Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 28th, 2006
Utter the simple phrase of Harry Potter to any age, and it is nearly guaranteed that they will know what you are speaking about. Since becoming a worldwide phenomenon in 1999, the Harry Potter series have been turned into everything from video games to bathing products. Most notably, the series have been turned into a set of excellent films that are successful, for the most part, in recreating the major elements presented in the novels by author J.K.Rowling.
With this being the fourth film in the series of ...even, I had a few fears going into this film. With this book being the longest of the four books at this point, I was worried that new director Mike Newell would’nt be successful in presenting all the ideas Rowling went over in the book. While the film does not mention every little detail (the most notable gripe is the lack of the Dursley’s), Newell is very successful in bringing the action, suspense, fear, emotion, and growth of the characters to the big screen in stunning style.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 28th, 2006
Wildfire has all the subtlety and charm of an ABC After School Special. Truth be told, the pilot episode reminded me a lot of Showgirls, but instead of becoming a pole dancer, this girl is becoming a horse trainer. The basic elements are still the same, though. A girl with a rough past gets an entry-level position at her dream job, and must work her way up the ranks. Only this show is on ABC Family. Gone is all the glitz and flash that tried to cover up the horrid plot of Showgirls. Withou... all those distractions, the viewer is sadly left only with lame, tired dialog and incredibly predictable plot lines to keep them warm.
If this was a dog show, and you asked me what I thought, I'd say “woof”. However, it's a horse show. Therefore, I say “neigh”.
Posted in: News and Opinions by Archive Authors on February 28th, 2006
Well, eat my hat - looks like Blu-ray has an official launch date for hardware and titles - May 23, as reported by Engadget. Here's the official release from Sony, which in addition to the date, drops the list of release titles:
The first Blu-ray Disc titles from SPHE and MGM Home Enterta...nment willinclude: 50 First Dates, The Fifth Element, Hitch, House of Flying Daggers, AKnight's Tale, The Last Waltz (MGM), Resident Evil Apocalypse and XXX.
BD titles streeting June 13 include: Kung Fu Hustle, Legends of the Fall,Robocop (MGM), Stealth, Species (MGM), SWAT and Terminator (MGM). UnderworldEvolution will debut in early Summer day and date with the DVD.
Posted in: News and Opinions by Archive Authors on February 27th, 2006
Here's a quick one from Engadget: Sony and NEC have and optical drive joint venture underway, slated to get rolling this spring. The key finding here is that Sony has a 5% edge in the JV, implying that it will be to manufacture BR drives exclusively - which takes a major hardware manufacturer out of the running for HD-DVD production.
Posted in: News and Opinions by Archive Authors on February 27th, 2006
CNET has a good round up article on the recent issues with Blu-ray DVD technology, and the business fallout that's resulted. After starting hot, Blu-ray has been beset by delays; its now reached the point where the PS3 is rumoured to be delayed as a result, and CNET is actively comparing Blu-ray to Beta. Good luck, Sony!
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 26th, 2006
If there is one genre that can get away with releasing films direct-to-DVD, it is horror. By nature, most of the best horror films are low budget affairs anyway. Classics like Halloween and Friday the 13th, as well as more modern affairs such as The Blair Witch Project, are perfect models of the power of a smart, low-budget horror film.
Of course, for every Cabin Fever, there are fifteen versions of The Brotherhood III – Young Demons out there, just waiting to suck. Ring ...round the Rosie has several good things going for it. For a low budget affair, it is surprisingly well-produced. Quality audio and video can make even the worst film at least pleasant to observe. The film also has some nice “what's in that shadow?” tension, and Tom Sizemore even found some time between court appearances and stints in rehab to contribute to the film in a key supporting actor role.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 25th, 2006
Synopsis
Quite frankly, I didn’t remember much about 13 Going on 30 when I first saw it (yes, I’m copping to watching it), but in revisiting it for the purposes of the review, I found that it was a cute film whose story is quite clearly lifted from the ‘80s Tom Hanks film Big (right down to the scene where the main character rides in a limo), but the performances by the cast is actually quite commendable.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 25th, 2006
Synopsis
I think that by revisiting Unbreakable, and looking at it outside of M. Night Shyamalan’s other films (The Sixth Sense and Signs), there’s actually a pretty good movie going on there. I mean, a movie that grossed $95 million domestically can’t be considered a failure, right? It did, however, do amazing overall numbers, the international totals brought the film up to a near $250 million gross. However, I guess when you put them up against Signs ($227 million domestic, $40... million worldwide) and The Sixth Sense ($293 million domestic, $672 fricken’ million worldwide), maybe it can be considered disappointing, but the film itself is pretty good.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 24th, 2006
Betty Grable is best known for keeping the many, many GI’s thinking about their home country during World War II. She was mostly known for being a Pin-Up Girl during this time, and is also the star of the 1944 film Pin Up Girl. The film is part of Fox Home Entertainment’s Marquee Musicals and is pretty entertaining if you enjoy musicals or enjoy Betty Grable.
Betty Grable in Pin Up Girl is a pretty odd film overall, probably because of the four different writers the film had. The basic plot is... Lorry Jones (Grable) is the toast of the toast when it comes to gorgeous pin up girls in the USO. These girls sing, dance and provide conversation and TONS of goodies for the serving men in the armies. Lorry has one goal in being a pin up girl. Make every man as happy as she possibly can. This tends to make many of the men think there’re actually engaged to Lorry at one point.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 24th, 2006
Lincoln and Lee at Antietam: The Cost of Freedom delves into what is, without doubt, the single bloodiest day in American history. In 12 hours, we lost about 24,000 people – nearly eight times the carnage of 9/11. As historical events go, The Battle of Antietam is one of the most vivid reminders we have of the realities and the horror of war. It was also one of the first battles in the history of the world whose carnage was put on display for all to see through actual photographs. After Antietam was in the boo...s, a studio opened in New York and made available for public viewing pictures containing the bodies of soldiers from both sides, twisted and broken on the battlefield. Unfortunately, the years which have passed since that day have lessened the impact of the battle, but this new documentary succeeds in taking us back to that time, and forcing us to appreciate the lives of these men and the fear they must have felt.
War should never be a course of action – it should always be a course of reaction, and an extreme one at that. This documentary does a fine job of making us see such a truth, and Antietam is an excellent example of how the Civil War was altered from being a war of rebellion to becoming one of freedom for all men. It was this hard-fought and costly victory that allowed Lincoln to be effective in his release of the Emancipation Proclamation, and though by no means does it represent the end of the War, it’s where the tide turned for the North, and freedom became a reality rather than a possibility. I highly recommend this documentary to every American. It succeeds at presenting both the broad picture and the personal intimacies of the participants. And it does so without any partisan fat connected to current political climates. It’s simply about remembering these men and this battle – not judging them – and that’s the kind of neutrality we could use more of in our history books. The only drawback is some of the narration is overdone by the actors, but it’s just a minor complaint to an all together informative, entertaining viewing experience.
