Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on January 16th, 2016
"Welcome to Benghazi."
It shouldn't matter what your politics might be. The events in Benghazi on September 11th, 2012 bring up some very important questions. Contrary to one 2016 presidential hopeful's declaration, it does make a difference. It did to the people who were there. It does for the families of the four who lost their lives. And it should make a difference to you. With such a political hotbed issue, you'll find that 13 Hours goes out of its way to avoid the political questions. Some might view this as an oversight, but I think it gives the film a greater sense of credibility and makes its impact on the audience to fill in their own political blanks.
Posted in: Tribute by J C on January 14th, 2016
- “After all your posturing, all your little speeches, you're nothing but a common thief.”
- “I am an exceptional thief…”
The above exchange occurs in Die Hard, which (in addition to being the gold standard for modern action movies) marked the film debut of Alan Rickman. The beloved, commanding actor — who died of cancer Thursday at age 69 — had already distinguished himself as a superstar of the British theatre world. But it was with his iconic performance as Bill Clay Hans Gruber that Rickman stole his way into the hearts of moviegoers worldwide.
It would’ve been all too easy for Rickman to settle into a career playing haughty villains, thanks to his velvety baritone (the Voice of God!) and clipped diction. (And he did portray his share of baddies in films like Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and Sweeney Todd.) Fortunately for us, his immense charisma and magnetism simply made that impossible. As a result, Rickman also excelled at comedy (Dogma, Galaxy Quest), romance (Truly Madly Deeply, Sense and Sensibility), and everything in between (Love Actually). It’s no accident that the actor’s best-known, big-screen work — playing the enigmatic Professor Severus Snape in eight Harry Potter movies — contains dashes of humor, villainy and pathos. You often hear about characters that audiences “love to hate.” In Rickman’s case, he made it practically impossible to hate him…no matter how “bad” he was.
We’ve actually had the pleasure of reviewing some of Rickman’s work here at UpcomingDiscs. Join us for a quick trip through our archives.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on January 13th, 2016
In 2012 Sinister had its release and horror fans seemed to be divided on the film. For me, I dug the mythology of Bughuul, an evil spirit who appears in 8mm family films that seem to always end in some new gruesome way. He’s a character the horror genre needs, as I see him as a silent hybrid of Jigsaw (from the Saw franchise) and Freddy Krueger (from the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise), where he’s a killer who gives us unique kills in some unsettling locations. Now with the release of Sinister 2, do the filmmakers step up their game and deliver us more from the possible new icon of horror? Sort of; just not how I would have expected it.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Dan Holland on January 13th, 2016
The tale of Little Red Riding Hood, like many other children’s stories, is so well known and influential that it has been reimagined time and time again. In fact, one of my favorite short stories, The Company of Wolves, is a loose adaptation of the aforementioned tale. While I can’t call Little Dead Rotting Hood a favorite, I really appreciate how they were able to create a unique story while implicitly maintaining key elements of the original tale. More often than not the important visuals and motifs are present. Unfortunately, the pacing of the events is a little slow and really makes the film feel empty.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on January 13th, 2016
Any time I get a double feature, the first thing that comes to mind is that these two movies don't know it, but they are now in competition with one another in my eyes. It was that way for Grindhouse as well as originals subsequent sequels. This time was no different in my eyes, and after screening both features there is a clear victor. Which one, you ask? Well, I'm not telling at this moment. (Don't worry, I will, but I can't just give it up that easy, because if I do, what assurance do I have that you will watch both films?) However, I'm sure my preference will become quite clear once you start reading.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on January 13th, 2016
Yak: The Giant King is a 2012 animated offering from Thailand. It is based on Ramakien, the country’s version of a famous Hindu epic poem. Neither of those facts is readily apparent in the packaging and presentation of The Giant King, an American adaptation that was recently released on DVD. On the one hand, it helps explain why the dialogue here hardly ever matches the characters’ lip movements. But knowing that this crude, chintzy offering is actually based on something rather substantial makes it even more of a letdown.
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.
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.
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