Posted in No Huddle by J C on November 9th, 2015
“Why, this is getting more farcical by the moment!” It’s easy to point at the 1960s Batman TV series and laugh. For Dark Knight loyalists who insist their hero be gritty and tortured, the show is (at best) a campy amusement. At worst, it’s an embarrassing atrocity. The two most important things to note are […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on November 6th, 2015
“Argument is sugar, and the rest of us are flies.” By now, we’ve grown numb to the fact that there are simply too many TV channels to count. So it’s not surprising that many of them have to take increasingly extreme measures to get our attention. Unfortunately, that line of thinking has extended to television […]
Posted in No Huddle by Archive Authors on November 3rd, 2015
“Sometimes it’s better not to touch your dreams, take it from someone who knows.” In the first season of Showtime’s Californication, we were introduced to David Duchovny’s character, bitter yet upbeat writer Hank Moody. Hank, after moving to Los Angeles on the heels of his first novel – a critical darling entitled “God Hates Us […]
Posted in No Huddle by Dan Holland on October 31st, 2015
The Horror Network Vol. 1 is an anthology of five short horror films, compiled by Douglas Conner and Brian Dorton. I absolutely love short films: I have created a few of my own, and I have been part of the selection committee for a short film festival. This anthology is fantastic in that it combines […]
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on October 15th, 2015
“Death by 100 cuts.” You should know the setup by now. Here’s a quick rundown: it’s 97 years ago, and nuclear holocaust has made life on Earth unlivable… at least that’s what most people believed. Fortunately for humanity, several countries had space stations in orbit. These various stations eventually came together to pool resources hoping […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on October 15th, 2015
It wasn’t until I settled in to watch Spike TV’s three-part/six-hour miniseries based on the (relatively short) life of King Tut that I realized we hadn’t really seen his story depicted on screen before. I mean, it’s probably a bad sign that the most famous on-screen portrayal of the ancient Egyptian monarch comes courtesy of…Steve […]
Posted in No Huddle by Archive Authors on September 24th, 2015
The Nanny ran for six seasons from 1993 to 1999, originally aired on CBS. It is just issuing season 4, which is kind of odd, but what can you do. The first three seasons were released from 2005 to 2009, and it looks like the entire series will soon be available. I’m not sure why […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 5th, 2015
“1836, Republic of Texas. The Mexican territory is home to thousands of US settlers. Tensions rise as Comanche and Kawakawa fight to keep their lands. Outlaws roam free, and slaves are caught in the crossfire. Mexican General Santa Anna battles to reclaim the land. US President Andrew Jackson is hesitant to intervene, and Texas has […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on September 2nd, 2015
“You got the St. Louis blues, the Chicago blues, the gin house blues, the “my man done left me” blues…they all the same song, ain’t they?” By now, anyone who’s seen a musical biopic realizes these films also whistle a pretty similar-sounding tune. The bad news here is that Bessie is no exception, rushing from […]
Posted in No Huddle by Jeremy Butler on August 11th, 2015
I’ve heard whispers about this series for quite some time but never really knew much about it. Given that Hallmark is not really a channel I frequent, I suppose not being knowledgeable about it is understandable. I was slightly confused when this disc came across my desk; I was sure if it was a television […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 4th, 2015
I Love Lucy changed the fledgling television industry in the 1950’s. This was a time when network television was less than a decade old. Most folks had never heard of television just 15 years earlier. I Love Lucy defined the concept of a sitcom. The show was driven by the very strong personalities of the […]
Posted in No Huddle by Archive Authors on June 11th, 2015
As one who loathes sports, ESPECIALLY golf, I thought I’d rather put hot pokers in my eyes than watch the golf and gambling independent film, The Squeeze. However, to my surprise, it wasn’t bad – it wasn’t great- and although the ending teed me off for not providing an adequate resolution, I also didn’t fast […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on April 28th, 2015
Despite being one of the most successful actresses in Hollywood for the better part of 20 years — Friends premiered in 1994 — it’s been all too easy to dismiss Jennifer Aniston’s big screen resume. Until recent sexpot roles in broad comedies (We’re The Millers, the Horrible Bosses two-logy), most of her hits (Bruce Almighty, […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 11th, 2015
“I’m Leonardo da Vinci. Revolutionary painter, artist and visionary, of the Republic of Florence.” The term “Renaissance man” is often used to describe a person who has a very wide range of interests in which they have become quite skilled. It’s taken from the traits of the many artists, innovators and writers of the 15th […]
Posted in No Huddle by Brent Lorentson on February 18th, 2015
For as long as I can remember I’ve been in love with film. Growing up in the 80’s, getting to understand the process of how films were made wasn’t very accessible unless you were lucky to catch a behind-the-scenes special on HBO or Showtime for some big new release. It wasn’t till laserdisc and eventually […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on February 16th, 2015
“Why are you so hateful, Olive?” Olive Kitteridge — Elizabeth Strout’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel —has been adapted into a four-hour HBO miniseries. It’s probably the best possible outcome for Strout’s story, which deals with the legacy of depression, along with several other box office-unfriendly themes that would almost certainly prevent any proper Kitteridge adaptation from […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on February 4th, 2015
“No woman dreams of entering this profession. But it is a real profession…” In fact, it’s commonly referred to as “the world’s oldest profession.” We’re talking, of course, about practice prostitution. The profession also happens to be the focus of the soapy, serialized Maison Close, which is set in a 19th century Parisian brothel. And […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on November 28th, 2014
“How the hell did this happen? I mean, I’m on the other side of the planet, and people know who I am and they’re laughing at my jokes.” Despite his status as one of the biggest draws in stand-up comedy, Jeff Dunham really does seem taken aback by his success. On one hand, you wouldn’t […]
Posted in No Huddle by Archive Authors on October 17th, 2014
By John Delia If you are looking for a comedy with horror on DVD for a get-together with friends on Halloween, check out Witching & Bitching. It’s very raunchy, gross and gory, but if you like rude, crude and unglued, then this film’s perfect for an adult party. The film plays out in Spanish with […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on October 5th, 2014
In 1996 it was a brave new world for Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez. Tarantino was still riding the wave of Pulp Fiction’s fame, while Rodriguez was going strong with his follow up to El Mariachi, Desperado (which went on to be a bigger hit). The two had crossed paths at various film festivals, and […]
Posted in No Huddle by J C on September 29th, 2014
“Politics, backstabbing, murder…just another day at French court.” The creators of Reign — the CW’s campy, compulsively-watchable adaptation of the Mary, Queen of Scots saga — seem to be perfectly aware of their audience. I don’t think I’m talking out of school when I say no one turns to the CW — home of DC […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on August 19th, 2014
It’s kind of astounding that it took this long for somebody to revisit Rosemary’s Baby. Don’t get me wrong: I’m not suggesting Roman Polanski’s indelible 1968 adaptation of Ira Levin’s 1967 novel was crying out for a remake. It’s just that at this point you’d be hard pressed to find any horror classic — or […]
Posted in No Huddle by Brent Lorentson on August 11th, 2014
Many would agree that we are in the golden age of television, where the pedigree of the television drama has never been equaled in talent or scope of the stories we are seeing projected on our television sets night after night. As these stories have gotten bigger and bigger with every following year and season, […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on August 5th, 2014
“You’re different. You don’t fit into a category. They can’t control you. They call it Divergent.” In the wake of Hunger Games and Twilight studios have been snatching up the rights to young adult fiction and gearing up for franchises, all in the name of capturing the hearts and wallets of the legions of fans […]
Posted in The Reel World by Archive Authors on July 24th, 2014
Lucy is good science fiction. Good science fiction challenges scientists to think about the possibilities. Good scientists think they don’t know and want to seek the answers and learn more. Bad scientists will tell you the answers because they know. But they don’t know. Science is made by making mistakes and learning from those mistakes […]
