Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on December 19th, 2014
“It is a deliberate mystery the how, when, and if of it all.”
This quote perfectly characterized the entire story of Finding Joy. The reality is this movie has left me questioning: what would you do if you truly believed that your end is near? How would you spend what could be your final days? Would you do charity work as a way of buying your way into heaven? Would you attempt to barricade yourself indoors in order to avoid your fate? The possibilities of what to do are endless; however, in Finding Joy two characters choose to do something most would likely shy away from: fall in love.
Posted in: Holiday Gift Guides by Gino Sassani on December 19th, 2014
ABC and Disney have some rather entertaining television sets for that hard-to-please television addict on your shopping list. In recent years more and more of us engage in something called binge-watching. With either a DVR or the season sets releases, we watch an entire season of a show in a matter of a few days. I'll bet you have a binge-watcher on that list of yours. You might want to consider some of the ABC family of shows.
Rick Castle (Fillion) is a very successful mystery pulp-fiction writer with over 26 books hitting the best-seller list. He’s rich, and he’s spoiled. He lives with his mother (Sullivan) who is pretty much a has-been actress who thinks she’s just one part away from stardom. He has a young teen daughter (Quinn) who is more responsible than he is. After having so much fun and inspiration tracking down his fiction copycat killer, he decides to pull strings and become an unpaid consultant for the team. At first that wasn't so good for team leader Detective Kate Beckett (Katic). Of course, now the whole sexual tension thing has been discarded, and they are an official couple these days. The team is also filled by a pair of detectives. Detective Javier Esposito is played by Jon Huertas and is the macho member of the team. Detective Kevin Ryan is played by Seamus Dever and is the more reserved member of the team, now trying to start a family. The team is led by the rough Captain Victoria Gates, played by Penny Johnson. She likes to think she's in charge, but she's not.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on December 18th, 2014
“Everybody's sad or angry or lying or cheating.”
That seems to be the state of the four adult Altman children even before they are thrust back together following the death of the family patriarch. This Is Where I Leave You has all the makings of a great dysfunctional dramedy. It has a terrific cast and is based on the very popular book by Jonathan Tropper, who wrote the screenplay. Yet the movie comes up well short of delivering on its promise. Despite some strong acting, a handful of funny beats, and a passing similarity to another ensemble movie where characters who were formerly close are brought back together by a funeral, this movie is less Big Chill and more “Big Shrill.”
Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on December 17th, 2014
"Will you follow me, one last time?"
It's time to say goodbye to Middle Earth, at least from a cinematic perspective. The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies marks the last time we shall see Peter Jackson's version of Middle Earth. Sure, Ian McKellen has told us he wouldn't be surprised to see some kind of a return. I would. There is certainly enough work from Tolkien to support future adventures, but the rights to anything beyond these books belongs to the Tolkien estate. To say they are not very fond of Jackson, New Line, Warner or the six films themselves would be an understatement. There is great animosity there, and no amount of money is going to change that.
Posted in: Podcasts by Gino Sassani on December 16th, 2014
"What if the rumors and urban legends are real… that aliens walk among us, abducting people for unthinkable experiments? Sisters Abby and Rebecca are about to discover the horrifying truth when they find a harmless looking object in the woods near their family’s cabin. The small black sphere is the key to a shocking mystery that will change the course of human destiny. The Device has plans for us, and this world is no longer ours."
That's the premise for The Device out now on DVD from RLJ/Image Entertainment. I had a short opportunity to talk to the film's director: Jeremy Berg. Check out what he has to say and then check out the DVD. Bang it here to listen to my chat with Jeremy Berg.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on December 16th, 2014
“You know what the sad thing is? We’re a good team.”
Up until they teamed up to star in The Skeleton Twins, there was nothing sad about the team of Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader. Regardless of how you feel about the quality of Saturday Night Live in recent years, Wiig (the only cast member to earn an Oscar nomination — for co-writing Bridesmaids — while still appearing on the show) and Hader (with "Stefon" and a laundry list of impressions that ranged from Alan Alda to Al Pacino) were clear standouts. So you'd expect their first post-SNL big-screen team up to be a laugh riot. That's not exactly the case.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Archive Authors on December 15th, 2014
Drunk History was inspired by a conversation the creator of the show, Derek Waters, had with actor Jake Johnson (New Girl). Johnson was drunk and told Waters a crazy story about Otis Redding predicting the plane he was getting on was going to crash. Waters took that germ and refined it considerably with co-conspirator Jeremy Konner. They released some videos on Funny or Die (that are readily available on Youtube). They have since made shows for Comedy Central, which are the two seasons included here in this collection.
Two disclaimers should be made right up front. You should not get this drunk at home, kids, but anyone watching will probably be dissuaded from ever drinking again after seeing the narrators make complete fools of themselves. Also, you should be warned that the narrators are not bleeped on the DVD, because there is liberal use of a certain word that is always bleeped on TV. It should be also noted that various bodily functions kick in periodically (burping being the least offensive). On the other hand, the creators claim that all the history recounted is verified and accurate. I can't verify it, but they do. I believe it is fundamentally correct even though these story tellers often make segues, sidetracks and digressions that are outrageous. That's the fun of it, though. It may seem infantile, juvenile and childish, but these are adults with too much to drink.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on December 15th, 2014
“Are you telling me that the fate of thirty million inhabitants is in the hands of these criminals?”
Now that we are in the middle of phase two of Marvel’s movie universe, a new batch of characters have been given a movie of their own to help set the stage for what is to come in the ever-expanding Marvel cinematic universe. The Guardians of the Galaxy announcement for many left fans scratching their heads; after all, just how would a talking raccoon, a lumbering tree and various other space aliens fit in with the established Avengers team comic and film fans have grown to love already?
Posted in: The Reel World by Brent Lorentson on December 15th, 2014
When it comes to the modern epic, director Ridley Scott is the go-to guy to pull off the sprawling and mega-budget storylines. From Gladiator to Kingdom of Heaven, Scott has constantly proven himself behind the camera in executing tales with lavish sets and battles involving hundreds to even thousands of extras. With the release of Exodus: Gods and Kings, a retelling of the Bible story where Moses frees the slaves of Egypt, Ridley Scott would seem the perfect choice for this film. Unfortunately this is a Bible story that is sure to anger religious scholars and put some general audiences to sleep.
Let me jump ahead and say I’m an unapologetic fan of Ridley Scott; this is my favorite working director. From his early work like Alien, Blade Runner and Legend on into his later films like Gladiator, Matchstick Men, Black Hawk Down and Prometheus, he has entertained me for years. But lately I feel he’s been swinging for hits but missing more than he has delivered. Last year’s release of The Counselor was a misstep that should have been a knockout hit but instead just was a disappointment in many ways, which brings us to Exodus: Gods and Kings and its frustrating retelling.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on December 15th, 2014
With the exception of killer clowns, I think the creepiest villains you can find in a horror film are possessed kids. After all, they’re kids, so the knee-jerk reaction of letting them be overtaken by evil or letting them die is a bad thing in many circles. Personally, if I’m being chased by some murderous kid who claims to have the devil in him, well, I’m not taking any chances, and they are going to end up on the unfriendly end of a handgun. Thankfully I don’t believe the evil will be rising any time soon to kick off the ultimate war between good and evil.
In the new horror film Speak No Evil, the members of a small town are confronted with the dilemma “to kill, or to pray” after the children of their town are possessed by an evil that seems to have an unquenchable thirst for murder. Seeing possessed kids isn’t anything new; in fact Here Comes The Devil and Come Out And Play are a pair of recent releases that set the standard for creepy possessed kids films. Oddly enough, if you were to blend the plots of these two films together, you would get Speak No Evil, unfortunately without as much impact.
On The Web
Sponsors
