Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on August 7th, 2013
For those who don't know, I have been married twice in my life. I am currently going through my second divorce. At nearly thirty eight years old, I have lived the relationship life of arguably several lifetimes but something usually keeps me coming back. Am I done with love? Only time will tell. Today's blu-ray review is about a six year old girl who sees life through the divorce of her mother and father. Something tells me we are in for a very long and bumpy ride.
Susanna (played by Julianne Moore), a mom puts her six year old daughter, Maisie (played by Onata Aprile) to bed. Susan decides to sing "Rock a Bye Baby" to the daughter before breaking out the acoustic guitar and playing a few gentle chords as Maisie slowly goes to sleep. The day begins again or rather we see Maisie paying for some pizza as we hear a heated argument in the background.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 7th, 2013
The time was that following the death of a good king, England was left without a clear heir to the throne. During the time without a king, England had descended into dark times. Suddenly as if through divine intervention a sword appeared in an anvil of stone. An inscription decreed that whosoever could remove the sword would become king. Think you’ve heard the story before? Well, of course you have. It is none other than the story of King Arthur. Most of us have heard the many stories. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone that Walt Disney himself was quite taken with the tale, when you consider it it’s about as natural a fit as one can find. Disney’s early works were replete with tales of seemingly ordinary people with extraordinary destinies. From Sleeping Beauty to Cinderella, Walt had put his own touch to many such tales.
Our story begins in this England of dark times. A wizard named Martin… eh, that’s Merlin … is sitting in his humble room awaiting the arrival of a special lad. Gifted with the ability to see forward in time, Merlin knows that this lad will soon be arriving, and it will be his responsibility to educate the boy. When the young man referred to as The Wart does arrive, it seems unlikely he could be destined for much of anything. He’s rather physically awkward and appears none too ambitious. Still, Marvin, that is to say, Merlin, takes on the task with an eagerness that becomes somewhat annoying to his companion, the owl Archimedes. The lessons involve for the most part magical transformations and a few catchy tunes. Before long “The Wart” aka Arthur finds and fulfills his destiny. This story is more about the journey than the destination. Arthur doesn’t have his encounter with the sword, often erroneously identified as Excalibur, until the last minutes of the film. There is a hint that more stories would follow, but they never really did.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 7th, 2013
“Once upon a time in New York City…”
Walt Disney might well have been the storyteller of more than one generation of kids. Is it any wonder that when we think of such characters as Winnie The Pooh or Peter Pan our minds conjure the images wrought by Disney animators and not necessarily the classic literature descriptions? That might not be the case with this Charles Dickens story, retold through Disney’s trademark animal point of view. Oliver & Company doesn’t appear to have had the staying power of films both before and after its time. After watching the film again, perhaps for the first time since its release 20 years ago, I can’t imagine why it has never quite caught on. From a popular culture standpoint the film has all of the elements that have led to other more beloved Disney classics. The Dickens story is a familiar one, read by most literature students as a matter of course. Many of the era’s biggest names lent their voice talents to the characters, including Billy Joel and Bette Midler. The songs are about as catchy as anyone might have hoped for. Just what was it that relegated this little seen Disney adventure to the bargain bin of animation classics?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 7th, 2013
"Space... the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission, to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no one has gone before."
With the success of Best Of Both Worlds, Star Trek: The Next Generation would make frequent use of the season-ending cliffhanger. Believe it or not, that wasn't so common in those days. The fourth season ended with part one of Redemption.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on August 7th, 2013
For over 40 years Aerosmith has been rocking the airwaves, and with over a 100 million albums sold, it is safe to say they are one of America’s greatest rock bands. It had been seven years before that the band previously performed in Japan, and after the devastation the country endured during the earthquake and tsunami in early 2011, the band was inspired to return to Japan and perform. Rock For The Rising Sun is more than simply a documentary of a concert in Japan; instead it is the documentation of the band’s journey that follows them along their stops throughout their tour and their interaction with the fans. For fans looking to get the full concert experience from their living room, this should help satisfy your needs, but this experience does offer more. With footage cut in between songs we get to spend time with the band, though arguably this could have been better suited as footage cut together as a bonus feature instead of getting in the way of the concert footage.
I can appreciate what was attempted here, but I feel it should have been so much more. This was a missed opportunity to see these pop culture icons truly making a difference and helping the country, or at least a few select individuals, but instead we get to see them at Disneyland. Had there been no mention of the devastation the country suffered and the band claiming to go there in support of those affected, then perhaps I would view this a little differently. But to use the tragedy and show nothing of its effects or the band confronting any of the survivors with aid I feel makes this all seems a bit disingenuous.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on August 5th, 2013
The fact that Kumail Nanjiani decided to call his first Comedy Central special Beta Male immediately gives you a sense of his self-deprecating style. Fortunately, the ability to laugh at himself is merely one of many comedic gifts this on-the-rise comic possesses. This consistently funny, frequently hilarious hour-long set — filmed in Austin’s Moody Theater — touches on a wide range of topics, including his Muslim upbringing, cats disguised as pizza delivery men, and outdated rollercoasters.
Nanjiani has made his way into numerous “Comics to Watch” lists, but most audiences probably know him from scene-stealing turns in Franklin & Bash and Portlandia. He’s also got plenty of comedy geek cred, lending his voice to Adventure Time and collaborating with Michael Showalter and Michael Ian Black for the short-lived Michael and Michael Have Issues. This is my drawn-out way of telling you Nanjiani’s humor ticks a lot of boxes with audiences.
Posted in: The Reel World by Jeremy Butler on August 2nd, 2013
Who said inter-agency cooperation wasn’t possible? Well, maybe cooperation is a bit of stretch for the relationship between Washington and Wahlberg in 2 Guns, the Rated R comedy from director Baltasar Kormakur (Contraband). A buddy-cop film by definition, but a refreshing one that is sure to be a welcomed addition to the subcategory right alongside Lethal Weapon, Bad Boys, and Rush Hour.
Partners in crime Bobby Trench (Denzel Washington) and Marcus Stigman (Mark Wahlberg) have worked together for the last year despite being polar opposites; Bobby is smooth and the consummate professional while Stig (as he likes to be called) is flippant and a bit unhinged. Regardless, the two work well together, the problem is neither is who they pretend to be. They’re both undercover agents; Bobby for the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA.) and Stig for Naval Intelligence, and here’s the kicker, neither knows about the other’s true identity.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on August 2nd, 2013
At some point or another as kids we’ve experienced either the fear of the dark, what lurks in the closet, or perhaps the dread of what awaits under the bed. As adults most view these fears we had as children as impractical, but for those of us who remember these fears, the possibility of what terrors awaited us come nightfall was something very real. Sure, mom or dad would check the room to assure us there was nothing there, but we knew better. We knew the moment the parents left the room the dreaded terrors would crawl out from there dark hideouts and come for us in our sleep. It’s this childhood terror that director Steven C. Miller (director of the Silent Night remake) attempts to bring to the screen.
Neal (Jonny Weston) has just moved back home after living across country for several years with his aunt. It takes some time before we fully understand the tragedy that caused this move, but we know from the get-go many believe Neal was somehow responsible. His return home is met with many changes; most painful for him is his father falling in love and wanting to remarry. Thankfully for Neal he at least still has his younger brother, Paulie (Gattlin Griffith) who has eagerly awaited his return.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on August 2nd, 2013
I’ll say this about a program that has remained consistent in quality for twenty seasons…it makes for challenging reviews. Talking about each season of Gunsmoke is difficult in that you either write briefly to try to avoid redundancies, but might seem too hasty, or you have to labour over each episode, in which case, you’re only going to have hardcore fans paying attention. Since this website has touched on previous seasons: ( https://upcomingdiscs.com/?s=gunsmoke ) I shall opt for the former option, and hope y’all out there catch that I’m not being hasty…but respect a show that warrants no fresh complaints after 9 years a-runnin’ thus far.
The format has been full hours stories since season 7 and it hasn't lost any steam in season 9. The cast saw a little shifting as Ken Curtis' character Festus is introduced just before longtime sidekick Chester (played by Dennis Weaver) departs at the end of this season.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on August 1st, 2013
The cartoons I’m most fond of from my childhood are all cell-animated, simply because I grew up in a time before computer generation effects and animation had been fully realized. Now when you flip on the TV it’s hard to find any true animation; everything has moved on and evolved to CGI. When the studios have the time and money, they can release some breathtaking features like Finding Nemo and The Croods. But when it comes to television the CGI never seemed to match the quality of the features. That is until Dreamworks released Dragons: Riders of Berk.
Berk is a land shared by both Vikings and dragons. For generations the two feuded with one another until a boy, Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) came along who was able to train the dragons, and since then the two have worked together to cohabitate Berk together. Joining Hiccup on his many adventures are his somewhat loyal group of friends and their dragons. But it’s his closest and dearest friend Toothless (a rare night fury dragon) who sticks to Hiccups’ side through the good and the bad. Their relationship is more than a simple bond between a boy and his pet. The trust the two share is shown time and time again throughout the series whether through a simple trust fall exercise, to a point where both Hiccup and Toothless take separate leaps from a cliff in the hope the two will come together to escape another dragon. These leaps of faith are poignant considering Toothless can’t fly without Hiccup in the saddle due to the fact he has an injured tail and has an attachment that only the person in the saddle can control.
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