Posted in: The Reel World by Archive Authors on November 7th, 2015
It is widely believed that the early 70’s was a great renaissance for American film. Part of the reason for this is that society was in upheaval, and the studios had lost their way trying to understand the American public. Young filmmakers were allowed to come in and do what ever they wanted. Sometimes it worked. Sometimes it didn't, but there was real freedom in the anarchy of the times. Then movies like Jaws and Star Wars changed the industry again, and the money managers were back in control. Today, the studios run things based on formulas and templates. There are still interesting independent films being made, but they are strictly treated as fringe dwellers.
I Smile Back is a throwback to an old style 70’s classic drama in all its raw power. There are lots of interesting things to say about what's happening here, but the big focus is the startling and attention-getting performance by Sarah Silverman. Silverman is well known as a comedian, and through that medium it was always obvious that she was bashing against the limits of what was acceptable and expected. Her subject matter was confrontation and abrasion, which she subverted through her charming good looks. It was always obvious she needed to branch out and explore beyond the somewhat limited confines of comedy. In I Smile Back, she has succeeded in an astonishing and spectacular fashion, but I really don't want to focus only on Silverman's performance. Everything she is doing is completely in sync with the style of the movie and the story that is being told. It is a harsh and raw exploration in every way. It is the story of a suburban Westchester housewife but without any Hollywood phoniness in its depiction. Music is used very sparingly. Scenes are constructed around awkward moments. All the cliche elements that we have seen in this type of movie have been stripped away. The connection to many 70’s movies is an unpolished feel we just don't see much anymore.
Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on November 6th, 2015
"You have got a tricky day ahead of you."
And this is going to be one tricky film to review. 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. That is before Craig himself toured the interview circuit complaining about playing James Bond. I believe there was a reference to a hot poker in the eye being preferable to reprising the role again. Now I've seen Spectre twice, and I don't believe Daniel Craig has anything to worry about. I suspect the next film will sport a brand new James Bond. And indeed, I think this film proves it's time for a change. Let the speculation games begin.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on November 6th, 2015
“Argument is sugar, and the rest of us are flies.”
By now, we've grown numb to the fact that there are simply too many TV channels to count. So it's not surprising that many of them have to take increasingly extreme measures to get our attention. Unfortunately, that line of thinking has extended to television news, which began trending toward sensationalism — and away from reasonable discourse — a long time ago. However, the idea that noise and conflict attracted eyeballs wasn't the status quo during the late 1960s, when viewers had only three channels to choose from. Best of Enemies tells the story of how two towering intellectuals (and one desperate network) helped alter the TV landscape forever.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on November 6th, 2015
For me Haven has always been a quiet-storm series. It was a show that I had heard nothing about when I first started watching, but when I got started, I found it compelling. It’s a mystery series (or at least it used to be) based off a novella from Stephen King. In the beginning, one question was paramount to the series’ lead character: who is the Colorado King? That question took many seasons to answer, but now that the show’s time is limited due to Syfy announcing its decision to cancel the series, with the final episodes to air later this year, another question has arisen as the paramount question: who is Audrey Parker?
Brief recap: Audrey last season for the good of the town went into the barn in order to stop the Troubles, the generational affliction that grants the residents of Haven equally extraordinary and chaotic abilities. Nathan does everything in his power to stop her but ultimately fails, but despite Audrey’s sacrifice the Troubles do not go away, and a destructive meteor shower threatens to destroy the town. Concluding that they need Audrey in order to stop the chaos, they open a portal between worlds with the help of two new faces, Jenny and William. However, William turns out not to be what he represents himself to be and is soon revealed to be one of the original architects of the Troubles. As he continues to bestow dangerous and uncontrollable new Troubles on the masses , he also reveals that the reason that Audrey also returns to Haven to help the Trouble is a punishment because as her original self, Mara, she is the other architect of the Troubles. Eventually, William is captured and thrown into an abyss, but before being thrown he manages to bring back Mara.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 5th, 2015
"Be grateful for your gifts. They are all around you."
This is the gift that has been giving for 20 years. It's a bit hard to believe that it was all the way back in 1996 that we had our first adventure with Pixar's imaginative Toy Story. Since that time we've had two solid theatrical sequels and now a second television/video short. It's a bridge to the fourth theatrical film on its way. But that's still a couple of years down the road, so it's rather nice to be able to spend some time, no matter how brief, with the gang we fell in love with nearly 20 years ago. The Toy Story That Time Forgot is just that warm reunion we needed. It'd intended as a Christmas special, and it just may make those new Christmas tree lights shine a little brighter this season.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Dan Holland on November 4th, 2015
“Seriously, how cliché is this?”
Misunderstood loner: check. Bullies: check. Isolated “camp”: check. Vengeful spirit: check. Looks like we got ourselves a horror movie! Every fan of horror has seen at least some combination of those themes in a film at least once. Now here they are, wrapped up an impressively cohesive package. Although this film thrived on its use of clichés, it made conscious efforts to incorporate a lot of original ideas. Between the clichés that I am tired of and the original ideas that just didn’t work very well (for me), the film finds a balance that makes it enjoyable.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Archive Authors on November 3rd, 2015
Dustin P. Anderson
Our story follows Kitch, one of only a few survivors from a deadly outbreak that has devastated much of the world. Kitch makes his living by taking down drones and stripping them for parts. The most valued part is Arcanum pellets, which have taken over as currency in this bleak future. One day, after trying to sell some Arcanum pellets to reclaim a camera that was stolen from him, he meets a drone marked with DR1 . Kitch thinks that this drone will lead him to his father, who was last seen trying to find a cure for the plague that ravaged the world. On his travels to find his father, he is joined by the niece of a gangster who is hunting them. The two search for Kitch’s dad together while trying to avoid her uncle and protecting DR1.
Posted in: Contests, Tuesday Round Up by J C on November 3rd, 2015
Avast ye mateys! We’re stepping out of the UpcomingDiscs ranch and testing our sea legs with Anchor Bay’s Black Sails: Season 2. Magnolia Home Entertainment lets us tour Tiger House and debates the Best of Enemies. Paramount is feeling Moody with Californication: The Complete Series, while Cinedigm earns its wings with Paper Angels and samples The Nutcracker Sweet. XLrator is on the verge of Breaking Through, IndiePix gathers up the Crumbs, and HBO nurses Getting On: Season 2 back to full strength. Image Entertainment has Uncanny timing with this week’s releases: we already have an interview with Some Kind of Hate star Ronen Rubinstein available for your listening pleasure. And Holy Happy Ending, loyal readers! Our last title is Batman: Season 3.
Most importantly, we get to crown our first Tuesday Round DVD contest winner. Congratulations to Jim Gardner, who won the 8(!)-disc Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts: Stingers and Zingers set.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Archive Authors on November 3rd, 2015
“Sometimes it’s better not to touch your dreams, take it from someone who knows.”
In the first season of Showtime’s Californication, we were introduced to David Duchovny’s character, bitter yet upbeat writer Hank Moody. Hank, after moving to Los Angeles on the heels of his first novel – a critical darling entitled “God Hates Us All” – has recently lost his long-time love and, by extension, his daughter, to a straight-arrow bore who makes his girlfriend Karen (Natascha McElhone) feel safe.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on November 3rd, 2015
There are no tigers — or any other large cats — to be found in Tiger House. The closest we get is a rather hefty guard dog whose screen time is tragically cut short. (Figured I’d give the animal lovers out there a fair warning.) Instead, the only prowling we see in this low-budget home invasion thriller comes from the violent gang of thieves who bust into a suburban home and hold the unsuspecting family inside hostage. Unfortunately for the crooks, there’s already an uninvited visitor in the house.
That visitor is Kelly (Kaya Scodelario), who has snuck over to see her grounded boyfriend Mark (Daniel Boyd). The movie opens with a flashback to the crossbow-related accident between the young couple that ruined Kelly’s aspirations of becoming a gymnast. Now Mark’s mom Lynn (Julie Summers) considers down-on-her-luck Kelly to be a bad influence on her straight-arrow son, which explains all the sneaking around. Meanwhile, Mark’s stepdad Doug (Andrew Brent) is some sort of financial bigwig, which makes him an attractive target for the group of crooks looking to rob a bank.
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