Posted in: News and Opinions by Archive Authors on August 1st, 2007
Via Boing Boing - the 50 Best Movie Robots Ever. #50 - Andrew Martin, the Bicentennial Man. #1 - Terminator Series 800/Model 101. Great list, each entry has a corresponding YouTube video. Beware - this is a workday afternoon killer.
Posted in: News and Opinions by Archive Authors on August 1st, 2007
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 1st, 2007
I can just feel already, what an epic teen comedy Surf School is going to be, much pun intended of course. But appearance isn’t everything and I hope that this film can somehow surprise, as much as I doubt it.
Laguna Beach High School is tough for everyone, especially the outcasts, the non surfers. But when a group of social misfits band together, they decide to beat the schools reigning champions in a surf competition. The group goes to Costa Rica to learn, meeting some interesting people along the way. I bet you can already guess how this one ends, and trust me there are no surprises.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 1st, 2007
Tyler Perry, best known for Madea's Family Reunion, is responsible for yet another film in Lionsgate's line of movies about nice black people. In Daddy's Little Girls, the writer-director explores the conflict between the ghetto-class African Americans we've seen so much of in films and the black middle- and upper-class we haven't. While this aspect of the conflict is relatively fresh in cinema, what the premise really boils down to is an age-old tale of love between princess and pauper.
When his mother-in-law passes away, Monty (Idris Elba, The Gospel) is forced to take care of his three daughters full-time. While he loves them and has been supporting them faithfully their whole lives, Monty is also struggling financially and the burden may prove too much. The mother of his kids, Jennifer (Tasha Smith, The Whole Ten Yards), has been absent for years, preferring to live it up with her drug-dealer boyfriend, Joe (Gary Sturgis, Pride).
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 1st, 2007
I am a big fan of Kung Fu on film, whether it be Bruce Lee’s Enter The Dragon or Jackie Chan’s Drunken Master I can't get enough. More specifically I love Asian Kung Fu cinema, the Sammo Hung's and the Sonny Chiba's. So I think it goes without saying that this isn’t the first time I’ve seen Kung Fu Hustle, and it certainty won’t be the last.
It’s the 1930’s in Shanghai and various gangs compete for territory, the most powerful being the deadly Axe Gang. The police are powerless and it seems the only people that can live without fears are the poor ones, who the gangs have no interest in. That is until things get shaken up by Sing (Stephen Chow, Shaolin Soccer) and his sidekick Bone (Lam Chi Chung, Shaolin Soccer). The two pose as Axe members in the tenement Pig Sty Alley, where they attract the attention of real gang members. Catastrophe is merely averted when three local tradesman the coolie, tailor, and baker showcase their kung fu talents and thwart an Axe gang attack.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on July 31st, 2007
Disturbia looks to potentially be a classic thriller; it has the elements of a classic Hitchcock film, and a noteworthy cast. Although I’m not and never will be a fan of Shia LaBeouf I will admit he has sold me with his performances several times before, but does he have the talent to carry this movie? Regardless there are some other semi-reputable names cast in Disturbia including Carrie-Anne Moss and David Morse, so here’s to hoping that this flick isn’t a waste of time.
In the opening moments of the movie Kale (Shia LeBeouf, Transformers) and his father are in an accident which results in the death of Kale’s father. Sometime goes by since the accident when Kale’s teacher makes a comment about his father, sparking Kale to crack him in the jaw. This results in a three month house arrest sentence for Kale, who in a fit of boredom starts spying on his neighbors with a set of binoculars. Mostly he spies on the girl next door Ashley (Sarah Roemer, The Grudge 2) but after befriending her, his attention turns to Robert Turner (David Morse, 16 Blocks). He drives a blue Mustang just as a suspected serial killer does, but this isn’t enough to sell anyone but Kale. But things become even more convincing when it appears that Turner kills a female visitor. Kale and his friends decide to take this matter into their own hands.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on July 31st, 2007
In an old-groundbreaking television event likely orchestrated by classic TV aficionado George Clooney, Fail Safe was presented live on CBS in 2000. Seven years later, it hits DVD with little fanfare, but it should grab the attention of fans of any or all of the following: classic TV, live theatre, all-star casts and military dramas.
I haven’t seen the original film version based on the 1962 novel, Fail Safe, by Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler, or read the book, so I approached this live teleplay with an open mind. What stuck out most for me was the sheer depth of talent at work in this production.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on July 31st, 2007
Throw reason out with the trash, and sit down to a feel-good movie that tries just a little too hard to be quirky. That’s your best approach to The Astronaut Farmer, which pits Billy Bob Thornton against all odds to reach outer space by way of his farm-built rocket.
Everyone likes an inspirational story now and then, so I’m sure this film will find an appreciative audience. For me, there are better choices – say, October Sky, for example. Here, instead of a boy who loves rockets, we have Charlie Farmer (Billy Bob, Sling Blade), a former astronaut who never made it to space. Now he’s trying to get there by himself, having built a rocket from spare parts, a project which has brought him this close to foreclosure on his house, his farm and his family. Though they’re supportive, even Farmer’s wife and kids have to reach beyond the stars to find the guts and lack of reason to commit to helping their father reach his goal – or bust.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on July 30th, 2007
Director David Fincher (Se7en) has returned to serial killer territory in a very different way. Zodiac is an effective period piece that enwraps the viewer in a real-life mystery that remains unsolved because it happened before the age of computers and minute C.S.I. technology.
In 1969, a serial killer who eventually became known as the Zodiac struck for what is believed to be the first time. While the Zodiac continued to kill and take credit for murders for more than two decades, the killer eluded police, reporters and hobbyist investigators who tried to nail him down.
Posted in: Highly Defined, Regular Columns by Archive Authors on July 30th, 2007
Want to know the perks of working where I do? I get discounts to places. So I walk into Best Buy, and order a Pioneer Elite 92 for the insane price of cost plus 5%. That works out to a little under $700 for a $1300 receiver. It’s good to be the king baby. Once I get it locked and loaded, I’ll let you know what I think of it.Â
Hardware wise there’s been a few surprises, the pleasant one appears to be the details on Samsung’s dual format player. The BD-P2400 includes BD-J, HDi, DTS-HD and other little goodies to warm the heart, and at a SRP of just over a grand, might actually help rein more folks into the high defi, er, next generation video format. In lesser but still notable news, the PS3 got a firmware upgrade that included 1080p/24Hz, so now we can all see the films just like in the theater, or something. Oh, and the 360 HD DVD add-on got its price cut as well, down to $179. So, you know, yays all round.Â
![Disturbia [HD DVD] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/disturbia-hd-dvd-large.jpg)
