Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Archive Authors on September 23rd, 2015
by Dustin P. Anderson
Our story follows Luke, the son of a wildlife protection advocate, who is left to his own devices while his mother is off doing her job. During his night of freedom, Luke has a chance encounter with a mother polar bear raiding his shed. The police have been tracking this polar bear and take her away. Shortly after the polar bear is taken, Luke finds the mother polar bear’s son and starts his journey trying to get this cub home. With the help of an ex-friend of the family, MukTuk, the two try braving the harsh ice surrounding their home in order to reunite the bears at a far off retreat.
Posted in: Tuesday Round Up by J C on September 22nd, 2015
Time flies when you’re having as much fun as we are cranking out our patented TV and movie reviews for you. But it still doesn’t move quite as fast as a certain superhero making his home video debut this week. We’ll be catching you up on The Flash: Season 1 courtesy of Warner Bros., which is also right on target with Arrow: Season 3. Fox introduces us to The Last Man on Earth: Season 1, Anchor Bay travels The Red Road: Season 2, Image Entertainment embarks on The Journey Home, and Shout! Factory leaves us in charge of The Nanny: Season 4. Meanwhile, Cinedigm lives the Pop Life, Lionsgate follows the Chain of Command, and Docurama reminds us that Kindness is Contagious.
A couple of quick notes before signing off for the week. Remember that once a month we’re going to give away a free DVD title from among the comments in our weekly Round-Up posts. All you have to do is comment on a Round-Up post — like this one! — and tell us which of these titles you’re most excited to watch or read about. The winners and their prizes will be announced the first week of every month right here in our Tuesday Round-Up post. You can’t win if you don’t comment.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on September 21st, 2015
“Have courage and be kind.”
Those words — repeated many times in this newest version of Cinderella — serve as both the title character’s mantra and the film’s unofficial tagline. The message is elegant in its simplicity in a way that mirrors this refreshingly old-fashioned adaptation, which resists the prevailing urge to modernize and/or revise a classic story.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 21st, 2015
"'Tis the season for Demon Dean."
It's almost like some twisted holiday season. Each season finds the Winchester Brothers in some way divided following an apocalyptic event. The world might be saved once again, but Either Dean or Sam is in Hell or Purgatory. One might be living in an alternate reality or just in a coma. This season starts with the tradition very much alive as the Mark of Cain has finally turned Dean into a demon, albeit one who loves to do bad karaoke. His partner in crime isn't his brother Sam, but the King Of Hell himself, Crowley. What a jolly mess this has turned out to be. Now we have another full season on Blu-ray to try and work this thing out. But can Dean be returned to human form, and can the Mark of Cain be removed without... you know... starting another apocalypse? Probably not, but at least the ride ought to be a blast...sometimes literally. It's Supernatural, and it's a milestone 10th season, and it's available now.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on September 19th, 2015
“Before we start, I want you to know something...I'm not a rat.”
I could get into *a lot* of trouble if anybody found out I was talking to you. After all, there is absolutely, positively nothing worse than a rat, a point that is made crystal clear in Black Mass. But I'm putting my neck on the line here because I figured you'd want to know this fact-based crime drama marks the welcome return of Johnny Depp, who has spent the better part of the past decade in the Magic Kingdom loony wilderness.
Posted in: The Reel World by Archive Authors on September 18th, 2015
Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials causes a great deal of confusion for me. First, I have to figure out how it is different from two other YA (Young Adult) phenomenons, Divergent and The Hunger Games. It's not that it's that hard to tell the difference between them, but there are so many nagging similarities for me that watching the three series in succession would become a difficult experience. It doesn't help that Maze Runner II has so many tropes from so many different movies that it is somewhat overwhelming. More than overwhelming, it is absolutely confusing. Adding to the confusion, this new installment of Maze Runner no longer has a maze.
In the first film, our young protagonists were trapped in an isolated meadow surrounded by gigantic walls. The walls could be mechanically manipulated to allow access to deep mazes. By the end of the first film, many of the clueless teenagers had escaped out into a barren and harrowing dystopian landscape. That's where the second film picks up. It is derived from a series of books which promise future editions such as The Death Cure, The Kill Order, and The Fever Code.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 18th, 2015
"The wilds of Sri Lanka, land of myth and legend where rocky pinnacles overlook cast tropical forests. And an abandoned city lies shrouded in the jungle. The kings who once reigned here are long gone. These days, there's a new dynasty in residence. But this one is governed by the law of the jungle."
From such a majestic intro told against a backdrop of beautiful vistas we find our tranquility broken by an invasion of primates rushing across the landscape to the voice of Micky Dolenz singing the theme song to the 1960's comedy classic The Monkees. Hey, Hey, it's Disney Nature's latest adventure into the life of a family of animals. Enter Monkey Kingdom.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 17th, 2015
After 15 years CSI is finally calling it a day. CSI is one of the longest-running shows on television. Most of the original cast members have moved on, and the series managed to bring in some pretty solid talents to replace them. It appeared as though the long-running show still had legs. It outlasted two spinoffs both which ran 10 and 5 years themselves. CSI: Cyber has just finished its first season and will remain, for now, the only surviving member of the franchise. We'll be offering up our look at that show next week. Until then, join us in a farewell review of the series that launched it all. CBS is treating us to CSI: The Final Season.
For the two or three people on the planet who don’t know, the idea is actually quite a simple one. The CSI night shift crime scene investigators utilize all of the latest science to solve often brutal crimes. Instead of guns, these detectives come packing microscopes and test tubes. If you want to know more about the previous seasons and spinoff shows, bang it here to catch up: CSI Reviews
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on September 17th, 2015
“You need to promise…something goes wrong, you need to drop a bomb on this whole mess.”
The biggest literal bang on Homeland came courtesy of the explosion that wiped out CIA headquarters in the season 2 finale. However, many fans and critics would argue the subsequent third season was an even bigger bomb. (I thought season 3 at least finished strong following that dismal start.) Nevertheless, season 4 of Showtime’s cracked, crackerjack spy drama represents a soft reboot for the show. It’s also a return to its Emmy-winning season 1 form.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Dan Holland on September 17th, 2015
The films in this BluRay double feature are connected through two commonalities: the actor Gene LeBrock, and each having an Italian director. The films were produced around the same time, one in ’89 and the other in ’90, and they are both your typical schlocky Italian horror films. Although they may not be as noteworthy as the films of Mario Bava or Dario Argento, they most certainly emulate many of the aesthetics within the “giallo” genre. In other words, where they lack in story and acting talent, they make up for in cinematography, set design, and editing.
Metamorphosis follows Dr. Peter Houseman (LeBrock), a geneticist whose research is geared to develop a formula to stop human aging. Having exhausted the previous year’s grant money, his research must be reviewed in order to progress with funding. Having not published any of his findings, the College Board does not grant him money to continue his research, but he manages to convince the woman who writes the grants (Cathrine Daranov) to observe his research for herself. Running out of time and test subjects to prove his theories, Dr. Houseman injects the formula into his own brain with horrifying results.
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