Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 26th, 2014
"Let me tell you a story."
Remember the tagline in Alien? "In space no one can hear you scream." Gravity begins, appropriately enough, with complete silence. We're treated to a rather spectacular view of the Earth from orbit. Eventually chatter begins to intrude upon our revelry. We soon meet the crew of a space shuttle mission to do repair work on the Hubble telescope. We quickly learn that this is the final mission for retiring astronaut Matt Kowalski, played by George Clooney, although I certainly consider it a bad sign when he's told to enjoy his last walk. He's acting as a mentor of sorts to younger astronaut Ryan Stone, played by Sandra Bullock. There are others on the mission, but we're treated to very little time with them. In a short time, they won't really matter.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on February 26th, 2014
Prison films seem to work as one of the perfect examples of characters in life confronting the crossroads in their lives to either continue down the road they are going and amount to nothing, or seize the opportunity to make a change and make something of themselves. Most often the character needs to overcome personal demons whether they are emotional or drug-related, but it is still a demon that has dragged them to a dark place in their life, and it’s behind bars where these characters find their redemption. The Shawshank Redemption is perhaps one of the most popular films that explores this belief of personal salvation from behind bars, and Jamesy Boy appears to followed suit.
The film is based on a true story, and newcomer Spencer Lofranco steps into the lead role of James. James is the poster child for what a troubled youth is, bouncing in and out of juvenile detention to the point that no public school wants to accept him as a student. He’s a boy without a future as he continues down this troubled path, but his mom, played by Mary-Louise Parker, struggles to find a school that will take him. The trouble for James is that the longer he’s out of school the easier it is for trouble to find him, and that’s just what happens when he meets Crystal (Rosa Salazar) who is just as troubled, only she has friends who deal heavily in drugs and numerous other illegal activities.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 25th, 2014
"Don't mess with a man of God."
It has been said that an old vaudevillian was on his deathbed and was asked how he was doing. He replied, "Dying is easy. Comedy is hard". And no, it wasn't Shia LaBeof. The fact is that comedy is easy. Horror comedy is hard...very hard. One needs only to look at the lame attempts each year to make us laugh at the carnage. For every Shaun Of The Dead there are 100 Vampire In Brooklyn's Let's not even talk about the last Scream entry. Needless to say I was quite a bit overwhelmed when I received Hellbenders 3D. Not only was this some cheap Exorcist knockoff, but it was going to be low-budget 3D. I watched it the night before a surgery figuring it was the most likely film to make me actually look forward to the surgery. Let's face it. You see this stuff coming from a mile away. What I never saw coming was that I had one hell of a good time watching. I'm not going to call it a classic by any means. But Hellbenders delivers like few horror comedies I've seen in a very long time.
Posted in: The Reel World by Archive Authors on February 25th, 2014
Most action pictures have an aura of super-seriousness, or they are filmed as comedies and everything is meant to be ridiculous. It definitely is a difficult task to mix the two effectively. On some level most action pictures are ridiculous, since most of us will never experience the close proximity to death and danger that is depicted on the screen. Also, life and death are often cheapened with high body counts but little consequence for our hero. In 3 Days To Kill, all sorts of elements are brought to bear in order to reinforce the average everyday family experience and not the lone killer. Early on, a different sort of danger affects our hero. It's not bullets and bombs but a rare disease that is likely to kill him in the very near future. As a spy, he has always neglected family to the extent that his teenage daughter barely knows him. Ethan Renner (Kevin Costner) is intent on changing that.
3 Days To Kill is a nearly even mix of comedy, explosive action, and sentimental family drama. It may seem like too much to attempt, but the effect is so wacky as to be winning. The film is directed by McG and written by Luc Besson, both filmmakers with impressive credentials, but I'll get back to that later. The real focus is Kevin Costner as an aging and battle-weary veteran CIA agent who is always counted on to take out whatever targets are assigned him. During a particularly explosive encounter in a Serbian hotel, he begins to get dizzy after chasing one surviving member of a gang. He is subsequently hospitalized and told he has maybe six months to live, and thanks for his service. He leaves the hospital determined to reconnect to his wife, Christine (Connie Neilsen), and daughter, Zoey (Hailee Steinfeld).
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 24th, 2014
Bruce Dern is the one generating the greatest praise. June Squibb (About Schmidt) who plays Dern's wife has also gotten multiple nominations. Woody Grant (Dern) is seen at the start of the film walking the winter roads of Billings, Montana. It is his intention to walk to Lincoln, Nebraska. The local police pick him up, and we are introduced to his son, David (Will Forte). The heart and soul of the movie is watching Dern and Forte interact. Forte is best known for acting silly as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, but his performance in this film is perfect. He is dour and forlorn and takes it on himself to be the only family member who tries to care about his father's feelings. He takes his father on a road trip because he believes he is slowly sinking into dementia. His dad believes he has won a million dollars because he received a magazine subscription sweepstakes letter. Everybody but Woody knows that it's a scam, but David wants the chance to spend some time with his dad. Woody's wife Kate (Squibb) thinks they are both insane and doesn't ever mince words for one minute. The film turns into a reunion with many people from the past and an unexpected journey to forgotten places. David doesn't know much about his dad, and he will start to learn a lot. They take an extended stop in Woody's home town of Hawthorne, Nebraska where much of his family still lives. For a time, many people in Hawthorne believe Woody really is rich including his former business partner, Ed Pegram (Stacy Keach). Many members of the family members and friends start to come up with stories about how they lent Woody money over the years.
Through it all David is by his father's side, tenderly finding ways to support him and make him feel good about himself in what is clearly near the end of his life. The whole film is handled with such finesse and subtle wit, filmed in pristine black and white that beautifully makes nearly every image like a classic photograph. Bob Odenkirk (Breaking Bad) as the other brother, Ross, adds ably to a continuous stream of humorous vignettes.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 24th, 2014
"There is nothing more relaxing than knowing that the world is crazier than you are."
When Disney Studios bought the Marvel line, what they were buying was really a printing press that printed freshly-minted money. That doesn't mean it was automatic, however. It was done right. Starting with the first two Iron Man films, the franchise that would lead to Joss Whedon's superior Avengers film was one of creating a universe. God made the universe in seven days. It took Marvel five movies. What we end up with is not just a fine collection of treats for the geeks and fanboys. We're left with an entire world, a world that we are all invited at about the pace of two films a year to come and play within. No one is pretending that they're making serious cinema here. What they're doing is making serious cash. To do that, there is only one order of the day. Thou shalt entertain. After two hours visiting with Thor: The Dark World -- I'm entertained.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on February 24th, 2014
“My name is Michael Westen. I used to be a spy…”
How fitting that this single statement be both the introduction and conclusion of a momentous series. If you can’t tell, I’ve been a fan of the show since the very first episode, but it’s actually much more than that. I’ve been a fan of Jeffrey Donovan since his first USA network Touching Evil. More to the point, in my opinion Burn Notice was the series that made it possible for the flurry of original programming that came after it. Perhaps I give the show too much credit. Maybe the shows that followed it would have each have become a breakout in their own right; however, the one thing that cannot be taken away from Burn Notice is that during its entire seven-year run, it remained one of the highest rated primetime shows the network has ever had.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on February 23rd, 2014
Good news, you just inherited a home from a family you never even knew you had; unfortunately, once arriving onto the property you start to lose your sanity. That is basically The Invoking in a very crude nutshell. The cover may elicit hopes for a more hard-edged haunted house film or a film revolving around some unseen evil in the woods, but this is not the case. Writer, cinematographer, and director Jeremy Berg sets off on his first- time feature film and delivers a film that underwhelms but does have its merits.
Samantha (Trin Miller) takes three of her friends out into the wilderness to see the home and property she has inherited. Along for the ride is her ex-boyfriend Mark (Brandon Anthony), Caitlin (Andi Norris) and Roman (Josh Truax). This is one of those pairings that I feel really only works in the movies, but in real life this group would simply be at one another’s throats the entire time. After all, Roman seems to be in love with his best friend who is planning on traveling for six months and continues to flirt with Mark despite her best friend’s feelings. As for Mark, there still seems to be tension between Samantha and him, so of course what better way for this drama to play out than a trip to a house in the middle of nowhere.
Posted in: The Reel World by Archive Authors on February 23rd, 2014
In 1983, a massive 672-page novel by Mark Helprin called Winter's Tale was published. In 2006, The New York Times Book Review named it one of the 22 best books of the last 25 years. It is an almost universally acclaimed book, and one that is nearly impossible to translate into any one movie because it covers many characters over a long period of time. Screenwriter/Director Akiva Goldsman (A Beautiful Mind, The Da Vinci Code, I Am Legend) has taken on this difficult task. Some of his famous friends have joined him. He has admitted in interviews that he had no choice but to cut many large sections and story lines from the sprawling book. I have no problem with this when someone does their very best to honor and respect what was clearly a great work. I think it is unrealistic to say that a large and complex book can't be made into a movie. They are different experiences, and if you object, then read the book again and avoid the movie.
Winter's Tale is being released on Valentine's Day because it heavily emphasizes the romance inherent in the book. It is a tragic and doomed romance, but one that is laced with magic and a cosmic significance that extends across the cosmos. The movie tells the story of the burglar, Peter Lake (Colin Ferrell) who does not die despite being surrounded by demons disguised as thugs who throw him off the Brooklyn Bridge. He rises from the water 100 years later in modern New York trying to remember his past. The main demon who pursues him is Pearly Soames, played by Russell Crowe (A Beautiful Mind). Soames has magical powers of his own but answers to the Judge or Lucifer played by Will Smith (I Am Legend). Soames has a driving need to destroy miracles and is pursuing Peter Lake because he feels his miracle is near. But both Soames and Lucifer must play by certain rules. Peter Lake has found a white horse to help him which turns out to be angelic being drawn to Peter by his grace. The woman he falls in love with is dying from consumption (Jessica Brown Findlay, Lady Sybil Crawley/Branson from Downton Abbey).
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on February 21st, 2014
It was during the filming of season 2 that original Dallas star Larry Hagman passed away. Hagman had reprised his iconic role for the new generation version of the smash hit series that ran from 1978-1991. The character of J.R. Ewing — and the iconic question of who shot J.R. — is simply a part of the pop culture vernacular whether you followed the show back then or not.
I came into the second season of Dallas without watching any of the previous episodes and only a vague recollection of the original series from the days I watched the show with my grandparents. Larry Hagman is one thing I do remember though, and seeing him chew up just about every scene he’s in while playing the infamous and ruthless J. R. Ewing is simply a treat.
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