Experimenter: The Stanley Milgrim Story (now on video)

As of this writing a guy is going around the trash-tabloid media (which is pretty much the media in general) claiming to be the illegitimate son of iconic actor William Shatner. This dauphin wants something like $170 million in damages.

Damages?! KHAAAAAAN! Hey, if I could raise the funds, I would pay millions to go around claiming to be the illegitimate son of William Shatner. I was born in the right time frame, too. Do not get me wrong, I love both my parents. But if could finesse Shatner and my mother into agreeing that they shared a night of forbidden passion in Cleveland sometime around 1963, then I could go around being "Charles William Shatner Louis Cassady." I think that would really open doors for me, even in this deathbed-economy Cleveland job marketplace.

Imagine, I could let "dad" Shatner relax and take it easy on his ranch while I did all those Holiday Inn weekend fan conventions and TV guest appearances for him. I could sign my name to countless toy phasers, copies of Tekwar and old TV Guide issues with T.J. Hooker on the cover, as Mr. Shatners authorized heir/representative. I am even willing to maintain a long-running feud with anyone claiming to the illegitimate son of George Takei. It would be a great next generation thing, we can all agree.

Right now all I can offer you is this: if you see the new meta-biopic EXPERIMENTER, you will get to see the uncommon sight of actor Kellan Lutz playing William Shatner playing the late psychological researcher Stanley Milgrim. And where else can you get that?

Pawn Sacrifice

Review by Candice Lee Catullo

Based on the true story of chess prodigy Bobby Fischer, PAWN SACRIFICE is a calculated portrait of the legend both on and off the chessboard. Bobby Fischer was a chess super star – a rare breed if there ever was one. He achieved celebrity status in 1972, widely considered to be the best player of all time even today.

The movie begins with a young Bobby, living in Brooklyn. He was a natural from the beginning. Just a young boy, he sat in his room playing chess against himself. Bobby played so much and so intently, that his mother took him to a psychiatrist. And that was the foundation for Bobby’s life.

Black Mass

Review by Joseph Anthony

James “Whitey” Bulger is a bad man. Murder, extortion, narcotics and money laundering are just part of his rap sheet. For decades (when he wasn’t doing time at Alcatraz), Bulger was running the south side of Boston under the nose of the Italian mob. Getting drugs into the hands of Boston’s youth, exporting illegal arms to the people’s rebellion in Ireland, and killing anyone who might set off his sensitive paranoia, all while eluding capture by the FBI. Perhaps though, as BLACK MASS points out, eluding is the wrong word.

BLACK MASS tells us two tales over the course of three decades: one of Bulger’s activities, and the other of corruption within the FBI. Federal agent John Connolly, a childhood friend of Bulger, believes loyalty is everything - even if your job title requires arresting guys like Bulger. Connolly convinces his colleagues at the FBI to use Bulger as an informant; the FBI turns a blind eye to Bulger’s dealings in exchange for information that would help take down his enemy, the Italian mob.  Connolly is intoxicated by Bulger’s acceptance, something not easily won, and Connolly’s corruption within the bureau allows Bulger to do his worst.