Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 17th, 2010
Director Robert Altman here adapts David Rabe's play about a small group of recruits on the verge of being shipped off to Vietnam. The action takes place entirely in the barracks, and here we get to know African-American Roger (David Alan Grier), fitting in as best he can in a white man's army; sensitive and gay Richie (Mitchell Lichtenstein); and possibly-closeted Billy (Matthew Modine). They talk about and dance around their various fears and anxieties, and then into the mix comes the explosive Carlyle (Michael Wright), whose life on the streets and experience with racism have turned him into someone who talks and acts long before he thinks...
Posted in: Dare to Play the Game, News and Opinions by Michael Durr on February 17th, 2010
EA Restores NFL Players, Lawsuits involving NCAA Games, & Microsoft spends 200 million on Facebook apps? - Welcome to the column that would be willing to trade bad jokes for virtual currency known as Dare to Play the Game.
This is the part of the show where I tell you I played all these games and then you use the scroll wheel on your mouse and get to the news or the releases because you don’t like reading my witty banter on my own life events.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 16th, 2010
“In the 1940’s and 1950's the juiciest roles for actresses in Hollywood were often in B pictures that explored the dark side of life, staring roles as cool, calculating girls who could stick a knife in a man's back and make him like it."
And so Sony collects 8 of these films as part of what looks like is going to be an ongoing series. But what exactly is Film Noir? You hear the term used from time to time, but what does it mean?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 16th, 2010
"During the 1980's over 70% of American adults believed in the existence of abusive Satanic cults. Another 30% rationalized the lack of evidence due to government cover-ups. The following is based on true unexplained events."
Here we go again; at least that's what I was thinking as House Of The Devil started to unfold with the above introduction. I remember well the "Satanic Panic" that goes back to the early 1970's. It was a somewhat natural extension of the Manson Family murders. While that might not have been Satanic related, it sparked the imaginations of a fearful country, and before long there were urban legends of human sacrifice and ritualistic slayings all over the country.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 16th, 2010
Anyone who has come here long enough to get to know my likes and dislikes probably knows what a Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse fan I am. The man and the character opened the road for so much of what we have today, from Pixar to Tom and Jerry. But, if you're looking for the kind of cartoons you and I have grown to expect, this one is bound to disappoint you. It's an episode of the current television series Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. It's an animated Sesame Street, however, and not really a cartoon adventure.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 15th, 2010
So, this guy goes to see three rabbis....
No, that's not the start of some insensitive anti-Semitic joke. It's the rather offbeat idea behind the latest film by the Coen brothers. Of course, off the wall is business as usual for Ethan and Joel Coen. Fans of the brothers' work already know to expect the unexpected. You're likely not looking for the same kind of logical coherence that you might otherwise demand in your movies. The films often share a modern allegory to some classic fable or tale.
![A Serious Man [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/a-serious-man-blu-ray-large.jpg)
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 15th, 2010
I have absolutely no doubt that Hilary Swank meant well, but we all know what wise men say about good intentions. It is likely that Amelia Earhart has been a hero and inspiration to the young actress as I know she's been to women of all professions throughout the years. There's no question that she is an influential historical figure and deserving of attention. Of course, she's had plenty over the years. There have actually been quite a few films and television shows dedicated to the heroine since her disappearance so many years ago.
![Amelia [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/amelia-blu-ray-large.jpg)
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 15th, 2010
When the UK minister for International Development (Tom Hollander) has the nerve (not to mention lack of political acumen) to opine that war in the Middle-East is “unforeseeable,” all hell breaks loose. The pro- and anti-war bureaucrats in Washington see him as useful to their cause, and descend, talons outstretched. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister's Director of Communications (Peter Capaldi), a Scot who makes Don King look even-tempered and restrained, goes into apoplectic overdrive in his attempts to keep everything on-message.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 15th, 2010
What we have here is, essentially, a great, heaping collection of public domain material from the classic comedy duo. The menu is as follows:
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17 episodes of their radio show: The Abbott & Costello Show (1942-1949);
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14 episodes of the Colgate Comedy Hour TV show (1951-54) with our boys as hosts;
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20 trailers from 1940-59;
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2 features films: Africa Screams (1949) and Jack and the Beanstalk (1952);
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a WWII PSA: “The Autobiography of a Jeep”;
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a collection of film and TV bloopers.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on February 15th, 2010
This film chronicles the career of Maurice “The Rocket” Richard, an NHL player for the Montreal Canadians, from his childhood days in a Junior hockey league, to the season in 1955 where his suspension from playing for the remainder of that season led to violent riots in Montreal. This film is more than just an examination of Richard as a French-Canadian citizen and legendary hockey player (many still argue as the greatest ever to play) but also a look at his impact as an icon and living legend to the people of Quebec.
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