Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 31st, 2015
Most movies are just not very good. Lots of money goes into turning out boring, repetitive garbage. You watch it and then dispose of it and make room for the next thing. There are some who do more, but the more you do, the greater the risk. Most filmmakers are not given the freedom to take really big risks, but someone who has been given the opportunity to take the big risk is Christopher Nolan. Interstellar is $165,000,000 gamble shooting for the moon. Actually Nolan is shooting for something way past the moon. He wants to take us to another galaxy. There is so much speculative science in this film that it is mind-boggling. The cutting edge of real science is, frankly, getting crazier and crazier. The average person really has no idea how crazy, but Interstellar is going to try to show us just how crazy. The true nature of some of the elements of the theory of relativity and other related theories is that they defy all logic.
One of the most important things in Interstellar is its attempts to deal with some of the properties of time. The laws of physics tell us time acts differently in different situations. In this movie time rules everything in people's lives, but the main character is given the power to do something with time that most of us don't even imagine. It's important to know some of these situations are described in actual scientific theory. In fact, real science is getting closer and closer to God all the time. Most people who don't believe in God don't expect science to contradict that way of thinking. Interstellar doesn't talk about God, but it comes close to doing something similar. It is science's contention to state statistically there are millions of planets with intelligent life out there. Some of those intelligence forces will seem like God to us. This is simple science, but people have such a wide range of beliefs that no one will ever agree on what is the truth. The reason we don't agree is because mankind is just not smart enough to have real answers.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on March 31st, 2015
Grace takes a refreshing approach to unfolding the story; it gets right to the point. When Grace is introduced, she is right in the thick of things, waking up alone half-naked on a beach after a night of excess. She is shown some kindness by a stranger who wastes no time letting her know that she has been where Grace has been and offers her the opportunity to change. Now, naturally, this is too easy; any audience member would see through that. The one thing everyone knows about life is that though as human beings we have the capacity to change, we tend not to do it until something forces our hand; we need a catalyst, and fortunately the film provides a great one: the threat of jail time.
OK, OK, albeit the threat of jail time is a bit cliche when it comes to forcing someone’s hand, it is arguably the best way to get someone to do the desired action; otherwise police would have to find a new tactic to get criminals to testify against one another. Grace is ordered to attend mandatory Alcoholics Anonymous sessions to help her get a handle on her problem. As to be expected, she resists at first. In this area the film does not strike any new chords, Grace repels in your typical ways: hostility, avoidance, etc. However, during this period it is where the supporting cast becomes important, especially those we come in contact with through the mandatory AA sessions. For it is their addition that helps move the plot along.
Posted in: Podcasts by Gino Sassani on March 31st, 2015
There’s a new horror film out from Anchor Bay. It’s called Muck, and it’s actually the middle part of a trilogy. If you find that more than a little bit confusing, Upcomingdiscs is here to help you sort it all out. We’re going to be delivering a series of interviews with cast and crew to answer all of those burning questions. Our final interview was plagued with some connection issues so I won't get to share much of my interview with Lachlan Buchanan. He plays Troit in the film. It's only a snippet but you should bang it here to listen to some of my chat with Lachlan Buchanan.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on March 30th, 2015
“There's money flying all over Silicon Valley, but none of it ever seems to hit us.”
There's a lot to like about HBO's Silicon Valley, which debuted last year with a confident, clever freshman season that took merciless aim the tech capital of the U.S. My favorite thing about the show — besides hyper-specific jokes aimed at geeky targets like the many endings of “Mass Effect 3” — is that it portrays (and makes fun of) each aspect of the cutthroat tech industry, from the self-important, aggressively eccentric billionaires to the scrappy, proverbial guys in a garage.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on March 27th, 2015
There's a mile-long list of Hollywood movies that have been re-titled in foreign countries to hilarious effect. I've personally had much less experience with foreign productions being re-branded for American audiences, but Diamond Heist seems like one of the more egregious examples you're likely to find. The DVD cover has professional tough guys/straight-to-DVD MVPs Michael Madsen and Vinnie Jones brandishing weapons while accompanied by a vague explosion and the wonderfully generic tagline, “Payday is only a bullet away.” In other words, there's nothing here that suggests this Hungarian import is actually an action/comedy about male strippers.
To be fair, when you read back the key parts of that last sentence — “Hungarian action/comedy about male strippers” — it's not hard to see why there was some re-tooling in order to maximize the film's prospects in the U.S. Diamond Heist was originally titled Magic Boys, even though the Chippendale's-style action is less Magic Mike titillating and more Full Monty slapstick.
Posted in: News and Opinions, Site News by Gino Sassani on March 26th, 2015
If you think you might like to write for the site, click on the rest of this post for more information. Please read the entire post carefully before you apply.
Ok. So, you're interested in writing reviews.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 26th, 2015
"Antarctica, an inhospitable wasteland, but even here, on the Earth's frozen bottom, we find life. And not just any life: penguins. Joyous, frolicking, waddling, cute and cuddly life. Look at them, tumbling onto their chubby bum bums. Who could take these frisky snow-clowns... seriously?"
This one has been a long time coming. I like the Madagascar movies and have been fairly positive about them in these pages. Each time I pointed out that the highlight of these films were the antics of those military-minded penguins and their grand schemes. The film's powers that be have also noticed this, as the penguin characters have been trending with more screen time as the franchise went along. Now those flightless maniacs have finally gotten a film of their own, and dare I say it, The Penguins Of Madagascar are flying higher than the source films with this frosty little tale.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 26th, 2015
I’m not really a big Beatles fan. That will shock, anger, and dismay many of you. Sure, I’ve got a couple of favorites, but nothing I feel the need to hear over and over again. Now, with that said, I am a fan of Paul McCartney. Of all the Beatles he has evolved the most. He has gone from a kid who was nothing really special, just in the right place at the right time, to a very accomplished musician. Few musicians today can match his performance skills on almost any instrument. While a lot of celebrities talk about compassionate subjects, I get the impression McCartney is more sincere than most. Perhaps it’s this sincerity that makes him such a good songwriter.
Paul McCartney is a great example of what Darwin meant by survival of the fittest. No one in the music business has learned to adapt and thrive like Paul McCartney. The term timeless has been applied so often to so many performers that it might have lost any meaning. Still, if anyone deserves that description, it is Paul McCartney. With The Beatles he helped define the 60’s and reinvent Rock and Roll. In the 1970’s and 80’s he continued the hits with Paul McCartney and Wings. When Wings finally disappeared into the midnight sky, McCartney was still at it as a solo artist. Certainly, McCartney albums are fewer and far longer between. Still, each new release is an exercise in quality. Even when I don’t care for a particular McCartney song, it’s easy to hear the work that went into each note.
Posted in: Podcasts by Gino Sassani on March 25th, 2015
There’s a new horror film out from Anchor Bay. It’s called Muck, and it’s actually the middle part of a trilogy. If you find that more than a little bit confusing, Upcomingdiscs is here to help you sort it all out. We’re going to be delivering a series of interviews with cast and crew to answer all of those burning questions. This time it was actress Laura Jacobs who spent some time talking to me. She talked about the film and her budding music career. Bang it here to listen to my chat with Laura Jacobs.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on March 25th, 2015
“The recent earthquakes in Los Angeles: facts of life or foreshadowing the big one?”
I'm not saying the makers of L.A. Apocalypse — a SyFy-level TV movie centered on catastrophic earthquakes in California — timed the release of their low-budget action flick so it premiered well ahead of San Andreas, the would-be summer blockbuster starring Dwayne Johnson about catastrophic earthquakes in California. It's just funny how things often work out that way. L.A. Apocalypse doesn't have The Rock (or anyone you've likely heard of) and is working with a very small fraction of San Andreas' budget. The result is as underwhelming as you'd expect.
On The Web
Sponsors
