger Moore might just have put himself in the running through his six-year run on British television’s The Saint. The show was part of the British Invasion of spy shows that came close on the heels of the first James Bond film Dr. No. Moore played Simon Templar, known throughout the globe as The Saint.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on February 11th, 2016
When it comes to British gangster films (or just about any gangster film), you pretty much know what you are getting into: a lot of tough-guy moments filled with violence and characters living their life of excess. To be honest, going into the film all I knew about the Kray brothers is that they were gangsters in the UK back in the 60’s, and I was pretty sure there was a Charlie Sheen film at one point about them. With a big-budget American release Legendary, which is also about the Kray brothers, you would hope that the UK version would be able to hold its own and knock this one out of the park.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Dan Holland on February 11th, 2016
"Ah, the holidays. The most wonderful time of the year. And so begins my tale..."
Love the Coopers seems to be a holiday title that arrived a little later than expected at the Upcoming Discs hub. Within the first five to ten minutes, you come to realize that it is a family-oriented holiday film with a rather impressive A-list cast, consisting of Steve Martin, John Goodman, Diane Keaton, Alan Arkin, Ed Helms, and Olivia Wilde. If you aren’t already a fan of any of these actors and actresses, the film’s story is endearing, as are most holiday films. However, what sets this film apart from other holiday titles (for me, anyway) is the hauntingly accurate idea of a “family” being a bleak entity, as well as atmosphere, that we all must learn to love in our own ways.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on February 11th, 2016
A detective appears to be trapped between heaven and hell in Convergence, which is not all that different from the way I felt watching this supernatural thriller. On one hand, I was impressed by some of the mood and unsettling imagery established by writer/director Drew Hall; the film is mostly set in an abandoned hospital, which inspires even more dread than spending time in a fully functional one. Then again, there are also a lot of nonsense characters and story elements here that don't get a satisfying payoff, making Convergence an occasionally confounding and hellacious slog.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 11th, 2016
"And then there's Maude."
In football there's always a lot of talk about coaching trees. You know the idea. Some great mastermind who saw his assistants go on to have success of their own and who passed that lucky charm down to others for, perhaps, generations. All In The Family would be the television equivalent to a coach with a long tree. There were an incredible number of spinoffs that lead to other spinoffs. Archie's neighbors The Jeffersons moved on up to the East Side and had their own several years of success.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 9th, 2016
Say Uncle. That’s U.N.C.L.E., otherwise known as the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement. Starting in 1964, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. was one of a flurry of shows to take advantage of the new James Bond craze. It featured many of the same elements as the super-spy films. You had sophisticated spies in tuxedos. There were plenty of gadgets. And there were constant threats of world domination, mostly from the evil counter organization, THRUSH. The two top spies for the good guys were Napoleon Solo (Vaughn) and Illya Kuryakin (McCallum). The Bond references were never subtle and always intentional. Ian Fleming himself consulted on the show and named Napoleon Solo after a Bond character. Together Solo and Kuryakin would travel around the globe, saving the world from almost certain doom.
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.
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.)
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