Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 16th, 2005
Synopsis
One year after Ronald De Feo slaughtered his family, the Lutzes move into the creepy house. George (Ryan Reynolds) soon feels cold and starts acting cranky, and before you know it is looking like he might dish out some violence of his own. Meanwhile the youngest child is developing a troubling relationship with the ghost of a little girl. A frantic Kathy (Melissa George) is desperate to find out what is wrong with the house before it all ends in blood and tears.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 15th, 2005
Kill! plays like something of a dark spaghetti western comedy. Honestly, how many times have you heard that line before? A warrior with no master wanders into a ghost town, tired and hungry, to find the only restaurateur in town dead. As he begins to contemplate where he will find his next meal, a farmer wonders into town under similar circumstances. The two form a loose partnership as they discover that they have placed themselves in the middle of a standoff between the local samurai and yakuza clans. As they...find out more about what is going on in the seemingly-deserted town, their loyalties shift and they begin to concentrate more on doing what is right than on their original selfish desires.
Fans of the Kill Bill films will find much to enjoy in this film, as it will give them an opportunity to see some of the history behind Tarantino's films. This piece is an unconventional take on the same book on which Akira Kurosowa's film Sanjuro was based. I always enjoy the opportunity to see different takes on a theme, and this 1965 film is quite fascinating in its disregard for traditional samurai film conventions.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 15th, 2005
Synopsis
Two friends – Marie and Alexia– head out to the country home of the latter’s parents. In the middle of the night, a killer breaks in, slaughters the family, and makes Alexia his prisoner. Marie is locked in a battle to save her friend and not become a victim herself.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 14th, 2005
Call me crazy, but I came away from this disc feeling like I had just watched a samurai western. On one side, the film is filled with Japanese warriors, fantastic swordfighting and talk of honor and revenge. On the other hand, a major subplot of the film revolves around panning for gold in the mountains, and fighting over the claims. This excellent 1965 film has much in common with great westerns, such as The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, including interesting plot twists and a complicated-yet-comical sidekick t... the main character that is surprisingly similar to Eli Wallach's character in the Italian epic.
Of course, there is plenty of samurai action in this film as well. It is interesting to see the rapid zooms that are such a trademark of this style of film used in a black-and-white format. These conventions are even more interesting when juxtaposed with some of the other delicately framed deep focus shots in the film. The cinematography alone is enough to elevate this film out of the category of a basic samurai film and into that of art, but the script and the wonderfully-choreographed fight scenes really put this film into a whole new level.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 14th, 2005
Synopsis
At a gathering of all the gangs of New York City, the messianic leader proposing a unification of all the organizations is gunned down, and the Warriors are unjustly accused. They must make their way from the Bronx to Coney Island with every gang in the city out for their blood.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 12th, 2005
Synopsis
Donald Pleasence (doing a bad Peter Lorre impression) is a university professor convinced that he can create plant/human hybrids that have the benefits of both species. He acquires unwilling human subjects thanks to erstwhile Doctor Who Tom Baker, here the deformed leader of a freak circus, who kidnaps young men and women, having been promised a cure for his condition.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 11th, 2005
Synopsis
Two years after one of their number has committed suicide, a group of friends are still very much into playing Hellworld, an internet game based on the Hellraiser mythology. They score invitations to the big Hellworld party, where they meet host Lance Henriksen, and then they start being killed off one by one.
Posted in: News and Opinions by Archive Authors on October 10th, 2005
On December 13th, Universal Home Entertainment will release the recent comedy hit The 40-Year-Old Virgin in separate rated and unrated version. The 133 minute rated edition will be presented in 1.33:1 fullscreen only, while the unrated edition will be presented in an anamorphic widescreen transfer; both will feature an English Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track. Extras on both releases will include a gag reel, a "You Know How I Know You're Gay" featurette, a 1970's sex education video, a "Waxing Doc" feature, ... "Line-O-Rama" feature. The unrated version will also include additional deleted footage and a "My Date With Stormy" feature.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 8th, 2005
Synopsis
Not being too familiar of the work done by Japanese animators or anyone associated with Studio Ghibli, it was hard to know what to expect when I started watching My Neighbors the Yamadas, but as it turns out, it’s a fairly successful cartoon series from Japan. Created by Isao Takahata (Grave of the Fireflies), the cartoon focuses on a family of four and a grandmother in their day to day lives and experiences.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 8th, 2005
Synopsis
Based on the novel by Clive Cussler, Sahara is a popcorn movie at its purest level. It is equal parts National Treasure and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and God help me, I actually got a kick from watching it. To give you an idea of its popularity, it was nominated for several Teen Choice awards.
