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Planet of the Apes (2001)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 15th, 2001

I have heard a lot of mixed reviews about this film. I will sum it up like this… If you are expecting amazing acting and storyline, you will be disappointed. But, on the other hand, if you are expecting to see a bunch of Apes jumping around and some very fun visual effects, you are in for a treat….

Synopsis

In the year 2029, interstellar reconnaissance missions are relegated to chimpanzee pilots from the Space Station Oberon in deep space. On such a mission, a chimp loses communication and vanis…
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X-Files – The Complete Fourth Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 13th, 2001

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Posted in Disc Reviews by Carly Peters

The season 4 collection of the X-Files comes in a seven disc package chock full of special features. Season four had some of the most talked about episodes in the X-Files brief history. Featured in this collection is “Home”, an episode that only aired once due to the undertones of incest in the plot, and has been banned from the re-run rotation. Other episodes include “Musings of the Cigarette Smoking Man”, a subplot that follows the life of young Cancer Man, who took part in some of the worlds most histo…
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Ginger Snaps

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 7th, 2001

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Intro

From the haunting soundtrack to the career-making performances from the Robin Cook’s superb cast, Ginger Snaps defines what a modern horror film should be: its artfully crafted reality skirts the edge of the mundane while maintaining an edge of surrealism through progressive applications of noire, violence, and the supernatural. The movie thoroughly involves the audience in a gruesome mockery of teenage evolution. Ginger (Katharine…
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Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 4th, 2001

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Intro

CTHE has managed to squeeze yet another release out of the Monty Python franchise, this time in the form of a Holy Grail two-disc Special Edition. A single disc version with 2.0 sound streeted in September of 1999. While the discs are loaded with a mountain of extras and the video and sound are definitely better than the 1999 version, I would recommend this set for first time Holy Grail purchasers and suggest that current owners needn’t upgrade. This disc has regrettably bumped into the limitations…
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Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 1st, 2001

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Hoooo boy! I bet you had forgotten what movies were like in 1979, right? Let me sum it up for you then: slow moving, and brown. The contrast in cinematic styles alone is shocking – this movie is full of long, long, long 20 second shots accompanied by ear-straining orchestrals; contrast this to the frenetic pace of today’s movies where camera angles change every three seconds and you’ll see how film styles have evolved in the 20 years since this movie was made to match waning attention spans. The highlight of this fil…
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Fifth Element

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 16th, 2001

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I must say that upon learning about the SuperBit Series from Columbia-Tristar, I was very intrigued. I did not know what to really expect… no special features? I must say, that at least for Fifth Element: SuperBit, I am very impressed. Fifth Element was originally released on DVD a few years ago with no special features and very good video and audio quality… similar to the SuperBit ideology. Before I get into this disc, here is a bit about the plot…

Synopsis

“New York cab d…
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Carrie

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 17th, 2001

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Intro

“If you have a taste for terror, you have a date with CARRIE.” So intones the original theatrical trailer for 1976’s “Carrie,” Brian de Palma’s cinematic adaptation of Stephen King’s identically named novel. This is a revenge story: Carrie is a high school student (at “Bates High” – yes this did come out after Psycho) who is tormented by her peers for her lack of physical prowess, weird family, homeliness, et cetera. Her contemporaries mysteriously overlook that fact that she is telekinetic and can…
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Terminator

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 15th, 2001

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Intro

Forget the “blue-lightning = naked guy” time transport system; you can do real time travel in your living room with MGM’s “The Terminator SE.” Step back to a time before Linda Hamilton started taking steroids, and before Arnold Schwarzenegger stopped. A time when guys (Michael Biehn = “Kyle Reese”) wanted to look like Sting, and CGI animation didn’t even exist. Yes, step back into the terrifying stop-motion world of James Cameron’s “The Terminator” in this superb re-release.

The…
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Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 4th, 2001

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Posted in Disc Reviews by Carly Peters

Intro

Can you believe that this film is the pre-cursor to the highly popular television show? It is really entertaining to compare the film to the t.v. show, but unfortunately this film did not receive a great treatment on DVD. I am sure you can figure out the premise, but here is the film’s synopsis courtesy of Fox…

Synopsis

“Blonde, bouncy Buffy (Kristy Swanson) is your typical high school cheerleader – her goal is to “marry Christian Slater and die” and nothing gets in her way …
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Gandhi

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 30th, 2001

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After watching this epic film, I could see why it was the winner of multiple Academy Awards including Best Picture. I have to thank Columbia-Tristar for presenting this film in a DVD release that actually enhances the viewing experience of this amazing picture. Sure, the 190 minute running time is not for those with no patience, but it is definitely worth watching.

Synopsis

The biography of Mohandas K. Gandhi, who rose from a small-time lawyer to India’s spiritual leader through his philosophy of…
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Simpsons: The Complete First Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 30th, 2001

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Posted in Disc Reviews by Carly Peters

Intro

Everyone’s favorite dysfunctional family is releasing a box set of the season that started it all. The Simpsons: The Complete First Seasons includes 13 episodes on three discs and is filled with lots of goodies, including some never before seen footage of an episode creator Matt Groening wishes he could forget.

Audio

To me the audio was no great shakes. There were moments when sound effects were really clear and realistic, i.e. Homer banging his head against a metal pole, while…
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Proximity

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 9th, 2001

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Posted in Disc Reviews by Carly Peters

Intro

This straight to DVD release by Columbia-Tristar was an average film, but a lack-luster DVD. Here is a little bit about the premise by Columbia-Tristar…

Synopsis

“When William Conroy (Rob Lowe), a former college professor, is sentenced to life in prison for vehicular manslaughter it seems his life is over. But, when a fellow inmate tells Conroy that in the past two years fourteen inmates have died at the prison, and then turns up dead the next day, Conroy realizes he is in more…
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