Posted in: The Reel World by J C on October 24th, 2015
“It's like five minutes before every launch, everyone goes to a bar, gets drunk, and tells me what they really think of me.”
During the final act of Steve Jobs — which is less of a biopic and more of a three-act performance piece inspired by the visionary Apple co-founder — the movie winks at its own gimmicky premise. The cheeky reference to the film's rigid, laser-focused structure is appropriate given that Jobs obsessively measured the design his own products down to the millimeter. The result is a movie that wonderfully mirrors its protagonist: Steve Jobs is enthralling, endlessly imaginative, and kind of exhausting.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Archive Authors on October 23rd, 2015
"Looks like the crazy is starting."
Actually, it started three seasons ago. The creator of Dawson’s Creek and The Vampire Diaries, Kevin Williams, delivers a thriller that is a bold new entry in the crime drama for television. The Following was 15 episodes of nail-biting bliss that kept the viewer guessing and riveted long after its gut-wrenching cliffhanger season after season. For a while I was beginning to wonder if Williamson had lost his touch with the Scream series, but what you’ll discover here is that Williamson may just be the king of creating and penning one of the darkest serial killers on the small screen.
Posted in: The Reel World by Archive Authors on October 22nd, 2015
That's Rock the Kasbah with a K. It was probably decided to do that spelling so as not to be confused with the hit song “Rock the Casbah” by the Clash when googling. The movie is about a down-on-his luck music manager who goes to Afghanistan on a U.S.O. Tour. There is a great scene early on when the aforementioned manager visits his daughter by sitting outside her window as she lectures him that there are no casbahs in Afghanistan. It's a perfect metaphor for a character who has obviously screwed up his life so much that he can't even go into his ex-wife's house. The music manager, Richie Lanz, is played by Bill Murray and may be his best comedy performance in years. Murray is famous for not having a manager, publicist, or agent, so it's funny seeing him playing a low-rent version of all three. The film was written by Mitch Glazer (Magic City) who had a big hit years earlier with Murray called Scrooged. It is directed by Barry Levinson, who had a long string of big hits in 80's and 90's like Diner, Good Morning Vietnam, Rain Man, Bugsy, Sleepers, and Wag the Dog and has gone on to producing a lot of television. Levinson's more recent films have been a bit bizarre. The Humbling (2014) with Al Pacino, What Just Happened (2008) with Robert DiNiro, Bruce Willis and Sean Penn, Man of the Year (2006) with Robin Williams, and Envy (2004) with Jack Black and Ben Stiller are all examples of ambitious projects that had tilted, offbeat sensibilities which had trouble connecting with audiences. Rock the Kasbah might seem like that kind of project as well, but it turns out that a crazy combination of elements has mixed together surprisingly well.
I say that this is Murray's best comedy performance in years, but it also might be one of his most nuanced and fully-developed as well. Murray's screen appearance have been erratic and full of variety, as if he's busy living life and movies are something that he just squeezes into his schedule. There have been a variety of types of roles from clearly dramatic like his portrayal of F.D.R. in Hyde Park on Hudson and Olive Kitteridge (for which Murray just won an Emmy) to roles in just about anything that Wes Anderson or Jim Jarmusch put out.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on October 22nd, 2015
I really hope that Tyson is getting a hefty sum for this series. It is the only justification I can come up with for him being part of a series that does not cast his intelligence in the best light. A cross between Scooby and Family Guy in my opinion, Tyson leads a cast that includes his adopted Asian daughter, a ghost (and that’s not the weirdest member), and a talking pigeon as he travels around the world solving mysteries. Yes, you read correctly, mysteries. When it comes to needing a mystery solved, Tyson is not the first name to come to mind, but I suppose that was the point.
Based on what I gathered from the first episode, former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson (voiced by the champ himself) forsakes the boxing gloves after being approached by a ghost who advises him to give up violence and dedicate himself to helping those in need. I cannot make this up. Tyson receives messages via carrier pigeons from citizens that need help solving mysteries. With the help of his adopted Asian daughter, the ghost, and an alcoholic pigeon who used to be a man but was cursed after cheating on his ex-wife who was also a witch, Tyson attempts (and I stress...he attempts) to help everyday citizens. I will allow a moment of silence to allow you to absorb everything I have just imparted to you.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Dan Holland on October 22nd, 2015
There is something to be said about cult celebrities: if you are a fan, you will watch any movie in which they have a role. In the case of 4Got10, you get Danny Trejo and Dolph Lundgren. In addition to these cult giants, you have the prolific Johnny Messner (Tears of the Sun, Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid) delivering a strong performance in the lead role. If you are a fan of action thrillers, this film is already off to a great start. A man named Brian (Messner) wakes up in the middle of the desert with no recollection of how he arrived there. Soon there after, he finds himself in a web of lies and vengeance involving a ruthless drug lord (Trejo) and a tenacious DEA agent (Lundgren). As the film progresses, Brian slowly regains his memory, revealing that things may not be as they seem.
4Got10’s strengths are in acting and the complexity of its story. Trejo playing the part of a Mexican drug lord is not uncommon, but I’d like to talk a little bit about Lundgren’s portrayal of a DEA agent. At first, I was a little skeptical of this role. Lundgren, to me, has always been the fully-armed hero of cheesy 80’s action films. To see him as a refined and collected older man was a little off-putting at first, but his demeanor eventually won me over. Johnny Messner’s portrayal of an amnesiac was quite believable, and more importantly, identifiable.
Posted in: Podcasts by Gino Sassani on October 22nd, 2015
Archstone Distribution releases Julia in theaters October 23rd. The film stars Ashley C. Williams as the title character Julia. Julia is drugged and raped. Now she's out for revenge. If you're thinking I Spit On Your Grave you need to think again. It's a character study written and directed by Matthew A. Brown. I had the opportunity to talk with Matthew about the film. He offers his own insights. It's worth having a listen. Bang it here to listen in on my chat with Matthew A. Brown.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on October 22nd, 2015
“If I didn’t have movies, life would be pretty boring.”
That statement obviously applies to those of us who spend an inordinate amount of time watching and thinking about movies. (If you’re reading this, chances are you visit this site with some regularity, so I feel good about including you in that group.) However, the notion that movies serve as a source of escape — in every sense of the word — is remarkably expressed in the captivating, stranger-than-fiction tale of the Angulo family. Unfortunately, it’s pretty apparent that The Wolfpack — a vague, shapeless documentary — doesn’t give us the full story.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Archive Authors on October 22nd, 2015
Does anyone remember The Facts of Life? The show ran from 1979 to 1988, but then there was syndication and some reunion movies. So it had a long life and was consistently popular for its predominantly female cast. Where are they now? Blair (Lisa Whelchel) did very well on the 2012 season of Survivor, for one. They were all very young when the show started but were beginning to consider college and apartments in the final years, leaving behind the safe confines that Edna Garrett (Charlotte Rae) had provided. But over the years various cast members came and went. There is a young wise guy in this season who later became a big star. No, it wasn't Leonardo DiCaprio, because that was the series Growing Pains for the 1991 and 1992 seasons. It wasn't Molly Ringwald, because that was the first two seasons of The Facts of Life. The Facts of Life Season Seven is when a young George Burnett (George Clooney) was introduced in 1985. It was one of Clooney's first regular gigs. He also a semi-regular on Rosanne a couple of years later. Tootie (Kim Fields) was another cast member who was in all 201 episodes. Kim Fields went on to star with Queen Latifah in 118 episodes of Living Single. Natalie (Mindy Cohn) was also in all the episodes. Mindy went on to voice Velma in numerous Scooby-Do cartoons. Charlotte Rae (155 episodes) and Nancy McKeon (188 episodes) were the two other main cast members and worked erratically after the show concluded.
The show started with Edna heading a boarding school for girls, but as the years passed she started a shop called Edna's Edibles with the girls helping out. Season Seven starts right after Edna's Edibles burned down, and after dealing with that very special episode, they started a gift shop full of crazy collectibles. George is the contractor they finally hire to do the renovations. George had lived in the Middle East and frequently made light-hearted jokes about his stay there. That is a sign that it took place in the 1980's. Things were different then. Everybody had big hair and strange pastel-colored clothes. The music was full of synthesizers. That makes reissues like this like time capsules. It's not just nostalgia, but an examination of our shared past. Clooney is barely recognizable with his poofy, goofy black mullet and skinny frame. Clooney's future business partner years later, Grant Heslov (Good Night and Good Luck), makes an appearance in an episode as one of Blair's dates.
Posted in: Contests, Expired Contests by Gino Sassani on October 21st, 2015
Even our buddies at History/ A&E are getting in on the 31 Nights Of Terror fright-wagon. The Curse Of Oak Island Season 2 is now out on DVD. We've got a copy of the release for one of our lucky Upcomingdiscs friends out there. Rick and Marty return to the mysterious Oak Island, and you're invited to join them. You're going to need more than a life jacket for this trip.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on October 21st, 2015
“Whatever happened to good old-fashioned, run-of-the-mill sex?”
On its surface, The Little Death looks and sounds like the glossy, crowd-pleasing romantic comedies Nora Ephron (Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve Got Mail) used to make. But it becomes apparent rather quickly that no one in this funny, insightful, uneven Australian comedy is having “run-of-the-mill sex.” The movie’s jazzy, jukebox-y score also made me occasionally think of Woody Allen films, which is fitting because Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) easily could’ve been an alternate title for The Little Death.
On The Web
Sponsors
