Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 11th, 2015
"Milk will be spilled."
That's for sure, and you can expect more than a little crying over it all. The saddest news, however, is the coming fifth season will be the show's final year. You really should not even think about joining the series from this point. I suspect it will still be quite entertaining, but for the full experience you do have to start from the beginning. The evolution of the Cullen character from Civil War veteran out for vengeance to the man who we see in the fourth season is a rather nice journey to witness. So saddle up for the first three. You can find the reviews for other seasons here.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on August 11th, 2015
“Everybody in the world knows who Big Bird is.”
This documentary exists because many fewer people know Caroll Spinney, the man who has inhabited the iconic Sesame Street character for 46 years and counting. (Spinney is also the man behind my personal favorite Sesame Street character, Oscar the Grouch, but working that into the movie’s title would’ve made it truly unwieldy.) The film takes us behind the feathers and works best as a loving tribute to a man who has entertained millions of children across the globe.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on August 11th, 2015
Our buddies over at RLJ Entertainment have a moving story coming to DVD. It's called Catching Faith and it's sure to touch a few lives. A young football player finds himself making mistakes in his life that the community is willing to ignore in the cause of victories. The young man must learn a lesson about taking responsibility. Check out any sports column today and you'll agree it's a lesson some pros might need to learn. 2 of our lucky readers will score a victory of their own when they win a copy of Catching Faith.
To win a copy, just follow these simple instructions.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on August 11th, 2015
I’ve heard whispers about this series for quite some time but never really knew much about it. Given that Hallmark is not really a channel I frequent, I suppose not being knowledgeable about it is understandable. I was slightly confused when this disc came across my desk; I was sure if it was a television series or if it was a made-for-television special. Turns out it’s a series which follows a city girl from a prominent family that relocates to a small town and accepts a position as a schoolteacher. Upon her relocation, she catches the eye of a young Mountie. Now given that I’m coming in at the middle of the story, I’m going to ask the readers to bear with me as I get my bearings with this series.
If you don’t watch the series from the beginning, it may take you a while to get your bearings, as from the moment I pressed play, I was thrust into the story. As a new audience member, this was a bit disorienting and off-putting for me, as I was not required to play catch-up and try to familiarize myself with the already established story. Now, admittedly, not all that responsibility falls on the series; however, a brief recap at the beginning could be beneficial on two fronts: first, it will allow anyone new to the show a better understanding at what has already happened as well as the characters within the universe. Second, it could serve as a hook to bring in more people. No one likes being brought in at the middle of the story, so a brief recap would have definitely helped me get comfortable as I watched the show.
Posted in: Tuesday Round Up by J C on August 11th, 2015
It’s great being back in the saddle for the latest Tuesday Round Up. Gino was kind enough to jump in these last couple of weeks, but I know there’s gonna be hell to pay for my having slacked off. That reminds me…keep an eye out for our review of Entertainment One’s Hell on Wheels: Season 4. There must be something in the air this week with TV shows and fourth seasons because Warner Bros. sent us Person of Interest: Season 4 and 2 Broke Girls: Season 4. The studio also gave us a chance to catch up with Hot Pursuit, one of its big-screen offerings.
We like to think of ourselves as a curious, adventurous staff, so keep your eyes peeled for our takes on Discovery Channel’s Mythbusters: Collection 13 and Shark Week: Dominating the Deep. On top of that, we’ll check into HBO’s The Knick: Season 1, take a peek behind the feathers with Cinedigm’s I Am Big Bird, strive to keep the peace during CBS/Paramount’s The Dovekeepers, and bundle up for Anchor Bay’s Northmen: A Viking Saga. (You can already hear more about Northmen by clicking here.) Last but not least is the debut of Shout! Factory’s Maude: Season 2.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on August 11th, 2015
I realized Hot Pursuit was in big trouble during the sequence when intensely by-the-book Officer Cooper (Reese Witherspoon) accidentally ingests cocaine. The joke is supposed to be that the drug sends Cooper into a comically manic, frenzied state; the problem is the way Witherspoon behaves during this sequence isn't all that different from the way she's played Cooper up to that point. And that's the problem with Hot Pursuit: it's the movie equivalent of someone who types in ALL CAPS all the time. Even worse, it's an unholy (and unfunny) mash-up of Midnight Run and Thelma & Louise that shines a blazing spotlight on its leading ladies' worst qualities.
As I mentioned before, Witherspoon stars as Cooper, who idolized her legendary cop father and always dreamed of following in his footsteps. When we meet Cooper, however, she's comically disgraced her father's good name — we're meant to believe no one ever told her what “calling shotgun” meant — and is stuck working as a glorified secretary in the evidence room of her Texas police department. She gets a stab at redemption when her captain (John Carroll Lynch) assigns her to accompany a U.S. Marshal (Richard T. Jones) to escort and protect a drug cartel informant and his wife Daniella (Sofia Vergara).
Posted in: Podcasts by Gino Sassani on August 10th, 2015
Anchor Bay is raiding video stores this week with Northmen: A Viking Saga on DVD. The film sports a special cameo by metal rocker Johan Hegg. It was his first film and he's seems pretty excited about it all. I had the opportunity to talk with him about the film. Fans of his band Amon Amarth know he relishes Vikings history. One of the band's songs is even included in the end credits. It's a perfect match. You can hear it all here. Just bang it here to listen to my chat with Johan Hegg
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on August 10th, 2015
“What's this? The Comeback comeback?”
The most unlikely program to air on HBO over the last year didn't feature dragons or detectives...it was the story of a diva. Obviously, The Comeback — the rare HBO show that wasn't granted a second season — isn't as lavish as Game of Thrones or as ambitious as True Detective. But even for a network with a sterling reputation for taking chances and thinking outside the box, the return of The Comeback as an 8-episode “limited series” was somewhat of a shock.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on August 10th, 2015
“Sometimes the truth isn't believable. That doesn't mean that it's not true.”
Talk about truth being stranger than fiction! That proverb absolutely applies to the real-life story of Mike Finkel and Christian Longo, two men from seemingly disparate backgrounds who were thrust together by extraordinary circumstances. Their relationship is the basis for True Story, a drama about duality and deception. But while the truth is often stranger than fiction, that doesn't necessarily mean it's more entertaining.
Posted in: The Reel World by Archive Authors on August 8th, 2015
I'm going to start by listing a number of names that make up a kind of extended family. The names don't have a lot in common at first, and it seems like a hodgepodge. I'm sure I'm going to leave someone out, but let's start with Kevin Kline, Johnathan Demme, Diablo Cody, Sebastian Stan, Mamie Gummer, Audra McDonald, Joe Vitale, Rick Springfield, Bill Erwin, Bernie Worrell, Rick Rosas, and Charlotte Rae. I'm forgetting someone. Oh yeah, Meryl Streep. It's that kind of a movie which is being sold as a star vehicle for the most praised and beloved actress of the modern era, but is really an ensemble piece. We can debate who is as beloved as Meryl Streep in the history of cinema, but let's not, because Ricki and the Flash is not that kind of movie. It really isn't about the star turn by Meryl, but a collective, communal experience by all involved. All the names I mentioned are part of this experience, more so than in most movies. It's about the connections we try to make and the ones we fail at. It's about reaching for things and not getting them but doing it anyway. It's about failure and celebration, often within a breath of each other. It's about moving on but not forgetting the past. It's about loving someone when they are far from perfect. It's about forgiving and accepting.
I'm going to start with Rick Rosas. He died before the film was released and plays the bassist in Ricki's band, the Flash. In real life, he played in three bands with Neil Young (Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Crazy Horse, and Buffalo Springfield) as well as with Joe Walsh, Ron Wood, Etta James, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Rivers. Bernie Worrell who plays the keyboardist was a founding member of Funkadelic and Parliament as well as playing with The Talking Heads. Joe Vitale is the drummer; he has played with The Eagles, Joe Walsh, Ted Nugent, Dan Fogelberg, Crosby, Stills and Nash and many others. Rikki and her band play to a few die-hard faithfuls in Tarzana every night, as well as doing her day job as a cashier at Whole Foods. I should mention that her frazzled boyfriend and lead guitarist is Rick Springfield. I should also mention Streep is 66 years old and is singing Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty.
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