Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on June 27th, 2013
We’re almost 150 years removed from the death of Abraham Lincoln, yet interest in the first major assassination in American history appears to be at an all-time high. Daniel Day Lewis just won a well-deserved Oscar for his astounding portrayal of our 16th president, and this month has already seen the home video release of the fascinating Killing Lincoln. Pictures From the Fringe enters the fray with the paradoxically-titled Saving Lincoln, a unique, well-meaning presentation of his presidency and a sketchy portrait of the not-so-well-known relationship between Lincoln and personal bodyguard Ward Hill Lamon.
Lamon, who Lincoln eventually appointed U.S. Marshal of the District of Columbia, was notably absent during the evening of the president’s assassination. (Lincoln had sent Lamon to Richmond as an ambassador promoting Reconstruction.) The film depicts Lamon (Lea Coco) and Lincoln’s (Tom Amandes) first meeting in Illinois — aspiring attorney Lamon looked up to Lincoln — as well as the moment when Lamon names himself the president's bodyguard after the Baltimore Plot to assassinate Lincoln in 1861 is uncovered. The film proceeds to hit the major signposts in the president’s political/persona life, including the Gettysburg Address and the Emancipation Proclamation. We also watch Lincoln deal with the death of son Willie (Elijah Nelson) from typhoid fever and the carriage accident that injured First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln (Penelope Ann Miller.)
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 26th, 2013
"My ears hear what others cannot hear; small faraway things people cannot normally see are visible to me. These senses are the fruits of a lifetime of longing, longing to be rescued, to be completed. Just as the skirt needs the wind to billow, I'm not formed by things that are of myself alone. I wear my father's belt tied around my mother's blouse, and shoes which are from my uncle. This is me. Just as a flower does not choose its color, we are not responsible for what we have come to be. Only once you realize this do you become free, and to become adult is to become free."
If you are a fan of director Chan-wook Park, you are used to the kinds of bizarre images and somewhat enigmatic story elements that dominate the landscape of Stoker. While none of the images here reach quite into the territory of Oldboy, it's hard not to plug into the disturbed nature of the film's themes and story. I left the movie with more questions than answers and a little bit lost as to how exactly I was going to approach this review. I had not seen Oldboy at the time of the viewing or since. I did go out of my way to get some exposure to the film's famous imagery through clips and stills. Even still, I've never been more confused about a film than I am about Stoker.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on June 25th, 2013
Burned, Recruited, Coerced, Betrayed, and Framed; in the past five seasons of Burn Notice, Michael Westen has been all of these things. The constant fluctuation in his ever-changing status is enough to drive a person mad, but through it all Michael has managed to stay level-headed and remain confident that he would find a way out. That confidence in his abilities is no doubt sustained by the support of his eternally loyal love, Fiona Glenanne. Fiona is Michael’s anchor; she keeps him centered, and as evident in last season when Fiona was framed for a bombing by Anson, Michael will go to any extreme to keep her safe; he needs her. However, when Season 6 opens up, Fiona has turned herself in to FBI to protect him from being used. What will Michael do now that the love of his life may be gone forever?
Season 6 picks right where the last season left off: Fiona turns herself in to the FBI and is taken into custody as Michael watches. Unable to save her, Michael becomes a man on a mission as he enlists the help of Sam, Jesse, and CIA officer Dani Pearce (Lauren Stamile) to find Anson (Jere Burns) and bring him in to clear Fiona’s name. Michael receives word of Anson’s plans to flee Miami as his identity has been compromised and he is being hunted. He catches up with him but is forced to let him go, condemning Fiona to her fate.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 25th, 2013
"The body is the proof. It will tell you everything you need to know if you just have the patience to look."
Body Of Proof was a mid-season entry by the network two years ago; it debuted at the end of March and ran for only nine episodes that year. It was renewed, so it had the opportunity to develop into something better than what it was. After a full season last year, it was decided to retool the show considerably for the third year. It was all an obvious sign that the show with so much potential was having trouble drawing in enough viewers to keep it alive. The end has finally come, and those last episodes are now available on DVD.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on June 25th, 2013
Every generation since “X” has lionized its slackers and frat boys with films (perhaps earlier if you look to Animal House as the beginning). Workaholics dances between this honouring of the stoner/slacker lifestyle and satirizing it. This show's third season is just like the previous two. Three best friends, Adam, Anders and Blake, spend their work days with pranks, pot and parties on their minds, and each episode showcases their adventures therein.
These three indulge in so much “bro” talk, which entails frequent use of the words “bro,” “dude,” and turning as many words as possible into slang, usually by shortening them to one syllable if possible. A whole scene may go by where their English has been massacred to the point where I feel as if they are speaking an entirely new language. While many times this would seem to be a way of relating to the keg-tapping demographic, it can reach such a preposterous level, such as when Adam talks about getting a girl to put her “H on his D,” that it becomes more of a lampooning.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 24th, 2013
"Welcome to the wonderful world of magic."
They say that the hand is quicker than the eye. Through the art of misdirection and skillful manipulation we have been awed by magicians ever since Glog made Ooof's club disappear somewhere in Mesopotamia circa 20,000 BC. It's not all skill, really. The truth is we've always wanted to be fooled. We're begging for "magicians" to tamper with our sense of reality. I don't know how fast the hand happens to be, but today we're fooled at the speed of 24 frames per second (unless you happen to be Peter Jackson). The magic happens every time we walk into a movie theater or put a shiny disc into our magic machines. And what do we enjoy even more than being "tricked"? We love to laugh. The Incredible Burt Wonderstone has just the right amount of sleight of hand to pull it off.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 24th, 2013
“Midnight is the most evil part of the night. If someone dies at 23:59 hours, his soul will not rest in peace and will return to the mortal world.”
Every culture has its own set of ghost stories. They’re usually passed around very late at night by a group of very impressionable young people. That’s precisely where 23:59 — an atmospheric and thoroughly effective Malaysian/Singaporean horror flick — picks up, with a group of army recruits on an island training camp sitting around telling spooky tales. The only thing missing was the campfire.
Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on June 21st, 2013
The boys are back, and I only have one question. What the heck took so long? I have a lot of respect for Pixar and the groundbreaking films they've created over the last couple of decades, but I have to question someone's marketing good sense when they get a sequel to Cars out before anyone bothered to look towards what is arguably the studio’s best creation to date. For me it's all about Monsters, Inc. I hadn't fallen so hard for an animated film since The Lion King, and so I was thrilled when I got the invitation to graduate early from Monsters University.
Who are "the boys", you might ask. If you're serious, then you might actually be reading the wrong piece. For the rest of you, "the boys" are Mike Wazowski (Crystal) and James P. "Sulley" Sullivan (Goodman). And it's been a dozen years since we last saw them in Monsters, Inc. A sequel to that film might be a bit problematic. We learn that laughs provide far more power than screams, and we leave the power structure of Monsteropolis on its head. Pixar's imaginative team took the best route available to them and decided to go the prequel pathway, and we get to see Mike and Sully as college students. Both have their sights on becoming master scarers. For Sulley, it's in the blood. He comes from a long line of successful scarers, and he's not really taking the college scene very seriously. For Sulley it's about fun. Mike, on the other hand has stars in his eyes and works harder than anyone else on campus. But he might have to come to grips with the fact that he just might not have what it takes.
Posted in: The Reel World by Jonathan Foster on June 21st, 2013
“Most people don’t believe something can happen until it already has.”
Walkers. The Living Dead. Zombies. Whatever you call them, you can’t deny they’ve shuffled their way into the forefront of pop culture. Once relegated to niche horror movies, zombies have crossed over into multiple genres, be it comedy (Zombieland), romance (Warm Bodies) or drama (The Walking Dead). The latest offering of the undead is World War Z, an action/horror film based on Max Brooks’ best-selling novel of the same name.
Posted in: The Reel World by Jeremy Butler on June 20th, 2013
“Let’s go shopping.”
Proof that the internet in the wrong hands can be a dangerous tool; it was the highlight of celebrity news in 08 and 09; a rash home invasions and robberies committed on the residences of Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Rachel Bilson, Audrina Patridge, Megan Fox, and Orlando Bloom. As reported by TMZ and news outlets alike, the group broke into the celeb’s home stealing cash, jewelry, and apparel quickly earning the name “The Bling Ring.” News of their actions and their ability to avoid detection despite being caught on caught on a security cameras fueled the crime ring’s boldness as it was reported that the group returned to Hilton’s home several times after the original robbery. Ultimately, an anonymous tip lead to the arrest of the group’s ringleader and her original co-conspirator and when it was discovered that this crime ring was nothing more than a bunch of teenagers, their story became so big that there was only one inevitable resolution: to make a movie about it.
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