Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on March 27th, 2013
Jersey Shore finally comes to an end. Of course, there are spinoffs and TV specials and TMZ reports and aaaarggh! We’re never going to escape them are we?! This is an Uncensored version of the season so instead of ‘beeps’ we get to hear the versatility of the f-word and other assorted curse words that […]
Posted in No Huddle by Brent Lorentson on February 13th, 2013
When this DVD found its way into my hands, I felt this could go one of two ways; either this is going to be awful, or this is going to be fun as hell. I have to admit I had a little more concern when I saw that the show aired on Cinemax and had […]
Posted in The Reel World by J C on February 8th, 2013
Steven Soderbergh has had a one-of-a-kind career. And if the director is to be believed, that filmmaking career comes to a close with Side Effects. (At least theatrically speaking; his Liberace biopic, Behind the Candelabra, is scheduled to air on HBO later this year.) Soderbergh may have best exemplified the idea of making “One for […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on February 7th, 2013
You don’t usually get too many legendary (and wildly polarizing) filmmakers coming off the biggest hit of their careers — unadjusted for inflation, of course — at age 77. Yet that’s exactly where Woody Allen found himself with To Rome with Love, his pleasant, witty, not-at-all-groundbreaking follow-up to Midnight in Paris. The writer-director originally named this film […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on February 3rd, 2013
“I’ve changed a lot. I’m not the same woman.” Early on in Luis Buñuel’s surrealist gem, a mild-mannered older gentleman named Mathieu douses a beautiful, battered woman with a bucket of water as she desperately attempts to board the train he’s riding. His fellow passengers are stunned, but also understandably intrigued. What possible sequence of […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on January 24th, 2013
I see an Oscar nominee, an Emmy nominee, an actor who has carried two successful TV shows, and the bad guy from the highest-grossing movie of all time. In other words, I see more talent than you would ordinarily expect from a straight-to-DVD drama. Then again, I also see Soulja Boy, but he’s not the problem. […]
Posted in No Huddle 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, […]
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 […]
Posted in No Huddle by Brent Lorentson on December 31st, 2012
Back in 1964 a film was released about a reporter who wanted to know what it was like to be black in the deep south during the civil rights movement. When I first heard this my initial reaction had me picturing some white guy in black face strolling the streets and then subsequently being beaten […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on November 4th, 2012
“Quirky, messy women whose problems only make them endearing are not real.” On the surface, Ruby Sparks could be mistaken for the Manic Pixie Dream Girl biopic no one asked for. In case you’re not familiar with this particular cinematic archetype, MPDG derisively describes any unabashedly artsy, quirky young female character that inevitably brightens the life […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on October 21st, 2012
“Patterns are hidden in plain sight. You just have to know where to look.” You don’t have to be into numbers to enjoy Touch, but it certainly helps. Numerology deals with the mystical or divine meaning behind certain numbers. Detractors believe that people who place too much faith in such things will foolishly find significance […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on October 18th, 2012
“When is everything gonna get back to normal?” Is a happy, well-adjusted Don Draper a good thing? That’s one of the biggest questions posed during Mad Men’s excellent fifth season, and it’s aimed at the other characters in the show as well as a passionate TV audience that has become seriously invested in Jon Hamm’s […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on October 5th, 2012
“All the food here is fried. The whole town smells like mold. But they could use a good doctor; one who cares about her patients.” And that’s how a cynical New York doctor courageously puts aside a few (mostly true) stereotypes about the South and decides to stick around fictional BlueBell, Alabama. I’m just grateful […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on September 20th, 2012
They say blood is thicker than water. Both of those substances are on display in Brawler, which cannily stages its bloody, illegal fights on a New Orleans riverboat. The film’s plot was inspired by a real-life pair of feuding brothers who infamously came to blows, but the Big Easy practically shares top billing with the […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 14th, 2012
Shonda Rhimes had a big hit on her hands with Grey’s Anatomy, so after five years she did what comes naturally in her situation. You spin the success off in the hope that the fans can’t get enough in just one night. At first it appeared to me she had chosen the wrong character to […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on September 10th, 2012
Remember when I mentioned the difficulty of reviewing a season in the middle of the show’s run? This week, I shall attempt to review two different HBO shows at the end of their respective run. Yes, I will be piecing together a show that is in its last season with very little (or no knowledge) […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 5th, 2012
“Ride into this world all alone. God takes your soul. You’re on your own. The crow flies straight, a perfect line on the devil’s back until you die. Gotta look this life in the eye”. If you’ve already read previous reviews, skip ahead to find out what’s new this season
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on August 21st, 2012
There’s obviously nothing funny about the atrocities committed by some of history’s most notorious tyrants. So why have these men proven to be such a surprisingly fertile source of comedy? Whether it’s (Puppet) Kim Jong-il crooning forlornly about being lonely (actually “ronery”) in Team America: World Police or Adolf Hitler being saluted by a chorus […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on July 31st, 2012
“More than two out of three U.S. adults are overweight or obese. During the past 30 years, adult obesity rates have doubled.” After watching this documentary — developed with the Institute of Medicine, in association with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the National Institutes of Health, and in partnership with […]
Posted in No Huddle by Brent Lorentson on July 23rd, 2012
There is a thin line between paying homage and ripping off another film. In the case of The Girl From The Naked Eye you may as well call it outright theft. If you’ve ever seen Sin City and you’re a fan, be ready to have your eyes roll and at times be offended at how […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 3rd, 2012
“Squeal like a pig…” It’s one of those lines that you know even if you’ve never seen Deliverance. The line and film have entered our pop culture and have been referenced in hundreds of films that followed. Along with the iconic rendition of Dueling Banjos, taken from the traditional piece Feuding Banjos, well… you might […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on June 5th, 2012
“I’m yelling for society, for everybody! It’s not just me!” That’s Larry David chastising a dog walker who didn’t bring along a bag to clean up after her pooch, but that statement also tidily summarizes the premise of Curb Your Enthusiasm. After 11 years, seven seasons and 70 episodes of over-analyzing and kvetching — and […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on April 24th, 2012
I am not sure about others, but I often I think I daydream more than most. Perhaps it is about being a published author, perhaps it is about being an adventurer in mythic times. When I watch movies, I want to travel to a New World, whether scary or magical where I can let my […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by M. W. Phillips on April 23rd, 2012
“Here in Tresock, I believe the old religion of the Celts fits our needs at this time. Isn’t that all you can ask of a religion?” In 1973 Director Robin Hardy captured lightning in a bottle with the classic The Wicker Man. Based on David Pinner’s 1967 novel Ritual and loosely adapted into Anthony Shaffer’s […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 3rd, 2012
If you haven’t heard of South Park by now there is certainly something wrong with you. You’re just not paying attention. More important, you’ve got a lot of catching up to do. The show is entering its 16th season on Comedy Central, and Paramount is now giving us the 15th season on high definition Blu-ray. […]
