Posted in: Contests, Expired Contests by Gino Sassani on June 15th, 2013
Our friends over at Walt Disney Studios want to help kick-off your Father's Day by giving us all something Dad can really enjoy. That's a high definition passage to the land of Oz. We're giving away Oz The Great And Powerful on Blu-ray to one lucky reader.
To win just follow these instructions.
Posted in: Bitchy Rants by Gino Sassani on June 15th, 2013
You know, it sure ain't easy taking care of our kids these days. Everywhere you turn there's a Russian mobster trying to kill you, or another dirtbag throwing a terrorist party. And guess who's always around when it's time to open up the presents? That's right. It's me. At least the kid has decided to get into the family business: Killing Scumbags. Being a father means having to give up your vacation once in a while. Yippee Ki Yah, Happy Father's Day from John McClane.
Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on June 14th, 2013
"What if a child dreamed of becoming something other than what society had intended? What if a child aspired to something greater?"
It's appropriate that exactly 75 years ago this very month Superman was born at the hands of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. He was born to be the patriotic hero symbol for a nation on the brink of a devastating world war. The war came and went as many others would since the hero's inception. Styles would change. Technology would come and go. Superman would find himself invading each and every medium that has come along since. Television shows, cartoons, comics, novels and even previous films have all continued the ongoing adventures of the man from Krypton. In those years styles have changed so much that the symbols of the hero himself have become quite dated. But in any time there will always be a need for larger than life heroes. They don't come any larger than Superman, The Man Of Steel. Can he be as relevant today as he was in 1938?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 13th, 2013
"Me and my boy here, we're gonna put a whuppin' on ya!"
In case you haven't been paying attention, 2013 is turning out to be the year of the returning action stars. The Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger teamed up with Korean action director Jee-woon Kim to deliver a very entertaining ride in The Last Stand. Sly Stallone teamed up with action icon Walter Hill to bring us the not-so-entertaining Bullet To The Head. Of course, perhaps the most eagerly awaited return was Bruce Willis back in the role that made him an action star in the first place. This is less Willis's return and more a potential swansong for cowboy cop John McLane. It's the fifth entry in the Die Hard franchise and the first sequel written originally as a Die Hard film and not something adapted to the character. With the disappointing Live Free Or Die Hard still fresh in my memory, all bets were off when I entered the cinema for a sneak peak of A Good Day To Die Hard.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on June 13th, 2013
This is my second trip to the land of Ooo, and this time I’d have all of season 2 to kick back and enjoy the weird and crazy adventures of Jake the dog and Finn the human. Fans of the show seem to have been clamoring to have entire seasons of the show released as a whole, rather than the compilation packs that have been released in the past. With this season 2 release there are 26 episodes together on one disc and running a little over 5 hours. Having just survived season 2, I feel it’s safe to say the show is something that will grow on you, but really like anything else should be indulged in small doses rather than a marathon viewing session.
The show doesn’t have anything that resembles a linear storyline; every episode can stand on its own, which makes it accessible for anyone to sit down and start enjoying the fun. Guardians of Sunshine stands out from the rest for me, where Finn and Jake get sucked into their friend BMO (who happens to be a video game console), and they are forced to take on the three big bosses of their favorite video game. This is a concept that most gamers I feel at some point have all fantasized about, whether it be to live in Zelda or even Grand Theft Auto, to live in this alternate reality would in theory be a blast. Leave it to Finn and Jake to show the perils of video game life, though it was pretty awesome seeing the 8-bit versions of Finn and Jake in action.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on June 13th, 2013
"Are we in the meth business or the money business?"
With the final episodes about to air in August, this doesn’t only end the run of a great TV show, but it also ends the run of a series that has been a staple in this golden age of television we are in. I don’t believe you’ll find anyone that could argue against the impact Breaking Bad has made to the television landscape since its premiere in 2008. For me season 4 of Breaking Bad is hands down one of the greatest seasons of television I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching, and I happily put it in the company of other greats like The Wire, The Shield, Lost, and Justified. The only problem I have, or foresee, is how do you bring it all to an end? After all one look at the fan reaction to the conclusion to The Shield, The Sopranos, or Lost, it’s impossible to satisfy the masses.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on June 13th, 2013
For a significant part of the last century, the Western was the dominant form of entertainment, ruling the Hollywood roost on both the big and small screen. Some of moviedom’s most iconic sounds — galloping horses, trusty six shooters, Ennio Morricone’s best work, “In this world, there’s two kinds of people: those with loaded guns and those who dig” — have come from the genre. And it all started In Old Arizona.
The 1929 Fox film was one of the most groundbreaking and innovative motion pictures of its time. In Old Arizona was the first major Western to use the new sound technology, as well as the first “talkie” to be filmed outside the confines of a cozy studio lot. (Filming took place in Utah, California, but, ironically, not Arizona.) Star Warner Baxter won an Oscar for his portrayal of the charismatic Cisco Kid, a performance that served as an early prototype for the singing cowboy on film.
Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on June 12th, 2013
You can't make this stuff up. OK, maybe you can. When Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen decided to embark on their directorial debut, they must have spent many hours huddled together to come up with the perfect concept. When they finally reached that perfect pitch they threw it in the trash can and decided to have fun instead. The whole idea is based on a short film by Jason Stone called Jay And Seth vs. The Apocalypse. With a title like that, you probably already know more than you need to know to figure out this movie.
It starts when Jay Baruchel comes to L.A. to visit his buddy Seth Rogen. Seth has been trying to help his old friend fit in with his new Hollywood friends. Jay doesn't really like the Hollywood guys and resists any chance to hang out with them. Of course, Seth also has a week of weed and video games planned, which is more Jay's speed. Seth does get Jay to agree to come with him to James Franco's housewarming party. That goes pretty much the way Jay expected. He gets some "fake" nice talk from the assembled celebs and is basically abandoned by Seth. The night's going pretty much according to plan...well...except for the nasty Apocalypse that just happens to strike while Jay's making a store run. The Earth is opening up and fire is raining down on the world. Some folks are being beamed up in bright blue shafts of light. So he heads back to Franco's where no one believes him. But if you can't bring this collection of funny guys to the Apocalypse, the Apocalypse comes to the funny guys. A huge hole opens up on the lawn and most of the party guests get sucked into the ground.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on June 12th, 2013
Hansel and Gretel, everyone has heard of this fairy tale, right? The Brothers Grimm tale about a brother and sister lost in the woods who come across a house made of candy. They go inside and are soon captured by a witch who goes about stuffing them with candy to fatten them up to be slaughtered. Somehow the cunning pair manages to escape their shackles, and while the witch is distracted with the oven, they push her into the oven and destroy her. We have all heard the tale, but what happened afterwards? Did they go back home, or did they live out their days in the witch’s house? Clearly I’m not the only one to wonder what happen to this pair of siblings, and now thanks to Jeremy Renner, Gemma Arterton, and the folks at the Paramount and MGM, we have our answer.
Fast forward many years later (as the film doesn’t give a specific number of years that have gone by), Hansel and Gretel have grown up to become famous and equally dangerous witch hunters. When the town of Augsburg is plagued by witches who have been abducting the town’s children; the incompetent Sheriff Berringer (Peter Stormare, Prison Break) and a mob of townspeople are in the process of condemning a local woman to be burned at the stake without any evidence of guilt. The mayor in an attempt to calm the panic of the townspeople has brought in Hansel (Jeremy Renner, The Avengers) and Gretel (Gemma Arterton, Prince of Persia).
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on June 12th, 2013
“In the old days, we did the news well. You know how? We just decided to.”
Sounds simple enough, so what’s keeping everyone from doing the news well? Well, other than a country that feels more politically polarized than ever and a population that mostly seems interested in cherry picking the “facts” they’d rather hear, I can’t think of a single thing. In fact, HBO’s The Newsroom pointedly compares the idea of putting on a quality news broadcast that educates the electorate and earns great ratings to Don Quixote embarking on one of his foolish quests.
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