Posted in The Reel World by Archive Authors on August 8th, 2015
I’m going to start by listing a number of names that make up a kind of extended family. The names don’t have a lot in common at first, and it seems like a hodgepodge. I’m sure I’m going to leave someone out, but let’s start with Kevin Kline, Johnathan Demme, Diablo Cody, Sebastian Stan, Mamie […]
Posted in No Huddle by Archive Authors on August 2nd, 2015
Loosely based on Melissa de la Cruz’s book, Witches of East End was renewed for a second season in July 2014, opening with over 1 million viewers scrambling to the TV set to see what would happen now that the portal of Asgard was opened and Joanna was struggling to overcome Argentium poisoning. Featuring Julia […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 26th, 2015
“In these mountains roams one of the rarest species on our planet. A shy, elusive, and gentle creature: the giant panda.” If you are old enough you will remember President Richard Nixon’s famous trip the China. He was the first President to make the voyage, and it was heralded as a foreign policy breakthrough for […]
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on June 25th, 2015
“We’re just a typical American family that just happens to run a multimillion dollar outdoor empire. We create, test and sell the world’s coolest products for the modern outdoorsman, and we find our inspiration on a little slice of Heaven called the Busbice Family Ranch in Louisiana.” Sounds like an infomercial, doesn’t it? It’s actually […]
Posted in No Huddle by Archive Authors on June 25th, 2015
Right off the bat, the first 10-minute flashback in Lost for Words that repeats verbatim at the end could have been left on the cutting room floor. If you’re looking for an in-your-face, action-packed summer blockbuster, this isn’t for you. If you have more sophisticated tastes and are seeking a slow to medium-paced love story […]
Posted in No Huddle by J C on June 4th, 2015
“Man, you are everything I’d hoped for…right down to the hat.” For six stellar seasons, Justified went about its business in a manner similar to that of its slyly laconic, incorruptible hero Raylan Givens. The key word in that last sentence is “hero.” Justified premiered in the midst of the supposed new Golden Age of […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on May 13th, 2015
Lost River is the showy, laborious, mystifying feature filmmaking debut of actor/meme machine Ryan Gosling. Unfortunately, you’re more likely to have heard about the intensely negative reaction the movie received when it premiered at Cannes last year, than you are to have actually seen the film. Lost River now arrives on a bare bones Blu-ray […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on March 23rd, 2015
The Norwegian oil boom of the early 1980s isn’t the most obvious setting for a thriller, but director Erik Skjoldbjærg manages to squeeze plenty of intrigue out of what seems like a pretty dry subject. Of course, Pioneer could never be described as “dry” in the literal sense since the film follows a group of […]
Posted in The Reel World by J C on March 14th, 2015
“Have courage and be kind.” Those words — repeated many times in this newest version of Cinderella — serve as both the title character’s mantra and the film’s unofficial tagline. The message is elegant in its simplicity in a way that mirrors this refreshingly old-fashioned adaptation, which resists the prevailing urge to modernize and/or revise […]
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 Jeremy Butler on February 12th, 2015
This being the first foreign series that I’ve covered for the site, I couldn’t be happier with the results. Knowing nothing about Nicolas Le Floch, I naturally had a few reservations about the series. It wasn’t in English, so how was I intended to comprehend what the characters were saying (knew I should have taken […]
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on January 5th, 2015
“Every year a parade is held at the Virginia Military Institute to honor cadets who gave their lives at a turning point during the American Civil War. On May 15, 1864 seven friends marched into the Battle of New Market. Only four came out.” There have been many films made about the Civil War, from […]
Posted in Holiday Gift Guides by Gino Sassani on December 24th, 2014
A&E always has something for everyone. They changed the landscape of television by turning the reality show on its head. Instead of losers trying to win a prize by acting like idiots, the cameras of A&E’s shows take us in to the often bizarre and hyper-real worlds of pawn shops, ice road truckers and pest […]
Posted in Holiday Gift Guides by Gino Sassani on December 22nd, 2014
I think I see your problem. You have this list. It’s a list of people you need/want to buy a Christmas gift for. The trouble is that they’re into home theatre, and you don’t know Star Trek from Star Wars. You couldn’t tell a Wolf Man from a Wolverine. And you always thought that Paranormal Activity was something too […]
Posted in Super Round-Up by Gino Sassani on October 31st, 2014
“I met him fifteen years ago; I was told there was nothing left; no reason, no conscience, no understanding; and even the most rudimentary sense of life or death, of good or evil, right or wrong. I met this six-year-old child, with this blank, pale, emotionless face, and the blackest eyes… the devil’s eyes. I […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on October 28th, 2014
“That man brings hell with him wherever he goes.” The “man” is supposed to be Paul Brennan (Jason Patric), a retired mob enforcer-turned-unassuming auto mechanic who reluctantly returns to his violent ways after his daughter goes missing. But the real culprit might be director Brian A. Miller. With The Prince and this year’s The Outsider, […]
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 August 29th, 2014
The first thing you should know about The Walking Dead is that it’s unlike any television series you have ever seen before. The images here are intense, and the crew has been given a blank check to create this vision without the burden of censors looking over their shoulders. There are plenty of blood-and-gore effects […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on August 25th, 2014
One of the miracles of modern technology is its ability to shrink the world down so you can practically (well, proverbially) hold it in the palm of your hand. The cheerily square Smithsonian Channel series Aerial America goes the other way. In fact, the best thing about the show is how it uses technology to fill every […]
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 Gino Sassani on August 11th, 2014
“Hi, little guys.” There was a time, decades ago when Walt Disney Studios was doing quality documentaries on a pretty regular schedule. Many of them appeared on the television show The Wonderful World Of Disney, and more than a few were released as feature films. And while that tradition has continued somewhat, it’s been a […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on July 24th, 2014
One of the miracles of modern technology is its ability to shrink the world down so you can practically (well, proverbially) hold it in the palm of your hand. The cheerily square Smithsonian Channel series Aerial America goes the other way. In fact, the best thing about the show is how it uses technology to […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on June 25th, 2014
When the first Wolf Creek was released it was one of those films that had a lot of hype around it, and when I got around to watching it, I dug it. It’s one of those films where the more I’ve watched it the more I’ve gotten to appreciate it, not just for its gore, […]
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on June 13th, 2014
“It is neither understandable nor excusable that a devout Christian such as himself did not do everything in his power to avoid being involved in such a criminal system.” In this case, the “criminal system” refers to the unfathomable killing of millions of Jews (and other groups) by the German military during World War II. […]
Posted in No Huddle by J C on June 11th, 2014
“Maybe you’re missing the real question: do you want to believe?” Talk about a loaded question. If you apply it to the plot of Resurrection, it obviously refers to the formerly-deceased residents of Arcadia, Missouri who suddenly and inexplicably return home many years after their respective deaths. But I think the question also applies to […]
