Posted in: The Reel World by Brent Lorentson on May 9th, 2014
Walking out of Neighbors one thought struck me, and I haven’t been able to shake it since seeing the film. I’m getting old. It’s the revelation we all deal with at some point or another, and it seemed to be the overall theme of Neighbors. Since Judd Apatow came along I think he has firmly created a new sub-genre the coming of middle-age film. Seth Rogan seems to be the poster child of this new genre, and with his characters he is somewhat the ambassador of all man-children out there.
Mac (Seth Rogan) and Kelly (Rose Byrne) Radner are new parents who have just moved into a new home together. It’s the start of their grown-up lives, though of course it isn’t as easy as they had hoped. The days of going out to all night raves are over, as is their “spontaneous” sex life. But what makes it work is their desire to at least be good parents and maintain a healthy relationship with one another. Their quiet, boring life takes a sharp turn after the arrival of their new neighbors, a fraternity set on becoming the ultimate party and going down in frat-house lore.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 8th, 2014
Well, considering that there were so many different strange film ideas in the 1980s, it was only a matter of time before someone would write and produce a film about a dead guy, right? Well, you’re in luck, as two names from the period (Andrew McCarthy, St. Elmo’s Fire, and Jonathan Silverman, Brighton Beach Memoirs) fulfill your wish as Weekend at Bernie’s returns to Blu-ray.
McCarthy and Silverman play insurance reps with bigger aspirations in a company owned by Bernie Lomax (Manimal), who discover a glitch which may have resulted in $2 million of the company’s money being stolen. As a reward, Bernie invites them to his beach house, but we find out the money was stolen by Bernie himself, and he asks some members of the mob to kill the two. However, in a twist, the mob boss decides to have Bernie killed, in part because of an affair Bernie is having with the boss’ girlfriend. Bernie is killed before McCarthy and Silverman get to the beach house, and once they realize Bernie is dead, the wacky hijinks commence.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 8th, 2014
Revenge of the Nerds is an 80's cult classic making its way to Blu-ray. Basically you get a standard catalog release and a handful of features thrown at you. I remember seeing this movie about ten years back. I found it amusing then, so I was looking forward to being able to watch it again; maybe this time I'd get more of the jokes.
The movie takes place where two nerds played by Robert Carradine and Anthony Edwards are off to attend the fictional Adams College. They have both enrolled in the acclaimed computer studies department. The two dress like typical nerds with tucked-in shirts, thick black-rimmed glasses, buck teeth, and pens in their shirt pockets. This is of course noticed by some of the frat members the minute they set foot into the quad and are already labeled as nerds. The Alpha Beta frat house are the apparent bullies of the school and also happen to all be star players on the football team, coached by the arrogant John Goodman. While partying the group accidentally burn down their frat house and take over the freshman dorm, forcing them all to sleep in the gymnasium. Of course while some of the freshman are recruited for frats and sororities a group of them are left out, the nerds. Sick of living in the gym they set out to find a house, which they turn, into a frat house, Lambda Lambda Lambda. Gaining some respect around the school the jocks of Alpha Beta set out to make their lives hell, while the nerds get a little revenge for themselves.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 8th, 2014
Anyone who is a parent of a teenage boy is very familiar with the film Napoleon Dynamite. Released in theaters in 2004, this film rapidly developed a cult following and continues to be popular among the high school and middle school crowd. Napoleon Dynamite is a very charming and witty film about a tall and lanky teenage nerd (played by Jon Herder) who lives with his older brother and grandmother in Preston, Idaho. His brother Kip (Aaron Ruell) is 32 and unemployed and how spends most of the day at home on the internet on chat rooms trolling for women. Napoleon, on the other hand, is a bit more industrious, as he at least does attend high school. However, he spends most of his time daydreaming. When he is not daydreaming, he is being bullied at school.
To say that Napoleon is quirky would be an understatement. He has a very deadpan and monotone delivery except when he is asked a question, which more often than not results in a loud, short and abrupt answer which is a trait my kids seem to have adopted! Napoleon also has a very tough time being able to communicate with the other kids in the school, being somewhat of an outcast. However, he meets two students who share some of the same personality quirks as he does, Pedro and Deb, and decides to try to help Pedro, a recent immigrant from Mexico, in his bid to get elected as class president. (Remember those Vote for Pedro t-shirts?)
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on May 8th, 2014
“A week from this Saturday, I turn in my amateur standing and go pro.”
Tom Hanks has been starring in movies for exactly 30 years. He burst onto the big screen with 1984's Splash, the romantic-comedy hit that also marked the start of a fruitful creative relationship with Ron Howard. A few months later, Hanks headlined Bachelor Party, which probably just seemed like the latest in a long line of silly, raunchy, sex comedies that were extremely popular at the box office. Of course, that was before anyone could possibly realize the movie would eventually serve as the spiritual godfather to comedic blockbusters like Wedding Crashers and The Hangover.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 7th, 2014
"In our findings on Gamera, we've ascertained that: Firstly, it is attracted to and consumes fire. Secondly, it also seems to possess an internal power plant, of sorts. This emits a signal frequency that can jam radio communications. In order to store up energy reserves, Gamera consumes inorganic resources. Not only does it consume petroleum as well as other mineral and fossil fuels, but Gamera may also seek out atomic bombs."
Ask anyone about Japanese monster movies and Gamera usually won't be the first name that comes into their minds. Godzilla would likely dominate the conversation, and for most of the last 60 years the folks at Toho have been synonymous with large monsters. But they didn't exactly hold a monopoly on the big beasts. Kadokawa Pictures had their own little monster franchise going on. It all started in 1954 with Gamera: The Giant Monster. From 1965 through the 1970's the studio would produce eight Gamera films in all. Now Mill Creek has gathered all eight films into two four-movie Blu-ray collections.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on May 7th, 2014
It was 2007 when Veronica Mars concluded its three-season run on the CW. The door was left open for more seasons, and the season three set came with a bonus that showed us the direction things could have gone. But after one of the most successful Kickstarter campaigns and seven years later, fans of the show will finally get to see their favorite little marshmallow, Veronica Mars, on one last investigation. I’m going to come out and say it; I was a big fan of the show. The high school noir series was more than just your standard teen melodrama. Veronica Mars seemed to always evoke the hard-boiled spirit of Raymond Chandler detective yarns, only it boasted a good-looking cast that spit witty dialog and pop culture references.
The film introduces us to a more mature and refined Veronica (Kristen Bell) who has moved on from being the teenage private eye and is now applying to law firms. She’s come a long way, (literally across country) and has tried to make a life for herself in New York with her boyfriend Piz (Chris Lowell). Everything was going as planned until Veronica sees on the news that her old flame, Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring) is under investigation for murdering his girlfriend. The heart strings are tugged for Veronica, and she hops a plane to travel back home to Neptune and help him out.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Archive Authors on May 7th, 2014
Call Me Crazy is about mental illness. It tells five different stories with women’s names as titles (well, one exception confirms the rule). Mental illness is an extremely important topic because an enormous part of the population is mentally ill. This collection deals with women mostly, but it should be noted that men are just as crazy but in different ways. This film is a followup to another film called Five about breast cancer. Both films have a heavy group of heavy hitters on both sides of the camera. They are produced by the Lifetime network, and both films are to be considered prestige projects for them. Mental illness is more of a sad secret in most families (although having a mastectomy still has some stigma, as well). It is something to be hidden and ashamed of. It shouldn't be. That is part of the point to Call Me Crazy. It wants to show that we should all work together to help people with mental illness. These problems are as real as cancer. I have seen it many times firsthand.
Lucy (Brittany Snow) is a law student with a little problem. She hears voices all the time, and they hate her and torment her. That is called schizophrenia, which is carefully pointed out to be completely different from multiple personality disorder. She winds up at a fancy hospital with serene psychiatrist Dr. Nance (Oscar winner Octavia Spencer). It is directed by movie star Bryce Dallas Howard, daughter of movie star/famed director Ron Howard (she even throws a small part to her uncle, Clint). Lucy has come to see that Dr. Nance was right all along when she said that medications would allow her to live a more normal life. She has a brief encounter with Bruce (Jason Ritter, son of John) in group therapy. He is sweet to her but then has to leave when his insurance runs out. It is obvious her story is not over.
Posted in: The Reel World by J C on May 7th, 2014
“War leaves a mark.”
Even the people who manage to escape war with all their limbs intact feel its impact for the rest of their lives. Of course, it’s much trickier to spot the emotional and psychological wounds veterans like Eric Lomax carry with them. The Railway Man is based on Lomax’s harrowing World War II experiences and the day of reckoning, decades later, with one of his tormentors. In turning Lomax’s real-life story into a dramatic movie, the film doesn’t so much ask if revenge is good for the soul; it argues that it might be necessary.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on May 7th, 2014
Craig Morrison was in his late 80’s the first time he got in trouble with the law. Still Mine tells the real-life story of the Canadian octogenarian who found himself in court facing the prospect of jail time. In case you’re wondering, Morrison didn’t rob a bank or cheat on his taxes. He merely wanted to build a modest house on his own property that could better accommodate his ailing wife. And he insisted on doing it himself.
The film opens with a tired-looking Craig (James Cromwell) preparing himself to make a statement in court. The action flashes back two years, and we see Craig on the expansive 2,000-acre New Brunswick property he shares with his wife Irene (Genevieve Bujold). We eventually learn the couple has been married for 61 years, but the playful, tender rapport between Cromwell and Bujold conveys that connection within minutes. Just as surely as we get glimpses into their loving relationship, we also get hints at some of the problems beneath the surface. Craig’s cattle and strawberry businesses begin to falter, while Irene absentmindedly leaves an oven mitt laying across a hot stove and forgets that some misplaced actually belongs to her.
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