Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 13th, 2005
“All good things must come to an end…” Truer words have never been spoken, especially when it comes to describing what may be argued as the greatest epic ever produced for the silver screen. Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy has redefined excellence in movie making. The only other series that I can compare this accomplishment to is, not surprisingly, the original Star Wars trilogy in terms of the scope of what was accomplished – old fashioned story telling which captured its audience with ground...breaking visuals and sound. Where Peter Jackson has surpassed George Lucas however, was in the DVD production of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The extended versions of the three films should be identified as the best DVDs ever produced. Period. These versions of the films truly demonstrate the full potential of what DVD has to offer.
The Return of The King completes the Lord of the Rings trilogy by allowing Aragorn to fulfill his destiny and bring honor back to his disgraced family line, bringing together the peoples of Middle Earth to fight for a common good, and for Frodo to end his life altering journey to save all of the people of his world. The extended version adds 50 minutes to the already 3 hr and 20 minute long theatrical cut. One would think that it may be difficult to sit through a 4 hr and 10 minute film, but nothing could be further from the truth. The additional scenes contribute an added depth to the movie that rounds out the story very nicely. The mix of the scenes involve a deepening of not just action, but also emotional tenderness, suspense, and humor.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 11th, 2005
A vehicle for Hilary Duff, “A Cinderella Story” is a modern updating of the classic fairy tale. Set at a high school in the San Fernando Valley, a "dorky" girl, Hilary Duff, comes to terms with her “wicked” stepmother, Jennifer Coolidge, and evil stepsisters, played by Madeline Zima and Andrea Avery. Duff meets her “prince” and well….there’s a Halloween Dance….well…I think you get it.
This movie does exactly what you expect it to do. No surprises or inventiveness. Fans will enjoy, but to the “layperson” t...e lack of cinematic flair might be off-putting. There’s a sweetness and cuteness to the proceedings, but if you’re looking for an original take on an old classic, you won’t find it here.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 11th, 2005
De-Lovely is a musical bio-pic based on the life of Cole Porter. Now, Porter was an American genius, responsible for writing such song classics as “Love for Sale” and “Anything Goes”. Porter’s personal life was also legendary. He had a wife, but also had affairs with men. Porter also suffered a horse riding accident in the late 1930’s that debilitated him for the rest of his life (to his death in 1964). Sounds like the great makings of a movie, right? Well….
Kevin Kline plays Cole Porter, and h... has the necessary panache to pull off the role. Ashley Judd also has a nice turn as Linda, Porter’s wife. The problem with the film is the presentation. The film tries for a musical within a musical idea, as an older Porter oversees a musical based on his life. Sometimes the technique works, sometimes it misfires. Modern music stars are also peppered throughout the film (like Elvis Costello, Alanis Morissette, and Sheryl Crow) singing Porter tunes. Some of these songs do not work very well (Miss Morissette – guilty as charged!). The director, Irwin Winkler, is an old Hollywood vet, so he does show reverence for the material. The result is a charming, if not entirely successful, musical bio-pic.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 11th, 2005
The story of Troy and the warrior Achilles is the stuff of legends now brought to life by Wolfgang Peterson. With an ensemble cast including Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Peter O’Toole, Brian Cox, Brendan Gleeson and Sean Bean there are only two things that can happen, magic or mediocrity. In this case I think we end up somewhere in between. Some scenes like the battle between Achilles and Hector is incredible while the storming of the beach at Troy is almost downright laughable. Overall though the film works I just wish it ...as a little longer to flesh out more of the subplots, because the long run that’s what holds this film back.
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 9th, 2005
I started watching this movie expecting something akin to a National Lampoon episode – a goofy motorcycle road trip populated by harmless and amusing stoners. Those of you who are Easy Rider fans, or who have seen and appreciated the film should be chuckling now at my ignorance. This film, as well as Rambo: First Blood and Vanishing Point have now made it adequately clear to me that I’ve completely missed an entire genre of filmmaking. For those who share my ignorance, what I’m referring to is th... bleak and depressing post-1969 disillusionment film (this movie was actually filmed during ’69): love, merriment, and hope have been replaced with unmitigated bleakness and futility. The freedom and exuberance of the sixties has been replaced with imagery that exposes it for what it was – a brief flare in a perpetual night otherwise characterized by self-serving manipulations, hollow appearances, unrealized and forgotten dreams, violence, and willful ignorance.
Yes – the world after the summer of love is a pretty depressing place. Easy Rider makes this adequately clear in the opening minutes of the film as our two hero’s (Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda) complete a drug deal close to the Los Angeles airport. By starting the movie in this way, even the liberal, free spirited protagonists of the film are deprived of any moral base – their innocent, archetypal sixties dream of traveling by motorcycle across the US and having fun along the way is revealed as the end product of a career of crime and drugs, and the protagonists are presented as amoral and self-serving at best. The idealism of the sixties is flayed and exposed as the hollow moral posturing that – by and large – it was. Interesting side note here: the person that the drugs are sold too is in fact the Phil Spector, who’s monumental music production career has since been eclipsed by his Hughes-esque eccentricities, and allegations of murder. Check out the Making-Of documentary for more on Spector’s weirdness while filming.
Posted in: News and Opinions by Archive Authors on January 5th, 2005
Paramount Home Entertainment will release the Jude Law film Alfie in separate anamorphic widescreen and fullscreen editions on March 15th. Each disc will feature a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio tracks, 2 audio commentaries, 8 deleted scenes (with optional commentary), 5 behind-the-scenes featurettes, image galleries, as well as trailers.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 4th, 2005
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement is the sequel to the popular Disney feature The Princess Diaries. How is our princess (Anne Hathaway) now? Well, life isn’t so easy in Gevonia. While trying to dodge Machiavellian plots and ill-suited suitors, the princess Mia tries to find love and (more importantly) herself.
The Princess Diaries 2 feels like one of those “phoned-in” sequels. All the notes are there, but none of the music. Veteran director Garry Marshall does a poor job o... filling this movie with energy or any sense of pace; and the movie plods along to its inevitable conclusion. Pre-teens might get a kick out of it, but the movie’s long windedness might make them turn towards the XBox. Anne Hathaway’s moxie and Julie Andrews’s grace make The Princess Diaries 2 modestly watchable.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 31st, 2004
On the DVD cover of The Door in the Floor, the writing promises “surprises”, “shocks”, and “cuts like a knife”. One would think this movie would be a thriller. False advertising can get you nowhere. The Door in the Floor is far from a thriller, but more in the meditation on love, loss, and loneliness genre. Jeff Bridges and Kim Basinger star as a dysfunctional married couple. Things are far from blissful. Bridges is a writer of children’s fiction; Basinger is, well, I’m not sure what she does. Bu... she sure is unhappy. She even takes up an affair with a young boy, played effectively by Jon Foster.
The movie is based on the first third of John Irving’s novel “A Widow for One Year”. It does feel a little like the first act of a much larger story. But the movie kinda works as a stand alone piece. Door covers some familiar territory (think In the Bedroom but without the murder). Basinger is good, but the movie is Jeff Bridges’ to own. He’s tortured but understated, rascally but sympathetic. The performance is one of the best of 2004. “The Dude” abides.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 29th, 2004
Barry Pepper is an actor who seems to have an affinity for playing sports heroes, Roger Maris and now Dale Earnhardt. Pepper also seems to have an affinity to star in movies with numbers in the title, 51, 25th Hour, and now 3 – The Dale Earnhardt Story. ESPN presents an original sports movie about the iconic racing driver who lived and died (literally) on the track.
Being a sports fan, I have a soft place in my heart for sports bio pics. They have a tendency to be clichéd, by nature.... We usually see the rise of the sports hero from humble beginnings to glory. There are hardships along the way, familial tension, and of course “the big game” (or in this case, the “big race”). 3 is no exception to the cliché ridden sports movie. But the story is well told and serves a lasting testament to a sports legend.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 29th, 2004
That’s So Raven features Raven (or the artist formerly known as Raven Symone) as a sassy teen who gets into hilarious teen situations. Sound familiar? Raven seems a little Lizzie McGuire-esque, but the difference is in the main character. Raven has psychic powers. That’s right. She has the supernatural ability to see events that may (or may not) have happened. Freaky.
That’s So Raven: Supernaturally Stylish is a DVD that features four episodes from the Disney TV series. An... if Raven looks familiar, she used to play that new cute kid that ruined The Cosby Show. Raven and her buddy Chelsea get into some wacky situations, including going undercover as disco divas. Raven likes to use disguises. Oh…and she likes to act upon her psychic powers. The series ain’t “all that”, but the spirit of the show is fun enough.
