Category Archives: Reviews

Liz’s Review: The Blu-Ray and DVD release of ‘Alive Inside’- Proof that music is a magic medicine

Posted on by — Leave a reply

 aliveinsideposter

Music is life’s breath. When you attend a concert, there a thousands of people from different backgrounds, races, religions, ages, what have you. Everyone has one thing in common; they are all connecting to the music. In the emotionally charged and viscerally compelling documentary ALIVE INSIDE, is finally coming to Blu-Ray and DVD. Minutes into this film you will realize why I say what I do. Just for an example, check out the clip from the movie that got the world talking. Rest of the world; May I introduce Henry and ALIVE INSIDE. Read More →

Michael’s Review: ‘Foxcatcher’- Sometimes the Price of Fame is Too Costly

Posted on by — 1 Comment ↓

Foxcatcher

I remember the murder of Olympic wrestler Dave Schultz like it was just yesterday. Being from the Philadelphia area, the story was all that anyone talked about for weeks after the tragedy. Not only was Dave Schultz an Olympic gold medalist, but John du Pont and his family were such big personalities in these parts. It’s not everyday you get to relive a local tragedy played out on film, but Director Bennett Miller has reenacted this story for the screen in hauntingly realistic fashion. Foxcatcher is going to leave you speechless. Read More →

Michael’s Review: ‘Birdman’ or (The Unexpected Virtue of Greatness!)

Posted on by — 1 Comment ↓

birdman-movie-poster-1There are films you experience and there are films you view. Do you know the difference? A film you experience is one that you become completely immersed, that you lose yourself to the world in which you are subjected to. Experiences like Birdman do not come along everyday. Director Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu opens his film with his main character hovering, weightless, in his underwear, deciphering the current state of his life.  It’s the only time the camera, and the audience, are given a reprieve in the film, as it is shot completely in long takes. It’s a movie in name, but a test of endurance for your mind. So come along with me now and enjoy the tale of the Birdman. Read More →

Liz’s Review: ‘BAD TURN WORSE’ is a love letter to Jim Thompson.

Posted on by — Leave a reply

BadTurnWorsePoster

When I was little, I was a fan a Nancy Drew books. My brother had a bookshelf filled with The Hardy Boys collection. I was jealous of that collection. As an adult, I am obsessed with Investigation Discover channel. I’ll straight up have that on in the background all day when I have a day off. I want to know who did it, why, and how. As of late I am a huge fan of NPR‘s new podcast “Serial” (Go do yourself a favor and subscribe now), so when this film came my way, I was more than intrigued.

Bad Turn Worse, a directed by Simon and Zeke Hawkins, grabbed me from the opening scene. Quippy, Tarantino-esque dialogue from the mouths of Texas teens (also reminiscent of Dawson’s Creek… wow, I’m really dating myself now…) made me sit up a little straighter at attention. The plot is not too far fetched. Three friends; two leaving for college in a few weeks, while the third we all know is destined to become a townie in this arid cotton mill town. BJ is a bitter, big fish in a little pond, whose aggressive charm and good looks have gotten him the smart girl next door Sue. Bobby is the best friend to both but his sheep demeanor gets him into some trouble when BJ steals $20K from his sociopath boss. When the shit hits the fan and the three are roped into a heist that is doomed from the start, everything gets turned in it’s head in this noir thriller.

BadTurnWorseCast

Writer, Dutch Southern, deserves praise with his love letter to crime novelist Jim Thompson.

Jim Thompson — ‘There are thirty-two ways to write a story, and I’ve used every one, but there is only one plot – things are not as they seem.’

Sue makes mention of this in more than a few ways throughout the script. Little does the audience know that they are being led down a twisted plot line that is secretly spoon fed to them from the get go. But, seriously, you sort of miss it until the very end. When is the last time a movie played out in a surprising fashion? In true noir style, just when you think you’ve figured out what going on, nope, left turn.

BadTurnWorseStill

The acting is fantastic. Mackenzie Davis, who I had previously been introduced to in Breathe In, is so wonderful. Fully fleshed out girl who is smart as a whip but vulnerable enough to fall for the town “badboy” but still have affection for the shy best friend. She gives the perfect balance of naive and cunning. Logan Huffman, who has one of those, ‘Why do I know him? Yeah, he is hot,” kind of demeanors, nails the role of BJ. That jockish, underachiever bitterness is rife for the taking. Jeremy Allen White is entrancing as Bobby. His endearing fragility draws you in. You genuinely feel sorry that he has such a crap best friend. And then, there is our ultimate baddie; Mark Pelligrino, my mysterious Jacob from LOST. His startling crazy is borderline comical but totally works. Money makes people do bad things, and the character of Giff is no exception.

The music is awesome and the cinematography is beautiful. I say catch this film this weekend. It will keep you on the edge of your nerve from beginning to end. Bad Turn Worse comes out today, November 14th in theaters and on VOD.

Jeremy’s Review: Doug Pray’s Documentary ‘Levitated Mass’ About Artist Michael Heizer’s Installation/Sculpture Is Astonishing

Posted on by — Leave a reply

levitated mass poster

A rock. A very large rock. That is ostensibly what Doug Pray‘s Levitated Mass is about. While that may not seem like a subject of interest, it’s the context in which the rock is taken that makes this film, and the rock, so interesting. A little background to clarify – since the 1960s, artist/sculptor Michael Heizer has been working in large-scale earth art (like Andy Goldsworthy who may be more a household name than Heizer) that is too big to be contained within the traditional confines of an art gallery or museum. Since 1969 he had planned a piece, the titular Levitated Mass – a gigantic rock suspended on concrete rails that allows viewers to walk in a trench under the massive stone, the work, according the the LACMA website where the project now sits, “speaks to the expanse of art history, from ancient traditions of creating artworks from megalithic stone, to modern forms of abstract geometries and cutting-edge feats of engineering.” After a failed attempt, Heizer put the project on hold until a suitable stone could once again be found. Read More →

Liz’s Review: The Homesman- A long winding journey.

Posted on by — Leave a reply

HomesmanPoster

As a child I sat in a hard plastic chair in my town library and played The Oregon Trail until eventually my player died of dysentery. I thought it was cool to put my name on a list, hear it called out, and get to play for a whole 30 minutes all my myself. Little did I know/care that I was actually learning in the process. All of those memories came flooding back when I saw the new Roadside Attractions release, The Homesman. Read More →

Jeremy’s Review: Tom O’Brien’s ‘Manhattan Romance’ Is Fun But Hits Familiar Notes

Posted on by — 1 Comment ↓

ManhattanRomanceStillIt’s no surprise that Tom O’Brien‘s Manhattan Romance feels like a Woody Allen film. Most of Allen‘s most successful romantic comedies take place in Manhattan and have a tremendous amount of dialogue so in this sense, Manhattan Romance emulates Allen. The circumstances befalling his protagonist, Danny (played by O’Brien himself), and the absence of the signature Allen comedic touches distinguish the film from those of Allen. But they tread in the same water. That isn’t to say that Manhattan Romance is in the same league as films like Annie Hall or Manhattan, but could it be a distant relative? Read More →

Michael’s Review: ‘Big Hero 6’- Big Family Fun!

Posted on by — Leave a reply

Big_Hero_6_poster_2

As a comic book reader and lover, I am ashamed to say I knew next to nothing about Marvel’s Big Hero 6 past a few sporadic reads here and there. The characters were always enjoyable and kept my interest, but it never lead to anything more than a mild fondness, so when I heard there would be a Big Hero 6 I can’t say I was anything more than intrigued. The first Disney animated film to feature Marvel Comics characters since the acquisition in 2009, the characters seemed ripe for an animated romp onto the big screen, but detail changes to core characters left many fans holding their breath and hoping that the animation pioneers wouldn’t turn their beloved characters into nothing more than second rate acts for their theme parks upon the films release. I am here to calm some of those fears and tell you that Big Hero 6 is a lot of fun! Read More →

Michael’s Review: ‘Interstellar’- A Science Fiction Experience Like No Other

Posted on by — 1 Comment ↓

interstellar-poster

Christopher Nolan (Inception) is a master of his trade, I think this is safe to say. The director has always steered his vision towards films that are thought provoking and challenging to achieve and the payoff has always resulted in widely acclaim films that leave its viewers talking about them for ages. As big as this film is in scope, it is equally as beautiful in it’s rendition of sacrifice and devotion to protecting the ones you love. I have viewed very few films in my lifetime that have left me in a awe of the achievement that I had just witnessed, I can safely say Interstellar has been added to this list with emphasis. Read More →

Melissa’s Bluray Review: ‘Maleficent’ is Just as Impressive on the Small Screen

Posted on by — Leave a reply

maleficentdvdbluray

Even though I saw Maleficent in theaters, I was still captivated when watching at home. From the opening moment, the visuals are breathtaking and the music sweeps you into the world of Maleficent. Read More →

Michael’s Review: ‘Nightcrawler’- Success is All That Matters

Posted on by — Leave a reply

Nightcrawler poster-2“If you want to win the lottery, you have to make the money to buy a ticket”, the words of Louis Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal), a young man determined to make a name for himself and isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty to do it. A thief and manipulator whose heightened level of survival instinct makes up for his lack of formal education. Dan Gilroy’s thriller Nightcrawler explores the mind of a sociopath that is driven by his need for something greater and and the emotional detachment that ensues when a person creates such a need. A film that will be talked about in the same breathe as American Psycho and Taxi Driver for years to come. Read More →

Heartland Film Festival 2014 Jeremy’s Review: Paolo Zucca’s ‘The Referee (L’arbitro)’ Is Quirky and Exceedingly Funny with a Touch of Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Posted on by — Leave a reply

referee poster

I’m a big soccer fan and have always been. I played from the time I was four until I graduated high school and even considered playing in college. Despite its popularity in the world, I’ve seen very few decent films about the sport. Of course there’s Victory and Bend It Like Beckham was quite charming. The German film Das Wunder von Bern is lights out amazing and there are several documentaries including Once in a Lifetime that hit the right notes. However, none really capture the game in the same way as Paolo Zucca‘s The Referee (L’arbitro). While other soccer films, including some of those mentioned above, have captured the spirit of the game on a number of different levels, I’ve not seen one that has captured it on a more personal, local level than The Referee. Chock full of quirkiness, it is unlike any film I’ve seen in the last 10 or so years outside of the films of Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Read More →

Heartland Film Festival 2014 Jeremy’s Review: Ragnar Bragason’s ‘Metalhead’ Is Pure Icelandic Wonder With a Sparkling Performance by Lead Thorbjorg Helga Thorgilsdottir

Posted on by — Leave a reply

meatalhead posterFew countries produce as consistently high quality of film as Iceland. In my estimation, that is. The quantity of films that it produces is low, well at least those that somehow cross the pond and make it onto American screens, usually at film festivals such as Heartland. There are four Icelandic films that I’ve seen in this manner – Nói Albínói, The Seagull’s Laughter, Of Horses and farm animals that areatrained and live at this Horse Retirement Farms. All are unique in their own way, most of them are depressing (an aspect of Scandinavian film that I tend to enjoy) but still manage a way to get a laugh or two in just in case, and all have a laser-pointed direction on what makes their characters tick and tock and they do it so well. Ragnar Bragason‘s Metalhead is no exception.
 Read More →

Michael’s Review: ‘John Wick’: Keanu Reeves is Back in a Big Way

Posted on by — Leave a reply

john-wick-poster1 Keanu Reeves is a resilient an actor as you’ll find. His career has been a series of hits and abysmal misses, but just when you thought his career was just about finished, he unleashes John Wick on the world and reminds you that he still has something left to prove. This stylish, revenge film is the perfect adrenaline shot for filmgoers and the best action film since The Raid: Redemption. Read More →

Jeremy’s Review: Ian McDonald’s ‘Algorithms’ Falls Victim to the Budapest Gambit

Posted on by — Leave a reply

algorithms_posterWhat is the Budapest Gambit, you ask? Well, it’s a chess opening that apparently was able to draw top players into making mistakes only to lose the game. I think it’s an apt appraisal of Ian McDonald‘s Algorithms, a film about chess following three young players from India, which just so happens to be the birthplace of chess, as they vie for prominence in their home country and for a world championship. The catch with these young men is that they are all blind or are partially sighted. Picture that if you can. Chess, a game where there are 318,979,564,000 possible plays in the first four moves, being played by blind players. While these players can certainly be aided by technology that blind players in the past did not have access to, the undertaking is immense. Much is the task that McDonald undertakes in the documentation about three junior players. Read More →

Jeremy’s Review: Peter Sattler’s ‘Camp X-Ray’ Captures Some Strong Performances and Nearly Delivers on Its Premise

Posted on by — Leave a reply

CAMPXRAY_FINISH_27x40_1_rgbThirteen years after we first waged war in response to the September 11 attacks in New York, Washington DC and Pennsylvania, we are still seeing a trickling of films addressing the consequences of the invasions of both Afghanistan and Iraq. While there have been some great ones, the bulk of them have been documentaries – Hornet’s Nest, Restrepo and Standard Operating Procedure come to mind, while narrative films haven’t had quite the same success, The Hurt Locker winning Best Picture in 2009 being the shining example. There hasn’t been the same connection to the plight of the soldiers in these wars as, say, those who fought in Vietnam with Apocalypse Now, Platoon, Coming Home, The Deer Hunter and Full Metal Jacket leading the critical praise. Camp X-Ray is writer/director Peter Sattler‘s entry into the post-9/11 film mix. a film that hits some high points, but ultimately doesn’t capitalize on an interesting premise. Read More →

Airsoft

Posted on by — Leave a reply

Airsoft is a skirmish sport that originated in Japan. It is a combat style game in which individuals or teams compete to eliminate their opponent with non-metallic pellets loaded in guns. Standard Airsoft guns are typically replica firearms having a mechanism for shooting projectiles 6-8 mm in diameter. As per operating principles, airsoft guns are classified as spring loaded guns, battery powered electric guns and gas-powered guns.

In the late 1980s, this sport spread to the UK and until the mid-1980s when more and more upper parts for AR-15 rifles started to emerge. The sport has been adapted as a purely recreational activity in many countries.

This skirmish sport is also used in the United States by numerous law enforcement agencies for force-on-force training drills in varying organized scenarios.

golfer driving the ball off a teeAirsoft with a replica weapon

Guns tend to run at 350fps-500fps or higher depending on the gun and the manufacturer. All guns are legally liable to comply with the “orange tip” muzzle requirement in order to distinguish them from real live fire ammunition fire arms. Check TheEliteDrone’s airsoft sniper guide

Because our field is close quarter urban combat, we require that all guns playing in our arena are shooting at or below 330fps for safety and have technicians on site to do any alterations necessary to allow players to use their personal weapons in our arena.

All in all, remember that Airsoft is played to have fun. This seems like a no-brainer but I’ve seen many players get caught up in the moment as well as fights breaking out. Try to avoid anything that might spark a conflict because no one wants to be banned from their local field.

Airsoft Laws

gogglepic-hn frincon

Due to the nature of the sport, Airsoft has specific laws made for it so it can help prevent any sort of confusion. Airsoft contains many realistic themes of the military which can cause problems if you don’t know what your country allows. In this section, we’ll cover the basic Airsoft laws that exist in the USA together with our brothers in Canada.

Airsoft Equipment

Airsoft equipment can be a very broad topic. In our case, I am referring to the gear you are bringing into the field. First and foremost, you’ll need a tactical military vest to hold your magazines and grenades. Depending on your field, you should find the appropriate camouflage and the number of pockets. Make sure you have enough pockets to store your magazines as well as quick and easy access to whatever equipped. After the vest, I wouldn’t worry too much about your pants unless you’d want to match the camouflage of your torso. Later on in this mega-article, we cover game-changing attachments that can give you pinpoint accuracy. But for now, explore and see what type of clothing you’d like to wear. Check out Eagle Six Gear for the best military apparel.

The BBs used are primarily 6mm size ball made of plastic. They come in different weights and brands as well as BioDegradable or Tracer style. Here at VIP Airsoft, we have our BBs custom created for used specifically within our arena. They are made of high quality plastic and are a custom color to help identify ours from others. This difference allows our players the opportunity to bring any unused BBs to later sessions. A HUGE advantage for our players!

Many players have compared getting hit by a BB as being snapped by a rubberband. This sensation can be lessened by the amount of layers being worn, safety protection and the fabrics. So dress accordingly and be prepared to get hit. While the FPS we run in our arena will not cause blood draw, it may leave marks that last about an hour. Again, the better prepared you come with what you’re wearing, the better off you’ll be and the better the experience you’ll have.

Other Skirmish Sports

  • Laser Tag — a skirmish sport in which players attempt to score points by tagging targets, typically with a hand-held infrared-emitting targeting device.
  • Paintball — a skirmish sport in which players compete to eliminate opponents by tagging them with capsules containing water soluble dye propelled from paintball guns.

Heartland Film Festival 2014 Jeremy’s Review: ‘Off the Floor’ Is a Well-Constructed and Incredibly Engaging Documentary About Contemporary Pole Dancing

Posted on by — Leave a reply

off the floor - posterWhen the film opens, we see Jessica Anderson-Gwin, founder of Jagged, a contemporary pole dance company that’s the first of its kind,  frustrated as she tries to find a venue that will allow her company to use its space for an upcoming performance. The frustration is palpable as so many of the people she talks to confuse what they do with stripping and refuse to host them. This is what Jessica is up against in Matt & Katie Celia‘s spectacular documentary Off the Floor. Read More →

Heartland Film Festival 2014 Jeremy’s Review/Interview: ‘Ben’s at Home’ Is an Incredibly Engaging and Delightful Comedy + Interview with Co-writer/Director Mars Horodyski & Co-writer/Star Dan Abramovici

Posted on by — 1 Comment ↓

BENS_AT_HOME_POSTER-731x1024Neil Sedaka famously sang in that once ubiquitous 60s song that breaking up is hard to do. When people are forced out of relationships, they can take it a number of ways, right? Some people move on without hesitation, others get terribly emotional and cry, while others attempt great romantic gestures meant to win back the heart of their love. And some, they just internalize the pain, retreat from friends and family, and do their best to avoid anything that can hurt them again in the same way. And that’s what happens in the wonderful comedy Ben’s at Home, co-written and directed by Mars Horodyski. Read More →

Michael’s Review: ‘Fury’- Ensemble Cast Hits the Target

Posted on by — Leave a reply

FURY_DOM_1SHT_TSRFilmmakers of World War II movies, one of Hollywood’s favorite subjects, have a difficult task when portraying the difficulties of war and depicting the sacrifices that each side had to endure. Many wartime films suffer in their portrayal because the filmmakers are either too afraid to go too far in showing the real gruesome nature of war or they scale back their depiction of the war and try to focus more on the toll that is taken on the soldiers fighting the war, but, at times, something seems to be missing. Fury is unapologetic in its tale of the horrors of war and equally focuses on the factors that deprive the characters of their humanity. Prepare yourself. Read More →