Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 15th, 2004
It seems that the producers of many long-running television shows are starting to catch on to what the viewing public has known for years; it’s best to go out on top. Shows such as Seinfeld, Friends and even Frasier (to an extent) have decided to pull the plug while the material is still operating on an acceptable level. It’s rare that shows can successfully pull the great switch like ER did, and replace virtually every member of the cast, while still not losing what made them great in the...first place.
I only wish that Chris Carter bought into this school of thought. While the Ninth season of The X-Files was still one of the better sci-fi dramas on television, it just wasn’t the same. The departure of David Duchovny left a hole in the cast that could not be filled. Now, that’s not to say that Robert Patrick isn’t great as Agent Doggett, it’s just that he’s not the same character. It was like those episodes of The Cosby Show that focused on Theo or Vanessa. It’s the same show, but there is a big piece missing.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 11th, 2004
Everything But The Girl is a group that has always been a bit of an enigma to me. I have never heard any of their albums, but I consistently run into one of their songs on the odd movie soundtrack or occasional visit to the record store. I am always struck by how different one song sounds from the next, much like the brilliant work of Blur, and I assumed that this was because most of the songs that I have heard are B-sides, or as I stated before, tracks that were donated to compilations or soundtracks. This disc has ...eally helped me to pull my view of EBTG into focus. Surprisingly, my initial beliefs are correct… they are in fact a group whose sound is that they have no sound.
Now, that’s not entirely fair of me to say. After all, Tracey Thorn’s voice is unmistakable. That is a sound in itself, much like fellow songstress Natalie Merchant. However, this career-spanning collection of videos (nine in all) really shows how the group has evolved, from jazz to folk to pop to dancehall tunes. Personally, the newest stuff is by far my favorite. While the video for the Simon and Garfunkel cover “The Only Living Boy in New York” is fantastic (as is the song), it’s the inclusion of the electronic tracks that really get me interested in this band.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 10th, 2004
In 1980, the United States was in need of something to give hope to its citizens. What it got was a miracle.
Now, hockey has never really been a major sport in the United States. While it is played feverishly in many of the Northern states, those in the rest of the country are just not as passionate about it. Basketball, baseball and football are the big three in this country. This fact just goes one step further to show just how unbelievable the Miracle on Ice really was. I am sure that most people already...know the story, so it would be redundant for me to recount it here. For those that don’t, they should unquestionably see this movie.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 5th, 2004
As a music lover, the phrase, “written by Paul McCartney” almost always signifies excellence in the performance to come. For a movie lover, this is not necessarily the case. Sure, A Hard Day’s Night is a great film, Help! is better than average, and Yellow Submarine is a fun departure from mainstream animation. Heck, even Magical Mystery Tour has a campy sort of charm to it.
Apparently, the same rule that applies to music also applies to cinema; without the rest of The Beatles, P...ul McCartney’s talent is just not the same. Sure, he can act fairly well, and the music is way above average, but taken as a whole, this film just plain stinks. The plot here is extremely thin. I have seen many _ hour sitcoms with more plot lines than this film. If you were to take out all of the musical numbers, you would probably have about 40 minutes of actual dialog. The rest of the film is filled with musical breaks.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 3rd, 2004
In today’s age of manufactured talent less pop stars you have to hand it to the artists that still write and actually perform their own original material. Versus the one’s who simply head into the studio with a team of writers and producers and who don’t even have the talent to actually sign live but instead just lip sync. Jewel whether you like her music or not is an artist, she writes her own material and even co-produced her last album. At times she is incredibly engaging at other times slightly annoying but, her ...yrics are richly textured and captivate the imagination.
Video
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 2nd, 2004
Quite possibly my favorite part of this job is checking the post on the day that my new box of DVD screeners are scheduled to come in. Sometimes, I know what is coming to me, and the new box means that it is time to get down to business. Other times, however, there is a surprise inside, much like the new box of cereal that made its way home with the groceries when I was a child. Upon reviewing the parcel’s contents, I will either be greatly pleased with my employer, or I will be filled with immediate dread, knowing t...at many nights of misery lie in my future.
This is one of those titles that, unfortunately, falls into the latter category. Now, I’m not anti-musical, and I am most certainly not anti-classic film. I am very much unlike most men on that point. Having said that, I do like a little plot in my three-hour films. This is a picture that has so many stage-performed musical numbers, it actually opens to an overture. I am a fan of the theater, but I am of the opinion that a film should be a film, and the theater, the theater. I don’t want to watch a play captured on film any more that I wish to go to a play and watch a movie.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 28th, 2004
When I first glanced over the cast of this film, I was certain that it was shot in the 80’s. These days, names such as Deborah Harry, Ally Sheedy, Ralph Macchio and Robin Givens just don’t show up together on a movie poster. Of course, this is no ordinary gangster film, either. In fact, for a director trying to make a name for himself, this casting strategy is pretty brilliant. If Quentin Tarrantino has taught us anything, he has taught us that old actors don’t lose their chops, they just become less fashionable. If ...ou can get a name with skill at a bargain rate, then by all means, do so.
From the opening title sequence, I was hooked on the visuals of this film. It is clear that Singer has fun as a director, and that enthusiasm bleeds over into the feel of the film. In fact, the whole piece is cut like a feature-length trailer, with lots of action going on behind the camera, and respectable acting in front of it.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 28th, 2004
I spent many an evening as a child watching the Peanuts gang in one of their famous holiday specials. I looked in my backyard for The Great Pumpkin at Halloween, and I often times decorated my very own Charlie Brown Christmas tree at Christmastime. Obviously, I was not alone in my enjoyment of these cartoons, as the very same shows are aired even now, during the appropriate time of year.
The popularity of these cartoons has not escaped the attention of the estate of Charles Schultz, either. In an attempt to...keep a good thing going, the Peanuts gang is back in an all new special, Lucy Must Be Traded, Charlie Brown. Often times, any effort to capture the magic of a classic in an all-new feature fails miserably, but thank goodness that is not the case here. This special is just as much fun as the originals were, complete with the determined spirit of underachieving Chuck, the cruel nature of loudmouth Lucy, and the mannish (dare I say homosexual?) tendencies of Marci.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 27th, 2004
Ahh, those funny little Kids from Canada. I’m not sure exactly when it happened, but at some point in the 90’s, The Kids in the Hall became North America’s answer to Monty Python. Now, that’s not to say that the Kids are as classically funny as the Pythons, but the similarities run rampant nonetheless. Both troupes had a very successful sketch comedy television series, in which many of the all-male cast dressed in drag. Following the success of their respective shows, they both explored what feature films might conta...n. Following this exploration, they both performed some of their classic material before a live audience. The last part of the puzzle is the emergence of one of the cast members as a serious Director; for the Pythons, it was Gilliam, and for the Kids, it’s Bruce MuCulloch.
Just to make this clear yet again, I am certainly not saying that Gilliam and MuCulloch are equals in the world of film… far from it. I can say, however, that McCulloch is off to a good start, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him evolve into a talented comedy director in the future. Dog Park is a basic romantic comedy, with indie sensibilities and a twisted view of dog owners. Think Best in Show meets When Harry Met Sally.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 24th, 2004
The Farelly brothers are back with another unconventional comedy, this time about conjoint twins (otherwise known as Siamese twins). When I first saw the ads for this movie, I thought, “Yikes, what jokes in bad taste are the Farelly’s going to poke at the conjoined community?” I watched this move with some trepidation, but was surprised to find Stuck On You the least offensive and most accessible of all of the Farrelly’s pictures.
The movie follows the lives of Bob (Matt Damon) and Walt (Greg Kinnea...) as they transition from their comfortable lives in New England as burger joint owners and chefs, where they are accepted for who they are. Walt has the acting bug and has starred in a number of local productions but wants more. He wants to ply his trade in Hollywood.
