Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 8th, 2013
To his credit, Tim Burton has managed to keep the art of stop motion alive and well in Hollywood. He’s also proven that it can still be quite effective and just as commercial with such classics as A Nightmare Before Christmas. Since that time he’s had a modest number of hits and misses, but nothing that has come close to the holiday staple…until now. Frankenweenie is destined to become a Halloween tradition at our house, and I suspect I’m not alone.
Of course, Frankenweenie isn’t exactly a brand new idea. In 1984 Burton created a short film on the idea. It made the usual festival circuits and has shown up a couple of times as an extra on his more recent films. The original short certainly had its limitations, but it was a rather sweet little nugget that fans have been quietly enjoying for nearly 20 years. It’s actually a bit of a surprise that it’s taken the filmmaker this long to revisit the idea, but this time with a budget and running time geared for the mass audiences. Whatever the reasons for the delay, it was well worth the wait, particularly after Burton’s very disappointing take on Dark Shadows. While Frankenweenie might not completely redeem that colossal disappointment, it has gone a long way toward making me believe the filmmaker still has the wit and genius that have marked some of his earlier films.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 8th, 2013
“Blood is thicker than water, and oil is thicker than blood.”
The drama continues; not trying to steal the slogan from TNT; however, it does seem fitting for the returning soap drama, Dallas, especially since TNT is the network that it airs on. I am certain that everyone has heard of this soap opera in one capacity or another. The series ran for thirteen seasons from 1978 to 1991, and caused worldwide spread pandemonium with one of the most famous cliffhangers in television, “Who Shot J.R.?” Well enough about what Dallas was, and on to what it is; for starters it’s back. More than twenty years after it went off the air, the series returns with some new faces and some familiar ones.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on January 8th, 2013
Coming into the HBO animated series on its third season, I wasn’t sure what to expect from The Life & Times of Tim. Even after a quick search on IMDB to see what else creator Steve Dildarian had worked on, it left me with little to go on concerning what to possibly expect. I got to go into season three with virgin eyes, and overall it was a good time. When we first meet Tim (Dildarian), his life is at a low point, lower than what most twenty-something graduates would be used to. But on the bright side Tim has managed to find a job as the personal assistant to a women’s basketball player (Kym Whitley), though Tim is too ashamed to admit to his girlfriend Amy (M.J. Otto) what he really does. From episode one on we see a common formula take place, Tim decides to do something, and in the end his actions prove his idea was horrible or will simply end with disastrous results. If anything Tim is something of an inspiration; after all, for those who claim to have terrible luck, they can always look to Tim and realize it could always be worse. But Tim is also fictional and animated, so any comfort the show may give will most likely be short-lived.
Each episode consists of two separate stories running about 15 minutes each. Having these mini episodes helps the pacing of each of the episodes, and even when there is a weaker story playing it at least manages enough time to fit in a couple laughs without overstaying its welcome. Also having the 2-story episodes it seemed at least for me there was easily “the good story” and then “the weaker story”. For me there wasn’t a point where I ever found myself hysterically laughing throughout an episode, but there were two that I could say with ease were my favorites.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on January 7th, 2013
(I have covered the first season on this site already so this review shall begin with that one then segway into new write-up for Season 2):
A successful writing team, who also happen to be a married couple, are the creators of an award-winning show in the UK that has just completed after four seasons. An American network wishes to create a US version of the show. The couple are flown to LA, put up in a lavish mansion and are introduced to the Hollywood method of creating television…and it nearly destroys them.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on January 7th, 2013
“78% of all professional football players are divorced, bankrupt, or unemployed two years after leaving the game.”
Now here’s a movie with quality subject matter. A film that addresses the consequences athletes face when they live for today’s instead of tomorrow’s satisfaction. Of course it is wrapped up in the bow of a romance theme, but the principle still holds. The idea of the two plots at first may be perceived as bad mixture like oil and water; however, after watching the two will be viewed more complementary like vanilla and chocolate swirl.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on January 7th, 2013
When it comes to writer/director Spike Lee, he seems to have a very polarizing effect on the people who watch his films. I’d like to consider myself a fan of most of his work. For me Clockers, Summer of Sam, and The 25 Hour rank at the top of my list of favorites. He’s a director with a very distinct style and voice that sets him apart from most filmmakers. But it’s that voice of his that often times gets him in trouble, whether it is in the message of his films or oftentimes comments he makes (most notably his comments on Tarantino and Django Unchained). As for Red Hook Summer, I wasn’t sure what to think of it, hearing mixed reviews from the festival circuit. For me when I heard this was supposed to be a unofficial follow-up to Do The Right Thing, I was already looking forward to checking this out.
When we first meet Flik Royale (newcomer Jules Brown) he’s in the back of the cab coming into Brooklyn for the first time with his face hidden behind his iPad 2 as he films everything. Flik comes from a middle class family in Atlanta, so of course this move to spend the summer with his religious grandfather is more than just a simple culture shock. At first it’s hard to sympathize with Flik simply because he comes off as nothing more than a spoiled brat, but as the film moves along I found myself warming up to him more and more.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on January 6th, 2013
The following sentence is taken directly from the back of the Blu-ray case for Charlie Sheen’s latest small-screen vehicle: “Charlie thrives on the chaos in his life while still battling his own anger issues.” So it’s fair to say FX’s Anger Management isn’t afraid to blur the line between reality and fiction. It’s actually a good move because the latest TV show tailored specifically to Sheen’s talents doesn’t have much else going for it.
Anger Management, created by Bruce Helford (The Drew Carey Show), is loosely based on the 2003 Jack Nicholson/Adam Sandler film of the same name. (And I really can’t emphasize the word “loosely” enough; the only things the two have in common is that one of the characters is an anger management therapist and, um, it features humans.) Sheen stars as Charlie Goodson, activating a little-known clause in his contract that stipulates he can only play people named “Charlie.” In this case, his Charlie is a disgraced former baseball player turned therapist who counsels a motley crew of patients with anger management issues out of his home.
Posted in: Contests, Expired Contests by Gino Sassani on January 5th, 2013
On the Twelfth Day Of Christmas A&E/History gives to you:
Everything. That's right, The Universe in 3D. This 3-disc collection is the perfect compliment for that new 3D television or player. You get three of the show's better episodes in 3D: Catastrophes That Changed The Planets, Nemesis: The Sun's Evil Twin and How The Solar System Was Made. All in high definition. All in 3D. Let's just say we ended this year's 12 Days Of Christmas Giveaways with a bang, A Big Bang.
Posted in: News and Opinions by Gino Sassani on January 4th, 2013
Forget everything we've said about these guys. It's not often that we have to admit we were wrong here at Upcomingdiscs. This is one such time. We said good things about the program. I thought I'd finally found a good movie database, the Holy Grail of the industry. Well... it works fine....for a short time. In less than a year it's been pretty much broken and they'll charge you all over again to get a working version. What is wasted is your original money and the time you spent entering your films. For us that meant literally thousands of titles. Save your money and stay far away from this one. I'll keep looking for a good program. When we offer a recommendation, we want you to be able to count on it.
Bolide Software's attempt to hook you on a never-ending money grab isn't what you're looking for. There's got to be a great database software out there. I promise you. We will find it.
Posted in: Contests, Expired Contests by Gino Sassani on January 4th, 2013
On the Eleventh Day Of Christmas A&E/History gives to you:
UFO Archives. All of your favorite UFO documentaries on 6 DVD's. We're talking Area 51, Roswell, The Majestic 12 and SETI. It's all here. 15 hours of UFO shows.
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