Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on August 4th, 2015
“Who would ever suspect a kid?” When I glanced at the Blu-ray cover for Barely Lethal — with its groan-worthy pun of a title, girl power, and generous splashes of hot pink — I didn’t really expect it to be my thing. (Ok, fine…groan-worthy puns are *totally* my thing.) So while I may not be […]
Posted in The Reel World by Brent Lorentson on February 7th, 2015
Riding on the coattails of the success of the The Lord of the Rings films and The Hobbit, studios have attempted to cash in on the revived interest in fantasy films. There have been many flops along the way; Game of Thrones seems to be the only series that has managed to not only be […]
Posted in No Huddle by John Delia on October 30th, 2014
Well-acted and directed, a surprisingly good action flick Plastic has hit the home video market on DVD. The movie offers its own interpretation of a several million dollar diamond heist that actually took place by a group of men in 1997. The original robbery spanned from Manchester, England to Los Angeles, CA and involving the […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 18th, 2014
“Oh boy, zombie apocalypse!” No, it’s just South Park. But it has invaded pop culture as much as zombies have over its amazing 18-year run. Trey Parker and Matt Stone have been walking a tightrope for over 18 years now, and it just doesn’t get old. One of the reasons the show doesn’t grow stale […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on August 7th, 2014
In the wake of the success of Game of Thrones, many companies are trying to ride on that bandwagon and produce films that will hopefully capture the same audience. Unfortunately, it would seem so few come close to capturing the magic that the HBO series brings to the small screen. To be upfront, I haven’t […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on June 5th, 2014
“Our planet, our war.” Those four words neatly summarize the overriding theme for the third season of Falling Skies, TNT’s earnest alien invasion drama. While the show still takes its broad thematic cues from the American Revolutionary War, this batch of episodes directly references some of the uneasy alliances formed during World War II. So […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on June 3rd, 2014
“I don’t know why death still surprises me.” As someone who’s seen every single episode of True Blood, I suppose nothing should surprise me by now. HBO’s vampire drama has given us more than its share of head-turning sex scenes and a hearty helping of over-the-top violence. However, the further the series ventured from Bon […]
Posted in The Reel World by Archive Authors on April 28th, 2014
They don’t make good romantic comedies anymore. The Other Woman is not a romantic comedy. It is a comedy…about three women having a romance with the same man. But the three women find out about each other and bond together in a “Sismance”. That’s not a word, and it doesn’t sound as good as bromance, […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on March 5th, 2014
There’s a pretty good, southern gothic tale buried somewhere in Wicked Blood. Unfortunately, writer/director Mark Young isn’t quite able to extract it. Instead, we get a somewhat overqualified cast acting out Young’s down-and-dirty story of meth, chess and bikers that is exactly as messy, baffling and oddly intriguing as that description makes it sound. The […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on February 4th, 2014
“I’m match for any man.” The idea that “behind every great man, there’s a great woman rolling her eyes” far predates its adoption as a feminist slogan in the middle of the previous century. The White Queen — a sumptuous, rushed combination of Game of Thrones-style high-stakes scheming and Tudors-style regal bodice ripping — uses […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on January 30th, 2014
Collision is ostensibly about a honeymooning couple who gets stranded in the desert, and how the harsh, unforgiving terrain shines a light on their many secrets. But the coolest thing about this thriller — besides the spectacularly violent car crash that sets the plot in motion and gives the film its title — is how […]
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on January 28th, 2014
“Everybody has a story to tell about their lives. My story begins the day I died.” It also seems that everybody has a tale of ancient fighters and heroes to tell. With the popularity of television shows like The Vikings and Game Of Thrones, there appears to be a considerable demand for this kind of […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 25th, 2013
Futurama was the brainchild of Simpson veterans Matt Groening and David X Cohen. With the growing popularity of their iconic cartoon, it was no surprise that Fox would tap the team to bring another show to the network. When Futurama premiered in 1999, it was a combination of The Jetsons and The Simpsons. That would […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on September 17th, 2013
Is the idea of a “low-budget epic” an oxymoron? I realize an ingenious filmmaker like Neill Blomkamp was able to make the $30 million District 9 look like it cost about five times that much, but I’m talking about really working with scraps. Heck, for $30 million, the filmmakers behind Viking drama Hammer of the […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 21st, 2013
“Everybody’s got guns.” Lately, you might have heard a lot of folks talking about getting home for a little Nucky. Well… it’s not what you think. They’re talking about Nucky Thompson, played by Steve Buscemi on HBO’s latest gangland series, Boardwalk Empire.
Posted in No Huddle by Jeremy Butler on August 21st, 2013
“Everything you’ve heard… about monsters, about nightmares, legends whispered around campfires. All the stories are true.” Has anyone notice the fire sale that has been going on among film studios and young adult novels? Since Twilight neared its end (and before), the market is has become flooded in recent years with adaptation after adaptation, and […]
Posted in No Huddle by J C on August 20th, 2013
The first season of Revenge was soapy perfection. I’m not saying it belonged alongside the great, ambitious television series of our time. But in terms of sheer entertainment value and ridiculously delicious (or is it deliciously ridiculous?) gotta-see-what-happens-next-week drama, the debut season of Revenge was as good as it gets. Unfortunately, season 2 is, by […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on August 13th, 2013
“Well, when you love someone you don’t have to be nice all the time.” In this current age of message boards and morning-after recaps, the pressure is on to make your voice the loudest if you want to be heard in the wilderness of the Internet. For snarky TV critics, that often means declaring something is […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on June 12th, 2013
“In the old days, we did the news well. You know how? We just decided to.” Sounds simple enough, so what’s keeping everyone from doing the news well? Well, other than a country that feels more politically polarized than ever and a population that mostly seems interested in cherry picking the “facts” they’d rather hear, […]
Posted in The Reel World by J C on June 7th, 2013
“Commencing at the siren, any and all crime — up to and including murder — will be legal for 12 continuous hours. Blessed be our new Founding Fathers and America, a nation reborn.” You know writer-director James DeMonaco has a killer concept on his hands because the plot for this movie is simultaneously outlandish and thought-provoking. […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on April 25th, 2012
“One must never let the public behind the scenes for they are easily disillusioned, and then they’re angry with you for it is the illusion they love.” Sure, this quote is spoken by a very minor character and awkwardly shoehorned into the story, but it still makes its point. I realize it’s almost impossible to […]
Posted in Contests by Gino Sassani on March 26th, 2012
Here’s a list of our Feb contest winners. All have been sent E-Mails. If you are listed here and did not get an E-Mail, be sure to contact us within 2 weeks. Here’s the list: Game Of Thrones on Blu-ray: John Boyer-Thompson Darkness II for the PS3: Jamie Hood Washington: The Warrior: Barry C. Lincoln: […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 20th, 2012
“As you know, in less than two hours liquor will be declared illegal by decree of the distinguished gentlemen of our nation’s Congress. To those beautiful, ignorant bastards. Rest assured that, dry though the country may be, I am in the midst of concluding arrangements that will keep Atlantic City wet…” Lately, you might have […]
Posted in No Huddle by J C on October 19th, 2017
“How many more people will you sacrifice?” When it premiered in 2013, Reign was an effective bit of counterprogramming for the CW, which continues to be ruled by superheroes, vampires, and other Supernatural beings. Even as Reign appalled historians, the series quickly established itself as a campy and compulsively watchable take on the saga of […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on January 6th, 2015
The most remarkable thing about Looking might be how thoroughly unremarkable it is. This is a double-edged sword for HBO’s dramedy, which follows the love lives of three gay friends living in modern-day San Francisco. The series sidesteps the headline-grabbing sensationalism that accompanies many other shows that prominently feature gay characters. (Looking at you, Ryan […]
