Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 29th, 2007
Moral Orel airs on Adult Swim, and like a lot of programs on Swim, each episode is about 12 minutes long. After watching only a few episodes, I just knew this show must face a lot of criticism. A lot of the subject matters are pretty touchy - from the eleven year old Orel smoking crack to him impregnating the neighborhoods mothers. Although pretty much all races and denominations take a shot throughout this show, the blunt of all jokes are taken by Protestants. Without getting into a whole religious tirade, I’...l say that as a Christian I don’t find this show overly offensive. Sure there are some things I don’t like about the show, or views that are expressed, but you have to take it with a grain of salt. With that being said, this show isn’t for everyone. A lot of Christians will probably find it offensive, but if you look past the initial shock of some of the jokes, this show can be pretty funny.
The premise of the show is simple. It begins with Orel listening to his Reverend dictate a passage from the bible, then the rest of the episode is based on Orel taking this lesson way to literally. This show is so far out there, how could it be offensive?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 29th, 2007
Synopsis
It always feels good when you go into a film with very little expectations. Such as the case with Griffin and Phoenix, other than Dermot Mulroney (My Best Friend’s Wedding), who is apparently in every fricken movie that involves the words “romantic” or “comedy”. While Griffin and Phoenix is a mite bit romantic and its story is hardly new, its execution makes things a bit more pleasant.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 29th, 2007
Synopsis
It always feels good when you go into a film with very little expectations. Such as the case with Griffin and Phoenix, other than Dermot Mulroney (My Best Friend’s Wedding), who is apparently in every fricken movie that involves the words “romantic” or “comedy”. While Griffin and Phoenix is a mite bit romantic and its story is hardly new, its execution makes things a bit more pleasant.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 29th, 2007
Hannibal “the cannibal” Lecter is widely recognized as one of the most compelling villains in modern fiction. This film, Hannibal Rising, based on the Thomas Harris book of the same name, presents the origin of the cannibalistic psychopath.
Quick context for this review: I’ve seen all of the Lecter films, and read none of the books. I liked Silence of the Lambs best, followed closely by Manhunter and more distantly by Hannibal and Red Dragon, the 2002 Manhunter remake. As such, I’ve certainly wondered about the story behind the madman. Was he born, or made? Or was it nature amplified by nurture?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 29th, 2007
Kelsey Grammer reprises his role as Dr. Frasier Crane in the ninth season of Frasier. Spanning eleven seasons, winning 39 Emmy Awards, and being one of the most critically acclaimed shows of its time, these are just a few of the achievements Frasier amounted during its eleven year run. So there’s no denying that Frasier has quite a following and for any of us who have watched can admit that it has its moments, and its more ‘sophisticated’ humor can be quite funny at times.
For those of y...u that aren’t familiar with this program I’ll fill you in on its premise before I get into the Season nine details. I’m sure most of you remember Dr. Frasier Crane drinking his money away with his fellow alcoholics in that little Boston pub, Cheers. If you know that much then I’m sure you can put it together that Frasier is a spinoff of the character created on Cheers, making Frasier the most successful spin off on television. The show began with Frasier moving back to his hometown of Seattle after a divorce. Before he gets to enjoy the bachelor life he takes in his father Martin, who is an ex cop and due to being shot in the line of fire has retired and left physically disabled. Among the frequent visitors to Frasier’s house are Daphne who is Martin’s physical therapist, Niles who is Frasier’s brother and a fellow psychiatrist, and Roz Doyle who is a producer on Frasier’s radio call in show. The overall feel of this show is somewhat intellectual, the main characters are pompous, but that doesn’t mean you have to be high society to enjoy the show. Although some of the jokes require a bit more thought that you’re standard sit-com just about anyone can enjoy Frasier.
Posted in: Highly Defined, News and Opinions by Archive Authors on May 28th, 2007
And now for a little change of pace this week, here’s a list of my Top Ten War Movies in honor of Memorial Day. Everyone should never forget…with the inclusion of these into your collection.
I figured what the hell, let me attempt to dive into my own list, and attempt to do some justice to a hotly debated movie genre…war movies. The ability of fighting forces across the world to hurt people and break things has evolved over the years, and so have the war movies, as many have done with the dramatic death in ... friend’s arms, and a lot of them usually get killed by snipers, with gore splattered on nearby troops with CGI precision. I don’t mean for it to sound too peacenik or anything, but if you take a look at the early movies and contrast with what we see in a big budget armed forces movie now, there’s a helluva more realism to it than in the past. From Lee Marvin’s The Big Red One to Letters From Iwo Jima, war movies have changed considerably in even just that 20 year span.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 28th, 2007
Prior to Top Gun with Tom Cruise and long before The Guardian with Ashton Kutcher, An Officer and a Gentleman was the film about a hot-headed hotshot military trainee headed for glory or self-destruction.
Starring a youthful Richard Gere (Chicago), An Officer and a Gentleman follows the journey of Zack Mayo, a young man looking to find his place in the world, and to prove he can defy his chaotic, depraved upbringing. His avenue of choice is to become a navy jet pilo..., which means he must first survive officer training under hard-as-nails Gunnery Sergeant Foley (Lou Gosset Jr., Diggstown). Between the tough training and weekend romps with girlfriend Paula (Debra Winger, Shadowlands), a local townie hoping to marry a pilot-to-be and escape her dead-end life, Mayo has a hard time holding on to his selfish, loner persona, and he fights the battle on internal and external levels throughout the film. It takes him a long time to realize he can change, open up to others and actually succeed. It’s a no man is an island story, and while you’re probably familiar with aspects of it from the likes of The Guardian, this film tells it in a more realistic and thus more satisfying way.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 27th, 2007
Synopsis
Steven Soderbergh has done a successful job of leveraging his reputation through the years in order to experiment with various directorial techniques and styles. With mainstream successes like Erin Brockovich and Traffic, he’s managed to keep in the spirit of anindependent film, producing stellar, less visible works like Bubble and a remake of Tarkovsky’s Solaris. Many of his works over the last few years have been with George Clooney, who starred in Solaris and < ...>Ocean’s Eleven, and was Soderbergh’s partner in a production house that released their own pieces of cinema. So Clooney and Soderbergh team together on film once again for The Good German, Soderbergh’s ode to ‘40s noir films.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 26th, 2007
This just in: Hugh Grant stars in yet another formulaic romantic comedy. Having polished his shtick in such films as Nine Months, Notting Hill and Two Weeks Notice, I’m betting Grant barely had to pay attention on the set of Music and Lyrics.
Rom-com fans will find Grant’s turn with lovable Drew Barrymore (Fever Pitch) more than palatable, I’m sure. Heck, I enjoyed Music and Lyrics, in the way one appreciates the occasional handful of those tiny marshmallows in a mu... of warm cocoa. The film is absolutely formulaic, but it succeeds moderately thanks to the good on-screen chemistry of its star-blessed lovers.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 25th, 2007
Synopsis
I really wasn’t entirely sure how to digest watching a film about a natural disaster where a quarter million people have died or are presumed missing/lost. Nevertheless, Tsunami: The Aftermath is a compelling portrait of the events surrounding the 2004 event that resulted in the deaths of thousands of people.
