Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 5th, 2015
Remember when you were a kid and one of your friends would come over and ask if you could come out and play? You would head for the door with a grin from ear to ear, because you knew you were about to have a blast. You might not have had any idea what it was you were going to do. Often you made it up as you went along. It didn't matter. You just knew fun times were on the other side of your front door. That's exactly how I felt going to catch The Avengers: Age Of Ultron. It was as if Joss Whedon had come to my house and asked me to come out and play. And it wasn't just Joss. He brought a whole bunch of his cool friends, and they brought a ton of really cool toys. From that point it didn't matter so much to me what was going to happen exactly. Phasers were set to good times, and I knew I was going to have fun. Age Of Ultron did it to me just like the many Marvel films before it. I didn't want it to end. I often joke that the only thing wrong with instant gratification is that it takes too long. Now I have to wait another year before most of these characters will assemble once again in Captain America: Civil War.
The film opens with the action already flying. This time there's no time spent "getting the band back together". The Avengers are in a snowy forest where they are attacking a Hydra base. It is here that they first encounter two new enhanced humans (it is verboten to use the term mutant because of Marvel's deal with Fox). Wanda (Olsen) and Pietro (Taylor-Johnson) Maximoff are working for Hydra because they blame Tony Stark (Downey, Jr.) for the death of their parents and the destruction of their village. Pietro has super speed and is known in the comics world as Quicksilver. Wanda has crazy psychic and telekinetic powers and is known as The Scarlet Witch. She gets into Tony's head and brings him a horrible vision of a tragic future.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 4th, 2015
"Life's short and then you die. And then... then you have make some decisions. You can skulk around, lamenting all that you've lost, trying to keep yourself numb and isolated. Or you can embrace who you are."
For years I've been hearing about how "hot" vampires were on television and in the movies. It all appeared to start with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but it actually goes back a lot longer ago. Zombies, on the other hand were the sole property of feature films, usually extreme low-budget affairs. AMC's The Walking Dead has changed all of that. Suddenly zombies are very hot and populating one of the highest rated shows on television. Add a spin-off, and the domination continues. It wasn't going to take long for someone else to join the field. Enter iZombie, and we're off and running.
Posted in: The Reel World by Archive Authors on October 4th, 2015
The best way to win a war is to use the element of surprise. Another way is to be brutally and remorselessly ruthless. Neither one of these tactics are something a law enforcement agency is naturally disposed to do. Criminals will always have the upper hand, because they know the law enforcement agencies of the United States are supposed to operate within the bounds of law and rules. That dilutes the potential pool of surprise tactics and also completely limits how ruthless you can be in fighting an enemy. Anyone who knows anything about the Mexican and South American drug cartels knows there is no limit to their barbaric ruthlessness. How can you win against them? One answer appears to be to employ motivated consultants. Find people who know what the game is and know how create plausible deniability. This is not fair fight, so you can't fight fair. Put mercenaries out there to do a job, and don't ask questions about what they are doing.
Sicario is a film that bears some resemblances to the Oscar-winning film Traffic including sharing Benicio del Toro as a co-star. Sicario is far more focused on in-the-field drug battles and only peripherally deals with the politics.
Posted in: Contests, Expired Contests by Gino Sassani on October 3rd, 2015
Those fiends over at RLJ Entertainment decided to really let us have it. And now you're going to get it. You've heard of Christmas in July? Well they're giving us June in October. One lucky winner is going to get a copy of the new horror film June on DVD. She may have the face of an Angel, but it's hiding a demon deep inside. Be careful what you wish for. This one's going to give you nightmares. If you think you're up for it...well... don't say we didn't warn you.
To win a copy, just follow these simple instructions.
Posted in: Contests, Expired Contests by Gino Sassani on October 2nd, 2015
Our good buddies over at Anchor Bay have been taking care of our readers for years. They always seem to have just the right title for any occasion. We knew they weren't going to let a 31 Nights Of Terror season slip past them. They've given us a copy of Lost After Dark on Blu-ray. If you thought the 80's slasher film was dead...think again. This one will take you back to those bloody memories of days gone by.
To win a copy, just follow these simple instructions.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Archive Authors on October 2nd, 2015
by Dustin P. Anderson
Charlie Brown and his gang of friends are at it again; this time the crew must go to France for a foreign exchange program. Before his journey begins, Charlie Brown receives a strange letter from France telling him to come and stay at a Chateau. Little does Charlie Brown know, he is going to an infamous Chateau in this small French community, which is notorious for not allowing visitors. Charlie Brown and Linus sleep outside in a stable with no sign of anyone actually living at this place, but they are still provided food each morning by some unknown entity. It is up to Charlie Brown to find out who this person is, and why he has been forced into sleeping under such conditions.
Posted in: The Reel World by J C on October 2nd, 2015
In 1979, Ridley Scott taught us that in space no one can hear you scream. More than 35 years after Alien established him as a top directorial talent, Scott has slightly amended that statement to read “in space no one can hear you…blast disco music and binge watch Happy Days.” These lighthearted coping mechanisms — used here to deal with a truly horrifying and hopeless situation — are strong indicators of what you’re in for with The Martian, which is both brainier and much funnier than your average space epic.
“Mark Watney is dead.”
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Archive Authors on October 2nd, 2015
by Dustin P. Anderson
Our series follows Mikey and his friends as they thrown into the digital world while trying to save a strange creature from certain death. This creature is a Digimon that leads him to encountering a strange, intangible voice which gives him the choice of saving the hurt Digimon or walking away. Mikey chooses to save him and in turn receives something known as a Fusion Loader, and is transported into the digital world. Once there, it is revealed to Mikey that the hurt Digimon is seeking to become the ruler of the Digiverse so he can protect all of his fellow Digimon from the evil overlord, Lord Bagra, conquering lands one by one. Facing insurmountable odds, it is revealed that Mikey has one thing the evil conqueror doesn’t: his Fusion Loader. This Fusion Loader is capable of fusing together all types of Digimon to create one new, more powerful being. With the Fusion Loader in hand, and his friends by his side, Mikey sets off to right the wrongs caused by the overlord.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 1st, 2015
"My name is Ichabod Crane. In 1781 I died on the battlefield, but I was saved by a mysterious spell cast upon me by my wife Katrina. Now I've been reawakened 250 years later in a land I no longer recognize. And fate has led me to Miss Abigail Mills., a young police lieutenant. Investigating baffling mysteries, our real mission is in danger, and the apocalypse may be upon us, our destinies entwined."
Fans of the tale The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow will recall that Ichabod came to encounter the headless horseman in one of the first American horror tales ever written. Irving was a contemporary of our founding fathers, including another Washington who happened to play a big part in a little skirmish with the Brits that came to be known as the American Revolution here and the Great Colonial Rebellion over there. Thanks to the new series Sleepy Hollow, we discover that the British weren't the only ones we were fighting. It's a story of independence we hadn't heard before. It's a fresh take on an old idea that dates back to Kolchak: The Night Stalker. The second season is out on Blu-ray now, and I recommend you check it out. Just don't mix it up with that American history text. We history teachers frown on that kind of thing, you know.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Dan Holland on October 1st, 2015
Yet another film from the Sundance Film Festival has been distributed to Upcomingdiscs headquarters. Noaz Deshe’s White Shadow was nominated for the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize in the “Dramatic” category, and while it didn’t win, it is very easy to see why this film is a strong contender. The film is beautifully shot and edited, paying a lot of attention to lighting and color. White Shadow tells the story of Alias, a young albino boy living in Tanzania, who must flee his home after the murder of his father. There is a danger to all albinos in the area as a local witch doctor harvests their organs for his various potions. His mother sends him to live with her brother in the city, but Alias soon learns trouble follows him everywhere he goes.
Noaz Deshe really created a name for himself as an auteur with this film. He is credited as director, writer, cinematographer, editor, and composer. While he did work with a team of people, the quality of the film produced by a man taking on that much responsibility is commendable. Deshe is truly a passionate artist when it comes to filmmaking. That being said, the story does drag a little bit, but overall the film is such a treat for the eyes that a slow story can be overlooked.









