Posted in: Contests, Tuesday Round Up by J C on January 12th, 2016
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead. In 2016, that last sentence sounds like a spoiler-phobe’s worst nightmare. Fortunately, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is actually the title of Tom Stoppard’s existential, “sideways Shakespeare” comedy, which gets a 25th anniversary Blu-ray release this week courtesy of RLJ Entertainment. Speaking of RLJ, they’ll also be administering our Painkillers. (You can already check out our chat with star Colm Feore.) Hallmark pledges All of My Heart and nods to So You Said Yes. Finally, Shout! Factory scores a 10 with the Bo Derek double feature Bolero/Ghosts Can’t Do It.
We still want to give you more free stuff. 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: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 12th, 2016
"Millions of people around the world believe we have been visited in the past by extraterrestrial beings. What if it were true? Did ancient aliens really help to shape our history? And if so, what if there were clues left behind, something hiding in plain sight? What if we could find that evidence?"
Ever since Eric von Daniken released his speculative book and its subsequent 1970 film Chariots of the Gods, there has been an entire field of study created around something commonly called Ancient Astronaut Theory, the idea is that extraterrestrials have visited many of our ancient civilizations. The theory continues that these visitors had a hand in shaping our development, whether it be through technology or even manipulation of our very DNA. These believers point to a world of evidence to support their claims. There are tons of images from earlier civilizations that could certainly be interpreted as depicting modern devices, concepts, or even spacemen. There is plenty of speculation that some of the knowledge and accomplishments of these peoples could not have been possible without some outside interference. There are even those who believe that aliens best explain our religious beliefs and that God himself was/is an extraterrestrial being. Whatever your own beliefs on the subject, there are certainly some fascinating points to be made. There is no question that the speculations and observations bring up some interesting queries that deserve our attention. This series attempts to document much of this evidence and the beliefs these findings have inspired.
Posted in: Podcasts by Gino Sassani on January 11th, 2016
Painkillers is the new fantasy/thriller out from RLJ Entertainment. Colm Feore stars as Dr. Troutman who is running a top secret operation that involves special ops specialists in Afghanistan a new brain drug and a secret artifact. This one will play with your head and I got to get inside the head of star Colm Feore last week. We talked about the film and his take on the character. I remember him best from HBO's Gary Sinese film Truman. We talked a little about that film, as well. It was a great conversation, to be sure. Bang it here to listen in on my chat with Colm Feore.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 10th, 2016
Popular opinion and so-called critical opinion often seem to careen off cliffs like lemmings in increasingly unpredictable ways guided by whims and subtle shifts in the proverbial winds. I find myself shocked by things praised and things condemned. Sometimes I feel like a little boy who sees a naked emperor while everyone else is shrieking how much they love the new elegant ensemble. In this case, I'm seeing a lovely presentation while there are many who are whining. Part of the problem is that Season 2 of True Detective is considerably distinct from Season 1. The nature of the series is that each season is a complete reboot with a new cast and location. American Horror Story also changes locations and characters but tends to recycle actors. True Detective made a determined attempt to change everything. The one thing it retained is the brooding, noir roots.
Vince Vaughn was fantastic, and that's not something I've said in a long time. He was a trim and towering figure (also something that couldn't be said for a long time). Vaughn's complex, sharp, troubled, and intimidating Frank Semyon was the edgy focus of the series. He was not the detective. There were not two this time, but three.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 10th, 2016
"Four weeks ago, an invisible dome crashed down on Chester's Mill, cutting us off from the rest of the world. The dome has tested our limits, forcing each of us to confront our own personal demons... rage... grief... fear. Now, in order to survive, we must battle our most dangerous adversary... the enemy within."
Under The Dome began life as a Stephen King novel. The basic idea was that a mysterious clear dome isolates the town of Chester's Mills from the rest of the world. Of course, the story was populated with King's trademark characters that represent his own special version of Americana. That's the kind of thing that likely makes his work best suited for a television series rather than a film. And when Under The Dome started 3 years ago it had the kind of promise that King's work often offers. Stephen King himself came onboard as a writer and producer along with the likes of Steven Spielberg. The first season lived up to most of that hope. By the third season King had pretty much stepped away and the story took some rather odd turns. It's little surprise that the dome came crashing down for good with the end of season three.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 9th, 2016
"I'm under some medication for a medical condition so I may not be seeing this correctly. But I'm pretty sure I might be seeing some of your students possibly eating Mr. Peterson. Again it could be the medication."
Cooties starts out with the grossest sequence in the entire film. You might not want to start this film if you're eating, particularly if you're eating chicken nuggets. Ben Franklin once warned us that there were two things one should never see made: laws and sausages. He might just as well have been talking chicken nuggets. The opening sequence delivers the nuggets-making process from the clucking chicken through processing right to the plate of a young third-grade girl at Fort Chicken Elementary School. Unfortunately, these nuggets have their own secret recipe, and it's not 11 herbs and spices. But it will make for an interesting day at Fort Chicken Elementary.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 8th, 2016
"The techniques change, the victims change but it's still a question, "How do these things happen? How are they institutionalized?"
“I was just following orders.” It was the plea heard by too many of the Nazi war criminals during their trials following World War II. It wasn't enough to spare them the consequences of their actions, of course. Six million people were exterminated, experimented on, or tortured. The excuse just didn't hold water. But was it at all valid? Could an otherwise "good" person be turned into something evil just because someone in authority told them to do it? Just how far would an average human being go toward hurting another person whom they have no provocation to hurt just because they are told to do so? These are the questions that Professor Stanley Milgram set out to answer in his controversial study in the 1960's. The debate in the world of psychology and sociology continues to this day. Every psychology class likely includes footage from the study. The methodology and results are required study in most sociology classes. This is the subject of the Magnolia Blu-ray release Experimenter.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on January 8th, 2016
Battle for Skyark is a hero’s journey tale without question, as the main character finds himself thrust into the said role of protecting a ragtag group of kids from perceived monsters. Sounds like a lot of responsibility for a kid, if you ask me. The type of thing that sends a person into a dark corner and makes them ball up in the fetal position. You don’t get that, exactly, but you get something similar. Rags witnesses the murders of his father and faces his exile from Skyark, the city created above the Earth following an invasion by an alien race. Upon his arrival on the abandoned planet, he finds himself thrown into the role of savior due to a prophecy which states that the boy who bears thirteen shadows (cuts on the arm sustained during the expulsion process) will lead a group of resistance fighters and take control of Skyark. If that is not enough, he has the more pressing issue of protecting the group from the infestation of parasitic aliens which have turned their human hosts into cannibals.
At first enjoying the attention that comes with being “The Thirteen,” the novelty of the position quickly wears off during the first of attack of the labeled “Monsters.” With no battle experience and never having to defend himself, Rags believes that it is all a mistake and he is not who the group believes him to be. As the obstacles continue and with lives being in his hands, Rags will have to find the strength to be become the person that he is destined to be.
Posted in: The Reel World by Archive Authors on January 8th, 2016
America was once a primitive expanse where only very small groups of hardy hopefuls ever tried to venture across. It was a vast and endless wilderness that was mostly a mystery. This was the land of roving Indian tribes and undiscovered species of animals. This was a land of all kinds of danger. Life was one long hunt and endless battle against every kind of predator and natural enemy. There are so many remarkable moments in The Revenant that I will start with the bear attack. It is an unbelievably harrowing event that cannot be described in words that will in any way convey what you see on the screen. That one sequence alone is worth the price of admission. The story is based on a true life pioneer and fur trapper, Hugh Glass, who Leonardo DiCaprio plays in the film. The bear attack that is central to the film is believed to have occurred to the real Hugh Glass. It is not just the bear attack that is brutal and shocking, but the ordeal of the entire film. It is unlikely that any film you have ever seen about early America has so completely depicted the relentless savagery of survival. The events that surround Glass are the stuff of legend in which various embellishments and conjectures were made over the years, muddying whatever truth might be found.
Director Alejandro González Iñárritu (Birdman) immersed himself in the story and fashioned his own version of events. This story is about endurance taken to the limits of the imagination. It should be noted that the film has become legendary itself with tales of abuse of the actors and crew. It is widely acknowledged that DiCaprio might have endured the greatest hardships personally and willingly, including sleeping in a dead bear carcass. The film is over two and a half hours of hardy men in the wilderness, which then focuses on Glass surviving alone with massive wounds and broken limbs. The film becomes a revenge film that outstrips the intensity of all previous revenge films. It probably takes that intensity to extremes that most people cannot even endure watching. This is aided by the amazing and singular cinematography of Iñárritu’s long-time collaborator, Emmanuel Lubezki. It is entirely possible that Lubezki will win his third straight Oscar following Birdman and Gravity. The depiction of every sequence which includes numerous battle scenes is unlike any other. It has a flowing handheld immediacy while rivaling the look of the most ravishing IMAX presentations. Many long, protracted fights are depicted in long orchestrated takes. The cinematography alone distinguishes the film, but that is only one element of the collaboration that Iñárritu achieved. It is widely believed that DiCaprio will finally get his Oscar for this. He deserves it. I don’t know how he is as a person. I hear he is something of a party boy, but when he works, he has few rivals in going to any lengths and enduring any hardships to achieve the ultimate. At times he shows almost too much range.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on January 8th, 2016
“I just have this sick feeling that something awful is going to happen.”
I pride myself on being able to keep a reasonably open mind when I pick up a new title to review. But sometimes I can’t help but judge a crappy movie book by its cover. That was actually the case with Kill Game, featuring an androgynous Michael Myers-lookalike brandishing a bloody knife on its cover. I was fully prepared to roll my eyes through this movie, which also nods to Saw, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and The Big Chill (a little). Much to my surprise, I found myself kinda-sorta getting into this twisty, nasty, low-budget slasher.
On The Web
Sponsors
