Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on May 7th, 2014
Following the live performance of Madea’s Neighbors From Hell captured on this DVD, Tyler Perry joins his fellow cast members on stage after they’ve all taken their bows. Perry has ditched his Madea drag and takes to the microphone to thank his fervent, loyal fans for their support. You probably know Perry because of the phenomenal success he has enjoyed in TV and movies. (And because he puts his name on practically everything he does.) However, Perry is quick to remind his audience that it all started on the stage.
Madea’s Neighbors From Hell premiered in Atlanta last year. As you probably guessed from the title, the play features Perry’s most famous creation: the towering, tough-talking Mabel “Madea” Simmons. I realize the character is Perry’s bread-and-butter, but it’s still a little jarring to see the uber-rich multi-hyphenate treading the boards in a direct-to-DVD movie.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 6th, 2014
"Let's Be Careful Out There!"
It started as a mid-season replacement on NBC and ended up anchoring NBC's famous Thursday night lineup for seven years. In that time Hill Street Blues racked up enough awards to fill a lot of trophy cases. The face of television would be changed forever. There was nothing like it before, and there hasn't been anything like it since. It was a breeding ground for brilliant television show-runners like Scott Brazil (The Shield), David S. Milch (Deadwood), Walon Green (ER), Dick Wolf (Law & Order), Ken Olin (Alias) and David Black (CSI:Miami). In football they talk about coaching trees which include successful coaches who came under the tutelage of certain iconic men. In television you won't find a larger coaching tree than Steven Bochco and Hill Street Blues. You can add the likes of David E. Kelley (Boston Legal) and Rick Wallace (The Closer).
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on May 5th, 2014
When it comes to the feud between Marvel and DC film adaptions, I think we can all agree Marvel at this point may be winning the battles on the big screen, but when it comes to the animated films DC has been delivering hit after hit. Perhaps it’s because the landscape in animation is virtually unlimited and comes with a significantly smaller price tag to deliver. With the new animated release from Warner Brothers we get a new Batman film that goes where we haven’t seen the caped crusader go, and that is into the shoes of fatherhood. Before you get to thrown by the idea, this isn’t a costume hero version of Three Men and a Baby, but instead something much darker and well deserving of its PG-13 rating.
The League of Assassins are in the middle of training when we first meet Damien (voiced by Stuart Allen); he’s the grandchild of the leader of the league as well as a long standing foe to Batman Ra’s al Ghul. Damien hasn’t simply lived the life of luxury, but instead has lived a life training to be a deadly assassin. I’d love to see this kid in public school dealing with school yard bullies, but this isn’t that story. His mother, Talia al Ghul (voiced by Morena Baccarin) is firm but loving, and her true nature comes through as the temple is attacked by an army of armed ninjas. The battle is intense, and despite all the training by the League of Assassins, they are simply no match for the firepower that is unleashed. Damien isn’t one to run and hide; he doesn’t hesitate to pick up a weapon and fight. Leading this hostile takeover is Deathstroke (voiced by Thomas Gibson); he’s filled with rage and wants to rule the league and kills Ra’s al Ghul in the process.
Posted in: Podcasts by Gino Sassani on May 5th, 2014
Karl Mueller is a new director on the horror scene. His Mr. Jones is out today from Anchor Bay. It's a sort of hybrid "found footage" and nightmare thriller. The film features Jon Foster (Accidentally On Purpose) and Sarah Jones (Vegas). I had the opportunity to chat with Karl about his unique film. Bang it here to hear what he had to say about the elusive Mr. Jones: Karl Meuller Interview
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on May 5th, 2014
“I do wish I could be content, but...”
“You cannot.”
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on May 5th, 2014
It’s been a while since a movie has been released that broke the rules on how we expected a film to be made. Avatar was the last game changer, I would say, considering it gave audiences a new way to see films in 3D. Sure, hundreds of millions of dollars were invested in that film, and the reward for bringing audiences something different is it being the highest box office grosser ever. Escape From Tomorrow goes in the opposite direction, and to be matter of fact about it, the film shouldn’t even exist. But writer/director Randy Moore pulled off something that is an achievement that deserves praise for filming his sci-fi satire on location at Disney, without their permission.
I’ll be the first to admit, the gimmick of filming a movie without permission on the grounds of any amusement park intrigues me. It’s the film student in me that curses Moore for pulling this off, but I have so much respect for this guerilla filmmaking spectacle. And that is what this film is about, the spectacle of Disney and the pedestal we put it on in our society. As kids we all had these hopes and dreams of just what it would be like to experience the Magic Kingdom, and as many people get older we wish to share this experience with our own kids and hope to recapture that experience when we were younger. But age has a funny way on changing our perspectives, and though certain things may never change, our understanding of things seems to evolve.
Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on May 2nd, 2014
"There are dark days ahead."
When Marc Webb took over the reigns of Spider-Man over at Sony, I had very mixed feelings. I was a pretty big fan of the comic as a kid, and the Raimi films were a pretty exciting time for me. OK, maybe not the third one. Webb came along and he put a fresh spin on the web-spinner by returning much of the story to its roots. I liked his first film, although it hasn't aged as well for me as the Raimi films did. But you can't get much better than Spider-Man, and I watched with diminishing anticipation as word leaked out bit by bit what Webb and Sony had in store for Peter Parker beyond The Amazing Spider-Man.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on May 1st, 2014
There is something I find unsettling about an amusement park after hours, when all the rides are shut down and the laughter and screaming of kids running around are gone. These parks, for the most part, are designed to take us to another time or another world where reality is how the park engineers design it to be. So when Skip (Jason Spisak) arrives at the Old West theme park to be the overnight janitor, I could appreciate the surreal world he would be stepping into. As we go along with him on a tour during his first day, his guide and superior is played by Jon Gries, who seems to have a story for just about everything at the park.
The setup for the anthology is a bit hokey considering all these objects are supposed to tie into these grand little tales that the guy is telling, but it does keep the film going. The first story is in fact also the most enjoyable of the films. It’s the story of a boxer who is down on his luck and seems to be on the verge of losing his career until a suspicious older man hands the boxer a pair of beat up old gloves. Ricky Schroder fills in the gloves of the boxer and actually brings in the most notable performance of the film. As he laces up his gloves and he steps into the ring, he transforms into a mean and lean fighter, and it becomes a challenge for him to hold back with opponents, one of whom he beats to death. Unfortunately this story ends too soon, and from here on the film simply goes downhill.
Posted in: Random Fun, Release Announcements by Gino Sassani on May 1st, 2014
"This is class here, and you don't ever want to spit on class."
All this week we've been talking about Hill Street Blues. Why? Because Shout Factory has finally given fans what we've literally waited decades to have. The entire seven seasons of Hill Street Blues are finally available in one fine collection. I've been hard at work on the review, but we're talking 144 episodes, and I'm eating them as fast as I can. We hoped to have the review up today, but there is still a little more to watch. In the meantime we have another character profile to keep you going until next week.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on May 1st, 2014
It’s easy to envision the elevator pitch for Devil’s Due. You only need five words: “Rosemary’s Baby meets Paranormal Activity.” The upside is obvious. The idea of a demonic pregnancy has terrified and unsettled expectant mothers since Ira Levin published Rosemary’s Baby in 1967 and Roman Polanski adapted it for the big screen the following year. Meanwhile, the Paranormal Activity films made low-budget/found-footage domestic horror hugely profitable. The downside? You’re probably not topping Rosemary’s Baby, and horror audiences seem to be suffering from an acute case of found-footage fatigue.
“Children, it is the last hour. And as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists will come. Therefore we know is the last hour.”
On The Web
Sponsors
