Posted in The Reel World by Brent Lorentson on December 24th, 2014
Well, it’s that time of year when the studios make that extra push for awards season, and with Angelina Jolie at the helm directing her second film, Unbroken is the kind of film where after one viewing of the trailer you just know this is Oscar bait. I love this time of year, and I […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 26th, 2014
“And I heard, as it were, the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, “Come and see.” Then, behold, a pale horse, and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him.” No, this is not a Johnny Cash song or a bible study post. Believe it or not, […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 18th, 2014
“The city still needs saving. But not by the Hood. And not by some vigilante who’s just crossing names off a list. It needs… something more.” That someone, that something more …that something else is the DC Comics character Green Arrow. Not to be confused with the same-colored Hornet or Lantern. In season 2 Oliver […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 12th, 2014
“There’s virtually nothing the Winchesters can’t do if they work together.” But that’s the rub, isn’t it? The tradition has been that each of the last several seasons end up beginning with the brothers separated for one reason or another. Often one of them is trying to escape Hell, purgatory or some fantasy mental land. […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 22nd, 2014
“Welcome to the SyFy Channel.” OK, not really. Revolution aired on sister network NBC, both part of the Universal family. Usually the sibling resemblances are not very visible. Revolution, however has all the elements of a typical SyFy Channel series. These shows almost always start with strong source material or a crazy but clever idea.
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on August 14th, 2014
At this point in his alternately mocked and celebrated career, Nicolas Cage starring in a movie called Rage seems redundant. (Especially since “Rage” would be a much more eloquent title for this classic YouTube video.) Yet here he is starring in what looks like a Taken ripoff…until you realize he already starred in a Taken […]
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on August 14th, 2014
“I wonder if you could spare me a little of your time?” Erle Stanley Gardner wrote crime fiction, and while many of his 100 or so works are unknown to most of us, he created a character who has become as identified with criminal lawyers as any other in fiction. It was in these crime […]
Posted in No Huddle by Archive Authors on July 22nd, 2014
by Normandy D. Piccolo “Magnum, Rockford and Marlowe never had to rake leaves before a case.” ~ Sam Steele Junior Whoever said homework can’t be fun never met Writer/Director Tom Whitus. Mr. Whitus has donned the fedora once more and penned another adventurous Sam Steele detective movie aimed at children. The Junior Spy Agency (2014) […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on June 4th, 2014
Following in the footsteps of Taken Gina Carano (Haywire) goes on a revenge rampage in order to discover what has happened to her injured and missing husband in a foreign land. It’s not the most original jumping off point for a revenge film, but as is the case with most revenge films, the motivation is […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 14th, 2014
“I was cast into being in the winter of 1795 a living corpse with a soul, stitched, jolted, bludgeoned back to life by a madman. Horrified by his creation, he tried to destroy me…” We all know the story told by the young teen wife of a poet: Mary Shelley. Told to entertain guests on […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 13th, 2014
“Greece, that hard and timeless land, where even the stones speak of man’s courage, of his endurance, of his glory. And none more eloquently than this lonely pillar in a desolate pass, some 200 miles north of modern Athens. Across the hush of 24 centuries, this is the story of a turning point in history, […]
Posted in No Huddle by J C on January 13th, 2014
Within the first few minutes of We Are What We Are, the Parker family suffers an immense loss. The death doesn’t exactly come as a shock because the film opens with a series of arresting and foreboding images doused by a torrential rain that fails to wash away the family’s worries (or incriminating evidence). This […]
Posted in Holiday Gift Guides by Gino Sassani on December 5th, 2013
Warner has put out a few solid films and television shows on home video this year. There are a few of them that would make fine gifts for the home theatre fan on your Christmas list. From superheroes to hobbits and vampires, there’s something in this list for everyone. Wouldn’t hurt to snag a little […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 16th, 2013
“We always thought that alien life would come from the stars, but it came from deep beneath the Pacific.” The only thing we seem to love more than giant monster movies are movies about giant dudes going a few rounds with said giant monsters. It was huge television fare in the 1960’s and 1970’s. We […]
Posted in No Huddle by Brent Lorentson on October 5th, 2013
Have you ever watched a movie that is so insane that when it ends you’re stuck on your couch wondering what just happened? Adam Chaplin: Violent Avenger did just that, and as it turns out, that is not such a bad thing. The film is such a mash-up of crazy visuals and violence, it’ll leave […]
Posted in No Huddle by Brent Lorentson on October 2nd, 2013
Family Guy has reached a level of impact upon the American pop culture where I believe the characters need little to no introduction. Is there anyone, really, that doesn’t recognize Stewie; after all he’s reached the status of icon and has even become a fixture of the Thanksgiving parade as one of the many floats. […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 26th, 2013
“My name is Oliver Queen. For five years I was stranded on an island with only one goal: survive. Now, I will fulfill my father’s dying wish to use the list of names he left me and bring down those who are poisoning my city. To do this I must become someone else. I must […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on September 23rd, 2013
“To begin with, all the incidents and characters in this story might be fictitious, and any resemblance to you or me might be purely coincidental.” Right off the bat, the unseen, all-knowing narrator of A Letter to Three Wives lets her audience know the characters in the film aren’t the only ones who are about […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 20th, 2013
“Welcome Back.” “We’ve started seasons like this many times before. The Winchester Brothers have been separated by apocalyptic events, and someone has to escape from Hell, or in this case Purgatory, to get back to the comforts of Earth. It’s just business as usual. Another day at the office for the Winchester boys.
Posted in The Reel World by J C on September 13th, 2013
“Personally, I prefer the ghosts to people.” The biggest reason Insidious became a surprise smash was because of its astoundingly straightforward and effective approach to delivering scares. The 2011 film came at the height of the “found footage” craze (and counted Paranormal Activity mastermind Oren Peli as one of its producers), yet it managed to resist […]
Posted in No Huddle by Brent Lorentson on September 9th, 2013
Knowing very little about Thailand’s gangster history, I jumped into The Gangster with no expectations and was left breathless by the time the final credits rolled. With the energy and violence on display here, I can’t help but feel this is the intensity Scorsese intended in his underwhelming film Gangs of New York; there he […]
Posted in The Reel World by Gino Sassani on July 12th, 2013
“We always thought that alien life would come from the stars, but it came from deep beneath the Pacific.” The only thing we seem to love more than giant monster movies are movies about giant dudes going a few rounds with said giant monsters. It was huge television fare in the 1960’s and 1970’s. We […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Jonathan Foster on May 29th, 2013
When someone tries to break in and take something from the building you’re in, what do you do? Well, according to “The Official Good Guy Handbook”, you must immediately lock down the building, retreat to a secure room, and try to get help from the outside. Of course, you must do all this while repelling […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on April 22nd, 2013
“Whose move is it?” To be honest, I’m not much of a chess player. I know how all the pieces move and I enjoy the mental challenge, but I never really committed to becoming proficient at the game. (Now, if we’re talking Connect Four, you don’t want to run into me in a dark alley.) […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on March 21st, 2013
Day of the Falcon is a photogenic, lavish reminder that violence and strife in the Middle East existed well before it could be broadcast on CNN. The film — set in the early part of the 20th century — also works as a throwback to the sort of rollicking, epic-scale adventure films David Lean was […]
