Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 17th, 2009
The Last Kiss is based on the internationally acclaimed Italian movie L’ultimo bacio which was written by Gabriele Muccino and adapted for this American version by screenwriter Paul Haggis. From all reports the movie is remarkably similar to the Italian classic with only the ending modified. Haggis tells us in the extras of this release that he attempted to merely translate the original work and performed little in the way of modifications. From the looks of things, the ending was a bit of a struggle for these filmmakers, as there are three different versions available on the release. I think it’s safe to say that the more open-ended version which was ultimately used was probably the best of the choices I’ve seen.
The plot of the film is a rather difficult one to summarize. The movie is less about plot points or beats and is more about the emotional journey of many of the characters. The main story is about Michael (Braff). He’s 29 and fast approaching 30, a time when many people begin that introspective examination of their lives. He’s been with his girlfriend, Jenna (Barrett) for some time but has avoided the ultimate commitment of marriage. We quickly learn it’s a four letter word in their relationship. Now she’s pregnant, and Michael is facing fatherhood. He’s worried that his life is now set out before him with no more “surprises” or diversions left to him. While at the wedding of one of their friends, Michael meets Kim. She’s much younger and is attracted to Michael. Of course, this gives his ego a boost, and he begins to spend inappropriate time with the girl. While he resists actually having an affair until after his secret is out, it damages his relationship with Jenna. Suddenly faced with the loss of his “safe” and “predictable” life, he realizes he had it pretty good and wants it back. All of this doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Around him, Michael’s friends are also going through major life crises. One friend is married with a young child and but wants out. Another friend appears to be happy. He’s on his own and sleeps with a different chick every day. But even he’s beginning to tire of his “carefree” life. Even Jenna’s parents are struggling with the ins and outs of their own “routine” life. Strangely, each character sees another’s life as far better. It’s a perfect example of the old “grass is greener” axiom.
![The Last Kiss [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/the-last-kiss-blu-ray-large.jpg)
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 17th, 2009
Everybody who is old enough remembers Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. It was once one of the highest rated shows on television. On NBC it ran from 1963 until 1971. It would continue to run in syndication for decades. An elder Marlin Perkins would host the show, while a young Jim Fowler would be out in the field. Every week they would show us animals in the wild from all over the world. Long before there was a Crocodile Hunter or Nigel, there was Wild Kingdom. Strange Wilderness attempts to urinate all over our fond memories, all the while trying to tell us that it’s funny. As Terry Bradshaw is fond of saying, “That ain’t funny.” Say it again, Terry. “That ain’t funny at all”.
Peter (Zahn) is the son of a world renowned naturalist and star of the classic television show, Strange Wilderness. He’s gone now, and Peter has taken over the show. No longer an educational platform, Peter doesn’t let things like facts or work interfere with his version of the show. It doesn’t take long before he’s destroyed the show’s credibility and lost any following the show might still have. He’s been relegated to the 3 A.M. timeslot. He’s about to get cancelled when a rival nature show producer, Sky Pierson (Hamlin) pitches his program to the station. He has two weeks to turn the series around, or it’s gone. Enter Bill Calhoun (Baker) an old friend and colleague of Peter’s father. He claims to possess a map that reveals the lair of Bigfoot. So, in an entirely unlikely series of events, the incompetent crew heads off to South America to capture Bigfoot on video and save the show.
![Strange Wilderness [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/strange-wilderness-blu-ray-large.jpg)
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 16th, 2009
The Kings: Anatomy of a One-Hit Wonder tells the story of a Canadian rock band's rise to fame. The documentary discusses the creation of their one hit "This Beat Goes On/Switchin' to Glide" as well as donates a significant amount of time to the aging rockers. The original band members all provide interviews throughout the film: David Diamond (lead vocals, bass), Sonny Keyes (keyboards, vocals), Max Styles (drums) and Mister Zero (guitar). This is an example of a rock documentary of a group that had some minor success and whose claim to fame is playing on Dick Clarke's American Bandstand.
The overall documentary is depressing. All of the band members are now entering their sixties and most of the footage is them reliving their glory years of touring. The music video montage of "This Beat Goes On/Switchin' to Glide" at the beginning of the film is well done and captures the essence of the band in five minutes. However, once the reality of the band not having any other credentials sets in, the question arises. Why make a documentary? The public seems to be infatuated with the "where they are now" VH1 style program. Unfortunately, most viewers could care less what the Kings are up to. The documentary runs roughly over 40 minutes in length and audiences ask another question. That's it? This question seems to have plagued the band since its inception in the late 1970's.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 16th, 2009
Raise your hand if you’re sick and tired of Lindsay Lohan. Fortunately I can type with one hand. Honestly. How did this girl get to be so big? Why is she dominating our entertainment news cycles? Are there more than a handful of folks out there who think she has any talent at all? She’s nothing close to hot. It’s that wonderful modern phenomenon of being famous for being famous. It really does tend to color one’s opinions when you watch her in a film. She’s so overexposed, in more ways than one, that it’s impossible to watch her play any character without seeing the spoiled bratty whiner she has become so perfect at. Here she is supposed to be playing the sympathetic character, but am I just incredibly nasty because I can’t help but take glee in any punishment her character’s given? I’m rooting for the bad guys, or the Mean Girls, as the case may be.
Mean Girls has all the earmarks of a Saturday Night Live skit that ran too long. It could have to do with the production team that includes Lorne Michaels and the writing team that includes Tina Fey. And, while I’m at it, you know, I’m getting sick and tired of Fey, as well. These efforts at times go remarkably well, but more often than not, go horribly awry. Can you guess what direction this one goes? Actually, you might be surprised. Mean Girls is actually quite watchable and at times even very entertaining. It makes you wonder what in the heck happened to Lindsay Lohan.
![Mean Girls [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/mean-girls-blu-ray-large.jpg)
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 16th, 2009
The curtain finally falls on Wings on DVD some 12 years after the show came in for its final approach on television in 1997. The end was a planned one so that the final episode was a fitting goodbye for the series and its collection of crazy characters. The final episode finds Joe and Helen off to Vienna to live while Helen studies cello. Brian is left alone to man the business. For us, we’ll get this one last chance to laugh it up with the clever and often hilarious television series.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 16th, 2009
“Oh Bother”A.A. Milne was quite an eclectic writer. He wrote murder mysteries that even appeared on Alfred Hitchcock Presents. From that fertile mind would also come a place known as the 100 Acre Wood. In that select place some of literature’s finest characters had the greatest adventures any boy could imagine. And adventures are certainly no fun on your own. Young Christopher Robin was joined by Piglet, Tigger, Owl, Rabbit, Eeyore, and, of course, Winnie-The-Pooh. Who didn’t fall in love with that silly old bear… Winnie-The-Pooh. OK, so maybe Dahmer or Bundy might have been exceptions. Still, anyone growing up in the last 30-40 years who isn’t a psychopath has had a love affair with Winnie-The-Pooh, all stuffed with fluff.
But I can’t recognize my old friends any longer. Where has Christopher Robin gone?
Posted in: Dare to Play the Game, News and Opinions by Michael Durr on April 15th, 2009
Gamestop reviewing Sales Policy, Capcom swears RE5 Versus code is not on Disc, and Third Party Wii Development Not Justified? - Welcome to the column that swears that the content for this week is 100% new (except for the 20 year old one-liners) and unopened (well until you click the link anyway) known as Dare to Play the Game.
Remember when I was supposed to start that Leisure Suit Larry game? Heck, I was going to have a review for you folks. So did I open some other game? Nooooo. What did I play: you guessed it, a lot of poker (World Series of Poker 2008) and a lot of Rockband 2. I started at my copy of Leisure Suit Larry quite endlessly most nights while watching tv and contemplating switching on my Xbox instead. This week, I make a vow…I will play LSL and I will sit down and at least start my review.
Posted in: Site News, Uncategorized by Gino Sassani on April 15th, 2009
Hey Gang,
I thought I would give you a heads up on our most recent contest winners:
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 14th, 2009
“I found out that if you wanna know the purpose of a thing, you can’t ask the thing to tell you. A car doesn’t know why it’s a car; only the manufacturer knows what it was meant to do. And I guess that’s the same way it is with God.”
Not Easily Broken was written by a minister, Bishop T.D. Jakes. So you should expect a very spiritual message when you watch this movie. If that’s not your cup of tea, as they say, this really isn’t going to be the film for you. The message is quite clear throughout the film: Life will throw everything it’s got at you. It will try you. It will test you. The movie proposes that only through a spiritual connection with God can you overcome these obstacles. The story uses the example of marriage, but it’s obviously intended to apply to every aspect of life.
![Not Easily Broken [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/not-easily-broken-blu-ray-large.jpg)
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on April 14th, 2009
Alan Rickman, in a stunningly unexpected bit of casting, plays an arrogant, womanizing SOB of a chemistry professor who has just been awarded the Nobel Prize. While he and wife Mary Steenburgen jet off to Sweden, their son (Bryan Greenberg) is kidnapped. Before long, the parents receive are sent a severed thumb as proof of the kidnapper's serious intent. But nothing is quite what it seems.
What we have here is a blackly humoured cross between farce, caper and revenge story. The name-studded cast also includes Bill Pullman as the detective assigned to investigate the kidnapping, Elize Dushku as Greenberg's love interest, and Danny DeVito as a gardener recovering from an obsessive-compulsive disorder. Ernie Hudson and Ted Danson also show up in small roles. DeVito doesn't have much to do in the film, but then, in the end, neither does just about anybody else. Rickman, though top-billed, isn't asked to do more than his patented bastard shtick, which he can do in his sleep. There's a creative heist scene, and plenty of twists, but these latter have a merely academic interest. There is no emotional attachment to anyone in the film, which means that the OTT flash and dazzle of the editing becomes pure surface distraction. Then there's the soundtrack, partly the work of electronica deity Paul Oakenfold. Too often, it has no relation to the action on screen, and is so loud that, fine as it is in and of itself, it becomes irritating. End result: a slick but empty, only fitfully engaging effort.
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