Every year, it seems as if there are a number of films that look to cash in on a successful original or first sequel. Many of these films are devoid of solid or interesting content, and seem to be questionably made. For example, Bring It On has spawned a number of sequels while Spiderman 4 looks to be trucking pretty nicely in development. However, Step Up 3 largely avoids many…
There is a sense present among a great segment of the population that those individuals that are into classical music, be it playing or just listening, are somewhat aloof and are not in touch with the rest of society. They Came To Play, a documentary surrounding a number of amateurs looking to win the Van Cliburn Foundation’s Piano Competition, so compelling. When focusing in on each of the different contestant,…
Paper Man is a film that I felt completely went under the radar when it received a limited release in April 2010. MPI is releasing the DVD (and Blu-Ray) of the film, and hopes that the title gains cult status. At a quick glance, the cast is strong enough to match that of a Farrelly Brothers or Apatow flick; Kieran Culkan, Ryan Reynolds, Emma Stone, and Jeff Daniels all play…
It takes a hell of a classic sci-fi film to merit such careful restoration, especially one that that seemed largely lost among the scores of other similarly-themed films that were released in the same general period. Robinson Crusoe on Mars benefits from its director, Byron Haskin. Haskin’s previous coup de grace was The War of the Worlds, a film directed over a decade before Robinson Crusoe on Mars’ 1964 release.…
The plot behind The Winning Season goes all the way back to The Bad News Bears: one-time star athlete, now a loser doing menial jobs is brought in to coach a team of misfits and manages to turn their luck around. Though thanks to stellar casting and solid acting from the leads, The Winning Season manages to overcome all the baggage it’s been saddled with and the result is a…
Only someone as side-splitting funny as Ricky Gervais could successfully take a podcast – a purely audible phenomenon – and take it seamlessly to TV. The HBO show takes the comic’s wildly successful podcasts – which set records for the amount of downloads it racked up in 2007 – and brings them to life via Hanna Barbera-style cartoons. The show revolves around Gervais, his longtime collaborator Stephen Merchant (who helped…
Hard to believe, but 1971 was not a good year for Lou Reed, Iggy Pop and David Bowie, three of the most influential rockers to come out of that decade. The doc Sacred Triangle does a decent job of telling the story of how the trio of rockers nearly fizzled out at the beginning of the decade and how all managed to collaborate in various forms leading to great (and…
Few know this, but I try to work out every day. I was lucky enough to catch an episode of Circus during its original airing on PBS, and was hooked. This 3-DVD set captures the entirety of the series, with a MSRP ($35) that allows viewers to cheaply get their 6 hour fix. While the allure of going to a circus has declined for many with the advent of life-like…
There once was a time where linking oneself to the Daily Show meant that you had serious comedy chops. As the different elements to the show have grown up and have otherwise moved on, it seems that this claim has gradually lost its power. However, a Daily Show-laden cast for Cooper’s Christmas seems to make this the best period comedy since Hot Tub Time Machine. TDS members Samantha Bee and…
Despite having countless movies, music releases, and the like to their credit, Disney has a gravy train still on their hands with the Hannah Montana franchise. Who Is Hannah Montana collects a set of episodes that bridges the span between the original series (Hannah Montana) and the final season, which is slated to come out this next year. The show, rather than merely rehashing many of the trends and storylines…
Traditional knowledge would have it that a film with French Stewart (Third Rock From The Sun) and Pauly Shore (Jury Duty, Biodome) wouldn’t be a theatrical classic. However, Opposite Day ties together these two comedic actors, adds some kids and a cast of up and coming actors, and makes something that stands up to repeated viewings. The film has a number of hooks that it puts in children and adults…
Knight & Day has been one of the hardest films that I have ever had to review. It is not anything about the quality, but rather deals with the difficulty that all associated with the film had in getting the film to theaters in the first place. There were a number of cast shakeups and conflicting information about what the film itself was going to do – this home video…
To commemorate what would have been John Lennon’s 70th birthday there was a slew of re-releases (including updated versions of his solo records) and box sets last month. Among the barrage of remembrances to honor the former Beatles is the little-talked about documentary LennoNYC. The doc, just released on DVD, is a fascinating look at Lennon’s post Beatle life when he left behind his native England for New York in…
I love the fact that there are a number of North American companies that are falling over themselves to release all sorts of Asian films. Where the quality does tend to vary depending on the company that is releasing them, Well Go is one of the few that continually releases strong stuff. Case in point is Assault Girls, a 2009 film released by Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell, The…
It has been a number of years since there has been a good trail-based movie. It seemed almost as if the art form died out after the nineties, but The Trial looks to restore faith in the previously-fallen style. The Trial is based on a book by Robert Whitlow, a lawyer that is able to provide some realism to this flick that is sorely missing in many similar films.
I feel that, after years of ignoring GLBT-positive imagery in films, that there has been an influx of American and British-based films in the last few years. One specific sub-segment of GLBT cinema has been ignored, though – those films with a more international focus. Water Bearer Films has ensured that there is a United States-based venue for these types of films, and that the films do not require an…
Michael Madsen is one of cinema’s most slept-on actors. At least, that’s how ey typically looks when viewers first see eir in a film. Seriously though, Being Michael Madsen is a mocumentary that brings viewers into the hectic, crazy world that is Michael Madsen’s life. Expressing Madsen as the hottest movie star this side of The Rock, Being Michael Madsen showcases the creation and execution of a trap against a…
There are few in the way of titles that seem to pull for a slightly older-skewing audience that have broad relevance in cinema. While I totally understand that these titles have a built-in audience, I feel that this allows the filmmakers to get a little lazy. To be honest, I was expecting more of the same when I popped Mrs. Washington Goes To Smith into my DVD player. However, I…
It really is a bit of cinematic skill to make a tragedy such as the Altamont Free Concert (1969) funny, but that is precisely what happens with Altamont Now. Throughout the film’s runtime, a story is filled in that is while humorous, also points a sharp dirk at the throat of any overly preachy or otherwise heavy type of historical concert film. Altamont Now features the trials and tribulations of…
You Don’t Know Jack is an in-depth (and theatric) look into Jack Kevorkian’s life. Much like HBO’s previous epic, 2003’s Angels in America, each bit and piece of eir life is filled by an actor of tremendous talent. Key of these would have to be Al Pacino, who dons the killer’s cap and steals the show as a result. However, far from being a one-actor film, You Don’t Know Jack…