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Looney Tunes: Golden Collection (Volume Two)

Posted in News and Opinions by Archive Authors on August 14th, 2004

Warner will release the second volume of the Looney Tunes: Golden Collection on November 2nd. This four-disc set will include around sixty shorts presented in 1:33:1 full frame along with English Dolby Digital Mono audio tracks. Extras will include audio commentaries (on over thirty of the cartoons), nine Behind-the-Tunes featurettes, two documentaries, a 50th-Anniversary Bugs Bunny Tribute Show, the “Adventures of the Road Runner” 1962 TV Pilot, a “From The Vaults Bonus Cartoon Rareties” feature, a New 2004 Short (enti…
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Air America

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 12th, 2004

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There was a time, even as late as the 90’s, when making an anti-American film was still taboo in Hollywood. Of course today, movies like Fahrenheit 9/11 are big money makers, but for many years, such films were discouraged. Air America is one of the rare exceptions to this rule. This may be due to the fact that it was disguised as a comedy about the Vietnam conflict, but no matter how you look at it, the film is quite critical of the US government, and it makes some pretty scathing accusations about our…
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Hellboy (Director’s Cut)

Posted in News and Opinions by Archive Authors on August 9th, 2004

Columbia Tristar will release the director’s cut of Guillermo del Toro’s Hellboy on October 19th. This 3-disc set, running 20 minutes longer then the original cut, will include all of the extras found in the original two-disc set (with the exception of a newly recorded audio commentary). Disc 3 will feature over 3 hours of new extras including a Comic Con 2002 Panel Discussion (with Guillermo del Toro, Ron Perlman and Mike Mignola), a Mike Mignola Artwork Gallery (with Commentary) and many more extras (TBA). Also availa…
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Predator

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 9th, 2004

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When I was a kid in the 80’s, Predator was one of those films that you weren’t supposed to watch, but everybody did anyway. Over-the-top action, invincible heroes, cheesy one-liners and big, big explosions made this a film that was a favorite of pre-pubescent boys everywhere. Going into this disc, I found myself wondering if the film would stand up to the harsh tests of time and maturity.

The answer to that question is both “yes”, and “no”. In the “no” column, it is very apparent early on in the film…
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Bourne Identity, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on July 27th, 2004

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Synopsis

An wounded amnesiac (Matt Damon) is fished from the Mediterranean. He travels acrossEurope searching for his identity, only to discover that he has several, one of which is “JasonBourne.” He is, in fact, a CIA super-assassin who has slipped his leash, and the Agency isdetermined to take him down. Dodging killers, he travels to Paris in the company of Marie(Franka Potente), still searching for the key to his memory and a way to escape the implacablepursuit.

Easily …
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Garfield and Friends (Volume One)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on July 27th, 2004

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Garfield has been hunting lasagna, out-witting his clueless owner Jon, and frolicking with his intellectually challenged partner in crime, Odie since 1978. While the recent big screen release failed to capture the attention of the public, the animated series from 1988 did everything that the movie failed to do. It made the viewers laugh. The animated series was cleverly written, very witty and in a way similar to the Simpsons, had the ability to make both kids and adults laugh.

Garfield first appeared on T…
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Spartan

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on July 20th, 2004

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It seems like there have been quite a few dramatic films over the past three years or so that have fallen into this trap of bad marketing. Curiously enough, they all seem to have the same narrative feel, from Heist to Confidence to Spy Games… and now Spartan. I sometimes have a hard time figuring out why some films become hits, and some don’t. (Of course, if I were a master at that, I would be the highest paid man in Hollywood.) I don’t understand how mindless films like Men in Black II…
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Das Boot – The Original Uncut Version

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on July 17th, 2004

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I am sure that many consumers have noticed the disturbing trend taking place in DVD land with regard to the same movie being released in multiple versions. This practice, commonly referred to in the industry as “multiple bites at the apple”, is a cheap way for studios to persuade consumers to buy movies that they already own over and over again, since each new release offers some sort of extra upgrade from the previous versions. Even those of us in the DVD community sometimes get burned on this type of thing, as ther…
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Spider-Man vs. Doc Ock

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on July 16th, 2004

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The mid-nineties Fox Spider-Man was hands down the best animated series of the time. It was one of the first series to use a Japanese animation company to produce a regular Saturday morning series and the Japanese influence was immediately striking. The brightness and depth of colors as well as the consistency of the animation blew away everything else that was available on TV at the time. The stories were outstanding in that they borrowed heavily from classic comic stories and adapted them for viewers that may not b…
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Barbershop 2: Back in Business

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on July 12th, 2004

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There is an interesting trend that seems to be going on in Hollywood right now. Contrary to the record of history, sequels are starting to turn out better, not worse, than their original productions. X2 was better than X-Men, Spidey 2 was better than the first, and each installment in the The Lord of the Rings trilogy built upon the previous episode to an eventual Best Picture climax. I am thrilled that this is the case, since there are more sequels being made now than ever before.

Super Spy

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on July 9th, 2004

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This is an odd little film, indeed. The best way that I can describe it is as a cross between Bowfinger and a James Bond film. It is billed as a comedy, but the first half-hour is clearly drama. Of course, when the comedy portion does come in, it’s not funny either. The plot is surprisingly complex, but at its core, it involves a movie production that accidentally captures a crime taking place on film. Now the criminals are after the crew.

Truth be told, this might have turned out to have been a pret…
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Party Animalz

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on July 7th, 2004

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Sometimes, I just don’t know where to begin with these reviews. There are bad movies, there are really bad movies, and then there are movies such as this. When it comes to DVD, extremely bad comedies are the lowest of the low. Bad dramas, horror films or love stories are usually only bad because they are tired and predictable. While that doesn’t make them any less annoying, at least they are comfortable. A bad comedy, however, goes beyond those other annoyances and creates something that is truly uncomfortable. It’s …
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3-Way

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on July 2nd, 2004

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I usually meet discs that contain a movie that I have never previously heard of with a groan. I figure the chances are that if I missed it in theaters, and I have never seen a preview for it, or seen it mentioned on a chat board, there’s probably a good reason. These were my exact feelings on the day that 3-Way arrived on my doorstep. These feelings were further confirmed upon insertion of the disc, when I was greeted by trailers for such classic films as Cruel intentions 2 and 3, and Wild Thi…
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Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on June 20th, 2004

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Well if you don’t know what is going on in this film then I am not quite sure why you are reading this review. This is the third and final installment of the Lord of the Ring’s trilogy, we finally after three long years get to discover the fate of Frodo, the ring, Sam, Gollum and all of Middle Earth. This film like The Two Towers just keeps getting better and managing to exceed our ever increasing expectations.

The multiple story lines all come together and finally conclude themselves, maybe not quite exac…
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Tokyo Godfathers

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on June 18th, 2004

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Apparently inspired by Three Godfathers, the over-sentimental John Ford western from 1948, the “godfathers” here are three homeless Tokyo-ites — Gin, a former professional bicycle racer; Hana, a transvestite; and Miyuki, a young runaway girl — living together in Shinjuku, Tokyo. On Christmas Eve, they find a baby, and embark on a journey that takes them all across the city in order to reunite the baby with its parents, while at the same time bringing their own lives closer to their ultimate destinies. Fun, fast-pac…
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Wizards

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on June 18th, 2004

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Wizards is a Ralph Bakshi production that is a lot more family friendly than some of his other better known works aka Fritz the Cat and the less said about his adaptation of The Lord of The Rings, the better. Wizards does borrow a lot from the Tolkein classic however, in it’s themes of industrialism versus nature as played out in the classic good versus evil story.

The story is set in a post-apocalyptic world where an ancient prophet foretells the coming of twins who will battle and the outcome of the con…
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Frasier – The Complete Third Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on June 18th, 2004

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Everyone’s favorite television psychiatrist is back for his third go around. Frasier and his emmy award winning cast return for one of the better seasons that the series produced. The third season sees more wackiness, more Eddie jokes, and more shenanigans at the radio station. The biggest story shift this year is Niles’ (David Hyde Pierce) separation from the still unseen Maris, leaving him more free time to moon over Daphne (Jane Leeves). In a half-season arc, Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) finds himself at odds with, an…
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Room with a View, A

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on June 10th, 2004

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Joe Queenan is one of my favorite writers. He is the author of wonderfully amusing essays and books dealing with the subject of film. In his book Confessions of a Cineplex Heckler, he is bold enough to take on the challenge of watching every Merchant Ivory film, back-to-back. At one point late in the narrative, he has this to say:

As I sat there in my reclining chair with my kids lighting matches to my feet, I realized that God had created Merchant and Ivory for only one reason: because otherwise …
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Summer School

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on June 8th, 2004

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Summer School is one of those films that I really enjoyed as a boy growing up in the 80’s. It had crazy characters, pretty girls, funny one-liners and cool people, like Mark Harmon. Watching the film today, I can honestly say that it is as good now as it was then. The only problem is, I have matured as a person and as a movie viewer. The characters are still crazy, but they are also largely annoying. The girls are still pretty, and the foreign exchange student is the same woman who played Allota Fagina in A…
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Great Escape, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 27th, 2004

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All too often, films with an ensemble cast are a dream for the studio’s marketing department, but end up being a nightmare for the moviegoer. They are the very definition of the phrase, “too many Chiefs and not enough Indians”. There are exceptions to this rule (such as Steven Soderberg’s re-make of Ocean’s 11), but more often than not, such films fall flat, as everybody leads in their own direction, and nobody follows.

Thankfully, this is one of those rare exceptions. Each member of the cast of T…
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Samurai Jack – Season One

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 24th, 2004

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Easily the best animated series to hit the airwaves over the past decade, Gennedy Tartovsky’s Samurai Jack has developed a devoted following owing to it’s superior storytelling and cinematography (if you can call it cinematography when it’s on TV).

It follows the story of Samurai Jack – a time displaced samurai looking to restore order to the planet by destroying the demon responsible for his, and the earth’s predicament. Aku, a powerful demon attacked Jack’s village destroying his home and family. Jack sw…
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Buffy the Vampire Slayer – The Complete Sixth Season

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 24th, 2004

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Following what may be one of the best season finales ever (i.e. Buffy sacrifices herself for her sister Dawn) Buffy is raised from the dead by the ever increasing powers of Willow. She returns disoriented just in time to battle a horde of motorcycle riding demons hell-bent on turning Sunnyvale into their own personal property. It is during the opening two episodes that it becomes clear that secrets are going to play a major role in the sixth season.

Buffy’s friends believe that as a result of the events of…
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Around the Fire

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 19th, 2004

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The time of being a teenager and self discovery can be a difficult one. We watch the life of Simon mainly through flashbacks as he is dealing with his drug addiction. We see a young man who doesn’t seem to fit in with his rich family friends. He finds friendship and comfort with a group who follows bands like Phish and The Dead around the country, getting high and having fun. Simon’s descends into drug addiction driven by the memory of his father betraying his mother just before she dies. The plot has the potential t…
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Purgatory Flats

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 19th, 2004

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A doctor looking to escape his past gets stuck in Purgatory Flats and drawn into a circle of deceit with the wild Sunny. Sunny is looking for a ticket out of the one horse town and will do anything to get out including killing her husband. The plot is as thin as one of Sunny’s little skirts and grates on you like the desert sand in a windstorm.

Video

The 1.33:1 full screen transfer looks pretty bad; I have seen worse but this one ranks up there. Colors are over really saturated… I assume …
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Stealing Time

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 19th, 2004

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What do you when you are in your mid 20’s and are diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor and only given a short amount of time to live. Do you move home and surround yourself with those who you love or do you enlist your friends to help you rob a bank and see if you can go out in a blaze of glory. This is an interesting film with a somewhat original storyline, there is a nice little twist at the end that you can see coming but overall it was an entertaining watch.

Video

The 1.33:1 full …
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