Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 13th, 2014
It's hard to review a series starting from the fourth season, which is exactly what I had to do when Rookie Blue arrived for review recently. In the early days of television, it wouldn't have been a problem. Most shows, cop shows in particular, had a full story with each episode and a continuity that didn't require you to see any episodes in any particular order. This was a must if a show were to find an afterlife in syndication where show orders were largely disregarded.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Archive Authors on May 13th, 2014
by Alan Robinson
Made-for-TV movies are rarely remarkable works. Usually, they are poorly-written science-fiction films with laughable special effects, or some sort of dramatic “based on a true story” event. Survival Code, however, is one of those films that comes along every so often that truly has potential to become something bigger. And perhaps that’s where the film’s greatest weakness lies; it never really lives up to that potential.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on May 13th, 2014
“Whoever tells the best story wins.”
This bit of lawyerly wisdom is given by John Quincy Adams in Amistad, Steven Spielberg’s account of a real-life 19th century slave revolt. President Adams is offering advice on how to mount the most effective case on the slaves’ behalf, but his words ring true well beyond the courtroom. Spielberg has been telling some of the best stories since the 1970s. Amistad may not be top-tier Spielberg, but the film — making its Blu-ray debut — is an absorbing historical drama in its own right.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on May 13th, 2014
Our very good buddies over at Star Vista and Time Life Entertainment have a real classic treat for one lucky winner here at Upcomingdiscs. You're invited to spend 17 wonderful evenings with Dean and his pals as they roast some of the biggest names of the 70's and 80's. The Dean Martin Collector's Edition features uncut roasts of the likes of Redd Foxx, Betty White, George Burns, Ronald Reagan, Bette Davis and even George Washington. It's a timeless treasure, to be sure.
To win just follow these instructions.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 13th, 2014
Her is someone you could fall in love with. Her is full of wonderful qualities. Her is elusive and unattainable as well as enticing and satisfying. Her is the awkward title of the new Spike Jonze film starring Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson (though not all of her), Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Olivia Wilde and Chris Pratt. It does not star Samantha Morton, Carey Mulligan or Chris Cooper. It might have, but the project evolved so much that they dropped by the wayside. It grew out of the third collaboration between Jonze and Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation) but Charlie Kaufman also dropped out, and this became a written-by-Spike Jonze project.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on May 12th, 2014
“You are not to leave this building. America is closed.”
That's certainly a far cry from “give me your tired, your poor...your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” It's also the predicament faced by Viktor Navorski, an accidental refugee who falls through a proverbial crack in the system and winds up trapped at JFK International Airport. The harsh, sobering command comes early on in The Terminal, a large-scale, feel-good parable. Even 10 years ago, a tonally-tricky studio movie like this one could only find its way to multiplexes if someone with the clout of a Steven Spielberg or Tom Hanks decided to make it.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 11th, 2014
If anything, the third part of the Godfather series of films is symbolic of when too many sequels are greenlighted, and consequently, the film is doomed to fail. More often than not, the reason why these films crash and burn is because of major studios acting like Adelphia executives and wanting more money, and in using the previous films’ successes as leverage, they lose sight of things like quality. It’s happened to other trilogies. And if you put together previous films with the reputation that the first two Godfather films have, the only question left to answer is whether or not the third film would be a minor or major letdown.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Archive Authors on May 11th, 2014
by Alan Robinson
An ex-con falling back into old habits isn't exactly an original idea. There have been countless films that have followed this formula, often covering the same basic twists and turns one would expect. Such is the case with Joint Body, an independent crime-drama from writer/director Brian Jun. The film follows recently-paroled everyman Nick Burke (Mark Pellegrino, Lost, Supernatural), who finds himself alone in a small town in southern Illinois as he attempts a fresh start at life.
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.
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.
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