The film is something that requires a few solid views to capture everything that has been presented in its 105 minute run time. Where the film could travel down a path that numerous films have taken, I believe that it provides a fresh take on the horror and suspense genres. Sam Worthington and Brian Heigh do a stellar job in creating the camaraderie that two detectives would have after working…
This film is fantastic, and showcases the fact that period historical pieces can still work. It is the attention to detail that makes this film soar, as one will be transported back to the Spanish Civil War period. While individuals that have taken American history courses will have little information about this event, I believe that Roland Joffe’s (The Mission) skill ensures that a back story is provided. I liked…
Chances are you’ve never heard of the Kashmere Stage Band, but thanks to Jamie Foxx and this stellar documentary, the Houston-based former high school funk band is finally getting the recognition they deserve. The band, from the predominately black Kashmere Gardens neighborhood, ran from the late 60’s to the late 70’s. With robust narration, a story is told through interviews with the former band members decades after taking part in…
The film is something that requires a few solid views to capture everything that has been presented in its 105 minute run time. Where the film could travel down a path that numerous films have taken, I believe that it provides a fresh take on the horror and suspense genres. Sam Worthington and Brian Heigh do a stellar job in creating the camaraderie that two detectives would have after working…
This film is fantastic, and showcases the fact that period historical pieces can still work. It is the attention to detail that makes this film soar, as one will be transported back to the Spanish Civil War period. While individuals that have taken American history courses will have little information about this event, I believe that Roland Joffe’s (The Mission) skill ensures that a back story is provided. I liked…
All that hand wringing about filling The Sopranos void on HBO is finally over and it just took one episode of the brilliant Boardwalk Empire. Created by Terrence Winter (a former writer and producer on The Sopranos) and starring Steve Bushemi (what do ya know, another Sopranos alum), the show is set in Atlantic City on the eve and shortly after Prohibition outlaws alcohol throughout the country. Buscemi plays Enoch…
Arrested Development, though admittedly an amazingly creative TV show that lasted a surprising three season on a network not exactly known for embracing originality, may have created far larger a hurdle for its stars that they ever could have imagine. Since the show went off the air, creator Mitch Hurwitz and his actors, separately and together, have failed to come up with a formula even remotely as successful as Arrested…
This complete collection showcases stellar video and a solid translation, a combination that will have viewers watching all six-plus hours of the show through. Elfen Lied is a show that breaks the anime genre free from its typically younger-leaning moorings. There are darker elements to the story, and Sentai has kept them all in this collection. No matter whether one likes subtitles or straight dubbing, this release has it. I…
I found that one of the drawbacks about the first season of Through the Wormhole was that the concepts that were covered in that season were a little bit on the elementary side. However, I feel that there has been progression towards more complex theories and schools of thought. This means that the second season of Through the Wormhole is more interesting; Morgan Freeman immediately gets to the nitty gritty…
Add alligator trapper to the ever growing list of “Jobs We Never Knew Existed Before Realty TV”. The second season of the History Channel realty show Swamp People follows the lives of several Cajun families who hunt gators in the Louisiana swamps, and pretty much prove just how wussy the rest of us are. One scene in particular where a son has his mom remove bullet shrapnel from under his…
Nature is one of the longest running shows on television, and the different topics that it covers are always interesting. I personally like the diffuse ways that filmmakers make their films germane to a larger audience. In Nature: My Life As A Turkey, Joe Hutto takes the role of a turkey parent. After finding turkey eggs, ey is able to become a surrogate mother. Ey has to show these turkeys…
It is rare to see a film that actually tries to prevent bad behavior, but The Fat Boy Chronicles tries to show viewers abvout the negative effects of bullying. The film can be viewed as any film, with entertainment in mind; it features the story of Jimmy Winterpock. Jimmy is an overweight child and has to endure tremendous amounts of bullying in eir high school. Rather than acting out in…
Two things become pretty clear within the first few minutes of the oft-talked about IFC sketch show Portlandia: Fred Armisen, the sometime musician and current cast member of Saturday Night Live, is far more funny than his network gig on SNL allows him to be and Carrie Brownstein, his partner on Portlandia better known as the singer/guitarist for Sleater-Kinney and Wild Flag, is probably even funnier than Armisen. On paper,…
The video quality of Shark Night is absolutely stellar, with Fox pushing the Blu-Ray format to its limits. The tension present in the movie is further bolstered by this crispness. A similar tightness and quality is present in the audio track for this release, which picks up every noise, scream, and other utterance. Shark Night, for those that hsave not watched the film, is a Corman-esque film that takes on…
Good Morning Vietnam was one of those films that were shown in a severly edited format on Comedy Central throughout my childhood. The film has received a number of releases (VHS, DVD, and now Blu-Ray), but I believe that Touchstone has done a tremendous job in establishing this releases’ value, even for those that already have a prior version of the film. This Robin Williams-led film surrounds Adrian Cronauer and…
After running a magazine for a few years, the release schedule of the major film / television releasing companies becomes known. It seems as if they all ramp up for the end of the year, and then slack off considerably during January. Funimation is the only company that I have ever seen that has put a strong foot forward during this inaugural month, and this second volume of Sekirei should…
There are a number of different releases that we receive on a daily basis, but there are few that we have viewed that look to change what it means to see an actor. Jackie Chan, at least on this side of the world, has been seen to be little more than an action hero. 1911 Revolution is the first film that we have seen in which ey attempts to provide…
While not necessarily a horror movie, given the similarity between the financial thriller that is Margin Call and the real life Wall Street melt down in 2008 that remains smoldering today, a ghost story would likely be less scary. Centered on a fictional investment firm in the early stages of the real financial collapse, Margin Call shows the unraveling of the company discovered by a recently-fired risk analyst and his…
American Nudist is one of the few films that we have viewed that have provided information about the naturalist subculture in a fair and balanced way. By ensuring that there is more to the story than simple nudism, American Nudist is able to properly keep viewers focused in for the entirety of the flick. The film perfectly blends the mundane and the absurd, moving from a somewhat humdrum existence for…
It’s a miracle that Ozzy Osbourne is still alive. And yes, I realize exactly how much of a cliché that statement is, but it deserves to be repeated. And often. This guy did cereal bowls of cocaine for decades; was so blotto that he bit the head of a live dove (and bat) and was not aware of what he was doing; heard voices telling him to strangle his wife;…